I stood in front of the massive door.
Yeah… a rusted metal door, the kind that looked like it had been left in acidic rain for 200 years. A half-burned thread emblem clung to it like the logo of some bankrupt fashion brand maybe one whose founder thought, "Hey, fire looks cool, right?"
Above that, a rotten wooden sign dangled crookedly, the letters on it clearly having a group discussion about whether to fall now or later.
Letters barely holding onto life:
THREAD ACADEMY
A name filled with mystery, tragedy, and… the vibes of an anime that hasn't secured broadcast rights yet.
I took a deep breath.
In. But the air was weird.
Not normal. Not fresh. Not stale. Just… heavy.
"Okay… I can't blame my respiratory system if this place is literally breathing like it's trying to digest me."
It felt like the world itself was holding its breath. Like it couldn't decide whether to spit me out or keep me as a cute system error.
I turned around.
Empty.
The cracked wall from earlier perfectly restored. Smooth. Clean. Like it had never been open.
As if it whispered:
"No entry. No exit. You spawn here. You glitch here. You stay here."
"Wait. There was a way out. I swear." "...Or was that a visual glitch?" "...Or my memory glitching?" "...Or I'm the glitch?"
I stared at my hand.
Still five fingers. No pixel tears. No QR code.
"Okay. Maybe it's not a glitch. Maybe it's design. But whose design?"
I rolled my eyes at myself.
Slapped my cheeks. Still hurt.
Thumped my chest. No drumrolls. Just… a faint mic feedback?
Closed my eyes. Opened them. Still here.
"Great. Either I got summoned by a wizard who skipped the manual… or I'm a bug from another universe."
I glanced around.
This place... it wasn't like any academy. Seriously.
If this was a magic school, it wasn't Hogwarts. Not Mahoutokoro. Not U.A. High.
This was Minecraft + Dark Souls + broken Wi-Fi.
"This place looks like… an alpha version of Google Maps with missing textures."
My steps were slow.
The floor wasn't just stone.
It pulsed with glowing blue threads.
Like nerves. Like… I was walking across the spine of a sleeping giant.
Every step I took, the walls shifted. Sometimes stone. Sometimes glass. Sometimes… gone
just empty space like the universe hit CTRL + Z.
I moved, but it felt like I was being moved.
"Okay… this place is alive. Confirmed. I feel like bacteria inside someone's digestive tract." "And I don't think I'm the good kind."
Mission: Find The Surface
Warning: Thread Activity Detected
LOOMSPIRE SECTOR
Threadpass Access: Denied
Observation Mode Only
I shut my eyes briefly.
"Why do these system messages feel like automated parking tickets?"
"Surface? Am I… underground?"
I looked up.
The ceiling moved. Yes. Moved.
Like a sweater unraveling pulled apart by a bored 7-year-old during History class.
And through the gap a spiral staircase emerged.
Its shape… like DNA. Or a ridiculously fancy croissant.
"First time I've ever climbed stairs and felt like I'm hacking genetic code."
I reached for the first step.
It wasn't stone-hard. But not soft either. It… flexed. Like a stubborn thread.
Each step I took a slight vibration. Not because it was fragile, but like the world was weighing me and judging last night's dinner choices.
"If this collapses because I ate two plates of fried rice, I accept death with honor."
I climbed.
Step by step.
The sky or ceiling? grew brighter.
The sounds more alive. Not like real-world sounds. More like someone was holding the volume remote and pressing +1 every five seconds.
And then
I heard voices.
Humans. Real. Alive.
Laughter. Shouts. Footsteps.
"Yes. Finally. Civilization. Hopefully not hostile NPCs."
I climbed the final step and emerged into a wide, glass-domed chamber.
A gentle breeze greeted me.
The scent… old books, coffee, and maybe… hope?
Before me:
A grand gate. Gold and blue. Elegant. Very "Main Character enters here" energy.
Above the gate a twisting thread emblem.
And beyond it…
Students. Dozens of them.
Robes. Swords. Floating books.
Like Harry Potter met Genshin Impact at a cosplay convention.
I smiled. Just a little. Or maybe a lot.
I stepped forward.
And
Access Denied
Class "UNWRITTEN" Not Recognized
Status: Observation Only
GATE WILL NOT OPEN
I froze.
"Excuse me?"
Looked around. No buttons. No guards. No AI voice.
The gate unmoving.
I placed my hand on the metal.
No response.
No magic.
No sound.
Like touching a frozen PowerPoint slide.
The students beyond the gate… didn't notice me.
They walked. Sat. Chatted.
Me?
Not on their radar.
I waved. "Hey! I'm a new student too! Orientation?"
Crickets. Digital ones.
"Wow. I'm literally a Google Doc no one ever hit 'Save As' on."
I leaned against the wall beside the gate.
Breathed in.
Remembered every anime scene where the world rejects the protagonist.
"So… I'm alive. But the world doesn't want me."
"Like I'm a bugged side quest."
I closed my eyes.
In the silence… I heard something else.
Not from the gate. Not from above.
But from below.
A thrum.
But strange like threads moving against gravity.
Like a system trying to erase data… and failing.
And somehow, I knew that's where I needed to go.
"If this gate won't let me in…"
I turned. To the side — a dark hallway. Unmarked. Unlit.
"…then I'll make my own way.
Even if it doesn't exist yet…
I'll create it."
I stepped into the darkness.
And for the first time… the world shifted to make room for me.
The hallway wasn't just dark.
It was alive.
Darkness that breathed.
Threads of black mist curled through the air like they were hiding from light.
Each of my steps triggered a faint tremor beneath not from weakness, but… response.
"This place knows I'm here."
A system message blinked into existence slow, glitchy.
Almost like it wasn't sure whether to appear… or erase itself.
Warning: Thread Anomaly Entering Disposal Sector
Status: No Active Protocol
Additional Warning: Identity
'UNWRITTEN'
Interfering with Memory Storage Structure
I touched the wall beside me cold. But… pulsing.
This wasn't a hallway.
It wasn't meant for anyone.
And yet it opened for me.
"Disposal sector, huh? A place the system throws away things it doesn't want…"
"...or maybe where it hides all the truths?"
I moved forward into the dark.
Behind me, the door closed. Silently. Finally.