Chapter 14
Two years had passed since the destruction of Wall Maria. Many lived in grief, lost, trying to adapt to their new reality inside Wall Rose. Some had lost their families, others their homes, and all felt that the world they once knew was gone forever.
But for Rio Ackerman, this was not a time for mourning.
It was a time for battle.
Far from the eyes of his mother, far from Carla, Eren, and Mikasa, Rio slipped out silently almost every night—beyond the barrier and into Wall Maria, crossing the darkened farmlands, venturing where no one dared go: the broken territory where Titans still roamed freely.
He wasn't reckless.
He was determined.
From the moment he saw his mother cry, her heart shattered by the loss of his father… from the moment he nearly lost Aunt Carla right before his eyes… he swore to himself he would never be weak again.
In his hands, he held something rare: an old blueprint left by his late father. Something he had once ignored—but now, it was a secret weapon.
The blueprint detailed precise modifications to the ODM gear—two small gas canisters added inside the structure of the device, seamlessly built-in without adding extra weight or limiting mobility. It was a brilliant design—superior even to what the Scout Regiment used.
Rio worked for weeks on upgrading the gear. He scavenged parts from abandoned military stations during his raids around Wall Maria. With every piece he installed, he felt one step closer to his goal… to the truth.
And it wasn't just about building equipment.
He fought.
Alone.
Every Titan he encountered—fell.
He danced through crumbling buildings, spun through the air, then dove like a hawk onto their necks. It wasn't just skill—it was controlled fury. His small body carried a savagery unfit for a child his age. He moved like a warrior who had fought wars for twenty years—not just two.
One day, he decided to return to the home he left behind… the home he shared with his mother and father… before everything collapsed.
He climbed through the broken side window—just as he used to when he was late for dinner as a child. The air inside was still. Dust hung heavy, but the memories were alive.
He sat at the wooden table where his father used to sit, ran his hand over the old burn marks left by hot soup pots. A faint smile touched his lips—then tightened with pain. This wasn't just a house… it was all he'd ever known of warmth and safety.
He entered his mother's room. Her scent still lingered—trapped in a small pillow, in a forgotten piece of cloth. He gathered all her clothes into a large bag. Then he entered his own room, taking his old books, his father's knives, and some photographs.
One photo showed his father, Vig Ackerman, beside his uncle, Renji, whose resemblance to Rio was so strong, one might mistake Renji for his true father.
Uncle Renji had also been an important figure in the regiment. Sadly, he died outside the walls on a mission to exterminate Titans. That loss had left a deep scar on Vig—one that never healed.
Rio packed everything into a second bag, then stepped outside, bidding farewell to his home with one long, silent look.
On the way back, he was more cautious than ever. He passed two massive Titans, but thanks to his enhanced gear, he glided across rooftops without being noticed.
By morning, he returned to the wooden home inside Wall Rose, sweat dripping from his brow.
Arya Stanz, his mother, was the first to see him. She ran to him, startled by his dirt-stained clothes and exhausted face. Her eyes caught the outfit he wore—the very same he used to wear in their old home.
She gasped and asked in a trembling voice:
"Where did you get those clothes? Did you go back there?! Why, Rio?!"
But Rio didn't change his expression. He looked at her calmly and replied:
"No, Mom… I got them from the shelter. They said they belonged to a survivor, and they gave them to me."
He was lying—but only to protect her. He didn't want her to know he risked his life every night. He didn't want her to see how far he'd strayed from the child she remembered.
He set the large bag down, then brought the second bag to Carla, saying:
"These are your things, Aunt Carla… I recovered what I could from your house."
Carla looked at him in silence… then her eyes fell on the small photo inside the bag—a photo of her and her husband, holding baby Eren.
She covered her mouth, tears pouring down.
She said nothing.
But her eyes said everything.
---
Ten minutes passed.
Eren, watching Aunt Arya's anxious face as she fussed over her son, finally broke the silence with pride:
"Don't worry about him, Aunt Arya!! I saw him with my own eyes kill the Titan that almost ate my mom!! If he had been one second late… she wouldn't be here right now!"
He turned to Arya, who was quietly preparing tea, and added with a faint smile:
"And didn't his uncle Renji teach him martial arts since he was six? He used to tell me every day in Shiganshina how he learned self-defense from him."
Arya stopped pouring water into the cup. Her hand froze.
She didn't look at Eren but whispered in a sad voice:
"Yes… Renji always insisted on training Rio in combat. Every time he returned from his missions, he'd take him into the forest… for hours. I used to watch them from afar…"
She sighed deeply and sat beside them. Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if reliving ghosts from the past:
"But that intense focus didn't comfort me… it frightened me. His eyes, the way he forced Rio to repeat moves over and over, even though he was just a child…"
Silence fell.
"I was afraid Rio would turn into a killing machine… that he'd lose his childhood."
Suddenly—as if time itself struck—Rio gasped sharply from his seat, grabbing his head with both hands, his eyes shut tight as pain tore through his skull.
Arya shot to her feet in panic:
"Rio?! Are you okay?! What's wrong?!"
She rushed toward him to help, but Rio raised his hand, signaling her to stop. He breathed slowly and said in a faint voice:
"Don't worry, Mom… just a headache… I'll go lie down for a while."
---
Rio climbed the simple wooden stairs to the upper floor.
His steps were heavy—not from fatigue, but from what was brewing inside his mind.
Every day, the strange memories grew clearer.
Faces he didn't know… places he'd never been… blood… fire… a sword gripped tightly in his small hands.
He slowly opened the door to his room.
It was small—just a wooden bed, a rough table, and a worn chair by a tiny window. But what caught his eye instantly… was the military uniform neatly laid out on the table.
The official trainee uniform of the new recruits.
A brown-gray jacket, the Wings of Freedom emblem on the shoulder, a clean undershirt, flexible combat pants, and a metal belt ready for ODM gear attachment.
Rio stepped forward and ran his fingers over the fabric, as if tracing his future.
He smiled faintly—a complex smile… one of pride… and sadness.
He sat on the chair, leaning back against the wall, staring at the ceiling in silent thought.
At that very moment, in the room across the hall, Eren and Armin were gazing at the sky from the window, while Mikasa quietly brushed her hair. None of them knew what t
he future held, but all of them felt it—
The path had begun.
And the next step… was inside the military ranks.
To be continued…