The following night, the house spoke.
Not in words.
In echoes.
Shi Mu lay awake on her old bed, the sheets freshly laundered, the room mostly restored. But the walls seemed thinner than she remembered. Or perhaps the past was simply louder here.
Then came the sound—
A soft creak from the hallway.Then a shuffle.Then silence again.
She sat up slowly.
Listened.
Nothing.
Then—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Three knocks on her bedroom door.
Exactly like the ones from the night before.
She didn't reach for her phone this time.
She rose.
Lit the nearest charm.
Walked to the door.
Opened it.
The hallway was empty.
But down at the end, resting neatly on the floor—
Another envelope.
This one white.No blood ink.No threat.
Just… her name. Written in elegant calligraphy:
Shi Mu.
She took it inside, opened it slowly, and unfolded the note.
Inside was a single photograph.
Blurry.
But she recognized the place instantly—
The cliff.
And in the background:Two people.
One was her.
The other—blurred. Unclear. Head turned away.
But familiar.
Shi Mu's blood chilled.
She flipped the photo over.
A line was scrawled on the back:
"You weren't the only one meant to die that day."
[System Notification]
Unresolved Memory Triggered – Unknown Witness Identified
Connection to Prior Trauma: Confirmed
Emotional Instability: Managed
Brotherhood Value +260 (Truth Stirred + Composure Maintained Under Psychological Threat)
Current Total: 12,095 / 1,000,000
She stared at the photo for a long time.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
The system couldn't name the blurred figure yet.
But her instincts whispered louder than the algorithm:
This isn't over.Someone else was pushed too.And not everyone hit the bottom.