The night had an edge to it — a cold, biting sharpness that bit through Eren's jacket and dug into his bones. From the rooftop of his mother's bookstore, he could see Olori City burning below. Smoke curled into the fractured sky, twisting in unnatural ways as though drawn by some invisible hand.
Eren's right arm throbbed. The violet markings that had appeared when the Rift opened earlier pulsed faintly, like embers in dying fire. He stared at them, trying to comprehend what had happened, trying to understand why his world — ordinary, dull, and painfully normal — had shattered in a single instant.
The silver-haired girl — Lyra, as she would soon reveal — sheathed her starlight blade. The weapon's glow dissipated slowly, leaving streaks of faint luminescence in the air that reminded Eren of fireflies in the dead of night. She stood tall and motionless, observing him with piercing eyes, as if she could read his every thought.
"…You nearly collapsed the Rift just now," she said finally, her voice firm yet calm, cutting through the chaos surrounding them.
Eren blinked, confusion and panic colliding inside him. "Coll—? I… I don't know what I did! I didn't mean—"
"You were chosen," Lyra interrupted, her tone carrying a weight that made Eren's stomach twist. "The Void doesn't ask permission. It doesn't care about your life or your plans. It takes what it wants, and it's taken you."
Eren shook his head violently. "But I'm just… a student! I'm not a fighter! I'm not… any of this!"
Lyra's gaze softened slightly. "…Maybe not yet. But that doesn't change what you are. You have power now, and that power is dangerous. Do you understand?"
Eren swallowed hard. The words echoed inside him, but they didn't help calm the storm raging in his chest. "I… I think so. Maybe. I don't know… I don't even know what 'Voidwalker' means."
Lyra took a slow step forward, her boots silent on the cracked rooftop tiles. "Then let me explain."
Her voice carried across the rooftop, over the distant screams and the crackle of fire. "Long ago, the world was whole. The Void was sealed away, trapped between realities by an ancient order. But the seals weakened over centuries, and now the Rift is opening again. Shadows — creatures born from the Void itself — slip through into our world. Left unchecked, they consume everything. Humans, cities… life as we know it."
Eren's stomach churned. "And me?"
"You are the last Voidwalker," she said, eyes locking onto his. "Chosen by the Rift, or perhaps… born to it. Whatever the reason, you are now bound to its power. The Rift speaks to you. It calls you. And now it waits to see what you will do."
The words felt heavy, like chains around his chest. He wanted to resist, to deny it, to run. But deep inside, he felt the faintest whisper — a voice threading through his thoughts.
"Awaken… or be consumed."
It wasn't cruel. It wasn't threatening. It was a fact. A challenge. And somehow, it felt… familiar.
Eren gritted his teeth. "Then… teach me," he said quietly. "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know anything… but I won't let it control me."
Lyra studied him for a long moment, her silver hair fluttering slightly in the hot wind rising from the fires below. Then, with a sharp nod, she said, "Very well. Lesson one: you cannot let the Void control you. Its power is seductive. It will offer you strength, glory… even life itself. But if you rely on it recklessly, you will destroy yourself — and everyone around you."
The rooftop shook suddenly. Eren's heart jumped into his throat as the ground below quivered violently. From the shattered streets emerged a new creature, larger and more grotesque than the last, its body twisting in unnatural ways, its spiraling eyes glowing a deep crimson. Limbs stretched and bent at impossible angles, and its presence alone seemed to warp reality around it.
Lyra's starlight blade sprang into her hand in a blur, glowing like liquid silver. "You're going to stand beside me," she said. "Or you'll die before you even take a step."
Eren's arm throbbed. The violet markings flared, the pulsing now matching the rhythm of his heartbeat. The hum in his chest became a roaring vibration, echoing through the night. Fear tried to choke him, but beneath it was something else — a spark.
He didn't know what it was. Determination? Anger? Or perhaps instinct. But when the creature lunged, his body reacted before his mind could catch up.
A sphere of darkness erupted from his hand, consuming the monster's arm midair. It screeched, a sound like metal scraping glass, before half its form vanished into nothingness.
Eren stumbled backward, chest heaving. His vision swam, and the hum inside him faded to a faint pulse. He looked at Lyra, expecting anger, disbelief… anything.
Instead, her eyes widened in awe. "…Incredible," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "You've… you've manifested that much power… without training. Unsealed, raw, and dangerous."
Eren sank to his knees. "I… I didn't mean to…"
Lyra knelt beside him. Her gaze softened slightly, though her stance remained vigilant. "Power doesn't care about meaning. It exists. And now you've felt it — tasted it. Do you understand the risk you've taken?"
Eren swallowed. "I think so…"
Lyra's eyes scanned the horizon. "There's little time. The Rift… it grows stronger each moment. Shadows will keep coming. If you want to survive — if you want to control your power — you have to train. Now."
Eren's stomach twisted at the thought. Training? Fighting? He had never held a blade, never used any kind of power. He was just a student — ordinary, helpless, and entirely unprepared.
But the markings on his arm burned anew, a quiet reminder that this was no longer an option.
"…Okay," he whispered finally, almost to himself. "Teach me."
Lyra nodded. "Good. I am Lyra Asterion, Sentinel of the Astral Order. You are Eren Kalu, Voidwalker. We fight to keep the Void contained. That is all. Personal desires, morality… they will not save you if the Rift claims you."
Eren clenched his fists, staring at the ground where the creature had fallen. "…Then let's make sure it doesn't."
---
The first night of his training was grueling. Lyra made him stand beneath the fractured sky as she explained the mechanics of his new power. She spoke of the Void, of its pull, and of the balance a Voidwalker must maintain.
"You will feel it in your chest," she explained, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. "A pull toward destruction, chaos… temptation. That is the Void speaking. You cannot ignore it. You must control it — or it will control you."
Eren nodded, feeling the weight of her words. He had no choice. Every second the Rift remained open, more shadows would pour into the city, more innocents would be lost. He swallowed his fear and focused on the faint glow in his arm.
Lyra raised her blade, pointing it at a distant pile of rubble. "Now, Eren. Concentrate. Let the markings guide you, not the fear. Strike at that imaginary target as though it were a shadow from the Void itself."
He hesitated. His arm trembled. The markings pulsed, threatening to surge out of control. But he forced himself to take a deep breath.
The moment he moved, the energy flowed. A sphere of void-light shot from his palm, hitting the pile dead-on. Dust and debris exploded outward. Eren stumbled but didn't fall.
Lyra's expression softened slightly. "Not bad… but you overextended. The Void responds to hesitation. Precision, control, focus. Do it again."
Hours passed. Each strike, each motion, each attempt at controlling the Void left him exhausted. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his muscles ached as if he had run a marathon. But still, he rose. Still, he tried.
Finally, as the first rays of dawn broke over the city, Lyra nodded once. "Enough for today. You survived your first night… that is progress."
Eren collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The violet markings dimmed to faint traces, like embers in ash. He looked at Lyra, who watched him silently.
"…I don't know if I can do this," he admitted. "I don't know if I'm strong enough."
Lyra's gaze was firm, unwavering. "You don't have to be. You just have to try. The Void doesn't care about strength. It only cares about whether you survive."
Eren clenched his fists. "…Then I'll survive. I have to."
For the first time, he understood the truth. His life, his world, and even the city below — all of it depended on the fragile line between control and chaos. And he, Eren Kalu, had crossed it.
He was a Voidwalker now. And there was no turning back.