Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

"Patience, boy," Evangeline muttered, her voice tightening ever so slightly, as if her own patience was wearing thin. She quickly regained her composure, though, and forced a gentle smile back onto her face. Her eyes glittered with a mix of amusement and calculation, observing every twitch and shift in Aurelius's expression.

After all, she knew that look.

She had once worn it herself.

Doubting.

She let out a soft, almost wistful sigh, as if reminiscing on her own experiences, though her gaze remained sharp. "All in due time..." she repeated, her words carrying an underlying edge, though her voice remained soft.

Only she knew how long she waited for this...

Aurelius, despite the fear gnawing at him, kept his eyes on her, trying to decode her intent. His mind churned, trying to reconcile her promise of a cure with the creeping unease that her presence brought him.

But Evangeline was no fool. She could see through him. She had spent years watching others in that same state—wavering between hope and suspicion, clinging to the desperate belief that maybe, just maybe, they could be saved.

And yet, despite their hesitation, they always gave in.

That was everyone's nature. She was no different either.

Because in the end, the promise of salvation was far too intoxicating to resist.

Evangeline's smile widened as she took a step closer, her movements deliberate and slow, like a predator circling its prey. Her white robes seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow under the dim light, casting soft shadows across the cold stone walls.

"You remind me of someone," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving his. "Someone who doubted just like you. Someone who, in the end, couldn't help but seek the relief they longed for."

Aurelius's heart pounded in his chest, the tension in the room thickening. He wanted to speak, to demand answers, but the cloth still gagged him, his voice trapped behind muffled sounds.

His mind screamed at him to resist, to push back against her insidious words, but at the same time, his body was weakening. The ache in his bones, the sharp pain in his head—they were all too real. And the idea that she could make it stop...

'Could she really...?'

Evangeline tilted her head slightly, as if reading his mind. "Oh, yes, I can," she said softly, almost as if responding to his unspoken thoughts. "I know what you're feeling. The agony, the exhaustion... the sickness that gnaws at you from the inside. It doesn't have to be this way."

She reached out, her hand hovering just inches from his face, but she didn't touch him—yet. Her presence was overwhelming, and Aurelius could feel his resolve weakening by the second.

"You don't need to suffer, Aurelius," she murmured, her voice almost hypnotic. "I can give you freedom. I can give you peace."

Aurelius's breathing quickened as her words sunk deeper into his mind. The promise of an end to his pain was so tempting, so tantalizing. Could he really trust her? Could she actually cure him?

But his instincts screamed no.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This woman, this strange, ethereal figure who claimed to be Rhea's sister... there was something wrong.

Something off about her.

His thoughts were a mess, swirling between hope and fear. And just as he was about to give in to her promises, a sharp, familiar sound echoed through the room once again.

EEEk—!

The door creaked open, drawing both Evangeline's and Aurelius's attention. Aurelius's heart skipped a beat, his mind racing with thoughts of what he was doing, losing himself, or perhaps even another twist. His gaze snapped toward the figure stepping through the door.

It was Rhea.

She entered silently, her movements deliberate and unhurried. Her usually lively eyes were cold, emotionless, her face devoid of the warmth Aurelius was used to. She glanced between him and Evangeline, her expression unreadable, a mask of indifference.

Aurelius felt his stomach churn.

What was happening?

Why was Rhea... like this?

Evangeline, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered by Rhea's sudden entrance. If anything, a look of recognition and understanding passed between them. Evangeline's lips curved into a subtle smile as she stepped back from Aurelius, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Rhea finally spoke, her voice cool and distant. "There's a guest that wants to see you," she said, nodding slightly toward Evangeline. "The guest you've been searching for."

At that, Evangeline's eyes lit up, a spark of excitement flaring within her. Aurelius, still bound and gagged, watched the exchange in confusion, his unease deepening. Whoever this 'guest' was, it clearly meant something important to Evangeline.

"I will be back soon," Evangeline said softly, turning back to Aurelius. Her smile was sweet but entirely disingenuous. "Don't worry. We're not done yet." Her words carried an eerie finality, as though she was making a promise, not just an assurance.

