By the time Aurevia began to stir, the sky had long since darkened. The final blush of sunset had drained from the clouds, leaving only the deep, ink-black veil of night.
A tranquil quiet blanketed the valley, broken only by the occasional flutter of wind brushing against the scorched and frozen earth.
In the far distance, the faint remnants of an aureate dome still shimmered like a fading star, casting a soft glow over the ravaged plain.
She rose slowly. Her movements were composed, dignified—like a maiden returning from a distant, sacred dream.
Even from afar, her silhouette was changed.
Not merely her aura—though that alone had become a quiet force that made even the air bend around her—but her presence, her bearing.
There was something deeper now, something unspoken that lingered in her every step. The girl who had entered that dome was not the same one who emerged.
Aurevia's eyes slowly opened. Their hue was crystalline, a shade of glacial sapphire over her crimson so clear they might've been carved from pure Mana. She exhaled softly, the frost of her breath trailing into the night.
And then, she looked to him.
Alaric met her gaze.
From a nearby hilltop, he had remained seated with Cellione, Serineth, and Virellen, watching in silence as the hours had passed.
The mountain slope behind them still bore the scars of their earlier battle, half-collapsed and riddled with craters.
The Golden Serpent Dragon, Lysaurel, rested coiled at the edge of the cliff, her golden scales glimmering faintly in the moonlight.
He rose to his feet.
"Congratulations,"
He said, voice low but unwavering.
Aurevia dipped her head in acknowledgment.
"Thank you… Master."
Her voice carried differently now. Still gentle, but steadier—imbued with a gravity that hadn't been there before.
Her posture had shifted too: shoulders straighter, spine aligned, movements fluid but measured. The breakthrough had not only elevated her strength—it had matured her body and spirit both.
Though only seventeen, her frame now mirrored that of a woman grown—early twenties, perhaps. Her limbs were longer, her figure more defined.
The subtle softness of youth had been tempered into something leaner, more poised. Not forced—but earned.
The silence that followed was reverent.
Even Cellione and Serineth said nothing at first. They simply watched, spellbound.
"…She really is our Big Sister now,"
Cellione whispered after a pause, violet eyes wide with a mix of awe and pride.
Serineth nodded quietly beside her.
"Mm."
Her expression was calm, but the soft smile on her lips betrayed her feelings. She, too, had begun calling Aurevia that recently—though only in private, and only in quiet tones that vanished in the wind.
Virellen scoffed playfully, arms crossed.
"Ha! Don't get smug just yet, Mistress Aurevia,"
She grinned.
"Sure, you've gotten prettier, but looks won't win you a cooking contest."
Aurevia turned her head slightly, casting a faint smile over her shoulder.
"I'll leave that battlefield to you, Virellen."
"Hah! As you should."
Before the moment could grow too warm, Alaric stepped forward. Divine light coalesced beneath his feet, lifting him into the air in a single breath of motion.
Cellione and Serineth followed instinctively—each summoning threads of flight magic, though their grasp on the technique was still uneven.
Virellen remained behind, staring upward in disbelief.
"…Eh?! You're leaving me?!"
She shouted.
"You couldn't carry me too, Master?! Are you trying to shame your poor maid in front of the Mistresses?!"
Her complaints echoed through the hollowed field as she broke into a sprint, bounding after them in a trail of dust and curses.
The group converged near the heart of the battlefield, where the air still shimmered faintly with frost and divine remnants.
They stood together at last, a quiet circle of fire, shadow, water, and stone. Strength tempered by reverence.
It was then that Lysaurel's voice rumbled within their very soul.
"Congratulations,"
She said.
"And my condolence for what is about to happen to you guys tomorrow. "
The Dragon's gaze lingered a moment longer, and then she closed her eyes, returning to stillness.
Her words sent a shiver through the spines of the girls.
Alaric said nothing. With a wave of his hand, Divine Energy flared once more and wrapped around the girls like gentle wind.
In a single surge of flight, they left the wasteland behind—rising above the blackened forest, above the shattered canopies and ruined cliffs, into the starlit sky.
The journey back to Veldroth was quiet.
Below them, the city lay in peaceful slumber. Only a few faint lights twinkled in the windows of distant estates. The streets were deserted, their white stones silvered by moonlight.
They landed softly in the courtyard of the mansion.
Marble tiles gleamed faintly beneath their boots. The enchantments woven into the estate's arches and walls pulsed gently, responding to their return with quiet magic.
For a moment, no one moved. The weight of the night still lingered.
Alaric turned to Virellen at last.
"You haven't done much today,"
He said simply.
"Go prepare something warm."
The maid narrowed her eyes but gave a theatrical sigh.
