A bead of cold sweat slid down Calvi's forehead. His right hand trembled slightly, but he quickly forced himself to steady it and looked sternly at Magath.
"You're certain he's a Marleyan?"
Magath nodded without hesitation. "Absolutely."
The high-ranking officers immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If he had been an Eldian, assassinating them would have been effortless. Thankfully—just a false alarm.
Calvi quickly approved the proposal. A document titled "Joint Operation Between Marleyan Warriors and Eldian Warriors on Paradis Island" was officially authorized. The mission objectives were clear: investigate Paradis Island's core military strength and armaments, and locate—and, if possible, seize—the Coordinate and the Founding Titan.
At the camp, Zeke led Sawano Kawa to the Warriors' barracks.
"Kawa—I can call you that, right? Why did you decide to join us?" Zeke asked, puzzled.
"Because Marleyans and Eldians should live in harmony," Kawa replied earnestly. He knew exactly how to win Zeke's favor. Truthfully, he also found racial segregation annoying. In his eyes, aside from extreme cases, beauty was beauty no matter where it came from.
Zeke was deeply moved. His eyes even grew slightly moist. In that moment, he felt his past decisions had been right—there were still Marleyans who cared about them. From then on, Zeke regarded Kawa as one of his own.
Soon afterward, Kawa and the others boarded a Marleyan warship bound for Paradis Island. Zeke remained behind in Marley as a form of strategic deterrence—essentially, "nuclear deterrence."
Unlike the original story, the team heading to Paradis this time consisted of six people: Marcel, Bertholdt, Reiner, Annie, Kawa, and Pieck. All were present except for the War Hammer Titan.
Pieck had been assigned by Magath to protect Kawa. His ability made him invaluable for assassination missions. If the Mid-East Allied Forces continued to pressure Marley, Kawa could be deployed to eliminate key targets.
When Kawa saw Pieck lying prone on the ground in her usual languid posture, he nearly lost his composure. He quickly suppressed himself by mentally reciting mathematical formulas and scientific tables. Even so, Pieck had noticed everything clearly.
She frowned slightly and stood up but said nothing. She was long accustomed to endless teasing from Marleyan soldiers. If not for Magath's strict discipline, it would have been much worse.
"Pieck. Please take care of me," she said politely, extending her hand.
Kawa shook it—perhaps a little too long. Pieck's frown deepened before she gently withdrew her hand and offered him a polite smile.
Kawa failed to notice the hint of distaste in her expression. All he saw was her radiant smile, and he had to quickly wipe the drool from his mouth.
Reiner and the others looked at him with disdain but said nothing. They would be comrades from now on. And with Zeke absent, Kawa effectively held authority over them. No matter how displeased they were, they had to swallow it.
The group set foot on Paradis Island.
Meanwhile, Grisha Yeager was riding hard toward Wall Rose. His expression was dark, his teeth clenched tight. The commotion caused by the Colossal Titan had been immense—he had sensed it immediately despite the distance.
"Eren… Carla… Mikasa… Chen Si… please, be safe…"
He muttered the names repeatedly, whipping the horse harder as tears streamed down his face.
That night, at the refugee camp, Chen Si's right eyelid kept twitching uncontrollably.
Is there something about the Ackerman bloodline that can't be controlled? he wondered.
"Mikasa, have you ever had your eyelid twitch suddenly like this?" he asked.
"Yes. It happened faintly before the wall was breached," Mikasa replied after thinking for a moment.
Could the Ackerman bloodline predict danger? It hadn't been mentioned in the original story. Eyelid twitching could be superstition—or probability. Before the wall fell, his eyelid hadn't twitched. Perhaps because he had known it would happen in advance? Or perhaps his body hadn't perceived it as a threat.
Then what was coming now?
"Brother…" Mikasa looked at him worriedly.
"It's nothing. Get some sleep," Chen Si reassured her.
Mikasa nodded obediently. After the day's intense stress, she was exhausted. Soon she curled up beside him, her back pressed tightly against his.
