Transmigrated as an Extra: Awakening of The Ex‐Class”

Soon, the afternoon began to slip by quickly, as if time wanted to put an end to these last moments of happiness. The sky, tinged with gold and orange, looked like a living painting stretching over the towers of the coliseum. Cyrus lights, small floating spheres magically suspended in the air, began to light up one by one, casting warm glows over the faces of the audience. The last fight had ended splendidly. Even so, most of the audience was beginning to disperse, though not entirely. There were still small groups that refused to leave, attentive to any sign of a surprise fight or unexpected announcement.

I, however, found it difficult to concentrate on the fights again. I had been more focused on Erwing than on the spectacle. Watching his every movement, every slight turn of his head or silent sigh. I had to be on guard lest he leave and be kidnapped.

"Let's go," Amelia said, with that haughty tone that came so naturally to her, as she lightly dusted off her uniform.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that too," I replied halfheartedly. "Anyway, the fights are over."

We stood up, leaving the hardships of the coliseum behind, still warm from the day's heat. As we left, the constant murmur of the audience gradually faded, replaced by the vibrant bustle of the festival stalls, which were still open. I don't know why these students were so obsessed, but it was appreciated. Hanging lights zigzagged above our heads, and the scent of sweet bread, caramelized fruit, and Eastern spices wafted through the air. Students walked back and forth, laughing, sharing snacks, pointing out rides, or testing their aim at the magic tricks.

We didn't get far into the academy grounds when Erwing suddenly stopped.

"Oh, guys, go ahead. I have to go to the bathroom," he said somewhat hurriedly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Wait, I'll go too," I said almost instinctively, following him before he could protest.

Amelia and Aziel exchanged curious glances, as if they knew something we didn't, but they said nothing. Amelia raised an eyebrow, while Aziel crossed his arms, waiting next to a cart of caramel apples.

Erwing said nothing more, and walked briskly to one of the less crowded corners of the academy, with fewer lights and fewer people. The air there was fresher, thick with the damp scent of the night flowers that adorned the stone balconies. I caught up with him without much effort.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked, keeping my voice low so only he could hear.

"Yes... I just thought I felt a little dizzy," he replied, avoiding my gaze while pretending to be interested in the flowers that adorned the garden.

I looked at him silently for a few moments, hoping he would speak when he felt comfortable, but almost immediately I felt something strange, a slight ripple in the air. I looked around again. This feeling that the atmosphere had suddenly become strange became more evident.

The place where we had entered was completely silent, as if it had been closed off from the bustling festival. In the center, the beautiful fountain that adorned the garden now, for some reason, resembled an old stone well decorated with tangled ivy. Looking closely, the surrounding benches now seemed worn by time, but further back, I saw the silhouette of a person occupying them.

A student, sitting cross-legged on one of the benches. She had long, blond hair that fell like an icy veil over her shoulders. He didn't seem to move. But in that instant, I felt his eyes fix on me. I didn't know when our gazes met, but as soon as they did, a cold pang ran through my body, as if I'd been thrown into a lake of icy black water.

Without thinking, I squeezed Erwing's arm tightly.

He looked at me, somewhat surprised.

"Erwing... run. We have to move," I said in a low, tense voice, slurring my words as I began to pull him back through the halls.

It didn't bother me at all, or rather, he didn't seem in the mood to do so. As if he were under a spell, he simply followed me, although I could see his face growing darker. We walked quickly, almost stumbling through shadows and reflected lights, but it seemed as if the path we were taking had no end. I could still feel that gaze fixed on the back of my neck. As if his presence were following us. As if something invisible was creeping behind me, barely out of my field of vision.

"What's wrong?" Erwing asked in a tired voice, but I didn't respond. I couldn't tell anything was happening to him.

Then, I felt his weight begin to give way. First, it was a stumble. Then, his steps became erratic. And before I could better support him, his body slumped against the cobblestones with a thud.

