Marina looked at Eren, with complicated emotions. She studied him for a few seconds, then spoke in a low, even voice.
"So you're prepared to die by the hands of your enemies? Is this your way of preparing your funeral? Is the White Raven Island going to be your last bastion of resistance until your death?"
Her words echoed a little too well in the silence that followed. Azurea glanced between the two of them but said nothing, waiting for Eren's reply.
Eren didn't answer right away. He looked out toward the edge of the island, where the soft lights of the distant town shimmered like fireflies in the dark.
His expression was unreadable for a while. But then, he let out a quiet chuckle—dry, almost amused—and shook his head slowly.
"Although I know I'll come very close to death in the near future," he began, "it's not like I'm suicidal. What I'm doing right now… it's not preparation for my death. It's preparation for my comeback after I'm beaten."
