Threadless : A growing novel

"Every correction hides the crime beneath it."

A soft bell echoed across the academy — crisp, clear, and unfamiliar.

No static. No delay. No glitch.

Rin opened her eyes.

She was still in the drafting room. But it no longer looked like one. The threadlines had withdrawn. The words that danced in the air were gone.

Only a blank room remained.

"He's gone," Aro murmured.

"No," Rin said quietly. "He's paused again."

🔹 Infirmary Loop — Mei

Mei's tablet vibrated violently in her hand. A new message had auto-downloaded:

[Recalibration Update: Loop Reset v3.4 Initiated]

Estimated Effect: Minor memory stabilization. Lag correction. Role realignment.

Mei blinked. Her name tag now read:

"Mei / Auxiliary Assistant - Class F"

"Since when?" she whispered.

She remembered everything. But her ID didn't.

Worse — the hallway directory didn't list Jun anymore.

Not as a student. Not as a system glitch.

Just… gone.

🔹 Glitchroom B — Kaen & Elu

Kaen stared at the threadboard. Jun's name had been wiped, but the chair next to hers still had crumbs.

"I'm not crazy," she muttered.

"No," Elu said, calmly. "You're resisting a patch. It means you're threaded too deeply."

He handed her a file — locked.

A title blinked on the screen:

PENDING REWRITE: K.N. // Loop Disruption Candidate

Kaen clenched her fists.

"They want to write me out."

"They already tried. This is their second draft."

🔹 Back in Class

A tall man stood at the front of the room. Perfect posture. Clean smile. White gloves. No threadline.

"Good morning," he said.

The class stood up — automatically. Applauded.

Rin and Aro exchanged glances. No one around them looked confused.

Only they hesitated.

"Who… is that?" Aro whispered.

"Instructor Thale," said a student beside them. "He's always been our guide."

Rin frowned.

There were photos of the faculty board behind him.

Thale's face was in all of them.

But his eyes were blacked out — in every photo.

🔹 Mei's Discovery

Mei zoomed in on a symbol etched into the new instructor's desk.

It wasn't school standard.

It wasn't Developer-approved either.

It matched something from her encrypted archives — a tag she had once dismissed as fictional:

W//01 — Associated Signatory: Weaver

Her breath caught.

"They're not just watching," she whispered.

"They're adjusting the tone."

🔹 Final Scene: Dorm Rooftop

Rin found Aro quietly tracing a ripple in the sky.

"We're not in the same loop anymore," he said.

"I don't think any of the loops are the same," Rin replied.

He turned toward her.

"Do you think he'll come back?"

She shook her head.

"He never left. He's just letting us decide whether we're worth reading."