The Netherspire was nothing like Luminara. The air was thick, and the ground beneath my feet shifted unpredictably, as if it couldn't decide whether to hold me or swallow me whole. Above, the sky swirled with storms, swirling clouds that cracked with chaotic energy. Umbral warlords and their followers crowded the stands, their eyes shining with a hunger that made my skin crawl.
The strange woman stood beside me, her arms crossed and a smirk carved on her face. "Welcome to the Netherspire, princeling. Try not to die."
I glared at her. "You dragged me here. The least you can do is explain what's going on.
She raised an eyebrow. "You mean besides saving your pretty ass from becoming a science experiment?"
I opened my mouth to speak back, but she put me off instantly. "Relax. I'll explain everything. But first, let's get out of this pit before someone decides to make you a nice trophy."
She grabbed my arm and pulled me through the crowd. I stumbled after her, noticing a very clear fact. My celestial armor made me a walking target, drawing more than few curious glances.
We ended up in a dimly lit tavern. The sign above the door read "The Frayed Knot". Inside, the walls were lined with Umbral artifacts, many I hadn't seen in my life. Jagged crystals, twisted metal, and what looked like the preserved remains of Shardpredators.
The lady slid into a booth and gestured for me to sit. "Alright," she said, leaning forward. "Let's start in the basic. You're in the Netherspire, one of the four major Shards. Unlike your shiny Celestial Bastion, this place runs on chaos. Umbral threads are wild, unpredictable, and if you're not careful, they'll eat you alive."
I frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit. You're a Celestial Threadforger, but your Loom Core's got a little something. That's what that bitch wanted to 'fix' you. But here's the thing: you're not broken. You're just...complicated."
"Complicated doesn't help me when I can't control my own threads."
"Then let's fix that."
"Tell me what's going on. What happens when you try to weave?"
I hesitated, then sighed. I didn't want to tell her, not at all, but I guess I had to. "It's like... there's something inside me. When I reach for Celestial threads, I can feel them, but then this darkness creeps in. It twists everything, I can't hold the threads together. They just get messed up."
"Hmmmmm. Sounds like your Umbral resonance is fighting your training. You're trying to force order onto chaos, and chaos doesn't like being told what to do."
"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked. This was pissing me off. "Just let it take over?"
"No," she said. "You need to stop fighting it. Umbral threads aren't like Celestial ones. You can't control them, you have to guide them. Let them flow, but don't let them consume you."
She held out her hand, and a swirling mass of Umbral energy appeared above her palm. It shifted and cracked, constantly changing shape. "See this? It's alive. It's not something you can force into a neat little box. You have to work with it, not against it.
I stared at the energy, my mind racing. "But how do I do that without losing control?"
"Practice. And a little help from someone who knows what they're doing."
And with that, we began. As soon as we left he tavern, she walked me through the basics of Umbral weaving for the next few hours. It was nothing like what I'd learned in the Dominion. It was nothing like what I'd learned in the Dominion. Celestial weaving was about precision and discipline, but Umbral weaving was fluid and instinctive. It taught you to be more primal and act without thinking. It was less about controlling the threads and more about understanding their nature.
"Think of it like a dance. You're not leading; you're following. Let the threads show you where to go."
I closed my eyes and focused on the threads around me. They felt different here, wild and untamed, but also...alive. I reached out with my mind, not to grab them, but to feel them. Slowly, they began to respond, swirling around me like a living thing.
But then the darkness crept in again, twisting the threads into something chaotic and uncontrollable. I tried to pull back, but her voice stopped me.
"Don't fight it," she said. "Let it happen. Trust the threads."
I took a deep breath and let go. The threads surged, forming a jagged, constantly shifting construct that resonated with energy. It wasn't pretty at all, but it held together.
"Not bad for a celestial."
As the day wore on, she explained more about the Netherspire and its place in the multiverse. "The Neterspire's one of the four major Shards. Celestial Bastion, Netherspire, Verdant Shard, and Aetheric Foundry. Each one's tied to a different Cosmis Principle, and each one's got its own rules. But here's the fun part: they're all connected by the Grand Loom. That's the big fat ass of threads that holds the multiverse together."
"And the Conclave?" I asked.
"The Conclave's supposed to keep the balance. But they're more interested in keeping power for themselves. That's why they don't like people like Weavers with multiple resonances. You're a wildcard, and wildcards mess up their neat little order."
"But why? If the threads are connected, shouldn't multiple resonances make someone stronger?"
"In theory," she said. "But it's not that simple. The more resonances you have, the harder it is to control them. Most people can't handle it. Their Loom Cores burn out, or they go insane. But you... You're different. I don't know why, but your core can handle it. That's why Sariel wanted to use you for her little project."
Then it hit me. The memory of the twisted soldier at the lab. "What happens if I can't control it?"
Her expression softened. "You will. It's not going to be easy, but you've go something ost people don't: a reason to keep fighting. You've got questions, and I've got answers. But first, you need to learn how to survive in this mess."
After all of our shenanigans, we ventured elsewhere. The Umbral storms had intensified, and she led me through the streets, pointing out landmarks and explaining the local customs.
"The warlords run this place," she said. "They're all struggling for control, but no one's strong enough to take the whole thing. It's a mess, but it works. Mostly."
"And where do I fit into all this?" I asked.
She smirked. "I'm a freelancer. I go where the threads take me. Right now, they've taken me to you."
I hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What's your name?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Lira. And don't bother telling me yours; I already know it, princeling."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lira."