We didn't make it far before Kael found us.
One moment we were slipping through the Archive's lower passages—the next, a shadow pulled us into a blind corridor lined with forgotten glyphs.
He emerged from the dark, threadcloak swirling, eyes lit with approval.
"You pulled it off," he said, glancing at the fading rift behind us. "Didn't think you'd have the nerve."
"She nearly got us killed," Riven muttered, gripping my hand tighter.
"But she didn't." Kael nodded at me. "Which means it's time for the next move."
I frowned. "What move?"
Kael didn't answer. He reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed scroll wrapped in black thread.
Riven stiffened. "That's not just a scroll…"
"No," Kael said. "It's the hidden prophecy—the one they erased."
I stared at it. "What does it say?"
Kael passed the scroll to me like it burned him. "You'll want to sit."
I opened it.
The threads around us dimmed as I read.
> "In the Age of Unraveling, a bond will rise stronger than flame, older than vow. It will not obey. It will choose.
And from that choice, the Threadveil will either break…
Or be born anew."
My lips parted. "They always said the Desire Mark would destroy everything. But this says…"
"That it could save everything," Riven finished softly.
Kael looked between us. "They feared your bond not because it was wild—but because it was free. You two don't fit their design. You rewrite it."
I stared down at the scroll, the last line glowing faintly.
> "The flame that binds may become the flame that heals—if it learns to burn together."
And suddenly, I understood.
This wasn't just about escaping.
This was about becoming.
Becoming the prophecy.
Becoming the rebellion.
I looked at Kael. "What happens now?"
He smiled—dark and wild. "Now we wake the rest."
---