Aurelius's chest tightened. The way she said it, as if he was nothing more than a piece on her chessboard, sent a chill down his spine.

She turned back to Rhea, her voice taking on a businesslike tone. "Where is the guest?" she asked.

Rhea, her face still unreadable, responded in that same flat tone, "In your official office."

"Good." Evangeline's smile widened, and she looked back toward Aurelius once more, eyes glinting with something dark. "Watch over our friend here, will you? We wouldn't want him to get bored."

There was something almost mocking in her tone, as if she enjoyed playing with Aurelius's fear. With that, she glided toward the door, leaving behind an air of eerie calm in her wake.

The door creaked shut with a heavy thud.

Aurelius was left alone, once again at the mercy of the strange, cold atmosphere that surrounded Rhea. His breath quickened, his mind trying to process everything that had just transpired. 'What is going on?' Who was the guest Evangeline was looking for? And why was Rhea acting so... wrong?

He shifted his gaze toward her, feeling a flicker of hope that maybe—just maybe—she would snap out of whatever hold Evangeline had over her. But as his eyes locked onto hers, his heart sank.

This wasn't the Rhea he knew.

Her eyes, once full of fire, kindness, and resolve, were now dull and distant. Her posture was stiff, her expression blank. She stood there, not far from him, watching but not truly seeing him.

It was as if she was someone else entirely.

Aurelius's intense gaze must have finally caught her attention because she slowly turned her head, meeting his eyes. But the recognition he had hoped for wasn't there.

There was no warmth, no connection, just a hollow emptiness.

His heart pounded in his chest.

This wasn't Rhea.

This was someone else wearing her face, speaking in her voice. How could she be so close and yet feel so far away?

'What did that woman do to her?'

'Or... Has she been always like this...'

'And she was just acting around us...'

He could feel a growing sense of dread creeping up inside him. The tension between them was suffocating, an unbearable silence stretching out as they stood, staring at one another. His eyes searched for any sign of the Rhea he knew—the friend who had fought beside him, who had laughed, argued, and stood by his side.

But she was gone.

Or at least, whoever was in front of him wasn't the person he had known. It was a shell, a puppet. Something twisted by that woman's influence.

But, lucky for him, she came in just in time. Or else, he would have probably gave in as well.

Rhea's gaze finally broke from his, her expression unreadable as she turned away, seemingly unbothered by the weight of his stare. She stood in silence, as if waiting for orders, her presence more like a warden than a friend.

Aurelius's chest tightened, his mind reeling with questions and fear. What had that done to her? To him? Could he bring her back? And worse—what was that woman planning for him? He can't even sense his aether, let alone use it.

As the seconds ticked by in the suffocating quiet, Aurelius felt his hope slipping further away. He was trapped, alone, and the one person who might have been his ally was no longer herself.

But as the suffocating silence stretched on, something inside him refused to give in.

'...'

Memories surfaced, unbidden, of Rhea smiling, her laughter echoing in the valleys of the outside world, her fierce determination in the heat of moments, her quiet, steady presence when he was in pain. The times they'd shared, the bond they'd forged. even though they weren't that long—it wasn't something that could be erased so easily.

'She's still in there,' he told himself, clinging to that fragile hope like a lifeline. 'She has to be.'

Aurelius's breathing steadied as his gaze softened, shifting from fear to something gentler, more resolute. His eyes traced her familiar form, searching desperately for any sign of the friend he knew, any flicker of recognition, any hint that she was still fighting against whatever hold that woman had on her.

He had to believe that this wasn't the end.

As if responding to his silent plea, Rhea stirred, her cold, detached gaze breaking away from him. Slowly, methodically, she began to walk, her steps light but deliberate. Aurelius watched, confusion and concern swirling in his chest as she moved toward the center of the room.

Aurelius's gaze flickered back to Rhea, trying to reconcile what was happening. She approached the lifeless-looking body without hesitation, her steps eerily calm, as if this was something she had done a hundred times before.

Then, without warning, she stopped.

Standing over the figure, Rhea turned her head slightly, her voice cutting through the tense air, low and deliberate.

"This is... me."