Eren sat by the campfire, staring at the small orange flames as they danced in the wind. The night around him was quiet, too quiet for a forest known for beasts and monsters. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath. His heart was still heavy from the fight earlier, and the strange scar on his left arm kept glowing faintly under his sleeve. It pulsed like a heartbeat, as if it was calling to something—or someone.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Riel… where are you?"
Each day, he felt the pull stronger. Something was guiding him, something deeper than the system. The bond wasn't normal. It was like two pieces of the same fate trying to come back together. Eren didn't understand it, but he knew it had something to do with the shard he found and the strange light that appeared on Riel's arm.
As he watched the fire, the flames suddenly shifted. They rose higher, glowing bright blue instead of orange. Eren jumped to his feet, his hand reaching for his weapon. But the flames didn't burn him. Instead, they twisted slowly, forming a shape—a symbol. The same symbol that had appeared the night he first arrived in Valtheris.
Then a voice whispered through the fire. Soft. Echoing. Familiar.
"Eren…"
His breath stopped. The fire flickered again, forming a blurry image. A boy, standing alone in a dark place. His hair messy. His eyes tired, but burning with a strange light.
"Riel?" Eren stepped closer. "Is that you?!"
The flames wavered, and the blurry figure slowly sharpened. Riel's face appeared, but it looked different—older somehow, and marked with thin glowing lines running across his skin. He wasn't hurt… but he also wasn't normal anymore.
"Brother…" Riel said, his voice soft but clear. "I'm trying to reach you. The world is changing. Something is waking up… and it's calling me."
Eren felt his chest tighten. "Where are you? Tell me and I'll come now."
"I don't know," Riel whispered. "Every time I try to move, the world shifts. I see things that don't belong. I touch threads, and they show me places… but I can't stay long."
The fire crackled, and Riel's image began to shake. Eren reached toward it but felt nothing—only heat.
"Riel, listen to me. Just stay where you are. I'm coming to find you. I swear—"
"No," Riel said quickly, the flames shaking harder. "Don't rush. Something dangerous is searching for me. Something that knows what we are. If you come too fast, it will find you too."
Eren clenched his fists. "I don't care. You're my brother."
Riel's expression softened. "I know. That's why I want you alive."
The flames grew brighter, almost blinding.
"I'll leave signs," Riel said. "Follow them. And Eren… don't trust the system completely. It has its own plan."
Eren opened his mouth to ask more, but the fire suddenly exploded upward with a bright blue flash. The image shattered. The flames dropped back to normal, orange and quiet, as if nothing had happened.
Eren stood frozen, staring at the dying fire. His whole body shook—not from fear, but from determination.
"Riel… I'm coming."
He tightened his grip on his sword and looked toward the dark forest. The path ahead was unknown and full of danger, but he didn't care. For the first time, he had a direction—Riel was alive, and the bond between them was real.
And nothing in this world would stop him from reaching his brother.
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