On an endless expanse of silver sand, a man stood rooted in place, his body rigid as a statue, his eyes wide, his pupils so deep they seemed capable of swallowing all light.
His fingers trembled slightly, as though trying to grasp something invisible in the air. Profound shock showed on his face, as if an unexpected sight had suddenly entered his field of vision, shaken his soul, and robbed him of speech.
His mind brimmed with complete memories of all the past and future, along with countless possibilities he had already tried. Yet despite being given a hundred million wrong answers, he still had not found a single definite, correct one.
But even if he had found an answer, it seemed everything was already too late. The mist Hallucigenia had released had now engulfed those closest to it.
"Chen Si..." A soft call interrupted his thoughts. He abruptly snapped out of them and turned, his pupils contracting.
Four figures appeared before him, overturning everything he had first believed about this world.
Carla, who had died long ago, rushed toward him with tears in her eyes and held him tightly. Her voice was heavy with guilt. "My child, you've suffered so much. I'm sorry!"
"We've seen everything you've done. We've always been the ones who owed you. Please don't torment yourself with pain and grief," Mr. Ackerman said.
Carla released Chen Si, and Grisha came to her side, put an arm around her, and wiped away her tears.
"Don't feel pressured. None of this was ever your responsibility. Go stop Eren. He should bear the consequences of this mistake." After saying that, Carla covered her mouth, sobbing too hard to speak.
"Carla..." Grisha turned toward Chen Si and dropped to his knees. With his head bowed and both hands gripping