The morning mist still clung to the silk-threaded trees when Ren gathered them near the center fire. The goblins, beastkin, and even Lukas — the human boy — circled around him, curious.
Ren's gaze moved over them one by one, his onyx eyes calm but sharp."I've decided something," he began. "I don't have a name the System recognizes. So I'll take one… and I'll take it from here."
He raised his chin toward the silk canopy overhead, the webbed boughs that cradled their new home."From this day forward, I am Ren Threadrest — named after the place we built. A name tied to the threads that hold us together."
The goblins murmured softly. Yutu's golden eyes flickered with something like pride.
Ren turned to her first."Yutu, you've been my shield, my eyes, and my teeth when I needed them. You'll carry my thread in battle and beyond. From now on, you're Yutu Threadfang."
The goblin girl's ears twitched and she straightened her back, muttering, "Threadfang… I like it."
Ren's gaze slid to Ghur, the towering wolf beastkin with golden eyes gleaming in the firelight."You guard this place as fiercely as the forest itself. From now on, you're Ghur Threadclaw."
Ghur crossed his arms, a rare grin flashing sharp teeth. "Threadclaw. Has a bite to it."
Then his attention moved to Kaela. She met his eyes without flinching."My clan is gone," she said before he could speak. "Ironfang was our blood. It ends with me."
Ren's voice softened. "Then let it live again — not bound in chains, but unbound, as you are now. Kaela Ironfang the Unbound."
For a heartbeat, Kaela said nothing. Then, slowly, she nodded. "…That, I will carry."
One by one, he spoke names for others — some tied to their natures, some to their deeds. Even Lukas, the golden-haired boy, received one."Lukas Threadbind," Ren declared, "because even a single weak thread can hold if tied right."
The boy blinked hard, swallowing whatever words trembled in his throat.
Finally, Ren looked over the group. "These names aren't just for calling each other in the dark. They're a promise — a Thread-Oath. If you carry them, you carry me, and I'll carry you."
The air shimmered faintly as the System responded, threads of silver mana linking them for a heartbeat before fading.
A cascade of faint, shimmering lines rippled from Ren's body as each name was spoken. Thin silver threads arced through the air, latching onto Yutu, Ghur, Kaela, Lukas, and the others in turn.
Then the System made itself known:
[Thread-Oath Binding Established]Oathbearers Linked:
Yutu Threadfang – +8% Agility, +5% Precision
Ghur Threadclaw – +10% Strength, +5% Mana Resist
Kaela Ironfang the Unbound – +6% Agility, +4% Endurance, Passive: Freedom's Will
Lukas Threadbind – +5% Mana Control, +5% Perception
Other Oathbearers – +2% to Primary Stat
Bond Effect:
All linked receive minor mana regeneration from Ren's core.
Emotional State Sync: +5% morale recovery speed.
Warning: Oathbearer link drains primary host mana at a constant rate.
Ren staggered, blinking as the silver glow dulled around him."What…?" His voice slurred. The truth hit him like a heavy stone — the thread-oath was feeding them from his own mana. All of them. At once.
His knees buckled.
"Ren!" Yutu darted forward, catching him before he hit the ground. Her golden eyes widened in alarm."What happened to him?!" Kaela barked, already stepping closer.
Ghur sniffed the air, ears twitching. "His mana's nearly gone. It's like he poured it into all of us."
Ren tried to speak, but only managed a faint, wry grin. "Guess… you're all expensive to keep around…"
His body went limp, the threads retracting into his chitin. Yutu didn't hesitate — she scooped him up with surprising gentleness, cradling him as if afraid he'd break.
"Move," she snapped to the others. "We're taking him to his rest."
They carried him into the largest cocoon-nest at the village's center, laying him onto the silk-lined floor. His breathing was steady, but shallow.
The others waited outside in a tense silence, the night air heavy with the faint shimmer of their new bonds. None dared speak too loudly — the Threadrest's heart was sleeping, and they knew instinctively… he'd need time before he woke again.
For five days, Ren slept within the cocoon-nest.
The village went about its work, but an unspoken awareness hung in the air — the thread-oath hum beneath their skin. Even without seeing him, they could feel his presence, like the faint pull of a tide. His mana seeped into them in subtle, steady waves, reshaping the core of who they were.
Yutu felt it first.
On the second day, her reflection in the stream startled her. The sharp goblin features she had carried all her life — the slightly overlong jaw, the sallow green skin — had softened. Her cheeks had taken on a warmer tone, her skin deepening to a healthy brown, smooth and firm. Her tusks, once prominent, had receded to the point where they were barely visible when she smiled. She was still Yutu, still goblin, but there was a curve to her hips now, a length to her legs that spoke of human grace. When she caught herself stretching in the sun, the way her hair framed her more humanlike face, she couldn't help but wonder what else this bond would bring.
