Shears of Loomwood

In the sprawling, high-ceilinged Loomwood Atelier, the wealthy aristocrats of the capital purchase garments of eternal youth. These exquisite ballgowns hum with stolen lifespans, harvested from exhausted, impoverished apprentices in the sub-basements. Lianne Rose, a mute master-seamstress, silently works the fabric while hiding her ability to see these glowing red time-strands. Lord Byron, the ruthless merchant prince of the atelier, drafts a young apprentice named Clara—the sister of Lianne's loyal translator Robin—to completely drain her remaining lifetime into his towering, burgundy fur-collared masquerade cape. Lianne refuses to let Clara die. She uses her forbidden, light-devouring golden shears to start cutting the dress anchors. However, every cut inflicts a physical toll, crystallizing her fingers into heavy silver. As a high-pressure temporal investigator patrols the atelier and Byron's suspicion flares, Lianne must complete her secret sabotage amidst spinning aristocrats in a crowded ballroom before Clara's heart beats its last. Lianne infiltrates the Grand Masquerade in disguise. Instead of merely cutting Byron's threads, she cross-ties them to his wealthy patrons' dresses, reversing the flow. Byron's temporal cape collapses into gray dust, liberating Clara's stolen years. Lianne and Robin escape into the dawn, changed forever.