The cavern was collapsing.
I didn't have time to think. Didn't have time to process what I'd just done. All I knew was that the ground was shaking, the walls were cracking, and Kael was staring at me with eyes that were finally, blessedly human.
"We need to go," I said, grabbing his arm. "Now."
He didn't argue. He just nodded, and together we ran.
The bridge was breaking apart behind us.
Every step we took, the stone crumbled, falling into the void below. The mist was swirling, the shadows were screaming, and the entire realm felt like it was dying.
"Faster!" I shouted.
Kael was struggling. His body was still weak, still recovering from five years of imprisonment. He stumbled, nearly fell, and I caught him, pulling him forward.
"I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm slowing you down."
"Shut up and run."
We reached the end of the bridge. The door of shadows was still there, pulsing with dark energy. But it was flickering, fading, closing.
"It's sealing!" I shouted. "The Rift is closing!"
Kael looked at the door, then at me. Something crossed his face—resignation, acceptance.
"Eren," he said. "I can't—"
"Yes, you can." I grabbed his hand. "I didn't come all this way to leave you behind. We're getting out together."
"Eren—"
"I said shut up!"
I pulled him forward, and we dove through the door.
The world exploded into light.
I was falling again—falling through darkness, through nothing, through the space between worlds. But this time, I wasn't alone. Kael's hand was in mine, and I held on with everything I had.
Then I hit the ground.
I opened my eyes.
I was lying on the floor of the Nexus chamber, gasping for breath. The sphere of liquid light was pulsing wildly, its glow flickering like a dying flame. Lyra was there, kneeling beside me, her face pale with worry.
"Eren!" she said. "You're back! You're actually back!"
"I'm back," I croaked. "Kael—where's Kael?"
I looked around. The chamber was full of people—Hunters, Supporters, Larkers, all gathered to witness my return. Lady Aster was there, her expression unreadable. Mira was there, her eyes wide with relief. Even Zed was there, standing at the back, his arms crossed.
But Kael wasn't there.
He was standing in the center of the chamber, but he wasn't solid anymore. He was fading. His body was translucent, glowing with a soft, golden light, and he was looking at me with a smile that broke my heart.
"Kael," I said, scrambling to my feet. "What's happening? Why are you—"
"Eren," he said. His voice was calm, peaceful. "Thank you."
"No." I shook my head. "No, no, no. I saved you. I pulled the corruption out. You're supposed to be—"
"I am free," he said. "For the first time in five years, I am truly free. But my body... my body was never meant to leave the Void. I was there too long. The corruption took too much."
"No," I said again. "There has to be a way. There's always a way."
Kael smiled. It was the same sad smile I'd seen in my dreams.
"Eren. You gave me something I never thought I'd have again. Peace. You saved my soul. Now let my soul rest."
I felt tears prickling at my eyes. "Kael—"
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for not giving up on me."
His body was almost gone now. Just a faint outline of light, flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Tell the Order..." He paused. "Tell them I'm sorry. For everything."
Then he smiled one last time.
"Goodbye, Eren."
And he faded.
The golden light scattered, rising upward like a thousand fireflies. It danced through the chamber, touching everyone it passed, and then it disappeared into the ceiling, into the sky, into the world beyond.
Kael was gone.
I stared at the empty space where he'd been standing. My hands were shaking. My chest was tight. I could feel everyone's eyes on me—the pity, the sympathy, the quiet grief.
And something inside me broke.
"This is stupid."
My voice echoed through the chamber. Everyone turned to look at me, their expressions shifting from grief to confusion.
"Eren," Lyra said. "What are you—"
"This is STUPID!" I shouted. "You sent me on a fucking suicide mission for WHAT? A GHOST?"
Lady Aster's eyes narrowed. "Eren, calm down—"
"Calm down?" I laughed. It was an ugly sound, hollow and bitter. "You want me to calm down? I almost died out there! I fought a giant shadow serpent! I had to—" I gestured wildly. "—I had to pull corruption out of someone's soul! And for what? So he could fade away anyway?"
"Eren, please—"
"And by the way," I continued, my voice rising. "That was the third Voidwalker"
Silence. No one met my eyes.
I felt the anger building, hot and fierce in my chest. The same anger I'd felt when I'd woken up on that rooftop. The same anger I'd been pushing down for weeks.
"I could have died," I said. "I could have died in there. All because some stupid Void chose me out of the blue. All because I got unlucky."
