Darkness swallowed them as the sewer gate slammed shut behind.

  Eren and Avelin moved along the narrow concrete ledge that ran beside the central channel—what once carried rushing wastewater was now nothing more than a cracked trench, a thin, sluggish ribbon of murky liquid crawling through the middle like a dying vein.

  The air was thick. Stale. Rotting.

  Avelin wrinkled her nose. “Gods… this place smells like something crawled in here to die and gave up halfway.”

  She glanced sideways at Eren.

  He was still drenched—Balor’s blood dried dark against his clothes, streaked across his arms and face, clinging to him like a second skin.

  She slowed, eyeing him up and down. “You should probably… clean yourself. You look like a walking crime scene.”

  Eren exhaled through his nose. “With what?” he muttered. “There isn’t a single usable drop of water down here.”

  He gestured toward the cracked channel. “And we didn’t exactly get the chance to buy supplies before a tyrant tried to turn us into paste.”

  Avelin scoffed. “As if we could’ve bought anything anyway. We’re broke.”

  A faint, bitter smile tugged at Eren’s lips—but it vanished just as quickly.

  He stopped.

  His head tilted slightly.

  “…Did you hear that?”

  Avelin opened her mouth to respond—

  A distant scream echoed through the sewer.

  “Help—! Someone, please—!”

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  Eren was already moving.

  “Eren—wait!”

  He vaulted off the ledge and sprinted toward the sound, boots slapping against damp concrete. The tunnel opened into a wider section ahead, lit faintly by flickering utility lights.

  There—

  A man clung desperately to the roof of a half-crushed vehicle, legs pulled tight to his chest.

  Below him, mutated crawlers skittered and hissed—too many limbs, elongated jaws scraping sparks against the metal as they clawed upward.

  The man screamed again.

  Eren didn’t hesitate.

  He whistled—sharp and piercing.

  The crawlers froze.

  Then turned.

  One of them launched itself at him, shrieking.

  Eren drew his blade in a single smooth motion.

  The crawler never landed.

  Steel flashed. The creature split midair, its body hitting the ground in two wet halves.

  The remaining crawlers shrieked—then scattered into the darkness, retreating like shadows being pulled away by fear.

  Silence returned.

  Heavy. Shaking.

  Eren stepped toward the vehicle.

  The man slid down immediately, scrambling backward, then dropped to his knees, hands raised.

  “P-Please!” he cried. “Take it—take all of it! I won’t resist, I swear! Just don’t kill me!”

  Eren frowned. “…What?”

  Before he could say more—

  Smack.

  Pain exploded at the back of his head.

  “Ow—!”

  Avelin stood behind him, hand raised, breathing hard.

  “Why did you suddenly disappear, you wheezo?” she snapped. “I almost got eaten by something with too many teeth!”

  She glanced at the man trembling on the ground. “And who is this, and why is he kneeling like you’re about to execute him?”

  The man swallowed hard. “M-My name is Silas Mercer,” he stammered. “I’m a merchant. P-Please don’t kill me—I’ll give you whatever money you want.”

  Eren sighed deeply. “We’re not going to kill you,” he said flatly. “We just saved you.”

  Silas blinked.

  “…You did?”

  His shoulders sagged in relief. “O-Oh… thank the stars…”

  Eren sheathed his blade and turned to Avelin. “Let’s leave.”

  They took a few steps—

  “W-Wait!” Silas called out.

  They paused.

  “I—uh… I can give you a ride,” Silas said quickly. “And… there’s water. You could clean yourselves. Rest a bit.”

  Eren glanced at Avelin.

  She looked back at him, then at the dried blood coating his clothes.

  “…Yeah,” she said. “That sounds like a very good idea.”

  Eren nodded once.

  “Alright.”

  Silas stood and gestured nervously toward the vehicle. “It’s… not much,” he said. “But it runs. And it’s safe.”

  Eren glanced at the RV—scarred, dented, but intact.

  Avelin didn’t wait. She climbed up first, already wrinkling her nose. “If there’s water in there, I’m not asking questions.”

  Eren followed, stepping inside after her.

  The hatch closed behind them, muting the distant echoes of the sewers.

  For the first time since the gate had slammed shut, they weren’t standing in the open.

  And as the engine hummed to life, the darkness outside began to move away—

  not because it had been defeated…

  but because, for now, they were leaving it behind.

  Sunday and Thursday at 1:00 pm GMT/UTC