The night wind was cool against Ren's chitin, carrying the scent of campfires and freed breath. The rescued goblins and beastkin were settling in, voices soft but alive.
Inside his mind, Syrri's voice curled like silk thread through water.
"Ren… I never asked — how does human taste?"
Ren's mandibles clicked once, half amusement, half thought.
"Like soup… with too much pride in it." He tilted his head. "And strange mana. It's heavy. Thick. Like it wants to fight your teeth."
Syrri's tone brightened. "Hm… then maybe you should try looking like one. You've eaten enough mana-bound flesh to sample their… shape."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Shape?"
"Mana silk isn't just for weaving. You could wrap yourself in it, mold it, and fill it with your core's image. That would let you become something else… for a time."
Something in his chest — deep in his core — thrummed. A faint glow rippled across his chitin. Mana spilled from him, his threads spilling out in fine silver strands that coiled back into his frame.
The glow swelled. He imagined something powerful — broad-shouldered, towering, commanding…
What stepped out of the light was not that.
A short, slender figure stood in his place — about fourteen in human years, with pale, short hair brushing the neck, sharp onyx eyes glaring at the air in mild embarrassment. The form was soft-faced, almost delicate, the kind of appearance that could pass as a young girl, though the posture was unmistakably Ren's.
He stared down at his new hands — thin fingers, pale skin, still faintly glowing where the threads stitched them together. His voice came out unchanged, a dry rumble in that small frame.
"…This isn't what I pictured."
Syrri laughed in his mind. "Mana shaping is about precision, Ren. You overshot in the wrong direction."
The glow flickered — the silk fraying. The form collapsed back into his larva body, and Ren dropped to his feet, panting slightly from the drain.
[New Skill Acquired – Formshift: Silk Avatar]
[Skill Rank: F]
[Type: Active / Transformation]
[Duration: 00:54]
[Maintenance Cost: 4 MP/sec]
[Description: Allows Ren to temporarily assume a humanoid form by shaping mana silk and reinforcing it with Core Essence. Form stability and size depend on mana control.]
[Warning: Excessive use may cause Mana Burn.]
He clicked his mandibles with a wry tone. "Later… haha."
Ren's body still tingled from the mana drain, steam faintly curling off the silk threads that clung to his chitin.
Everyone just… stared.
Yutu's ears twitched, her golden eyes wide.
Ghur blinked twice, arms crossed, saying nothing but radiating disbelief.
Even Kaela, whose pride rarely allowed surprise, tilted her head slightly — assessing.
And the captured human boy… his mouth hung open like someone had just told him the moon fell into the ocean.
"That—" Yutu started, "—was you?"
Ren just grinned, mandibles clicking faintly. "Impressed?"
"You looked like a… tiny human girl," Ghur muttered.
"With your same ugly voice."
Ren laughed, though his breathing was still uneven. "One minute is all I get… for now."
They made their way back to Threadrest, the scent of damp silk and hearth smoke in the air.
Ren barely made it across the threshold before Yutu scooped him up in both arms, ignoring his weak protests.
"You're exhausted," she scolded. "Don't even argue."
Near the firepit, Ghur leaned down, voice low. "What about the human boy? You want me to drag him back to his people, or end him here?"
Ren's onyx eyes narrowed. "No. He's not what you think he is. Untie him. Feed him. If he wants to stay, he can."
The boy's shoulders trembled. Tears welled in his eyes as the ropes fell away. For a long moment, he stayed on his knees… then he stood. His gaze met Ren's, uncertain.
"You… always do this?" the boy asked. "Eat humans?"
Ren's mandibles twitched upward in something like a smile. "My first time. But definitely not the last." His onyx eyes deepened, a faint red glow bleeding into them — not rage, but something primal.The boy flinched… until Ren chuckled.
"You lot taste awful," Ren said, "but your mana? Like soup. Don't worry—" he leaned in just enough to make the boy swallow hard— "I don't bite the ones still alive."
The boy didn't know whether to laugh or run.
