*Chapter 26: The Fracture Line*
Theo hit the ground hard.
The Observatory shattered around him as time cracked like glass—moment after moment splitting, folding, vanishing. Lyra's voice echoed through the chaos, calling his name.
The Thread Warden stood tall, unmoved, the blue thread from the Compass swirling around its wrist like a leash.
Nyra was still standing—but barely. Her hands sparked with static, the ancient energy that came from a time older than memory.
"Stop this!" Theo shouted, rising to his feet.
The Warden spoke again.
*"Anomaly must be sealed."*
Nyra looked at Theo, her voice trembling.
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You won't," he said.
And then, without hesitation, Theo stepped forward—right between her and the Warden.
The Heart Compass glowed in his hand.
"I am the Guardian of the Threads," he said. "And I say she stays."
The Warden paused.
Then…
*"Then you defy the timeline."*
It raised its hand.
But this time, *Lyra struck first.*
Her blade—forged with threadsteel—sliced across the Warden's arm. It staggered back, flickering like a glitching memory.
"I'm tired of old rules," she said. "She's one of us now."
***
The Vault of Threads shook as the battle above continued.
Inside, the Echo of the First Second stood before the timeline map, watching one particular point pulse brighter and brighter.
It wasn't blue.
It wasn't gold.
It was white.
Pure white.
A *new thread.*
Unwritten.
Unclaimed.
And it was forming around Theo.
***
Back at the Observatory, Theo's Compass pulsed violently—responding not to fear, but to *choice*.
The Compass had once chosen him.
Now, he had to choose it back.
Theo planted his feet.
The Warden lunged.
And just as it reached him—Theo reached into the Compass, pulled the blue thread free… and *wrapped it around himself.*
The world *stopped.*
Frozen.
Mid-air.
Silent.
Even time waited.
And in that pause, Theo heard a voice.
Not the Warden.
Not Nyra.
Not even the Echo.
It was his own.
Older.
Wiser.
*"Every thread breaks. What matters… is what we tie it to."*
Theo closed his eyes.
And *tied* the blue thread into his own story.
When time restarted…
The Warden was gone.
Vanished.
Not destroyed.
Not defeated.
But folded back into the silence between timelines.
***
Nyra collapsed to her knees, breath shaking.
"You did it…" she whispered.
"No," Theo said, kneeling beside her. "*We* did."
He looked at the Compass.
The blue thread was still glowing—but now, it pulsed in sync with the golden one.
Two threads.
Two truths.
Two paths… *now bound as one.*
***
Later that night, the Echo appeared beside Theo.
"The timeline has accepted your decision," it said. "But consequences will come."
Theo nodded. "I know."
The Echo tilted its head.
"Would you change anything?"
Theo smiled.
"Not a second."