I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

Toren and Lys looked between them, confused, scared, but trusting Kaen all the same.

"Brother Kaen… what do we do?" Toren asked, his chipped tooth flashing as he bit his lip.

Kaen's flame flickered out in his palm. His jaw tightened as he looked down at Elder Moe, the elder's gills convulsing, blood painting the stones. For once, there was no bravado in Kaen's eyes only the raw weight of the moment pressing against him.

He clenched his fists, then exhaled sharply.

"Let's go. Take him with us…"

Everyone nodded without hesitation.

Lys rushed forward, trying to help lift Moe, but the elder's body was too heavy for her thin frame. Kaen crouched, sliding one arm under Moe's back and another under his scaled legs. He gritted his teeth as he hoisted him up, blood soaking into his shirt instantly.

Kiro swallowed hard, staring at Moe's face, pale and flickering with life.

(He's… dying. If we don't move fast—)

Moe's eyes cracked open just enough to glare at Kaen, his voice faint, each word dragging like an anchor through water.

"To… Neria… before… it's too late…"

Kaen nodded, his expression hardening.

"Hold on, old man. I'll get you there."

The twins ran ahead barefoot, guiding the path, while Kiro trailed close, constantly looking over his shoulder at the dark mouth of the cave as if the shadows themselves might crawl out and follow them.

Behind them, the sea gave a low, guttural rumble, the waves striking sharper against the cliffs. Something was stirring.

And Kaen felt it, every step carrying not just the weight of Elder Moe's body, but the unspoken burden of Moe's words.

(Cursed child… Why does he know?)

As The wind tore at them as they hurried along the cliffside path, waves hammering below with unnatural fury. Then…A sound split the air.

Not just a roar, but a guttural, bone-cracking scream that carried across the entire coast. The ground quivered beneath their feet, dust raining from the rocks. Toren and Lys fell to their knees, clutching their ears. Kiro stumbled back, wide-eyed.

Kaen froze mid-step, blood draining from his face. His chest throbbed as if the sound had reached inside and shaken his very bones.

(What the hell was that…? That's not just a beast… it's something worse.)

Elder Moe's body convulsed in Kaen's arms, gills flaring, blood spilling past his lips as he rasped through clenched teeth:

"Tsk… that bastard… is really back…"

Kaen's eyes widened, his grip tightening on Moe.

"What bastard?! Who the hell are you talking about?!"

Moe coughed violently, but his glare was sharp, furious, as if he were cursing the sea itself.

"The… Calamity… from seventy years ago…"

Another roar erupted, this one louder, closer, the shockwave blasting sand and pebbles into the air. The twins cried out, Lys clutching Toren's hand, while Kiro's face went pale as death.

Kaen ground his teeth, forcing his legs to move faster, even as the earth seemed to tremble beneath each step.

"(Dammit… I don't know what the fuck is going on… but if we don't move now, we're screwed.)"

The village rooftops finally came into sight beyond the ridge, faint torchlight flickering. Kaen pushed harder, every muscle burning as he carried Moe, who now felt heavier than stone.

Behind them, the waves surged higher, towering like walls, as if something beneath the sea was beginning to rise.

The doors of Elder Neria's hall burst open as Kaen staggered in, sweat dripping, Elder Moe's limp body hanging from his arms.

The elders rose at once. The lanternlight threw their shadows long across the chamber floor.

"Elder Moe!!" Neria's voice cracked, sharper than anyone had ever heard it. She rushed forward, kneeling as Kaen lowered Moe carefully to the ground.

The half-man, half-fish elder's chest heaved shallowly, gills fluttering like torn sails. His eyes flickered open, cloudy but burning with desperate clarity.

"Child… the seal… is unsealed…"

Neria froze, breath caught in her throat.

"I know, Elder… we've already dispatched the Guardians."

Moe spat blood, his hand snapping up to clutch her sleeve with surprising strength. His voice thundered despite his fading body.

"No! You can't defeat it with Guardians alone! Do you not remember? You know the history—the one who sealed that monster!"

The hall fell silent. Even the children, Toren, Lys, and Kiro stood unmoving, their small fists trembling at Moe's words.

Neria's lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes flicked toward the flickering brazier, as if seeing something far beyond.

"…I know. The former Dragon Knight. And your ancestor."

Moe's head shook violently, water spraying from his hair. His gills gasped.

"No… you fool. That was false. It was only the Dragon Knight who sealed it. We… we were just guardians of the sacred site. Nothing more. Tsk…" His face twisted in anguish. "…to think he is back…"

Kaen, who had been silent until now, slammed his fists together as faint flames flickered along his knuckles. "What is going on right now?! Seriously?! First seals, now some monster I don't even know the heck about, someone better explain before I lose my mind here!"

The three children flinched at his outburst. Toren bit his lip hard, trying to suppress his fear, Lys clung tightly to his sleeve, and Kiro's wide eyes darted between Kaen and Elder Moe, chest tight as if the air itself weighed down on him.

The chamber thickened with a tangible dread, centuries of buried truth clawing their way into the present. Shadows from the lanterns danced across the stone floor like warning spirits, and Moe's breathing rattled in the eerie quiet.

Moe's gaze met Neria's, and she nodded slightly. A faint bloom of light erupted from her hands, swirling like petals in a gentle breeze, and spread over Moe's battered form. His gills fluttered with each heartbeat as Neria's Bloom's Echo art restored some of his strength.

When Moe's eyes cleared slightly, he rasped, "Seventy years ago… a giant sea monster called Thal'ryx attacked the coasts. It sank ships, swallowed villages whole. It was so powerful… people thought it could destroy the world. But a brave hero… the Dragon Knight Yuna… fought the monster and sealed it deep under the caves. My clan… we were charged with guarding it through generations…"

Kaen's eyes widened, fire flickering even stronger as his heart pounded. "A Dragon Knight… you mean like Khael?!"

To be continue