That night was long—
broken only by the wind trapped between the windows,
and the anxiety lodged deep in her chest.
Sarah wasn't sleeping.
She was sinking.
Every word Connie had spoken replayed in her mind,
as if they had been born from his heart rather than his lips:
"My mother… I need you. I know you can save her."
That kind, slightly naïve boy—
the one who had never treated her as an enemy,
nor as a scientist,
but simply… as a human being.
With him, she spoke without masks.
She wasn't afraid to appear broken,
nor did he fear confessing his weakness.
With him alone,
weakness did not feel like a flaw.
Then Levi's words returned to her—
not as commands from a superior,
but as a push from a man worn down by life,
yet still standing for her:
"If you die now… who will look for her?
Who will burn every door in Marley to the ground?"
Sarah closed her eyes,
but a tear slipped free without permission.
Who would burn the doors?
And if she didn't—
who would even knock?
Who would remember Layla?
Who would remember Connie's mother?
Had she been chosen merely to be a tool?
Was her place here conditional—on obedience?
Or on humanity?
Deep within the night,
the answer formed.
If her freedom was not complete,
then her science was not science at all—
but a chain.
Morning — Scout Headquarters
The sun had not fully risen,
yet the table was already full.
Exhausted faces.
Lowered voices.
Agendas hanging above their heads like blades.
Sarah stood among them.
She looked first at Connie…
then at Levi.
Her eyes were calm—
but carried a spark none of them had seen before.
Sarah (clearly):
"I want to begin a new experiment… on Connie's mother."
Hange raised her eyebrows in shock.
Nikolo crossed his arms, exhaling heavily—
as if what he had just heard was yet another burden.
Nikolo (dryly):
"Is this really the time for emotion? We have more urgent priorities."
Levi's gaze hardened, his voice sharp:
Levi:
"His mother is not a lab rat.
If you fail, we won't get a second chance.
I won't allow a gamble like this."
Hange (carefully):
"I understand your motivation, Sarah… but this is outside the plan."
Sarah listened—
but she wasn't hearing.
Every word hammered another nail
into the coffin of her trust.
Sarah (low, bitter):
"Am I here to save the island only?
Or to save people as well?"
Silence.
Sarah (continuing, sharper):
"You want my science, but not my choices.
You take everything that benefits you—
and close the door the moment I speak of something inconvenient."
She looked at Connie.
His head was bowed.
He didn't want to guilt her—
but his heart lay exposed on the table before them.
Sarah (voice strained):
"Connie never treated me like a spy.
He never tried to use me, belittle me, or frighten me.
He was simply… human."
"Do you expect me to deny his hope
just because your officers decided the timing was wrong?
And should I accept the same fate
when it's my sister's turn?"
Her voice trembled at the edge of tears—
but she held it together, as she always did.
Sarah (final):
"You're free to refuse.
To be angry.
To interrogate me if you wish.
But I am not your tool.
I am here because I believe
that people like Connie
are the only ones truly worth fighting for."
Between Sarah and Kasper
Sarah left the hall with slow steps.
She didn't rage.
Didn't scream.
Didn't run.
She simply walked—
like someone who had lost the desire to explain herself.
Hange glanced toward the door, then at Levi—silent.
Connie stared at the floor,
as if his heart had left the room with her.
Armin (whispering):
"She's… not the same.
Since Kasper opened his eyes,
it's as if something else was born inside her."
The Side Wing
Kasper sat in rare stillness—
a man who had regained a lifetime of memory in a single moment.
Sarah stopped at the threshold, watching him.
She didn't know what had brought her here—
but her feet had decided before her heart.
Sarah (softly, approaching):
"Your age now… matches mine.
At least physically.
But your mind carries my father's weight."
"I don't know what to call you…
Kasper?
Or… uncle?"
Kasper smiled—without answering.
Something warm in his expression said:
Call me whatever you wish. I am here.
She sat before him.
The tears came—uninvited.
She wept for her father.
For Layla.
For herself.
