Chương 82: Chapter 81 Memories

There was no light, yet she did not rely on eyes to see. The void around her was entirely empty until she sensed something subtle, something wriggling frantically just beyond the threshold of perception, trying to hide in the folds of the void. Reaching out with her tentacles she latched onto the fabric of the void, gripping the void like a sheet of stretched elastic. Pulling back hard, she launched herself forward, shooting through the nothingness toward the writhing, worm-like entities.

Her tentacles lashed out, tearing the frantic worms into pieces and shoving the squirming remnants into her maw. Mmm. So delicious and juicy. Then, a sudden glint caught her attention. A small, shiny object was flicking through the void at staggering speeds. What is that shiny thing? the creature mused. Maybe it's tasty too. Grasping space once more, she hurled herself through the void until she caught up to the metallic object. A long slender tentacle wrapped around it.

The object yanked hard, trying to break free, but her grip only tightened. Bringing the object close to her face, she observed rows of clear, glass-like material glowing with light. Inside the tiny viewports, hundreds of minuscule four-limbed creatures were running around in a full-blown panic, scrambling to hide behind consoles and bulkheads. Curious, the creature wrapped more tentacles around the metallic container, shaking it violently to see if she could pop the tiny things out like snacks.

I wonder if they are tasty... Leaning in to look through the glass again, her heart sank. The tiny creatures were completely gone. The inside of the shiny metal container was now thoroughly coated in a thick, dripping layer of red slurry. The creature felt a sudden wave of profound disappointment. The little snacks were ruined. With a disinterested flick, her tentacles threw the crushed tin can into the dark, and she launched off into the void once more.

Lia sat up with a violent jerk, her eyes snapping open in the pitch-black hold of the crate. Sweat slicked her forehead, and her chest heaved as she dragged in cold air.

"Haha..." Lia let out a breathless, nervous chuckle, wiping her brow.

"What a weird dream..." It had felt like watching an absolute horror movie, except she hadn't just watched it—she had felt every single impulse of the monster. I've definitely been using my Shadow Leech as a tentacle too much lately, she thought, shaking her head to clear the lingering eldritch imagery. A sharp, throbbing ache suddenly radiated through her sternum.

"Ugh... why does my chest hurt so much?" Lia reached up to rub her sternum, only to find her hands blocked by a pair of heavy, muscular arms. Varek was fast asleep beside her, his large hands cupping her breasts like protective cushions even in his sleep. Lia rolled her eyes, though she couldn't genuinely complain. Back on Earth, Tim loved doing the exact same thing whenever he cuddled with Riku. Pushing the thought aside, she focused on the pain.

The burning sensation wasn't superficial—it was deep, centred directly behind her sternum, radiating from her core. Along with the heat came a hollow, sickening sense of physical exhaustion. This is coming from my dantian, Lia realized, her brow furrowing. I feel completely drained. Is the Shadow Leech leeching too much qi? Closing her eyes, Lia turned her perception inward, projecting her qi sense down into her lower abdomen. She closed her eyes and peered inwards with her qi sight.

Sitting at the centre of her dantian was her qi lake. It was usually a vast, reservoir of high-potency liquid qi fed by her absurdly high natural absorption rate. But right now, the qi level looked like a drought-stricken pond. It was down by nearly 60 percent. Lia stared in disbelief. What the hell? I haven't even used any major techniques since we got on this ship! Looking closer, she noticed two things.

First, the Shadow Leech was perched near the edge of her dantian, a few thin, dark tendrils extended into the liquid, gently sipping qi. Its consumption was notable. it was currently at the lower Foundation Establishment realm and actively cultivating, but it was nowhere near enough to cause this kind of rapid depletion. Then, her eyes drifted to the centre of the lake. Hovering directly above the water was the ancient, enigmatic orb she had bound using her True Blood recently.

