The night sky writhed with fury — a canvas of black and storm-gray, torn open by flashes of lightning. Thunder rolled across the heavens like a beast awakening from slumber. The Fei Clan's procession pressed onward through the tempest, cloaked carriages shaking under the weight of the storm.
Kaito stood at the rear, eyes fixed on the horizon. The air around him trembled — charged, alive.
A faint thread of black light emerged from his chest, no thicker than a hair, pulsing with a blood-red outline.
It climbed upward, vanishing into the roiling clouds above.
So it awakens again… Karma's Thread.
His pulse slowed, focus narrowing until the world itself seemed to breathe with him.
Changing the weather — one of Karma Thread's forbidden functions.
He had hidden this even from his parents. The reason was simple: power like this demanded balance.
For every fortune bestowed, misfortune followed.
In his previous life, he had used it without restraint.
And in the end, the skies themselves had judged him.
Now, he closed his eyes — and the storm began to fade.
Lightning dimmed. The clouds peeled apart.
A sea of stars spilled across the heavens, pure and cold.
The Fei Clan's escorts gasped.
"Kaito… what just happened?" asked Thread Weaver Wei Chen, his tone half awe, half unease.
Kaito merely lowered his hand, his expression still. "Nothing worth mentioning."
Inside, his thoughts churned.
Back then, my good luck never matched my bad. The scales always tipped toward ruin. I was cursed with abundance — yet punished for every gain.
The procession continued in uneasy silence, their awe turning slowly to fear. Even the wind dared not stir.
---
By morning, the storm had passed completely.
When the first light broke, the Fei Clan's stronghold loomed before them — Elysium Gate.
Massive silver doors carved with intricate sigils parted to reveal the Enclave beyond — a living city of glass and light.
Towers of white alloy reached skyward, their surfaces veined with glowing blue lines. The ground beneath hummed with energy, every step resonating like a quiet heartbeat.
Citizens walked the polished streets wearing liquid-metal suits and sleek silver masks that reflected the morning sun.
To most, it was breathtaking.
To Kaito, it was trivial.
Seven thousand years of existence… I've seen cities that touched the stars, machines that folded time. This— he glanced at a levitating tram gliding past, —is a child's toy by comparison.
Wei Chen turned, expecting amazement. "Kaito, this is the Fei Clan's heart — a fusion of tradition and technology."
Kaito simply nodded. "I see."
The older man's smile faltered, sensing something beneath that calm — something cold and ancient.
---
They moved through winding avenues lined with crystalline trees and hovering lanterns.
Everywhere, the clan's insignia gleamed — a spiral thread encircling an open eye.
Kaito's gaze drifted from the symbols to the people. Beneath the order, he felt it: subtle tremors in the weave.
Whispers of dissent… resentment beneath their masks.
Even paradise, it seemed, had cracks.
Wei Chen continued introductions, proudly naming engineers, scholars, and warriors. Kaito's face remained unreadable, but inside, his mind cataloged every detail — hierarchies, weaknesses, alliances.
Power layered on power… and under it, a fragile thread waiting to snap.
Behind him, the Elysium Gate loomed — bright and magnificent, yet ominous in its perfection.
Kaito's lips curved slightly.
With enough karma, even this shining fortress will crumble. All it takes… is a nudge.
A faint laugh echoed in his mind — quiet, bitter, inevitable.
The Fei Clan's glory will make an excellent offering to karma.
---