Rain washed over Mitras. Again.
But this time, it wasn't a gentle whisper on rooftops.
It was a warning.
Cracks had formed in the heart of the capital. Literally. The Eye Temple had been sealed behind makeshift stone and silence, but its echo still pulsed through the city like a heartbeat. Rumors ran rampant—of demons, divine retribution, and a crimson eye that split the sky.
Arata sat in chains.
---
Interior Military Headquarters – Holding Cell
Dimly lit and cold, the cell was more symbolic than secure. If he wanted to, Arata could leave. No lock could contain the Susanoo. No wall could stop Amaterasu.
But he sat still.
Waiting.
He'd made his choice.
And now the world would answer.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
Levi.
No words. Just a glare. Blades sheathed, for now.
Behind him, Erwin and Hange followed. Hange clutched a thick, weathered book.
She placed it gently on the table.
The cover was wrapped in Titan skin. The pages were lined with symbols no one should've understood.
Except Arata.
Because the moment he looked at it, the Sharingan spun—and translated everything.
The diary of Ymir Fritz.
The original.
---
"Journal of the Bound Queen" – Excerpt Translation
> "They call me the First Titan. But I was not first. I was the first cursed."
> "The Convergence is not a merging—it is a collision. Three forces: the Eye of Chakra, the Curse of Flesh, and the Spiral of Echoes. Each was meant to remain separate. But war, like time, defies order."
> "Should the trinity ever awaken together again, the Walls will not hold. Their blood will run. Their souls will remember. The Day the Walls Bleed... is the day the world resets."
---
Erwin's Office – Moments Later
The candlelight cast heavy shadows on Erwin's face. He stared at Arata with something between calculation and dread.
"You were drawn here," he said. "Not born. Not trained. Dropped into our world like… a needle into an old wound."
Arata nodded.
"I don't know why I came here. Only that this world was already cracked. I just fell through."
Levi leaned forward. "Are you the crack?"
"I might be the hammer."
Silence.
Then Erwin asked the real question.
"If the prophecy is real—and the day the Walls bleed is coming—how do we stop it?"
Arata closed his eyes.
"You don't."
"You can't."
"But you can prepare."
---
Training Grounds – That Night
Annie stared at her own reflection in a basin of water. She didn't recognize the girl anymore. Not after what they'd seen. Not after what Arata had done.
"You weren't supposed to care," she whispered. "You weren't supposed to make this harder."
A voice behind her.
"You always pretend you don't care."
She turned.
Mikasa.
"Let me guess," Annie said. "Here to warn me off?"
"No," Mikasa replied. "I'm here to ask you to help him. When the time comes, he'll need us both."
Annie narrowed her eyes. "You trust me now?"
"I trust him. And he trusts you."
And that was enough.
---
A Hidden Chapel Beneath Wall Sina
Rod Reiss stood before a fresco no citizen had ever seen.
It showed the three "gods": a spiral-bound ghost, a crimson-eyed warrior, and a woman with ribs for wings. Above them all—a bleeding wall, screaming faces carved into stone.
Kenny Ackerman stood beside him.
"You gonna tell the brass about this?"
Rod shook his head. "They wouldn't believe it. And if they did… they'd try to use it."
Kenny spat.
"I don't like that boy. But if he's our only shot at stopping this…"
Rod turned.
"He won't stop it."
Kenny frowned. "Then what the hell's the point?"
Rod whispered: "He's not here to save the world. He's here to break it… the right way."
---
Underground Chapel – Later That Night
Eren stood alone in front of the sealed stone wall where Arata had once entered the Eye Temple. He clenched his fists.
"I felt it down there," he muttered. "Something in me… wanted to join that monster."
A voice behind him.
"You still might."
Arata stood in the shadows.
"You're afraid of it," Eren said. "The future."
"I'm afraid of choosing who deserves to live in it."
"You won't have to choose alone."
They didn't shake hands. They didn't smile.
But something passed between them—like two meteors realizing they were on the same collision course.
---
Next Morning – Capital Gates
Erwin stood before the assembled cadets. Behind him, Arata in uniform once more. No chains. No cell. Just eyes that had seen too much.
"We face not just Titans," Erwin said, "but forces that rewrite history. That rewrite reality."
"Starting today, a new operation begins."
"Codename: Project Convergence."
Silence.
Then Armin stepped forward.
"What's the objective, sir?"
Erwin looked at Arata.
Arata spoke.
"To survive the bleeding of the Walls."
"To confront the original Titans."
"To find the Spiral King."
And to end the curse.