Kael sprinted through the slums, Ryn at his heels, the drones' hum closing in. The shard pulsed in his pocket, it's warmth spreading up his arm. His mind spun-had he really stopped time? Tugged reality like a loose stitch? Impossible. He was a scavenger, not a weaver.
"Left!" Ryn hissed, yanking him into an alley. They ducked behind a rusted water tank, it's leaks hissing team. The drones hovered overhead, their scanners painting the ground red.
"Give me the shard", Ryn whispered, her voice sharp. "They'll kill us for that thing".
Kael clutched his pocket. "No. It's… it's part of me now". He couldn't explain it-the shard's heat felt like his own pulse.
Ryn's eyes narrowed. You're not making sense. What happened back there?"
Before he could answer, the tank shuddered. A drone's claw punched through, grazing Kael's shoulder. He yelped, blood trickling down his arm. The world showed again, unbidden. Threads shimmered-through the drone, the tank, the air. Kael's instincts screamed. He grabbed a thread tied to the drone and twisted.
The drone sparked, it's claw freezing mid-strike.
Then it crashed, smoking, into the tank.
Ryn gaped. "Kael, what are you?"
"I don't know! " he snapped, panic rising. The shard burned hotter, and his vision swam. More drones were coming-he could hear their whine.
They bolted, weaving through alleys until they reached the underdistrict, a Warren of tunnels beneath the slums. Safe, for now. Ryn lit a chemical flare, its green glow illuminating her scowl. "Talk. Now".
Kael slumped against the wall, catching his breath. He pulled out the shard. Its lines were faint, but touching it sent a jolt through him. "When I held this, I saw… threads. Like the loom's, but everywhere. I pulled one, and time stopped. Then the drone-it broke down when I twisted its thread".
Ryn's flare trembled. "That's glitchweaving.
Forbidden. The weavers execute people people for less".
"Glitchweaving?" Kael stomach churned. He'd heard whispers-rogue who tampered with the looms, unraveling reality. All dead or worse.
"Yeah, Ryn said, lowering her voice. "And that shard? It's no ordinary loom-tech. It's old. Maybe pre-weaver. If enforcers saw you use it…"
She trailed off as footsteps echoed in the tunnel. Not drones-boots. A figure emerged, cloaked, face hidden by a hood. "You're the one who glitched", the stranger said, voice low. "The looms felt it. So did I".
Kael tensed, hand on the shard. "Who are you?"
The figure stepped closer, revealing a scar across their cheek. "Someone who knows what you are. You're no scavenger, Kael. You're a glitchweaver. And if you don't learn to control it, you'll unravel this world-or the weaver will burn you first".
Ryn drew her knife, but the stranger raised a hand. Threads shimmered around their fingers, bending the air. "Come with me, Kael. Or the drones find you. Your choice".
Kael's heart pounded. The shard pulsed, urging him forward. But could he trust this stranger? Or was he already too deep in a game he didn't understand?
To be continued…