> **System Notification:**
> *New Region Unlocked – "The City of Thorns"*
> *Fate Entanglement Level: Extreme*
> *Warning: Host is now within Loom Observation Zone.*
> *First Loom Hunter Encounter Imminent.*
The land around Raventhorn faded into dust and mist as Azrael's black-cloaked caravan crossed into the western reaches—where flowers bled and cities grew from wounds.
They called it Thornsfall, though most knew it simply as the City of Thorns. A sovereign city-state ruled not by kings or councils, but by contracts, whispers, and blades. No maps described its shifting districts. No records captured its true rulers.
> **System Passive Activated – "Whispersense"**
> *Effect: Passive reception of unspoken hostility and hidden contracts within 20-meter radius.*
Even now, as Azrael passed beneath the twisted rosewood archway of the eastern gate, he felt it.
Deals. Lies. Killers hiding behind petals.
He smirked.
Home, in a sense.
---
His arrival was not unnoticed.
Within an hour, shadow messengers fluttered through the city's spine-like towers, warning the Watchers' Guild, the Grave Weavers, and the infamous Contract Courtesans.
But more importantly—**she** knew.
> **Thread Alignment Detected – Aurelia Noctis**
> *Status: Watching*
> *Location: Thornspire Arena, 2nd Tier*
> *Fate Tie: Growing…*
Azrael's system pinged, a soft electric ripple through his bones.
So the game begins.
---
Later that evening, in the lower districts of Thornsfall, Azrael walked alone through a hollow market of glass roses and scentless spices. Each vendor hid blades beneath their smiles. Each child carried poison in their toys.
The city was alive. Beautiful. Dangerous.
And at its center: Aurelia.
He would not approach her directly. Not yet.
He needed leverage.
---
> **System Prompt:**
> *New Side Objective: "Tame the Blooming Beast"*
> *Rumor: Thornspire Arena hosts an annual death match. The victor earns the Queen's Favor—Aurelia's interest.*
> *Entry Fee: One soul-bound contract, or something of equal value.*
> *Would you like to register? (Y/N)*
Azrael smirked.
He whispered: **"Yes."**
---
That night, beneath the pale lanterns of the Arena Registry, a masked woman in silver ink took his name, false lineage, and blood.
He offered no real identity.
Instead, he wrote:
**Name:** Ravyn Thorn
**Affiliation:** None
**Title Claimed:** *Threadless One*
> **System Passive Modified:**
> *Thread Veil – Active in Zone: The Loom cannot trace your identity while under assumed fate.*
> *Warning: Killing a Loom agent will break disguise.*
Perfect.
---
The next day, the arena roared.
A hundred warriors gathered within a dome made of thorned iron and dream-forged glass. Magic pulsed through the ground—tracking heartbeat, fear, and blood spilled.
Azrael stood in the arena's shadow, silent, calm.
His first opponent was a brute—part man, part basilisk. Covered in scales, wielding two massive cleavers.
The crowd cheered as the beast charged.
Azrael didn't move.
> **System Notification:**
> *Arena Modifier Active – "Spectacle Protocol"*
> *Fights must last a minimum of 30 seconds. Killing too quickly will void recognition.*
> *Entertain them.*
So be it.
Azrael stepped forward, eyes glowing.
The cleaver came down like a mountain.
He side-stepped, dragged his palm across the ground, and whispered a single glyph:
**"Fray."**
> **Skill Activated – "Glyph of Fray"**
> *Effect: Erodes enemy's internal equilibrium for 6 seconds. Causes disorientation and mild hallucinations.*
The beast roared in confusion, striking air.
Azrael danced around him, leaving trails of silver ink in midair. The crowd gasped. He was not just surviving. He was choreographing death.
On the 29th second, he struck.
A single blade to the base of the skull.
Silence.
Then thunderous applause.
> **System Notification:**
> *Arena Favor: +24%*
> *Public Interest: Gained*
> *Aurelia Noctis has taken note.*
---
That night, in a rosewood lounge near the Thornspire's second tier, Azrael waited.
She arrived without sound.
Aurelia Noctis—clad in obsidian silk, her silver hair cascading like moonlight, and eyes that glowed like dying stars. Her presence was perfume and poison.
She sat across from him, legs crossed, smile unreadable.
"You fight like a god trying to stay mortal," she said. "Who are you?"
Azrael returned her gaze without flinching. "A shadow. A stitch. A mistake that chose to persist."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You sound like someone hunted."
"Don't we all?"
---
> **System Notification:**
> *Thread Engagement – Aurelia Noctis: 53%*
> *New Trait Available: "Tangled Fates" – Unlock after mutual trust event.*
> *Warning: Aurelia is a Guardian-Class Relic Host. Approach with caution.*
She sipped her wine.
"I know what you are," she whispered.
Azrael didn't move.
"You're not from here."
She traced a glyph across her wrist. It vanished into nothing.
"I was born in Loomlight. I've seen others like you. Rewritten souls. System-bound anomalies. Your kind always burns too brightly."
Azrael's voice was soft. "Then why speak to me?"
"Because," she said, rising slowly, "the next time we meet—it may be with blades."
She paused at the door.
"But tonight, Ravyn Thorn... you interest me."
Then she was gone.
---
Azrael exhaled.
The system chimed.
> **System Prompt:**
> *Loom Agent Signature Confirmed – Aurelia Noctis (Class: Bladeweaver / Fate Guardian)*
> *Motivations: Unknown. Loyalty: Split.*
> *Chance of Recruitment: Moderate (Based on decisions in next 2 encounters).*
> *Update Main Quest – "Loom Wars: Initiation"*
> **New Objective:**
> *Survive the next Arena match.*
> *Meet the First Loom Hunter: The Masked Spiral.*
> *Secure Aurelia's trust or eliminate her.*
Azrael rose, shadows clinging to him like lovers.
The city would not break him.
But in this place where fate bled and thorns whispered…
He would either conquer—
—or be devoured.