Chapter 51: Echoes in the abyss
The sky hung low, heavy with the promise of another storm. Rain hadn't fallen yet, but the clouds churned like a pot of boiling ink, threatening to unleash the fury of the heavens. The boys had seen weather like this before—right before a massacre, right before betrayal. Right before something important died.
Cain walked silently, his eyes fixed on the path ahead, boots crunching over brittle leaves and forgotten bones. His coat was soaked in blood that wasn't his, and Selene walked beside him, their hands brushing now and then. Neither said a word, but their silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was heavy, filled with the weight of all they'd survived.
Behind them, Leo and Eren followed quietly, their forms a little slower than usual. Ever since Eira's sacrifice, the air between them had shifted. They carried grief like armor now—wearing it tight against their chests, afraid to speak her name out loud.
"She shouldn't have died for us," Eren muttered, kicking a rock.
Leo, ever the calm one, looked toward the tree line. "She chose to. That means something."
"But does it fix anything?" Eren snapped. "Because all I see are ghosts."
Cain didn't look back. "Ghosts are all that's left when you've fought this long."
Selene gently touched his arm, grounding him. "But they don't have to be all you are."
A beat of silence followed. Then—
"Someone's watching us," Leo said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
Cain's hand flew to the hilt of his dagger. "From where?"