That day, humanity once again remembered the fear of being ruled by monsters…and the humiliation of being trapped like birds in a cage.
Paradis Island, Shiganshina District, southern edge of Wall Maria.
"Mikasa, go over there—let's move this together!"
"Okay!"
Carla was pinned down by a huge, thick wooden beam across her back—she couldn't move at all.
"Come on! Mikasa! Hurry!"
Eren's voice trembled with urgency.
But it was already too late—mindless Titans had broken through and were rampaging through the Shiganshina District. They hunted and devoured humans in the streets without mercy.
These were pure Titans — lacking intelligence — ranging from three to fifteen meters tall.
Their sheer size and regeneration abilities made them far stronger than any unarmed human. Unless their weak spot — the nape of the neck —was completely destroyed, they couldn't be killed.
Even the smallest Titan was a nightmare for the average person.
People screamed.
They cried.
They died.
Some were crushed under debris.
Others were torn apart and devoured.
The district had become a vision of hell.
Even hiding indoors wasn't enough. Titans tore through walls and windows, dragging people from the safety of their homes like ragdolls.
Carla had been holding on to the hope that Eren and Mikasa could rescue her, but then she heard it—the rumbling of heavy footsteps, the earth trembling beneath her, the sound of death approaching.
She could feel it clearly, pinned as she was to the ground.
"A Titan's coming! Eren, Mikasa—run! Get away from here!"
Carla shouted, voice cracking.
She was terrified too, but her fear for her children's safety far outweighed her own.
"Of course we're running—but you're coming with us!"
Eren refused to abandon his mother.
Mikasa, usually the more rational of the two, also kept helping him try to lift the heavy debris—despite knowing it was probably pointless.
"No — you have to take Eren and go! My leg is crushed. Even if you get me out, I'll only slow you down."
Carla pleaded with them to leave her.
"No!!"
Eren screamed, straining with everything he had. But the beam wouldn't budge—especially not with rubble weighing it down.
"Why won't you ever listen to your mother?! If you stay, we're all going to die!"
Carla finally broke down in tears.
It's hard for anyone to face death calmly. Carla was just a normal person, doing her best to hold it together in front of her children.
In the original story, the next moment is when she sees Eren and Mikasa being carried to safety—and only then does she cry out, telling them not to go.
Even so, Eren didn't want to leave her behind.
That's when it happened.
A Titan approached.
Roughly twelve meters tall, with short blonde hair and a terrifying, unnatural grin stretched across its face. Just the sight of it was enough to make your blood run cold.
But this one… it wasn't acting like the others. It completely ignored the people around it and made a beeline for Eren's home.
As it got closer, panic took hold of both Eren and Mikasa.
Carla kept trying to convince them to leave—but they refused to run.
Suddenly, a man wearing the uniform of the Garrison Regiment sprinted toward the Titan.
Twin blades in hand. Vertical maneuvering gear strapped to his thighs.
"Mr. Hannes! No—please take the kids and run!"
Carla cried out, pleading with him.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm still part of the Garrison! I'll take that Titan down and then get you all out!"
Hannes didn't lack for bravado.
He clearly knew the Yeager family— Grisha Yeager, Eren's father, had once saved his life.
This was his chance to repay that debt.
But when the Titan came into full view… that grin, that overwhelming presence… it drained him of all courage.
His blades lowered. His knees shook.
And then—he turned around and ran.
He grabbed Eren and Mikasa, dragging them away by force.
"Thank you… so much, Hannes…"
Carla forced a smile through her tears.
"Let me go!! Mom's still there!"
Eren thrashed and screamed—but he couldn't break free from Hannes's grip.
All he could do was watch as the Titan reached his mother.
Watch as she was eaten alive.
In Carla's heart, the conflict was overwhelming.
She wanted her children to live.
She wanted them to save her.
She wanted both—and it tore her apart.
Watching from a rooftop nearby, Byakuya knew it was time to step in.
"Should we save her? Or just kill Dina outright?"
Eto turned to Byakuya with a calm voice.
She had already pieced together the truth—this Titan was no random monster. It was Dina Fritz, the tragic figure behind so much of what was to come.
"Let's keep her alive" Byakuya replied coolly. "Knock her out—don't destroy the nape."
Eto nodded and leapt from the rooftop.
Mid-air, her body erupted into its monstrous form—the One-Eyed Owl.
Now ten meters tall, with a blood-red cloak and grotesque kagune tentacles, she radiated a terror that surpassed even the Titans themselves.
The ground shook as she landed.
Eren and Mikasa stared in horror at the new figure descending on Carla—another terrifying "Titan" in their eyes.
But then—
The impossible happened.
Eto spun, slicing clean through Dina's neck—but sparing the nape.
Boom!
Dina's head crashed to the ground, her body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
With that done, Eto turned and dashed toward the other Titans, ready to slaughter as many as she could.
She couldn't save everyone in Shiganshina.
But she could save someone.
"That… that Titan is fighting other Titans?!"
Eren's voice cracked in disbelief.
Mikasa's eyes were wide.
Even Hannes looked back in awe.
Because this wasn't like any Titan they'd seen before.
It wasn't just different.
It was something else entirely.