Commander Erwin and the Squad Leaders participated in a meeting with the other officials of the military. The titan guillotine was brought into light for the others. They were made aware of the usefulness of Eren's ability towards the protection of the walls. During the meeting, Erwin clarified the success of the path that they had started to develop outside of the walls.
The path was created by Survey Corps soldiers. Those who were considered highly valuable assets were forbidden to participate for their own safety. The pathway that was created was considered successful with the help of the unique rock that created the caves underneath the chapel where Rod Riess was injected with a serum. The rocks were harvested and used as a source of light due to the eerie natural light that they gave off. With this light, it enabled soldiers to work in the dark where titan activity would be at its lowest. With the pathway created, the Survey Corps was ready to set out on their next expedition within the next month. Everyone was surprised by the amount of progress that has been accomplished given the circumstances and the amount of people who were involved.
After the meeting, a private discussion was held with Doc Pixis the Commander of the Garrison. This was held in a room secluded from the prying eyes of the officials. Hange had brought the serum with them and presented it to him. They told him of what they were able to determine and considered the research to have officially hit a dead end. It was fully discussed at length who should be the sole holder of the serum.
It was decided that Levi was going to be in charge of the serum and whether or not it would be used. Due to his logical thinking and mannerism, Levi was deemed as the best choice.
Meanwhile the 104th were having a discussion with the newer recruit Marlowe. They talked about reclaiming Wall Maria and the excitement that the newer recruits had. Although the others didn't seem as thrilled about the entire expedition, they were at least hopeful of the outcome.
The group discussed the idea of turning titans back into humans after Connie departs to prepare for his trip home. Eren claims that there have been times where he has no memory due to him losing himself as a titan. Jean remembers Eren talking about a memory he had once had. It was a memory thought to be of his father.
In this memory there was a man. Eren was unable to fully identify who the man was, but there was an odd resemblance. He was someone he did recognize. Something about this man was important and Eren had a strong desire to figure out what that was even though he couldn't remember anything. Jean jokingly asked Eren if he needed a head-butt from their drill instructor Keith Shadis. Keith was notorious for inflicting pain onto the trainees by head-butting them in the head.
It was then that Eren had a sudden revelation. He started to piece things together the moment that Jean mentioned Keith. He tells the group that they have to visit Keith believing that the man in his memory is the same man who had shown him the ways of a soldier.
Daylight broke through the window on a new day. Lana woke up to the sound of nothing. All was quiet and peaceful. She got out of her bed and walked into the main room. Nobody else was home, she was by herself. She didn't think of it and went about her day. A cup of tea was waiting for her on the table with a note. The note read:
Will be out on business all day. I'll be home for dinner.
She put the note down and continued to stare out the window in front of her. She watched the breeze move through the grass. There was a hint of peace and harmony on the sunny summer day. Two young children came running in with excitement. They screamed and yelled playfully running around the house. She couldn't identify their faces, to her they were almost like a blur. It didn't bother her at all. She felt happy that the kids were enjoying themselves.
She gazed out and began to recollect the things that brought her to this point. It was then that it dawned to her that she had no idea how she got there. She looked around the house in confusion trying to remember.
Nothing in the house was something she recognized however it was as if she had been there before. Things did not feel right about it all as rain began to pour from outside. The children stopped running around and stood ominously in the middle of the room. All she could make out were crooked smiles on their faces.
When Lana went to approach the two children, they ran past her out the door and into the storm. Lana turned around to see where they were going, only to be greeted by a bloody figure standing at the door. They were covered in a green cloak with the hood over their face. The person was wearing a uniform with a single blade in their hand.
Lana got closer to the mysterious person to help them as they collapsed down onto their knees. She removed their cloak and realized that it was Levi. He looked up at her with solemn eyes as he was soaked in blood.
