Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

There were better ways to spend a vacation.

Some students went home.

Some relaxed in warm cafes, indulged in mindless gossip or took scenic strolls across

Astralis Academy's wide courtyards.

Alden?

He was trying to perfect a sword technique that wanted to tear space in half.

Inside the isolated training chamber—drenched in spell-reinforced silence—Alden stood shirtless.

Sweat trickled down his chest.

His crimson eyes were fixed ahead. Cold and sharp.

The obsidian floor beneath him was cracked from earlier attempts.

It has been a few days since he unlocked the [Ruin Arc].

He has spent the days doing nothing but training.

In the morning he trained his sword art and footstep technique.

In the afternoon he trained his light elemental manipulation.

And in the evening he trained his shadow element.

He has gotten good results in just a few days.

His shadow manipulation mastery had taken the next step.

Although there was still not much progress with his light elemental manipulation, he could now somehow use it normally.

Mostly for healing. He still couldn't make complicated or big-sized shapes with light.

Even what he could do took time and more mana than necessary.

Finally came the second step of his sword art. Which he was focused on intently right now.

His breath came in steady intervals.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

He raised the blade again.

"Ruin Arc," he murmured.

The second step of Sevenfold Ruins.

Where the first step—Ruinous Severance—was all about direct contact, cutting through resistance like divine contempt made manifest.

This one was different.

This one… extended his reach.

A sweeping arc of destruction, born from the same principle, but launched as a wave.

Not a beam. Not a slash. But a devastating slice of concept—cut and told not to exist anymore.

Simple, right?

Except it wasn't.

Because the damn thing refused to manifest without a long buildup and if he pushed it too early, it'd misfire.

He'd already asked for replacement of the ceiling three times in the last few days.

Alden adjusted his stance again.

"Let's try this… slower."

He flowed into a series of footwork drills—shifting weight and tightening his core.

He was moving like water folding into itself. He wanted to be able to unleash the strike even while moving.

That was what he was training for.

The key wasn't raw power anymore.

He had power.

Now, he needed control.

Each motion was deliberate.

Calculated.

He channelled mana within his sword.

The edge of his sword hummed with suppressed violence.

He felt the ambient mana.

[Ruinous Severance] sought to resonate with the mana.

But [Ruin Arc] was different.

It sought to dominate mana. With his own mana… with his emotions… with his intent.

He fuelled his sword of Chaos. He channelled both his light mana and shadow mana. He put in his intent.

Then–

He swung.

The ruin energy condensed around the edge, trembling.

"Ruin Arc—"

A flash of black light burst forward—

—and instantly, it veered off course and slammed into the nearby wall.

"Damn it," Alden muttered, sheathing the blade.

Another failed try.

The wall to its credit still stood. Barely.

The arc was too unstable.

He just couldn't control the trajectory of it properly.

He sat down cross-legged, ignoring the burn in his shoulders.

His whole body ached, but his mind was sharper than ever.

That was the problem.

He knew what he wanted to do.

His body just hadn't caught up yet.

"Status," he muttered.

He wanted to check how much he had improved.

He didn't bother checking his stats and all other things. They weren't important for now.

His only focus was on his weapon art and elemental mastery.

He first opened details about his sword art.

A small window appeared showing him details.

__

[Chaos Weapon Art – Sevenfold Ruin.]

[Rank - ???]

[Description – To cut is to destroy. To destroy is to cut. When precision and chaos become one, the world itself falls before the blade. There are seven steps to this art, but no successor has ever managed to go beyond the fourth step. More steps will be unlocked with increasing mastery.

[Steps]

[First Step – Ruinous Severance]

[Second Step – Ruin Arc]

__

He first checked his mastery over his most-used technique.

__

[First Step – Ruinous Severance – The Blade That Rejects Resistance]

[Mastery - 63%]

[Description: A blade that ignores resistance and slices through all physical matter with ease. However, each strike carries an unstable force, shifting between precise cuts and chaotic destruction. The control can increase with mastery.]

__

A grin appeared on his face as he looked at the information on the technique.

His mastery had reached 63%.

That was to be expected. He no longer struggles with its activation and even controls the force behind his attack now.

After checking it for a few more seconds, he opened details of his second step.

