The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

The pod hissed open with a pulse of white light, releasing waves of energy that made the entire underground chamber tremble.

The walls reverberated as loose stones tumbled from the ceiling, caught in the cascading flashes that seemed to slice through shadow and silence.

From within the shimmering mist, a figure stepped out—slow, deliberate, graceful.

Her glowing blue eyes flickered open for the first time. At that moment, Kellian and Draven both felt it—their very souls quivered beneath the sheer pressure radiating from her.

It wasn't just power; it was divinity forged from destruction, beauty shaped from the impossible and honed by some ancient will. Draven's mind struggled to comprehend her presence.

He thought he understood magic, but this was something else—a force as elegant as starlight, as remorseless as a void.

The fog dispersed gradually, revealing the woman's silhouette in fragments. With an effortless flick of her slender fingers, threads of pure light coiled around her form, weaving themselves into fabric that materialized piece by piece across her body.

Each filament glimmered in the air before folding itself into a flowing design, carving out her new shape with hypnotic, arcane precision.

When the light faded, the result was mesmerizing. Her hair, a cascade of silver-blue, shimmered like threads of starlight. It spilled down to her waist, shifting hues as though reflecting forgotten galaxies.

Her eyes glowed cerulean—calm yet infinite—holding both gentleness and cruelty in equal measure.

Her lips curved faintly, soft and full, as her form came fully into view. The newly formed attire clung to her elegant frame: a bodysuit of white silk and astral gold, delicate and regal, flowing with faint runes that traced the curves of her body.

Each subtle movement made the light dance off her chest, her hips, her long legs—it was a beauty both sacred and dangerously seductive.

Draven could barely breathe. Even Kellian, whose heart was long devoted to science, stood frozen for a full second before his shock turned to manic euphoria.

The air around them felt electrified, vibrating with the pulse of something impossibly alive.

He threw Draven aside and sprinted forward, his face twisting with unrestrained joy.

"It's a success! It's a success!" he screamed, almost laughing and crying at once. "I've done it! I've created perfection! I've revived her!"

Laughing uncontrollably, he wrapped his arms around the woman's shoulders. "Veyra… my beautiful Veyra… how is your new body?" he whispered hoarsely. "I sacrificed so much to bring you back!"

He broke the embrace and seized her hand, eyes shining with obsession.

"Tell me," he said breathlessly, "how grateful you are. Tell me how much you love me."

His face twisted with lust, his voice low and trembling. "After all, you owe me everything. Every piece of you belongs to me. So tell me—how are you going to repay me?"

Her lips parted slightly. Then came a voice—soft, melodic, yet carrying a strange echo that made both men freeze.

"You're right," she said. "I should repay you."

Kellian's grin widened instantly. In his mind was only triumph.

'It worked,' he thought greedily. 'Her programmed consciousness is functioning perfectly. Nothing seems wrong. She's mine now—her power, her beauty, all of it.'

His gaze raked down her body, shameless and feverish.

'Everything about her… belongs to me alone.'

He turned and pointed a blood-stained finger toward Draven, who still knelt on the ground coughing.

"Kill that rat," Kellian ordered sharply. "He dared to harm your master. Kill him right now!"

The woman turned to look at Draven. Her glowing eyes shifted slightly, and in that instant, he felt his soul quake—his vision tunnelled, his breathing stopped. He could swear that death itself had looked at him.

But the next sound that came was not Draven's end—it was Kellian's scream.

Schlk—

Kellian's outstretched arm fell to the floor, sliced cleanly at the wrist. Blood splashed across the metal floor. He stumbled backward, clutching what remained, his face contorted in agony.

"What—what did you do?!" he roared, voice cracking through the echoing chamber. "Why?! I saved you!"

The woman stared at him coolly. Her tone was serene and edged with mockery.

"No," she said. "You didn't save me. You were nothing more than a tool I manipulated into freeing me."

A shadow of a smirk touched her lips as her eyes darkened with quiet amusement.

"So you see, Kellian," she said softly, "I was the one who helped myself. Not you."

A violent surge rattled through Kellian's body. The air around him shimmered as his mana spiraled into chaos. His veins bulged; his eyes widened with horror.

