Rain drizzled down the rooftops of the cadet barracks as Armin poured over a map by lamplight. His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of knowing something didn't make sense.
Too many variables. Too many unknowns.
Arata was one of them.
And now, Annie.
Across the room, Eren was snoring softly, arm draped over the edge of the bunk. Mikasa sat cross-legged nearby, sharpening her blade even though they wouldn't need them for training the next day.
Armin sighed.
"Everything's changing."
---
Elsewhere – The Forest, Midnight
Annie Leonhart waited beneath the dead tree near the training perimeter.
No words, no greetings.
Arata appeared beside her without a sound.
She didn't flinch.
"You came," she said.
"You're the one who left the mark," he replied.
"I left nothing. But I know what it means."
They stared at each other, two ghosts out of place.
"What are you?" she finally asked.
Arata's crimson eyes gleamed. "Someone who shouldn't be here. Same as you."
Annie looked at the ground. "I thought I was alone. I wanted to be."
"You're not," Arata said. "And whatever that thing in the woods was, it's not either."
He pulled the stone from his jacket. The one with the three marks.
Annie's eyes widened slightly.
"I've seen that third symbol," she whispered.
"Where?"
"Not here. Not in the cade
t grounds. Beneath Mitras."
Arata blinked. "The capital?"
"There's a place. Deep underground. Sealed. Hidden even from the king. My father told me never to go near it."
"And did you?"
She looked away. "Of course I did."
Arata's voice lowered. "And what did you find?"
Her jaw clenched. "Not Titans. Not humans. Something older."
---
Meanwhile – Interior Police Headquarters, Mitras
A man in a crisp uniform knelt before a golden desk.
"The anomaly has been confirmed, Lord Reiss," he said. "The boy with the red eyes. The one who uses fire."
Rod Reiss tapped a finger against his chin.
"A descendant, perhaps?"
"No, my lord. He doesn't match any bloodline we know. Not from within the Walls."
Reiss's voice lowered.
"Then he came from outside. Like the others."
He stood slowly and turned toward the great map of the kingdom carved into the wall.
"Prepare the Levi Squad," he ordered. "Find the boy. Before he finds the truth."
---
Training Grounds – Next Morning
The tension between Annie and Arata didn't go unnoticed.
Jean commented on it first. "Are they... dating or planning a coup?"
Sasha munched a stolen apple. "Probably both."
But Eren watched them quietly, his mind spinning.
Later that day, Eren approached Arata while the others cleaned their gear.
"I know you're hiding something," he said.
Arata didn't answer.
"I don't care what it is," Eren continued. "Just… if you're planning to fight the real enemy—don't do it alone."
Arata turned to him, surprised.
"You trust me now?"
Eren nodded. "No. But I believe you. And I think we want the same thing."
Arata looked away, unsure how to reply. Something about Eren made him uneasy—not because of weakness, but because of the chaos in his soul. The rage. The certainty.
He would either save this world… or destroy it.
---
That Night – The Library Basement, Training Grounds
Arata broke in quietly. His Sharingan let him see in total darkness. Dust clung to every surface, and old books lined the moldy shelves.
He found what he was looking for.
A forgotten manuscript—"The Lost Eyes of the World."
The pages were old and half-burned. But one drawing stood out.
A man with three eyes—Sharingan, a glowing Titan eye, and a third symbol—wrapped in chains.
The text read:
"The Triumvirate of Power: Chakra, Titan, and Curse. Only one can remain. Only one can ascend."
Suddenly—
The door creaked.
A shadow entered.
Arata whirled around.
It wasn't a cadet.
It wasn't human.
It was the thing from the forest.
Closer now. Its body half-shrouded in rags. Its skin pale like old parchment. Black veins pulsed beneath the surface. And in its forehead—
The third symbol.
Arata's heart thudded once.
It hissed in a broken voice.
"Uchiha… Jaeger… Ackerman… All pawns of the Eye. You do not belong here."
It lunged.
Arata formed seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A jet of searing fire erupted from his mouth, lighting the basement like a furnace. Shelves exploded. The creature screamed.
But it wasn't destroyed.
Not fully.
It regenerated.
Arata's eyes widened.
What is this thing?
Then, behind him—
"Get down!"
Annie crashed through the window, spinning low. Her foot connected with the creature's head, launching it into the wall.
She skidded beside Arata, face grim.
"I followed it," she muttered.
"Glad you did," Arata said.
Together, they stood back-to-back.
The creature rose again, snarling.
"I think," Annie said, tightening her fists, "we're going to need more than fire."
Arata smirked.
"Then it's a good thing I brought this."
His eyes shifted.
The Mangekyō Sharingan flared for the first time.