The mountains had finally become quiet.
No missiles.
No screams.
Only snow.
Soft white flakes drifted slowly across the destroyed battlefield while burning Orion helicopters crackled in the distance.
The storm had passed.
But the pain remained.
Inside an abandoned wooden cabin hidden deep within the mountains—
Warm firelight flickered gently against broken walls.
The room smelled of smoke, blood, and melting snow.
And on the floor near the fireplace—
Arman lay unconscious.
His damaged HADES armor had been partially removed already.
Steam still escaped from the exposed mechanical pieces fused into his body.
Maya sat beside him silently.
Her trembling hands carefully removed another shattered piece of black armor from his shoulder.
CRACK…
The metal finally loosened.
And Maya froze.
Underneath the armor—
Scars.
Hundreds of them.
Old surgical cuts.
Burn marks.
Bullet wounds.
Some looked years old.
Others looked barely healed.
Maya's chest tightened painfully.
"How much did they do to you…?"
Her voice barely came out above a whisper.
Arman didn't answer.
He couldn't.
He looked strangely peaceful while unconscious.
Almost younger.
Almost human.
Not the terrifying monster Orion feared.
Just… a tired boy who never got the chance to rest.
The fire crackled softly.
Outside, snow tapped gently against the cabin windows.
Maya slowly cleaned blood from his face with a warm cloth.
Every time she touched him—
His breathing trembled slightly.
Like his body still expected pain.
That destroyed something inside her.
"You idiot…"
Tears slowly filled her eyes.
"You keep trying to save everyone…"
Her fingers brushed carefully through his dark hair.
"And nobody ever saved you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Warm.
Painfully intimate.
Then suddenly—
Arman weakly grabbed her wrist.
Maya froze instantly.
Even unconscious…
He was holding her hand tightly.
Like he was afraid she would disappear.
Her heartbeat became unstable.
For several seconds—
She simply stared at him.
Then something inside her quietly broke apart.
Not from fear.
Not from guilt.
Love.
Real love.
Dangerous love.
The kind that made losing someone terrifying.
Maya slowly lowered her head beside him.
And silently cried.
Outside the cabin—
Eren sat alone in the snow.
The wind moved gently around him.
His damaged black armor flickered weakly beneath the falling snowflakes.
He stared quietly at his hands.
The same hands that destroyed cities.
Killed soldiers.
Crushed bones.
Hands built only for death.
"…human…"
The word still sounded strange to him.
Warm.
Painful.
Confusing.
His red visor glitched violently.
FLASH.
A laboratory corridor.
Screaming.
Electric restraints.
Cold voices.
"Prototype 001 failed synchronization."
"Increase voltage."
"Again."
Eren suddenly grabbed his head violently.
"STOP—"
Static exploded from his armor.
The snow beneath him melted instantly.
Inside the cabin, Kabir immediately looked toward the door.
"He's glitching again."
Elias stood near the broken window quietly watching outside.
"No," he said softly.
"He's remembering."
Kabir looked exhausted.
Dark circles filled his eyes now.
Everything felt too heavy.
Too unreal.
A few hours ago they were fighting a monster.
Now that same monster sat alone outside crying in the snow.
Kabir rubbed his face tiredly.
"I don't understand anything anymore…"
Elias remained silent for a moment.
Then quietly spoke.
"That's because Orion never created monsters."
Kabir frowned.
"What?"
Elias looked toward Eren carefully.
"They created children."
Silence filled the cabin again.
The fire cracked softly.
Then Elias continued quietly—
"And turned them into weapons."
Kabir looked toward unconscious Arman.
Then toward Eren outside.
His jaw tightened painfully.
"…how many more are there?"
Elias didn't answer immediately.
Which became answer enough.
Kabir stared at him slowly.
"…there are others?"
Elias finally spoke.
"Project Ashes was only Phase One."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Even the firelight seemed weaker now.
Kabir cursed under his breath.
"You're telling me Orion made MORE of them?"
Elias' expression darkened.
"I think they made something worse."
Outside—
Eren slowly lifted his head.
A tiny sound reached him.
Chirp.
A small injured bird had landed near him in the snow.
Its tiny wing trembled weakly.
Eren froze completely.
The bird looked fragile.
Soft.
Alive.
He stared at it silently.
Then slowly moved backward.
Fear filled his mechanical voice.
"…go away…"
The bird tilted its tiny head.
Eren's hands started shaking violently.
"I hurt things…"
His breathing became unstable.
"…I destroy everything…"
The bird hopped closer anyway.
Eren looked horrified now.
"No…"
His arm cannon twitched accidentally.
Targeting systems flickered.
WARNING.
WEAPON SYSTEM ACTIVE.
Eren immediately slammed his own arm into the snow desperately.
"STOP!"
The cannon powered down again.
Silence.
The tiny bird simply stared at him.
Then—
Softly jumped onto his trembling hand.
Eren stopped breathing.
His entire body froze.
The bird trusted him.
Him.
A monster.
For several seconds—
Eren could only stare silently at the tiny creature resting against his fingers.
No fear.
No screaming.
No hatred.
Just trust.
Something shattered inside him.
Tears slowly rolled beneath his cracked visor.
"…why…?"
His voice broke apart painfully.
"I'm not safe…"
But the bird remained there quietly.
And for the first time in his entire existence—
Eren touched something gently.
Not to destroy it.
Not to test it.
Not to kill it.
Just… gently.
Inside the cabin—
Maya quietly watched through the window.
And cried even harder.
Because that single moment proved something terrifying.
Humanity had survived inside him all along.