"Erwing!" I immediately ducked, my heart pounding like a drum.

He was unconscious. His breathing was shallow, his body was burning with fever, and a slight tremor ran through his fingers.

"Shit!" I blurted out desperately, slapping him gently across the cheeks a couple of times, but there was no response. His face was pale, paler than usual. As if something invisible had drained his life force.

I wanted to get him out of this alley quickly, but it seemed like we'd been caught. Hell, not even I knew when we walked into this trap, yet I knew all of this was connected to that figure in the plaza. That girl... that thing. She wasn't human. I knew it as soon as I looked at her. Her gaze was lifeless. It was like staring straight into the depths of a bottomless abyss.

I carefully left Erwing in a small, dark corner, hidden among some broken pots and wooden crates. It wasn't ideal, but I couldn't leave him vulnerable. I knew they were coming for him. I had prepared myself to face that demon, but I didn't know if it would be enough. Apparently, somehow, we had become trapped in its domain. It was surely a high-ranking being; the only way to escape was to exhaust its energy or kill it.

"Haha..." I sighed heavily.

I made sure Erwing's body was protected from the passage of other people and stood up.

I knew I was about to do something crazy that could cost me my life, but my body was already moving before I could think about it for too long. It was the only way to survive in this world.

I retraced my steps; the fear was palpable. Each step made me tremble a little more. The air seemed thicker. The lights flickered restlessly, as if the magic that fueled them hesitated to stay lit. In the distance, I could hear the music of a classical violin sonata, distant and distorted, as if it belonged to another world.

She was still there.

Sitting. Motionless. Watching me like someone watching a puppet break its strings.

I stopped a few feet away.

"Witch?" I asked, my voice breaking, feeling a slight tingling in my fingers.

The girl in the Nova uniform tilted her head very slowly, as if she didn't understand the question. Or worse: as if she did understand and was simply mocking me with her silence.

Then she smiled.

It wasn't a pleasant smile. It was slow, almost forced, as if her muscles were struggling to remember how to flatten the expression. A clumsy, distorted grimace that seemed to mimic what a human being once was. Her eyes… stopped looking alive. The light reflected in her pupils disappeared, and in their place, two black, bottomless pits stared at me from the other side.

"I've been waiting for you," she said with a grimace of emotion so disconcerting it made my blood run cold. Her voice was sweet, but it had a jarring cadence. Like a musical note that didn't fit the melody playing it.

Suddenly, her lips curled more tightly. Too tightly. As if her face were trying to stretch beyond what the flesh should allow. She ran her tongue over her lips, slowly, deliberately. The gesture was most disgusting, it was… twisted. Her gaze didn't caress me: it seemed to want to devour me.

A shiver ran down my spine, as if my soul were trying to escape my body.

"Waiting... for me?" I murmured, astonished.

But as the words barely left my mouth, suddenly, an idea ripped through me, so crazy I couldn't believe it. A repugnant thought. Like a worm crawling through the darkest part of my mind. My stomach churned, and I could barely contain my gag reflex.

She didn't respond immediately.

She just stood up.

But the world changed as soon as she did.

The ground crunched beneath her bare feet as if the earth were withering beneath her feet. A cold wind sprang up from somewhere, swirling around her with a force that made the dead leaves dance in chaotic spirals. The streetlights that barely lit the small, derelict garden exploded one by one, as if an invisible hand were cruelly crushing them. The shadows lengthened like black snakes, slithering from his feet, coiling around his body as if they had a consciousness of their own.

The creature that could no longer be called human hadn't moved yet, just stared at me. His black eyes shone like a sickly light. And on his face, that grimace remained... anxious. As if finally, after a long wait, he had found the toy he'd been longing for. Something his mind refused to accept.

But I could no longer deny it.

He wasn't coming for Erwing.

He wasn't the target from the start.

"Shit... he's not coming for Erwing! He's coming for me!" I yelled, taking a few steps back while I thought about how to get out of this situation.