The ruins were a dangerous place. Yet, for Eren, they were home.

Eren crouched low, his breath shallow as he scanned the crumbling stone walls around him. The wind howled through the broken archways, and the scent of decay clung to the air. He had learned long ago that survival in these ruins depended on one thing: being quick.

With practiced hands, he sifted through the debris, his fingers brushing over old relics, scraps of cloth, and ancient coins. Most of it was useless, but there were always treasures to be found—if you knew where to look.

"Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath, his eyes darting across the wreckage.

A sudden movement behind him caught his attention. Eren tensed, his hand instinctively going to the small dagger strapped to his waist. The shadows around him shifted, and a figure stepped into view.

"Found anything yet?" The voice belonged to Rhea, his partner in this scavenging mission. A tall woman with sharp eyes, she was both his ally and, as he had come to learn, his rival.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Eren replied, turning back to the rubble.

Rhea's eyes narrowed as she scanned the ruins. "This place feels different," she said, her tone cautious. "Something... powerful is here. We should head back."

Eren glanced at her, unsure whether she was being paranoid or if there was something more to her words. But the lure of treasure was strong, and he couldn't turn back now. Not when he was so close to something potentially life-changing.

He shook his head. "We need more than scraps to survive out here. We keep digging."

Rhea hesitated, but after a long moment, she nodded. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Eren moved deeper into the ruins, the shadows growing longer as the sun set. His heart raced with excitement as his hands brushed against something cold and metallic. Slowly, he cleared the debris around it, revealing a black orb, pulsating with dark energy. It was ancient, its surface etched with symbols he didn't recognize.

Before he could examine it further, a loud crash echoed from behind him.

Eren spun around to find a group of strangers emerging from the shadows—armed, dangerous, and clearly not interested in sharing the spoils of the ruins.

"Take it. It's not worth your lives," Eren said, instinctively taking a step back. He recognized them. Raiders, the kind who didn't hesitate to kill for a scrap of treasure.

But Rhea stepped forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "We're not handing over anything. If you want it, come and take it."

A tense silence hung in the air before the leader of the raiders sneered. "Very well. You'll regret this."

The battle was over in moments. Eren fought with all the skill he had honed over the years, but there were too many of them. As the raiders closed in, he felt the sting of a blade across his side. His vision blurred as the darkness of unconsciousness claimed him.