"???"
That was the name of the mysterious app on Eren's phone.
It was deeply concerning, given the dark dimension he was trapped in lacked all technology—no network, no signal.
So if there was no internet in that realm, how did a download request for that app even reach his phone?
Eren : Does the app... have something to do with the portals?
Questions flooded Eren's mind.
Was the mysterious app connected to the portals?
And what were all those strange things in that vast, dark room really about?
Eren : Who knows what happens if I click on this app... but I guess I have to check it out myself.
Eren's thumb neared the mysterious app, just about to tap it.
An inch away, David interrupted—
He had brought dinner for them both.
David : Dinner's here!
Eren : Oh... alright.
Eren got off the couch to wash his hands.
Right after, he noticed something strange on his phone.
What bothered him more—David showed no reaction, even though the phone's behavior was clearly visible.
Eren : No way... why's my phone emitting an aura?
That's right…
His phone was emitting an aura—just like Jack did back in the dark dimension.
Why would a device do that?
Eren trembled in fear, eyes wide at the phone's bizarre behavior.
David : Eren?
Eren? You there?
Eren stood frozen, unmoving at his phone's behavior.
David called out, asking why he was just standing there.
David : Eren!
Eren : Ughhh... yes?
David : Why are you standing at just one place, come have a sit and let's eat.
Eren : Alright...
Why... why is my phone cursed?
Eren returned, sitting on the couch with his dinner set on the table.
He knew he was hungry, yet the phone's strange behavior still unsettled him.
David : You scared of something Eren?
Eren : Ughh... nope.
David : Then why are your hands shaking with fear?
David didn't notice the phone's strange behavior. The aura it emitted seemed invisible to him, but not to Eren.
The phone's odd behavior kept bothering Eren so much that he couldn't focus on his dinner.
Eren : This is not so regular...
Just when I thought I escaped that strange dimension, I would be left unbothered...
But now... this thing.
David was confused by Eren's fear—why was he scared, especially at home?
What was troubling him?
Only Eren knew.
David then asked, "What's going on?"
Eren : Ughhh... nothing.
David : Then why are you scared?
Eren : Scared? What do you mean?
David : Why is your hands trembling? You can't even eat your dinner properly. You keep looking at your phone.
Eren : Ok... will you believe me if I told you this?
David : Sure... go ahead.
Eren : Don't you think this thing is acting a lot strange?
Eren pointed at his phone, trying to get David's attention.
David glared at it, picked it up, and unlocked it—he knew the password, of course.
He checked the social media, the other apps, swiping through everything, but found nothing that could possibly trouble Eren this much.
Yet, despite swiping everywhere, David remained completely unbothered.
David : What is it that keeps getting Eren's attention?
Eren was deeply confused now…
He expected David to react to the mysterious app, but David showed no reaction at all.
Eren was sure David's finger had swiped through his phone's screen.
He should have at least noticed the app named "???", but no.
Eren : YOUR KIDDING ME?
HE CAN'T SEE THAT APP?
David : Hey Eren, you sure your mind's ok?
Eren : I have..... no cl...ue.
Eren's voice stuttered, revealing his strange, terrified state.
David : Your definitely not ok, Eren.
Eren : I'll go take a rest later after eating the dinner.
David : You sure the friend you made didn't bully or scared you?
Eren : I definitely can't say that...
No wonder Eren was so terrified.
In that strange dimension, he had downloaded a mysterious app.
Now, it consumed his attention, scaring him more than ever.
==============
Thirty minutes passed.
Eren finished his dinner.
David was in the kitchen, done cleaning the dishes.
David : I am going to sleep. Good night Eren.
Eren : Good night!
Despite his phone's terrifying behavior, Eren held it in his hands, torn on whether to open the app or not.
Why was that one mysterious app disturbing him so much?
Even without tapping it, it scared him to the core.
He was at his balcony.
Eren : I MUST GET RID OF THIS PHONE NOW! THIS THING WILL GIVE ME NIGHTMARE!
Without hesitation, Eren hurled his phone from the 7th floor.
It plummeted downwards from the great height.
Even though he'd bought it just a year ago with his own money,
he had to throw it—its behavior was just too strange.
Eren : Finally...
I can rest easily now...
Eren slowly turned his head to the right.
His eyes widened once again.
Terror surged through him—it was happening again...
Eren : WHYY!? WHYYY?
I THROWED THIS PIECE OF NIGHTMARE AWAY FROM ME BUT HOW?
HOW DID IT RETURN?
The phone he'd thrown just seconds ago...
was now resting on the balcony's barrier.
Eren knew he had thrown it—so how was it still there?
Eren swallows his dry saliva.
Eren : I was scared this all time, I would get involved with the portals once again if I click on that mysterious app.
And now... I am targetted!?
Why me?
Eren : Guess there's no choice left after all.
He picked up his phone and unlocked it.
Swiping the screen—there it was.
"???"
Eren swallowed his dry saliva.
This time, he tapped the app.
