Everyone, noble and peasant alike, knew that they should never incur Lord Dominic's wrath. He was the protector of their realm and the master of the House, one of the most respected leaders of their time. Needless to say, the moment he got a full report about what transpired in the city, the Lord was thoroughly disappointed. He summoned Emil, Agatha, and Luke before him to speak of this incident openly.

"This is a catastrophic failure, and each of you could've prevented it!" The Lord sat on his throne and chastised the kneeling trio before him. "The Armored Titan, right under our nose…We had its power fester for ten years without a clue, and now it's lost to us!"

"I'm sorry, my lord…" Emil said with shame. "Please don't blame my son; it wasn't his decision to make…But I knew that Sabina was born on that fateful day. I knew there was a possibility, but…" Emil stuttered, showing pain in his voice. "I didn't want to believe or even think about this."

"Deluded family members, how typical." Dominic scoffed. "And you, Agatha? You engaged a shifter who transformed for the first time and somehow failed to defeat her and stop her from escaping?" He demanded an answer, and his voice was enough to make Agatha look down in shame, an emotion Luke didn't often see in her eyes.

"M-my Lord, please understand, it was after a session of training, I was already tired, and this reflected on my Titan form…Sabina was in a frenzy; everyone is after their first transformation, and they are extremely strong and dangerous in this state."

"I don't want your excuses, Agatha; I want you to fix this mess right away. We were about to start a new war against Alrics, and now we have to deal with the return of the Armored? There couldn't have been a worse time."

"With all due respect, I disagree," Agatha said. "Yes, this transformation was a shock to all of us, but Sabina is just a child. She's young and inexperienced; she will never be able to use the Armored to its full potential like those in the Fern family." Hearing her describe his sister like she was some kind of weakling…Luke felt his fist reflexively clench, even if he understood that Agatha was technically correct. "I can track her down starting from the breach she made; she couldn't have gone too far. This time, however, I'll be rested and prepared…Do you see, my Lord?" She spoke with joy. "We have never been this close to getting the power of the Armored Titan. This is our chance!"

"Hm…That's true." Lord Dominic seemingly calmed himself. "If you are able to claim the power quickly, this would be an incredible boon in a war against Alrics and other Houses."

"I promise not to fail you, my lord, just give me a day to prepare, I will find Sabina and bring her here."

"And then, House Lysander will finally claim the Armored Titan…Yes, good, we'll make the best out of a bad situation." Luke shouldn't have expected anything different, yet hearing them talk like this…Discussing his sister as if she was just a Titan to 'claim' it wasn't right.

"My lord!" Luke stood up and spoke loudly, against his better judgment.

"What is it, boy?"

"I…I understand how important the Titan power is, but Sabina is my little sister, and I want to save her and bring her back home! But…If you only want to bring her back here to have someone eat her, what difference does it make?"

"What difference?" Dominic raised an eyebrow, making Luke realize he has gone a little too bold in the Lord's presence. "Our House has been trying to claim the Armored for generations; now we have an opportunity to become the first Eldian House with two titans serving us, and you dare to ask what difference it makes?! Perhaps you should worry about all the people your sister killed, including your mother…"

"She's innocent! Agatha told herself that shifters are in a frenzy after their first transformation, and she's ten! You can't possibly blame her for what…"

"Silence!" Lord Dominic stood up. "I'm not here to argue…Agatha, you really should teach your 'guard' some manners."

"Forgive him, my lord. He's emotional due to what happened, and understandably so." Agatha defended Luke, but she didn't seem to disagree with Dominic's proposal, either. Luke turned towards Agatha with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"You wouldn't support this, right? You wouldn't eat Sabina, would you?"

"I want to find her and bring her home, first and foremost. I don't know whether it'll be her or someone else that maintains the power as long as it is in the hands of our House and can be used for the nearing war. But the truth is, whatever we decide…It won't make much difference for Sabina. In a way, she is already dead."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Forgot already?" Agatha sighed. "Titan shifters can only live thirteen years after inheriting their Titan…This applies to the Titan-born, too. Your sister was born the Armored Titan, and she will die on the day she reaches the age of thirteen. There is nothing we can do about this." With all the chaos and horror that unfolded before him, Luke almost forgot about this harrowing truth of the world. "Those three years will be of torment and agony, carrying the burden that she didn't choose…And being a perpetual target for every other Titan shifter, all to only die in three years anyway. Perhaps it would be more humane not to prolong her suffering."

"N-No, it wouldn't!" Luke snapped. "She still has a life ahead of her, even if it's short, you can't just…You can't just take those years away from her! It's not her fault she was born on this day, and she already suffered more than enough for it…"

"It's too early to think about that, either way," Agatha said calmly. "First, we need to find her, and I'm sure we all want to do that before other Houses find out."

"Of course, but…We can't just leave it undecided!" Luke still didn't give in, eventually turning towards his father. "We won't allow anyone to eat Sabina, right? We can't!"

"Luke, I…"

"What?" No, even his father had doubts? How could he? This was the life of his own daughter they were talking about.

"Agatha is right; it's too early to say anything for certain." Emil let those shameful words out. "The powers of the titans…They are not for the young children to be used by. Only the strongest warriors can hope to control it. We need to save our people from the Armored's wrath and…Save Sabina from herself."

"W-what are you talking about?! You know she's not dangerous; she would never harm anyone willingly!"