Sarah (broken whisper):
"My father never told me everything…
but he trusted me.
Now everyone tells me everything—
and no one trusts me."
Kasper didn't speak.
He simply reached out
and gently rested his hand on her head.
The touch was light—
but it shattered a wall inside her heart.
No one had done that
since her father died.
Sarah (hoarse, staring at his hands):
"Kasper… I'm at a crossroads.
Every step feels like it could cost a life—
or a hope.
I don't want to be a tool.
I don't want to be a traitor.
I just… want to be human."
Silence passed.
Then Kasper spoke, his voice deep and steady:
Kasper:
"Choose your heart, Sarah."
She looked up slowly.
In his eyes, she didn't find an answer—
she found a mirror.
Kasper (continuing, gently):
"Your mind will protect you.
But your heart is what shapes the path.
And paths…
are not drawn by laws—
but by the footsteps we leave behind."
❖ Beneath the Canopy of Night — A Point of No Return
Night descended upon the abandoned headquarters with crushing weight.
The silence in the room was not one of comfort, but the silence of a storm just before it breaks.
Connie sat without a word, his eyes lost in the floor.
Mikasa held her blade with the quiet discipline of a shadow.
Eren stared into the fire in the hearth as if watching his mother's face burn once more.
Sarah, however, stood.
She did not move.
She did not avoid anyone's gaze.
Something in her eyes had changed since Kasper awakened—
something had hardened, matured, like one who survived an unseen death.
Sarah (her voice steady, without tremor):
"I want to talk about something… about a plan."
All heads lifted, wary.
Sarah:
"I know what you'll say. I know the timing is wrong. That there are priorities. That I shouldn't act without the Scout Regiment's approval.
But I am not a machine in your factory, nor a thread in your uniform.
I am here because I chose to be—not because someone ordered me to."
Mikasa (softly):
"Go on…"
Sarah:
"I thought all night. About Connie's words—about his mother.
About what Levi said to me: 'If you die now, who will look for her? Who will burn every door in Marley to the ground?'
And I thought about my own face… and Layla's."
She paused, meeting each of their eyes in turn.
Sarah:
"I want to go to Ragako Village.
And I want to perform the experiment on Connie's mother."
The air froze.
Even the fire seemed to still for a heartbeat.
Eren (with a tone unheard from him in a long time):
"Finally… someone remembered we aren't born from orders."
Connie (his voice breaking):
"Sarah… you—"
Sarah (cutting him off):
"No. Don't say anything.
You didn't ask me for this—but I heard what you couldn't say.
And I won't allow your mother to be buried alive just because our schedules don't allow mercy."
Armin (quietly):
"I'm with you… in my heart only.
I won't defy orders—but if my mother were there, I'd pray someone would do what you're doing now."
Sasha (with rare seriousness):
"I'll stay behind. I'll make everything look normal. No one will notice you're gone.
I'll take the risk—but hurry."
Sarah:
"Thank you. We won't forget this."
Mikasa:
"Prepare the horses."
❖ The Palace — Kitchen of Secrets
Night wrapped the palace halls in velvet silence, broken only by soft rustling from the kitchen.
There, Sasha prowled like a mischievous cat, searching for something edible.
She opened an old wooden drawer, lifted the lid of a copper pot, and whispered:
Sasha (excited):
"Ha! Stale barley bread… but stale doesn't mean bad. It means better when reheated!"
As she sliced the bread, she hummed quietly:
"If we succeed… I'll bake a lentil cake."
She jolted suddenly—
footsteps echoed behind her. Calm. Measured. Heavy as judgment on stone.
She turned slowly.
Levi stood there.
Arms crossed.
His gaze carried no blade—
but the authority of a military tribunal.
Levi (dangerously calm):
"Do hungry stomachs expose secrets faster…
or has Sasha Braus invented a new method of communication through bread?"
Sasha (swallowing, laughing nervously):
"Oh! Good evening, Captain! Nothing suspicious here! Just… independent food research!"
