Eren barely had time to steady himself before Jace moved again. His sword glowed with unnatural energy, the veins in his armor pulsing like a heartbeat. Each strike carried more force than before, and it wasn't just raw strength—it was something else. Something unholy.
Eren gritted his teeth as he blocked a crushing overhead swing. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, forcing him to his knees. Jace was stronger than he had ever been in life. This wasn't just him anymore.
A cold realization settled in.
This isn't Jace.Not completely.
The deities had twisted him, molded him into something else. A vessel. A puppet. Just like every champion before him.
Jace's glowing eyes bore into him, and for a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something. But the moment passed. His grip on his sword tightened. The Crucible wouldn't let him hesitate again.
"I'm sorry, Eren," Jace muttered. His voice had that same echo, the same unnatural resonance that didn't belong to him. "You should have forgotten. It would have been easier that way."
Eren forced himself to his feet. His side burned where Jace's blade had grazed him earlier, but he ignored it. He had to reach him.
"This isn't you," Eren said, his breath ragged. "You weren't like this."
Jace twitched at that. A flicker of something—recognition? Doubt? But then the glow in his eyes flared, and his expression turned blank once more.
No. They were pulling him deeper.
Eren clenched his jaw. "Jace, fight it!"
Jace's grip on his sword trembled for just a second. But then the voice came, not from his lips, but from somewhere deeper, colder. A voice that didn't belong to him.
"He is already gone."
Eren's blood ran cold. The words didn't sound like Jace at all.
"You should focus on yourself, Eren Vale. You are next."
And then Jace struck.
The sheer force of the blow sent Eren flying. He hit the ice hard, skidding across the frozen ground. His sword slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground several feet away. His lungs burned. Jace wasn't holding back anymore.
Eren struggled to rise, but Jace was already towering over him, sword raised high.
This was it.
But then—Jace hesitated.
His entire body shook, as if fighting against invisible chains. His breath came in quick, uneven gasps. The blue glow in his eyes flickered, and his sword trembled in his hands.
And then—a whisper.
Not from the deities.Not from the Crucible.But from Jace himself.
"Eren... help me."
Eren's eyes widened. The deities hadn't fully consumed him. There was still a chance.
Jace's grip tightened on his sword, his whole body tensing as if in agony. His own hands fought against him, trying to lower the blade while another force demanded he finish the job.
Eren's mind raced. He couldn't kill him. Not like this.
He had to find another way.
Because if the Crucible had stolen Jace once—Then Eren was going to steal him back.