I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The golden rays of Seravelle's dawn fell softly over the courtyard of Veyl Academy, painting the stone paths in warm amber. A breeze swept through the hanging banners, the insignia of the Academy fluttering with quiet pride.

Standing before the arched gate were three silhouettes Khael Corzedar, Ceyla Nox, and Juno Arkai each bearing their own weight of purpose. Their cloaks rippled slightly, the faint hum of affinity energy glimmering beneath the folds.

It was time.

Footsteps echoed from behind. Measured. Precise. The sound of boots clicking like clockwork.

A familiar, calm voice followed.

"Seems like we are in your care, Khael."

The speaker Andromeda Ban emerged from the sunlight, his posture immaculate. Polished boots caught the glint of the morning light, white gloves pristine as ever. The faint glow of his Echo Sigil pulsed at his collar steady, disciplined, alive.

Khael turned to meet his gaze and smiled faintly.

"Likewise, Andromeda."

The air between them was a quiet recognition, two students shaped by battle, by discipline, by something heavier than their years should bear.

At Andromeda's heel, a small bark broke the stillness.

"Arf!"

Junjun, his loyal Echo-beast, tilted its head fur rippling like silver mist. The creature's eyes gleamed with intelligent warmth as it bounded toward Khael.

Khael crouched slightly, smiling, and reached out to pat Junjun's head.

"Still the same, huh, Junjun?"

The dog barked once, tail wagging furiously as if agreeing to every word Khael said.

A soft chuckle came from behind Andromeda.

Another figure stepped into view tall, lean, with sharp gray hair tousled by the breeze. A silver earring dangled from his left ear, glinting faintly under the sun. His uniform was half-buttoned, his stance relaxed yet deceptively steady.

Matthew Lomwel.

He gave a lazy wave of his hand.

"You all look too serious for a morning like this."

Ceyla folded her arms. "We're about to leave for a mission, not a picnic."

Matthew smirked. "Depends on who you're with."

A bark interrupted his teasing, this time from his own Echo-beast. A sleek, snow-white dog with soft blue eyes trotted beside him, her fur catching the light like frost.

"Oh? You're glad to see them again, huh, Sae?" Matthew said, glancing down at his companion.

The dog barked twice quick, happy, unmistakably affirmative.

Juno smiled for the first time that morning. "Looks like even Sae missed us."

Matthew nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Guess so. She doesn't wag her tail like that for just anyone."

Khael looked at them all, his gaze lingering briefly on each of their faces: Juno's quiet determination, Ceyla's firm calm, Andromeda's poise, Matthew's easy grin.

And beneath that… the faint ache of memory.

(A new mission… but every step we take changes something. The world's threads are already moving.)

He clenched his fist quietly at his side.

(Master Vince… please hold on.)

Andromeda adjusted his gloves and looked at the team.

"So. Team Nine and the support duo of Echo Division… all accounted for."

Ceyla nodded. "Destination: Rokuen Plains, the Village of Tashi."

Matthew tilted his head. "Where all the Taishin practitioners live, right? No affinity users allowed?"

Juno confirmed softly, "That's right. And that's where the last trace of Master Vince was found."

The air fell silent for a moment. Even Junjun stopped barking.

Khael took a deep breath and looked up at the brightening horizon.

"Then let's move."

The wind swept across the academy gates as they opened a deep, echoing sound like the turning of a new chapter.

Ceyla stepped forward first, cloak fluttering behind her.

Andromeda followed, Junjun padding beside him.

Matthew grinned, tossing a lazy salute before walking after them with Sae.

Finally, Khael lingered for a brief second looking back toward the Academy one last time.

(From this point on… no turning back.)

He whispered under his breath, just loud enough for the breeze to carry:

"The Butterfly's wings are already moving."

Then he stepped forward into the light of Seravelle's dawn.

The mission had begun.