"Wha—what's happening?!" he gasped, blood pouring from every orifice. His body cracked with loud snapping sounds as he collapsed to his knees.

In his final moments, he looked up at her, trembling.

"Why, Veyra… I loved you so much…"

But the woman smiled—a slow, cruel smile.

"I'm not Veyra, you disgusting little creep," she said. "My name is Zara. Zara Lumina."

The name rang through the chamber like divine thunder.

Kellian's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Z-Zara Lumina… impossible," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Then… what happened to Veyra?"

"Oh," Zara said lightly, brushing a strand of silver-blue hair from her face. "The girl you prepared this body for? She tried to resist while I was claiming it. We fought for control."

Her lips curved faintly, almost kindly.

"I won," she finished.

Kellian barely had time to draw another breath before his body burst apart. The mana inside him detonated violently, spraying the walls with blood and ash.

Draven, standing nearby, stumbled backward in horror. The stench of burning mana filled the air before fading into eerie silence.

He stared at the remnants of Kellian, the ruined floor, the artifice of science torn apart by a force so absolute it left him numb.

Zara turned toward him slowly, her expression calm and strangely maternal.

"Mr. Draven," she said softly. "You've done well. You fulfilled your mission perfectly. Now I understand why Master values you so much."

She stepped closer—and before Draven could react, she wrapped her arms around him. Her body felt impossibly warm, her scent like sweet lightning.

His face pressed between her breasts, his mind short-circuited for a brief moment.

'It… feels so good…'

He blinked rapidly and mentally screamed at himself.

'Snap out of it, idiot! What the hell is happening?!'

Zara smiled faintly as he pushed away. He looked at her wide-eyed and stammered,

"Wh-who the hell are you really?"

Her gaze softened, almost playful. "I'm the one who gave you that program," she said. "The one you thought came from that robot."

Draven froze completely.

"That… that robot that freed me—it was you?"

Zara nodded gently. "Yes. That was my vessel, my voice, my hand guiding you. Everything I did was to reclaim this body. And now that I have it…"

She raised one glowing hand, energy swirling through her fingers like liquid light. "I just need to break the final seal. When I do, my soul will return in full, and my strength will be complete again."

Draven blinked, still dazed. "I don't understand… what seal? What are you even talking about?"

Zara's lips parted to answer—but the ground shuddered violently. The roof above them exploded in a burst of fire and stone, shrapnel tearing through ancient metal and arcane glass. The laboratory filled with dust and heat, choking and blinding. Moments stretched as Draven half expected to die—then the world steadied.

Reacting instantly, Zara spread her arms wide. A barrier of pure radiance enveloped herself and Draven, the debris bouncing harmlessly off its surface. Inscribed glyphs spun along the shield's edge, her power radiant and absolute. It felt like standing beneath a cosmic aurora, a sensation both safe and terrifying.

When the smoke cleared, a figure hovered above the ruined chamber. Dark cape fluttering, eyes gleaming with faint gold.

Aldric Verlane.

He gazed down with his usual calm composure before a subtle smirk curved his lips.

"So it worked, huh?"

Zara met his gaze and nodded. "Yes. It was a success."

For a moment, something unreadable flashed in Aldric's eyes. Then his tone hardened.

"Good. Then go—you know the plan. We don't have much time left."

Zara's expression turned serious immediately.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

With that, she raised her hand again. A shimmering white armor appeared along her body, running from shoulders to heels, gleaming like celestial steel.

A hood of radiant cloth formed over her head, concealing most of her face. The energy pouring from her rose sharply—the air itself bent around her as she pointed upward.

Then, with a sound like thunder ripping the sky, she launched upward and shot into the heavens like a missile of light, vanishing instantly from sight. The chamber echoed with her absence, as if reality itself had skipped a beat.

The room fell silent. Only Draven and Aldric remained.

Aldric looked at the stunned young man and said evenly,

"Let's go back to the academy. You'll be safer there."

Draven simply nodded, still dazed and silent, knowing questions would get him nowhere.

A glowing magic circle appeared beneath their feet, symbols spinning rapidly as light wrapped around them. In the next instant, the two vanished, leaving behind only the empty laboratory drenched in blood and ruin.