The Weaver outpost trembled as Kael's glitchweaving spiraled, violet threads unravelling reality under the Voidborn's possession. The chamber's walls glitched, flickering between steel and nothingness, while the crystalline orb in Vren's hands pulsed with white light, a faint hope against the chaos. Ryn held Kael behind a fallen pillar, her arms wrapped around him, her knife discarded, her goggles fogged with sweat. "Kael, you're stronger than this," she whispered, her voice cracking, her green eyes locked on his glowing violet ones.
Kael's body convulsed, the Voidborn's voice speaking through him: *"We are freedom. We are chaos. Join us, child of creators."* His skin flickered, threads of his form fraying, violet energy crackling around him. His hands lashed out, violet threads nearly hitting Ryn, but she didn't flinch, her grip tightening. "I'm not letting you go," she said, her voice fierce, her auburn hair falling loose.
Mira fought off enforcers at the chamber's entrance, her pulse rifle blazing, her cybernetic arm sparking with each shot. "We're out of time!" she shouted, her scar gleaming, her dark eyes scanning for threats. Drones poured in, their red scanners locking on, lasers firing through the haze.
Vren wove green threads around the orb, their silver hair whipping in the chaotic wind, blue eyes focused. "This artifact—it's a creator anchor. It can sever the Voidborn's hold, but Kael has to fight back." They pressed the orb into Kael's chest, its white light clashing with the violet energy. Kael screamed, his body arching, the Voidborn's voice roaring in defiance.
Ryn held him tighter, her hands trembling but steady. "Kael, remember the slums—your parents, me, us. You're not their pawn." Her words cut through the chaos, grounding him. A memory flashed—Ryn diving into the rift to save him (Chapter 12), her fierce loyalty, her rare smile when they'd rested in the den. Kael's creator bloodline pulsed, fighting the possession, his glitchweaving stabilizing.
The violet energy receded, his eyes dimming to gray, his body slumping in Ryn's arms. "Ryn…" he rasped, blood dripping from his nose, his voice his own again. The orb's light faded, its work done, but the Voidborn's whisper lingered: *"You cannot reject us forever…"*
The outpost shook, golden threads breaching the chamber—the Weaver's forces were inside. Mira and Vren fought back-to-back, her rifle and their threads holding the line, but the elite Weaver's presence loomed, their amplified threads cutting through the slums outside. The lockdown tightened, golden threads sealing every escape, trapping scavengers and Unthreaded alike.
Vren turned to the group, their tattered coat billowing. "The artifact can weaken the lockdown. Kael, you're the key—your bloodline can channel it." Kael nodded, still weak, and wove with Vren, violet and green threads merging with the orb's white light. The lockdown's golden dome flickered, cracks forming, allowing scavengers to flee through the Veins.
But a new threat emerged—a second Weaver faction, their threads silver, not gold, descending on the slums. Their leader, a tall figure in sleek armor, spoke with a chilling calm: "The creator's bloodline must be eradicated." Their threads targeted Kael, silver strands lashing through the outpost, forcing the Unthreaded to scatter.
Mira tackled a drone, her cybernetic arm crushing its core, her voice a growl. "Another faction? What the hell is this?"
Vren's eyes narrowed, their scar twitching. "The Weavers are fractured—some protect the Looms, others destroy anything tied to the creators. Kael's a threat to both."
The elite Weaver—the golden-threaded one—returned, their visor reflecting the flames. They faced the silver-threaded leader, threads clashing in a storm of gold and silver, the slums caught in their war. But the elite Weaver turned to Kael, their voice low, distorted: "You and I… we are the same. Creator descendants, cursed to bear this burden."
Kael froze, the shard fragments in his pocket pulsing, his creator bloodline resonating with the Weaver's words. The Weaver removed their visor, revealing a face eerily similar to Kael's—gray eyes, sharp features, violet streaks in their hair. "I am Lira," they said, "and I will not let you destroy what the creators built."
To be continued…