Eren awoke feeling refreshed, it was the best sleep he had gotten in ages. He stretched his arms above his head, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

  'How long has it been since I felt like this?' He wondered idly as he climbed out of bed. His body felt light and nimble, like he was full of energy.

  Lucifer was o be found. His side of the bed was empty, save for a sie.

  ‘M my little dove, I hope you slept well. I have already left for training.

  There is a surprise for you outside, when you are ready.

  ~ Lucifer.’

  Erehe note on the nightstand and walked out of the bedroom.

  "Gah, what the fuck?" Eren excimed in shock, jumping backwards.

  Leaving the 'house', Eren was greeted by a rge figure. A giant skeleton stood before him, looming over him. Its empty eye sockets gazing down at him curiously.

  "Holy shit." Erehed, taking a step back from the creature.

  The giant skeleton was adorned in bck pte armour, c its bones pletely, save for its face. A rge staff sat in its hands, emitting a soft green glow. The pristine white skull tilted to the side as it looked down at him, staring straight into his soul. It then handed Eren a note.

  "Eren,

  Say hello to y best friend.

  He will guide you to the arena.

  See you soon.

  ~ Lucifer."

  Charon began to walk with long strides, taking rge steps down the mountain path. "Hey! Wait up!" Eren shouted after it, following close behind.

  The wind blew gently as they made their way through the wastend, the sky returo its usual overcast appearance. oved with surprising grace for a creature of such size. Its bo making a gentle g sound as it walked along the barren ground.

  The arena itself was rather lively today. A couple of spectators were scattered throughout the stands, watg ily. They were split into camps. Some were dressed in bck suits; they were seated in groups mingling amongst themselves. Occasionally casting curious g the arena.

  The other half was bck armour, sitting separately from the others. They sat in sileheir attention focused solely on the arena.

  "M, my little dove!" Lucifer beamed as Ereered the arena. He strutted over to Eren, wearing a different suit today. His blonde hair tied up into a ponytail. "Who are they?" Ereioned, pointing towards the crowd.

  "Oh those? They are felloers like us, they have heard tales of your exploits. And now they are here to witness it for themselves." Lucifer expined, waving to the crowd as they watched them.

  "Witness what?" Eren raised his eyebrow quizzically. "The reaper that bested Malphas!" Lucifer smiled, g his hands together excitedly.

  "Wait... But I didn't win." Ereed, clearly fused.

  "Well, I had to flub some details." Lucifer giggled.

  "Lucifer!" Gabriel ehe arena, strolling towards them with purpose. His sleek red suit fluttered in the breeze, his hair boung slightly with each step. The onlookers ceased their chatter, bowing their heads slightly as Gabriel passed them.

  "Why have you summoned me?" Gabriel questioned, his one unobscured eye gring at Lucifer.

  "Oh, Gabriel! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Lucifer asked, feigning innoce. "You summoned me." Gabriel retorted curtly, unimpressed by Lucifer's antics.

  "Did I? I 't recall." Lucifer mused, pretending to think.

  "I'm far too busy to be dealing with your childish nonsense." Gabriel scoffed, turning to leave the arena.

  "Wait!" Lucifer rushed frabbing Gabriel by the arm. "While you are stopping by, could you... Test Eren?" He pleaded ily, giving Gabriel his best puppy dog eyes.

  "I don't want Malphas thinking he interfere again."

  Gabriel paused, pting his request. "Fine. But quickly, I'm busy." Gabriel sighed relutly, moving towards the tre of the arena.

  Lucifer motioned for Eren to follow, the urmuring quietly to themselves. "Shall we begin?" Gabriel asked, taking up a fighting stance. Eren stood before him, gng nervously at the crowd watg them ily.

  "Fine, let's go." Eren nodded, steeling himself for what was about to e. Lucifer leaped into the stands, joining Charon.

  Gabriel charged in first, dashing towards Eren, delivering a swift strike to his stomach. Knog Eren back a few steps, winded by the attack. Gabriel followed up with a roundhouse kick to Eren's head, who dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit.

  Eren rolled backwards, gaining some distance from Gabriel. Gabriel pursued him, stomping down hard on the ground where Eren had just been.

  'Shit, he’s quick.' Eren thought as Gabriel tinued his assault.

  Unleashing a flurry of bullet like kicks. Eren blocked most of them, using his arms and forearms to defend against Gabriel's rapid strikes.

  Gabriel clearly wao be elsewhere, treating Eren with little respect. Looking to end this fight as soon as possible.

  Eren rolled away further, looking for breathing room. He swung at Gabriel with a right hook, aiming for his face. However, Gabriel easily dodged it, dug uhe blow. Kneeing him in the ribs.

  Eren staggered back, clutg his side in pain. "Is this all Lucifers training has amouo?" Gabriel sighed in exasperation.

  The brief pause allowed Eren tain his posure, sug in big ones.

  Gabriel, bored of the match, moved to finish it off. Rushing at Eren with full force, aiming another kick at his head.

  This time however, Eren caught it. Pushing his leg away, defleg the attack. Gabriel looked down at him surprised.

  'There's an opening.' Eren took the opportunity and swung a haymaker at Gabriel's head, smashing into his temple. The punch ected, stunning Gabriel for a moment. The spectators sat in silence, shocked by the oute.

  Gabriel rubbed his jaw and stared at Eren in surprise. His eyes ged, from cold aached to intrigued. He looked Eren up and down, sizing him up. "Iing..." He mused, his tousled hair still boung slightly.

  Gabriel rushed at him again, this time ung a flurry of jabs at Eren's head. Eren ducked and weaved, trying to avoid them. Gabriel was relentless, not giving him any room to breathe.

