In the chaos of the brawl, the boy from the Marley Empire—the holder of the Jaw Titan—couldn't escape his fate. Ymir, his destined predator, bit through his spine.
The spinal fluid of an intelligent Titan slid down her throat, gurgling into her stomach.
Ymir—the dazed neighbor who lingered by his straw nest daily—was about to end her fifty-plus years of mindless dreaming, transforming into the new Jaw Titan.
But all Rein wanted to do was puke.
The Survey Corps saw it too—Marcel being devoured.
The squad leader didn't hesitate. "The kid's gone! Pull back—find the other two!" he shouted.
The Wings of Freedom scattered.
What started as a ten-man squad was now down to four.
They didn't know the fleeing "two kids" were actually three—and all of them intelligent Titans.
After the Survey Corps bolted, the scene quieted. The Titans finished their meal, found no more humans, and slipped back into their dazed stupor.
Except Ymir.
Having eaten Marcel, she seemed to awaken. With a leap, she grabbed a tree trunk, swinging through the branches like Tarzan—agile, swift, gone in a blink.
Rein stood, glancing left, then right, caught in indecision again.
"What now? Chase the Survey Corps or go after Ymir?"
His mind raced, scrambled—especially after witnessing that hellish slaughter for the first time. His brain was fried.
No time to overthink in a crisis.
He picked a direction at random and followed the Survey Corps.
Meanwhile, the hometown trio's three kids were just as rattled.
Reiner ran fastest. The perennial slacker outpaced even top-student Annie.
Annie and Bertholdt trailed close behind.
Behind them, two Survey Corps soldiers gave chase. Though quick, they lagged—Annie and Bertholdt were dodging them on purpose.
And behind them, three Titans lumbered after.
Annie wanted to yell for Reiner but feared blowing their cover. She clenched her jaw, her face twisted with murderous fury.
This mission carried the fate of the entire Marley Empire on their four young shoulders. And it was off to a rotten start.
Their training back home pitted intelligent Titans against each other—never facing real, feral Pure Titans.
First time seeing those gaping maws up close, they'd all lost their nerve.
"Damn it!" Annie gritted her teeth. "The warrior chief warned us—keep Marcel safe, don't let Reiner panic, and me, transform without hesitation. We botched every single one!"
Bertholdt tried to calm her. "Annie, it was chaos—no one could've seen this coming. Even the chief couldn't predict we'd run into Eldia's devils."
"I'm not letting this go!"
"First, catch Reiner. We need to hide."
"That coward—"
Annie had already cursed Reiner a hundred times in her head.
After a while—maybe Reiner tired out, or maybe his brain finally kicked in—the Armored Titan stopped dead.
Huff, huff~
He crouched, gasping, oblivious to the figure flying up behind him.
Annie, riding her momentum, launched a kick that sent him sprawling.
"Coward!!!"
Tough-as-nails Annie didn't hold back, hammering Reiner with relentless blows.
"Stop, Annie—we need to hide!" Bertholdt cut in. "They're coming!"
The trio paused, ducking into thick bushes to vanish.
A minute later, two green shadows landed where they'd disappeared.
"Seven, you sure it's this way?"
"Saw 'em head here."
"How're kids even outside the walls?"
"No clue. Titan territory—if we don't save 'em, they're dead."
"Keep looking!"
"Got it!"
The Wings of Freedom took off again, letting the trio in the bushes breathe.
"Reiner, what'd the warrior chief tell you before we left?" Annie snapped. "We need to find Marcel."
"…" Reiner stayed mute.
"Annie, the Eldians might've saved Marcel," Bertholdt frowned. "If they take him inside the walls, how's he explain being out here?"
The walls were a fortress. Besides the Survey Corps, no one left—let alone kids.
No way to convince the Eldians without raising suspicion. Their mission would be toast.
"Kill them all!" Annie snarled.
"Annie…"
Her eyes blazed with a chilling intensity.
"Let's go!"
A teenage girl, bearing pain beyond her years, started to rise.
Then two hulking figures lumbered nearby, scanning for prey.
Seeing Titans again, the trio froze, trembling.
"Wait a—" Bertholdt began, then felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Death's instinct hit.
"Danger!" No time to think—he tackled Annie down just as a massive hand swiped overhead.
A Titan!
While they'd been focused, a sneaky one had crept up behind.
"Ahh!!!" Reiner screamed again.
His yell drew the other two Titans over.
"Shut up!" Annie kicked the shrieking Reiner aside, pulling her dagger without hesitation.
No transforming now meant total wipeout.
But the world loves a coincidence.
Green shadows swooped in from above. One shouted, "Captain! Found the surviving kids—plus one more!"
"Grab 'em and pull out! One's already dead—no more casualties!"
"Yes, sir!"
Those words hit the trio like ice, chilling them to the bone.
"M-Marcel… he's… dead?" Reiner's eyes widened, legs buckling as he collapsed.
A friend he'd grown up with…
"I killed him—it's my fault!" Reiner muttered, clutching his head, eyes hollow, ignoring the Titan claw reaching for him.
"Annie! Bertholdt—Marcel's dead! I killed him!" Tears streamed as guilt consumed him.
Above, Eldians closed in. Behind, Titans loomed. Marley's dreamed-of glory had nowhere left to run.
"Reiner…" Annie's gaze softened. "Think of your parents, your sister. We can't back down now."
She gripped her dagger and, without a second thought, slashed her wrist.
Blood sprayed from the cut.