She woke in a place that didn't feel real.
It was a chamber, but not like the Conduit Chamber. This one was dim, threads stretched taut and lifeless, their colors faded to dull grays and blues. The air was thick, heavy, as if time itself had slowed.
The coven was gone. Selene was nowhere to be seen.
But the voice wasn't.
See how they treat you? the whisper coiled around her thoughts, softer now, almost sympathetic. You're a danger to them. A tool. They'll cage you until you burn out. But I… I see you. I see what you could be.
The threads around her twitched faintly, glowing darker, like shadows bleeding into light. She felt the hum in her chest deepen, thrum in a rhythm that wasn't her own.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The voice chuckled, a sound like silk tearing. A friend. A survivor. A Threadweaver, once… before they cut me loose. The weave tried to devour me, so I devoured it first. And now… I could teach you how not to break.
The threads around her began to twist, weaving into faint, humanoid shapes. Hollow figures, their faces blank, their bodies made of frayed connections.
Or… you can go back to them. The ones who will break you because they're too afraid of what you are.