Judging by the scent of water permeating the air, they were close to the Khsan. He kept his eyes on the floating panels that were etched into his eyes.
[Does host want to proceed with the stitching, Y/N?]
The thing that the Framework wanted to stitch to him was the prototype suit Noctalis had made for him, he had been surprised when the panels appeared saying that the suit had a remnant psyche from the Conspiracy The Cocooned One.
But what he did not expect was that the Framework would suggest for him to stich the suit into his being.
[Why?] he asked internally, he had noticed Rowan slightly turning his head the minute the floating panels and glyphs appeared.
[Host usage of the suit without purification and integration may result in contamination — including auditory hallucinations, emotional bleed, and potential possession.]
He stared blankly. "So, there's a piece of that thing still alive in the suit?"
[Correction:]
Not alive. Remembering.
Fragments of its final will persist — looping within the biological weave. They remember pain, hunger, and the moment of death. Integration without purging will bind those memories to yours.]
Neil swallowed hard, remembering the terror he felt just from looking at the creature . [So how do we purge it?]
[Option One:] Burn it — destroy the remnant entirely. Safe, but all adaptive traits will be lost.
[Option Two:] Stitch and Purge — merge the material first, then expel the residual psyche through controlled Thread interference.]
[Sounds like a gamble.]
[Clarification:]
Risk of psychic backlash: 42%.
Potential permanent mental corruption: 6%.
Potential benefit: System advancement through foreign conceptual fusion.]
Neil exhaled shakily. [And if I succeed?]
[If host succeeds, the material will no longer be Conspirer flesh.]
[It will become yours — rewritten by your thread signature, refined by healing concept.]
[Result: Prototype Exo- Armor — designation pending.]
Neil sat in silence for a long moment, then asked softly,
[Will it hurt?]
The Framework paused, as if calculating mercy.
[Yes.]
[Integration process requires the stitching of corrupted material into both flesh and soul-thread layers.]
[Pain tolerance analysis: Host will be unable to defend himself for 3–5 minutes.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
[Additional Outcome: Host will inherit passive awareness of Conspirer traces nearby, derived from remnant instinct.]
The vehicle was silent, the faint echo of wind whispering through its windows
Neil clenched his jaw, he did not know how Rowan and Mira would react but he did not care if this meant that he would receive power to fight off the Conspiracy without relying on the suit
[Proceed.]
The air screamed, silver light brightened, threads of luminescent filament peeling away from the air and sinking into his skin. Rowan turned to look at him with wide eyes, "What the hell are you doing?" he asked with a sense of urgency but Neil ignored him.
[Command recognized.]
[Initiating Stitch and Purge Protocol.]
[Rebinding corrupted fibers… aligning conceptual resonance… purging residual psyche.]
The Framework's voice began to distort, layering upon itself like a choir of glass and thunder.
Neil screamed as threads of light and shadow coiled across his body, merging with his veins. Beneath the cloak and clothes, his flesh shimmered as the black veins of the suit intertwined with silver lines — the Cocooned One's corrupted threads being rewritten into him.
The moment the threads pierced his skin, Neil's world shattered.
His consciousness was dragged downward — not into darkness, but into something worse.
A pale, endless void of writhing silk. Threads twisted through the air like veins, pulsing faintly with a heartbeat that wasn't his.
He tried to move, but his limbs were bound — cocooned.
The Framework's voice echoed distantly, mechanical yet fraying at the edges:
[Purge in progress. Do not resist.]
Then another voice broke through.
Soft. Feminine. Broken.
"Why… are you unraveling me?"
Neil's pulse spiked. The voice wasn't in his head — it was inside the threads themselves.
Each syllable vibrated through his bones, through the silk wrapped around his chest.
Images flooded his mind — screams in a void, the feeling of being trapped, thousands of human faces stitched together, begging for release.
The cocoon began to close around him, threads weaving faster and faster.
He could feel her psyche clawing against his — trying to merge.
[WARNING: Host psyche intrusion detected.]
[Countermeasure activating.]
Neil clenched his jaw and shouted,
"Framework — purge it!"
The threads around him ignited in white fire. The Cocooned One screamed — not in pain, but in despair.
"Carry my memory, Thorne… and remember what you destroyed."
Then — silence.
A soundless shatter.
And the Framework whispered one last message before the world went white.
The Framework's voice returned, calm and steady again.
[Purge complete.]
[Remnant psyche dissolved.]
[Integration stable.]
[Welcome back, Host.]
Neil sat there trembling, whispering under his breath:
"…I heard her scream."
And the Framework, for the first time, said nothing.
