The moment Nox stepped into that gap of emptiness, the threads of the world fell silent all at once.
The vibrations that usually accompanied them were gone—only emptiness remained, profound and deep.
The silence made Nox's heart pound hard. It wasn't empty like cosmic void, but carried a sense of dread. As if something unseen was watching them. Nox took a deep breath before making their next move.
After that suffocating silence, Nox finally heard something they'd been missing for so long—their own breath.
Unsteady and shaky. Dry in their throat, and painfully real.
Their chest struggled to maintain each inhale. Every breath felt rough in their lungs within the dark space, bringing shortness of breath in this unfamiliar place—
Cold slowly trickled down their spine. Nox spoke: "Is this still Loom's controlled territory…?"
Or had they strayed to a place even Loom had planned for them to reach?
Nox glanced back into the darkness—unsure if it was the right direction—until they heard a sound...
System Attempting to Reconnect…
Thread Path: None
User: Nox—Class: Unwritten
Access Level: Denied
"Thread path… What does that mean? Does it mean Loom's threads aren't present in me?" Nox thought to themselves. Without dwelling on it long, they started walking again.
The cold crept up their spine once more. It wasn't cold air—it was like something was opening its eyes upon them.
Was it Loom, or some other cosmic being? It was watching.
Then the system voice sounded again:
"Subject is at designated location."
Nox spun around in a hurry. The space seemed to swallow them whole, their breath catching in their throat.
Nox woke up in a vast hall with gleaming white pillars, adorned with gems like a magic academy—and many eyes were on them. Were all of them women? And one figure stood straight in the center, walking toward them.
Around that figure, the world looked like it was unraveling—walls made of what seemed to be crystal flickered, light bending toward them, the floor beneath their boots beating with a strong pulse.
Her hair was white as silver, neatly pinned back in a polished style, framing a face of unparalleled beauty. Her uniform was crisp, every line sharp as a blade. Along her form flowed threads—threads tied to her, the fate of this world.
Her eyes were a deep purple, with no visible pupils, locking onto Nox's gaze. They held no emotion. A chill emanated from that stare.
[Commander of the Order] Rin.
"Null type," she said, her lips harsh as if looking at something repulsive. "Why do I feel no world threads on you? How did you get here so suddenly?"
Nox stepped back, instinct taking over before thought could catch up. Their chest tightened, words sticking in their throat almost unutterable.
"I… I don't know," they forced out in a shaky voice.
The purple eyes remained fixed on them, unwavering. "True. It seems you have no intention of telling me. That's why devices to handle cases like yours exist."
Then she moved forward—each step exuding pressure. The space around her trembled as she closed in on Nox—blades suddenly materializing from thin air.
The air seemed to split open. Their body tensed to move, their chest feeling locked. Everything felt frozen in that moment, matching the speed of the attack.
Danger: Commander-Level Thread Signature
Recommendation: Run
Run—where to? Nox panicked, but their body wouldn't move as if bound by something.
"Wait!" Nox shouted, voice cracking. "Give me a chance to explain!" Rin didn't stop—as if their voice was nothing but passing wind.
"You are nothing but a defect," she said in a cold, steady tone. "No perfect thread binds to you. If I don't eliminate you, Loom will. And it will show no mercy at all."
She drew closer. Even nearer.
Her presence exerted immense pressure, crushing Nox down as gravity grew stronger.
Nox's lungs wouldn't move; their body refused to follow their mind's commands. Loom had always made them feel small, but this—this was true finality. A painful certainty that they didn't belong in this world.
I can't fight her. Is there nothing, no one who can help me? Nox desperately wanted to move fast.
And then…
Loom flickered for a moment. In that brief instant—barely enough time for one breath—reality seemed to sway. As if the world itself had slipped from its grasp.
The blade blazed with bright flame, carving visible lines of light in the air. The threads around it writhed, spiraling in patterns beyond its control. Something more powerful stirred beneath—deeper than any law of Loom.
The system voice sounded, and Nox felt a flicker of hope.
