The Enclave stretched before Kaito — radiant, mechanical, alive. Streams of energy flowed through crystalline veins along the streets, lighting the vast city like an intricate circuit board. But while others might marvel, Kaito's attention was fixed elsewhere.
This technology... it all stems from one source.
The Supreme Leader. A Rank 6 Thread Virtue Weaver, whose Vital Thread binds with technology itself.
I've never met him, but his signature hums in every stone of this city.
As the group advanced, a presence unlike any other made the air thicken.
An old man stood in their path — tall, broad-shouldered, his white hair tied neatly behind him. Despite his age, his aura radiated pure dominance.
Fei Qiang Fei — Guardian of the Fei Clan.
A Rank 5 Thread Weaver famed for hunting Rank 5 Wild Threads barehanded.
The Guardian's sharp eyes met Kaito's. For a brief moment, neither blinked.
Kaito's face was blank. His thoughts were not.
If I were at my peak, this man would be dust with a flick of my finger… and that Rank 6 'Virtue Weaver' would follow next.
A cold laugh rippled through his mind, unseen.
Then — thunder. The Guardian released his aura, and the very air trembled.
Wei Chen collapsed to one knee, gasping, his face pale.
But Kaito stood still — unmoving, unshaken.
Fei Qiang Fei blinked, then roared with laughter.
"Hah! I like this kid! Didn't even flinch before the Great Guardian's presence!"
Wei Chen struggled to stand. "G-Guardian, this is the Ei branch family's newly adopted child. His name is Kaito."
The Guardian's amusement faded. His eyes sharpened.
"Tell me, boy," he said, his tone edged with curiosity, "are you a Thread Weaver?"
Kaito met his gaze. Testing me already.
"Yes," he said simply. "Rank 1."
Fei Qiang Fei's eyes lingered, studying him in silence.
A Rank 1 at ten years old… rare. Exceptional, even.
But how did the Ei branch find him first?
He nodded slightly. "Wei Chen, continue your tour. I'll handle this one personally."
Then to Kaito: "You — come with me."
Kaito followed without a word, mind whirring.
He wants to test me. Fine. I'll show him what I allow him to see — nothing more.
---
The Guardian led him through winding halls into a vast training arena.
Hundreds of young Thread Weavers trained under the watch of instructors, their threads glinting in the light like webs of living silk.
Fei Qiang Fei stopped at the center. "Show me what you can do."
Kaito's calm expression didn't waver, but behind it, his mind calculated every move.
A demonstration… not a battle. Reveal enough to survive, not enough to stand out.
He extended his hand. A single black thread, faintly outlined in red, unfurled from his chest — thin, alive, humming with quiet menace.
It shot toward the Guardian like lightning.
Fei Qiang Fei didn't move. The thread struck his body, dispersing harmlessly into mist.
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
His disappointment was audible. A weak attack. A child's thread at best.
He sighed internally. Perhaps luck made him a prodigy — nothing more.
In an instant, his own power flared. His speed-type Vital Thread blurred him from view, and before Kaito could react, the Guardian was behind him.
Kaito's eyes flicked sideways. Teleportation, rank 5 precision. Not bad.
"I surrender," Kaito said flatly.
The Guardian frowned, the thrill of battle dying instantly.
No defiance. No fear. No spark at all.
He turned away. "You may go."
But as he left, something in him lingered — a faint unease he couldn't name.
Behind those calm eyes, the boy's stillness had felt… unnatural.
Like watching a pond with monsters sleeping at the bottom.
---
In silence, Kaito watched the Guardian walk away, a faint smirk flickering at the corner of his lips.
You saw weakness. Perfect. Keep it that way.
Because the moment I decide to move… not even your Rank 6 Virtue Weaver will survive the ripple.
---