"What?" Mikasa blinked, tilting her head.
Eren sat up suddenly, confusion flooding his face. He pushed Mikasa gently aside and looked around in panic. "Huh? Where… is this? And why was I lying on Mikasa?"
"Who knows?" Mikasa frowned. "You okay? You look weird."
Eren: "?"
Mikasa: "?"
They stared at each other blankly, both lost in a fog of bewilderment.
"Where… are we?" Eren asked again, rubbing his head.
"Survey Corps Headquarters," Mikasa answered matter-of-factly.
The innocence of children made the absurdity almost believable.
"Survey Corps Headquarters?" Eren's voice shot up an octave, his eyes lighting up. "The Survey Corps Headquarters?!"
He turned toward the rows of uniformed soldiers nearby. The green cloaks! The Wings of Freedom insignia! The glint of their three-dimensional maneuver gear!
"The Survey Corps!" he cried, excitement bursting out of him like a spark. Before anyone could stop him, little Eren sprinted toward the soldiers, darting among them, eyes wide with awe.
For the first time, he wasn't just watching heroes march down the street — he was among them. Close enough to hear their boots thud, close enough to smell the oil of their maneuver gear.
"It's amazing!" Eren shouted.
Nearby soldiers hauling crates paused and exchanged exasperated looks.
"Hey," one muttered in a disgusted tone, "he's awake."
"Weren't his hands cuffed earlier? When did they unchain him?"
"Are you blind? Can't you tell the captain's got a thing for his mom?" another whispered crudely.
"Even so, letting that little brat wander around freely? What if something happens?"
"Relax," said one carrying a barrel. "When he's not a Titan, he looks harmless enough. Underage Titan, right? Shouldn't be too dangerous."
"Yeah, right," the first one grumbled. "Like a three-meter Titan wouldn't eat people."
(Typical Titans range from three to fifteen meters tall, three being the smallest.)
Eren, blissfully unaware of their conversation, darted around until a firm hand yanked him backward.
"Eren!" Carla scolded, her voice sharp with frustration. "Stop running off like that!"
"Mom…" Eren whined, lower lip trembling.
"Brother Eren's awake?" Hange's voice rang out behind them. She bounded over, her eyes shining. "Ohhh, he looks way more energetic than in the carriage! Earlier he was just sitting there like a wilted cabbage."
Eren turned—and nearly screamed. The sudden sight of Hange's wild grin inches from his face startled him so much that he stumbled back. Even if it's the Survey Corps, he thought, why does she have to look so terrifying?!
"Ha! You really are awake," Hange laughed, winking. "Tell me, do you like our regiment that much?"
"Uh…"
"Eren!" Carla barked. "Didn't I tell you not to talk to them?"
"Oh right!" Eren gasped, clapping his hands over his mouth. He'd nearly broken his promise.
"Aw, don't be like that," Hange pouted. "I was going to give little brother Eren a badge—"
"The Wings of Freedom?" Eren's eyes lit up.
"Eren!" Carla's voice darkened.
"But Mom, she said she'd give me the Wings of Freedom…" he said pitifully, shoulders drooping.
Carla sighed, her patience fraying. "Eren, my feet already hurt enough. Please, please, just behave for once. Don't make things harder for me here."
"Okay…" Eren murmured, lowering his head.
He was about to obey when, suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in the crowd of soldiers.
His heart leapt. "Brother Zeke!"
Before Carla could stop him, Eren was already sprinting across the courtyard.
"Eren!" Carla cried, gripping her cane in anger.
"Hey," Levi muttered, limping beside Zeke as they entered the compound. "We're finally here. You done sulking yet?"
Zeke said nothing, eyes distant and empty.
"Brother Zeke!"
The sudden shout made him turn. His eyes widened.
Little Eren was running toward him full speed, hair flying.
By the time he reached Zeke, the surrounding soldiers were tense, hands hovering near their blades.
Eren froze when he saw the ropes binding Zeke's hands. The soldiers around him weren't guarding—they were escorting.
"What's going on?" Eren asked in disbelief. "Why is Brother Zeke tied up?"
The soldiers exchanged anxious glances. "Why is that kid out?!" one hissed.
Erwin, standing nearby, gestured sharply for them to step back. He wanted to see what would happen. What would the brothers do when they met?
Eren didn't notice the watchful eyes. He only saw Zeke's weary face. He ran closer, eyes filled with hope and confusion.
"Brother Zeke! What's wrong? I have so many questions! Are you really my brother? And… where's Dad? Do you know?"
He reached out instinctively.
The moment their hands touched, Eren's mind exploded with images—like shards of glass flashing in the dark.
A forest.
A Titan, small as a child.
His father's voice, crying out.
A mouth closing.
The crunch of bones.
And then—silence.
"The Titan… ate Dad!" Eren screamed.
The words tore through the air like lightning.
Every soldier froze. Even Hange's grin vanished.
Zeke's eyes went wide, horror flooding his face. "No—!" He kicked out in panic, sending Eren flying backward.
The boy hit the ground hard, tumbling across the grass.
Zeke's breath came fast. Too late.
He knew it the moment their eyes met. The memory—the truth—had already reached him.
Eren had seen it. He had spoken it.
Why? Zeke thought frantically. When we touch, we're supposed to enter the Path. Not share fragments. Why… why did he see that memory?
Eren pushed himself up slowly, dirt streaked across his cheek. His small hands trembled, but not from fear.
From rage.
The kind of rage that burned hotter than the sun.
His eyes darkened—no longer the wide, curious eyes of a boy, but something older, deeper, ancient.
He clenched his fists. "I'll kill them all," he growled, voice low and shaking. "I'll kill those monsters. I'll drive them out of this world… until not one is left standing!"
The wind howled across the compound. Even Levi felt a chill crawl up his spine.
For a brief second, the boy before them didn't look like a child at all.
He looked like destiny itself—reborn.