The Extra's Rebellion
Chapter 70: Seralyn

Chapter 70: Seralyn

The café was usually a quiet refuge tucked into the corner of the academy’s sprawling campus, but today, it buzzed like a hornet’s nest kicked awake.

Zephyr sat still, unmoving, near the wide window, sunlight pooling across his table like a spotlight he never asked for. His fingers curled around a small ceramic cup of steaming black coffee. Next to it sat two blueberry muffins on a white saucer—one half-eaten, the other untouched.

He lifted the cup slowly, taking a careful sip as he savored not only the coffee but also the encouraging and uplifting words thrown at him.

When the students had died back in the tournament, Mr. Fisher—perhaps to rile them up—had broadcast the rest of the match directly into their minds. Everyone knew how it went down. And now, the once-quiet café was lit ablaze with gossip.

And the main character of that gossip sat just a few feet away.

"Look at him. Sitting over there like a grimace."

’Don’t hate. It’s rare for someone to be as beautiful as me’.

"Did you see his expression when he was cutting them down? He didn’t even blink. Cold-blooded."

’Didn’t you see that I prayed for their souls?’.

"Bloodhound. That’s what they’re calling him now. He spilled so much blood they’ve started calling him a bloodhound."

’I eat a lot of fat. Or was it protein?’.

"No mercy... not even for Lunethra. Can you believe that?"

’She did try to kill me. Yes?’.

"He threw sand in her eyes—momentarily disoriented her. Despicable. I bet he’s proud of it."

’Not really’.

"Savage."

’I wouldn’t call myself that’.

Zephyr took another sip from his cup, twirling the dark liquid in his mouth. ’I never knew words could be so empowering. Do haters... give me life?’.

He sat there, savoring both the coffee and the heap of insults thrown his way.

Then his phone vibrated, dragging his attention away. A notification lit the screen:

"Report to the Administration Hall for further instructions."

’What’s this about?’.

With a nonchalant shrug, he stuffed half a muffin in his mouth, drowned the coffee in one gulp, and headed out.

_ _ _ _ _ _

The Administration Hall was nothing like the name suggested.

Rather than a cold bureaucratic fortress of stone and silence, it breathed with the dusty reverence of knowledge long buried and never meant to be found. It resembled an ancient library tucked into the backbone of the academy like a hidden lung, inhaling secrets and exhaling whispers.

Zephyr pushed the oak doors open, and the scent of old paper and binding glue washed over him like a wave. The air was thick with it—stale, but alive. Rows upon rows of towering wooden bookshelves stretched into vaulted shadows above, their ladders latched to rails that curled around like veins. Some shelves moved on their own, gliding silently along glowing tracks, rearranging the hall’s layout with the idle will of an unseen custodian.

The ceiling was a mosaic of softly glowing glass panels, filtering pale light from above. Hanging lanterns floated gently between arches, with frozen crystals suspended inside—clearly there to provide light when night fell.

Scrolls, tomes, and slabs of inscribed stone were stacked with deliberate care behind floating barriers of translucent Aether, each one marked with a lock-shaped insignia.

The deeper he walked, the quieter it got—not because people weren’t talking, but because the presence of the instructors smothered sound itself.

High above, in alcoves carved into the stone and wood, perched statues of faceless judges. Their cloaks flowed downward into supporting columns, eyes closed, but Zephyr could feel their gaze crawl across his shoulders.

He passed beneath an archway where words shimmered across the stone:

"Through Law, Order. Through Order, Memory. Through Memory, Power."

"Impressive," he muttered.

It wasn’t his first time here. He used to follow Merin for practical classes—usually when they dissected Riftsprawn corpses. Still, the place never failed to leave a weight in his chest.

’Let’s get this over with’.

His thoughts wandered back to the announcement just minutes earlier—

The second part of the tournament would begin shortly.

"Zephyr, there you are!"

Mr. Fisher’s voice rang out like a death knell.

Zephyr turned to see the man waving enthusiastically from his study, he sighed and made his way over.

The room was simple— two chairs, one table, and the same goofy expression on Mr. Fisher’s face that always made Zephyr want to punch something.

’Why is his face so damn annoying?’.

Silence lingered for a full minute before Zephyr shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"...I’m guessing you didn’t call me here to admire my face?"

Mr. Fisher blinked like he’d just realized Zephyr existed. "Sorry, got lost for a second." He let out a dry cough and began rummaging through papers and drawers like a man who just remembered he was supposed to be working.

Zephyr watched him, increasingly baffled. ’How can a grown man be this... unserious?’.

The longer he stared, the more flabbergasted he became.

"Mr. Fisher," he said, voice tight with irritation, "why don’t you just call me after the tournament? I don’t have time to waste."

