Chapter Seven

Aer's P.O.V.

"Aer! I'm scared." Lilli whimpered again when the lightning struck, making her cower against me. Our parents were busy visiting friends in the inner wall, so Onyx and I were charged with the task of keeping Lilli safe.

"Don't worry," I stroked her hair, "It won't hurt us."

Onyx scoffed. "As if we'd let anything happen to you, Lilli. You're our precious sister." She was. Lilli was the only thing that kept both of us sane. Layla Zakarius expected too much out of both me and Onyx. I was supposed to be a medical doctor greater than Dr. Jaeger. Onyx was going to be one of the best warriors in the Survey Corps. She was the one thing that tied us down and connected us.

I won't stop until I kill every single one of them.

I won't stop until I kill every single one of them.

I WON'T STOP UNTIL I KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!

My baby. My sweet Lilli, the one who cried when I was supposed to be crying when we heard that my pet, a small parakeet, died. I didn't look back as I shifted into my Titan form, roaring as I met the ground. I aimed to tackle the Ape Titan, the Titan who had taken so much away from me.

Many other Titans were defending him once again. I growled a bitter and low sound. Move aside. They were still there. So the Ape Titan had more hold over the other Titans than I did? The situation looked grim for me, to be honest, but I wasn't backing down.

I looked off into the horizon. The sun was almost setting. I should buy enough time for the other squads to escape. I picked up the injured in my hands, hearing them cry out in fear. I ran with the squads in my large hands, feeling teeth sink into my legs. They were pursuing us. We were almost there. Almost. At. The. Walls. The other squads who hadn't been injured followed me, and they reached the Walls before I did.

Onyx was in my right hand. I didn't know why, but one of his eyes was closed, blood trickling under his eyelids. He wasn't there when Lilli died, and for that one small fact, I was grateful. He didn't have to know about it until absolutely necessary.

I reached the wall, and stupidly tripped. The soldiers I was holding in my hand tumbled forward, caught by the ones still using their 3DMG. I felt an excruciating, ripping pain. Someone cut me out from my neck.

I turned around, and saw another Titan, this one having cropped brown hair. William? I glanced back, and saw there were more Titan-shifters, all in their natural Titan form, heading toward us. The Titan holding me stared at my face then walked away from the Walls, away from my home.

I was exhausted from using a sudden Titan transformation, so I couldn't do anything but watch as William handed me to another Titan, who looked vaguely familiar. I blacked out, a soothing, comforting voice luring me into the darkness.

Rivaille's P.O.V.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do if one of my squad is kidnapped?" I growled at Erwin, who looked at me like nothing was wrong. All of the squads dispatched came back, except for a few dead people, but Aerellia never did.

They said that a large Titan brought them back to the Wall, but shortly after they had escaped, the body steamed, and it was presumed she was killed. "Her younger sister, Lilli Zakarius died shortly before she shifted." Erwin said calmly. "That is probably the reason why she shifted."

Aer's P.O.V.

I woke up on a table, strapped down. "She's awake." I heard someone say. "Should we kill her now and retrieve Eren, or do we use her as the Coordinate?"

Another voice chimed in. "She's an artificial Titan-shifter. She'll work just fine as the Coordinate. We have no need to kidnap Eren if we have her." This voice sounded like a male's, deep and heavy. "Though I would think about getting Annie back."

"Annie's a lost cause by now," the first voice said. "There's no point in getting her back. Though she was a powerful shifter, she failed her mission. That alone won't save her. Even so, when we take over Wall Sina, we'll get her back anyway."

"What do we do with the girl?"

"I suggest using the drug again."

"She already took it twice. We won't know if it'll have any effect on her."

I zoned out of that conversation, thinking instead of the past.

"Aer, why don't you sing anymore?" Lilli looked up at me as she was sewing a small shirt, probably one for her doll. "I want to hear you sing. You switched to flute, but I still think your singing is tons better. You're so lucky you can sing! Mommy never compliments me whenever I sing."

"Singing used to be my hobby," I said mildly. In truth, Rivaille had told me he wanted to be the only person who had heard me sing, so I was saving that talent for him. "It grew old, I guess." I shrugged, as I looked over her shoulder at her stitching. "What flower are you embroidering?"

"It's a lily," she grinned cheekily. "Do you like it?"

I patted her hair. "Of course." Later that day, Onyx was assigned Lilli duty, and I had a few precious minutes to spend with Rivaille. I saw him with a haunting expression, shadows under his eyes.

"Three squads died under my watch today." He said, almost in a whisper.

I immediately engulfed him in a hug, patting his shoulder. He was still new at being the Lance Corporal, and anyone would fall apart if they were responsible for other people's lives. "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself." A tear trickled down his cheek, and I wiped it away.

I began to sing, softly, and rocked him back and forth as he kept his face pressed against my shoulder. The song was mainly composed of la's and ah's that stretched out into a soothing lullaby, one that I couldn't remember where I had learned it. It was Rivaille's favorite song, and always calmed him down.

My body jerked forward as I felt a familiar pinching sensation in my arm. It was the obvious sting of a syringe emptying its contents into my bloodstream. Did they intend to wipe my memory again?

Amnesia is like a drug. You can't stop because you won't even remember you started.

Time Skip to One Year Later…

"Damn, Corporal's getting more kills today," Matt glanced at Eren. The Titans hadn't invaded for a long time, though the Survey Corps still went on their weekly expeditions outside the Walls. "Did something happen?"

Mikasa shushed him. "Today's the day Aer died. Don't you remember?"

