The engine started quietly, and the palace faded behind them—
the way old memories slip away from the edges of longing.
The sun was leaning westward, weaving golden threads across the windows of the elegant car Liya had carefully prepared. Everyone sat inside as though stepping into a new scene—one whose ending no one yet knew.
Sarah was driving. Her hand was steady on the wheel, her eyes shifting between the road and its reflections. Beside her sat Levi, silent as ever, gazing out the window as though reading stories only the two of them could see.
In the back, Eren sat next to Mikasa, while Liya took the opposite seat, watching them all with warm eyes that concealed a quiet mix of curiosity and concern.
—
Liya broke the silence gently:
" So… what is life like on the island? I've heard it's completely different from here."
Eren slowly turned his gaze from the window and replied, his voice low but honest:
"Very different. The land there is closer to the wild.
But we learned to love it—because sometimes, it was the only thing that protected us."
Liya looked at him for a long moment, then said softly:
"I've heard you carry the power of two Titans…
It sounds incredible—but terrifying too, doesn't it?"
There was no pity in her voice—only understanding, the kind that comes from a woman who has faced the world in her own way.
Mikasa, who had been staring out the window, pressed a hand to her forehead and murmured:
"It wasn't easy… not for him. Not for any of us.
And now, with time closing in…"
The words fell like stones into a silent river. Even the air inside the car seemed to shift.
Eren whispered, as if confessing to the wind:
"I know… I don't have much time left.
But every moment I'm alive now—means something beyond measure."
—
Noticing the change in Mikasa's expression, Liya leaned closer and asked quietly:
"Mikasa? Are you feeling alright?"
Without turning her head, Sarah said seriously:
"We should hurry. The headache is getting worse, isn't it?"
Levi's voice was soft—but firm:
"Don't pretend you're fine.
If you feel anything, say it immediately."
Mikasa pressed her fingers against her forehead and replied with effort:
"I'm okay… This headache comes and goes. Don't worry."
But the silence that followed didn't believe her.
—
Along the roadside, the trees swayed in the slanted sunlight, as if bidding them farewell in their own ancient language.
Sarah glanced slightly toward Levi and said in a near whisper:
"Don't you find life here strange? Everything is perfectly ordered…
and yet there's a chaos you can't see."
He answered without looking at her:
"Every place has its chaos.
We're just better at surviving the one we know."
She smiled gently, then asked him directly:
"But… if you weren't a captain, Levi—
how would you have imagined your life?"
He turned to her briefly, his eyes holding more than one meaning, then said:
"I never imagined anything that wasn't meant to happen."
She fell silent—but felt that what he meant wasn't failure.
It was loss.
—
In the back, Mikasa closed her eyes for a moment, her head resting against the seat, while Eren watched her—
a look like a prayer he hadn't yet dared to say aloud.
Watching them quietly, Liya reached into her bag and handed Mikasa a small handkerchief.
"My grandmother asked me to give you this.
She said it's soaked in rose water—it might help with the headache."
Mikasa took it, pressed it to her forehead, and whispered:
"Thank you… I didn't know grandmothers still did this—even in times of war."
Liya smiled, her expression heavy with memory:
"A grandmother who lost her daughter…
tries to save every girl afterward."
—
And so the car continued its journey—
through the shadows of trees,
and hearts that spoke no words…
yet were slowly, unknowingly, drawing closer to one another.
Under the White Light
When the car stopped in front of the hospital's white stone building, silence settled over them for a moment.
The place felt like a clean refuge in the heart of a city weighed down by history.
They stepped out quietly, each carrying their worry like something hidden in a pocket.
Lily had arranged everything in advance. The moment they entered through the elegant glass doors, a young doctor in a white coat greeted them—bright eyes, a warm, reassuring smile.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you. Miss Lily sent me all the details."
Levi raised an eyebrow, scanning the place with his usual suspicion—but it didn't last long.
The equipment was spotless.
The corridors orderly.
The scent in the air wasn't medicine… it was jasmine.
He leaned toward Eren and murmured quietly,
"If we had a system like this on the island…
half the people we loved wouldn't be dead."
Eren didn't answer.
He simply tightened his grip on Mikasa's hand.
