Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Alex's boots pounded against the cobblestone street, weaving effortlessly through the panicked crowd. His hood stayed low as he moved, his mind racing even faster than his feet.

The faint distortions left in the air by the kidnapper were his only guide—afterimages, like ripples on a disturbed pond.

'That movement... it's not pure speed. They're blinking—leaping through space,' he thought. His sharp eyes tracked each distortion, calculating the intervals. Each jump was precise, deliberate, following an unpredictable zigzag pattern.

Alex's jaw clenched. Despite the seemingly chaotic path, there was a familiarity to it—a rhythm that tickled the edges of his memory.

And then, like a slap to the face, he remembered Isabella.

Her expression right before she vanished flashed vividly in his mind: the initial shock of being grabbed, the flicker of suspicion... and then, unmistakably, joy and relief.

Joy and relief?

The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. His steps faltered for half a second before he pushed forward harder, his teeth grinding.

'It's him,' Alex thought grimly. 'The other Adrian.'

It all made sense now.

He hadn't seen this in his vision. He hadn't accounted for the possibility of the other Adrian—or his team—returning this early.

"Damn it," Alex hissed under his breath, his frustration mounting.

The images from his vision resurfaced, fragmented but clear enough: himself, wearing a dark robe, abducting Princess Isabella. He had assumed it meant his own success. After all, the body build and robes matched perfectly.

But now?

'No... I never saw my current face in that vision,' Alex realized, his brow furrowing.

The pieces began clicking into place.

His plan hadn't accounted for this. He had been so focused on his own strategy, his own interpretation of the vision, that he'd completely overlooked the possibility of someone else interfering—someone who mirrored his every move.

'The other Adrian has his own agenda. And he must have his own way of traveling between worlds.'

Alex's lips thinned into a hard line.

He didn't know much about his counterpart, other than the glimpses his visions had provided. But one thing was certain: this Adrian was as cunning as he was—and far less predictable.

Another thought crept into his mind, a whisper of an impossible theory:

'Unless... someone on their side can already open portals?'

He immediately shoved the thought away.

'No, that's too early. It's not possible. Yet.'

The sheer improbability of it didn't stop the cold knot forming in his stomach. But he couldn't afford to dwell on it now. If the other Adrian was responsible, then he had his own method of crossing worlds—a method Alex had never accounted for.

"Either way," Alex muttered under his breath, his voice grim, "I need to catch up to them."

His gaze locked on another faint distortion in the air, the remnant of the kidnapper's path.

'If we lose Isabella, we lose her help. And if we lose her help, everything becomes that much harder.'

He pushed harder, his muscles burning as he sprinted through the crowded street. Far behind him, the guards were still struggling to catch up, their movements far too sluggish to keep pace with either Alex or the mysterious abductor.

This was more than a chase now.

This was a race against his own shadow.

'Or more like I am the shadow....'

Alex smiled bittersweetly as he continued the chase.

___
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The pounding of Alex's boots on cobblestones was soon joined by the sharper, heavier clamor of others. He glanced back to see a mix of Hunters and stronger guards catching up to his pursuit. Their weapons gleamed under the evening sun, and their expressions were tense, determined.

"Fan out!" barked one of the Hunters, a tall woman with short-cropped hair and a glaive resting easily in her hands. "Corner him!"

The group surged forward, weaving through the crowd with well-practiced precision.

Alex barely spared them a glance—his focus remained locked on the faint distortions ahead. The kidnapper was still about twenty-five or thirty meters in front, the flickering afterimages leading straight ahead.

And then, just as Alex predicted, the ambush came.

From the shadows of narrow alleys and rooftops, figures lunged toward the other Adrian, striking with a coordinated ferocity. Arrows whistled through the air, blades slashed, and spells crackled with raw energy.

For a moment, Alex thought they had him.

But the other Adrian moved with unnatural grace, dodging or deflecting every attack at the last moment. He twisted mid-air, one hand extending as if slicing through reality itself, creating a shimmering barrier that sent an incoming glaive spiraling harmlessly to the side.

Alex cursed under his breath.

'Of course,' he thought bitterly. 'He's not just fast. He's untouchable.'

But what truly alarmed Alex wasn't his counterpart's skill. It was the direction they were headed.

His eyes narrowed as he recognized the path.

'The entrance…'

The Avenger's secret base.

It was a well-hidden location, buried deep in the city's outskirts, disguised among the older, more neglected structures. Few knew of its existence, and even fewer had the means to access it.

The other Adrian was leading them straight there.

Alex's mind raced.

If his counterpart made it inside with Isabella, it would ruin their plans.

'No. I should hurry.'

He pushed himself harder, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts. He wanted to shout out his name but his own cover would be blown away, and he didn't exactly like it.

Three minutes passed, then five. The distance between them closed slightly, but the other Adrian maintained his lead.

And then Alex saw it—a large, ancient well, overgrown with moss and partially obscured by the crumbling remains of an abandoned wall.

The border side of the city.

The other Adrian didn't hesitate. With a single, fluid motion, he leaped into the well with Isabella in his arms, vanishing from sight.

Alex didn't stop. He reached the well seconds later, his heart pounding as he shouted after the 'kidnapper', "After them!"

Without hesitation, Alex jumped in.

For a split second, his subconscious mind expected the cold shock of water. But instead, his body passed through the surface as if it were air.

An illusion.

The descent was unnervingly smooth, as though gravity itself had been altered. it felt as though he were suspended between worlds—weightless, soundless, and drifting through a veil of illusion.

Then, gravity returned.

He was falling now, the narrow walls of the well rushing past him. His sharp eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, locking onto the figure below.

The other Adrian.

Still standing at the bottom, his head tilted upward, the faint light illuminating his hooded face. There was no urgency in his posture, no sign of retreat—just a quiet calm, as if he'd been waiting for this moment.

Alex clenched his jaw, frustration rippling through him.

'So close. I just need to—'

Before he could finish the thought, a sudden movement from his left caught his attention.

Out of the corner of his eye, a hand shot out from the smooth stone wall of the well. It moved with inhuman speed, fingers closing around his arm in an iron grip.

Alex didn't panic.

The grip was familiar. The faint, unnatural energy radiating from it left no doubt in his mind who it belonged to.

As he felt himself being yanked sideways, toward a shimmering portal forming in the wall, a single thought crossed his mind:

'Tch. So this is how it ends.'

He twisted slightly, his gaze darting back toward the bottom of the well.

The other Adrian remained motionless, his hood obscuring much of his face, but Alex could feel the faint smile hidden beneath.

'We were this close to speaking again,' Alex thought bitterly, regret coiling in his chest.

There was no time to dwell on it. The pull of the portal grew stronger, and before Alex could so much as curse his luck, his body was wrenched sideways, sucked into the rippling circle of light.

The last thing he saw was his counterpart, still standing at the bottom of the well, unshaken, watching him vanish without a word.

'Till next time.'