The next day was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the wind through the courtyard felt… held back.
Like the world knew something was coming.
Something sacred.
Something final.
Shi Mu didn't go to class.
She stood in front of the mirror again.
Not to look for the girl.
But to see if she was still herself.
The reflection stared back without delay.
No flicker.
No delay.
Perfectly in sync.
But both sets of eyes were different now.
Older.
Knowing.
"You're ready," the girl in the mirror said.
"I don't know if I am," Shi Mu replied.
"You are."
"But what if I lose myself?"
The reflection tilted her head gently.
"You're not giving yourself up.""You're taking yourself back."
That evening, Shi Mu walked to the same courtyard where the seal had first flared.
Fu Yunshen and Zhou Zhi waited there.
Neither spoke.
Zhou Zhi handed her a talisman, fingers trembling just a bit. "In case things go sideways."
She nodded.
Didn't promise it wouldn't.
Didn't lie.
Fu Yunshen stepped closer.
His voice was even, but his eyes were not.
"If this changes you," he said, "I'll still follow."
Shi Mu smiled faintly.
"It won't change me," she said.
"It'll just make me whole."
She stepped into the center of the courtyard.
The wind stilled completely.
The stars above seemed to dim.
Then—
The mark on her wrist burst into golden light.
It spiraled up her arm, over her shoulder, across her chest like a ribbon of memory. Symbols lit up beneath her skin—familiar and ancient.
She didn't resist.
She opened her arms—
And whispered:
"You can come back now.""I remember you.""And I am not afraid."
[System Notification]
Final Oath Phase Activated – Merge Permission Granted
Spiritual Thread Stabilized
Vessel Integrity: 97% – Near Full Alignment
Brotherhood Value +200 (Final Consent Given + Companions Bear Witness)
Current Total: 5,815 / 1,000,000
Light filled the courtyard.
But it didn't burn.
It embraced.
Zhou Zhi shielded his eyes. "She's glowing like a legendary heroine."
"She is one," Fu Yunshen replied.
Softly.
Like a truth long known.
When the light faded, Shi Mu stood taller.
Eyes clearer.
Back straight.
The mark was no longer glowing.
But it was complete.
Two rings. A single line down the center.
One body. One name. One life.
And now, for the first time—
fully hers.