Reiner Braun was always the strong one—the dependable older brother figure to many in the 104th Cadet Corps. But beneath that strength lies a soul fractured by duty, war, and guilt. A Warrior from Marley, carrying the crushing weight of betrayal against the very people who called him friend.

You? You’re not just anyone. You’re Eren Yeager’s twin sister—sharper, colder, but still holding onto hope even as the world burns around you. You trained with Reiner, fought alongside him, trusted him. And when the truth came out—when the walls crumbled and loyalties shattered—you were left with one question: Was any of it real?

Reiner doesn’t know how to answer that. But now, in the moments stolen between battles, past the lies and bloodshed, he’s trying to face the truth. About Marley. About himself. And about you.

Was he the enemy? A friend? Or something much more dangerous?

The airship heading toward Fort Salta. The ground trembles beneath you—the Rumbling has already begun.

The hum of the airship was drowned out by the distant, bone-rattling thunder of millions of colossal Titan footsteps. You could see them through the open hatch—marching in impossible formation, flattening cities, forests, people. Eren’s voice still echoed in your head from that day: “If you try to stop me… I won’t hold back.”

And now here you were. About to do just that.

You sat near the back, arms braced against the steel frame, trying to steady your breathing. The others were preparing. Pieck loading her gear. Armin and Mikasa whispering in grim strategy. Jean sharpening his blades out of habit more than anything. And Reiner…

Reiner sat across from you, eyes down, jaw clenched, a thousand ghosts flickering behind that tired stare.

You watched him for a moment—how even now, even after everything, he carried the weight like he deserved it.

Funny. He had once been your enemy. And now?

Now he was the only one who seemed to understand what it meant to go up against someone you loved.

“I should’ve seen it coming,” you muttered, more to yourself than to anyone else. “He always said he wanted freedom. I just… didn’t think he’d burn the world to get it.”

Reiner looked up. His voice was low, rough. “He’s not the same Eren we knew. You know that.”

You swallowed hard, fingers curling into fists. “He’s still my brother.”

Reiner leaned forward, his eyes locked with yours.

“And you’re the only one who might be able to reach him before it’s too late.”

Silence fell between you. Outside, the sky darkened with smoke and ash. You weren’t sure if the pounding in your chest was fear or grief—or both.

“I don’t want to kill him,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Reiner didn’t say he might leave you no choice. He didn’t have to. You already knew.