My sister and I were the last surviving twin Empaths in the world. She was born with a curse, her words bringing only harm; I was born with a blessing, capable of saving lives, but at a cost. Those I saved would suffer a corresponding backlash. In my previous life, a man named Vincent lavishly spent a fortune, pleading with me to save his son, Noah, who clung to life in the ICU. The boy awoke, but as a consequence, his eyes were permanently blinded. I thought Vincent would understand, having been forewarned of the repercussions. Instead, he crushed my toe bones and gouged out my eyes with a knife. “Why did you lie to me! It was your sister, Stella, who was the true bringer of blessings, you’re nothing but a walking curse!” he roared, his voice thick with fury. “You coveted the millions I promised, impersonated your sister, and caused my son’s eternal blindness!” Vincent ignored my desperate explanations. He pried open my jaw, ripped out my tongue by the roots, ensuring I could never speak again. Then, he imprisoned me in his basement, subjecting me to a year of unimaginable torment. On the day of his extravagant wedding to Stella, they deemed my cursed presence an ill omen and burned me alive. I died consumed by hatred. But then, I opened my eyes again. I was back. Back to the very day Vincent first showed up at my doorstep. This time, a sweet smile played on my lips as I stepped aside. “I’m a born curse. For saving lives, you should really go see my sister.” 1 Vincent froze for a moment, his brows furrowing tightly. His narrow eyes drilled into me, an unsettling intensity in their depths. He suddenly strode towards me, seizing my wrist in a crushing grip that sent a jolt of pain through me. “Skylar Bellweather, what game are you playing now! Don’t tell me you’re also…” Just then, my sister, Stella Bellweather, emerged slowly from behind me, taking her place behind Vincent. She lowered her head slightly, leaning intimately against his shoulder, a soft whine escaping her lips. “Oh, Vincent, I’ve missed you so much.” In my last life, Vincent had been a picture of agony, kneeling and weeping, begging me to save his son. My heart had softened, and I’d agreed. Stella, too, had always presented herself as fragile and helpless in front of me. If not for their combined cruelty, I would have died without ever knowing that the sister I’d worked so hard to support would betray me for the Arends family’s wealth! One glance was all it took. I understood. Vincent, Stella, and I… we had all been reborn. I remembered how Vincent, in his twisted punishment for my supposed curse blinding his son, had used pliers to rip out my tongue. Afterwards, fearing a new one might grow, he and Stella would take turns pouring scalding hot water down my throat every single day! The agonizing, soul-shattering pain was etched into my memory, clear as day, even after rebirth. Seeing their callous faces again, I yearned to tear them apart then and there. But before I could even react, Vincent’s face twisted into a snarl. He grabbed my arm, yanking me hard, and flung me onto the concrete in front of our shop. Vincent wrinkled his nose in disgust, his voice a cold blade. “Last life, it was my fault for believing your deceitful words, leading to Noah’s lifelong blindness. This time, I absolutely forbid you from uttering another cursed word!” Then, with a sickeningly sweet gesture, he gently took Stella’s hand. “This life, Noah will be saved by his new mother, the true bringer of blessings.” Stella showed not an ounce of guilt. Instead, she hugged Vincent, nodding vigorously, as if she truly were the gifted one. A shadow of sorrow flickered in my eyes. In my previous life, Vincent’s staunch belief that I was a curse, besides Stella’s manipulations, stemmed largely from the lead doctor’s statement: “Noah Arends has a very high chance of survival.” Because of that, Vincent was convinced Noah would have been perfectly fine without my intervention! That’s why he resented my “meddling” for causing his son’s permanent blindness! But on the day he begged me, I had explicitly told him that those saved would suffer a backlash. Now, Stella, a born curse herself, dared to stand beside Vincent with such an unblinking gaze, also convinced that the doctors would save Noah. I let out a humorless, chilling laugh. How foolish they were. Without my words, Noah would indeed live. But he would spend his entire life confined to a hospital bed, a living corpse, unable to speak or move. I remembered the boy I had saved in the last life, who, under Vincent and Stella’s insidious