The Liberio port always fails to be absent of people. It's an ever-bustling hub of livelihood. The roads are teeming with soldiers, wagons, and civilians hurrying about, drowning out the rumbling of a nearby fountain. They gather to spectate as ships set sail on special operations against foreign nations. It's not an uncommon sight. Patriotism is deeply rooted in their identity; every sacrifice and each act of dedication towards Marley is worthy of praise.

My eyes traveled to the floating ships transporting supplies, allowing a clearer understanding of the vessel I'll board shortly. It's empty, an understandable precaution. Flaunting unfamiliar weapons wouldn't serve any real purpose except painting a glaring bullseye at me. Blending into the masses is a must and while this poses no challenge to me, concern about the warriors gnaws at me. Showing off is what they do best.

My train of thought ceases as the resonating voice of Annie's father, or rather her adopted father as she often distinguishes, reaches my ears. In a surprising gesture that contradicts the widespread presumption tied to war veterans, he draws his sturdy frame forward, pulling her into a hug. "Promise me you'll return home, Annie. Even if the whole world aligns against you. Make that your ultimate goal. Come back."

I hadn't experienced any anxiety up until this point. It is an honor to be selected to accompany them, but the amount of time it'd take to retrieve the Founder never crossed my mind. Considering everything I am up against, my target remains shrouded in enigma. How long am I going to be gone for? A month, a year, or even three? There lies a chance that I might not make it back at all.

No. If Magath could dive into the depths of my thoughts, he'd undoubtedly smack me across the face. I can't afford to be pessimistic right now. Not when so many people silently stake their hopes on me.

A few feet away, Reiner stood with a distant look in his eyes. I carefully closed up on him, "Hey idiot, you okay?", I asked, but his shoulders were set rigid. My eyes traced his visual trajectory, capturing a brief sight of a figure forcefully shutting a door and embarking upon a road, striding off into the distance. Could this be..?

But my attention is quickly drawn toward a cacophony of dissenting whispers intensifying as a girl with chestnut hair forces her way through, undeterred by personal space. She hurdles past people and even from afar, I know who it is. His cousin, Gabi. And of course, wherever she goes, Falco follows. He's muttering rushed apologies on her behalf.

In a blink of an eye, Gabi wraps Reiner in a hug. "I did it, Reiner, I did it!" She exclaims breathlessly, her eyes sparkling. She loosens her grip slightly before continuing, "I made it through! They've selected me for the first phase of training." Her words tumble over each other in a rush.

"You can't imagine how tough it was. There were so many others vying for it! But I did it," she pauses to take a breath before plunging on again. "I ran faster than any of them, shot better than them... Oh, and Falco got in too!..."

The news dart out of her mouth so rapidly that she has to gasp for air occasionally, leaving no room for an interjection or even a word of congratulations. It is crystal clear that she idolizes Reiner, looking at him with stars in her eyes.

Gabi doesn't hang around for Reiner to squeak out a word before her eyes lock onto me and a smirk begins to dance on her lips. "Oh for fuck's sake," I mutter under my breath, as she trots toward me.

"Promise me you'll protect Reiner," her hands are placed on her hips.

I bite back the urge to laugh. As if the main objective isn't to do exactly that. "No worries Gabi, I'm not planning on sunbathing in Paradis anytime soon."

She extends her pinky finger towards me. "Pinky promise?"

I drop to one knee. The dust from the ground coats my pants, but I ignore it as I meet Gabi's eye level and curl my own finger around hers. "Pinky promise." A bright smile instantly blooms on her face.

"Make sure you're safe too. I heard terrible things about these devils.", she adds with clenched fists.

"Oh? What things?"

Gabi's eyes darted around as if she half-expected an Eldian to pop out from the shadows. "They're... horrible," she started. "These Eldians... they're monsters. For one, I heard they turn into Titans by eating a handful of sand under the red moon. It's some sort of Eldian rite. And they have these strange rituals like dancing around a campfire naked, singing songs in ancient Eldian to summon their Titan ancestors."

I raise a brow at this, stifling a snort. She must have noticed because she quickly adds, "I swear it's true! Zeke told me!"

"Did he now?" I cock my head to the side. Now, that's easy to believe.

"And!" Gabi continues, pointing a finger at me as if she just remembered something crucial. "That's not even the worst part! They feed tiny pieces of their bodies to the Titans as some sort of... offering? I don't know."

"Offering?" I repeat back.

"That's right, you tell her Gabi. She won't find it funny when they cut out her toes." Zeke's voice from behind me startles us both.

Finally. I was starting to worry he wouldn't return in time before the boat departed.

"Are you sure you're not projecting your own foot fetish on those island devils?", I shoot him a glare.

Gabi let out a giggle all while watching Zeke's face turn the color of a ripe tomato. "Don't say shit like that in front of that kid." He warned. "She has a big mouth. Now my reputation is at stake."

"Hey Gabi," he called. "Why don't you go tell Udo and Zofia the stuff we discussed? Might help you all out during examinations."

With a twirl, she skipped off to find her friends.

I shake my head disapprovingly, "You won't find it funny when she runs her mouth to Magath."

He shrugs. "She already has. I barely had enough time to sneak out of there when he called for me. Unfortunately for him, I had to come and see you."

Not knowing when I'd come back seems worse than being given an approximate date. With a fixed date, I'd have the chance to prepare for the right words - whether they were "See you soon," "Until we meet again," or even a "goodbye." But as it was, I could only stare helplessly at him, words frozen and lodged deep in my throat.

"I'm sorry," he blurts out after a few seconds, causing my eyebrows to scrunch up. What is he apologizing for?

"What are you-"

"I wouldn't have proposed the idea of sending you out there if you're not the only person that I can trust," his explanation only deepens my confusion rather than clear it. He shot anxious looks around before gently pulling me away. People were still engrossed in their goodbyes.

"When you reach that island, your priority needs to be retrieving the Founder. It's essential."

I nod, though his reminder is unnecessary. I know the stakes. "Am I missing something...? Magath already briefed me on how vital recovering that power is to save Marley-"

"Not Marley." He cuts in for the second time. "Us. Humanity."

He's hinting at something deeper—a bigger picture.

"When you get there, you have to stall for time. Whether you find the founder within a month or two doesn't matter. You need to stay missing long enough for them to decide to send me out there to gain information on your whereabouts. I'll come for you. And the founder," the more he speaks, the quieter his tone gets, which confirms my initial suspicions. His agenda is not in line with the military. And if his allegiance isn't with Marley or Eldia, it is hard to fathom what he could be possibly fighting for.

But I trust him.

"How long?", I croak out, eyes darting around the vicinity.

"Years. At the minimum." Years. I hold my breath.

I have my answer. It's an until we meet again.

Just then, the vacant boat designed for me and the warriors honks three times and Bertholt calls out to say what I already know, "Isla, come on, we need to go!"

"You'll come back, right? You'll come and find me," I stammer urgently. I need to be sure I'll see him again.

Zeke was never one for affection, much like me in fact - a commonality between siblings. But his next action leaves me astounded. He places a kiss on my forehead, "I don't abandon my family, Isla."

My eyes well up as I vigorously nod before choking back tears on the verge of spilling over. "See you later."

"See you later."

Within minutes, I'm clutching onto the boat railings, gazing into the horizon as Marleyan citizens cheer and wave. For once, the praise doesn't elicit any emotional response.

I've endured all those years of oppression and hate. Every hit and every insult was all thanks to them. The distorted portrayal of my race, birthed from their sins, a legacy I've failed to atone for.

These devils won't know what hits them.