In the blink of an eye, Byakuya and Eto felt a flash of disorientation. A blinding white light flared before their eyes—then vanished just as quickly.
When their vision cleared, they found themselves standing in a completely different world.
Looking at the buildings around them, it felt like they had been thrown a hundred years into the past.
And there, looming in the distance, stood an enormous wall—fifty meters tall.
There was no doubt now—they had crossed into the world of Attack on Titan, and were inside the Walls of Paradis Island.
"Those massive walls… Yeah, this has to be the Titan world," Eto remarked, staring toward the distant barrier.
"Right… though I've got no idea which year we've landed in" Byakuya said.
"Even you don't know?" Eto raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Nope. I can travel across different worlds, but the timelines are always random" he explained.
Just like how he had first ended up in Tokyo Ghoul — he hadn't expected to land in that particular timeline either.
"I see… Wait, that means… You weren't originally from my world, were you?" Eto suddenly voiced a theory that had just occurred to her.
There were too many strange things about Byakuya — chief among them being the sheer absurdity of his abilities. There was no way someone from her world could possess that kind of power.
"...You're right," Byakuya admitted after a short pause.
"I knew it..." she murmured. Strangely, she wasn't all that shocked—mostly because her intuition had already told her as much.
Even knowing he came from somewhere else, what mattered more to Eto was a different question entirely.
"So… before you even came to my world, did you already know everything about it?"
Her voice was laced with curiosity. It didn't feel like an impossible assumption.
Despite how natural Byakuya always made things seem, there were too many times where it felt like he knew everything—like the world was just moving according to his script.
"I did," he said, nodding again. "I guess it was only a matter of time before you figured it out…"
Eto had a keen sense about these things—once she had a thread, she could unravel the whole truth.
But if Byakuya was willing to bring her along to another world, then clearly, he wasn't trying to hide these things from her.
"If you hadn't voluntarily shared so many of your secrets, I never would've guessed something this insane," she said with a small smirk.
She knew full well — he'd trusted her with more than most ever would. That meant something.
"By the way… do you think we'll even be able to speak the language here?" Eto suddenly asked.
"No worries. Japanese works just fine in this world" Byakuya replied casually.
"Seriously? Japanese is universal now?" Eto looked genuinely impressed.
Byakuya didn't bother explaining—it would've been too complicated.
Still, their outfits stood out in this world. They looked nothing like the locals, and their presence quickly drew attention from nearby Eldians.
"Those clothes look weird… Who are they?"
"No idea. Some outsiders from the countryside, maybe?"
"They're both pretty striking… Maybe they're fallen nobility or something?"
Eto noticed she could understand every word the townsfolk were saying. It was strange, but kind of fascinating.
Just then, the air was suddenly filled with shouting from afar—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion ripped through the quiet streets as chunks of debris flew into the sky like shrapnel.
It happened so fast that most people around them froze in place, too stunned to react.
Byakuya's instincts kicked in immediately.
The Colossal Titan has breached the wall, he thought. That scene had always left a lasting impression on him.
Unfortunately, from where they stood, buildings blocked the view—he couldn't see the Titan directly.
But just from the sound and vibration, he'd already pinpointed where it was.
Grabbing Eto, Byakuya used his speed to leap to the top of one of the tallest buildings nearby. From there, they had a clear view.
In the distance, the Colossal Titan loomed—its massive body still steaming as it began to vanish after breaking through the wall.
"Bertolt's Colossal Titan… Looks like we arrived right at the beginning" Eto said calmly, unfazed even as debris flew past them.
"Forget Bertolt for now—we need to find Eren's house first" said Byakuya.
His priority was clear: save Eren's mother.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Eto nodded.
"Alright… Let's try to find it based on instinct."
Just as Byakuya said that, a massive slab of rubble came flying toward them at high speed.
Eto opened her mouth to warn him—then stopped.
Her body suddenly felt… weightless. No, more than that—it felt like it didn't exist at all.
And in that surreal moment, she watched as the chunk of stone phased right through her and Byakuya.
She remembered this ability — it was something Byakuya had shown her before. But she hadn't realized he could extend it to her as well.
A second later, she felt her physical form return. The sensation was strange—but oddly fascinating.
Without missing a beat, Byakuya activated Kamui, warping them rapidly across rooftops in all directions.
From each vantage point, he used his Mangekyō Sharingan to scan the area for their target.
But no matter how many buildings he checked, he couldn't pinpoint Eren's house. Everything here looked too similar, and he hadn't memorized the exact layout that precisely.
However, what he did find were Eren and Mikasa — still children, running through the streets.
Young Eren and Mikasa.
When they turned the final corner, their home came into view—only to find it completely destroyed by a massive stone.
Their mother, Carla, was pinned under the rubble.
Eren's face twisted in panic, and Mikasa's eyes went wide with fear.
"Mom!!"
Eren screamed, sprinting toward the collapsed house.
Carla, barely conscious, stirred only when she heard his voice...