Path of the Extra

The gods they worshipped… were not gods at all.

Who would dare believe such blasphemy—especially when spoken by a being who had invaded their palace, a being who clearly was not human?

Yet, there was something undeniably compelling in those words, something that sent chills down Mio’s spine.

“What reason could I possibly have to believe the lies of a void creature?” Lykos demanded sharply, his voice edged with anger.

The wolf-masked figure slowly turned toward him, releasing a low chuckle filled with contempt. “Void creature? Truly, creatures like you never cease to amuse me.”

Lykos’s expression hardened into an icy mask of determination as he took a step toward the intruder, sword poised to strike.

’No! Don’t, Lykos!’ Mio’s heart pounded desperately in her chest, eyes wide with panic. What was he thinking? What chance did they stand against something like this?

“What is it you want?” Lykos demanded, his voice colder, more controlled.

The wolf-masked being tilted his head slightly, once again shifting his gaze back toward Mio, locking her into a fearful paralysis. His voice was low, melodic, inexplicably gentle yet dreadfully unsettling.

“I am merely here… to confirm something.”

Slowly, he began to approach her, each deliberate step causing her legs to tremble uncontrollably.

“Stop!” Lykos shouted, thrusting forward with his blade. Yet just as the sword came within an arm’s length of the masked figure, it froze abruptly, as though striking an invisible wall—impenetrable, unbreakable.

The masked being turned his head slightly toward Lykos, irritation evident in his quiet, disdainful tone. “You truly are annoying.”

Instantly, Lykos’s sword clattered to the floor. He staggered, clutching desperately at his stomach, his face drained of all color. Dropping to his knees, he covered his mouth, fighting back waves of nausea and disorientation.

“Lykos!” Mio cried out, finally finding her voice through the fear. Yet she remained frozen, her body refusing to obey her commands.

’Where are the palace guards..? Why isn’t anyone coming!?’

The masked being stepped past the incapacitated Lykos effortlessly, stopping mere inches before Mio. She swallowed painfully, her throat unbearably dry. Every breath was shallow, every muscle trembled—she was utterly paralyzed by his mere presence.

His silver-ringed eyes seemed to peer deep within her soul, causing her very sense of gravity to slip away.

“Little flower,” he whispered softly, “if you so desire… I can rid this world of its corruption.”

Her eyes widened slowly, the words sinking in with horrifying clarity.

“What…?” she managed, her voice barely audible, trembling uncontrollably.

He reached forward gently, his porcelain-white fingers brushing softly against her cheek. Mio flinched at the contact, yet found herself unable to recoil. Strangely, the touch carried no harm—instead, it was tender, almost comforting. Lykos remained kneeling, trapped in a trance, helplessly lost between consciousness and oblivion.

“Your world…” the masked figure spoke softly, almost mournfully, “its order has become irreversibly twisted. The gods have decreed it unfit for their race.”

“G-god… race?” Mio repeated numbly.

“The beings you humans worship…they belong to the same race—or as they arrogantly call themselves, the God Race. Yet, little flower, these are nothing more than false gods.”

“No…” she whispered, her voice weak, trembling like that of a frightened child.

“T-that can’t possibly be true…”

She wanted to scream, to rage against this impossible lie. Yet all she managed was a quiet denial, filled with desperate, powerless fear.

“I understand how difficult acceptance can be,” he said gently, reaching up to softly stroke her hair, comforting her as one would a child. Suddenly, his voice dropped to a sorrowful whisper, chilling her blood to ice.

“My own people, too, struggled to grasp that bitter truth. When they finally began to see clearly, the gods decided it was finally enough. Though I saw the truth from the very start, I could only watch helplessly, as Fate unfolded and erased my entire race.”

Mio opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unable to find words. She glanced desperately toward Lykos, still frozen and incapacitated.

At that very moment, Mio became aware of another presence—subtle, omnipresent, like the gaze of countless unseen eyes observing her. It felt as though the very world itself watched her every move.

’I need to stall… just until Lykos breaks free, or until help arrives..!’

She swallowed hard and gathered her remaining courage.

“…So, you knew your people would die…and you did nothing?”

Her voice held a quiet hint of reproach.

The masked figure withdrew his hand slowly, turning his gaze toward the moonlit sky outside.

“Little flower,” he murmured cryptically, “What is a lie is the truth, and what is the truth is a lie.”

