Chapter 21: The First Night
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )
The passing of the hours was silent.
Without realizing it, they both watched as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, giving way to the darkness and cold of the night.
After discovering Naruto's strength, Mikasa decided to do this herself, as, judging by Naruto, she did not think he was very capable at the moment.
In the end, Mikasa was the one who gathered the branches and, using the knowledge she had learned from her father during the winters, managed to light a small campfire.
The flames began to softly illuminate the clearing, while both children sat silently in front of the fire.
Naruto absentmindedly watched the flames dance in the wind, while Mikasa held her hands closer to the warmth, slowly leaving the cold of the night behind.
Above them, a clear sky displayed an immense blanket of stars.
It was a strange calmness after everything that had happened that day.
For Mikasa, it was the first night of a life that had changed forever.
For Naruto, it was simply another step in a world he was still trying to understand.
The campfire continued to crackle softly. Although curiosity urged her to learn more about Naruto, it would be better for her to rest for the time being.
She had been through too much in a single day; it was far too much for the young mind of the little Ackerman.
Naruto remained watching the black-haired girl for a few moments.
The girl was still holding onto the scarf somewhat tightly, although her eyes were slowly beginning to close.
"You should get some rest, Mikasa."
The words came naturally from his lips.
For a moment, Naruto was confused. He did not remember learning that phrase, but it had surfaced like a lost memory.
Without giving it any more thought, he pushed the thought aside.
Mikasa slowly nodded and, moving closer to the warmth of the campfire, eventually lay down on the grass.
Naruto did the same a few moments later.
He lay down on the grass, using his arms as a pillow while gazing at the sky.
Thousands of stars shone above him.
For some reason, the sight felt familiar to him. As if he had looked upon a similar sky before.
He tried to remember, but found no answer. Only a strange feeling of nostalgia remained.
He let out a faint sigh and slowly closed his eyes.
Since awakening in the Void, he had done nothing but move forward, discover new things, and face unknown worlds.
His body still had strength left, but his mind was exhausted.
Finally, Naruto fell asleep beneath the starry sky, accompanied by the soft crackling of the campfire and Mikasa's quiet breathing.
( --- 0.0.0.0.0 --- )
The darkness did not last forever.
Little by little, Naruto regained consciousness. But when he opened his eyes, he no longer found the campfire or Mikasa, nor the forest or the starry sky.
An immense green meadow stretched out before him.
It was a strange place, filled with gigantic trees, some reaching the same height as the walls, unfamiliar flowers, and an absolute silence that made the place seem completely detached from the world.
Naruto remained still for a few seconds, looking around.
He could not recognize anything he saw, but for some strange reason, just like with the forest, he felt some kind of familiarity with this environment.
Then, something caught his attention.
In the distance, a colossal structure rose above the landscape.
It looked like a tree, but it was far larger than any tree in that place. Its trunk was enormous, and four gigantic branches extended from its upper portion.
Naruto narrowed his eyes curiously and began walking toward the structure.
However, after taking only a few steps, a strange force enveloped his body. As if something were trying to keep him away from that place.
Naruto frowned and tried to move forward, but the very next moment...
Everything disappeared.
( --- 0.0.0.0.0 --- )
Naruto opened his eyes once again.
The blue sky was the first thing he saw. The first rays of sunlight appeared between the mountains, announcing a new day.
For a few seconds, he remembered that strange place with the enormous tree.
Then he noticed something on his chest.
He lowered his gaze.
A small arm was resting on him.
Following the movement, he found Mikasa sleeping beside him, unconsciously hugging him while using part of his arm as a pillow.
Her breathing was calm.
Naruto remained motionless, silently watching her.
He did not fully understand the situation.
He continued looking at Mikasa, then at the arm resting on him, and finally at the sky.
He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Aetheria..."
[Good morning, Naruto. How was your first night?]
"Where was I just now?" Naruto asked, causing a brief pause.
