Episode 17: The First Ripples

The loom’s hum was louder now, almost insistent. Lyra had grown used to its constant presence in her mind, a quiet undercurrent beneath her thoughts. But today, it felt different. Urgent.

She had barely slept the night before, haunted by visions from the threads. Each dream had been more vivid than the last—a child crying in a darkened room, a merchant standing at a crossroads, a woman fleeing through a dense forest. Their lives tugged at her, their fates intertwined with the loom.

“Lyra,” Evelyne called from the bottom of the attic stairs. “Breakfast is ready. You need to eat something.”

Lyra didn’t answer. She sat before the loom, her fingers tracing one of the golden threads. The vibration beneath her touch sent a shiver up her arm. She could feel the emotions tied to it: anxiety, hope, and an unmistakable urgency.

“Just a moment,” she finally replied, her voice distant.

Evelyne sighed but didn’t push further. Lyra knew her mentor was worried about her, but she couldn’t pull herself away. Not yet.

She closed her eyes and let the thread guide her. A vision unfolded, vivid and immediate.

---

A young woman ran through a crowded marketplace, her face pale and her breaths ragged. She clutched a small, tattered bag to her chest, her eyes darting nervously. Behind her, two men in dark cloaks weaved through the crowd, their movements deliberate and predatory.

The woman stumbled but didn’t stop. She reached the edge of the market and ducked into an alley, her back pressed against the cold stone wall. Her hands trembled as she opened the bag, revealing a small, glowing shard of crystal.

Her voice was barely a whisper. “Please, let this be enough.”

The air around her shimmered, and for a brief moment, Lyra thought she saw something shift—a faint ripple in the threads of reality. But before the woman could act further, the cloaked men appeared at the alley’s entrance.

“Hand it over,” one of them said, his voice low and menacing.

The woman’s grip tightened on the bag. “You don’t understand. If I don’t do this, everything will fall apart.”

The men exchanged a glance, then stepped closer. The vision began to blur, and Lyra’s chest tightened as she felt the woman’s desperation and fear.

---

Lyra’s eyes snapped open, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The loom’s hum was almost deafening now, the threads vibrating with urgency.

“Evelyne!” she called, her voice sharp.

Moments later, Evelyne appeared in the doorway, her expression alarmed. “What is it? What happened?”

“There’s someone in danger,” Lyra said, gesturing to the loom. “I saw her—she has something important, something that could change everything. But she’s being hunted.”

Evelyne’s brow furrowed. “Did the loom show you where this is happening?”

Lyra nodded, her mind racing. “A market, near a place where the threads seemed... unstable. I think it’s close to one of the fractures you mentioned.”

Evelyne’s face grew serious. “Fractures are dangerous, Lyra. They’re weak points in the weave where chaos seeps through. If this woman is near one, it means she’s either part of the solution—or the cause of the instability.”

“I have to help her,” Lyra said firmly.

Evelyne hesitated. “You don’t know what you’re walking into. The loom’s visions are powerful, but they don’t always show the full picture. What if this is a trap?”

“Then I’ll deal with it,” Lyra replied, standing. “I can’t ignore this, Evelyne. If I don’t act, she might die—and whatever she’s carrying might be lost.”

Evelyne studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. But if you’re going, I’m coming with you. The fractures aren’t something you face alone.”

Lyra wanted to argue, but she saw the determination in Evelyne’s eyes. “All right. But we need to move quickly.”

As they prepared to leave, Lyra felt the loom’s presence settle slightly, as though acknowledging her decision. She glanced back at it one last time, the golden threads glowing softly in the dim light.

“I’ll protect the weave,” she whispered. “No matter what it takes.”

And with that, she and Evelyne descended the stairs, stepping into the unknown.

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