'Home'

  The word echoed throughout his mind. A word so simple, yet the implications beyond uanding. A word long fotten, lingering in the back of the sciousness. Eren would not miss the eternal duhe silenor the cold pany.

  Home was within reaow

  Eren's body moved with purpose aermination. The familiar ndmarks appeared as they approached the end. Charon silently followed Eren, attempting to match his pace.

  The temple grew closer and closer, Eren picked up speed, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

  Lucifer stood at the entrance, golden locks his first wele to the realm of the living; now the final light at the end of the tunnel.

  "Eren, you pleted it, well done." Lucifers voice filled with a sense ency. As he quickly ushered him inside. Something was wrong.

  "Yes, I got this ring-"

  "It looks geous Eren, e, e let’s get you home." Lucifer interrupted, dragging him by the hand.

  "Lucifer... I just want to say thank you-"

  “Eren, darling, you thank me when you get home." His eyes shifting around the room, fearful and alert. The stress of his nonce being more apparent.

  "What's wrong? You usually start gloating about yourself now." Eren asked with suspi.

  "There's time floating ter. We must go. Now!" Nearly ripping his fingers off as the weaved through the line of souls.

  "Lucifer! Tell me what is going on!" Eren demanded.

  "Malphas knows you have the ring." Lucifer spoke quickly.

  A sudden gust of wind blew through the chamber, the sound of beating wings s dowunnel.

  "Dam, Stay behind me." Lucifer anded, bag up slowly. Lucifer charged his body with magi anticipation for a fight.

  "You ot not be allowed to leave." Malphas growled, nding with a thud, crag the floor.

  The facade of apathy and calm is cracked; wraith and vengeance leaking into his words.

  "Eren, you have to go, I'll buy you some time." Lucifer ordered, attempting to push Eren away. Eren stood firm, refusing to leave Lucifer aloo fight the loathsome reaper.

  "Do not interfere!" Malphas snarled.

  Malphas’ wings spread wide; feathers sharpened into points. He unched himself forward, rapidly beating his wings, ung him towards the duo.

  Lucifer stood between, materializing a halberd of darkness. The obsidian bde glimmered in the faint light, spinning it above his head. Malphas' wings bludgeoned Lucifer as he dodged the ining blow, tug in to a roll. He propelled himself upwards with his free hand, striking at Malphas' unguarded back.

  Malphas twisted his body, avoiding the strike, a feather slig across Lucifer's cheek.

  "Go!" Once more Lucifer pleaded with Eren.

  The reaper was stu two minds, leave, return home to his family, ht using all the skills he has leant. The ring helped him with his decision, vibrating with iy, whispers crept into his mind.

  'Fight.' They anded. 'Do not run, show no fear. Feed me.'

  "We'll fight together," Eren stated with vi.

  "What? No! This is not your battle, go! Charon take him." Lucifer roared, Malphas used the distra to knock Lucifer down with a swing of his wing.

  Instinct driveendrils burst forth, snaking along the ground. Looking to fuel its hunger once more. Malphas darted through the bck mass, expert precision in his movements, like practice paying off after turies.

  "No more tricks, Eren." Malphas reached him, dagger slig his fingers off. Blood spurted from the stumps.

  "ARRRGHHHH! Damn it!" He cursed, stumbling back clutg his five bloodied stumps, Malphas raised his dagger once more.

  "You should have left when you had the ce."

  Malphas thrust the bde forward, aimed at the heart. Expeg another revive, Eren braced.

  However, Charon blocked the strike, diverting the course of the dagger. The sharp edge only slig a shallow cut across his chest.

  "You too ferryman, you would see chan?" Malphas growled. Lucifer rejoihe fight, standing by Charon's side.

  "Eren, I'll not ask again. Your time is done here. Leave!" Lucifer ordered.

  The process of the afterlife came to a halt, the dead, reapers, and the guardians of the dammed watched on. Whispers filled the chamber, anticipation brewing within the souls.

