That night, the Scout Regiment had just returned from the hellish expedition against the Female Titan. Their wounds—both physical and mental—were still fresh. However, their brief moment of peace did not last.
Dawn had yet to break when a desperate scream echoed through the headquarters.
"TITANS!! TITANS HAVE APPEARED INSIDE WALL ROSE!!"
Adam jolted awake, his breathing heavy as his mind struggled to process the shocking news.
"Impossible… The walls are still intact, aren't they?" he murmured.
But the panic outside was undeniable. Without wasting time, Adam quickly donned his Scout uniform, grabbed his ODM gear, and rushed outside.
Outside, he saw Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Conny, Jean, and the others gathering.
"Adam!" Armin ran toward him. "This is bad. Titans have appeared inside Wall Rose, but there are no reports of the walls being breached!"
Adam frowned. "If the walls aren't broken, then how did the Titans get in?"
"I don't know," Armin shook his head, still trying to make sense of it. "But we need to move. Commander Erwin has already sent squads to investigate."
"Including us," Jean added, his tone serious.
Adam took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to overthink.
They had to act.
Investigation and Evacuation Mission
The regiment split into several squads to investigate the Titan threat and evacuate nearby villages.
Adam, along with Mikasa, Armin, Conny, Sasha, and a few others, was assigned to check on Conny's hometown to ensure the safety of his family.
But when they arrived, the sight that greeted them sent chills down their spines.
The entire village was in ruins. There were no corpses… but there were also no survivors.
The strangest sight of all was a single, abnormal Titan lying on top of Conny's house. This Titan was smaller than usual, its body thin and weak—almost as if it couldn't move.
But the most horrifying part was its face.
It bore a striking resemblance to Conny's mother.
Conny swallowed hard, his voice shaking. "This… this can't be…"
As he stepped closer, the Titan weakly moved its mouth and uttered a faint, broken voice.
"Wel… come… ho… me…"
Everyone froze.
Even Adam, who usually had a witty remark for any situation, was left speechless.
Sasha bit her lip, trying to suppress the growing fear inside her.
"We can't stay here too long," Mikasa finally broke the silence. "More Titans might be coming."
With a heavy heart, Conny left his home behind. But the fear and questions lingered in his mind.
Night at Utgard Castle
After a long journey, Adam's squad finally reached Utgard Castle, where they were to take shelter for the night.
There, they met Ymir, Christa, Reiner, Bertholdt, and several others.
That night, they gathered around a fire inside the castle.
"Do you really think that Titan was your mother, Conny?" Ymir asked, her expression unreadable.
Conny shot her a sharp look. "I don't know!"
"Relax, I was just asking," Ymir shrugged. "But isn't it strange? Titans appeared inside the walls, yet the walls themselves weren't breached. And that Titan in your village wasn't moving like a normal one."
Adam nodded, deep in thought. "If that Titan really was your mother… then that means something far worse."
Reiner narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"
Adam looked at them all.
"What if humans aren't being eaten by Titans… but are turning into Titans?"
A chilling silence filled the air.
For once, even Armin, who always had an answer, remained quiet.
But before they could discuss further, a loud crash shook the castle.
"BOOM!!"
Something had slammed against the walls of the castle.
Titans.
And there were dozens of them.
Without warning, hordes of Titans began their assault on Utgard Castle.
The problem? None of them had ODM gear.
"This is bad," Jean gritted his teeth. "We can't fight them properly from inside the castle!"
"Especially since it's nighttime… Titans shouldn't even be moving," Armin added, his face grave.
But these Titans weren't just moving—they were attacking with an unusual level of aggression.
"We have no choice!" Reiner shouted. "We fight with whatever we have!"
They quickly scavenged for makeshift weapons—rifles, old swords, even rocks.
Adam grabbed a long spear hanging on the castle wall.
"It's not ODM gear, but at least I can stab something with it," he muttered.
Mikasa stood beside him, drawing her blade. "I'll cover your right side."
Christa trembled, but Ymir patted her shoulder. "Don't be scared, princess. I'll protect you."
The battle began.
Titans smashed through the castle, breaking down walls. They clawed, bit, and tore apart everything in their path.
Adam drove his spear into the eye of a Titan trying to climb through a window, while Mikasa swiftly slashed at another's nape with impressive agility.
Jean and Conny tried to barricade the main entrance, but the Titans were far stronger than they anticipated.
And just when everyone was about to run out of strength…
Ymir leaped off the top of the castle and transformed into a Titan.
Everyone was stunned.
Ymir had turned into a small yet agile Titan with sharp fangs and incredible strength.
"Ymir… you can transform too?!" Christa gasped.
But Ymir didn't respond. In her Titan form, she rampaged through the enemy, tearing apart the other Titans with brutal efficiency.
Adam could only watch with wide eyes.
"I had a feeling there were other humans who could transform… but I never expected Ymir to be one of them."
With Ymir's help, they managed to survive until sunrise.
As the Titans finally stopped moving, everyone collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
Christa ran to Ymir, who had returned to her human form.
"Ymir! Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Ymir gave a weak smile. "Because I didn't want to scare you…"
Before Christa could press for more answers, Reiner and Bertholdt suddenly stood up and exchanged a tense glance.
They knew there was no point in hiding their secret anymore.