Ken sat atop the massive, cold stone of the Outer Wall, his legs dangling over a drop that would kill any normal man. Below him, the world was screaming. The Rumbling had begun—a literal wall of Colossal Titans marching toward the horizon, crushing everything in their path.
"The board is set," Ken whispered, his blue eyes reflecting the orange glow of the distant destruction. "Time to place the final chess piece."
He tapped his Digital Book. The screen flickered with a violent red light. [Authority: Narrative Leap — The Battle of the Harbor.]
The world dissolved into a blur of motion. Years of planning and small changes culminated in this single moment. When the world snapped back into focus, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and salt. The battle at the harbor was over. Floch was gone, and the Scouts stood exhausted on the docks, staring out at the sea with a mixture of grief and desperation.
Then, they saw it.
A small, wooden rowing boat was cutting through the rough waves, heading straight for the docks. The figure inside was small, hooded, and rowing with a rhythmic, tireless strength.
"Is that... a Marleyan scout?" Jean asked, his hand on his blade.
"No," Armin breathed, squinting through the smoke. "Ken!"
Mikasa didn't wait. She grabbed a heavy coil of rope, threw it with perfect aim, and pulled the boat toward the dock. As Ken stepped onto the wood, he looked up, his face covered in soot, acting completely terrified.
"What is going on?!" Ken shouted, his voice cracking with feigned fear. "I was just trying to find a merchant ship and the whole world turned into a nightmare!"
"Ken, you idiot!" Armin pulled him into a quick, relieved hug. "You picked the worst time to come back to the coast."
The Reunion of the Damned
As they hurried toward the main ship, Ken saw a figure sitting on a crate, his body wrapped in heavy bandages. It was Levi. The Captain looked broken, his face scarred and his strength clearly waning.
Ken stopped in his tracks, his eyes welling with "tears" as he looked at the man who had taught him so much. "Captain... you look... terrible."
Levi didn't look up, but his hand shot out, delivering a sharp, practiced knock to the top of Ken's head.
"Who are you calling 'Shorty' in that head of yours, brat?" Levi growled, his voice a raspy whisper. "I remembered that gift you left. I'm still planning to kick you into next year with those boots."
Ken let out a genuine laugh, rubbing his head. "Glad to see you haven't lost your touch, Captain."
The Matchmaker and the Bomb
In the quiet moments before the ship was ready to launch, Armin pulled a blonde girl forward. "Ken, this is Annie Leonhart. She... she's with us now."
Ken looked at Annie, then at Armin's blushing face, and then back at Annie. "Wait. You got a girlfriend? In the middle of the literal end of the world?"
Annie looked away, her face turning pink. "It's not like that," she muttered.
Ken leaned in, giving Armin a heavy shove toward her. "Don't lie to me, Armin! I can see the 'Happily Ever After' written all over your face. Why don't you just say it? If the world is ending, you might as well tell her before the sky falls."
Armin, fueled by Ken's push and the adrenaline of the day, looked Annie in the eye. "Annie... after this is over, I want to see those frozen oceans with you. I want us to be together."
Ken stood back, clapping his hands as Annie finally nodded, a small smile breaking through her cold exterior. "Congratulations, you two. I'll make sure there's a cake at the wedding."
The Miracle of the H-Bomb
But the peace was short-lived. The ground began to shake. The Rumbling was closing in.
"The plane isn't ready!" Hange shouted, looking at the approaching wall of steam and flesh. "I have to stay back! I have to buy you time!"
"No, you don't," Ken said, his voice suddenly calm and commanding. He reached into his boat and pulled out a series of heavy, metallic canisters—H-Bombs (High-Explosive Narrative Bombs). "Hange, take these. Plant them at the base of the cliffs. When they get close, trigger them."
He leaned in and whispered, "I'll handle the rest."
As the plane's engines finally roared to life, Hange set the charges and sprinted back toward the hangar.
BOOM!
The explosion was unlike anything Paradis had ever seen. A wall of blue and white fire erupted, turning the leading Titans into nothing but ash and bone. The blast created a massive crater, slowing the advance just enough for the plane to lift off into the sky.
Hange scrambled into the cabin, panting and alive. "We... we made it? I'm still here?"
Ken sat by the window, his hand pressed against the glass as he watched the distant, skeletal form of the Founding Titan.
"Yeah, you're still here, Hange," Ken whispered to himself. He closed his eyes, and with a silent thought, he used the Authority of Erasure to "delete" the friction of the wind against the plane, making it move twice as fast.
"I'm coming, Eren," Ken murmured. "I'm coming to save you from yourself."