The first light of dawn stretched across the shattered rooftops, casting long, jagged shadows over streets lined with debris. Lior moved swiftly, his massive Titan form still adjusting to the sudden surge of power. Each step sent shards of stone clattering to the ground, echoing through empty avenues like a distant drumbeat of warning. He kept one hand hovering near Aria, whose small frame seemed impossibly fragile in comparison, and the other prepared to deflect any attack. I cannot falter. Not now. I cannot let them take her—or me.
Below, soldiers poured into the streets, shouting orders, their voices distant but sharp enough to cut through the morning fog. Smoke from the ruined buildings had thickened, curling in coils like serpents across the city. Lior's heightened senses picked up the subtle tremors of their movement, the sharp snap of boots over broken cobblestones. Each sound, each shift, sent a ripple of tension through his chest. The city was alive with danger, and he was a force the world had neither prepared for nor understood.
He carried Aria across the fractured terrain, the ground quaking beneath him with every step. She clung to his forearm instinctively, her wide eyes darting from one shadow to another, tracing the shapes of soldiers, debris, and the crumbling buildings that loomed like skeletal guardians. "Who… who are you?" she whispered, voice trembling.
"I'm someone who should not exist anymore," Lior said, his voice low, almost swallowed by the roar of the wind. "And yet… here we are. Alive."
Aria's fingers tightened around his sleeve. "You… you're one of them. A Titan."
"Yes," he admitted without hesitation. "But not just any Titan. The Founding Titan. And right now, I am both protector and threat. I—" His words caught, and he swallowed, forcing himself to remain calm. "I do not know if I am ready for what comes next."
Her gaze, steady despite the fear, met his. "Then… we face it together."
The city suddenly convulsed as a distant explosion rocked the horizon, the sound traveling like a wave of pure force through the air. Lior froze momentarily, every sense alert. The smell of scorched wood, the faint metallic tang of blood, the acrid scent of smoke—it all combined into a visceral warning. Someone else was coming. Not soldiers, not ordinary humans. Another Titan.
Lior adjusted his stride, carrying Aria with precision, avoiding collapsing buildings, shattered roofs, and debris-strewn alleys. I cannot fail. Not now. The thought repeated in his mind like a mantra. Each step became a delicate balance between speed and care. One wrong move, and both of them could be crushed beneath their own path of destruction.
From a distance, he could see movement atop a ruined tower. A figure approached, slender but formidable, the unmistakable aura of a Titan radiating from them. The Female Titan. Its presence alone suggested precision and cunning. Lior's pulse accelerated, adrenaline flooding every fiber of his being. He could feel the energy of the Founding Titan surging, responding to the presence of another Primordial power nearby. I am not alone. Not yet.
He ducked behind a half-collapsed wall, pressing Aria to the shadowed side. "Stay low," he instructed, voice firm but calm. "Do not move until I say."
The Female Titan's eyes scanned the streets with meticulous calculation. It moved with the elegance of a predator, each step deliberate, as though the city itself had been mapped into its mind. Lior's fingers itched, a silent battle between restraint and instinct. He could strike, he could obliterate, but the risk to Aria, to the fragile thread of humanity she represented, was too great.
Instead, he whispered under his breath, activating a minor transformation. The ground beneath them shivered, small debris lifted, and a faint vibration radiated outward—a warning rather than an attack. The Female Titan paused, tilting its head as if sensing the pulse of power in the streets. Then it moved on, its eyes never leaving the shadows where Lior and Aria crouched.
"Why didn't you fight?" Aria asked softly, her voice trembling with awe and fear.
"Because some battles are not won by strength," he replied. "Some are won by survival, by knowing when to strike… and when to hide."
They moved quickly, weaving through the ruined streets, avoiding patrols of soldiers who had begun to encircle the area. Each turn revealed new dangers: collapsed archways, smoldering craters, and the occasional body of a civilian caught in the chaos. Lior's stomach churned at the sight. Every life matters… even in war.
