I clutched my chest as blood trickled down. The pain was sharp, but my confusion cut deeper.

My father, eyes wild, brandished a knife at me. “I will kill you and your mother, you little fucker!"

Why was this happening...?

My life in this world was supposed to go as planned! I was supposed to have a nice, quiet, and peaceful life!

...So why did it turn out like this?!

My mother, panic etched on her face, retreated toward the old wooden door. “Jacob, it’s a misunderstanding! You have to listen to me!”

But my mother wasn’t the only one trembling.

My father's hands shook even as he swung the knife menacingly. “A misunderstanding? You knew what she was and kept it secret! You knew she had that damned mark!”

She stammered, “B-but, it’s not what it seems. It's not a bad thi—”

“Shut up!”

The pain intensified.

“D-dad… It hurts,” I managed to say, trying to stem the flow of blood.

His gaze bore into me with absolute disgust. He lunged, and I instinctively dodged, but not fast enough. The knife plunged deep into my stomach, and I screamed.

He seized me by the neck, slamming me against the shaky wooden wall. Blood sprayed, staining everything. I glimpsed my own intestines; it wasn’t a mere stab—he had sliced me open.

“Why… Why!” I wailed.

“You are nothing but evil,” he spat, ignoring my mother’s desperate pleas.

Desperation surged within me. I touched my stomach, recalling Mom’s warnings not to use it. But what choice did I have? A red glow enveloped my hand, flesh knitting together, sealing the wounds. The drain was palpable, but the damage vanished.

“You…” My father’s eyes bore into mine.

“What part of that looks normal, Natasha?” He turned to my mother. “Not even those with the system have fucking skills! You thought it was okay to harbor her? To keep everything about her secret?”

“But… I am not evil. Maybe I was blessed with this power!” I shouted.

I wanted to draw on knowledge from my past life. Claiming I’d met a god would have been my go-to... but gods didn’t exist here, and what they 'worshipped' didn’t bestow such gifts on people.

His grip tightened. “You have skills—enough evidence that you’re not human or anything close.”

Once again, he seized me by the shirt, attempting to slash my neck. However, I reacted swiftly, stabbing him in the neck with all my might using the pen I had clutched.

Upon my strike, he let out a screech and released me.

Blood. An immense amount of blood gushed from his neck.

I hadn’t intended to stab so hard! I wanted him to stop… A pen wasn't supposed to be that sharp!

His eyes were filled with terror as he stammered, “I should have killed you…”

"Dad!"

"Stop fighting!"

My younger siblings cried out.

"Leave Dad alone! And Dad leave Vernisha alone!"

But... he was the one that tried to kill me...

If he died here, my siblings would hate me. Not only that, it would result in mob justice. I would be hunted down and killed by strangers I never even met before.

I could heal him and then flee.

I approached him, and he glared at me. "Stay away..."

"I am not going to harm you," I said as I stretched my hand towards him.

He tried his best to resist, but he was losing so much blood that he barely had the strength for it.

"Don't hurt him!" My younger brother shouted as he tried to stop me, but he wasn't strong enough.

Then I touched my father's neck, sealed the wounds, and his blood flow normalized.

I took a step back in case he tried to attack me again.

Yet… all he did was touch his neck and gaze at the ceiling.

He then commanded, “Get out of my house… both you and your mother!”

I already had no intention of staying here anymore anyway.

“Jacob…” my mother attempted to persuade him.

I was at a loss to understand her actions.

He had tried to murder us both. Remaining in this house with him would simply provide him with additional opportunities to harm us.

So why...?

Then the answer hit me.

Ah, right… it was because they were her family. Naturally, she didn’t want to be separated from her other children.

My father was adamant in his decision.

Being cast away evoked a peculiar sensation.

This was the same man who always took me everywhere he went. I was constantly by his side on the farm, planting yellow fig trees, or excavating the soil to harvest ground provisions.

He even dubbed me his little treasure because I always assisted in ‘ingenious’ ways due to the agricultural knowledge I possessed from my past life. My previous mother was a farmer and used to force me to work on her farm with her when I was younger, so I was well-versed.

Even when he went to sell the goods, I was always with him.

Heck… he used to proclaim that I would bring fame to the Holinestone family in the future. So, it was honestly somewhat painful to be regarded with such fury and revulsion.

Eventually, my mother gave up on trying to get him to change his mind. As she left, she waved goodbye to my siblings, who tried to force her to stay.

As soon as we were outside, he shut the door closed so hard that the small house shook.

The house was so weak that I was often worried that it would collapse on me.

My mother clenched her fist and turned towards the unpaved road that led out of the small village.

"Let's go, Vernisha," she said as she grabbed my hand.

"Tell me wh-"

She gestured to the villagers who were out of their houses, looking at us with curiosity.

Right... I guess asking questions now was a bad thing.

I walked forward. "Yeah, let's go."

Some villagers asked us what happened and so on as if they didn't hear the screams and shouts.

My mother didn't answer and simply said, "I don't know."

We left the village and trudged what seemed like an eternity on a rocky path.

As we walked, I incessantly pestered her, demanding answers.

“That mark… what is it? And why did he call me evil?! I did nothing evil! You know that!” I raised my voice.

She retorted, “He’s mistaken… there is nothing evil or wrong about it! You should take pride in it!” Then she drew a deep breath.

"Take pride in this?!"

She grunted in frustration. “Yes... The only thing you have to be careful about is that power… Don’t flaunt it.”

“But why do I have it?!”

“It’s just… it’s something special.”

"So the next time someone tries to cut my stomach open, you want me to just roll over and die?" I asked sarcastically.

"Obviously not!" She turned towards me in anger. "Stop asking dumb questions... Only use it if you need to."

She then sighed. "If it's to survive, use it."

“You keep confusing me... I just want some answers.”

I had asked her about the mark and the power before, but all she ever told me was that it was a gift. But she always said to keep that gift hidden from my father.

Then she said, "Fine. That mark... some people fear it. They misunderstand it. But you have to understand, it means you are lucky."

I shook my head. "How can I be lucky if it made Dad want to kill me?"

"Because it will bring great things to your life." she smiled.

I didn't get it.

Then she pointed in the distance. “In the main road to the capital, influential individuals typically traverse. Go there, and no matter what, remain there until someone opts to take you in.”

“Are you out of your mind?! Then what?! Die because they want to kill me due to this mark?!”

“I’ve told you! That mark isn’t anything bad! It’s a blessing! Something grand! You shouldn’t be ashamed of it! Actually… show it. If they ask to see it, show it… if fate plays well, it will go in your favor.”

“But…”

“Trust me, Vernisha…” she said as she grasped my shoulders. "Like I said, only some people fear it."

“F-fine.”

“And if someone asks questions about it or me, lie. Don’t give them details. Say you don’t know why. Add some truth… but not everything.”

"I..."

She kept her eye on me. "Please just... listen to me."

“But what if Dad comes back to kill me?”

“You healed him, didn’t you?” she asked as she gazed at my hands.

“Yes… so he is alive.”

She muttered something under her breath and then said, “Don’t worry about it. Now go.”

And so I did. I walked alone at night, accompanied only by the chirping of the birds.

***

Jacob staggered outside his house, bracing himself against the wall. He was healed, of that he was certain… so why was he suddenly starting to feel unwell, he wondered.

It was as if something within him was amiss. As if… his insides were gradually being ravaged by some form of energy…

And he could sense his time was dwindling.

His vision was getting blurry and breathing was starting to become difficult.

He gasped for air, but it seemed to make things worse.

Then the realization struck him as blood started to run down his nose. "Oh… that brat."