The brown, frightened eyes of Marco opened harshly as his sight, smell, taste and hearing were all restored in an unfriendly blow. His breathing quickened then slowed down to a more comfortable pace as he laid there, wondering whether he should attempt to lift himself up from the scratchy, dry grass which prickled his skin. With a breath of determination filling his lungs, he pressed his hands into the ground and lifted himself up with all his might and tried to stand on his shaky legs, patches of his memory fading away as quickly as he regained his senses. Something was...different about him and he couldn't figure out what it was.

After a few tries after him falling back to the ground with his legs collapsing, he finally managed to restore his balance and stand upright, stretching his arms far above his head, his muscles growing accustomed to moving again. He looked around to become familiar with his surroundings when he heard a twig crack close by, alerting him and instilling him with fear. Expecting to be face to face with a fierce wild animal from the forest of giant trees he was imprisoned in, he instead looked down to see a majestic stag, unbothered by his presence. Wait...looking down?

His once smooth and freckled hands had been transformed into muscle and bone ridden monstrosities, his body now a ravaged and enormous symbol of extermination. Clumsily trying to claw his way to a river which he heard trickling nearby, he dared to look at his new persona in the clear, untouched water. What he saw made him leap back in fear, causing the ground to shake for a moment when he hit the ground. Panic swept over his new body like a plague, heaving with anxiety and darting his eyes around for some kind of salvation. Racking his new titan brain for any fragments of memories which were left in the darkest of crevasses. He remembers a single face and name which sticks out in a sudden wave of discovery. With all hope escaping him, he began his long and endless wander around the forest of giant trees, waiting for something he wasn't sure of.

Jean stood solemnly as he watched the expressionless men shovel dirt over the bodies of those who died at Trost. While another man read a list of names which were the people who managed to be identified. He waited in suspense while he waited for his former friend's name to be called out uncaringly as he listened to the shovels of dirt be scooped up and dumped in an almost rhythmic pattern.

"...Marco Bodt..."

Jean flinched at the sound. He managed to lock his tears safely away inside him before giving a final nod to the hole being filled before taking up his new position as one of the scouting legion. Leaving his past life in the training centres behind, he sighed heavily and closed the door to the barracks where he used to be with Marco. Deciding it was time to move on, he slammed the door extra hard and began his journey outside the walls, not knowing what he will find.

The horses were galloping at full speed while the scouting legion sent up countless flares, Jean not knowing who he will see by the end of this expedition. With titan after titan lunging at his group time and time again, he soon found himself all alone after dodging over and over. He was outside the walls with no help or means of defence except a 3DMG with each gas cannister at half capacity. Another titan lunged at his horse, and out of instinct of keeping himself in one piece, he leapt off the horse, allowing it to be trapped in the mouth of the titan who then clumsily toppled over and laid there. Now Jean started to panic. He was outside the safety of the safety of human civilisation with half empty cannisters of gas and his 3DMG in the middle of a clearing. He sees another titan charging towards him, its steps getting wider and wider along with its mouth. After trying to scramble away unsuccessfully, he closed his eyes, waiting for him to become titan food, screaming his last farewell to his life..

Marco could see the brighter sunlight of a clearing up ahead while aimlessly walking in a direction he didn't know what it would lead to. He saw a tiny soldier, scrambling on the floor to try and escape the incoming titan who was set on devouring him. Marco continued to watch on, reluctant to help the human who would be bent on killing him anyways. His titan-hearing picked up something familiar to him, a trigger in the cloud of nothingness which was his mind. A scream from the soldier who sounded like...sounded like...

"Jeeeaa...nuh?"Marco attempted to say. ""JEEA..AANN!"

Marco began a full sprint towards the titan who was ready to devour the only thing he remembered from his humanity. As Jean turned around to see a second titan race toward him, he was ready for death, shutting his eyes tight. A ear splitting roar from Marco opened Jean's eyes once again, as he swore he heard traces of Marco's voice from the titan! Marco rammed the titan to the ground, then swiftly picked it up and bit the nape of its neck straight out of it. Haha, one more thing I remember I guess. Marco thought. After tossing the titan corpse to the ground, he gently crouched down near the other soldier and sat down with his knees crossed, trying to act peaceful and harmless. He stared at Jean who returned the gaze with a much colder, more fearful look. Marco tried to extend his hand out to Jean who was frozen in place with fear and amazement. Marco tried to speak again.

"Jeeaann?" Marco tried to whisper, but failed miserably. His voice croaked embarrassingly as Marco tried to cover his mouth with his free hand, looking quite flustered.

Jean was speechless, but managed to return the titan's question.

"Ye-yes, it's Jean...M-Marco?!"

Marco smiled and tears began to swell up in his eyes and drip down his face. Jean did the same. He ran straight into Marco's outstretched hand and hugged a finger tight.

"Marco! I thought I'd lost you! Why didn't you tell me you were a shifter?!"

Marco looked confused.

"You're...not a shifter? You're stuck like that?"

He nodded sadly.

Jean let out a sigh of disappointment. He shook it off and started to grin at Marco's new form.

"Don't worry yourself too much, Marco. I'll keep you safe, no matter the cost."