The words that left the small lips were not a curse, as the NPC had expected.
Nor did the usual cry pierce the air.

Instead, barely loud enough to reach her ears, the ghost spoke.

“The killer… where?”

The sound did not come from a throat the way it should have. It slipped out thin and unfinished, like breath pushed through lips that had never learned how to shape words.

The head bounced with uneven weight, the movement clumsy but persistent.

Its eyes fluttered half shut, unfocused, yet Ava felt the attention settle on her locking her in place. 

“Are you looking for the person who was with your mother when she fell?” she asked

The small lips stretched into a terrifying smile.
“You… could… say… so”

Ava’s skin tingled. She swallowed and said, “Well, this is the girls’ floor. He lives on the fifth floor. I’m actually going there. If you’d like, I can show you the way, but I don’t know which room.”

The head jerked upward, then dropped back into its steady bounce.

“Lead… the way.”

Ava nodded and continued climbing the stairs, moving quickly. The safe period would not last forever. She needed to trigger the fragment, then return to her room, preferably before the period ended, so she would not lose another life. If she could reach a score of 70% , she could carry her current lives into the next level.

Behind her, the head followed.

Thump.
Thump.
Thump.

One step at a time.

It stayed silent, but the sound of it filled the stairwell.

Ava tried to speak again, hoping to provoke something new.

“You shouldn’t follow strangers,” she said. “Especially at night.”

“Don’t you think… I am the stranger here?” it asked, syllables barely clinging together.

“You’re the one… who shouldn’t be with me.”

The words were calm, but resentment clung to them, thick and suffocating. Ava knew that if not for the safe period, if not for the fact that she was helping it, the ghost would already be tearing her apart.

“I’m just helping a lost child,” she replied quietly. “That’s the least I can do.”

She said nothing more.

The entrance to the fifth floor loomed ahead. Her fingers brushed the bookmark hidden in her sleeve.

Then the system notification cut through the quiet.

Ding.

Special item acquired.
Exact time condition overridden.
New fragment triggered.

Do you want to rewind to the event that took place here four days ago?
Choose: Yes / No

Ava turned and pointed toward the dark opening ahead.

“Finding the exact room is something you have to do,” she said. “I won’t follow anymore.”

The head bounced forward, disappearing past the threshold.

Ava tapped Yes.

The stairwell warped. Walls compressed, then stretched, as if the building itself were breathing. The dim emergency lights flickered, freezing the space in a different moment.

Four days ago.

The truth waited here.
The moment that carved resentment deep enough to turn an infant into a thing that killed anything it encountered

Janice shifted in place, fingers digging into the thin plastic handles of the bag she carried. It rustled every time she moved. The stairwell smelled of dust and old cleaner.

Alan’s footsteps barely made a sound.

“What do you want?” he said behind her.

She spun around. “I’ve been calling you all summer. You ignored me.”

He leaned against the railing, eyes cold. “That’s why you’re here?” he repeated. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Her voice shook. “You disappear and expect me to just accept it?”

He scoffed. “Don’t make this bigger than it is.”

“Weren’t we doing fine before the vacation?” she asked. “You said you’d call. You promised.”

“That was a short relationship,” he said flatly. “Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Her grip tightened around the bag. “Because I thought it meant something.”

He laughed once, sharp and humorless. “You girls always do this. You overthink everything and get emotional over trivial matters.”

“Trivial matters?” Janice stepped closer. “You didn’t even give me a reason.”

“I don’t owe you one,” he snapped. “And don’t start acting like this now. You’re the professor’s perfect daughter. You won’t be in trouble if you’re found here. What about me? I already have enough problems. Don’t add yours. Or is this what you want, to get me in trouble because I hurt your feelings?”

Her breath hitched. “Is that how you saw me all along?” She swallowed. “Alan… I’m pregnant.”

The words fell between them, heavy and final.

His face went blank, then tightened. “That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.” She lifted her hoodie. The bump was obvious.

Silence pressed in. The emergency lights buzzed, harsh and unforgiving.

“You’re lying,” he said. “You’re trying to trap me.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“How do I know it’s mine?” His voice rose. “How do I know?”

She stared at him, disbelief written across her face. “If not yours, then whose? I was only ever with you.”

“Don’t use that innocent act,” he snapped. “Don’t come looking for me again or don’t blame me for being rude.”

She stepped in front of him as he turned toward the stairs. “You can’t just walk away.”

“Move.”

“Alan, please.”

He tried to step past her. She grabbed his sleeve.

“Don’t touch me,” he said, yanking his arm free.

“I’m scared,” she said. “I found out last month. I called. I messaged you. You’re as responsible as I am. We need to talk about how to—”

Before she could finish, he shoved her. “I have nothing to discuss with you.”

Not hard enough to feel deliberate. Hard enough to be careless.

Janice lost her footing. The bag slipped from her hand. Her balance tipped, and then there was nothing to stop her fall.

Ava watched the scene in silence, accusation burning in her eyes.

Without thinking, she reached out, instinctively trying to steady Janice. Her fingers brushed Janice’s hand.

A hand from the present, not helpful at the slightest in the past.

Janice’s body struck the stairs once, then again, the sound was dull. The bag burst open, spilling its contents across the steps.

Ava staggered back, realization crashing down on her. She pressed her fingers to her temples as the system warning echoed.

Breach of rules detected.
Player 1 attempted to intervene in the past.
Punishment: one life will be lost.

“I literally just touched her,” Ava muttered, but the words meant nothing now.

Her strength drained instantly. The stairwell spun. She collapsed, rolling down the steps until she landed beside Janice.

Before her eyes closed, a familiar lullaby drifted close.
The smell of blood filled her nose.