The mark didn't fade.
Not after a night of rest.
Not after two protective charms.
Not even after Fu Yunshen traced a spiritual seal over it, murmuring a suppression mantra he hadn't used in years.
It simply pulsed—steadily. Quietly.
As if it was waiting for something.
Or someone.
Shi Mu stared at it beneath the lamplight in her dorm, jaw set.
"This isn't just a brand," she murmured.
Fu Yunshen sat on the edge of her desk, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "It's a bond."
"With what?"
"That's the question."
Zhou Zhi walked in mid-conversation, holding a half-eaten rice bun. "Is this one of those soul-debt tattoos? Because I read that if you owe a spirit too much emotional energy, it might decide to keep you."
Fu Yunshen gave him a look.
Zhou Zhi held up his hands. "What? I'm just being thorough."
They turned back to the mark.
It pulsed again, brighter now. Golden light spiraled up her wrist like smoke in reverse.
Then—
A flicker.
A symbol appeared beneath it.
One none of them recognized.
Shi Mu snapped a photo and pulled up the encrypted system archive.
"System," she said, "run symbol analysis."
[Query received][Analyzing…][Match found: Archive Code #1127 — Forgotten Contract: Class 5 – Spirit-Bound Oath]
Her blood ran cold.
"A Spirit-Bound Oath?" Zhou Zhi echoed. "As in… permanent?"
"Not always," Fu Yunshen said tightly. "But it means something was promised. On a spiritual level."
Shi Mu whispered, "And I don't remember making one."
"That's the worst kind," he said. "The ones you don't remember usually involve a cost."
The system buzzed again.
[Oath Signature Identified: Host – Shi Mu]
[Counterparty: Unknown – Designation Fragmented]
[Terms: Incomplete. Enforcement active. Termination not possible.]
Shi Mu exhaled. "So I'm bound to someone or something… without memory, and without a way out."
Fu Yunshen didn't speak.
He simply placed a grounding charm in her palm.
"I'll help you figure it out," he said.
"I know," she replied.Then added quietly,"But what if the other party doesn't want me to remember?"
[System Notification]
Spirit-Bound Oath Recognition Confirmed – Terms Hidden
Brotherhood Value +145 (Truth Unveiled + Pledge to Assist)
Current Total: 4,250 / 1,000,000
That night, Shi Mu traced the glowing outline again beneath her sleeve.
And whispered into the silence:
"What did I promise you?"
But the mark didn't answer.
Not yet.