The spiral staircase was cold, metallic, and oddly smooth—like it had been crafted by something not quite human. No footsteps echoed, no sound bounced. It was silence perfected.
Eli felt his chest tighten with every step.
It wasn't fear—it was recognition. Something deep within him stirred, like a memory he'd never lived.
They descended for what felt like hours until they reached a circular chamber dimly lit by threads of glowing silver that flowed like rivers through the walls.
At the center stood a structure—a massive throne made of stone, glass, and root-like metal. A humanoid figure sat upon it.
Except… it didn't breathe.
"Is it… a statue?" Mira whispered, hand resting near her blade.
"No," Vega said slowly. "It's preserved. In stasis."
Jericho approached cautiously and noticed a console beside the throne. Its interface glowed the same as Vega's disk.
Eli touched it.
The room trembled.
The figure on the throne opened its eyes.
They weren't human.
Silver, with irises that spun like clockwork.
> "Threadborn anomaly confirmed. Welcome, successor."
Everyone froze.
The figure slowly stood, creaking like an ancient machine waking from slumber. It wore robes that shimmered with embedded fiber optics, and its skin bore etched lines that pulsed like living circuits.
"Who are you?" Eli asked.
"I am Vaelion, Vaultkeeper of the Origin Strand. You stand at the threshold of the forgotten pact—the bridge between creation and decay."
"What does that mean?" Kaiya asked, stepping forward.
Vaelion looked at her. "It means the world you know was never meant to survive this long."
---
Meanwhile, at the cavern entrance…
The Proxy agents arrived in sleek, shadow-coated suits, each carrying high-frequency pulse rifles and neural interceptors. Their helmets glowed crimson as they scanned the area.
"Visual on Thread activity confirmed," one said through a modulated voice filter.
The lead agent, a tall woman with a reflective visor and a steel braid down her back, raised a hand. "Seal the exits. Jam comms. No one gets out."
They moved like wraiths, leaving no footprint behind.
But a small drone—crafted by Jericho and hidden in the cavern moss—watched from the shadows.
---
Back in the Vault, Vaelion extended a hand. A projection shimmered above it—a map of the world, layered in three dimensions.
"The Threads," Vaelion said, "were born not from nature, but from a choice. A single decision made in the First Cycle—to bind life to purpose."
Eli frowned. "Purpose?"
"Every Threadborn is chosen. But the system was corrupted. Twisted. Now, the Threads serve not purpose—but control."
The map zoomed in on a dark region.
"The Nexus. They have altered the balance. What you know as the Nexus Council are not your leaders… they are parasites, feeding on stolen origin power."
Jericho swore under his breath. "So the Pulse Wars…"
"Were engineered. To break the old safeguards and open the path to total assimilation."
Vaelion placed something in Eli's palm—a small shard of crystal, pulsing faintly.
"This is a Threadroot. With it, you can awaken what sleeps in you."
The Vault shook again—this time more violently.
Mira unsheathed her blade. "They've found us."
---
A hidden door burst open as three Proxy agents dropped from the ceiling, weapons raised.
But Eli moved first.
The Threadroot burned in his hand—and something inside him answered.
Light erupted from his chest as silver vines of energy spiraled around his arms. The nearest agent fired—only for the bolt to splinter against an invisible shield that formed mid-air.
Kaiya leapt forward, vines erupting from her palms, entangling one agent's legs. Mira followed with a blade to the neck, disabling him without hesitation.
Jericho launched two magnetic disruptors that stuck to the cavern wall—detonating with a concussive pulse that sent the third agent crashing backward.
Vaelion raised his palm—and the wall behind him shifted, opening a tunnel of blue light.
"Go!" he said. "There are more coming."
"But you—" Vega started.
"I have waited centuries. My task ends here."
More agents flooded in—twenty, maybe more.
Eli didn't argue. He grabbed Vega's hand. "Move!"
They sprinted into the tunnel, chased by echoes of battle and the flicker of collapsing stone.
And just before the Vault entrance sealed behind them, they heard Vaelion's final words:
> "The world was never broken. It was betrayed."