Silas began to act. He twitched his hand. He looked at the door. He looked like a man who had made a mistake. He was playing the part of a scared gambler.In the first timeline, Evan had said "No." He had tried to be safe. And the House had moved the ball anyway, killing him.Evan looked at the red screen. He looked at the 15% win probability."Give me a moment," Evan said."Time is the one thing we don't have, boy," Silas teased.Evan focused on the System. Help me, he thought. Calculate the cheat.The blue text scrolled across his eyes.[CALCULATING...][DETECTION: ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD DETECTED UNDER TABLE SURFACE.][SOURCE: HOUSE INTERFERENCE OVERRIDE.][WIN PROBABILITY: 0.00% (FORCED LOSS)]Evan felt a cold rage. The House didn't just have an advantage. They had the result already written. If he played the game, he would lose. Period.What can I do? Evan thought.The System responded.[OPTION: STABILIZE OUTCOME][DESCRIPTION: OVERRIDE LOCAL GRAVITY SENSORS TO MATCH USER BET.][CO

In the past, Evan would have screamed. He would have begged. But the 18 years in his blood felt like fire. It made him feel faster. It made him feel dangerous.[COMBAT MODE: INITIATED][SCANNING TARGETS...][WEAKNESS FOUND: LEAD TARGET HAS A BUM KNEE. LEFT SIDE.]The System’s voice was a cold comfort."I'm not giving you a second," Evan said.The one-eyed man lunged. He was fast, driven by the fear of his own death. He swung the metal shard at Evan’s throat.Time slowed down.It wasn't a rewind. It was just Evan’s brain working at a higher frequency. He saw the man’s muscles tense. He saw the way the man’s weight shifted to his good leg.Evan stepped to the left. He moved before the man even finished his swing. The metal shard whistled through the empty air.Evan didn't just dodge. He counter-attacked. He drove his fist into the man’s ribs—the same spot where the Enforcer had kicked him in the timeline that no longer existed.Crack.The man let out a choked gasp and fell to the ground

Evan walked for thirty minutes. His vision blurred and cleared, blurred and cleared. He felt like his brain was a radio that was losing its signal. He kept seeing things that weren't there—the blue bicycle from his deleted memory, a ghost of a child riding through the rain.He finally reached a large, white building. It was the Central Medical Ward. It was the only building in the district that had constant power. It was where the rich came to live forever, and where the poor came to die when their time ran out.Evan walked through the sliding glass doors. The air inside was cold and smelled of bleach and old metal.A robot at the front desk looked up. Its eyes were two red sensors."Identify yourself," the robot said. Its voice was smooth and fake.Evan held up his wrist. He pressed it against the scanner.Beep."User: Evan Kennedy. Balance: 18 Years, 3 Months. Access granted to Level 2 Wards."The robot’s eyes turned green. "Welcome, Mr. Kennedy. How can the Bank assist your health

The rain in the South District did not fall. It drifted. It was a thick, gray mist that tasted like copper and old smoke. Evan stood in the doorway of the Clockmaker’s Shop. Behind him, the man on the floor was dead. His hand was still warm, but his time was gone.In front of Evan, the girl held a gun. It was a small, black weapon. Her hand did not shake. She wore a heavy leather jacket that was too big for her. Her hair was short and dark, sticking to her forehead in the damp air.She looked exactly like the girl on the blue bicycle. But Evan couldn't be sure. That memory was gray now. It was like a photo left in the sun for too long."Who are you?" the girl asked. Her voice was sharp. It cut through the sound of the ticking clocks on the walls."Evan," he said. He held up his hands. He did not want to look at the gun. "The man on the floor... he told me to come here. He said I need to ask for the 25th Hour."The girl’s eyes narrowed. She looked at the dead analyst on the floor. Then

Evan stepped in front of Mara. He didn't feel fear. He didn't feel anything. "I'm not property," Evan said.Julian smiled. It was a beautiful, terrifying smile. "Oh, but you are. You are the vessel for the Prototype. And you’ve been a very bad boy. Betting with memories? That is a dangerous game, Evan. You’re running out of things that make you human."Julian held out his hand."Give me the Key, and I will let the girl live. I will even let your father have his five years in peace. He will die quietly in his sleep."Evan looked at the Key in his hand. Then he looked at Julian."I don't care about the girl," Evan said.Mara flinched. She looked at Evan like he had stabbed her. "Evan? What are you saying?"Evan didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on Julian. "And I don't care about the man in the hospital. Not anymore."Julian’s smile widened. "I see. The Machine ate the best parts of you, didn't it? Excellent. That makes this much easier.""But," Evan continued, his voice dropping to a