The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice

As the Everwoods left, silence enveloped the grand hall.

Caspian stood awkwardly, his frail frame trembling from the emotional turmoil.

His mother, Eleana, sat back in her chair, her icy gaze fixed on him.

After a moment, she spoke.

"Cas... you are already a stain on my loyalty to my husband with that cursed white hair of yours. And now, you disgrace our family further by being so utterly useless. Do you know how difficult it is to have a son like you?" Eleana said.

Caspian stood motionless, the weight of her words pressing down on him.

He didn't deny it.

There was no point.

Eleana rose gracefully from her chair and pointed toward him.

"Be at the training hall this evening. You'll at least learn to stand properly, even if you can't do much else."

Caspian flinched but mustered the courage to speak.

"Mother... my fingers are broken," he said softly, his voice shaking.

Eleana paused mid-step, her cold demeanor faltering ever so slightly.

She turned back to him, her brows furrowing.

It was the first time he had dared to reply to her directly.

"Who did this?" she asked, her voice firmer now.

"Big brother Eirak," Caspian replied, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Eleana's expression hardened, though not in the way Caspian had hoped.

"This child..." she muttered under her breath before straightening.

"Stay away from him. Don't provoke him or disturb him in the future." Eleana said.

Caspian clenched his fists—or at least, tried to, the pain in his broken fingers reminding him of his helplessness.

"I didn't disturb him," he said, his voice cracking. "He barged into my room yesterday and... broke them. For fun."."

Eleana's eyes narrowed, but she waved a hand dismissively.

"I'll tell him not to do it again. That's the best I can do."

Her words echoed in the silence, each syllable stoking the fire in Caspian's chest.

"That's it?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

Eleana didn't respond, her cold indifference cutting deeper than any insult.

She turned and left the room, leaving Caspian standing there, blood boiling with anger and frustration.

'What was I expecting?' he thought bitterly, his fists trembling.

That she would actually care?

That she would stand up for me, for once?

What a fool I am.

He leaned against the wall, his breaths shallow and uneven.

The pain in his fingers was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.

No one's going to save me.

No one's going to make this better.

If I want anything to change... I'll have to do it myself.

A small spark flickered in the back of his mind—a faint whisper of defiance.

Caspian wasn't sure where it came from.

'Fine,' he thought, his jaw tightening.

You all think I'm weak?

Fragile?

A disgrace?

Then I'll show you.

I'll show all of you what a 'mark on the family' can do.

He straightened his back as best he could, swallowing the pain.

It was a small gesture, but in his mind, it was a step.

One step toward something better.

One step toward survival.

.

Caspian walked through the corridor.

His frail body ached with every movement, but his mind was elsewhere.

The memories of the story he'd read before his transmigration flooded back with startling clarity.

'Fianna...' he thought.

'Now I understand. She always looked so gloomy, so distant in the novel. It wasn't just her personality-it was because of Caspian death,'

Caspian's red eyes narrowed as he recalled the story's details.

"She hated Arcwright family — this place. And now I can see why," Caspian muttered under his breath.

Step,Step

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Caspian looked up to see two of his brothers, Eirak and Jaxar, striding toward him, their faces twisted with malice.

"Hey, little runt," Jaxar sneered, his tone dripping with mockery.

"I hear your little fiancée came to break off your engagement today. Guess even she couldn't stand to be tied to a weakling like you." Jaxar said.

Caspian didn't respond, keeping his gaze ahead as he tried to walk past them.

"Oi, don't ignore me," Jaxar said, stepping closer and placing a heavy hand on Caspian's shoulder.

Caspian shrugged it off without a word, his movements slow and deliberate.

That was enough to set Eirak off.

"Hey!" he barked, his voice loud enough to echo through the corridor.

Caspian continued walking, determined not to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

But Eirak wasn't about to let it go.

SMACK!

He lunged forward, landing a powerful punch on Caspian's back.

THUD

The impact sent him sprawling onto the floor, his fragile frame unable to withstand the force.

Pain shot through his body as he struggled to breathe.

"Who do you think you are, huh?" Eirak said.

Eirak growled, towering over him.

"Some kind of celebrity that you can just ignore us?"

Caspian remained silent, his vision blurring slightly as he tried to push himself up.

Jaxar chuckled darkly, stepping forward.

"He thinks he's better than us. Let's remind him where he belongs." Jaxar said.

SMACK!

Jaxar's fist slammed into Caspian's face, sending him back to the ground.

Blood dripped from his mouth as the world spun around him.

Caspian weakly raised an arm to block the next punch, but his strength was nothing compared to Jaxar's.

SMACK!

The next blow landed squarely on his cheek, splitting the skin.

For what felt like an eternity, the punches rained down on him.

His body ached, his face throbbed, and his mind teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.

'Enough,I had enough,' a soft voice in his head seemed to plead.

But no one came to his aid.

Finally, a new voice broke through the haze.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

He tried to look up, to see who had saved him, but his strength failed him.

His vision darkened, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

It was Eirlys Arkwright, the eldest of all siblings.

Eirak and Jaxar froze, their faces paling slightly.

"W-We're just having fun," Jaxar stammered, his tone suddenly sheepish.

"Fun?" Eirlys's voice was cold, her eyes narrowing.

"Beating your youngest brother half to death is your idea of fun? Disgraceful." She said.

The two brothers exchanged nervous glances before stepping back.

"We were just leaving, he provoke us first," Eirak said.

As then Eirak grabbing Jaxar's arm as they quickly retreated down the corridor.

"Sigh"

Once they were gone, Eirlys sighed and knelt beside Caspian.

Her expression was unreadable, her lips pressed into a thin line as she carefully lifted him into her arms.

Caspian was unconscious.

His head lolled against her shoulder, his breaths shallow and uneven.

Eirlys said nothing as she carried him through the winding corridors, her steps steady and deliberate.

She glanced up at him, his bloodied face.

They reached his room, and Eirlys laid him down on the bed, adjusting his pillow with surprising care.

She stood back for a moment, her eyes lingering on him.

When Caspian woke up, he was lying on his bed, his injuries roughly bandaged.

The room was silent except for the faint rustling of curtains in the wind.

He blinked slowly, trying to piece together what had happened.

Someone had saved him-someone had stopped Jaxar and Eirak.

But who?

His mind was a foggy mess, unable to focus on anything but the pain coursing through his body.

'I didn't deserve saving anyway,' he thought bitterly.

"Not in this family. Not in this world." Caspian muttered.

"I don't need someone pity over me—I will be my boss, i will make everyone pay," Caspian shouted.

Unknown to him, Eirlys, his eldest sister, stood just outside his room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

Her expression was unreadable, but her hands were clenched tightly into fists.

She had seen everything.

The cruelty of her brothers.

The silent suffering of her youngest sibling.

And though she would never say it aloud, her heart ached for him.

But Eirlys didn't step inside.

She turned and walked away, her footsteps soft against the stone floor.

For now, her care would remain hidden, her love a quiet secret.

Caspian didn't know it, but in this cold, merciless family, he wasn't entirely alone.