Year 845.
Near the inner side of Wall Maria, on the outskirts of Shiganshina District, there was an open stretch of grassland bordered by trees.
Eren had found a large tree and was dozing beneath it.
Chen Si stood staring up at the massive wall, lost in thought.
So this is where the Colossal Titan will appear… It's going to rise right over this wall. Just imagining it is terrifying.
Wall Maria stood fifty meters tall. For Chen Si—who had grown up surrounded by skyscrapers—it wasn't that impressive. He used to live on the twentieth floor of a building, nearly as high as this.
But a giant humanoid creature towering above it?
That was another matter entirely.
Thinking about his former home, he sighed.
One step at a time. Worst case, someday I'll go to Marley and reminisce about the wonders of modern technology.
"Brother, what are you thinking about?"
Mikasa, who had been standing behind him, stepped up beside him and glanced at the wall as well.
"Mikasa, you're still growing. I need to get you some extra food—help you build up your nutrition."
His gaze locked onto a rabbit in the distance.
"Do you need help?" Mikasa asked.
"No. I'll be quick."
She obediently stood aside. She knew her brother's speed and strength well. Though not quite at her level, he wasn't far off. If Eren had gone to catch it, she might have worried a little.
Chen Si simply sprinted forward and grabbed the rabbit in one motion. It had just begun to kick when it was already in his hand.
Holding it by the scruff of the neck, he released a faint current of electricity. The rabbit instantly went limp, unconscious.
Carrying it back beneath the tree, he prepared to gather wood and attempt to start a fire by friction—an experiment in primitive living.
Suddenly, Eren's eyes snapped open.
He cried out in terror.
Mikasa crouched beside him. "Eren, why are you here?"
Eren blinked at her in confusion. "Mikasa… why are you here?"
"Are you still half-asleep? We should head back soon," she replied.
"I feel like I had a really long dream…" Eren held his head. "What was it…? I can't remember…"
As Mikasa turned to hand Chen Si some firewood, she noticed tears at the corner of Eren's eyes.
"Eren… why are you crying?"
"Has your hair gotten longer, Mikasa?" Eren asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Mikasa touched her hair.
Chen Si, holding the rabbit by its ears, froze as realization struck him.
"Episode one!" he blurted out.
"Brother, what do you mean by episode one?" Mikasa tilted her head, puzzled. Why are both Eren and my brother acting strange today?
"Nothing, nothing. Eren, you're awake—do you know how to start a fire by rubbing sticks together? I've already broken several pieces of wood. This isn't working at all."
Chen Si's Ackerman bloodline had not yet fully awakened, and he still couldn't precisely control his strength.
Damn it. Can't a small Titan just show up so I can slice the back of its neck already?
He inwardly raged.
"Start a fire by friction? Chen Si, don't you just need to run your hand over the wood and spark it with electricity?" Eren said matter-of-factly.
"What are you talking about?" Chen Si stared at him, stunned.
But inside he was even more shaken.
Wait—did Eren dream about me too? Can he foresee my future?
Right… I could use electricity. But if I try that now, I'll probably exhaust myself and pass out. I still can't control my power properly. I can't focus it like a magnifying glass concentrates sunlight.
Not yet.
"Eren, what nonsense are you talking about?" Mikasa said flatly.
"Ah—right, right. Why am I mixing up my dream with reality?" Eren scratched his head awkwardly. "Starting a fire, right? I can do it. Let me!"
Several minutes later, he collapsed, defeated.
"I'll do it," Mikasa said, rolling up her sleeves slightly.
Chen Si caught her hand.
"No need. Your hands are too delicate—I won't let you ruin them. Let's just take it home and have Aunt Carla cook it."
He flashed a bright, eight-tooth grin.
Mikasa's cheeks flushed faintly. She nodded.
The three of them carried firewood, and the trio—plus one rabbit—headed back toward Shiganshina District.
"Don't tell anyone I was crying," Eren whispered to Mikasa.
"I won't. But since you cried for no reason, Uncle should take a good look at you," she replied seriously.
"That's right," Chen Si added with a smile. "Crying out of nowhere might mean something's wrong with your eyes. Better have them checked."
He leaned in close and whispered, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you were scared by a nightmare."
"I wasn't scared!" Eren protested stubbornly.
"What's this? Eren crying?"
A drunken voice interrupted them.
Hannes staggered over near the gate.
"Did Chen Si make you mad and teach you a lesson?" he teased lazily.
"What? Why would I cry? And I wouldn't get 'taught a lesson'! You reek of alcohol!" Eren snapped.
Nearby, soldiers were drinking and laughing loudly.
The sound grated on Eren's ears.
"If you're this lax, what will you do in an emergency?" he demanded.
"Emergency? What emergency?" Hannes asked blankly.
"What do you mean? When the Titans break through the wall and enter the city!" Eren shouted.
"Hahaha! The doctor's son sure is lively," said a pot-bellied Garrison soldier as he approached. "If that ever happened, of course we'd fight. But something like that hasn't happened in a hundred years."
"But it's when you feel safest that you're most in danger! That's what my dad says!" Eren insisted.
"Eren's right," Chen Si said calmly. "Between accidents and tomorrow, you never know which will come first. It could be ten years from now—or the next second."
