The Extra's Reincarnation

Mr. Nivel walked through the open gates of the campus, but I stood there, frozen, fear gripping my heart.

-"I shouldn’t be here at all..."

I didn’t know why I was shaking, but I felt like I was going to faint.

"Julian, what are you waiting for?" Ezekiel called out, having already crossed the gates.

I felt an odd, mysterious energy emanating from beyond the gates.

"Uh... I should just stay here," I stammered. "I can wait for you guys."

"...?"

Ezekiel and Nivel looked at me in surprise. Nivel nodded slowly, as if understanding something I didn’t.

TAP...TAP...TAP...

As soon as Nivel stepped through the gates, I felt another disturbance, a wave of energy washing over me. It made me feel weak, nauseous.

"Julian, are you okay?" Ezekiel asked, concern furrowing his brow. "You don’t need to worry about status or anything else in this academy. Just walk through. It’ll be fine."

Nivel gave me a reassuring smile, but I felt sick, like I was in pain.

"Julian, it’s alright," Nivel said, his voice gentle but firm. He took my hand and pulled me forward. I was too weak to resist, my body still aching from the fight.

As we neared the gates, a strange sensation washed over me. My vision blurred, and then...

[Divine Eyes of Convergence Has Activated!]

My vision was replaced. I saw a massive barrier, shimmering with an iridescent light, stretching across the entire academy.

It wasn’t a normal barrier.

This one was intricately woven with runic symbols, lines of code that pulsed with an ancient energy.

What was this?

I shoved Nivel away just as my hand neared the barrier.

KABOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted from the gates, sending shockwaves through the air.

***

"Julian!"

Nivel called out.

Then he seemed to realize his surroundings were unharmed.

"Wait, what just happened?" he muttered, his brow furrowed. "Something exploded, but what?"

Ezekiel and Nivel were both confused.

The smoke cleared, revealing Julian’s terrified expression. His teeth gritted, and his frown deepened.

"What’s going on?" a voice called out.

Two figures with strong mana signatures approached the entrance. A small girl with light blue hair skipped along the sidewalk, a carefree smile on her face. Beside her walked an old man with a hunched back, his expression grim.

"Oh... well, if it isn’t Nivel," the old man said, his voice gruff. "Long time no see."

Nivel smiled, recognizing the Headmaster of the academy. "Ah... Headmaster Bourne, it’s great to see you’re alive and well—"

BONK!

"Of course I am, you idiot!" Bourne snapped. "You thinking I was dead is way more disrespectful than anything you did when you were younger."

"I apologize..." Nivel bowed his head.

Bourne took a deep breath in and recomposed himself.

"I take it you aren’t here for a stroll down memory lane? You seem to have a relative applying here. Isn’t that correct?"

He dropped a knowing glance at Ezekiel, who was still focused on Julian.

"That’s correct, sir."

Bourne followed Ezekiel’s gaze and saw Julian, his face pale with fear.

"Who is this? Who is this?!"

The girl beside Bourne shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Right... we came here to investigate the sound," Bourne said with a grave voice.

He gestured Nivel to move a side and carefully he stabilized his walking cane.

WOM...

Mana surged towards his eyes, activating his mana-vision.

He saw a faint image of a barrier, though its patterns were barely visible.

As he searched for any problems with it, he looked down towards the entrance and his face dropped.

-"Ziverard’s barrier! It broke?!"

Bourne was speechless. This was an event he had never imagined witnessing in his lifetime. He needed to know who was responsible.

His eyes landed on Julian, and he rushed past Nivel, his walking stick tapping the ground as he floated with an unseen energy.

"Ah! Mr. Bourne, what’s going on?!" the girl called out, her voice filled with concern.

She followed Bourne, her brow furrowed in confusion. Julian, still on the ground, shrank back as they approached.

"Boy," Bourne began, his voice stern, "what did you do?"

He loomed over Julian with his walking stick, giving the boy little room to escape.

"Ah... I’m not sure, really," Julian stammered, his eyes darting nervously. "I have no idea..."

He avoided Bourne’s gaze, glancing up every few seconds as if hoping the headmaster would simply walk away. But Bourne remained, his presence a heavy weight on Julian’s shoulders.

Bourne eyed Julian suspiciously.

Kids these days are never honest.

But he couldn’t imagine a child like this blowing up a perfected barrier.

I know that even the old master who taught me how to see these barriers required a precise technique and this barrier, made by Ziverard Zagata himself, was meant to ward off any threat—monsters, invaders, even armies.

He recalled the intricate workings of the barrier, the encoded runes that granted it a sentience of its own. If it sensed a threat, it would react accordingly.

Why am I even thinking so hard about this? It’s a simple matter.

He activated his mana vision and approached Julian, hovering his hand over the boy’s heart.

He peered deep within, examining Julian’s mana core.

"Just as I suspected, He only has one core." He frowned.

"Children his age should have their elemental core developed by now. But his central core of nature isn’t even awakened."

He paused perplexed by the situation.

"How could this boy have possibly affected the barrier?"

He ran a hand through his beard, then looked over at his ex-student.Headmaster?"

"Has this boy ever used magic before?" Bourne asked, his voice sharp.

"No, sir," Nivel replied. "He’s unable to properly use mana."

"I can see that," Bourne said, his eyes still fixed on Julian. "But has he ever casted a spell?"

"The closest he’s come to casting a spell is imbuing mana into his fist," Nivel admitted.

"...!"

Bourne’s eyes almost popped out from hearing Nivel’s words.