I turned toward the sound.
A massive face loomed in the darkness, right beside one of the Survey Corps soldiers driving a wagon. In the torchlight, with nothing but silence pressing around us, it looked even more horrifying. No wonder the man screamed.
"Rookie, what are you doing?!"
Oruo's voice was low but tense as he saw Lock spur his horse toward the giant. He didn't dare raise it further—too much noise might wake others nearby. None of us knew how many Titans could be hidden in the night.
"Relax. I've got this."
Ignoring their stares, Lock rode straight up to the giant's face. Up close, it was grotesque, almost human.
Even as a pure Titan, its features haven't changed much…
The Titan was male, round-faced, and nearly eight meters tall. Whether it was a normal type or an Abnormal wasn't clear—but it hadn't stood up, hadn't attacked. That alone was strange.
"Lock, you're in danger—get away from it!" Elder called from behind.
"Elder. Haven't you noticed yet?"
"What?"
Lock pointed at the Titan's half-open eyes. "It's awake. It's looking at us. But it hasn't moved at all."
"You mean… Titans can't move at night?" Elder's words came out in disbelief.
Until now, everyone assumed they just slowed down in the darkness. But this one had its eyes open. It had seen them. And it stayed motionless.
"Could it really be… they can't move?" Elder whispered.
The Titan's gaze was blank, almost harmless. The silence around it said enough.
"It seems that way," Lock said, his tone level. "But we don't rule out other possibilities. Stay sharp."
Elder stared at him. "How do you know this?"
"I didn't before. But now I do. Because I tested it." Lock's voice was steady. "It was staring right at us, but made no move at all. That alone told me something was off."
"You risked yourself for a hunch?!" Elder couldn't believe it.
Lock only smiled faintly. "Someone has to be the first to test things."
Elder studied him again. He had thought Lock was only a fighter, but this was different. Calm under pressure. Sharp enough to see details others missed. And bold enough to act on them. This discovery—if confirmed—could change the Survey Corps' survival rate dramatically.
At that moment, Petra and the others noticed how long Lock and Elder had been gone. They halted the wagons, then rode toward them.
"What are you doing? Get back here!" one shouted.
"Don't start a fight in the dark—it's suicide!" another warned.
"We're falling behind already!"
But when they saw the giant up close, swords drawn and tense, Elder explained what Lock had observed. None of them wanted to believe it. Not until Lock dismounted, strode up to the Titan's slack face, and with one clean slash, severed its neck.
The Titan didn't even resist.
The silence afterward was heavy. They stared at Lock as if he were something unnatural. Strong enough to fight. Smart enough to test. And fearless enough to confirm what no one else dared.
This was information that had to reach command immediately. After a brief discussion, they decided: Gunther would ride ahead to Erwin with the news. The rest would guard the convoy.
Their numbers dropped to four.
Lock watched Gunther's figure vanish into the night. His expression didn't shift, but inside, his thoughts moved faster. He already knew truths about this world—secrets no one else could accept if spoken aloud. That knowledge had to be released carefully, proven piece by piece. Only then could it guide the Corps, and the walls themselves, to change.
If he were the commander or even in control of the government, things would be different. Technology could advance, and Marley could be faced head-on. But Lock wasn't there yet.
For now, patience was his weapon.
The night passed, and with dawn came sunlight stretching across the fields. Darkness was driven back—yet not a soul in the convoy felt relief.
Because by the time the light revealed the landscape around them… they were surrounded by Titans.
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