The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra

Lyris’s POV:

Just a few hours before Lyris entered Floor 98.

As she walked up the long staircase leading high through the sky, a cool breeze of air swept her hair, and she gently tucked a loose strand behind her ear. As her gaze turned back to where she came from, behind her lay a vast, beautiful sea. The shimmering water swayed around, and the bright reflection of the sun made the water shine even brighter as small to large waves kept descending.

She had to walk directly through the water to come here. Thankfully, there was a bizarre phenomenon in this specific place: you couldn’t drown even if you stepped right on the water. The body would float freely on the surface, which helped her easily step through the water to reach this point. Since the grand staircase was piercing up through the sky, even from a distance, it was easily visible.

’Now I am near Floor 98. It means I just have to climb two more... And I still have a whole month left to cross it. Should I take a short break for a while and just feel this peaceful atmosphere?... No, what am I even thinking? How can I stay relaxed inside the Ascension Realm? I am not even sure that if I fall asleep now, I would wake up the next day. So let’s climb and reach the very end. Finding peace will be a later step...’

She reached the door, took a long breath, and exhaled slowly as she reached up to the handle. Just as she pulled the door open and stepped inside, her vision went blurry. She clutched her head as a wave of dizziness hit her, feeling like something was going terribly wrong with her mind.

...

Inside the dream:

In a pitch-black space where not even a single speck of light could be seen, a figure suddenly emerged. It was none other than Lyris. She looked around, feeling confused about where she actually was.

’How did I suddenly appear here? Am I trapped in some kind of illusion?... But I have never been through any illusion after climbing up to now...’

Just as she felt confused about what she should do next to escape this dark space, the soft sound of crying could be heard. The weeping voice felt both intimately familiar and strangely unfamiliar to her. She looked around the void and spotted a young child in the distance. The little girl sat on the pitch-black floor, hugging her knees tightly as she buried her head in her arms.

*Sob~* *Sniff~* *Sob~*

Lyris tilted her head in confusion and walked closer to her. She felt a sudden, powerful sense of familiarity with the weeping child as she neared her. The child suddenly looked up with tearful eyes. Her violet eyes were moistened with fresh tears, and her raven-black hair was smudged messily across her face.

Lyris finally recognized who she was. She was undeniably herself; more appropriately, she was her past self.

The child looked up at her with tearful, innocent eyes.

”Wh—who are you?!”

Lyris looked at the little girl and then knelt down on the floor to meet her at eye level.

”I am... Lyr... Who are you?...”

”Sniff... I am Lyris...”

Lyris then reached out and placed her warm hand on the little one’s head as she stroked her soft hair.

”What happened? Why are you crying?...”

The child looked at her and leaned eagerly toward the warmth of the gentle pat as she replied tearfully, breaking her words with small hiccups.

”Sob... They.... They took my friends.... They killed my maids.... They killed everyone who made me smile.... Why are they doing this to me?.... Hiccup!... They killed everyone who was close to me... Am I such a bad girl that they are taking my everything away?...”

Lyris’s expression softened as she sat closer to her. She gently pulled the crying child’s head and rested it comfortably on her lap as she caressed her.

”No... You are not a bad girl... They are the bad people who maliciously took your happiness away...”

The child shook her head vigorously while burying her face on her lap.

”No—they love my big siblings! They only hate me. Everyone else laughs and smiles... Why can’t I smile? Why do they hate seeing me happy?... Do other people also hate me, and are just trying to pretend to love me?... Why?...”

Lyris’s strokes suddenly stopped. She looked away from the child’s figure and stared out into the endless darkness, her free hand tightening into a fist on her lap.

”I feel so lonely... I want them to love me too... I want someone to care for me too... I want someone to play with me too... Will you stay with me here?... Will you not leave me too?... Please~”

The little girl held her hand firmly in a desperate pleading motion.

Lyris looked down at the little version of herself. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she didn’t know what she should choose.

”No... I have somewhere to go... I have to walk on my own path...”

The little girl sat up, looking at her with a betrayed gaze as her small hands tightened around Lyris’s fingers.

”But you comforted me just now! You should now take responsibility for giving me false hope! You should stay with me, please~ Sob... Sob... Please stay with me...”

The little girl’s figure started to blur as Lyris looked at her past self. The child’s body began to rapidly disintegrate into the shadows.

”Please come with me, Lyr... I feel lonely... Please...”

Tears fell from her disappearing figure as Lyris’s hand slipped away from her grasp. The last vestiges of the child disappeared into the void, leaving only a single drop of a tear falling onto the dark floor.

Lyris stood all alone in the vast, empty space.

Her usually calm expression finally cracked as she clutched herself protectively. She suddenly felt exposed; a massive amount of loneliness and the crushing burden of living all alone and refusing to join the child fell on her shoulders.

”It’s my fault! I shouldn’t have hoped for anything from the very start.... If I wouldn’t have hoped for anything, I wouldn’t have felt betrayed and sad... It’s all because of me... I lose everyone because of myself. I shouldn’t have gotten close to anyone...”

A single drop of a tear fell from her violet eyes as she closed them tight and buried her face in her knees, crumbling to the floor.

Just as she had buried herself in grief and overwhelming loneliness, a familiar, warm Crimson Energy gently swayed around everywhere in the void. She looked up as the Essence started to gently coil around her body. Suddenly, she was forcefully pulled out of her dark nightmare.

All of the suffocating loneliness disappeared behind her as the warm energy made her feel free. She finally realized who she really was. She is Lyris—not the broken, helpless girl from her childhood, but the strong girl who is walking fiercely on her own path. Even though her life will be filled with darkness, she is definitely going to find that single speck of brilliant light in her journey.

That is not just her goal, and it wasn’t just her path. It was the very reason for her existence. Since she was the Eternal Night, there must be a light for her which she desperately wants to gain.