Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece
Chapter 125: The Confession [4]

Dear Kyle,

I hope this letter doesn't come off as strange or awkward. You probably don't even know who I am.

I sit near the back in Advanced Mana Theory. You're usually taking notes like your life depends on it.

You always look so focused, like you're solving some huge puzzle no one else even notices. I think that's really amazing.

But… that's not really why I'm writing.

I have a little sister. Her name's Lila. She's eight years old. And she's very sick.

The doctors call it Nervous System Degeneration Syndrome—NSDS for short.

It's rare and… there's no cure. Her nerves are breaking down bit by bit.

First it was her legs, then her arms. She's losing control of her body, and they say it's only going to get worse.

She used to be this little ball of energy. Running around the house, drawing all over the walls, laughing at the dumbest jokes.

She loved everything loud and colorful. Now she can barely hold a crayon without her hands shaking. Most days, she just lies in bed.

She's in the hospital now. Has been for a while. And honestly, we don't know how much time she has left.

I don't really know why I'm writing this to you. Maybe it's because you seem like someone who listens.

Or maybe I just needed to ask someone. Anyone.

The thing is. Lila saw a picture of you on my phone. It was from study hall.

I didn't even mean to keep it. It just… happened. She found it while playing a game on my phone, and when she saw your face.

She smiled, like really smiled.

She said you looked "kind." And when I told her you were smart too. She lit up.

Then she asked if you could come visit her. Just once.

I know it's a weird thing to ask. You don't know me, and you definitely don't know her. But I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for her.

She doesn't get to meet new people anymore. Her world is just the hospital now.

IVs. Beeping machines. Nurses and doctors.

She doesn't go to school. She can't play with friends.

But when she talked about meeting you, she got this spark in her eyes that I haven't seen in weeks.

If you could spare ten minutes. Just talk to her, let her ask you questions, maybe make her laugh...

I would be so grateful. You don't have to do anything special. Just… be there.

If you can't, I understand. I really do. But if there's any chance you might say yes.

Please call or text me. My number's at the bottom.

Thank you, even just for reading this.

—Mira Farrow

📱 xxx-739-8412

———

Kyle stared at the paper, his hands still and tense.

He hadn't expected this. Not even close.

He thought maybe it was a letter from someone with a crush. Something innocent and awkward.

But this? This wasn't awkward.

This was real.

He read the letter again, slower this time.

Every line felt heavier the second time through.

The way she described Lila. Funny, loud, full of life.

And how that light was fading… It hit something deep in his chest.

He didn't know Mira. Not really. He remembered seeing her. Always quiet. Always leaving class quickly. He never guessed she was going through something like this.

Without thinking too hard. He grabbed his phone and punched in the number.

One ring. Two.

"Hello?" The voice was soft, nervous. Breathless.

"Mira?" he asked. "It's Kyle. From class."

A sharp inhale.

She didn't say anything at first. But he could almost feel the panic on the other end.

"I got your letter," he said gently. "About your sister."

Silence.

"You don't have to explain anything," he added. "I'll go with you."

There was a quiet sound on the line. A breath that caught. Maybe a sob.

"Really?" she whispered. Her voice cracked.

Kyle nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Yeah. Just tell me when."

—

Kyle ended the call and let his phone drop onto the bed beside him.

'Mira Farrow.'

The name echoed in his head, sharper now. He'd almost forgotten about her.

In 'Path of Transcendence', the novel he'd read in his past life.

She'd been a minor villain. A footnote in Cedric's story. A tragedy wrapped in a few throwaway lines.

But here, now? She was real.

Her sister, Lila, was real.

Kyle exhaled through his nose, rubbing his face. His memories of the novel were fuzzy in places, but this much was clear.

In the original timeline. Mira awakened a powerful ability during her ranking trials in second year.

By then. Lila was still alive, barely. A flickering candle moments from burning out.

The demons had taken advantage of that.

They'd whispered promises to Mira.

We can save her. Just sign the contract.

And she had. A lowest - level demon contract.

Barely more than slavery. It stripped her of free will. Turned her into a puppet forced to fight against humanity.

And in the end?

Cedric was left with only one terrible solution. Her death

She hadn't even saved Lila.

Kyle sat up, running a hand through his hair. The letter crumpled slightly in his grip.

'Things are moving faster.'

In the novel, Lila had clung to life for a year longer. But Mira's letter made it sound like month. weeks, maybe.

That changed everything.

Kyle looked down at the paper again. The words were messy, ink smudged in places where Mira's hand must have shaken.

She smiled for the first time in weeks when she talked about meeting you.

His jaw tightened.

He couldn't let her sign that contract.

A knock at his door cut the thought short.

"Kyle?" Aurelia's voice, muffled through the wood. "Dinner's here. The stuff you ordered."

"Yeah. Be right there."

He folded Mira's letter carefully and tucked it into his pocket.

He'd visit Lila.

And then?

He'd figure something out.

Because if there was one thing Kyle refused to accept.

It was fate.

———

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