He was more curious about what he had seen than about what Mikasa was doing on top of him.
[What you experienced was a temporary connection to the formation of the Paths.]
Naruto blinked.
"The Paths?"
[That's right. You can imagine them as a point of connection where the paths related to the power of the Titans converge.]
[They do not completely belong to the physical world, but neither are they simply a dream.]
[If this world were a tree, each person would be a different branch. The Paths would be the trunk connecting them all.]
Naruto immediately remembered the enormous structure he had seen.
"Is that why there was a giant glowing tree?"
[Correct.]
[The Paths you observed are still incomplete. Their formation only began recently.]
Naruto remained silent, remembering the immense silhouette in the distance.
Now everything made a little more sense. Although he still did not understand why he had been able to see that place.
Before he could ask another question, he felt a slight movement against his chest.
Mikasa began to wake slowly. Her breathing changed and her eyelids trembled before gradually opening.
For a few seconds, she remained drowsy, enjoying the warmth that had accompanied her throughout the night. Then she noticed something strange. She was not hugging a blanket or a pillow.
She slowly lowered her gaze, noticing that her arm was still wrapped around Naruto's chest.
Then, slowly, she raised her gaze toward Naruto's face, meeting his eyes directly.
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment.
Mikasa's gray eyes widened as she realized the situation, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
With a small start, she quickly pulled her arm away and moved a few inches back, lowering her gaze without knowing what to say.
It had not been intentional.
During the night, Mikasa had simply moved closer in search of warmth, perhaps even a little sense of security, without realizing it.
Naruto simply watched her curiously. He did not understand why the situation seemed to have made her act that way.
He tilted his head slightly before asking:
"Did you sleep well, Mikasa?"
Mikasa slowly raised her gaze. After a few seconds, she silently nodded.
The atmosphere became peaceful again as the first rays of sunlight passed through the trees, illuminating the small clearing where the two children had spent the night.
The little Ackerman kept her gaze lowered. Every time she remembered what had happened, her cheeks turned red, so she avoided looking at him and hid part of her face behind the scarf.
Naruto, still not understanding anything, thought about asking her, but ultimately decided not to.
If Mikasa wanted to remain silent, he had no problem with that.
The forest returned to its peaceful state, until a sound broke the silence.
Grrr...
Both looked down at the same time. Mikasa's stomach had let out a small growl.
The girl froze before hiding her face even further behind the scarf, embarrassed.
Naruto watched her for a few seconds. He understood perfectly what that sound meant.
She was hungry.
Without saying anything, he raised one hand. With a simple blink, a loaf of bread appeared in his palm. Without thinking too much about it, he held it out to Mikasa.
The little girl accepted it with both hands and looked up at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the bread.
She took a small bite, testing the taste. When she realized it was good, almost as if it had just been baked, she continued eating without stopping.
Hunger had finally overcome her embarrassment.
Naruto watched her silently for a few moments. Mikasa continued taking small bites of the bread and, without realizing it, had stopped hiding part of her face behind the scarf.
Afterward, the blond turned his gaze toward the forest ahead of them. He still knew almost nothing about this world. There were many things he needed to understand.
"Aetheria."
[Yes, Naruto?]
"What do we do now?"
There was a brief silence before the AI answered with the same calmness as always.
[My recommendation is to continue exploring. Keep moving forward.]
Naruto paid attention to Aetheria's words.
[You have already passed through the Shiganshina District, even beyond it. The next step would be to head toward the second wall, as there are not many nearby settlements beyond Shiganshina.]
The blond tilted his head slightly.
"The second wall?"
[Correct. The next wall is Wall Rose.]
Naruto slowly nodded.
The explanation made sense.
Up until that point, almost all his knowledge about this place had come solely from what he had seen for himself.
Naruto looked back at Mikasa.
The little girl continued eating the bread quietly in her hands, completely unaware of the conversation he had just had with Aetheria.
