Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil Chapter 2: Aunt Nina

After a period of time that felt both like an eternity and a fleeting second, Eren's senses returned. He found himself lying in a cramped room that felt eerily familiar, as if he had stood within these walls once before.

Pushing himself up, Eren sat on the edge of the mattress. He noted with some surprise that his joints didn't ache or feel stiff, a sharp contrast to the physical burden he usually felt every morning.

A heavy, ink-like darkness dominated the room, yet it failed to conquer one specific corner. Through a window left slightly ajar, a faint sliver of light peeked through, signaling the imminent arrival of dawn.

Rubbing his eyes, Eren attempted to piece together the events of the previous night. The memory of being mauled by that mindless, savage beast came rushing back.

That infuriating monster had started by tearing his arm off. But it didn't stop there; it seemed intent on a cruel mutilation, devouring his manhood before finally deciding to finish the job. It had ended his life.

‘It definitely killed me, didn't it?’

Eren muttered the question to the empty air while instinctively reaching up to check his throat.

His neck was perfectly fine. It was baffling. Furthermore, his hand brushed against something he hadn't felt in a long time.

That was it!

His beard was gone. In his previous life, Eren had let his facial hair grow wild, not out of style, but because he was too lazy to bother with the maintenance.

As he examined himself, he realized his skin felt far smoother and more elastic than it should. Confusion washed over him as he noticed he was moving the very same right arm that the beast had ripped away.

‘What is this? Is this a dream? Some kind of peaceful hallucination before I finally pass into the void?’

To Eren, this seemed like the only rational explanation. Even though the sensation didn't feel like a dream, he knew that wasn't enough to prove his reality.

He quickly checked between his legs. To his relief, the part of him he was most concerned about had accompanied him into this final vision.

If this was indeed his last dream, he decided he might as well enjoy it to the fullest before the end came.

Eren rose from the bed and walked out of the room. As he stepped out, another wave of nostalgia hit him.

‘I recognize this. This is Aunt Nina’s house. But wait... why does everything look so much taller?’

It took him a moment to realize that the furniture hadn't grown; rather, his own body had shrunk.

More specifically, he appeared to be back in the body of his teenage self.

This final dream was certainly catering to his desires, Eren mused. It had transported him back to the most peaceful era of his life. Aunt Nina had been a comrade of his father during their days as adventurers.

When Eren was only ten, his father had gone missing in action. Shortly after, his mother had left him in Nina’s care under the pretense of searching for him.

It was later revealed that the search was merely a lie; his mother had actually run off with a new lover. She had started a completely new life in a faraway city and had even raised two more children.

Despite being abandoned, Aunt Nina never treated him poorly. Even after realizing his mother would never return, she raised him as her own. she provided him with an education and coached him to become a competent elementary potioneer.

Nina had remained unmarried her entire life and passed away shortly after Eren reached the age of forty in his original timeline. He never learned the true cause of her passing, as he had long since lost touch with her by then.

Life as a teenager under Nina’s roof had been relatively calm. She operated an apothecary, working diligently from dawn until dusk. The shop occupied the ground floor of her home, while the second floor contained their two bedrooms. Eren’s daily routine usually involved assisting her by brewing all the basic potions.

The apothecary was situated on the outskirts of Osan, nestled near the southern city walls. It was a modest, one-story suburban house. Despite the low population density in that district, Nina’s business thrived.

Her success came from lucrative contracts with various mercenary and adventurer guilds within the city. Many independent adventurers also sought her out, having heard rumors of her fair pricing and effective treatments.

Now, Eren found himself back in that exact period of his life. As he reconciled his past memories with this "current dream," he convinced himself that this was a natural psychological response to death.

Following his departure from Nina’s home, his life had become increasingly chaotic. His years at the academy were memories he preferred to bury; he had been branded as one of the worst students in his year. From there, his path had only grown steeper and more difficult.

He didn't hold a grudge against anyone for his failures. He knew his own lack of ambition and his tendency to drift through life without a care for the future were the reasons for his downfall. He had fallen into a hole he couldn't climb out of.

Therefore, it made sense that his dying mind would retreat to his days with Aunt Nina. At least, that was Eren's conclusion.

He headed down the stairs. He didn't see the point in freshening up, fearing the dream might vanish at any moment. His only goal was to see Nina one last time.

In truth, Eren had always harbored a secret crush on her. To him, she was a breathtaking woman. Though she was in her early forties, her status as a C-Class healer kept her looking much younger. She appeared to be in her early thirties, possessing a mature elegance and a perfectly curved figure. She was tall and slender, yet possessed a striking presence, complemented by her dark grey hair and violet eyes.

She had the kind of beauty that could captivate any man with just a few words. Yet, for reasons unknown, she avoided the romantic advances of men.

It was a self-imposed isolation she maintained throughout her life. Eren remembered she had a few brief romances when he first arrived, but those had ceased entirely after a few years.

Eren often felt it was a tragedy that no man was given the chance to cherish her as she deserved. While she was always polite and warm to her patrons, her expression would often turn hollow once they left the shop.

Finally, Eren spotted the back of the woman he knew so well. Hearing his footsteps, she turned toward him, offering that familiar, subtle smile that served as her silent "good morning."

Eren stood frozen in awe.

In this dream, Aunt Nina was even more radiant than he remembered.

No... it wasn't just the dream.

Years of wasting his time with cheap harlots had skewed his perception of beauty. Seeing Nina again instantly recalibrated his standards; she looked like an ethereal being in comparison.

‘This is the perfect dream to have before the end. I never had the courage back then, but in this world, no one can stop me.’

With that thought, Eren lunged toward Nina.