the threadwell was no longer passive.
it pulsed like a living storm—thread spirals lifting around us, weaving new shapes, testing our resolve. the council sentinels backed away as the chamber shook.
kael circled us, his eyes wide. "it's answering you—both of you. that's never happened before."
"we're not just using the thread," riven said quietly. "we're becoming part of it."
the desire mark on my hand was no longer just a mark. it spread gently across my wrist like a soft flame, dancing in rhythm with riven's. together, our threads twisted in midair, spinning toward the well.
i stepped forward. "it wants us to choose."
kael's voice lowered. "once you begin reweaving, you can't undo it. you'll shift the structure of the threadveil itself."
riven met my eyes. "we can't live in a cage someone else designed."
i nodded. "then let's remake it."
we placed our hands into the spinning light of the threadwell.
and the world split open.
memories—some mine, some his—flooded our minds. sorrow. fire. kisses under collapsing skies. wounds that never fully healed. promises never spoken aloud. but beneath all of it:
desire.
not just for each other—but for freedom.
we rewove the first threads.
we turned bonds into bridges.
we took the control they used to silence love and rewrote it into something that listened.
the chamber exploded with light—threads rushing outward like windblown stardust.
and then…
silence.
the council sentinels dropped to their knees—threadblades vanishing.
kael knelt too, staring in awe. "you did it. you changed it."
we looked around. the chamber was the same, but not.
the thread was… peaceful.
no longer a weapon. no longer chained to fate.
just ours.
"i felt them all," i whispered. "every marked soul. every bond that was broken."
riven's voice was soft. "they'll feel us too now."
and far above us, across the veil…
the sky began to bleed color like sunrise.
the beginning of something new.
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