Threadbound:System

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SYSTEM CONCEPTS

Collapse Clock

A countdown measuring the time until total systemic collapse. It began at 30/30 and has progressed to 23/30. Each major Vault or thread event causes it to tick down.

Threadlines / Threadlight

Visible strands of connection, memory, or emotion. Only certain individuals like Riven can perceive them fully. They are foundational to the system's structure.

Echo Threads

Residual memory fragments of people, often appearing as ghostlike presences or false identities. Not all are hostile, but most are unstable.

Anchor Zones

Fixed zones with high thread density and narrative imprint. Often linked to key memories or collapsed events. Each one is guarded, corrupted, or decayed.

Ripple Zones

Smaller, more unstable zones branching from memory interference. Early training grounds or danger pockets for thread-reactive individuals.

Vaults

Tiered structures within the System containing failed experiments, preserved memories, or broken restoration attempts. Often form the backbone of major arc events.

System Rewrites / Protocol Chains

Background processes attempting to restore or alter the world after collapse. Many rewrites have failed or created anomalies like Kaia.

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TRAITS & ABILITIES

[Threadbound I]

A trait linking Riven and Kaia emotionally and functionally. Boosts synchronization, defense, and echo awareness.

[Echo Shield – Anchor Defiance / Memory Anchor]

Kaia's defensive trait. Reflects memory-based attacks and stabilizes emotional resonance during collapse.

[Hollow Flare] / [Shadow Refract II]

Riven's combat-based thread manipulations. Reflects his growing ability to weaponize memory-space.

[Temporal Disjunction]

Riven's Phase Catalyst. Allows short-term breaks in localized time. Causes internal strain and echo instability with overuse.

[Unbroken Loyalty – Phase I]

Kalix's passive. Grants threadline resistance and memory-stability bonuses when protecting bonded allies.

[Unmasked Truth I]

Riven's trait unlocked after confronting false overlays of Aya. Enhances thread reading and immunity to memory distortion.

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CORE CHARACTERS

Riven Vale

The protagonist. A threadbound anomaly with a mysterious past, fractured memories, and an evolving bond with the system. Former soldier. Brother to Aya.

Kaia

A Phasekin formed from a civilian echo and Aya's fallback memory. Has evolved multiple times through Vault interactions. Contains Echo VII, a semi-conscious internal residue of the original Kaia.

Aya Vale

Riven's sister. Presumed lost. Her presence remains through fragmented echoes and overwritten threadlines. Believed to have embedded herself within a fallback Vault.

Orien Vale

Riven's older brother. A failed Custodian prototype. Was part of an early Smiling One containment experiment. Emotionally distant, now returning to confront his own role in the system's fall.

Kalix

A female stealth operative from Riven's original squad. Cold, loyal, and pragmatic. Holds immense unspoken guilt and devotion. Now bonded to Kaia and the others through shared trauma.

Brenn

Riven's oldest comrade and tank-class fighter. Carries the emotional weight of his failures. Often the group's emotional core and physical protector.

Nilo

Thread-sensitive support unit. Struggles with growing instability from echo exposure. Possesses insight into thread flows and voice echoes. Risk of fragmentation increasing.

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ENEMIES & ANOMALIES

Warden Entities

Thread-generated guardians. Categorized by Class I–III. Appear in Anchor Zones or Vaults to enforce collapse or memory defense.

The Smiling One

A mysterious, systemic anomaly born from corrupted empathy echoes. It can mimic voices, distort memories, and influence rewrites. Its presence is now global and recursive.

Warden Echo-Remnant

A fusion of failed Custodian logic and corrupted memory threads. Mimicked Kaia and Echo VII. Destroyed in Chapter 22.

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KEY LOCATIONS & ZONES

Threadfall Citadel

A major Anchor Zone linked to Aya's memory collapse. Collapsed early in the story, scattering key echo fragments.

Vault of Restoration

A failed healing node meant to preserve civilians. Confirmed to have failed all subjects. Emotional echo density extremely high.

Precursor Vault Node

An ancient fallback layer buried beneath Drift Fault. Reacts directly to Kaia's presence. Holds early Custodian protocols and partial Central Core Vault access.

The Central Core Vault

Final destination of the group's current arc. Believed to hold the system's last rewrite failsafe. Accessed in Chapter 26.

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LORE FRAGMENTS

Echo VII: The semi-conscious internal projection inside Kaia. Result of a failed Custodian merge with the original civilian Kaia. Not simply a memory—has its own will.

Custodians: Lost overseers of the System. Created Vaults, protocols, and empathy-bound restoration codes. Aya may have inherited a failed Custodian thread.

Fracturepoint: A theorized collapse event when a rewrite protocol broke recursion and generated systemic empathy bleed. Not yet confirmed in canon, but hinted.

Threadless: Term referenced in deeper Vault zones. Possibly refers to entities or realities that exist outside the thread system entirely.