I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The streets in the outer district were half-deserted, dust kicking up from the faint breeze.

A blur shot through the air, landing with a thud and rolling across the ground, scattering chickens and a few horrified villagers.

The dust cleared to reveal a ragged figure sprawled out: robes flame-colored but singed, hair wild and gray, his grin far too playful for a man his age.

The Fire-Worn Monk. Genzu.

Kaen Suro stood across from him, hands stuffed in the pockets of his flame-patterned jacket, his spiky black hair casting shadows over sharp, restless eyes.

"Master Pervert Monk… what's next for training? Is it something like—KABOOM—obliterate any enemy in front of me?!"

He mimed an explosion with his hands, grinning wildly.

Genzu coughed into his sleeve, dusting off his robes before standing tall with a fake air of dignity.

"Don't call me that. It's Master Genzu. The Fire-Worn Monk. Former Lunar Sage. Last flame of Ignisoul. Living legend."

He struck a dramatic pose, robes fluttering as though unseen flames fueled them.

Kaen squinted, unimpressed.

"Yeah, okay. Master Pervert Monk."

Genzu froze mid-pose, then let his arms drop with a groan.

"…Tsk. This kid…"

For a moment, his grin faded. His gaze sharpened as he stepped closer, voice lowering.

"Anyway. I heard you lost control again, brat."

The playful edge in Kaen's eyes flickered. He looked down, scuffing the dirt with his shoe.

"…Sorry, Master. After I saw my friends almost die… I got angry. Too angry. It was like something inside me wanted out. Like the Void itself was whispering—telling me to just let it loose."

The street grew quieter. Even the villagers watching from a distance stilled, sensing the weight in the boy's words.

Genzu sighed, his shoulders sagging.

"Kaen… what did I tell you?"

Kaen muttered, almost like reciting lines from a lesson.

"…To control and balance my emotions."

"And what did you do?"

Kaen scratched the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.

"…My emotions got carried away. Hehe."

"Carried away, he says." Genzu flicked him on the forehead, hard enough to sting.

"Brat, do you realize what's inside you? That seal isn't some toy. The Eclipse Rite left you half-human, half-Void. If you keep 'carried away'-ing, you'll stop being Kaen Suro."

Kaen flinched, but his grin came back, rough and stubborn.

"…Then I'll just punch the Void in the face, Master."

Genzu stared at him for a long second. Then, slowly, he smiled not in amusement, but in grim pride.

"You idiot brat… that's exactly why I'm still training you."

….

On the other side, the Valenne estate was quiet, lantern light spilling across polished stone floors and the faint perfume of blooming flowers drifting through the open veranda.

Inside the training hall, a young girl knelt on the woven mats, silver-pink hair pooling like silk around her. Her lavender eyes were sharp not soft, not timid, but burning with a quiet resolve.

"Sis… please teach me!"

Across from her stood a woman with the same silver-pink hair, though longer and bound into an elegant braid. Her robes shimmered with lunar sigils, the fabric flowing like liquid moonlight.

Crystal Valenne.

Healer. Candidate for the title of Lunar Sage. The pride of their household.

Crystal tilted her head, expression calm but questioning.

"That's… a little sudden, don't you think?"

Lira's fists clenched on her lap. She shook her head, strands of hair swaying.

"It's not sudden. I need to become stronger—much stronger than I was before!"

Her voice cracked at the edges, but it didn't waver.

For a long moment, Crystal only studied her sister in silence. The air between them grew heavy, not from hostility, but from the weight of unspoken things.

Lira bit her lip. The memories were still raw—blood on the ground, screams echoing in her ears, Kaen's unstable rage burning like wildfire, Rael's frustration, Juno's fists bloodied, Ceyla's eyes wide with despair.

Her thoughts screamed inside her head:

"(Kaen… Rael… everyone almost died back then… and the villagers too. If only I had been stronger… if only I could've healed faster, shielded more, maybe… maybe those people wouldn't have died that day.)"

Her hands trembled, but she forced them still.

She lifted her chin, lavender eyes locking onto her sister's.

"Please, Sis. I don't want to just patch wounds after the battle is over. I want to stand with them—to make sure they don't fall in the first place. If I stay as I am… I'll lose them."

Crystal finally exhaled, a soft sigh that carried both fondness and gravity.

She knelt down to Lira's level, brushing a hand gently against her sister's cheek. Her touch was cool, steadying, like moonlight against burning skin.

"Lira… you've always had the purest heart. But power, Bloom or otherwise isn't just about desire. It's about sacrifice. You'll need to give up pieces of yourself to stand where you want to stand."

Lira's breath caught, but she nodded.

"…I'm ready."

Crystal's lips curved into a faint smile not dismissive, not mocking, but proud.

