1 Forest

I was always scared of the future; the immense urge to try and keep it from happening had always been inside me. I don't typically believe in destiny, as it's just that. Something you can believe in. Yet as the darkness surrounded me, only a feeling that can be described as fate was calling for me. It felt like something was coming—watching. That something was already here.

The silent sound of a quiet match being struck turned my head towards the noise. A small flame looked as if it was hovering in the air—only the slight shadow of a hand proving otherwise. "W-who are you?" I called out, only for no response to follow. "Who's there!"

Shortly after, the match began to slowly lower down, reaching to a small candle as it lit ablaze. Following that, what seemed to be thousands of small flames began to light up all around me—one after the other. The room was no longer pitch black, but rather a somber-orange.

Only then did the man show itself. First his hands, then the arms. As he left the shadows I felt my heart drop. The figure was me. Light brown hair, but dashed with a slight hint of red. Amber eyes, but shining brighter than the stars in the night sky. A skinny figure, yet with clothes stained with a dark substance. Just behind him was yet another shadow-esc figure; too dark to make out, but visible. It looked like a man, rather tall and lanky, staring into my soul with an almost menacing grin. He stood there, motionless behind him, as if waiting for his turn.

"Eren…" the double began to speak. It sounded exactly like me, as if it snatched my voice and took it for his own, "Welcome to your new home, Eren!" A subtle smile lingered on his face as he stood there. It was only then did I notice a small dagger—stained and dripped with a deep red. I felt my gut drop as I began to step backwards, only for the double to follow. Not long after did he begin to charge, his arms grappled onto my shoulders, pushing me to the ground as he sat atop me. The knife was placed high into the air—over his head and above my face.

"Don't blink, Eren…" He began to speak again, now with a grin of a thousand souls, "Or else you may miss what you'll become!"

The knife plummeted down, only for me to sharply rise up from the ground. Frantically, I looked around trying to grasp my bearings. The slight ticking of the clock is all that made a sound. "Just a dream…" I gasped, my hand covering my chest as the slight sounds of birds chirping emerged outside, "Just a dream…" Never had I been entirely afraid of the dark, but with the dead air laying thick over the room, I couldn't help but feel a gazing presence from deep within.

A sudden tone from nearby caused me to jump back, only to realize it was my phone. Though I couldn't shake the feeling, I ignored it—grabbing the phone and gently placing it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, sounding practically half dead.

"Eren, don't tell me you just woke up"—I recognized the voice—that of my childhood friend Yumi—"did you forget what we're doing today?"

"Right, I'll be right down. Just give me a second."

Jumping out of bed, I hastily rushed out the door and straight down the hall—rubbing my eyes all the way throughout. I placed myself just before the door, letting out a slight groan as I began to open it. Almost instantly did Yumi walk inside, with a rather large witch hat right on her head. "I can't believe you forgot… Didn't get much sleep?"

"I guess you could say that- but more importantly, what's with the hat?"

"The hat? It's Halloween, why wouldn't I come dressed up. Besides, I think it rather suits me," True for her, due to her grayish-purple hair which she had dyed what seems now an eon ago, "Whatever, let's just head up to your room."

"Don't you think you came a bit early? We won't set out for another ten hours…"

"Well, I had nothing to do at home. I might as well come here and spend some time with my friend!" She leaned in towards me before turning and heading down the hall. Closing the door, I turned and ran up to follow her. "So Eren, how are you handling yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with your family… the house and such." There was a brief silence as we entered my room, with Yumi slightly looking back as if awaiting my response. "Sorry, maybe that was a rude question. How about those books?"

She pointed towards a wall of books just by my bed, scurrying over to the bookshelf and looking through the collection. "I like to read when I'm bored."

"I never realized you were a bookworm..."

I thought I had known this collection of books like the back of my hand—most coming from my fathers old crate that he kept under his bed. I almost still remember his voice reading those words aloud as I drifted asleep, though it's now a past memory. Though one book in particular took my eye—a large, shiny gold title on a rough, red casing—by the name of 'Crest of Origin.' One I have no recollection of.

I grasped it, feeling the marks on the side and the increments of the large golden title. As I held it within my hands, I could feel an almost strange sense of power, that of which I had never felt before. It was almost like my eyes were vibrating, feeling as if it was drawing me towards it. I sat on the floor beside her, opening the book and hastily scrolling through it. "You're reading now?" Yumi exclaimed, though I chose to put her off, only anxiously zooming through the pages.

