The Extra's Rise

I woke up slowly, my mind surfacing from the depths of unconsciousness like it had been submerged in something thick and unyielding.

There was warmth. A lot of warmth.

Something soft pressed against my chest, something else wrapped around my arm, and I could feel two distinct heartbeats beside me.

I opened my eyes.

Rose was curled against me on one side, her brown hair splayed across the pillow, her grip tight around my arm like she was afraid I'd disappear if she let go.

Cecilia was on the other, her golden locks tangled against my shoulder, arms wrapped around my torso as if she had claimed me as her personal pillow.

I blinked.

"What the hell," I muttered.

At the sound of my voice, both girls stirred instantly.

"Arthur?"

I barely had time to process before they pounced.

"You're awake!"

The next second, I was crushed in a double hug.

Rose had thrown herself against me, arms locking around my waist, her entire body trembling.

Cecilia followed immediately, equally relentless, burying her face into my neck.

I sat there, stunned.

"What—"

"You idiot!" Cecilia's voice shook, and when I glanced down, her crimson eyes were wet. "You died! You were gone! You—!"

Rose, still hugging me tightly, muttered into my chest, "I thought I lost you."

For a moment, I didn't know how to react.

I didn't remember dying.

The last thing I recalled was Evelyn, the black rose, the sensation of my body being unraveled—and then, nothing.

Yet here I was.

Alive.

And stronger.

That realization hit me all at once.

I could feel it—the sheer density of my mana, the refined quality of my body. It wasn't just a minor improvement.

It was like I had ascended to an entirely different level.

I clenched my fist.

Power pulsed through me, controlled, compact.

"What… happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Rose and Cecilia pulled back slightly, though neither let go of me.

"You really don't remember?" Rose asked, searching my face.

I shook my head. "The last thing I remember is Evelyn attacking. After that… nothing."

Rose and Cecilia exchanged a look.

"You…" Rose hesitated, then swallowed. "You disappeared in front of us. Evelyn—she killed you. Or at least, we thought she did."

Cecilia nodded, her grip tightening. "Your entire body was torn apart. There was nothing left. We thought—" Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue. "We thought you were gone."

A cold chill ran through me.

I had died?

No. That wasn't right.

If I had truly died, I wouldn't be here now. Something had happened.

But what?

I exhaled, pressing my fingers against my temple. "I don't remember any of that."

Rose bit her lip, glancing away. "I… I awakened my Gift when I saw you die."
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I looked at her, surprised.

"Your Gift?"

Rose nodded.

For a moment, she hesitated—then she lifted her hand.

A single blue rose bloomed into existence on her palm, its petals pulsing faintly with an almost otherworldly glow.

"Reality itself bent when you disappeared," Rose said quietly. "And then my Gift awakened."

I stared at the flower.

I could feel it.

It wasn't just mana.

It was something… more.

Something dangerous.

Cecilia, meanwhile, let out a sharp breath. "And somehow, despite that, you came back."

I clenched my fist again, exhaling slowly.

I would have to figure this out later.

For now—

I looked at Rose. "You mentioned your family."

She tensed.

Then, after a moment, she nodded.

"I… I need to tell you everything."

Rose sat up slightly, her hands clenching against her lap.

"My mother is Evelyn Alaric," she said, voice tight.

I froze.

I had suspected there was some connection—Evelyn had called her treasure, and the way she had spoken to her had been far too familiar—but hearing it outright still hit like a truck.

Cecilia's expression darkened. "That's why she called you her treasure."

Rose nodded. "She never wanted a daughter. She only had me because she thought I had potential." She let out a bitter laugh. "And when I didn't awaken anything at first, she abandoned me. Just disappeared from my life."

A long silence stretched between us.

"My father—Count Springshaper—he raised me. He actually loved me," Rose continued, her voice quieter now. "And for a while, I thought that was enough. That I didn't need her."

I watched as she clenched her hands tighter.

"Then, when I turned fifteen, I awakened my Gift for the first time. And she came back."

I inhaled sharply.

So that's why Evelyn returned.

"She wanted to claim me," Rose whispered. "Like I was a prize. But Charlotte stopped her. They fought. And after that, my Gift was sealed."

"Sealed?" I asked, frowning.

Rose nodded. "Charlotte and the Tower researchers locked it away. So Evelyn lost interest."

"And now," Cecilia muttered, "she's realized the seal is gone."

I exhaled.

Everything made sense now.

Rose had been hidden—her power buried, her existence kept quiet. The Tower had lied to Evelyn, making her think her daughter was useless.

But now?

Now, Evelyn knew the truth.

She would come back.

Again.

And again.

Until she got what she wanted.

