Chapter 5 – Shadows Before Birth
Inside Lily De'ora's womb,
an invisible war was taking place—one the mother had no idea about.
Two unborn children floated quietly,
side by side,
but there was nothing peaceful about what was happening between them.
In the depths of that soft,
watery world,
a black energy pulsed—a system ancient and sinister.
Its form resembled a skeleton made of shadow, its eyes burning red.
This was Clara's system—ten thousand years old,
cruel,
and merciless.
And it had only one purpose: to drain the luck and life force from the other twin.
But standing guard was our not-so-ancient, not-so-threatening Vira.
Though she was only a thousand years old—a baby by system standards—Vira was fierce when it came to protecting Mira.
Every time the dark system appeared to attack,
Vira transformed it into something harmless. One day a fish.
The next day a leaf.
Once, hilariously, a squeaky rubber duck.
Of course, every transformation used up all of Vira's energy for the day,
but she never hesitated.
And every time the two systems clashed, Mira—still trapped inside the womb—felt the tension ripple through her tiny body.
She would kick hard,
struggling away from the dark energy that clawed at her.
Poor Lily De'ora thought her baby was simply restless.
The pain was unbearable; she cried out so much that her husband rushed her to the hospital.
There, doctors delivered the news that would change everything—
She was carrying twins.
Lily's face paled.
She didn't need anyone to remind her what that meant for the De'ora family.
One child would be favored, the other cursed.
It had happened before, and now it was happening again.
In her heart, she could only pray that her "lucky star" would win whatever silent war was raging inside her.
Inside the womb, time passed differently.
The black skeleton system was growing frustrated.
How could it, an ancient force, be repeatedly outwitted by a bright pink blob barely a thousand years old? It was humiliating.
So, it began to plot.
For three months,
Clara's system went silent—no attacks,
no energy theft.
It was too quiet, and though Mira and Vira stayed alert,
the calm allowed them to relax, just a little.
During this strange truce,
Mira continued reliving Juliana's memories.
______________________________________
After Andrea and Juliana confessed their feelings,
things moved quickly.
Andrea wasted no time calling his parents to cancel the engagement they had arranged between him and Clara.
Luckily, the Mist family were kind, sensible people—when they heard Andrea was genuinely in love, they agreed without hesitation.
The engagement ended peacefully, but Clara... didn't take it well.
When she learned the news, she rushed to the Mist family estate, demanding answers. The elders told her gently that Andrea was already bringing the woman he loved home.
That woman, of course, was Juliana.
The words shattered Clara.
Her dream, her pride, her years of manipulation—all gone.
Still, she forced a smile, swallowing the bitterness.
Fine, she thought.
He can love whoever he wants.
As long as it's not Juliana.
If only she knew.
Andrea and Juliana's love blossomed quickly.
Within three years, they were inseparable, and when Juliana became pregnant,
Andrea insisted on taking her home to his family.
During that time, Clara—ever the actress—had grown close to the Mists.
She'd earned their sympathy, visiting often, helping around, pretending to have moved on.
They eventually named her their goddaughter.
And so, when Andrea brought Juliana home to introduce her properly, Clara was already there.
The moment their eyes met, Clara's heart twisted.
But her smile was flawless.
She ran up, arms wide, and said sweetly, "Sister, I didn't know you and Andrea were together!"
The room froze.
Everyone knew about the De'ora family's cruel belief—that one twin was blessed and the other cursed.
Clara was counting on that old superstition to destroy Juliana's relationship.
But this time, her plan failed.
The Mist family already knew the truth. Wealthy people had a way of uncovering secrets, and it wasn't exactly hard to find out who had truly won all those childhood competitions.
They knew Juliana had been the real prodigy—and that Clara had lived off her sister's stolen achievements,
and besides they weren't as superstitious as the De'ora's.
So instead of outrage, the Mists were warm and welcoming.
They accepted Juliana instantly and set a wedding date.
To make things even more poetic, Clara was asked to represent Juliana's family at the ceremony, as Juliana is not ready to forgive her parents.
Juliana and Andrea married soon after. Clara smiled through the entire event, her hands clenching beneath her gown.
Afterward, she apologized—sincerely, or so it seemed—and asked Juliana for forgiveness.
And because Juliana had always been soft-hearted, she forgave her.
That forgiveness cost her everything.
.
.
.
.
.
One quiet afternoon, while Juliana was heavily pregnant, Clara came to visit.
No one else was home.
Juliana, thirsty, stood to fetch herself a glass of water, but Clara stopped her with a charming smile.
"Sit down," she said sweetly.
"Let me help you."
She walked into the kitchen and slipped a small white pill into the water.
A little insurance—just in case.
But she hadn't realized Juliana had followed her.
When Juliana saw what she'd done, she confronted her immediately.
Clara denied it, of course, acting shocked and offended.
When Juliana refused to believe her, Clara snapped.
Juliana turned to call Andrea,to tell him about Clara deeds,reaching for the phone by the stairs,Clara pushed her.
The scream that followed echoed through the mansion.
But fate had other plans.
Andrea and his parents had just returned—and they saw everything.
The shove,
the fall,
the way Juliana tumbled down the stairs.
That night, both Juliana and her unborn baby died.
.
.
.
.
.
Grief broke something inside Andrea.
The man who had always been kind and composed turned cold as ice.
Clara was arrested, but jail wasn't enough for him.
He kidnapped her, drove her to a deserted bridge, and tied her there himself.
"Please," Clara cried, trembling.
"I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to—"
Andrea didn't speak.
His eyes were empty.
Then, without a word, he got back in the car, hit the accelerator, and drove straight toward her.
The car went over the edge, plunging into the dark water below.
Both of them died instantly.
________________________________________
Back in the womb, Mira gasped as the memories faded.
"That..." she whispered.
"That's... insane."
"Quite the tragic love story, huh?" Vira murmured softly.
"But that's the world you've entered, Host."
Mira floated silently, staring at the faint outline of her twin nearby.
"So that's what I'm dealing with—a jealous sister, an ancient evil system, and a cursed family legacy."
"Basically," Vira said brightly.
"No pressure."
Mira sighed.
"Right.
No pressure at all."