People fear many things. The dark. Insects. Animals. The depths of the ocean. Death, hunger, sickness. But in this age, the thing people feared most could be summed up in a single word: Creatures.
In a distant land, long ago, the first days of autumn felt exactly like this. The suffocating heat of summer had finally broken, leaving the air cool and clean. The leaves had begun their slow turn from green to gold, and nature was making its quiet preparations for sleep — the kind of sleep that brought back the stories told by firelight, the ones you listened to while trembling, the ones that made you stare at the forest's edge and imagine things moving between the bare trees. Brown leaves danced in the wind. The moon climbed between naked branches. And somewhere in its pale light, the shadows began to breathe again.
The city had sunk into darkness. Nothing was visible beyond the pale yellow bleed of the gas lamps lining the streets. Far from the city center, on an empty field, five young people sat around a campfire they had built themselves — Eren, Kayra, Raphael, Sahra, and Luna.
Then came the bell.
A single bell, first. From the north. The Safe Haven Northern Watchtower — that familiar sound, the one that turned your stomach. Then the others followed, east and west, toppling after each other like dominoes. That many bells, all at once, could only mean one thing.
Monster attack.
Hunters appeared in the streets. The sharp, steady rhythm of leather boots striking stone spread through the city. People leaned from their windows to watch — that sound, for most of them, was proof they were still safe.
Kayra sat up and stared at the fire. There was something in his expression — not panic, but a particular kind of surprise, like a piece had clicked into place before he was ready for it.
"What's today's date?" he asked.
Eren looked at him. "September third. Why?"
"Something struck me as odd." Kayra tilted his chin toward the north. "It's well past midnight."
Raphael, who had been lazily running his fingers through Luna's hair where she rested her head on his knee, spoke without looking up. "Bell's for a monster attack." He finished Kayra's sentence for him, in a tone that suggested he'd rather be sleeping.
Luna lifted her head and glanced around. "Don't worry. Attacks this early in the season are always small-scale."
Eren said nothing. He stood up, picked up one of the logs stacked near the fire, and laid it across the flames. Then he turned to face them.
"I'm just a little worried."
Raphael raised an eyebrow. "About what? Nothing looks wrong."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Eren reached into the pocket of his patched jacket and pulled out a notebook. He flipped through the pages, slowing near the back, and stopped. Several documents had been pasted onto the page — yellowed at the edges, folded, worn. The notebook cover trembled faintly in the firelight. "Come here. I need to show you something."
Kayra pushed himself up from where he'd been lying. "This better be worth it. I was nearly asleep."
"Come on. It's important."
All five of them gathered around the fire. Eren went through the documents one by one — ten years back, five years, three, two, last year. Dates of first sightings, dates of final attacks. His finger paused at each line, each number.
"Ten years ago, first attack on October second." He pointed to the next one. "Five years ago, September twentieth. Three years ago, September tenth. Two years ago, September seventh. Last year, September fifth." He lifted his finger. "Today is September third. And the bells just rang."
Silence.
"I can't be the only one who noticed this."
* * *
Kayra turned to face him.
"I don't think anything's going to happen." His voice was calm, measured. "If things were actually going wrong, we'd know. We have hunters protecting us, we have the barrier, and—" Something shifted at the corner of his mouth, caught between a smile and something more serious. "We have someone whose existence is impossible to forget. Thorian Flint. The Chief Hunter. There are records of him killing dragons, Eren. Dragons. Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen."
Eren said nothing. He lay back on the ground, tucked his hands beneath his head, and stared up at the sky.
"You're right." A beat of quiet. "No point obsessing over it." He sat up. "Anyway — should we put the fire out and head home?"
Raphael, who had been silent until then, got to his feet and walked to the edge of the fire. He turned around — wearing that expression, the one he always wore when he had something to say.
"There's something I need to talk to you all about."
Eren straightened. "What is it?"
Raphael took a slow breath. "We made a promise, didn't we. That one day we'd become hunters." He paused. "The Academy's enrollment period has opened. Today's Luna's birthday — which means all of us are finally old enough. We can apply."
Something opened in Eren's expression — like he'd been waiting for this, exactly this. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's apply."
Raphael gave a knowing smile. "If only it were that simple." He looked at the fire. "None of us are in a great position here — especially me. Except for Kayra. Your family are hunters, your application will go through. But ours?" He shook his head. "I'm almost certain they won't accept us. That's why we need to do something else."
Kayra's voice came in, dry and tired. "He already gave me this speech." He looked at Raphael. "And right about now is where he completely loses the plot."
Raphael held up a hand to silence him. "To prove we're qualified, we need documentation. Usually that means a letter of recommendation." He paused. "But there's no one to recommend us. So I'm moving to option two — a hunting certificate."
"There it is." Kayra pointed at him. "Right there. That's where he starts talking nonsense."
Raphael dropped his arm around Eren's shoulder. "If we hunt a weak creature and report it, the hunting certificate proves our qualifications. We get into the Academy."
"We can't do that." Kayra's voice hadn't changed — calm, final.
Raphael's brow furrowed. "Easy for you to say." There was an edge in his voice now, the first one. "I've wanted to be a hunter since I was a child." He turned to Eren. "What about you? You always said you wanted to be like your father."
Kayra looked at Eren. "Come on. This is too risky. You could die."
"Let him make his own decisions." Raphael hadn't raised his voice, but the weight behind it had shifted.
Eren stepped between them, raising one hand.
"Alright. Calm down." He looked at both of them. "I haven't had time to think. Let's go home for now — we can talk about this later. Give ourselves some time."
Raphael turned. The arguing was gone from his face. This wasn't a discussion anymore — it was a declaration.
"Time." He repeated the word, like he was tasting it. "Time is exactly what we don't have. There's an age limit for Academy enrollment, and I'm sixteen. This is my last eligible year." He looked at the fire one final time, then back at them. "Anyone who wants to come with me and get into that Academy — be at the south gate tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting. I have a plan. And I guarantee you that everyone who comes with me will get in."