Before any of us could say anything else, the door opened.

Charlotte strode in, her presence immediately filling the room with an undeniable weight.

She looked at me first, her emerald eyes scanning over me like she was checking for damage.

Then, satisfied that I wasn't about to drop dead, she turned to Cecilia and Rose.

"Nobody," she said, voice firm, "says a word about this to anyone."

Cecilia tensed, but nodded. "Understood."

Rose hesitated, then gave a small nod as well.

Charlotte's gaze flickered back to me. "That includes you, Arthur."

I met her stare evenly. "I figured."

For a moment, she studied me—really studied me—as if trying to see something deeper than what lay on the surface.

Then she exhaled, rubbing her temples.

"This has turned into a nightmare," she muttered. "I need a drink."

I snorted.

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "That's your solution to everything."

Charlotte shot her a look. "You nearly died. You don't get to judge me right now."

Cecilia huffed but didn't argue.

Charlotte exhaled and leaned back against the chair, crossing her legs as she patted Rose's head like she was a child.

"Anyway," she said casually, "as she already told you—this girl is my niece."

Rose huffed at the treatment but didn't pull away.

"And since she awakened her Gift, she'll be joining Class A for her second year at Mythos Academy."

I blinked. "Wait—you're not sealing it again?"

Charlotte sighed, rubbing her temple. "Impossible."

"Why?" Cecilia asked, her brows furrowing.

"Gifts are supernatural powers," Charlotte explained. "The only reason we managed to suppress hers before was because she was young—still in the early stages of development. Now that she's grown, so has the Gift. It's impossible to seal now."

Cecilia crossed her arms. "Then what's stopping Evelyn from just attacking Mythos Academy?"

A valid concern. Evelyn had proven she didn't care about rules.

"I know the Headmaster is a Radiant-ranker," Cecilia continued, "but still."

Charlotte's lips curled.

"I'm not stupid," she said simply.

Cecilia and Rose exchanged a look.

"Don't worry," Charlotte added, "I have a plan."

That didn't reassure me at all.

Then, suddenly, she clapped her hands together, making both Rose and Cecilia jump.

"Alright! You two—out."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Cecilia looked just as suspicious.

"Because I need to talk to Arthur."

A brief, heavy pause.

Then, begrudgingly, the two girls stood up, but not before giving me a long, warning glance.

Charlotte waited until the door shut behind them.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, a soundproof barrier sealed the room.

The air shifted.

Charlotte's teasing demeanor disappeared.

Her emerald eyes narrowed.

"Alright," she said, calm and serious. "I didn't tell them this, but the reason I'm fine with Rose going to Mythos Academy—even with Evelyn after her—is you."

I blinked. "Me?"

Charlotte nodded, studying me like a puzzle she hadn't quite solved yet.

"Yes. You."

Her fingers tapped against the armrest.

"I don't know what it is," she continued, "but you have something inside you. Something powerful."

Luna.

My mind immediately went to my contracted qilin, but Charlotte's words made it sound like it was something else.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

Charlotte's eyes gleamed with something calculating.

"There was a reason you didn't die from Evelyn's attack," she said, "and it wasn't luck. It was that entity inside you."

I swallowed. "And you think Evelyn knows that?"

"Oh, she knows," Charlotte murmured. "That's why she backed off. That's why even she won't dare to attack you directly—especially at Mythos Academy, where there's another Radiant-ranker to keep an eye on you."

I frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Evelyn is one of the most dangerous people in the world. Why would she be afraid of me?"

Charlotte leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.

"That," she said, her voice dropping to something low and unreadable, "is what I intend to find out."

Charlotte stepped forward, her movements slow, deliberate.

Her emerald eyes locked onto mine, not with their usual dry amusement, but with something colder—something calculating, like she was testing a theory.

Before I could react, before I could even process what was happening, her hand slammed against my chest.

Then—

She shoved me down.

The breath was knocked clean out of me.

I barely had time to inhale before an overwhelming pressure bore down, pinning me to the bed with a force that made my vision blur at the edges.

It wasn't magic.

It wasn't some elaborate spell.

It was pure, unfiltered dominance—a Radiant-ranker's weight pressing against something far weaker.

Charlotte leaned in, her voice a whisper of steel.

"Come out."

The pressure increased.

My ribs groaned in protest.

"Or," she added, her tone casual, almost bored, "I kill this boy."

A sharp spike of pain shot through my lungs. My limbs felt numb, my thoughts splintering under the suffocating force.

My vision flickered.

The world darkened at the edges, narrowing into a tunnel of deep, suffocating black—

Then.

Something warm.

Wet.

A single drop of blood slid down my cheek, trailing from the hollow of Charlotte's neck.