— Devouring the Toxin —
What was a female corrections officer doing in an all-male prison?
The thought barely formed in Eren's mind when—
The air itself seemed to tear and shudder.
Aveline's pupils constricted violently. She was physically forced back half a step by some unseen pressure, her words escaping as pure instinct: "That dark vapor—it's going into you!"
Remnants of the dark vapor still drifted in the air. The vapor writhed and coiled like a living thing, tendrils of it seeping into Eren's exposed skin, his body absorbing it with palpable greed.
Yet Eren's tone was calm to the point of indifference. "I can absorb it."
"Absorb it?" Aveline's brow furrowed so tight it turned pale. "That stuff... it corrodes lungs, erodes nerves. If you keep this up—"
She didn't finish.
Eren let out a soft exhale. It wasn't relief, but something more strained—a difficult, suppressed release.
With the rise and fall of his chest, the last dark vapor vanished into him without a trace.
"Poison to others," he murmured. "For me... it's sustenance."
Aveline felt the temperature in the cell drop a degree.
This cold wasn't physical; it was a primal fear crawling up from the base of her spine. She could hear her own heartbeat with terrible clarity—frantic, thunderous, threatening to break out of her ribcage.
She stared into Eren's eyes. They were like twin wells, disturbingly still.
No madness.
No frenzy.
Only a kind of order that stole the breath from her lungs.
An order that could treat poison as nourishment.
— The Bargain —
Eren looked up, his gaze settling on Aveline's face.
The bluish-brown mark stretched from her forehead down to her cheekbone, a livid scar under the cold light. Sensing his scrutiny, Aveline's expression tightened instantly.
"What are you staring at? Want me to gouge those eyes out?"
Eren's voice was unnervingly flat. "You're ill."
She blinked. "What did you say?"
"That's not a birthmark. It's congealed pathogenic energy. I can cure it."
His words seemed to shatter the air for a moment.
Aveline's breath hitched. "You said... you can cure it?"
Years of helplessness and shame felt abruptly ripped open.
Eren merely nodded. "Yes. Completely."
But his next sentence was as cold as a blade's edge::
"However—why should I help you?"
Aveline forced herself to stay calm. "Name it. What do you want? Don't even think about asking for an escape."
A faint lift touched Eren's brow. "Escape? I don't need to. I want my name cleared."
She froze. That look in his eyes... it didn't belong to a condemned man. It belonged to someone preparing for a rebirth.
"Then what do you need?"
"My case file."
Aveline was silent for several heartbeats. "Fine. If you can cure me."
A ghost of a smile touched Eren's lips. "Deal."
— Refinement —
Entering the guard station, two officers glanced up.
"Out," Aveline said, her voice icy.
They exchanged a look and wordlessly left.
The moment the door locked, Aveline demanded, "How? What do you need me to do?"
Eren glanced at the door. "You locked that a bit fast. Be careful of misunderstandings."
A blush crept up her neck, but she stood her ground. "Enough talk. Begin."
Eren crooked a finger. "Come here."
She stepped closer. "How do I... assist?"
"Take off your jacket."
She ended up removing more layers than he'd anticipated.
Eren was silent for half a second before forging ahead. "That's enough. Stay still."
He pressed his palm flat against her abdomen, just below her navel. The air tensed instantly.
The pathogenic energy was drawn forth immediately.
Aveline's body stiffened, then she felt an unprecedented lightness rise from her core, as if a weight she'd carried for years had been lifted. She gave a soft hum, her whole body trembling slightly.
Outside, the two officers had returned. Hearing the sounds, they exchanged a wide-eyed look.
"...In broad daylight? She really has the nerve."
"Damn... who could stand her temper anyway?"
Inside, Eren withdrew his hand, exhaling a cloud of turbid energy.
"Done," he said, opening his eyes.
Aveline felt unnaturally light. "That's it? So fast?"
"Go wash your face," Eren instructed. "Then look in a mirror."
— Trust —
She nearly ran to the washroom.
The next second, her breath was stolen.
The mirror reflected her face with perfect clarity.
The bluish-brown mark that had tormented her for twenty-five years—was gone.
Her skin was clear, smooth, as if the mark had never existed.
Aveline's fingers trembled slightly as she touched the flawless skin.
Tears fell without warning—a dam of years of suppression finally breaking.
She burst out of the washroom and pulled Eren into a fierce, sudden embrace, her voice shaking. "Eren... Thank you. My name is Aveline. From this moment on, as long as I'm here, no one—no one—will lay a finger on you."
Eren looked down at her, pressed against his chest, and sighed softly. "Suddenly, being locked up here doesn't seem so bad."
"You—!" Aveline's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She punched his chest, but there was no real force behind it.
A faint smile played on Eren's lips. "Don't get too excited. The mark is gone, but to fully stabilize the cure, it will require two more sessions."
He didn't tell her—what he could cure extended far beyond this.
Aveline nodded without hesitation. "You have my word. I'll get your case file as soon as I can."
Eren stood, straightening his prison uniform. "Then I'll return to my cell."
"I'll escort you."
The chains of his shackles dragged with a dull, heavy sound across the floor.
Halfway there, Eren suddenly turned back. "Aveline, can I ask you something?"
She stopped, her gaze sharp as a honed blade. "Ask."
"You're clearly a woman. Why choose to work as a guard in a men's prison?"
Aveline held her ground, staring at him as if weighing how much truth she could afford to give. "Some things... you shouldn't know." Her tone was cold, edged, but the tips of her ears turned faintly pink.
Then she countered, as if testing him: "More importantly—why did you kill more than thirty members of the Veyne family?"
Eren met her gaze steadily. "What if I told you I was framed? Would you believe me?"
Aveline's eyes softened almost imperceptibly, her lashes giving a slight flutter. "I believe you."
And she did.
she didn't feel him like a monster.
He is more like a sharp blade buried in filth—once drawn, he would be a sight to behold.
Entering the cell, Aveline suddenly tilted her head, her voice dropping so low it was almost swallowed by the clank of chains: "Eren... the method you used to treat me. I'll have to report it to my superiors."
Eren's steps faltered. "Superiors?"
Aveline didn't look at him. She merely raised a hand and slammed the iron door shut with a heavy clang.
But in the last sliver of light from the closing door, Eren caught a glimpse—on her fingertip, a fleeting flash of a black wyrm tattoo, instantly concealed again by her sleeve.