Chapter 3
The black sand shifted beneath Eren's feet as he stared at the girl.
She gripped her shard like a lifeline, her knuckles white.
The fractured sky above bled crimson light over her pale face, making her look ghostly.
Neither of them spoke for a long moment. The air between them was taut, like a stretched wire ready to snap.
Eren's instincts screamed caution. He didn't know her. Didn't trust her. In this place, trust could mean survival—or death.
Finally, the girl broke the silence. "What is this place?"
Her voice quivered, but her eyes were sharp. She wasn't just scared—she was calculating, searching for answers.
Eren hesitated. Telling her the truth felt dangerous, but lying seemed pointless. "They call it the Eclipse," he said.
"They?" she pressed.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Voices. Shadows. Whatever the hell runs this place."
She stared at him, then glanced at the endless horizon of sand. "So I'm not crazy."
Eren almost laughed at that. "If you're crazy, then so am I."
The girl let out a shaky breath, then looked down at the shard in her hand. "I… I killed something last night. It tried to tear me apart. And then—" She touched her chest. "It went inside me."
Eren's chest tightened. So it wasn't just him.
"Same," he admitted.
Her eyes flicked back to his face, suspicion mingling with relief. For a moment, they were just two strangers caught in the same nightmare.
Then the ground trembled.
Eren's stomach dropped. He turned, scanning the horizon. Shapes rose from the sand again—shadows taller than men, their hollow eyes fixed on the two of them.
The girl let out a small gasp and stumbled back. "Not again—"
"Get ready," Eren cut her off.
There were three this time. They moved with jerky, predatory motions, claws dragging furrows in the sand.
Eren tightened his grip on his shard. His heart thundered in his chest, but fear sharpened his focus. He knew what panic cost in a fight. He'd seen it on the streets. Panic got you killed.
"Stay close," he told the girl.
She nodded once, swallowing hard.
The first shadow lunged. Eren sidestepped, swinging his shard in a wide arc. The glowing glass cut deep into its torso, and the creature dissolved into ash with a soundless wail. A fragment of light rushed into him, making his chest burn.
He staggered but stayed upright. He was getting used to the pain.
The second shadow turned toward the girl. She froze, her shard trembling in her grip.
"Move!" Eren barked.
The creature lunged, claws outstretched. At the last second, she slashed wildly. The shard connected, slicing through the shadow's arm. It reeled back, shrieking silently.
Eren darted forward, finishing it with a clean strike across the chest. Another fragment of light sank into him, making his muscles hum with energy.
The girl stared at the dissolving ash, her breath ragged. "I—I did it."
"No time to celebrate," Eren snapped.
The third shadow was already circling. It was bigger than the others, its claws longer, its body thicker. It hissed, a low sound that scraped at the inside of Eren's skull.
Eren grit his teeth. This one wouldn't go down easy.
The girl steadied herself beside him. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set. She wasn't running.
Good.
The shadow charged.
Eren lunged to meet it, ducking under its swipe and driving his shard upward. The blow cut deep, but not enough. The creature backhanded him with inhuman strength, sending him sprawling across the sand. His shard skittered from his grip.
Pain exploded through his ribs. He gasped, vision swimming.
The shadow loomed over him, claws raised.
"Eren!" the girl screamed.
He didn't have time to wonder how she knew his name.
She darted forward, thrusting her shard into the shadow's side. It shrieked, staggering, and Eren scrambled desperately for his own weapon. His fingers closed around it just as the creature turned on her.
With a roar, he drove his shard straight into its chest.
The shadow convulsed, dissolving into ash that swirled away into the crimson sky.
Both of them collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath.
Eren's chest heaved, his body trembling with adrenaline. The girl sat hunched, her shard still clutched tightly, her eyes wide with shock.
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
Finally, she whispered, "We're not dreaming, are we?"
Eren shook his head slowly. "No. This is real."
She hugged her knees, trembling. "Then what happens if we die here?"
Eren didn't answer. He didn't need to.
They both already knew.
When Eren finally woke in the real world, he shot upright in his bed, drenched in sweat. The morning sun slanted through the cracked window, painting the room in pale gold.
The shard lay on the floor beside him, faintly glowing.
He stared at it, chest tight.
The girl. The fight. The fragments of light. None of it had been a dream.
And now, he knew one thing for sure.
He wasn't alone in this anymore.
T O . B E . C O N T I N U E D.....