CHAPTER 18: THE ANTI-MARLEYAN VOLUNTEERS
The ocean stretched endlessly before them.
Dark. Cold. Full of secrets.
Sukuna stood at the water's edge, looking at Yelena. The woman with white hair and glowing eyes.
"You want to destroy the walls," he said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because the walls are not protecting you. They are holding you prisoner."
Mikasa stepped forward.
"Who sent you?"
"No one sent me. I came on my own. To find the one who can change everything."
She looked at Sukuna.
"The one they call the Devil of Paradise."
Yelena led them to a small camp hidden in the cliffs.
Tents. Supplies. Weapons.
And people.
Dozens of them. Men and women. All wearing the same symbol on their jackets.
A symbol Sukuna recognized.
"Anti-Marleyan Volunteers," Yelena said. "People who hate the empire that enslaved them. People who want to see it fall."
"And you think I can help?"
"I know you can."
Inside the largest tent, Yelena spread a map across a table.
"This is the world, Eren Yeager."
Sukuna looked at it.
Continents. Oceans. Countries.
Marley. The great empire.
And Paradise. The island where the walls stood.
"Marley rules the world with Titans," Yelena said. "They turn prisoners into mindless monsters and drop them on their enemies. They have been doing this for centuries."
"And the walls?"
"The walls were built by the first King Fritz. He fled to this island and created a false paradise. He erased everyone's memories. He trapped humanity inside a cage."
"Why?"
"Because he was tired of fighting. Because he wanted peace. Even if it was a lie."
Sukuna studied the map.
"You want me to destroy the walls."
"Yes."
"That will unleash the Titans inside them. Millions of Titans. Enough to trample the world."
Yelena smiled.
"That's the point."
Mikasa grabbed Sukuna's arm.
"Eren, this is madness."
"I know."
"We can't destroy the walls. Innocent people will die."
"Innocent people are already dying. Every day. Every hour. Every minute."
He pulled his arm away.
"I'm not saying yes. But I'm not saying no."
He looked at Yelena.
"I need time to think."
"Take all the time you need. We're not going anywhere."
That night, Sukuna walked along the shore.
The waves crashed against the sand.
His mind was a storm.
"Destroy the walls," he thought. "Rule the world. Become a god."
He laughed.
"I've done that before. It's boring."
But something else tugged at him.
Something he didn't expect.
Eren's feelings.
The boy who still lived somewhere inside him.
"He wouldn't want this," Sukuna thought. "He wanted to save humanity. Not destroy it."
"Humanity doesn't want to be saved," another voice inside him said.
His own voice.
The voice of the King of Curses.
"Humans are parasites. They destroy everything they touch. They deserve to be trampled."
Sukuna shook his head.
"I'm not a god. I'm not a savior. I'm just... curious."
Curious to see how this world ends.
Mikasa found him sitting on a rock.
The moon was full. The water was black.
"You've been out here for hours."
"I needed to think."
"What did you decide?"
"Nothing yet."
She sat down next to him.
"Yelena is dangerous."
"Everyone is dangerous."
"She wants to use you."
"Everyone wants to use me."
Mikasa looked at him.
"What do you want, Eren?"
Sukuna was quiet for a long time.
Then he said, "I want to understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why this world exists. Why people suffer. Why kings lie. Why warriors kill."
He looked at the stars.
"And after I understand... I want to burn it all down. Or save it. I haven't decided yet."
The next morning, Sukuna returned to the camp.
Yelena was waiting.
"Have you decided?"
"I have conditions."
"Name them."
"First, you will not harm anyone inside the walls. Not soldiers. Not civilians. Not children."
"Agreed."
"Second, you will tell me everything you know about Marley. Their military. Their weapons. Their weaknesses."
"Agreed."
"Third..."
Sukuna stepped closer.
"You will never lie to me."
Yelena's smile faded.
"Everyone lies, Eren."
"Then we have nothing to discuss."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
He stopped.
"I will not lie to you. On my honor."
"You have honor?"
"More than most."
Sukuna looked at her.
"Then we have an agreement."
They shook hands.
Mikasa watched from the shadows.
She didn't trust Yelena.
But she trusted Sukuna.
Even if she didn't understand him.
The journey back to the walls took two days.
Sukuna and Mikasa slipped through the gates before dawn.
No one saw them.
No one knew where they had been.
Shadis was waiting in the courtyard.
"Where did you go?"
"For a walk."
"A five-day walk?"
"It was a long walk."
Shadis stared at him.
Then he sighed.
"Training resumes in an hour. Don't be late."
He walked away.
That afternoon, Sukuna found Reiner training alone.
The big man's hands were bandaged.
"You went to the coast."
"How do you know?"
"I can smell the salt on you."
Sukuna sat down on a bench.
"I met someone interesting."
"Who?"
"A woman named Yelena. She wants to destroy the walls."
Reiner's face went pale.
"She's dangerous."
"Everyone is dangerous."
"You shouldn't have gone."
"Maybe. But I did."
Sukuna looked at him.
"She told me about Marley. About the Titans. About the warriors."
Reiner said nothing.
"She told me about you, Reiner. About the child soldier who was forced to become a monster."
"I'm not a victim."
"No. You're not. But you're not a villain either. You're just... broken."
Reiner's eyes glistened.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want you to know that I understand. More than you think."
Sukuna stood up.
"The walls are going to fall, Reiner. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon."
"And when they do?"
"When they do... choose a side. The right side."
He walked away.
Reiner stood alone in the training yard, staring at the sky.
END OF CHAPTER 18