Humans fear many things.
Darkness, insects, animals, the depths of the ocean…
Death, hunger, disease.
But in this age, what people feared most could be summarized in a single word: Monsters.
The tower was silent. Only the sound of the wind passed through the stone walls. That howl was the constant whisper of the Silver Tower; as if even the walls were afraid to leak what was happening inside.
Eren Dusk Haven and Raphael descended to the courtyard after Dusk. A huge bonfire was burning in the middle. The flames were alive, but the faces of the people were dead. Everyone was silent. This was not a celebration fire, but a fire of mourning.
Raphael leaned his head and muttered. His voice was lost in the crackling of the fire. "Is this our second strongest team? Morale zero. It's as if eighty people died, not eight."
Cain was sitting right next to the fire. He was squeezing a stone, turning it over and over with his hands, as if the stone was absorbing all the tension inside him. His face was tense but nonchalant. His eyes shone with the reflection of the fire.
Cain: "What did you expect? Eight upperclassmen died, you idiot freshman. Every death in this tower is the beginning of the next hunt. We don't have the luxury of mourning."
Raphael shrugged and sat down next to Cain. Raphael began to stretch out where he sat, as if trying to escape all this tension. "I forgot, I apologize. I guess you were pretty close."
Cain let out a short laugh, but even that laugh was cold, a metallic sound. "Close? This is not a family, Raphael. This is a hunting ground. The dead were the weak link. It's that simple."
Milo had his eyes closed, looking up at the sky without saying anything. As if he was looking for a peace in the stars that was not in this tower. Arlo, on the other hand, stood in front of the fire with his hands in his pockets. His body was motionless, like a statue. Eren stood a little further back. He was watching everyone around him. Everyone's face bore the marks of what happened that night. Dusk stood far away, in the shadow. His face was not visible, only the shadow under his feet seemed to be waving as if it were alive, constantly changing shape.
Arlo: "Don't mind what he says, he locked himself in his room and cried for an hour when he heard the news. We look out for each other here, don't worry."
Eren took a deep breath and whispered to himself. His voice was so low that only he could hear it. "I thought I would get better when I came here, but I was wrong. If I had known this place would be so dark, I probably wouldn't have come."
Just then, a cheerful and nonchalant voice broke the silence around the fire.
Leila: "Is something wrong? Or is this our team's new meditation technique?"
Eren flinched. He turned in the direction of the voice. In front of him stood a girl who was clearly an upperclassman, with a relaxed demeanor. Her hair was messy, and she wore a loose cloak. Her face had a nonchalant expression that did not suit the gloom of the situation. It was as if the tension here did not affect her at all. The girl seemed to notice Eren looking at her: "Hey, is something wrong?"
Eren cleared his throat. Eren: "Ehm, ahem... No, no. I was just… looking around. Uh… who are you?"
The girl took a step towards Eren. Her eyes caught the slight tension on Eren's face.
Leila: "You're one of the newcomers, aren't you? That 'anything can happen at any moment' tension is only found in freshmen. I'm Leila. Second year. What's your name?"
Eren smiled shyly. "I guess you're right. Uh… my name is Eren."
Leila took a step towards the fire, then suddenly turned back. "I'm going for a walk. I need to pick some blue berries. These berries are perfect for balancing the mood. Especially in this tower, maintaining sanity is worth its weight in gold."
Milo: "I think those berries are poisonous. Or at least they must be something like a drug." Leila: "You look like you're the ones who've been poisoned."
Eren immediately seized the opportunity. This was a chance to escape the tense atmosphere.
Eren: "It's pretty dangerous around here. There was a werewolf attack just now. I'll come with you."
Leila gave Eren a surprised look but did not object. In her eyes, there was more curiosity about Eren's tension than about his offer of protection. "Alright, my knight in shining armor. Come on. But let me tell you a secret: the greatest danger in this tower is not outside, but inside."
Together, they walked from the courtyard of the Silver Tower towards the sheltered garden. The garden was lost in the fog. Leila came to a bush with blue berries and began to pick them.
Leila: "These berries are perfect for balancing the mood. Especially in this tower, maintaining sanity is worth its weight in gold. You should pick some too. You'll need it."
Eren watched her as she picked the berries. "You… why are you here? I mean, you're so relaxed… it's as if what's happening in this tower doesn't affect you at all."
Leila smiled as she filled a small pouch with the berries in her hand. That smile was the most sincere and at the same time the saddest smile Eren had ever seen.
Leila: "My story is a little different. My parents were merchants. Some of the biggest merchants in Safe Haven. They were constantly on the road. I hardly ever saw them. My family was just a name to me."
Leila paused. Her eyes drifted into the distance. "I have a special ability. High Sense. It emerged a few years ago. I can perceive people's emotions, the quality of a commodity, everything. Whether a merchant is lying, the true value of an item… Everything was like a color, a smell to me. My parents used this ability in their business. They constantly carried me with them. After a while, feeling everyone's emotions… became suffocating. Feeling everyone's greed, lies, fears… it exhausted me. On top of that, my family, who wouldn't look at my face before my ability emerged, started to keep me close."
"Then I saw the hunters. Their freedom, their ability to carve their own destiny… I was impressed. They had learned to hide their emotions. Next to them, I felt safer. And I came here. To carve my own path. To learn to control my own emotions. By the way, don't worry, I can control my ability now that I've trained at the academy. When I use it, my eyes turn completely black, you'll know it when you see it."
Leila tied the pouch. Her eyes met Eren's. Leila: "What about you, Eren? What's your story? You're so tense, it's as if you're carrying the weight of the whole world on your back."
Eren took a deep breath. He was about to open his mouth and tell her about the curse behind the Dusk Haven surname, the dark past of his family…
Kayra's voice was heard. Her voice came from the fog.
Kayra: "Eren! I came back early. Come on, let's pack our things. Deputy Captain Dusk told us to return to our rooms."
Kayra emerged from the fog with a lantern in her hand. Her face was tense. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Leila.
End of Chapter.