Chapter 17: A Light in the Dark
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )
The darkness did not disappear immediately.
First came the pain.
A dull throbbing spread through her head with every passing second, while a constant ringing filled her ears. Her body felt heavy, as if she were submerged at the bottom of a lake she could not escape from.
Her eyelids trembled.
A moment later, they opened by barely a few millimeters. But the light that entered her eyes made her close them immediately.
"..."
She did not understand where she was. So she remained motionless for several seconds before gathering enough strength to try again.
This time, she managed to keep her eyes open.
Her vision was blurry.
The shapes in front of her seemed to blend into one another, unable to form anything clearly defined.
The ceiling...
The walls...
A window.
Everything was strange.
Her breathing was slow and almost imperceptible.
She did not try to get up. She simply remained there, lying on an old wooden floor, while her empty gaze became lost in the ceiling.
"..."
What...?
The question appeared in her mind, but she found no answer.
There was only an immense emptiness.
Slowly, she turned her head slightly. And that was when she noticed the window.
Through the glass, she could see the forest. The trees swayed gently in the wind. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows that slowly danced across the floor.
It was a peaceful sight.
Too peaceful.
Mikasa stared at it without expression. She felt nothing. Neither fear nor sadness. Not even curiosity.
She simply remained there, staring outside as if waiting for the answers to appear among the trees.
Her mind tried to find some memory. Anything, but all it found was darkness.
Her breathing became slightly more irregular.
Memories began to return in brief flashes: faces, voices, and familiar scenes that awakened an inexplicable pain in Mikasa's chest.
However, when the pounding on the door echoed through the room, the images became bloody and the horror left her paralyzed, unable to think of anything other than a single word: no.
Her breathing began to quicken. The images stopped appearing one by one. Now they came all at once.
"..."
A shiver ran through her entire body. Her eyes, which had been empty until then, began to tremble. Tears did not fall. Not a single one. It was as if even crying had abandoned her body.
She simply remained there, sprawled across the wooden floor. Staring through the window. Without really seeing it.
"Ka-san..." the little Ackerman's voice was barely a whisper. "Tō-san..."
The silence offered no answer. Only the wind. Only the trees. Only that forest that continued to exist as if nothing had happened.
Her gaze became lost once again. Completely empty. As if all life had abandoned those black eyes.
She did not react when she heard footsteps. She did not react when several voices began to approach. She did not even move her head.
Then...
¡¡BOOOOM!!
The room's door was ripped from its hinges, crashing violently against the wall. The wood creaked as it broke apart. While the thunderous noise echoed throughout the cabin.
However, Mikasa did not even blink.
She continued lying in exactly the same position. Her eyes fixed on the window. As if the entire world had ceased to matter.
As if all that remained of her was a breathing body... and a heart too broken to beat normally again.
( --- Moments Earlier --- )
Naruto had followed the men for several minutes, while his mind remained filled with questions.
He could not stop wondering who they were, what they were planning, and why they were heading toward such a remote place.
That was when he watched as those men finally arrived at a secluded cabin, hidden within the tranquility of the surrounding area.
Driven by curiosity, Naruto simply approached, while trying to decide what to do next.
"Now, Aetheria..." Naruto muttered as he approached the cabin. "What do I do now?"
[The best option for you, Naruto, would be to enter the cabin directly. Do not react to those men's words; simply make your way toward Mikasa.]
[Whatever happens next, I will continue guiding you.]
Naruto simply nodded at the instructions, stopping in front of the cabin's door.
Without giving the situation too much thought, he placed one hand against the entrance and pushed the door with a little force, ready to discover what was inside.
The cabin door barely resisted Naruto's push.
Due to the tremendous force he had applied, the door was sent flying inward at an incredible speed, crossing the room and crashing into one of the walls.
The powerful impact shook the entire place, causing the wood to splinter and an awkward silence to fill the cabin for several seconds.
"What... was that?" one of the men muttered, completely stunned.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Naruto, waiting for some kind of reaction from the young man.
However, Naruto simply ignored their expressions and the surprised comments around him.
With complete calm, he entered the cabin as if nothing had happened, observing the interior with curiosity.
His eyes scanned the place for several moments, until they finally found Mikasa.
Without paying attention to anyone else present, Naruto began walking directly toward the girl lying on the floor, following his objective without stopping for anything else.
When he reached Mikasa, he remained silent for a moment.
Then, Aetheria's voice could once again be heard in his mind.
[Well done, Naruto. Now remain calm and follow my instructions.]
[Your next action will be to approach Mikasa and speak to her. Do not pay attention to the others' reactions; they are not important right now.]
Naruto simply nodded, prepared to follow Aetheria's instructions as he waited for the next move.
[Approach her and speak calmly. Do not pressure her or show hostility; she needs to understand that you are here to help her.]
Naruto nodded slightly, not fully understanding, and directed his gaze toward the black-haired girl.
"Mikasa..." he began calmly, following the lines Aetheria was showing him. "I know you probably don't understand what's happening right now."
The young girl looked up at him, still confused by the sudden appearance of the stranger.
"If you're wondering, I'm here to help you," Naruto said, easily breaking the ropes. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, by the way."
Naruto followed Aetheria's instructions, maintaining a calm expression as he tried to make her feel safe.
"You don't have to worry. I didn't come here to hurt you. I just want to get you out of this place."
Mikasa remained silent, watching him carefully. Her eyes analyzed every detail of Naruto, trying to understand who this boy was who had appeared out of nowhere and spoke as if he already knew what was happening.
Despite her initial distrust, something about the calm way Naruto spoke made her lower her guard slightly.
"Besides, you're already free."
For several moments, the black-haired girl did not react.
She simply looked at her freed hands, then looked back at Naruto with an expression of complete surprise.
