Unravelling Thread

The ruins stood still, illuminated by the glow of the dying embers from the clash before. Kaelin's pulse pounded in his ears as he watched Leloid struggle against unseen chains.

For a moment, just a fleeting one, his old friend had surfaced. A single plea—"Help me." But then, the darkness took hold again.

With unnatural speed, Leloid lunged. His blade cut through the air, aimed straight for Kaelin's heart.

Kaelin barely managed to parry in time, his arms shaking from the sheer force. Leloid was fast—faster than he had ever been before. Stronger, too. This wasn't just mind control. Something deeper was at play.

Eira thrust her hands forward, a bright glyph forming beneath her feet. "I've had enough of this."

A burst of ice shot toward Leloid's legs, aiming to freeze him in place. But Leloid twisted unnaturally mid-air, avoiding the attack before vanishing and reappearing behind her. Kaelin's breath caught. Too fast!

"Eira—!"

She spun just in time, blocking Leloid's strike with a barrier of ice. But cracks formed instantly, spreading like lightning. It wouldn't hold. Kaelin didn't think. He clenched the shard fragment in his hand.

And the world exploded.

Energy roared through Kaelin's veins like a star igniting. His vision blurred. The ruins around him seemed distant, unreal, as his body surged with uncontainable power.

It was like holding the heart of a storm.

Leloid staggered back, the force pushing him away. Even Lyrex watching from the sidelines, flinched.

Kaelin didn't hesitate. In an instant, he moved, One step forward and suddenly, he was there.

Before Leloid could react, Kaelin drove his fist into his gut, sending his friend crashing through a broken pillar.

Lyrex's eyes gleamed. "Oh? Interesting."

Kaelin barely heard her. His heartbeat thundered. The power was still coursing through him, raw and wild. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from something deeper. The shard wasn't just a fragment of the orb. It was a connection.

To what, he didn't know. Yet.

Leloid groaned, forcing himself up. His body twitched again, his fingers clawing at the air as if fighting something invisible.

Kaelin stepped forward. "Leloid, I know you're in there. Fight it."

Leloid let out a strained breath, his eyes flickering between recognition and emptiness. And then, for the first time since he appeared, his lips moved of his own will.

"…It…hurts."

Kaelin clenched his jaw.

Eira shot him a sharp glance. "Kaelin. If we don't do something fast, he'll be lost completely."

Lyrex, still watching from the shadows, smirked. "That's the idea."

Kaelin's grip tightened. He could feel it now, the Architect wasn't just controlling Leloid. He was devouring him. If they didn't stop it soon… there would be nothing left to save and Kaelin wasn't going to let that happen.

Kaelin exhaled sharply and looked at the shard still pulsing in his palm.

If it had given him this power, maybe, just maybe, it could sever the Architect's hold.

But there was a catch. He could feel it. Using it like this came with a cost.

And he had no idea what it was.

Yet, looking at Leloid's hollow, desperate eyes, Kaelin knew one thing for certain, he was willing to pay it.