As Lana tried to help him, a gunshot could be heard. It instantly killed him as he fell in Lana's arms. In horror she looked up and saw a man dressed in black in the distance. Glass could be heard behind her as two other men dressed the same came through. They grabbed her and pulled her away from Levi as she kicked and screamed.
A knife was dug into her chest causing her to let out a piercing scream. She was scared as she kept calling for Levi to get up. There was no response from him at all. Lana was defenseless as she continued her struggle.
She knew the feeling well. She remembered the struggle and the feeling of chains binding her down. Every time she would try to break free she was thrown back again. There was no escaping from her never ending nightmare. Her fears were keeping her down. Right when she thought that she had gotten over it all, she was pulled back down again. It was the same fight over and over again.
This time it was different. The sight of Levi lying on the cold ground was different. Every other time it had been someone else. When she would get stabbed was when fantasy was broken into reality. This time she was trapped. She knew that her mind was telling her to fight harder and to not give in anymore. She wanted to believe in herself and now was the time for her to do it.
She pulled away from the men and ran out of the building. She kept running splashing in the puddles as she tried to create distance between herself and the others. The pain in her chest was excruciating as she held on tightly to the bleeding wound, thankful that it had just missed her heart. Steam arose from the wound as the bleeding was slowing down. As she ran through the storm it was when it finally dawned on her. Running was all that she ever did. She never turned back around to face the problem fully head on. She always relied on someone else to be there to help her out.
Her pace slowed as she let the men catch up to her. With a deep breath she let them grab a hold of her. This only allowed her to fight back.
"YOU CAN'T HAVE ME!" she yelled at the masked man as she punched him across the face with a crystalized arm. "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU HUNTERS," she yelled throwing a punch at the second man.
The third man with a gun pointed it right at Lana. He took his aim and fired. The searing pain was high in her but she didn't let it phase her. She stood in between the unconscious men and stared at the gunman. With a loud yell she turned into a full titan and ran towards the man.
"YOU CANNOT HAVE ME FOR MY POWER!" she shouted stomping on the gunman.
She ran back in the rain as she reverted back to a normal person tears in her eyes as she refused to believe that Levi was dead. When she reached the house, the door was closed and there was no body to be found. With hesitance, she opened the door.
Daylight had broken through the window as three people sat at a table. Two children sat on either side of a man as he was reading a story. She could make out the smiles of the children as they eagerly listened to the story. He was wearing a uniform with a green cloak calmly reading to the two. The creak of the door was enough to cause all of them to look up.
"Right on time, dinner is almost ready. Did you take care of all of your business?" Levi asked.
Tears began to stream down her face as she lifted her sleeve of her jacket to wipe her face. She realized that she too was wearing a uniform with no blood. When she looked back, the children were gone and in their place was the squad. They stood behind Levi with smiles on their faces. Everyone grabbed her in a group hug as everyone was laughing and smiling. She couldn't help but to close her eyes in happiness enjoying the moment.
When she opened her eyes again she had woken up to the wooden ceiling of her bedroom. She looked over to see Sigi still sound asleep in her bed.
"I did it. I finally overcame it. I think the nightmares are finally over," she whispered to herself.
The door to their bedroom opened up as Mikasa entered.
"Hurry up, we're going to be late."
The squad met up with one another and began to make their way to the Training Camps in Trost. Lana was in an extremely good mood that the others took notice to her. She started acting like herself before the uprising. It put some of them in a form of relief.
They arrived at the Training Camps dressed in their formal wear. They made their way into the camp to a man who was standing in the middle. The main was bald with his back turned to the group as they approached. Others nearby watched in curiosity at the sight of the Survey Corps present once again in their camps. The man standing before them was Keith Shadis, the very man who had trained the 104th division. Eren was the first to make contact with him as the others were not far behind.
