Arc 1 - sand and steel
CHAPTER 2 (Sideways)
Avelin dusted sand from her clothes for the third time, muttering under her breath about wasted food and falling idiots.
Eren stood beside her, forcing himself upright as pressure throbbed behind his eyes. He kept his jaw clenched, refusing to show weakness.
Only when she was convinced he wasn't about to collapse—or fall on her again—did she cross her arms and give him a long, suspicious look.
"Alright, Eren," she said. "I've got questions."
He blinked. "Okay."
"First," she said, pointing at the weapons strapped to him, "who exactly are you? And why are you carrying swords that look like they could stab a star to death?"
Eren glanced at the magma-veined katana on his back, then the shorter blade at his hip.
They felt… right.
Like extensions of himself.
That scared him.
"I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't remember where I came from. Or what these weapons are. Or even if Eren is truly my name."
Avelin studied him for a moment. Her expression softened—just a fraction.
"So let me get this straight," she said slowly. "You wake up half-buried in a dune, with no memories, glowing swords, illegal cybernetics… and no explanation whatsoever?"
"…Yes."
She exhaled and rubbed her temples. "Great. Perfect. You're either the weirdest guy I've ever met, or the universe just hates you."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice as the wind howled past them.
"I'm on a journey," she said. "I'm looking for someone who understands cybernetics."
Eren glanced down at the faint metallic lines beneath his skin. "You think I might know something?"
"Maybe not now," she said. "But if your memories come back? You might be exactly who I've been searching for."
She hesitated, then extended her hand.
This time, it wasn't to help him stand.
It was an offer.
"So," she said, "want to come with me? At least until you figure out who you are?"
Eren hesitated.
He didn't know where he belonged. He didn't know where to go. And the name Ani still echoed inside him like a wound that refused to close.
But he knew one thing.
Being alone on Titan—memoryless, armed, and hunted by questions—was not an option.
"…Alright," he said. "I'll go with you."
Avelin smiled. A real smile.
"Good," she said. "Settlement's about a two-day walk. And try not to fall on me again."
They turned and began crossing the glowing orange dunes, their shadows stretching long behind them as Titan's sun dipped lower.
---
The wind carried hot grains of sand across the dunes as they walked. Titan's sun burned low in the sky, its light filtered through a dusty orange haze.
Avelin suddenly stopped.
"…Wait. Stop."
She dropped flat at the crest of a dune, moving with practiced ease. From her pouch, she pulled out a scratched magnifier and peered through it.
Eren blinked as she vanished into the sand.
"…What do you see?" he asked.
"Come here," she muttered.
He crawled beside her. She shoved the magnifier into his hand without taking her eye off the horizon.
"There," she whispered. "Four guards at the gate. Weapon checks. Metal scanners."
Eren adjusted the lens.
Below them, a settlement rose from the desert—stone walls reinforced with scavenged starship plating, towers patched together from mismatched metal and rusted hull fragments. Medieval shapes wrapped in dead technology.
At the main gate stood four armored guards, shock-sticks at their sides, scanning travelers as they entered.
Eren lowered the magnifier.
"We could just kill them," he said calmly, as if suggesting a shorter route.
Avelin turned her head slowly and stared at him.
"…Wow," she said flatly. "Brilliant plan. Truly inspired."
He frowned. "…Was that sarcasm?"
"Oh my god, yes," she hissed. "Because if we murder the guards, Eren, the entire settlement notices."
He nodded immediately. "That makes sense."
Avelin sighed and handed him her knives and sidearm.
"I'll go in alone," she said. "There's a sewage tunnel on the west side. I open it. You bring the weapons through."
"Sounds simple," Eren said.
"It was simple last time," she muttered. "Last time went to hell. But maybe the universe likes us today."
---
AT THE GATE
Avelin slipped into the line of travelers, shoulders hunched, eyes down. Two guards waved her through without a glance.
The third didn't.
A tall brute with mismatched armor stepped closer, his gaze lingering.
"Unarmed, huh?" he said. "Why don't you come over here for a second, sweetheart?"
His hand reached for her shoulder.
Avelin's eye twitched.
Bad.
Choice.
She grabbed his wrist, twisted hard, and snapped his arm.
The crack echoed across the gate.
"AAAAAAGH—!!"
Before the other guards could react, Avelin bolted into the settlement.
"GET HER!"
"LOCK THE GATE!"
"SHE BROKE VARON'S ARM!"
She vaulted crates, slid beneath a pipe, and disappeared into a sewer hatch with a splash.
---
THE SEWAGE TUNNEL
Eren waited in the shadows, leaning against damp stone, arms full of weapons.
The grate clattered open.
Avelin burst out, breathing hard, then immediately ducked behind him as footsteps thundered through the tunnel.
"There she—!"
Eren stepped forward.
Both blades left their sheaths in one smooth motion.
Steel sang.
A helmet hit the stone and rolled to his feet.
Five seconds later, the tunnel was silent.
Eren flicked blood from the molten edge of his katana and sheathed both swords. His breathing hadn't changed.
He turned to Avelin.
"…What happened to being quiet?" he asked.
She looked away, scratching the back of her head.
"Uh… things went… sideways?"
"Sideways," he repeated.
"Very sideways."
He sighed and walked ahead.
Avelin followed, glancing once at the bodies—then quickly looking away.
She had survived monsters before.
Eren felt different. -Avelin thought to herself