"Chen Si's always so mature," Hannes replied. "You and Doctor Yeager both make sense. But I don't believe the Titans can do anything against a fifty-meter wall."
"You don't have the resolve to fight at all! You shouldn't be called the Garrison—you should call yourselves the Wall Repair Crew!" Eren yelled.
"You're not wrong," Hannes admitted. "But when soldiers are actually needed, that's the worst time. When we're seen as useless and idle, that means everyone's living peaceful lives."
There's some truth to that, Chen Si thought. But a military that grows complacent, a nation that fails to respond to danger—that only leads to destruction.
Fortunately… there's still Erwin and the Survey Corps.
"But even if you never leave the walls," Eren continued, lowering his head in frustration, "if all you do every day is eat and sleep inside here… isn't that no different from livestock penned up in a cage?"
Hannes's pupils tightened slightly. Eren's words struck deeper than he showed.
"That's right," Chen Si said. "If a people shut themselves off, stop exploring and striving, and live like cattle confined in a pen… then sooner or later, like cattle, they'll be slaughtered."
Hannes was shaken again.
"Exactly!" Eren exclaimed. "Chen Si, you think so too, right? No wonder you're my best friend! We can't live like livestock inside these walls forever. We're going outside someday!"
Two drunken soldiers burst into laughter.
"Kids sure talk big. You can't even do anything."
Hannes gave a noncommittal hum.
Chen Si stopped responding and simply walked on. Mikasa and Eren followed, ignoring the drunken men.
"Hey! Eren! Chen Si!" Hannes called after them.
"You two planning to join the Survey Corps? I'm telling you, don't. I won't agree to it."
Mikasa glanced at Chen Si—then at Eren.
"Mikasa, do you look down on the Survey Corps too?" Eren demanded angrily.
"It's not about looking down on them." Mikasa shook her head.
Just then, the sound of bells rang out. Eren instantly bolted like Jerry catching the scent of cheese.
"Chen Si, Mikasa, hurry! The Survey Corps is coming back!" he shouted as he ran.
"Mikasa, do you remember the story I told you about the frog at the bottom of the well?" Chen Si said with a faint smile.
Mikasa paused. "I remember. A frog sits in a well and thinks the sky is only as big as the well's opening," she replied after thinking for a moment.
"That's right. And right now, we are that frog." Chen Si smiled again, took Mikasa's hand, and ran toward the direction of the Survey Corps.
Mikasa was slightly stunned, silently turning those words over in her mind.
When they reached the city gate, countless townspeople stood on both sides of the street watching. Chen Si, Eren, and Mikasa were blocked by the adults and had to find a basket to stand on before they could finally see clearly.
Eren gazed at the passing Survey Corps with eyes full of admiration and longing. Chen Si looked curiously at Erwin. Mikasa calmly observed the soldiers marching past.
A sharp-minded blond man with slicked-back hair noticed their expressions—
It was Erwin Smith.
Erwin glanced toward the two different gazes: one filled with yearning, the other with curiosity. He quickly looked away, unwilling to meet them any longer.
Then Eren finally noticed something was wrong.
Behind the formation were soldiers missing limbs, heads wrapped in bandages, bodies stained with blood. The atmosphere was heavy with deathly silence. Eren stared at it all in disbelief.
"Moses! Moses! I… I can't find my son Moses!" An elderly woman with a haggard face rushed forward.
"It's Moses' mother. Bring it here," said Keith Shadis, who was leading the formation.
A soldier handed the woman something wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. With trembling hands, she opened it.
Inside was a severed arm.
The old woman collapsed to her knees, weeping in anguish.
"But my son died for something worthwhile… right? Even if he didn't accomplish anything, his death contributed to humanity's counterattack… didn't it?" she cried out desperately.
"Of course—no… This expedition… once again yielded no results. It's my incompetence. I led the soldiers to throw their lives away for nothing and still failed to uncover the truth about them." Keith Shadis lowered his head, tears falling as he blamed himself.
For a mother, those words were unbearably cruel. It was as if he were telling her plainly: your son's death meant nothing.
The onlooking crowd began whispering mockingly, their cold remarks unbearable to someone as hot-blooded as Eren. He grabbed a piece of firewood, ready to start a fight.
Chen Si watched, speechless.
You're truly reckless. Acting on nothing but blind passion without weighing reality. No wonder once you gain power, you rush toward destruction. If you don't have the brains, then the safest solution is simply to wipe out everyone smarter than you.
Before anything could happen, Mikasa grabbed Eren without hesitation and dragged him away. She flung him aside, and he hit the ground hard with a pained grunt.
"What are you doing?! The firewood's scattered everywhere!" Eren still didn't understand what was happening.
"Eren, Mikasa just wanted you to calm down," Chen Si said helplessly.
"What? Chen Si, weren't you the one supporting the Survey Corps too? Just because some of them died, you're backing down now?!" Eren shouted.
"Are you planning to join the Survey Corps with a body beaten half to death by a mob? If Mikasa hadn't pulled you away just now, you might've been crippled on the spot. You're still too weak. You're not strong enough to join the Survey Corps yet."
Chen Si's words mercilessly laid out the truth.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access advance chapters at