The Question of the Peak
Kaelen's thoughts lingered in the air, vibrating with the resonance of his crimson thread.
He approached Officer Hanes, who had been busy with logistics, and asked the question that made the veteran pause.
"Officer... if the Node Stoppers are Level 600, then what does Level 1000 look like?"
Hanes stopped. He didn't laugh. He didn't even smile.
He looked at the five-year-old with an expression that was part pity and part profound respect.
"Level 1000?" Hanes repeated the number as if it were a holy word.
"Most scholars believe the scale ends at the Mesh Phase (Level 601–700)."
"They say the human soul and the Ribbon can't hold more complexity than that without evaporating into the Void itself."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that even the ship's sensors might struggle to pick up.
"But there are legends, Veyron. In the oldest archives of the UCC, there are mentions of the Higher Phase."
"If such a level as 1000 exists, it wouldn't be a person anymore. They wouldn't just use the Ribbon; they would be the Ribbon."
"They would be the ones who wrote the laws of physics that we are so busy trying to follow."
"To see a Level 1000 being would be like a drawing on a piece of paper trying to look up at the person holding the pen."
He straightened his uniform, his face returning to its professional mask.
"But that is just ghost stories for pilots. No one has ever reached it. No one ever will."
"Stick to your path, Kaelen. The universe is big enough at Level 100."
Aegis-7: The World-Station
The trip did not end with a quick return to the Academy.
To truly instill a sense of awe and loyalty toward the UCC Federation, the students were taken to a Level 500+ Space Fortress.
After docking at the bay, the students entered the fortress, which was in itself a world.
This was Aegis-7, a massive, self-sustaining city-station that functioned as a military bastion.
It was perfectly safe, protected by layers of Fabric-phase shielding that shimmered like a diamond skin against the dark.
Life in the Fortress
Inside, the fortress was a marvel of engineering.
The students were led through high-ceilinged residential zones where the air tasted of grass and rain.
They saw markets selling exotic goods and parks where the grass grew in patterns of golden light.
"The Federation provides this," Officer Hanes said, gesturing to the sprawling city within the metal.
"This is what we protect. This is why you study Finance and History."
"This peace is created by using resources optimally in our universe."
Mina looked around in wonder. "Kael, people actually live here? Right next to the end of the universe?"
"It's the safest place to be," Kaelen replied, sensing the massive energy stabilizers beneath the floor.
"If the central Node at Earth is the heart, the Fortress is the shield."
"The Federation isn't just a government; it's a life-support system."
"If the shield is gone, what use is the thing protected by the shield?"
The Mecha Guard: The Steel Inspection
As part of their stay, the UCC had arranged for a specialized Mecha Unit to inspect the students' progress.
These were Tier-300 Loom-Phase Sentinels—sleek, humanoid machines that stood fifteen meters tall.
Their armor was plated in reactive white chrome marked with Roman numerals from I to X.
The pilots stepped out of their cockpits, their Level 200+ Loom-phase auras visible as faint orbs.
They moved among the five-year-olds, checking the density of their Threads with haptic scanners.
"Your progress is acceptable, House Ignis," one of the pilots said, his voice amplified by his suit.
Kaelen stood before one of the dormant mechas, staring at the Interface Port.
"Sir?" Kaelen called out to a pilot named Lieutenant Roran.
"Is the mecha an extension of your body, or are you an extension of the mecha?"
Roran looked down, impressed. "At your level, Kaelen, you think of a tool as something you hold."
"But at the Loom Phase (Level 200+), the machine and the soul interlace."
"The mecha isn't a suit; it's a new set of nerves. If the machine feels pain, I feel pain."
"If I think 'move,' it moves faster than my own muscles could."
"And the loom?" Kaelen asked, touching the cold, humming metal. "Does it grow faster when you're synced?"
"It matures," Roran replied. "The machine demands more from you."
"It forces your Thread to become a Strand, and your Strand to become a Loom."
"You don't just use the power; you have to manage it."
The Seed of Ambition
That night, the students stayed in the Fortress guest quarters.
Through the transparent floor, Kaelen could see the swirling vortex of the Node and the dark silhouettes of the Node Stoppers.
He knew these were people from his family lineage—distant relatives or perhaps kin who had reached the Mesh Phase.
He could feel a faint, haunting resonance in his marrow as if his Crimson Thread were trying to wave at them.
Until now, the awe the Federation wanted to instill had worked, but not in the way they intended for most children.
While others felt cohesive and protected, Kaelen felt a burning interest in the universe and what lay beyond.
He didn't just want to be protected by the shield.
He wanted to understand the hand that held the pen.