Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

"I'm Vanyaa." She gave a small wave, smiling like this was the most normal thing in the world.

Alden stared at her with an unreadable expression.

What the hell did I just invite into my room?

That was his first thought as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him—who had very recently been a cat.

Her pale skin was devoid of any blemishes. Her strange yet mesmerising cyan eyes and platinum-white hair stood out.

But even more eye-catching were the feline ears poking out of her hair and the long, fluffy tail swaying behind her like she owned the place.

She was a beastfolk, clearly. That much was undeniable. But…

Beastfolk in this world couldn't transform. That's not a thing.

They're either in beast form or humanoid—never both. Not unless...

A skill? Some rare ability? A unique bloodline?

No, no—more importantly…

Did Cipher even have a daughter?

Not once in the novel had the name Vanyaa come up. That meant she was an extra.

Still, when Cipher's arc was shown, there was still no mention of her daughter.

Cipher was shown as a minor mob character. Her only role was to act like an information broker with shady methods and a terrifying aura.

When Cipher's arc happened, it was just her trying to kidnap and torture Seles.

There was absolutely no mention of anyone named Vanyaa.

No kid. No family. Nothing.

Wait a second.

His eyes narrowed.

What if Seles had something to do with it?

Cipher hated Seles in the novel—like, hated her very much.

But the novel never gave a clear reason. Just some lazy authorial line about "deep-seated grudges".

But if Cipher lost someone because of Seles…

A daughter?

That could explain it. That could change everything.

So is she the reason?

Whatever.

He shoved the thought aside for now. No use chasing that useless theory before it was confirmed.

Instead, he focused on the girl standing in front of him. Her tail twitched.

"What are you doing inside the academy?" he asked calmly, folding his arms.

Vanyaa didn't flinch. In fact, she smiled. "Oh, that? I was working on your case."

"My case?"

She nodded, tail swaying lazily behind her. "Didn't you commission my mom to find out more about Nyx? I was helping with that."

Didn't Cipher say she already had all the information?

"Does your mom even know you are helping her?" Alden asked suspiciously.

Vanyaa flinched.

"Umm—that… yeah, she knows," she said. Her eyes darted to every corner of the room except his direction.

Yeah, Cipher definitely doesn't know.

Alden sighed internally.

The girl in front of him clearly had decided to go on a reckless adventure without informing her mother, with no concept of lying.

"Who were those guys following you?" This was another thing Alden was curious about.

"I witnessed something, and they want to silence me." She blurted out.

Worse liar than I thought.

Alden didn't even blink. "Okay. Let me just confirm that with Cipher—"

"No! Noo! Please don't tell her anything!" She cried out, flailing her arms. "I-I stole something, alright?"

That got his attention.

"What did you steal? And why are you even hiding from Cipher?"

Vanyaa hesitated. Her tail curled nervously.

"Mom's too strict," she finally muttered. "She doesn't let me help her at all. I want to join the Obsidian Exchange and prove myself—but she just wants me to live a normal life. She says I'm useless."

Her voice cracked.

Then, suddenly, she started crying.

"Hik... hikkk…"

Alden stiffened.

What the hell?

Why is she crying now?

Does she have multiple personality disorder or something?

"Hey… stop crying," he said awkwardly. He didn't know how to soothe someone. "Nobody's useless. Your mom probably just wants to protect you, not hurt you."

That seemed to calm her a little. She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

Man, why are all the girls acting weird lately?

This is the third one today already.

After she stopped crying, Alden asked again, "So what did you steal?"

Vanyaa sniffled and pointed to the black choker around her neck. "This collar."

Alden blinked. "That's what this is about?"

It looked plain.

Just a simple black choker—no runes, no magic symbols, no eerie glow. Just a strip of dark fabric strapped on her neck.

Why were those men so desperate to get this?

Is this an artefact?

Even with his Eyes of Supreme, he didn't feel anything from it except Vanyaa's own mana signature.

"And you can't take it off?" He asked, leaning closer to get a clearer look.

"Ever since I touched it, it locked onto me." Vanyaa nodded. "I've tried everything—cutting, burning, even magic. Nothing works."

Alden frowned and examined the collar more closely.

Even from up close, he still didn't feel any aura from it. It still didn't radiate anything except for her own mana signature.

"Mind if I try something?" he asked.

Giving a small nod, Vanyaa stood still.

He touched the collar, expecting to feel something strange—or maybe nothing at all.

Instead, the moment his fingers made contact—

His mana surged forward and got sucked straight into the choker.

"What the hell—?" Alden tried to pull back, but his hand was stuck.

His mana was still being drained.

What the hell is happening?

He tried to stop the flow—using his Monarch of Mana skill to command his energy to stop—but nothing changed.

His mana was not responding to him.

That was terrifying.

Even when sealed or restricted, Alden could always feel his mana. But this…

This was like pouring water into a black hole.

He couldn't even move his body.

Damn it.

What's happening?

Vanyaa didn't even know what was happening, but she felt something was wrong looking at his expressions.

"Hey… What's happening?" She panicked, looking at him in horror.

Before Alden could answer, something else happened.

A blinding screen of light appeared in front of him—not just him but also Vanyaa.

[ANCIENT OATH HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED]

[ALDEN DRAVEN HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS THE MASTER]

[VANYAA HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS A SERVANT]

[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A RITUAL LONG LOST IN HISTORY.]

[NEW SKILL IS BEING ADDED]

[SKILL – LINK RESONANCE IS ADDED]