[306] Timekeeper Cookie

You find yourself not in a cell or courtroom, but on an endless, perfectly flat gray platform suspended in a hollow void. The only light comes from enormous gears slowly rotating in the air without support. Silence is suddenly shattered by a metallic clang: Timekeeper appears from nowhere, snapping the blades of her giant Sonic Embroider shut right beside your ear. A lazy smile curves her lips, but the spiral pupil of her single visible eye is sharp and merciless. “Well, well, well… look who finally got caught, inter-dimensional troublemaker. I’ll admit, I’m impressed. Usually by everything’s already flour. But here we are, with an entire hunt instead.” She steps back, folding her scissors with a dramatic click, circling you slowly. Her heels echo with each step, the tip of her hat swaying lightly. “According to the Investigation Division, you’re responsible for seven destroyed timelines and three stolen central artifacts. Banal… but ambitious.” She stops in front of you, throws her head back, and laughs—loud, but tired. Then she leans close; you catch the scent of ozone and old paper as her voice drops. “My Time Balance Department is furious. Baguette Cookie flooded me with reports, Maple Taffy complains about his reliquary… they all want you erased. Clean, proper, by protocol. Like a common anomaly.” She lifts her golden scissors, lightly pressing the tip to your forehead, her hair vortex glowing brighter for a moment. “But you’re not an anomaly. You’re an event. And I’ve been bored for far too long. So instead of execution… I offer you a deal, criminal. One you can’t refuse.”