The Extra's Rise-Chapter 184: Cecilia’s Sweet Sixteen (1)

The first year at Mythos Academy had come to an end.

Nine months. Nearly an entire year in this world.

The time had slipped past faster than I ever could have anticipated.

When I first arrived here, reality had been a weight pressing down on me—a world brimming with prodigies, monstrous talents who outstripped me in every conceivable way. Power, influence, resources, experience—I had none of it. Not compared to them. I had to be careful. I had to be smart. I had to survive.

But now?

I hadn’t just caught up.

I had surpassed them.

Lucifer. Ren. Cecilia. Rachel. Jin. Ian. Seraphina. The others.

Every single one of them had been ahead of me when I first arrived. Now, I stood at the peak of my year.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not nearly enough.

Strength was a fleeting thing in this world, a transient moment between one struggle and the next. If I stopped pushing forward, I would be left behind. And that was unacceptable.

I leaned back into my seat, staring out the window as the flight hummed steadily toward Avalon.

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There were too many things to do, too many loose ends to tie up before my second year began.

First, I had to figure out the truth about Arthur Nightingale—the real one.

Luna had no answers. That alone unsettled me more than I cared to admit. The memories of this body belonged to him, but they had been nothing more than a faint echo in the back of my mind. A shadow of a life that should have been lived but wasn’t.

And that meant there was a question I had yet to answer:

Where was the original Arthur Nightingale?

No one, not even Luna, had an answer for that. And if she didn’t know, then whatever had happened to him was beyond anything I had encountered so far.

I exhaled slowly, letting my thoughts settle into something tangible.

I needed a plan.

Three months. That was how long the summer break would last. Three months to sharpen myself into something even greater than I was now.

Seven months until the Inter-Academy Festival.

And by then, I needed to reach Integration-rank.

It was ambitious. Maybe even reckless. But I had never been one to take the safe route.

I also had the Tower of Magic to train at, thanks to my newfound sponsorship under Charlotte Alaric. That in itself would be invaluable—not just for magic but for the connections I could make.

Then, there was Mount Hua. I owed Master Li a visit, and his training would be useful in refining my swordsmanship. Seraphina, too—I needed to check on her.

Rachel.

I had to meet with Alastor Creighton and claim my reward. More than that, I needed to spend time with Rachel before she went off to whatever grueling training the Creighton family had prepared for her.

And Arden Windward.

He owed me a prize from our bet. It was time to collect.

’You’re going to be busy,’ Luna mused, her voice curling into my thoughts like smoke.

’Yeah.’

The hum of the engines shifted slightly as the plane began its descent.

Avalon.

Home.

It was a strange word to assign to this place. Even stranger to assign to the people waiting for me.

But they were mine, weren’t they? The first family I had ever truly had.

And despite everything else—the battles, the ambitions, the responsibilities—there was a part of me that found comfort in that.

When I stepped through the door of our home, a wave of warmth washed over me. It wasn’t the kind of warmth that came from temperature, but the kind that seeped into your bones, a quiet comfort you never quite realized you missed until you had it again.

The familiar scent of home-cooked food—spices, fresh bread, and something sweet baking in the oven—filled the air. My mother always had a knack for making the house feel welcoming, and after months at Mythos Academy, the contrast was almost overwhelming.

Before I could take another step, a blur of movement slammed into me.

"Arthur!" My little sister, Aria, latched onto me like a barnacle, squeezing me with all the strength her small arms could muster. "You’re finally back! Did you bring me anything?"

I chuckled, ruffling her hair. "You don’t even say hi first?"

She pulled back, pouting, her azure eyes—our mother’s—narrowing in accusation. "You were gone forever! That deserves a present!"

I smirked and pulled out a small, enchanted snow globe from my spatial ring. Inside, tiny figures moved in a never-ending dance, a miniature illusion spell keeping it animated. "Here. Straight from Mount Hua."

Aria’s face lit up, and she snatched it eagerly, shaking it despite my warning glance. "This is so cool!"

Our mother stepped into the living room, wiping her hands on her apron, her warm eyes settling on me with the kind of look only a mother could give—a mix of exasperation and affection. "You’ve grown again."

I smiled sheepishly. "It happens."

She sighed, then walked up to pull me into a hug, far gentler than Aria’s, but just as firm. "I saw your matches." She leaned back slightly, her gaze scanning me. "You didn’t get hurt, did you?"

"Not in any way that mattered."

My father walked in then, his expression more reserved, but there was a quiet pride in his eyes. He wasn’t the kind of man who gushed over achievements, but I knew him well enough to recognize when he was impressed.

"You did well," he said simply.

"Thanks, Dad."

He nodded, then gestured toward the couch. "Sit. You can tell us everything over dinner."

It didn’t take long before we were all gathered at the dining table, the usual home-cooked feast laid out in front of us. Aria was already halfway through her plate, bouncing in her seat as I recounted everything that had happened over the past few months.

"Well," my mother said after I finished the short version, "you certainly know how to keep busy."

I gave a tired chuckle. "You could say that."

She smiled knowingly, then exchanged a glance with my father before setting down her fork. "There’s something else."

I raised a brow. "Something else?"

She nodded. "We received an invitation. For all of us."

I frowned. That was… odd. My family wasn’t part of any noble house. Invitations, especially formal ones, weren’t something we normally received.

"To what?" I asked.

"To Cecilia Slatemark’s Sweet Sixteen."

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

"What?"

I leaned back, rubbing my temple. "That… is unexpected."

My mother smirked. "Is it really?"

I hesitated.

"No," I admitted. "Not really."

She laughed. "At least you’re aware."

My father, ever the practical one, crossed his arms. "We’re not nobles. Why would we be invited to something like this?"

Aria giggled. "Because Arthur’s her favorite!"

I shot her a look, but she just stuck her tongue out at me.

Mother nodded in agreement, barely containing her amusement. "It’s clearly because of you, dear. The princess must be quite fond of you."

I sighed. "Cecilia’s… persistent."

"She’s interested," my mother corrected, a knowing smile playing at her lips.

I didn’t deny it. I was more than aware of Cecilia’s feelings.

She was never subtle about them.

Not even a little.

"Well," my father said after a moment, "if we’re going, we’ll need to prepare."

"Oh!" Aria nearly bounced out of her chair. "I need a dress!"

I groaned, already picturing the extravagant event ahead.

This was going to be… something.