I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The clang of her strikes echoed across the Veinwalker training ground, sparks dancing in the dusk. Each swing carried more force than the last, until her knuckles were raw, her breath sharp like knives.

"More…" Ceyla muttered, sweat dripping, lightning hissing faintly across her arms. "I need more."

From the shadows, his presence settled like the calm before a storm. Ean Nox, her father. Tall. Sharp-eyed. His silver-streaked hair caught the fading sun, and when he spoke, his voice was thunder made gentle.

"You need to relax too, Ceyla."

Her fists tightened. She didn't look at him. "No, Father… It's still not enough. I can't control the Fifth Gate."

Ean folded his arms, studying her with that piercing gaze. "Why are you rushing your strength? You've already achieved what most Veinwalkers never touch. You're a prodigy, Ceyla. Be proud of that."

Her head snapped toward him, her voice sharp. "Yeah… I'm a prodigy. But it's still nothing compared to him."

Ean's brows furrowed. "What?"

Her throat tightened. She turned away, biting her lip. "…Nothing."

But inside, the storm raged.

(Khael… I need to become stronger. I can't keep being behind you. I can't just watch you fall again. Not when you almost died that day… Not when I couldn't save you.)

Her father's eyes softened. He had seen that look before the hunger, the fear, the silent war children of the blade carried in their hearts.

He stepped closer, his tone low, like a story carried on the wind.

"A long time ago, there was a man who pursued strength above all else."

Ceyla blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Ean's gaze drifted upward, toward the twilight sky. His voice deepened.

"He was a Veinwalker unlike any other. Brilliant, ruthless, unstoppable. Every day, he broke himself just to stand higher, just to be feared. He opened Gates not meant for mortals. He bled, burned, and tore himself apart—yet still he pressed forward."

Ceyla's heart pounded. "…Did he succeed?"

Ean's expression darkened. "Yes. He reached heights that even Sages spoke of with reverence. But when he looked back, there was no one beside him. His allies had fallen, his family forgotten, his heart… hollow. He had won the world, but lost himself. In the end, he became nothing but another name in the histories of the damned."

The words hit her harder than any strike. She clenched her fists, but her voice trembled.

"…What's your point, Father?"

Ean turned his gaze back to her, sharp as a blade yet warm as firelight.

"Strength without purpose is just destruction. And strength pursued only to surpass someone else… will one day eat you alive."

Ceyla froze. The storm inside her cracked.

(Is that… what I've been doing? Chasing after Khael… just to not be left behind?)

Ean stepped forward, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Do not mistake me—I want you to grow stronger. But ask yourself, Ceyla… Why? Why do you fight? Why do you open those Gates?"

Her throat tightened. Words wouldn't come.

(Why do I fight? Is it because I want to protect… or because I can't stand the thought of being weaker than him?)

Her father's grip tightened just enough to anchor her.

"When you find that answer… when your storm has a purpose… then, and only then, will you master the Fifth Gate. Until then, all you'll hold is lightning without direction."

Ceyla's eyes burned. She turned her gaze downward, her heart twisting between shame and resolve.

(Khael… I swore I wouldn't let you leave me behind. But maybe… maybe this isn't just about you. Maybe it's about who I am, too. Who I want to become.)

The training ground fell silent, save for the crackle of faint lightning across her skin.

And for the first time, Ceyla felt the storm inside her pause not weakened, but waiting.

Meanwhile – Juno Arkai

The training hall echoed with the sound of his labored breathing. Juno's body trembled as he stood shirtless in the center, sweat dripping like rain onto the stone floor. Every vein in his arms and chest bulged as if they were about to tear open.

His eyes were sharp, burning with stubborn resolve. "Sixth Gate… Pulse Gate… open—!"

A violent shudder ripped through him. His muscles convulsed, his heartbeat thundered like war drums, and for an instant, his skin flickered faintly with the raw distortion of Shinrei-less force the hallmark of Taishin mastery.

The veins across his arms glowed faintly red, threatening to burst. Blood welled at the corner of his lips, but he bit down hard.

(I can do this… I can push it… If I stop here, I'll always be in their shadow. I won't be the weak link. Not anymore.)

From the far end of the hall, a heavy presence entered.

Vince Arkai, his master broad-shouldered, his stance unshakable, his weathered mullet catching the faint wind that always seemed to follow him. His arms were folded behind his back, his gaze like iron carved into human form.

"Juno." His tone carried warning. "At this rate… you'll break your body before you master it."

Juno's teeth gnashed, his stance widening, legs shaking as his bones screamed. "I can do it, Master…! I have to!"

The floor beneath him cracked from the unnatural strain. His pulse roared louder, faster, like it wanted to rip free from his chest.

Vince sighed, stepping forward. His eyes softened, but only slightly. "You still have so much to learn. Raw will isn't enough to walk the Taishin Path. Control… discipline… patience. Without those, the Gates consume you."

Juno growled, his body trembling, trying to force another surge

But Vince's fist shot forward. A single, clean strike not crushing, not brutal, but precise. His knuckles pressed into Juno's chest with the weight of an unmovable mountain.

The shockwave cut through Juno's body like a reset, snapping the Pulse Gate shut. He staggered back, coughing hard, his vision blurred with dizziness. The veins on his arms dulled, the dangerous glow fading.

"Rest. For now." Vince's voice was calm, firm, leaving no room for argument.

Juno dropped to his knees, panting, sweat pooling beneath him. His fists clenched against the ground.

(Damn it… why… why can't I… even now…?)

But through his frustration, a faint spark of respect burned. His master had stopped him, not out of cruelty, but to keep him from self-destruction.

Vince turned, his tone lowering to something almost like pride.

"You'll reach it one day, boy. But if you die chasing strength the wrong way—you'll never surpass anyone."

Juno's head bowed, his teeth grit. "…I'll get it, Master. I swear… I'll master the Sixth Gate."

Vince allowed himself the faintest smile before walking away, leaving Juno kneeling in the silence of his own storm.

To be continue