Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

The announcer drew a deep breath, his shoulders squaring against the weight of what was to come. The morning sun cast long shadows across the arena, as if nature itself was paying its respects.

"I will repeat one more time..."

"Today, we gather not just to celebrate victory, but to honor sacrifice." His voice carried a tremor that spoke of personal loss. "In the initial monster waves, we lost twenty-three brave souls. Guards who held the line when the first beasts breached our walls. Citizens who gave their lives protecting others. Students who stood their ground when retreat was possible."

He unfolded a piece of parchment, his hands steady despite the emotion in his voice.

"Guard Captain Marcus Steelhart, who used his body to shield three children from a beast's claws. Second year student Siya Brightweave, who exhausted her mana maintaining protective barriers around the evacuation zones until her heart gave out. Merchant Thomas Reid, who turned his shop into a sanctuary and died defending it..."

The names continued, each one hanging in the air like a prayer. In the audience, soft sobs broke the silence as families and friends relived their losses.

"In the battle against Sezar's army, we lost thirty-seven more. The Weremonkey Army's assault was brutal, targeting both military and civilian targets. Yet our defenders never wavered."

His voice strengthened with pride even as it carried sorrow.

"Lieutenant Sarah Drake, who held the West Gate alone for fifteen minutes, allowing hundreds to escape. The entire Third Scout Unit, who sacrificed themselves to collapse the tunnels to trap the enemy. Healer Jonathan Mills, who refused to abandon his patients when the hospital wing was attacked..."

More names. More tears. More reminders of the price of survival.

"To the families and loved ones of these heroes, we offer not just our condolences, but our eternal gratitude. Your sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and companions – they died as they lived: protecting others. Their names will be inscribed in the Hall of Heroes, their stories told to future generations. We pledge support to those they left behind, for they too have sacrificed more than we can repay."

The announcer paused, his gaze turning toward the distant crater that had once been Valerian Hall. The entire audience seemed to hold its breath, knowing what was coming next.

"And then... there was the Valerian Hall incident."

His voice dropped lower, heavy with the weight of classified information he was only now authorized to share.

"What I'm about to tell you has been cleared by the highest authorities. The public deserves to know the truth of what happened that night." He straightened, his voice gaining strength. "A powerful enemy, one whose strength rivaled that of General Theron and our Principal, had infiltrated and taken control of Valerian Hall. This wasn't just another monster or beast – this was a mastermind who had orchestrated much of what we had faced."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Many had wondered about the strange lights and sounds that had come from Valerian Hall that night.

"Our students and instructors engaged this enemy directly. They fought with courage and skill that would make any academy proud. But the enemy..." His voice caught. "The enemy attempted to use a forbidden technique known as Domain Explosion – a move designed to annihilate everything within its radius. Everyone in Valerian Hall should have died that night."

The silence that followed was absolute. Even the wind seemed to still.

"But thankfully..." The announcer's voice broke slightly. He cleared his throat, tried again. "Thankfully, there was someone among them. Someone who had already proven himself time and time again – during the monster waves, in the aerial battle against the black wyvern, sending powerful allies to fight alongside others against Sezar's forces. Someone who, when faced with ultimate destruction, made the ultimate choice."

In the front row, where the first-year students sat, the silver-haired girl's hands tightened in her lap, where the unconscious hedgehog lay.

Beside her, the young man's grip on his blood-stained sword whitened.

Beside the young man, the blonde girl had dark red eyes, the result of crying and not sleeping.

There were more people who reacted in their own way. Like the gray-haired student who considered the individual as their enemy having a bittersweet and difficult expression.

And the close friends who still couldn't believe what happened...

"According to the survivors, this person used a powerful relic to save everyone present. He created a barrier of pure light that protected them from the explosion. But the cost..." The announcer's voice wavered.

"The cost was his own life."

Tears were flowing freely now, not just from those who knew, but from those who were hearing the full story for the first time.

"His name..." The announcer's voice grew stronger, filled with both pride and sorrow. "His name was Adrian Lighthaven. The strongest freshman our academy has ever seen. A young man who, in the span of mere months, touched countless lives and saved even more. A true hero who, when faced with the choice between his life and others, chose others without hesitation."

The name echoed across the arena.

Adrian Lighthaven.

In that moment, something changed in the atmosphere. The grief remained, but something else emerged alongside it – a sense of awe, of respect, of inspiration.

"Adrian Lighthaven exemplified everything our academy stands for. Strength not for oneself, but for others. Courage not in the absence of fear, but in spite of it. And sacrifice..." The announcer's voice softened. "Sacrifice not because it was expected, but because it was right."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In the distance, sunlight caught the edges of the crater where Valerian Hall had stood, making the glass-smooth walls glisten like tears on the face of the earth.

"To the family and friends of Adrian Lighthaven, we offer our deepest—"

"H-He's not dead."

The voice cut through the silence like a blade. All heads turned toward the silver-haired girl who had spoken, who appeared on the screen, her voice quiet but carrying an unshakeable certainty that seemed to challenge reality itself.

The world held its breath once more, waiting to see what would follow this declaration of defiance against grief itself.