He said nothing, but the worry burning in his eyes said enough.
Mikasa went into the examination room with the doctor, insisting she was fine—though no one truly believed her.
The others waited.
Sarah sat beside Eren, watching him for a long moment before whispering,
"Tell me… how many times have you imagined losing her?"
He turned to her slowly.
For once, he didn't pretend to be strong.
"More times than I can count.
Every morning I wake up and she's still here… I call it a miracle."
Later, Sarah stepped out onto a side balcony with Levi, overlooking the garden. She took a cup of tea and handed him the other.
Gazing into the distance, she said,
"Eren and Mikasa… it feels like they've finally understood their feelings.
Haven't you noticed since we arrived in Marley?"
Levi replied coolly—though without mockery this time.
"Maybe.
But what does it change?"
Then, slowly, as if pulling the words from somewhere deep,
"We only recognize love when it's framed by survival…
or loss."
Sarah smiled softly.
"I think love isn't a luxury.
It's courage.
And life is too short to hesitate."
He turned toward her. His gaze was steady, but his voice—unexpectedly—was human.
"Some of us don't have the courage to stop for love.
It's like… if we stop, we die."
She answered calmly,
"And you?
What are you afraid of dying without ever saying?"
He fell silent.
For the first time, there was no sharp remark, no deflection.
He simply looked out at the horizon—and let himself speak.
"I want the island to grow.
To learn how to build, not bury.
I want children there to learn how to play… not how to run for their lives.
I've always dreamed of seeing it like that.
But I never had the time.
Or the means.
Only a weapon."
Sarah listened without interrupting.
Her eyes rested on his face, as if she were watching a man rise from ashes.
His voice carried something almost musical—like a flute echoing through an ancient temple.
He continued, noticing the way she looked at him—like no one ever had.
"I'm not a commander all the time.
Sometimes… I just want to be a man
living in a place that deserves to be called life."
She smiled, her voice barely a whisper,
"Your words sound like music.
I don't want them to end."
He was taken aback.
For the first time, speaking didn't exhaust the person in front of him—
it freed him.
Under the White Light
When the car stopped in front of the hospital's white stone building, silence fell over them for a brief moment.
The place looked like a clean refuge, standing untouched in the middle of a city heavy with history.
They stepped out quietly—each of them carrying their worry like something tucked into a pocket.
Leila had arranged everything in advance.
The moment they entered through the elegant glass doors, a young doctor in a white coat greeted them—bright-eyed, calm, and reassuring.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you. Miss Leila sent me all the details."
Levi raised an eyebrow, scanning the place with instinctive suspicion that quickly faded.
The equipment was spotless. The corridors perfectly ordered.
The scent wasn't medicine—it was jasmine.
He leaned toward Eren and muttered quietly,
"If we had a system like this on the island… half the people we lost might still be alive."
Eren didn't reply.
He only squeezed Mikasa's hand gently.
She went into the examination room with the doctor, insisting she was fine—but no one believed her.
They waited.
Sarah sat beside Eren, watching him for a long moment before whispering,
"Tell me… how many times have you imagined losing her?"
He looked at her slowly.
For once, he didn't pretend to be strong.
"More times than I can count.
Every morning I wake up and she's still here feels like a miracle."
Later, Sarah stepped out onto a side balcony with Levi.
She handed him a cup of tea and kept the other for herself.
Watching the garden below, she said quietly,
"Eren and Mikasa… I think they finally understand their feelings. Haven't you noticed since we arrived in Marley?"
Levi answered without sarcasm—just flat honesty.
"Maybe. But what does it change?"
Then, after a pause, as if pulling something buried from deep inside:
"We only recognize love when it's measured against survival… or loss."
Sarah smiled softly.
"Sometimes I think love isn't a luxury.
It's courage.
And life is too short for hesitation."
He turned to her. His expression was still hard—but his voice wasn't.
"Some of us don't have the courage to stop for love.
Because if we stop… we're afraid we'll die."
She met his gaze.
"And you?
What are you afraid of dying without ever saying?"
Silence.
For the first time, Levi had no sharp reply.
He looked toward the horizon and let the truth speak instead.
"I want the island to change.
