He woke up gasping, air clawing into his lungs like fire.
Sunlight filtered through the trees. The scent of wood smoke, dust, and bread hung in the air. The shadows were familiar — but too familiar. His heart raced.
"Where—?" he muttered, clutching his chest.
Everything was too small. His arms. His boots. His hands.
Then came the voice—soft, clear, and unnatural.
P_REX System activated.
Welcome, User Eren Yeager. Neural link complete.
Host condition: optimal. Cognitive stability: 92%. Initiating support protocols.
His breath froze. "P_REX… it wasn't a dream. This is real."
Correct. You are inside the body of Eren Yeager. You are now Eren Yeager.
Nanosystem fully bonded. Identity camouflage successful. No anomalies detectable by external observation.
It clicked like a guillotine in his mind.
He wasn't watching Attack on Titan anymore. He was inside it.
Shiganshina. The walls. The Titans.
This was Episode One.
He staggered to his feet beside the tree line, heart pounding. His reflection shimmered in a nearby puddle — a face not quite Eren's. Not anymore.
Silver-white hair. Piercing blue eyes. Smooth, perfect skin. A presence that shimmered with something electric, something terrifying.
A younger version of Gojo Satoru, reborn in a cursed world.
Appearance normalized through environmental perception cloaking.
Your enhanced form will be perceived as Eren Yeager by all others.
"Goddamn right it will," he muttered. "Let's not break reality just yet."
Acknowledged, Commander.
A shout broke through the trees.
"Eren!"
He turned. Mikasa stood at the edge of the grass, scarf around her neck, frown etched on her lips. Her sharp eyes widened slightly as they locked onto him.
"You look…" she paused. "...awake."
He grinned. "Felt like dreaming with my eyes open."
She walked over, studying him closely. "You were crying in your sleep."
"Was probably seeing the future," he joked. "Trust me. It's ugly."
Mikasa blinked. "You're acting weird."
"Only because I see the world for what it is."
They walked into town, dirt kicking up beneath their boots. Bells rang through the market streets, smoke curled from chimneys, and people moved in their daily rhythm — blissfully unaware.
But he wasn't like them. Not anymore.
He passed a group of girls who whispered as they looked at him. One blushed. Even a few soldiers did a double take.
Visual charisma exceeding 97th percentile.
Current appearance classified as 'prodigal deviation.' Reframing complete. Social anomalies neutralized.
"People are staring," Mikasa muttered.
"I can't help being gorgeous," he said with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes, but a faint warmth colored her cheeks.
They found Armin near the gates, nose buried in a book.
"The Survey Corps came back," he said, eyes wide. "They lost half their unit."
Eren didn't need to look. He knew what was coming. The broken faces. The severed limbs. The quiet horror.
"I saw it in a dream," he muttered.
Armin blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," Eren said quickly. "I just… I know they're not winning out there. They're dying."
He looked up at the wall — that towering stone monument.
"They built these to keep Titans out," he said. "But really, they're to keep us in."
The gates screamed open and the Survey Corps returned — fewer than when they'd left. One soldier collapsed, sobbing. Another carried an arm to a mother who didn't cry, didn't scream—just stood there, shaking.
"Why…?" Eren whispered.
Observation: Trauma ingestion complete. Emotional compression detected.
Recommendation: Continue emotional deflection via confidence layer.
He turned to Armin. "This isn't survival. It's waiting to die."
The boy stared. "You sound like someone who knows the end."
"I do," he replied quietly.
Later, walking through the district, Mikasa paused. "You're not yourself today."
"I'm more myself than I've ever been," he said.
She turned to face him. "You're hiding something."
He smiled, and for a second, there was a glimmer of something old behind his eyes—something adult, sharp, weary.
"I'm just tired of pretending things are okay," he replied. "Aren't you?"
Then the sky broke.
A thunderclap that wasn't thunder. A heat wave that melted the clouds.
BOOM.
Stone exploded. Dust swallowed the world. Screams ripped the air.
They all turned—and the wall was gone.
Towering above them, red muscles steaming, was the Colossal Titan. Its face—expressionless. Its presence—divine and monstrous all at once.
Time slowed.
Threat detected. Colossal-class Titan. Proximity: 800 meters.
Engagement inadvisable. Recommend evacuation and analysis.
Eren's body moved on its own.
He shoved Mikasa and Armin toward the road. "Run. Get to the boats!"
"What about—"
"Now!"
They ran.
Eren turned back, eyes locked on the monster.
"I swear to god," he whispered, "one day, I'm going to erase your entire species."
Titanic target marked. Classification: Priority One.
Initializing threat protocol: Titan Slayer Directive.
The Titan vanished in a hiss of steam.
The gates were open.
And the Titans came in.
Smoke and fire swallowed Shiganshina. People died screaming. Soldiers failed. Titans devoured.
But not him.
He moved like lightning. No ODM. No gear. Just instinct and perfection.
He dodged falling debris with pre-programmed precision. Pulled a woman from the fire. Kicked a Titan's hand aside. To the watching eye, he was fast—just fast. But not inhuman.
Enhancement profile: Masked.
Perception field intact. You remain a prodigy—not a god.
At the Yeager home, his mother was trapped.
Just like before.
"Carla!" he shouted.
Hannes stood frozen, staring at the oncoming Titan.
"Move," Eren growled.
"I—!"
"I said move!"
He slammed into the beam, arms surging with hidden strength. Wood cracked. Carla gasped. He pulled her free, just as the Titan came into view.
"Go!" he shouted. "Hannes, take her!"
They ran. They lived.
And behind them, the house collapsed.
Timeline deviation registered.
Target Carla Yeager: Survived. Butterfly effect in motion.
That night, on the river, Eren stood on the deck, shirt scorched, eyes distant.
Behind him, Shiganshina burned.
Beside him, Mikasa stared at the side of his face.
"You knew."
He didn't look at her.
"I saw it coming."
"How?"
He finally turned. "Because this world thinks it's a cage… but I was born to be the fire that melts it."
Acknowledged, Titan Slayer. Mission has begun.
To be continued.