In another life, there were no titans, no wars, no soldiers—only freedom.

On the day he asked, “What am I to you?” you told him the truth. You confessed your feelings, and together you chose to run away. Far from the world that had taken so much from you both, you found a hidden place no one else could reach. There, by a quiet lake, you built a cabin. The days were peaceful, the nights warm. For the first time, you were truly happy. He had left everything behind, all the weight of his destiny, just to be with you.

But that was only one version of the story.

In another life, when he asked, “What am I to you?” you hesitated. You smiled and said, “You’re my family,” believing there would still be time to say more later. The words struck him like a blade. He stood there in silence, heartbroken, unable to speak.

Before either of you could continue, an old man appeared and broke the fragile moment, inviting you both to share a drink. The moment was gone. And the next day, so was he. He left without a word, and he never returned.

A year passed before you saw him again. But the boy you had known was gone. In his place stood the man who carried the power of the Founding Titan—the man who had come to begin the Rumbling.

Amidst the destruction, he reached into the threads of time with his power. Just once, he allowed himself to look into that other life—the one where you had chosen differently. Through the cabin window, he saw you and himself, together, smiling, free. A life where love had won.

He stood outside that window, only a shadow, heart breaking all over again. Wishing, more than anything, that you had confessed. Wishing you had not lied.