"Ah—! A Titan!"
The scream tore through the air as the towering figure emerged from the smoke and ruin. In an instant, everyone was dragged back into the same cold terror they'd felt at Shiganshina—the fear of being dominated by a Titan.
The Titan's roar echoed across the pier, deep and guttural, like a wounded beast crying out against the heavens. There was fury in its voice—fury and grief—and its meaning was clear to all who heard it:
If you try to take my brother away, I will fight you to the end.
When the roar faded, the Titan lowered its head and turned its gaze upon the terrified people below.
"It's looking at us…"
"Run! It'll eat us!"
Panic erupted. People bolted in every direction, their minds blank, unable to comprehend why—how—a Titan could appear here, deep inside the Walls.
Only hours ago, they had pitied the citizens of Shiganshina, laughing that the fall of the district was far away, someone else's tragedy.
Now, they were living it.
"Isn't that the Beast Titan from before?" Hannes shouted, staring at the creature in disbelief.
The Titan turned, scanning the crowd—then suddenly bolted toward them with terrifying speed.
"Brother—!" Annie started forward, but before she could bite her hand, a shout rang out:
"Restrain them!"
Before she could react, half a squad of Survey Corps soldiers lunged from the flanks. Seven or eight men slammed Annie and Bertolt to the ground, twisting their arms behind their backs and pinning them facedown on the cobblestones.
"Damn it…" Annie muttered, glaring at the half piece of bread that had rolled from her hand onto the dirt.
"What are you doing?!" Carla screamed, horrified as she watched the soldiers restrain the two children. "Why are you arresting them?!"
"Erwin, what's going on?!" Keith Shadis barked. "Why are your men tackling kids?!"
"People can really turn into Titans? That's amazing!"
With that wild cheer, Hange Zoë, eyes sparkling like a mad scientist's, fired her ODM gear and launched herself straight toward the Beast Titan.
"Hange!" Keith nearly choked. "Are you insane?!"
But Hange wasn't alone. The first and second teams were already moving—blades out, grapples firing—as the Corps launched into formation around the massive creature.
Keith turned to Erwin, veins bulging. "What in the world is happening here?!"
Erwin's expression stayed calm, his eyes locked on the Titan. "I'm not certain myself. Until we confirm who or what that Titan is, I can't report anything definitive. But if we capture it alive, we may finally uncover the truth about the Titans. And when that happens… you'll have your explanation."
Keith stared at him, speechless. "You're insane. You actually think you can capture that thing alive?"
He could still see it in his mind—the memory of the monstrous Colossal Titan breaching Shiganshina's gate with a single kick.
That towering figure, muscles glowing red-hot, its strength beyond comprehension.
No cannon could harm it.
And now this… this Beast Titan. Taller than most walls, covered in fur, its eyes radiating intelligence.
Erwin wanted to capture that.
"You've lost it," Keith muttered.
"This may be our only key to understanding the Titans," Erwin said quietly. "So yes—we'll capture it alive, whatever it takes. As for you… take the civilians and find shelter."
Keith clenched his jaw. "Carla—come on, we're getting you out of here."
He turned—only to realize with shock that Grisha and Eren were gone.
"Where's Grisha? And Eren?" he demanded.
Mikasa's voice was calm, but her eyes were uneasy. "He… he ran off. He took Eren and left."
Keith's expression twisted with fury. "That bastard! He leaves his injured wife to fend for herself?!"
But there was no time to argue. He hoisted Carla to her feet, motioning for the children to follow. "Come on! I'll get you somewhere safe!"
Mikasa grabbed Armin's hand and nodded.
Keith threw one last glare at Erwin. "If you turn this place into another Shiganshina, I'll see to it personally that you answer for it!"
Erwin simply lowered his head. "If that happens… I'll accept full responsibility."
Keith snarled, then led the civilians away through the chaos.
As they retreated, Mikasa couldn't help but look back.
The others' attention was on the battle—on the soldiers tackling Annie and Bertolt, on Hange's daring flight toward the Titan.
But Mikasa had been watching something else entirely.
She'd seen her uncle, Grisha, grab Eren and run—quietly, desperately—while no one was watching.
And she'd seen his face.
Not fear.
Not anger.
But grief.
He had looked as if the weight of the world were crushing him, as if he were about to do something he could never take back.
Now, in the distance, the Beast Titan barreled through the trees, and beyond it—somewhere deep in the forest—Grisha ran with Eren in his arms.
It almost looked like one was chasing the other.
Mikasa's throat tightened.
Uncle… Eren… please be safe.
She pressed her face into her red scarf, holding back tears as the town around her burned.
"Eren… you have to be okay…"