Humans fear many things.
Darkness, insects, animals, the depths of the ocean… Death, hunger, disease.
But in this age, what people feared most could be summarized in a single word: Creatures.
The ship was slowly approaching the Safe Haven harbor.
The sound of waves mixed with the howling of the wind, and everyone on deck was silently looking at the sea.
It had taken one week.
One week of blood, mud, screams, and death.
And now… silence.
When the ship hit the pier, no one moved.
Even the Captain's voice, "Drop anchor!", was spiritless.
The officials waiting on the shore could not break the silence of the dead.
As Kael had said — some would not survive.
And those some were no longer here.
Eren was leaning against the deck railings, looking at the gray sky.
The cuts on his face had scabbed over, but his gaze was still dark.
Next to him, Rowan held his broken staff in his hand. He had not repaired it.
Dean was silent, his eyes fixed on the ground.
The battle was won, but their spirits were defeated.
Mira came a few steps behind.
Her voice was almost a whisper:
Mira: "Thank you… for saving me."
Eren turned and looked, smiling slightly.
Eren: "No need to thank me. We are a team."
But Dean turned his back, an icy expression on his face.
Dean: "A team? A team is only meaningful when everyone is alive."
Mira bowed her head. She did not answer.
Beyond the harbor, the stone buildings of Safe Haven appeared.
The whole city was watching this return.
The faces were familiar, but the eyes had changed —
everyone was watching those who returned from that island not as heroes, but as living curses.
As they disembarked from the ship, black-cloaked officials carrying the academy's seal greeted them.
They were writing down the names in their notebooks, one by one.
The same sentence was heard at the end of each record:
"Confirmed… returned."
Then the crowd parted in two.
A wide path opened towards the stone floor of the courtyard.
In the distance, at the top of the high stairs, stood a figure in a gold-embroidered robe —
Azrael Solarius.
He struck his staff on the ground.
His voice echoed, and even the wind fell silent.
Azrael:
"Welcome, young hunters.
Those who have returned from the Moon Eye Island trial...
You are no longer just candidates.
You are now those who have seen the darkness, faced it,
and are still able to stand here."
Azrael's voice was both soft and sharp as steel.
Azrael:
"Many of you lost your friends.
Some could not return, and some, when they returned, were no longer the same.
This… is the price of becoming a hunter."
Eren lifted his head.
He met Azrael's eyes — at that moment, the mage seemed to be reading his soul directly.
Azrael:
"Today, a new path will be opened for you.
Now is the time for choice.
You will decide how you will confront the darkness, which path you will follow."
The giant doors behind him slowly opened.
A light streamed out from inside the academy, passing through the mist and falling upon the students.
Azrael:
"Welcome... to the Safe Haven Hunter Academy."
A murmur began among the crowd.
Eren, Dean, and Rowan looked at each other.
Despite all the difficulties, they were still standing.
But one of them, silently, thought:
This was only the beginning.