Eren stood trembling in the darkness, each breath a ragged whisper against the void. The oppressive emptiness pressed against him, a constant reminder of the confrontation that had shattered his perception of self. Reality felt distant, fragmented, like pieces of a broken mirror he couldn't piece back together.
His chest tightened as the void around him shuddered, its cracks sealing themselves like wounds healing in reverse. The Nexus Core's energy still pulsed at the edges of his consciousness—testing, probing, a constant reminder of what he'd faced within its depths. Of who he'd faced.
"Please," he whispered, the words barely audible in the heavy silence. "Stay away." But even as he spoke, he could feel that dark presence lingering in the corners of his mind, waiting for him to falter again.
[System Alert: New skill detected. "Echo of Ascension" has been added to your skillset.] [System Alert: Unauthorized entity's interference neutralized. Self-restoration protocol activated.]
The burning weight in his chest released with a harsh exhale as new power surged through him. Every cell in his body felt electrified, awakened—but wrong, somehow. Tainted. The "Echo of Ascension" hung heavy in his consciousness, its promised memories dangerous and unstable, like fragments of that other self he'd glimpsed.
The chamber began to crumble around him, false reality falling away piece by piece. Other champions materialized through the dissolving void, their forms taking shape like watercolors bleeding onto canvas. Eren barely registered their presence, his mind still caught in the echoes of that terrible conversation.
He stood there, swaying slightly, as the others began to regroup. Their voices reached him as if through water—distant, distorted, meaningless. The shadow of his other self loomed larger now, a constant threat at the edge of his thoughts.
"Eren?" Jin's voice cut through the haze, concern evident in his tone. "Are you okay?"
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Eren blinked slowly, forcing his eyes to focus on Jin's face. "Yeah," he muttered, the words feeling foreign in his mouth. "I'm fine. Just... a little out of place." He couldn't explain. Couldn't tell Jin about the thing wearing his face, about its promises and threats.
[System Alert: Fragments of Ascension unlocked. "Adaptive Combat" skill enabled. Increased experience gain activated.]
The chamber trembled as the Nexus Core's voice boomed through the space, each word reverberating with otherworldly power: "CHAMPIONS, THIS IS YOUR FINAL TRIAL. SURVIVE TEN ROUNDS AGAINST THE MONSTERS OF THE VOID. PROVE YOUR WORTH... OR PERISH."
The final trial began with a thunderous roar, but Eren remained frozen, his mind trapped in an endless loop of that other self's final warning. Around him, champions sprang into action—weapons drawn, powers flaring, battle cries echoing off invisible walls. But he stood motionless, a statue in the center of chaos.
"EREN!" Jin's voice cut through the cacophony. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
The warning came too late. A shadow beast lunged from Eren's blind spot, its claws gleaming in the ethereal light. Jin moved without thinking, his fist connecting with Eren's shoulder, shoving him aside as the creature's attack whistled through empty air.
"You need to watch your back!" Jin grabbed Eren's shoulders, spinning him around. "What's wrong with—"
The words died in his throat. Tears streamed silently down Eren's face, his eyes distant and lost. Jin's grip loosened, shock replacing anger as he watched his friend crumble before him.
Without warning, Eren lurched forward, arms wrapping around Jin in a desperate embrace. His body shook with silent sobs, face pressed against Jin's shoulder as the battles raged around them.
"I saw myself," Eren whispered, his voice breaking. "Or something wearing my face. It said... it said next time it won't give me a choice. I don't—I can't—"
A deafening roar cut through the air. The chamber walls pulsed with crimson light as a new wave of monsters materialized, their forms twisted and wrong in ways that defied description. Jin's eyes widened as he stared past Eren's shoulder at the approaching horde.
"Round One," the Nexus Core announced, its voice echoing with cruel amusement. "Begin."
[System Alert: Warning - Multiple hostile entities detected. Threat level: Catastrophic.]
The monsters surged forward, and time seemed to stop as Jin realized they were still standing in the open, completely exposed. Eren remained motionless in his arms, lost in the horror of what awaited him should he fail again, as death approached from all sides.