  Eren, snu a jab on his hip, causing Gabriel to falter for a moment. He used the opening to uppercut Gabriel in the jaw. The punch sent Gabriel reeling back, clutg his fa pain.

  Eren wasn't do, rushing in, preparing to finish off Gabriel. However, Gabriel recovered quickly, kig Eren iomach, knog the wind out of him.

  Gabriel's kicks were clearly his strength in this scuffle. Each blow nding with deadly accuracy, every kick powerful enough to break bone. But, Eren had bee resistant to pain. It still hurt, but not nearly as much as it did when they first started training.

  Grabbing Gabriel's left leg, Eren twisted it as hard as he could. The sound of the bones in his knee popping echoed throughout the arena. Gabriel cried out in pain, stumbling backwards, clutg his injured leg.

  Eren didn't hesitate, charging at him, returning a roundhouse kick of his own to Gabriel's head.

  "Heh." Gabriel smirked slightly, rolling out of the opping his knee bato pce.

  "Good enough now?" Eren panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

  Gabriel eyed him curiously, Eren for a moment. "Yes, I'm satisfied."

  Ere his guard down for a brief sed, allowing Gabriel to strike him across the face. Knog him to the ground, splitting his lip open. Eren staggered to his feet, spitting blood on the floor.

  "Never let yuard down, even in victory." Gabriel lectured sternly, standing tall.

  "Will you keep Malphas away?" Lucifer inquired, joining them at the tre of the arena.

  "For the time being." Gabriel nodded. "Although, he has officially requested for tutege to fall to him."

  "Will you give it to him?" Lucifer asked, sounding ed.

  "He is in... petent hands." The words almost make Gabriel gag as they left his lips.

  "Thank you, Gabriel. You have always been my favourite silver haired reaper. " Lucifer bowed his head slightly.

  Gabriel sighed, "Until ime."

  The shadows swallowed him pletely, disappearing without a trace.

  "My dear you were exceptional today!" Lucifer praised Eren happily, ruffling his hair affeately.

  "Isn't this exg?!"

  He motioned for the crowd to cheer for them. The reapers shuffled out of the stands, leaving for the day. The mai was over.

  "What now?" Eren asked.

  Lucifer stood tall, his smile widening. "Now, it's time for the encore!" He announced excitedly, throwing his arms up into the air.

  The leaving reapers stopped iracks, at the blondie’s procmation. Promptly, making their way back to the stands, finding their seats once again.

  "Your joking, right?" Eren asked, incredulous.

  "I never joke about cultivating my little dove." Lucifer spoke with fidence.

  "Fear not my little ohey won't hurt you. Much."

  Eren grimaced at that. "They, who’s that-"

  Before Eren could even begin to pohe true extent of Lucifers words, growling cut him off. From the arena's exit, shadows began to swirl like a tempest. Slowly coalesg into something... rger.

  First came the golden eyes, unblinking, and full of hatred. Followed by the ivory teeth that glinted in the light of the arena. A maw so wide it could swallow Eren whole with ease. The hulking bck shadow desded from the ethereal gateway, its paws shaking the ground with each step.

  A rge wolf emanated from the shadows. Standing at least two meters tall, and nearly five meters long. Its fur was as bck as the void, its paws g at the sand below. An insatiable hunger bore into Eren, from the depths of its eyes. It regarded him like a heel would a hare.

  "Don't go too hard on him now." Lucifer cooed. Eren was unsure if he was taking to him or the beast.

  The monster raised its nose, sniffing the air.

  "Arf!" It howled loudly, the sound pierg through the silence of the arena. The beast charged at Eren, each step sending tremors throughout the ground.

  Eren stood his ground, waiting for the beast to arrive.

  He closed his eyes, allowing his seo take over. The thundering steps of the monster echoed in his ears. He could feel its preses hatred, its hunger.

  He took a deep breath and focused oask at hand. He had fought Malphas, he had fought Gabriel. This was nothio him.

  The monster was right upon him now, its teeth gnashing and growling.

  "Now." Eren's eyes shot open, gazing into the creatures’ eyes. They were empty, devoid of emotion.

  Smming the monster's head down, Eren stomped on its head. The beast let out a pained whine as its head caved uhe boot.

  The few in the crouded quietly. All thought few, their cps eg throughout the arena.

  ***

  Every day was something new for Eren, the days of solitary sparring with Lucifer were over. He trained with an audienow, cheering at his triumphs and torments.

  Lucifer brought into the fanfare, every several days a new beast would ehe arena. A behemoth with huge teeth, a multi headed hydra, even a massive golem made of rod debris. Every one of them fought with a ferocity that nearly tore Eren limb from limb. But every time, without fail, Eren would win out.

  The spectatrew rger and rger each day, filling up the stands in no time. They came to see the would-be reaper take dowure after creature. The event had bee quite popur, drawing quite a crowd. The oertai in a wastend of endless nothing.

  Time flew by in an instant, with Eren standing atop a retly defeated Cockatrice, a lizard-like creature with rge feathered wings. It's neow y broken, head hanging limp at an awkward ahe crowd at its pinnacle, r with thunderous appuse.

  Eren rose up, breathing heavily as blood dripped from his wounds. Sweat beaded on his brow as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He had long since brought into the spectacle, basking in the adoration of his audience. He raised his arm high into the air, presenting the falleure to the crowd.

  "You want more!" He roared. "Are you ertained!?" He threw his raven hair back, gazing into the crowd as they ted his name.

  "Eren! Eren! Eren!" They screamed and cpped, rattling the stands. The arena became alive with energy, the spectacle bringing a new sense of life to the pce.

  All except for Malphas, who sat quietly iands, gring down at Eren, his expression unreadable.

  Although, behind his mask of indifferenething lurked.