Thread in...
A Message From Family

Thread the Arachne was a ninja who left her clan long ago when she was not chosen to be the next head of her house. During her time as an Egg Boss, she would return to her home in Chun'nun to merciless murder her sister, who had in her mind stolen the title of head from her. Remorseful and betrayed by Eggman, Thread now works for the Secret Service of the Kingdom of Acorn with fellow ex-Egg Bosses and former minions of Eggman. But soon after the Festival of the Sun ended in Soleanna, someone pays Thread a visit...

Secret Service Base; Training Grounds

*Within the training grounds of the Secret Service, Nicole and Thread were facing each other in a spar, Nicole trying out a new weapon that Rotor had built for her as part of her upgrades - an electrical halberd with a unique vibration fork type design, with energy forming the blade parts being colored a hot pink. Thread's traditional weapons, the six katana she creates with her titular thread, were in each of her hands, all ready to strike. Within a flash, Thread rushes at Nicole, slashing her swords with incredible speed while Nicole is put on the defensive. The robo-lynx manages to swing her halberd at Thread, but misses as the spider ninja backflips to the ceiling, hanging off it from her web.*

Rotor: "Careful, you two. This is simply a sparring match. No need to slice each other up."

*Rotor, Cassia, and Clove were watching from the side lines, Rotor with a notepad and pen to take notes on Nicole's performance and Cassia and Clove...or just Cassia anyway...were there to cheer on the two.*

Cassia: "C'mon, Thread! Up the ante! You can do this, Nicole! Give her a big ol' swing-a-runi!"

Clove: "Cassia, please don't egg 'em on like that... You might insist they off each other..."

Cassia: "What? I'm just cheering on my friends."

*Thread reels back her swords before seeing a figure hidden in the shadows. She ignores it for the moment before seeing Nicole jump at her.*

Thread: "Hell... Flash Strike!"

Nicole: "Electro Smash!"

*Within a split second, Thread is on the ground and Nicole lands on the ground, seemingly perfectly intact. The air is still as the two just stand. The top of Nicole's halberd then slides off as she sighs.*

Nicole: "As calculated, you remain as quick as ever, Thread. My new weapon had no chance of even catching you."

Thread: "Your weapon is fine, Nicole. Just need some practice. And besides... You didn't exactly miss."

*Just below the second arm, sparks could be seen coming from Thread's side, indicating that indeed, Nicole had at least connected, but the speed of the flash strike just barely negated the impact. Rotor takes notes before putting his pen up.*

Rotor: "Well, that at least ended nicely. I'll fine tune your new weapon, Nicole, so you'll be ready for your next mission."

Nicole: "Thank you, Rotor. I look forward to it."

*Rotor picks up the broken halberd and heads back to his lab. Cassia and Clove get up, though Clove is dragged into the arena by Cassia, who wanted to spar next. Despite the eye roll, Clove accepts, leaving Nicole to chat with Thread alone.*

Nicole: "I noticed you get distracted by something. Did you see something we did not?"

Thread: "...Nothing you should concern yourself over. I'll be right back."

*Thread walks off, leaving Nicole to look on in worry. Just outside the training grounds, Thread stops and looks around.*

(The following is a conversation translated from English to Japanese using Google Translate. If this seems inaccurate, that is why. - The Author)

Thread: "Kakurega kara dete kite!" ("Come out of hiding!")

*Another spider Mobian appears, this one bearing a more purplish skin and having on a mix of traditional ninja gear and clothing of a high ranking family, perhaps even royalty of their clan. The girl's eyes bear an emerald green color with her hair being a very dark shade of green to match. Her hair is tied into a ponytail by a single black bow. She was notable a full foot shorter than Thread.*

Spider: "Ito*-chan. Ohisashiburidesu." ("It has been a long time.")
(*Ito is Japanese for Thread.)

Thread: "Gen*. Watashi wa nani o hōmon suru gimu ga arimasu ka?" ("What do I owe the visit?")
(*Gen is Japanese for String.)

Gen: "Sore wa hijō ni jūyōdesu. Wagaya wa sensō-chūdesu." ("It is of high importance. Our home is at war.")

Thread: "Chun'nun ga sensō-chū? Itsukara?" ("Chun'nun is at war? Since when?")

