Extra is the Heir of Life and Death

The training hall of Astralis Academy trembled beneath the clash of mana.

Two figures stood at its center both young, both brilliant, both disasters waiting to happen.

The first was a boy with shoulder-length black hair that shimmered faintly under the mana lights, his golden eyes calm yet sharp as the edge of a blade. A faint frost glimmered along his coat, and in his hand, a sword of blue glass pulsed with cold light. Sebastian Nekros.

Opposite him stood another, just as tall, lean, his silver hair a mess that fell over eyes ringed faintly with dark circles. His expression was a mix of exhaustion and excitement, his grip firm around the curved handle of a reaper's scythe that hummed with pale light. Kent Takeahint.

They had been sparring since dawn.

Each clash between them sent a rush of wind tearing through the vast hall, the marble beneath their feet cracked and frozen from repeated collisions. Frost and shadow mixed in the air, mana spiraling like twin storms locked in orbit.

Kent vanished and reappeared above Sebastian. His scythe swung in a wide arc, carving through the air with a sound like thunder. Sebastian met it mid-swing, blue glass flashing as frost sprayed outward. Sparks danced between them.

The air shuddered.

Kent's grin widened, wild and alive. "That all you got, Sebastian?"

Sebastian's lips curled into a smirk. "You're gonna regret saying that."

The ground fractured. Black fire burst from his blade, flames licking up the steel in streams of darkness. Kent's eyes gleamed with delight.

"Now we're talking!"

He vanished, his form scattering into motes of silver light. Dozens of afterimages appeared across the hall, every one of them armed with a scythe raised high.

Sebastian's golden gaze tracked them all. The frost around him deepened, his aura flaring. "Try me."

The world erupted.

Hundreds of silver arcs tore through space, converging on him from every direction. At the last instant, Sebastian's blade blazed black, the flames swallowing the light. The collision detonated in a roar that sent shockwaves racing through the walls.

Ice shattered. The hall filled with mist and light.

They danced within it slashes, parries, bursts of mana so violent the air cracked. Each move was instinct, each strike a test of will rather than strength. Kent laughed through it all, reckless and bright, and even Sebastian couldn't hide the grin forming on his lips.

They weren't trying to kill each other.

They were trying to understand each other.

Then—

"Stop."

The single word cut through the storm of blades.

Belle's voice.

The two froze mid-swing, mana dying off in a pulse of silence. Frost fell like dust around them.

At the edge of the hall, Belle stood with her arms crossed, expression unreadable. "If you're trying to destroy the academy before graduation, you're doing an excellent job."

Kent chuckled, lowering his scythe. "Just warming up."

Sebastian slid his sword into its sheath, the black fire fading to embers. "You call that warm?"

Belle sighed. "You two are impossible."

Kent shot Sebastian a grin. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

For a moment, all that remained was laughter, echoing softly through the ruined hall, frost and flame dissolving into harmless mist.

Two friends.

Two rivals.

And somewhere between destruction and laughter, a bond that even gods would envy.

---

I was still catching my breath when Belle lowered her arms and gave us that look, the one that said she was proud of us but also two seconds away from murdering us if we didn't stop wrecking the training hall.

Kent was grinning like an idiot beside me, spinning his scythe around his shoulder like he hadn't just tried to split reality in half.

"Next time," he said between heavy breaths, "I'm actually winning."

"Sure you are," I muttered, brushing frost from my sleeves. "You're lucky Belle stopped us before I froze the space you were traveling through."

He laughed, that low, reckless sound of his that somehow always made me laugh too.

From the stands, a familiar voice called out. "You two look like you fought a hurricane and lost."

I turned just in time to see Nora toss a water bottle my way. I caught it easily, the chill water slick against my fingers. Beside her, Annalise threw another at Kent, who caught it with one hand and raised it like a toast before downing half of it in one go.

I cracked mine open and drank greedily.

The cold water felt divine.

It had been two weeks since his voice disappeared, Bastard's ever-present whisper that had haunted every waking moment. Two weeks of silence. Two weeks of peace. The madness that had once clawed at the edges of my mind was fading, replaced by something I hadn't felt in a long time: normalcy.

My friends had helped me get here.