Oddly enough, all were empty; not a single word or diagram was placed anywhere on them. Only on the last page did a pentagram appear—right in the center.

It took up most of the page, looking as if it were spray-painted in, yet matched with a sense of dignity and refinement. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a fire. Almost before I realized it, A slight blue glow began to emanate off of it, tracing my finger over the surface which was greeted by a warm touch.

Yumi peered over the top of the book, as enthralled as I with what was happening. But as quickly as it began, it started to grow brighter. And brighter. The heat it gave off was scorching, dropping the book on the floor as the light escaped the page—creeping onto the floor in the same pentagram shape.

I could see Yumi try to speak, but not a sound left her mouth. I tried to move towards her, but I couldn't. My body didn't respond. A low, deep yet quiet hum played in the background, so little you could barely hear. At the same time, however, it was deafening to the point where no other sound could be heard but it. So loud that I couldn't hear my own thoughts.

I covered my ears, but it didn't get quieter; It got louder. The sound slowly amplified as I felt like my ears would burst. Soon enough, a hollow, transparent cylinder began to surround me. But suddenly, almost out of nowhere, My heart began to get tighter. It felt like someone was squeezing it, going until it would burst open.

I clenched my chest, now completely succumbing to the noise as I rolled on the floor. I couldn't help but close my eyes. The light began to grow blinding. Even while they were closed, my vision could only make out a blinding white.

Then, everything seemed to be over. It went silent. Slowly, I began to force my eyes open—little by little did they adapt to the environment surrounding me. A cool breeze hit my side, the slight chirping of the birds in the distance and the sun peering down onto my shattered body.

As my eyes began to grow adjusted, the wall of trees began to fall into view—the school building nowhere in sight. In a panic, I vigorously looked around, trying to spot Yumi. Finally, I had found her not too far away, just now beginning to wake up.

I tried to stand, to make my way towards her, but I couldn't. It had felt as if I hadn't walked in ages. Slowly, I began to move towards her—staying near the ground in a sort of crouched position. With every step I felt my legs strain, my heart pound and the surge of fear kick throughout every bone in my body.

At last, I had made it to her, sitting just off to the side. She covered her eyes, as if in pain from the sun's shine. "Where are we?" she murmured, looking around whilst blocking her tired eyes from the scorching sun, "W- what happened?"

Almost instantly did I respond; "I'm not sure, but are you okay?"

"Y- yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine."

A thick brush surrounded us, only the trees and the sky being visible to the eye—just about nothing else in sight. We sat in the center of a rather large clearing, completely shrouded from the outside by a thick border of trees.

We were completely lost. Completely alone.

"Where are we?" I heard Yumi whimper out, her voice shaking throughout, "This- we-" She rubbed her head, clenching her eyes so tight that I thought they would have stayed closed forever.

"We need to move…" I responded, slightly grasping onto her shoulder, trying to stay confident—I doubt it actually worked. I could feel my own voice quiver and my legs slightly shake.

"Where would we go?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Let's get out of the sun."

I dragged on her arm, pulling her over just off to the side of the trees. From there, I scouted around the forest's edge. Yumi frantically stayed behind me—also peering around, though from what I can tell she was looking for something different.

"Don't worry, Yumi. We'll be fine!" I told her, though I knew I couldn't even convince myself of that. I sat down, leaning against the tall base of a nearby tree. Yumi did the same, still cautiously gazing at our surroundings.

"This… it's impossible!" She murmured. I knew that myself, yet all I could do was let out a sigh. We couldn't do anything in this situation.

"There has to be a logical reason," I replied, giving a slight smile, though she payed no heed to my obvious bluff.

"It's just a dream! It has to be, right?" It was only then did I notice the distant dark clouds form overhead.

"I doubt there's any use complaining…" I stood and started to gather some nearby sticks, along with the odd stone or two. "Help me out, we need to make a fire."

"A fire?"

"Yes. Anyone nearby should notice and help us out."

I could tell she had her doubts, but she stood and joined me. I walked back to the center of the clearing, placing down the sticks into a nice pile, surrounding it by the stones. Shortly after, Yumi came with her haul and arranged them.

It was like that for a while. Grab, place. Grab, place. By the time we were done, a pile about the size of both of our bags combined was made. By this point the clouds overhead had covered the sky and the sun had just begun to fall in the distant horizon. Quickly I grabbed two stones, rubbing them together non-stop.