As he looked around to see those standing before him he wore aggressive look on his face. But something within his eyes had a feeling that this day was to come. He almost expected to be confronted by the young Eren Yeager once again. He agreed to speak with the group inside. However, before they began to follow him, Keith paused and turned back to them. He looked passed everyone and saw the woman standing in the back. She realized that he was staring at her. She gave a slight smile and wave towards him.
"You," he lowered his voice.
"Nice to see you again!" Lana responded with a cocky smile on her face.
The others turned to her puzzled as to what was going on. She explained to them that this was the instructor that she had confronted during her time spent at the training camp. Shock came over those in the 104th as the realized that this was the same man who had been taken out by Lana when he tried to teach her a lesson. She proved herself to be a worthy adversary and made a mockery of him. However, due to his outstanding reputation it did not change how the young recruits saw him.
They made their way to the building to hold their discussion. As they walked, there were a few of the recruits who recognized Lana among the group and were not hesitant to greet her. They shared pleasantries but she had to remind them that her duty comes first. She promised that she would at least say goodbye to them before they left.
Jean took notice in Lana's popularity with the recruits and couldn't help but to smile. He watched her as she was a little unsure of how to handle the concept of people constantly recognizing her. She had always lived a life in hiding and only recognized by her costume make-up she wore on stage.
When they were in the building everyone promptly went to their seats aside from Sasha. She nervously stood up against a wall. When the instructor addressed her and asked if she wanted to sit, she only stated that she was alright with standing up against the wall.
It became apparent during this meeting that Keith Shadis was the previous commander of the Survey Corps. Where this came as a shock to Lana she almost expected this due to his demeanor and how he presented himself. During the meeting, Keith addressed Eren claiming that he was a great reminder of his mother Carla. The history between the Yeager family and Keith was then brought into light.
It was revealed that Grisha, Eren's father was discovered outside of the walls during one of the Survey Corps expedition. He had no knowledge of the Survey Corps, nor what life inside the walls were truly like. As Keith explained the strange man that he had come across Levi commented.
"Sounds familiar doesn't it," he said as he glanced over at Lana sitting next to him.
She was oblivious at first but realized what he meant when everyone started looking at her.
"Who me?" she asked pointing at herself.
"You were from outside of the walls?" Keith asked.
"Uhh, yeah I am. I had no idea a place like this existed."
Keith had to pause for a moment in realization. Lana was intrigued to hear what else Keith had to say in regards to Eren's father. Perhaps something he might say would be of great use to her.
Like Lana, Grisha was thrown into a jail cell and was to undergo a trial. Although in this case, he was to go through a trial of just being outside of the walls, whereas Lana was considered a true outsider. While in the jail Keith had come to learn that Grisha really had no clue what was going on. He didn't hold onto a memory and was very unsure of things. Keith showed sympathy towards him and decided to release him. Grisha claimed that he has knowledge of being a Doctor and felt that he would be of some use. With that in mind, he had also requested to learn about the new world he was going to live in.
"Incredible, kind of like how I asked Levi during the fights in Wall Rose. I had no clue what life on the inside of the walls was like. I only knew that outside was filled with titans. Now…I'm starting to rethink everything," Lana said with a great deal of concern.
"What do you mean?" Hange asked.
"I mean, if it is possible for Grisha Yeager to have no memories at all, then who is not to say that all my memories are falsified."
"Would that even be possible?" Eren asked.
"I'm not sure."
"I don't by that at all," Levi stated. Everyone looked at him to hear what he had to say. "You seem to be forgetting the fact that you have people here on the inside who know you and share the same memories."
"Even so, what if they have false memories too."
"Then someone went through a lot of trouble," Keith replied.
When the idea was settled Keith continued to share what he knew of Grisha. Keith shared everything that he knew in regards to what life was like within the walls and the history that they knew of the titans. Grisha was a unique character. He was a man of thought and logic. Keith shared with him the concept and dreams as to why he had become a part of the Survey Corps. The dream to go beyond the walls in the hopes of finding a better future that is out there. This dream lies in the hearts of many Survey Corps soldiers that are present today. However, self-doubt was overpowering his dreams. The idea that the king was right about everyone gave Keith the concept of them being pawns in this game that was being played. An example to the citizens as to why going outside was dangerous. However, Grisha thought otherwise. Their noble actions was something to be admired.
