When Eren arrived at the topmost floor, he was shocked to see Gaine crying bitterly. The clan’s head, Solvane, was on the floor, lifeless. It wasn't what he expected. Yes, the battle was a tough one. He’d even fought some men on his way here, but he never expected to see the clan head dead on arrival. “Gaine,” Eren called softly, but Gaine didn't hear him. The boy was bent over, sobbing heavily and muttering curses at the men who’d killed his grandfather. Eren’s chest squeezed. He was about to call out to Gaine again when a strange sound stopped him. A sound came from the air, and Eren lifted his head to investigate. It was Silas, Sol and Sid on a podium. They were floating on air, each with a wicked smirk on. Silas laughed out loud, and the sound caused Eren to clench his jaw and fists. “Oh, I waited so much for this day,” Silas yelled, his arms outstretched as he looked down at Eren. He was making jokes and mocking him. Eren knew this, and his jaw clenched even f
Days turned into weeks, and the Winchester and Academy students were occupied with repairing the damage done to the institution. They had to put in their best so that the school building would get back to normal, or at least, even better. “I can’t believe Sid betrayed us,” Tiana said while hammering nails into a wood. Eren sighed, still feeling hurt at his encounter with Sid. “Even Samantha and Trevor,” Tiana added, wiping back a sweat on her brow, “I can’t believe it.” “You have to,” Eren scoffed, “The flaming man must be their father.” While Tiana hammered the nails and became engrossed in her work, Eren stared numbly into space. He had lost interest in almost everything. The main reason he had come to this school was to avenge his mother, but now that he had just discovered that he’d conspired with the enemies who had their own motives, he’d stopped thinking about that. No. It was more like he didn’t know what else to do. What was he living for? What was his purpose
“So, you’re going to stay at the Academy since you can’t return to Silas' house, right?” Tiana asked Eren this while packing her stuff into a duffel bag. She was leaving the Academy, just like most of the Ten had. Since their training had been stopped, and the Academy wasn’t resuming anytime soon, there wasn’t any need for them to stay back anymore. Tiana would have left since, but she was spending some time with Eren. “So, where will you stay now? And what will you be doing?” Tiana asked Eren again. The query was met with silence. Now that she thought about it, he didn’t answer her first question. She glanced up from her bag to him, who seemed deep in thought. He seemed lost in his world. What the hell was he thinking? “Hello.” Tiana took two steps and snapped her fingers in his face, “Earth to Eren?” Eren blinked once before he noticed Tiana, his mouth opening slightly. “Oh yeah, sorry. I kind of got distracted by something. What do you want to know?” “What wears
The day was gloomy. The sun hid behind a thick blanket of clouds, leaving the world dreary and dull. The birds were silent, the weather indifferent. Everything looked gray and bleak as if it had lost its spark of life, leaving everywhere lifeless and dull. One would not have expected different today as Solvane Winchester’s funeral service was set to occur in an hour. It was to be attended by aristocrats, Awakened and commoners — the news of his death had finally been made public. The ceremony would be officiated in the rebuilt Academy’s cathedral. Its massive walls stood tall, protecting its inner sanctuary from harm. The air was humid and stifling. The sound of people talking around was muffled and distant. Everyone looked miserable. Many who had come for Solvane’s funeral wore black robes with red crosses. Those wearing white robes were mostly nobles or aristocrats associated with the Church. It was hard to say which of these groups was mourning him more fervently. Ev
Gaine jolted awake, the sharp echo of a scream piercing through the stillness of the night. He sat up, heart pounding. He couldn’t sleep. He wouldn’t even dream of it. Not when Eren's cries and screams of agony were unmistakable. And he knew that the cries came not from his nightmares but from the reality before him. His father—William Winchester— had arrested Eren on the day of the funeral on some baseless claims that the boy had something to do with the attack. Eren had something to do with the attack, and Professor Silas, the old-man orchestrator, didn’t think to take his ward with him. He’d left him here with the wolves. Gaine could only laugh in frustration, and when Eren’s raw screams pierced through the walls again, he cursed out loud, “Fuck!” This didn’t sit right with him at all. It didn’t. “Damn it,” Gaine muttered, flinging the blanket off and swinging his legs out of bed. He quickly dressed and headed out, determined to confront his father, but when he got
Days had dragged by, and Eren was still trapped in the holding cell. Every attempt to escape failed, and he was starting to lose hope. He'd tried everything—picking the lock, testing the strength of the bars, even using what little MANNA he had left. None of it worked. “Damn it,” he cursed under his breath and slammed his fist against the hard, unyielding stone wall. Each day felt longer than the last, and each night brought a new wave of frustration. It wasn't just the guards with him who made his stay unbearable; it was the cell itself, too. It was designed to break him. Built to hold Awakeneds like him, it was impenetrable, and even if he hadn't been weakened by the device that had drained his MANNA already, he would have been powerless. “There’s no getting out of here,” he muttered to himself, the reality of his situation sinking in deeper with every failed attempt. The guards knew it, too. During the day, they stood outside his cell, watching and mocking him. They’
Drake never imagined himself doing this. He never imagined conversing with the boy he thought was beneath him. But the cell was suffocating, the room too cold for his liking. He wouldn’t survive the coming days without any form of conversation. So, on the third day, after he’d been placed in a cell just opposite Eren’s, Drake took an opportunity he shouldn’t have had and tried to start a conversation with him. “How long have you been here?” He asked casually, “Five days? A week? Two weeks?” Eren didn’t look up from where he was staring intently at a blank space on the concrete wall across the cell, nor did he blink when he heard the question. He just remained silent. “What do you think William will try to do to us,” Drake tried again, “especially if he doesn’t get what he wants?” More silence. Drake’s jaw clenched. He tried yet again. “I think I have a clue. Do you want to know what I think?” Silence. There was nothing more infuriating than being ignored by someone you
The fourth night of Drake’s stay in the cell brought a surprise that neither occupant expected. It was late at night, probably 11 p.m. or 12 a.m., Eren could guess. As usual, he could barely sleep. His stomach growled, and the goosebumps across his skin made slumbering difficult. He closed his eyes, humming a slow tone, when suddenly he heard— “Who’s that?” It was Drake. Eren ignored him and continued to hum. Then, Drake spoke again. “Who is there?” And Eren heard it finally. Footsteps. They were soft at first. Almost silent, as if whoever it was was making a point not to announce themselves. Eren stilled. The footsteps didn’t sound like those of the guards, who made sure to make a noisy entrance whenever they arrived. Eren scrambled from the wall to the small partition where he could see a bit. He continued hearing the footsteps, and this time, with each passing second, they came closer. “Eren?” A small but familiar voice called out. Eren was too stunned to spe