The day I completed my mission, the System asked me how I wanted to die.
I want to die saving Stella, I told it. And I want them all to watch.
When we were children, Stella saved me from a fire. For that, my family adopted her. But the love they once had for me, their own daughter, slowly transferred to her, until she was the sun they all revolved around.
I became a ghost in my own home, forced to yield at every turn.
Even Ethan, my childhood sweetheart and fianc, sided with the supposedly fragile, "depressed" Stella. I watched them laugh together as they set my wedding dress aflame.
In the roaring light of the fire, Ethans words were the same ones Id heard a thousand times before.
She saved your life, Sophie. Is it so hard to just let her have this?
Never forget, Sophie. Without Stella, youd be dead.
Well, the mission was over. It was time for me to go.
And now, I would make them see me give that life back to her.
This time, I would be the one to say, Without me, shed be dead.

1
The System informed me that a violent riot would break out during the grand parade at Everland Amusement Park.
Stella was there right now.
The timing is perfect, it buzzed in my mind. Take the knife for her, and the mission will conclude.
When I arrived at the park, I saw them. My father, who was supposed to be on a business trip. My mother, who had a conference. My brother, who was working late. All of them were there.
They had lied to me, all to celebrate Stellas birthday together.
Watching them from a distance, a happy, perfect family, I suddenly remembered.
Today was my birthday, too.
There was still some time before the chaos would begin. I bought the smallest cupcake I could find at a dessert stand and asked for a single candle. Finding a quiet bench, I sat down and lit the wick. The tiny flame was almost invisible in the bright afternoon sun.
I closed my eyes and made a wish.
My first wish: to return to my own world, where the System would use its power to cure my real mothers illness.
Three years ago, my mother had fallen gravely ill. Thats when the System found me. The price of her cure was twenty years of my life in another world. The mission was simple: make all the key figures in this new life either love me or despise me, unanimously.
At first, when Stella, the orphaned daughter of our late chauffeur, was adopted for saving my life, I thought it was the ultimate proof of my parents' love for me.
But that love soured.
Stella saved you. You need to be grateful.
Whats the big deal if you just let her have it? Without her, youd be dead, Sophie!
Those words had been my cage for twenty years.
My spot at a prestigious university? I gave it up for her.
The promotion to director I worked my fingers to the bone for? Hers.
And then last night, using her depression as a shield, Stella had taken a pair of scissors to my wedding dress, cutting it to shreds just for the fun of burning it. Ethan had stood right beside her, bending down to light the match.
I had stared at him, my voice hollow. Were getting married tomorrow, Ethan. Why?
His eyes, for the first time, held no trace of the conflict or pain I used to see. They were just cold.
And for the first time, he was the one who said it.
Never forget, Sophie. Without Stella, youd be dead.
In that moment, the Systems voice chimed.
Mission Complete. Emotional link confirmed for all targets: Despise.
A tear escaped from under my closed eyelid.
I remembered a time when I was the center of their world.
Sophie is the light of our lives!
Three cheers for our birthday girl!
Your family will always be here to catch you, sweetheart.
But the mission was complete, and the ending was not the one I had so naively expected. Everything had changed.
I made my second wish:
Please, let it be quick.
I hadn't even finished the thought when a hand slapped the cupcake from my lap. It tumbled to the pavement, smearing a sad swirl of buttercream across the dusty concrete.

2
I opened my eyes. It was my brother, Larry.
His brows were furrowed in anger. Sophie! What are you doing here? he hissed. Did you know it was Stellas birthday? Are you here to cause a scene?
His first instinct upon seeing me was to accuse me of trying to hurt Stella. Had I really become that person in his eyes?
I couldnt understand it. This was the brother who used to let me ride on his back, playing knight and princess. Now, he looked at me like I was the dragon.
I stared back at him, my eyes burning, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. My birthday cake was ruined, my second wish left unspoken.
Taking a deep breath, I knelt down, blew out the sputtering candle, and then, without a second thought, I scooped up the gritty, ruined cake and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed on the mixture of sugar, dirt, and my own crushing despair, as if I could swallow all the bitterness down.
Larry was stunned. What are you?
Passersby were starting to stare. His face flushed with embarrassment. He grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. What do you think youre doing? Youre embarrassing the family!
I wrenched my arm free, my voice a raw rasp. What am I doing? Im eating my own birthday cake! I screamed, my voice cracking. Its my birthday too! Did you even know that?
Larry froze, the anger on his face faltering. After a few seconds of silence, his tone softened slightly, but his words were still sharp. Even so you cant make a scene like this.
I said nothing. I walked to a trash can and threw away the last of the mangled cake in my hand. Then I turned to him, my voice unnervingly calm.
Dont worry. You wont have to be embarrassed by me much longer. After today, I wont be a part of this family anymore.
Today, I said, looking him dead in the eye, Im giving my life back.
He didnt seem to process it. What are you talking about?
Sophie!
Another familiar voice. It was Ethan.
He strode towards us, a shopping bag in his hand, the same wary suspicion in his eyes as Larry. His first words were an echo of my brothers.