  Lucifer and Malphas cshed, a deadly dance of bdes. Swings and parries, steel on steel, the etal ringing out across the chamber. Feathers spinning through the air like shrapnel, slig through bone and flesh. Charon stayed back, keeping an eye on Eren, prepared to defend his charge at any moment.

  Eren, finally uood that he had to leave. Gathering his severed fingers, ing them in a bundle of torn shirt.

  Lucifer summoned his wings taking to the sky; Malphas doing the same. Higher and higher until eyes level, the duel tinued. Lucifer used his halberd to block the ining strikes, the dagger cutting deep into metal with each strike.

  This was his ce, Eren rushed to the tral gate. Home was within reach. The eyes of the temple split betweetle above and the ses below. The familiar red suit of Gabriel standing by, watg over all.

  Lucifer closed in ready to deliver a deadly blohas swiftly dogged, leveraging his wings like a scythe, severing one of the blonde reaper’s wings.

  Lucifer let out a deafening scream, plummeting towards the ground, limp wing following behind.

  Landing at the foot of the gate, several bounces along the marble floor, apanied by the siing cracks with each bounce. Lucifer barley able to move. Bones broken, ans crushed, flesh marred by cuts and bruises. Lucifer got to one knee breathing heavy, blood dripping from his mouth.

  "Charon! help him!" Eren ordered. The giant reaper nodded in aowledgement, walking over to assist his felloer.

  Malphas nded behind the blonde reaper. His own injuries showing; wounds leaking crimson across his face, eyes red as blood.

  "You...won't...win." Lucifer breathed out weakly.

  "A you sit below me, broken." Malphas raised his dagger.

  Eren and Lucifer made brief eye tact, a wink from the blonde reaper before closing his eyes, preparing himself for what was to e.

  The dagger desded, cutting through Lucifers neck, head nding with a thud.

  Eren froze, watg as the blonde reaper disied into nothing. Malphas slowly turo face Eren, stepping forward. Each step with more purpose tha. Eyes burning with hate aermination. Charon charged ready to take his friends pce, even though he was not as adept at fighting.

  Eren aralysed, legs shaking, body bug beh its ow. A memory that he had not thought of in years. Kyo's head rolling along the ground; Lucifers falling the same way.

  Everything was numb, cold creeping through every inch of him. 'I'm going to die; I've e so far and it all means nothing.’

  Charon tried to fight, but romptly knocked across the room, smming into the gate's entrance. His back splintering apart, rge ks of bone scattering across the floor.

  "You have nothi!" Malphas rasped. "You have failed."

  'Fight...' The whisper returned, although these weren't the whispers of the ring. A voice long since fotten by Eren. Only ever hearing it through one versation.

  Death whispered into his mind.

  'Fight... for the ones who live... The ohat died... the ohat loved you...' Ethereal voices rippled through his mind.

  "You've already killed me a thousand times, a I'm still here!" Eren screamed out, red mist billowing around him. Whip dang above his head, dang to the symphony of pain, anger, and fear.

  Malphas snorted. "And the fault is mine, I thought if I could break you...I would spare you and all the worlds a great deal of pain." The wraith was worn, exhausted from battle. His breathing boured.

  Eren straightened, whip coiled.

  Malphas steadied himself, malice burning deep in his eyes. "No more talk, I've grown tired of you. Your demise shall be my st gift."

  Dagger raised high, charging forward with heavy wing strokes. The tip of his bde angled down towards the tre of Eren's chest.

  Eren ducked uhe attaarrowly missing the bde by an inch. He rolled backwards befetting to his feet, his body felt like it was moving on its own, dodging every attack without hesitation. Sneaking in whip strikes between attacks.

  "We took his family...Use it." The ring echoed from his severed finger.

  "Are you going to seo hell... To meet your family?" Eren growled out. Malphas halted mid swing, the words causing him to pause.

  "What did you say?" He replied, the anger fring in his tone.

  "Imagine if your family could see you now? What would they see?"

