Chapter 1

Before I died, I was just a regular college student.

A notorious gang leader, Victor Shaw, set his sights on me.

He had a classmate lure me out, and during his attempted assault, I accidentally fell and died.

My death also took my mother's life.

My rage exploded, tearing through the heavens, consumed by a single desire: revenge.

Kaelen Stone, a special agent from the Paranormal Investigations Agency, found me.

He guided me to become an investigator, and in the end, he even sacrificed his own life force to bring me back…

Predatory student loan schemes had been running rampant on campus, and Victor Shaw, the one controlling our area, had taken an interest in me.

I ignored his advances, never imagining he'd use my classmates to set a trap.

Seven nights ago, he had a classmate invite me to meet at the library, pretending it was about something important.

Naively, I went, only to discover his sinister intentions. He tried to assault me. He even threatened to take explicit photos to force me into his debt.

I fought back with all my might, but in his struggle, he pushed me down the stairs. My neck snapped.

After I died, my soul detached from my body. I watched Victor Shaw flee the scene in a panic, and I witnessed my own gruesome death.

I tried to touch my body, but as a ghost, I couldn't. I could only hover by my own corpse, with nowhere to go.

My parents had been divorced for years, both having started new families.

I'd come to this unfamiliar city for college alone, with barely any friends besides a few not-so-close roommates.

No one discovered my death right away.

I watched Victor Shaw and his thugs sneak into the library three times, meticulously erasing every possible piece of evidence.

Seven days later, my decaying body was finally found by a student who came to that quiet corner to study. Instantly, the entire campus erupted in panic.

The police quickly launched an investigation, and the media widely reported on the campus murder.

My soul followed my remains to the morgue.

I saw my father's remorse and self-blame, and my mother's heart-wrenching sobs. Their genuine grief brought me a flicker of comfort.

They still cared about me, after all.

Because Victor Shaw had cleaned up so thoroughly, and there were no surveillance cameras in that corner, the case remained unsolved for a long time.

My body was kept in cold storage. I felt the biting chill, yet no one knew my suffering.

And so, an entire year passed. Even though the case hadn't been cracked, my parents eventually went through the procedures, having my body cremated and buried.

After being laid to rest, I did feel a little more at ease.

My resentment never truly faded, but the intense hatred for Victor Shaw’s deception and attempted assault, for him never being caught, slowly diminished with time.

Each year around the anniversary of my death, I would watch my parents mourn and weep by my grave, which slightly rekindled my lingering resentment.

I wished for news of the murderer being brought to justice, but it never came.

My obsession persisted; I wasn't willing to move on.

Seven years flew by.

This year, it wasn't my mother who came to visit my grave, but my stepfather.

He stood before my headstone and said, "Maya, after you left, your mother had restless nights.

She blamed herself for not being a good enough mother and kept pursuing the investigation into your killer.

She swore she would find your enemy herself to avenge you, but she overworked herself and, in a moment of exhaustion, fell down the stairs and passed away.

Maya, so many years have passed, and now your mother is gone too.

I wonder if you’ve already let go of your obsession and been reborn."

My stepfather left after saying those words.

Learning that my mother had died due to overworking herself because of my case, my slowly settling resentment erupted like a volcano, soaring into the sky.

I hadn't let go of my obsession. All I wanted was revenge! I felt the air around me twist, dust swirling everywhere.

When everything settled, I had transformed into a more tangible entity, breaking free from the confines of my grave, able to move far beyond the burial site.

"A vengeful spirit reborn, tonight, blood will be repaid with blood!" I growled, flying towards the headquarters of Victor Shaw's criminal organization.