“I can send you back.” The blue fire burned in Anubis' pale eyes. “Back to the moment before your world shattered. Before your father’s blood stained your hands. Before betrayal carved your name into death's black book and your soul sustained its mark.” “I can send you back to the beginning with full knowledge of everything that has happened to you.”Her crooked smile widened almost into a grin. “I can… I can see my father again?” Lillia’s voice wavered, uncertainty loudly evident in them. “Not just that, you will remember everything.” Anubis went on, her tone almost coaxing now, like a soothing whisper curling through the mind. “You will remember every face, every lie, betrayal, every plot and this time… you will not lose.” “You will rewrite your fate.” She continued with a voice that dipped into something darker. “This path is easy. What comes after is but a small price to pay to live.” Then, the curve on her lips slowly straightened. “Or you may choose the hard path to save the moon priestess.” Her voice was suddenly stripped of all the softness as she continued. “To save the girl, you must walk a road where death does not merely follow you…” Her gaze darkened. “…it walks ahead of you.” The flames surged again, casting shadows that twisted unnaturally along the ground as Anubis' eyes grew wild. “If you do not rewrite your fate.” Anubis calmly said. “You will bring ruin to all who stand beside you. One by one… they will fall. If you choose to save the girl,” she continued, ruthlessly cold and detached. “Then understand this—” She turned away coldly. “You will die. For them to live… you must take their place.” Lillia struggled to breathe, her body shook, tears pouring from her reddened eyes, yet not a single sound escaped her. “And if I return?” Lillia asked slowly, counting every word like they were a burden on her tongue. “You live.” She looked into the fire as she added softly. “Such is the price of the cursed star-born child. Your weak, wolfless body was not a misfortune, child; they were mercies granted to you… that you might live.” “Mercy?” Lillia's voice turned cold. “Being treated like an outcast, disregarded and discriminated against by my pack for being weak, unfit and wolfless was mercy?” Anger surged within as more tears poured, but her eyes remained wide and wild, exuding raw defiance and rage glaring at Anubis as she gritted her teeth. It is starting to feel like I do not have a place here… no, I do not have a place anywhere. It feels as though every force in this world is trying to cast me out. If I return, father still dies, Pete betrays me and I die. If I stay here, I bring ruin upon everyone except I die. What’s the difference? In both life, I bring ruin and end up dying. Lillia’s gaze fell with an exhausted sigh. Perhaps, it was time I gave up fighting. There really is no use anymore because from the very beginning I was a curse. And curses should never exist. “Child.” When Anubis met Lillia’s gaze again, her pale eyes were emotionless. “Do you choose life or death?”