Jade's mind was still reeling from the strange encounter with the woman and the strange world he now found himself in. He could feel the weight of the power pulsing inside him, but it was a strange, foreign thing—something he didn't understand. The Nexus loomed before him, its vast, shimmering energy stirring the air like a storm on the horizon.
But there was something else, something darker.
He barely had time to process before the ground beneath him trembled.
The sky above him crackled with sudden lightning, dark clouds swirling in a violent frenzy. The symbols floating in the air flickered erratically, as if they were being yanked from their positions.
Something was wrong.
A sharp, shrill scream broke the uneasy silence. Jade turned toward the sound, his body moving instinctively toward the source. His heart hammered in his chest as he ran, his feet barely touching the ground.
Ahead, a small group of people—strangers to him—stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a chasm. But it wasn't the chasm that made his blood run cold. It was the figures standing before them.
Masked figures.
They wore dark, heavy cloaks, the hoods pulled low over their faces. In their hands, they held weapons—a mix of blades and strange, glowing orbs. The air around them crackled with dark energy. One of them raised a hand, and a burst of dark lightning shot out, striking the ground near the group, sending them scrambling in panic.
"Stay back!" one of the strangers shouted, a man with graying hair and a deep, hoarse voice. He clutched an ancient-looking staff, though his hands shook with fear.
The masked figures ignored him, their dark eyes glimmering beneath their hoods. One of them stepped forward, the ground beneath them cracking and breaking as if the earth itself was rebelling against their presence.
Jade's body moved on its own.
He didn't understand why, but the pull of the Nexus, the pull of the threads, was strong within him. The glowing orb the woman had given him hung in the air above his outstretched palm. His fingers twitched, and for the briefest moment, a glimmer of light surrounded the orb.
The masked figures froze for a second, sensing the power that radiated from him.
The moment passed.
A loud, guttural laugh echoed from one of the masked figures, a cruel sound that sent a shiver down Jade's spine.
"So, the Threadbearer has arrived," the figure sneered. "Do you truly believe you can stop us?"
Jade didn't know what they wanted, but he felt the weight of their words. These weren't ordinary enemies. These were powerful beings, connected to the unraveling of the threads. And whatever they were doing, it was wrong. Dangerous.
Without thinking, Jade extended his hand, his fingers crackling with energy. A thin thread of light shot from his palm toward the masked figure, but it was interrupted by a sudden force, like an invisible wall.
The figure's laughter deepened.
"You've learned nothing, child," the masked figure taunted. "You're just a puppet of the threads, but you're not in control yet. And you never will be."
The thread of light dissipated, and Jade felt the pressure building inside him. The feeling of being unprepared, of being too small in a world far too big for him.
But then, a voice broke through the haze.
"Jade!"
It was the woman. The one who had led him here.
She appeared in front of him in an instant, standing tall and unwavering. Her eyes glowed with fierce determination, and she held her hand out, summoning an intricate web of threads that shimmered in the air.
"They're after the Nexus," she said, her voice strong, but strained. "You need to stop them. If they tear the threads apart, the world will fall."
Jade didn't need more words. The weight of the moment settled over him, and for the first time since his rebirth, he understood his purpose. He wasn't just some passive observer. He was the Threadbearer. The one who had the power to protect the threads that held the worlds together.
With a deep breath, Jade stepped forward. His hand clenched into a fist, and the glowing orb above him pulsed with energy. His body felt lighter, more attuned to the threads around him.
The masked figures sneered at his defiance, but Jade was ready.
One of the figures lunged toward him, drawing a jagged blade crackling with dark energy. The woman stepped in front of him, summoning a shield of threads to block the attack. The blade clashed against the shield with a loud, ringing sound, sending sparks flying into the air.
"Get back!" she commanded, her voice fierce.
Jade didn't hesitate. He reached out with his other hand, summoning the glowing threads to his command. He felt the power surge within him, a torrent of energy that matched the storm above.
The threads twisted and coiled like living creatures, wrapping around the masked figure and pulling him off his feet. Jade's heart raced as he forced the figure to the ground, the energy of the threads binding him in place.
But even as the first figure fell, the others moved in.
The ground beneath them shattered, and from the cracks emerged more of the masked figures, their eyes glowing with malicious energy. Jade's grip on the threads wavered as he realized the truth.
They were everywhere. And they were unstoppable.
"Jade!" The woman's voice broke through his concentration. "Don't let them break you. You are the Threadbearer, the one who weaves the world. Only you can save it!"
The realization hit him hard. He wasn't just a puppet. He was the weaver.
The threads were in his hands, and he could either let them unravel… or bind them into something stronger than they had ever been.
With a deep breath, Jade raised his hand, and a massive wave of light erupted from the orb, pushing back the masked figures and sending them sprawling. The air around them crackled with energy, and the sky above seemed to pulse with the force of the attack.
But it wasn't enough.
As the figures stood, regrouping, their eyes glowing brighter than before, Jade knew this was only the beginning.
The Nexus was in danger. The threads were unraveling. And Jade—he had to learn to control them before it was too late.