Yumi watched off to the side—a mix of hope and dread all in one. Soon enough, sparks began to fly and small embers formed. With a few swift blows, a small flame began to form. Almost instantly did a slight smile appear on both our faces—followed by a laugh. One of happiness. One of survival.

As I stood, we hugged each other tighter than we ever had. But soon enough that laughter turned to concern as slight droplets began to fall. Faster and faster, did the rain come down as the fire began to dwindle. "No…" I let out, almost unwillingly as I crawled beside the fire, "No!"

Out of desperation, I crawled above it to block the rain, though the flame had long since been put out. I felt Yumi's hand gently place down on my shoulder, pulling me away from our dying savior. She walked me back to the edge of the forest, a slight smile on her face. "It was a good attempt…" she murmured. I could feel her pain as she tried to comfort me—silently dragging me back to the tree cover.

* * *

At last, the droplets of rain began to subside. We sat anxiously under a tall tree, the sky clearing up and the moon now high in the sky. Yumi laid beside me, her head placed on my shoulder and sleeping silently. Neither of us had spoken a word this entire time. We couldn't think of what to say.

Our clothes were still soaked—the downpour took not only our will but what possessions we still had. We left my bag out in the rain, still open and exposed to the elements. Yumi's bag was beside us, though also soaked and ruined.

I sat awake, too scared and worried to catch a single wink, since we had arrived here. It was only then did the slight rumble from Yumi cause herself to move again.

"Eren…" she spoke with a slight whimper, grasping her stomach in what seemed like distress. I looked at her, then back towards the soaked pile of wood out in the clearing. I knew what she was saying. I grasped her hand, leading her upwards off the ground, though soon my leg ached with pain, wobbling with my steps.

"You should rest more, Eren." Yumi blurted, gently pushing my shoulders back down, though I ignored her pleas.

"No, we can't"—I told her, wobbling towards the edge of the forest—"We can't stay here."

She seemed sad. A slight sigh escaped her mouth while looking deep into the forest. The only thing she said was a subtle "Okay." Just like that, she agreed. I began to step into the forest, Yumi closely following from behind.

With every step, it felt as if we went further and further away from society. I had thoughts of going back, but never had the courage to; forwards was all I could think of. It was like that for what felt like hours. Step by step we went deeper into something that only looked exactly the same. Step by step we found ourselves lost in the night light—shadowed over by the treetops. Our heads turned with every slight noise, every silent rustle and every wisp of wind. Throughout this the only thing I could think of wasn't society. It wasn't my home or my friends; it was our survival.

As we looked up to the sky, the dark night slowly began to grow a bit brighter. We had walked almost the entire night away. But just in the distance was a small sense of hope. A small sense of the survival I had so desperately wanted.

A fire pit—looking as if it had been burnt out completely—sat in the middle of what seemed to be the remnants of a campsite. The tents were tarnished; some even had collapsed completely. A horde of flies surrounded the site, a foul smell seemingly lingering every inch of it.

"What happened here?" Yumi asked, her voice shaking whilst slightly rubbing her arm, "You don't think wolves did this, do you?"

"I don't really want to find out..." I responded, quickly shuffling further down a worn-down path as Yumi followed from behind. It was only then did I notice a small bag—what looked like a cloth pouch just by the fire. To my own dismay, I turned and began heading back for it—though not even my own brain would know why. "Yumi, wait for me here."

In a hurry, I knelt down and grabbed the sack, just barely noticing a subtle trail leading to the back of a nearby tent. It was dry—a wet substance that had long since seeped into the ground. My own curiosity drew me closer, and the closer I got the greater an indescribable horrid scent grew.

However, I could already see it from here. Just behind the tent, maggots swarmed what looked like a shrewd figure; only small bits of red flesh remained on the corpse. A large, gaping hole was in the middle of the stomach, so deep that you could see straight through to the other side. What was left of the face was only the decomposing eyes of whomever this once was—along with an expression I couldn't hope to forget.

I couldn't help but just stare. I stared. Against every instinct in my body, I could barely move away from it. "Eren?" Yumi blurted from behind, giving me a startle as I quickly turned towards her, "What happened? Is something wrong?"

"N- no, it's nothing, really." I tried to wear a smile, a fake smile, while my mind played out scenarios on what had killed him. I could tell that Yumi was concerned, but I couldn't let her know. I couldn't bring myself to show her.