The fire crackled in Threadrest's central hearth, shadows dancing along the silk-lined walls. The smell of fresh stew — thick with herbs and foraged roots — mingled with the faint metallic tang of mana-rich air.
Ren lounged against a woven silk cushion, finally letting his legs relax. Yutu sat cross-legged nearby, gently combing through the hair of two rescued goblin children. Their eyes — large, curious, and still trembling from fear — followed her every movement. She met Ren's gaze and gave a slight nod.
"They'll live," she said softly. "And… they'll grow."
Ren's vision blurred for a second, and Syrri's voice brushed across his mind like a silk thread drawn tight.You see them, don't you? The threads of potential. All of them, tied to you now.
He did.
Yutu — quick hands, a sharper mind than she ever admitted. Not just a survivor, but a strategist in the making.
The goblins — small, yes, but their auras pulsed with restless growth. They could be shaped — into scouts, into gatherers, into more than prey.
Ghur — the wolf beastkin's golden eyes reflected the firelight, but his mana burned hotter. A fighter born, his instincts honed for leadership.
Kaela Ironfang — seated apart from the others, back straight, every motion deliberate. Her bloodline whispered of power. Given time, she could unite beastkin under one banner.
And then… the boy.
He sat stiffly at the edge of the firelight, unarmed, every so often glancing at Ren like he still wasn't sure if he was safe. His hair — wild, spiky, and the color of gold at sunrise — caught the flames, making him look almost molten. Young, maybe fourteen or fifteen, but there was something in his eyes: guilt worn thin by too many days of silence.
Ren studied him for a moment, then spoke. "What's your name, boy?"
The boy hesitated, as though saying it might change something. "…Lukas."
Ren tilted his head. "Stay or go, Lukas?"
Lukas's jaw tightened. "…Stay. If you'll have me."
Ghur's ear twitched, but he said nothing. Yutu just hummed, still braiding a goblin child's hair.
Ren leaned back, satisfied. "Then rest. Tomorrow, we work."
The fire popped. Beyond the silk walls, the forest whispered. Inside, Threadrest's strange new family slept — each holding a thread that would one day be pulled tight.
Morning came quietly, the first pale gold light sliding between the silk canopy of Threadrest. The camp still slept — goblins curled together like a tangle of roots, Yutu and Ghur on opposite sides of the fire, Kaela seated in quiet watch.
Ren stood alone outside, the air cool against his shell. Something in his body thrummed — a deep, almost itching sensation beneath the chitin. He closed his eyes and gave in.
Threads of mana curled around him, shimmering faintly. His exoskeleton clicked and shifted, plates thickening with a sound like stone grinding over stone. He crouched low as strands of silk webbed around his body, drawing tighter, weaving a temporary cocoon.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
When the strands loosened and fell away minutes later, Ren emerged — shell darker, denser, the ridges sharper. His movements felt smoother, stronger. His senses were sharper too; even the faint heartbeat of a sleeping goblin child was clear in his ears.
Then, the familiar chime.
📜 SYSTEM NOTICE
Evolution Complete:Chitin Reinforcement (Advanced)
Armor density increased by 37%
Mana insulation improved — reduced aura leakage by 15%
Minor strength increase (+2)
New Feature Unlocked:Thread-Oath Binding
You may now bind chosen individuals to your Thread — sharing part of your mana, and gaining mutual growth benefits.Bound individuals cannot betray you without severe backlash.
⚠ Optional Upgrade: Assign a Surname to initiate your first Binding.— A Surname will mark you and your bound kin as a unified force.— Chosen Surname will shape evolution paths for you and your bound.
Ren tilted his head at the floating window. "Surname, huh?"
Syrri's voice slid into his thoughts, amused.Names have power here. Yours could become the seed of something far greater than you imagine… or a curse you will never escape.
Ren smirked, brushing a hand over his newly hardened chitin. "Guess I'll have to make it a good one."
Behind him, the camp began to stir — unaware that by nightfall, their fates might be tied to a single thread.