Nora, Annalise, and Kent they'd all kept me grounded, one way or another.

And these daily duels with Kent… they'd done more than train me. They'd reminded me what it felt like to live again.

Before I could spiral into that thought any deeper, the glass blade in my hand shimmered. The weapon dissolved into blue mist, swirling upward before reforming into a small, familiar tiger cub, Sacha.

She landed neatly on my head, tail flicking with lazy satisfaction.

Belle's lips curved in amusement. "You just can't stay as a sword for long, can you?"

Sacha perked up, looking down at her with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "No, I can't," she said proudly.

Kent choked on his drink. "Still can't get used to that," he muttered, half-laughing.

Belle extended her arms with a small smile. "Come here, you little menace."

Sacha leapt down, landing perfectly in Belle's embrace. She purred as Belle started to pet her, melting almost instantly under her touch.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Nora biting her lip, trying (and failing) not to look jealous.

"She's so comfortable with you," Nora said, crossing her arms.

Belle chuckled softly. "I'm just good with troublemakers."

Sacha tilted her head up at her. "Are you enjoying having three more disciples nowMama?"

Belle sighed, the kind of sigh that carried both affection and resignation. "Sure. Why not? The universe clearly decided I needed more headaches."

I watched them for a moment, the warmth, the laughter, the ease that came so naturally now, and felt something settle in my chest.

Peace.

Finally.

I smiled, capped my bottle, and looked around at them. "Alright," I said, straightening up. "Who's hungry?"

Kent raised his hand immediately. "Always."

Sacha meowed in agreement(even though she's a tiger?).

Even Belle's lips twitched into a reluctant grin.

And just like that, the tension of the morning melted away, replaced by the simple, quiet joy of being together.

We walked down the stone path toward the main plaza, the afternoon light spilling through the floating crystals that hung above the academy grounds.

The air shimmered faintly with mana music, laughter, and the smell of roasted bread drifting from the cafés that lined the square.

Sacha rode on my shoulders, tail flicking lazily, while Kent and Annalise argued about who had actually won the spar. Nora trailed beside me, still rubbing her wrist where she'd been slapped by Sacha for touching her.

Then the air shifted.

A sudden ripple in space sharp, silent, unmistakable. The kind that made the hair on your arms rise.

I turned immediately, already knowing what I'd find.Or rather, what I wouldn't.

Belle was gone. No trace of her mana, no indication that she was ever here. Just…gone.

Kent's grin faltered. "Again?" His voice was quiet, edged with something between frustration and disappointment.

Nora frowned, her expression softening as she stared at the empty space where Belle had been walking seconds ago. "She didn't even say goodbye this time."

I sighed, sliding my hands into my pockets. "She never does."

It was always like this.

She'd agree to come along, laugh a little, play the part but when it came time to actually stay, she vanished. Like she was afraid that if she lingered too long, something might catch up to her.

The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.

So I forced a smile. "Alright," I said, clapping Kent on the shoulder. "Food's on me."

That got his attention. "Now that's the kind of leadership I respect."

Annalise snorted, but there was a faint smile on her face. She knew exactly what I was doing, and she played along. "In that case, I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," I said.

Even Nora managed a small laugh, and just like that, the tension broke. We started walking again, Sacha humming softly atop my head, the chatter picking back up like nothing had happened.

The café doors swung open, a bell chiming overhead. Warm light and the smell of coffee and caramel wrapped around us.

Then I froze.

Sitting by the window, half-shrouded in sunlight, was someone I didn't expect to see so happy.

A/N:To everyone who's stuck with me up to this chapter...thank you. You might've noticed my writing style bouncing around: sometimes long paragraphs, sometimes single-word lines.

If you caught that, don't worry, you weren't imagining things. I've been experimenting to find what fits me best, and I think I've finally settled on a particular way. The style used in this chapter (111) is the one I'll be sticking with moving forward.

Thank you for reading, and as always, enjoy.

P.S. If you've got some spare Power Stones or Golden Tickets, I'd really appreciate them. I'm this close to breaking my milestone, and every bit of support helps. Thank you!

P.S. I edited this author's note after uploading the chapter, so it shouldn't affect the chapter price.