The world outside the medical hut was worse than anything I remembered from the anime.
The smoke was thicker.
The cries were sharper.
The air tasted like ash and blood.
Hundreds of civilians staggered toward the river, forming a chaotic, desperate line of humanity.
Mothers carrying infants.
Old men limping with broken legs.
Children screaming for parents who would never answer.
Every face was a portrait of fear.
And I was one of them.
The soldier supporting my weight guided me toward the wagons.
"Careful, kid. We're moving fast."
Moving fast?
We were moving like dying animals.
In the distance, the gates of Shiganshina finally gave in to the sea of Titans.
Their silhouettes entered the streets, each step a nightmare becoming real.
My spine froze.
We were running… but death was walking.
Something tugged at my sleeve.
I looked down.
A little girl — maybe eight?
Mud on her clothes.
Tears streaked down her face.
"M-Mister… have you seen my sister?"
Her voice cracked.
I swallowed hard.
I wanted to lie.
I wanted to tell her yes.
But I couldn't.
"…No. I'm sorry."
She nodded weakly, trembling, then disappeared into the crowd.
Every loss in this world hurt more than the anime ever showed.
The soldier beside me muttered, "Damn Titans… damn everything."
Then — loud, frantic shouting erupted from the front lines.
"They're here! Titans on the rooftops!"
"Get the boats ready — NOW!"
"Move, MOVE or we die here!"
Panic exploded like wildfire.
People shoved each other, tripping, crying.
The riverbank quickly turned into a stampede.
I clenched my teeth.
This is the real Shiganshina.
Not the one drawn in panels.
This was hell.
As we reached the front of the crowd, I saw them—
Eren.
Mikasa.
Armin.
Just kids.
Twelve years old.
Eren was yelling at two soldiers escorting them, his eyes blazing with anger and grief.
"We have to go back! My mom—! Let me go back!!"
He struggled violently against the soldier's grip.
Mikasa held him tightly, face pale but eyes steady.
"It's too late. Eren—listen to me—"
"NO! She's waiting for me! She's—"
Armin stood a few steps behind, shaking, tears in his eyes as he tried not to sob.
Seeing them in person…
my chest ached.
These weren't shounen heroes yet.
They were children losing everything.
Eren's scream ripped through the air.
"MOM!!"
The soldier slapped him across the cheek — not cruelly, but desperately.
"Kid, get it together or you'll die too!"
Eren's knees buckled.
His cries became soft, broken whimpers.
Mikasa wrapped her arms around him, pressing his head to her shoulder.
Armin whispered,
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
I felt my throat tighten.
This world was merciless.
The soldier guiding me noticed my gaze.
"You know them?" he asked.
I snapped back to reality.
"No. Just saw a kid yelling."
The man sighed.
"Happens every evacuation… people realize who they've lost too late."
I wanted to correct him—
Eren didn't realize too late. He just couldn't accept reality.
But the moment our group reached the front of the line, something changed.
The world tilted.
A deep, guttural tremor shook the earth.
People screamed.
A titan — at least 10 meters tall — burst through the smoke behind us.
Its shadow loomed across the riverbank.
Its mouth twisted into a grotesque smile.
My blood turned to ice.
"RUN! EVERYONE TO THE BOATS!"
"IT'S HERE—IT'S HERE!!"
Refugees surged onto the boats so violently some nearly capsized.
The soldier grabbed my arm.
"Move, kid!"
But something else grabbed my attention—
A notification appeared.
[Titan Instinct Triggered]
[Warning: Proximity to Eren Jaeger may cause unstable transformation.]
My breath caught.
Why?
Why Eren?
Was it because he held the Founding Titan in the future?
Did the world recognize him already?
My hands trembled, heat buzzing under my skin.
Not now.
Not here.
I forced myself to breathe.
"One step at a time," I whispered.
The soldier shoved me onto a boat.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were packed onto the same one, barely squeezing in.
The boat lurched as it pushed off the shore.
We drifted away — slowly, painfully slowly.
The Titan approached the riverbank.
Its foot splashed into the water, sending waves rocking our boat.
Eren trembled, eyes wide, staring directly at it.
"Titans… why? WHY ARE THEY ATTACKING US?!"
Armin pulled him down.
"We're alive… Eren, that's all that matters—"
The Titan's hand reached toward the water—
Right toward our boat.
My body tensed.
Every instinct screamed:
TRANSFORM.
But I couldn't.
I didn't have control.
I would kill everyone here.
My heart pounded.
No.
No.
NO!
The Titan leaned further—
And suddenly—
BOOM—!!!
A cannon fired from the far shore.
The shot blasted the Titan's head open.
It toppled backward into the water with a massive splash.
The boat rocked dangerously, but stayed upright.
Everyone screamed — in fear, in relief, in shock.
Eren fell to his knees, shaking.
Mikasa held his back, whispering,
"It's over. We're safe now."
But Armin…
Armin's eyes drifted to me.
The boy stared, confused, uneasy.
He whispered, "You… you're steaming."
I froze.
I looked down.
My arms—
My shoulders—
My chest—
A faint white steam was rising from my skin.
Not much.
Not enough to transform.
But enough to be seen.
Enough to raise questions.
Enough to get me killed.
Armin's eyes widened.
He opened his mouth to speak—
And the System flashed violently:
[Critical Warning]
[Your Titan energy is unstable.]
[Immediate concealment required.]
I forced my shaking hands under the blanket covering my legs.
Armin's voice trembled.
"What… are you?"
My heart stopped.
I couldn't answer.
I couldn't lie.
But before Armin could speak again—
Another explosion sounded behind us.
More Titans roared from the collapsing city.
The boatmen shouted,
"FULL SPEED! GET THESE PEOPLE TO THE WALL!"
The boat lurched forward, picking up speed.
But Armin's eyes never left me.
Not once.
And in that moment —
as the burning ruins of Shiganshina disappeared behind us —
I realized something horrifying:
A single brilliant mind had just noticed me.
And in this world,
that was far more dangerous than any Titan.