Eren awoke feeling refreshed, it was the best sleep he had gotten in ages. He stretched his arms above his head, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

'How long has it been since I felt like this?' He wondered idly as he climbed out of bed. His body felt light and nimble, like he was full of energy.

Lucifer was nowhere to be found. His side of the bed was empty, save for a single note.

‘Morning my little dove, I hope you slept well. I have already left for training.

There is a surprise for you outside, when you are ready.

~ Lucifer.’

Eren placed the note on the nightstand and walked out of the bedroom.

"Gah, what the fuck?" Eren exclaimed in shock, jumping backwards.

Leaving the 'house', Eren was greeted by a large figure. A giant skeleton stood before him, looming over him. Its empty eye sockets gazing down at him curiously.

"Holy shit." Eren breathed, taking a step back from the creature.

The giant skeleton was adorned in black plate armour, covering its bones completely, save for its face. A large staff sat in its hands, emitting a soft green glow. The pristine white skull tilted to the side as it looked down at him, staring straight into his soul. It then handed Eren a note.

"Eren,

Say hello to Charon, my best friend.

He will guide you to the arena.

See you soon.

~ Lucifer."

Charon began to walk with long strides, taking large steps down the mountain path. "Hey! Wait up!" Eren shouted after it, following close behind.

The wind blew gently as they made their way through the wasteland, the sky returned to its usual overcast appearance. Charon moved with surprising grace for a creature of such size. Its bony feet making a gentle clacking sound as it walked along the barren ground.

----------------------------------------

The arena itself was rather lively today. A couple of spectators were scattered throughout the stands, watching intently. They were split into camps. Some were dressed in black suits; they were seated in groups mingling amongst themselves. Occasionally casting curious glances at the arena.

The other half was clad in black armour, sitting separately from the others. They sat in silence, their attention focused solely on the arena.

"Morning, my little dove!" Lucifer beamed as Eren entered the arena. He strutted over to Eren, wearing a different suit today. His blonde hair tied up into a neat ponytail. "Who are they?" Eren questioned, pointing towards the crowd.

"Oh those? They are fellow reapers like us, they have heard tales of your exploits. And now they are here to witness it for themselves." Lucifer explained, waving to the crowd as they watched them.

"Witness what?" Eren raised his eyebrow quizzically. "The reaper that bested Malphas!" Lucifer smiled, clapping his hands together excitedly.

"Wait... But I didn't win." Eren retorted, clearly confused.

"Well, I had to flub some details." Lucifer giggled.

"Lucifer!" Gabriel entered the arena, strolling towards them with purpose. His sleek red suit fluttered in the breeze, his hair bouncing slightly with each step. The onlookers ceased their chatter, bowing their heads slightly as Gabriel passed them.

"Why have you summoned me?" Gabriel questioned, his one unobscured eye glaring at Lucifer.

"Oh, Gabriel! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Lucifer asked, feigning innocence. "You summoned me." Gabriel retorted curtly, unimpressed by Lucifer's antics.

"Did I? I can't recall." Lucifer mused, pretending to think.

"I'm far too busy to be dealing with your childish nonsense." Gabriel scoffed, turning to leave the arena.

"Wait!" Lucifer rushed forward, grabbing Gabriel by the arm. "While you are stopping by, could you... Test Eren?" He pleaded innocently, giving Gabriel his best puppy dog eyes.

"I don't want Malphas thinking he can interfere again."

Gabriel paused, contemplating his request. "Fine. But quickly, I'm busy." Gabriel sighed reluctantly, moving towards the centre of the arena.

Lucifer motioned for Eren to follow, the crowd murmuring quietly to themselves. "Shall we begin?" Gabriel asked, taking up a fighting stance. Eren stood before him, glancing nervously at the crowd watching them intently.

"Fine, let's go." Eren nodded, steeling himself for what was about to come. Lucifer leaped into the stands, joining Charon.

Gabriel charged in first, dashing towards Eren, delivering a swift strike to his stomach. Knocking Eren back a few steps, winded by the attack. Gabriel followed up with a roundhouse kick to Eren's head, who dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit.

Eren rolled backwards, gaining some distance from Gabriel. Gabriel pursued him, stomping down hard on the ground where Eren had just been.

'Shit, he’s quick.' Eren thought as Gabriel continued his assault.

Unleashing a flurry of bullet like kicks. Eren blocked most of them, using his arms and forearms to defend against Gabriel's rapid strikes.

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Gabriel clearly wanted to be elsewhere, treating Eren with little respect. Looking to end this fight as soon as possible.

Eren rolled away further, looking for breathing room. He swung at Gabriel with a right hook, aiming for his face. However, Gabriel easily dodged it, ducking under the blow. Kneeing him in the ribs.

Eren staggered back, clutching his side in pain. "Is this all Lucifers training has amounted to?" Gabriel sighed in exasperation.

The brief pause allowed Eren to regain his composure, sucking in big ones.

Gabriel, bored of the match, moved to finish it off. Rushing at Eren with full force, aiming another kick at his head.

This time however, Eren caught it. Pushing his leg away, deflecting the attack. Gabriel looked down at him surprised.

'There's an opening.' Eren took the opportunity and swung a haymaker at Gabriel's head, smashing into his temple. The punch connected, stunning Gabriel for a moment. The spectators sat in silence, shocked by the outcome.

Gabriel rubbed his jaw and stared at Eren in surprise. His eyes changed, from cold and detached to intrigued. He looked Eren up and down, sizing him up. "Interesting..." He mused, his tousled hair still bouncing slightly.

Gabriel rushed at him again, this time launching a flurry of jabs at Eren's head. Eren ducked and weaved, trying to avoid them. Gabriel was relentless, not giving him any room to breathe.

