The day passed in quiet waves after Aelrindel's departure. Customers came and went—some trading gold, others trading secrets. A dwarf brought a glowing rock that hummed with the heartbeat of an underground city; a spirit requested incense that could calm a weeping forest. Each transaction left the store humming with subtle magic, weaving new threads into the tapestry of its expanding fate.
But Li Kai's mind remained fixed on the Celestial Binding Chain.
The blueprint hovered in his System Inventory, radiating a gentle light as if aware of its own importance. It was the first Divine-grade item he had access to—a tool capable of restraining gods, demons, or even the will of fate itself. The potential it offered was staggering. And terrifying.
Blueprint: Celestial Binding ChainGrade: DivineMaterials Required:— Essence of a Fallen Star (0/1)— Thread of Memory (0/5)— Soulmetal Ingot (0/2)— Blood of a Betrayer (0/1)Crafting Method: Forged under moonlight with a Stabilized Fate Forge (currently unavailable).Warning: Completion of this item will draw the attention of higher powers.
Li Kai whistled low. "No pressure…"
"None at all," Xiaomei added, emerging from the backroom with her ever-present cup of tea. "The only ingredient you could possibly find without risking your life is the Thread of Memory. And even that's rare enough to get you killed twice over."
He rubbed his chin. "What even is a 'Thread of Memory'?"
She gestured to the far-right shelf—the one usually shrouded in soft mist. "Old souls leave behind echoes when they pass through the store. Some threads remain behind—memories that haven't let go. You can collect them during Insight Exchanges or when customers leave behind pieces of their past."
"So... listen more, trade deeper," Li Kai muttered.
She smiled faintly. "Welcome to the real job."
Li Kai opened the shop interface and scanned the recent records. A faint glowing mark indicated that Aelrindel had left behind a partial memory thread. It hovered like a silken strand in his mental inventory, shimmering with sorrow and starlight.
Thread of Memory (1/5) Acquired
He felt a strange pull in his chest as he examined it. A whisper echoed faintly in his ear—her voice from earlier, filled with grief.
"I was left behind..."
Li Kai closed the menu and turned back toward the counter. Before he could process what to do next, the bell rang again. This time, it wasn't a customer.
The store lights flickered.
The air thickened.
And from the far corner, the black thread stirred.
It slithered into view like a serpent of smoke, undulating through the air without shape or form, pulsing with silent menace. Li Kai's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't an item. It wasn't a person. It was a presence.
System Alert:Entity of Unknown Origin attempting manifestation.Partial Incursion Blocked. Initiating Containment Protocol.
A surge of blue light burst from the walls. The runes that lined the shelves lit up in synchronized response, forming a glowing barrier around the intruding thread. It writhed violently, pressing against the confines of the store's protective wards.
"System, what is that?" Li Kai asked through clenched teeth.
System:Classification: ???Alias: "Whisperer in Chains"Status: Observer-Class InterloperThreat Level: UnknownCurrent State: Semi-Manifested ShadowWarning: Direct confrontation not advised.
The black thread pulsed again, and a voice—low, cold, and echoing—spoke from nowhere.
"Ah... so the Keeper awakens."
Li Kai stiffened. "You're not supposed to be here."
"And yet... I am. Because you are not what you were meant to be. The Store chose you, yes—but it did not bind you. Not fully."
"What do you want?" he demanded, backing toward the enchanted counter. Xiaomei was already reaching for something beneath her cloak—a talisman wrapped in red silk.
"What I want?" The shadow coiled, its presence pressing against the walls. "To see. To remember. To reclaim what was taken from me when the first Keeper broke the chains."
Li Kai narrowed his eyes. "The first Keeper?"
"Oh yes... the original. The one who made the first trade. The one who sold fate itself for knowledge. You are his echo... but weaker. Still learning. Still bleeding."
System Prompt:Do you wish to banish the Interloper using 1x Memory Thread?Success Rate: 80%Side Effect: Interloper will remember you.
Li Kai hesitated only a second.
"Do it."
The silver thread from Aelrindel pulsed in his hand. Light surged from it like a blade drawn from the soul. The moment it touched the black smoke, the entity recoiled, shrieking without sound. The store quaked, shelves rattling, jars shattering as the whispering presence was sucked backward into the ether.
Silence.
The lights returned to normal. The weight lifted from the air.
Li Kai dropped to his knees, panting.
System Notification:Interloper Banished.Entity Awareness Increased.[Thread of Memory] Consumed.Store Defenses Temporarily Weakened (6 hours).New Quest Unlocked: [Chainwalker's Legacy]Description: Trace the origin of the Whisperer in Chains. Recover the lost history of the First Keeper.
Li Kai stared at the glowing text.
Then at Xiaomei.
Then at the ceiling.
He laughed once—dry and slightly hysterical.
"Okay," he said. "So… we've got gods, ghosts, time-thieves, and now chain-whispering nightmares from beyond the veil."
Xiaomei raised an eyebrow. "You forgot memory threads and fate-forging artifacts."
"Right," he groaned, dragging himself back to his feet. "Add that to the list."
He looked at the blueprint still glowing softly in the interface. The Celestial Binding Chain would take time. But now... it wasn't just a project.
It was a necessity.
The shadows were watching.
And some of them still remembered.