The return trip passed without incident.
By the time Lock and the others made it back to camp, the sun had not yet fully set. In only a few hours, most of the massive wooden platform had already been erected around the great tree. At this pace, it wouldn't be long before the forward base was completed.
Once the move onto the platform was finished, operations would become far safer. For the Survey Corps, this was a vital step in establishing a foothold outside the Walls.
If the Corps could expand outward from here, the dream of reaching the sea might not be so distant. They might even discover Marley's activities earlier than expected.
But such ambitions required resources—troops, supplies, and political will. And for that, the approval of the royal government inside the Walls was indispensable.
Lock doubted they would ever give it.
From what he knew, the puppet monarchy would never risk disrupting its stagnant rule. They would rather sabotage the Corps than allow true freedom. The thought soured his mood.
"Lock, what's wrong? You've been quiet ever since we came back." Petra's gentle voice broke his silence.
Her concern drew a sharp scowl from Oluo, who blurted:
"Petra, why are you fussing over that rookie? He's the Corps' rising star now—who knows, maybe he'll set up his own squad one day and leave us behind."
"Oluo! How can you say that?" Petra shot back, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. "Even if Lock does lead his own team someday, he's still one of us. We're all Survey Corps, we're still comrades!"
Grumbling, Oluo raised his hands in surrender and shut his mouth, though he still shot Lock a sideways glare.
Eld and Gunther, watching from the sidelines, only smirked. Oluo's jealous streak was nothing new to them.
Lock, however, paid it no mind. He forced a smile and replied to Petra, "I'm fine. I was just wondering… are we really the only humans left in this world? Or are there others, living out there somewhere? What kind of lives do they lead?"
The question struck a chord.
For a long moment, silence lingered around the fire. Their schooling had always insisted that humanity existed only within the Walls. Yet the more they saw beyond, the more their curiosity—and fear—grew.
If there were others… what would it mean for everything they believed in?
Sensing their unease, Lock dropped the subject. He lifted his bowl instead, drinking down the hot soup Petra had prepared. The warmth spread through his body, soothing in a way no weapon or strategy could provide.
"Petra," he said softly, "whoever marries you someday will be very lucky."
She froze, ladle in hand. Beautiful, gentle, an excellent cook, and a skilled fighter—anyone would see her worth.
"Just drink your soup, stop talking nonsense," she muttered, quickly pouring more into his bowl. But as she turned away, the flush on her cheeks betrayed her. A flicker of longing and doubt passed in her eyes.
Could someone like her—bound to the dangerous life of the Corps—truly hope for marriage? For children?
That night, Petra hardly slept.
Eld, Gunther, and even Oluo caught the look in her eyes. And in their own silence, each man confronted the same question. What future did they really have? Always riding beyond the Walls, facing Titans, staring death in the face… was there really a tomorrow waiting for them?
Reality was cruel.
The camp pressed on regardless. With construction and patrols, work continued day and night, the soldiers rotating in shifts without rest.
By morning, Lock was assigned to patrol duty again. Alongside Eld, Petra, Gunther, and Oluo, he swept the northern perimeter of the base, clearing stray Titans as they appeared.
Hange Zoe and Moblit's team, meanwhile, hadn't slept at all. They had thrown themselves into experimenting on the captured Titan, gathering data never before recorded. Every scrap of information could be crucial, and for Hange, the research outweighed exhaustion.
As for Lock—
When their patrol returned to the site of yesterday's capture, Dana Fritz's figure was gone. Relief loosened the tension in his chest. He turned his eyes north, toward Shiganshina, and whispered under his breath:
"I wonder where Reiner and Bertholdt are now…"
If he could find them here, he would not hesitate. Together with the Survey Corps, he could end their mission before it ever began. It would spare them all the future chaos.
But for now, they were nowhere to be found.
Patrol work dragged on, monotonous but never safe enough to slacken. By the time their shift ended, they had slain several wandering Titans and returned to camp.
The moment they arrived, a familiar voice rang out.
"Lock! You're finally back! I've been waiting for you all day!"
It was Hange—her voice brimming with excitement.
Lock rubbed his temples and muttered, "I suddenly want to go home."
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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