Chapter 10 - Threads

It has been a month since I saved Ruby from the harpies. We have been continuing northward, through rocky wastes and across icy glaciers. I lost my sword back at the castle, most likely it got vaporized by Zalorian’s purple fire, along with the harpy queen I hope. I’m not sure if that crazy mage survived or not, but I can’t imagine anyone surviving that ridiculous explosion, and besides, I saw the queen slash his throat. Perhaps the blast was a suicide attack, his final act of revenge. All I can say is that there’s been no sign of the harpies since then. Though I am still keeping a wary eye on the skies regardless.

It’s much harder to fight monsters without a sword, so I attempt to make a new one. I find the skull of a large wyvern, half buried in the snow. Its fangs are made of really hard bone, and are about long enough to carve a sword out of, so I get to work. I use a rock to bang my knife into the base of the tooth over and over again, all the way around in a circle. Once the connection is sufficiently weakened, I manage to knock the fang off the skull. Then it’s a matter of chiseling out a thin strip of material from the enamel. This takes several days of slamming my knife into the tooth, and I manage to pry out a long curved strip by splitting the material along the grain. Then I whittle the convex side to give it an edge, and rub it on rocks to sharpen it. Then I wrap monster sinew around the base to give it a nice handle to grab onto, and I carefully carve both my runes into the bone.

The final result is a curved blade, a bit shorter and much less sharp than my old sword was. However, it still has its advantages. It’s lighter for one, and somehow the material seems to have a better affinity with my moonlight than steel did. I carved the rune better this time too. Overall, this makes it so that when I imbue the blade with moonlight, it’s actually better at cutting than my old sword used to be, despite the blade itself being less sharp. The bone is bad at conducting lightning though, so just I stick with imbuing it with moonlight. Hopefully I can replace it with a proper sword again one day, but until then, it gets the job done.

I need to become stronger. I couldn’t do anything against the harpy queen. She was faster than my lightning, and so much stronger than me. If she had wanted to kill me, there would’ve been nothing I could do to stop her. Zalorian too. After witnessing his magic, I feel like mine is severely lacking.

I still haven’t figured out how to use the time rune at all. I’m totally stuck on that front. So I can’t resist the temptation to start playing with fate again. I’ve been studying the thread that connects me to Ruby. It’s our relationship, tying our destiny together through this world, and it becomes a little bit stronger and thicker every day.

It turns out that lots of other things are connected by fate threads too. I’ve been slowly figuring out how to see them.

It’s a snowy day. I am sitting on a rock as snow falls down around me, and I am straining my eyes until the snowflakes fall in slow motion. I watch them carefully.

For each snowflake, there is a frail, almost invisible thread, connecting it to the place on the ground where it is going to land. As a big flat snowflake lazily floats down, I try reaching out and grabbing its thread. By channeling moonlight through my fingers, I am able to touch it.

It feels like a strand of spiderweb. I try plucking it away from the snowflake.

The snowflake twirls in the air, a new thread quickly forming, connecting it to a completely different point on the ground.

“Look at that, Ruby. I changed fate.” I look up nervously. “And it looks like no shooting stars are coming down to blow me up. That’s good news.”

“Bu!” She says from my lap.

I examine the thread in my hands. It’s not connected to the snowflake anymore, but it’s still tethered to a point on the ground where the snowflake was going to land. I pick up a pebble, stick the thread to it, and toss the pebble into the air.

The pebble arcs through the air, and lands exactly on the spot where the thread is tethered.

I blink. It takes a few seconds for what I just did to sink in.

“I can transfer destiny?” I say breathlessly.

I can certainly transfer the destiny of a snowflake to a pebble. I’m not sure what would happen if I were to do that to a human being. If I took the thread between two close friends, and stuck one end to myself, what would happen? I shudder at the thought. Fate is scary.

Curiosity compels me to see what happens if I dislodge both ends of a fate thread. I pluck the thread from a snowflake, and then give it a tug, pulling the other end off of the ground.

Now I have a fate thread.

“What could I do with this?”

I stick both ends of the thread to pebbles, then toss them both into the air simultaneously.

The pebbles clink as they collide midair, then they drop to the ground.

“Huh, that seems useful.”