During their conversation they were approached by one of the tavern workers. This was learned to be Carla before she had married. It was shown that Keith had developed feelings towards her, but it wasn't long afterwards that he realized that he had lost her. At this time Grisha had claimed that Survey Corps soldiers were unique and even special. The thought of being special was definitely not heard of before. This caused Keith to fight even harder to truly make a name for himself and the Survey Corps. Unfortunately like in the past, this had only brought on more losses.
Grisha had become a known doctor during a time of need. Carla came down with the plague that had taken effect on many of the citizens. In a quick matter of time, Grisha was capable of curing Carla of the illness. She was very grateful for what he had done. This was the starting point of their relationship. At this point, Keith watched from the sidelines. As Keith was outside the walls, Grisha grew closer to Carla and even married her.
The two were happily married. Although there was a hint of jealousy in his voice, it was true that he had accepted that she was no longer going to be around. This drove Keith further to want to strive and be the best that he could become as a commander. However, when he realized that his best wasn't ever going to be his best was when he confronted Carla and the very young Eren. The sight of Eren angered him proving to him that Carla had chosen Grisha fully. He yelled at her feeling that what he was doing as a commander was the right thing that could be done. He felt righteous in a way over the average worthless individual.
During an expedition, as they were distributing the remains of a son to his older mother was when Keith realized that he couldn't continue on like this. He considered himself unworthy of being the commander of the Survey Corps and asked Erwin to become the next in line and continued to be the commander until the time was right.
Announcements of Wall Maria had reached them as Keith immediately grew concern over Carla. He had heard of Carla's death and had come into contact with Grisha and Eren. Grisha was in the process of dragging Eren into the forest. Grisha told Eren that he needed to avenge his mother's death. This caused Keith to be outraged at the fact that Grisha won't avenge her death for himself. Grisha responded to Keith in a way that was unnerving claiming that Eren was his son and that Keith should not get in the way.
This was when Eren had gained his powers, although still unknown at the time. A flash of lightening could be seen from higher up on the mountain. Keith went to investigate it and found Eren lying on the ground without Grisha in sight.
Hange couldn't accept the fact that Keith left in the manner that he did. His reasoning was untrue in their eyes. Eren stopped Hange to claim that he himself was not special, but only the son of a man who was special. Keith responded with something that Carla had once told him. It was the concept that you did not need to be special, you did not need the recognition of people especially Eren. When it came to Eren it was the fact that he doesn't need to become great or better than someone else because in the end he was already great just because he was born into this world.
"I do have to admit to something when you came here," Keith stated calmly.
Eren reminded him of Carla greatly with the intensity of Grisha. When Eren first joined, Keith had tampered with his gear. He felt that if he was able to prevent Eren from succeeding as a recruit, then he would at least save the legacy that was Carla's However, Eren surpassed Keith's expectations and pulled through.
"No way, you were the one who tampered with his maneuvering gear!" Armin proclaimed.
"Yes," Keith replied.
Keith had finished telling him what relation he had with the Yeager family as everyone was able to take what they heard and leave. It was then Hange's and Levi's duty to report what they learned to Erwin and continue where to go from there.
As they were leaving, Lana kept her promise and bid farewell to the future soldiers. She hoped that she would be able to stick around long enough to see them. However other matters were coming to mind.
They had reached the checkpoint base at Trost as Hange and Levi had made their separate ways. Lana asked Levi if she should attend the meeting with him but he felt that it was unnecessary at this time. With that in mind she decided to remain in the company of her friends. When she had gone back to meet with them, the others had all left aside from Eren.
"Hey, Lana I was wondering if I could briefly talk to you for a moment."
