The sky had not returned to normal.
Even though the crack had faded from sight, Kelly could still feel it.
Like a wound in the world that had not fully closed.
The system had gone silent since last night.
No warnings.
No updates.
Just silence.
That silence worried her more than anything else.
Because silence usually meant something was preparing.
Something bigger.
Morning came with an unusual stillness.
The children were already awake.
Lu Cheng was helping Lu Tuan tie his worn jacket.
Little Lu Chuan sat quietly on the bed, swinging his legs.
When Kelly entered, all three turned to her immediately.
"Stepmother," Lu Chuan called softly.
Kelly forced a gentle smile.
"Get ready. We're going out today."
Lu Tuan blinked.
"To town again?"
Kelly shook her head.
"No."
She paused.
Then said clearly:
"To school."
Silence.
The room froze.
Lu Chuan tilted his head.
"School?"
Lu Tuan looked confused.
Only Lu Cheng's expression changed slightly.
He understood faster than the others.
"Stepmother," he said slowly, "school costs money."
Kelly nodded.
"I know."
Lu Cheng frowned.
"We can learn at home."
His voice was calm.
But Kelly heard the hidden meaning.
He was trying to refuse.
Not because he didn't want education—
but because he didn't want to burden her.
Kelly walked over and gently placed her hand on his head.
"You are going."
Lu Cheng froze.
Kelly's voice softened.
"You will all go."
The three boys stared at her.
As if trying to understand whether she was serious.
Lu Chuan suddenly asked:
"Can we still eat meat if we go to school?"
Kelly laughed softly.
"Yes."
That single word broke the tension.
Lu Chuan immediately smiled.
Even Lu Tuan looked relieved.
Only Lu Cheng remained silent.
But his eyes were no longer guarded.
Something inside him had shifted again.
---
The village reacted immediately.
The moment Kelly walked out with the three children, whispers spread.
"She's taking them out again?"
"Didn't she just change recently?"
"Where are they going?"
When Kelly stopped at the village office to request school enrollment, the crowd gathered.
The village clerk looked shocked.
"School?"
He glanced at the children.
Then at Kelly.
"All three?"
Kelly nodded.
"Yes."
The clerk hesitated.
"Fees are required."
Kelly calmly placed the money on the table.
The room went silent.
Even the clerk stared in disbelief.
This was not the Kelly they knew.
The old Kelly would never spend a single coin on children that weren't "useful."
But this woman—
was different.
Very different.
---
At the village school, the teacher was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes.
She examined the children carefully.
Lu Cheng stood straight.
Lu Tuan hid slightly behind him.
Lu Chuan clung to Kelly's sleeve.
The teacher softened slightly.
"They look thin."
Kelly nodded.
"They will improve."
The teacher accepted the enrollment forms.
As she began writing, she asked routine questions.
Names.
Ages.
Family background.
When she reached Lu Cheng, she paused slightly.
"Father?"
A brief silence.
Lu Cheng answered quietly:
"Deceased."
The teacher nodded and wrote it down.
Then she asked:
"Mother?"
Kelly stepped forward slightly.
"I am their guardian."
The teacher looked at her.
Then wrote it down.
Everything seemed normal.
Until she opened an older registry book to check records.
Her expression changed slightly.
"Hmm…"
Kelly noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
The teacher frowned.
"Strange."
She flipped another page.
Then another.
Lu Cheng stood behind Kelly now, watching carefully.
The teacher spoke slowly:
"I cannot find his birth record."
Kelly's eyes sharpened.
"Which one?"
The teacher pointed.
"Lu Cheng."
The room went quiet.
The teacher continued:
"It's as if… he was never registered in the system."
A strange tension filled the air.
Kelly's hand slowly tightened.
"That's impossible."
The teacher shook her head.
"It's not missing. It's erased."
Silence.
The word echoed in Kelly's mind.
Erased.
At that exact moment—
a faint warmth spread from her jade pendant.
Slow.
Steady.
Like a heartbeat.
The teacher suddenly flipped to another section.
Then paused again.
Her expression changed completely.
"Wait…"
She leaned closer.
"This symbol…"
She pointed at a faint mark stamped in the corner of an old student transfer page.
A symbol.
A soaring eagle surrounded by wheat.
Kelly's breath stopped.
The same symbol from the badge.
The teacher frowned.
"This mark appears only in old military-linked sponsorship records."
She looked up slowly.
"Why would a village child's file have this?"
Silence.
No one answered.
But in that moment—
Kelly felt it clearly.
This was not just about her anymore.
Lu Cheng slowly looked up at her.
"Stepmother…"
His voice was quiet.
Almost uncertain.
"Who am I?"
Kelly couldn't answer.
Because she didn't know anymore.
The system finally returned.
But this time—
it did not display warnings.
Only one line appeared in front of her vision.
[IDENTITY LINK CONFIRMED]
[SECOND SUBJECT DETECTED IN SAME ORBIT]
[MISSION PROGRESS: 12%]
Then—
the screen shattered.
Outside the school window, the wind suddenly rose.
Far away, beyond the village—
a military vehicle stopped.
And inside it,
someone was holding a second, identical jade fragment.
Smiling.