Rain pattered softly against the orphanage roof, the same rhythm Riel had heard since childhood. The world outside was quiet — almost too quiet. The street lamps flickered with faint blue light, casting long shadows through the window.
He sat at his desk, flipping through an old journal — one of the few things left behind by the caretaker before she passed. Between faded ink and half-erased words, a single line caught his eye:
"When the Gates open, the Bound will awaken."
He frowned. "Bound?"
Something inside him stirred at the word — the same unease that had haunted him for days. It started the same night Eren vanished.
He couldn't explain it, but he'd felt it — like a faint tug at the edge of his consciousness. Since then, strange things kept happening. Lights flickered when he was upset. Objects moved when he focused too long. Once, he even heard a whisper calling his name when no one was there.
And tonight, the whisper returned.
"…Riel…"
He froze. "Who's there?"
No answer. Just the steady sound of rain.
Then the journal glowed faintly, its pages flipping on their own. A sigil appeared — the same circular pattern Eren had seen in the dungeon.
"System initializing…"
Riel's eyes widened. "What—what is this?"
[Warning: Unregistered user detected.]
[Sync anomaly: 0.7%]
[Link established.]
Suddenly, pain shot through his head. Images flashed — a shattered crystal, a dark cavern, a figure with silver hair fighting shadows. Eren.
He gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his chest. "Eren…?"
[Synchronization increasing.]
[User classification: Unbound.]
The word echoed in his mind. Unbound.
A surge of energy burst from his body, scattering books and cracking the window. The rain outside reversed for a moment — droplets floating upward before falling again.
[Skill Created: Reality Thread Lv.1]
He stared at the glowing text that now hovered before him. It wasn't like the normal System interface adventurers used — it was unstable, shifting shapes and symbols, as if the world itself wasn't sure he should exist.
He reached out instinctively. "Reality Thread…"
The air shimmered, and a thin, glowing string appeared between his fingertips — pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. When he tugged it, the lamp across the room flickered and then burst into light.
Riel stumbled back, breathing hard. "What… am I?"
Before he could think, a knock came at the door.
"Riel! Are you awake?" It was one of the other orphans, Mira.
He quickly waved his hand. The thread vanished, the glow fading from his eyes. "Yeah," he said, voice shaking. "Just… couldn't sleep."
She poked her head in, frowning. "You should rest. The city patrols have been acting strange lately. They said another gate appeared near the outskirts."
His heart skipped. Another gate.
"Thanks, Mira," he said softly. "I'll be fine."
When she left, he turned back to the journal. The sigil was gone — but the faint glow of the thread still lingered in the air, like a spiderweb of light only he could see.
He touched one — and in an instant, the world around him shifted.
He was standing in a desolate landscape, the sky torn with red cracks. Shadowy figures moved in the distance, whispering his name.
"Unbound… the one who breaks fate…"
His body trembled. He looked down and saw the threads stretching infinitely, connecting everything — the ground, the stars, even himself. One of them pulsed brighter than the rest, tugging toward something far away.
He knew without understanding how — it was leading to Eren.
[Connection detected: Code–ΔRiel.]
[Do you wish to follow the link?]
He hesitated only a moment. "Yes."
The world shattered again.
For a brief second, their worlds overlapped. Eren stood in the rain outside Valtheris, staring at the shard from the dungeon. Riel, miles away, stood in his small room, holding the glowing thread.
Both whispered the same word at the same time.
"Brother."
And the link flared to life.
[Dual Synchronization: Stage One.]
[Unbound System initialized.]
A bright symbol appeared across Riel's right arm — the same that burned faintly over Eren's left.
Far above them, in a space between realms, something vast watched.
"The cycle begins again…"
Then silence.
Riel awoke on the floor, drenched in sweat, the faint light of dawn seeping through the curtains. His hands still glowed faintly. The world outside seemed the same — but deep down, he knew it wasn't.
Somewhere, something had awakened inside him — something the world wasn't ready for.
And for the first time in years, he felt alive.
[Quest Added: Find the Source of the Link.]
He stood slowly, looking out the window toward the horizon. The same direction where Eren was.
"Wait for me, brother," he murmured. "This time, I'll find you."