The sun had barely risen when I logged in to review the week's gains. My stats were climbing slowly but surely. My bond with Coach Erwin had gone up. Passing had improved. I even felt my stamina stretching, if only slightly.
But the system had other plans.
[Memory Echo Detected: Anchor Point – Emotional Residue: Maria Reyes]
Maria.
I froze.
[New Quest Unlocked: Confront Your Past]
Objective: Encounter Maria Reyes
Reward: +2 Mental Fortitude, Memory Synchronization Bonus
I didn't expect to see her so soon.
She had transferred to our school midway through the year. The moment she stepped into class, heads turned. But I only saw the shadows behind her smile. I recognized it now—because I had once been captivated by it.
She was twelve. Just like me. But in my head, she was still the girl who lied to my face while texting someone else behind my back.
"Class, this is Maria Reyes," the teacher announced. "She just moved here from Laguna."
I looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. But the system didn't let me.
[Sub-Objective: Eye Contact Achieved – Triggering Flashback Memory Sync]
My vision blurred for a second.
The memory hit like a corner kick to the chest. Her laughter, her betrayal. The exact message I found on her phone.
"I love you too. He doesn't have to know."
I flinched.
[Passive Skill Activated: Resilience Boost +1 | Trust Check Failed]
She sat near me, unaware of the war raging in my head.
"Hi," she said innocently. "I'm Maria."
I looked at her. This wasn't her yet. She hadn't done the things she would one day do.
Or would she?
This was a new timeline. A new game. But some shadows, it seemed, refused to die.
I forced a nod. "James."
[Dialogue Branch Created: Trust Rebuild / Ignore / Revenge]
I didn't choose yet. I didn't have to. Not today.
But she was here now. A ghost from my future in a past I was trying to rewrite.
And this time, I wasn't sure whether to forgive, forget, or finish the story differently.