Chen Si also grew drowsy and closed his eyes.
Soft footsteps approached.
Grisha arrived with a fierce-looking bald man behind him—Keith Shadis.
Seeing that Eren and Carla were safe, Grisha let out a breath of relief. Shadis also relaxed when he saw Carla unharmed.
Grisha knelt beside Eren and gently called his name. Eren stirred awake.
"Dad…"
"Eren, come with me."
Grisha led him away from the camp. Shadis followed.
When Carla felt the warmth beside her disappear, she slowly opened her eyes and caught sight of Shadis' back. She immediately got up and followed.
Chen Si considered going as well but stopped himself. There was no point. Grisha was destined to die. As for whether Carla would learn the truth—she would eventually. Better sooner than later.
"What are you doing?" Shadis demanded as he caught up.
"This is my family matter. Please stop following us," Grisha said sharply.
Shadis hesitated but ultimately followed at a distance. He saw Grisha speaking with Eren in the forest.
Perhaps it was simply a father's private words, he thought.
Just as he turned to leave, a deafening explosion sounded, accompanied by a towering yellow flash of lightning.
Shadis' eyes widened. He rushed back.
Inside the forest, he found Eren lying on the ground, steam rising from his body. Shadis lifted him, already suspecting what had happened to Grisha.
When he emerged from the forest, Carla ran up and grabbed his arm.
"What happened?! Is Grisha still in there?!"
Shadis froze before replying, "Doctor Yeager said there was an urgent patient. He left ahead of us…"
He chose to conceal the truth.
Carla took Eren into her arms, tears streaming down her face. "We've known each other for so many years. You still won't tell me the truth?"
Her instincts told her Grisha was in danger.
Shadis turned his head away, unable to meet her eyes.
Back at the camp, Chen Si saw the tears at the corner of Carla's eyes and sighed inwardly.
Fate was a cycle. For the sake of love, one faced it without fear.
The next morning, Eren woke clutching his head.
"I feel like I saw Dad…"
Carla remained silent.
"You were probably dreaming," Mikasa said gently.
Chen Si was already awake but remained lying down. Like many modern teenagers, he had the bad habit of staying in bed even after waking.
"Brother, get up," Mikasa urged.
"Mm."
He kicked his legs, rolled over—and continued sleeping.
Mikasa sighed helplessly. "They're distributing food now. I'll bring some back for him," she thought.
Eren glanced at the key hanging from his neck, lost in thought, then stood and followed Mikasa to line up for food.
The camp was chaotic—people fighting over rations, others crying over lost family members, the injured missing limbs.
Eren fell silent.
"It doesn't feel like we've survived," Mikasa said quietly.
"Eren! Mikasa!" Armin came running over, out of breath. "Grandpa got the children's portion for us."
"Thank you," Mikasa said, accepting it.
Nearby, a Garrison soldier let out a mocking laugh and walked away.
"What was that about?" Eren asked angrily.
"It can't be helped," Armin explained. "There isn't even enough food for everyone to get a full portion for the day. With so many refugees, supplies are scarce. And we who lived on the outermost districts are the most discriminated against."
"Why should we share food with outsiders? Titans have already breached the walls. Wouldn't it be better if they ate more people? Fewer refugees means less food needed," a blond man with parted hair sneered.
Eren's face hardened. He rushed forward and punched him.
"Hey! That hurt!" the man shouted, striking back. A nearby soldier kicked Eren to the ground.
"You don't understand! You've never seen how Titans devour people!" Eren shouted stubbornly.
Carla, returning with water, rushed over and shielded him.
"I'm sorry. He's just hungry and upset. Please don't take it seriously," she pleaded.
The surrounding refugees began murmuring. Some strong-willed men with families looked increasingly displeased.
"Well now," Chen Si's lazy voice drawled as he walked over, stretching, "didn't see you swing a single blade at the Titans on the front lines. But you're quite efficient when it comes to punching children. Why not transfer out of the Garrison and go kick kids at a reform school instead? You can bully children all day and never have to face a Titan. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?"