Chapter 1: R e s o n a n c e

The dawn over Luminara was a dance of light, but I couldn't enjoy it.

I knelt in the Chamber of Fate, my hands resting on my knees, palms upturned. The air around me shined faintly, a sign of the Celestial threads wading through the room. The mirrored walls reflected the sun into an assortment of colours, but my focus was deep on the faint echoes of my Loom core. "Focus, Kael," came the sharp voice of High Luminarch Sariel. She stood behind me. "The threads are not tools. They are extensions of your will. You must master them, or they will master you."

I exhaled slowly, my breath fogging the floor. I recited the Celestial Codices under my breath, the words as familiar as my heartbeat. "The threads of light and fate bind the chaos. The threads of order shape the void."

But something was off.

For weeks now, my Loom core had felt…tired. During meditation, I would catch glimpses of shadows flashing at the edges of my Threadsight, shadows that didn't belong in the Celestial Dominion. I had tried to ignore them, burying them beneath the discipline of my training. But they stayed, like a faint noise that I couldn't quite make out. "Again," Sariel commanded. I nodded and reached with my mind, plucking a Celestial thread from the air. It glowed in my hands, a strand of pure, radiant energy. With a simple wave, I began to weave it into a construct. The threads flowed together, forming a disc of light.

But then it happened. A flicker of darkness. My breath shook, and the disc broke. I tried to steady it, but the darkness spread, unravelling the threads. The disc dissolved into a burst of light, and I flinched as the backlash stung my hands. "Fuck…"

Sariel's gaze was cold. "Carelessness," she said. "You must control the threads, Kael. Not the other way around."

I bowed my head. "Yes, High Luminarch." Before she could respond, the ground beneath us trembled. A low hum grew louder with each passing second. My Threadsight flared, and I saw it, a creature tearing through the city's defences. A Shardpredator. "To arms!" Sariel yelled, her voice cutting through the ensuing chaos. I leapt to my feet, forging a Celestial spear. I thrust the spear, and it is struck tight, piercing the creature's core. But as the Shardpredator, something inside me snapped. A shadow.

It surged through my Loom Core, twisting the Celestial threads in my hands. The spear light vanished, replaced by a swirling darkness. I tried to pull back, but it was too late. The spear exploded, sending shards of light and shadow in every direction.

When the dust settled, I was on my knees, my hands scorched. The Shardpredator was gone, but so was half the street. And my comrade, lay unconscious nearby. Sariel's voice was cold. "What was that?" I opened my mouth, but no words came. I didn't have an explanation.

Later, in the hidden lab beneath the city, I stood before a massive crystal vat. Inside, suspended in glowing liquid, a Dawnwarden. But something was wrong. The soldier's body was twisted, his armour fused his skin, and his Loom Core aching. "Project Radiance," Sariel said. "A means to strengthen our forces against the growing threats to the arts." I stared at the soldier, my stomach turning inside out. "You're splicing Primal threads into them."

"Necessary sacrifices," Sariel replied. "The Dominion must remain strong. And you, Kael… your Loom Core is unique. It could be the key to perfecting this project."

"No."

"I won't let you turn me into a weapon." Sariel's gaze hardened. "You don't have a choice."

"You will be remade," she said. "For the good of the Dominion." But before she could act, the air around us distorted. A figure stepped out of a shimmering portal, a young woman with wild hair and an appearance that didn't belong in the Celestial Dominion. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, "but I'm stealing your body." With a flick of her wrist, the woman opened a portal. I barely had time to react before she grabbed my arm and pulled me through.

We emerged in chaos. The Netherspire's Entropy Arena. I had heard stories of it and seen images of it, but never have I imagined I would be seeing it in person. Umbral warlords surrounded us, their eyes shining under the red sunlight. She grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Well, princeling," she said, "time to see how Celestial armour holds up in a bloodstorm.

My heart pounded as the warlords closed in. The threads around me pulsed, and for the first time, I felt truly alive.

End of Chapter 1

The universe is a multidimensional art created from Cosmic Threads, primordial strands of existence that bind reality, time, space, and consciousness. These threads are not physical but metaphysical, existing in a state that intersects all dimensions. Only beings with a Loom Core (a rare soul mutation) can perceive and manipulate these threads, earning them the title of Weavers.

Fundamental Mechanics

The Loom Core:

A metaphysical organ in the soul that acts as an anchor for manipulating threads.

Each Loom Core is attuned to one of Four Cosmic Principles:

Celestial Threads (Order/Stasis/Light)

Umbral Threads (Chaos/Entropy/Darkness)

Primal Threads (Life/Decay/Nature)

Aetheric Threads (Energy/Void/Pure Potential)

A Weaver's power is limited by their Thread Capacity (how many threads they can hold without unraveling their soul).

Thread Essence: The "fuel" for weaving. Generated by the Loom Core through meditation, emotional resonance, or consuming rare dimensional artifacts.

Overuse risks Threadburn, where the Weaver's soul begins to fray, causing insanity or physical disintegration.

Dimensional Resonance: Each dimension emits a unique vibrational frequency. Weavers must attune their Loom Core to a dimension's resonance to access its threads.

Dimensions: Astral Shard (Celestial-dominated, crystalline realms of logic).

Nether Shard (Umbral-dominated, chaotic storms of antimatter).

Verdant Shard (Primal-dominated, sentient ecosystems).

Null Shard (Aetheric-dominated, a vacuum where physics dissolves).

Paths of Weaving

Weavers choose Paths that define their relationship with threads. Each Path has unique risks and requires mastering Threadwork Techniques.

ThreadforgersFocus: Materializing threads into physical constructs.

Applications:Celestial: Forge unbreakable armor or light-based weapons.Umbral: Create entropy fields that decay matter. Primal: Grow organic fortresses or manipulate ecosystems.Aetheric: Generate temporary black holes or warp space.

Limitation: Constructs dissolve if the Weaver loses focus.

Threadsplicers Focus: Merging threads from different dimensions to create hybrid effects.

Applications:Celestial + Umbral: "Stasis Bombs" that freeze time in a localized entropy field. Primal + Aetheric: Summon semi-sentient energy storms that evolve.

Risk: Unstable splices can backfire, tearing holes in reality.

Threadrenders Focus: Severing threads to dismantle objects, energy, or even abstract concepts.

Applications: Celestial Rend: Erase memories or laws of physics.Umbral Rend: Induce uncontrolled mutation.

Cost: Each rend damages the Weaver's Loom Core permanently.

Shardwalkers Focus: Using threads as bridges to traverse dimensions.

Applications:Phasewalk: Temporarily shift into a parallel dimension to avoid harm. Shardsculpting: Pull fragments of other dimensions into reality (e.g., summoning Nether Shard storms).

Risk: Getting stranded in hostile dimensions or attracting Shardpredators (extradimensional entities).

Advanced Techniques

Weaver's Mark: Imprinting a personalized symbol into threads to claim ownership. Marked threads resist manipulation by others.

Thread Echo: Storing a thread pattern in the Loom Core to recreate effects instantly. Limited by memory capacity.

Loom Ascension: Sacrificing physical form to merge with a dimension, becoming a demigod-like entity. Most Weavers avoid this—ascended beings often lose their humanity.

Balance & Limitations

Dimensional Backlash: Using threads incompatible with a dimension's resonance weakens the Weaver (e.g., Celestial magic in the Nether Shard causes painful feedback).

Thread Saturation: A Weaver cannot hold more than their Capacity; exceeding it causes soul fragmentation.

Ethical Laws: Many societies enforce Weaver Codes (e.g., forbidding Threadrending on living beings) to prevent cosmic destabilization.