"Then tomorrow, we'll begin. If you truly want to walk the path even just a step… I'll guide you."

Lira's chest tightened, relief washing through her. But beneath it, that knot of fear remained.

Because deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.

..

Meanwhile The mountain air was thin, carrying the scent of stone and pine, the sky above painted in streaks of orange and violet. At the summit, Khael sat cross-legged upon the cold rock, his breath steady, his body still as stone.

For hours he had drowned himself in silence, in the hum of his Shinrei, in the pulse of blood that was no longer just his own.

When his eyes opened, they were not entirely human.

Amber-orange with slitted pupils, thin lines tracing outward like the scales of a dragon.

He exhaled, a thin mist leaving his lips even though the air was warm.

"Another plot will begin… in a matter of time." His voice was quiet, but each word carried weight.

"I don't have time to waste. I need to become stronger."

A low chuckle echoed behind him.

"Done meditating?"

Khael turned. His master stood a few paces away, robes catching the last rays of sunset. Golden hair fell loosely around his face, and those blue eyes calm, amused, yet impossibly sharp met Khael's without effort.

Isen. Keiryuu. The Honored One.

Khael rose to his feet, spine straight, no hesitation in his gaze.

"I'm ready, Master."

For a heartbeat, the world was quiet. Then Isen grinned, flashing teeth, a warmth that somehow only made him more terrifying.

"Good. Then let's start the next phase."

…

In the ruins of a forgotten cathedral, shadows crawled along cracked stone pillars. The air was heavy, sweet in a rotten way like incense left to spoil. Every breath carried dread.

Five figures stood in the broken hall, gathered around a shattered marble throne.

The Eclipse Lords.

Greed. Lust. Gluttony. Pride.

And the one who slept. Sloth.

Their presence alone tainted the place, the walls bleeding black stains where their Shinrei dark energy leaked into the world.

The Eclipse of Greed leaned forward, his long fingers trailing with chains of silver that jingled faintly. His smile was sharp, his eyes colder than any coin.

"Veymorr, Eclipse of Wrath. Sythen, Eclipse of Jealousy." he said, his voice crawling through the hall.

"They were slain… by the Veinwalkers."

The words lingered like poison.

Lust, draped in crimson silk that seemed alive, tilted her head, lips curling into something between a pout and a smirk.

"Then what should we do, dear Greed? Sit here and moan? Or perhaps… retaliate?"

Before she could finish, Pride slammed a gauntleted fist against the ruined throne's arm. His armor blazed with radiant golden cracks, his eyes glowing like suns.

"How dare they take our pride!" His voice thundered through the cathedral, shaking the very dust.

"We should slaughter them all! Wipe their corpses across the fields until the mortals know despair!"

From the shadows, Gluttony groaned. His massive body sprawled against a wall, stomach heaving like a beast trapped beneath his skin. Drool leaked from his slack mouth as he gave a long, tired yawn.

"You're too loud, Pride. And too stupid." His voice was thick and lazy.

"You think we can crush the Veinwalkers? Not with the Eclipse Vanguard standing against us… and worse …"

He paused, shivering. Even his bloated form seemed to shrink as the name left his throat.

"…Isen."

The cathedral fell silent. Even Pride's fury faltered.

The name alone cracked their arrogance.

Greed broke the silence with a low chuckle—the sound of coins spilling in an empty room.

"Calm yourselves. We have something the Vanguard does not." His eyes gleamed.

"We have Sloth."

All eyes turned.

In the far corner, half-buried in rubble, sat a crumbling throne. Upon it rested a figure draped in rags. Neither male nor female, their body rose and fell with slow, steady breaths. At first glance, they looked ordinary. Almost fragile.

Yet the air bent around them. With every exhale, time itself seemed to slow.

The Eclipse of Sloth. Still asleep. Still unmoving.

Greed's grin stretched wider, though unease flickered briefly in his gaze.

"Sloth is stronger than all of us. Stronger even than Wrath. Even the Hollow Nine once sought to claim them as one of a vessel but Sloth refused. All they have ever desired… is sleep."

The other Lords shifted uncomfortably. Even Pride, once a storm of rage, lowered his voice.

Lust's lips parted, her tongue brushing across them as if savoring the thought. Her eyes sparkled like rubies.

"Then perhaps it's time to rouse our sleeping darling. Or, at the very least… borrow their shadow."

Greed's eyes narrowed. His smile remained, but his words carried weight.

"Careful. Sloth is not a weapon you simply pick up. To wake Sloth lightly is to risk waking the end itself."

But deep inside, his thoughts betrayed him.

If Sloth opens his eyes… even Isen will tremble. That dreamer could unmake the world, if only he chose to rise.

The cathedral groaned. Shadows thickened, pressing in around the throne.

And still, Sloth slept.

To be continue