The Glasshouse of Fading Echoes

The rain over Durnport hasn't stopped since their grandmother's funeral. Standing by the fresh grave, Fiala vows to restore their family's decaying botanical conservatory, completely unaware that her cousin Kresen has transmigrated into this world with a malicious System. Kresen knows the plot: Fiala is destined for greatness, while Kresen is doomed to rot in the slums. To rewrite her fate, Kresen must use the System to siphon Fiala’s energy, which only works when the target feels deeply insecure. But Fiala is kind-hearted to a fault. When Kresen shatters the greenhouse windows to freeze the rare orchids, Fiala rejoices that the cold triggered a beautiful winter-bloom. When Kresen hires a local scamp to ruin Fiala's deliveries, Fiala's overwhelming warmth turns the saboteur into a devoted double agent who secretly fixes the damage. Told in alternating perspectives between the relentlessly optimistic botanist and her increasingly frantic cousin, the story uncovers a fatal flaw in Kresen's cheat. A hidden countdown ticks away in the System's code, counting down to a deadline neither girl was warned about. Will Kresen realize too late that the parasite she trusts will strip away everything overnight when its time runs out?