Chronicles of Forgotten Extra - Chapter 297

Capítulo 297: Meeting Caera Again.

Inside a dark room, Amyra sat curled on the floor, her arms locked tightly around her knees. Her eyes were swollen, her face puffy from a night that had been nothing but tears.

She had always believed she was strong.

But even the strongest break when someone they love looks at them like a stranger… and worse, when that same warmth they desperately long for is given to someone else.

No matter how many times she replayed the moment, it refused to make sense. It just kept twisting inside her chest painfully.

At some point, she stopped trying to understand.

“I can’t cry anymore.”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

So she did the only thing she knew how to do, the thing she thought she had left behind.

She shut her heart.

If she couldn’t stop the pain… then she could at least stop herself from feeling it even if it was only for a little while.

Her eyes turned cold as she wiped her face and got up from the floor… at the same time her ManaSync buzzed.

She scanned it without any emotions only to see her first match in the upcoming tournament…

She didn’t care as she got up because whatever answer she wanted from Alden… she would get them by facing him in the tournament itself…

—

Meanwhile, Alden finally made it back to his assigned quarters when his ManaSync suddenly buzzed. He paused mid-step, raising a brow as he glanced at the notification.

Tournament Committee.

Ah… so it’s starting already.

He opened the message, scanning through the details and then couldn’t help but let out a small, amused chuckle.

Alden [Rank 3 — Astralis Academy]

vs

Anna [Rank 1 — Horizon Academy]

“…Anna from Horizon Academy, huh?”

Alden leaned back against the wall, eyes narrowing slightly as he sifted through his memories. Names, faces, rumors or anything that might click.

But he couldn’t recall anyone by that name.

Horizon Academy was another major institution within the Human Empire, one that many considered almost on par with Astralis. Their reputation wasn’t something to scoff at.

Even in the novel Alden had read, Horizon Academy had been mentioned several times, especially during the Inter-Academy Tournament that was supposed to take place in the second year.

There was no such character named Anna.

Which made things… strange.

Rank one in first year and yet completely absent from the story?

That didn’t sit right.

Alden stared at the ManaSync for another moment before shrugging, the faint curve of a smile returning to his lips.

“Well,” he muttered, pushing himself off the wall, “I’ll find out when I face her.”

He already knew he had mangled the original storyline beyond recognition. With all the butterflies he had caused, a few more discrepancies hardly mattered anymore.

For now, he had only one goal and that was to take a solid and uninterrupted half-day nap. The tournament wouldn’t start until tomorrow anyway, so there was absolutely no rush.

It wasn’t even evening yet but Alden couldn’t care less because when it came to sleep, time was merely a suggestion.

Even Kyun wasn’t with him anymore.

After waking up from her long bout of contemplation, she had decided to leave for the time being.

She said she preferred staying with Amyra for a while rather than with him and Alden didn’t stop her.

Not just because he wanted to rest…

…but because Kyun would be safer with Amyra, especially with Jeremy still coming after him.

He didn’t know what kind of trouble was brewing against him in the background, so this was better.

As for going after Amyra to check whether she was okay… especially after what happened yesterday.

Well, Alden had no intention of doing that either.

He knew she had feelings for him but that didn’t mean he was obligated to feel the same.

She had seen him in awkward moments and she had misunderstood things on her own and while she was his friend, he didn’t owe her an explanation or at least that’s what he convinced himself.

That was what his rational mind told him and he fully wanted to believe it. And maybe… This was a blessing in disguise. He wanted her to understand that he didn’t feel the same way.

Perhaps this misunderstanding would help her realize that.

Alden knew he was being cruel but hope was far worse than cruelty. He didn’t want to give her even the false hope that someday, somehow, he might come to love her… when love itself was unpredictable and uncertain.

With those thoughts, he finally teaches his bed as he finally lets all the pressure loose and collapses right into the dream world.

—

In a dark, endless void, a blinding light suddenly erupted.

“…I’ve connected with his consciousness.” A feminine voice echoed through the emptiness.

“The bloodline is far too thin at the moment. The connection won’t last long, Young Miss.” A male voice replied at once, his tone restrained.

“Try to track the location of the Eryndor,” the female voice said again, calm yet commanding.

“Understood, Miss—”

—

Meanwhile, lying on the cold floor of the dead realm, Alden slowly opened his eyes.

“…Where the hell am I now?”

Confusion washed over him.

“Wasn’t I just sleeping?”

Before he could think any further, a familiar voice suddenly called out to him—

“…Al… en.”

“…en.”

“…Alden.”

The voice grew clearer with each passing second, echoing through the void.

He narrowed her eyes.

What is she doing here?

Am I in some kind of dream?

Still, curiosity won as he followed the source of the voice.

Eventually, he arrived at a place where the void itself seemed cracked, like shattered glass while rippling like disturbed water.

Beyond it, the world appeared upside down, warped and unreal.

And there she was, standing at the edge, her fingers brushing the rippling surface.

“Alden?”

Her voice carried confusion as if she couldn’t see him at all but Alden could see her clearly.

“…Caera.”

That voice was his real sister’s, the one he had met inside the Flux Dungeon.

But how is she here…?

“Alden… are you here?”