Threads of Fate

The Veil had quieted… or so it seemed. Jagged silver and violet streaks lingered, painting the floating platforms in fractured light. The aftermath of Lucen’s trials had left its mark everywhere—shards of mist lingered like frozen sparks, the air thick with unspoken energy. Even after all the chaos, the Veil seemed… alive, watching, breathing, patient and unforgiving.
But not everyone was at the center of that storm. In a distant corner, Kaelis, one of Lucen’s allies and a trainee Veil-walker, hovered cautiously. Unlike Lucen, Kaelis had not yet confronted the darker edges of memory or the lure of forbidden magic—but today, the Veil had chosen him for its own lessons.
“Stay calm,” Kaelis muttered to himself, his fingers twitching as threads of silver energy responded nervously. “Just… focus… it’s just the Veil, right? I’ve handled smaller trials before. I can do this.”
The floating platforms beneath him trembled with faint pulses, responding to his nervous energy. Each breath he took caused tiny threads of silver and violet to flicker around his hands, reacting almost as if they were alive. Kaelis took a shaky step forward, trying to steady his lattice of threads, but the Veil seemed to resist, stretching and pulling like a living thing.
From the mist, creatures began to emerge—less intelligent than the predator Lucen had faced, but still dangerous. Flickering, serpentine forms with jagged crystalline spines slithered toward him. Their movements were unpredictable, limbs coiling and snapping at angles that defied natural physics. Kaelis tensed, instinctively weaving a protective lattice, but his control was uneven. The threads coiled awkwardly, collapsing mid-air, leaving gaps for the creatures to strike.
“Focus, Kaelis… focus!” he muttered, teeth gritted. His silver threads bent, twisted, and snapped, almost mocking him. Each failed weave made him feel the weight of inadequacy pressing against his chest. And then, a voice echoed—not from above, but inside his head.
A teasing, sarcastic tone:
“Trying to play hero, Kaelis? You look ridiculous.”
Kaelis froze. It was the older self, or at least a fragment of shadow lurking in the Veil, observing him, testing him. A shiver ran down his spine, and he instinctively tightened his grip on the threads. “I… I’m not afraid!” he snapped.
A creature lunged from the mist, claws extended, its crystalline form slicing through the air. Kaelis reacted, weaving the threads into a cage—but it was sloppy, barely holding. The lattice snapped mid-air, and he stumbled back onto a floating shard. His heart hammered. “No… I can’t fail here,” he whispered.
And then… from the corner of his vision, something absurd happened.
A pink, bunny-like Veil creature appeared, bouncing erratically. Its fur shimmered with faint silver and violet streaks, but its expression was almost comically mischievous. It twitched, wiggled, and before Kaelis could process it… slapped him across the face with one of its floppy ears.
“What the—?!” Kaelis yelped, stumbling backward, threads collapsing entirely. The mist shimmered, rippling with laughter—or perhaps the Veil itself was mocking him. The older self fragment chuckled faintly in his mind, and Kaelis could almost feel it shaking its head.
“Focus,” he muttered, wiping the ear-slap marks off his face. He inhaled deeply, letting the threads coil around his fingers. Slowly, hesitantly, he began weaving a new lattice. It was shaky at first, but then it began to respond—not perfectly, but enough to hold against the predators.
The bunny squeaked indignantly, hopping around, apparently amused by Kaelis’ distress. It seemed to take delight in mischief, and somehow, despite its ridiculous antics, it helped. Each time Kaelis guided a predator toward it, the bunny would leap and knock it off balance. It was chaotic, almost slapstick, but strangely effective.
Kaelis couldn’t help but mutter, “You’re… actually helping?”
The bunny tilted its head, twitching its nose, as if it understood. “Yeah, just don’t mess up again!” Kaelis imagined it saying, shaking its floppy ears.
Hours seemed to pass—or maybe minutes—but in the Veil, time was meaningless. Predators lunged, Kaelis wove, and the bunny performed improbable acrobatics, creating a bizarre, chaotic rhythm. And slowly, the lattice stabilized. Kaelis realized he wasn’t merely surviving—he was learning to control the Veil through improvisation, through adaptation, and most importantly, through courage.
