Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

Alden's eyes widened as the vibrant city around him twisted into a nightmare.

He saw corpses scattered around the streets. Some sprawled mid-step, others crumpled like broken dolls.

Smoke coming out of the skyscrapers.

Screams of people… or something else entirely.

He snapped his head behind. Nobody was present there. The students who had been with him recently had vanished.

Amyra, Nyx, Aziel, and Cecilia—gone. As if they had dissolved into thin air.

His head felt light all of a sudden. His knees buckled up slightly.

Just then—

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Alden, are you okay?" A soft sound.

As soon as he heard the sound, the peaceful scenery returned.

The same lively, bustling streets and soft music.

What the hell was that?

He looked at the owner of the hand to see Amyra looking at him strangely.

"Are you okay? You zoned out all of a sudden." She asked again.

"I'm fine." Alden replied.

Amyra didn't look convinced, but she didn't push him for answers.

"What happened? Can't you even bear the effects of this small teleportation?" Nyx added in with a smirk.

Alden didn't answer and just stayed quiet.

He just looked at them.

Amyra looked at him for a moment longer. Well, with her stoic face, it was difficult to tell what she was thinking.

Nyx looked at him with a smirk. Aziel still looked like trying to hold his puke back due to the teleportation effect, and Cecilia supported him.

Was I the only one who saw that?

Other students were acting normal.

Was that a hallucination?

No… it felt too real.

Or maybe my shitty sleep schedule is catching up to me.

He shook the thought away with a scoff, pushing it to the back of his mind for the time being.

I'll deal with it later.

__

Their first stop was a luxurious hotel building situated in the core area of the city.

The hotel building was a skyscraper, large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.

"We'll remain here for five days," Sorin explained as the students gathered in the vast marble lobby. "Every day, you'll travel to the ancient ruins with your assigned group and professor. In the evening, you'll return to this hotel to rest."

He gave them a moment to absorb the information.

"Collect your individual room keys from the reception desk. Don't lose them."

Alden didn't wait any longer and walked towards the reception to get the keys.

The academy provided a single room for each student.

The academy was rich, but that wasn't the reason for such generosity.

It was because this whole hotel belonged to Jeremy – the principal of the academy.

"Hey, bro, let's go and explore the city." Aziel was back to his full energy.

Only Cecilia stood beside him. Amyra and Nyx had already gone to their rooms.

Alden narrowed his eyes at Aziel.

What would I even do with you lovebirds? Be your tour guide?

No thanks. I have enough trauma without third-wheeling.

He thought in his mind.

"Nah, you guys go ahead. I actually have something else to do." He said to Aziel.

Aziel didn't insist. Of course he didn't.

Bastard. Just asked out of politeness.

Alden understood Aziel had only asked him for formality. His real goal was to go on a date with Cecilia.

As the two walked away—definitely a date—Alden remained in the lobby.

He watched the rest of the students scatter: some chatting, some heading to their rooms, and others already rushing out to explore.

What should I do?

He didn't really have any plans. He could have trained, but there was no personal training room inside the hotel. There was a public one, but he didn't really like to train in front of others.

Guess I'll just wander.

He decided quickly—exploring it is.

With that, he slipped out of the hotel and into the crowded streets.

__

For the next few hours. He wandered through the streets aimlessly.

Lustra lived up to its hype. From gambling dens to high-tech artifact shops, Lustra offered everything.

He didn't buy anything. The Accord's internal stores were better anyway—cheaper and more reliable.

Eventually, he found himself slowing to a halt in the middle of a bustling square.

Just as he was about to turn back—

Hmmm…

He felt a tiny hand slip into his jacket's pocket. The hands were swift and precise.

Someone was trying to pickpocket him.

He didn't react.

He'd sensed them coming a mile away. Still, he let it happen.

The thief took off with one of his ManaSyncs—his spare. The one he kept for emergencies.

There was nothing of value on it.

Once the thief vanished into the crowd,

He turned slowly.

The thief darted through the crowd, nimble as a shadow.

Alden's lips curled faintly.

Alright.

Let's see where this goes.

__

In a dark alley, a boy ran like hell, a grin stretched across his dirt-covered face.

He looked no older than ten. Brown, unkempt hair. Torn clothes. Dust-covered skin. Mismatched shoes as if picked up from trash.

And green eyes that still sparkled with something that shouldn't exist here—hope.

He entered a broken-down shack on the edge of Lustra's slums. The structure barely qualified as shelter.

"I did it, Yuna!" he called out.

A small girl, younger than him, peeked up from behind a stack of cloth and junk. Her eyes matched his—bright green.

"Really? Get what? Food?" She asked, scrambling to her feet.

Her speech was broken but eager.

"Nope. ManaSync", Mark said, holding it up proudly.

"Something eat we?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

"No, dummy." Mark flicked her forehead. "We'll sell it, then buy some food."

"Yay, food," she chirped, hugging him.

Mark smiled, but there was weight behind it.

Their mother had died two years ago—some rare plague no one in the upper city cared to cure.

Her final words: Take care of your sister.

He hadn't broken that promise. And he wouldn't.

"How get it you?" Yuna asked, her words struggling to come out right.

But Mark understood her perfectly.

From an idiot," he said proudly. "He was just standing there, spacing out."

Just then, a voice interrupted from behind.

"You sure about that?"

Mark froze.

A black-haired boy stood at the entrance, leaning against the doorframe casually. Black hair, crimson eyes—smirking confidently.

Mark instinctively pushed Yuna behind him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"The idiot you stole from," the red-eyed boy replied.