The Cost of Nine Stars

“My entire life revolved around a sacred power that cost me a piece of my soul every time I used it. Nine star-like birthmarks on my forearm, each fading after I resurrected Ethan, the adoptive brother I believed had saved me. I had brought him back from the dead nine times, from drug overdoses to twisted car wrecks, each revival leaving me more hollowed out. But today, standing in a reeking stable, the ultimate degradation struck as Ethan, now a desperate heir, demanded I perform my vanished miracle on a dead racehorse for his crooked deal. My power was long gone, all nine stars extinguished, yet he sneered, refusing to believe me, calling me selfish and an "ungrateful bitch." He had Tiff, his social-media-obsessed girlfriend, publicly "cleanse" me as a cruel mockery of my ancient ritual. Then he tried to drag me towards the dead stallion, ready to force a miracle I couldn't perform, seeing me as nothing but a worthless tool. The endless humiliation, the years of abuse, and the terrifying emptiness inside me became an unbearable weight. How could he be so blind to the fact that I had absolutely nothing left to give? I was a commodity, passed from one gilded cage to another, facing an eternity of exploitation. In a final, desperate act of defiance, to reclaim myself even if it meant death, I bolted from the stable and sprinted headlong into the path of an oncoming car. But instead of oblivion, strong hands pulled me back from the brink, and for the first time in forever, I saw the face that would rewrite my entire past: Julian Thorne.”