Chapter 50: Bald Queen
As the hood fell away completely, Naia’s eyes widened in shock. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, the world around her ceased to exist.
"Eren?" she whispered, her voice breaking on the single word.
Time seemed to slow as Naia stared at the familiar face before her. For a heartbeat, she froze, taking in how much Eren had changed—taller now, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame that hadn’t been there before. Then, without thought, without hesitation, her legs carried her forward, stumbling across the floating sand. The others called after her, their voices distant and unimportant compared to the singular truth before her—Eren had returned.
"EREN!" The name tore from her throat as a ragged sob.
Naia crashed into him, her arms wrapping around his body with desperate strength. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of his red robe as if afraid he might dissolve into mist at any moment. Her entire body trembled violently as weeks of fear, longing, and exhaustion erupted in uncontrollable waves of emotion.
"Why did you leave?" she gasped between sobs, her face pressed against his chest. The words were punctuated by deep, gut-wrenching cries that seemed pulled from the very core of her being.
Tears streamed freely down her face, soaking into the dark fabric of Eren’s robe. Each breath came as a struggled gasp, her shoulders heaving with the force of her weeping. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think—could only hold onto him as though he were the sole anchor in a violent storm.
"I’m sorry," Eren said softly, his arms supporting her as her knees weakened.
The group watched in stunned silence as Naia, always so composed and strong, shattered completely in Eren’s arms. Even Diana, hardened by centuries of warfare, felt her throat tighten at the raw display of emotion before her.
A heavy silence hung in the air for several moments, broken only by Naia’s quiet sobs. The world around them seemed to hold its breath, as if witnessing a reunion that defied the very laws of fate itself.
As Naia’s desperate cries softened, the remaining three figures slowly reached up to remove their own hoods.