A week passed peacefully.
For Eren, peaceful days had become the most frightening.
Every sunrise meant one day less before Wall Maria fell.
Every smile from Carla became another memory he desperately wanted to protect.
Every laugh from Mikasa reminded him of the future waiting for her.
Still...
He refused to let those thoughts consume every moment.
Today would be different.
"Eren!"
Armin ran toward him, waving excitedly.
"I finally convinced Mr. Lewis to let us borrow his fishing rods!"
Eren blinked.
"Fishing?"
Armin nodded enthusiastically.
"We’ve never gone together before."
Before Eren could answer, another familiar voice came from behind.
"I’ll come too."
Mikasa stood quietly, carrying a small basket.
Armin laughed.
"I knew you’d say that."
Mikasa looked confused.
"...Why?"
"Because wherever Eren goes..."
She immediately replied.
"I want to go too."
The answer was so natural that even she didn’t realize what she had admitted.
Eren coughed awkwardly.
Armin simply smiled to himself.
The river outside Shiganshina flowed gently beneath the afternoon sun.
For once...
There was no training.
No secret preparations.
No thoughts about Titans.
Just three children enjoying an ordinary day.
Armin struggled to cast his fishing line.
"I think it’s stuck..."
Before he could finish—
Splash!
He stumbled forward.
"E-Eren!"
Without hesitation, Eren grabbed the back of Armin’s shirt and pulled him onto the riverbank.
The blond boy sat on the grass, soaked from head to toe.
"...I almost fell in."
"You did fall in."
"Barely!"
Mikasa covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Eren stared at Armin’s miserable expression.
Then...
He burst into laughter.
A real laugh.
Loud enough that birds flew from the nearby trees.
Armin looked offended for exactly three seconds.
Then he started laughing too.
Even Mikasa couldn’t hold it in anymore.
The three of them laughed until their stomachs hurt.
For a brief moment...
The future didn’t exist.
Later, while Armin searched for more bait along the riverbank, Eren and Mikasa remained under a large willow tree.
The breeze gently moved her black hair.
"You laughed."
She looked at him with a faint smile.
"You noticed?"
"I’ve been waiting."
Those simple words caught him off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"You’ve smiled before."
"But today..."
"...you looked happy."
Eren looked toward the river.
"I forgot everything for a little while."
"What did you forget?"
He hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"The things that scare me."
Mikasa quietly reached over.
She took hold of the sleeve of his shirt.
Just lightly.
Not enough to stop him.
Just enough to let him know she was there.
"You don’t have to be scared alone."
Eren stared at her.
She wasn’t making a grand speech.
She wasn’t trying to comfort him with impossible promises.
She simply wanted to share whatever burden he carried.
His chest tightened.
"...Thank you."
She gave a small nod.
"I’ll always stay with you."
The words echoed in his heart.
He wanted to tell her everything.
About the Titans.
About the future.
About Carla.
About the terrible day he had already lived once.
But he couldn’t.
Not yet.
Instead...
He gently held out his little finger.
"Then let’s make a promise."
Mikasa looked at it curiously.
"A promise?"
"If either of us is hurting..."
"...we won’t face it alone."
She looked at his finger for several seconds.
Then slowly wrapped her own around it.
"I promise."
The moment their fingers linked—
Ding.
Hidden Bond Mission Complete.
Promise That Defies Fate
Reward:
Passive Skill Acquired.
Unwavering Heart
Description:
When fighting to protect someone you deeply cherish, mental resilience increases significantly.
Eren didn’t open the details.
For once...
The reward wasn’t what mattered.
The promise did.
As the sun began to set, the three friends started walking home.
Armin walked ahead, enthusiastically talking about the fish that had escaped.
"...Next time I’ll definitely catch one!"
"You said that three times already," Eren teased.
"This time I mean it!"
Mikasa quietly walked beside Eren.
Without saying a word...
She reached over and lightly grabbed the corner of his sleeve.
Just as she always did when they were younger.
Eren glanced down.
Then smiled.
He didn’t pull away.
Watching from the doorway, Carla placed a hand over her mouth to hide a smile.
Grisha stepped beside her.
"What are you smiling about?"
Carla nodded toward the children.
"They’ve grown so close."
Grisha chuckled.
"They’re still children."
"I know."
She watched as Mikasa quickly let go of Eren’s sleeve after noticing they were being watched.
"But..."
"...I think they’ll always protect each other."
Eren heard those words as he entered the house.
He looked at Mikasa.
Then at his parents.
A quiet determination settled inside him.
Always.
No matter what happened.
No matter how cruel fate became.
He would keep that promise.
Even if he had to fight destiny itself.
Outside the walls, unseen by anyone inside Shiganshina...
A lone Titan wandered across the open plains.
With each slow step...
It came closer to the place Eren called home.
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