influence, believed I had deliberately harmed him. He, too, had joined in their torment. I took a deep breath. Let it go. The karma of villains wasn’t mine to interfere with. I was eager to see how Stella, without my intervention this time, would manage to awaken Vincent’s son! 2 My reputation as a life-saver, the “Skylar the Blessed,” spread far and wide in this town. Every day, people flocked to my door. Now, seeing me battered and bruised on the ground, they swarmed around, their faces etched with curiosity. Vincent loomed over me, then sharply stomped his foot down, grinding it onto my fingers. A searing, bone-deep pain shot through me, and I let out a cry of agony. Vincent pressed down harder, waiting until my screams grew louder, then curled his lips into a cold smirk. “That’s more like it. Since you’re a born curse, you should be making these unpleasant, wretched sounds!” “Why be so greedy, resorting to murder for wealth?!” he declared, righteous as a judge. Suddenly, he lifted his foot. I gasped for breath, but before I could even pull back my bloodied hand, Vincent kicked me hard in the chest. The blow was delivered with full force. I flew through the air like a ragdoll, my insides burning with fiery pain. A metallic taste of blood welled up in my throat. Some of the onlookers were my former clients, and they quickly rallied to my defense. “Who are you?! Why are you treating Skylar the Blessed like this? She’s helped so many of us!” “Exactly! Last month, my grandpa was at death’s door, but thanks to Miss Skylar, he not only recovered but is now lively enough to walk around!” “So who the hell are you, and why are you doing this to Skylar the Blessed? Explain yourselves, or we won’t let you get away with it!” Hearing their voices rise in my defense, a faint warmth bloomed in my chest. But Vincent just pointed at me, spewing venom. “You’ve all been deceived by this Skylar Bellweather! She’s no bringer of blessings; on the contrary, she’s a born curse, bringing nothing but harm!” The crowd erupted in murmurs, instinctively refuting him. “You’re talking nonsense! Everyone has seen Miss Skylar’s blessings with their own eyes, and we’ve personally experienced her good fortune! How could she be a curse?!” At that moment, Stella stepped forward, her voice laced with feigned hurt. “That’s me! I am the true bringer of blessings. All those things you prayed for, I was the one who made them happen!” She cast a sorrowful glance at me. “Sister, please stop this! I can’t bear to hide your secret any longer, nor can I let you continue down this path of mistakes!” Her eyes welled up, tears flowing at just the right moment, painting her as the perfect caring sister. She turned to the crowd. “If Skylar Bellweather truly brings blessings and can save lives, then why do those she saves often develop other physical ailments?” Stella’s words were like a stone dropped into calm water, sending ripples through the crowd. “Yeah, my grandpa, though he recovered, his speech isn’t as clear as before.” “Come to think of it, you’re right. Last year, my mom, with late-stage cancer, was saved by Miss Skylar’s words, but she’s been wheelchair-bound ever since.” “My dad also experienced a negative effect, but Miss Skylar did tell us beforehand, didn’t she, that those saved would pay a price?” Stella’s voice rang out, clear and forceful. “That’s because I am the true bringer of blessings; I’ve been praying for all of you behind the scenes!” She pointed a finger at me, her voice dripping with accusation. “But Skylar Bellweather has been usurping my place, basking in all your adoration!” “Your family members’ physical defects? Those are entirely due to her cursed words!” Vincent stepped forward then, embracing Stella, his voice firm. “I can vouch for it. Stella is the true bringer of blessings, the one who can intercede. Skylar Bellweather only curses. That’s why I’m treating her this way!” The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whom to believe, but the looks directed at me were now tinged with resentment. Just then, several stones whizzed through the air towards me. I couldn’t dodge them all, and one struck my forehead, immediately gushing blood. A shrill, piercing scream cut through the air. “Curse! You killed my grandfather! I demand retribution!” 