I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

Raiquen Veylthorn

(aka: The Thorn That Turned)

The cavern chamber flickered with dim red light, cast from roots that pulsed faintly with corrupted life. Moss lined the stone walls, and in the center, surrounded by half-burned incense and old prayer glyphs, stood the five members of the Crimson Roots.

Raiquen Veylthorn stood apart from them, arms folded behind his back, his long braid swaying slightly as if responding to an invisible wind. His crimson cloak dragged like a shadow.

A scarred girl stepped forward, her forehead marked with a jagged cut that had never properly healed.

"What's going on?" she snapped, voice sharp and cracking with impatience. "Why did you fail, leader?"

Raiquen didn't answer immediately.

He closed his eyes—briefly—before muttering a name like a curse spat into the soil.

"Eliryn... was there."

The room fell silent.

The girl scoffed. "So what? We can just kill her too—like the rest."

That was the moment the air changed.

A ripple—like a scream trapped in silence—rolled through the chamber.

The walls seemed to groan. The roots flickered darker.

And suddenly, the pressure.

Raiquen's Shinrei was flaring.

Crimson Glyphs danced around him, rising from the floor like bloodstains made light.

Everyone choked. Knees buckled.

The big man in the back grabbed his throat. "L-Leader—stop it—urgh!"

"Say one more word," Raiquen said, voice cold as withered steel, "and I'll bury it in your lungs."

The girl fell silent. Swallowed her breath. Stepped back.

The tension snapped in an instant.

The pressure vanished.

Everyone gasped like drowning men breaking the surface.

A lean boy with curly hair, seated cross-legged near the glyph circle, wiped his brow and muttered, "What should we do now, then...? We only have tomorrow. The ritual is set for nightfall."

Raiquen turned, his eyes glinting with something that wasn't madness—but might've been worse.

Conviction.

"Don't worry," he said. "I have a plan."

That was when the muscle-bound man—arms like tree trunks, veins like thorned vines—grinned, teeth yellowed and chipped.

"We'll kill those Elders," he growled. "Cut 'em out like rot from the roots."

Raiquen said nothing to him.

He just stared at the glyph pulsing beneath his feet.

A red flower blooming in reverse.

..

Meanwhile…

The trees thinned.

The damp whisper of leaves overhead gave way to open sky, tinged with violet as the last threads of daylight bled into dusk. The group stepped out from the forest path, and before them—

Vernara.

A village veiled in fog and silence, resting like a secret between two hills. But what caught their eyes first…

Was the gate.

It loomed.

A wooden arch, gnarled and splintered with age, carved with twisted symbols none of them could read. Vines crept around its frame, some pulsing faintly with bioluminescence—green veins beating like a heart beneath bark.

Shinrei residue clung to the wood like mist. Old. Ancient. But not dead.

Khael stopped first.

His eyes narrowed, hand drifting instinctively to his waist, where his glyph-scrolls were sealed beneath his coat.

"This is it."

The gate made no sound. But it felt like it was watching them.

"Why do I feel like that thing's alive…" Khael thought, gaze sharp and unreadable. "Or worse—like it remembers."

Behind him, Noah Matsuda clutched his sleeves tight.

"Ugh… I hate this place," he muttered, shrinking behind Eliryn. "It's way too quiet. Too… cursed."

"Then why are we here, again? I'm too young to be exorcised by a sentient door."

Eliryn didn't respond. Her pale eyes were fixed on the gate—no flicker of emotion on her face. Just the same guarded stillness.

Lin peeked from behind Ceyla's side, eyes wide. The little girl's hand moved slightly.

A flicker of glyph-light danced at her fingertips.

But no message came.

Just the gesture.

Eliryn's head tilted toward her. "...It's alright. You're safe."

Ceyla stepped forward, cracking her knuckles with a scoff.

"Can we just walk in already?" she said flatly. "It's a gate. I punch worse things open before breakfast."

Khael glanced at her, then at the others.

"This village… it feels like it's holding its breath."

He reached forward slowly and touched the edge of the gate.

The glyphs on it flared for a moment… then dimmed.

A hum passed through the air, like a sigh from the land itself.

The gate creaked open.

Just wide enough for one person to pass.

Khael's thoughts echoed again.

"Whatever Raiquen's planning… we don't have much time."

"Let's move."

One by one, they stepped through.

And Vernara swallowed them whole.

Inside Vernara

The village of Vernara unfolded like a dream caught between centuries.

Stone paths twisted through houses built of ashwood and clay, roofs sloped steeply as if bowing under secrets. Lanterns glowed dimly with blue flame, casting long shadows on walls etched with Shinrei glyphs—ancient ones, older than any Khael had seen.

It wasn't silent.

It was hushed.

As though the village itself was listening.

Villagers in muted robes peeked through windows. Some quickly closed their doors. Others whispered prayers.

"They're… scared," Khael thought. "But not of us."

Footsteps approached.

An old man stepped forward, flanked by two masked guards bearing long ceremonial spears. His spine was bent, but his presence was firm—like old mountain stone that refused to erode.

His robe was deep green, embroidered with winding silver vines that shimmered faintly. A long beard reached his chest, braided with beads of bone and jade. His eyes, pale and unblinking, settled on each of them with a quiet, unreadable weight.

"Eliryn," he said, voice hoarse but commanding. "You've returned."

Eliryn bowed. "Elder Lao."

Juno whispered to Khael "That's the head of the village?"

Khael nodded. "Yeah. That's Lao… the man who refused help from three different provinces."

"And now we're here. Makes sense."

Elder Lao turned his gaze to the group. "Welcome, Echo Agents… and emissaries. Though I wish our meeting came in times of peace."

Noah stepped forward nervously, bowing so fast he nearly stumbled.

"H-Hello, honored elder! I'm Noah Matsuda, certified—uh—emissary of the Bloom Clan. I bring formal alliance, flowers, and hopefully peace."

"And fear. Mostly fear."

Elder Lao merely nodded once. "We thank the Bloom for honoring their old vows."

Then his eyes shifted to Lin.

They softened. Slightly.

"She has returned," Lao murmured. "And still does not speak."

Lin quickly stepped behind Ceyla again.

Khael's brow furrowed. "(He… knew.. whats going on)"

Eliryn's voice cut the air. "We encountered a Voidflare along the border. The glyphs at the gate are nearly depleted."

Lao's face darkened. "Then it is as we feared. The Crimson Roots move faster than we anticipated."

Ceyla crossed her arms. "Who the hell really are the Crimson Roots?"

A silence followed.

Then Lao said, "Raiquen Veylthorn."

Khael's shoulders tensed.

"The Thorn That Turned…"

Lao gestured slowly with one hand. "Come. You must be tired. We have prepared a place for you to rest. Tomorrow… the Ritual of Vernara begins."

To be continue