That night, the three people who had finished their conversation outside the training grounds were preparing to return to the Training Corps' base barracks.
Bertholdt, walking last, suddenly spoke up, "I've been having the same dream lately, dreaming about that uncle who hanged himself in the settlement."
"I keep wondering why he said those things to us before he died."
Reiner looked back and said, "How could we possibly know something like that?"
Annie lowered her eyes and said, "He was probably seeking forgiveness, although we, who abandoned Marcel and ran away, have no right to say anything."
Then, she heard Bertholdt say slowly, "I don't know why, but this is what I think..."
"Maybe that uncle was hoping... that someone would come to judge him."
Annie slowly opened her eyes and saw Lock sitting cross-legged below her.
He kept his head lowered, his voice deep as he said, "Yo, Annie, you're awake."
...Annie looked around and found that she seemed to be underground, kneeling on a stone platform. Her hands were bound by chains attached to the wall, and she was wearing an iron gag in her mouth.
She had seen this familiar scene when she was nine years old, when she inherited the Female Titan.
Lock's voice came again, "This place was converted from my family's cellar. The design was simple, but it almost collapsed when it was actually being built."
"In the end, it took a lot of effort to fix it before it was finished."
Annie touched the base of her index finger with her right thumb and found that the ring that was originally there had disappeared.
"Are you looking for this?"
Annie looked down at Lock and saw that he was holding her ring in his hand.
Her heart instantly sank to the bottom.
Lock looked down, toying with Annie's ring, and said flatly, "Playing these kinds of tricks with me... I'm very sad, Annie."
"I've never seen you take this thing out and wear it before."
He looked up and said, "Annie, we're the 'blonde couple,' after all. Did you think I wouldn't notice an extra ring on your hand that I'd never seen before?"
Lock held the ring up to his eyes. "Who gave this to you? Your father?"
"The craftsmanship is very fine, and it's made of pure iron."
"Its value is almost as high as the one I prepared for you back then."
He put the ring on his right index finger and opened a small wooden box sitting beside him.
Inside was a syringe, a needle, and a glass bottle.
The experiment was a success. After consuming five felons and five bottles of spinal fluid, Lock had obtained the proper concentration ratio.
This thing would allow him to turn into a five-meter class Titan, which was just about the height of this cellar.
There were no issues with the quality of the spinal fluid; the Pure Titan he transformed into showed no special changes.
Lock took out the syringe, attached the needle, and slowly drew the pale pink liquid from the bottle.
"It's strange, isn't it, Annie?"
Lock stood up and said to Annie, "I'm not an Intelligent Titan, and that stuff about the Coordinate was actually just a lie."
"But I can tell you, the Coordinate is on Eren."
"You were actually very close to completing Marley's ultimate goal."
Seeing no expression of shock on Annie's face, Lock was somewhat dissatisfied.
He wanted to continue provoking her... "Annie, you..."
The sarcastic words on Lock's lips suddenly stopped. He stared at the tears slowly flowing down Annie's face and froze in place.
Sadness, pain, regret, pleading... Lock felt her current emotions through Annie's eyes, and somehow, these emotions pierced right through him.
The memories of his time with Annie seemed to break through a seal, all of them flooding out.
Training together, eating together, chatting with her, teasing her, making her laugh... This wasn't an act... He truly did like her... But what was he doing now?
Holding the syringe in his hand, he momentarily forgot what to do next.
Lock felt his heart, which he thought had long since turned cold-blooded, begin to beat violently again.
He seemed to suddenly wake up from a certain state... "What am I... doing?"
"How did I become like this..."
"That's Annie..."
"No! Someone is definitely influencing me!"
"I'm not like this... not like this..."
He thought of Lucy; it was the same situation back then. He could never have done that!
Suddenly, he seemed to understand something, and fear instantly shot through his entire body.
Lock suddenly looked around and shouted, "Come out! Get out of here!"
"Eren!"
"You're the one manipulating me to do this, aren't you!"
"Get the hell out of here! Eren!"
[Adrenaline levels in Host detected rising, System evaluating]
[What are you shouting about here?]
Lock froze in place. He turned his head with difficulty to look at the figure that had suddenly appeared, his pupils constricting.
"How... is it you?"
Appearing before Lock now was a man nearly thirty years old.
He was tall with a resolute face, black hair, and yellow skin.
He wore a short-sleeved top, loose trousers, leather wristbands, and a waist belt, all in black.
In shock, Lock softly uttered the other man's name: "Lin Youde..."
Lin Youde stared at Lock and said coldly, "Are you surprised to see me?"
"Do you still remember who you are?"
Lock murmured, lost for words, "I am... no... You are Lin Youde, then... I am Lock?"
Lin Youde crouched down and patted his shoulder, saying seriously, "I am you, and you are me. You are not Lock Leon; you are Lin Youde. You were born in Guanyue, you've practiced martial arts since childhood, and at twenty-seven, you were the runner-up in the National Martial Arts Competition."
"You came here from another world."
"Do you still remember your mission?"
Lock murmured, "To survive, to live with dignity..."
"No! You came to this world with a much more important mission. If you want those you love and those who love you to find happiness, you must complete it!"
Lock's eyes were vacant as he asked mechanically, "What... mission?"
Lin Youde crouched beside Lock and whispered like an incantation, "You must seize the Power of the Founding Titan, kill all Eldians, and build a new world for them within the Paths."
"This is the only way to solve everything."
"This is the way to make everyone happy!"
"Did you hear me clearly?"
Lock's expression was one of struggle, as if he wanted to object, but in the end, he couldn't.
"I heard... clearly."
Lin Youde said with relief, "I came here to make sure you make the right choice, and my appearance means that we have already succeeded in the future."
"Get up! Fight!"
Annie watched in alarm and suspicion as Lock stood there talking to himself.
This absurd scene made her feel as if she saw Reiner's shadow in him... Lock gripped the syringe tightly, his expression gradually turning twisted.
[Levels reached, System starting up]
[Host: Lock Leon]
[Age: 17/90]
[Stamina: 35]
[Strength: 25]
[Agility: 20]
[Talents: Martial Arts Prodigy, Ymir's Bloodline]
[Skills: Eight Extremes Fist (6), Form-Intention Fist (4), Great Spear Technique (5), Grand Ultimate Fist (2), Fusang Technique (2), Diting Technique (2)]
[System assessment beginning, energy points being collected]
[Please fight to your heart's content, Host]
[Fight!]
[Fight!!]
[Fight!!!]
With a twisted expression, Lock slammed the needle into his arm!
Golden light enveloped him and Lin Youde.
Under the light, Annie slowly closed her eyes...
---
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