Eren sat astride his pale horse, the beast's spectral mane shimmering like a flowing stream of light. His skeletal hand rested loosely on the reins, the edges of his cloak fluttering in the heated air, giving him an almost ghostly presence. He tilted his head slightly, his shadowed face turned toward Kael, though no features could be discerned beneath the hood. The quiet between them was heavy, broken only by the distant crackling of flames and the occasional groan of the wounded.
Kael pushed herself to her feet, her movements deliberate but unsteady. Her crimson eyes locked onto him, their once vivid glow dimming slightly, but the determination within them remained unshaken. Her shoulders sagged under the weight of exhaustion and grief, but she carried herself upright, refusing to falter before the figure before her.
Eren's horse pawed the ground with a soft clink of its hooves, and his voice, low and steady, broke the silence.
