The ruins of the old orphanage were quiet now.
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the roof, catching on the faint silver threads that still hovered in the air — the remnants of Riel's unstable power.
He sat cross-legged amid the debris, breathing slowly. Every inhale drew faint glimmers of light toward him, every exhale steadied the chaotic hum within his chest.
[Unbound Protocol — Phase II Active.]
[Stability: 47%. Synchronization Thread: Dormant.]
"Dormant…" he muttered. "So the link's asleep. Maybe that's good. Maybe I can control it now."
He opened his hand. The threads responded, swirling like strands of living energy. They bent to his will — not perfectly, but enough to move.
At his command, one thread attached to a fallen beam. Another to a cracked wall. Slowly, carefully, he pulled.
The structure shifted and settled into place, the ceiling no longer threatening to collapse.
Riel smiled faintly. "Guess I'm getting better."
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. He turned, ready to defend — but froze when he saw her.
Mira.
Covered in dust, carrying a small pack, her expression a mix of fear and relief.
"Riel! You're alive!" She dropped the bag and ran to him. "The city guards said the orphanage collapsed — they said no one could've survived!"
"I almost didn't," he admitted, scratching his neck. "Guess luck's on my side."
Her gaze flicked to the faintly glowing lines around him. "That… doesn't look like luck."
Riel hesitated. "It's complicated. The world's changing, Mira. Those Gates — they're not just random rifts. They're connected. To everything."
Mira frowned. "You mean the monsters? The disappearances?"
He nodded. "And Eren."
Her eyes widened. "Your brother? The one who—"
"—vanished the night the first Gate appeared," he finished. "He's alive. I felt him."
She looked at him like she wasn't sure if she should believe or fear him. "Riel, people don't just feel someone across worlds."
"I know. But I'm not like most people anymore."
The words hung in the air. The light around his fingers pulsed as if echoing the truth.
Mira stepped back slightly, whispering, "What are you?"
Riel looked down at his hand, at the shifting patterns that no longer obeyed the world's rules. "I wish I knew."
---
That night, they camped in what was left of the courtyard.
Mira had lit a small fire, while Riel studied the journal again. The old pages shimmered faintly under the moonlight, new lines appearing where blank ones had been.
> "When the Bound awaken, the world fractures. When the Unbound rise, the truth will follow."
He read it aloud. "The truth…"
"Truth about what?" Mira asked.
"The Architect."
Her brows furrowed. "That name again. You said it before."
Riel nodded. "He's connected to all of this. The Systems, the Gates, even… us."
The flames flickered. Somewhere beyond the forest, a low hum echoed — distant but powerful, like a pulse in the earth.
Riel stood, eyes narrowing. "That energy — it's the same as the Rift."
Before Mira could stop him, he extended his hand. Threads burst from his fingertips, vanishing into the distance, searching.
For a heartbeat, he saw through them — visions flashing before his eyes:
A ruined tower under crimson clouds. A circle of robed figures. A glowing door of symbols.
And a single voice.
"Come, Unbound. The Architect awaits."
Then the connection severed, throwing him backward. The threads snapped, the fire flickered out, and darkness fell.
Mira rushed to his side. "Riel!"
He coughed, sitting up. "I saw it. The Tower of Origin — that's where he is."
"Then we go together," she said firmly.
Riel shook his head. "No. If I lose control again, you'll be caught in it. I can't risk that."
"Then don't lose control," she shot back. "You think I'll just watch from the sidelines while the world ends?"
He stared at her for a long moment — then finally nodded. "Alright. Together."
The light from his mark flared once more, faint but resolute.
[Quest Updated: Reach the Tower of Origin.]
[Warning: Unbound signature detected — Bound interference imminent.]
Riel frowned. "Bound interference…?"
Mira looked up at the dark horizon. "That doesn't sound good."
He rose, eyes locked on the flickering threads that pointed north. "It means we're not the only ones moving."
Far away, under the shattered moonlight of Valtheris, Eren felt the same pulse — the faint echo of Riel's awakening.
And above both brothers, unseen by either, the stars shifted — rearranging themselves into a single, massive sigil.
The world itself was beginning to rewrite.
---