In a somewhat dim room, Ruby roused slowly from her sleep. It took a considerable amount of time before her aching head finally cleared. Rubbing her confused eyes, she tries to recognize her surroundings. Where is this?

Slowly moving from the bed, Ruby clutched her head. The creaking of the bed she just left echoed painfully in her ears. Looking around, she realizes the setting feels strangely familiar.

Her breath hitched as a sharp pain shot through her skull, causing her to kneel abruptly. Clutching her throbbing head, she closed her eyes, images flashing unbidden before her.

Acid... betrayal... miscarrying... Nicholas! Ruby's eyes shot open in an instant, her expression turning terrifying.

Nicholas! Regina!

They... they hadn't killed her. Ruby's emotions crackled with the force of her discovery. Anger, pain, and despair quickly consumed her.

No... no, something's not right.... Ruby scrutinized the area around her, her bright eyes assessing every element. As the setting became clearer, her emotions seemed to dissipate simultaneously. This... this was once her home, a place she had not lived in since she turned eighteen.

She remembered her youngest brother borrowing money from unsavory characters at the tender age of sixteen. To escape the debt, the entire family had moved away. This house should have been sold off to repay the debt. How did she end up back here?

She turns in the room and finds her old wooden study desk, still adorned with mathematics formulas she needed to memorize scattered carelessly amongst textbooks. A document catches her eye. It belonged to her. But... how is that possible?

She abruptly raises her hand - skinny and somewhat yellow because of malnutrition, but without the mutilations her sister Regina inflicted. Her nails were intact and unripped; her body felt no pain.

Ruby froze, then rushed to a mirror. Her reflection, though familiar, seemed strangely alien. There were no acid burns, no disfigurement, her skin was unmarred... and she was stunned.

She had not been splashed with acid, nor had her face been marred. She had not lost her nails, nor her baby. She hadn't been tortured. She was still alive.

She was alive!

Ruby felt a wave of dizziness. It all felt like a dream, yet the reality was frightening. Leaning against a chair, she sat down at the table, her hand massaging her throbbing temples. Taking a moment to calm herself, the horrifying images continued flashing in her mind. She had indeed lived through everything.

Nicholas's calculations, Regina's maneuvers, all of these really existed. Even if she closed her eyes, she could still see the image of herself being unbearably tormented and terrified. But now, she was like this...

Did she... reincarnate?

Ruby blankly studied her surroundings, somewhat dazed, her gaze finally fell on the calendar. It was the twenty-sixth day of December, 2012. Winter vacation had begun.

It was then she remembered something—she seemed to have fallen into the water this time. When she went out with Regina and Michelle, she accidentally fell into the river.

Thinking about it now, she didn't know if it was really an accident, or if someone did it on purpose. Ruby's hands clenched tightly, her eyes displaying hatred.

On the 26th of December, 2012, the world didn't end. She recalled how, before the holiday, she and the other girls in her class had been genuinely terrified of the approaching apocalypse. On the 20th of that month, she was incredibly anxious. When the apocalypse didn't come on the 21st, she resigned herself to fate, reasoning that if the world ended, she wouldn't be the only one to die, and how fortunate it was for everyone to die together. She remembered clearly how she had thought back then. As she recalled it now, she felt a sour ache in her nose and the corners of her eyes became slightly warm.

On the 22nd, she went out to play with Regina and Michelle to celebrate the world not ending. Unexpectedly, she fell into the water. The river in winter was not frozen. When she accidentally fell, she felt the bone-piercing chill. At that moment, only one thought crossed her mind: the apocalypse didn't come for others on the 21st, but hers arrived a day late.

Four days passed in unconsciousness.

Thinking about her past naivety and the torment she suffered after, Ruby felt a surge of self-mockery.

Back when she was with Nicholas, he would subtly ask about her ring often. However, she was too swept up in the rose-tinted fog of love to notice his questions, his impatience, his disgust.

Ah, youth's ignorance truly did lead to a miserably tormented end.

In this second life, she would not go down the same path! She would make all those who betrayed her, who plotted against her, taste the same bitter betrayal and torment. She would send them straight to hell!

The air was instantly thick with murderous intent.

“Mummy...don't be angry...” A babyish voice suddenly rang out in Ruby’s head, causing her to stand up abruptly, scanning her surroundings warily. “Who’s there?!”

“...” But all was quiet.

Ruby remained on high alert, her gaze darting suspiciously around her surroundings, only to find them deserted.

At that moment, her mind went blank. Suddenly, her body felt lightweight, and the environment around her shifted.

She was engulfed in a white mist, unable to break free, yet it felt pleasantly comfortable - akin to being submerged in a hot spring with the winter chill completely dissipated.

After a moment, the mist gradually cleared up, revealing her surroundings clearly enough to make Ruby's pupils dilate in astonishment.

The scenery was somewhat like a utopian paradise, with streams, farmlands, and a serene atmosphere.

What surprised and pained Ruby, however, was the sight of an infant, swaddled and minuscule in size, barely larger than a newborn in front of her. The baby's face was hidden under the swaddling blanket, making it impossible to gauge its features.

Upon seeing the baby, Ruby instantly thought of her unborn child that Regina had brutally taken from her. A bout of sadness swept over her, and her eyes moistened. Though she knew that the child may not have been a good person, it was still innocent. To her, as a mother, the child was part of her. Its sudden loss had left her heart in agony.

The sight of the baby, the instant transportation to this place didn't surprise her as much as it elicited an overwhelming sense of loss and sadness, a despair so deep it felt bone-deep.

Sensing Ruby's pain, the voice in her head reappeared, "Mother, don't be sad, your baby is alive, right in front of you."

The babble-like voice came with a soothing tone, full of gentleness and coaxing.

The sudden voice startled Ruby again. Baby? What baby? This moment allowed Ruby to temporarily shift out of her grief, only to realize that her current situation was far from normal.

Ruby stared, wide-eyed at the swaddled baby, her nerves drawn taut. She carefully ventured, "Who...exactly are you?"

She was now standing close to the baby and spotted an infant as pristine as an angel, with eyes black as grapes. On meeting her gaze, the baby offered a mild smile. That smile seemed to be the world's most innocent and healing marvel, mysteriously easing human suffering, "Mother, I am your baby."

With laughter twinkling in the baby's eyes, on seeing her shocked expression, the baby hurriedly said, "Mother, I really am your baby. You were reborn because of the power of the ring, and I survived because of the same power. We have successfully made a pact with the ring. Right now, you are inside my ring, mother."

The toddler-like voice landed heavily on Ruby's heart. She paused, then disbelief filled her eyes. It seemed as if she had just heard a fairy tale.