Gen: "Iron Dominion ga sono yōna kōdō o sengen shitanode." ("Since the Iron Dominion declared such an action.")

Thread: "Iron Dominion? Ryūzō-ka o atsukaenakatta yowamushi? Naze ima, sorera ga mondai ni natte iru nodeshou ka?" ("The weak fools that couldn't handle the three families of the dragon? Why now are they a problem?")

Gen: "Sore wa sukoshi mae ni okorimashita. The Iron Queen wa doragon no kaku-ka ni tegami o okuri, kōfuku shinakereba kyōsei-teki ni tochi o ubau to odoshita. Saisho, watashitachiha mimi o katamukemasendeshita. Shikashi sonogo, kimyōna kikai no monsutā no nami ga watashitachi o osotta. Chansu wa arimasendeshita." ("It happened not long ago. The Iron Queen sent a letter to each House of the Dragon threatening to take our lands by force if we did not surrender. At first, we did not listen. But then, a wave of strange mechanical monsters attacked us. We stood no chance.")

Thread: "Soshite, Chun' nun Freedom Fighters no?" ("And of the Chun'nun Freedom Fighters?")

Gen: "Haiboku shi, hokaku sa remashita." ("Defeated and captured.")

*Thread grit her teeth at this before thinking something was amiss. A sudden army for this otherwise inconsequential faction was no mere coincidence.*

Gen: "Kamereonhausu wa, sonshitsu o saishōgen ni osaeru tame ni kōfuku shimashita. Conquering Storm ga modotta nochi, rinkusu House mo sore ni tsudzukimashita. Wagaya wa miteidesu." ("The Chameleon House had surrendered to ensure minimal losses. The Lynx House followed suit after Conquering Storm returned. Our House remains undecided.")

Thread: "Sorekara Espio wa..." ("Then Espio has...")

Gen: "Hai. Kare wa kare no ie ni futatabi kuwawarimashita." ("Yes. He has rejoined his house.")

*Thread clenches the bridge of her non-existent nose and can only growl. She then drops the formalities.*

Thread: "And of our elder sister? Waiyā*?"
(*Wire in Japanese.)

Gen: "...Ito-chan, you know how she is... As the last three of the Six Paths of our generation, we have a responsibility to our family. To our house. Waiyā will do as she needs to protect our home..."

Thread: "...Three? I know of two that were lost, one because of me, but..."

Gen: "Shiruku went missing a month ago... We've not found her..."

Thread: "...Only three of us remain then... Or I should say, only two of you remain..."

Gen: "Two? But Ito. This is your chance to return to our family. Waiyā needs you! I need you... You're my big sister..."

Thread: "...And yet I failed you... I banished myself the day I let my pride get the better of me... And the day I took our chosen head of the house's life... Waiyā likely takes the title by inheritance... I cannot go back..."

Gen: "Ito..."

*Thread turns and walks away, choosing not to look back.*

Gen: "Ito-chan... I still see you as family... As my big sister... As my hero..."

*Gen then disappears using a cloaking ninja technique and vanishes from sight. As Thread passes a corner, Nicole is seen standing just out of view, yet the ninja spider spots her.*

Thread: "...What all did you hear?"

Nicole: "Enough. Why reject helping your family?"

Thread: "I know what that invitation entails... If I join, I'd only be helping the Iron Dominion... My sister likely has considered joining them just to preserve our house's integrity... Or what's left of it..."

Nicole: "I see... So we are to just leave them to their doom then?"

Thread: "...I've not made a final decision... But if we do go to Chun'nun, we'd need help... Quick. Swift. Even a little reckless..."

Nicole: "Sonic?"

*Thread says no more before just walking away, though Nicole is just left standing there, moving a hand to hold her arm. While she cannot imagine what goes through Thread's mind, she can gander that guilt and shame are the most likely candidates...*

End of A Message from Family...

Mobius Fact: The Six Paths are the head family of the House of Web. As the name implies, they consist of six siblings born in each generation. Thread/Ito is the second born of the current generation of the Six Paths. Gen is the latest born, standing at around 13 years of age. Waiyā is the oldest at a staggering 24 years old. Head of the Six Paths is chosen not by age, but by potential in one's character.