Reborn As An Extra In My Own Novel

"So, where are we exactly?"

Kai asked as he and Reni walked through the corridor of one of her mansions perched atop a large hill that once served as a graveyard.

Reni held a lantern in her hand, its flickering light casting shifting shadows across the floor. The air was cold, and the breeze that passed by carried with it an eerie silence.

"You could say this is where everything in this world began."

Kai remained quiet for a while until they arrived at a junction—where the corridor split in three directions: two leading to rooms on either side, and one straight ahead into a mist Kai couldn't comprehend.

"So, where to next?" he asked.

She turned toward him, then back at the mist. "We're going through the mist."

Kai frowned. "Princess, I love you and all, but isn't it insane to walk into that fog knowing full well how dangerous it is?"

The princess glanced at him again. "How so?"

Kai's expression went flat. "Everything about it screams enter and die."

Reni smiled. "So if it were the only way to save me, you wouldn't go in?"

Kai ruffled his hair slightly. "You should've just said that from the start."

He stepped closer, took the lantern from her hand, and held her other hand firmly. "It's just mist, isn't it? And if I die, at least it'll be beside you."

The princess chuckled.

"That was romantic, wasn't it?" Kai asked with a gentle smile. The princess, still staring at his back, tapped him playfully.

"Enough with the sweet talk, mister romantic. Now push forward."

"Aieh, Aieh, ma..."

With deliberate and cautious steps, the two of them stepped into the mist.

As soon as both feet crossed the threshold, the mist churned and the wind howled.

Kai's eyes instantly lit up with a bright glow. He pulled Reni close, wrapping an arm around her neck. "Stay close."

He unsheathed the relic sword he'd taken from Reni and pointed it into the void of the mist. Reni did the same, drawing her saber.

"Just one second."

Suddenly, the mist began to fade, as though clearing a path just for them. The road ahead began to take form, and Kai and Reni advanced.

Bathed in the pale glow of moonlight, light so intense it seemed to drive away the sun, their eyes beheld something wondrous.

A massive, glimmering door stood at the end of a grand hall. On the hall's floor were illustrations of a long-forgotten story.

The walls too bore ancient carvings and subtle etchings.

This was something Kai had never seen, never heard of, and certainly had never read in THD: an entire plot that didn't exist.

From the illustrations, Kai could deduce it was connected to the Mad King, at least the one depicted on the wall.

The floor, however, lacked a singular focus, or perhaps the pattern in which it was drawn wasn't sequential.

"What is this place?"

Kai turned to Reni, confused by her silence, only to see her eyes wide as though she'd seen a ghost.

He immediately placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Reni felt cold sweat trickle down her temples. "What is happening?"

Kai frowned.

The princess shook her head, gripping it as a sharp headache struck her. "This never happened before." Her voice trembled. "There was always a door... but I've never made it out of the fog."

Kai gently took her by the hand and helped her lean against one of the walls of the circular hall.

After some time, she sighed. "I got worked up..."

Kai, now seated beside her, said, "It might be a reaction to both of us entering this place together."

Reni nodded in agreement. That seemed the most plausible explanation.

And Kai wasn't speculating aimlessly. He raised a finger and pointed to the floor beneath them.

Reni looked puzzled at first but then followed his gaze. After a few moments of focused observation, her eyes widened. "No way... is that us?"

Kai didn't answer. He didn't have to.

The wall behind them represented the past. The floor was their future. And the ceiling, blank and untouched, was likely the present, unknowable because no foresight was needed for the now.

And if you ignored the countless overlapping images and focused solely on the ones faintly illuminated by moonlight, a pattern emerged.

By tracing that pattern, Kai was able to interpret part, if not nearly all, of the message.

He began to explain it to Reni, just as the illustrations revealed:

A child would be born and trapped inside a cocoon: herself. After years of wandering the mist, losing her powers, descending into madness, and narrowly escaping death, she would meet her knight, and the two of them would make it inside.

The rest of the tale was vague, except for one detail: the men who had tried before lost their minds and were doomed to leave. The process to save Reni had been incomplete.

As Kai continued, Reni's expression grew pale and colder.

First, the knight who fell in love with the heavens and the heavenly princess who fell in love with a dragon would both have to die. And after death, they must return.

The knight, having once kissed death and pledged himself, must give up his life again and battle the monster in her mind. Only then would he be free.

