Chapter 76: Shadows of resolve
The evening sky bled into a bruised hue of deep violet and crimson as the last of the sun vanished beneath the horizon. Cain stood silently atop the ridge, the wind combing through his dark hair, his eyes locked onto the crumbling ruins ahead. Below, the valley whispered of ancient magic, the kind that twisted air and soul alike. Leo stood beside him, fire crackling at his fingertips as a quiet expression replaced his usual sarcasm. Eren, a few paces behind, exhaled softly—an icy breath in the warm air, always the observer before the storm.
Selene staggered slightly but held her ground. Her powers, newly awakened and fiercely unstable, pulsed with intensity that left cracks in the ground where her feet touched. "I can feel him," she said, her voice soft but full of conviction. "He's waiting."
Cain turned. "You don't have to do this alone."
"I'm not," Selene replied. Her eyes found his, anchoring herself in the one person who had stayed through everything. "I have you. I have all of you."
The brothers gathered. For the first time in days, they weren't arguing or doubting—they were simply united.
Leo rolled his shoulders, sparks flying from his palms. "Let's give him hell."
Eren's gaze hardened. "No mercy."
The ruins weren't quiet anymore. Shadows peeled away from the stones, twisting and screeching as creatures rose—half-human, half-nightmare. Their father's guards. Silent, loyal, and brutal.
Cain was the first to charge, his body blurring in speed as shadow tendrils whipped around his arms. He moved like a wraith, slicing through the guards with sharp, controlled fury. Leo followed, launching fireballs into the sky that rained down like meteorites. The smell of scorched stone filled the air. Eren summoned shards of ice from the ground, impaling anything that moved too fast.