The child spirit didn't speak again.
But they didn't vanish either.
They stayed curled in the center of the silent corridor, thread coiled gently at their feet like a guardian that no longer needed to bind—only to protect.
Shi Mu didn't try to break the silence.
Some names are fragile.And some silences are still trying to remember how to breathe.
Instead, she turned to Fu Yunshen.
"We need to find out who they were," she said.
"Do you think the system knows?"
"It knew enough to hide them."
He nodded slowly. "Then we need to ask it the right way."
They returned to the Archive's interface chamber—an ancient terminal embedded in stone, rarely used by current Oathbearers. Shi Mu placed her palm on the panel. Her mark shimmered.
[Administrator Override Request – Confirmed]
Accessing Forgotten Index – Suppressed Files Tier X]
Please enter query.
She typed:
"Silenced spirit. Thread. Age 13. Corridor: Silence."
The system paused.
Longer than usual.
Then—
[One Match Found.]
Entry Title: 'Nameless – 12B-S'
Cause of Death: System-Induced Isolation.
Category: Ethical Suppression.
Note: Identity removed due to emotional volatility—recommended for permanent archival silence.
Override Key Required to Restore Name.
Shi Mu clenched her jaw.
"Emotional volatility?"
Fu Yunshen read over her shoulder.
"They punished them for being too alive."
Shi Mu's voice was quiet, but sharp.
"They didn't die from trauma."
"They died from erasure."
She returned to the corridor.
The child was still there—tired but steady. A little more whole than before.
Shi Mu knelt again.
This time, she didn't speak.
She held out a blank slip of paper.
And a pen.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The child didn't move at first.
Then—
Trembling fingers reached forward.
Gripped the pen.
And shakily, with great effort—
Wrote a single letter.
Then another.
Then stopped.
Only half a name.
But it was theirs.
[System Notification]
Name Fragment Recovered: "Li—"
Status: Active Reconstruction in Progress
Spirit Profile Reactivated – Emotional Thread Strength: 71%
Override Authorization Pending (Oathbearer Consent Required)
Brotherhood Value +220 (Name Recovery Begun + Silent Consent Honored)
Current Total: 9,265 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu placed her hand over the paper.
Not to claim it.
To guard it.
"You don't have to finish the name now," she whispered. "But you can. When you're ready."
The child looked at her.
And this time—
Smiled.