Shi Mu didn't choose her next step.
It revealed itself.
She was walking through the courtyard after dusk when she noticed it: a door that wasn't supposed to be there.
Stone.
Unmarked.
Embedded into the side of the administrative building—one she passed every day.
But this time, it stood ajar.
She paused.
No breeze.
No footsteps.
Just the quiet invitation of the unknown.
And on the handle, glowing faintly:
Her mark.
Not the whole symbol.
Just the line down the center.
The thread.
The link.
Back in her dorm, the system chirped softly.
[Directive Triggered]
Path Identified: Keeper of the Forgotten
Role: Oathbearer – Tier X Access Unlocked
Function: To walk the line between memory and silence.
To carry what others fear to remember.
To remain, when others forget.
Shi Mu stood before the door, calm.
She didn't flinch.
Didn't look back.
She reached for the handle—and stopped just before her fingers touched it.
Footsteps behind her.
Fu Yunshen.
"You found it," he said.
"I think it found me."
He stepped closer.
"You know once you walk through, you won't be like them anymore."
"I haven't been like them in a long time."
She turned to him.
"I have to do this."
"I know."
"And you can't follow."
He didn't argue.
Just reached into his coat and handed her a small folded charm.
"For your pocket," he said. "Not your wrist. Something quieter."
She took it.
Their hands brushed.
She didn't let go immediately.
[System Notification]
Oathbearer Path Activated – Gate Recognized
Spiritual Threshold Reached – Memorywalk Protocol Ready
Brotherhood Value +185 (Departure Acknowledged + Loyalty Reaffirmed)
Current Total: 6,345 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu opened the door.
Golden light spilled out—not harsh, not blinding.
Just warm.
Just ancient.
She stepped through without fear.
Not to escape.
But to begin.
Because some stories don't end when the haunting does.
They begin once someone chooses to remember.