Chapter 6: Reaper training - Ghosts of the past

Eren stood at centre stage. Eyes of all kinds peering down on him, gluttonous for carnage and spectacle.

Nerves quelled

Fear restrained.

Determination.

Cold wind blew into the arena, rustling Eren's long shoulder length hair. His blade attached to his arm, waiting patiently to be unleashed.

From the darkness emerged a legion of humans. Or at least that is what they were supposed to be; Their movements too precise, lacking the natural fluidity of human motion. As if each step, each subtle gesture was scripted, perfected. Each face so devoid of emotion. So empty, soulless.

"Your days of hollow amusement's end here." Malphas commanded from the shadows of the arena.

"You will learn what it truly means to be a harbinger."

The figures stalked towards Eren, responding to the echoes of Malphas' words.

"Malphas! Where are you?! Show yourself!" Eren demanded.

The legion swarmed liked locusts, descending like a wave of ants. Eren tore through them effortlessly, cutting down any who stood before him. Comparatively, it was like cutting through paper, unlike the great beasts and monstrous foes Eren had battled over the years. Their bodies were no more than meat sacks of bones.

Eren cut and cut... and cut and cut. There was no end in sight to the horde of figures.

No matter how many fell before him, another replaced them. 'These fuckers won't quit.' Eren thought to himself, frustrated by their seemingly endless supply of bodies.

'Who are they?' He wondered. They were unlike any souls he had encountered in his time as a reaper. They showed no emotion, no pain, no fear. Just an unrelenting drive to push further.

One step back, the legion took two forward. Another two steps for Eren, three more for them. Their formation closing in around him, cutting off any avenue of escape.

"Shit." Eren cursed, growing tired of this endless battle. They advanced with mechanical precision, puppets dancing to the rhythm of the crowd's cheers.

 ---

Breathless, Eren stood over the sea of fallen bodies. He didn't know how long it had been since he started. Sweat dripped from his brow as his chest heaved from exhaustion. He felt numb. His entire body ached from the relentless assault. The stench of blood and viscera filled the air, making Eren feel nauseous.

But it was done. Eren had reached the end of the endless.

"Is that all you got!?" Eren screamed at Malphas, scouring the shadows for his nemesis.

"Again." Malphas commanded from beyond the darkness.

Legion began to pour from the jaws of the arena once more. However, they were different from the previous wave; Mouths wider, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. Pupils expanded exponentially and most terrifying of all for Eren, they were white.

Panic began to set in as he realized what was happening. These weren't corpses. They were walking nightmares, phantoms of Eren's past. Flashes of his demise by the hand of Endo and his cult replayed in his mind. The chaos, the pain, the screams of his friends trying to keep him alive. All of it was unbearable.

'This can't be happening.' He thought to himself.

The legion drew closer with each second that passed. Their hideous mouths grinning as they approached. They wanted to consume him, mutilate him as had happened before.

Eren wasn't going to let that happen again. His mind began to cloud with rage. 'Not again!'

"FUCK YOU!" He roared, unleashing a tempest of whip slashes. The monsters didn't even attempt to dodge the attack, their bodies were ripped apart by Eren's assault. Gore painting the arena red, a grotesque macabre art show.

But that didn't deter them. The endless waves came and came. Unfazed by Eren's relentless onslaught. Every one of his swings cut through air, slicing apart whatever stood before him.

Eventually, they stopped. Encircling once again, locking Eren in place.

The sea of white began to part, shuffling out of the way for something. "Eren?"

Emerging from the legion was Mr. and Mrs. Heart.

"Oh my god, Eren." The pair rushed towards him, reaching out for their son.

"Mum, dad?" He froze in disbelief; Why are they here? How are they here? The questions rushed through him like a torrent. Both parents embracing their long-lost son.

"It's okay Eren, we're here now." Mrs. Heart reassured her son.

"How?... I... I don't understand..." He stammered, voice cracking with emotion. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill.

That was until he looked up. He forget the walking nightmares observing him.

The legion seemed to entertained by the reunion, grinning maliciously. "How did- No!" Eren realized to late, sharp pain radiated from both shoulders.

"ARRRGHHHHH!" He screamed, ripping his arms free. Crimson stained the dirt beneath them. Eren stepped back, holding his hands out defensively.

"Don't come near me!" He yelled at the pair.

Mrs. Heart gave a crimson grin. "What's wrong dear, don't you recognize your own mother?" Voice gargled and distorted.

Deep wounds covered Eren's shoulders, blood pooling beneath him; His parents had become a part of the legion, mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. Eyes white like his nightmare from so long ago.

"What have done to them!?" Eren screamed, voice echoing through the arena.

Once the legion parted, out from the pack came a little raven-haired girl. "Oh no, Emi..." Eren whispered to himself. Face turned as pale as snow; voice distorted.

"Oni-chan, you promised to come home. But you didn't keep your promise." The girl sulked.

"Please stop I surrender." Eren cried falling to his knees, clutching his head in despair. He was trapped. Between the hordes of nightmares, and Emi's heartbreaking words, Eren was powerless.

"Why didn't you come home, oni-chan?" The girls' words ripped through Eren's soul. A knife plunged into his heart. "I tried... I wanted to." Eren couldn't hold back the pain. Emi walked closer; arms outstretched to the sides of his cheeks. Her mouth opening wider and wider until it reached from ear to ear. "You're a bad brother." Emi tore into Eren's throat. Tearing it open, flesh and muscle tearing like paper.

Eren accepted his fate, all the hard work and effort he had put in since coming here; gone, meaningless. In that moment, all was lost.

***

Eren woke with a start.

He sat up and clutched his chest, heart racing, gasping for air. Sweat poured down his body, his head was pounding.

Awoken inside the temple, where the souls were stored. The flickering green torches illuminated the cold stone walls. His body ached; arms scarred where his family had ripped into him. A pain that would not fade, physical or mental. His entire being ached, exhausted beyond reason.

The blonde reaper approached Eren cautiously. "You're awake." He spoke in a soft voice.

"Are you okay?"

"No... No, I'm not." Eren responded, head in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Lucifer whispered to him; guilt clear in his voice.

"Why am I not dead?" Eren asked

"You can't die in the land of the dead. You simply return here."

Eren let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes. The memory of Emi's disfigured face fresh in his mind.

Lucifer placed a gentle hand on Eren's shoulder. "He won't let you stop until you break. You have to keep going."

"Keep going!" Eren repeated angrily. "He wants me to kill my family."

"There not your family, they are copies. Phantoms of your fears. If you kill them, it will be the end-"

"No! I refuse to do this." Eren stood up abruptly, walking towards the door.

"Eren wait!" Lucifer called after him, attempting to grab his arm.

"Don't touch me!" Eren screamed at the top of his lungs, ripping his arm away from Lucifer.

"I can't do this anymore... I-I won't." His voice trembled, threatening to break.

Lucifer stood silent, knowing there was nothing more to say. Eren left without another word, leaving the blonde reaper alone with his thoughts.