Levi (stepping closer, eyeing the bread, then her):
"Tell me, Sasha—does 'food research' require Sarah, Connie, Mikasa… and even Eren to disappear at the same time… without permission?"
Sasha (scrambling):
"Oh, they're not gone! They're just… walking! Night walks are good for digestion!
Maybe they talked about his mother… a psychological experiment?"
Levi (staring):
"A psychological experiment… on a Titan mother… in the dark?"
Sasha (bursting out):
"Alright! Yes! Yes! Sarah planned it and they left!
But she said she thought long and hard! She mentioned Layla!
She said she wouldn't always wait for approval because she's not anyone's tool!
And Armin said he supports them in spirit! And I—
I just wanted to cover for them! I wasn't betraying anyone!
I'm just… hungry… and empathetic!"
Levi (after a long pause, rubbing the bridge of his nose):
"I can't believe I'm saying this…
but you're officially the smartest idiot in this palace."
He turned to leave.
Levi (without looking back):
"Save the bread.
We might need it on the way back… or to shut you up later."
❖ The Road to Ragako — A Heart That Refuses to Freeze
The night was thick as a wall.
The wind whispered across the mountains like voices of old ghosts.
On the road to Ragako Village, not a single word was spoken.
Eren.
Mikasa.
Connie.
Sarah.
Each carried enough pain—and enough resolve—to remain silent.
Their steps were not those of rebels.
They were the steps of those who were never given another choice.
❖ The Forgotten House — Where Science Meets Motherhood
Inside Connie's house, the Titan lay on her back—
exactly as time had abandoned her.
No movement.
No sound.
Her eyes were open, yet they saw nothing…
recognized no one.
The entire scene felt like a broken poem—
a story of loss that had never been granted an ending.
Sarah knelt slowly to the floor, opening her bag with care.
Her fingers were steady,
but inside her raged a silent storm.
Sarah (in a whisper):
"Layla… please forgive me if I fail.
But if I don't try, I'll die twice—
once in my heart, and once in their eyes."
She then turned toward Connie.
Sarah (calm, firm):
"Don't come closer. No one comes closer.
If this fails… I don't want you to witness the ending from up close."
The injection site was precise.
Just below the neck, from the back.
Sarah lowered herself beneath the low ceiling of the house,
her body confined, her forehead slick with sweat.
She pressed the needle in—
with the hand of a scientist who did not tremble.
And injected the serum.
A serum born from failure after failure,
from a certainty no one had believed in.
Then she withdrew slowly.
Moments passed—
no longer measured in seconds,
but in hope.
❖ The Return From Absence
A tremor.
Then a long exhale from a Titan's chest—
deep, heavy.
Fingers twitched.
Then came a faint shudder.
And then—
a tear.
One single tear slid from the Titan's eye,
cutting a path back toward life.
Connie (his voice breaking):
"M… Mom…?"
His heart collapsed—
then rose again.
She was looking at him.
Silent…
but seeing.
Sarah (soft, victorious):
"Welcome back… to life."
❖ The Inevitable Explosion — Levi Arrives
The door burst open.
Levi stormed inside, Nikolo right behind him—
anger carved into every line of his body.
Levi (furious):
"Have you lost your mind?!
How dare you make a decision like this?!
Do you think you stand above orders?!
Is this what you call respect?!"
Sarah didn't retreat.
She dusted her hands clean and stood.
Sarah (her voice sharp as glass):
"I didn't dare.
I decided.
I am not a weapon.
I am not a shadow.
I am human—
and humanity does not wait for permission."
Nikolo (stunned):
"But… you succeeded?!
That's impossible."
Connie (turning to Levi, anger in his voice for the first time):
"Would you have done it?!
Would you have seen her as my mother—
or only as a threat?!"
Levi fell silent.
His eyes moved to the Titan—
now making soft sounds…
tears still falling.
Sarah had succeeded.
But he could not accept victory easily.
Sarah (meeting his gaze without flinching):
"If you see mercy as a crime, then judge me as you wish.
