ng. New groups emerged, calling themselves the Restorers of Order, led by the Threadbinders-a zealot faction determined to rebuild the old laws, not by vote or voice, but by fe

ned, Kael worked in the shadows. He joined the Ashkind scouts, leading rescues into Threadbinder-controlled towns. His blade rarely left its sheath. Instead, he used maps, disguises, and stories-because words could smuggle people where weapons could not. He became a protector of chosen love: escorting couples through forests at night, clearing false checkpoints, tearing down the crimson warning banners left behind by the Restorers of Order. One night, he carried a child whose parents had been taken. The boy had a thread on his wrist-torn, half-frayed, but still glowing blue. "Will they get it back?" the boy asked. Kael paused. "You'll get them back," he said. "And you'll help them tie it again." The boy nodded. He believed him. That terrified Kael more than anything. --- The Web of Judgment One morning, the Ashkind received a vision from one of their spies: a pair of lovers, captured and sentenced for "dishonoring the sacred circle." The punishment wasn't death. It was worse. The Threadbinders had unveiled a new magical construct: the Web of Judgment-a dark mirror of the Heartloom. Unlike the original, which observed emotional bonds, the Web analyzed them and passed verdicts. It measured love against the old laws and burned anything that didn't conform. It punished imperfection. Selene was sick when she heard it. She had feared the Heartloom's control, but this was something far colder-magic stripped of meaning, enforced by cruelty and shame. "This cannot stand," she said. Miren handed her a single golden thread. "Then weave your truth. Not into a circle-but a blade." --- The Rite of Golden Thread That night, beneath the stars