Path of the Extra Chapter 1: Prologue
A teenager, barely sixteen, featuring disheveled brown locks and intense green eyes marked by heavy shadows under them, positioned himself cross-legged on the chilly concrete ground ahead of three gravestones inside a cemetery's enclosure.
Though his looks weren't exceptionally striking, a certain appeal made him stand out from typical youths.
Gentle rays of golden sunlight warmed his face, providing a soothing difference to the tough floor below.
The peaceful songs of birds echoed around, bringing an aura of tranquility.
Fresh flowers sat before each gravestone.
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Jeanne Karumi
Best mother, perfect daughter, and a kind human
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Ronald Karumi
Best father, troublesome son, and a kind human
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Lia Karumi
Perfect daughter and cutest little sister
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A gentle smile crossed Leo's face while he scanned the inscriptions on the stones before him.
The markers bore a plain style since he lacked funds or any kin to assist.
His grandparents had sadly departed the previous year.
Daily, after classes ended, he visited this spot to share moments with his sole kin...
If that driver hadn't been intoxicated.
If he'd convinced them to remain at home with him rather than heading to a diner.
Maybe joining their outing could have altered the result...
Dismissing his reflections, Leo rose, having finished recounting his day's events.
"...I'll visit you all again tomorrow," Leo murmured, turning to leave while disregarding the pitying looks from fellow mourners.
After all, spotting a teen boy in the cemetery often sparks plenty of rumors.
"I'm exhausted today for my shift... I'll phone in ill soon," Leo whispered to himself, lacking the drive for labor.
He knew it'd work out, as he rarely skipped, and his supermarket boss, a compassionate elderly fellow, sympathized with his plight.
Unlocking his device, he messaged his buddy Nathan.
Leo: Skipping work today. Want to hang out?
Nathan: Sorry, got a basketball match today!
Nathan: Let's hang out tomorrow after school.
Leo: Sure, no worries. Good luck with your match.
Nathan: Thanks!
A heavy breath escaped his mouth as he shut down his phone.
"Ah well, guess I'll dive into some reading today," he told himself, heading toward his residence.
Home lay just a quick 20-minute stroll from the cemetery.
The flat he occupied offered a fair size and affordable rent, purchased by his parents, where he'd dwelled with them.
"I'm back..."
He announced upon unlocking the entrance and stepping inside.
He'd grown accustomed to the silence greeting his arrivals.
'Certain routines persist forever, it seems...'
With that in mind, he secured the door, slipped off his footwear, then settled onto the sofa.
A novel rested nearby that he'd been immersed in prior to school that morning.
"Perfect, I paused right at the thrilling cliffhanger this morning," Leo remarked, grabbing the volume named Path of Heroes: Battle Against the End, its cover depicting a lone youth gripping a blade with both palms.
******
"Haa..."
Exhaling deeply, he shut the pages after devouring them for three straight hours.
Sunset had begun to paint the sky.
Rising, he fetched a cup of water.
"Unbelievable, for a character like that to perish when the tale's only midway."
It'd been ages since a tale gripped him with such thrill and joy.
He felt as if he'd stepped into the narrative, embodying the hero's journey.
One gripe, though: the lead boasted a harem.
Harems didn't thrill him much, but aside from that flaw, the story shone flawlessly.
Eager for more, he swiftly poured water into his glass.
Yet just as he lifted it to drink, the vessel tumbled from his grasp, crashing onto the floor and splashing liquid everywhere.
"Argh! Damn, what's this!"
Leo clutched his skull as dizziness overwhelmed him abruptly.
His vision fogged over, blurring everything in sight.
"What's going on, blast it? Am I dying?"
Clenching the edge of the counter hard, he fought to steady his stance.
"Haa...haa..."
His breaths turned quick and ragged.
'Is a heart seizure hitting me? This young!?''
Seizing his torso as his pulse hammered fiercely, he struggled toward the sofa bearing his phone.
'Gotta summon help—an ambulance!'
As he attempted another stride, the tome abandoned on the seat began glowing intensely, flooding the whole space with radiance.
Forced to squeeze his lids shut against the glare overwhelming his sight, he shielded his face with a palm.
"Now what's this madness! Am I hallucinating too!?"
Striving to steady his nerves amid the chaos, he inched back toward the seat.
However,
The instant he advanced, his sole skidded on the pooled liquid, sending him tumbling into the splintered remnants.
"Argh!"
Pain erupted as he yelled, sensing jagged bits pierce his spine.
Strength drained from him rapidly, rendering rising a Herculean task.
The intense glow vanished from sight for Leo; blackness enveloped him, dotted with twinkling points.
'Must've bashed my skull badly...'
Breathing steadied once more, heartbeat easing, though agony wracked every limb.
Grunting through the torment, he summoned the will to propel himself upright rather than remain prone.
His frame throbbed terribly, but he persevered and at last regained his footing.
The breeze brushing his skin and whispers of foliage soothed him somewhat.
'Not gone yet...'
'Hold on...'
Oddly puzzled by the gusts and rustles, he parted his lids, sealed shut until now.
Upon unveiling them, no familiar dwelling awaited—instead, a weathered, cracked roadway stretched out.
Gazing about, shattered structures met his eyes, some leaning precariously, others mere skeletons.
Rubble littered the scene, echoes of former dwellings and edifices.
Vines and branches cloaked numerous ruins, weaving through the decay.
It resembled stumbling into a forsaken metropolis untouched for centuries.
"Huh?"