The golden light of the Enforcers tore through the vine canopy, casting jagged shadows across the Threadless camp. Screams pierced the air, mingling with the clash of steel and the hum of frayed threads. Li Xuanji gripped Memory's Fang, its blade pulsing like a heartbeat, as if it sensed the chaos unfolding. Kael's prophecy—Your death, Xuanji. In the Loom's city—echoed in his mind, but there was no time to dwell. The Enforcers were here, their blazing threads—red, blue, gold—sweeping through the camp like a storm.
"Stay close!" Mira shouted, her orbs flaring as she wove through the chaos. Her hands danced, stealing threads of light from a fallen Enforcer, his body crumpling as his memories unraveled. Kael moved beside her, his blindfolded face calm, his fingers tracing invisible patterns to guide their path.
Xuanji's breath caught as an Enforcer landed before him, his red thread blazing like fire. The warrior's armor gleamed with woven symbols, his blade raised to strike. "Error," he intoned, voice cold as stone. "The Loom demands your end."
Memory's Fang answered before Xuanji could think. The blade surged forward, meeting the Enforcer's strike with a scream of metal. Sparks flew, and a memory flooded Xuanji's mind: A golden hall, threads stretching like a web, and his own voice, defiant, shouting, "The Loom lies!" The vision burned, sharp and fleeting, but it fueled his swing. He parried, then struck, the sword slicing through the Enforcer's thread.
A woman's cry erupted—not from the Enforcer, but from the thread itself. The memory poured into Memory's Fang, and another vision hit: Xuanji, younger, kneeling before a child with no thread, vowing to protect her as the Loom's shadow loomed. He staggered, the weight of the memory nearly buckling his knees. The Enforcer fell, his thread dissolving into ash, but more descended, their chants rising: "The Loom weaves all. Errors are unwoven."
"Xuanji!" Mira's voice cut through the haze. She was at his side, her touch grazing his arm. A spark flared, and he felt it—a tug at his mind, a fragment of memory slipping away. Her eyes widened, guilty. "I didn't mean—"
"Not now!" Xuanji snapped, shaking off the dizziness. The camp was a battlefield. Threadless fought with stolen blades and frayed threads, their dim reds and blues no match for the Enforcers' brilliance. The woman with the red-threaded cloak from earlier fell, her blade clattering. The threadless child clutched her orb, tears streaming as she hid behind a tent.
Torren charged through the fray, his frayed blue thread glowing faintly. "To the center!" he roared, rallying the Threadless. "Protect the camp's heart!" He shoved a spear into Xuanji's free hand. "Fight, Threadless, or we all die."
Xuanji nodded, his grip tightening on both spear and sword. The camp's heart—a glowing orb the size of a boulder, pulsing with stolen memories—sat in a clearing, surrounded by woven vines. It was the Threadless' lifeline, a beacon of their defiance. If it fell, so would they.
An Enforcer with a gold thread landed before the orb, his blade raised to strike it. Xuanji charged, Memory's Fang leading the way. The blade hummed, hungry, as it met the Enforcer's weapon. The clash sent a shockwave through the camp, and another memory surged: A woman's face, her eyes like Mira's, begging him to run as golden threads tightened around her. The vision blurred, but it sharpened his focus. He ducked a swing, thrusting the spear into the Enforcer's side. The gold thread frayed, and a scream—male, anguished—poured out, absorbed by Memory's Fang.
The Enforcer collapsed, but the orb flickered, its light dimming. Torren fought nearby, his blue thread flaring as he drove back two Enforcers. "The orb!" he shouted. "Guard it!"
Mira joined Xuanji, her orbs weaving a barrier of stolen light around the orb. Her touch brushed his shoulder again, and another memory slipped—a fleeting image of a lullaby sung under starlight. "Stop doing that!" Xuanji growled, his voice raw.
"I can't help it!" Mira shot back, her voice cracking. "It's what I am!" Her eyes held guilt, but also something softer—fear, perhaps, or regret.
Kael appeared, his blindfold glowing faintly. "The threads are breaking," he said, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "But not enough. The Loom is coming."
Before Xuanji could ask what he meant, a new Enforcer landed, his thread a deep blue, pulsing with an unnatural intensity. His eyes locked on Xuanji, and his voice carried a weight that chilled the air. "Li Xuanji," he said. "You cannot outrun your fate."
Memory's Fang flared, its edge glowing brighter. Xuanji swung, but the Enforcer parried effortlessly, his blade weaving threads of light that bound Xuanji's arms. He struggled, the threads tightening like a noose. Another memory surged, unbidden: Himself, standing before the Loom, a child in his arms, as he cut his own thread with Memory's Fang. The vision was a blade to his heart, and he gasped, faltering.
Torren roared, charging the Enforcer. His blue thread blazed, and he drove his spear into the Enforcer's side, breaking the binding threads. "Go!" he shouted to Xuanji. "Take the orb and run!"
Mira grabbed the orb, its light pulsing in her hands. Kael guided them toward a hidden path, but the camp was collapsing. Vines burned, tents fell, and Threadless screams filled the air. Torren fought on, his thread fraying as more Enforcers descended.
Xuanji turned back, his sword raised. "We can't leave him!"
"You don't get it!" Mira snapped, her voice breaking. "If the orb falls, we're all erased. Torren knows that."
Torren met Xuanji's eyes, his face resolute. "Prove you're worth it, Threadless," he said, his voice steady despite the blood on his cloak. He turned, facing the Enforcers alone, his spear raised as their threads closed in.
The orb pulsed in Mira's hands, its light flaring. The path to the Frozen Veil's heart lay ahead, but behind them, Torren's blue thread dimmed, swallowed by gold. His final scream echoed, a sacrifice woven into the camp's last stand.
End of chapter 4