The Eye Temple trembled.
Beneath the capital of Mitras, beneath history itself, something ancient was waking up. The black pool surged like it had a heartbeat. Arata, Annie, and Eren backed away as a shape began to form—tall, unnatural, wrapped in spiraling chains made of bone and smoke.
It wasn't a Titan.
It wasn't a human.
It was something between.
The cracked obsidian monolith above them began to disintegrate, its voice echoing one final time through their minds:
> "Three must become one. The others… must fall."
Arata's eyes burned red with Mangekyō fire. Eren gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. Annie reached for her ring—the one with the hidden blade.
The choice was coming.
---
Flashback – Moments Before Entering the Temple
"Why me?" Eren had asked Arata, staring at the map.
Arata's reply had been quiet, but firm. "Because you're the future this world's already chosen."
"And you?"
"I'm the future it never saw coming."
---
Now – Temple Floor, Present
The creature was no longer forming—it had formed. At least three stories tall, its body was emaciated and wrapped in rib-like armor. Its face was split vertically into three symmetrical visages—one with a Sharingan, one with a Titan's eye, and one with a coiling mark Arata had only seen in his visions.
Each head spoke in unison:
> "Choose. Chakra. Titan. Curse. Only one legacy may ascend."
The torches around the temple flared blue, then extinguished.
Darkness.
Then—light from Arata's eyes alone.
---
Aboveground – Levi vs. Mikasa
The two Ackermans moved like phantoms.
Blade met blade. Sparks rained across the courtyard.
"Why do you trust him?" Levi asked between slashes. "You've known him less than a month."
"I see him," Mikasa hissed. "The way I saw Eren. He doesn't want power—he wants to fix what broke."
"He is what broke."
Levi swept low. Mikasa leapt into a twist, rebounded off a column, and crashed down, blades poised for a kill.
But Levi had vanished.
He was behind her.
"You're good," he said, "but you're not me."
He raised his blades.
And stopped.
Smoke was rising—from beneath the city.
---
Erwin's Quarters – Interior Capital
Erwin stared at the scroll in his hands, unblinking.
The blueprint of the Walls. Not three, but four.
The fourth: "Soul Wall", etched in ink so ancient it cracked when touched.
"An internal barrier… buried within Wall Sina?" he muttered.
Hange leaned over, eyes wide. "Not a wall for Titans. A wall for souls."
"And if it breaks?" Erwin asked.
Hange didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
---
Back in the Eye Temple
The creature extended one clawed finger toward the trio.
"Sacrifice two. One may walk free with the legacy."
"No," Arata muttered, stepping forward.
The creature paused.
"I don't play by your rules."
He clasped his hands in a seal.
"Susanoo."
A colossal red figure exploded into existence behind him—armor, sword, and rage made manifest.
The floor shook as the Susanoo swung its blade at the creature.
Impact.
Explosion.
Annie and Eren were thrown back. The chamber cracked like glass under divine pressure.
The creature shrieked.
It felt that.
But it wasn't enough.
The thing regenerated, rising from its own ash, three mouths laughing.
Annie's voice cut through the smoke. "Let me transform."
"No!" Eren shouted. "You don't have to—"
"Arata can't win alone!" she yelled, activating the blade on her ring.
But Arata reached her first—grabbed her wrist.
"Not yet," he whispered. "I'll use it."
He turned to the monster.
"If I give you myself… will you spare them?"
The creature stilled.
For the first time, it seemed confused.
> "You would give up the power of the eye?"
"I never asked for it," Arata said, eyes glowing brighter than ever. "But I chose to protect them."
The Susanoo expanded, growing wings. The sword melted into a spiral of flame.
"Then burn in the fire of rebellion."
He charged.
---
Elsewhere – Levi and Mikasa Watch the Sky
A pillar of red light erupted from beneath the capital.
It pierced the heavens.
Even the clouds fled.
Levi lowered his blades.
"…He's not normal," he muttered.
Mikasa just watched.
"He's fighting fate."
---
Inside the Eye Temple – Final Blow
Arata and the creature clashed, power against power, eye against eye.
Reality bent.
The floor beneath them cracked like an egg.
And then—
Silence.
The creature shattered.
Its essence scattered in sparks, torn apart by Arata's will and the price of choice.
He fell to his knees.
Breathing. Shaking. Alive.
Annie ran to him, caught him before he collapsed.
Eren just stared, wide-eyed.
"You… beat it," he said.
"No," Arata replied weakly, "I delayed it. That curse… it'll come back. Stronger."
"But we'll be ready," Eren said.
Arata looked at him.
And for the first time—smiled.