Three days later, I woke up in my room at the Hall.
The ceiling was the same grey stone I'd stared at for weeks. The same faint violet runes pulsed along the walls. The same stale air filled my lungs.
I was back.
I sat up slowly, wincing at the ache in my ribs. My body felt like it had been put through a blender and then put back together wrong. Every muscle screamed. Every joint protested.
But I was alive.
I looked at my hands.
The violet markings were faint, barely visible. But they were there. Always there.
"Eren."
I blinked. I was still alone in the room.
"Eren."
There it was again. A voice. Not in my head this time. Coming from somewhere in the room.
I looked around, confused. "Hello?"
"Hey, asshole. Answer me when I'm talking to you."
I froze. The voice was coming from... my hand?
I looked down.
On my right palm, there was an eye.
It was small, maybe the size of a coin, nestled in the center of my palm like it had always been there. Its iris was a deep, burning red—the same red as the Rift I'd absorbed. And it was staring at me.
"What the hell?" I jerked my hand away, shaking it like I could fling the eye off.
"Stop that! You're making me dizzy!"
I stopped. I stared at my palm. The eye blinked.
"You have an eye," I said, my voice flat with disbelief.
"Observant. Really. Top marks for you."
"In my hand."
"Your hand. Yes. I'm aware of where I am."
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you have an eye in my hand?"
The eye rolled—actually rolled—like it was annoyed with me.
"After the battle yesterday, I was able to gather enough power to manifest partially. This is the best I could do for now."
I stared at it. "You're the Voice."
"Finally. He gets it."
"You're the Voice. The thing that took over my body. The thing that—"
"Saved your life. Yes. And your mother's life. And absorbed a Great Rift. Don't forget that part."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to scream. I wanted to demand answers.
But the eye just stared at me with that calm, red gaze, and I realized I didn't even know what questions to ask.
"What are you?" I finally said.
The eye was silent for a moment.
"I told you before. I don't fully know."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have. I remember fragments. Pieces. Nothing complete."
"You said you needed to bond with me. To anchor yourself in this world."
"Yes."
"Why me?"
The eye blinked. When it spoke again, its voice was quieter.
"Because you were the only one who could survive it."
I left my room and walked through the Hall.
The eye was still on my palm. I'd tried covering it with my sleeve, but the eye complained about being suffocated, so I'd given up. Now I just kept my hand in my pocket, hoping no one would notice.
The Hall was busier than usual.
Hunters moved through the corridors in groups, their faces serious. Supporters hurried past with supplies. Larkers stood in alcoves, their white eyes fixed on something only they could see.
The aftermath of the red Rift.
I found Lyra in the training yard.
She was sparring with a younger Hunter, her starlight blade flashing. Even in practice, she was relentless—every strike precise, every movement controlled.
She noticed me watching and signaled for a break.
"Eren." She walked over, wiping sweat from her brow. "You're awake."
"Barely." I gestured to my body. "Everything hurts."
"That's what happens when you absorb a Great Rift." Her eyes flickered with something—worry? Concern? "Do you remember anything?"
"No." I shook my head. "I told you. Nothing after the fight started."
She studied me for a moment, her gaze sharp and searching.
"You should see Maya. She'll want to check on you."
"I'm fine."
"Eren."
"I said I'm fine."
She didn't push. But I could tell she didn't believe me.
I found Zed in the armory.
He was sharpening a blade, the lightning at his fingertips crackling softly. He didn't look up when I entered.
"Zed."
"Trouble. Finally decided to grace us with your presence."
I ignored the jab. "What happened yesterday? After I..."
"After you absorbed a Great Rift like it was nothing?" Zed set down the blade. "We cleaned up the mess. Burned the bodies. Took the wounded to the Supporters. The usual."
"The red Rift. Was that the first of its kind?"
Zed was quiet for a moment.
"Red Rifts are rare. They're stronger than normal ones. The creatures that come out of them are... different. Smarter. More aggressive." He looked at me. "The fact that you survived is impressive."
"Impressive?"
"Don't let it go to your head." He stood. "You were lucky. That's all."
I wanted to argue. But maybe he was right.
Mira found me in the corridor.
"Eren!" She rushed over, her eyes wide with concern. "You're up! I heard what happened—are you okay? Do you need healing? I can—"
"I'm fine, Mira. Really."
"You don't look fine. You look like you haven't slept in days."
I opened my mouth to respond.
Then my palm twitched.
I quickly shoved my hand deeper into my pocket.