Null Field Pulse—Active
Guidance System: Failed
Time Collapse Detected
Their body moved with sharp reflexes. They dropped to the side—just in time for the blade to slice through empty air above their head.
The attack shattered reality—a clean white scar carved into the air. Even incomplete, it looked like something irreversible.
Pain spread across their shoulder. Heat from the blade and flowing blood merged into one searing sensation. They bit down hard on their teeth, breathing with a hissed exhale, refusing to fall to the ground.
Rin was thrown backward, losing balance as she clutched her blade. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits full of rage.
For just a brief moment, Nox's fate shifted, sending the world down a different path. A pale gray streak flashed past and struck Rin, knocking her to the ground.
Nox squinted…
And where death should have found them, someone now stood before them.
A girl.
A short-cut white jacket. Boots with beautiful silver stitching. No rank badges or insignia to show who she was.
But that wasn't what left Nox stunned.
Her hair was long and jet-black—like ink brushed across glass. Her eyes were like the blue sky. And she moved without any shadow at all. Not even the light around her could cast one, as if it dared not touch her.
"Tch." Rin clicked her tongue in disdain. She tapped her neck, then lifted Nox back up as if they weighed nothing. "Number. You've come earlier than planned."
Nox breathed a sigh of relief as they steadied themselves.
"Thank you for saving me, and… who are you?" Nox asked the stranger in a soft voice.
The girl didn't answer.
She didn't even acknowledge the question at all. Her eyes remained fixed on Rin, who had now regained her balance and was raising her blade with purple eyes blazing with fury—the first time Nox had seen Rin angry.
The unknown girl showed no fear.
She took a slow but sharp breath:
"If you want to live, null kid… get up now." The empty space around them suddenly split open.
And the space exploded once more.
Waves of force struck in all directions, shattering half-formed walls, breaking light into shards that rained down like broken glass. The pressure forced the air from Nox's lungs, sending them stumbling backward until their bones rattled.
Above their heads, the sky cracked open like a mirror struck hard.
Rin's blade cut through the chaos, creating a series of silver flashes that tried to push back. But the shadowless girl moved fast—dodging swiftly between the bursts of light, weaving her movements through gaps in time like a dancer moving to an elegant rhythm.
The weapon she wielded caught the broken light. It wasn't a sword. It looked like a breaker—something made specifically to shatter things.
Its blade was thin, cold to the touch. A tool not made to pierce flesh, but to cut through the threads woven to shape a person's fate.
Forbidden in Loom's created world—it should never have existed.
"Who… is she really?" Nox thought to themselves, wanting to ask.
The question caught in their throat, but now was not the time to think. There was no breath left to speak. Only a strong certainty—if they wanted to live, they themselves had to fight to survive.
Warning: Null Signature Collision Imminent
Critical Thread Line Security Breach
Repeat: You Are Not Part of This World
The reality of the space began to break apart, cracked glass making it unstable.
The ground shook beneath their feet. Stones shattered into pieces. Each piece dissolved, then reformed, then dissolved again—existence itself didn't know what shape to take.
Then…
Their body was thrown forward with great force, their mind unable to process what was happening.
"NOX!"
The voice cut through the chaos—a girl's voice, as if crying out—sharp and trembling, but not hopeless.
Like an anchor thrown into the heart of a fierce storm.
"I said move!"
It was the first time Nox had clearly heard her voice—calm and melodious. Their legs moved before their mind could understand what was happening.
Nox didn't move because of what was said.
But because they knew what was coming. Even with their vision blurry and flickering, they saw what was approaching.
Rin.
Her silhouette blazed bright against the crumbling reality, her blade dripping with blinding light—aimed to erase Nox completely from the world's existence.
The pressure from Rin propelled them to run faster than their adrenaline could keep up, sending Nox sprinting into the broken reality. Into the border Loom had abandoned—or never made.
The threads of reality split apart like severed veins.
The Forbidden Will Return.
And It Will Never Be Erased.