To learn how to build, not just bury.
I want children to learn how to play—
not how to run for their lives."
He exhaled slowly.
"I always dreamed of seeing it that way.
But I never had time. Or the means.
Only a weapon."
Sarah listened without interrupting, watching a man rise from beneath the ash.
His voice softened—almost musical.
"I'm not a captain all the time.
Sometimes… I just want to be a man living in a place that deserves to be called life."
She smiled, barely above a whisper.
"Your words sound like music.
I don't want them to end."
And for the first time, Levi felt something unfamiliar:
talking didn't drain the air—it freed it.
Inside, Time Slowed
Two hours passed.
Then the doctor stepped out, holding scans and papers.
"Physically, there's nothing to worry about. Mikasa is in excellent condition—stronger than most women her age.
But the headaches… they aren't organic. I believe they're psychological."
Leila nodded.
"I expected that. Some wounds don't go to the heart. They go to the mind."
"What do you suggest?" Sarah asked.
Leila answered calmly,
"Hypnosis. Not to uncover secrets—but to release what's never been spoken."
Mikasa hesitated.
"That sounds… strange."
Eren stepped closer, took her hand—not commanding, just supportive.
"If it helps you… try it.
I'm here."
Levi spoke at last, firm.
"Not now.
We don't dig into memory before we finish dealing with the present."
Leila nodded.
"After we meet Zeke… there will be time."
Sarah's eyes met Levi's again.
Something between them had shifted.
They were finally—completely—honest.
Back to the Palace – Unseen Shadows
Outside, the air felt clearer—but Levi didn't trust clear skies.
He paused by the glass doors, scanning the street—not looking, but dissecting.
A truck stopping briefly across the road.
A black car's surface catching light.
A man tying his shoe for the third time in the same spot.
Sarah noticed his pause.
"Something wrong?"
He didn't answer—only motioned for her to keep walking.
Inside the car, Mikasa sat beside Eren, calmer now, her body relaxed—but Eren's eyes never left her.
In front, Sarah drove.
Levi cracked the window slightly and said, colder than before—
"We're being watched."
The words hit like lightning.
Leila spoke quietly from the back,
"Are you sure?"
Levi didn't look away.
"Small movements. Calculated.
Someone changing positions without leaving a pattern.
Windows opening too fast. A car disappearing the moment we exit."
He paused.
"Whoever it is… they're not amateurs."
Eren's expression darkened.
"Marley military?"
"Maybe," Levi said. "Or someone who doesn't want us reaching Zeke."
Sarah kept her voice steady.
"So who?"
Levi hesitated.
"I don't know yet.
But whoever's watching knows exactly when to blink… and when not to."
Mikasa whispered,
"What do we do?"
Levi shut the window.
"We do what we're good at.
We make them fear us—before we fear them."
In the Shadow of the Man Who Sees Too Much
Night hadn't fully settled over Marley when Willy Tybur sat in his office—bathed in dim lamplight.
Photographs lay before him.
Sarah leaving the hospital.
Mikasa pressing her temple.
Eren scanning his surroundings like a storm waiting to break.
And then—
That look.
The man walking beside Sarah.
Willy lifted the photo toward the light.
Short.
But standing like a soldier who measures ground before stepping on it.
Eyes sharp enough to read death before it arrives.
Not Marley.
Not any force he knew.
Willy whispered,
"This man doesn't walk.
He calculates the earth."
His fingers tightened.
What disturbed him wasn't Sarah alone.
It was the question growing beneath everything:
How did these people enter Marley unnoticed?
Who granted them access to the Friedman estate?
And who was this soldier—more shadow than man?
Willy closed his eyes briefly.
He rarely felt fear.
But he knew what it meant when someone found your eyes without ever seeing your face.
That alone was a silent declaration of war.
"He didn't look up by accident," Willy murmured.
"He knows we're watching."
For the first time in years, something close to unease surfaced.
"Watch them," he ordered softly.
"No interference.
A man who notices eyes… can burn a country if he feels threatened."
And as his thoughts sharpened, Willy Tybur smiled faintly.
Because when Willy begins to think—
Wars follow.
When two predators recognize each other in silence…
who do you think should be afraid first?
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