Neil's breathing finally slowed. "Framework… what exactly did you do to me?"
The voice responded, now clear, almost serene.
[Host's physiology has been harmonized with The Cocooned One's Weave.]
[Benefits include:]
• Thread Resonance — Suit no longer requires external activation. Will respond to host's intent and emotional state
• Self-repair — Suit can regenerate from damage by consuming residual essence from defeated entities.
• Sensory Bloom — Temporary enhancement of spatial and conceptual awareness when facing hostile entities.
• Essence Purge — Automatically repels psychic contamination below Mid-Aberrant Class.]
[Abilities of The Cocooned One - pre death:
Tendrils of Assimilation:
Description: The Cocooned One's primary weapon.
Dozens of semi-liquid tendrils extend from the cocoon's back or underside, capable of stretching up to 30 m.
Each tendril is razor-sharp and laced with corrosive essence that breaks down matter and spirit.
Secondary Function: Absorbs life-force and memory fragments from contact, feeding them back into the central core for regeneration.
Framework Analysis: "Hostile conceptual filaments — adaptive, intelligent, partially self-willed."
Cocoon Regeneration Field:
Description: When wounded, the Cocooned One anchors threads into its surroundings, weaving a semi-transparent chrysalis that seals itself off from reality for several seconds.
Effect: Rapidly reconstructs damaged tissue and essence within the cocoon. Can even reform severed limbs or re-knit the entity's psyche if uninterrupted.
Weakness: Vulnerable before full sealing; disruption of threads collapses the process.
Concept Stitching:
Description: A passive ability allowing the Cocooned One to "sew" abstract concepts together — life to death, shadow to form, pain to growth.
Example: Can reanimate corpses by binding their residual soul-threads to its own, or graft foreign abilities temporarily.
Framework Classification: High-risk conceptual manipulation.
Rebirth Instinct:
Description: Even after destruction, fragments of its cocoon instinctively attempt to rebuild it.
The psyche persists in microscopic thread-fragments capable of spreading like spores.
[Framework note: Complete annihilation required psychic purge or conceptual overwrite.]
Post-Integration — Host's Cocoon physiology
The Cocooned One's abilities manifests as mutated variants of its original powers:
[1] Tendrils of Integration
Black-silver filaments can emerge from host's back or palms at will.
Can pierce or restrain targets, manipulate objects, or act as mobility aids.
With the cost of his Integrity , host can either absorb small amounts of energy (vitality, electricity, heat) or discharge kinetic bursts.
Maximum controlled length (current level): 15 m.
[2] Chrysalis Field
A defensive adaptation of the Cocoon Regeneration Field.
Host can deploy a partial cocoon around himself or an ally, hardening upon impact and converting damage into regenerative energy.
Duration: 8 seconds (current level).
Side effect: slight Integrity drain and momentary numbness afterward.
[3] Thread Integration(Minor )
Merged with the Cocooned One's concept of Assimilation.
Allows host to temporarily integrate two simple effects or materials together — for example:
Integrata flame to a bullet to create incendiary rounds.
Integrate structural stability to a collapsing wall.
Integrate sound to movement for silent motion.
Duration depends on Integrity ratio (red/blue balance).
[4] Residual Instinct — Cocoon Pulse
A vestigial echo of the Rebirth Instinct.
When host is fatally wounded, the Framework can trigger an automatic Cocoon Pulse, sealing him in a reactive chrysalis that stabilizes vitals and prevents death for 30 seconds.
Limitation: once used, it drains 70 % of total Integrity reserves and disables tendrils until recharged.
Integrity Interaction
Red Essence (Aggressive Flow): fuels the offensive aspect — tendril strikes, kinetic discharges, and Integration amplification.
Blue Essence (Restorative Flow): supports regeneration, Cocoon Pulse, and conceptual binding stability.
Maintaining roughly 50 Red / 50 Blue keeps the weave stable.
Neil stared at the panel with disbelief and shock, the abilities he had obtained were in a sense slightly overpowered boasting his offensive and defensive capabilities.
[That thing was this strong?] he shuddered at the thought.
The Cocooned one could have killed him on the spot, he now realized that his victory was a fluke.
The pain slowly subside and he finally noticed Rowan's gaze, it was cold almost threatening. The man looked like he was about to lunge at him, Neil smiled weakly and asked:
"What you were worried about me?"
Rowan regarded for a minute before shaking his head and looking away
"As if, I thought you were about to do something stupid."
Neil did not respond, exhaling deeply. The Exo armor was now part of him, and to top it off it even granted him a few more abilities.