Chapter 9 : The Curse of Sticky Shadow And Memory of New Born

**Chapter 9: The Curse of the Sticky Shadow**

After barely surviving the golem onslaught, Alina and her team took a moment to catch their breath. Rowan was still cradling his stolen egg like it was his firstborn child, earning him repeated side-eyes from the group.

Zephyr examined the floating crystal that had caused all the chaos. "It's still intact," he noted. "But whatever energy it contained has been mostly depleted."

Cassian rolled his shoulders. "Good. Maybe now we can get out of here *without* being crushed by a walking rock."

Just as they were about to move on, Rowan suddenly yelped and stumbled back, waving frantically at his leg. "G-Guys! Something's got me!"

Alina turned, only to see a dark, inky shape stuck to Rowan's boot, writhing like it was alive.

Cassian blinked. "What *is* that?"

Rowan frantically shook his foot, but the thing refused to budge. "I don't know, but it's disgusting! Get it off me!"

Zephyr knelt down for a closer look. The creature—or whatever it was—seemed to be some kind of sentient shadow, stretching and clinging to Rowan's leg like an affectionate leech. "It doesn't seem aggressive," he mused.

Alina smirked. "Maybe it *likes* you."

Rowan glared at her. "Well, the feeling is *not* mutual!"

The moment he said that, the shadow seemed to quiver, and then—*splorp!*—it leaped up onto Rowan's back, wrapping around him like an overenthusiastic scarf.

Rowan let out a high-pitched scream. "NOPE. NOPE. NOPE." He ran in circles, flailing wildly as the shadow clung tighter.

Cassian burst out laughing. "Oh, this is *too* good."

Zephyr, watching calmly, tapped his chin. "Interesting. It seems to be forming a bond with you."

Rowan stopped mid-flail. "Excuse me?! I did *not* consent to a shadow pet!"

Alina crossed her arms. "You *did* steal an egg today. Maybe this is karma."

Rowan groaned. "I take it back! I regret everything! Someone get this thing off me before I end up possessed or something!"

Unfortunately for him, the shadow showed no signs of leaving. If anything, it seemed to be settling in, forming little shadowy tendrils that playfully curled around his arms like a clingy child.

Cassian, still laughing, clapped Rowan on the back. "Congrats. You've been adopted."

Zephyr smirked. "Maybe we should keep moving before your *new friend* attracts unwanted attention."

Rowan sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if I wake up one day and this thing has eaten my soul, just know I *told* you so."

With that, they continued their journey, Rowan muttering darkly about unwanted shadow pets while the rest of the group enjoyed his misfortune. One thing was clear—this adventure was getting stranger by the second.

** Memories of a Newborn in the Interstellar World**

As the group continued their journey through the mysterious ruins, Alina felt an unusual heaviness settle over her. The playful bickering and Rowan's shadow predicament faded into the background as a distant memory began surfacing in her mind—one she had long buried beneath layers of survival and newfound power.

She took a deep breath, her steps slowing. The moment she had first arrived in this strange interstellar world had been both bewildering and terrifying.

---

**The Beginning of Rebirth**

She remembered the suffocating darkness of death. The betrayal of her best friend, her team, her so-called lover—it had all played out like a twisted nightmare. The pain, the fear, the rage—it had all consumed her as her life slipped away.

Then, silence.

Then, light.

A blinding, overwhelming light, followed by the strangest sensation—weightlessness, warmth, and… confinement. It was as if she had been wrapped in something soft, something protective. For a fleeting moment, she thought she had been trapped again—another betrayal, another cruel trick played by fate.

But then, the world outside changed. She heard muffled voices, felt hands lifting her, and for the first time in two lifetimes, she *breathed.*

Alina had been reborn.

The realization had been horrifying at first. She had expected to open her eyes to the same bleak, apocalyptic wasteland, to find herself struggling to survive once more. Instead, she was cradled in the arms of a woman with celestial blue eyes, a serene face framed by golden curls, and an aura so powerful it seemed to ripple through the very air around her.

"You are strong, little one," the woman murmured, her voice soothing yet filled with curiosity. "An anomaly among anomalies."

Alina wanted to speak, to demand answers, but all that came out was a tiny wail. It was humiliating. The mind of an experienced warrior, trapped in the body of an infant.

---

**A New World, A New Family**

Over time, she had pieced together the fragments of information she could gather. She was no longer in the world she once knew—no longer in the apocalypse. This was a vast interstellar realm ruled by powerful sects, towering families, and ancient bloodlines. And she, by some cosmic twist of fate, had been born into one of them.

She wasn't just any newborn—she had been blessed (or cursed) with an affinity for all elemental spiritual roots: fire, water, earth, wood, gold, thunder, ice, and wind. In a world where people spent their entire lives mastering a single element, her existence was considered unnatural, even impossible.

She had to pretend to be weak at first. Even as a baby, she could feel the wary stares, the unspoken questions lingering in the air. Why was she different? Why had the heavens gifted her with so much power? And most importantly—who would try to take it from her?

Her first few years were spent in quiet observation. She learned quickly—how to control her reactions, how to feign innocence while soaking in every bit of knowledge around her. She memorized the names of the powerful sects, the hidden dangers of the super families, and the whispered legends about the three enigmatic hidden families who controlled the deepest secrets of the universe.

But she wasn't the only anomaly in this world. There were others—beings with unimaginable power, secrets buried deeper than the stars, and destinies intertwined with hers in ways she had yet to understand.

---

**Returning to the Present**

A hand on her shoulder jolted her back to reality.

"You okay?" Cassian's voice was softer than usual, his golden eyes flickering with concern.

Alina blinked, shaking off the haze of memories. "Yeah, just… remembering."

Rowan, still struggling with his shadowy companion, shot her a look. "Good memories or bad?"

Alina hesitated before offering a small smirk. "Both."

Zephyr, ever the quiet observer, nodded. "We all have ghosts from our past. Some are worth remembering. Some are not."

Alina exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "Well, I guess mine decided to show up today."

Cassian studied her for a moment before smirking. "Just as long as they don't bring more trouble. We already have Rowan for that."

Rowan gasped dramatically. "How *dare* you?"

The tension broke, laughter echoing through the ancient ruins. But as they moved forward, Alina couldn't shake the feeling that her past—both as a betrayed warrior and as a newborn in this interstellar world—was far from done with her.

Somewhere, in the depths of this realm, the answers to her rebirth were waiting. And she intended to find them—no matter what stood in her way.