Like a small creature that spends all day hiding in the sand out of fear of the sunlight.
Humans dig it out of the sand pile and place it in the palm of their hand.
Under the glaring sun, under the gaze of a towering life-form.
The little creature curls up, its whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Just like Pieck Finger now, lying in Roger's palm.
They were the same age, but right now Roger had taken on his Titan form, clutching the Cart Titan's holder, Pieck, tightly in his hand.
Because she had just been forcibly torn out of the Cart Titan's body, Pieck's face still bore the marks where the neural connection lines that controlled the Cart Titan had snapped and been ripped away.
Healing steam rose constantly from her body, keeping her temperature dangerously high.
In his Titan form, Roger couldn't clearly feel the sensations in his palm.
Even so, he still sensed Pieck's fear, still felt the faint trembling of her body.
"Please… Roger."
Pieck closed her eyes, waiting for Roger to have the Titan put her in its mouth, bite through her spine with its teeth, and suck out her spinal fluid.
Tears welled in her eyes; she was unwilling to accept such an ending.
Roger.
If only we were just ordinary people.
If only we weren't Eldians.
If only we could love each other.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, slid down her cheeks, fell, and shattered in Roger's palm.
Roger rolled his eyes in their sockets, gazing at the old friend in his hand.
This was the first time since he was a child that he had ever hesitated.
And it should also be the last time he ever did.
"R… Ro…"
The Armored Jaw Titan forced out a few syllables.
Because of the unique structure of its lower jaw, it should not have been able to speak at all.
Roger knew that.
But just now, he really had said something.
And whatever he had said was something he never wanted Pieck to hear.
Pieck slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Roger in front of her.
She didn't understand why he still hadn't finished her.
He was such an absolute egoist, and letting her live was clearly something detrimental to himself.
Or maybe…
"Roger, you…"
[What's wrong with you?]
[Hurry up and eat her.]
[The Cart Titan's stamina would compensate greatly for your War Hammer Titan.]
[If you eat her, your abilities will become far more complete.]
"I can't."
[?]
[What do you mean?]
"I made a promise. I said I would absolutely never eat her."
[Huh? When?!]
"When we were little."
[Heh, just childish nonsense.]
[What on earth are you thinking?]
"I never ask anyone for help, and I never owe anyone anything," Roger said. "If I eat Pieck, I'll never be able to make up for what I owe her."
[You don't owe her anything!]
[This is not the time to harp on about ideals!]
[Isn't your personality supposed to be absolute self-interest?!]
[If you let her go, you'll regret it!]
[You will definitely regret it!]
"I won't. My word is final," Roger repeated. "I never owe anyone, and I never forget my promises."
With that, Roger controlled the Armored Jaw Titan and placed Pieck from his palm down onto the ground.
Pieck, now standing firmly on the ground, stared at Roger in a daze.
"You're… letting me go?"
Roger said nothing. The Armored Jaw Titan simply crouched on the ground, quietly looking at Pieck.
In the chaos of the street, Pieck's figure looked especially slender. She tilted her head back, the breeze teasing her dark hair.
Unlike the sharp, ruthless soldier she usually was, right now Pieck looked like a girl who had just come of age, as if her hands should have been cradling a bouquet of lilacs instead of cold bullets.
She looked up at Roger's Titan.
Roger's Titan looked down at her.
Without a word, Roger had the Titan extend its little finger and bend it.
Let's pinky-swear.
Hook today's cruelty together with the sincerity of the past.
Seeing this, Pieck also reached out her hand, pressing her fair little palm carefully against his enormous pinky, using each slender finger to feel his warmth.
In that moment—
Time seemed to come to a halt.
Everything around them shattered.
The world seemed to reverse itself in an instant.
Tears shimmered in Pieck's eyes, a bittersweet ache flooding her chest.
She saw a different scene.
She saw lilacs.
She saw the sandpit from their childhood.
She saw the old Roger who used to smile so easily.
She also saw them running toward school, no longer discriminated against.
In the silhouette of the setting sun, they carved each other's smiles deep into their hearts.
That fluttering feeling.
The moon at the window.
Diaries that never seemed to end.
The photograph hidden beneath the pillow.
—"Let's be together!"
They made a promise to each other.
They pledged themselves for life.
Hand in hand, they walked into the hall.
There were colorful balloons.
There was a pure white wedding dress.
There were words of blessing.
Many people sat below the stage, clapping and showering them with petals.
Reiner was there too.
Laughing, he slung an arm around Roger's shoulders.
—"You little punk, look at you."
—"Hey, let me tell you something."
—"Back when you were bawling and begging to go see the Titan inheritance ceremony…"
—"Pieck noticed, you know."
—"But guess what she said?"
—"She said she'd keep it a secret for you, even if it meant breaking the rules and risking losing her right to inherit."
—"Seriously, kid, how do you have that much charm, huh?!"
The vision scattered, and Pieck's fantasy finally returned to reality.
Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Roger's Titan hand.
"Why…"
She sobbed softly.
"Why did you become like this?"
"Why are you so special…"
"Even though…"
"You're the enemy."
"Even though you…"
"Are my enemy!"
"But…"
"But…"
Tears flooded down her cheeks.
"Do we really have to fight each other to the death?"
"Roger."
"Come back."
"I don't want to be apart from you."
"…"
Seeing Pieck like this, Roger fell silent.
He gently stroked the top of her head with the Titan's thumb. Looking at her, as harmless as a little bird, Roger blinked and turned his gaze toward the distant future.
However…
Just as he lifted his head to look into the distance—
Suddenly.
He saw it, beneath the airship.
A massive, large-caliber cannon had just been fully assembled.
"How dare you hurt Miss Pieck?! You bastard, Roger! I'll make you wish you were dead!!"
Behind the cannon, a group of Marleyan soldiers frantically adjusted the gun mount.
The heavyset member of the machine gun squad had just watched his comrade Beick die with his own eyes.
The photo of Beick's girlfriend in his hand had been stained red with blood.
Even in death, Beick's fingers were locked tight, pinching one corner of the photo so hard it couldn't be pried loose.
The fat squad member could not accept this reality. He couldn't stand that his comrade had died in such pain!
Wrapping his arms around the shell, he shrugged off his uniform jacket and, using only his own strength, lifted a shell that normally took two men to carry.
Load.
Aim.
Fire!
Boom!
The shell tore across the sky and struck down behind Roger!
"?!"
Roger was startled. He saw a house completely obliterated, leveled to the ground!
This…
Could it be that new weapon the Middle Eastern nations had been planning a few years ago—
An anti-Titan armor-piercing cannon?!
"Don't give him time to react! Adjust immediately! Reload, now!"
The heavyset squad member screamed himself hoarse.
Roger snapped back to his senses.
He snatched Pieck back into his palm and ran toward the distant buildings!
"Roger?"
Pieck was squeezed in his hand, both giant palms clamped tightly around her, leaving only a thin sliver of light between his fingers.
His hands flared with light as Roger focused the power of the War Hammer Titan and the Armored Titan, reinforcing the armor on his hands with a double layer.
But at that very moment—
Whoosh—
Boom!!
With a dull, resounding crack, Roger realized he'd been hit.
The shell slammed in from his back, punched straight through his chest, and blew open a massive bloody hole.
And also—
Through the cupped hands he was using to shield his chest.
"Pie… ck?"
His loosened hair whipped wildly as the Armored Jaw Titan…
Dazed and in pain, forced out the words,
then collapsed helplessly into a pool of blood.
From the shattered palms, healing steam rose,
like a puppet with its strings cut,
like a kite with its line snapped,
dragging two thin, desolate plumes of smoke behind…
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