I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The temple of Heliana rose tall and solemn, its spires carved with runes that glowed faintly in the dim torchlight. The air smelled of incense and aged stone, the kind of silence that carried both reverence and unease.

Kaen's eyes widened as he stepped past the threshold, tilting his head back to take in the towering murals.

"Woah… it's my first time seeing a temple like this."

Rael clicked his tongue, his emerald gaze sharp.

"What a bumpkin."

Kaen spun toward him, fists shaking.

"What did you say!!"

Khael moved between them with practiced ease, placing a steady hand on Kaen's shoulder.

"Calm down, calm down."

Lira pressed her fingers to her temple and sighed softly.

"Every time…"

Meanwhile, Juno Arkai walked in behind the others. His robe of faded Taishin cloth swayed with his steps, black undershirt tucked neatly under gray pants. His sleeves were rolled up, his hands bound in thin fighting wraps. No badge of office. No gleaming ornaments.

Just fists.

His short hair framed sharp eyes that scanned the interior. Across the chamber, clerics moved in silence, carrying scrolls and tending to flickering lamps. But it was the Temple Guardians that caught his attention—warriors clad in armor traced with Shinrei lines, their discipline radiating through every precise step.

(These fighters… Taishin practitioners. They've honed body and spirit both. Not just clerics… but soldiers of faith.)

Captain Kaedros approached a young priestess at the altar, his heavy footsteps echoing against the marble floor.

"Where is Elder Ryozen?" he asked, voice firm.

The priestess, a slender woman with a veil of white silk, lowered her head respectfully.

"He is in the main sanctum… speaking with the Wanderer-Seer Oryan."

At the mention of the name, Khael's eyes flickered. (Oryan….)

Kaen whispered, nudging Khael with his elbow.

"Who's Oryan?"

Before Khael could answer, Rael spoke, arms crossed.

"The Wanderer-Seer. A man who walks between prophecy and war. If he's here, it means the situation is worse than we thought."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. The temple's silence was no longer comforting. It was heavy, like the air before a storm.

Kaedros turned, his tone grim.

"Follow me. You'll hear it for yourselves."

And so, beneath the solemn glow of Heliana's sacred fire, the rookies took their first steps deeper into the temple… toward the truth waiting within.

As they walk ..and now finally in the main sanctum

The main sanctum was a vast chamber where golden braziers burned with steady light, the air thick with the hum of ancient wards.

A voice greeted them as they entered.

"You all are here."

Everyone's eyes shifted toward the figure at the far end.

The Wanderer-Seer Oryan stood tall, his robes etched with constellations faded from age, his staff crowned with jagged crystal shards that shimmered faintly with astral light.

Beside him, seated cross-legged beneath a weathered shrine, was Elder Ryozen. His face was lined with scars, his ember-like Shinrei burning low but steady, the aura of a flame long past its prime yet unyielding in spirit. He cracked one eye open as the group entered.

Kaedros bowed deeply.

"Elder."

The rookies followed suit, Kaen awkwardly lagging a moment before bending down as well.

Rael's gaze lingered on the other man.

"…Wanderer-Seer Oryan."

Oryan smiled faintly.

"It has been a long time, young master Rael Eluron."

Rael clicked his tongue, turning slightly aside.

"Hmmp. I suppose… if you are here, then—"

Oryan's eyes narrowed, finishing for him.

"Yes. The situation here has worsened."

Ceyla crossed her arms, frowning.

"Then tell us. What exactly is going on here?"

Lira spoke up, her voice steady but uneasy.

"Captain Kaedros mentioned the Cursed Eclipse Lord. If we're talking about one, then…"

Khael's tone was calm, but his words were heavy.

"…that means an elite Voidborn. Comparable to a Crimson Veinwalker."

At that, Elder Ryozen finally exhaled, the sound like wind over smoldering coals.

"So… Kaedros already told you something."

He straightened slightly, his weary eyes scanning the group.

"Then let me tell you what happened one month ago."

The chamber seemed to tighten around his words.

"We were gathered here… the guardians, the villagers, the clerics. We were sharing food, celebrating tradition. And then… he appeared."

