Veylgrin

Nathan grabbed the book and held it tightly, his breathing spacing. The Veylgrin approached him slowly, its glowing bright red eyes fixed on him.

As Nathan panicked, The Book of Threads floated in his hands, its pages flipping on their own. Nathan glanced down as new text appeared:

Quest Completed: The First Thread

Reward: Threadsense unlocked.

New Quest: Survive

"Threadsense what is that? And better off, Survive? Can I really die?" Nathan muttered.

He squinted, focusing on the world around him, and gasped.

Thin, glowing threads wove through the air, connecting everything—the trees, the ground, even himself.

"What are you?" he whispered, pulling his hand back. Of course he got no answer. Nathan's heart pounded as he realized what he was seeing. These threads weren't just random—they were connections, links or maybe even the very fabric of this world.

The Book of Threads flipped again, and more text appeared:

Ability: Threadsense

Description: Sense and manipulate the threads of fate.

Use: Focus on a thread to understand its purpose.

Nathan frowned. "Manipulate the threads of fate? What does that even mean?" He glanced around, his eyes landing on a particularly bright thread that seemed to stretch from the base of the tree he was leaning to the skies.

Curiosity overtook his fear, and he reached out.

Instantly, a flood of images filled his mind: the tree growing from a tiny sapling, its branches stretching toward the sky. He saw creatures resting in villages, living their lives. The thread pulsed brighter, and Nathan felt a strange connection to the tree.

He pulled his hand away, the images fading as quickly as they'd come. "Okay," he said, his voice shaky. "That's... a lot."

Amongst the peace, Nathan forgot about the danger right in front of him. The Velygrin took its opportunity and it lunged. As the distance between them grew shorter and shorter. Nathan stumbled backward barely dodging the attack and broke into a sprint, his mind racing. He had no weapons, no plan, and no idea what to do. Until his eyes landed on the glowing threads around him.

The Book of Threads had mentioned something about manipulating the threads of fate. Could he use them? Could he fight back?

There was no time to think. The Veylgrin was almost on him, its jaws snapping at the air. Nathan reached out instinctively, grabbing at the nearest thread. It vibrated violently in his hand, and he focused all his will on it, imagining it as a weapon.

"Threadstone!" he shouted, the word coming to him as if from somewhere deep within. The thread responded instantly, hardening into a sharp wooden sword that glowed with a fierce golden light. Nathan swung it wildly, and the Veylgrin let out a yelp as the shard grazed its side, sending sparks of light scattering into the air.

The creature sprung back, its eyes narrowing in what almost looked like surprise. Nathan didn't hesitate. He swung again, this time with more confidence, and the Veylgrin leapt back, snarling.

"Stay back!" Nathan shouted, his voice trembling but firm.

The Veylgrin circled him, its movements more cautious now, but it didn't retreat. Nathan tightened his grip on the Threadstone, his mind racing. He couldn't keep this up forever—he needed a plan.

The Book of Threads flipped open in his other hand, and new text appeared:

Ability Discovered: Threadstone

Description: Condense threads of fate into a solid, crystalline weapon.

Warning: Low Mana will result in unconsciousness 

"Great," Nathan muttered, his eyes never leaving the Veylgrin. "Just what I needed—a warning."

The creature lunged again, and Nathan swung the Threadstone shard with all his strength. This time, it connected, slicing through the Veylgrin's shadowy form like a blade through smoke but Nathan didn't get through unscathed, he was left with a deep wound in his right arm. The creature let out a piercing howl and stumbled back.

Nathan didn't wait to see what it would do next. He turned and ran, the sword dissolving back into threads as he sprinted deeper into the grove. Behind him, the Veylgrin's snarls grew fainter, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.