Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

The city was quiet now. The earlier chaos, fueled by Evangeline's monstrous creations, had faded into a tense, uneasy calm. Most of the abominations had vanished, disappearing somewhere else.

A few stragglers still roamed the streets in low numbers, but even they moved with less aggression, like predators satisfied after a hunt. The scattered flickers of torchlight from the city's patrolling guards illuminated their grotesque shapes every now and then, but the air of desperation that had gripped the city had begun to subside.

Amid the dim, flickering light and deep shadows, a figure moved silently, barely visible even to the most watchful eye.

Draped in a cloak of invisibility, Adrian darted between alleys, his presence more a ghost than a man. The cloak, enchanted with concealment magic, bent the air around him, making his form imperceptible as he crept closer to his target.

It had been over an hour since Evangeline had left Veda's mansion, and Adrian had been doing his best to stop her with a plan in his mind, well, if he could call it one.

He could also guess her destination with chilling certainty: Valerian Hall. If things were unfolding the way the story suggested, that's where she was. And that's where she would be testing her latest experiment.

Adrian's thoughts flickered to Aurelius, the so-called "final piece" in Evangeline's twisted game.

The story's trajectory was clear, painfully so. Rhea, the golden-haired elf girl who was once Aurelius's ally, had betrayed him.

In the original story, her loyalty to Evangeline ran deep, fostered by years of manipulation and twisted gratitude after Evangeline saved her from a terrible fate. Adrian could almost see the scene playing out now: Rhea, conflicted but resigned, delivering Aurelius to his 'sister' as part of a grand scheme.

But there was something else gnawing at Adrian's mind—something that hadn't fully clicked until recently.

The experiment. Explore stories at empire

Evangeline wasn't simply torturing or testing for sport.

She was conducting her experiments on Aurelius for a specific reason, and now, Adrian had a theory as to why. It had to do with an illness, a mysterious condition that Aurelius shared with someone from Evangeline's past—her younger sister, the one she had failed to save.

Adrian clenched his jaw.

That failure had driven Evangeline to madness, pushing her to the edges of morality, beyond redemption. And now, Aurelius was her last hope to recreate her success, to save a life that mirrored the one she had lost. But in Evangeline's eyes, Aurelius was nothing more than a test subject, a canvas for her mad genius.

His thoughts shifted to Rhea.

It wasn't hard to imagine how she had been shaped by Evangeline. Rescued from the brink of death, molded into the perfect spy, and planted within Veda's circle like a sleeper agent. Veda, of course, would have taken her in without hesitation, sensing her potential—especially after discovering her unique ability. The ability that would have made Rhea an invaluable asset.

Yet, despite all of this, despite Rhea's actions, Adrian knew that the story had more layers than it seemed.

Rhea's betrayal wasn't born out of malice, but out of loyalty to the only family she had ever known. She was just a pawn in a game far larger than herself, just like everyone else caught in Evangeline's web.

Adrian's eyes narrowed as he crouched at the edge of a rooftop, surveying the distant entrance to Valerian Hall. He could feel the oppressive energy radiating from it, even from afar. Not to mention the thousands of abominations who were swarming around the territory as if guarding a secret treasure. They were probably summoned by her not to let in any intruders.

There was probably one of her perfect abominations among them in case powerful intruders appeared.

He had no doubt that inside, the final act was already beginning to unfold. Rhea had brought Aurelius here, just as the story dictated. The elites of the city were likely trembling under Evangeline's heel, their wealth and power rendered meaningless in the face of her control.

And now, the experiment.

Adrian exhaled slowly, his mind racing as he considered his options. He had no intention of simply following the story's original path. He had already deviated in a big but disappointing way.

If he wanted to save Aurelius—or perhaps more importantly, disrupt Evangeline's plans—he would need to act quickly, decisively.

But how?

Rushing in blindly wasn't an option. Not with Evangeline's abominations guarding her every move, not with the elites likely under her control, and certainly not with Rhea standing in the center of it all.

Adrian glanced at the sky. It was around 8 or 9 PM, the thick blanket of night fully settled over the city, the perfect cover for him to operate. He still had time—perhaps just enough to gather the final pieces he needed.

He couldn't face Evangeline head-on, not yet. But there were other ways to break her plans.

He needed to start with Rhea.

If he could reach her, find a crack in the façade of her loyalty, maybe he could prevent the worst from happening. Maybe he could turn her against Evangeline like in the original, and disrupt the experiment before it began.

But, to reach Rhea, he needed to get past those five bodyguards of hers. That's right, she had four subordinates protecting her. Aside from her pet, and three perfect abominations, there was another entity, although the weakest of the five, they were also the deadliest one.

So, he would need allies to help him in his plan.

'I have to solve this side first after all, huh...'

'Well, this is a mess that happened partly because of me... So, I should be the one who fixes it as well...'

Adrian's fingers tightened around the edge of his cloak as he vanished once more into the shadows, his mind calculating the next steps. He had to be fast, and he had to be careful.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'If I remember right, we still have about 12 or more hours, but I can't always believe in this...'

'Let's quickly return to the academy then.'