"Are you okay?" Mira asked.
"Yes. Fine. Just tired."
She studied me with a knowing look. "You're lying."
"I'm not."
"Eren. I've known you for weeks. You're a terrible liar."
I opened my mouth to deny it.
But before I could speak, my hand twitched again. And this time, the Voice spoke—loud enough for me to hear, but quiet enough that I was pretty sure Mira couldn't.
"Your friend is suspicious. You should say something."
I gritted my teeth. "Not now."
"Eren?" Mira tilted her head. "Who are you talking to?"
"No one. I was just—"
"Muttering to yourself? That's not weird at all."
I forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mira. Really. Just tired."
She didn't look convinced. But she let it go.
I retreated to an empty courtyard.
The stone walls rose around me, covered in the same violet runes. The sky above was grey, overcast, casting everything in a pale light.
I pulled my hand from my pocket and stared at the eye.
"Okay. Talk."
The eye blinked. "Finally. I was getting bored."
"What am I supposed to do with you?"
"Keep me, obviously. I'm not going anywhere."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "You said you wanted to bond with me. To anchor yourself. That sounds like you're trying to take over."
"I'm not trying to take over. I'm trying to survive."
"Same thing."
"It's really not." The eye blinked again. "You saved my life, Eren. Whether you meant to or not. The least I can do is help you in return."
"Help me?"
"You're a Voidwalker. Untrained. Unsealed. You have more power than you know how to handle." The eye's voice was calm, almost clinical. "I can teach you. Guide you. Make sure you don't destroy yourself."
"And if I don't want your help?"
"Then you'll die. Probably sooner rather than later."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to scream.
But I couldn't.
Because the eye was right.
That evening, I joined the others in the main hall.
The Order held a gathering—a somber affair, but lighter than the previous night's chaos. Hunters, Supporters, Larkers, and Jokers all mingled, sharing food and stories.
I sat at the edge of the room, nursing a glass of water.
Lyra sat beside me.
"You're quiet," she said.
"Thinking."
"About what?"
I was quiet for a moment.
"Do you ever wonder if we're fighting the right battle?"
Lyra looked at me. "What do you mean?"
"The Rift. The Void. Everything." I gestured vaguely. "The red Rift was different. Stronger. What if there are more like it? What if we're just... delaying the inevitable?"
Lyra was quiet for a long moment.
"Maybe we are," she finally said. "Maybe there's no end to this war. Maybe we'll fight until the day we die."
I looked at her.
"But that doesn't mean we should stop trying."
I didn't have an answer to that.
Later, I stood on the balcony, looking out at the city.
Olori spread out below me—a patchwork of lights and shadows, rebuilding from the chaos of the red Rift. The sky was still grey, still heavy, still uncertain.
My palm twitched.
"You should rest," the Voice said. "You're still recovering."
"I know."
"Then why aren't you resting?"
I was quiet for a moment.
"Because I'm scared," I admitted. "Because every time I close my eyes, I see the red Rift. I see what I did."
"What you did was survive."
"That's the problem." I looked at my hand. "I don't know if I can control it. You took over, and I couldn't stop you."
The eye was silent for a moment.
"Maybe you're not supposed to control it."
"What?"
"Maybe you're supposed to work with it. Let it become part of you, instead of fighting it."
"That's what you want, isn't it? For me to let you in."
"I want to survive." The eye's voice was quiet. "Just like you."
I didn't respond.
That night, I dreamed of the red Rift.
I was standing in the center of it, surrounded by darkness and crimson light. The Voice was there—not as an eye, but as the figure I'd seen in the void.
Tall. Black. Red eyes.
"You did well," it said.
"I didn't do anything. You did."
"Same thing."
"It's not."
The figure stepped closer. "You fought. You survived. That's more than most people can say."
I looked at the emptiness around me. "Is this what you want? For me to become like you?"
The figure shook its head. "I want you to become yourself. Your true self. The self that's hidden beneath fear and doubt."
"I don't know who that is."
"Then let me help you find out."
I woke with the sun on my face.
My room was quiet. The runes pulsed softly along the walls. Outside, the city was beginning to stir.
I looked at my palm.
The eye was still there, but it was closed—sleeping, maybe. Or resting.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the familiar weight of the void energy beneath my skin.
Maybe the Voice was right.
Maybe I couldn't control it.
Maybe I had to find another way.
But for now, I was still here. Still alive. Still fighting.
And that was enough.
End of Chapter