Rae staggered to his feet, swaying as if the cavern itself rejected his presence. His thread—the blackened remnant of a vow he should never have made—dragged behind him like a chain.
Aelius leaned against the stone wall, arms folded, eyes sharp.
"She knows now. About the Loom. About you."
Rae didn't respond right away. He touched the place over his heart, where his thread once burned red.
"She wasn't supposed to find out like this."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have lied to her for sixteen years."
Rae's fists clenched. "I was trying to protect her."
Aelius's expression darkened. "You were protecting your guilt."
The tension thickened. Their threads, silver and black, vibrated in the air like sparring swords.
"Did you ever tell her the truth?" Rae asked coldly.
Aelius flinched—just slightly. "I never promised her a lie."
Rae stepped forward, defiant despite his wounds. "You think she'll choose you now, after what you've done? After you tried to kill her in the forest?"
"That wasn't me," Aelius said, voice low. "That was the seal breaking. The gods are using me as their blade. I can feel it every time I get near her—like my thread wants to cut hers."
Rae froze.
"You're becoming a Thread Reaper," he whispered.
Meanwhile…
Luna gasped awake, lying on a bed of golden moss. The Weaver's Realm was gone. Yuna's warmth, gone. But her words echoed:
"The thread doesn't bind you. You bind it."
Luna stood, dizzy but steady. Her body buzzed like it had been rewired. She held up her hand—and her thread glowed silver, fully now. No more flickers.
She wasn't hiding anymore.
She was the Final Thread.
She stepped out into the cavern, heart pounding—and stopped.
Aelius and Rae were facing each other like gods about to clash.
Luna's voice cut the air.
"Stop."
Both boys turned.
Her silver thread shone like a blade between them.
"You both lied to me," she said. "You both chose fate over truth. And now you expect me to choose?"
They said nothing.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm done being chosen. From now on—I choose."
She turned to Rae.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Rae's voice broke. "Because I was afraid that if you knew the truth… you'd never look at me the same way again."
She turned to Aelius.
"And you?"
"I didn't want to fall in love with you," he said honestly. "But I did."
For a long moment, no one moved.
And then—
A low hum echoed from deep within the earth.
The threads along the walls snapped tight.
Rae's eyes widened. "Something's coming."
Aelius drew his blade. "No. Someone."
From the tunnel, a figure emerged.
Draped in god-forged silk, face hidden beneath a veil made of pure light.
Her voice rang out, both terrifying and divine.
"The Final Thread must be unspun."