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Chapter 11 - Divine Reparations (Part 1) - The Council Deliberates

The Loom of Accord did not sit in space.

It wove it.

No throne stood at its center — no dais, no hierarchy.

Only gravity. The kind pulled by presence, not mass.

The will of gods.

Each of the eight divine authorities was present — not in flesh, but in embodiment.

Kael-Vorr's battlefield bled rust and flame.

Na'thira's space curled with green-laced stars, vines coiled through soullight.

Eilshen stood veiled in a thousand mirrors — each reflecting something forgotten.

Vel Eshtar's fire flickered cold, scales of truth weighing unseen things.

Varneth coiled behind iron oaths, a circle of chains tightening by breath.

Tharos shone like suspended code, an algorithm praying to itself.

Orrid hovered at the edge, a cage of stars orbiting silence.

Xirys was not seen. But his spiral shimmered behind all things — incomplete and endless.

And in the center stood two mortals.

Shane. And beside him, Itsuki — half-body, half-soulform. Faint. Calm. Watching.

A thread of silence stretched until it broke.

Vel Eshtar:

"Let us begin the remission."

Tharos:

"System interference originated from a cross-weave event between twin soul anchors. A shared framework. One attempt to repair from within."

His fingers flicked through code.

A fragmented cube floated above his hand — glitched, flickering, still alive.

Tharos:

"The adaptability trait was not permitted. But it was not malicious. The Cradle evolved… by learning from another system."

Itsuki: 'That one's on me. I didn't think copying architecture would ping divine firewalls.'

Shane:

"You didn't mean to cause damage. You were just… trying to fix what you lost."

Itsuki: 'I still lost the bet on "No divine involvement." So. That's on me.'

Kael-Vorr's war pulse vibrated through the Loom.

He stepped forward, red cloak trailing fire.

Kael-Vorr:

"This one walks with twin bloodlines. CrimsonBlade, yes — but also another. Faint. Recessed."

Shane:

"…You mean my mother's side?"

Kael-Vorr narrowed molten eyes.

Kael-Vorr:

"She was not born of my will. But the blood carries my flame. I will not let it clash."

He raised a gauntlet.

Kael-Vorr:

"I grant the ability to shift between them. One blood awake at a time. Not both. Not without cost."

Shane:

"Like a toggle?"

Itsuki: 'Man just turned your lineage into a weapons menu.'

Kael-Vorr didn't flinch.

Kael-Vorr:

"Choose wrong… and bleed for it."

The pact burned itself into Shane's spine — not pain, but weight.

Na'thira moved next. Her voice was wind across warm grass.

Na'thira:

"Your souls remain tangled. That is no longer sustainable. I will offer a vessel."

She reached forward — not to Shane, but into him.

From his soul, a thread of light was drawn — gentle, golden, alive.

Na'thira:

"A familiar. But not beast. A split soul — given body. Itsuki will walk as himself. Grow as himself."

Shane:

"…You sure?"

Itsuki grinning now:

"Yeah. Tired of borrowing your shampoo, honestly."

A heartbeat later, a body began to form beside Shane — embryonic, faint, but real.

And then Itsuki asked — direct, no hesitation.

Itsuki:

"I want the Space attribute for that body. If I'm going to support him — I need the best. Space is attack, escape, defense, support… all in one."

Na'thira tilted her head.

Na'thira:

"Space is dangerous. It bends rules. Warps balance."

Vel Eshtar:

"If abused, it can pierce the fabric of judgment itself."

Itsuki:

"I'm not asking for control. Just a tool. I'll earn the rest."

A silence passed through the Loom. Then—

Na'thira:

"Accepted."

The stars above her domain shifted — and a glimmering seal sank into the forming body beside Shane.

Tharos rotated the system cube once more.

Tharos:

"System link to the new vessel… synchronized. Attribute slot opened. Trait 'Space'… embedded."

Itsuki:

"Damn. That actually worked."

Shane:

"You planned this."

Itsuki:

"Not really. But I'm good at improvising."

Above them, Orrid's voice whispered through the gaps between space.

Orrid:

"You may walk. But not leave."

Chains of light looped gently around Itsuki's form — not prison, but leash.

Orrid:

"You are now bound to this world. A tether. For safety. And caution."

Itsuki:

"That's not ominous at all."

He didn't protest.

He understood.

At the edge of it all, the spiral of Xirys turned once.

Xirys:

"The Life attribute must become your root. Blood and Flesh — one path. Soul and Will — another. Both… now orbit Life."

A new thread shimmered between Shane's cores.

The backlash eased. The chaos… calmed.

Xirys:

"No longer instability. Now structure."

Tharos paused — and turned toward Shane.

Tharos:

"You are not under punishment. But you are under observation."

And from the gods, there came no judgment.

Only curiosity.

Only what came next.

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