"No need to pretend anymore…"
Hearing this, Ymir frowned and looked over. "What do you mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like, Petra," Lock replied calmly. "You have to face what's ahead. There's no point in running away."
"You…"
Before Ymir could respond further, Petra — who had been lying still with her eyes closed — slowly opened them.
Her eyes were filled with confusion.
"You… you…" Ymir was stunned.
Ignoring Ymir's shock, Petra fixed her gaze on Lock and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Lock… am I still human?"
"I don't think I need to answer that. You already know the truth."
Lock sat down beside the bed. "The most important thing right now is figuring out how to conceal the fact that you've inherited a Titan power."
"Why would we need to hide it?" Petra's voice trembled. She was still in a daze.
Her mind was full of unfamiliar, fragmented memories — memories that didn't belong to her. Even though she'd learned some information from Ymir beforehand, when those images truly began flooding in, they were overwhelming and terrifying.
But as she looked at Lock — calm, unwavering, and the one who had seen through her feigned unconsciousness from the start — she felt something solid to cling to. For the first time since awakening, her heart began to steady. A faint light of expectation appeared in her eyes.
"Given the current situation inside the Walls," Lock said seriously, "neither you nor Ymir can afford to expose your abilities right now."
Hearing this, Ymir exhaled a long, quiet breath.
In the original battle plan, she was prepared to use her Jaw Titan power as a last resort if she were cornered. That moment never came. Even when she transformed briefly to pursue Reiner's group, no one else saw it. Her identity had remained hidden.
With Lock openly saying this, Ymir knew she would not be exposed for the time being. It was the safest outcome for her.
Petra didn't respond immediately. She slowly sat up, her hand brushing the back of her head — and froze. There wasn't a single scar left. Even her hair had fully grown back.
"The power of the Titans… It's really incredible," she whispered.
Then she raised her head, locking eyes with Lock. "Then from now on, I entrust myself to you, Lock."
Lock grinned. "Haven't you always been part of my team?"
He knew from this moment on, the power of the Colossal Titan was under his control.
Ymir's voice chimed in at the right moment. "Then I'll leave it to you, Captain."
After her initial hesitation, she had fully accepted Petra's transformation into an intelligent Titan. There was even a flicker of joy in her eyes — from now on, Petra was like her.
Petra's mood, freed from the weight of her secret, had brightened considerably. Still, Lock knew it would take time for her to overcome her inner barrier and begin consciously using her Titan power. But Petra — soft on the outside yet strong-willed within — would surely rise to the challenge.
Her physical injuries fully healed, Petra no longer needed to stay bedridden. Later that evening, after dinner, Lock decided to visit the detention chamber where the Female Titan had been secured. He brought Petra and Ymir along.
At the door, a soldier on guard — a member of the Survey Corps elite squad — greeted him.
"Captain Lock," the soldier said, standing at attention.
Lock nodded. "Is Commander Erwin inside?"
"Yes, sir. Commander Erwin and Captain Levi are both inside. You can go in."
The implication was clear — Petra and Ymir would have to wait outside. Neither woman objected; they simply stood silently at the door.
Lock stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was Annie Leonhart — the Female Titan — bound in reinforced restraints, only her cold blue eyes visible. Across from her stood Erwin and Levi.
Aside from the prisoner, only three others were present — a sign of how restricted access to this place was.
"You're here," Erwin greeted him with his usual composed smile.
Levi stood with his arms crossed, wearing his habitual scowl. He gave Lock a curt nod but said nothing.
"Have you found anything?" Lock asked, stepping forward. His eyes met Annie's. Despite everything, there was a flicker of emotion in his gaze.
He understood that Annie herself wasn't a monster. She was a soldier with a different mission, shaped by Marley's ideology. Like him, she carried Eldian blood. And yet here they were — Eldians slaughtering each other inside the Walls.
Meanwhile, the Marleyan government — the true puppet masters — sat far away, untouched.
The irony was bitter.
Erwin sighed and shook his head. "No. She's extremely stubborn."
Of course, she was. From the moment she'd set foot inside the Walls, Annie had been prepared to die rather than betray Marley. Extracting information from her was nearly impossible.
Her cold, unwavering eyes told the truth more clearly than words ever could. After several attempts, Erwin had given up questioning her and ordered her mouth bound.
"In fact," Lock said, "we don't need to get anything from her. Ymir has already told us everything she remembers about Marley."
Erwin nodded. "That's true. But relying on a single person's testimony is risky. There's no way to verify it completely."
He paused, then added thoughtfully, "I've been wondering if there's any way to transfer Titan powers to someone else deliberately. Ymir mentioned she inherited memories from the previous Jaw Titan."
"That's one possibility," Lock replied, frowning slightly. "But we still don't fully understand how to turn a person into a Titan in the first place."
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of the situation settling over them.
They were standing on the edge of knowledge that could reshape the balance of power inside the Walls — and against Marley. But without understanding the process, it was as dangerous as it was powerful.
Lock's gaze returned to Annie. She remained motionless, expression unreadable, like a warrior awaiting an inevitable fate.
Erwin finally broke the silence. "For now, we'll keep her under maximum security. If she won't talk, we'll bide our time. We can afford to wait."
Lock nodded. "Understood."
With that, the meeting concluded. Lock stepped out of the detention room to find Petra and Ymir waiting where he'd left them. Petra's face was determined; Ymir's eyes were sharp and calculating.
The three walked down the dimly lit corridor in silence. Outside, the night had deepened, and the cold air carried the scent of wet stone.
The war with Marley's warriors was far from over. But Lock knew the real battles were only just beginning — not just against Titans, but against secrets buried deep within the Walls themselves.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San