Orion simply tried to beat it to death.
Hours passed slowly.
The snowstorm softened.
The mountains became peaceful again.
Inside the cabin, Arman still hadn't woken up.
Maya sat beside him under dim firelight while changing the bandages wrapped around his chest.
Every scar she touched told a story he never spoke about.
Pain.
Experiments.
Survival.
Loneliness.
Suddenly—
Arman moved weakly.
A small painful sound escaped his throat.
Maya leaned closer instantly.
"Arman?"
His breathing became uneven again.
Sweat covered his face now.
"…don't…"
Maya's expression softened painfully.
He was dreaming.
"No more…"
His fingers tightened around hers desperately.
"…please…"
Maya's eyes widened slightly.
Fear.
Even unconscious—
He sounded terrified.
Like somewhere deep inside—
A broken child was still screaming.
Without thinking—
Maya gently placed her forehead against his.
"You're safe now."
Silence.
Then slowly—
Arman's breathing calmed.
Maya froze slightly.
Her cheeks turned faintly red.
Because somehow…
He trusted her voice enough to calm down instantly.
Kabir quietly looked away from across the room.
"…I'm gonna go outside."
Maya quickly pulled back embarrassed.
But Kabir only sighed tiredly.
He opened the cabin door roughly before stepping into the snow.
Outside, Eren still sat silently beneath the falling snowflakes.
Kabir walked toward him carefully.
For several seconds—
Neither spoke.
Then Kabir finally sat beside him.
"You scared the hell out of me earlier."
Eren looked down silently.
"…sorry."
Kabir blinked slightly.
The apology sounded genuine.
Human.
That somehow felt stranger than violence.
Kabir leaned back against the cabin wall.
"You know… Arman's an idiot."
Eren quietly tilted his head.
"He keeps trying to save everyone."
Kabir laughed bitterly.
"Even people trying to kill him."
Eren stared silently at the snow.
"…why?"
Kabir looked toward the cabin window where Maya sat beside Arman.
Then answered softly—
"Because nobody saved him either."
Eren's visor flickered again.
Pain crossed his face.
"…I remember him…"
Kabir frowned slightly.
"What?"
"Small boy…"
Static interrupted his voice briefly.
"…lab… crying…"
Kabir slowly turned toward him.
Eren's shaking voice became quieter.
"He tried… to help me…"
Silence.
Kabir suddenly understood something horrifying.
Arman and Eren weren't strangers.
They were survivors from the same nightmare.
Far away beneath the mountains—
Inside a hidden underground facility—
Soft classical music echoed through a dark observation room.
Blue holographic screens floated silently in the air.
Every screen displayed Arman.
Maya.
Eren.
The battlefield.
The cabin.
A woman sat calmly before the screens.
Long white hair flowed over her shoulders like silver snow.
Golden eyes reflected the holograms beautifully.
Elegant.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Project Eve.
Unlike Selene—
There was warmth in her gaze.
But somehow…
That warmth felt even more terrifying.
She watched Maya carefully cleaning Arman's wounds.
Then slowly smiled.
"So this is the girl…"
Her fingers gently touched Arman's holographic image.
"…who touched Subject 002's heart."
Behind her, an Orion scientist spoke nervously.
"Ma'am… should we activate retrieval units?"
Eve remained silent briefly.
Then softly answered—
"No."
The scientist looked confused.
"But Subject 002 has become unstable."
Eve's smile deepened slightly.
"Exactly."
She stood slowly.
Her white dress moved softly beneath the dim lights.
"For the first time…"
Her golden eyes narrowed gently.
"…he's becoming human."
The scientist hesitated nervously.
"And Prototype 001?"
Eve looked toward Eren's crying image quietly.
Something strange crossed her expression.
Almost sadness.
"Cruelty failed him."
Then she whispered softly—
"But kindness may still save him."
Deep inside the cabin—
The fire had almost died out.
Night covered the mountains completely now.
Everyone had finally fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Kabir leaned unconscious against the wall.
Elias quietly rested near the broken window.
Outside, Eren sat beneath the snow watching the stars silently.
And beside the fireplace—
Maya slowly drifted asleep while still holding Arman's hand.
The cabin became peaceful.
Almost warm.
Then—
Arman's eyes slowly opened.
Pain immediately shot through his body.
"…ugh…"
His vision blurred weakly.
Firelight flickered softly above him.
For several seconds—
He didn't move.
Then he noticed something.
Warmth.
His hand.
Someone was holding it.
Arman slowly looked down.
Maya.
Sleeping beside him peacefully.
Still holding his hand tightly.
Her head rested near his arm.
Even while asleep—
She hadn't let go.
Something painful moved quietly inside his chest.
Not pain from HADES.
Something softer.
More dangerous.
Arman slowly reached toward her face weakly—
WARNING.
Red light suddenly exploded across his vision.
HADES SYSTEM ONLINE.
Arman froze instantly.
A distorted mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
WARNING: GENETIC MATCH DETECTED.
Arman's heartbeat stopped.
"What…?"
Another message appeared immediately.
PROJECT EVE REQUESTING SYNCHRONIZATION.
Arman's eyes widened slowly.
No.
Impossible.
Then—
Outside the cabin window—
A figure stood silently within the falling snow.
Long white hair.
Golden eyes.
Calm smile.
Watching him.
Waiting.
And somehow—
She already looked at him like she knew him better than anyone else.
The fire flickered violently.
Arman couldn't breathe.
Because deep inside his soul—
Something ancient had just awakened.
And far away in the darkness—
Project Eve smiled softly.
"Finally…"