I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The courtyard buzzed faintly with the chatter of students passing by, but for us, the veterans who had lived through the invasion, it was just background noise. Three years had passed, yet the air between us still carried the weight of what we endured.

I jogged up the stone steps, grinning.

"Sorry I'm late," I said, scratching the back of my head.

Andromeda Ban turned immediately, his brows furrowed.

"You're late, Kaen!!" His echo beast, the oversized hound Junjun, barked twice as if to scold me too.

I laughed, rubbing my neck. "Sorry, hehehe."

Matthew Lomwel just shook his head slowly, adjusting his glasses with that same quiet disapproval he'd had since day one.

Lira crossed her arms, smiling faintly. "Well, now that Kaen's finally here… should we get going?"

Rael leaned against a pillar, his arms folded, his hair catching the afternoon light. His expression was calm, but the bite in his voice was the same as always.

"Hmph. Why am I even here?"

Beside him, Shigeo yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head.

"Me too. This is starting to feel like a waste of time."

Saya, with her sharp grin and braided hair bouncing, jabbed her finger toward them.

"Oh, come on! Don't act clueless—you know he will be back."

Her words lingered in the air. We all knew what she meant. The one who had left us with both inspiration and a wound that time hadn't healed.

Silence fell for a moment, broken only by Junjun's impatient tail thumping the ground.

Juno Arkai exhaled through his nose, his sharp eyes narrowing in thought.

"I wonder how much stronger he's gotten by now."

Kenji Gas grinned, running a hand through his messy wolf-cut hair.

"Stronger? Hah. By now, he might be beyond all of us standing here."

Their words struck deep, and I felt a familiar heat rise in my chest. I clenched my fist, stepping forward with a wide grin.

"Yeah… maybe he is. But that doesn't mean we've been standing still, either. We've been training, fighting, pushing forward. We'll catch up. No—we'll stand equal."

Rael scoffed, looking away with that signature cold smirk of his.

"Tch. Bold words, as always."

But for just a flicker, I saw it, the same fire in his eyes that burned in mine.

The group fell into a quiet rhythm, a shared anticipation thrumming between us. For three years, we had grown. For three years, we had waited.

And soon… we would see if the one we spoke of the one who had carried so much was truly still ahead of us.

….

The academy's air shifted. The students who were laughing and moving about suddenly froze, their instincts screaming. A ripple of pressure spread across the campus—cold, heavy, suffocating.

From the shadow of the east gate, a shape emerged. Its frame was humanoid, but twisted; obsidian skin cracked with faint violet glow, wings of jagged bone curling outward like spears. The Voidborn's eyes burned like twin abysses, void eating the light around it.

Kaen's body stiffened. His hand instinctively went to his chest where the faint scar of the cursed mark lingered. His sharpened senses honed in three long years of relentless training flared.

"Tsk… a Voidborn."

That aura. It wasn't like the lesser ones they had slaughtered before. This one was powerful, intelligent. The academy trembled beneath its presence.

Rael's eyes lit with fire, his Shinrei flaring around him in luminous wings. His voice cut sharp, decisive.

"Let's go!!"

No hesitation. No retreat.

The veterans moved in unison, their bond forged in battle too deep to falter.

The Voidborn moved first. With a guttural roar, its wings expanded and it lunged, claws tearing through the marble ground as if it were paper. The shockwave rattled windows, sending weaker students sprawling back.

Kaen met it head-on. His fist, wrapped in his crimson Shinrei, collided with the monster's claw. The impact thundered, the ground beneath them shattering.

"I won't lose—not again… not while I have this strength!!" His mind seared with memory, the day of Khael's sacrifice, the fire in his chest pushing him forward.

The Voidborn grinned, jagged teeth glinting. Its strength nearly overpowered him, but Kaen dug his feet into the earth, veins bulging as he pushed it back.

Then Rael cut in like lightning, his blade glowing with scripture-light. His strike carved across the beast's torso, spilling violet ichor.

"Keep up, Kaen. If you're aiming for that statue, don't drag behind me."

Kaen growled, forcing a grin even through the strain.

"Shut up, Rael. I'll surpass you here and now!"

