Path of the Extra

"Tch! It's crawling with void worms here."

Lumine clicked his tongue, sending a fireball at yet another void worm, incinerating it to nothing.

"I need to find Yelena and get out of here…"

After entering the strange dark square entrance, Lumine had found himself wandering in pitch blackness. But eventually, he realized he was in some kind of maze, with no way back.

"The Crimson King is in the Sunken Islands… If we go there and get his help, we should be safe…"

His mind drifted to Joaquin as he crept forward, his eyes darting warily for any sign of danger. He thought of the others, too.

'They should be here somewhere... well, they're all part of the government or the great clans. They can handle themselves.'

He tried to convince himself, but an unshakable worry gnawed at him. Deep down, he knew he was too weak compared to the others. They all had more experience, more power. Yet, his mind kept going back to Yelena, one of the weaker ones here, and the thought of her alone in this dark place filled him with urgency. He quickened his steps.

As he pressed on, doubt started to creep in, his expression darkening.

'The quest was about saving the Crimson King... does that mean there's something here that could even take down one of the Four Great Kings?'

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how messed up this situation really was.

'I should have known 50,000 system points meant it'd be something absolutely insane…'

He pushed away memories of the horrors outside in the woods—it was all too much to process right now.

Then, Lumine froze, every nerve on edge. He could hear the faint sound of footsteps, a rapid

tak tak tak

echoing from the corridor to his left.

He gripped his silver sword tightly, backing up as he braced himself.

The footsteps grew louder, a cold sweat beading on his brow. He didn't know what was coming, but he could only hope it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

And then… someone appeared from the hallway, hurrying toward him.

"You…!"

Relief washed over him as he recognized the figure. Despite the dirt and blood on her, her beauty was still striking—maybe even accentuated by the grime and grit of battle.

Jasmine blinked, surprised to see him too, her katana clutched tightly in her hand. She let out a small sigh, regaining her usual composure as she approached him with calm dignity.

"Cadet Lumine, I'm glad to see you're still breathing."

Lumine shook off his surprise, nodding.

"Yeah… Likewise, Your Highness."

He kept his gaze on her face, trying to ignore her disheveled state.

She looked him over, noting he wasn't injured, and gave a nod, her voice calm and steady, as if she had everything under control.

"It appears we were each teleported to different locations within this maze after entering the void tunnel."

"Void tunnel?" Lumine asked, his confusion evident.

Jasmine sighed, glancing around.

"It's something you'll learn about at the Academy. There's no real explanation for it—void tunnels are simply… strange."

"Oh." He nodded, grateful for her explanation, even if he didn't fully understand.

"Well, now that we've found each other, let's search for the others."

Lumine agreed without hesitation. He was sure, just as he worried for Yelena, Jasmine must be worried about her younger brother, Azriel.

'Though I'm sure someone capable of dismantling a terrorist plot and took down an enemy saint can manage.'

In Lumine's eyes, Azriel was smart—brilliant even—for pulling off such a feat. Still, he couldn't help but worry.

They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing through the maze. Lumine felt an awkward tension, unsure if he should try to make conversation. So far, he'd only encountered void worms, nothing truly dangerous.

He glanced at her as they walked, noting her blank expression, her blood-red eyes fixed forward. Dirt and dried blood covered her pale skin, yet there was something captivating about her.

'To think I'm walking beside the apex of the second years—a literal princess... a truly beautiful princess.'

The thought struck him, reminding him just how talented the Crimson siblings were, reigning at the top of their respective years in Asia's most prestigious and challenging academy.

He didn't realize how long he'd been staring until Jasmine's scarlet eyes turned toward him, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Cadet Lumine, is something the matter?"

"N-no, it's nothing…"

Lumine snapped out of his thoughts, looking away, slightly embarrassed. Jasmine watched him a moment longer, then turned back, her face unreadable.

"Stop."

Her voice, cold and abrupt, cut through his relief. He froze, eyes following her gaze as she lifted her katana in front of her, her expression darkening.

Ahead of them, something blocked their path.

Floating in the air was a ghostly figure, cloaked in shadow, its form shifting like ink, constantly distorting. The longer Lumine looked, the more something felt… wrong. Horribly wrong.

Jasmine's face darkened as she muttered in a low, grim voice,

"An Eclipse Wraith…"

*****

Azriel and Yelena moved forward in silence, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of danger. So far, they'd encountered nothing—aside from the unfortunate soldier nearly devoured by a void worm. After Azriel's teasing, Yelena would occasionally grumble or glare at him, which he found amusing.

'At least it's easing her nerves,'

he thought, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

They were both too exhausted for conversation, but the silence between them felt natural, almost comforting. It was enough to know they weren't alone.

A cold breeze swept past, and Yelena shivered. Azriel noticed, his gaze flicking toward her. He frowned, then stopped, dismissing Void Eater before shrugging off his fur-lined coat. Yelena paused, watching him with a look of quiet confusion as he held it out to her.

"Take it. It'll keep you warm."

She blinked, startled.

"But… no, it's better if you keep it on, my prince."

He sighed, irritation flickering in his eyes.

"I have an affinity to ice, so a little cold doesn't bother me. And stop calling me 'my prince,' seriously. We're the same age, after all."

Yelena hesitated, looking between him and the coat, then gave a small sigh, draping it over her shoulders. As they resumed their path, she walked a step behind him, her voice soft.

"Thank you… Azriel."

A slight smile played on his face at the sound of his name.

"You're welcome."