Fighting now might be pointless—his next opponents were Grade 2 and a Grade 3—but he wanted to stand his ground. He wanted to show them what Aetherless trash could do.

"Wait!" Mr. Fisher blurted out, voice laced with panic. He cleared his throat. "Please, take a seat."

Zephyr sat down again, visibly annoyed.

’How can someone so powerful be so childish?’.

"Would you like water? Or juice? I’ve got wine too...". He rummaged through a mini-fridge, pulling out bottles one by one.

"Mr. Fisher. Cut to the chase. Why am I here? I’ve got a tournament to fight". That’s when Zephyr felt it—the shift.

"Hm... about that."

A chill spidered through his spine.

"I- I mean We—we want to compensate you for all the trouble. Thirteen million credits, to be exact—"

"What compensation?". The words hit like a blade. Zephyr’s thoughts froze.

Mr. Fisher audibly gulped. "There’s no easier way to say this." He didn’t say it, nstead, he swiped his hand through the air, and a projection flared into life.

Zephyr’s eyes widened. The tournament was ongoing. But he wasn’t in it.

Lunethra was fighting his match.

Then the word echoed like a warped record in his mind—

Compensation.

’why. What have I done wrong’. Zephyr went over all his recent activities, he hadn’t done anything wrong for them to isolate him from participating. ’then why. Just why’. Suddenly a thought struck him, he turned to Mr. Fisher and said.

"Lier that’s just an illusion ment to dissuade me from going to the tournament".

’yes that definitely it’. Zephyr rationalize in his mind.

"Am sorry but you already know the answer to that question". Mr. Fisher gave and voice was serious for once. But Zephyr wasn’t in the mood to celebrate this short achievement.

"W-W-What did I do wrong". Zephyr asked his voice cracked and shaky.

"Am sorry but this isn’t on you, but it an order from above even Vulnerable Magnus". Zephyr thought were disjointed as he struggled to gasp his new reality.

"But don’t worry you would be compensated immensely. Don’t worry the money will be elevated to Twenty five million credits. Free weapons selection. Access to hollow Arts with with the highest potential. Als—

Mid way through is speech Zephyr wobbled up to his feet.

"What do you say". Mr. Fisher said his voice low.

Zephyr stared at him for a few moments before saying. "Choke on it weirdo". Zephyr walked out of the Administration hall— more like staggered out.

He staggered out of the door nearly colliding with Lunethra. Her hair wasn’t the usual Lilac, instead it was pale pink, she was a little taller and fuller in certain places, she wore a red skirt and white sleeved shirt, with a black cloth tied around her neck. She wore something that looked like cotton fabric around her head with a part of it covering her eyes. And her beauty was sharper. She looked like a more beautiful version of Lunethra.

He staggered past her barely sparing her a glance, ’Lunethra’ followed him with her gaze as her brows knitted in a frown.

"Seralyn let’s go". A silver haired black beauty besides her said to her with a tug on her clothes.

"Hmm". She let out a hum as a sign of acknowledgement as she together with the black beauty went into the administration hall but not before throwing one last gaze at the staggering back of the male.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

His thoughts was a mess, he didn’t know where he was going, his legs just moved. He walked past an alley and then he heard sobbing sounds. He walked inside not because he wanted to help, but because he was looking for someone to share his pain together with him.

As he entered he saw a boy with a ginger coloured hair, he was wearing a red trouser with a sleeved white shirt.

he turned to look at Zephyr, Zephyr saw his pale ginger coloured eyes as he inhaled something from what he recognized. It looked just exactly like his canister that he used back when he didn’t have Aether— an inhaler.

The boy was crying as he inhaled whatever was inside of it, he tugged at his hair. Zephyr walked passed him and headed straight for a trash can.

Bang.

It deformed as Zephyr leg met it.

Bang. And again. And again.

He only stopped when his leg was injured from the metal shards embedded in his leg. He turned and limped away when a year slid down his cheek. He suddenly felt a longing for the forest as he headed in it’s direction.

He arrived in the forest but didn’t stop as he started to walk faster and faster until he was sprinting. He only stopped when he couldn’t hold it any more and collapsed on the floor.

He didn’t cry but years slid down his cheeks. He tugged at his hair with a single thought going through his mind over and over again.

’Why! WHy!! WHY!!!’. The dull aching in his chest spread to his throat as he struggled to breath. The dull aching started to become hot.

He curled down in the forest floor, taking in deep breaths trying not to Choke in his emotions until he heard what he didn’t want to hear— the voice of a human.

"Well. Well, what do we have here".

(To be clear Seralyn is the one he was supposed to kill in the beginning.

Almost forgot I had a female lead🤣🤣😂

Thanks to unorthodoxGremlin)