Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

"You finally woke up," the woman said, her eyes meeting his.

"Mmm! Mm!" Aurelius tried to speak, but the cloth binding his mouth muffled his words.

"Who am I?" The woman smiled as if she understood his silent inquiry. "I am the person who will cure your illness. I am your friend's big sister who wishes to help you."

Aurelius stared intently at the woman, suspicion etched on his features. He didn't trust her one bit. But recalling what she had said about his friend, he couldn't shake the image of the elf girl from his mind—her lips against his, the warmth of her body, and the moment he lost consciousness while being watched by her cold and emotionless eyes. Confusion and a tinge of fear gripped him.

'D-Did she betray me...'

His eyes slowly turned away, filled with confusion and unease. 'Rhea...' he thought.

The memories were foggy, but that kiss... something was off. It wasn't like her. She was usually shy, reserved, and gentle but determined.

'But... T-That time...'

The way she stared at him, cold and distant, just before everything went dark—it didn't feel like her at all. But if this woman was really her sister, then...

'Why the hell am I in this situation?'

'C-Could it be...?'

Aurelius shuddered, his heart racing as he processed the woman's words. She was Rhea's sister? And what did she say about his illness?

'...' Aurelius took a peek at the woman once again, a tiny glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.

The woman seemed to enjoy his turmoil and state.

She took a step closer, her ethereal white garments flowing silently, almost unnaturally, as if they weren't affected by the air around them. Her movements were too graceful, too deliberate.

'G-Gulp...'

It sent another chill down his spine.

"I know you're suspicious, and you should be," she said, her voice smooth and calm, though laced with a hint of mockery. "But trust me when I say that I'm the only one who can help you now and ever. You've been suffering for a while, haven't you, boy?"

'!'

Aurelius's breath hitched as her words sunk in, but he kept his eyes fixed on her, still trying to maintain his composure. His suspicions remained, yet... how could she possibly know about his suffering?

The woman's eyes gleamed as she stepped closer, her voice softening, becoming more intimate, as if she were revealing some great truth. "You feel worn out every day, don't you?" she said, her eyes narrowing with wicked understanding. "Your body aches throughout the night, often. Sometimes, even throwing up blood." She paused, her gaze piercing him, watching every twitch in his expression.

Aurelius's heart started to pound in his chest. The pressure in his throat tightened, and his eyes widened as he heard her continue.

"Your breathing... it becomes harder, more labored, especially when you're alone." She chuckled darkly. "And those awful headaches, so intense that you can't even think straight."

Her words dripped with certainty, each one hitting him like a blow.

He stared at her, stunned. His mind raced, the weight of her revelations crashing over him.

She was right.

Everything she said—he had been feeling all of it for so long. From the moment he realized the world(child). The exhaustion, the pain, the suffocating feeling that seized his lungs at night, the unbearable pounding in his head... And the worst part—he had never told anyone about most of it. A few symptoms, sure, but the rest... only he knew.

'How...?'

He began to breathe faster, his chest rising and falling as his thoughts spiraled. Could she... could she really know? How did she know? She spoke with such confidence, as if she had seen it all herself.

Her eyes, sharp and glinting with amusement, softened briefly, almost as if she were offering some strange sympathy. "I can make it stop," she whispered, her voice silky and low, drawing his attention back to her. "All the pain, all the suffering you've been bearing alone... I can cure it."

Aurelius's breath hitched again. 'Cure it?'

The thought of being free from that torment gnawed at him. His mind raced with the possibilities. He had been enduring it for so long, silently, trying to push through the days despite the gnawing pain in his chest, the ache in his bones, the constant feeling that something was wrong with him.

And now... was it possible?

His hope, once faint and fragile, began to grow. He could feel it stirring inside him, pulling him towards the woman's words, almost desperately. Could this be it? Could this be the way out of all the suffering?

He didn't need to struggle any longer?

For the first time since waking up, Aurelius's gaze softened. His fear remained, but the idea of finally escaping the pain clouded his judgment. He stared at the woman, searching her face for signs of deceit, but all he saw was a strange, unsettling calm.

"Yes," she said softly, noticing the shift in his eyes. "I can see you're starting to understand. You've carried this burden long enough, boy. Wouldn't it be nice to let it all go?" She stepped even closer, her presence looming over him, her voice a hypnotic hum. "All you have to do is trust me... just a little bit."

Aurelius swallowed hard, his body frozen in place.

Her words were wrapping around him like vines, tugging at his resistance, feeding his growing hope. The idea of living without the pain was intoxicating, almost enough to drown out the nagging doubt that still lingered in the back of his mind.

'Could I really be cured? Could this... this woman... truly know how to help me?'

His mind churned with questions, but the promise of relief from the agony he had lived with for so long was starting to outweigh his caution.

The woman smiled, as if she could already see the cracks forming in his defenses. "Good," she murmured, "you're almost there."

"..."

Clang-!

But just as he was about to let himself be pulled deeper into her promise, a sharp pang of doubt cut through his thoughts after a clanging sound on the outside.

'!'

His instincts, the ones that had kept him alive through countless battles, screamed at him to stop. There was something wrong here. Something he couldn't quite place, but it was enough to make his chest tighten in anxiety.

His eyes, now tinged with hesitation, darted around the room. Despite the allure of her words, something wasn't right. His body still ached, his head still throbbed, and even though she had spoken as though she knew everything about his illness... why hadn't she done anything yet?

"Why... haven't you cured me then?" his muffled voice tried to demand through the gag, but all that came out were incomprehensible grunts. Still, the look in his eyes said it all.

Why was she holding back? If she could help him, why hadn't she started?

The woman's smile faltered ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing with a flicker of irritation.

"Patience, boy," she said in a tone that was slightly colder than before. But Aurelius didn't notice it since there was no real difference. "All in due time."

She straightened up, the gentle façade slipping for just a moment before she regained her composure.

Aurelius felt a jolt of fear once again. That brief shift in her expression—he had seen something like it before. Right, it was Rhea...

His hope flickered, wavering.

Could he really trust her?

He's not making a mistake...

Right?