The fragment remained:"Li—"
Written by a trembling hand, left on a page that still smelled of dust and old pain.
Shi Mu didn't press for more.
She simply folded the paper.
Carefully.
Respectfully.
And returned it to the child's side.
The spirit looked down at the half-name.Then at her.
Then away.
Their voice, when it came, was hoarse and uncertain—like learning to speak all over again.
"Was it… enough?"
Shi Mu nodded.
"It was yours."
Fu Yunshen remained a quiet presence at her side.He didn't interrupt.Didn't guide.
He simply watched—
as someone who had once been erased
slowly redrew themselves.
The system pulsed softly in the air.
[Override Triggered: Identity Reconstruction in Progress]
Ethical Suppression Code Lifted – Tier X Protection Enacted
Name Reclamation Rate: 62%
Emotional Anchor: Stabilizing through Voluntary Trust
Brotherhood Value +230 (System Lock Broken + Self-Naming Begun)
Current Total: 9,495 / 1,000,000
The corridor around them began to warm.
Not with fire.
With memory.
Golden threads of light unfurled from the pedestal, weaving through the air like threads from a loom finally working again.
And as they shimmered around the child—
their form grew clearer.
More real.
"You're not just a file," Shi Mu whispered. "You're not just a case."
"You're someone," Fu Yunshen added softly. "Even without a name."
The child blinked back light that tried to gather in their eyes.
Then reached again for the pen.
Wrote slowly.
One more letter.
Now three.
"Li—a"
Their voice didn't crack this time.
"It's coming back…"
Shi Mu smiled, heart full but steady.
"It always does," she said.
"When someone chooses to remember."
[System Notification]
Identity Name Update: Lia – 78% Restored
Vocal Pathway Reactivation Successful
Spirit Status: Stabilized. Awaiting Final Release Decision.
Brotherhood Value +260 (Name Claimed Freely + Voice Reawakened)
Current Total: 9,755 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu reached out her hand.
And Lia—no longer just a shadow, no longer just a thread—
took it.