The train screamed through the desert like it was running from something it couldn't see.
Rynn watched the horizon blur—sand melting into copper hills, sky too wide to fit in his eyes.
For the first time in days, no alarms, no fights. Just the steady rhythm of wheels and the dry taste of dust.
He could almost pretend the world was simple again.
Eren sat opposite him, boots on a crate, notebook open.
"Two hours," he said without looking up. "Then we jump."
Rynn blinked. "Jump?"
"The rail cuts through a valley ahead—place called Lunel. Has water, trees, no Guild scanners. Good spot to vanish."
Rynn smirked. "You do realize people usually use doors, right?"
"Doors make noise," Eren said. "Falling makes memories."
---
The Jump
By the time the train reached the valley, the sun had bled into the horizon.
Wind howled through the open freight car, carrying the scent of something alive—wet leaves, moss, rain long gone but not forgotten.
Eren tossed his pack first. "Aim for the lake."
"What lake—"
The world flipped.
Rynn hit cold water hard enough to forget his name for a second.
When he surfaced, Eren was already swimming to shore, calm as if he'd done this before (which he probably had).
---
The City of Lunel
Lunel wasn't a city on maps.
It wasn't even a proper town — more like a dream that forgot to disappear.
Built along the edge of the valley, half of it floated on the lake itself — homes balanced on metal stilts, rope bridges connecting them like a web.
Bioluminescent vines climbed the cliffs, glowing soft blue under the night sky.
The water reflected everything — lights, stars, faces — so perfectly it felt like walking inside a mirror turned sideways.
"Looks like someone dropped heaven in a bucket," Rynn whispered.
Eren smiled faintly. "Not many come here anymore. Too quiet. Too honest."
"Honest?"
"You can't hide much when the world reflects you back."
---
The Locals
They stayed in an old inn built from relic scrap.
The owner, an old woman with a prosthetic eye, didn't ask for names — just said, "You look like people who need sleep," and gave them a room that smelled of wet cedar.
That night, Rynn lay awake listening to the gentle slap of water against the stilts.
Every so often, the surface outside rippled with faint blue light — fish that glowed when they breathed.
No glass towers, no engines.
Just a sky that finally felt big enough.
He turned to Eren, who sat cross-legged by the window.
"What now?"
"Now," Eren said, "you learn what you actually are."
"Which is?"
"Someone dangerous who doesn't want to be."
Rynn groaned. "Vague as always."
"Specifics come with scars," Eren said. "Sleep. Training starts when the water's gold."
---
The Next Morning
Dawn spilled across Lunel like melted honey.
The lake turned to fire, the sky to glass.
Eren woke him with a splash of cold water and no apology.
"Rule one," he said, "Mirra's alive. Treat it like a partner, not a weapon."
"Rule two: stop glowing when you panic."
"Rule three: if you hear humming, duck."
Rynn rubbed his eyes. "What happens if I don't?"
Eren smiled. "You'll find out."
They stepped outside.
The whole town reflected in the still water beneath them — doubled, inverted, beautiful.
And for a second, Rynn wasn't sure which side was real.
---
End Scene
At dusk, they stood on a pier watching fireflies scatter across the surface like fallen stars.
"Eren," Rynn said, "what's west of here?"
"Mountains. Then ruins. Then questions you don't want answers to yet."
"So, adventure."
"So, mistakes," Eren corrected.
Then, quieter: "But maybe good ones."
Rynn smiled. "You make terrible travel ads."
Eren laughed. "I make terrible everything."
---
That night, the wind carried the faint sound of ticking — far away, deep under the earth.
Neither of them noticed.
---
End of chapter 15
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