By mid-morning, they had reached the outskirts of the city, a ruined bridge arching over a shallow river. Lior set Aria down briefly, scanning the surroundings. The river's slow current reflected the sky in fractured patterns, like broken mirrors. He caught his reflection in the water for a fleeting moment—giant, monstrous, yet undeniably human in the eyes that stared back.
"You can't keep running forever," Aria said, her tone quieter now, almost thoughtful. "They will come. All of them. The others… the holders of the other Titans."
"I know," Lior admitted. "And when they do… I will be ready. But not yet. I must learn… I must understand this power, or it will consume me before I can use it."
The wind shifted, carrying the faintest whisper of sound, distant but unmistakable. A low, guttural growl, followed by the stomp of massive feet. Lior tensed, and instinctively, his hands began to shimmer with the faint energy of transformation, a subtle hum beneath his skin. Aria noticed, eyes widening.
"Are… are you going to fight them?" she asked.
"I hope not," he replied. "But if I must… I will protect you first."
The bridge trembled as another figure appeared across the span: the Colossal Titan, its immense form dwarfing the surrounding ruins. Lior's heart sank slightly; he had faced simulations, tests, and nightmares of this magnitude, but seeing it in the real world—towering, unstoppable, a force of nature itself—was different. The wind from its movements rippled across the river, sending debris and dust into the air.
Aria instinctively crouched lower, clutching his forearm. Lior exhaled slowly, calming his racing mind. I cannot let fear dictate my actions. He focused, grounding himself in the faint humanity he had managed to preserve over the years. The Colossal Titan's gaze fixed on them, and the air thickened with anticipation, as if the city itself had paused to witness the encounter.
With a deliberate step, Lior adjusted his stance, subtly shifting his form to a partially transformed state, maintaining control over his movements while displaying enough of his Titan aura to deter immediate aggression. The Colossal Titan halted, sensing the presence of another Primordial power, a hesitation passing through its immense body.
Aria whispered, "What do we do?"
"We run," Lior said firmly. "But we do not flee blindly. Every step, every path… it is a choice. And I will guide us."
They moved quickly, navigating the fractured streets, the bridge, and the surrounding rubble with precision. Soldiers and Titans alike pursued, but Lior's awareness of his power allowed him to anticipate movements, predict attacks, and avoid unnecessary confrontations. Each decision was a delicate balance between preserving their lives and asserting the faint influence of the Founding Titan.
By late morning, they reached a partially collapsed tower, its interior accessible through a narrow opening. Lior helped Aria climb inside, sealing the entry with debris that would slow any pursuers. They crouched in silence, listening to the city outside—shouts, the rumble of distant Titan movements, and the occasional crash of falling structures.
"I do not understand this power," Aria said quietly, almost to herself. "It is… beyond anything I have ever imagined."
Lior shook his head, his massive hands resting on the floor of the tower. "Neither do I. And that is why we must be careful. I am learning… slowly. Every step I take, I risk everything. Not just my life, but yours… and the lives of countless others."
Outside, the city continued to stir, unaware of the true storm that had awakened among its ruins. Lior's mind, though focused, wandered briefly to the past, to the memories that haunted him: the laboratory, his father's betrayal, the endless corridors of pain and observation. I am the sum of all of it, he thought. And yet, I am still… human.
As the sun climbed higher, casting fractured beams of light through the broken windows, Lior's gaze fell upon Aria. She was silent now, her eyes tracing the cracks in the walls, the debris, and the faint movement of life outside. He realized something profound, almost terrifying: My power, my legacy… it is tied to her. Without her, I cannot fully control what I have become.
The day stretched on, heavy with tension and the ever-present threat of discovery. Yet within the quiet of the tower, amidst dust and shadows, a fragile understanding formed between them. They were bound together by circumstance, by bloodlines, and by a power neither fully understood. And in that fragile bond lay the first true possibility of trust, of connection—something Lior had not known in fifteen long years.
Outside, the world waited. Titans, soldiers, and the echoes of history pressed in from all sides. And for the first time, Lior allowed himself a single, cautious thought: Perhaps… I am not entirely alone.