"Luke…I know you want to help her, but you saw what happened to all those people…What happened to Valeria…"

"It's not her fault!"

"QUIET!" Dominic shouted. "Enough of this farce. I heard what everyone had to say, and the course is clear. We do everything in our power to bring Sabina back to House Lysander before any other lord has even the slightest chance of capturing her. Agatha will lead the operation, and I will decide what to do with the girl once she is brought back."

"My Lord…" Luke began, only to be interrupted.

"This is not negotiable."

"I only wanted to ask that you allow me to come with Agatha. Sabina is my sister…And I have to bring her home." It was almost impossible for Luke to think clearly, but he realized that whatever happens when Agatha and her squad reach Sabina, he has to be there to protect her.

"That is for my niece to decide." Dominic turned to Agatha.

"You've performed very well in your training…So I'll allow it." Agatha said. "But I know why you want to come."

"You won't try to eat Sabina once you find her, right? If so, we can help each other out."

"No, I won't…But you must realize that regardless of what we do, it's a foregone conclusion. Your sister will never live past thirteen."

Three years might not have been a long time, but at that moment, they felt like an eternity. There was still an opportunity to do something, anything at all.

His sister wasn't gone, and Luke would not stop fighting for her.

…

Even as Sabina walked away, moving away from the River's persistent flow, she could still feel the echoes of the water in her ears. They came and went without any logic or reason, and along with them came the flashes. She saw a crimson body clad in golden armor that began to deteriorate in front of her, emitting steam as its carcass decayed, allowing its bones to emerge. It was left behind and slowly turned to ash, and Sabina continued to walk.

A lone girl making her way through an unfamiliar forest, tears streaming down her eyes, she felt completely lost and alone, not knowing what to do next. The memories began to come together, yet she didn't want them to. She didn't want to see her mother under that debris once again, didn't want to relive that heart-wrenching agony…

Please.

Her mother drowned in blood.

Please.

Agatha's steadfast approach.

Please…

Her brother's cry of despair.

Sabina should have died out here. She was just a child, a little girl that knew nothing about surviving in the wild. This should've been the end, yet somehow, she persisted. She expected some monster to emerge, some wild predator to stalk her and rip her flesh, but instead, it was only silence. Only the echoes of the singing birds and the quiet sound of falling leaves. The girl didn't think, continuing to walk where her eyes led her. She prayed for all of this suffering to end the moment she encountered something…

Or someone.

"No bloody way, you cheated!"

"Just stop whining and admit that you've been bested by a newbie!"

There was a group of men not far from her, they sat in a small encampment with most of them sitting in a circle, playing some game…They were dressed in uniforms not unlike those the soldiers of House Lysander had, but with a different color pattern, those ones were colored in bright gold. Some of them had muskets behind their backs, and there was no doubt that they could fire at any moment. Sabina knew what this meant…Those were House Fern soldiers.

Out of all the predators she could have encountered, it had to be humans, by far the most dangerous of all of them. Sabina's instinct was to run, but she could not follow it, not when she felt so weak and pathetic. She was at their mercy, and then…

"Hey…Who's that?" One of the men noticed her, and it was bound to happen. Sabina's legs were too tired to run. In a few moments, all of the soldiers were looking at her with unabashed confusion and doubt in their eyes. "A child out here? What the hell?" They were shocked, just like Sabina was. The girl felt her hands shaking. "Where did you come from?"

"Easy now." Another man interrupted the soldier. It was the one who stood further away from the main circle as a sentry. A tall man with blonde hair, azure eyes, and light stubble, he looked at the girl with utmost curiosity. "Can't you see she's scared? Don't add to that?"

"She can be a spy."

"Seriously? A little girl? Drop your paranoia already." The man with blonde hair said and slowly walked towards Sabina. The girl retreated with fear, but he was quick to soothe her. "It's alright, I promise we won't hurt you…In fact, I can help you if you allow me. You seem scared. Are you lost?"

Sabina hesitated but eventually gave him a nod.

"Alright…What's your name?" The man wondered, but Sabina didn't respond. She wanted to say her name, yet her mouth would not obey her. Any word she could think of would stick at the tip of her tongue and never leave her mouth, as if she was a mute. "You can't talk?"

Sabina wasn't sure whether he meant her being mute or not being able to talk at this particular moment, but the man was right. She nodded again.

"I see…I suppose that means you can't tell me where you're from."

The girl shook her head.

"Can you point in the right direction?"

Same reaction.

"Alright…Did you run away, then?"

A nod.

"Did something bad happen to the place you live in?"

Another nod.

"I think I understand now…Could you speak before?"

A nod.

"Alright." The man took a deep breath and turned towards other soldiers. "She must have suffered a shock. She'll probably speak in time."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"Don't ask me." The man said before turning to Sabina. "We're en route to…Safer places right now. Would you like to come with us?"

Sabina remained silent, looking down in shame. Those were the enemy soldiers who served the House that once controlled the Armored…And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was a Titan now, a body that looked like the Armored plagued her memories…

"If you stay alone, you'll die out here, and no one wants that, right?"

Eventually, Sabina finally nodded, and the man before her smiled.

"Come along, I'll give you something to drink." He gently held her hand and guided the girl to his camp, for a moment, she felt safe with him. "Oh, by the name, my name is Killian, a pleasure to meet you."