Eiríkur stood at the threshold of Anteiku, a final look at the place that once gave him warmth.
Then — his chest locked.
His breath froze mid-inhale. His pupils dilated, and the runes along his spine burned white-hot. He dropped the cup. Porcelain shattered. His hands trembled violently.
Touka rushed forward. "Eiríkur—?"
But his voice wasn't his:
"You should have left them behind."
He turned slowly.
His face — still his — twisted with something old, alien, wrong. His posture straightened unnaturally. His gaze fixed, unblinking.
Hjalgrím had taken control.
And he smiled.
In his own mind, Eiríkur screamed — trapped in a frozen plain, surrounded by jagged statues of long-dead Draugr watching silently.
He could feel himself moving. Speaking. But not choosing.
"Let me out—!"
Hjalgrím stood across from him, impassive.
"You are a cracked vessel. I only filled the void."
Eiríkur tried to lunge — frost locked his legs in place.
"You are merciful. That makes you weak. Let me do what must be done."
Back in Reality:
Black vans screeched around the block.
CCG troops poured into the alley, rifles drawn, encircling Anteiku.
Orders were clear:
"Do not engage unless attacked. Subject must be captured alive."
Akira arrived at the same moment — not as a CCG officer, but as something else now. Something in between. She pushed through the squad, flashing a falsified badge and barking:
"Stand down! You're not equipped for this!"
But she saw it too late.
The thing that was once Eiríkur.
The possessed Eiríkur stepped forward.
His frost-kagune manifested — denser than before, like blackened ice forged in pain. Fimbulbrand erupted around him, flash-freezing the entrance of Anteiku and one of the advancing operatives before he could scream.
Touka jumped in front of Hinami. Kaneki shielded Yoshimura.
Akira locked eyes with the creature. "Eiríkur… if you're in there… fight."
"He hears you," the voice said. "But he no longer commands the blade."
Inside Eiríkur's Mind:
He could see her — through the frost.
Akira, standing in the snow.
In his mind, she was the only warm thing left.
"You don't have to do this," her voice said.
Eiríkur turned back to Hjalgrím.
"You're not my voice."
He stepped forward.
"I am."
The frost cracked.
The possessed body jolted. Stumbled.
Akira saw the shift — a flicker of him. The jaw unclenched. The blade-arm retracted. The light in the runes dimmed.
And then he collapsed to one knee.
Eiríkur gasped — like surfacing after drowning in ice.
He looked up at her.
"I'm still here," he whispered.
She didn't hesitate. Ran to him. Held him as the CCG agents raised weapons.
"Lower them!" she shouted. "He's contained!"
Amon's voice crackled through comms.
"Akira. What are you doing?"
She paused.
Then said clearly, publicly:
"I'm protecting him."
The line went dead.