"Eren," Lyra said, her voice soft. "We didn't ask you to—"
"You DIDN'T ask me to?" I turned on her. "You trained me! You pushed me! You made me into this!" I held up my arm, the violet markings pulsing faintly. "I didn't ask for any of this! I was just... I was just a normal kid! I read textbooks! I helped my mom at the bookstore! I was nothing! And now I'm—I'm—"
I stopped. I looked at all of them—Lyra, Mira, Zed, Lady Aster, the dozens of strangers who'd watched me struggle and fight and nearly die.
And I made a decision.
"Fuck this," I said. "Fuck all of you. I quit."
I turned and walked toward the door.
"Eren!" Mira called after me. "Wait!"
"I'm done," I said, not looking back. "Screw the Void. Screw the Order. Screw everything."
I walked out of the chamber.
Zed's voice followed me.
"This is what happens," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "This is what happens when you let half-assed brats like him into the Order."
I wanted to turn back. I wanted to punch him in the face.
But I didn't. I just kept walking.
The Hall was a maze of corridors.
I'd spent weeks here, training, learning, trying to become something I'd never wanted to be. Now I was leaving. For good.
I found my quarters. It was a small room, barely big enough for a bed and a desk. I grabbed my bag—the same bag I'd been carrying since the night the sky broke—and started shoving my things into it.
Clothes. The physics textbook I'd brought from home. A photo of my mother.
I didn't have much else.
"Eren."
I didn't turn around. I knew that voice.
"Don't," I said. "Just don't."
"Eren, please." Lyra's voice was soft, pleading. "You can't leave. You're the—"
"The Voidwalker?" I turned to face her. "Sorry, but I don't care. I can't just give up everything I love for some stupid destiny I never asked for."
"Eren—"
"I almost died," I said. "I almost died because of a serpent. A giant, shadowy serpent that was guarding the Heart. And I only survived because I got lucky. Because I figured out its pattern. What happens next time? What happens when there's something I can't figure out?"
Lyra stared at me. Her eyes were full of pain.
"There's always a chance," she said. "There's always a way."
"No," I said. "No, there's not. I've been here for weeks. I've trained. I've fought. I've nearly died. And for what? For a ghost? For a guy who was already dead?"
She didn't answer.
"I'm done," I said. "I'm going home."
I grabbed my bag and walked past her.
"Eren." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Please. Don't go."
I stopped at the door.
"Goodbye, Lyra."
I walked out.
The car ride was silent.
I sat in the back seat, staring out the window as the Hall disappeared behind me. The driver didn't speak. He just drove, following the roads that led back to the city.
Back to Olori.
Back to the life I'd left behind.
I watched the buildings go by—the ruins, the reconstruction, the people living their ordinary lives. They didn't know about the Rift. They didn't know about the Void. They didn't know about any of it.
They were normal.
And I wanted to be normal again.
The driver dropped me off at the hospital.
I stood in front of the building, my bag slung over my shoulder, and I felt strange. This was the hospital where my mother had worked, the hospital I'd visited a thousand times as a kid.
I walked inside.
The receptionist looked up. "Can I help you?"
"I'd like to see Mrs. Kalu, am her son eren kalu " I said. "She's a patient here right."
The receptionist's eyes widened. "Oh! Yes, of course. Let me just check..." She typed something into her computer. "Room 409. Middle floor. Here's a visitor's card."
She handed me a small plastic card with my name on it.
"Thank you," I said.
The elevator ride was too short.
I stood in the small metal box, watching the numbers climb, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. This was it. This was the moment I'd been waiting for.
The doors opened. I walked down the corridor. Room 409.
I stopped in front of the door. My hand was shaking as I reached for the handle.
Then I opened it.
She was sitting in bed, eating an apple.
My mother.
She looked older than I remembered. Thinner. More tired. But she was alive. She was okay. She was here.
And she was looking at me.
"Eren," she said.
Her voice was soft. Warm. Full of love.
"It's good to see you again."
The tears came before I could stop them. They streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable, and I felt a sob building in my chest.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry I left. I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner. I'm sorry—"
"Eren." She held out her arms. "Come here."
I crossed the room in two steps and fell into her embrace. She held me tight, her hand stroking my hair, and I sobbed into her shoulder.
"Shh," she whispered. "It's okay. You're here now. That's all that matters."
I held her.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt safe.
End of Chapter