"As time passed, you began ying outside and making new friends. You met Eric, Erika, and Alice at pre-school and became close friends with them.


    Then one day, you came home and asked who your father was… and I didn''t know how to answer that. Obviously, I could tell you the truth— which you wouldter say to your friends— who would think you were a delusional person.


    So I decided to lie to you and tell you about my father, who had apparently died in an ident ording to the letter I had received soon after I adopted you.


    I will skip most of the things and fast forward to the end, at how Jessica died. I already answered and said I don''t know, and I truly don''t know. But that''s not what you think I am trying to say.


    My memories of Jessica from before she died are missing. I don''t know anything rted to Jessica. One day… I just found myself in front of her newly made grave with a wallet in my hand with a family picture in it.


    I asked around, but no one knew anything. Most people had forgotten everything about Jessica. Some didn''t remember a single thing about her, while some didn''t even know that Jessica existed."


    She looked at Rudy with teary eyes and said, "You were one of them. You were eight years old at that time, and when I asked you about Jessica, you replied with, ''who is that?''


    I tried to tell you everything about Jessica, but you couldn''t even recall how she looked, so I decided to show you her photo. Imagine my surprise when she had disappeared from all of her pictures.


    There were no records of her. That was heartbreaking, honestly. She and you were the only ones in my life, and… after her death, I hoped you would be there tofort me when I missed her. But… how could I expect you tofort me about a person you don''t know the existence of?


    That was the hardest, saddest, and darkest time of my life, and I was close to a breaking point. And you know what''s ironic? She died on my birthday… on our birthday. I had turned twenty, and you had turned eight.


    That was also the day when I was supposed to read the ninth chapter of the diary. Of course, I had no motivation to do anything, but I knew I had to read, or the shadow could appear again.


    I flipped the pages and stopped at the ninth chapter, which was empty for some reason. I was confused, but then I thought maybe I did something that changed the future, and I was punished for it. Perhaps, that''s why Jessica died, so I could suffer.


    And… I eventually had a breakdown. I cried for hours, locked in my room while you were having a sleepover at Eric and Erika''s house— and also celebrating your birthday there.


    I asked many questions and tried to call out the shadow, but nothing happened. However, I knew a way to summon the shadow, and that was to do something mentioned in the diary''s note— the first page—.


    I decided to read the tenth chapter with my teary eyes and blurry vision. I knew if I did that, the shadow would appear again. I wanted to ask questions even though I already knew that the shadow would never respond to my question albeit being present there.


    Still, I wanted to ask the questions. But just as I was about to flip the page to go from the ninth chapter to the tenth, words started appearing in the ninth chapter. I couldn''t read because of my vision, so I rubbed my eyes and wiped my tears immediately. And then I read.


    ''You will meet her again. Keep patience and continue what you are best at.'' It said.


    I blindly believed those words and put my faith in them. And… I am hoping to meet her again… soon."


    She smiled sadly.


    Rudy lowered his gaze and inwardly uttered, ''I wasn''t nning to reveal Angelica''s identity to mom before finding out her killer, but I can''t see mom sad.''


    "Mom…" Rudy held Reba''s hand in his hands and squeezed it a little. "I… I have something to tell you."


    "Go ahead."


    "I have met Jessica again after she died."


    "Wha…t?"


    It was natural for Reba to be perplexed after hearing that.


    "She is a ghost now."


    "...!"


    "And she has lost her memories. She doesn''t remember anything about you or the world. She didn''t even remember her own name or who killed her. But I can attest that she is Jessica," Rudy asserted in a solemn voice.


    "Where is she?" Reba nced around. "And why can''t I see her?"


    "As I said, she is a ghost."


    "Yes, but you can see her, right? So why did she never appear in front of me?" She asked with a curious and confused look on her face. "Sure, she lost her memories, but she appeared before you, so why not me?"


    "Well…" Rudy told her everything about the haunted tunnel incident.


    Reba bit her lips and muttered, "Do you really think it was all a coincidence?"


    "Huh?"


    "Do you think she would have appeared before me had I crossed the tunnel?"


    "I… don''t know."


    Rudy wanted to know more about Angelica''s murder, and he thought his case study was moving forward in a positive direction, but after time-traveling and hearing Reba''s story, he realized that he had been wrong all along.


    ''Angelica wasn''t murdered by her ssmates, a murderer, a serial killer, or a psycho… She was killed in a supernatural incident. Otherwise, why else did everyone forget about Jessica?


    I have to get to the root of this case, and there is only one way to find out— which is to time-travel to the time when the incident urred. However, I first need to learn to time-travel and master it perfectly.''


    The absolute power… time; the power that belongs to the first reality. If I can find the first reality, I can obtain the power of time. Asura wasted billions of billions of years in finding that, and he was more experienced than me in everything.


    If he couldn''t do something, how can I? Still, no one can be certain, and I truly need the power of time. However, I am not going to dedicate my life in search of the first reality like Asura did. I am no fool. ''


    ===


    Thanks, @Damian_Tucker, and @Shadow4yer, for the gift!