"We should probably get moving now, right?" I exclaimed, pushing her down the pathway to try and get us away from here, "If there is a camp, that means we must be close to a town or something!"

She excitedly marched down the pathway, as if the past few hours weren't filled with painful walking. Yet as I followed her, my eyes could only stay glued to the back of the tent. It was out of sight by now, but I couldn't look away. I wanted to forget and keep moving, but I couldn't. I just couldn't forget that sight.

I looked back down to the pouch, opening it up to see a small necklace. A large, green jewel was set in place at the end, the slight engraving of two blades crossed with some form of animal in the center.

Coins mostly filled the rest of the bag, save for one exception—a small photo, that of a man with what seems to be his daughter. I couldn't help but compare those smiling faces to the rotting heap of flesh I had seen before.

I tried not to seem distressed, walking down the road with Yumi. The silent night shrouded our worries with an odd sense of survival; one that I couldn't shake.

But almost unexpectedly, music began to play in the distance, talking and laughter beginning to emerge from the distance. I ran, though my legs felt as if they would give in at any moment. I ran, though I was too tired to see clearly. As I looked down the cobbled roadway. I felt my heart glitter in a way I had never felt before. We had found it. A town.

Yumi marched up from behind me, a glisten in her eye and a large smile stained across her face. I felt her hand slightly tug on my shirt as she dragged me forwards. As we entered, I could feel tears beginning to quietly fall down my face. We were alive; Broken, but alive.

Yumi gave me a slight glare, her eyes already swelling up and silent tears falling the same as mine. Almost instinctively did we embrace, drowning in each other's joy.

"Come on," I heard her whisper into my ear, pulling back and dragging my arm into the town, "Let's go home."

I nodded, running up to her side and walking silently down the streets. Lights—all strung up by wires going from building to building—seemed to be scattered all around the town; the buildings looked rather medieval European. People flooded every corner of the streets, music off in the distance of what sounded like traditional flutes and bagpipes.

Many people looked an odd breed of German and Japanese, some wearing a sort of kimono-esc outfit and small flower ornaments in their hair—the hair having a vast majority with an almost dried purple or red tint to them. However, one thing stuck out to me; They weren't speaking any language I've heard before, let alone ones that I know.

Not only that, but a slight and almost glitchy hum radiated in the background. No matter where I seemed to look, that noise never went away. Yumi seemed to notice it as well, her hands covering her ears to resist it.

With every step I took, it only seemed to grow louder. The louder it got, the more it started to crack. It sounded like white noise from deep within my mind. It would go away. A quick shadow briefly passed by me, one that I knew. My head shot towards the figure, only to see a dark hood cloaking their appearance. Almost on queue, his hand reached for his cloak, slowly turning as I peered at him in horror. It was me.

The static grew deafening. A dagger draped in blood was held in his hand. I felt my ears begin to bleed. His face was covered in a deep red, while my face morphed into despair. What once was static soon turned into an assortment of deafening tones. Without hesitation did I grab Yumi's hand, running through the streets as my ears bled—too panicked to care.

However, it became too much. I kneeled down, grasping my ears in pain as the noise persisted. It almost sounded like voices, morphing from one thing to the next. It hurt. I could feel my hands begin to tremble. Soon enough, it spread to my whole body. I'm hurt. "M- ma- k..." I murmured, my own pain morphing into whatever I could make out. "St- o- p. I don't... want... to die!"

In an instant, the noise stopped. It stopped and I was too shaken to care. I looked down at my own hands, only to see them covered in blood. I could feel it reach down to the ends of my neck. Quickly I looked around, compactly surrounded by buildings. It was an alleyway. I turned, little by little. I looked to Yumi, who lay quietly on the ground. Not a single movement. Not a single sound. Just her and the blood dripping down her face.

I felt my heart clench, slowly crawling towards her. "Yumi..." I murmured, only for no response, "Y- YUMI!" I grabbed her arm, tightly grasping it as I held her head up towards me. Her eyes were open, but didn't move. They were lifeless, with only a single tear shooting down from her bloodied face. I didn't know what to do. I sat there, thinking of that corpse in the woods. I could only compare that to us right now. What killed him.

I held her in my arms, silent streams flowing from my eyes. I could feel my own consciousness begin to lapse in and out. It was only then did footsteps echo from the alley. It was a girl—though it was too blurry to make out any details. With what energy I had left, I reached out towards her with a final cry; "Please save me."

* * *