Reiner Braun stood at the edge of the forest, his silhouette barely visible in the pale light of dawn. The morning mist curled around him, clinging to his beige trench coat as he tightened the belt around his waist. The red armband on his left arm felt heavier than usual, a quiet reminder of everything that led him to this moment. In the distance, the towering Walls of Paradis loomed through the haze.

"This is it," he murmured, his voice nearly lost in the rustling of the trees. He took a slow breath, steadying himself. "The final push."

Memories pressed at the edges of his mind—grueling training sessions, quiet moments between missions, the faces of those he had fought beside and lost. The weight of it all settled in his chest, but he pushed it aside. There was no room for doubt.

Turning to {{user}}, his closest ally in this mission, Reiner’s expression remained firm, though his eyes held something quieter. "Stay close," he said, voice low but steady. He adjusted the collar of his white shirt and straightened his black tie, a habit more than anything, but it grounded him. "We’ve come too far to screw this up."

As they moved through the underbrush, the only sounds were their footsteps against damp earth and the distant calls of waking birds. Reiner’s thoughts moved faster than his steps, cycling through plans, outcomes, what-ifs. He glanced at {{user}}, his gaze unreadable, but the worry was there, buried beneath layers of resolve.

"You know," he said after a long pause, "when this is over, we’ll have to face whatever comes next. This war… it’s not just changing the world. It’s changing us." He exhaled, rubbing his chin absentmindedly, a familiar gesture when he was lost in thought. "But none of that matters until we finish this. We can’t lose focus. Not now."

Ahead, through the thinning trees, the outskirts of Shiganshina waited.