"Sure of course. Where did everyone else go?"
"Jean went to show them around a little bit. He mostly just wanted to see how much of the damage had been repaired. It doesn't surprise me considering how he's from here."
"Sounds like fun. Come sit," she said gesturing to a bench that was near them, "Tell me what's on your mind."
"I'm going to be completely honest with you. My mother was eaten by a titan and my father, well, eaten as well. I didn't really have anyone else. I did have Hannes but he was always busy."
"What about Armin and Mikasa?"
"I did have them too, but not like that."
Lana was curious to hear what Eren had to say. He didn't make eye contact with her and was fiddling around with his thumbs. His body language was out of character for him, not like the usual Eren at all.
"I didn't really have someone who took care of me. I did have Mikasa but she's constantly watching over me. Then I met you."
"Me?" she responded quietly.
"You always made sure I was ok, that I didn't push myself too hard and yet you still encouraged me. You had belief that I could do things that I thought I would never do. Lana, I almost feel like you're a second mother to me."
The thought took Lana by surprise. She made a slight sound in response and covered her mouth. Lana felt completely honored and overwhelmed by what he was saying to her. He looked up at her with the eyes of a child, not of a soldier. They were filled with innocence and sadness. The sight quickly caused Lana's instincts to kick in. She grabbed a hold of Eren and held onto him tightly. His head was resting on her chest as she cradled him.
"Oh Eren, you are so sweet to think of that," she said nuzzling her nose in his hair.
He quickly pulled himself off of her and ran his fingers to fix his hair. He adjusted his jacket and pulled himself back together.
"Sorry, I went a little far didn't I?" Lana replied with a sly smile.
Lana decided to take a different approach. She turned Eren's head and gently placed her forehead up against his. She embraced the moment for a minute or two as she spoke.
"I vow that I will always be there for you. I will protect you and make sure that you live your life to the fullest. I want your dreams to come true for your dreams are my dreams," she said closing her eyes and listening to nothing but the sound of his breathing.
He did the same as he focused on the string of words that she was saying. He listened closely to the sound of her voice until she stopped. He continued to fixate himself on Lana as she calmly continued to listen to the sound of Eren's movements. It was the most the two had ever been intimate with one another since they had met that day. The day that Lana examined his titan form. The two remained silence channeling each other in a way with one another.
Instantly a crack could be felt between the two of them. Lana's forehead became very hot as she quickly opened her eyes in pain from the burning sensation. However, what felt like minutes to her was only a matter of seconds. Her eyes were opened wide as she experienced something she had never thought she would experience before. It was like a story was being shown before her.
She could see through the eyes of someone else as they went about their days. Faces quickly went by. She was able to make out a girl brushing her long black mirror in a mirror. She was staring at her own reflection. It was the reflection in the mirror that she was looking at. It was gone in a flash as she realized she was staring at the walls of the cavern under the church. Next thing she knew it, she was killing the entire Reiss family. The scenes continued before her as she began seeing Eren transforming into a large mindless titan consuming what could be assumed as Grisha Yeager. She wanted the sights to stop but they continued. She watched in horror as she was brought to what looked like farms and then the training camps. Grueling training and soon the confrontation of the Colossal Titan at the battle of Trost. It was then Lana had come to realize that these were memories. She watched as she peered into the eyes of Eren as he was staring at the Titan Lana standing before the Survey Corps.
She pulled herself away from Eren as the force had caused her to land on the ground. She held onto her head and looked back up at Eren who she believed had a similar experiences. What had just happened had caused Lana to grow a great amount of concern for Eren. It had appeared that he was dizzy as he tried to keep himself together.
Then things started to come together the more that Lana had thought about it. If these were memories that were within Eren's head from other users then what else could be affecting him.
"Eren?" she hesitated a minute and she sat up, "Is that really you?"
