"Don't— I'm a little fragile right now."
Seeing Annie move to hug him, Lock raised his left hand quickly to stop her.
Only then did everyone truly notice how severe his injuries were.
"Does anyone have medical supplies?!" Jean shouted.
"It's fine," Lock said calmly. "I'm not dying."
He glanced around at the stunned faces.
"Did you all come down here just to stare? Refill your gas. Titans could break in again."
That snapped them back to reality.
Connie tried to reassure him. "It's okay, Lock. There's a rogue Titan outside— it's killing other Titans."
Sasha counted bodies while refueling.
"…Five, six, seven!"
She turned wide-eyed.
"Lock! You took down seven by yourself!"
Lock smiled faintly while Annie secured his arm with rough bandages.
"Nine. Two were 14–15 meters."
The familiar nickname resurfaced.
"Monster…"
Lock looked toward Mikasa.
"Where's Eren?"
Silence.
He frowned slightly.
"…Aren't there fewer of you than before?"
After hearing what happened—Eren swallowed by a Titan while saving Armin—Lock's smile disappeared.
"I'm sorry. I planned to head out immediately after clearing this station."
Marco shook his head.
"You did everything you could."
Jean stepped forward awkwardly.
"I said you abandoned us. I was wrong."
"Human nature," Lock replied evenly. "It's fine."
Then he turned quietly to Annie.
"Did you think that too?"
The question carried weight beyond Jean's apology.
Annie paused.
Then resumed tying the brace around his leg.
Lock exhaled slowly.
"That hurts."
Across the room, Mikasa watched them both, eyes dim with grief.
She left to investigate the mysterious Titan outside.
Shortly After
Reiner returned alone.
With Marco and Sasha's help, he hoisted Lock onto his back.
"You holding up?"
"I feel good enough to fight the Armored Titan if he shows up," Lock replied lightly.
Reiner laughed.
"If you're there, we'd never let him leave."
Lock chuckled.
"I was joking. Wall Maria couldn't stop him. What could a few cadets do?"
Then, casually—
"What were you three doing earlier? Annie and Mikasa haven't returned."
Reiner hesitated.
"…Can't say. Confidential."
Lock's eyes sharpened slightly.
"So something extraordinary happened."
Reiner didn't respond.
Inside Wall Rose — Field Hospital
The examination confirmed:
Right forearm fractures (radius & ulna)
Left tibia and fibula fractures
Multiple left rib fractures
Minor splenic rupture
"If your ribs shifted a little further, you'd be dead," the doctor said.
Yet Lock remained conscious. Hungry.
Chest bound. Arm and leg cast.
Sitting upright.
Eating bread.
Annie entered the tent, followed by Ymir and Historia.
"There," Annie said briefly. "He's alive."
Historia hurried forward.
"Lock, are you okay?"
Lock looked past her toward Annie.
"Where are you going?"
"The Corps won't let me wander."
She left without another word.
Ymir smirked.
"He only sees Annie. Why are you bothering, Krista?"
Lock grinned.
"Krista is the angel of the 104th. She came to heal me."
"Stop talking like that," Ymir groaned.
Lock added shamelessly, "Krista could become my mother."
Historia flushed instantly.
"If she's your mother, does that make me your father?" Ymir shot back.
Lock's tone shifted.
"Ymir. Get me a crutch."
Historia panicked. "You can't get up!"
"If you don't want Eren and the others executed," Lock said quietly, "hurry."
Outside the Tent
Leaning on a crutch, Lock approached the group and ordered them to remain silent.
Annie immediately stepped forward.
"Go back to bed."
Lock ignored her.
"Do you want to sit here and wait while Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are executed?"
Jean froze.
"How do you—?"
His eyes moved to Annie.
Lock cut him off.
"Don't ask how. Just take me there. I can save them."
Jean frowned.
"By defying orders?"
"Is that coward Kitz Weilman even worthy of giving me orders?"
Reiner's eyes flashed.
"I'll take him."
Military Perimeter
"Stop. No one passes."The lockk slid off Reiner's back.
"Leave the rest to me."
Reiner nodded.
"…Bring Eren back."
Ahead, chaos gathered.
A bound Eren Yeager stood accused.
Cannons aimed.
Soldiers terrified.
The fate of humanity teetered on panic.
Lock tightened his grip on the crutch.
A slow smile returned.
The First Yeager would not die today.