Chapter 61: Whispers in the Dark

The weight of what Eren had just read lingered in his mind like a curse.

"The Marked Ones are necessary."

Necessary for what?

The passage spoke of the Rift and those who dwell within it. But what did that mean for him? Was his Mark truly a gateway to another realm? And if so, why were those shadowy figures talking about removing him?

Too many questions. Too few answers.

Eren exhaled, his fingers running over the rough texture of the ancient tome. Every instinct told him to shut the book and pretend he had never found it.

But that was never an option.

His Cursed Mark pulsed faintly, as if responding to his thoughts. A cold sensation crawled up his arm, but he suppressed the shudder that followed.

He wasn't the same as before. He had already stepped into the unknown.

Now, there was no turning back.

---

An Unexpected Warning

The following morning, Eren barely had time to process his discoveries before the academy halls buzzed with an unsettling energy.

Whispers. Stolen glances. Hushed conversations.

Something had happened.

As he walked toward the lecture hall, Lilia caught up with him, her pace hurried.

"You heard?" she asked, eyes sharp.

Eren shook his head. "Heard what?"

She hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice.

"They found a body this morning. One of the royal knights."

Eren felt his stomach twist. "How?"

"No one knows," Lilia replied. "No signs of struggle. No wounds. Just… dead."

A cold chill settled over him.

This wasn't a coincidence.

"Where?" he asked.

"The eastern courtyard," she said. "And here's the thing—no one is allowed near it. They shut down the entire area."

The eastern courtyard.

The very place where Eren had encountered those mysterious figures last night.

His fingers curled into a fist.

Had they killed the knight? Or was something even worse happening?

Whatever the case, he needed to find out.

---

A Step into Forbidden Territory

Eren waited until dusk before making his move.

Slipping through the dimly lit corridors, he avoided the patrols with practiced ease. The academy was large, but he had learned its hidden paths—the passages few knew about.

By the time he reached the sealed-off eastern courtyard, the sky was a deep shade of violet. Moonlight cast eerie shadows against the academy's towering walls.

The scent of fresh earth and damp stone filled the air.

Then he saw it.

A large, circular area of the ground had been completely scorched, as if a great fire had erupted. But there were no signs of actual flames—just pure darkness consuming the space.

And at the very center lay the knight's body.

Motionless. Twisted. Wrong.

Eren took a cautious step forward.

Then, a voice whispered.

"You shouldn't be here."

Eren spun around, hand already reaching for his dagger.

A figure stood in the darkness beyond the courtyard walls. Cloaked. Unmoving. Watching.

The same presence from before.

"You seek knowledge that is not yours to claim."

Eren's grip tightened. "Who are you?"

The figure took a step forward, and for the first time, Eren saw a glimpse of their face beneath the hood.

But there was nothing.

No features. No eyes. Just a shifting void.

A hollow, empty mask.

"Turn back, Marked One."

The shadows around the figure twisted, coiling like living tendrils. The air grew heavy.

Then—

[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected]

His system screamed at him, but it was too late.

The world around him shattered.

---

Beyond the Veil

A sensation of falling.

Eren's vision blurred as the ground beneath him vanished. His mind reeled, and for a split second, he glimpsed something impossible.

A battlefield.

A sky painted in an unnatural, shifting color.

Creatures unlike anything he had ever seen, engaged in eternal war.

The Rift.

A wave of pure presence crashed into him, forcing him to his knees.

Then, a voice—louder than anything before—spoke directly into his mind.

"You have seen what must not be seen."

"The Rift does not forgive."

Pain. White-hot and all-consuming.

The Mark on his hand burned.

Eren screamed.

And just like that—he was back.

His body collapsed onto the cold stone of the academy courtyard. Sweat drenched his clothes, and his breathing was ragged.

The figure in the shadows was gone.

But the warning remained.

"Turn back, Marked One."

Eren clutched his arm, where the Mark still pulsed.

He couldn't stop now.

Not after this.

He needed answers.

No matter the cost.