I frown. It would be nice if I could get fate threads without having to take away the destinies of poor helpless snowflakes. Could I create the threads myself?

“Where do they come from?”

I slash my claw through a snowflake’s destiny, and watch carefully as its new destiny forms, paying close attention to the formation of the thread. It just spins itself into existence, condensing from something. There’s something in the air, in the ground, all around me.

I breath deep. There it is. I smell it. It’s like something and nothing at the same time. It’s like when the rain is done, like a deep dark night, quiet, waiting for the day to begin.

I understand. Fate is what’s left behind when the moonlight fades away. If love is the full moon, then fate is the new moon, and time is what connects them.

I grab ahold of the moon’s shadow, pinching with my claws, and I pull. A thin thread spins from nothing as I draw it out. “I did it! Look! I made a fate thread, Ruby!”

Ruby stares at me questioningly.

“Oh. I suppose you can’t see it. Maybe I can fix that?”

I try imbuing the thread with moonlight, and it glows faintly.

“Ga!” Ruby cheers happily.

“Do you like it?” I hand the thread to her.

She eagerly grabs the thread of fate and moonlight, and puts it in her mouth.

“Maybe don’t eat it.” I gently pull it away from her and she starts crying.

I gently pat Ruby’s on the head while I examine the thread. It’s staying there, even without me doing anything. It’s like an actual thread. It has a physical presence. Even ruby can see it.

I tie it around a rock, and it can pick it up.

I pull on it really hard, and it’s quite strong.

I try biting it like ruby, and it somehow tastes like morning dew.

“Huh.” It appears I have permanently created a strong silvery thread that faintly glows.

“Waah! Waah!”

“Fine, but don’t eat it.” I hand it back to Ruby to let her play with it.

She stops crying instantly.

“I wonder if I can make a dress out of this thread. Just imagine it, I bet it would be so pretty! Did you know Mom was a dressmaker? She was really good. Hopefully I can remember everything she taught me.”

“Ga.”

“It would probably take a long time. I would have to make so much fate thread, and we would need a loom. Maybe it’s worth it though. Our clothes are seriously falling apart at this point.”

The idea gets stuck in my head. Over the next few days, I can’t help myself. I make a very basic loom from some sticks, pull a bunch of fate threads out from the moon shadow, infuse them with moonlight, and start carefully weaving them into a fabric. I work on it as we walk, and Ruby watches intently.

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After a few days, I manage to make a small square of shimmering cloth.

Ruby loves it. She cuddles it like a little blanket! The fabric really is beautiful. It’s a silky smooth silvery-blue sheet that constantly emits an ethereal light, and is almost weightless.

Weaving with my makeshift loom is slow though, so I start looking for ways to speed up the whole process. There must be a better way. I can’t help but wonder if it would be possible for me to use magic to weave the threads.

The threads are so light, they almost move on their own. Just a simple breeze can send them floating up into the air. Sometimes when I’m weaving, if I get startled or distracted, the threads will suddenly get all tangled up.

One day, Ruby suddenly takes her first steps. I’m weaving at the time. Ruby stands up, trots a few paces, then face-plants in the rocks.

Watching this, I go from sheer elation to extreme concern in a brief moment, and the threads I was weaving start wildly flailing of their own accord as I drop the loom to go check on her.

After that, I have a revelation, and it’s not just that Ruby is cute. The threads can be moved just by thinking, and destiny can be changed just by willing it so.

I test it on the fate threads first. I pick up a rock, connect one end of a fate thread to it, and let the other end hang in the air. Then I decide, I’m going to throw this rock at that boulder.

The other end zips forward, and connects to the boulder. I throw the rock, and it hits its mark.

After that, weaving becomes much faster. I can pull a thread out of the moon shadow, imbue it with moonlight to make it physical, and then just by deciding with a strong conviction that the thread is going to move a certain way, it does so.

After another season of journeying north, practicing my weaving all the while, I no longer even need the loom. I can conjure threads, and then make them weave into a fabric by themselves.

At this point, I’ve collected a significant amount of fabric, and I feel like it’s enough to make myself a dress. I start cutting the sheets, and weaving them together. I don’t need a needle, because I can send the end of a thread weaving through the fabric as I please, then pull it tight when I’m done. It progresses quite well, though I do make a couple mistakes that take some time to undo.

