*Chapter 28: The Thread That Shouldn't Exist*
The Vault's air had changed. It wasn't just cold—it was tense, vibrating with something unnatural, something that hadn't belonged there before. Theo felt it before he saw it. A pull in the Compass. A heartbeat that wasn't his. A thread that hadn't been there yesterday.
"This one's not recorded," Lyra murmured, pointing to the white thread glowing faintly at the edge of the loom. "It's not part of the timeline."
Nyra stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "Then why is it here?"
"Because someone created it," said a voice behind them.
They turned sharply. Standing at the mouth of the hall was a stranger in a dark cloak, his face hidden beneath a hood, his presence more like a shadow than a person.
"Who are you?" Theo demanded.
The figure stepped forward. "I'm someone who escaped the threads. Someone who chose to write his own fate."
The Compass trembled violently in Theo's hand. This man—whoever he was—wasn't bound by time. He was an anomaly. A thread that shouldn't exist.
"You broke the rules," Nyra said quietly. "You created your own path."
"And I paid the price," the man replied. "But now, the universe is paying it too."
Without warning, the Vault trembled. Lights flickered. Threads began to unravel—not violently, but slowly, as if being rewritten by an invisible hand.
"He's rewriting the future," Lyra gasped.
The stranger raised a hand. "I didn't come to destroy. I came to warn you. The real enemy is coming. One that doesn't care about timelines or choices."
Theo stepped forward. "Then help us stop it."
The man hesitated. Then, slowly, he removed his hood.
Theo's breath caught in his throat.
It was *him.*
An older version. Worn. Battle-scarred. Haunted.
"I tried to stop it once," the older Theo said. "And I failed. You have one last chance. Rewrite the story. But this time… do it differently."