Warmth.
That was the first thing I felt.
A blanket?
No—bandages.
Wrapped around my arms, chest, and head.
My eyelids felt heavy, like they were stitched shut.
But I managed to force them open.
A wooden ceiling.
Dim lantern light.
Distant shouts from outside.
This wasn't my world.
And definitely not my home.
"Awake?"
A voice came from my right.
I turned— slowly, painfully—
and saw a man in a Garrison uniform.
Dark circles under his eyes, hair messy, clothes bloodstained.
He looked exhausted… and wary.
"Easy. You're safe, kid," he said.
Though the way he reached slowly for his blade belt said otherwise.
I swallowed. My throat was dry.
"What… happened?"
He stared at me for a long moment.
His eyes scanned my face, checking for lies I hadn't even spoken yet.
Finally, he sighed.
"You tell me."
He leaned forward. "We found you in the middle of five dead Titans. No gear. No weapons. Barely alive."
My heart nearly stopped.
Five Titans?
I only remembered fighting three—
The soldier tapped his fingers nervously on the table.
"And witnesses said something was… standing over you before it vanished into steam."
His voice grew thin.
"A Titan."
My stomach dropped.
I stayed silent.
Too long.
He noticed.
"…Kid," he whispered, "did you see something? Anything?"
I opened my mouth—
but the System beat me to it.
A blue window flickered behind the soldier's head.
[Warning: Revealing Titan Transformation may result in detainment, torture, or weaponization.]
[Recommendation: Deny knowledge. Create plausible explanation.]
I forced breath into my lungs.
"I… passed out," I said.
"I don't remember anything."
The soldier watched me closely.
A beat of silence.
Then he exhaled, leaning back wearily.
"Figures. Trauma does that."
He rubbed his temple. "We're evacuating the whole district. More Titans are approaching."
I tensed.
Shiganshina had to fall—that was canon.
But now…
Had I changed something?
Before I could ask, the door slammed open.
A woman with short hair and a sharp gaze stepped inside—
her presence filling the room like a cold wind.
"Report," she demanded.
The soldier stood at once.
"H–Hannah-san! The boy's awake."
She didn't look at him.
She stared at me.
Unblinking.
"Name," she said.
My pulse jumped.
I felt the pressure of her gaze scraping across my skin.
"…Junta," I said. "Junta Shiraishi."
"Not from around here," she muttered.
Not a question—
an observation.
My hands tightened under the blanket.
She took a step closer, eyes narrowing.
"Junta… how did a scrawny kid survive a Titan zone alone?"
My heart hammered.
Then her next words nearly stopped it.
"And don't lie. I interrogate criminals for a living."
Cold sweat ran down my neck.
I wasn't trained for this.
I didn't know how to lie like a soldier, a spy, a survivor.
But the System…
The System was.
A faint whisper appeared at the corner of my vision:
[Use Skill: Protagonist's Bluff?]
[Success Rate: 63%]
Yes.
Please.
I inhaled shakily.
"I hid," I said.
My voice cracked— naturally, but convincingly.
"I crawled under a cart when the walls collapsed. I didn't see anything. I didn't fight anything. I just… survived."
She watched me like she was listening to my heartbeat.
Then she leaned back slightly.
"…Your hands."
My breath stopped.
"What about them?"
"They're burned," she said. "Badly. As if they were inside boiling water."
I froze.
She wasn't accusing me.
She was confused.
"Did you touch steam? A Titan? Fire?"
I forced myself to shake my head.
"I don't know. Everything was… chaos."
She exhaled through her nose, frustrated.
This woman wasn't a villain.
She wasn't even suspicious of Titan shifters—
because Titan shifters didn't exist yet in public knowledge.
But she had instincts.
Sharp ones.
And I had just become the strangest thing in this entire district.
She finally turned to the soldier.
"Prepare him for transport," she ordered. "Hitch him on the evacuation wagons."
The soldier saluted.
"Yes, Hannah-san!"
Before she left, she paused at the door.
"Junta."
I looked up.
Her voice softened, barely.
"…You're lucky to be alive. Don't waste it."
Then she exited.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned.
But the System didn't let me rest.
[New Quest Unlocked]
"The Rumor of the Titan Child"
Difficulty: B+
Description:
Your incomplete Titan form has been witnessed. Rumors are spreading. Survival will become increasingly difficult.
Objective:
Avoid suspicion until you regain stable Titan Transformation.
Strengthen your abilities.
Find a safe faction.
Reward: Titan Form Upgrade (Stage 1)
Penalty: Capture, experimentation, or death.
A shiver ran through me.
This world…
didn't allow mistakes.
As the soldier wrapped fresh bandages around my arms, I stared at my trembling hands.
These hands…
these burned, scarred hands…
They were the hands of a Titan.
But were they the hands of a hero—
or the hands of a monster?
I wasn't sure anymore.
Outside, the bells rang loudly.
Evacuation was starting.
And somewhere far behind us,
the Armored Titan was preparing to run.