Rein vanished.
Not gradually—gone in an instant, without a trace.
Annie stared at the calm lake, then trudged back to shore, annoyed.
"Where'd he go?" Bertholdt asked.
"No idea. Just… disappeared," Annie frowned. "There's a fierce undercurrent down there. If I hadn't gotten out fast…"
Her face still flushed with lingering fear, captivating Bertholdt for a moment.
"Yeah… safety first," he mumbled.
Cough, cough. "He might be the Attack Titan," Reiner rasped, awake but weak, sprawled on the ground.
"You've got some nerve!" Annie snapped. "Why'd you go off alone? If we hadn't shown up, you'd be someone's lunch! Losing Marcel wasn't enough for you? What's wrong with your head?"
Her tirade silenced the group.
"I was just trying to—"
"Reiner, stop," Bertholdt cut in. "Let's wait and see. If he drowned, he'll float up, right?"
"Maybe not," Annie said, wringing out her clothes. "That current's too strong. He's probably stuck spinning down there."
"So if he's dead, the Titan power…?" Bertholdt trailed off.
"It'll randomly pass to some Eldian devil," Annie replied.
Silence fell again. They waited by the shore, eyes on the mirror-like lake.
Five minutes. Ten. An hour.
A breeze rippled the surface, but nothing more.
No one—not even a Titan—could survive underwater that long. Reluctantly, they accepted the "Attack Titan" was likely trapped dead in the raging current.
"Let's go," Annie waved to the others. "Time's up. We need to head back."
"I'm not okay with this…" Reiner gritted his teeth.
"Shut it, Reiner," Bertholdt said. "Our target's the Founding Titan."
"I think we need rules," Annie declared.
"Rules?" Bertholdt echoed.
"From now on, no solo moves. Every action gets a vote—three of us, two votes to pass. Opinions?"
"None here!" Bertholdt agreed.
"Two votes—done. Reiner, your say doesn't matter," Annie said.
Reiner: "…"
The hometown trio finally turned back, leaving the tranquil lake behind.
A soft breeze and warm sunlight bathed the water, clear and bone-chilling.
A picture of serene beauty.
No one would guess the deadly currents lurking beneath.
Poor Rein had been fleeing, sucking in a deep breath to dive and swim faster.
Faster, sure—but not toward safety. Toward death's gate.
A whirlpool gripped his ankle like a hand of doom, yanking his whole body under in a flash.
"Blub blub blub~"
"Someone save me!"
"System bro! System dad! System grandpa!"
"Blub blub blub~"
Strength drained, lungs empty, his body swelled like it'd burst.
Spinning, spinning—he blacked out.
This might be his grave.
When Rein woke, cold sweat soaked his back. The terror of drowning alive was etched deep, unshakable.
It was dim. He didn't know how long he'd been out.
"Head's spinning…" He sat up, patting his skull. Weak light sapped his Pure Titan strength.
Drowning's aftershock or fading light—he wanted to collapse again.
But a loud rush filled his ears, a crashing roar.
"Where am I?"
He scanned the dark, blurry surroundings. Following the sound, he shuffled forward.
Whoosh~
Rumble~
A loud roar, like wild horses running.
A waterfall!
A huge wall of water blocked his way, stretching as far as he could see.
Dim light shone through it, lighting up the area.
Behind it—a cave, dark and creepy.
He looked inside. Too black to see anything.
"So dark!"
This dark was bad for a Pure Titan. Going in could trap him in endless sleep.
Titans don't die, but stuck in darkness forever? Scary.
Worse than being trapped in limbo.
Better to get cut down!
"I need out!" he thought.
Titans hate the dark and love the light—it's in their nature.
He faced the waterfall again.
But stopped.
What was outside? No clue. Jumping could kill him.
Jump or stay?
He'd just escaped the trio, and now this—life or death in a snap.
He paced, nervous.
Clunk!
His foot hit something.
"Huh?" Near the cave entrance—a stack of wood. Thick, about his waist size, cut even.
Covered in moss, old and forgotten.
He picked one up. Light, floaty—great for staying afloat!
"No dead ends here!"
"When one door shuts, another opens!"
Happy, he grabbed the biggest one and held it tight.
The water's roar shook his ears. He breathed deep, calming his pounding heart. "Survive this, and good things come."
He braced himself and jumped.
The heavy water hit him hard, like a giant punch.
He almost dropped the wood.
But he clung to it, desperate to live.
Dizzy, his big body rushed down.
"Don't faint!" He bit down, forcing himself awake.
Ten seconds later—
Smack!
He slammed into the water, hard as stone, nearly blacking out, almost losing the wood.
But he held on.