Path of the Extra

Jasmine had long since come to terms with the fact that Azriel sometimes had insane ideas. And sometimes, those insane ideas actually worked.

His endless curiosity often pushed him to extremes, but he was talented enough to get results quickly. Merging his two opposite affinities was proof of that.

Still, using aura was something strenuous and difficult to master—yet he had managed to learn it.

And now, it seemed he was attempting something even more ridiculous.

He was trying to figure out how to create runes.

It was absurd.

And yet, after everything Azriel had accomplished, Jasmine couldn’t help but ask,

“So… how do we create runes?”

Azriel’s expression fell instantly.

“I don’t know.”

“H-Huh?”

“All we’ve gotten so far is the feeling of being dumb.”

“Oh…”

“We’ve examined this from every angle, but it’s impossible to tell,” Azriel muttered. “Void Runes seem to have recurring patterns, but God Runes don’t. And yet… both of them possess something beyond just mana—something that prevents them from fading unless destroyed.”

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling a tired sigh.

Jasmine looked at him, astonished. For a brief moment, disappointment flickered in her heart.

‘For some reason… I thought he would have already found the answer to that.’

Then, suddenly, a grumpy voice broke the silence.

“What the brat forgot to mention is that we need genuine runes in front of us if we actually want to increase our chances of figuring this out! And yet this entire world is incompetent! We’ll have to go to the Void Realm, find a location where both types of runes exist, and make sure they’re not damaged at all!”

Azriel and Jasmine turned to see a familiar figure lounging on the couch, scratching his head while grumbling incoherently.

Jasmine’s expression shifted. Her face turned to ice as she spoke in a cold, sharp tone.

“Instructor Cedric.”

Cedric stood up, waving a hand dismissively.

“Bah! Drop the ice queen act. As if I don’t know the two of you have a brother-sister complex,” he scoffed. “Still, it’s a sight for my dead eyes to see two of the Crimson Clan’s greatest talents standing in front of me. At least your little brother wasn’t scared enough to deal with me.”

Jasmine narrowed her eyes before turning toward Azriel, who quickly averted his gaze.

“Well… whether I like it or not, Instructor Cedric is one of the smartest men alive,” Azriel admitted. “Having his help in researching runes was a must. In exchange, I simply gave him the answer to how I can use aura.”

“Which, mind you, made me feel like I lost half my IQ with how simple it was,” Cedric said. “What a waste—everyone else is an idiot.”

Jasmine sighed, looking back at Azriel.

“Father told you not to reveal such a dangerous card… seriously, you never listen, do you?”

Azriel only smiled apologetically.

Jasmine barely managed to suppress a pout.

‘You could have asked for my help too…’

She might not have been as well-versed in runes as the two of them, but she was still the Crimson Heiress. She could have helped.

“Tch. Staying in this room for another minute is just going to make me more miserable,” Cedric grumbled, standing up. “I’ll try to find a way to locate a site where the runes are undisturbed. We’re not making any progress here anyway.”

Azriel glanced at him and spoke quietly.

“Yeah, you do that. But don’t forget—”

“Yes, yes. Don’t tell anyone what we’re doing.” Cedric waved him off. “To think a prince of the Four Great Clans would be this cautious. Ha! I thought I’d seen it all!”

Seeing Cedric leave the room and close the door behind him, Azriel turned back toward the stack of papers. It seemed he hadn’t given up yet, still searching for any clue—no matter how small—that could guide him forward.

Jasmine glanced at him for a moment before silently walking behind him. Without warning, she took a portion of his long hair in her hands, making Azriel flinch. But before he could turn around, she placed her left hand firmly on his shoulder and spoke softly.

“Just stay like this for a second.”

“…Alright.”

Still frowning, Azriel remained still, doing as she asked. Jasmine reached up and removed the hair tie from her own hair, letting it fall loosely behind her back. Then, with slow and practiced movements, she wrapped the tie around Azriel’s hair, gathering it into a flawless ponytail. As she worked, she spoke casually.