In the end, I’m really happy with the final product, though it’s not very practical. I was craving a little luxury, and I allowed myself to worry more about how it looks than how well I can fight monsters in it. It’s a knee-length dress, with long sleeves, made of the silvery-blue glowing silk, with many ruffles and puffy petticoats. I also made some long socks so my legs don’t get too cold while I wear it, and some ribbons to tie up my hair. The fabric is shockingly warm, and it somehow keeps the cold wind at bay better than my fur coat ever could.

I look at myself in a sheet of ice, and I can’t help but giggle. The last time I felt this way was back before the soldiers came, back when I could just spend time with my family, and my biggest problem was not being as good at sewing as Mom.

“I hope you can live a carefree life like that one day,” I say to Ruby.

She is thrilled by my new outfit. She is constantly grabbing my sleeves to play with them.

The fabric is strong, hard to puncture, and extremely resistant to magic, so it actually does turn out to be useful for fighting monsters. Maybe padded armor would be better, but I don’t care.

Threads of fate turn out to be useful in combat as well.

As a pack of wolves charges me, I send out a thread of fate from the tip of my sword. It weaves between the wolves and sticks to each of their necks in a long zig-zag.

Lightning.

I fly forward, letting the thread pull me. My sword decapitates all of the wolves in a flash.

I smile. I’m getting a little stronger every day. We’re so deep in the mountains now. It’s been around a year and a half since we left our village. I wonder if Charles is still alive.

I do miss being around people other than Ruby though. I think back to that giant footprint I found in the glacier once. I had been so focused on saving Ruby at the time that I barely thought anything of it, but I wonder what made it.

There are so many mysteries in these mountains. I wonder what those heartshards were that the harpies wanted to know about so badly, and who is this so-called surgeon who was going to cut out my eyes?

I shudder. Let’s not think about that last one.

Anyway, I need to go find something to eat.

Boom!

The ground shakes. I turn to see an avalanche forming up on the mountain, so I grab Ruby and run out of the way. The wolves I killed get buried under the snow. It’s unfortunate. I’ll have to find more monsters before I can eat.

Once the avalanche settles, the ground booms again. Everything shakes. Rocks come tumbling down the slope around me.

“It is an earthquake?” I ask.

Boom! Once again, the mountain shakes.

“Where is it coming from?”

I can’t locate the source. It feels like it’s coming from all around me. Again and again, the whole mountain shakes with a thunderous bang.

“Is it underground?”

I climb up to the top of a mountain pass as the booming continues. The booms gradually settle into a steady rhythm, coming twice every minute or so.

I still can’t see anything. The mysterious earthquakes persist, until long after the sun sets.

Then after one final cataclysmic bang, they stop.

Silence. The night stretches on.

“What do you think that was, Ruby?”

“Bam! Bam!” She says.

I hear wolves howling in the distance.

“Oh, listen to that. I hear food!”

I follow the howls, searching for the pack. Eventually I crest over a ridge, and I find myself looking down upon a very deep and narrow valley.

Across the chasm, at the base of the tall cliffs, there is a small cave under a gnarled tree.

The howls seem to be coming from inside the hole. They’re getting louder.

Then suddenly, a group of figures runs out of the cave, but they’re not wolves.

They look like people, but they are all chubby with round features and furry arms. They have big eyes and black button noses, and fluffy brown ears. Several of them are wearing armor made of thick black metal, carrying weapons and shields. One of them looks more feminine than the others. She is wearing green and white robes and carrying a staff of gnarled roots.

One of them hits the cliff with his hammer, and the cave collapses. They all start running through the valley. A moment later, there is a rumble, and the rubble blocking the cave is slowly pushed out by a force from within.

Giant wolves pour from the cave like water, dozens, maybe hundreds of them. They are not the kind of wolf monsters I’m used to encountering in the wild. Long black toothy snakes come out from where their tails should be. Each of the monsters is wearing a steel collar.

The snake-tailed wolves howl and hiss furiously, chasing down the furry people.

