The moment I whispered—
"I choose to flee."
—the forest seemed to exhale.
Armin didn't hesitate.
He grabbed my wrist.
"Then run. NOW."
Kade's eyes widened.
"DON'T YOU—!!"
But we were already sprinting.
Branches whipped past us.
The forest floor blurred beneath my feet.
My lungs burned, my legs screamed—
But adrenaline pushed me forward.
Armin kept pace beside me, breath sharp, eyes focused despite the terror twisting his face.
Behind us—
"STOP!!"
Kade's furious shout cut through the trees.
He was fast.
Too fast.
Soldier fast.
But not Titan-fast.
THRUMMM—!
A faint ripple pulsed from my body—
the Phase Titan's passive ability activating again under stress.
Kade staggered mid-chase, losing half a second of movement.
A half-second was everything.
We dove deeper into the woods.
---
A steep ravine appeared ahead.
The drop was huge—
roots, rocks, a harsh downward slope.
Armin skidded to a stop.
"W-We can't—!"
Kade's footsteps thundered behind us.
No time.
I grabbed Armin's cloak.
"We're not dying here!"
"W-Wait—!"
We jumped.
The world tilted violently as the ground vanished beneath us.
Armin screamed—
I did too—
as we tumbled down the slope, rolling through mud and roots.
WHAM—!
We hit the bottom hard.
My vision blurred.
Armin groaned beside me, clutching his ribs.
"I… I think I'm okay…" he whispered shakily.
I checked myself—
scraped, bruised, bleeding—
but alive.
Kade's voice echoed from above, furious and echoing:
"JUNTA! ARMIN! YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!"
Armin whispered, trembling:
"Yes… we can."
He grabbed my wrist again.
"Come on."
And we fled into the deeper dark.
---
Hours passed.
Cold wind cut through the trees.
The moon climbed high, silver light painting our path.
We finally collapsed beneath a fallen log, hidden under tangled roots.
Armin panted heavily, hugging his knees.
He looked small.
Fragile.
Exhausted.
"…We really left," he whispered.
"We had to," I said, though my voice was weak.
He looked at me with wide, vulnerable eyes.
"Junta… They're going to hunt us. Not just Kade. The whole Garrison."
"I know."
"Eren and Mikasa… they'll be terrified when they wake up."
"I know."
"And if they find out… We'll be labeled traitors."
My throat tightened.
Armin's voice cracked into tears.
"Why did you choose to run?! Why… why would you choose to run with me?"
I stared at him—
really stared at him.
His shaking hands.
His fear.
The bravery hidden beneath all that trembling.
I exhaled softly.
"Because you believed in me," I said.
"When even I didn't."
Armin's breath hitched.
"And because…"
I swallowed.
"…I won't let them take me. I can't."
The truth sat between us like a stone.
Armin wiped his eyes, voice small:
"I don't want you to die."
A lump formed in my throat.
I offered a weak smile.
"Then don't let me."
Armin let out a broken laugh.
"That's the worst plan I've ever heard."
But he moved closer—
our shoulders touching—
seeking warmth in the cold night.
Not out of romance.
Not out of fear.
Out of loyalty.
Out of need.
Out of the fragile hope that we could outrun this world.
---
But the danger wasn't done.
A branch snapped in the distance.
Armin stiffened instantly.
"W-What was that?"
I focused.
The System flickered.
[Warning: Life signature detected]
[Approaching 45 meters]
[Hostility: Unknown]
My heart slammed into my throat.
"Armin," I whispered, "stay behind me."
He grabbed my cloak tightly.
Footsteps drew closer—
slow, deliberate, almost careful.
A silhouette moved through the shadows.
Not Kade.
Not a soldier.
A stranger.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Wrapped in a dark cloak.
He stopped just before the moonlight revealed his face.
Armin clutched me tighter.
"W-Who's there?" he stammered.
The man didn't speak.
He simply knelt—
slowly—
and reached into his cloak.
I tensed, ready to burst with Titan energy if necessary.
But instead of a weapon—
He held out a canteen and a small loaf of bread.
Armin blinked.
"…What…?"
The stranger's voice was deep, quiet, and strangely gentle.
"You two look like you're running from something."
He placed the supplies on the ground.
"I won't ask what."
My breath caught.
He wasn't here to attack.
But something about him felt…
wrong.
His presence was too heavy.
Too aware.
Armin whispered to me:
"Should we… trust him?"
I didn't have an answer.
The man stood again and stepped into the moonlight.
His face finally revealed.
And my heart stopped.
Because I knew that face.
Not from anime.
Not from this world.
From my Titan memory fragments.
He was in them.
Standing beside the woman who screamed,
beside the man who yelled "run,"
beside the burning village.
The stranger looked at me with eyes that felt like they saw straight through my soul.
And he said:
"Junta Shiraishi."
Armin froze entirely.
I felt cold.
Colder than the night.
Colder than death.
"H-How do you know my name?" I whispered.
The man's expression didn't change.
"Because," he said softly,
"you were never supposed to be here."
Armin gasped.
The man stepped closer—
And delivered the words that broke the world in half:
"You're the replacement for the real Titan-shifter who died…
before this story could begin."
My blood froze.
Armin's breath stopped.
And the System exploded with alerts.