“Amaya told me a little about that mission you went on. I’m glad you’re okay, and I understand why you haven’t been to class yet, but… do you know anything about Celestina? She hasn’t shown up either. I can’t seem to find her anywhere, and she’s not answering her phone.”

Azriel raised a brow.

“Well, the mission took a lot out of us—mentally and physically. Just give her some time. I’m sure we’ll see her soon enough.”

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion creeping into her gaze.

“You sound awfully sure about that.”

Her lips curled into a smirk.

“Now that I think about it, you two have been getting close. Which makes me happy, considering how much of a loner you are and Celestina being my best friend, but…”

As she finished tying his hair, she placed both hands on Azriel’s shoulders and squeezed firmly. He winced.

“Why did you have to join her faction?” Her voice dropped slightly, laced with frustration.

“Even if you hate joining the Crimson Faction, you can’t just openly align with the Frost Faction, Azriel. Even if you already left… you can’t keep doing things like this. We might be on good terms with the Frost Clan, but if we get too close, it’ll send the wrong message—to the other clans, to the academy, to everyone. It could ruin the balance.”

Azriel remained silent.

Jasmine sighed.

“When we were kids, it was different. You didn’t want to be involved in any of this, and that was fine. But now, little brother, you’ve become someone whose actions reflect on our family.

Mom and Dad won’t say anything, no matter what you do with your reputation, even if it comes back to the Crimson Clan. But I know you. You wouldn’t want to hurt us, intentionally or not. So please… even if you don’t want to—act like Azriel, Prince of the Crimson Clan.”

Azriel’s lips pressed together as his gaze dropped. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, in a quiet voice, he finally spoke.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think too deeply about it, even though Amaya warned me. No… I did think about it. I just ignored it because I was being selfish. Being a prince… it’s still something I have to get used to.”

Jasmine’s expression softened, a small, warm smile forming on her lips. But then, something melancholic flickered through her eyes.

‘Ah… right. It must have been difficult for him to adjust… after being experimented on for so long, to be human again.’

Feeling regret for having spoken a bit too carelessly, she bit her lip, hiding what she felt. She didn’t want to hurt Azriel and knew that even if she did, her little brother would hide it.

“…It’s okay. I know you’ve been through a lot. Still, I’d prefer if you joined the student council—or my faction.”

A chuckle escaped Azriel’s lips.

“Didn’t you just say there has to be balance? Even I would feel guilty if we started ruling the academy like tyrannical siblings.”

Jasmine giggled, covering her mouth with one hand.

“I suppose that would be unfair. But still, it won’t be long before my faction dominates the academy again. What then, little brother? Will you just stand by and let me rule on my own?”

“Of course not,” Azriel said smoothly.

“That’s why I’ll be creating my own faction—to oppose you. A perfect balance, right?”

Jasmine narrowed her eyes, her smile deepening.

‘So we’ll be fighting against each other…’

She had always wanted to fight alongside Azriel, but against him… that was also something she wished for.

Now that he was a Grade 3 Advanced, had control over his aura, and was the Apostle of Death…

‘He might actually stand a chance.’

Maybe.

Neither of them spoke. Azriel had his eyes closed while Jasmine absentmindedly tapped her fingers against the back of his head.

It had always been like this. When she was with Azriel, she never had to put on an act—she could simply relax. Well, as long as her little brother didn’t do anything to make her worry… which was a difficult task.

After a few minutes, Jasmine finally broke the silence, her voice quiet.

“Hey, Azriel.”

“Yeah?”

Leaning forward over his shoulder, Jasmine looked at him as he turned his face toward her, a gentle smile resting on his lips.

And yet…

“…Are you really okay?”

Azriel blinked, confused.

“Yeah. Why?”

She shook her head slightly, not answering.

‘I can’t tell why, but… he feels a bit off?’

Just as she was about to ask, Azriel’s phone buzzed on the desk, cutting through the silence. Jasmine took a step back as Azriel glanced at the screen. The buzzing continued—whoever it was, they were persistent.

But Azriel didn’t pick up. Instead, his expression shifted, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

Jasmine furrowed her brows.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“Uh… well…”

His confused gaze met hers.

“…It’s Dad.”

“H-huh?”