__

[Second Step – Ruin Arc – The Crescent That Denies Continuity]

[Mastery – 4%]

[Description: A controlled arc of ruinous energy projected from the weapon, cleaving through space in a wide crescent. This arc channels the user's maximum destructive output at their current level, making it devastating but taxing.]

___

His mastery over the second step was still in the beginning stage. But it could be his strongest attack.

He couldn't unleash it many times as it consumed too much energy.

Still, it was a good trump card if it was used well.

With a nod of satisfaction, he moved on towards his elemental mastery.

__

[Spells]

[Shadow Steps]: Teleport a few metres between shadows. Requires shadows to exist in the target area.

Mastery: Adept (94%)

–

[Shadow Manipulation]: Your control over shadows increases as you can manipulate shadows to your will.

Mastery – Expert (1%)

–

[Shadow Stealth] —The user can cloak themselves in shadow, making them harder to detect. The longer it's maintained, the more mana it consumes.

Mastery: Apprentice (72%)

–

[Light Manipulation] – Your control over light increases as you can manipulate it to your will.

Mastery: Novice (47%)

–

[Basic Healing] – Using light mana, you can heal yourself of small injuries. Increases passive regeneration slightly.

Mastery: Novice (69%)

___

He scanned his spell window calmly.

His mastery had increased.

Especially his shadow manipulation. It had finally broken through to the expert rank.

A feat unimaginable for someone his age. If you count out some monsters like Amyra or Zephyr.

His shadow now felt more alive. It had become a part of him.

His shadow steps have also reached the next level threshold and he could now jump between shadows easily.

His range has also increased.

As for light manipulation and basic healing, they were still stuck within Novice Rank.

He felt difficult to control the light element as his body had attuned to the shadow element for a longer time.

Still, it was progress.

Enough wasting time.

Let's train some more.

He got up from his position and summoned his sword once again.

_

He didn't realise when two more hours passed.

"Again."

His voice was hoarse now.

He stood once more, focused.

He controlled his breathing.

The Ruinous Severance effect responded more fluidly now—he could shape the raw cut better, preventing its previous random power spikes.

This was the difference between wielding ruin…

…and embodying it.

"Ruin Arc—The Crescent That Denies Continuity."

This time, the energy formed smoother.

A crescent of dark light launched outward in a perfect arc, disintegrating everything in its curved path—like a black scythe.

Alden stood still as the dust settled.

That was… clean.

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Finally."

It wasn't perfect. It still needed some prep time. But it was usable.

He began practising again, trying to chain it after feints and integrate footwork.

He alternated it with Ruinous Severance.

If he could shift between the two steps mid-combat… that would be awesome.

__

After a few more hours of training, Alden finally left the training room.

His stomach rumbled. He was hungry.

His entire body felt like it had been through a blender set to an extra existential crisis.

He wasn't sure if his arms were attached anymore. Everything ached.

The academy was quiet.

The world was still.

He reached his bedroom, pushed the door open with the grace of a dying fish, and stepped in.

He slipped into the bathroom. His whole body was sweaty.

After a quick and refreshing cold shower, he got out of the bathroom.

Just as he was about to order something to eat, he stopped.

The air felt… different.

Dark and quiet, yes—but not peacefully so.

It was heavy, like the moment before a thunderstorm.

And in the centre of the room—

The spirit pearl on his desk was glowing.

Not faintly.

Not pulsing.

Radiating.

Thick tendrils of pure black energy were released from it.

Alden stared. His heart started thumping. His pulse quickened.

He forgot his hunger.

Is it finally the time?

The orb trembled again—more violently this time—and the dark light spiralled upward in a column.

For a moment, it painted the room in absolute contrast: black and silver.

He pulled out a circular disc and threw it in the centre of the room.

The disc was a barrier artifact. He has ordered it specifically for something like this.

A barrier unfolded from within the disc encasing the whole room.

The barrier was a mana containment one and stopped leakage of energy outside.

He quickly covered his whole room within a dome of shadow. Just as extra caution.

He stepped forward.

The energy responded, flickering.

The light inside the pearl cracked.

Then—

It shattered.

From the remains…

Something peeked out.

And then—Alden heard it.

A low sound.

Alden blinked as he felt a similar but completely different aura radiating from the newborn.