Threads Of Betrayal.

The morning after our encounter at the Loom's fracture, the world outside seemed deceptively normal. The sun rose, the school bus rumbled down its usual route, and students trudged into class with varying degrees of reluctance. But for me, everything felt like it had shifted out of place, like a puzzle where none of the pieces fit anymore.

Mirae was absent again, which didn't surprise me. After what she'd done—standing up to that strange man and weaving the thread back together—it was no wonder she needed time to recover. But her absence only made the questions swirling in my mind louder. Who was that man? What was his real purpose? And most importantly, what was Mirae hiding from me?

---

By lunchtime, Seulgi was poking at her tray of food with uncharacteristic silence. She'd always been my go-to for grounding conversations, but even she seemed distracted today.

"You've been weird all day," I finally said, breaking the silence.

She shrugged. "You've been weirder. And Mirae's gone again. I'm just connecting dots."

I hesitated. "It's complicated."

"Jiho, everything about you is complicated lately." She leaned closer, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "Is she in trouble? Are you?"

"No." The lie rolled off my tongue too easily, but Seulgi's piercing gaze told me she wasn't buying it.

"Well, if you're planning something reckless, let me know. I want in." She grinned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

---

That evening, as I was finishing up a half-hearted attempt at homework, my phone buzzed with a message from Mirae.

Mirae: Meet me in the old library. Don't tell anyone.

The old library? The building had been abandoned for years, ever since the new state-of-the-art library opened downtown. It was the kind of place where rumors of ghosts and shady dealings thrived.

The thought of going there alone sent a chill down my spine, but I knew better than to ignore Mirae's summons.

---

The library loomed like a skeletal giant in the night, its once-grand facade crumbling under the weight of years. Vines snaked up the walls, and the broken windows gaped like empty eye sockets.

I stepped inside, the air thick with dust and decay. My flashlight cut through the darkness, casting long shadows that danced across the abandoned bookshelves.

"Mirae?" I called out, my voice echoing eerily.

"Over here," came her reply, muffled but clear.

I followed the sound to a small reading room in the back. Mirae was seated at a table, her notebook open in front of her. She looked pale, her usual composure replaced by a weariness that seemed to weigh her down.

"You took your time," she said without looking up.

"This place isn't exactly inviting," I shot back. "What's going on?"

She gestured to the notebook. The glowing symbols I'd seen before were now shifting and flickering erratically, like they were caught in a storm.

"The fracture we fixed—it wasn't the only one," she said.

I felt a sinking sensation in my gut. "How many are there?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But the Loom is unraveling faster than I anticipated. And…"

"And what?"

She hesitated, her fingers tracing one of the glowing symbols. "I think someone is targeting it intentionally."

The image of the man in the train yard flashed in my mind. "You mean him? The guy from last night?"

Mirae shook her head. "He's part of it, but he's not the only one. There's a group—an organization. They've been tampering with the Loom for years, trying to bend the threads to their will."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine. "Why? What do they want?"

"Power," she said simply. "Control. If they succeed, they could rewrite reality to suit their desires. And trust me, it wouldn't end well for people like us."

The weight of her words settled over me, heavy and suffocating. "So how do we stop them?"

Mirae's gaze sharpened. "That's why I called you here. I need your help."

---

Mirae led me deeper into the library, to a hidden room I never would have found on my own. The walls were lined with strange artifacts—books with blank pages, objects that seemed to shimmer and flicker in and out of existence.

"This is my base of operations," she said, gesturing to the cluttered space.

"You've been hiding all this?" I asked, unable to hide my amazement.

"It's not safe to keep these things anywhere else," she said. "Some of them are connected to the Loom. Others… I'm still trying to understand."

She handed me a small, glowing object—a shard of something that felt warm to the touch.

"That's a piece of a severed thread," she explained. "It's unstable, but it might help us locate the next fracture."

"Wait, us?" I asked. "You mean you want me to go with you?"

"Of course," she said, as if it were obvious. "I can't do this alone, Jiho."

I wanted to argue, to tell her I wasn't cut out for this. But the determination in her eyes silenced me.

"Fine," I said finally. "What's the plan?"

---

We spent the next hour poring over her notebook and the shard, piecing together a way to track the next fracture. Mirae's knowledge was impressive, but it was clear she was working with fragments—bits and pieces of information that didn't always add up.

By the time we left the library, the moon was high in the sky, casting its pale light over the world below.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked as we walked down the deserted street.

"No," she admitted. "But we don't have a choice."

As we turned a corner, a figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking our path.

"Going somewhere?"

It was Seulgi. Her usual playful smirk was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating expression that sent a chill down my spine.

"Seulgi?" I stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Her gaze flicked to Mirae, then back to me. "I warned you not to keep me out of the loop, Jiho. But you didn't listen."

Mirae stepped forward, her notebook glowing faintly. "You're working with them, aren't you?"

Seulgi's smirk returned, sharp and predatory. "What can I say? You're not the only one who understands the value of the Loom."

Betrayal hit me like a punch to the gut. "Seulgi… why?"

"It's nothing personal," she said lightly. "But some threads are more valuable than others. And yours…" She trailed off, her smirk widening.

Before I could react, Mirae grabbed my arm. "Run!"

We bolted, the sound of Seulgi's laughter echoing behind us.

---

As we sprinted through the empty streets, my mind raced with questions. How long had Seulgi been involved? How much did she know? And most importantly, how could we possibly stop her—along with the others who were working to unravel the Loom?

For the first time, I realized just how high the stakes truly were. This wasn't just about fixing fractures or understanding the threads of fate.

This was a war.

And we were right in the middle of it.