While Eren and Sid fought intensely, Silas slowly approached the pedestal, his feet moving independently. His heart beat rapidly in excitement, and a fierce smile crossed his lips. Finally, after years of planning and plotting, his schemes were about to pay off. All those years of frustration, anger, and hurt would finally pay off in full and glorious form. Once he got to the pedestal and grabbed the helmet, he was made. He would have all the power to destroy anyone who stood in his path, most notably the Winchesters. The smile on Silas’s face grew wider, more manic. This victory would be his crowning glory for centuries, and he was only starting. After this battle, there would never again be anyone with any power over him. No one could challenge his power without consequences. They had tried before and succeeded, but never again. Silas' feet moved again, and after two more steps, he stood directly before the helmet. He stared at the shining silver surface and felt h
Eren couldn’t move. Every single part of him seemed frozen where he stood. Not only was he watching Zachary bleed out beside his woman, but he also heard the professor’s evil laugh as the metals destroyed his protege. He could feel the rage growing inside him, making his fists tighten until it was difficult to breathe. His body trembled. His mind filled with rage. How could Silas do this? How? “No, no,” Eren shook his head, finally snapping out of his trance. His feet moved, too, and he ran over to Zachary, crouching down next to the heavily injured man. Zachary had been stabbed multiple times, his right hand and his left foot both severely damaged. They wouldn’t heal any time soon. Eren knew that much. “Master!” He called out desperately while putting one of his own blood-stained hands on the wound, trying to stifle the bleeding. Zachary let out a weak groan. “Master, you need to stay alive. For me. For us.” Eren pleaded, “You can’t leave us yet!” Zachary looked towa
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’
“Samantha Dennin." A female security officer poked her head into the gymnasium of the Academy, looking around for her. “Lord William had requested your audience. Immediately."Samantha stood up abruptly, looked at the officer, and offered her a curt nod of affirmation before removing her gym towel from her neck and following the Security officer out of the gymnasium.The air outside the gym was crispy and cold. Samantha could hear winter’s whisper from the wind and the cold.She smiled as she breathed in the fresh air. She looked forward, and in the distance, she could see the towering building, The Titan, where William Winchester's office was. She was not at a loss about what was going to happen. The new academic session of Winchester Academy started a few days before, and she had hoped that she would be able to participate in it, but William Winchester hadn't said anything yet. For her, whatever William Winchester said would determine the course of her life.“Come in." She hear
It had been three days since the battle, and the Academy was still buzzed with the news of the Great Fight as the students tagged it. Construction started immediately after the fight, and students joined in to make it faster and more effective. The sun shone brighter, and the people were happier. As William had briefed the media, the enemy was incapacitated and wouldn't be coming back. While it shined sunshine and rainbows, doom spelled darkness in the deepest parts of the Academy prison yards. In a state-of-the-art prison, Silas sat, locked up by order of the Awakened judiciary, until his judgment. Vatican Sol was also locked with him. The only problem that the Academy had was the runaway father and son. Edward Dennin and his son, Trevor Dennin. Finding them was becoming a problem because of Edward Dennin's expertise in hiding. However, William made sure that the security team wouldn't rest until they found them both. This became their motivation to look harder and find
Zachary raised his head and was face to face with Silas. He desperately struggled to keep his breath going. He had held on for more than five minutes, waiting for nothing. He just wanted to keep Silas Homer busy so he would not pursue Eren. Eren stood around thirty steps away, transfixed. Zachary understood that he needed more time and was willing to help him obtain it. Zachary had two things that made him determined. The first one was that nothing would happen to his son for as long as he was conscious on the battlefield, and the second was that he wouldn't die until he explained the actual situation to his son.“You think you're all it?" Zachary asked, a disgusted look on his face. Silas's eyes widened like a madman's, obviously not accepting of what Zachary said. “I'm better than a weakling like you!" He shouted. “The world does not need weaklings. You all do nothing more than infest the world with your weakness. It's sickening.”Zachary rasped and chuckled, his face amused.
