The Extra's Advent: My Villainess Fiancée is a Yandere

Chapter 164: Taking the Lead

"The artifact is waking up?"

Cael muttered the words to himself, as if saying them out loud would make them feel more real.

Junior nodded, his blind eyes fixed somewhere in the distance.

"Yes. And also, inside this realm, there is no night. The fake sun is always active. Time does not pass the same way here as it does outside; five days here is one day outside."

Cael nodded his head; he already knew about that.

Then he looked up at the small, unmoving sun hanging in the sky. It cast the same unchanging light, the same long shadows, the same stillness. It was an eternal daylight.

He sent a mental message to his clones, telling them to return. Within minutes, Frostflame and Black Lightning emerged from the treeline, their expressions alert and focused.

Once all four of them were grouped together, Junior began walking. He moved with a confidence that seemed out of place for a blind boy, his steps sure and steady.

Cael followed, with the clones close behind.

They walked through the ancient forest, past the still water channels, beneath the massive trees that stretched toward the false sky.

Cael noticed something strange. They had been walking for a while now, and they had not encountered a single creature.

He asked Junior about it.

Junior did not stop walking and said,

"The creatures are in the inner domain; this is the outer domain. It is the first layer of the realm."

Cael frowned and asked,

"What do you mean by layers?"

Junior paused for a moment, then said,

"The realm has three domains. The outer domain, the inner domain, and the core domain. Each one is a trial."

Then Junior hesitated a bit before saying,

"And also... In the past era, realms were considered trials for the chosen ones."

Cael caught the words and pressed,

"Chosen ones?"

Junior nodded his head and answered,

"The chosen ones were the people who were eligible to enter the pathway. But to be a chosen one, a person had to have the fate."

’Fate again.’

Cael grunted under his breath. The word seemed to follow him everywhere. In the resonances. In Junior’s words.

Cael had no idea about fate at all, not even the slightest clue, or maybe it was right in front of him, and he was just too ignorant to grasp it.

Junior had said before that he would tell Cael about fate after he obtained the artifact. So, Cael did not ask further.

Instead, he asked about the trials.

Junior answered without much thought,

"In the outer domain, there is a puzzle. One must have wisdom to pass. In the inner domain, it is combat and survival. One must have power. As for the core domain..."

He paused before adding,

"You will have to find out for yourself."

Cael did not ask any more questions.

They walked in silence, deeper into the realm, toward the hum that grew louder with every step.

...

Meanwhile, on the surface.

At Everbright Academy.

The Wind Clone was walking back to the dorm from the training hall when his device buzzed. The vibration was sharp and sudden, cutting through the quiet evening air.

He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

A message from Seraphina.

[Come to my office. Now.]

He frowned, his steps slowing.

’Why is she calling me?’

Still, he turned and walked toward the administrative building.

The evening light cast long shadows across the stone pathways. Students moved in small groups, their voices low, their footsteps echoing in the growing silence.

Wind Clone kept his pace measured and his expression neutral. He had to act like Cael. He had to be natural. No hesitation. No suspicion.

He reached the office and knocked.

"Enter," Seraphina’s voice came from inside. It was flat, tired.

Wind Clone stepped in.

Piles of papers were stacked in neat columns. Seraphina sat behind the desk; her amber eyes fixed on him.

She looked exhausted. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. Her usual sharpness was dulled.

She gestured for him to sit.

Wind Clone sat.

Seraphina leaned forward, her hands folded on the desk.

"You’ve heard about the realm opening."

It was not a question.

Wind Clone nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Seraphina let out a heavy breath, the kind that carried weight.

"The situation is worse than you think. Every city and every district will be on high alert. The vampires and wraiths will try to divert humanity’s attention, so they can strike White Sea District to get their hands on the artifact."

Wind Clone’s eyes widened.

All he did was go on a journey to get an artifact. A simple goal. A personal quest. And now a war was waiting to happen.

His main body, Cael, had walked into something far bigger than he realized. The consequences of their actions were already spreading like cracks in glass.

Seraphina continued, her voice steady but strained.

"The Grand Summit Trials will continue to ease public tension. But they will be shortened. There is one week left before they officially begin."

She paused and looked at him directly.

"I am telling you this because you are a problem magnet, Cael. You always seem to be at the center of trouble. So, stay low. Do not draw attention. Do not do anything reckless."

Hearing Seraphina’s words, Wind Clone’s lips twitched, but still he nodded his head and said,

"I understand."

Seraphina leaned back in her chair.

"You can go."

Wind Clone stood up and left the office. The door clicked shut behind him, the sound final and heavy.

He walked through the hallway, his mind racing. The dim lights flickered above him.

’If she knew the truth... If she knew I was the one who opened the realm...’

He shook his head and pushed the thought away. He couldn’t focus on that now. There was no time for guilt or worry.

He reached out with his mind, trying to send the information to the main body.

The connection was there, faint and fragile, like a thread stretched too thin.

But the usual sensation of sending a message did not come.

’Did I fail?’

’Or is it because of the realm?’

He tried again but failed again.

Wind Clone stopped walking. His hands clenched at his sides. The silence pressed against him.

The situation was bad.

Worse than he had imagined. He pictured a scenario in his mind.

Wraiths, Vampires, and Humans. All of them are fighting at the entrance of the realm.

And suddenly, Cael walked out of it, right into the middle of a battlefield. Under the eyes of powerful rankers from all sides.

’Sitting ducks.’

That was the worst possible outcome.

Wind Clone shook his head and forced himself to think.

There had to be something he could do. Something to change the outcome. Something to protect the main body.

’Is there anything I can do in this situation?’

He stood in the empty hallway, alone with his thoughts and his worry, the weight of the coming storm pressing down on him.

...

Inside the realm, Cael and Junior had been walking for almost a day.

The forest stretched endlessly before them, the same ancient trees, the same still water channels, the same unmoving sun hanging in the sky.

Nothing changed. Nothing shifted. It was like walking through a painting that never ended.

Fortunately, Cael had prepared everything they needed, stored in his space pouch.

He had packed enough water bottles and dry food for both himself and Junior that would last for two years.

Cael sighed as he walked. His legs were tired. His mind was tired.

Junior was walking beside him, his blind eyes fixed ahead. His steps were steady, but his expression was thoughtful.

"Hm," Junior muttered.

"This is strange... unless!"

Cael turned his head and asked,

"Unless what?"

Junior stopped walking. His blind eyes seemed to focus on something Cael couldn’t see.

"I think I know why we haven’t found any puzzles."

Cael immediately asked,

"Why?"

Junior smiled wryly and said,

"Because the trial has already started. We are in the trial."

Cael raised an eyebrow and pressed,

"Do you mean leaving the outer domain itself is a trial?"

Junior nodded slowly.

"It might be."

Cael thought about it and shook his head. And he said,

"Whatever the reason may be, we have to enter the inner domain, then the core domain, that’s where the artifact is."

Junior agreed with Cael’s words as he said,

"Since this is a trial, you might as well take the lead."

Cael frowned and asked,

"What do you mean by that? Didn’t you say trials are only for chosen ones?"

He paused, the weight of his own words settling in.

"Wait... are you telling me I am a chosen one as well?"

Junior didn’t answer Cael’s question.

Instead, he let out a helpless smile and said,

"You’re too sharp for your own good."

The meaning was clear. Cael’s words were spot on.

Cael took a deep breath. He looked at the forest before him. The trees stretched endlessly, the path winding deeper into the unknown.

"Alright then, I will take the lead."