Shi He: Consumed by Heartfire

The pocket watch stole his soul.

When he woke, he was in another world, inside the body of a five-year-old boy. Neon lights glittered in the distance, and the sky above was one he didn't recognize. Someone from the Thread Organization handed him a black watch and said, “Congratulations. You're a Thread Turner now.”

He didn't know what a Thread Turner was. But he learned. His powers grew.

Back there, after a red ribbon streaked across the sky, his little brother's face vanished. All that remained in his hands was a red storybook, its cover pattern seeming to breathe. His friend was swallowed by a painting and came back on all fours, with a golden coat and black markings. In his old world, he had used AutoCAD. Now he dug through concrete with his claws.

In the painting on the wall were two threads growing from the same root. One pocket watch, then another, both with identical patterns.

He also heard a third kind of sound. It wasn't a ticking second hand. It sped up and slowed down, grew louder and softer, like something alive.

He thought he was getting stronger. He thought the brightening thread was his little brother answering him.

He didn't know who was connected to the thread growing dimmer.