But I chose to live as a scientist—
and as a sister.
Not as a puppet in the hands of decisions."
Levi (quiet, final):
"…Never do this again without informing us.
Even if you were right."
Then he turned and left.
Angry? Perhaps.
Admitting her truth? Perhaps even more so.
But what he left behind was unmistakable:
Sarah was no longer someone who merely listened.
She had become a decision-maker.
A woman who does not flee from fire—
but chooses it.
At the Threshold of Return — After the Victory, Before the Reckoning
When they returned to the palace, victory alone was not enough to dissolve the silence of small transgressions.
Even the air seemed to wait—
for an explosion…
or a confession.
Levi stood at the entrance to the stables, waiting.
No words.
No movement.
As they approached, he didn't look at them directly.
He only spoke, his voice cold—sharp as old blades:
Levi:
"From now until further notice…
you are assigned to cleaning the stables."
The last word landed heavy—almost mocking.
But Sarah didn't move.
She stood there, meeting his gaze with steady calm.
There was no rebellion in her eyes—
only something else.
Something that did not bow.
Sarah (quiet, unwavering):
"I am not a soldier in your regiment.
And I cannot be punished for making a decision you would have made yourself—
had you been in my place."
She turned fully toward him, her eyes unflinching.
Sarah (calm, sharp as the edge of danger):
"Everything I did was for a human life—not out of defiance.
And if that is a crime…
I will not apologize."
Behind her, Mikasa, Connie, and Eren seemed to hold their breath.
Before Levi could respond, Nicolo stepped forward—
his familiar warmth softening the tension.
Nicolo (gently, looking at Sarah):
"She's right.
Sarah didn't do anything wrong.
And besides… isn't she our guest?
You don't punish a guest for saving a life."
He said it lightly—almost like a joke.
But it carried more weight than any sentence.
Sasha laughed softly in the background.
Levi did not.
His gaze locked onto Nicolo—
as if he had stepped into a minefield no one was meant to cross.
Something ignited in Levi's eyes.
Not anger alone.
Something closer to jealousy…
or something he didn't yet know how to name.
❖ A Windowless Office — An Unfinished Conversation
When Sarah entered his office after breakfast,
Levi sat behind the desk, staring at a blank sheet of paper
as though it were defying him.
He didn't speak at first.
But the silence was heavier than shouting.
Sarah (gently, still standing):
"If you want to punish me, do it now.
But don't try to convince me that I was wrong."
Levi lifted his eyes slowly.
Studied her—as if trying to see beyond her composure, beyond the armor she wore so well.
Levi (quiet, torn by contradiction):
"…You succeeded.
And that's what bothers me."
Sarah frowned.
Levi (controlled, restrained frustration breaking through):
"Because I couldn't stop you.
And because…
if I had been in your place—
I might not have done it."
The words slipped out before he could pull them back.
He lowered his gaze again, as if the admission itself were a burden unbecoming of him.
Sarah (softly, almost a confession):
"I chose to see what others refuse to see.
I chose to gamble on life—
even if I lost…
even if everyone hated me."
She took a step closer, then breathed in slowly.
Sarah (steady, heavy with truth):
"You don't have to love me for that.
But at least—
don't hate me for it."
He didn't answer.
But his fingers tightened around the paper on the desk—
a quiet anxiety he would never voice aloud.
Sensing words were no longer enough,
Sarah reached into her coat and pulled out a cigarette.
Not as rebellion—
but as an attempt to anchor herself.
A spark flared from the lighter—
—but before flame met tobacco,
a strong arm shot forward.
In one swift motion,
Levi caught her wrist—not violently, but decisively.
Without giving her time to react,
he drew her closer—measured, controlled—
until the distance between them collapsed
and their breaths brushed the narrow space between them.
With his other hand, he took the cigarette from her fingers
as if it were nothing more than paper,
crushing it slowly against the desk—
as though extinguishing a spark not just in it…
but in her.