Mio stared at him in confusion, unable to grasp the meaning behind his words. Before she could question further, he turned back toward her, his voice calm yet commanding.

“Due to an Axiom shattered on this world, the pitifully weakened World Providence of this planet, an unnatural concentration of mana, and the Void Realm’s encroaching hunger… humanity has become devastatingly vulnerable to corruption. Simply put, the quality of mana on this world surpasses what your kind can handle.”

She hesitated, her voice small and uncertain as she asked,

“Can you… can you really help us? Can you cleanse this world of corruption?”

His soft chuckle filled the air, resonating deeply. He answered, absolute certainty woven through each syllable.

“Of course…however,” he paused deliberately, lowering his voice just enough to send chills racing down her spine,

“there will be a price.”

Mio felt dread seep into her heart. Her voice trembled as she whispered,

“W-what price?”

The words he spoke next shattered all reason, all expectation, leaving her stunned, helplessly caught in his gaze:

“Your [Unique Skill].”

Slowly registering the meaning behind his words, Mio managed to force out only one word through trembling lips.

“What?”

The masked figure laughed softly.

“It’s exactly as I’ve said, little flower. Your [Unique Skill] is the price. In exchange, I will cleanse this world of corruption, shield it from the prying gaze of the God Race, and diminish the frequency of Void Rifts manifesting across this land.”

Her eyes widened until they could widen no further, disbelief carved sharply into her delicate features.

All of this… all of it hinged on her choice.

A shuddering breath escaped Mio. Just how many lives could be saved if she accepted?

But wait—what was she thinking? Had she not resolved just moments ago to finally be selfish for once in her life?

Wasn’t it finally her turn to live—to cherish happiness after years of silent torment?

Why did she have to save a world that had shown her nothing but cruelty?

Yet, as though sensing her hesitation, the masked man spoke once again, his words striking her heart like an icy blade:

“If you refuse my offer… this entire kingdom will fall.”

“…!”

’Ismyr? Fall?’

With panic breaking across her face, she asked in a voice tight with dread,

“H-how?”

The masked figure turned silently toward the balcony, pointing far into the southern darkness. His voice grew somber, heavy with unspoken horrors.

“The endless wasteland to the south… At sunrise, a Phase 5 Void Rift will open. From it, swarms of Void creatures will pour forth—waves upon waves of Monarch-ranked Void creatures, Abyssals, Demons, Monsters, Beasts… and above them all, a single Titan-ranked Void creature. Another Skinwalker shall tread upon this world.”

Turning back to face Mio, he delivered the final blow with chilling clarity:

“And worst of all… a legion of Void Worms.”

“Ah…”

Her knees buckled beneath her as terror consumed her strength. She collapsed, helpless, trembling upon the cold floor. He gazed down impassively.

“No… No! You’re lying!” she screamed desperately, her voice shrill and broken.

“How could you possibly know such a thing? You’re just another Void creature trying to deceive me!”

“Deceive?” His voice echoed strangely, tinged with mockery. Suddenly, his attention shifted toward the motionless form of Lykos.

“Look carefully at the being to whom you almost sold your soul. How utterly pitiful. If not for my intervention, you would have willingly thrown your life away—to a Skinwalker.”

“…”

A suffocating silence enveloped the room, deeper than any before. Lykos knelt utterly motionless, his earlier struggle vanished as though it had never existed.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

In the silence, Mio’s heart pounded furiously, each beat echoing loudly through her ears, deafening her senses.

“Lykos Aureliath might have been blessed by that foolish child… but that was long ago. I doubt the child you worship even realizes his apostle has long since departed from life. How pathetic…”

His merciless gaze pierced through her trembling form, his words driving deeper into her fragile heart:

“Your beloved childhood friend has been dead all this time.”

“No…”

Slowly, desperately, Mio turned her eyes toward Lykos, silently pleading with every fiber of her being.

’Lykos…’

’Lykos, please…’

Just look up.

Turn around.

Prove him wrong.

But…

Why was he not moving?

And why—why did that horrible, alien voice, grinding like shattered glass against raw flesh, now suddenly come from Lykos’s direction?

Why did blood begin to trickle painfully from Mio’s ears?

“Ah,” the voice rasped grotesquely through Lykos’s parted lips.

“It seems I’ve been discovered.”