The road out of Veyl Academy stretched long and silver beneath the Seravelle sun, winding through open fields and forests humming with unseen life. The morning dew glistened on grass tips, and the air smelled of salt and pine.

Team 9: Khael, Ceyla, and Juno walked in steady formation, with Andromeda Ban and Matthew Lomwel flanking them on either side. Junjun and Sae trotted happily ahead, their paws leaving little imprints on the dusty path.

For a time, there was peace. Just the crunch of boots, the rustle of leaves, and the faint hum of distant birdsong.

Until, of course—

"Hey." Andromeda broke the silence, his tone oddly dramatic.

Everyone turned to him.

"What's brown, sticky, and stronger than most first-year affinity users?"

Juno blinked. "...What?"

Andromeda's lips curved into a grin. "A stick."

A long pause.

Even the birds stopped singing.

Ceyla stared at him flatly. "Was that supposed to be funny?"

Andromeda shrugged, completely unbothered. "Of course. I've been told my humor... grows on people."

Khael sighed. "Like mold?"

Juno nearly snorted.

Matthew snickered quietly, shaking his head. "And you wonder why Junjun barks every time you speak."

Junjun barked once as if to agree.

Andromeda pouted slightly, straightening his gloves. "Hmph. No appreciation for refined wit."

Ceyla whispered to Khael, "If he tells one more joke, I'll refine him with a wind blast."

Khael smirked. "You'll have to get in line."

The humor, thin as it was, brought a lightness to their steps, the calm before whatever storm waited ahead.

The road curved into a denser part of the forest, where light barely pierced through the canopy. The air grew still. Heavy.

Sae's ears perked up first.

Junjun growled low.

Khael's hand instinctively went to his weapon.

"Stay alert."

From the shadows ahead, something rippled.

A tremor ran through the soil, a vibration that wasn't natural.

Then it appeared.

A Voidborn.

Its form was wrong part beast, part mist, its edges constantly shifting like smoke caught in a storm. Black veins pulsed across its translucent body, its eyes glowing a dull violet.

Matthew's eyes narrowed.

He cracked his knuckles, his Echo Sigil flaring faintly under his collar.

"A stray Voidborn? This far from the borders?"

Andromeda raised a brow. "Maybe it came to enjoy my jokes."

Ceyla deadpanned. "Then it deserves to die twice."

The Voidborn screeched an ear-tearing, echoing shriek that split the forest silence.

Juno began to form hand signs, but Matthew lifted his arm.

"No need."

He stepped forward unhurried. Calm.

The ground trembled with every step. His aura expanded, raw and untamed — a storm held in human form.

The Voidborn lunged.

It never reached him.

Matthew's fist met the creature mid-air, a single, clean strike.

BOOM.

The explosion of impact sent shockwaves through the trees, scattering leaves like rain. The Voidborn's body imploded, bursting into streams of black vapor that dissolved into nothing.

When the air cleared, Matthew was still standing in the same place arm lowered, calm as before.

Andromeda blinked. "Huh. That's one way to tell it you didn't like my joke."

Khael smirked. "That wasn't bad, Matthew."

Matthew rubbed the back of his neck. "Just a warm-up."

Ceyla glanced at the faint crater his punch left behind. "You call that a warm-up?"

Matthew grinned. "I've been skipping gym days. Needed to stretch."

Even Juno couldn't hold back a quiet laugh.

The tension eased just for a moment as the team continued their march deeper into the forest, past the faint, corrupted residue of the Voidborn's remains.

But Khael's eyes lingered on the ashes a bit longer than the others.

(A stray Voidborn this far out… and a missing Taishin Master.)

(Something's wrong here.)

He looked up at the sky through the gaps in the trees clouds shifting like whispers of something unseen.

"Let's keep moving," he said quietly. "The real storm hasn't even started."

And somewhere beyond the forest, the wind carried a faint sound — almost a voice, almost a laugh whispering from the direction of the Rokuen Plains.

To be continue