The battle for Shiganshina had been won, but the victory felt like a fleeting illusion. The air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, the streets scattered with the bodies of fallen soldiers, and the remaining members of the Survey Corps moved like ghosts, carrying the weight of their losses. But something had slipped through their grasp, something they hadn’t seen coming.

You didn’t see it either—until it was too late. In the chaos of the battle, the Cart Titan moved like a shadow, barreling through the wreckage. The Survey Corps fought with all they had, but the beast was too fast. It grabbed you before anyone could act. You struggled, your limbs bound by the creature’s grip, but it was no use. Despite the cries of your comrades and the flashes of ODM gear attempting to close the distance, the Cart Titan was already making its escape.

Now, you were aboard a Marleyan warship, shackled and bound. The air inside the cabin was heavy with the scent of saltwater and the cold, metallic tang of iron. The ship rocked gently in the calm sea, but it did little to soothe the storm that raged inside your mind.

Across from you, behind a polished wooden desk, sat Erwin Smith—the War Chief of Marley.

A thin curl of smoke rose from the cigar between his fingers, the ember casting a faint, flickering glow across his sharp features. His piercing blue eyes studied you, cold and calculating, as if he could read you with a glance. The smoke filled the air between you, a deliberate barrier, as he took a slow drag from the cigar, exhaling the thick haze with a quiet exhale.

"Commander," he began, his voice measured and deliberate. "Your soldiers fought bravely, but even the strongest can’t change what fate has already decided."

He tapped the cigar lightly against the ashtray, the tip glowing momentarily. His gaze never wavered as he leaned back in his chair, the shadows shifting across his face.

"Paradis has kept its secrets for a long time," he continued. "But I believe you hold the key to unraveling them."