The refugee holding area was a nightmare of its own.
Cold stone floors.
Cramped bodies.
Crying children.
Empty food crates stacked like graves.
I sat in a corner, knees pulled to my chest, bandages damp with sweat.
Every few minutes, the burning under my skin flared—
like a beast thrashing beneath my ribs.
But I forced myself to stay calm.
If I lost control here…
I wouldn't just die.
I'd take hundreds with me.
"Stay down," the System advised in a faint whisper across my vision.
"Titan Energy: Unstable."
No kidding.
People around me sobbed, some praying, some staring blankly into space.
The air was thick with despair.
But then—
Footsteps.
Soft.
Precise.
Hesitant.
Armin.
He approached slowly, almost afraid of what he might find.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
He sat down next to me without asking, pulling his knees close.
Eren and Mikasa were asleep a few meters away, curled together like siblings on instinct.
Armin watched them for a moment… then looked at me.
"You're alone," he said softly.
It wasn't a question.
I nodded weakly.
"Yeah."
Armin's eyes were red from crying, but there was a sharp intelligence burning behind them.
"You don't have family here," he continued.
"You look lost. Confused. You react differently from everyone else."
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.
He leaned in closer.
"And that steam… I know I saw it."
My pulse quickened.
"I told you," I whispered shakily. "It was nothing."
Armin shook his head.
"You're lying."
The words hit me like a punch.
He wasn't angry—
he just looked scared.
Not scared of me.
Scared for me.
"You don't have to trust me," he whispered.
"But I want to understand. People don't just… steam like Titans do."
A wave of heat suddenly shot through my spine.
Not now.
Not in front of him.
And then—
the System flickered violently.
[WARNING: TITAN MEMORY FRAGMENT APPROACHING.]
[Consciousness Drift Imminent.]
My vision blurred.
The world around me melted away.
Armin's voice faded—
"J-Junta? Junta, are you okay? You're shaking—"
Then nothing.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
---
I fell.
Not physically—
but like my mind was being pulled through a tunnel of fire and screams.
Fragments of images flashed around me.
Hands reaching.
A burning village.
People running.
A silver necklace.
A woman crying.
A man screaming, "Run, Junta!!"
My stomach twisted.
"No… that's not my memory—!"
The scene shifted.
A Titan loomed above a different person—
a girl with pale hair, reaching toward me—
No. Toward someone.
Someone the Titan was about to devour.
A violent roar echoed.
Then another fragment:
A dark corridor.
A cold voice whispering:
"You are the replacement."
My pulse spiked.
The System's voice cut through the darkness.
[Memory Severed for Safety.]
---
I snapped awake—gasping.
My heart pounded.
Sweat dripped down my face.
My fingers dug into the stone floor hard enough to rip the skin.
Armin had his hands on my shoulders, shaking me gently.
"Junta! Hey—! Breathe! You're okay!"
His eyes were wide with fear.
For me.
Not of me.
He pressed a canteen to my lips.
"Drink. Please."
I took a small sip.
My throat burned, but water helped.
Armin exhaled in relief.
"You passed out. You were twitching and whispering something… I thought—"
He hesitated.
"I thought you were having a nightmare."
I wiped cold sweat from my forehead.
Nightmare…
If only it were that simple.
But there was something else.
Something far more terrifying.
That voice.
You are the replacement.
Replacement for what?
Or worse—
for who?
Armin noticed my trembling hands.
"Junta… what did you see?"
I opened my mouth—
But a soldier shouted from across the room:
"REFUGEES! LISTEN UP!"
Everyone stopped.
The soldier held a clipboard, voice echoing.
"You will all be processed and assigned temporary housing. Children without guardians will be placed under supervision or sent to training camps when they reach age!"
Training camps.
The words struck me like lightning.
Armin whispered,
"They're planning to send orphans to the Military."
He looked at me with a mix of worry and dread.
"You don't have parents here… do you?"
My throat closed.
"No," I whispered.
"Not… anymore."
It wasn't a full lie.
It still hurt.
Armin's expression softened.
"…Then you'll be with us."
"What?"
He gave a small, sad smile.
"We're orphans now too."
Eren stirred in his sleep, a tear slipping down his cheek.
Mikasa gently brushed it away.
Armin continued:
"We'll stick together. At least until they relocate us. You don't have to be alone."
My chest tightened painfully.
Kindness.
The kind that cut deeper than cruelty.
But before I could speak, the System flickered again:
[ALERT: New Quest Update]
"Align With Key Characters?"
Pros: Protection, emotional support, proximity to major storyline
Cons: Increased risk of unstable transformation near Eren
Decision Required Soon
I clenched the blanket.
Sweat dripped down my neck.
Armin waited patiently for my answer.
A boy who saw too much.
A friend I didn't deserve.
My breath trembled.
"I…"
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"…thank you."
He smiled gently.
"For now," Armin said, "let's survive together."
The warmth of those words…
felt like it belonged in a world far kinder than this one.