The transformation ended as quickly as it began.
The vapor hissed and curled around the ruined chapel, thick and white, until the ten-meter Titan form had completely dissolved into steam. From its fading silhouette, a slender figure emerged — Dina Fritz, her human form fragile and trembling beneath the torchlight.
The air still carried the sharp, metallic scent of blood.
Grisha Yeager, who had been waiting all this time with his heart pounding, froze for an instant — then rushed forward.
"Dina!"
For over a decade, he had carried the weight of her absence, the guilt of their separation, and the agony of believing she was lost forever. Now, seeing her again — alive, human — his composure shattered. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice broke with every breath.
"You're… you're really back…"
Lock watched silently. The flicker of the torches reflected in his eyes, calm yet unreadable. Somewhere in his mind, a stray thought surfaced — distant, detached:
I wonder what Aunt Carla would think if she saw this.
Beside him, Kenny Ackerman stood motionless for a moment, his usual smirk replaced by genuine awe. His eyes darted between Dina's trembling figure and the dissipating steam of her Titan form.
"So that's how it works…" he muttered, voice low and fascinated. "Unbelievable. Truly… magical."
He turned toward Lock, lips curling into a half-smile.
"That woman — she was the Titan just now, wasn't she? After devouring Frieda Reiss… she inherited her power."
Lock nodded once.
"That's right. The Founding Titan's power is hers now. Simple… and brutal."
Kenny let out a low whistle.
"Simple? No. It's fascinating. A power that passes through flesh and blood — savage and divine at the same time."
Then, his tone shifted, his gaze sharpening like a blade.
"But now that I've held up my end of the deal, it's time for you to keep yours, isn't it?"
Lock's expression didn't change.
"Sorry," he said evenly. "That… isn't possible yet."
Kenny's face hardened. The spark of menace flared instantly behind his eyes as he drew his revolver, the muzzle snapping up to meet Lock's forehead.
"I hope you'll reconsider."
The metallic click echoed in the chamber, sharp and cold.
Petra stepped forward instinctively, blades drawn.
"Put it down, Kenny!"
Ymir's Jaw Titan glared down from above, claws flexing. Her growl rumbled through the air — low, animalistic, ready to strike.
But Lock didn't move. He didn't even blink. His eyes locked on the barrel of Kenny's gun, unwavering.
"How boring," he murmured.
Kenny frowned, uncertainty flashing across his face for the briefest moment. Then, slowly, he lowered his weapon.
"You really don't scare easily, do you?" he muttered, holstering the pistol with a click.
His eyes drifted toward Grisha and Dina. She had collapsed into Grisha's arms, breathing weakly but alive — her transformation complete.
Kenny's voice dropped to a whisper.
"When will it be my turn?"
Lock folded his arms.
"When an intelligent Titan appears again — and if you can capture one alive — that's when you'll gain the power you want."
The words were delivered flatly, without threat or promise. But Kenny understood.
He studied Lock's face for a long moment before nodding.
"Heh… you've got a strange way of keeping people interested. Fine. I've waited this long — I can wait a little more. I'll play along with your plan."
Lock smiled faintly.
"And you're not afraid I might change my mind?"
Kenny met his gaze and grinned, that signature Ackerman arrogance creeping back in.
"No. I think you're smart enough not to make me your enemy."
Lock's smirk widened slightly.
"Good answer."
For now, their uneasy alliance would hold. It was clear — attacking Kenny would be foolish. He commanded soldiers loyal to him, and more importantly, Lock knew that deep down, the man still carried the faintest, buried bond with Levi. That could prove useful one day.
And besides, Paradis Island couldn't afford more division.
Lock's thoughts darkened. The Reiss family was finished. The supposed "royal line" had fallen, and Dina — though a descendant of the Fritz bloodline — carried a new, uncertain future within her. If the King's Vow still bound her, everything could fall apart again.
Would Dina succumb to the same mental collapse that consumed Frieda? Would she lose herself to the chains of the Founding Titan's will?
If so, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The Survey Corps, the Military Police, the Garrison — all were watching. Inside the Walls, the power vacuum was dangerous. The nobles might resist; the Military Police could rebel. Even Erwin Smith's faith was not unshakable — not after so much blood had been spilled.
And beyond the Walls, Marley was growing stronger.
Lock clenched his jaw.
The Eldians enslaved there — weaponized Titans, stripped of freedom, their humanity erased — would one day turn their eyes toward this island. If Paradis remained fractured and closed, it would fall.
We can't survive divided, he thought. Not anymore.
Kenny's voice broke his train of thought.
"I'll be watching, Lock. Let's see how far your little revolution goes. Don't make me regret betting on you."
He turned to leave, his coat sweeping through the blood-stained dust. But Lock's curiosity sparked one last question.
"Kenny… your parents. Were they Eldians?"
The older man stopped mid-step, glancing over his shoulder. His grin returned, wide and proud.
"Nope. I'm a pure Ackerman — through and through. Why? That a problem?"
Lock hesitated, then shook his head.
"No. Just… curious."
He didn't tell him the truth — that only those of Eldian blood could inherit the power of a Titan. Kenny could never transform.
So that's it… Lock realized. That's why he later gave the serum to Levi.
Everything connected now — the fragments of choices and consequences that shaped the Ackerman line's fate.
But there was no time to dwell.
Grisha approached, holding Dina carefully in his arms. Her breathing was shallow, but stable.
"Lock," he said urgently, "the medical facilities here are useless. We need to move her. Quickly."
Lock nodded.
"Back home?"
Grisha froze. For a split second, his eyes flickered — guilt flashing through them as he remembered Carla and Eren waiting for him.
Lock saw it instantly.
"Then we go to the base instead," he said softly. "She'll be safe there."
Grisha exhaled in relief.
"Thank you."
Lock turned to Kenny.
"I'll leave the cleanup to you. Take care of Rod Reiss — and erase every trace of what happened here."
Kenny adjusted his hat and gave a lazy salute.
"Don't worry. I don't leave messes behind."
"I know," Lock replied.
He motioned to Petra and Ymir. Together, they ascended the cracked staircase toward the surface. Behind them, the underground chamber fell silent except for the hiss of evaporating steam and the slow drip of blood from the stone ceiling.
The night above was cold. Moonlight washed over the ruined manor, the forest beyond whispering faintly in the wind. Soldiers loyal to Lock waited in formation, tense but alert. When he emerged, they straightened immediately.
"Mission complete," he announced. "Form up. We're heading back."
The column moved swiftly through the woods. Ymir, now human again, walked beside Petra — both silent, the weight of what they'd witnessed pressing heavily between them.
Grisha followed close behind, still clutching Dina. Her fingers twitched occasionally, as if reaching for something only she could see.
By the time they reached the outer checkpoint of the Survey Corps' temporary garrison, the eastern horizon had already begun to pale with dawn.
Standing at the gate were Erwin Smith and Captain Levi, waiting.
Erwin's expression was unreadable, as always — composed, analytical — but Lock could sense the questions burning behind those calm eyes.
Levi's gaze, sharper and colder, flicked between the group — to Grisha, to Dina, to the blood still splattered across Lock's cloak.
"You're late," Levi said flatly.
Lock met his eyes and answered with quiet finality:
"It's done."
Erwin's voice was low but steady.
"Then we'd better talk inside."
And with that, the gates of the garrison opened — not to safety, but to the uncertain dawn of a new order within the Walls.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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