The Extra of The Lunerra



A long and sound sleep...

I had no idea how many hours I had slept, but... I had slept so long that I didn't feel like getting out of bed, so I wanted to sleep more. I didn't want to lift my head from the pillow, I didn't want to keep my eyes open.

Still, I forced my eyes open, slowly sat up, and put my back against the headboard.

Because there was something I needed to do, something I could do now when my mind was in a better state and there was nothing restricting my mana.

I focused, then called out to my mind.

'Sith.'

As usual, there was no response the first time, and the second time I called his name, I first heard a shaky sound echoing in my mind, and then I was aware of the deep silence that had suddenly fallen.

A green glow appeared in the space in front of me, then the glow slowly took shape, taking the form of a tiny spirit.

Sith... he didn't look sleepy at all. His eyes were on the ground, not on me. He was expressionless, silent. He was so... different from the person he used to be.

I couldn't find anything to say.

After all, even if I couldn't hear him, even if I couldn't see him, he could do these things. If I think that he didn't have a skill like Absolute Mind...

'I... I know.'

When he finally spoke, I put my thoughts aside and listened to him.

'It wasn't my fault. And yet... was there really nothing I could do, Aiden?

Sith squinted up at me, his green eyes, which had once sparkled brightly but were now devoid of that light, seemed lost to me for the first time.

'I feel useless, Aiden. Every time you use caora, the connection between us disappears, every time the other side of you emerges, I'm pushed into the background. When you need help, when we need to do something... I...'

He paused for a moment, trying to choose the right word.

'I can't help feeling like an... extra. Why is it that all I can do is watch, listen, sleep, and move on?'

He looked hurt, perhaps as much as I was, by everything that had happened during that time.

But there was nothing I could say against him. He was right, at least from his point of view, there was nothing I could say.

'I don't want to, Aiden. I know you're going to continue on this journey, what you've been through won't stop you, but can I go on, in this useless state, the answer to that is clear, at least to me.

I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly in the same way, and Sith slowly raised her eyes to mine. There was a silence between us, a silence I had expected.

'You ara-'

'You know exactly what I'm talking about.'

I paused, opened my mouth to say something again, but this time my mouth remained like that without saying a single word.

I realized something, I realized that I was trying to make an excuse.

And so, in the middle of this silent room, first the corner of my lips slowly curled upward. Then Sith, realizing that I was smiling involuntarily, frowned.

'It's not funny. I'm serious, Aiden.'

I wasn't laughing because it was funny, but because I was laughing at myself, trying to find an excuse, trying to fool Sith. But also because I thought he was like me.

Yes, we were alike, very much so. The only difference between us was that I knew enough to solve these problems when I encountered them.

'Yes, you're useless, Sith.'

Sith seemed to tremble for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face as well. As if that was what he wanted to hear.

'But it doesn't mean you always will be.'

Strangely, he was also not surprised to hear that. His smile didn't falter, his eyes didn't widen.

After all, he knew me. In fact, he was the person in the world who knew me best. He knew my secrets. He knew my past. He knew me, he knew 'Ethan'.

'So, you're saying that there's a solution to this too…'

That's why he brought it up in the first place. He knew that I would give him an answer, that I would show him a way, that I would at least try.

'You could say that. Of course, what I have in mind doesn't necessarily work, it's just a theory. Still, there are things you have to accept in addition to that.'

His expression suddenly filled with hope. He would gladly accept whatever I said. At least it seemed that way.

'You will have to wait.'

'How long? '

'A few months? Maybe a year or two? I don't know that, Sith, it's up to you. But whatever it is, it will be long. That's for sure.'

He didn't like what I said very much. His smiling face fell slightly. Still, he didn't complain. I think he expected something like this, even though he didn't want it.

'What do I have to do?'

'Well... you have to become a prince.'

That was what Sith didn't really expect to hear from me, even a child could have guessed it from the look on his face.

"Well... I shouldn't be surprised to hear that, considering you know everything. But... it's really strange that you know literally everything.

I smiled, then continued.

'If you become a prince, your mere existence can help you resist higher energies like caora and ordea. Even if you can't resist them completely, you might find or create a special opening for yourself.'

I suddenly paused.

Wait a minute… Now that I think about this…

As I continued my words, an idea from nothingness suddenly sprouted in my mind.

Oh… this...

If Sith is indeed able to counter the energies of order and chaos when he becomes a prince... then wouldn't that solve the problem caused by my wiera side? If Sith can truly subdue him, then I won't have to worry about that bastard suddenly appearing in front of me.

I... why didn't I think of that before?

'A year or two...'

Sith murmured, oblivious to my momentary realization within myself.

'Haa... You want me to be what I ran away from in the first place.'

He sighed deeply, then turned his eyes to the void and stared at it for a while.

'The reason I wanted to come to this world, the reason I went to the border, is because I don't like responsibility.'

For a 'spirit' to become a prince is a bit like a human ranking up a grade. Of course, becoming a prince is a much bigger deal than simply ranking up general levels.

It's a process that comes with responsibility at the very beginning. It's basically a process that ascends the direct existence of a spirit.

'But I've already crossed the border, I'm in Lunerra, so... it shouldn't be a problem.'

It will be a problem... Not in the short term, but in the long term it will definitely be a problem.

But until that point, I think we will be in a position to solve the problems that will start to emerge in this regard. Even if we're not... I have my ways. So I'm going to ignore this, for now.

Sith tore his eyes away from the empty space, then smiled.

'I understand, I need to prepare. I'll be a bit... busy, just give me a shout if anything happens from now on.'

'Alright, you can do as you please.'

Sith nodded in agreement, looking much better than when he first appeared. It made me smile a little, but Sith didn't notice. His tiny body transformed into a green glow that entered my body through my chest and then disappeared completely.

So, I was alone again in this silent room.

In the solitude, I thought over and over again what I had thought a few seconds ago. It really made sense. If Sith became a 'prince' as a spirit, then I could suppress my wiera side with her help.

Sith as a prince would definitely do us more good than harm.

However, after thinking about it for a while, I took a deep breath and put my thoughts aside for now.

I am here to rest anyway... Why bother thinking?

So I let myself fall back on my bed, stopped thinking, and closed my eyes. Sleep came to me faster than I expected.