Lia stood now.
Not fully solid. Not fully gone. But whole enough to cast a shadow. To meet a gaze.
And to remember she had a place in this world—however softly it had begun.
Shi Mu didn't let go of her hand.
She didn't speak.
She simply let being present do what no exorcism or seal ever could:
Anchor.
Validate.
Restore.
Fu Yunshen stepped back, giving them space.
He had watched many spirits fade.
Fought some.
Freed others.
But this?
This was the kind of spirit you didn't release.
You simply helped remember who they were—so they could choose for themselves.
Lia looked down at her fingers.
Flexed them.
Watched the strands of light still curling around her like memory being rewoven.
"I don't know where to go," she said.
Shi Mu smiled. "That's okay."
"You're not sending me away?"
"No," she said gently. "Not unless you want to go."
The corridor responded to her words.
The pedestal dimmed.
The thread curled back into itself—
not disappearing,
but settling.
[System Notification]
Spirit Lia: Memory Recovered – Name Fully Restored
Voice Returned – Will Retained
Release Path: Declined by Spirit (Voluntary Integration Pending)
Thread Outcome: Chosen Continuance
Brotherhood Value +245 (Final Restoration + Identity Self-Elected)
Current Total: 10,000 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu blinked.
The number flashed again.
10,000 / 1,000,000
A long way to go.
But this thread?
Had been worth every step.
Lia looked up, finally.
And smiled.
It was small.
Uneven.
Still finding its shape.
But it stayed.
Shi Mu placed a hand over her own heart.
"You're part of the Archive now," she said. "Not a file. Not a case. A name that stays."
And for the first time in her afterlife—
Lia believed her.