The Extra Who Inherited Ragnarok

Laura barely slept.

The notebook remained on her desk, closed beneath her hand.

She had spent hours staring at the sentence.

Never speak of the three moons.

Why would her family write something like that?

The three moons were simply part of Hildgard’s sky. Everyone knew them.

Yet her family had treated them like a secret.

A knock came at her door.

Laura quickly hid the notebook beneath a pillow.

"Come in."

Sophia entered.

"You’re awake."

"So are you."

"I heard you moving around."

Sophia sat beside her.

"You don’t have to tell me what you remembered."

Laura looked at her.

"I know."

"But?"

Laura sighed.

"But I think my family knew something about Hildgard."

Sophia’s expression became serious.

"How much?"

"Enough to scare me."

Luna appeared in the doorway.

"What’s happening?"

Sophia looked toward Laura.

"Family secrets."

Luna immediately understood that this was serious.

Laura took out the notebook.

"I found this."

She showed them the page.

Luna read the sentence.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Three moons."

Laura nodded.

"I’ve seen this symbol before."

Sophia pointed to the bottom of the page.

"And this."

Laura looked at it again.

Three circles.

She swallowed.

"I think my family knew about those medallions."

Across Hildgard, Noah walked alone through the old district.

He had promised Laura they would investigate the fountain later.

He hadn’t said when.

But something kept pulling his attention toward the area.

He stopped beside the ancient fountain.

The carving remained unchanged.

Three circles.

No light.

No pulse.

Nothing.

Noah crouched.

"Come on."

Nothing happened.

He sighed.

"Worth trying."

A voice came from behind him.

"You shouldn’t touch that."

Noah turned.

Nobody was there.

He stood slowly.

"Who said that?"

Silence.

His system appeared.

[Unknown Mana Signature Detected.]

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

The signature vanished.

He looked around the alley.

Nothing.

"Dead Zone?"

No response.

Noah frowned.

That was unusual.

"Dead Zone."

Still nothing.

He walked away.

Inside his mind, however, Dead Zone was staring at something Noah couldn’t see.

Something far beyond the walls of Hildgard.

In the underground chamber, Alcris stood motionless.

The three medallions floated above the stone table.

He had spent the entire night studying their inscriptions.

Most were unreadable.

One wasn’t.

A single name had appeared beneath the dust.

Esteria.

Alcris stared at it.

His expression changed.

"Esteria..."

He knew the name.

Everyone in the upper circles knew it.

But the word shouldn’t have been here.

Not on something this old.

Not connected to Hildgard.

He reached toward the inscription.

The moment his finger touched it, the chamber filled with golden light.

The woman’s voice returned.

"Do not involve her."

Alcris froze.

"Why?"

Silence.

"Who is she?"

No response.

Alcris’s patience broke.

"You know who Laura is."

The golden light flickered.

"You are not meant to know her place in this."

Alcris stared at the medallions.

"Then tell me."

The voice became colder.

"No."

The light disappeared.

Alcris stood alone.

His expression hardened.

For the first time, his objective had become complicated.

Noah was the target.

The medallions were the key.

But Laura Esteria had somehow become part of the equation.

And Alcris had a feeling that if he touched whatever connection existed between them...

Hildgard would not be the only thing that awakened.

The four of them met in the academy garden that afternoon.

Laura had brought the notebook.

She hadn’t shown it to Noah yet.

For some reason, that made her nervous.

Sophia sat beside her while Luna leaned against the stone railing.

Noah arrived last.

"You wanted to talk?"

Laura nodded.

"I found something."

She handed him the notebook.

Noah read the sentence.

Never speak of the three moons.

His expression became serious.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was mine."

He looked up.

"From your family?"

"Yes."

Laura showed him the symbol.

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

The three circles.

The same ones from the fountain.

"The symbol is connected to Hildgard," he said.

"I think so."

"You said your family knew about it?"

"I don’t know how much they knew."

Noah closed the notebook.

Laura watched him.

"There’s something else."

"What?"

"I remembered someone."

Noah waited.

"A woman."

His expression tightened.

"What did she look like?"

"I couldn’t see her face."

Laura looked down.

"But I remember her standing beneath the three moons."

Noah’s mind immediately returned to his dream.

The same image.

The same three moons.

The golden light.

He didn’t tell Laura.

Not yet.

Instead, he asked, "Did she say anything?"

Laura shook her head.

"No."

She hesitated.

"Actually..."

"What?"

"I think she said my name."

The garden became quiet.

Sophia and Luna exchanged glances.

Noah stared at Laura.

"You’re sure?"

"No."

Laura touched her temple.

"It was more like I felt it."

She looked frustrated.

"I hate not remembering."

"You don’t have to force it," Luna said.

Laura smiled faintly.

"I know."

Noah returned the notebook.

"We’ll figure it out."

Laura looked at him.

"You promise?"

Noah nodded.

"I promise I’ll help."

It wasn’t a grand promise.

It wasn’t a declaration that he would solve everything.

But Laura seemed satisfied.

"Thank you."

Later that evening, Noah stood alone on the academy rooftop.

The city stretched beneath him.

The three moons had risen.

He looked at the center moon.

"Why did I see the same thing?"

Dead Zone remained silent.

Noah frowned.

"You know something."

Nothing.

"Dead Zone."

Still nothing.

He closed his eyes.

"Tell me."

The darkness inside his mind shifted.

Dead Zone finally appeared.

Its expression was unusually serious.

"Some memories are dangerous."

Noah opened his eyes.

"Whose?"

Dead Zone looked at him.

"Yours."

Noah’s heart stopped for a beat.

"What do you mean?"

Dead Zone stepped closer.

"You’re asking questions about things you haven’t remembered."

Noah stared at it.

"What have I forgotten?"

Dead Zone smiled faintly.

"Enough."

The mental space disappeared.

Noah opened his eyes.

The system appeared.

[Ragnarok Dead Zone Resonance: 7.8%]

The number flickered once.

7.9%.

Noah’s expression darkened.

Something inside him was changing.

And for the first time, he wondered whether Dead Zone wasn’t merely hiding answers from him.

Maybe it was hiding memories.