I was born different. My body could heal from anything, no medicine required.
On my fiancé's adopted sister's eighteenth birthday, he flew in a practitioner from Thailand to place a Sacrifice Spell on me. The term: ten years.
From that day forward, every ounce of her pain would transfer to me.
"Consider it my gift to her for coming of age." His tone was calm. "She loves her thrills but can't stand pain, so for the next ten years, you'll bear it for her."
He stroked my cheek, his voice soft. "You heal on your own anyway. After ten years, I'll give you the title you've always wanted."
So when she drove off a cliff, both my legs twisted and snapped on impact.
When she provoked a gang and took eighteen stab wounds, I was the one gutted open, intestines spilling across the floor.
When her bungee cord snapped, my ribs punctured my lungs and I choked on my own blood.
Year after year, the flesh on my body rotted and knit back together, scars healed and split open again.
Until today, when he brought me to a private diving base at the edge of the Arctic.
His voice was helpless, indulgent. "My little sister's feeling adventurous. She wants to dive under the ice."
In the distance, his adopted sister stood in a skimpy swimsuit, practically bouncing with excitement.
I was shaking all over. "I won't survive this."
He smoothed my hair.
"Be good. The Sacrifice Spell is about to expire. This is the last time."
"You've worked hard these ten years. When we get back, I'll keep my promise and marry you."
What he didn't know was that this time, my wounds would no longer heal.
And I had finally earned enough System points to leave this world.
……
In the distance, the diving instructor hesitated, then stepped forward.
"Miss Cooley, ice-diving without equipment is no different from suicide..."
"What's there to worry about? I have a body double," Alma Cooley cut him off, not a care in the world.
She flicked a contemptuous glance my way. "As for that one's worthless life, that's not your concern."
She tossed aside the oxygen tank, gave Damien Ashford a playful wink, and without a second of hesitation turned and leaped into the hole in the ice.
He chuckled, shaking his head, his voice dripping with fondness. "Little maniac."
The two of them acted as if this were nothing more than a casual swim.
I was the only one whose body temperature plummeted, limbs going numb in seconds.
My teeth chattered so hard I could barely stand. "It's so cold... Damien, make her come up..."
"Hang on," he said, his gaze tracking the figure beneath the water, eyes gentle. "It's her birthday. Don't ruin it."
"I can't hang on..." I collapsed to the ground, my body seizing beyond my control.
He finally glanced at me, a slight furrow between his brows. "Antonia Winfield, you were never this fragile before."
I squeezed my eyes shut. His voice was already fading.
Alma dove deeper.
Suffocation closed around my throat. My lungs burned like they were about to burst.
I screamed inside my mind: System, can I leave this world now?
The System's reply was sheepish: Bad timing... mid-upgrade...
Then at least restore my healing ability!
Its voice shrank even smaller: All functions suspended during the upgrade. Five days at the earliest. Maybe... try begging Damien?
I sucked in a breath, forcing the words through my closing throat. "Damien, I'm really in pain..."
I used every scrap of strength I had to grab the hem of his pants. "Please. This time is different. If she doesn't come up, I will die."
He looked down at me, something wavering in his eyes.
Then he looked away. "It is different this time. You'll just get a little hurt, but Alma won't have the chance to be this reckless again."
"Tell you what. When we get back, I'll buy you that island you had your eye on. A wedding gift. How's that sound?"
Every time Alma got me hurt, he'd give me a gift to make up for it.
