Morning came slowly.
Gray light filtered through the cracks in the shelter's wooden walls.
The smell of damp straw and unwashed bodies lingered in the air.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw fragments of Titan memories—
voices, screams, faces I didn't recognize.
"Replacement…"
That word throbbed in the back of my mind like a bruise.
But I didn't have time to think.
Soldiers entered the room with clipboards and stern expressions.
"REFUGEES! LINE UP!"
"Children to the left! Adults to the right!"
"If you have no guardian, state your name!"
People scrambled to obey, fear driving every step.
I felt Armin grab my sleeve lightly.
"Come with us," he whispered.
I nodded.
We joined the line of children.
Eren's face was blank, eyes dull.
He wasn't crying anymore— but somehow, that scared me more.
Mikasa stayed close to him, protective, vigilant, her hand wrapped tightly around his arm.
Armin stood between them, trying to be calm for their sake.
And me?
I stood slightly behind them.
Close enough to belong.
Close enough to be seen.
Too close.
---
"Name?"
A soldier pointed at Armin.
"Armin Arlert," he said quietly.
"Parents?"
Armin's lips trembled.
His voice broke.
"…None."
The soldier's expression softened for only half a second before he wrote the answer down.
"Okay.... Next."
"Mikasa Ackerman," Mikasa said firmly.
"Guardians?"
"None."
The soldier nodded.
"Eren Jaeger."
Eren did not look up.
The soldier hesitated.
"Your father, Grisha—?"
"Dead."
It wasn't true.
But Eren's voice was empty, hollow.
The soldier swallowed hard and wrote it down.
Then his eyes turned to me.
"And you, kid?"
My heart thumped painfully.
I forced a breath.
"M-m-me! …Junta Shiraishi."
"Parents?"
My hands shook.
"I—I don't have any here…"
The soldier raised a brow.
"Here?"
Shit.
I froze.
Armin stepped forward slightly.
"He is from another district," he said quickly.
"His family was visiting Shiganshina."
My chest loosened.
Good save, Armin…
The soldier narrowed his eyes.
"That so?"
"Yes," Armin replied without wavering.
The man sighed and wrote something down.
"Four orphans… We'll place you together under a temporary caretaker."
Armin exhaled.
Mikasa nodded.
Eren didn't move.
But me?
My stomach twisted.
Being grouped together meant constant proximity to Eren.
And the System already warned me — my Titan energy reacted to him.
This was dangerous.
Before I could think of a way out, we were led outside.
---
The holding camp outside Wall Rose looked like a battlefield of the broken.
Tents lined the muddy field.
Refugees wandered aimlessly, eyes hollow, clothes torn.
Children sobbed.
Mothers prayed.
Old men stared at nothing.
I inhaled shakily.
This was the aftermath of Shiganshina.
Not a scene drawn with clean anime lines.
This was raw, ugly, devastating.
A woman with tired eyes and braided hair approached us.
"I'm our caretaker for now," she said gently. "My name is Elna."
She knelt to meet us at eye level.
"You four… lost a lot."
Eren's fingers clenched.
Mikasa shifted closer to him.
Armin lowered his gaze.
Elna looked at me last.
"And you, dear? Anything you need?"
I shook my head.
"No ma'am. Thank you."
She smiled sadly.
"You're polite. That's rare these days."
Then she stood and waved us toward her tent.
"Come. I'll get you food."
Food.
My stomach growled painfully.
But as we walked, someone tugged my sleeve—
Armin.
His eyes were hesitant, anxious.
"Junta…"
He looked around first, making sure Eren and Mikasa were out of earshot.
"…you collapsed last night. You were… burning."
I stiffened.
Armin swallowed.
"You're hiding something dangerous."
His voice wasn't accusatory.
It was scared.
"And I know you're scared too."
My chest tightened.
He continued, quietly:
"You don't have to tell me everything… but please don't lie."
I hesitated.
Then nodded slowly.
"…Okay."
His shoulders relaxed a little.
But before either of us could say more—
CRACK. CRKKKK!
A sharp pain sliced through my spine.
I stumbled forward, nearly falling.
Armin grabbed my arm.
"Junta—!? Are you okay?!"
More pain.
More heat.
Steam threatened to seep from my skin.
"Not now—" I whispered through clenched teeth.
The System flashed violently.
[WARNING: Titan Energy Spike Detected]
[Cause: Close proximity to Eren Jaeger]
[Risk of accidental transformation: High]
No—no no no—
Tch— Eren was only a few meters away.
Mikasa turned around, noticing us.
"Is something wrong?" she asked sharply.
My breath hitched.
Her eyes locked onto the faint shimmer rising from my shoulders.
Not steam.
Not fully visible.
But enough for someone like Mikasa to notice.
Armin squeezed my hand desperately.
"Junta… get away from the crowd. Now."
I nodded weakly, biting back a scream as heat surged through my veins.
But when I stepped backward—
A small voice spoke behind me.
"You're the boy from yesterday."
I flinched and turned.
A man with a cloak stood near a supply wagon, half in shadow.
Black hair.
Sharp eyes.
A calm, unreadable face.
Not angry.
Not curious.
Just watching.
Too closely.
He stepped forward slightly.
"Your arms," he said quietly. "They're steaming."
My blood froze.
Armin's eyes went wide.
Mikasa tensed.
The man lowered his hood.
…My breath stopped.
Black hair.
Cold eyes.
Expression unreadable.
Not Levi.
Too early.
Younger.
But the similarities were chilling.
The man looked at me like he was dissecting my soul.
"Kid," he murmured.
"What exactly are you?"
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The System screamed:
[CRITICAL THREAT: UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL DETECTED]
[Hostile suspicion level: EXTREME]
[Immediate action required.]
I stepped back trembling…
And the burning inside my body surged again—
Stronger.
Hotter.
Uncontrollable.
My vision warped.
My skin vibrated.
Steam began to leak—
"Oh no…" Armin whispered.
Mikasa's eyes widened.
The man's hand drifted to the knife at his belt.
And the System delivered the final warning:
[EMERGENCY: TITAN TRANSFORMATION IMMINENT]
[Eren Jaeger must be distanced immediately.]
But Eren took a step closer to us—
"Armin… what's happening?"
And that tiny step—
broke the last thread of control inside me.
A scorching white light exploded behind my eyes.
And I whispered—
"…Get away."