But the monster was not weak. The knight would be without protection or divine blessings. The monster had far more power than he, but he had to overcome regardless.

Among all the messages, one in particular haunted Kai:

"True love can only survive when not bound by death, strength, memories, or identities."

He understood the first three, but the last sent shivers down his spine.

Then there was the door. The one that held the monsters. And the Archaians who populated this world.

Seeing Reni's fading strength, Kai moved closer to her. "It's just a stupid test, isn't it? How hard could it actually be?"

She looked up at him with her calm moonlight gray eyes and he gave her a reassuring answer. "It's not that hard, you know."

He paused, his tone turning solemn.

No matter how much he tried to conceal it, his heart ached. His fists clenched. He didn't understand why the Mad King had created such a cruel test, or why the souls meant to protect Reni now conspired with devils to destroy her.

But he didn't want her to see it. He didn't want the one he loved to feel insecure or burdened.

Kai opened his mouth, but no words came. He took a deep breath and gently turned Reni toward him, placing a hand on her cheek.

Then he knelt slightly, not quite like a man proposing, but something just as intimate.

His heart raced, and he could feel hers beating just as fast.

He didn't fully understand the emotion, nor did she. It wasn't love at first sight, but something had pulled them together.

Maybe fate. Maybe a cruel god. But none of that mattered in that moment.

The warmth of her skin stilled his trembling hands, their eyes locked.

The cold air turned warm, and the misty scent in the hall gave way to roses, lilac, and lavender.

Carried by the mood, Kai said, "I love you, Frieren Hohenzollern."

Frieren's face flushed deep red, but her voice remained composed. "Would love save me, Kai? Can our love amount to anything? I don't think our love, or any love at that, can raise the dead."

Kai smiled. "I think our love is different. As for me, I don't fear death anymore. Not if I have you."

Their faces inched closer, impossibly close.

"I love your hair, your eyes, your mouth, your name. I love every single detail about you."

Reni frowned. "Do you think this is a joke, Kai?"

Kai's face turned slightly sorrowful. "Maybe it sounds silly to you, but I've died and come back before. Back then, I had no purpose. But now… I have you. Someone I want to protect and love."

"But these are my enemies, aren't they? Are you really willing to sacrifice your peace for a girl like me? A princess constantly hunted, constantly cursed?"

She tilted her head. "Can you see what I see? Can you see what's in my eyes?"

Kai smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Yes, I can, or at least I'll try."

He gently caressed her cheek. "I can already see those you despise and those you cherish. I can see your obsessions and your willingness to kill for the people you love. Some might call it madness, but I think it's beautiful."

He stood and helped her to her feet. "So… even if I'm not perfect, I can promise to protect you from those who would hurt you and destroy anyone who dares trample your heart."

Kai's arms wrapped around Reni's waist as he leaned closer. "Do you even know what you're asking for?" she asked, smiling.

Kai's smile softened. "Yes, I do. I want to give you my heart and soul, to let go of my sorrow and become a child again when I'm with you. But I won't do that selfishly."

"That's why I want your heart too, your soul as well. I want you to feel like the most beautiful flower when you're near me."

Reni clicked her tongue playfully. "You're rather annoying… cruel… and greedy, let's not forget that."

Kai lifted her off the ground, her bent knee pressing gently against his chest like she was floating. "I know I'm greedy. But I want to love you just as much, maybe even more, than I love myself. Even if your soul is locked away in hell, I'll retrieve it and make it mine.

"It doesn't matter if it's your memories of this world, the fake heroes who failed you, or your deepest fears… I want all of it."

"What if I'm a witch who devours humans?"

Kai tilted his head slightly. "Then we'll both be outcasts. No one would care if we loved each other or if we gave our hearts freely."

Her lips brushed his. "What about the trial? What if you die? What if one time isn't enough?"

Kai breathed in slowly through the narrow space between them. "Even if I have to repeat the trial over and over again, I'll still return to you."

Reni closed her eyes for a brief moment as if digesting his words. "You'll never leave me?"

Without hesitation, Kai responded: "Never. Maybe you'll get tired of me, even suffocated… but I'll always stay by your side, because I love you."

Reni opened her eyes slightly, a playful glint returning to her voice. "I don't like liars or incompetent men…" She leaned in, as their lips brushed. "So you better prove yourself, husband."

"Husband?"

And with his final words, their lips met.