Threadless : A growing novel

"The strangest thing wasn't that they arrived.

It was that everyone acted like they never left."

It was Wednesday when the shift became public.

Not dramatic. Just a calm announcement during homeroom.

Mr. Dael adjusted his tie — the same one he always wore, navy with faint silver threads. But today, those threads pulsed faintly, like veins.

"We have several updates today," he began, voice steady. "First, please welcome our returning exchange students from the border academies."

The class clapped automatically.

Three figures entered.

The first — Kaen — walked like a forge cooling down. Her eyes were silver. Not metaphorically — literally.

"I specialize in memory-smithing," she said simply. "Shaping forgotten truths into useful forms."

The second — Tov — was shorter, broader, and wore cracked miner's gloves. A faint shimmer of crushed dream-stone dust glittered at his collar.

"I extract buried things," he said. "From minds. And deeper."

The third didn't speak.

Instead, they held up a hand mirror. In its glass, a name flickered:

Isyl

"Only real when seen."

No one flinched.

Jun even waved casually.

"You guys missed the marble chase last term. Aro found, like, five."

Aro turned to him. "You knew them?"

Jun frowned. "Of course. Kaen and I worked on dream compression in Year One. You don't remember?"

She didn't.

Neither did Rin.

But the classroom did. Or pretended to.

Mr. Dael cleared his throat.

"Also — those interested in Auxiliary Disciplines may now apply for workshop observation passes."

He passed a stack of folded black cards across the rows.

The heading read:

Electives – Unbound Department

Threadforging

Ink-mining

Scrapbinding

Glass-echo Shaping

Each card had a small line at the bottom:

Assigned by Invitation Only. Do not share.

Aro opened hers.

It was already filled out.

In a handwriting she didn't recognize.

Assigned to: Aro

Workshop: Threadforging

Time: "When the bell rings twice."

She turned to Rin.

He held his own card.

Workshop: Ink-mining

Time: "After your reflection blinks first."

They didn't speak.

Because if they did, they might ask:

Who assigned these?

And worse:

Who gave them permission to know their names?

Outside, the bell rang once.

Then again.

Not louder.

Just… closer.

Rin and Aro looked at each other.

They didn't speak.

Because the workshops were waiting.

And someone already knew they'd come.