"Oh, shit..." Lia muttered in her mind. The blood-binding had worked, but the orb had settled into her core like a black hole. It was currently vacuuming up her qi at a terrifying rate, roughly 110% of her dantian's maximum daily output. Combined with the Shadow Leech's modest appetite, her overall qi reserves were draining faster than she could replenish them at rest. At this rate, my lake will be completely empty in two days, Lia realized, a cold spike of panic hitting her. And what happens when the qi runs out?

Will this greedy ball start feeding on my life force instead? She let out a long, weary sigh into the dark crate. I really just need a break. Somewhere normal to live for five minutes. Even at Crimson Crater, I didn't get time to breathe. Reaching up to her shoulder, Lia gently brushed her fingers against the dark mark inked into her flesh.

Responding instantly to her touch, the Shadow Leech dissolved from its flat tattoo state, flowing down her neck and arm in a cool, fleshy ribbon that wrapped tightly around her hand and wrist. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Hey," Lia whispered softly to the leech, projecting her thoughts directly into its mind.

"You're going to have to slow down on the qi consumption for a while." The Shadow Leech, couldn't speak much, but it possessed a surprisingly vivid emotional spectrum. From what Lia had read young shadow leeches couldn't absorb ambient atmospheric qi on their own; they strictly cultivated by feeding on the qi of host creatures.

"I just accidentally linked myself to a super-greedy artifact," Lia explained gently, stroking the slick, cool skin of its body.

"You need to reduce your feeding to a tiny nibble until I figure out how to put a leash on this orb." The Shadow Leech twisted back and forth on her arm, sending a wave of sharp confusion and petulant annoyance straight into Lia's mind. MINE. MY FOOD! A spike of childish rage flared from the leech toward the floating orb inside her dantian. WHY SHARE?!

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Lia coaxed, smiling despite the situation as she petted its fleshy head.

"As soon as I figure out how to limit the orb, I promise I'll feed you until you're nice and fat, okay?" The leech let out the mental equivalent of a heavy, dramatic huff. It slowly slithered off her arm, flowing across Lia's collarbone to rest squarely on her chest, where it proceeded to give Varek's sleeping hand a sharp, vindictive nip.

"Ouch!" Varek hissed, snapping awake in the pitch-black crate. He pulled his hand back, shaking it violently.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Ah... the Shadow Leech is a little upset," Lia murmured innocently.

"It's throwing a bit of a temper tantrum. Just let it be."

"But those are mine to hold!" Varek protested in hushed indignation, reaching out blindly in the dark.

"Seriously? You too?" Lia pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a tired laugh. God, the more time I spend in this body, the more I understand women's eternal frustration with men. Reaching down, Lia grabbed both of Varek's wrists and guided his large hands down from her chest, placing them firmly on the flare of her hips.

"Just hold me here, alright?" Varek's hands settled onto her waist.

"Wow... women's hips really are the ultimate handholds." Using his new grip, Varek pulled Lia back flush against his chest in a tight, protective spoon. Almost instantly, Lia felt something very solid and unmistakably hard pressing directly against her rear through her robes. Lia closed her eyes and sighed into the dark. As long as he doesn't try to push it any further right now, I'll let it slide. Seriously... it feels like I'm babysitting two needy toddlers.

In a nearby wooden crate stacked further down the cargo hold, Kira lay wide awake.

The ambient warmth of the merchant ark's cargo held no comfort for her. Inside her spatial ring, a specialized, untraceable artifact linked to the Shadow Network began to pulse with a low, rhythmic red light. Bracing herself, Kira focused her consciousness into the ring to read the incoming administrative updates: [NOTIFICATION: YOU HAVE BEEN LOGGED OUT OF THE SHADOW NETWORK.] [CONTRACT BREACH PENALTY APPLIED: ALL SHADOW ACCOUNTS FROZEN.] [REASON: DEFENDING/PROTECTING AN ASSIGNED ELIMINATION TARGET.] [STATUS: KIRA BURN NOTICE ACTIVATED.] A final, personal message was attached to the official system log. It was from her manager, the woman who had scouted her out of the gutters as a child, brought her into the Guild, and raised her into a lethal assassin. Kira... what have you done? Canceling a contract would have meant a heavy beating and a fine. But actively protecting an assassination target you agreed to kill breaks the core tenets of our guild. Even I cannot shield you from a Burn Notice.

