Chapter 1 The End and The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The End and the Beginning**

The world was ending.

Flames licked at the crumbling remains of once-thriving skyscrapers, their shattered windows reflecting the blood-red hue of the sky. The ground trembled as mutated beasts roamed the streets, searching for their next meal. The stench of death and decay filled the air, but Alina had grown used to it. She had survived longer than most, clawing her way through the apocalypse with the help of her trusted team. Or so she thought.

Pain lanced through her abdomen as she stumbled back, a blade embedded deep into her flesh. Her breath hitched, disbelief clouding her vision as she looked up at the traitors surrounding her.

"W-Why…?" she choked out, gripping the hilt of the knife her best friend, Lila, had just driven into her.

Lila's cold eyes gleamed under the eerie glow of the broken city. "It's nothing personal, Alina. You were just in the way."

Her boyfriend, Jared, stepped forward, his expression one of false regret. "Don't take it too hard. You were always too powerful. It was only a matter of time before you turned on us."

Alina's heart pounded in her chest. Turn on them? She had protected them, fought for them, even given up resources to ensure their survival. And this was her reward? Betrayal?

The rest of the team – people she had trusted with her life – stood behind Jared and Lila, their faces devoid of guilt. Even the ones she had saved from certain death.

Rage simmered beneath her pain, but her body was growing weaker. Blood dripped onto the cracked pavement, her vision darkening at the edges.

"You…" She coughed, a bitter smile forming on her lips. "You will regret this."

Lila scoffed. "Doubt it." With a final shove, she pushed the knife deeper before yanking it out. Alina fell to her knees, her strength slipping away with each heartbeat.

The last thing she saw was the sneer on Jared's face before darkness claimed her.

---

When Alina opened her eyes, she expected pain. She expected death. Instead, she found herself floating in an endless abyss, surrounded by shimmering lights of every color.

"Strange…" she murmured, reaching out to touch a swirling thread of gold. The moment her fingers brushed against it, a warm sensation spread through her body.

**Congratulations, Host! You have been selected for a second chance.**

A voice echoed in her mind, neither male nor female, but infused with an overwhelming presence.

Alina blinked. "A second chance?"

**Indeed. You have been reborn into the Interstellar Realm, a world of boundless potential. As compensation for your tragic past, you have been granted all eight elemental spiritual roots: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Gold, Thunder, Ice, and Wind.**

Alina's breath hitched. She had heard of spiritual roots before in the legends of cultivation, but possessing all eight? That was unheard of.

**However, great power comes with great responsibility. Survive, thrive, and uncover the secrets of this world. This is your destiny, Host.**

Before she could ask anything else, a blinding light enveloped her, and she felt herself being pulled into the unknown.

---

Alina gasped, her lungs filling with fresh air as she jolted awake. Her body felt…different. Lighter. Stronger.

She sat up and looked around, taking in her new surroundings. She was in a lush forest, the air crisp and filled with spiritual energy. Towering trees stretched towards the sky, their leaves shimmering with hues she had never seen before. In the distance, mountains loomed, their peaks touching the clouds.

She caught sight of a stream nearby and stumbled toward it, desperate to see her reflection. The face staring back at her was not her own—or at least, not the one she remembered.

She looked younger, barely sixteen, with luminous silver eyes and long, raven-black hair cascading down her back. Her skin was flawless, glowing with an ethereal sheen. Even her body felt more refined, as if sculpted by the heavens themselves.

A slow grin spread across her lips.

"This… is interesting."

She had been betrayed, left to die in a cruel world. But now? She had been reborn in a realm filled with power, mystery, and endless possibilities. And she wasn't just an ordinary person here—she had all eight elemental spiritual roots.

The people who betrayed her would never get the chance to do so again.

This time, she would forge her own path. And the universe would have to watch as she carved her name into the stars.

A sudden rustling in the bushes behind her made her whip around. Her senses, far sharper than before, immediately picked up on the movement. Her body moved on instinct, stepping back as a beast lunged out from the shadows. It was unlike anything she had ever seen—a massive feline-like creature with black fur, glowing silver stripes running down its body, and three tails crackling with electric energy.

Alina's eyes widened. "A Thunderclaw Beast…?"

Before she could react, the beast charged, moving faster than her old self could have ever handled. But she was no longer her old self.

Her body surged with energy. Instinctively, she raised her hand, and the air around her responded. A powerful gust of wind shot forward, sending the beast skidding back. The wind howled as she extended her fingers, and suddenly, flames erupted from her palm, licking the air hungrily before slamming into the Thunderclaw Beast's side.

The creature snarled, its silver eyes burning with fury. It shook off the attack and lunged again, this time faster. Alina barely had a second to react, but she didn't need one. Her instincts took over. She stepped to the side, her movements fluid, and then clenched her fist. A surge of ice erupted from the ground, encasing the beast's front leg in a thick crystal of frost.

It roared in fury, struggling against the ice, but she wasn't done. With a flick of her wrist, sharp spears of earth rose from the ground, surrounding the creature. It snapped its jaws, but Alina knew she had the upper hand.

She smirked. "Not so tough now, are you?"

The Thunderclaw Beast gave one last defiant growl before slumping to the ground, defeated.

Alina exhaled, her heart racing with excitement. She had just fought and won against a high-level beast—something that would have been impossible in her past life.

She clenched her fists, feeling the raw power coursing through her veins.

This was just the beginning.

And she was ready for whatever came next.