Transmigrated As An Extra In The Apocalypse

The glowing message didn't disappear after I tapped "Yes". Instead, it shifted to another ominous alert:

[The seal is releasing...]

I swallowed hard, feeling a mix of anticipation and dread as the cube began to vibrate faintly in my hands.

The sensation was unnerving, like holding a purring beast that could wake up at any moment.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I muttered under my breath, clutching the cube tightly.

The hum faded after a few moments, and everything went still.

The cube's eyes remained closed, but something about it felt... different. Almost like it was waiting for me to do something.

"Okay, first problem: how the hell do I hide you?" I whispered, glancing around nervously.

If anyone saw me with something like this, there'd be questions ones I didn't want to answer.

I racked my brain, trying to remember every beast-taming comic, novel, or game I'd ever consumed.

"They always have some kind of... summoning thing, right? Like, poof it disappears into thin air, and then you call it back when you need it. Easy."

Except it wasn't.

I spent the next few minutes trying every ridiculous method I could think of. Pointing at it and saying, "Return!" Nothing.

Pressing my palm against it and willing it to vanish? Nope. Holding it close to my chest and whispering, "Disappear!" Still there.

I was about to give up when I tried the simplest thing imaginable: just thinking about it disappearing.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, the cube shimmered, flickering like a glitch in reality, and then... it was gone.

I stared at my empty hands, stunned. "That... actually worked?" I muttered.

With a tentative thought, I imagined the cube reappearing, and sure enough, it materialized in my palms as if it had been there the whole time.

A grin tugged at my lips. "Alright, this is kind of cool."

Satisfied, I tucked the cube away mentally, of course and started heading back toward the others.

The forest felt quieter now, though that could've been my imagination.

Either way, I moved quickly, eager to leave the unsettling darkness behind.

When I reached the group, they were already packing up.

Amber was the first to spot me, her golden eyes narrowing with a mix of relief and irritation.

She strode over, her steps brisk and purposeful.

"Sky! I told you not to go, are you alright?" she asked, her voice sharp but tinged with concern.

"I was just about to go looking for you. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to wander off into the forest like that?"

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a bit sheepish. "I, uh... just needed some air. Thought I'd clear my head for a bit."

Her frown deepened. "Clear your head? In this forest? Do you know how many people have died out here? And you thought it'd be a good idea to take a walk alone?"

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "I didn't run into anything dangerous."

Amber sighed, crossing her arms. "That's not the point, Sky. You're lucky nothing happened, and... I am sorry for what happened with Edward."

Her words lingered as we started walking back with the group. Amber stayed close, chatting as we moved through the dense forest.

"You know," she began, her tone softening, "this forest is notorious for being one of the deadliest zones near the base. Even awakened soldiers avoid it unless they absolutely have to. We've lost so many people here good people. When we first got stranded in this area, we didn't think we'd make it."

I nodded listing to her.

"You remember that we split up into two groups right"

"Yeah of course I remember"

That was a lie, not fully a lie but half a lie and half the truth, because I wasn't there I only remember it from the novel.

"Our group passed through dangerous zone, Edward mostly lead us, which he is supposed to, we encountered different beast like wolfs and all sorts, survival was actually hard, but in the end we still fought through it, killing a lot of dangerous beasts, the forest is not the best place to find yourself in especially in this era, didn't expect the forest to become harder everyday"

"How?"

"Well actually I have entered here before on my first week of becoming an awakened just for training and getting expirence, although I and some other people entered the less dangerous place in the forest, it wasn't still easy but it was okay"

"Oh"

"On our way here we also had a very delicious wolf meal"

"You ate a wolf?!"

"Yeah, it was actually a very big one, it was going to kill us, so we killed it first, it was soo strong we almost lost, after we killed it, i cooked it because I was already starving, and none of my useless team can cook, but damn it was soo delicious, so crunchy and the taste was out of the world, that when I began to believe the fact that the strongest taste the best"

You are telling me how it tasted, when you didn't even leave any for me, soo heartless.

But one thing was bothering me, I couldn't shake the thought that kept resurfacing.

Why was she so worried about me?

Was it because she thought I was weak?

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, trying to gauge her expression.

She didn't seem condescending, just... protective.

Maybe it was pity.

Maybe it was because she knew how fragile the real Sky the one I'd replaced had been.

Whatever the reason, it left an uncomfortable knot in my stomach.

By the time Amber finished her story, the dense trees were thinning, and I could see the faint outline of the base ahead. The sight of it filled me with a sense of relief.

We where reaching the base.