The Omnipotent System

Eren guided his spectral steed down the charred remains of the main road, its translucent hooves making no sound as they passed over the scorched earth. His cloak billowed faintly in the cold breeze, which carried the acrid smell of smoke and ash. His gaunt figure seemed to meld with the ruins around him, a specter wandering through a dead world. His dark eyes flickered with a quiet intensity as they scanned the rubble, searching for any hint of the artifact the spirit had mentioned.

Kael walked beside him, her stride purposeful, though her shoulders were tense. Her crimson eyes darted from one ruined building to another, sharp and alert, while her fingers absently traced the hilt of her sword. She looked like a predator, ready to strike, but there was a hint of something else in her expression—lingering sadness, buried under layers of determination.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

They moved in silence for a time, their footsteps—or in Eren's case, the faint hum of his mount—creating a rhythm that matched the uneasy stillness of the town.

Kael broke the quiet first, her voice low but firm. "You think the artifact's even still here?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism. She kicked a loose stone from her path, watching it tumble down what had once been the steps of the village tavern.

Eren's gaze didn't waver as he replied. "If the Pale One came for it, he wouldn't have left without it." His voice was calm, steady, but there was an edge to it—a faint undertone of frustration. He dismounted with a smooth, fluid motion, moving with an eerie grace. "But we need to be sure."

Kael watched him, her expression unreadable. "And what happens if we don't find it?" she pressed. Her arms crossed over her chest, but her stance was looser now, less guarded.

Eren paused, his hollow eyes scanning the remnants of the town square. His fingers flexed at his sides, the movement slow and deliberate, as though he was resisting the urge to clench them into fists. "Then we keep looking," he said simply, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Kael snorted softly, shaking her head. "Typical," she muttered under her breath. She crouched near the crumbling foundation of what had once been the village elder's home, her fingers brushing through the ash-streaked dirt. "You always were the stubborn one."

Eren's lips twitched into the faintest smirk, though he didn't turn to face her. "Funny," he said, his tone dry. "I seem to remember someone else dragging me into every stupid fight when we were kids." He glanced over his shoulder, his dark eyes catching hers for a brief moment. "You haven't changed much, Kael."

Kael straightened, brushing dirt from her hands. Her smirk mirrored his, though hers carried more of a challenge. "And you have?" she shot back. "Last I checked, you're still brooding over every little thing like it's the end of the world."

Eren turned fully to face her, his skeletal frame casting an elongated shadow in the flickering light of a nearby ember. For a moment, his expression softened, his gaze searching hers. "It was the end of the world," he said quietly, his voice heavy with a weight that hadn't lessened over the years. "At least, it was for me."

Kael's smirk faltered, her crimson eyes flickering with something more vulnerable. She looked away, her gaze settling on the ruins around them. "Yeah," she said softly, almost to herself. "It was."

The silence that followed was thick, but not uncomfortable. They continued their search, their movements purposeful but unhurried. Eren sifted through the wreckage with methodical precision, his bony fingers tracing symbols carved into the fragments of stone. Kael, meanwhile, kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, her hand never straying far from her weapon.

"You know," Kael said after a while, her tone lighter, "I half-expected you to disappear for good after everything that happened. Thought maybe you'd given up."

Eren didn't look at her, but the slight tension in his shoulders betrayed that her words had struck a nerve. "I don't give up," he said evenly. "Not on this."

Kael tilted her head, studying him. "No," she said thoughtfully. "You don't. You just bottle it all up until it eats you alive."

Eren's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Instead, he crouched near the base of a collapsed tower, his fingers brushing over a shard of obsidian buried in the rubble. His expression darkened further, though he didn't voice whatever thought had crossed his mind.

Kael sighed, her arms dropping to her sides. "Look," she said, her tone softening. "I get it. This place… what happened here… it's not something you just walk away from." She hesitated, her crimson eyes flicking to him. "But you're not the only one carrying it, Eren."

Eren straightened, the shard of obsidian clutched tightly in his hand. He turned to her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, he said nothing, the weight of his gaze heavy. Then, finally, he spoke, his voice low but sincere. "I know."

Kael blinked, caught off guard by the admission. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Eren's attention snapped to the horizon. His dark eyes narrowed, and his skeletal frame tensed like a coiled spring.

"What is it?" Kael asked, her hand already on her sword.

Eren's grip on the obsidian tightened, his voice cold. "We're not alone."

The sound of crumbling debris broke the tense silence as a figure stepped out of one of the dilapidated houses. Her movements were graceful yet deliberate, each step carrying an air of purpose. Selene's striking violet eyes, luminous even in the dim light, scanned the pair with a mix of surprise and wariness. Her black cloak clung to her tall frame, billowing faintly in the wind, revealing flashes of polished leather armor underneath.

Her gaze lingered on Eren first, narrowing slightly as recognition dawned. "Well, well," she began, her voice smooth but edged with steel. "I would've loved a rematch with you, Eren, but I'm on a mission. So…" Her head tilted slightly, curiosity sharpening her tone. "What brings you here?"

Kael's stance shifted subtly, her shoulders squaring defensively. Her hand hovered near her sword as her crimson eyes darted between Selene and Eren. "This place," she said, her voice quiet but laced with emotion, "was once our home."

Selene's brow arched, the corner of her lips curving into a faint, skeptical smile. Her violet eyes flicked to Kael, studying her intently, taking in every detail—the tension in her frame, the haunted look in her crimson gaze. "Strange," Selene said after a moment, her voice light but probing. "You speak like you know me, but I don't recall ever meeting you."

Eren stepped forward, his gaunt frame casting a long shadow in the flickering light. His dark eyes locked onto Selene's, unreadable but intense. "You saw her at the tournament a few days ago," he said evenly. His tone was calm, yet there was an unspoken weight behind his words, an unyielding insistence. "She was one of the spectators."

Selene's gaze flicked back to Kael, her expression shifting subtly. The skepticism softened into faint acknowledgment as she gave a small nod, though her posture remained guarded. "I remember now," she murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly as she pieced together the connection. "But I don't recall her being this… familiar."

Kael smirked faintly, a sharp, almost bitter edge to it. "People change," she said, her tone clipped but not unkind. Her fingers absently traced the hilt of her sword, a nervous habit she hadn't shaken. "You're not the only one carrying ghosts, Selene."

Selene's lips pressed into a thin line, her violet eyes flicking back to Eren. "And you," she said, her tone growing colder, "always seem to show up where you're least expected. What exactly are you hoping to find here?"

Eren's expression didn't waver, though his fingers tightened around the shard of obsidian in his hand. His voice was measured, devoid of any hint of frustration or impatience. "Answers," he said simply.

Selene's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, searching his dark eyes for something she couldn't quite place. Finally, she exhaled softly, a subtle tension leaving her shoulders. "Well, whatever you're looking for," she said, turning slightly as if to resume her own search, "just don't get in my way."

Kael's smirk deepened, though there was no humor in it. "Funny," she said, her tone laced with dry amusement. "I was about to say the same thing to you."

Selene glanced over her shoulder, her violet eyes glinting with a spark of irritation, but she didn't respond. Instead, she turned back toward the ruins, her movements fluid and precise, like a predator stalking its prey. Read new chapters at empire

Eren exchanged a brief glance with Kael, his expression unreadable but his dark eyes flickering with quiet resolve. "Stay close," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kael didn't respond immediately, her gaze fixed on Selene's retreating figure. Finally, she nodded, her hand tightening on her sword hilt. "I'll try," she muttered, more to herself than to him, as they followed Selene deeper into the remnants of their shattered past.

"Good you are all here."

A/N

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