  "You know nothing-"

  "But I do, I know who you are. You're a coward, a pathetic, cowardly mutt. Who couldn't protect his family and failed ih too." Eren quipped, barb coated words stig into Malphas' skiions he had not felt in years; grief, sorrow, shame, guilt, and fear welled up inside him. A feeling that had long since passed within the gaunt reaper.

  "Stop talking." He roared out, throwing himself forward, e Eren's words. His bde stabbing towards Eren's chest once more.

  However, it only hit air, Eren sidestepping the attack, dug uhe wings. Using the momentum to nd a solid strike aalphas' back, knog the reaper off bance.

  Malphas had bee sloppy in form, emotioing the better of him. But still a threat, each csh with the whip only stoking the fire inside him. Malphas was blinded by lost emotions, face torted into a mask of anger and hate. He spat out the blood from his mouth, fury igniting the fires once more. His eyes burning bright red.

  Charging in, this time the ring intervened. A visage of white fire projected the surrounding area. "No... No." Malphas spoke softly. Using the distra Eren, with precision sshed Malphas' eye. The strike cutting through, blinding one side. Bed blood flowing from the open wound.

  Malphas cried out, dropping to his knees, hand clutg the open wound. The white fire still caused greater distress. Eren gave him no quarter, jumping back to create distance.

  Unfurling his whip, sshing at the blind spot. The sh finding its mark, tearing deep into the skin. Again, and again deep cuts ran along Malphas' torso. Screams of pain grew louder and louder with each strike.

  "Stop!" He pleaded. "Please!" Blood dribbled from his mouth, falling down his chest. His movements were slowed, uo stand tall any longer.

  Eren paused the attack, hand held high in the air. Whatever the white fire was, it had done what bdes could never do. Pity flooded through him; this wasn't the way Eren wa to end.

  'Let him be free.' Eren thought to himself.

  After pausing to think, he readied for one final attack. To end his misery. Bring the hook down aiming for his neck.

  "I thought you lost your humanity?" Malphas' low growl caught Eren of guard. The whip was caught before it could ect. It seemed like Malphas had regained his strength, gripping the bone whip tightly.

  Malphas forcefully pulled Eren forward, spinning and smming him down to the ground.

  "You thought you could kill me and my family!"

  "What? I didn't-" Malphas smmed again, marbled floor breaking off in ks. Eren coughing up blood, vision blurry from the sudden shock.

  "I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Malphas grabbed a k of marble, crushing Eren's face. Bones bending uhe impact, Eren could feel a couple of teeth in the back of his throat. Malphas kept his grip on the reaper. tinuing to bash his head into the floor. Eren spat out his brokeh. Taking another flick with his whip, desperate to stop this madman.

  Malphas once more caught it, his wings fpped harder and harder, lifting himself up from the ground. Eren's arm yaowards the madman. Faster and faster until both reapers were off the ground, h above the marble.

  The air rushed by; their surroundings became a blur of motion. "I'm sorry my family, I've failed you all! But I make sure he never hurts anyone else ever again." Reag the top of the spire, the crazed reaper releases his grip on the bone whip.

  Eren plummeted towards the marble floor below. With o strike, Eren tched his whip around Malphas' neck. With every ounce of strength left, he tighte as hard as he could. Whip digging deep into his throat. The two falling like a meteor towards the marble floor.

  Malphas trolled it as best he could, flying up, down, side-ways, anything to keep himself away from the floor.

  "Let...go...you...monster." He gasped out, desperately trying to free himself from the binds.

  "Not this time." Eren replied, pulling down even harder on the whip. Malphas spiralled out of trol, colliding with the side of the gate, a deafening crack filled the chamber.

  Eren's body collided with the marble floor, shattering his left leg on impact. The collision had forced the tart, Eren's whip rattled along the ground. The air was knocked from his lungs, struggling to take in air.

  He rolled onto his back, pain searing through his body, the numbness slowly creeping through.

  'It's done.' He thought to himself. With his one good leg he limped to his final goal. Malphas y on the far side of the room, wings mangled and broken, just barely hanging on.

  The gate was so close now, the energy from the ring swirling around him, emp him to finish this trial.

  However, the onlookers painted a different picture, horror.

