I leapt out the window, landing softly on the ground below.

And immediately, a sharp, splitting pain surged through my head, forcing a silent scream out of me.

It felt like the agony you’d experience after overworking your muscles to the extreme and then trying to lift something heavy—my body was screaming in rebellion. The backlash from pushing my telekinesis to its absolute limit had hit me.

“Ugh… I really overdid it this time…”

Looking back, my actions were ridiculous.

I had raced through the streets, tearing through nearly hundreds of pseudo-zombies. I couldn’t even count the ghouls and vampires I’d brought down with my bare hands. Not to mention, I had pushed Drakel, the mastermind behind this entire incident, to the brink of death.

Compared to my usual usage of telekinesis—tiny bursts here and there—I’d drained myself to the point where it felt like I’d scraped the bottom of the barrel.

“How am I supposed to get home like this…?”

Leaning against a wall to steady myself, I found myself faced with a troubling dilemma.

Using any more telekinesis was out of the question. If I pushed myself any further, I was certain I’d collapse right here and now.

Which left the question—how was I supposed to get back home without it?

“What? All the zombie heads I worked so hard to collect just disappeared!”
“I lost 30,000 credits! I’ll have to file a complaint with the Black Bamboo Society!”
“Wahhh!”
“...”

The sound of angry voices carried from the alleyway nearby. It seemed the streets were still crawling with bounty hunters.

I glanced down at myself and saw that my white cloth was utterly filthy—covered in dust and blood, a complete mess.

If I walked around like this, I’d stand out immediately.

With a sigh of resignation, I reached up to take off the cloth but paused when I felt something hard in my hand.

“This… the Tesseract? I brought it with me…”

The hard object in my hand was none other than the Tesseract.

In my rush to escape, I must have grabbed it without thinking.

“Now what am I supposed to do with this thing…”

I pressed a hand to my temple as a dull headache began to form. The Tesseract was another problem I didn’t need right now.

While its ability to draw possibilities from alternate dimensions was undeniably powerful, using it came with a steep cost.

For example, curing an incurable disease might cost you your eyesight. Gaining a talent you never had before could erase all your memories.

A true double-edged sword. It wasn’t something I could just pawn off or give away lightly.

“Plus, once news of Drakel’s defeat spreads, someone will definitely come looking for it…”

There was also the troubling fact that the Tesseract belonged to the same force that had destroyed the otherworldly races’ homeland.

An artifact that defied the laws of this world, capable of warping reality itself—what chaos would ensue if it came to light?

“I should just throw it into a deep sewer somewhere…”

This was something I couldn’t handle. Maybe someone like the dragon mayor of Nighthaven could deal with it.

For now, the best option seemed to be hiding it away in a place no one would find it.

After all, in the original story, the invaders reclaimed it anyway. Its disappearance wouldn’t affect the plot much.

“Honestly, it might be better off gone. Too bad for you.”

Having made up my mind, I raised the Tesseract to eye level for a final look.

The transparent cube within a cube suddenly rotated to face me and… spoke.

[ …Mommy? ]
“…?!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, my heart pounding like it was about to burst out of my chest.

Thinking I must have lost my mind, I cautiously placed the Tesseract on my palm and stared at it.

The inner cube swiveled around as if scanning its surroundings before fixing its gaze on me.

[ Mommy! ]
“….”

It wasn’t my imagination.

The Tesseract wasn’t “speaking” in the traditional sense—it was more like telepathy, its words resonating in my mind.

Why was it… talking?

Staring blankly at the cube, I was snapped out of my thoughts when it spun in place and chirped brightly.

[ Touch me! Touch me! ]

“…Touch you?”

Perplexed, I hesitantly reached out and lightly patted the surface of the cube.

The Tesseract, about the size of my thumbnail, was surprisingly delicate. Petting it wasn’t particularly difficult.

However, this didn’t seem to satisfy it.

[ No! No! ]

The Tesseract wriggled in protest, its voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

What was I supposed to do?

Frowning slightly, I extended my telekinesis to gently stroke the inner cube.

[ Hehehe! Mommy! I like it! ]

The Tesseract wiggled gleefully, its inner cube expanding and contracting in delight.

But then, dizziness hit me like a brick wall, and my vision blurred. Right—I wasn’t supposed to use telekinesis right now.

“…!”

My legs buckled, and I barely managed to stay upright. If I’d hit the ground in this state, I probably would have passed out on the spot.

[ Mommy? Are you hurt? ]
“….”
[ Mommy… don’t hurt. I hate when Mommy hurts! ]

The Tesseract’s voice wavered, almost as if it were on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation, as if my body was connected to something incomprehensible.

The world spun, up and down lost meaning, and all directions became one.

It felt like being pleasantly drunk—an intoxicating, euphoric sensation that slowly ebbed away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in reality… but my body was completely healed.

“What? I… I don’t hurt anymore.”

It was incredible.

The cuts and bruises that had marred my skin were gone. My body, which had been throbbing with pain moments ago, now felt light and healthy.

Even my blood-soaked clothes and tattered maid uniform were pristine, as if brand new.

It was as though my battle with Drakel had been nothing more than a bad dream.

This was the power of the Tesseract.

“But… where’s the catch?”

I knew its abilities came at a price.

Normally, the Tesseract would take something in exchange for what it gave. But no such feeling came.

I waited, bracing for something—loss of vision, a missing limb—but nothing happened.

“Why…?”

Confused, I brought the Tesseract close to my face.

[ Mommy… not hurt? Good. I’m sleepy… ]

With that, the Tesseract stopped moving, as if it had fallen asleep.

I realized it had paid the price on my behalf.

“Why would it do that…?”

Unable to make sense of it, I decided to hang the Tesseract around my neck.

“Maybe I shouldn’t throw it away after all.”

If it had abilities beyond what was described in the original story, I needed to learn more.

Plus, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about discarding it after it had helped me.

“Still… Mommy? Did I just become a parent?”

Wouldn’t “Daddy” be better?

Shaking my head, I leapt effortlessly onto a nearby rooftop. My body felt feather-light, even better than usual.

Thanks to this newfound vitality, I made it back to my hideout without encountering a single person.

“Finally safe…”

Inside, I tossed the cloth aside and looked out at the neon-lit chaos of the city below.

The crisis had ended, but Nighthaven was still alive with activity.

The view reminded me of the day I first arrived in this city.

“A lot has happened… fighting vampires, becoming a wanted criminal…”

If someone asked if it was all worth it, I might have said yes.

Life as the Ghost had been inconvenient, but it came with a freedom I hadn’t experienced before.

But now, it was time to move on.

I was done being the Ghost. I’d caused enough chaos for a lifetime.

Letting go of the white cloth, I watched it flutter away in the wind.

“From now on, I’ll live as Yuria. The Ghost… is gone.”

And with that, I lay curled up on my hard bed, drifting into a deep sleep.

The Tesseract had healed my body, but my mind remained exhausted from the battle.

“…?”

The next morning, after returning to work at Greg’s shop, I received news that hit me like a bolt of lightning.

“Sorry, Yuria. Because of last night’s chaos, the shop was damaged. We’ll have to close for a while.”

What?! You’re closing the shop?!

I clutched my cheeks in silent horror.

Unemployed after just six days on the job?! My world was falling apart.