Chapter 13: Fragments of the Past (0x12FOTP)

The dim light in Oz’s workshop casts long shadows across the cluttered room. Jamie steps inside, his clothes still damp from the rain and his thoughts heavy with everything that’s happened in the past few hours. The familiar scent of old paint and rusted metal fills the air as his eyes adjust to the chaos around him. Half-finished sculptures, abstract art, and strange machinery litter the space, creating a labyrinth of Oz’s eccentric mind.

In the back, hunched over a table, Oz mutters to himself, his gnarled fingers tracing patterns on a massive canvas. He doesn’t acknowledge Jamie at first, engrossed in whatever vision he's trying to create. After a beat, Oz turns, grinning with a mixture of mischief and knowing in his eyes.

“Ah, you made it,” Oz says, gesturing lazily for Jamie to take a seat. His voice carries that usual edge of sarcasm, but there's something deeper—something that weighs heavy beneath his casual tone. “You look like a man drowning in more than j