  "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A r out across the chamber. Malphas rose, wings fallen away, eyes are now a dark red colour, the veins in his eyes and his face are bck. His appearance had ged; Teeth sharper and more jagged, his kept hair longer and ged to white, and his body is taller and more muscur than before.

  'I tried.' Thought Eren before the neinned him against the side of the gate. Hot breath washed over his face. Death's odour filled his nostrils.

  Heavy punches rain down upon Eren's already battered body, breaking his nose, jaw, blood spurting with each impact. The blows tinue all over Eren's body, ribs breaking and ans rupturing.

  "NO! You! Will! Not! LIVE!" Each word, punctuated by a blow. The world around began to vanish once more, like the very first time he died. It eaceful despite the blows, Eren couldn't feel anything anymore.

  'I was so close, I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you.' He thought before closing his eyes, awaiting what was to e. A, nothing came, faint shapes were visible in the distance. His sciousness fading in and out, slowly being a speck of light in the dark.

  The beast was held high in the air, Lord Azazel had arrived. The fight was over, a god had intervened.

  "Gabriel..." With out specification, Gabriel began to heal Eren. Vision slowly rec with each pulse of Gabriel's palm.

  Malphas dropped to his knees, suit in tatters, flesh bruised and bloodied, nth left to fight. His wounds not healing as they should, remaining open and exposed.

  "You have lost... Eren will leave for the living and you... shall remain."

  "The ring..." Malphas mao breathe out, barely above a whisper. "It ot go back..." He reached for it weakly, using his st remaining strength.

  Lord Azazel interrupted him.

  "You lost; the ring is Eren's to keep." His to, apathetic to the creature's plight. Malphas turo face Ere time.

  "I tried to save you... from a life of endless death... One day you will end up here; on your knees, beggih for salvation..." His voice fading into the background noise of the temple.

  Azazel reached down, a hand to help Malphas to his feet. The defeated Reaper swatted it away, instead pig up a broken piearble.

  Malphas looked at the others in the chamber, his eyes-only veying sorrow.

  "No... more." A feeble attempt to attack Azazel is meet with his Lord easily overp him. Summoning his scythe, one ssh killing him. Body turning into the ashen dust from a diagonal cut across his chest.

  Malphas was no more.

  Ereuro full form, sitting up right with ease. His broken body whole once more, cuts healed and blood ed. As good as new.

  "You have done well... Reaper Eren." Azazel spoke calmly.

  "It has been many years since I've seen one of my own rises to greater heights." His tone as ral as ever. Despite the death of one of his own, Azazel did not show any sign of remorse or sorrow.

  Gabriel was o speak. "Now is your time to return to the living world. May you make good use of the gift we bestowed upon you." Eren took o look at Gabriel and Azazel. Ready to take his pce among the living.

  "Wait, what about-" The idiotic smirk of Lucifer caught his attention.

  Lucifer appeared, seemingly from nowhere. He walked over to stand with Azazel and Gabriel.

  "My Eren, how far you have e. You have made the luckiest reaper in the nd. Oh, I could cry tears of jht now." Lucifer spoke excitedly.

  "Why are you here?" Eren asked curiously. He saw the man die, death at the hands of a reaper felt like a perma demise.

  "You 't kill me, I'm too beautiful to die." His voice had returo normal, any signs of stress and fear now vanished.

  "Lucifer. Stop wasting Eren's time. It's time for him to leave." Gabriel anded.

  "Yes, yes of course. It is time, go forth my little dove, I will be seeing you soon." He winked before turning to Azazel and Gabriel.

  "Thank you for everything, Lucifer." Eren whispered softly.

  Lucifer looked bad smiled at the young reaper. "No, thank you fiving me a friend."

  "You too Charon, thank you." A thumbs up from the broken reaper was hall he could muster. Although, his thumb lit in half.

  Stepping through the gate, Eren vanished; with a fsh of light, Eren is gohe onlookers returo their duties, souls returning to the line, reapers to their jobs.

  Back to the grindstone of processing and diligence