Chapter 7 – Threads of Fate
I clutched my head as my form began to dissolve into air. One second, I was writhing in pain, the next—I was floating in a realm of extremes. On one side, roaring flames licked the sky. On the other, a soft glow of warm, inviting light shimmered like a dream.
And there I was. Stuck in the middle.
Caught between scorching heat and cozy warmth.
I blinked—once, twice—and suddenly I was inside a small, quiet cave. The floor was covered in rainbow-colored petals that shimmered faintly. A strange fruit dropped from above. Instinctively, I caught it.
To my shock, it dissolved in my hand.
That shouldn't have been possible. I was a spirit, wasn't I? How could I touch things?
Before I could process it, I heard soft footsteps approaching.
Panicking, I ducked behind a jagged rock.
Two orbs of light—one pure white, the other pitch black—floated into the clearing. They danced around like carefree children.
"U two stop playing around. We wouldn't want to attract outsiders to this place," a calm but stern voice said.
A figure cloaked in mist appeared, reprimanding the orbs.
I tried to hold my breath—pointless for a ghost—but I was scared. My form flickered as I shrunk further into my hiding spot.
But then... I felt it.
Eyes. Watching me.
I opened mine—and froze.
Two boys stood there. One had snow-white hair, the other black as ink. Their appearances were vague, slightly formless, but their voices? Deep. Mature. Way too grown for how young they looked.
"Found ya," they whispered in eerie unison, their jelly-like forms rippling before vanishing like mist.
Suddenly, something tugged at my wrist.
I looked down. A red thread had wrapped itself around me—thin, almost invisible, but impossible to cut. I tried everything to snap it, but nothing worked. So I gave up.
And followed it.
⸻
Back in the Modern Era – Before the Apocalypse
Nyx, inside Yunxia's body
My eyes opened to a strange, sterile world.
White walls. Holographic screens. People in masks, each one quiet, focused. It looked like a futuristic facility straight out of some sci-fi novel.
I wasn't alone.
There were others—about twenty of us—standing in a perfect circle. The air buzzed with tension, but also... confusion. Like this wasn't real.
"Please draw your lots," a robotic voice announced.
A tray floated toward us.
When it got to me, I reached in and pulled out a slip of paper. Blank.
I glanced around. Three other people had drawn something different—one with pure white, one with jet black, and another blank like me.
Before I could ask what it meant, a floating orb handed me what looked like a squishy stress ball.
Seriously?
It jiggled in my hand like jelly. But the moment I touched it, it moved.
"Hello there! Please pick how you wish to be referred to~" a sweet, childlike voice chimed—not in my ears, but in my mind.
Telepathy?
What was this place?
What even was I anymore?