"Hmph. So I am the kitchen goblin again,"
She muttered.
"Understood, Master. I shall endeavor not to burn the whole house down."
She walked towards the kitchen,her muttering echoing behind her.
"Let's see… Stew? Or something fancy to impress the Mistresses…"
And just like that, the mansion returned to its rhythm.
Quiet.
Whole.
Home.
*****
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
✶ I Reincarnated as an Extra ✶
✧ in a Reverse Harem World ✧
⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
*****
The Core Forest's tree-dwelling training grounds trembled under the force of relentless combat.
Aurevia, Cellione, and Serineth were battered more brutally than ever before. Though each had broken through their previous limits, their strength still couldn't match the crushing power they faced.
Before launching into battle, they made sure their foundations were steady.
Alaric stood nearby, calmly converting his Divine Energy into pure Mana, channeling it to Aurevia. Using that mana, she transformed it into a swirling aura of frost and water that shimmered beneath her skin—a protective and potent essence that gave her strength.
Meanwhile, Cellione and Serineth grumbled as they engraved runes themselves into their mana crystals—burning through their precious mana in the process.
"Mana is way too hard to control..."
Cellione complained, frustration coloring her voice as her fingers traced the fiery rune.
Serineth nodded, eyes narrowed, struggling to etch the shadow rune.
"It's... impossible to keep steady."
Though the process was draining, both mages understood the stakes. The runes sealed their paths—fire for Cellione, shadow for Serineth. Once set, these paths could not be changed.
All the while, Alaric's divine authority infused their growth. Connected to his Divine Heart Core, they were blessed with accelerated development—growing, healing, and getting beaten down in equal measure. The brutal cycle was unyielding.
THWACK!
Aurevia's blade struck a thick branch, splintering wood and sending her stumbling backward.
CRACK!
Cellione barely dodged a blow, her robes singed as she cursed under her breath.
WHOOSH!
Serineth darted through the shadows but was caught off-guard by a pulse of energy that knocked her to the ground.
Even Virellen—the weakest among them—kept pace, though she wasn't spared. She sprinted alongside, grumbling playfully but matching their determination.
The three girls fought, fell, healed, and rose again. Each strike and each wound was a lesson etched in pain.
***
As the sun dipped below the forest horizon, the girls finally retreated, bodies bruised but spirits unbroken.
Their chatter was a mixture of complaints and laughter.
"We still can't even scratch him,"
Cellione said, wiping sweat from her brow.
Serineth sighed,
"I think he enjoys making us suffer."
Aurevia scowled,
"This is his idea of bonding time."
Virellen jogged ahead, smirking.
"Please, it's a twisted love language."
Alaric looked over them, a quiet satisfaction in his gaze. Despite their exhaustion and wounds, they had grown stronger, faster, better.
He didn't need to say it aloud.
Tomorrow's trials would be harsher.
But for now, they were heading home—to their mansion in Velderoth.
***
The forest behind them faded into a tapestry of shadows, the remnants of their brutal training etched into their bodies and spirits.
The sky above, now inked with stars, whispered of quiet nights and restless dreams.
Without a word, Alaric summoned the Divine Energy that hummed within him—an unseen current that wrapped around Aurevia, Cellione, Serineth, and Virellen like a silken cloak.
They surrendered to it, their weariness momentarily lifted as if cradled by the very breath of the heavens.
The world below blurred, distant and inconsequential, as they rose through the cooling air. Veldroth's lights twinkled like scattered gems against the darkness, a beacon calling them home.
Aurevia's brow furrowed in silent reflection, Cellione's gaze was distant yet steady, Serineth's reserved demeanor softened just enough to let a tired smile slip through, and Virellen's playful complaints floated like a gentle breeze—each carrying the weight of the day's toil yet refusing to yield.
Alaric's mind drifted quietly among them—their growth, their resilience, the fragile grace beneath their hardened exteriors.
Each breakthrough was a silent promise etched in blood and sweat, a step closer to something greater.
The mansion appeared beneath them, a sanctuary of stone and light that awaited their return. The divine energy that had borne them home slowly dissolved, leaving warmth in its wake.
Alaric met Virellen's eyes, catching the spark of mischief that refused to fade despite exhaustion.
"The training wasn't that hard for you today. Why not take charge of dinner?"
He suggested with a gentle smile.
Her smile was immediate, a playful retort already on her lips as she slipped away, the soft echo of her laughter trailing behind.
As night folded over Veldroth, quiet settled around them—not as an end, but as a brief pause before the storm of trials yet to come.
Within that silence lay hope, resolve, and the unspoken bond forged in fire and frost.
-To Be Continued