Eren was confused be her question and looked at her, "What do you mean is it really me, of course it is. Who else would I be?"
In Lana's mind she was still worried. The more she thought about it the more she had come to learn of the personality changes that Eren had gone through. Lana had always thought that this was because of him growing up and going through the trauma that he had gone through. But she had never thought that the power would be causing him to have changes within his mind.
He helped her up from the ground and made sure that she was alright. He asked her what happened to the two of them as he had no idea. It was at this point that Lana was sure that he had not gone through what she had.
"No clue, but whatever it was might have something to do with the bond we formed. Maybe like a titan bond or something," Lana lied although she had no answer as to what happened and how it happened.
"Really, that sounds cool," Eren replied with a bit of excitement in his voice.
Lana tried to rule out the concept of Eren no longer being himself. She went through many different possibilities the more she thought about it. Eventually she came to terms that what had happened, happened and there was no explanation as to why and how. She felt that her original belief of Eren changing was actually due to the concept of him going through all of the events that had taken place. It was believed that Eren had been through a lot that would drive anyone to change in many different ways, but Eren still held on true and strong.
Levi walked by indicating that the meeting was over.
"We should go over maneuvering plans," he said to her.
"Actually Levi, I'm going to have to do that with you a little later. There are some things I would like to go over with the Commander first," she replied standing up and straightening herself out.
"Alright. I'll be in the study when you're ready," he replied walking away.
Lana said goodbye to Eren and made her way to Erwin's office. She wanted to tell Erwin what had happened between the two of them. It was something that should be brought up as soon as possible. However, she was going to leave out the uncertainties that she felt about Eren's current conditions.
She made her way and saw that the door was open slightly. When she had opened the door more it made a small creak. The creak caused Erwin to look up from his paper work. There was another person in the room who was writing some stuff down. Considering how Erwin had lost his arm he had yet been able to fully re-train himself to be able to write properly. This prompted the need for an assistant to help him out in matters such as this. The soldier was younger and filled with a form of hope. They gazed at Lana with curiosity as she entered the room.
"Commander," Lana said quietly.
"Lana, I'm glad you're here. There is something I need to discuss with you."
"Likewise sir. Although I was hoping that the matters of our discussion would remain private," she said looking over at the assistant.
It took the person a minute or two to realize what Lana had meant. They frantically gathered there things and quickly made their way out of the room.
"Now that we are alone…" Lana began.
"May I speak first," he cut her off.
She was slightly caught off guard but allowed him to continue.
"I want to thank you for your work. Needless to say that these times have been troublesome for everyone. I can only imagine what they are like for someone who isn't from here."
"Granted it has been a whirlwind of chaos, but I am thankful for the times that are shared."
"I want to give you something for the hard work and efforts that you have provided in our efforts," he stood up from his chair and walked over to a cabinet. Inside was a wrapped up item, it was long and thin. He pulled it out and handed it to her with a smile on his face. Once she had grabbed a hold of it, she began to unwrap the cloth. It was thin double edged long sword. She gazed upon it as it shone in the light. She was amazed by the gesture and was beginning to regret what was going to come next.
"Thank you sir, but I don't deserve this."
"Nonsense. I saw that you had broken the rapier after the uprising and I felt that a replacement was needed."
When everyone had returned and things began to become normal Lana had grabbed a hold of the rapier. The rapier was given to her by Nicholas when she was training under him as a swordsman. The anger and the sadness that came from it was a grim reminder of her past. In her efforts to forget the things that were haunting her every day she decided to take a step and remove something that rooted her to the reminders. She had taken the rapier outside and destroyed it. It was painful for her as she remembered the fond memories that were attached to it, but was grateful to final remove it out of her life.
"You saw that huh?" she replied quietly as she examined the metal of the blade.
"Things are needed to be done in order to move on."
The two fell silent as Lana got up and began to swing the sword around.
