It begins with a soft sound — like silk sliding across marble.
Then the café's lights flicker, not from electricity but from something deeper, like the building itself is blinking.
Three shapes form in the middle of the café. Not walking. Not appearing.Weaving themselves into existence.
Strands of color twist together, shaping tall figures with robes that ripple like woven ink. Their faces are smooth planes of shifting patterns — no eyes, no mouths, but unmistakably watching.
Liora bows immediately, head low.
Milo doesn't.
He can't move.
The center Weaver tilts its head, its voice resonating like violins underwater.
"Milo Hart. Step forward."
He tries to speak, but the air thickens around him, tugging him ahead like a puppet.
Liora grabs his arm. "Milo—don't let them pull you into the design."
The Weaver turns its faceless gaze toward her.
"Liora Vex."Its voice sharpens. Threads around it tighten."You interfere."
"I protect my own," she snaps.
"You protect an error."
Milo feels something snap inside him. "I'm not an error."
"You exist between possibilities," the Weaver replies. "You walk unwritten. You drink what should not be brewed. You saw futures not meant to be seen."
The second Weaver raises its hand. Hundreds of tiny threads spiral around it like a whirlpool.
"Return the Eclipse Blend."
The pot in the back room rattles violently, responding to the command.
Liora steps in front of it. "It's bound to him now. You can't unweave that."
The first Weaver glides closer to Milo.
"You threaten the structure."
Milo's hands tremble, but he forces himself to ask, "Then why did the Eclipse Blend appear at all?"
The Weaver pauses.
A ripple shivers across its body — hesitation.
"Possibility… slipped," it admits.
Liora laughs once, sharp and humorless. "You're losing control of your own Loom."
The threads tighten dangerously.
Milo lifts his chin. "If you're here to take the blend, say it."
"No," the Weaver replies.
A chill strikes Milo's spine.
"We are here to take you."
The air folds inward.
The floor disappears beneath his feet.
And Milo is ripped out of the café.