Ghur's change was more physical, more martial. His fur began to shed in great tufts by the third day, revealing a toned, sun-bronzed body beneath. The wolf ears and tail remained — proud marks of his heritage — but his torso and arms had taken on the sculpted strength of a warrior who had trained for years. His movements became sharper, cleaner, as though the sword was already an extension of his will.
Kaela's transformation came with an aura shift. She had always been striking, but by the fourth day, she carried herself like someone born to command. Her body grew slender, defined — the elegance of a predator in her step. Her mana glowed with a richness that made even the breeze seem to pause around her. Like Ghur, she kept her wolf ears and tail, but her face was now nearly indistinguishable from a human's, save for the fierce golden eyes that could pin anyone in place.
Lukas's change was quieter, but no less striking. His golden hair grew fuller, brighter under the sun. His frame lengthened, his shoulders broadening just enough to give him the air of someone older. The boyish softness of his face was fading into something leaner, sharper — the look of an agile young man in his prime. It was as if he had leapt from fourteen to eighteen in a single breath. He moved differently now, with balance and precision that surprised even him.
By the fifth dawn, all of them felt it. The link wasn't just a tie to Ren — it was a current, an invisible weave threading through their bones and sinew. The village air was charged, the people sharper, faster, stronger… as though the Threadrest itself was evolving with them.
And then, the cocoon stirred.
Silk shifted, threads retracting like a living thing, and the figure within shifted under the faint morning light. They gathered instinctively, watching as Ren's onyx eyes blinked open for the first time in days. The smell of mana and silk filled the nest, the quiet crackle of power around him a reminder — this was the one who had named them, bound them, changed them.
They had waited for this moment.
The silk peeled away from his arms, the threads folding back into the nest as Ren's body felt the weight of the world again. His vision was hazy at first, edges soft, colors bleeding into one another. He pushed himself up slowly, joints aching from days of stillness.
Shapes moved in front of him. Not the goblin-green and beast-fur he expected.
The first figure stepped closer — long legs, smooth brown skin, hair tied loosely back, eyes sharp yet warm. She bent to meet his gaze, her smile pulling him back to memory.
[Thread-Oath Bearer Detected]
Name: Yutu Threadfang
Race Evolution: Goblin → Thread-Bound Hobgoblin (Variant)
Form Shift: +Humanoid Traits | +Mana Sensitivity | +Agility
Thread Link Strength: 68%
Status: Bonded
Ren blinked hard. "Yutu…?"
Her grin widened. "Took you long enough."
Before he could answer, a shadow crossed the doorway. Broad shoulders, wolf ears pricked forward, golden eyes like molten metal. His once shaggy fur was gone, replaced by sun-burnished muscle and a warrior's poise.
[Thread-Oath Bearer Detected]
Name: Ghur Threadclaw
Race Evolution: Beastkin (Wolf) → Thread-Bound Lupine Knight
Form Shift: +Swordmaster Aptitude | +Enhanced Reflexes | +Mana Pulse Awareness
Thread Link Strength: 65%
Status: Bonded
Ren's brow furrowed. "You— you're—"
Ghur's smirk was sharp. "Better."
Then came Kaela, her presence enough to draw the air from the room. Slender, graceful, her silver hair glinting like moonlight, ears twitching ever so slightly. She carried an aura that pressed against Ren's chest — not from aggression, but sheer authority.
[Thread-Oath Bearer Detected]
Name: Kaela Ironfang the Unbound
Race Evolution: Beastkin (Wolf) → Thread-Bound Alpha Huntress
Form Shift: +Leadership Resonance | +Mana Authority | +Charm Pressure
Thread Link Strength: 56%
Status: Bonded
Ren leaned back, stunned. "…Kaela?"
Her voice was silk and steel. "You gave me a new name. I intend to make it feared."
Last came the boy. Taller, leaner, hair now like a crown of gold fire. The awkward, trembling youth was gone — replaced by someone with the stance of a trained scout.
[Thread-Oath Bearer Detected]
Name: Lukas Threadborne
Race Evolution: Human → Thread-Bound Scout
Form Shift: +Agility Surge | +Precision Reflex | +Mana Thread Sense
Thread Link Strength: 58%
Status: Bonded
Ren stared at all of them, his mind slow to catch up. His voice was quiet. "…You've all changed."
Yutu knelt, resting her hand on his shoulder. "No. You changed us."
The pop-up windows still hovered faintly in his vision, glowing threads of mana stretching from his chest toward each of them. He could feel the faint tug — the steady trickle of his own energy feeding their evolution.
He exhaled slowly, a faint smirk curling on his lips. "Then… Threadrest truly is ours."