Reincarnated Into A World Of Elves As The Only Man-Chapter 72: The Void Between Worlds

The darkness surrounding Eren gave way to... nothing.

Not blackness, not shadows, not even the empty void that lay between realms. It was a peculiar absence—the lack of anything that could be perceived by mortal senses. No sound, no light, no texture beneath his feet. Even the air had no temperature, as if the concept of hot and cold had never existed here.

Eren’s eyes strained in the emptiness, seeking something—anything—to fix upon. His mind, accustomed to processing sensory information, rebelled against this sensory deprivation. His chest tightened with a primal fear that threatened to overwhelm his carefully cultivated control.

"Breathe, Veilwalker," Kaida’s voice somehow reached him, though it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Your mind struggles to comprehend what it has never been designed to perceive. We stand in the space between existence and nonexistence—the threshold where reality can be reshaped."

Eren forced his breathing to steady, focusing on the only anchor he had in this non-place: Kaida’s presence beside him.

"What is this?" he managed, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears—hollow and directionless. "Where have you brought me?"

"Not where," Kaida corrected, her form gradually becoming visible beside him—not through any light that revealed her, but as if his mind had finally found a way to perceive her presence. "When. We are seeing the moment before moments begin, the space before space exists." Her kaleidoscope eyes fixed on him with unsettling intensity. "Can you see it now, Veilwalker? Can you perceive the truth of our world?"

As if her words had triggered some dormant ability within him, the nothingness began to shift. Tiny motes of light appeared, swirling together to form images—distant, fragmented visions that coalesced into recognizable scenes.

"You can see it all," Kaida whispered, her voice reverent. "Everything you see here is the way our world will end if we continue with the elements."

The scenes solidified, showing Eren familiar landscapes from the Seven Kingdoms, but warped and ravaged. Mountains split open, spewing molten rock across once-fertile valleys. Oceans rose to devour coastlines, while in other regions, fertile lands cracked and turned to dust. Forests burned with unnatural fire that left nothing but ash in its wake. Cities he recognized lay in ruins, their proud towers crumbled to dust.

And in the midst of it all—people. Children wailing as lightning storms of unprecedented power tore through villages. Warriors wielding elemental magic far beyond anything Eren had witnessed, their faces twisted with bloodlust as they annihilated entire battalions with single gestures. Mothers clutching lifeless infants while the ground beneath them turned to quicksand.

"This is what awaits us," Kaida said softly, her fingers brushing against his as the images swirled around them. "The inevitable consequence of elemental power left unchecked, growing stronger with each generation until it consumes everything."

The visions shifted again, showing new scenes—peaceful ones. Villages rebuilt, people working together without the chaotic destruction of elemental warfare. And at the center of these visions stood two figures that Eren recognized with a jolt: himself and Kaida, hands raised together, distributing some kind of power that flowed equally to all.

"But it doesn’t have to be this way," Kaida continued, her voice taking on a hypnotic quality. "We can bring this gift to all people—equality, safety, peace. A world without elemental wars, where power is distributed rather than hoarded by queens and commanders who send thousands to die for their petty ambitions."

Eren watched, mesmerized despite himself, as the vision showed communities flourishing under this new order. Children playing without fear, crops growing abundantly, traders moving freely between regions that had once been bitter enemies.

"Look at yourself, Eren," Kaida murmured, using his name for the first time. "Going through all this stress all because you want to unite the Seven Kingdoms by achieving each element one at a time. And it’s not like the TUNA comes free—you have to endure tremendous stress proving to each queen or commander that you’re worthy enough." She shook her head slowly, her eyes reflecting the peaceful scenes surrounding them. "Doesn’t that sound utterly ridiculous? You deserve this power alone, Eren, with no stress, no trials, no subjugation to those who call themselves rulers."

The humic hidden against Eren’s chest trembled again, its tiny form pressing closer as if seeking reassurance. The creature’s distress cut through the hypnotic quality of Kaida’s words, bringing Eren’s thoughts back into focus.

"What’s your motive behind all this?" he asked, his voice stronger now. "Because it doesn’t make sense at all. A world without elements? How is that even possible? Elements are woven into the fabric of our existence—they’re not just tools or weapons. They’re part of the natural order."

Kaida’s smile widened, revealing those too-sharp teeth once more.

"Think of a world where elements have no use—only the one at the touch has power," she said, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "And that one would be you, Veilwalker. Only you will own all the elements, with no stress or obstacles. No queens sending thousands of warriors to kill another kingdom’s people." Her eyes gleamed with an inner light that seemed to pulse in time with Eren’s heartbeat. "Think about it, Veilwalker—only you at the top, controlling our realm. Bringing true peace at last."

The visions around them shifted again, showing Eren seated on a throne that seemed formed from all elements combined—earth and fire, water and air, lightning and shadow and light all woven together into a seat of power unlike anything that had existed before. People knelt before him, not in fear but in reverence, their faces upturned with expressions of peace and gratitude.

Eren studied the vision carefully, his expression revealing nothing of his inner thoughts. The humic against his chest had gone still, as if it too were considering what Kaida offered.

’A world with no elemental wars,’ Eren thought, the possibility tugging at something deep within him. ’No more children orphaned by battles between power-hungry rulers. No more villages destroyed in the crossfire of elemental conflicts.’

The image was compelling—devastatingly so. How many times had he witnessed the aftermath of elemental warfare? How many bodies had he helped bury? How many survivors with haunted eyes had he tried to comfort, knowing nothing could restore what they had lost?

Yet beneath the seductive vision, something felt wrong—a dissonance he couldn’t quite identify. The peaceful scenes seemed too perfect, too uniform. The people’s expressions of adoration too similar, as if they had been painted by an artist who knew only one way to depict happiness.

"What’s your plan?" Eren asked finally, his silver eyes meeting Kaida’s kaleidoscope gaze. "How exactly do you propose to reshape the world? Because I’ve learned that when someone offers paradise, the price is usually hidden in the fine details."

Kaida’s smile never wavered, but something flickered in the depths of her ever-changing eyes—something ancient and calculating.

"All in good time, Veilwalker," she replied, the vision around them beginning to fade. "You’ve taken the first step by coming here. Now, let me show you the path to true power—the kind that can save our world from itself."

The nothingness began to shift around them once more, reality reasserting itself as they prepared to return to the physical realm. But as the void receded, Eren couldn’t shake the feeling that they had not been alone in that place between places—that something had been watching them, assessing them.

Something old and patient and hungry.

’What game are you really playing, Kaida?’ he thought, his face remaining impassive as the familiar weight of physical existence settled back around him. ’And what role have you cast me in?’