Lucien had no intention of leaving the Giant Tree Forest.
For now, his plan was simple—master the power of the Titan as quickly as possible and wait for the right moment to strike.
According to the story's original progression, Armin would soon discover that Annie was the Female Titan. Erwin and the others would then prepare a plan to capture her. That confrontation would end with Annie sealing herself within a crystal shell after her battle with Eren.
But Annie's Titan power now belonged to him.
That single deviation had already thrown the future into chaos.
In the original events, the Survey Corps managed to avoid punishment thanks to capturing Annie. Now, with no Annie to capture, their fate would undoubtedly change.
The next sequence of events was supposed to mark the beginning of the second season: the appearance of the Beast Titan commanding hordes of mindless Titans to attack Connie, Reiner, Krista, Ymir, and others at the Utgard Castle ruins.
During that desperate defense, Ymir would reveal her ability, transforming into the Jaw Titan to protect her comrades. Afterward, Eren and his team would rush to their aid, only for Reiner and Bertholdt to expose their true identities and abduct Eren.
The two would then flee to the Giant Tree Forest, where they would confront the Survey Corps once more. Erwin would lead a rescue mission, and amid the chaos, Eren would awaken the Coordinate—the Founding Titan's power.
Lucien smirked faintly. "All I need to do is wait."
When Reiner and Bertholdt eventually brought the wounded Eren and Ymir here, he would devour all four of them and gain the powers of the Colossal Titan, the Armored Titan, the Jaw Titan, the Attack Titan, and the Founding Titan.
After that, his next destination would be Marley, where he would claim the remaining three Titans—the War Hammer, the Beast, and the Cart Titan.
That was the grand design.
As for how he would pass the time until then? Simple.
The Giant Tree Forest was teeming with wildlife—since mindless Titans preyed only on humans, animals thrived here. Food was plentiful. Lucien could focus on mastering the Female Titan's power without concern.
---
Meanwhile, within the walls, the Survey Corps' return to Wall Rose brought heavy consequences. Their devastating losses stirred unrest among the nobles and military officials of Wall Sina.
Commander Erwin, however, remained calm amid the storm. That very night, as Armin pieced together the truth about Annie, plans were drawn to trap her underground.
But fate had already shifted.
The next morning, Armin's voice trembled. "What? Annie's missing?"
Her roommate shook her head nervously. "She didn't come back last night. It's been a full day."
Mikasa and Eren exchanged uneasy glances. The carefully crafted plan had crumbled before it could even begin.
"How could she just vanish?" Armin muttered in frustration.
"If we don't capture the Female Titan, Commander Erwin's position will be in jeopardy," Mikasa added, her brows furrowed.
Eren clenched his fists, anger and confusion mixing within him. Yet, deep down, part of him felt relieved. He didn't want to believe Annie was the Female Titan.
When Armin returned to report the failure, the entire Survey Corps fell silent.
"The Commander has been taken away by the Military Police Brigade," someone said grimly.
"What do we do now?" another whispered.
"We can only wait," Hange sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose. "The higher-ups won't dissolve the Corps, but they'll strip us of funding and authority."
The atmosphere was heavy with dread until the following day, when Erwin finally returned.
He said little, but the truth came through Levi.
Erwin had signed a military pledge before the central government—he was to reclaim Wall Maria within three months. Failure meant imprisonment, and the entire Survey Corps would suffer alongside him.
---
That same night, far from the safety of the walls, a chilling event unfolded.
At the ruins of Utgard Castle, the Beast Titan made its first appearance. Its eerie, simian form loomed in the moonlight—covered in dark fur, its long arms nearly dragging against the ground. Towering at over seventeen meters, it commanded an army of mindless Titans that surrounded the crumbling fortress.
"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Connie shouted, panic setting in. "Why are Titans moving at night?!"
The garrison soldiers trembled. This defied everything they knew—Titans were never active after sunset.
Under the pale glow of the moon, they watched as the Beast Titan approached the walls in slow, deliberate steps.
"Is that… an Abnormal?" one soldier whispered.
"No, it's going for the wall!" another cried out.
Reiner and Bertholdt exchanged quick, tense glances. The shock in their eyes was unmistakable—they hadn't expected to encounter him here.
"Damn it," Connie cursed. "Our vertical maneuvering gear is out of gas!"
He looked down at the Titans clawing their way up the walls of the fortress. Only three garrison members still had enough gas to move; the rest were sitting ducks.
"This tower won't hold much longer!" Krista shouted as the ancient stones groaned under pressure.
"Connie," Ymir called suddenly, her tone sharp. "Where's that knife you had before?"
"What? Why do you need a knife right now?" Connie demanded, fumbling through his belt pouch.
"To kill enemies," she said simply, catching the small blade he tossed her.
"Huh?"
Confusion spread among the group.
Ymir turned toward Krista, her gaze soft but resolute. "Krista… I've only lived this long to protect you."
"Ymir, what are you saying?" Krista stammered.
"I'll protect you, no matter what happens."
With one final smile, Ymir leapt from the tower. The knife sliced across her palm, and in a blinding flash of golden lightning, a seven-meter Titan burst forth—a feral form with long arms, short legs, and sharp, gnashing teeth.
"Y-Ymir…" Connie gasped as the Titan tore into the mindless swarm, ripping them apart with sheer fury.
"How is this possible?" Krista whispered. "She turned into a Titan…"
Reiner and Bertholdt exchanged grim looks, both realizing that Ymir's secret was now out—and that her presence complicated everything.
"She's protecting us," Krista murmured, watching Ymir fight desperately below.
"But there are too many of them!" Connie shouted. Even with Ymir's power, they were hopelessly outnumbered—and the Beast Titan had vanished from the wall above.
"Where… where did it go?" he whispered.
The first rays of dawn crept over the horizon, but the sight brought no comfort.
Ymir's Titan was beginning to falter. She was bleeding, exhausted, surrounded on all sides.
"Krista!" Ymir shouted, climbing back up the tower. "If you want to live, grab onto my hair!"
"Ymir, you— you can still talk?!" Connie exclaimed.
"Less talking, more holding!" Ymir barked. "Now grab on!"
Krista didn't hesitate. She and the others clung to...
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