The Voidborn let out a screech, its aura flaring even darker. Shadow tendrils erupted from its back, whipping violently. One tendril slammed toward Saya—

but Shigeo intercepted, his eyes sharp, his Shinrei fracturing into countless mirrored paths. He redirected the tendril with a palm strike that split into infinite afterimages.

"Not happening. You're not touching them." His calm voice betrayed the storm raging inside.

Saya followed up instantly, her Bloom Shinrei sprouting a torrent of thorned vines that coiled around the beast's leg, tightening like chains.

"Got you."

Kenji surged from the side, body crackling with raw feral energy. His fists pummeled the Voidborn's torso, each strike like a wolf tearing its prey apart.

"You're not as scary as you think, bastard!!"

Juno raised his palm high, his Shinrei igniting into blazing arcs. The 5th gate flickered around him, unstable but burning with promise. His attack rained down like divine arrows, forcing the beast to stumble.

"Fall already!"

The Voidborn roared, thrashing wildly. It unleashed a shockwave of void energy, blasting everyone back. Kaen skid across the ground, blood trickling from his lip.

But instead of fear, his grin widened. His cursed mark burned faintly, whispering power, and for a moment he let it fuel him. His Shinrei flared crimson-black, blazing hotter than before.

"Heh… I can feel it. Three years wasn't wasted. This time—I fight on equal ground with anyone!"

Rael's eyes flickered to him, a hint of acknowledgment in his otherwise cold glare.

(Tsk… he's not the same reckless brat anymore.)

The Voidborn lunged again, but this time they were ready. The group moved like a storm, each strike layering over the last. Vines restrained, blades carved, fists shattered, and energy burned the monster from all sides.

Kaen roared, his fist igniting with his hybrid Shinrei, crimson mixing with the cursed void flame.

"This ends—NOW!!"

He drove his punch into the monster's core. The impact detonated like a meteor strike, shaking the academy walls. The Voidborn screeched one last time before exploding into fragments of violet ash that scattered into the wind.

Silence fell. The courtyard was ruined, dust drifting in the air.

Kaen stood there panting, fist still smoking, as the others gathered around.

Rael's voice broke the quiet, calm but edged.

"Not bad, Kaen. For the first time… I'll admit you've grown."

Kaen smirked, sweat dripping from his brow.

"Heh… keep watching, Rael. I'll catch up to Khael, and I'll surpass even you."

The veterans looked at each other, the weight of their promise unspoken but shared.

The veterans exchanged glances, a quiet promise binding them. Above them, the statue of Khael loomed, silent and proud, as if guarding their vow.

Then

A ripple of stormlight cut through the courtyard.

Ceyla appeared, her uniform dusted with sparks, her gaze cold as ever.

"Tsk… you all are here."

Kaen's eyes widened. His senses screamed.

"Ceyla… behind you!!"

The Voidborn lunged from the shadows, its claws raised

but Ceyla didn't even turn. Her storm erupted like a living beast, a spear of lightning tearing the monster apart in a single strike. The beast collapsed into ash at her feet.

She flicked her hair back, her eyes sharp.

"I'm not the same as before."

The courtyard stilled. Then—

A voice. Familiar. Low, warm, unshakable.

"You've grown strong."

Ceyla froze. Her storm faltered for the first time in years. Her heart slammed against her ribs. That voice…

Three years ago, she thought she would never hear it again.

Slowly, she turned.

And there he was.

Khael Corzedar.

His hair was longer now from battles unknown. His frame broader, his presence heavier yet his smile was the same, that unshakable grin that once steadied her heart in the chaos.

He stood with the sun at his back, dragonfire simmering faintly across his shoulders like a mantle.

Khael smiled at her.

"Hi."

The world seemed to vanish.

Ceyla's breath hitched, her storm scattering into harmless sparks. For three years she carried the weight of his absence, pushing herself harder and harder just to feel like she wasn't being left behind.

And now, he was here.

Without hesitation, Ceyla moved. Her body betrayed her pride, her storm flickering wildly as she closed the distance and threw herself forward.

She hugged him.

Tight.

Her hands trembled as they gripped his back, face buried against his chest.

Khael blinked in surprise but his arms slowly wrapped around her, steady, grounding.

For the first time in years, Ceyla allowed herself to breathe.

To be continue