After loading finished, the screen flickered with static, glitching violently—
"WeLcOmE bAcK" appeared in distorted font, each letter dripping like blood across the cracked-black display.
Eren : This display isn't regular like other apps... creepy.
After the welcome display faded, the app glitched again before flashing a new distorted prompt:
"PuT yOuR bLoOdEd FiNgEr oN tHe PrOfIlE mArKs"
It felt more like a command than a request—dark, unreadable, and absolute.
Eren : Blooded finger? What does it mean?
Eren hesitated for a moment, then placed his thumb—still untouched by blood—on the screen.
The app scanned it, and a cold hum vibrated through the device.
After a tense pause, it responded again with the same twisted text:
"PuT yOuR bLoOdEd FiNgEr oN tHe PrOfIlE mArKs."
Sigh...
Eren headed to the kitchen, his mind set. He knew what had to be done next—cutting his thumbs, just enough for the blood to flow.
It was the next step in the twisted process the app had commanded.
He grabbed a knife and cut his thumb, just deep enough for it to bleed.
It wasn't a deep cut, but enough for his thumbs to be covered in blood.
Eren grabbed his phone with his left hand, then pressed his bloodied thumb from his right hand onto the screen.
The next thing that happened after he pressed his bloodied thumbs to the screen:
A new message appeared:
"BLOOD ACCEPTED."
The very next moment after the message was displayed, the phone began to glitch.
Eren stood frozen, confusion gripping him.
From his balcony, he could see the night sky, but something was off.
The moon had turned blood red, casting an eerie glow.
The city's lights, once bright and lively, were now completely dark.
Eren : WHAT'S GOING ON?
He turned his gaze back to the room behind him.
The terror deepened.
Everything had turned pitch black.
No furniture, no appliances—just an empty void. It was as if his entire house had vanished.
Eren : WHAT IS THIS!?
He turned his head back to the night sky.
In that moment, it got worse.
Eren : WHAT
The night sky that was supposed to be visible from the balcony vanished.
It disappeared the moment Eren turned his gaze away from it, back to the room.
What made it worse—it was terrifying.
Eren : But how...
How did I come back here...
The strange dimension he had once been trapped in—
He was back.
He had returned, without even going through the portal.
It happened somehow...
Eren : Just how terrifying things will get on...
Eren was still holding his phone, which was glitching, the distortion spreading to the nearest part of his hand.
It seemed like everything around him was glitching.
A new message appeared in the corner of the screen, near the profile menu.
The message box flickered:
Eren : A message?
He clicked the message box.
"DAGGER"
That was the title of the message.
Eren : Dagger? What does this mean?
He clicked the message.
The title read "DAGGER."
The message said:
Click the claim button below for the dagger to summon to your hand.
Eren clicks it.
Eren : No wonder... even tho I can't sense anything harmful approaching me. The message says enough, something would appear in front of me!
The dagger materialized in his right hand.
He was now holding it—
A blue, dimly glowing dagger.
Another message appeared, titled "TRIAL."
Eren tapped it.
The screen glitched—
Blood-red text flickered across the display:
"Survive and kill the boss creature to awaken yourself."
The font jittered, distorted, as if the words themselves were unstable.
Eren : So this app wants to kill me?
This app... it's not normal. It's not just code or some random software. It feels alive, like it's trying to communicate, guide me... maybe even control me. But why? What does it want from me?
Eren then noticed a faintly glowing orb drifting in the air.
But deep down, he already knew what it meant.
They were coming—those creatures.
Wolf-like creatures, their jaws and claws forged from metal.
Some had two eyes—unnaturally colored.
Others had more. Three. Four. Eyes scattered in odd places, each glowing a different hue.
Eren : How predictable... this time, it's just me. The one who haven't slaughter any of this beasts or creatures...
Gotta lock in...
They appeared...
The wolf-like creature emerged from the shadows—just like last time, when Jack stood by his side.
But now, it was only Eren.
The beasts growled low, metal claws scraping against the ground, eyes locked onto him.
He was the only prey.
Eren was still holding his phone on his left hand until a vibration came from it.
A new message appeared from the app:
"PASS THE TRIAL OR GET EATEN"
Eren : Great... it's trying to kill me.
Another message appeared—titled "New Command added".
Eren clicked it rapidly. It said:
"To unload your phone on your hands, say 'Unequip'. To get your phone back, say 'Equip'."
Eren : Very well then.
"Unequip"
Black smoke curled around Eren's left hand—the exact spot where he held the phone.
The moment he said the word, the command worked.
His phone vanished into the smoke.
Eren : Although I don't know the intention of what this app or this dark dimension wants from me.
But I am not allowing it to kill me.
Eren braced himself, stepping forward as the creatures growled hungrily.
He had never slain a single one—back then, it was Jack who shielded him.
But now, Jack wasn't here.
This time, Eren stood alone.
And it was his fight.
Eren : I want to overcome this fear...
For that,
"I have to fight."