Eren, snuck in a jab on his hip, causing Gabriel to falter for a moment. He used the opening to uppercut Gabriel in the jaw. The punch sent Gabriel reeling back, clutching his face in pain.

Eren wasn't done yet, rushing in, preparing to finish off Gabriel. However, Gabriel recovered quickly, kicking Eren in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Gabriel's kicks were clearly his strength in this scuffle. Each blow landing with deadly accuracy, every kick powerful enough to break bone. But, Eren had become resistant to pain. It still hurt, but not nearly as much as it did when they first started training.

Grabbing Gabriel's left leg, Eren twisted it as hard as he could. The sound of the bones in his knee popping echoed throughout the arena. Gabriel cried out in pain, stumbling backwards, clutching his injured leg.

Eren didn't hesitate, charging at him, returning a roundhouse kick of his own to Gabriel's head.

"Heh." Gabriel smirked slightly, rolling out of the way, popping his knee back into place.

"Good enough now?" Eren panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Gabriel eyed him curiously, observing Eren for a moment. "Yes, I'm satisfied."

Eren let his guard down for a brief second, allowing Gabriel to strike him across the face. Knocking him to the ground, splitting his lip open. Eren staggered to his feet, spitting blood on the floor.

"Never let your guard down, even in victory." Gabriel lectured sternly, standing tall.

"Will you keep Malphas away?" Lucifer inquired, joining them at the centre of the arena.

"For the time being." Gabriel nodded. "Although, he has officially requested for tutelage to fall to him."

"Will you give it to him?" Lucifer asked, sounding concerned.

"He is in... competent hands." The words almost make Gabriel gag as they left his lips.

"Thank you, Gabriel. You have always been my favourite silver haired reaper. " Lucifer bowed his head slightly.

Gabriel sighed, "Until next time."

The shadows swallowed him completely, disappearing without a trace.

"My dear you were exceptional today!" Lucifer praised Eren happily, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Isn't this exciting?!"

He motioned for the crowd to cheer for them. The reapers shuffled out of the stands, leaving for the day. The main event was over.

"What now?" Eren asked.

Lucifer stood tall, his smile widening. "Now, it's time for the encore!" He announced excitedly, throwing his arms up into the air.

The leaving reapers stopped in their tracks, at the blondie’s proclamation. Promptly, making their way back to the stands, finding their seats once again.

"Your joking, right?" Eren asked, incredulous.

"I never joke about cultivating my little dove." Lucifer spoke with confidence.

"Fear not my little one, they won't hurt you. Much."

Eren grimaced at that. "They, who’s that-"

Before Eren could even begin to ponder the true extent of Lucifers words, growling cut him off. From the arena's exit, shadows began to swirl like a tempest. Slowly coalescing into something... larger.

First came the golden eyes, unblinking, and full of hatred. Followed by the ivory teeth that glinted in the light of the arena. A maw so wide it could swallow Eren whole with ease. The hulking black shadow descended from the ethereal gateway, its paws shaking the ground with each step.

A large wolf emanated from the shadows. Standing at least two meters tall, and nearly five meters long. Its fur was as black as the void, its paws clawing at the sand below. An insatiable hunger bore into Eren, from the depths of its eyes. It regarded him like a heel would a hare.

"Don't go too hard on him now." Lucifer cooed. Eren was unsure if he was taking to him or the beast.

The monster raised its nose, sniffing the air.

"Arf!" It howled loudly, the sound piercing through the silence of the arena. The beast charged at Eren, each step sending tremors throughout the ground.

Eren stood his ground, waiting for the beast to arrive.

He closed his eyes, allowing his senses to take over. The thundering steps of the monster echoed in his ears. He could feel its presence, its hatred, its hunger.

He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. He had fought Malphas, he had fought Gabriel. This was nothing new to him.

The monster was right upon him now, its teeth gnashing and growling.

"Now." Eren's eyes shot open, gazing into the creatures’ eyes. They were empty, devoid of emotion.

Slamming the monster's head down, Eren stomped on its head. The beast let out a pained whine as its head caved under the boot.

The few in the crowd applauded quietly. All thought few, their claps echoing throughout the arena.

***

Every day was something new for Eren, the days of solitary sparring with Lucifer were over. He trained with an audience now, cheering at his triumphs and torments.

Lucifer brought into the fanfare, every several days a new beast would enter the arena. A behemoth with huge teeth, a multi headed hydra, even a massive golem made of rock and debris. Every one of them fought with a ferocity that nearly tore Eren limb from limb. But every time, without fail, Eren would win out.

The spectators grew larger and larger each day, filling up the stands in no time. They came to see the would-be reaper take down creature after creature. The event had become quite popular, drawing quite a crowd. The only entertainment in a wasteland of endless nothing.

Time flew by in an instant, with Eren standing atop a recently defeated Cockatrice, a lizard-like creature with large feathered wings. It's neck now lay broken, head hanging limp at an awkward angle. The crowd at its pinnacle, roaring with thunderous applause.

Eren rose up, breathing heavily as blood dripped from his wounds. Sweat beaded on his brow as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He had long since brought into the spectacle, basking in the adoration of his audience. He raised his arm high into the air, presenting the fallen creature to the crowd.

"You want more!" He roared. "Are you not entertained!?" He threw his raven hair back, gazing into the crowd as they chanted his name.

"Eren! Eren! Eren!" They screamed and clapped, rattling the stands. The arena became alive with energy, the spectacle bringing a new sense of life to the place.

All except for Malphas, who sat quietly in the stands, glaring down at Eren, his expression unreadable.

Although, behind his mask of indifference something lurked.