The sky was still dark when Riel and Mira began walking. The red beam in the north cut through the clouds like a giant arrow, pointing toward something important… something dangerous.
Mira wrapped her cloak tighter. "Riel… are you sure we should go there? The city guards said that place is cursed."
Riel didn't slow down. "If that light is connected to Eren, then I have to go."
His voice was calm, but his chest felt tight. Every time the glowing mark on his arm pulsed, he felt a strange warmth—like a heartbeat that wasn't his.
A link.
A bond.
Something he didn't understand.
Mira jogged forward to walk beside him. "But you don't even know what's waiting for you there."
Riel looked at her with a small smile. "That's fine. I just need to get stronger."
Truthfully, he was scared. But the fear didn't stop him—it only pushed him forward.
The wind blew across the empty plain, carrying small sparks of red light. They drifted around Riel, floating like dust motes.
Mira stopped and stared. "Riel… your arm."
He looked down. The mark was shining again—stronger than before.
[Sync Level: 2.1%]
[Warning: Instability rising.]
The words flashed softly in the air. Mira's eyes widened.
"You're using that strange power again."
"It's not like I'm trying," Riel said. "It just happens."
Mira watched him for a moment. "You're not normal, you know."
He laughed softly. "I think I stopped being normal the day Eren vanished."
They continued walking until they reached the edge of a broken forest. Trees leaned sideways, roots exposed, as if something had pushed the entire forest outward from a single point.
"What happened here?" Mira whispered.
Riel walked forward carefully. "It looks like… an explosion. But not a normal one."
The ground was cracked in strange patterns—almost like the threads he saw when he used his powers. He reached down and touched the earth.
Instantly, a faint glow spread from his fingers.
And his vision shifted.
He saw two worlds overlapping—his world, and another behind it. Threads of light connected everything. Some threads were cut. Others burned with white fire.
He gasped and pulled back as the vision faded.
Mira grabbed his arm. "Riel? You okay?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. But something big happened here. Something that bent the world."
Before she could reply, a low growl came from behind the fallen trees.
Mira froze. "That… doesn't sound friendly."
Riel stepped in front of her. The growls grew louder, followed by the sound of claws scraping wood. Then they stepped out—three wolf-like creatures made of black smoke.
Their eyes glowed bright red.
Mira whispered, "Shadow beasts…"
Riel swallowed hard. He had no weapon, just his strange new ability. The wolves circled them, growling impatiently.
Mira reached for a stick on the ground. "We have to run!"
"No," Riel said softly. "If we turn our backs, they'll chase us."
One wolf lunged. Mira gasped, but Riel moved faster than he thought he could. His hand shot out, grabbing a glowing thread in the air.
[Skill: Reality Thread Lv.1 — Activated]
He pulled the thread sharply.
A bright flash burst around them. The wolf stopped mid-air, frozen like a broken picture. Its body flickered, glitching strangely before collapsing into dust.
Mira's jaw dropped. "How did you—?!"
"I don't know!" Riel shouted, breath shaking. "It just—happens!"
The other two wolves snarled and attacked together. Riel reached for another thread—but this time the glow was weaker. He could feel his energy draining fast.
"Come on… work!"
He pulled again, but the thread snapped, sending a shock through his body. Pain shot up his arm.
[Warning: System instability rising.]
[User limit reached.]
"Riel!" Mira cried.
The wolves were almost on them.
Riel clenched his teeth. "Move!"
He pushed Mira to the side just as the wolves leapt. He closed his eyes and braced—
But something exploded from inside him.
A wave of white light blasted outward, knocking both creatures back. They hit the ground, howled, then dissolved into smoke.
When the light faded, Riel fell to his knees, breathing hard.
Mira rushed to him. "Riel! Say something!"
He looked up at her slowly. "I… didn't know I could do that."
Mira stared at him with fear and awe. "Your powers… they're getting stronger."
He looked at his glowing hand. "No. They're getting unstable."
The mark pulsed again. And this time, he felt it—Eren's presence, faint but clear, like a voice calling from far away.
He stood shakily. "We're close. Eren's moving too."
Mira nodded and helped him up. "Then let's keep going."
They stepped deeper into the broken forest. Ahead, the red beam of light grew brighter, cutting through the sky like a spear.
And somewhere beneath it…
Eren was walking toward the same place.
The brothers were finally moving toward each other.
And fate was beginning to awaken.
---