This chapter was written by Charlotte.
Cover art also created by Charlotte.
Tumblr - heichou-knows-best
The trio stood in silence for a few moments, staring up at the huge wall, flickering and changing in front of them. Code moved at an unreadable speed, causing Kirito's eyes to strain and Armin and Mikasa to look away.
"This wall seems higher than the Colossal Titan!" exclaimed Armin, shielding his eyes from the sun. He took a step towards the code, examining it closely. Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats approached from behind. It was Levi and Hanji, accompanied by Levi's squad. Eren leaped down off his horse and ran up to Mikasa and Armin.
"What's he doing here?" he asked, shooting daggers at Kirito, clearly jealous.
"He was with Armin when I called him out here" Mikasa explained flatly. Turning, Eren looked up at the wall.
"I have never seen something like this before…" He quickly fell silent as Levi walked over, glancing at the yellow code disapprovingly.
"Is this safe to touch?" Levi asked, sounding bored. Before Kirito could reply, Eren reached a tanned hand towards the Digital Wall.
"NO!" cried Kirito loudly. He had received a thorough explanation of what would happen if human skin came into contact with the pixels. Mikasa acted on impulse, grabbing Eren's arm tightly. With a huff of annoyance, he pulled away, stepping backwards into Armin. Before Kirito could catch him, Armin made contact with the Digital Wall. Pixels flickered across his skin, spreading up his arms which he had held up to defend his face. He yelled, clearly in unbearable pain. Levi immediately sprung into action, grabbing Armin under each armpit and pulling as hard as he could. Although he remained silent, he was clearly struggling. Taking a deep breath, Kirito unsheathed his sword. This was the first time he had used it since the modifications had been made. A line of code was snaking from the wall onto Armin, providing a line which Kirito could slice. He brought the sword down as hard as he could, severing the line. Armin collapsed into Levi's arms, unconscious.
"Eren you idiot!" cried Mikasa, shaking him by the shoulders. Hanji had leaped down to take Armin from Levi, looking intrigued. The sleeves of his jacket had disappeared from wrist to elbow, revealing the skin underneath. Kirito knelt down next to the unconscious boy. Taking a close look at the injuries, he shook his head. Scarring the pale skin were red perfect red squares. With a spluttering cough, Armin opened his eyes.
"We must assist Kirito" he murmured before his head lolled to one side once again.