The morning came too quickly.
I lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling, my palm resting on my chest. The eye was still there—closed, silent, but present. I could feel it like a second heartbeat, pulsing faintly against my skin.
I didn't know what to do with it.
I didn't know what to do with any of this.
Breakfast was a quiet affair.
The Hall's dining hall was half-empty—most of the Hunters were still recovering from the red Rift battle. Supporters moved between tables, checking on the wounded. Larkers sat in corners, their white eyes distant and unfocused.
I sat alone at the end of a long table, pushing food around my plate.
"Mind if I sit?"
I looked up. Mira was standing there, a tray in her hands, her expression carefully neutral.
"Sure," I said.
She sat across from me. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"You look terrible," she finally said.
"Thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel special."
She almost smiled. "I mean it. You haven't been sleeping, have you?"
"I've been sleeping."
"Liar."
I opened my mouth to deny it—but what was the point? She could see right through me.
"Fine," I admitted. "dreams. Bad ones."
"About the red Rift?"
"About everything." I set down my fork. "The red Rift. The Voice. Kael. The serpent. All of it."
Mira was quiet for a moment. Then she reached across the table and placed her hand over mine.
"Eren. You went through something horrible. You almost died. It's okay to not be okay."
I stared at her hand. It was warm. Solid. Real.
"I know," I said. "But I don't have time to not be okay. There are more Rifts coming. More creatures. More—"
"More everything," she finished. "I know. But you can't save anyone if you're falling apart."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to say she didn't understand.
But she did.
She understood better than anyone.
"Thanks," I said quietly.
She smiled. "That's what friends are for."
After breakfast, I found Lyra in the training yard.
She was alone this time, practicing forms with her starlight blade. Each movement was fluid, precise, beautiful. I watched from the edge of the yard, not wanting to interrupt.
She noticed me anyway.
"Eren." She lowered her blade. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep."
"Join the club."
She walked over, wiping sweat from her brow. Her silver hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
"Lyra," I said. "About yesterday—"
"Don't." She held up a hand. "Whatever you're about to say, don't."
"But—"
"I said don't." Her voice was sharp, but her eyes were tired. "You did what you had to do. We all did. There's nothing to apologize for."
I was quiet for a moment. "I wasn't going to apologize."
She blinked. "Oh."
"I was going to ask you something."
"What?"
I pulled my hand from my pocket. The eye was open now, its red iris staring up at us.
Lyra's eyes widened. "What in the—"
"It's the Voice," I said quickly. "The one that took over my body yesterday. It's... manifested. Sort of."
Lyra stared at my palm. The eye stared back.
"Hello," the Voice said calmly. "I assume you're the one who's been training him."
Lyra's hand went to her blade. "What is that thing?"
"It's not a thing," I said. "It's... complicated."
"Complicated?" Lyra's voice was tight. "Eren, there's an eye in your palm. That's not complicated. That's—"
"I know." I held up my hands. "I know. But it saved my life. And my mother's life. And it absorbed a Great Rift. So maybe we should hear it out before we start stabbing."
Lyra was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly, she lowered her hand.
"Fine. Explain."
We sat in the training yard, the three of us—me, Lyra, and the eye in my palm.
"Tell me what you are," Lyra said. "From the beginning."
The eye blinked. "I don't know the beginning. I only remember fragments. Vague impressions. Shapes and feelings."
"And what do you remember?"
"Darkness. A long time in darkness. And then... a crack. Light. A boy with markings on his arm." The eye shifted, its gaze turning toward me. "Eren."
"The Void," Lyra said. "You came from the Void."
"Possibly."
"Possibly?"
"I don't know how I was created. Only that I was. And that I needed a host to survive."
Lyra's expression was unreadable. "And you chose Eren."
"I chose him. But he chose me as well." The eye blinked. "He called out to the Void when he was in danger. And I answered."
I felt my face flush. "I didn't know I was calling out. I just... wanted to survive."
"That's what I do," the Voice said. "I survive."
Lyra was silent for a long moment. Then she stood.
"This changes things."
I looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
"You have a being inside you. A being from the Void that you don't fully understand." She met my eyes. "That's dangerous. Not just for you. For everyone."
"I know," I said quietly.
"Do you? Because if it takes over again—"
"It won't."
"You can't promise that."
She was right. I couldn't.
But I had to try.
The rest of the morning was a blur.
Lyra made me see Maya, who examined my palm with a mix of fascination and horror. She ran tests, took readings, asked questions. The Voice answered them all calmly, patiently.
"A Void entity," Maya said finally, shaking her head. "I've never heard of anything like this. Not that can manifest outside the Rift, anyway."
"Is it dangerous?" I asked.
Maya looked at me. "All Void energy is dangerous. But this... this is more. It's intelligent. That makes it unpredictable."
"So what do I do?"
"For now? Keep an eye on it." She almost smiled at her own joke. "Literally. If it changes, if it grows, let me know immediately."
I nodded. "I will."
I found Zed in the armory.
He was cleaning his gauntlets, the lightning at his fingertips crackling softly. He didn't look up when I entered.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey."
"Can I talk to you?"
He set down the gauntlet. "About what?"
I hesitated. Then I pulled my hand from my pocket and showed him the eye.
Zed stared.
"What in the—"
"It's complicated," I said quickly. "But I need to know something."
He looked at me, his expression unreadable.
"Did you ever see anything like this before? In all your years with the Order?"
Zed was quiet for a long moment.
"No," he finally said. "I've never seen anything like this. And I've been in the Order for longer than you've been alive."
"Great. So I'm unique again."
"Seems that way."
I started to turn away. Then Zed's voice stopped me.
"Trouble."
I turned back.
"You said you need help. You need a question answered." He met my eyes. "What is it?"
I took a deep breath.
"How do you protect people you care about?"
Zed blinked. "What?"
"You knew Kael. You trained under him." I paused. "He gave everything to protect people. And it still wasn't enough. How do you live with that?"
Zed was quiet for a long moment.
"I don't know," he finally said. "I still haven't figured it out."
I opened my mouth to respond. But I didn't have any words.
That evening, I returned to my room.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my palm. The eye blinked back at me.
"Eren."
The Voice was quiet. Almost gentle.
"What?"
"You did well today. Asking questions. Trying to understand."
"I didn't get any answers."
"You got more than you had before." A pause. "Knowledge is a journey, not a destination."
"Are you quoting something?"
"I don't think so." Another pause. "But it sounds right."
I almost laughed.
"You said you don't remember anything," I said. "But you have opinions. You have a personality. That means something, right? That means part of you is still there."
The eye was quiet for a long moment.
"Maybe," it finally said. "Maybe there's more of me than I know. Maybe we'll find out together."
I looked at my reflection in the window. Tired. Bruised. Changed.
"Together," I repeated.
"Yes. Together."
I didn't know if that was a good thing.
But for now, it was all I had.
End of Chapter