After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

After several rounds of deliberation, Oswald and the system have determined that physical death will lead to the birth of the curse.

The curse originated from the backlash of the Wishing Star, which was merely a tool that the goddess obtained by chance. Although she could modify the curse's incarnation through the power of the gods, it was clear that even the gods could not completely control the curse.

The most troublesome point right now is that the four races have different wishes, with the abstract human desire for the goddess to always be by their side...

In other words, even if Oswald could defeat the goddess, he couldn't actually kill her, because at the moment of her death, all of humanity would likely follow her hand in hand to the system headquarters.

Oswald needs to find the key to breaking the deadlock, so he must trigger all the curses as soon as possible.

The five Wishing Stars represent curses afflicting all four races at the racial level, with only the last wish remaining unknown.

For the five owners of the Wishing Stars, only when Annie's curse comes true will they have truly completed a cycle of reincarnation.

As for what lies behind reincarnation, no one knows the answer.

Walking alone to the center of the altar, Annie's white dress fluttered in the wind. She pulled her hair back, her face showing no sign of nervousness, but rather a hint of anticipation.

She desperately wanted to know the answer. There's a famous saying: people may not be able to empathize with their past selves.

Now she only hopes that what they have between them is not just hatred.

"Let's begin."

Annie spoke softly, and the magic circle on the altar activated. Ancient runes lit up on the stone pillars of the altar, and waves of dim light pierced through Annie's body.

The soldiers quickly retreated to a safe distance, when a sudden gust of wind, carrying with it an endless chill, condensed into frosty patches.

Eleanor clung tightly to Oswald's arm, and all they could hear was the rustling of the trees and the howling north wind scattering the dust.

With a crisp snap, the light on her chest quickly dimmed, and Annie reached out and caught a snowflake, as white as her hair.

That's the silver coat of winter in the northern region.

The past has never passed away; it has not even arrived yet.

Unable to recall how long she had walked, Annie knew it was a dream. Countless illusory figures passed by her, gradually disappearing into the sea of ​​stars along an endless path of light.

She could feel the coldness in her body; the lost warmth seemed to come from another dimension.

A cold wind swept through the road, and the sacred bells rang again and again. Annie tried to walk back, but it seemed to be a one-way street.

Hidden in the crowd, Annie couldn't see the destination or the platform. The voices, a mix of hope and lies, guided her to try to move forward bravely.

A feeling of loneliness crept over her entire body, and her fantasies vanished like raindrops. She closed her eyes and ran forward, as unforgettable memories flashed back repeatedly.

The light faded, and Annie plummeted into the sea of ​​stars.

Here, she saw a light break through and rise from the horizon; it was the past sealed deep within her soul.

The melting snow flowed through her palms, each drop shattering the illusion.

She looked up, and the world unfolded slowly. Locusts gathered in the sky like dark clouds, then turned into an arrow that missed the bullseye.

"Are you daydreaming?"

The boy on the training field had a warm smile, like a gentle breeze brushing against his face, but he quickly gripped the hilt of his sword again and gritted his teeth as he repeated the swinging and slashing motions.

"Oswald, I feel like I'm seeing a lot."

Young Annie put down her bow and arrows, rubbed her head, and seemed a little dazed.

"What? You've got heatstroke, haven't you? You should go and rest."

"It wasn't heatstroke. I saw myself as an adult, and then I was adventuring with some people and defeating a lot of demons."

The boy shook his head with a wry smile. "What you're saying is like a dream."

"Hmm, let me think about it more carefully, maybe I can still see you." Young Annie closed her eyes tightly, unwilling to miss any clues in those messy images.

After a long while, the boy asked again, "Tell me, Miss Annie, what did you see?"

"I saw you... kill me?"

Boom!

The Wishing Star clutched tightly in Nicole's hand shone with an extremely dazzling light, causing even the heavens and earth to change color, and the torrent of time, torn apart, once again twisted and turned, creating a path of fantasy.

"This is the end," Annie whispered to herself.

She couldn't understand why Oswald had died; it shouldn't have been like this! With his abilities and intelligence, how could he possibly have died in such a simple trap!

What exactly is fate? What have I done?

The star exploded with an incomparably intense light, tearing the night sky apart, and the world trembled as it repeatedly locked onto that one second.

If I see him again...

Annie grasped the Wishing Star, and she seemed to feel Nicole's gentle yet helpless gaze, guiding out a vast amount of magic.

"In the true name of Oswald, may his soul be freed from its predetermined fate."

As the wish began to come true, the world suddenly began to collapse. Time and the threads of fate clashed, ultimately unleashing magic into the galaxy, and a ray of light broke free from its shackles.

Time continues to rewind, but fate has mysteriously gone off track. Before the world ends, something presses the pause button.

A soft laugh echoed from the soul space, seemingly mocking His foolish attempt to manipulate fate.

A story that must be started but cannot be started, lost in the turbulent flow of time.

[You have obtained a dangerous item, and the world you control is far more dangerous than you imagined.]

(Requesting a transaction based on the divine ferry contract)

[No, we will not make a deal with a god who can see into your destiny. You should let go and leave this world.]

(I cannot leave this world)

[......]

We don't care.

(I will provide appropriate compensation; that power can now be extracted.)

[......]

[......]

[Ha, I hope you really can achieve your wish.]

As the cold wind gradually subsided, Oswald received the message carried by the wind and confirmed that Annie had stopped breathing.

The anticipated cursed incarnation did not revive. Time passed second by second, and Annie's body remained lying there, unchanged.

Oswald frowned. He was quite certain that Annie's wish was related to the original Oswald. No one but her would use the Wishing Star to kill the original Oswald.

Fortunately, he had already used up all his Wishing Stars, otherwise Oswald himself would have been in danger of being refined in an instant.

"What do you think she wished for?" Oswald looked at Elene, who was nestled in his arms, and picked a leaf from her hair.

"Sometimes you should believe in love, Your Grace." Elena smiled faintly, then quickly thought of Lilith, and her smile froze.

Because of her love for Thorne, Lilith resurrected him, becoming the embodiment of the curse. In order to give birth to Thorne's child, she also deliberately destroyed herself.

The bizarrely released Deathrattle skill marked the beginning of Thorne's life of suffering.

"My lord, do you think... Annie might also have that death prophecy?"