The name carved into the wood was shallow.
Barely legible.
Ren Lian.
Not etched in pride.
Etched in fear.
Etched by someone who was afraid the world would forget her.
And afraid of what it meant to remember.
Shi Mu brushed her fingers across the letters, careful not to disturb what remained.
The mark on her wrist pulsed once.
And from behind her—soft, nearly silent—
Footsteps.
She didn't turn.
She didn't need to.
The air shifted.
Warmer.
Sadder.
A presence filled the space behind her like light fills shadow.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Just… unfinished.
"You remembered my name," a voice said softly.
It wasn't echoing.
It wasn't spectral.
It was gentle.
Present.
Shi Mu turned slowly.
Ren Lian stood a few feet away.
Not fully solid, but not transparent either. A shimmering form held together by sorrow and memory.
Her school uniform was intact.
Her eyes were not.
They were tired.
"I didn't remember it on my own," Shi Mu admitted.
"I left it for someone," Ren Lian said. "Anyone."
"You left drawings."
"I left pieces. I didn't think I'd be enough."
"You were."
The spirit blinked slowly, her form flickering.
"I waited for her. The girl I wrote about. I stayed in this room until she came back."
Shi Mu's voice was steady. "Did she?"
"No," Ren Lian whispered. "She left. Or she forgot. I don't blame her."
Her smile was hollow.
"But I didn't know where else to go."
Shi Mu stepped closer.
"I'm not her," she said.
"I know."
"But I'm here."
[System Notification]
Spirit Contact: Ren Lian – Confirmed
Emotional Anchor Stabilized
Recovery Progress: 52% (Acknowledgment Achieved)
Brotherhood Value +190 (Direct Spirit Contact + Emotional Witnessing
)Current Total: 6,910 / 1,000,000
Ren Lian's gaze flickered to the notebook still in Shi Mu's hand.
"You found the drawings."
"They're beautiful."
"They were all I could leave behind."
"You left more than you know."
The spirit stepped back, just slightly.
"I don't want to linger. I just… didn't want to be forgotten."
Shi Mu held her gaze.
"You're not."
And for the first time in years—Ren Lian closed her eyes—
Without fading.