People always crave home.
After taking a beating, Rein dragged his battered body back to his straw nest.
He collapsed, sinking into sleep.
When he woke, a full night had passed.
He stood, rubbing his stomach. The pain was gone.
A Titan's freakish healing made him a cockroach that wouldn't die.
Yesterday's loss left him in a tight spot.
From Hajime Isayama's anime timeline, no intelligent Titans remained outside Wall Rose.
Six Titans were known on the island right now:
- Founding Titan—unclear if Eren's dad had taken it yet, but either way, it was inside Wall Rose.
- Attack Titan—whether with Eren or his dad, it had shifted to Wall Rose too. Probably still with the old man, given the timeline.
- Armored Titan, Colossal Titan, Female Titan—after breaching Wall Maria, they'd blended into the crowd and slipped into Wall Rose.
- Jaw Titan—Ymir. No clue where she'd gone. The world was big—where could he even look?
Missing yesterday's scavenging chance, this task was now a mountain to climb!
"No wonder!" Rein eyed the mission bar overhead. "Five damn years for this?"
He'd have to wait for the main cast to grow up.
Lost…
"Maybe… head to Marley?"
Three Titans were still over there.
But as a Pure Titan, crossing to Marley to hunt them was suicide.
"Better figure out how to boost my strength during this gap," he muttered.
Sighing, he trudged toward Wall Maria.
Outside was barren; inside had everything. He'd try his luck scavenging for weapons or tools.
With gear, he'd be steadier than bare fists.
But the walk was empty—no one around.
Most Titans had already flooded into Wall Maria's vast interior.
No Titans crossed his path, but he spotted traces of the Survey Corps from two days back—clothes, gear parts scattered on the ground.
That desperate escape had left scars in the forest, hinting at the battle's brutality.
Rein sighed the whole way, wandering on.
Then—a lone backpack caught his eye.
"A backpack?" He frowned. "Survey Corps travels light—they don't lug these."
Curiosity pulled him closer. He crouched.
A leather bag, likely cowhide, its flap open, contents spilling out.
Its owner must've been in a panic—too rushed to grab it.
Or never got the chance.
Rein picked it up.
Tiny in his massive hand, but his big frame came with nimble fingers. He flipped it over, dumping the contents.
Dry rations, daily goods, and a scroll.
The scroll was big—half the bag's space—clearly important.
Rein unrolled it carefully in his palm.
"A map?"
Three concentric circles stared back at him.
Tiny labels marked them: Wall Maria, Wall Rose, Wall Sina.
A map of the walls!
He shot up, jaw dropping, yanking it closer. The map was packed with detailed markings.
A scale sat in the bottom right.
That wasn't the shocker. What floored him: it outlined all of Paradis Island, with a line drawn across it.
One end read "Dock," the other "Breach Point."
"This isn't from inside the walls!"
No one inside knew the world beyond anymore. They couldn't map Paradis or know about a dock.
Plus, the map skimped on inner wall details, marking just a few key spots.
One was in Wall Maria's southern bastion—Shiganshina District.
Labeled: Doctor.
"This distance, this spot…" Rein's hand shook. "That's near Eren's house, isn't it?"
Doctor…
Eren's dad—Grisha Yeager!
The map traced a full route: dock to Shiganshina to Eren's home.
A planned path with an obvious goal: someone was after Grisha!
"Holy—!" Rein's brain spun. "Breach point? The hometown trio?!"
"They didn't just smash the wall randomly—they were gunning for Grisha!"
But why?
From the manga, the quartet's target was the Founding Titan's power.
Sure, the Founding Titan tied to Grisha eventually, but when the walls broke, he didn't have it yet.
So their real aim was the Attack Titan's power?
Huh?
What was going on?
Rein's head was a mess.
He reeled in his thoughts, studying the map again. A few vague points dotted Wall Rose and even Wall Sina, unlabeled, unclear.
The mapmaker didn't know the inner walls well, it seemed.
"Too good to pass up—might come in handy." He tucked it back into the bag, slipping a finger through the strap to secure it on his hand.
His first piece of wall intel.
Scavenging paid off—good stuff before even hitting human zones.
Lucky break.
Rein headed back toward Shiganshina. As he crossed the breach, a quiet breeze brushed his hairline.
Just one day, and this bustling district had crumbled into a silent hell.
In the distance, a few Titans still roamed.
The people here were eaten. More Titans had moved on, flooding Wall Maria's expanse.
Humanity's turf shrank by half overnight.
No point dwelling on it—blame Isayama's ruthless pen.
"First, find a decent tool." Rein searched along the houses.
Farm era—plenty of tools. Soon, he'd nabbed over ten.
Forks, hoes, sickles.
Too small, though. In his hands, they were toothpicks.
Good for throwing, maybe.
His size was the problem—human tools didn't fit.
"If only I had a forge…" he mused.
Melt this iron, craft some gear—wouldn't that be sweet?
He pivoted to hunt for a smelter. No luck—just a blacksmith's shop.
It had a furnace, but it could only heat iron red, not melt it.
Rein got it—casting iron was high-tech for this era. In a backwater like Shiganshina, iron came shipped from deeper inside.
"Check Wall Maria in a few days," he decided.
He scavenged more, hit a fabric shop, grabbed a big cloth, and made a makeshift sack. He stuffed it with anything useful—full to bursting.
Hauling the load, he headed back, mood lifted, steps lighter.
Near his straw nest, he eyed its sorry state and got an idea.
"Now that I've got tools, why not build a house? Five years in a straw pile—worse than a dog."
No time like now. He grabbed an iron rake, using it like a pen, sketching on a clear patch of grass.
"I was 1.8 meters tall—house floors were three meters. Now I'm 10 meters, so scale it up—16 meters minimum."
"Wider too—land's free, go big."
"Double doors, non-negotiable!"
"Windows… tough without glass. Skip 'em?"
"Foundation—needed or not?"
"Wall material? Roof beams?"
"Building a house is exhausting…"
An hour into the sketch, Rein teetered on collapse.
"I'm a mech guy—why am I playing civil engineer?"
Different fields, different worlds. This needed more thought.
Might as well rest.
He shut his eyes, replaying everything.
A breeze rustled through the leaves, brushing his face, carrying a whiff of unwashed hair.
Days since a bath.
A drowsy afternoon, peaceful vibes—Rein soaked it in, almost at ease.
Like he'd merge with nature.
But in the calm, a faint sound stirred.
Rustle, rustle~
Soft, but clear—footsteps.
Getting closer.
A boy's voice: "I won't let you two look down on me. I messed up—I'll fix it myself!"
Human!
Rein's eyes snapped open.
The voice went on: "Marcel, I'm sorry. The outcome's set, but I'll take your place, lead them, finish this, and return to Marley in glory."
"It should be around here…"
No way!
Rein shot up, ears buzzing.
His movement startled the boy.
Eyes locked—time froze.
Reiner! Alone, outside the walls!
One second later, Rein lunged at lightning speed, grabbing for the dazed Armored Titan.
An intelligent Titan delivered to his doorstep!
But as his hand brushed Reiner, lightning cracked from the sky. Half the clear blue turned dark, a massive force exploding outward.
Public Intel: Titans have a sense of taste.