The workshop stank of oil and rust. Tools lay scattered on the ground, broken planks piled in the corner. Matthew's hands trembled over the pieces of a shattered water pipe, his vision swimming from exhaustion. His shirt clung to him with sweat, his veins bulging dark across his skin.
Not that anyone else saw it.
The villagers had gathered at the doorway, whispering and waiting. He heard their voices, their faith pressing down on him.
"He can do it."
"Matthew always finds a way."
Always.
Grinding his teeth, he forced his focus back to the threads only he could see. Faint lines shimmered before his eyes—gold, silver, copper… and beneath them, a darker filament that pulsed like a living vein.
Not now, he told himself. Not that one.
But his control slipped the more he fought it. His breath came ragged, each inhale burning.
And then—
The threads obeyed.
One by one, he wove them, sealing the broken pipe. The metal groaned, fused, and straightened as if reborn. The villagers gasped. Children clapped. Liora's smile burned like sunlight through the haze, her eyes shining with pride. His mother pressed a hand to her lips, tears forming.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Matthew felt alive. Not cursed. Not broken. Alive.
"See?" he whispered hoarsely. "I told you… I could fix it."
A cheer rose. Gratitude. Relief. The villagers saw salvation where he only saw threads and rot.
But as he wove the last filament, a ripple surged through him. The black shimmer coiled around the weave, sliding silently into his chest. His control sharpened unnaturally. His movements became smoother, faster.
And then—
A voice whispered inside his mind.
"Good. More. Unravel everything, child."
Matthew froze. His heart skipped, but his hands didn't stop. He finished the weave almost effortlessly, standing straighter, stronger.
Nobody noticed the faint black glow in his eyes. Nobody but him.
That night, alone in his room, Matthew pulled his shirt open. The veins on his chest were blackened, pulsing faintly like a second heart.
He touched them, and for a moment, the corruption pulsed back—like it was alive.
He clenched his fists, whispering to himself.
"Even if it kills me… I'll keep going."
---
High above, in the throne hall of his Origin Realm, Kai leaned back in silence. A glowing screen hovered before him, replaying Matthew's breakthrough. Villagers cheering. His false victory.
Kai popped a kernel of popcorn into his mouth, but the taste was gone.
Something was wrong.
When Matthew wove those threads, Kai felt it—a faint tug inside his own Origin Realm. A vibration brushing against the very walls of his inner universe. He had ignored disturbances before, but this one was different. It felt… invasive.
"Magnify it," Kai muttered.
Light flared across the screen as the view zoomed in, showing not just Matthew but the filaments he wove. Between the golden and silver strands, Kai saw it—the black shimmer.
A thread that did not belong.
Kai's brows furrowed. He focused, sending his consciousness to trace the anomaly. For a moment, he followed the filament's path. It wasn't just inside Matthew. It was probing. Testing pathways.
And then—he felt it.
The black shimmer brushed against the edge of his Origin Realm.
Impossible.
Kai straightened in his throne, golden eyes narrowing. His Origin Realm was supposed to be untouchable, a closed system. Yet here was this thing, reaching, scratching at its borders like a parasite testing for cracks.
Ema appeared beside him, her presence soft but edged with worry. "Master…" she whispered. "This corruption is no longer confined to him. It's reaching, searching. If left unchecked, it may eventually find… you."
Kai smirked, masking the unease twisting in his gut. "So, it dares to touch my Origin Realm?" He leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "Heh. Guess this season's getting interesting."
He shifted his gaze back to the screen, where Matthew sat in the dark, hand pressed against the blackened veins on his chest.
Kai's voice dropped, almost thoughtful.
"This kid might be the crack in the wall… or the sword that cuts it down."
The black shimmer flickered again at the edge of his universe. This time, Kai didn't look away.