Chapter 6: The Field That Forgot
Something wet hit Lumen's cheek.
He stirred, groaning as early sunlight bled through the branches above.
Then something else dropped. Warmer. Smellier.
He opened one eye.
A crow stared back at him from a crooked branch, tilting its head innocently.
"You're kidding," he muttered.
Rin's laugh rang through the clearing like a wind chime cracking.
She was doubled over nearby, hands on her knees. "The mighty Scarecrow! Defeated by bird shit."
Lumen sat up slowly, wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his cloak. "This is why I scare them. It's a vendetta."
"You sure they're not just getting revenge?"
"Even ghosts need a hobby."
She chuckled again, and this time it wasn't sharp. It was real. For a moment, it lit her up more than the sun ever could.
Lumen blinked at her. He wasn't used to the sound of her laughing.
Not like that.
They packed in silence after that, the mood unusually light for people wandering toward the unknown. Rin crouched near the fire pit while Lumen stretched the stiffness out of his limbs.
"You ever think maybe we're walking in circles?" he asked, more to fill the space.
"You mean metaphorically or..."
He pointed. "Because I swear we passed that log yesterday."
She tilted her head. "You did. I didn't."
He frowned. "I get the feeling you're enjoying this."
"Oh, definitely."
They hadn't gone far before something caught Lumen's eye along the slope of a narrow hillside—a stone half-swallowed by roots.
He brushed the dirt away with his boot.
Underneath was a tablet. Small, fractured, and carved with etchings. One symbol pulsed faintly with a thread-like design. Not system-made. Older.
Tucked beneath the stone was a scroll.
He unfolded it carefully. It was old and weather-worn, but a few inked lines remained:
Threadkeeper's Hollow. Hidden beneath the spine of roots. Those who dream may knock. Those who remember may enter.
He turned to Rin. "You ever heard of this?"
She stepped closer, squinting. Her expression didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes. "Only in fragments. It's not a place for tourists."
"Sounds like a place the System forgot."
She nodded. "Or tried to."
He rolled the scroll and tucked it into his bag. For once, the path ahead didn't feel empty. It felt intentional.
Later that day, the woods grew darker. The trees thickened, limbs curling in ways that didn't obey gravity. Every sound seemed too far away, or too close.
They walked until the frost deepened and the air felt thick.
That's when the puppet returned.
It stepped out from the shadow of a gnarled oak, its limbs twitching, mask of wood and bark grinning unnaturally. Behind it came the stitched brute—iron plates across its chest, dragging a chain behind it like a tail.
Lumen stepped forward. Rin's blade was already in her hand.
"I thought we dealt with this," she said.
The puppet raised one hand.
"The Scarecrow walks toward the Hollow," it rasped. "So we prune the path."
Lumen's sigil flared.
🛠️ [Skill Ready: Snareweave — Active Control Enabled]
"Stay behind me," Rin said, but Lumen didn't move.
"This time, I'm not waiting."
He flung his hand forward. Threads snapped into motion—glowing, shifting, twisting like webbing born of instinct. They struck the puppet's legs, binding joints, yanking it off balance.
The brute roared and charged.
Rin met it halfway.
Blade to metal. She struck low, slashing a weak joint. Sparks flew. The creature stumbled. Lumen focused, anchoring a thread between two stones, forming a tripline of bright silk.
The brute fell face-first into it. A thundering crash.
The puppet shrieked, cutting through the bindings with inhuman speed.
"You're learning," it hissed.
"I'm adapting," Lumen growled.
He slashed upward with another thread, catching the puppet's arm and twisting. The limb bent backward with a wooden crack.
Rin closed the distance and swept the legs.
Dust. Smoke. Gone.
Silence returned.
Both of them stood breathing hard. Rin sheathed her blade, flexing her bruised wrist.
Lumen leaned against a tree, his sigil still faintly glowing.
"Snareweave," she said. "New trick?"
"Call it... appreciation. From the System."
She nodded. "Useful."
Then after a pause: "You were right to use it."
He turned toward the faint twilight through the trees. "That map. That symbol. It's not just chance. We're being led. Or tested."
Rin watched him quietly. "You think the Hollow holds answers?"
"No. I know it does."
He pulled the scroll back out, eyes locked on the sigil. "And for once, I'm tired of waiting for meaning to come to me. I'm going to go find it."
She tilted her head, a smile ghosting her lips. "Now you sound like someone worth following."
🛠️ [System Update: Path of Purpose Selected]
New Objective: Reach Threadkeeper's Hollow Status: In Progress Skill Retained: Snareweave (Basic Thread Manipulation)
🛠️ [System Note: Alignment Drift Stabilizing]
░Two paths merge. One purpose chosen.░