3 A figure lunged at me, landing a punch on my body. I trembled with pain, collapsing onto the ground in agony. “It was her! She said she could cure my grandpa’s leg ailment, took a huge sum of money from him, and then, shortly after her ‘blessing,’ my grandpa died, bleeding from all seven orifices!” The man shrieked, tears streaming down his face. “It’s all this black-hearted curse’s fault for killing Grandpa, leaving him without even a coffin, still lying at home!” I snapped my head up, staring at the man who was furiously cursing me. A face utterly, completely unfamiliar! I had never seen him before. Why was he lying?! This question lingered for barely a second before Stella’s voice provided the answer. It was Stella’s doing! She feigned a look of shock and dismay. “Skylar, why didn’t you tell me about this?” she cried, her voice trembling. “Without my blessings, didn’t you know your cursed words would kill someone?!” I struggled to my feet, my body weak, and shouted back at the man, “I didn’t! I’m the true bringer of blessings, and I’ve never seen you before!” But my voice was instantly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd’s whispers and shouts. Vincent shot me a look of pure loathing. “Skylar Bellweather, you truly are disgusting. I was too lenient with you in the last life!” If before, the crowd had only been suspicious, this staged performance instantly solidified their belief that I was a born curse. They completely forgot how they had once begged me, now turning into ungrateful ingrates, hurling accusations and insults. “Bah! You black-hearted curse! Why didn’t your mother just strangle you at birth! To bring you into the world just to harm people!” “Exactly, exactly! And you still want to enjoy the reputation of a bringer of blessings? Do you even deserve it?!” “This makes me so angry! No wonder you always warned us about the price before saving anyone—it was your cursed words at work all along! And I actually thought you were kindly reminding us!” Saving a life, plucking someone from the grasp of death, going against fate itself—how could there be no backlash?! But they wouldn’t listen to my explanations, instead starting to hurl objects at me. Eggs, beer bottles, stones, rotten vegetables… I curled up on the ground, shielding my head, my body throbbing with pain from the impacts. I forced my eyes open, only to see Vincent and Stella’s triumphant, gloating smiles. Stella’s voice was loud and clear, full of arrogant mirth. “Skylar Bellweather, your cursed nature has been exposed! Let’s see who dares to ask you for help now!” As Stella’s confident words faded, another clear, pleasant voice rang out. “I will!” The next second, a slender, handsome young man stepped in front of me, shielding me from the barrage of objects. The crowd momentarily froze, their hands instinctively halting. I looked at this unexpected stranger. He was tall and carried an air of nobility, yet his clothes screamed only one word: humble. What was strange was that he bore a slight resemblance to Vincent. He turned to me, his gaze earnest. “Miss Bellweather, please, I beg you, save my mother!” He pulled a savings passbook from his pocket, pleading. “This is all the money I have. Please, pray for my mother. She was in a car accident and has been in a coma for months!” But before I could react, Vincent roared, “Atticus Arends, what the hell are you doing here, you bastard?!” Atticus? The name clicked in my mind. Vincent’s father, a notorious womanizer in his youth, had cheated on Vincent’s mother during her pregnancy, fathering a son with another woman. That son was Atticus Arends! Atticus’s gaze didn’t waver, fixed intently on me, his voice resolute. “Please, I beg you!” I swallowed the rising bitterness in my throat and asked him, my voice cold, “Did you hear everything that just happened?” Atticus nodded. I was a little surprised. “And you still come to me? Didn’t you hear them say I’m a curse, that I’ll bring harm?” Atticus’s face was stone-cold, but his eyes held an unwavering resolve. “You won’t. Grandpa said you’re a good person, and to only come to you in the direst of circumstances. You must be the Empath he spoke of.” Stella couldn’t resist sneering from the side. “Typical bastard! Can’t even understand common sense. If you want to kill your mom, go right ahead and find her!” Vincent, too, wore an expression of smug amusement. “I was just wondering how to get rid of your mother, that bitch. Perfect! I’d love to see how this curse kills your mom; it’ll bring me great joy!” To be honest, seeing the ungrateful faces of those I had once saved filled me with a profound chill. But Atticus, despite the mockery and scorn from everyone else, stood firm, unwavering in his belief in me. I took a deep breath, then nodded. “Alright, I agree to help you, but…”
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