The mist thinned, but the air didn't lighten.
They left the underground chamber in silence. The puppet-that-wasn't had shaken them both. Something about the way it screamed — not in pain, but in regret — lingered long after its threads had bled out.
They walked for most of the day through quiet woods and ragged trails. Every so often, Lumen glanced at Rin. She hadn't said much since the chamber. Her eyes tracked every tree, every sound.
Something was wrong.
He noticed the limp too late.
"Stop," he said suddenly.
Rin didn't. She just kept walking.
He caught up and grabbed her elbow. "You're bleeding."
She jerked her arm back, but her weight shifted wrong. She stumbled.
Lumen caught her before she hit the ground.
Under her sleeve, the gash was deeper than he expected — torn, not cut, and already soaked with blackened cloth.
"I'm fine," she muttered through her teeth.
"You're not."
"Keep moving."
"No."
She looked up, and for once, didn't argue. Her eyes were losing focus.
Lumen scanned the treeline — a small incline led to a hollowed tree up the ridge. It would have to do.
He lifted her carefully. She didn't protest this time.
The inside of the tree was dry, at least. Bark had curled into a natural alcove near the base. Lumen set her down gently, then knelt beside her.
"Rin."
Her eyes fluttered. "Still not cursed, huh?"
"Don't pass out."
"I'm fine."
She wasn't.
🛠️ [System Alert: Ally Vital Signs Critical]
Thread Compatibility: Stable
Recommended Action: Resonant Transfer
He exhaled.
"Okay. I'll borrow a thread."
Lumen placed his palm over her wrist, just above the wound. The sigil beneath his skin lit — dim at first, then brighter as it synced with her pulse.
Threadbinder wasn't made for healing.
But sometimes, connection could patch what knives tore.
"Let me in," he whispered.
🛠️ [Initiating Thread Bridge…]
⚠️ Risk: Medium
🛠️ [Shared Node Access: Consent Implied]
The light surged.
Lumen wasn't in the tree anymore.
He stood in a hallway — fluorescent lights buzzing above. The walls were tiled, dull green, and the air smelled of bleach and something burned.
A hospital.
He knew this place.
Knew the tension in the air. The way voices echoed too loud behind closed doors.
"…He's not responding."
"Then sedate him."
"He's just a kid—"
"That's not a kid. That's a failure. You read the file."
Lumen moved toward the sound.
A window blinked into view — no glass, just a frame floating in air. Beyond it, a hospital room. A bed. Monitors. A boy with his face turned to the wall.
Him.
Rin was there, too.
Standing beside him. Watching.
"This is your memory?" she asked.
He nodded.
"You were sick?"
"No. I was… tested."
She looked at him. "You remember?"
"I wish I didn't."
The boy on the bed turned his head.
His eyes were empty.
Not sad.
Not scared.
Just... blank.
Then, the window cracked.
A spiderweb fracture ran through it — not from impact, but from something pressing inward.
From the other side.
From the System.
"Too deep," a voice whispered. "Too far."
🛠️ [Thread Synchronization Unstable]
The image shattered.
Lumen gasped, falling back inside the hollow tree. His chest heaved. The sigil on his arm dimmed slowly.
Beside him, Rin stirred.
Her eyes opened. She blinked, groaned softly.
"I've had better naps."
He laughed, breathless.
"You're okay."
"Not thanks to your gentle touch."
Then she looked at him again. Longer.
"You saw something."
He nodded. "So did you."
She didn't speak for a moment.
Then, "That place… it wasn't here."
"No."
"Is that where you came from?"
He paused.
"Yes."
She leaned back. Looked at the roots above.
"Explains some things."
"Like what?"
"Like why you flinch when people yell. And why your hands shake when you're still too long."
She didn't mean it unkindly.
Just real.
Lumen stared at the sigil fading from his skin. It pulsed once more, then settled.
🛠️ [Threadbinder Core: Stabilized]
Phase I Complete
New Feature Unlocked: Cross-Resonance
Outside, the crows had gathered.
Not many. Just two or three — perched on branches, watching silently.
Not mocking. Not threatening.
Just… waiting.
Rin noticed too.
She sat up slowly, clutching her side.
"You should give them names."
"Who?"
"The crows. They've been following us long enough."
He chuckled. "Scarecrow giving names to birds. That's irony."
"No," she said. "That's trust."
He looked up again.
The birds didn't move.
He whispered, "Then maybe I will."
🛠️ [System Note: Emotional Link Reinforced]
Ally Status: Rin | Threadbond Strength: Stable
Memory Leak: Contained
Observation Level: ☐☐☒☒☒
░Scars stitched gently still remember the blade.░