Ryozen's scarred hands clenched against his knees.

"A monster… who named himself the Cursed Eclipse Lord. His true name—Lord Veymorr, Eclipse of Wrath."

The rookies stiffened at the weight of the name.

Khael's smile thinned slightly, though his eyes betrayed nothing.

(Tsk… that bastard, Lord Veymorr. In the manga, it was because of him—no… because there were two of them. That's why this village was destroyed. That's why Kaen and the others witnessed such tragedy. Originally, they were supposed to arrive later, too late to stop it… but I changed that.)

(By asking Master Isen to issue this mission earlier… by choosing it myself. Luckily, he never raised suspicion. I only told him we needed real experience—and wanted to test teamwork with another squad.)

Khael's fingers curled subtly at his side, his calm smile hiding the weight of memory.

(If fate bends differently here… maybe this time, we can change what's to come.)

Lira gulped and said "tell us from the very beginning"

Elder nodded, then his voice lowered, steady but carrying the weight of a scarred memory.

"One month ago, Heliana stood in celebration. The villagers were gathered in the plaza, lanterns bright, songs filling the night air. Even the temple guardians had laid down their arms for a rare moment of peace."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if the vision burned still.

"Then… the sky split."

The chamber grew quiet, the rookies listening intently.

"A black eclipse—without sun, without moon—formed overhead. The stars vanished, and all light bent toward its center. From that void, he descended. Lord Veymorr. He walked upon the air itself, his cloak dragging shadows that burned the earth. His Shinrei… was unlike anything I've felt. It did not pulse like flame, nor shift like wind—it devoured. Every breath around him was swallowed."

Kaen shivered unconsciously.

Ryozen continued, his voice hardening.

"The guardians reacted first. Twenty of my finest men and women, trained in Taishin forms and their shinrei is strong… they raised barriers, blades, and flame. For a moment, we believed we could hold him."

He shook his head slowly.

"But his power was unnatural. He used something he called Eclipsing Wrath. Shadows turned to fire, light crumbled into ash. Even our strongest defenses melted away. And those he struck… their very Shinrei was torn out, like threads pulled from cloth. They fell, their bodies hollow, their souls crying into the void."

The rookies' eyes widened—Juno clenched his fist.

"He toyed with us. Every attack we launched, he reflected, twisted, or consumed. The bravest guardian, Captain Thevran, struck him head-on with the full force of Stone Affinity… only to be broken in half by a casual swipe of that cursed scythe of his."

Kaedros' jaw tightened at the memory of his fallen comrade.

"By the time the temple's bells rang, half the village was already gone. Houses burned with shadowflame. Children vanished in waves of darkness. And he laughed… he laughed as if we were nothing more than kindling."

Lira's hands trembled at her side, but she pressed them into her robes.

Ryozen exhaled, his Shinrei flickering faintly like dying embers.

"In desperation, I called upon the last of my strength. The Sacred Flame of Heliana. I poured my life force into sealing him—forcing him back through the eclipse he had torn open. It was not victory… it was survival. The cost… you've seen for yourselves. Half our village lies in ruin. The guardians who remain are wounded, exhausted. And I…" he tapped his chest, his fire faint, "…I burned away much of what strength I once held."

He opened both eyes now, their weary glow scanning the group.

"Know this. Lord Veymorr is no mere Voidborn. He is cunning, articulate, and deliberate. He seeks something in this land. And should he return before we are ready… Heliana will not survive a second time."

Silence hung heavy.

Rael's expression was grim.

"…An Eclipse Lord. Comparable to a Crimson Veinwalker… perhaps worse."

Kaen's fists trembled, his teeth grit.

"That bastard… he destroyed everything, and laughed about it?!"

Juno lowered his gaze, arms folded.

"Children."

Khael stood still, his calm expression unchanging—but his thoughts ran sharp.

(So it's true. Lord Veymorr came here first. The tragedy already began. But this time, I forced us here before the second eclipse could fall… but what if… what if his partner comes as well?)

(Two Lords. Two eclipses. That's what doomed Heliana before. And if fate actions itself… No… It wont happened as long as I am here)

To be continue