"This is…" Hannes murmured, steam slowly leaving his mouth, dissipating into the cold air as he silently stared at his own hands.
His memories took him back to the moment when he himself made this decision. It wasn't Gale who suggested inheriting the power of a Titan to him, nor did he submit himself to a lottery.
Hannes personally asked Gale to become one of the bearers of the Titans' power; his mind had always been tormented by his cowardice.
He thought that if he trained more and steeled his mind, he could fight against the Titans and find forgiveness from the children he had disappointed that day.
But after the Titans ceased to be enemies, he worked tirelessly to ensure that Gale's perfect plans became reality as soon as possible.
And when he learned that there were two positions to inherit the power of the Titans, he thought his sacrifice would benefit the world and that he would finally find a way to be useful.
"The power of the Titan…" Hannes's hands trembled.
They always did.
The same hands that once let go of the sword… the same ones that chose to step back at the critical moment when they were meant to be used.
"…Tch." Hannes clicked his tongue, annoyed with himself.
He clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned white. No matter how much time passed, that feeling never disappeared. The weight in his chest. The image embedded in his mind like a thorn impossible to pull out.
A thunderous scream.
A desperate smile.
Blood, so much blood…
Hannes shut his eyes tightly.
"Pathetic…" The word came out low, almost like a suffocated whisper.
He had lived far too long hiding behind cheap excuses. "I couldn't win," "I didn't stand a chance," "it was the right thing to save the children"… convenient lies he had repeated so many times that they almost began to sound true.
But that was all they were—almost.
Now he understood.
It wasn't a lack of strength.
It was fear.
Hannes remembered—he could recall a group of young recruits training clumsily, falling over and over again while an instructor shouted orders that none of them seemed to fully understand.
Children.
Far too young.
Far too alive.
An old man like him could make a difference in the war that was to come.
"…Heh." A dry laugh escaped Hannes's throat as he murmured, "So this is what it feels like…"
His gaze hardened slightly.
For the first time in a long while, he did not look away.
The power of the Colossal Titan pulsed within him, heavy… overwhelming… as if each beat reminded him how absurd it was for someone like him to wield it.
A coward.
A drunk.
A man who arrived too late.
"…Do you really think I'm the right one?"
His voice was low, directed at no one… or perhaps someone.
He clenched his jaw.
Gale's face briefly crossed his mind.
"…No." Hannes gently shook his head. Now, at the very least, he had the power to protect the children, and if the need ever arose, he would do whatever it took to ensure they lived.
When Mick also awakened, both of them stepped out of the massive curtains of steam that surrounded them.
Each of them had acquired the power of the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan, Reiner and Bertolt, and they saw fragments of the memories of the two men.
After completing the ceremony of inheriting the power of the Titans, they returned to their private rooms to rest.
The next day, Hannes boarded the assigned train to begin his journey back to the outskirts of the Special District of Trost, where he practiced with the Colossal Titan, while Mick continued his journey with the preliminaries.
On the fifth day after the departure of the Marine Preliminary Team, everyone gathered outside the base.
This time, the means of transportation was a Titan.
The small Titan lay prostrate on the ground, and the soldiers climbed up its arms and back to enter the specially prepared basket.
Inside the basket were straps to secure the body, similar to those used in training with the omni-directional mobility gear, so the soldiers quickly learned how to fasten themselves without needing instruction.
Once everyone was seated in the special seats on the Titans, the group began moving toward the shipyard.
The Titans, carrying human and steel components, crossed grasslands and sandy terrain, arriving at the entrance of the underground shipyard.
It was a deep, hollow space. They walked through the cavity, which was dozens of meters high, and descended underground, marveling at the futuristic structure along the way.
The living area was located to the right of the first shipbuilding hall, and their dormitories were also there.
Today, their task was to familiarize themselves with the shipyard.
In addition to training, they might occasionally need to assist with other tasks.
In short, they could visit most areas, just make sure to follow the rules in the manual.
Hange distributed the shipyard code of conduct manual to all the personnel.
After announcing the dismissal of the team, she proceeded to take inventory of the new parts that had arrived that day.
Jean and Connie wandered through the shipyard.
Jean's gaze was irresistibly drawn to Mikasa in the distance. Since their first meeting, he had liked the Japanese-looking girl; she was practically his ideal type.
Among the preliminary candidates, it seemed that the only one who got along well with Mikasa was that effeminate blond.
The boy with soft facial features did not seem to have a romantic relationship with Mikasa, which made him think that today was a good opportunity to start a conversation.
After a long journey, they had finally arrived at their destination, a new and interesting place. They could take advantage of the occasion to strike up a conversation with Mikasa.
But just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly froze.
Right in front of him, Mikasa Ackerman suddenly pulled a man into her arms, and the man's face was firmly pressed against Mikasa's chest.
"Hey, why aren't you moving? Are you stupid?" Connie waved his hand in front of Jean's face.
"Eren, I've missed you so much." Mikasa hugged Eren and spoke those words, piercing Jean's heart as he clutched his chest tightly.
An Ackerman, whether a boy or a girl, develops much faster once their genetics are activated, and after a year of training, Mikasa had grown more than Eren.
"When you see him again, hug him and tell him how much you missed him. He'll be very happy." Driven by Gale's suggestion that morning and the longing Mikasa had suppressed for so long, she bravely took the first step.