Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Those three figures were none other than the rest of the group Adrian came with - 2 students and 1 instructor.

One of the students', Ceil's, breath came in short, sharp gasps as she sprinted ahead, her arms tightening around the unconscious form of Rhea, who hung limply in her grasp.

Her eyes flickered with worry, but she remained focused, pushing her legs to move faster. Behind her, her senior Cedric ran with Aurelius who was covered head to toe in protective clothes, concealing the extent of his injuries. They didn't have time to have him wear his clothes.

But the most unnerving figure among them was Seraphelis, Aurelius's master. He led the way, his expression unreadable as he carried the dead body of that young girl figure who was lying in the center of the room. Every step he took was deliberate, yet tense, as if he were anticipating the worst.

Suddenly, without warning, Seraphelis halted.

"Not good," he muttered, his voice as low as it was sharp. His head snapped in a specific direction, his eyes narrowing with grim realization. "She's caught onto us."

The words hit Ceil and Cedric like a punch to the gut. Their hearts sank in unison. No further explanation was needed—they knew exactly who he meant.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The Mastermind.

Adrian told them he would distract her somehow and they needed to rescue Aurelius and everyone inside. They could destroy the lab room if they wanted.

But, now, it seems the mastermind had figured out their plan.

Ceil grit her teeth, her grip tightening around Rhea as her pace quickened. "We need to move quickly!" she urged, her eyes filled with urgency.

Cedric nodded, his face a mix of determination and worry. "No time to waste," he agreed, adjusting Aurelius on his shoulder.

"..." Aurelius didn't speak his expression telling everything.

The three of them picked up their pace, racing through the underground hidden hallways of the Valerian Hall. The air was thick with tension, each of them aware that they were running on borrowed time. Seraphelis's usually calm demeanor had become razor-sharp, and he led them with a swiftness that belied the weight he carried—both physical and mental.

Finally, they reached the surface and then the main hall, the large open space where they hoped to regroup with the others. But what they encountered made them skid to a stop.

Instructor Elara stood in the center, her arms raised defensively, her injured and bloodied tamed beasts encircling three unconscious students, guarding them like sentinels.

But across from her stood the Phantom Lady, a haunting figure who stared Elara down, her body riddled with severe injuries, yet somehow, she still held her ground. Abby, the loyal Arkot was still fine, prowling protectively at her side.

The tension between them was palpable, a battle of wills as much as it was a battle of power. Both sides were wary, their eyes flickering to the three figures who had just entered the hall.

Ceil's heart raced as she recognized the scene. "Instructor!" she called out, but her voice was heavy with the realization that things had already spiraled far out of control.

Elara's eyes widened for a moment as she recognized them, but her expression quickly darkened as her gaze shifted behind them. She didn't need to speak—her silence said everything.

Something was coming.

Something bad.

Even her beasts were growling in fear and wariness.

At that same moment, a twisted smile spread across the Phantom Lady's face, her eyes gleaming with malice as she too looked past them. Her lips curled into a sinister grin.

"Oh… she's here," Phantom Lady hissed, her voice dripping with satisfaction. Her smile widened unnervingly, a sick pleasure radiating from her at the thought of what was about to unfold.

Seraphelis's eyes darted back and forth, confusion and caution mingling in his expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could leave his lips, the world around them began to warp.

Their surroundings shifted at a dizzying speed, the walls and ceiling twisting and folding in on themselves as if the entire hall was being swallowed by an unseen force. The sensation was overwhelming, as though they were being dragged into another dimension. The air grew heavy, distorting with an oppressive, suffocating presence.

Seraphelis's heart lurched. "A domain…?" he whispered, his voice barely audible amidst the rapid distortion.

The space around them twisted further as if reality itself was being devoured. In seconds, everything was engulfed. The hall, Elara, Phantom Lady, the beasts— all of them were sucked into a domain, the domain of the Mastermind.

The sensation of being swallowed whole was disorienting, as if they were falling through endless layers of darkness and light, reality and nightmare blending together.

Ceil felt the ground slip beneath her feet, her stomach lurching as the world warped violently around her. The overwhelming pressure bore down on them, making it hard to breathe, harder still to focus. The pull of this domain was far stronger than anything she'd ever experienced.

Then, with a bone-jarring thud, they hit solid ground.

Ceil gasped for air, her chest heaving as she pushed herself up from the floor. Rhea still lay motionless in her arms, her skin pale and cold.

Beside her, Cedric groaned as he struggled to lift Aurelius's limp body, his hands shaking from the weight and strain. Even Seraphelis, normally composed, had dropped to one knee, his brow furrowed with tension as he clutched the dead girl's body close to his chest.

The moment they regained some semblance of balance, their eyes darted around, taking in their new surroundings.

The domain was massive—far larger than the Valerian Hall, twice its size at least, and it was suffocating in its grandeur. The air was thick with a dark, unnatural energy that made every breath feel labored, as if they were inhaling the very essence of dread.

The sky—or what passed for the sky—was a swirling mass of stormy clouds, tinged with deep, blood-red streaks that pulsed ominously like veins. The ground beneath them was an endless expanse of blackened earth, cracked and twisted, as though it had been scorched by some unfathomable force.

In the distance, jagged mountains pierced the sky, their peaks sharp and menacing, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Surrounding them were remnants of shattered structures—pillars of stone, half-collapsed towers, and the ruins of what might have once been a great hall, now broken and crumbling, swallowed by the ever-encroaching darkness. It was as if the domain had taken the Valerian Hall and warped it into something grotesque, a twisted reflection of the world they once knew.

The oppressive silence was broken only by the low hum of energy, vibrating through the ground and reverberating in their bones.

And above them, floating like a dark specter, was the Mastermind.

She hovered effortlessly, her long black gown trailing behind her like the tail of some deadly phantom. Her form was shrouded in shadow, her face hidden beneath a dark veil that seemed to absorb the light around her, making it impossible to see her features.

Yet, even without seeing her face, the weight of her presence was undeniable. She radiated power—raw, terrifying, and absolute.

Her movements were slow, deliberate, as she circled above them like a predator watching its prey. There was something unnervingly graceful about the way she moved, like a dancer performing a deadly waltz in mid-air.

And though her face was obscured, they could feel her eyes—piercing, calculating, watching their every move.

"Damnit! We are in her domain!" Seraphelis cursed out loud, his eyes squinting at the Mastermind.