From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra

The rain fell steadily, drumming on the roof of the covered parking lot where vehicles lined up in neat rows.

A blonde girl slipped into her car, a sleek model with curved lines glinting under dim lights.

Once inside, she shut the door and pulled out her phone, dialing a number that answered almost instantly.

Beep!

The connection clicked, followed by a cheerful voice on the other end.

"Elyse? You out of the arena already?" the voice asked, brimming with curiosity.

It was Mira Teth, the guild leader who'd sent her there.

Elyse let out a short laugh, settling into her seat as she glanced out the window.

The road was packed with people leaving, some still mentioning Rian Cole's name.

"You were right, Mira," she said, a smile audible in her voice. "What happened today was... insane. I don't even know where to start."

Mira laughed on the other end, a high-pitched sound that made Elyse grin wider.

"Come on, spill the tea!" she exclaimed. "What'd you see?"

Elyse took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts.

"Well, in the last two fights of the night, they introduced a guy who, according to them, had no powers," she began, resting her elbow on the steering wheel. "And, Mira, I swear, when they announced him, I thought it was a joke. They said he'd win two fights back-to-back against these two guys who were master-level! You get what I'm saying?"

Mira burst into louder laughter.

"Wait, wait! A guy with no powers? In the storm clan's arena?"

She paused, coughing from excitement.

Her prediction had come true, and she'd gotten carried away.

"Sorry, go on, go on. What happened?"

Elyse leaned forward, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"The first opponent was Darion Veth, you know, the wind master who's always bragging. And this guy... Mira, I'm not kidding, he moved like he was dancing. He was fast! Dodged everything, like he knew where each hit was gonna land."

Elyse paused, picturing the scene.

"At first, I thought he had no chance—Darion's huge, and the guy looked... I don't know, scrawny next to him."

"Can you get to the point?" Mira asked, knowing her friend was dragging it out to tease her.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there," Elyse said, laughing. "Point is, the guy won. He won, Mira! And the craziest part is how he did it. Didn't use any powers, or at least it didn't look like it. Just landed two hits—two!—after some girl in the stands... I think her name was Lira, yelled for him to fight with everything. And bam, Darion dropped like a sack of potatoes."

A low murmur came from the other end, too quiet for Elyse to catch.

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"What'd you say?" she asked, frowning.

"Nothing, nothing," Mira replied quickly. "Keep going. How was the second fight?"

Elyse adjusted herself, glancing in the rearview mirror like she worried someone might overhear.

"The second fight was even wilder," she said. "The guy was wiped, Mira. You could see it in his face, how he moved. His tunic was shredded, he was bleeding everywhere! And his opponent was Syris Kael, another guy boasting master-level skills. That dude didn't play around from the start—wanted to finish the kid fast."

Elyse paused, recalling the heat of the flames she'd felt even from the stands.

"Syris set him on fire, Mira. Literally. The guy was engulfed in flames, and we all thought he was done."

"And?" Mira asked, voice tense now. "Did he show any powers? Do anything?"

Elyse hesitated, biting her lip.

"Well... his endurance was... I don't know, could you call it inhuman?" she said, searching for words. "He was burning, Mira. We all saw it. But then, the guy ran at Syris, still on fire, like it was nothing. And right when Syris was prepping a finishing move... a lightning bolt dropped from the sky!"

Elyse gestured with her hand, though Mira couldn't see.

"Bam! It hit them both, but when the dust settled, the guy was standing, and Syris was down, charred."

"Wait! A lightning bolt from the sky!?" Mira exclaimed, stunned. "Hold on, hold on! A bolt? You sure?"

"I swear!" Elyse replied, laughing. "We were all floored. No one saw it coming. And the weirdest part? The guy was fine. Well, his tunic was trashed, but he... was standing. Like the bolt didn't touch him."

Mira let out a long sigh.

"You're telling me this guy, with no powers, survived a lightning strike and won two fights back-to-back?" she asked, her tone more serious now. "You really buy that?"

Elyse blinked, confused.

"Well, yeah, it's weird," she admitted. "I don't get why his clan billed him as powerless. Maybe he's some new kind of warrior they're training?"

"What's this fighter's name?" Mira asked, voice dead serious.

Elyse paused for a moment, teasing her friend with silence, but seeing Mira stay quiet...

'Ugh, better stop before she gets mad for real,' she thought, then said:

"Rian Cole."

◇◆◇

In the small, secluded room, Charles cursed himself silently.

'Just because I won, I let my guard down!'

He glanced at Kaira and Lira out of the corner of his eye.

'How'd I forget Kaira's Lira's friend?' he scolded himself, a knot tightening in his stomach.

The two girls watched him in silence, the tension in the air thick enough to cut.

'I've gotta get out of here,' he thought, quickly scanning the room.

The door was shut, and the only small window was too high to reach without making a scene.

Kaira, noticing Rian's nerves, sighed and stepped in front of him, blocking his view of Lira.

"Hey, chill," she said, her tone aiming for calm but tinged with impatience. "Lira, let's give him a break, yeah? Rian just came out of two fights."

She paused, raising an eyebrow at Lira.

"His emotions must be all over the place. Don't you think he deserves a sec to process? These are his first fights, right?"

Lira, arms still crossed, frowned.

'She's right,' she thought, though she hated admitting it.

These were Rian's first fights, and against near-master-level opponents.

"Fine," Lira said, letting out a long sigh and sitting in a chair across from Rian.

Creak!

The wood groaned under her weight, and she crossed her legs, staring at him.

"But don't think this is over, Rian."

Kaira sat beside Rian, first-aid kit still in her hands.

'Come on... say something...' she thought, racking her brain for a way to ease the mood.