Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Adrian could feel the tension rising as he hovered above the battlefield on Bane's back. The werefox king was growing more enraged by the second, its growls echoing through the chaos below. The elite werebeasts, larger and more dangerous, were closing in, snarling with anticipation.

Adrian surveyed the battlefield one last time. The sheer number of enemies was staggering—thousands of werebeasts, climbing, crawling, and leaping over each other to get to him. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do.

"Alright, buddy," Adrian whispered, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. "It's time."

With a sharp tug on the reins, Adrian directed Bane into a steep, heart-stopping descent. They plummeted toward the ground, slicing through the air as the mutant werebeasts reacted immediately, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust. The werefox king, sensing an opportunity, let out a deafening howl, rallying its forces.

Adrian's heart raced, knowing full well he was putting his life in jeopardy. They descended lower—low enough for even the strongest werebeasts to leap and strike at him.

Bane roared as they swooped dangerously close to the ground, and instantly, the air was filled with the howls and roars of the werebeast army. Hundreds of them lunged toward Adrian and Bane, claws slashing at the sky, fangs gnashing just inches away. Adrian could feel the hot breath of the monsters, the stench of their fury swirling around him as they closed in.

"Closer…" Adrian muttered, keeping his calm despite the growing danger.

Suddenly, a mutant werewolf leapt from the ground, its claws reaching out. Another, even larger, followed. Adrian could see their glowing red talons, could feel the rush of wind as their claws missed him by mere inches.

Bane roared again, sensing the threat, but Adrian held his course.

"Now!" Adrian shouted, and they leveled off just above the ground, surrounded on all sides by hundreds—no, thousands—of bloodthirsty werebeasts. There was no escape, no path to retreat. They were completely surrounded. From above, below, and all sides, the werebeasts closed in, snarling and shrieking, ready to tear them apart.

It was exactly what Adrian wanted. Explore new worlds at empire

He let out a deep breath, his body glowing with a faint, ethereal light. Then, with a surge of power, he released 'The Bright'.

A blinding light erupted from Adrian's body, expanding outward with terrifying speed. The battlefield was engulfed in pure, radiant light—so bright that it pierced through the darkness and enveloped everything within its reach. The werebeasts recoiled, their eyes wide with shock as they were completely blinded by the light.

Screeches filled the air as they stumbled, unable to see, their senses overwhelmed by the sudden brilliance.

Only those Adrian had shared the light with—Ella, Claire, Ceil, Aurelius—could see clearly within the sphere. The battlefield seemed to freeze, the werebeasts stunned, trapped in the overwhelming radiance.

From the battlements, Ella, Claire, Ceil, and Aurelius had been waiting for this moment. Their eyes locked, and with synchronized precision, they unleashed their most powerful spells.

Ella's hands crackled with elemental fury, summoning a vortex of flames so intense it turned the air around it into a fiery inferno. Claire's staff glowed with shimmering light as she summoned shards of pure wind, so sharp they could cut through steel. Ceil called upon the earth itself, summoning jagged pillars of rock that rose from the ground.

Aurelius, gripping his sword, channeled every ounce of his aether into a devastating arc of lightning, crackling with deadly energy.

Their attacks converged, fusing into a massive combination attack within the Bright's sphere. Fire, ice, earth, and lightning merged into a single cataclysmic force, and then— BOOM!

The explosion erupted with a force that shook the entire battlefield. The blinding light of 'The Bright' was swallowed by the cataclysmic surge of power that followed, as fire, wind, earth, and lightning collided and exploded into a massive shockwave. The brilliance dimmed, and in its place, the air was thick with smoke and debris.

It was beautiful and deadly—a perfect, coordinated strike, wiping out the thousands of werebeasts trapped in the light.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence—eerie and unsettling, as if the world itself had been momentarily stunned by the destruction. The blinding light of The Bright had vanished, replaced by a battlefield left in ruins. Charred earth, scorched rocks, and the bodies of fallen werebeasts littered the ground.

From the city walls, soldiers and students alike stared out at the aftermath, their mouths agape. No one spoke, still processing the sheer magnitude of what had just happened. Thousands of werebeasts had been wiped out in an instant—a spectacle of raw, destructive power, unlike anything they had ever seen in their recent adventurers.

The power of Ella, Claire, Ceil, and Aurelius had left the battlefield in tatters, and for a brief moment, hope flickered in their eyes. They had shifted the tide.

But as the smoke began to clear, something was missing.

"Where's that boy?" one of the soldiers asked, his voice barely a whisper, cutting through the stunned silence.

Aurelia stood near the edge of the battlements, her fists clenched tightly. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes scanning the battlefield below. But there was no sign of Adrian. He should have appeared by now—should have emerged from the chaos, riding on Bane, victorious. But there was nothing. The battlefield was still, save for the faint crackle of residual flames and the groans of the dying.

"Could he have…?" Ardel, standing beside Aurelia, let his voice trail off. His lips trembled as the unthinkable crossed his mind. His heart sank, but he refused to let that thought take root. Not Adrian. He couldn't be gone. He had always come back, no matter the odds.

"No," Aurelia shook her head sharply, forcing herself and the others to push away the creeping doubt. "He wouldn't—he won't..." Her voice cracked, betraying the fear she fought to suppress.

Aurelius bit his lip, his own doubts festering despite his efforts to stay optimistic. "He had a plan. He escaped, right?"

"Right," Aria whispered, though her voice lacked conviction. Her eyes remained fixed on the horizon, her heart aching. He still had to resort to this move... Why? Why is he putting himself in danger again?