The sky above was streaked with the first hues of dawn, casting long shadows across the battered earth. The silence that followed the battle was almost eerie, a quiet that pressed in on the trio as they moved through the shattered remains of the city. Eren couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted—within him, and between them. He could feel Liora's eyes on him, but every time he met her gaze, she looked away, as if the distance between them had grown too vast to bridge.
Kael, on the other hand, had barely acknowledged the tension. His usual smirk was firmly in place, though his eyes flicked to Eren every now and then, an unspoken understanding passing between them. Eren wasn't sure what Kael thought of all this—the fragments, his growing obsession with them, the distance between him and Liora—but he didn't ask. Kael never asked. He never needed to.
They reached a narrow pass between two crumbling towers, the jagged edges of broken stone casting sharp shadows across the path ahead. Eren could feel the fragments pulling at him again, the soft hum of their power in the back of his mind. He glanced down at his belt, where the shard was secured, its glow faint, almost mocking in its quiet strength.
"We'll be at the next outpost by noon," Kael said, his voice breaking the silence. "You sure you're ready for this?"
Eren didn't reply immediately. He wasn't sure. Ready wasn't the right word. He didn't know if he could ever be ready for the burden of what they were chasing, but there was no turning back now.
"I don't know," he said finally, his voice low. "But I don't have a choice, do I?"
Liora, who had been walking slightly behind them, spoke up. "You always have a choice, Eren."
Her voice was quiet, but the words hit him with the force of a hammer. He turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"
She met his gaze steadily, her eyes filled with something he couldn't place—frustration, sadness, maybe even pity. "I mean that you don't have to keep doing this. You don't have to keep chasing after these fragments like they're your only chance at salvation."
Eren felt his pulse quicken, the familiar anger rising inside him. He clenched his fists, taking a step forward. "You don't understand, Liora. These fragments are the only thing that can stop Malrik. They're the only thing that can save us. You saw what he did to the last village. You saw what he's capable of. We can't afford to waste time."
"I'm not talking about wasting time," she said softly. "I'm talking about you. About what's happening to you. Every time you hold one of those fragments, it takes something from you. And the more you take, the less you'll be left with."
Eren's breath caught in his throat. She wasn't wrong. He could feel it too—the hollow feeling growing inside him, the way the fragments seemed to bleed him dry with every passing day. But he couldn't stop. Not now. Not when they were so close.
"I'm doing this for everyone," he said, trying to convince himself more than her. "We're doing this to end Malrik's reign. If we don't stop him, everything else will be meaningless."
Liora shook her head. "If you keep going like this, you won't be able to stop him. You'll become just like him. Obsessed with power. Willing to sacrifice everything—and everyone—for the sake of a goal you can't even see clearly anymore."
Eren's heart hammered in his chest. The words were like daggers, cutting through him in a way he didn't want to acknowledge. He wanted to yell, to tell her that she was wrong, that they didn't have the luxury of questioning their mission. But something in her eyes—the pain, the worry—stopped him. She was right. In some twisted way, she was right.
"I'm not... like him," he said, more to himself than to her. "I'm not."
Kael stepped forward, breaking the tension between them. "Enough of this," he said, his voice gruff. "We've got more pressing things to worry about. If we're going to make it to the outpost before sunset, we need to keep moving."
Eren was grateful for the interruption, but part of him—some small part—resented Kael for not understanding. Kael was right about one thing: they had to keep moving. The path they were on didn't leave room for hesitation, for second-guessing. Not when Malrik's forces were still out there, hunting them.
They continued on, the weight of Liora's words hanging in the air between them like an invisible wall. It wasn't long before they reached the outpost—an abandoned military station surrounded by thick walls and overgrown vegetation. The place had clearly seen better days, but it was secure enough to rest for the night and resupply before their next leg of the journey.
As they approached, Eren noticed the signs of recent activity—fresh tracks in the mud, discarded weapons, and the faint scent of smoke still lingering in the air. Someone had been here recently, and they weren't alone.
"They know we're coming," Kael muttered under his breath, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Liora's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"Malrik's scouts," Eren said, his voice low. "We'll have to be careful. They're probably already waiting for us."
Kael looked around, his eyes sharp. "Well, if they're waiting, they're in for a surprise."
Eren's hand instinctively went to the fragment at his side, but he pulled it back. There was no time for hesitation. Not now.
---
Later That Evening
The night passed in tense silence. Kael had set up a perimeter, while Liora scouted the nearby area. Eren, however, couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that had settled deep in his gut. The fragments were calling to him again, urging him to act. To take control.
He sat by the fire, staring into the flames as the warmth spread through his chest. Liora was sitting a few paces away, her back turned to him. She was cleaning her bow, her movements precise, deliberate. Her silence was deafening.
"Liora..." Eren began, his voice hesitant.
She didn't turn to face him, but her voice was soft. "I'm not angry with you, Eren. I'm just... scared. Scared of what's happening to you. To us."
He swallowed hard. "I don't want to lose you. Or Kael."
"I know." She sighed, her tone weary. "But you're already losing yourself."
For a moment, there was nothing but the crackling of the fire, the weight of her words hanging between them. Eren wanted to argue, to tell her that she was wrong, but he couldn't. Deep down, he knew she wasn't.
The decision had been made long ago. There was no turning back now.
---
The Next Day
They set out early, moving quickly through the dense forest surrounding the outpost. They were close to the next fragment. Eren could feel it, the pull growing stronger with every step.
But as they reached a clearing, the air shifted. Eren stopped, his senses on high alert. Kael and Liora were already on edge, their hands on their weapons, eyes scanning the treeline.
From the shadows, figures emerged—more Revenants, but these were different. They weren't mindless drones; these creatures were more powerful, more intelligent. And they weren't alone.
At their forefront, a tall figure cloaked in tattered black robes stepped into the clearing. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling light, and the air around him crackled with dark energy.
"You've come for the fragments," he said, his voice like gravel grinding together. "But you'll never leave with them."
Eren's heart pounded in his chest as the figure raised his hand, dark energy swirling around him. "Malrik," Eren muttered under his breath.
The final battle was upon them.