Night was fast approaching, but the fire of war still burned bright on the summit. Fights continued in different places and spots as MANNA burst forth in various ways and diverse strengths. Despite the bloody battlefield, the colors in the sky splashed out in equipoise. The blues and green and orange, the sky prided itself in its contrast to the mortality of men. The sky looked upon the men of the ground with pity as they stole life from one another and sent their souls to nowhere.Eren Trost ran into the battlefield with a roar of rage and snatched the Helm of Tyrants from Silas Homer, yanking it from his head. The older man didn't notice that a few of his hair was torn along with it. His pride and trust in the Helm of Tyrant were going to be his doom, and he didn't know it yet. Slowly, the great level of MANNA, which was running through his veins and synced with blood, left him. Realizing that he had been rid of the power he depended on, Silas Homer looked around in haste, des
The day was beginning to bleed into the evening, but the fighting field retained its activity. Jared Khan was faced by his children at the eastern end of the fighting field. Kathlyn had her hand on her hip as she faced her father, angrily questioning him about his decisions.“Dad! You don't have to do this.” She ran towards him to stop him from hurting innocent people. Jared Khan ignored them and tossed the guard he had just beaten up, who had slumped to the side. After he saw that the space around him was empty and no guard or soldier was standing that he could attack or fight with, he reluctantly faced his children.“Father, " Drake started. “Why are you doing this?” He transformed back and stood behind his sister, hoping that she could knock him back into reality.Drake had always believed Kathlyn to be their father's favorite. Growing up, she always got their father's love and attention, which was different from his experience. Drake hoped that his sister's being more loved
Eren kept his gaze on Sid. Not out of caution but to seek his little bit of regret. But he got nothing. Despite his rage and anger-infused questions, Sid didn't respond; he just retained his blank, emotionless look, further enraging Eren.“Say something!" Eren shouted again, hoping Sid would respond and, at the least, tell him why he was doing what he was. Why did he choose to follow Silas despite his sinister plans to destroy the Awakened society and the world as they knew it?Despite Eren's hurt, which he deliberately ignored to focus on restoring his image, finding Silas, returning the Helm of Tyrants, and finding the truth behind his mother's death, he wanted to believe that Sid wasn't doing it voluntarily. He wanted to believe that he had a reason why he betrayed his trust and followed Silas“I have nothing to say to you, Eren," Sid said, unsheathing his daggers tucked in the leather pouch. Eren's face slowly pulled into a confused frown, and he wracked his head, trying to
A dark cloud covered the sun and enveloped the area in the seminar hall, making it look like the evening. MANNA glowed in diverse colors in different spots and places as the Awakened society attacked one another. The Awakened who followed Silas came rushing into the arena, and William's trained soldiers attacked them with power and strength on par with Silas's Awakened. Flashes of sword fights and MANNA shots filled the seminar ground. The dark cloud that covered the sun slowly peeled off its surface, revealing the faces of each person to their opponent.The thrill of victory dried off Eren's nerves as he ran to the fighting ground, his heart beating hard as he approached the middle of the fight. He could see William's braided white hair in the distance, and he rushed to the scene, stopping about twenty steps behind him to get a clearer vision from the proximity. A smirk grew on his lips as he counted; he realized that they had more numbers than Silas's team. William and other p
On the night before the summit, the Academy held its breath in dread and anxiety. Despite the preparations that had been made, the question of the uncertainty of what could happen still lingered in the air.The Helm of Tyrants was the most feared trinket in the Academy, so it was kept safe in the Academy Head’s office, the safest place on the Academy grounds, second only to the Academy vault. The uncertainty of the next day kept William in the middle of his office by 8 p.m., pacing a hole in the ground.William walked to the northern end of his office, where the transparent glass wall was, and looked out of the window; the north side of the Academy was completely open to him. Thoughts of what could happen the next day filled his mind. He thought of thousands of scenarios in which they won and a million in which they lost. His father had spoken to Zachary and him since they were teenagers about the Helm of Tyrants and its great power. In the wrong hands, the world as they know it
Drake sat opposite the large window in his Academy dorm room, his hands intertwined behind his head as he rocked the wooden dorm chair. Sighing for the fourth time in a minute, he brushed one hand through his hair, the dirty blonde shining a hue of gold as the morning sun streamed into his room when the clouds cleared off it.“Ugh," He groaned, his hands sliding down his face, muffling his voice. This is sweet hell, he thought and stood up abruptly, causing the chair to tip back and almost fall. Drake swiftly held it back and positioned it to face his desk, the chair frame now facing away from the window.Drake stood up to check the window. The glass was completely transparent, giving him a clear view of what was going on on the ground floor. It was bustling with activities. Drake perceived it as preparations for Silas Homer’s suspected plan to destroy the major clan leaders and senators all at once during the nation's leaders' summit, which was a few days away.He used animal he