The blond looked at the meadow ahead of them for a few seconds.
"My journey will continue," he said calmly. He added nothing else. And without waiting for a response, he walked a few meters away.
Once he was far enough away, he raised his hand and, without hesitation, bit down hard.
The blood barely began to flow.
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Naruto.
An enormous column of light enveloped the blond for a few moments.
When the radiance disappeared, the Jaw Titan stood in his place.
The giant remained motionless for a few seconds before slowly turning toward Mikasa. Then it lowered itself, making its intention very clear.
It wanted her to climb aboard.
Mikasa watched the scene in silence. Since she had already experienced this before, she knew what Naruto wanted.
Mikasa gave a slight nod to herself.
Unlike the previous day, this time she felt neither fear nor tension. She walked over to the Titan's enormous back and carefully climbed aboard.
Naruto began to rise, but then he felt a slight movement above him. Something gently tugged at his hair.
Without realizing it, Mikasa had managed to reach his head, holding onto the Titan's blond hair to keep her balance.
The little girl eventually sat comfortably on top of him.
Once she was settled, she took another bite of the bread.
As if the situation were completely normal, she continued eating while observing the landscape from that height.
Naruto could not see her, but he could feel her presence.
For a moment, he did not quite understand what had just happened.
Why had she chosen that spot?
Naruto remained confused for a few seconds, but eventually decided to stop thinking about it.
He simply stood up completely.
Following the directions displayed on the visor of his glasses, the Titan began moving calmly toward the second wall, gradually leaving the forest behind.
Meanwhile, Mikasa watched the landscape from her new height.
The world looked completely different from up there.
The trees that had seemed enormous from the ground no longer felt that way, while the forest stretched as far as the eye could see.
The wind blew more strongly at that height, moving her black hair and making the scarf Naruto had given her the day before flutter in the breeze.
Even so, she did not feel cold.
The thick jacket kept her protected.
With one hand, she held onto the Titan's blond hair to maintain her balance, while with the other she held the half-eaten bread. Every now and then, she took another bite.
As she ate, her gaze wandered across the landscape.
Everything was peaceful.
Then she lowered her gaze without realizing it. She looked at the blond hair she was using to hold herself in place.
It was strange.
The day before, that same face had caused her a fear she had never felt before.
And now, she was traveling on top of him.
The thought seemed so absurd that she still found it difficult to believe.
Little by little, she remembered everything that had happened since she had awakened.
Naruto had saved her from those men. Then, he had taken her somewhere safe, given her a jacket and a scarf to protect her from the cold.
He had answered her questions without becoming annoyed and had even shared his food with her.
Mikasa slowly lowered her gaze. She did not understand why he did all of that. He barely knew her. And yet, he had never tried to hurt her.
Her hands tightened slightly around the bread she was holding. Because, for the first time since her parents' deaths... she did not feel completely alone.
It was a small feeling, almost imperceptible, but enough to make the emptiness in her chest hurt a little less.
Without saying anything, she looked toward the horizon again.
( --- Hours Later --- )
Naruto and Mikasa traveled across the fields between the walls toward the second wall.
From the giant's head, Mikasa watched the landscape until they finally spotted the enormous stone structure in the distance.
Before they got any closer, Mikasa caught Naruto's attention.
"Naruto!"
The Titan stopped and slightly turned its head toward her.
"I think... it would be better if you got down from the Titan," Mikasa said.
Naruto tilted his head, waiting for an explanation.
"The soldiers on the wall don't know that there are people capable of transforming into Titans. To them, a Titan is always an enemy. If you approach like this, they'll probably try to attack you."
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Naruto agreed and allowed Mikasa to climb down. Once that was done, he exited the Titan, landing on the ground without difficulty.
With the Titan disappearing, Naruto and Mikasa continued their journey on foot in silence. Both calmly walked toward Wall Rose, which loomed closer and closer on the horizon.
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )