Forget it. I'll just take things one step at a time. After thinking for ages without coming up with a good plan, Arthur decided to get some rest. He gently held Mikasa in his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Already fast asleep in Arthur's arms, Mikasa smiled faintly, as though she were having a pleasant dream.
Some time later, the sound of footsteps suddenly jolted Arthur awake.
Arthur warily looked toward the footsteps, only to discover, to his delight, that it was Dr. Grisha.
Behind Grisha stood a fierce-eyed man. Arthur recognized him as the Survey Corps Commander he had met before.
Dr. Grisha did not look at Arthur or Mikasa. Instead, he stared blankly at Carla and Eren. For some reason, the man behind him also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Carla sleeping.
He seemed to know Carla quite well, too.
"Thank goodness you're still alive." As Grisha looked at the mother and son sleeping in each other's arms, his taut nerves finally relaxed, and he could no longer hold back the emotions he had suppressed for so long.
After a moment, Grisha wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, then went over and softly called Carla's name.
Carla woke to Grisha's gentle calls. Through her sleepy haze, she saw that the person waking her was her husband.
She threw her arms around Grisha and began to cry.
"Darling, you're finally back!"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I rushed back as soon as I heard the wall had been breached," Grisha said, hurriedly comforting the weeping Carla.
"We're all safe, but our home is gone."
"We can rebuild our home. All that matters is that we're alive." Grisha did not care about the house at all. To him, his family came first.
"Yes. As long as our family is safe, that's all that matters." Carla nodded, then stroked the head of Eren, who was sleeping beside her.
As Grisha looked at his sleeping son, a trace of conflict appeared in his eyes. Then, as though he had made up his mind, he spoke to Carla.
"Darling, go back to sleep. I need to take Eren out to do something. We'll be right back." With that, he gently kissed Carla's forehead.
"Eren? Can't you let him sleep?" Carla was puzzled, unsure why her husband wanted to take Eren away.
"I'll bring him back soon," Grisha said in a tone that brooked no argument. Then he gently woke the sleeping Eren.
"Dad!" Woken by Grisha, Eren opened his eyes and lit up with joy when he saw his father. He had been worried about him, but now he was finally here.
"Eren, come with me. There's something I need to tell you." Grisha reached for Eren's hand to lead him away.
"Where are we going?" Eren asked in confusion, looking at his mother, who was also awake beside him.
"You'll find out soon." Taking Eren's hand, Grisha left the place where they were staying. The man behind him followed.
"..." As Carla watched Grisha and Eren leave, she felt, for some reason, as though she were about to lose someone she loved. At first, she thought she was imagining it.
But the feeling was so painfully real.
Arthur watched the entire exchange, unable to understand why Grisha had suddenly acted so strangely. It seemed as though he was deliberately hiding something.
Meanwhile, Grisha led Eren by the hand, gradually approaching the dense woods.
The man following them seemed to sense that something was wrong. He hurried forward and questioned Grisha.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
"This is a family matter. Please don't disturb us." Grisha fixed the man with an utterly serious stare, one that held both a warning and a farewell.
The man froze for a moment under Grisha's gaze and stopped walking.
Seeing that the man was no longer following, Grisha quickly led the still-bewildered Eren into the woods.
"Dad, where are we going?" Eren asked timidly as he looked at the dark, eerie surroundings.
But Grisha did not answer. He simply continued leading Eren onward.
At last, Grisha reached a clearing, looked around, and spoke.
"We're here. Eren, let's begin..."
"Huh? What?" Eren had no idea what his father meant, but a moment later, he saw him pull a syringe from behind his back.
Waiting outside the woods, the man had no idea what was happening inside. He paced back and forth.
Just as he seemed to lose patience and was about to leave, something happened.
An explosion rang out, accompanied by a towering bolt of yellow lightning that descended from the sky and struck the heart of the woods. The man's eyes widened, and he rushed into the trees in shock.
But when he reached where the two had been, he found only Eren lying unconscious on the ground. Grisha, who had been with him, was nowhere to be seen.
The man gathered Eren into his arms and began searching for Grisha, but no matter where he looked, he could find no trace of him.
It was as though Grisha had vanished into thin air.
Unable to find Grisha, the man decided to return Eren to his mother, Carla, first.
Carrying the unconscious Eren, he returned to where they were staying.
Carla and Arthur, who had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep, were both taken aback when they saw the man return with Eren.
Arthur quietly looked around but saw no sign of Grisha.
"Keith, where's Grisha?" Carla took Eren from the man's arms, then questioned him with worry written all over her face.
"I..." The man called Keith hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Was he supposed to tell her that Grisha had suddenly vanished without a trace?
"I understand. Thank you for bringing Eren back. I'm a little tired. Could you please leave?" Looking at Keith, Carla seemed to guess something. She remembered the kiss Grisha had given her before leaving-how had it been any different from a farewell kiss? Suppressing her emotions, she asked Keith to go.
"Ah... yes." Keith looked at the grieving Carla, nodded, then turned and left.
What on earth happened to Uncle Grisha? Watching Keith leave and Carla lie down, quietly sobbing, Arthur could make no sense of it.
After all, as far as he knew, Grisha was a devoted husband who would never readily abandon Carla and Eren.
What exactly had happened while Grisha and Eren were gone?
With those troubling questions weighing on his mind, Arthur fell into a deep sleep.