Lock's gaze was steady as he faced Yelena.
"I'm not asking you to guarantee their survival," Lock said. "But sending someone from Paradis Island into Marley shouldn't be impossible, right?"
Yelena, who had kept a composed, almost unreadable expression during most of the return journey, paused for the first time. She studied Lock carefully—his tone, his eyes, and the confidence beneath them.
"If all you want is to smuggle someone in," she replied, "that's possible. But you must understand… once they enter Marley, they won't return. That's not an exaggeration. That's reality."
"I know," Lock said quietly. "But if no one takes the first step, nothing changes. There's no progress without risk."
His certainty was so absolute that Yelena—who rarely admired anyone—actually smiled.
"I think I understand," she said softly, "why you became the highest authority of Paradis Island while still a teenager."
Lock chuckled faintly. "I only succeeded because of the people around me. I didn't do anything alone."
Yelena's respect deepened. She admired strength, but she admired clarity of mind even more. And Lock possessed both in frightening concentration—without arrogance, without hesitation, without childish impulsiveness.
The stiffness of earlier conversations eased, and the atmosphere gradually shifted—less tense, more honest. That night, after Petra prepared a simple meal in their cliffside shelter, the Volunteers sat around the fire, speaking freely for the first time. Food had a strange way of bridging gaps. It allowed practicality to settle into familiarity—and familiarity into trust.
Erwin pushed himself relentlessly, driving the Cart Titan's body at full speed. What should have taken five days took barely three. When they finally reached the southern edge of the Shiganshina District, the terrain looked drastically different from when they had departed.
The Pure Titans that once roamed here had vanished.
The wrecked houses had begun repairs.
Makeshift forts dotted the outer wall.
Paradis Island was no longer shrinking in fear. It was growing.
With the frontline secure and the Survey Corps now equipped with powerful artillery, lightning spears, modernized ODM Gear, and Dina Fritz's partial use of the Founding Titan, reclaiming Shiganshina had been smoother than they dared hope.
Once near the gates, Erwin climbed out of his Titan form and mounted a horse. A squad of elite soldiers—Survey Corps veterans—rode out to meet them. Lock, Petra, Erwin, Yelena, Onyankopon, and the other Volunteers followed them into the city.
As they passed through the gates, Yelena looked up—really looked—for the first time.
The walls were colossal.
The people were rebuilding tirelessly.
Uniformed soldiers stood watch with practiced precision.
"This city has existed behind these walls for more than a hundred years…" she murmured. "And still no one wanted to go beyond them?"
Petra answered before Lock could.
"Many did. And those who tried died. The Survey Corps was founded for that reason—to explore the world beyond the walls. For a long time, we were the weakest of the military branches. Now… things have changed."
"The Survey Corps…" Yelena repeated. "Just from the name, it sounds like a division built for discovery."
Lock gestured toward the soldiers escorting them. "Every one of them survived battles against Titans. Give them weapons advanced enough, and they'll match any three Marleyan units."
The pride in his voice was unmistakable—and justified.
Yelena nodded, saying nothing. Truthfully, she agreed.
The Survey Corps soldiers walked like veterans. There was a sharpness in their posture, a calmness in their eyes, an awareness impossible to fake. Even without modern rifles, Paradis Island was not defenseless.
In a temporary command post within the reclaimed district, Dina Fritz waited.
When Lock entered, Dina rose quickly.
"Lock, you're back!"
"Zeke returned safely to Marley," he reassured her. "For now, we can assume he wasn't discovered."
The relief in Dina's eyes was faint but sincere.
Then Lock gestured toward the Volunteers standing behind him. "These are the Volunteers from within Marley's army—the ones Zeke mentioned."
Yelena studied Dina, especially after hearing her surname.
"Fritz…" she whispered. "You're of the royal bloodline."
Dina's expression tightened faintly.
"I was," she answered. "When Eldia fell, that title meant nothing. I'm only a woman trying to fulfill the hopes of those who died for our future."
Lock understood the undertone immediately—Grisha was gone.
That meant one thing:
Eren had inherited the Attack Titan.
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
He turned Dina toward the Volunteers. "They need proof. Since Shiganshina is under control again, show them what you can do with the Founding Titan."
Dina nodded. "My control isn't perfect yet. I can command Pure Titans within a kilometer, but only simple actions. Their minds are empty—they can't handle anything complex."
Despite her restraint, sorrow filled her expression.
These Titans were her people—Eldians stripped of their humanity.
"That's enough for now," Lock said gently. "We don't need full mastery. We only need you to prevent Titans from attacking us. Leave the rest to us."
Yelena observed the exchange silently.
She did not know the depths of Lock's mistrust toward Dina.
She did not know how dangerous an unstable Founding Titan could be.
She saw only competence—and potential.
That was enough for her.
Soon, the entire group descended into a secluded underground space. There, Dina cut her palm, lightning burst forth, and she transformed into a Titan—vast, imposing, unmistakably regal.
With a single command, several Pure Titans moved in unified, synchronized motions. Not perfectly—but undeniably controlled.
The Volunteers stiffened. Onyankopon inhaled sharply.
Then Yelena stepped forward, her expression deadly serious. She placed a hand over her heart, stood tall upon the Titan's outstretched palm, and addressed Lock directly.
"Then it's true," she said. "You possess the Founding Titan. You can command other Titans. And you have more Titan shifters than we were told."
Her eyes held the fierce light of conviction.
"In that case… the Volunteers will commit fully. We will help Paradis Island rise—and together, bring down the Marley Empire."
The chamber fell into silence.
Lock's eyes narrowed—not out of suspicion, but out of calculation.
This was the beginning.
The moment the world would start to change.
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