She did not understand what was happening.
Everything had happened too quickly. One moment she had been trapped inside that cabin and, the next, a stranger had appeared, completely ignored everyone present, and was now helping her.
"Why...?" Mikasa murmured, unable to finish the question.
Naruto remembered Aetheria's words, so he simply answered calmly.
"Because I'm here to help you, Mikasa."
The young girl fell completely silent. She did not know what to say or how to react to that.
Her mind began filling with questions: who Naruto was, how he knew her name, why he seemed so certain about what he was doing, and what kind of person was capable of entering that place with such ease.
As she continued watching him in silence, Mikasa tried to process everything that was happening, still shocked by this unexpected encounter.
Naruto remained silent for a few moments, allowing Mikasa to process everything that had just happened.
However, Aetheria's voice could once again be heard in his mind, once again drawing his attention.
[Good, Naruto. Now you need to take care of the others.]
[There is no need to use weapons. In fact, it would be better if you didn't.]
[Trust in your own abilities. Do it like when you used the power of the Attack Titan outside the Walls, during that battle against the group of Titans.]
Naruto listened carefully and then slowly nodded.
Without saying anything else, he turned toward the men inside the cabin.
The calmness on his face had not changed, but his gaze was now focused on those who had been holding Mikasa captive.
"I'll take care of these guys."
Naruto's words were simple, but the confidence with which he spoke them caused several of the men to feel a strange pressure.
Mikasa watched in surprise as the young man moved away from her.
She still did not understand who he was or what was happening, but she could sense something different about Naruto.
It was not just his strength or the way he had entered the cabin; there was a determination within him that did not seem fake.
Naruto took a few steps toward the men, keeping his hands free and adopting no fighting stance involving weapons.
The men exchanged confused glances, but there was fear as well.
How could they not fear him when a mere child had knocked down a door like that?
That monstrous strength filled them with fear of this child, and they began searching for ways to avoid fighting this demonic child.
Meanwhile, inside Naruto's mind, Aetheria continued guiding him.
[Remember, Naruto. Use only your body.]
[Show them the same strength you showed that time.]
Naruto slightly clenched his fists, and remembering how he had used his gigantic Titan body in that battle, he moved his body in the same manner.
Without warning, he moved at tremendous speed.
The first man barely had time to react before Naruto appeared in front of him at an impossible speed.
Before he could raise his knife, Naruto threw a simple punch.
The impact was brutal.
The man's body folded completely under the force of the blow. His eyes widened in surprise as a large amount of blood poured from his mouth.
Within seconds, he collapsed to the floor without moving again, although a few groans could still be heard.
Silence filled the cabin.
Even the knife the man had been holding was sent flying by the force of the movement, landing a few meters away from Mikasa.
Naruto looked at the man on the floor with curiosity.
There was no emotion on his face.
He felt neither satisfaction nor guilt. To him, he had simply stopped an annoyance.
It was strange for Naruto to see that someone could fall so easily from a single punch of his.
"So that was enough..." he muttered quietly. Then he raised his gaze toward the second man.
Unlike the first, this one was still holding a knife, but his hands were trembling uncontrollably.
His eyes were fixed on his companion's body, watching the unnatural position it had been left in after the blow.
Fear had completely replaced any intention to fight.
Meanwhile, the third man, the one holding an axe, began slowly backing away.
Naruto noticed immediately. However, before making any move, Aetheria spoke to him again.
[Don't get distracted, Naruto.]
[Take care of the man with the knife first.]
Naruto remained still for a moment and then obeyed. And, without paying attention to the third man, he walked directly toward the second.
Each step he took increased the man's fear.
"Stay away!" he shouted as he tried to raise the knife. But Naruto simply grabbed his arm before he could do anything.
With a simple squeeze, Naruto's strength completely overpowered the man's resistance.
The sound of breaking bone filled the cabin.
"AAAAAH!" the man screamed desperately. Pain and fear mixed across his face as he tried to break free. "You damned monster! Let me go!"
He began hurling insults and offensive words at Naruto, but none of them managed to affect him.
Naruto simply watched him calmly. Not because he could not hear him, but because those words meant nothing to him.
His attention was solely on stopping him.
Mikasa, on the other hand, watched the scene without being able to look away.
The surprise had slowly been replaced by something more complicated.
She had seen little violence in her life, but the way Naruto defeated those men was different.
It was not a fight. It was an absolute difference in power.
The ease with which he took them down had left her paralyzed.
Part of her was afraid upon seeing such strength. But then her eyes shifted toward the first man.
The man who had murdered her father.
Seeing him now lying on the floor, defeated so brutally, caused a strange sensation inside her.
A dark satisfaction she had not expected to feel.
It was not happiness.
It was a kind of relief mixed with the resentment she had accumulated during that time.
And that feeling grew slightly stronger when she saw the second man suffer, unable to do anything while Naruto held both of his arms under control. But then, something caught her attention.
The third man, the one holding the axe, the same one who had taken her mother's life.
Mikasa's eyes slowly widened as she saw him move behind Naruto.
He held the weapon with both hands, slowly raising it above his head.
The same posture. The same movement. Even the intention seemed the same.
Exactly like that time.
And now, that same scene seemed to be repeating itself. But this time, Naruto would be the victim.
Time seemed to stop.
From Mikasa's perspective, everything began moving slowly. She could hear her own breathing. She could feel her heart racing.
She looked at Naruto, still focused on the second man, unaware of the danger behind him. Then she looked at the man with the axe.
Her mind began filling with questions.
Why couldn't she move?
Why did this situation feel so familiar?
Why did part of her desperately want to warn him?
And above all... why, after everything that had happened, did she care whether this strange boy died?
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )