I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The trail curved through the thick woodlands of Southwood Sector, where golden-green leaves whispered overhead and vines clung like veins to bark long forgotten. A quiet mist rolled across the mossy stones beneath their feet, the only noise being boots crunching gravel and a faint rhythmic rattle from the emissary's supply cart.

Khael Corzedar walked at the front focused, calm, eyes scanning the trees.

Beside him, Juno Arkai moved silently. No flair, no flashy steps just precise posture and the subtle tension of someone trained in pure martial control.

Trailing slightly behind was Ceyla Nox, arms crossed, storm affinity simmering faintly around her shoulders. She didn't speak unless necessary—but every now and then, her eyes flicked sideways, glancing toward the fourth figure among them.

Noah Matsuda, the Bloom Clan emissary.

And a certified coward.

The boy wore ornate robes stitched with pastel vine patterns, his silver-trimmed satchel rattling with sealed scrolls and ceremonial charms. His knees wobbled more than the wheels of the cart he pushed.

He cleared his throat as he adjusted his glasses, then leaned forward toward Khael.

"Um… hello… excuse me—where's your mentor?"

Khael looked over his shoulder, not slowing his pace.

"He said he had something to take care of first. Told us not to wait."

Noah paled.

"Wait—what?! You're telling me he just left you? This is a Class C mission! You're students! What if a Voidborn appears? What if something explodes? Or—or we get cursed—"

"Relax," Khael said, calmly reaching into his coat.

He held up a small brass button with an engraved Veinwalker crest, bound by a soft blue glow.

"Emergency Signal Beacon," he explained.

"If something goes wrong, we click it. He'll know. He'll come."

Noah squinted. Then blinked.

Then gulped.

"Oh thank god… I thought I was gonna die out here alone with a bunch of kids—"

Ceyla whipped her head around.

"Who are you calling kids?"

Noah flinched so hard he nearly tripped over a tree root.

"N-n-nothing! I-I meant 'young professionals!'"

Juno finally spoke, his voice flat but curious.

"You said this ritual… is it dangerous?"

Noah fidgeted.

"Uh, well, no… not really. I mean… it's sacred, not dangerous. But Voidflare activity has been rising in the forest recently, and, um, one of the wards around the Eternal Spring cracked two weeks ago. There's been—uh—whispers in the water."

Whispers in the water.

Ceyla's eye twitched.

"You better not be lying."

"I swear! I don't even like water! I mean—I do—but only when it's in a cup!"

Khael pinched the bridge of his nose.

(This guy… is going to give me a headache before the Void even shows up.)

But he didn't say it aloud. He simply turned forward again, voice steady.

"Let's pick up the pace. We reach Vernara before nightfall. Then we rest. Then the ritual."

Beside him, Noah Matsuda—cloak too clean, scroll pouch clutched like a lifeline—nodded with a nervous gulp.

…

..

Minutes later

They walked in uneven rhythm. The trail crunched beneath boots and sandals, the silence only broken by the occasional low chatter of insects or wind threading through the trees.

Khael glanced toward Juno.

"So, Juno… you mentioned your master. Master Vince, right? That he's… hardcore?"

Juno nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah. Last month, he made me walk through fire and ice barefoot. And then left me in a jungle with nothing but my belt. Said it was to build 'internal harmony.'"

Khael blinked.

"…Damn. O—okay."

Ceyla smirked, arms crossed behind her head.

"What a muscle-headed way to train."

Juno bristled, turning to her.

"What did you say? You lightning-tempered hothead—"

Ceyla stepped forward, expression sharpened.

"Say that again to my face, you overgrown bicep!!"

Khael quickly stepped between them, palms raised.

"Now, now. Calm down—please. We're not getting ambushed by a Voidborn just because you two decide to punch each other first."

Behind them, Noah whimpered.

"O-Okay…"

He looked from Khael to the others, voice cracking like a twig.

"This mission is not gonna work. We're all gonna die. The Void's gonna pop out, and I'll be eaten first because I'm the weakest and the smallest—"

"Noah." Khael said it flatly.

The emissary froze.

"Breathe. You're Bloom Clan. Act like it."

He looked ahead again, forest mist beginning to veil the trail's end.

"We're not gonna die."

Ceyla scoffed, but her voice had softened.

"Tch. We'll be fine. Unless someone screams loud enough to wake the whole damn forest."

She shot a sideways glance at Noah.

Juno chuckled.

"Maybe the Voidborn will run away from the noise."

Khael exhaled slowly, but there was the faintest smile on his lips.

They were bickering.

They were loud.

But they were moving forward together.

(We made it. But the real mission starts now…)

..

…

Hours passed

The sunlight had begun to dip behind the canopy, casting long shadows along the mossy trail. The air felt denser now—thicker with Shinrei pressure that hadn't been there moments before.

They were almost at Vernara. The ancient Bloom Village shimmered faintly just ahead, nestled between willow trees and cascading springs.

Juno was mid-sentence about a training session involving a boulder and one arm when—

"LOOK—A GIRL!" Khael shouted, pointing ahead.

Everyone snapped to attention.

There just off the trail a young girl no older than ten was bolting through the underbrush, dress tattered, eyes wide and wild. Her bare feet were torn, legs trembling with exhaustion. And behind her…

A shriek ripped through the woods.

An Echo Beast.

It burst from the trees like a nightmare made of bone and cracked crystal, its limbs distorting unnaturally with every step. A beast twisted by wild Shinrei. Its eyes glowed violet. Its jaws opened too wide, rows of jagged echo-hardened teeth catching the sunlight like blades.

And it was gaining.

Khael didn't hesitate.

He surged forward, voice clear and sharp:

"Echo Art—Wind Boost!"

A pulse of wind burst from his heels, crackling around his limbs in a focused spiral. The world blurred past as he closed the distance in seconds.

The Echo Beast's claw swung..

SHRIPPPP—!

It barely missed the child, catching the edge of her sleeve.

Khael's arms locked around her tiny form mid-sprint, lifting her off the ground just in time. They rolled, hitting the grass hard but safely. He winced as his shoulder scraped a stone, but the girl was unhurt.

She stared up at him—mute, trembling, wide-eyed.

Khael whispered as he shielded her with his body:

"You're safe. I've got you."

But the Beast wasn't done.

It snarled, digging claws into the soil as it began to charge again—more enraged now.

"JUNO! CEYLA!" Khael yelled without looking back.

Juno was already on the move, Taishin Gates activating—

"Gate 2: Tendon Gate!"

His muscles tensed, his speed flaring as he raced into intercept position.

Ceyla's eyes sparked with stormlight. Her voice hissed like thunder through grit teeth:

"Tsk…You want a storm? You got one."

She raised her hand, palm humming with erratic Shinrei.

"Echo Art: Lightning Pulse—CHAIN STRIKE!"

Bolts arced across her body, then shot toward the Echo Beast, striking its leg. The beast stumbled—just long enough for Juno to leap in and slam a punch into its side, his strike echoing with enough force to crack the ground.

The beast screeched in pain, now dizzy, confused and surrounded.

Khael looked down at the girl. Her small hands clung to his jacket.

She wasn't crying.

She wasn't screaming.

She couldn't.

(…She's mute.)

His eyes softened.

"You're safe now," he said again, quieter.

Behind him, the Echo Beast tried one final lunge—

Only for Ceyla to raise her hand again.

Her storm flared in her eyes.

"Echo Art: Storm Spiral Lance."

A spear of compressed lightning and wind burst from her palm, striking true—right through the beast's core.

The Echo Beast disintegrated into ash and flickering Shinrei motes, vanishing with a final screech that faded into wind.

Silence fell.

Only the soft hum of retreating energy remained.

Noah collapsed behind a tree, panting, whispering to himself,

"I hate missions. I hate missions. I hate missions—"

Juno exhaled and approached Khael.

The girl still hadn't spoken.

Juno knelt beside them.

"…She's mute. Look at her throat—it's scarred. Probably born this way."

Ceyla walked over, brow furrowed.

"She was lucky. If we were even ten seconds slower…"

Khael looked up at both of them.

His voice was firm now.

"No. Not lucky. She's with us now."

He looked down at the girl again.

"What's your name?"

The girl looked at him… then hesitated… and slowly pointed to her chest, then used her fingers to draw something in the dirt.

Three letters: L-I-N.

Ceyla murmured. "Lin…"

Khael nodded.

"Lin"

To be continue

….

📘 Lore Note – What is Voidflare?

Voidflare is not fire. It is not lightning. It is not even energy in the way most understand it.

It is the scar of the Void left behind when corrupted Shinrei, spiritual energy twisted by despair, rage, or fear leaks into the world.

It manifests in many ways:

Flickers of unnatural flame that don't burn, but consume memory.

Cracks in reality where whispers leak through, maddening and cold.

Distorted weather, dead winds, and even illusions that feel too real.

Voidflare is not alive. But it hungers.

It often appears in places where Echo Beasts have died, or where too many Vein Gates were opened without balance. Some say it's the world crying out, trying to warn others of a coming collapse.

While rare, its appearance is a harbinger of Voidborn, twisted beings consumed by corrupted Shinrei. Where Voidflare appears, danger follows.

And only those trained in purification or Void-sealing Echo Arts can stop its spread.