Just as Kaelis began to catch his breath, a deep vibration resonated through the Veil. Mist swirled violently, threads snapping mid-air. From the shadows emerged a familiar, colossal figure—the predator species Lucen had faced, but now larger, twisted, and more intelligent. Its jagged crown of violet crystal gleamed like a crown of thorns. Its eyes burned with a malevolent awareness, and every step it took warped the platforms beneath it.
Kaelis froze. His hands trembled. The lattice surged instinctively around him, threads flaring with desperate energy—but he wasn’t fast enough. The predator leapt, claws extended.
And then… the bunny hopped onto the predator’s head, planted a tiny flag with the words “Kick Me?”, and twitched its nose proudly.
Kaelis blinked. The Veil itself seemed to pause. The predator tilted its head, confused, and emitted a vibrating growl that echoed through the platforms. The older self fragment in Kaelis’ mind hummed incredulously, almost laughing.
Kaelis whispered, barely audible: “Did… that just happen?”
The predator roared in frustration, but the ridiculous interruption bought Kaelis a precious few seconds. Threads of silver and violet surged in controlled spirals, weaving around the predator, using its momentary confusion to stabilize the lattice. The bunny, still perched triumphantly on its head, twitched its ears once more.
Kaelis gritted his teeth. “Alright… focus! No more jokes, no more distractions!”
The predator’s attacks resumed, faster and smarter than before. Kaelis’ threads coiled, expanded, and snapped. The lattice wavered, but now he channeled his fear and frustration into precision. Every strike from the predator was met with a counter, every movement anticipated. The bunny bounced around, oddly complementing his rhythm rather than obstructing it.
Even the older self seemed intrigued, its teasing comments ceasing. The shadow fragment watched silently, analyzing, observing, perhaps even approving.
Minutes—or what could have been hours—passed. The predator began to tire, miscalculating attacks. Kaelis seized the moment, spinning the lattice into a spiraling cage of light and shadow. The predator thrashed violently, claws raking the lattice, but threads of silver and violet held firm. Slowly, the colossal beast dissolved into fragments of mist and crystal, leaving a resonant hum in the Veil.
Kaelis collapsed, knees hitting the cracked platform. Sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with faint tears of relief. The bunny hopped off the predator’s fading form and nudged him with its tiny nose, as if congratulating him. Kaelis let out a shaky laugh.
“You… actually saved me,” he muttered.
The Veil shimmered softly, silver and violet threads coiling into calm patterns, almost applauding. Somewhere deep, the older self lingered, watching, calculating. Forbidden magic whispered faintly at the edges of Kaelis’ mind, but for now, he had resisted.
Kaelis exhaled, chest heaving, and allowed himself a small smile. “Step by step… I can do this. I can… endure. I can… rise.”
But as the mist began to settle, a faint, ominous ripple shivered through the distant Veil. Platforms trembled, threads quivered, and a low, vibrating hum resonated through everything. Kaelis froze. Something was coming—stronger, smarter, and far more dangerous than anything yet.
The bunny twitched its ears. “Uh-oh,” it squeaked—or at least Kaelis imagined it did.
And then… a shadow stretched across the platforms, forming a giant silhouette of Lucen’s older self, laughing softly… yet somehow distorted, as if warped through layers of the Veil itself.
Kaelis’ eyes widened. “N-No… that’s impossible!”
The bunny leapt in front of him, ears flapping wildly. “Maybe you should duck… or run… or both!”
The Veil pulsed, trembling with silent laughter and tension. Threads of silver and violet flared erratically. Kaelis swallowed, heart pounding, realizing that the next trial was not just about survival—it was about facing the impossible, the absurd, and the inevitable all at once.
And with that, the platforms beneath him shifted violently, sending both him and the bunny hurtling toward an unknown expanse of the Veil.
Somewhere, deep in the infinite silver mist, the older self’s voice echoed:“Let’s see how you handle this… Kaelis.”

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Author’s Note:
Chapter 23 expands the focus to Kaelis, showing character growth under pressure, Veil unpredictability, and the mix of tension and humor. A strong predator, a bizarre ally, and the distorted older self create a shocking yet comedic cliffhanger—perfect for an isekai-light-novel tone while maintaining Arc 2’s story flow.