The last few nights had been heavy, with ash clouding the air and blocking out the moonlight, but that night was anything but ordinary. Silence pervaded the area, even though the winds moved slowly, carrying with them the scent of ash and burning lightning.
Eren sat atop a simple watchtower they had built from burnt timber, watching the horizon, concealing the movements of the shadows, while Leylin lit a small fire in the central courtyard to warm the children. Their weary eyes watched the flames as if they held a final reassurance in this dark world.
At that moment, the winds suddenly stopped. Eren felt an emptiness in the air, as if the earth's breath had ceased, and a sense of danger swept over him that he hadn't felt since his first encounter with the ash.
He said in a low voice, "Leylin... something is coming."
Leylin couldn't respond before a strange chill swept through the winds, carrying with it the smell of rot and ancient ash, followed by the echo of faint screams as if coming from deep within the earth.
A sharp scream erupted from one of the guards:
The shadows... are coming!
From behind the burning rocks and trees, shadows emerged, but they were unlike previous times. This time, they were denser, their bodies clearly formed into humanoid shapes, tall and slender, their red eyes glowing against the black night.
The first shadow charged the wall. Leylin quickly advanced and unleashed a small fireball, but it didn't stop it. The shadow pierced the fire, leaving behind black smoke as it climbed the stones.
Leylin unleashed a second, larger, hotter fire, finally scorching it. But before it could fade, a loud scream pierced the air, followed by waves of more shadows advancing.
Eren leaped from the tower, landing in the center of the courtyard, and reached out to catch the wind. The air thickened, forming a moving wall that held back the first waves of shadows. However, he felt the wind's weight tonight, as if the ash was weighing it down, weakening its intensity.
"They don't burn easily... These Shadows are stronger!" cried Leylin, fighting the Shadows with her fire.
"We must hold on!" replied Eren, unleashing his wind blades.
The survivors gathered behind the inner wall. Some men wielded spears, stabbing the Shadows climbing the walls, while the women threw burning stones to deter any approaching Shadows.
But the Shadows continued to flow, like an endless black sea, wrapping themselves around the Wall, choking the air with the smell of hot ash.
Eren reached up to the sky and unleashed a small storm, momentarily scattering the approaching Shadows. Leylin lit fires along the Wall, illuminating the darkness and slowing the advance.
Amid the chaos, a massive Shadow pounced on Eren, striking him with a black mass of solid ash, knocking him back. He fell to his knees, his ears ringing as if the darkness were consuming the light within him.
Leylin ran towards him, unleashing a thick flame that burned the massive shadow. She grabbed his hand to help him up. "Don't fall now... they need you."
Eren raised his head, his eyes flashing with lightning for a moment. He regained his balance and said in a low but determined voice, "I will not fall... not tonight."
He raised both hands, gathering the wind around his body. A powerful wave of air rushed across the courtyard, knocking the shadows off the walls. Then he turned to Leylin and said, "Light up the night."
Leylin closed her eyes, focused the fire in her palms, then raised her hands to the sky, releasing a column of golden flame that pierced the black night. It lit up the sky for a moment, causing the shadows to recede slightly from the light and heat.
Everyone took a deep breath in that brief moment of light before the night engulfed them again. But hope remained, amidst the fire and wind.
The battle continued until dawn. As the first light broke through the black clouds, the shadows slowly receded, melting into the ash, leaving behind a scorched earth and hearts still beating despite the smoke.
Eren sat on the charred wall, watching the survivors begin to repair the damage. Leylin approached and sat beside him. She looked at her hands, slightly burned from the overuse of the fire, and said, "We've held on... but how long will we remain like this?"
Eren replied, watching the smoke rise, "Until the end... until no more ash remains to engulf us."
As the ash drifted through the air, they both knew that the battle of the Black Night was only just beginning, that the shadows would return stronger, and that with each night, the Ash Lord would take one step closer to completing his awakening.
But in that moment, with the fire still unquenched and the wind still whirling despite the ash, there was hope... even if only in the ashes of the night.