Chapter 74: The devil’s eye
The morning came not with light but with silence—the kind that presses against the ears and weighs heavily on the chest. A faint mist curled through the ruins of the old cathedral, where the boys had last seen their father vanish in a blaze of violet fire. The air was thick with anticipation, grief, and magic.
Cain was the first to rise, seated at the edge of the broken altar, running his fingers over the pendant Selene had given him. It pulsed softly, warm against his skin. He stared into the distance, unblinking, his eyes glowing faintly crimson, thoughts lost in the whirlwind of last night's revelations.
Leo stirred next, hair tousled and eyes heavy. He dragged himself from the cold floor, his coat still covered in ash and blood. He looked around and saw the silent bond between his older brother and the relic he held, sensing Cain was more distant than usual. Eren, the youngest, lay curled up with his arms folded under his head, dreaming—maybe of peace, maybe of the chaos to come.
Selene was missing.
It hit Cain the second he realized the necklace had dimmed. Panic surged in his chest, crashing like a tidal wave. He turned to Leo with urgency in his voice. "Where's Selene?"
Leo looked up, blinking. "She was next to me... I thought she was still asleep."
Eren snapped awake at Cain's tone. "What's going on?"
"She's gone," Cain said, voice hardening. "I can't feel her."
They moved fast, sweeping through the ruins, calling her name, checking trails. That's when they found the blood. A few fresh drops, trailing toward the forest. And an unfamiliar symbol burned into the earth in blackened stone—a sigil none of them recognized.