The warriors raise their shields, standing guard in front of the girl in the robes. One of them slashes upward with a thick greatsword, and a jagged ridge of stone erupts from the earth, sending dozens of mangled wolves flying into the air. One of the men smashes a big hammer into the ground, and a sharp pillar of stone erupts a few paces away, impaling a wolf.

The wolves circle around the group of warriors. The furry people don’t seem to be very fast, and the wolves are flanking them. One of the warriors stays close to the girl in the robes, cutting down any wolves that get too close.

The wolves swarm upon one of the biggest warriors. He swings his giant hammer, and the wolves are blown away, but many of the snake tails separate from their main bodies to wildly strike at him. One gets lucky and manages to sneak a bite through a gap in his armor.

He spasms once, then collapses.

“Arvel!” The girl in the robes screams, tears in her eyes. She raises her staff, and the roots at the end rapidly extend, wrapping around the fallen warrior to pull him towards her.

“They’re in trouble! Should we help them, Ruby?” I make sure she’s secure in her sling.

“Ai!”

I make a fate thread, attach one end to my hand, and send the other end across the chasm, anchoring it to a tree on the other side. Then I imbue the thread with moonlight and jump.

I swing down into the valley. A couple of the furry people look up and see me. The girl’s eyes go wide, and she says something to the others.

Lunar Lightning!

As I swing over the heads of the wolves, I send lightning bolts raining down upon them, blasting them hard enough to blow open their hides and fry their snake tails to cinders.

I land in front of the girl in the robes. “Grab onto me!” I say.

She glances between me and the other warriors. “But—”

“Lara! Go!” The one called Arvel shouts, still paralyzed on the ground.

Tears in her eyes, Lara wraps her arms around me. She’s really heavy. Hopefully I’m strong enough to do this.

“Hold on tight!”

Lightning!

I strain under the weight for a moment, then shoot up along my thread to the tree on the cliff where it’s anchored. The girl squeaks in surprise. Once we’re up at the top, she hops off me, climbing onto the rocks.

“Please! Save the others!” She begs.

“Of course. Will you protect my sister for me?” I hand her Ruby.

Her eyes go wide. “Yes,” she says, accepting the sling.

“Thank you. I’ll save your friends. I promise.”

I drop back down.

As I fall, I look down below. The warriors are really strong, and they’ve killed a ton of wolves, but the monsters just keep coming. The warriors are getting swarmed, their formation broken. Several of them have collapsed, paralyzed by the snake venom.

I need to heal them!

I send out moonlight full of love, imbuing it into the air. It naturally forms a bunch of little balls, like big glowing dewdrops. I attach a fate thread to each one, and the other ends shoot down to the chests of the fallen warriors.

Moondrops.

The shining globules rain down, and the warriors gasp for breath, rolling up to their feet and grabbing their weapons.

“Whose next?” I ask as I land.

“Are you really the hero? The one they sent? You’re just a kid!” One of the warriors asks me.

“No idea what you’re talking about. Do you want to get out of this canyon or not?” I say.

“Yosh is the youngest! He should go next,” Arvel says.

“I can fight!” Yosh says.

“Don’t be a fool! Go!”

Yosh reluctantly grabs onto me and I lightning him up to the tree with Lara. Then one at a time, I bring all the furry people up to the top of the cliff.

Lara is holding Ruby close to her chest, and I see a familiar look in her eyes that sets my heart at ease. She would defend my sister with her life.

The last warrior to stay behind is Arvel. He’s spinning wildly with his giant hammer, holding his own as he smashes every wolf that gets close to him.

I send down some lunar lightning to help him out, but mostly just to announce myself so that he doesn’t wallop me by accident.

I drop down beside him. “Let’s go.”

He grabs onto me, and he’s really heavy, but I manage.

Lightning!

I zip him up to the others, and the wolves howl furiously at us from down below.

“That’s everyone! Let’s run!” Lara says.

“One last thing. Everyone stand back,” Arvel says.

He slams his hammer into the cliff, and the whole mountain shakes. A colossal slab of rock separates from the wall and drops down into the valley below, utterly crushing most of the remaining wolves.

“There. Now let’s run,” Arvel says.

We dash into the dark, and the vicious snarls fade into the distance.