His voice came low, rough, carrying everything he refused to name:
Levi (so close it was nearly a whisper at her lips):
"That's enough rebellion for today."
Sarah didn't move.
She wasn't trapped by his grip—
she was trapped by the moment.
She wasn't afraid.
But her heart—
the one that never bowed to authority—
now faltered, startled to discover
it could fear something other than death.
He leaned closer—not by distance,
but by the disarray of a soul realizing
someone sees you more clearly
than you are ready to be seen.
Then he whispered near her ear,
his cool tone barely masking the heat beneath:
Levi:
"There's a celebration tonight.
For Kasper's return…
and your success."
He paused—
as if wrestling a word in his throat before letting it escape.
Levi:
"Be there."
Then he released her waist—
like a man letting go of a blade
before cutting himself.
He stepped back,
as though he had never moved at all.
Yet the weight of his nearness lingered in the air.
Sarah couldn't speak.
But something unfamiliar surged in her chest—
between trembling and triumph,
between the urge to flee
and the desire to stay.
When she left the room,
she didn't close the door all the way—
as if leaving a window open
when the world insists on shutting everything else.
Sarah—
who had never flinched before authority or threat—
found that only this closeness
made her pulse rise,
as if her heart were confessing a truth
she herself had yet to name.
❖ Hearts Behind Closed Doors — The Tremor After the Storm
She entered her room in hurried steps,
as if the air itself no longer sustained her.
She closed the door behind her
and collapsed onto the bed—
like a body dropping a weight it can no longer carry.
Her palm pressed to her chest.
Her heart wasn't beating—
it was pounding,
as if everything inside her had awakened at once,
as if the pulse itself had become a sound
betraying what she had buried for far too long.
She closed her eyes.
But peace did not follow.
Images crowded behind her lids—
his touch, his closeness, his breath,
and the look in his eyes that wasn't anger…
but something nameless.
—
Elsewhere in the palace,
Levi remained where he stood,
the door half-closed behind her.
He didn't move.
But the ground beneath him no longer felt the same.
The hand that had touched her waist moments earlier
still burned with the memory—
and his heart, long trained to silence and discipline,
betrayed him with a subtle tremor unbecoming of a soldier.
Yet fitting
for the man who had not yet admitted anything to himself.
He lifted his gaze to the closed door.
It was no longer just a door.
It was a threshold—
and beyond it lay something irreversible.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment,
a prayer without sound.
Then murmured inwardly:
One more step toward her…
and all my defenses would have fallen.
In two different corners of the palace,
with one unsettled heart between them,
they each stood at the edge of confession—
without daring to give it a name.
Flashback — Sarah and Her Father "Jalal" Before He Disappeared
In a quiet corner of the old laboratory, Sarah sat atop a small table, watching her father, Jalal, as he wrote with fervor—scribbling notes about experiments no one else even knew existed.
Sarah (toying with her necklace):
"Father… why do you work all the time? Aren't you afraid of Marley?"
Jalal smiled as he looked at her, his eyes carrying a calm that defied fear.
"Fear changes nothing, my daughter… but science?"
He paused, then added softly,
"Science can change the entire world."
He stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"One day will come when you will stand alone," he said quietly,
"and you will have to decide where you belong—
with the tyrants… or with hope."
That was the last long conversation they ever shared.
From that day on, all that remained of him were memories.
Not all battles are fought with swords.
Some unfold in glances, in silence, in a heart that refuses to name what it feels.
And on that night, Sarah was not the only one whose heart trembled—
even Levi, the silent guardian, was shaken.
But who will take the first step?
And who will break the walls fear has so carefully built?
Perhaps the battle has not ended at all…
Perhaps it has only just begun.
If you were in Sarah's place…
would you obey orders to stay safe —
or break them to save the one you love, no matter the cost?
If this chapter reached you—even quietly—
please leave a comment or a star.
Your words don't just support the story…
they remind the writer that these characters are alive in someone else's heart too.
Thank you for reading. Truly.