Matt frowned, creases between his eyebrows. "I try not to, actually." He sat down, the gear hitting the wooden boards of the bench with an abrupt sound. "We don't even know if she's dead or alive. Why did everyone think she died?"

"Because," Eren said, gritting his teeth. He had finished the book Aer had given him, coming up to the pinnacle of his Titan strength. "No one has seen her Titan form or human form. We never even saw her body after rescue teams was sent out."

The shifter looked at Onyx, who was quiet. It had been like this ever since Onyx had been notified of both of his sisters' deaths. He had been accepted into Rivaille's squad as Aer's replacement, but he never spoke. Ever since the incident with Aer disappearing and Lilli dying, he had lost one eye. His right eye would be forever bandaged; leaving him scarred with a wound that would remind the fact he had let the rest of his only family die right under his nose. A sin he would never pardon himself for.

The group was waiting for their Corporal to finish the Titan rounds. Wall Maria had not yet been reclaimed, though the effort needed to get there was slow and steady. Lance Corporal Rivaille had been killing more Titans than usual, almost tripling his usual Titan kills in a day.

"What are you lazy asses doing standing around?" Rivaille landed next to them, his scowl deepening by the second. "Go kill the bastard Titans." He took off almost immediately, sparing only a few seconds to change his gas tanks.

Mikasa sighed. Aer hadn't left without an uproar. Someone had exposed the fact she was a shifter, and the general public thought of her as a person who had joined the Titans. If she were to appear now, convincing the King and the head of all three Military regions that she wasn't their enemy would be quite a chore.

"So it's the day she died," Matt murmured slowly.

Hanji soon flew next to them, her face optimistic as always. And as usual, a bit insane. "Ne, guys you should be helping out with catching the Deviants! They're so energetic today!" She squealed, not noticing the exchange of looks being passed around.

Aer's P.O.V.

"Sheesh, William, you could have at least let me go outside today," I pouted at my mentor. I was Aer, student and apprentice to the Titan-shifters. All they told me was that they had raised me when I was an orphan, but I hit my head on a rock, resulting in a loss of memory.

"You're still recovering," he reminded me. Yeah, I had recovered for a year. "We've waited out a year to invade the humans, but I'm not sure if the Ape Titan wants you to participate in that." He donned his casual wear, casually topping the look with a brown cap.

"Why not?"

He hesitated. "You were well-known in human society. Your parents blamed their crimes on you, so if people see you, they might attack. It isn't safe for someone like you. Don't wait up tonight. We're taking down another expedition."

"The Survey Corps haven't found our hideout yet?" I frowned. I didn't want them to find our hideout. Humans were greedy and selfish. That's why the Titans were invading them. I didn't want anything to do with them, but then again, I had never met a human. Even I was a shifter, raised by other shifters and Titans, but the Ape Titan had forbidden for me to shift.

As William left, I waited half an hour. Then I snuck out through the window, whistling. A small blackbird landed on my shoulder, and I smiled. The blackbird had often come chirping at me, and tossing its head at the Titans. I had convinced the shifters not to kill it, saying what harm could a small blackbird do? Whatever connection it had with me, the blackbird made me feel like I was at home.

Wherever that was, really.

"Chirp if you see a Titan," I whispered. I was pretty sure Titans wouldn't see me, as I blended in with the darkness, but I was also pretty sure they wouldn't notice if I went outside to pick some berries. The latter situation ended up with me being lectured by a bunch of shifters for a full hour. I was twenty-six years old, for Pete's sake. I was ready to not be coddled and spoiled.

I climbed a normal-sized tree far away from the forest. I saw a few soldiers out in the open, being eaten by the Titans. One had gotten close enough to see me, nestled in the brambles of the tree with a midnight blue traveling cloak. "Our savior…Aerellia…" He whispered. "You have come to fight for humanity once again."

The guy was delirious. I think. Humans really were peculiar. Still, the expression of suffering stayed in my thoughts after the guy was killed. The deadest eyes and the cruel mouth. Were all humans like this? It was no wonder the Titans and the shifters disliked them.

"Sing, Aer, sing. Because you want to. Because you can."

I started out with a basic lullaby, one that made a hollow ache in my chest, longing for something I couldn't remember ever wanting. It was quite simple, composed of the beginning ah's and la's. The way the two sounds stretched themselves out into a beautiful, echoing melody astonished me, and I sang louder, clearer.

I sang as I thrust my arms behind me, like a bird taking flight, my cloak rustling in the wind. Where had I learned this? The shifters didn't favor music, as it was something that humans did to entertain themselves.

Third Person P.O.V.

The minute the gentle song entered the forest, Rivaille immediately looked up. He couldn't remember where he had heard the sad, yet peaceful tune. The Titan he was attacking came to a stop, listening as well.

"Take control of the supply cart!" Erwin yelled his face indifferent to the suffering around him. "We need to retreat for now! All squads abandon station and move out! Special Operations Squad buys enough time for complete escape, and then retreats."

Aer's P.O.V.

The piece of music was carried by the wind, making my voice seemed like it was flowing like a smooth ribbon. A streak of pain coursed down my skull, and I saw a brief image. A girl's head, blood streaming behind it, and the air shaping it into the form of a thin ribbon.

I felt a pang of longing to go into the Forest of Giant Trees, only to stop myself midway. Why was I headed there? I had been instructed personally never to show myself to the humans. But, there was this feeling like I should be there. I should be with them.

Shifters or humans, I didn't know to whom I belonged to.


If you want to listen to what Aer sang, go to YouTube and look up Inuyasha's Lullaby (beginning). My friend introduced me to that song and ever since I just can't stop listening to it. . Thanks for reading! Please review~