Chapter 2 Rebirth

LILITH

Soft morning light filtered through the velvet pink curtains, casting a warm glow on the sleeping beauty on the bed.

A heart-shaped face. High cheekbones. A straight nose. Full, defined lips.

She was the kind of woman whose beauty defined all standards.

Suddenly, her peaceful face contorted, brows furrowing in discomfort-as if caught in a nightmare.

A moment later, her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyelids slowly parted, revealing expressive round eyes and warm brown irises.

---

I blinked, dazed and disoriented.

Wasn't I dead?

I clearly remembered the moment my last breath left my body...

That voice. The system!

In those final moments, I'd heard it ask: If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you take it?

And I had said yes.

Without warning, my heart lost control, pounding out of rhythm.

I sucked in a shaky breath, closed my eyes, and focused on feeling every inch of my body. When I sensed it brimming with energy, I nearly yelped in excitement.

This wasn't my broken, drug-ridden body!

Had I really been reborn?

The system hadn't lied?

In the next second, my eyes snapped open, focusing on the familiar pink chandelier overhead.

I was scared and anxious that this was all just a cruel dream. But I couldn't stand the uncertainty anymore.

I yanked off the covers, jumped onto the plush carpet, and ran over to the full-length mirror by the dresser.

And then...

I saw myself.

My twenty-two-year-old self.

Youthful. Radiant. Heart-achingly beautiful.

I was back?

Had I truly returned-to the time before it all began?

I stood frozen in stunned silence.

Then, without a word, big, fat tears began to fall.

I didn't sob or cry out, but the look on my face would have been enough to soften even the hardest heart.

Just then, I heard it.

That familiar mechanical voice rang out in my mind.

[Hello, host. Congratulations on your rebirth.]

[This time around, I hope you make different choices and change your bad ending.]

Though the voice sounded hollow and devoid of emotion, to me, it was the greatest comfort in the world.

Only then did I truly believe this wasn't a dream.

I was really back.

I laughed through my tears. It was a sound laced with joy, sorrow, hope-and overwhelming relief. The kind that only comes after you've experienced the deepest despair.

Minutes later, I managed to rein in the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

I reached for a wet wipe from the dresser and gently dabbed at the tear stains on my face. Then, I turned to the bedside table and picked up my phone to check the date.

May 12.

My eyes narrowed as I plopped myself down on the bed.

So it was today.

The banquet hosted by my parents to celebrate my college graduation.

It was also the night my engagement with Brandon was formally announced.

The very first wrong choice I ever made.

The system had said it hoped I would make different choices this time around. And what better way to start than by correcting the most important one?

But first, I needed to confirm something.

"System?" I called out softly.

[I'm here, host. Do you need something?]

"Not really. I just have a few questions."

[Go ahead.]

"First of all, are you like the systems in those web novels? With magical space, pills, that kind of thing? Second, why me? Why did you choose me to be reborn?"

[I'm just an ordinary system with no fancy functions. The biggest help I can offer is granting you this chance at rebirth. Occasionally, I might provide much-needed information directly related to changing your life, but that's about it.]

I actually felt relieved hearing that. If it had been one of those all-powerful systems, I might've been wary. Apprehensive even.

Because I didn't believe in free lunches-seemingly unreserved help like that always came with a price.

The system continued.

[As for why you were chosen... it's because you weren't supposed to end up that way.]

I frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

[To put it in web novel terms, the system explained, you were originally meant to be the female lead-destined to have a smooth sailing life until you die peacefully in your twilight years. But there was a plot twist-you had your luck stolen by your so-called best friend, the villainous character. As a result, your roles got switched. She became the new female lead, and you were forced into the role of a tragic supporting character. One who was destined for a bad ending.]

I sat frozen for a moment, my mind blank from the overload of information. But I used to be an avid reader of web novels, so it didn't take long for me to connect the dots.

And once I did... I felt sick to my stomach.

So I wasn't supposed to go through all that pain and misery?

Claire had stolen my luck, my life, and everything that should've been mine. And to top it off, she drugged me to death?

It sounded insane and absurd.

But deep down, I knew it was true.

My fingers clenched at my sides as a storm brewed behind my eyes.

"How did she get such powers? She didn't awaken them or anything, did she?"

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but I could've sworn I heard the system sigh helplessly.

[A corrupted system slated for destruction somehow managed to escape from its world-an extraterrestrial plane-to this one. It needs an immense amount of luck to repair itself and survive. Claire was the host it chose.]

A corrupted system? Extraterrestrial plane?

This world just kept sounding weirder and weirder-but I'd just been reborn, hadn't I? So who was I to talk?

Still, it took me a moment to digest the information.

"Am I the only one whose luck got stolen?"

[No. But you were the first. Your family-and many others-fell victim too. Her actions have thrown the world into disarray. She and that scrap metal are responsible for singlehandedly increasing the number of wronged souls wandering the earth.]

A cold laugh escaped my lips.

"Compressing all that luck to her person... isn't she afraid of choking to death?"

The words came out through gritted teeth, my voice laced with venom.

[She won't. In fact, the laws of the world would bend for her, turning illogical events and unnatural fortune into her reality.]

I froze, a look of realization in my eyes.

No wonder.

No wonder so many things hadn't made sense. Things I'd brushed off as coincidences... turned out they were all side effects of stolen luck.

"So, that's the real reason you let me be reborn, isn't it?" My tone was unnervingly calm now.

"You need someone to fix things."

[Yes. She can no longer be allowed to run wild or else the world may fall into irreversible chaos.]

[You and your family were the starting point. You brought her into the upper circles-a world brimming with people with strong luck and powerful destinies. Only you can set things right.]

"So as long as we get her away from us, she won't be able to steal anyone else's luck?"

[It's not going to be that easy as she's already absorbed a considerable part of your luck. Besides, wouldn't it be wiser to keep her under your watch?]

A flicker of irritation crossed my face. "Then what exactly do you want me to do? How do I stop her?"

[I told you already-make different choices. Change your bad ending.]

Huh? I blinked. That was it?

[Claire steals people's luck when the positive emotions-love, affection, admiration, trust-they have towards her reach a certain threshold. But she can only target one person at a time, and unless a target's luck is fully drained, she can't move on to the next.]

"And I happen to be that unlucky target?"

[Correct.]

"But now that I no longer harbor anything but hatred and disgust toward her, she shouldn't be able to drain my luck anymore, right?"

[You are right. She can't. But neither she nor her corrupted system knows that yet.]

[That scrap metal has a fatal flaw. Once a person's emotions cross the threshold and luck absorption begins, the index freezes at that point. It won't update even if your emotions change or drop afterward.]

[For instance, if the total emotional index is 10 and the threshold is 8, the index will freeze once it reaches 8/10.]

My eyes lit up with understanding.

"So even if my feelings have already turned to hate, they'll have no idea?"

[Exactly. The corrupted system won't get any notifications about the drop because it's in a dormant state. Most of its energy was burned escaping to this world. By the time it realizes something is wrong, it'll already be too late.]

I tapped my toe on the carpet, my mind racing.

Then it clicked.

"If the corrupted system tries to switch targets before my luck is fully drained, will there be backlash?"

[Yes. Severe backlash. For both the system and Claire. If you're lucky, it might even lead to the corrupted system's destruction.]

A slow, chilling smile crept onto my face.

"All right then," I said, my voice cold. "Happy cooperation."