Extra is the Heir of Life and Death Chapter 86: Why was it beating so fast?

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that sothing soft and oddly squishy was beneath .

For a mont, my half-conscious mind tried to make sense of it. A pillow? Maybe the blanket had bunched up weirdly? Whatever it was, it was warm... really warm. I shifted slightly, my face buried in it, and a faint floral scent drifted up, ink and hyacinth.

Wait.

I blinked, rubbed my dry eyes with the back of my hand, and sat up slowly, my mind still foggy. My eyes stung, my throat felt dry. It was like I’d spent the night crying, no, not like... I had.

And then everything from last night ca rushing back.

The goddess.

The adow.

The three orbs.

That unbearable flood of emotions.

And then... Belle.

My breath hitched slightly. I looked down.

There she was.

Belle was sitting in the chair beside the bed, her head tilted slightly to the side, fast asleep. My head had apparently been resting in her lap the whole night, her hand still tangled loosely in my hair, as if she’d fallen asleep while stroking it.

Her usual black blindfold was still on, but even without seeing her eyes, I could tell she was exhausted. Her posture was slouched, her lips parted ever so slightly as she breathed softly.

For a mont, I just... looked at her.

It felt strange. Comforting and embarrassing at the sa ti.

I rembered her warmth, the way she held without hesitation, the way her heartbeat had steadied mine when everything else had fallen apart.

A sigh escaped before I could stop it. I rubbed my temples and muttered quietly to myself, "What the hell happened to ..."

The answer was obvious, though. I’d lost control. I’d broken down.

And she’d stayed.

That thought alone made sothing twist in my chest sothing that felt a lot like guilt, but also softer, sothing I didn’t dare na.

I leaned back against the pillows, exhaling deeply, the faintest smile tugging at my lips as I glanced at her again.

"...You really don’t know when to stop caring, do you?" I whispered.

Belle shifted slightly, mumbling sothing incoherent in her sleep, and I froze, watching her for a mont before quietly looking away.

The morning sun filtered through the infirmary curtains, painting the room in shades of gold and white.

And for the first ti in what felt like forever, I didn’t wake up with nightmares or in pain.

Just... tired. And grateful.

Heat crept up my face the mont I rembered what I’d woken up on. My mind betrayed , flashing back to the warmth, the softness, the steady beat of another heart under my ear.

My whole face went red in an instant. Gods, really? I wanted to slap myself, to bury the sha sowhere deep, but Belle was still sleeping peacefully beside , and I couldn’t risk waking her.

So I just let out a quiet, shaky sigh instead.

For a long mont, I sat there, staring down at my trembling hands. The mory of last night pressed down on like a weight, my voice breaking, my tears refusing to stop, the way I’d fallen apart in front of her.

"How pathetic..." I whispered under my breath.

My fists clenched. How could I lose control like that? Why did I break the mont I saw her face?

Was it just the aftermath of those alien emotions still clawing through my mind? Was it my weakened ntal state, or was it sothing deeper?

Maybe... maybe it was the relief.

The relief of seeing soone there when every instinct told I’d been abandoned again.

That thought sat heavy in my chest. I looked at Belle again at the calm rise and fall of her breathing and sothing inside softened.

I still didn’t understand what I was feeling. But for the first ti in a long ti... I didn’t want to push it away.

Belle shifted slightly, her hair brushing against my arm, and my heart lurched. The rhythm quickened, thudding harder, louder until I could feel it in my throat. I froze, confused. Why was it beating so fast? What the hell was wrong with ?

I tore my eyes away, desperate for a distraction.

"Status," I thought.

A familiar window blinked into view.

StatusNa: Sebastian NekrosAge: 17Rank: E (67%)Affinity: Life, Death, SoulflasBloodline: 3/3 Locks

AttributesStrength: E Agility: E Endurance: E Perception: EWillpower: E Luck: Unpredictable

Titles:– Son of Death– Apostle of Life– Anomaly

Sword Art: Nyxian DirgeCompanion: Sacha Nekros

My eyes narrowed. The window looked... different. It used to shimr and shift colors each ti I opened it, like it was alive sohow. But now it was fixed, black with sharp white text.

And then there was the percentage beside my rank. E (67%). That hadn’t existed before. I could feel faint threads of understanding tugging at the back of my mind; it was so progress indicator, asuring how close I was to advancing to the next rank.

My gaze drifted to the part that stood out most:

Bloodline: 3/3 Locks.

Before, that section had always been simple, one dull word: Locked. Sothing I could ignore. But now there were three locks, shimring faintly in sequence, each one marked with a different color: silver, crimson, and obsidian.

Each pulse ca with a faint vibration in my chest, like sothing deep inside was resonating with them.

I hesitated.

What changed? Why now?

I hesitated, staring at the small tab that glowed faintly beneath the word Bloodline.

Part of wanted to look deeper. To open the Bloodline tab and finally see what was buried there. But another part of , the rational one, scread not to.

And then, despite every instinct in my body screaming, I smiled faintly.

"Maybe... just a peek."

The air around grew still. Even Belle’s quiet breathing seed to fade away.

I thought about opening it—

And the world seed to hold its breath.