The First Guardian stood quietly in the center of the chamber, his black sword resting at his side. His silver eyes never left Eren. Even though he wasn't
moving, the pressure filling the room was enough to make it hard to breathe.
Eren slowly stood up, pressing a hand against the cut on his shoulder. Blood stained his clothes, but the wound was not deep enough to stop him.
Lyra stepped beside him, her dagger glowing with blue light.
"I told you," she whispered. "He's far stronger than any enemy we've faced."
Eren tightened his grip on his sword.
"Then we'll have to become stronger."
The Guardian smiled faintly.
"Good answer."
Without warning, he disappeared again.
Eren's eyes widened.
"Left!"
Lyra shouted just in time.
Eren jumped aside as the Guardian's blade sliced through the place where he had been standing. The attack split the stone floor like paper.
Dust filled the air.
Eren quickly activated Phantom Step. His body flashed forward, appearing behind the Guardian. He swung his sword with all his strength.
Clang!
The Guardian blocked the attack with only one hand.
"Too slow."
A powerful kick sent Eren flying across the chamber. He crashed into a broken pillar before falling onto the ground.
His vision blurred.
Pain spread through his back.
The System appeared before him.
[HP: 62%]
[Warning: Enemy strength greatly exceeds your current level.]
Eren wiped the blood from his mouth and forced himself to stand again.
"I... won't lose."
The Guardian watched him with calm eyes.
"Why do you continue?"
"Because my brother is waiting for me."
For the first time, the Guardian's expression changed.
"Brother..."
The word seemed to awaken an old memory inside him.
Before anyone could speak again, the silver chains around the great gate rattled loudly.
Another chain snapped.
A wave of black mist burst from the gate, filling the chamber.
Lyra's face turned pale.
"No..."
The mist gathered together, forming dozens of shadow creatures with glowing red eyes.
Eren recognized them immediately.
"Shadow Dwellers..."
There were too many to count.
The Guardian looked at them without fear.
"They escaped earlier than expected."
The monsters roared together before charging.
"Get ready!" Lyra shouted.
Eren dashed forward first.
His sword cut through the nearest creature, but instead of disappearing, it split into two smaller monsters.
"What?!"
"They regenerate!" Lyra yelled.
One of the creatures jumped toward her. She rolled beneath it and drove her dagger into its chest. Blue light exploded from the blade, destroying it completely.
"They only die if you destroy their core!"
Eren focused carefully.
Inside each monster, a tiny red crystal pulsed like a heart.
"So that's their weakness."
Another Shadow Dweller rushed toward him.
This time Eren waited.
Just before it attacked, he used Shadow Step.
His body vanished.
He appeared behind the creature and stabbed directly into the glowing crystal.
The monster let out a painful scream before turning into black smoke.
[Enemy Defeated.]
[EXP +350]
A smile appeared on Eren's face.
"It worked."
More monsters surrounded them.
The chamber became a battlefield.
Eren and Lyra fought side by side, protecting each other's backs.
Their movements slowly became more natural, almost like they had trained together for years.
The Guardian watched silently.
"They learn quickly..."
Suddenly, one enormous Shadow Dweller climbed out of the gate.
It was twice the size of the others.
Its body was covered in dark armor, and four glowing eyes stared directly at Eren.
The System flashed urgently.
[Elite Shadow Dweller Detected.]
[Danger Level: High.]
The monster roared, shaking the entire chamber.
Before Eren could react, it swung one massive arm toward him.
He raised his sword.
The impact threw him across the room.
His weapon slid across the stone floor.
"Eren!" Lyra screamed.
The Elite Shadow Dweller slowly walked toward him.
Eren tried to stand, but his legs refused to move.
The monster lifted its claw.
Just as it was about to strike...
The First Guardian moved.
In a single step, he appeared between Eren and the monster.
His black sword flashed once.
Everything became silent.
A second later...
The Elite Shadow Dweller split cleanly into two pieces before disappearing into smoke.
The remaining monsters froze.
The Guardian slowly lowered his sword.
"I said this was a trial."
His silver eyes met Eren's.
"But if you die now... the trial ends."
Eren stared at him in shock.
"You... saved me."
The Guardian looked toward the Broken Star Gate.
"No."
"I saved the future."
Before Eren could ask what he meant, the gate began to glow with a deep crimson light.
The chamber shook harder than ever before.
A deep voice echoed from inside the gate.
"The Unbound has awakened..."
The Guardian closed his eyes.
"It has begun."
Far away, beyond mountains and forests, Riel suddenly collapsed to one knee.
The glowing threads around him stretched across the sky, pointing toward the Broken Star Gate.
He slowly looked north.
"Eren..."
"I'm coming."