Ch - 5

Chapter 5: The Thread That Should Not Be

The moment Liora touched the frayed thread, the world twisted.

A pull, like the force of the Loom itself unraveling, yanked her forward. The ruins of the Threads Between vanished in an instant, replaced by a rushing void of light and shadow. Her body felt weightless, her mind stretched thin, as if she were no longer fully part of herself.

Then—impact.

She hit solid ground hard, the breath torn from her lungs. Gasping, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, blinking against the strange, shifting light around her.

She was no longer in the ruins.

Instead, she knelt in the center of what appeared to be an ancient chamber, its walls lined with towering, golden spools of thread. The air shimmered, thick with unseen energy, and the floor beneath her was covered in intricate, woven patterns—designs that pulsed faintly, shifting with every movement she made.

Liora swallowed hard. The patterns on the floor weren’t just decorative.

They were a map of fate itself.

She staggered to her feet, her heart pounding. "Where—"

A sound made her spin.

Footsteps.

From the far end of the chamber, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Liora’s breath caught.

It was the boy.

The one from her vision.

He was real.

He stepped forward, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. He was taller than she had thought, his dark hair tousled, his clothes worn as if he had been here for a very long time.

For a long moment, he simply stared at her, as if he were just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

Then he spoke.

"You’re not supposed to be here."

Liora swallowed, forcing herself to find her voice. "Neither are you."

The boy’s lips curled slightly, though it was not quite a smile. "Fair enough." He tilted his head, studying her. "How did you find this place?"

"I pulled your thread," she admitted. "I— I think the Loom was trying to erase you. But I saw you. I saw your fate."

The boy’s expression darkened. "Then you’ve made a very dangerous mistake."

Liora stiffened. "Why?"

"Because if the Loom erased me, it had a reason." He took a slow step toward her. "And now that you've pulled me back, it will do everything in its power to correct the error."

The air suddenly grew heavy, the shimmering patterns beneath them flickering wildly.

Liora felt it before she saw it.

The Loom had found them.

A low hum filled the chamber, growing into a deep, vibrating force that shook the very foundation of the space around them. Light erupted from the walls, and the golden spools trembled.

Then—

The threads snapped.

Liora barely had time to react before the entire chamber shattered around them, dissolving into a storm of unraveling fate.

She barely had time to reach for the boy’s hand before they were both pulled into the void.

And the Loom began to rewrite everything.

End of Chapter 5

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