The morning sun had barely risen over Umbra Citadel, yet the Fading Crescent manor was already alive with movement. Eren's younger sisters tumbled through the halls, their small feet echoing across polished stone floors, laughing and jostling each other as they prepared for the long day ahead.
Eren adjusted the straps of his survival kit, twin daggers at his side. He had been ready for this moment since he could remember—the Trial of the Crescent Moon. Yet the warmth of home, the comfort of family, pressed against the edge of his consciousness like a tether to a simpler world.
"Eren! Wait for us!" His sisters shouted, bounding to keep pace with him as he approached the Fading Crescent gate. "We're coming with you!"
"You can't," Eren said, though his tone carried only gentle authority. They ignored him, clinging to his arms, pressing questions about his training and whether Darek had been too harsh. His mother arrived with his father taking the initiative. His mother smoothed his hair back and whispered a soft blessing.
"You'll do well, I know it," she murmured, pressing a hand to his cheek.
Darek, the clan leader and Eren's father, emerged from the main hall, a tall figure exuding calm authority. He placed a hand on Eren's shoulder, firm but proud. "Your path begins now," he said. His voice held no warmth in training, but in these final moments, there was pride shining beneath the stern surface.
Eren inclined his head respectfully, a silent acknowledgment. His sisters tugged at his sleeves one last time, and then, with a mixture of laughter and tears, they stepped back, letting him pass.
"See that you survive, eldest," Darek said quietly, his gaze steady.
Eren nodded. "I will."
The gates of the citadel loomed ahead, massive iron structures etched with the sigils of every major and minor clan. A crowd of parents, siblings, and clan elders had gathered to witness the departure.
Eren bowed sharply, and with a final nod, he was gone.
GRAND CITADEL HALL
Hours later Eren arrived the grand hall,
The grand sparring hall of Citadel was cavernous, vaulted ceilings echoing with the tension of over a hundred twelve-year-olds. Stone columns carved with the histories of each clan stretched overhead, flickering lights spread across, polished floors worn smooth by centuries of training. The scent of oiled leather, cold steel, and iron filled the air, mingling with nervous anticipation.
The Crescent Moon insignia on Eren's cloak drew snickers and quiet mutters.
It didn't bother him.
A boy from a powerful clan sneered, stepping into his path with an air of entitlement. "The runt of the Crescent Moon? What are you even doing here?"
Eren didn't speak. His cold, iron-grey gaze met the boy's, unflinching, and the silent weight of his presence made the other boy step back. A hush ran through the immediate circle, subtle but palpable—the first notice of the Crescent Moon prodigy.
Some candidates, observing from nearby, took note.Neither spoke, but their attention lingered, a subtle acknowledgment that this boy, from a lesser clan, was not to be ignored.
The magistrate's gong echoed through the hall. The crowd stilled, the air thick with tension.
"Children of the Shadow," the amplified voice announced. "You stand at the threshold of the Trial of the Crescent Moon. Beyond these gates lies the Forest of the Dead,a forest that has claimed hundreds of candidates before you. You will face the elements, each other, and creatures that dwell inside it. For seven days and you will survive these."
The magistrate raised a hand, signaling the iron-banded gates at the end of the hall to be opened.
"Your objective is simple, each of you possesses a clan crest within the forest for the seven days and nights, each of you are to gather as much of it as you can by obtaining them from the others by any means necessary"he paused.
The gates creaked open, revealing a wall of swirling white. The blizzard of the mountains had descended, carrying the scent of frost and danger.
"Begin" the Magistrate said rounding up his speech
Like a flock of terrified birds, the hundred and twelve children surged forward, sprinting into the blinding, freezing chaos.
The transition was instantaneous. The relative warmth and order of the Sparring Hall vanished, replaced by a maelstrom of wind, snow, and biting cold. The sound of the gates slamming shut behind them was like the sealing of a tomb.
Eren didn't stop. He didn't look back,he pushed through the deep snow, his body low, using the swirling snow as cover. Shouts and screams erupted almost immediately to his left and right.
The first, frantic clashes as paranoia and ambition ignited violence.he ran for what felt like an hour, his lungs burning with the cold, until the sounds of the initial skirmish faded behind him. He found a small, semi-sheltered alcove under the massive, snow-laden roots of an ancient, petrified tree. He crouched, his breath pluming, and listened.
The forest was unnaturally silent, the snow muffling all but the loudest sounds. The trees were grotesque,their branches like skeletal claws reaching for the iron-grey sky. This was the Forest of the Dead and he could feel it.
He didn't have long to rest. Suddenly he heard a crunch on the snow, too deliberate to be the wind
Eren slid his daggers into his hands while accessing his surroundings. A boy, larger than him, from one of the lower clans, emerged from the white curtain. He held a short sword, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement.
"The Fading Crescent runt," the boy sneered, his voice trembling slightly. "It's your lucky day you're going to be my first kill."
While the boy was busy talking Eren had already made his move by the time the boy noticed he was already one foot away from him.Time seemed to slow down as his daggers met the boys sword mid motion to Eren who saw the boy he could see just where his sword would land before he made a move.It was the same sense that had let him dodge his father's training blows.
His left dagger deflected the sword, not with force, but with a precise twist that sent the boy off-balance. His right dagger flashed forward, a simple, brutal thrust into the boy's exposed throat.
The boy's eyes bulged, a gurgle escaping his lips as he collapsed into the snow, the white powder instantly blooming a brilliant, shocking crimson red.
Eren stood over him, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had just killed someone,The cold wind howled around him, but the louder storm was inside.
I wanted to avoid this…
I swore I would leave violence behind.
But here I am on the first day.… and the past comes crawling back like a shadow that refuses to die.
He stared at his hands, still warm from the kill.
No matter the world.
Blood always finds me.
He wiped the blade on the snow, watching the crimson smear vanish in the white frost.
Maybe this is what I am.
Maybe it's the reminder that I can't outrun what I used to be.
But then he exhaled slowly, controlled breath that steadied the tremor beneath his ribs.
Sentiment won't keep me alive and wishing won't change anything until I become the master of the board.
He crouched, taking the fallen boy's clan crest rations, water, and anything useful.
If sin must cling to me, then let it be one more burden I carry out of this forest alive.
I'll change my fate after I survive this one.
He rose,his eyes cold and focused.He wiped his dagger clean on the snow, his hands steady despite the turmoil inside.
As dusk began to fall, turning the world a deep, ominous blue, Eren found a higher vantage point,a thick low branch of a giant ironwood tree. He assessed his position,he noted mentally that he was near the center of the forest, a dangerous place to be.
From his perch, he saw a brief, violent flash of light in the distance,a surge of deep purple energy that crackled with unnaturally. It was gone in an instant, but the air itself seemed to shudder. A moment later, a scream, cut short, echoed faintly through the trees. It was a scream of pain sheer, soul-rending terror.Suddenly, a new sound reached him. A low, chittering noise, like a thousand marbles grinding together. It was coming from below, from the base of his tree. He looked down.
The snow was moving. A swarm of creatures, each the size of an ant, was emerging from a burrow. They were Frost Ants.
They hadn't noticed him yet. They were swarming over the corpse of the boy he had killed, reducing it to bone in a matter of seconds.
Eren froze, melding into the shadows of the branch. This was the Forest of the Dead. And his first day had only just ended. The blizzard continued to rage, a blanket that would cover the bloodshed of the night to come. He was surrounded by death from every corner and this was just the beginning.