I hope you live through this, little shadow... but be careful. Every contract killer on the continent has your mark now. Kira let out a quiet, shaky breath in the dark. A sudden, sharp memory surfaced in her mind. She remembered her first contract kill. She remembered her Guild Mother Lydia standing directly behind her small, young frame, gently holding her trembling hands, guiding the steel dagger down through the target's spinal column from behind.

She remembered the strange, sickening warmth of the blood and the quiet praise whispered in her ear afterward. Earth – Himari's Apartment At that exact second, miles away in a quiet, modest apartment near the city centre, Himari sat bolt upright on her bed. She clutched her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the memory from Kira's mind slammed into her consciousness with terrifying, high-definition clarity. She could feel the cold weight of the dagger.

She could feel the ghostly pressure of her Guild Mother's hands on her own. She could smell the metallic tang of blood. What is happening to me? Himari thought, her chest heaving as she pulled her knees up to her chin. Until tonight, her memories of Kira's life had felt like distant movie clips. They had been like faded tapes playing in the back of her head. But now, the emotional weight, the physical sensations, and the raw psychological trauma were bleeding straight into her Earth mind with absolute fidelity.

Himari stared at her trembling hands in the dark room, a cold realization washing over her. Are the others experiencing this too? Are their avatar memories becoming this real? Cultivation World Back in the merchant ark's cargo crate, Varek was half-drifting back to sleep, his hands resting comfortably on Lia's hips. The tactile sensation of holding a woman's body in the dark triggered an old, dormant memory from his wilder days as a disciple in the Flame Guild.

His mind drifted back to a night during a distant border campaign. A cute, slightly older female cultivator had snuck into his tent long after midnight. She had slipped beneath his silk covers, giggling softly as she pressed her warm body against his, wiggling her hips enticingly.

"Naughty girl," Varek's past self had chuckled in the memory, turning around to pin her beneath him.

"You want it that badly, don't you?" What followed in Varek's memory was fifteen minutes of wild, filthy sex. The tent swaying under the mountain wind, wet, heavy sounds echoing in the dark, and Varek roughly dominating the older disciple until she was a shaking mess. Earth – The Tanaka Estate In her luxurious, sprawling bedroom on the top floor of the Tanaka mansion, Riku was tucked under her silk duvet, trying to process the intense conversation she'd had with her father over hot chocolate.

Riku gasped, her eyes flying open in utter shock as Varek's memory exploded into her mind with total, unfiltered clarity. She sat up violently, grabbing the glass of water on her nightstand and downing the entire thing in huge, desperate gulps. Her face was burning hotter than a furnace, her entire body flushed. Up until tonight, Varek's past exploits had felt like watching a trashy late-night movie starring someone else. But this time... she didn't just watch it. She felt it.

She felt the surging, aggressive spike of male testosteronal desire. She felt the phantom sensation of reaching out, grabbing a handful of a woman's hair, and thrusting forward with absolute, possessive strength. She experienced the raw, visceral mechanics of the act entirely through the lens of a male body. As a completely inexperienced virgin on Earth, experiencing sex for the very first time through the overwhelming, dominant perspective of her male avatar left her utterly floored.

"Oh... oh god..." Riku whispered to the empty room, her fingers trembling as she bit her nail, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The memory lingered in her mind, heavy, messy, and intensely vivid. She stared out her bedroom window into the dark estate grounds, her face still bright red. Wow... that was... chaotic, Riku thought, her mind spiraling as she tried to process the lingering phantom sensations. Is it really that intense for guys?!

She bit her lip, a bizarre, flustered blush creeping all the way down her neck as her thoughts wildly detoured. I wonder if Tim is like that in bed... She paused, her eyes widening as another, much crazier thought crossed her mind.... Wait. Better yet... I wonder if Lia is like that?