Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

"I'm not fooling myself…!" he gasped, the words growing louder, more intense. "Rhea… I've fought beside you, I've seen what you can do. You're more than what they tried to make you. More than 'her' shadow. More than Master Veda's replacement. You're more than… anything they say."

Rhea remained silent, her gaze fixed ahead, unmoved by his words. But Aurelius could sense a faint crack in her resolve.

He had to push harder.

"I see you, Rhea! Not some imitation, not some memory of someone else! I see the girl who stood by my side when I was broken. The girl who never gave up, no matter how hard things got. The girl who—who made me believe in myself again. The girl who always helped others, the girl who was shy when she was praised.

The girl who couldn't cook even an egg, but could create incredible potions. The girl…"

Anyway, Aurelius continued with his talk no jutsu for a while, words brimming onto his mind as his memories replayed in his mind.

His chest heaved, emotions threatening to break his voice. "You think you're a shadow, a shadow of someone else, but to me… to me, you've always been more than that."

"You are my friend, a close one."

Finally, Rhea turned to face him. Her eyes, filled with exhaustion and disbelief, locked onto his.

"Aurelius…" she whispered, her voice wavering for the first time.

But before he could say more, she sighed, the weight of the world pressing down on her once again. "It doesn't matter what you think."

Aurelius's breath hitched.

"Everything… is already set in stone," Rhea continued softly, her eyes hardening as she gazed into the distance. "Our fates. Yours… mine… Evangeline's… it's all too late to change anything now."

"No, Rhea…" Aurelius protested, shaking his head fiercely despite the ropes binding him. "It's never too late. Didn't you used to say that? We still have a choice! You have a choice."

She shook her head slowly, as if the hope he clung to was a cruel joke. "Maybe for you, Aurelius. But for me? I was never meant to be anything but this. I've known it for a long time." Her eyes softened, filled with an almost tragic acceptance. "I'm not who you think I am."

Aurelius's heart pounded in his chest. "You are exactly who I think you are. You're Rhea. You're my friend. And I'm not going to lose you to this… to some twisted idea of fate."

Rhea closed her eyes, her expression pained. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. But this… this has been written long before we even met." Her voice grew colder as she added, "And there's nothing left to change. Nothing."

"That's not true!" Aurelius shouted, his voice breaking with emotion. "It's not written in stone. You're not some puppet controlled by destiny. You've made choices, Rhea. You've fought for everything—we fought together. That's real!"

Rhea stared at him, something flickering in her gaze—doubt? Hope? Aurelius wasn't sure, but he pressed on.

"You're not alone in this," Aurelius said quietly, his voice softening. "I'm here. There's Aurelia too. I've always been here. And if you think I'm just using you to fill a void, you're wrong. I need you—not as a replacement for someone else, but because you're Rhea.

Because you matter."

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her eyes softened, conflicted.

For a moment, it seemed like his words had reached her.

But then, like a shadow closing in, her resolve returned. Rhea turned away, her expression hardening once more. "It doesn't matter anymore, Aurelius," she said, her voice void of emotion.

"You can't convince me..."

Aurelius's heart sank as he saw the walls she had built around herself, walls that seemed impenetrable now. He wanted to break through, to save her from this darkness, but she was slipping further away.

"Rhea…" he whispered, his voice trembling with desperation.

But she didn't turn back. Instead, she stood, staring down at the lifeless figure on the coffin-like thing, her mind already retreating into the shadows that had claimed her.

Aurelius's body tensed, fighting against the bindings once more, but the ropes held fast. He could only watch, helpless, as the woman he cared for, the woman he had fought beside for so long, became a stranger before his eyes.

And in that moment, he realized something terrifying:

He was losing her.

Not to death, but to something far worse.

To the darkness inside her own soul.

For a fleeting moment, her shoulders slumped, and she whispered, barely audible, "It was… nice… to be with you."

Aurelius's heart lurched at her words, but the cold, detached tone in her voice made him feel as though she were already gone.

Then, with an almost mechanical movement, she straightened, the cold mask of indifference slipping back over her features. Her distant eyes flickered toward the door. "She's coming back."

That suspicious woman.

Aurelius felt a surge of fear and helplessness as he struggled against his bindings. He didn't know what that woman's return would mean, but something told him it wouldn't be good for either of them.

Suddenly, the door creaked open with a low groan.

Aurelius's pulse spiked. He instinctively glanced toward the door, expecting to see the shadowy figure of Evangeline stepping through—but no one appeared. The door remained slightly ajar, but the space beyond was empty.

Rhea stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the room, her senses suddenly heightened. Her hand moved swiftly to her ring, retrieving a small vial from it. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw it to the ground, the glass shattering with a sharp crack.

In an instant, the room filled with thick, white smoke.

Aurelius's vision was completely obscured by the cloud, and he coughed, his body tensing as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Rhea!" he called out, his voice muffled by the gag and the haze that enveloped him. Panic surged through him as he strained to see, to hear—anything.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But then, a sudden thud echoed through the smoke, followed by the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground.

Aurelius's heart skipped a beat. "Rhea?!" he shouted, his voice hoarse, muffled by the gag. He tugged at the ropes around his wrists and legs, but they held tight.

The smoke began to thin.

He blinked, his vision clearing just enough to make out shapes in the fog.

And then, as the mist dispersed entirely, Aurelius froze.