"Did you find Mikasa?"
Grisha turned toward us. Eren and I stood quietly at the doorway, our eyes still shaken, our expressions empty.
"N... No," we whispered together.
My mind kept circling one truth. Her parents were dead. Whoever Mikasa was… she was next.
"I see. Eren, take Sandra back down the mountain and wait for me. I'm going to get the Military Police. Understand? Eren?"
Neither of us could speak. Our eyes were locked on the two bodies soaking in blood.
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Grisha led us to the fork in the forest path.
"You two go down the mountain. I will report this to the Military Police."
He ran off toward the right path, leaving us alone.
Eren stood beside me. Slowly, he reached out and held my hand.
"Eren."
I already knew what he was thinking. We had lived together long enough for me to read his eyes.
He looked forward with fierce determination.
"Mikasa has to be somewhere nearby. And if those scumbags took her… the Military Police will be too late."
His voice trembled with anger.
"The blood on the Ackermans was fresh. Mikasa must still be close. Sandra, look. Over there."
I pointed toward the direction almost every thug used as a hideout: deeper into the forest.
In the next heartbeat, we made our decision. Two children. No hesitation. No fear. We ran into the woods to face the murderers ourselves.
We reached an isolated cabin tucked between the trees. Suspicious. Too suspicious.
Eren crept to one side of the house while I scanned the perimeter. No one outside. I gave him a small nod.
We eased the front door open. No one stood in the entryway.
But voices came from deeper inside.
"Hey, think this girl will actually sell? I killed her parents just to grab her."
"Take a good look at her face."
"Hmm. She's cute, sure, but she's still a kid. Not my type."
"Doesn't matter what your tastes are. Look at her—she's from the Azumabito bloodline. Back then, humanity had many races, and her mother's people came from a powerful nation in the Far East called Hizuru. That clan is nearly extinct now, which makes this girl priceless. If we take her to the underground market, the bidders will tear each other apart for a chance to buy her."
"What? But her father wasn't from Hizuru at all. Her blood isn't even pure."
"Yeah. The real treasure was her mother. But you killed her before I could stop you."
"I… I panicked. She resisted…"
We heard every word. Eren's jaw clenched, his fists trembling.
I felt the same. I knew what it was like to be kidnapped, to be sold, to be treated like livestock.
I pointed toward a nearby storage room and tapped Eren's shoulder. He understood immediately.
We slipped inside the storage area of their hideout.
My eyes scanned the clutter. Eren's hand darted forward.
Two knives. He grabbed both.
We exchanged a look. We were ready.
Eren hid one knife behind him while I gripped the makeshift weapon I had formed by combining a mop handle with the spare knife. It was longer, perfect for stabbing from a distance.
Eren stepped out first.
"Is someone there?" he called, his voice small and helpless, exactly like the lost child he pretended to be.
One of the traffickers opened the door, leaning lazily against the frame.
"Hey kid, how'd you find this place?"
"I… I got lost in the forest. Then I found this house…"
His acting was flawless. No one would suspect the trembling boy was hiding a murder weapon.
The trafficker glanced back at his partner. He grabbed the boy's shoulder.
"This isn't good. Kids shouldn't wander alone. There are wolves in the woods, you know?"
"But don't worry. As long as you are with us, you will be perfect–"
Before he could finish, Eren's small hand slashed upward. The blade sank straight into his throat.
"Thank you for the advice, mister. But now I understand. Die, you scum."
The man staggered backward, blood spurting from his ruptured artery.
"Wh… what? You brat… stop right there!"
The second man lunged forward.
Eren slammed the door shut behind him, exactly as we planned.
I moved.
I burst from the corner and sprinted straight toward the man with the axe.
No hesitation.
I drove the long-bladed weapon into his chest, aiming directly for his heart.
"Die…"
"Monster!" Eren shouted.
Together, we brought him down. The impact shook the whole room.
We didn't stop there.
One child. Two knives. Two children. One fury.
Eren and I stabbed again and again, our blades plunging deep, our hands trembling but unstoppable.
I felt the memories flood back. The underground. That fat man. The fear, the rage, the helplessness.
"Die! Die! People like you deserve this!" I screamed.
"You are scum! Stay down and die already!" Eren slashed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face even as he attacked.
We didn't stop until both traffickers stopped moving.
Until their bodies were still.
Only then did the room fall silent.
Breathing hard, covered in blood, we finally turned.
A pair of wide, terrified eyes stared back at us from the shadows.
Mikasa Ackerman.
We had awakened her.
She saw our faces. Saw the blood staining our clothes. Saw the two trembling children who had killed monsters to save her.
"His blood… it's all over you…" she whispered.
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