"I had a dream last night," Lu Feng said quietly.
He sat in the bureau's cafeteria, coffee growing cold in front of him. Across the table, Kai Lin looked up from her datapad.
"A nightmare?" she asked.
"Not exactly," he murmured. "I was in a ruined classroom. On the desk was a book—a will—covered in blood. And it had my name written all over it."
Kai Lin's gaze sharpened. "Your memories are awakening."
"You knew?"
"I suspected. Your soul is a rare one—marked. You're a soul-bearer, capable of carrying memories across reincarnation. That chain you summon isn't new. It's yours, from a former life."
"Who… was I?"
"You were one of the Bureau's founders," she said. "You sealed a forbidden artifact—a blood-written will. Anyone who signs it with their blood will have their fate rewritten into another's death."
Before Lu Feng could speak, a new mission alert pinged.
> **Case X-021**
> **Location: Old Ninth Middle School – Abandoned Building**
> **Summary: Janitor discovered a blood-red message on blackboard: 'Next, it's me.' Hours later, he self-immolated at the podium. A nearly identical case occurred five years ago.**
Kai Lin stood. "Let's go meet a dead man who keeps coming back."
---
The school building was rotten with mildew and ash. At the front of the classroom lay a burned lectern, a scorched notebook beside it.
The first page was soaked in dried red:
> "My name is Lin Zehui. I died here five years ago. And now… I've returned."
Lu Feng turned to Kai Lin. "That's the name of the former dean who died here in 2017."
She nodded. "The handwriting matches. So does the will."
"But he's dead."
"Exactly."
Suddenly—**a charred body rose** from beneath the floorboards, eyes glowing.
"I… am Lin Zehui… back… again…"
Kai Lin drew her seal. "Blood-bound spirit. A 'Replicant Ghost'—formed when the will rewrites a soul back into the world."
Lu Feng stepped forward. "It's using my name too. That page… it wrote my name."
"You bled on the page. That's all it needs."
The classroom walls bled letters:
> "REPLACE. REPLACE. REPLACE."
Lu Feng's mind blurred. He saw visions of another him—on battlefields, sealing monsters, dying in Kai Lin's arms.
"You were there," he whispered.
Kai Lin looked startled. "You… remember?"
"I remember everything. You begged me not to die. You said you would take my place."
Kai Lin's voice trembled. "You sealed the will and vanished. I failed to save you."
Lu Feng raised his hand. A glowing sigil burned into his palm.
> "Soul Rune: Cycle Severance!"
The will burst into flame, the ghost screamed and disintegrated.
All went still.
Kai Lin walked over slowly. "Your memories… they've truly returned."
Lu Feng nodded. "I was him. And now I'm me."
He looked at her.
"And I won't leave you behind again."