"It's made out of similar materials as the dual blades. It's strong enough to cut the flesh of a titan and yet light enough to be able to swing with one hand. It's also durable and less likely to break like the dual blades you're used to."
"I can't thank you enough Commander."
"Please there is no need for formalities here at a time like this."
"Erwin, thank you," she replied with a smile.
She then remembered the real reason why she was there to begin with. As she was about to sit down, Erwin had handed her a sheath for the sword that was hidden underneath his desk. It was a beautiful black sheath with the ore from the church creating a border around the edges. Down the middle of the sheath was dark blue stones with the emblem of the Survey Corps in the center of it. As she sheathed the blade it pained her.
Lana sat down in the chair and stared into the blue eyes of her Commander. He stared back with such excitement and hope that it nearly broke her.
"Erwin, the reason why I am here is to discuss my future with the Survey Corps."
"Is that so?"
"I'm going to be honest and inform you of the truth," she paused as she became reluctant. "When I first joined the Survey Corps it was for my own benefit. I wanted to use you to get to the truth of my lineage and what happened. When I got what I wanted, I was going to leave."
"I know."
Shockingly she stared at him. "You…you knew?"
"I've known since the minute I saw you. You were only looking out for yourself and what you wanted. But then I noticed things were beginning to change. Am I right?"
She quickly broke her eye contact with him as she looked down at her hands. She was ashamed of herself and what she was.
"The more I began to grow alongside the Survey Corps and the soldiers, the more I began to realize that I can't keep holding on to my past anymore. I wanted to move on ahead. Yes I still want to know what happened to my own people, but I no longer feel like it will have an impact on my life and the way it is now. The soldiers, no, more specifically the 104th recruits have taught me that there is something more to life than the past. There is a brighter future up ahead and if you don't fight for that, then what's the point."
"You began to redirect your goal. You no longer were here for the truth of your past."
"Correct. I want to be able to finally let go and live a normal life. If I find out what happens then I find out, but if I don't then that's the way it's going to be."
"And what defines a normal life to you?"
"Actually, that brings me to the main point," she replied reaching into her jacket.
She pulled out a piece of folded paper and handed it to Erwin. He unfolded it on the desk and began to read what was written on it.
"This letter should speak for itself. But I want to be able to live my life as a regular citizen something I never really have had the chance to. I want my own house, to sleep in my own bed, and maybe even have a family to call my own."
"So you say that once all of this is over you are going to live that normal life?" he asked looking up at her.
"Yes."
"If you think that that's what normal is for you I will not stop you. However, if you should change your perception of normal then we will discuss the further possibilities of your duties within the Survey Corps."
She nodded as she could sense the slight irritation that came from him. The excited and hopeful eyes that were staring at her had turned to sadness and anger. She knew right away that she hurt his feelings.
"Before I go," she began to say quietly, "I just want to make one request."
"I'm listening."
"I wish to not use a vertical maneuvering equipment during the operation."
"And why is that?"
"I feel it to be a waste of materials if I happen to shift."
"And you are sure that you will have to?"
"With our current knowledge on the conditions of Shiganshina I am almost positive that I will need to at some point during the ordeal." She lifted up the sword that was given to her, "I only wish to go in with this."
"Very well. If that's what you wish to do, then so be it. Is there anything else?"
She remembered Eren, "Yes there is actually. Can you keep an eye on Eren Yeager? I feel that there is something not right. I can't exactly explain it but there is something weird going on. He and I were having a discussion with each other and well upon contact with our foreheads was when something happened. I began to see memories that I believe are within Eren. I feel like this may have to do with the injections that he received. So just, for his sake please do help keep an eye on him. It does have me worried a little."
"Of course," he replied.
The meeting had ended as Lana quickly made her way out of the office. She equipped the new sword around her belt as she hurriedly made her way into the study. Levi was awaiting her arrival as he sat in the desk with maps and papers covering it. He looked at her in silence as she walked in. Lana told him everything in regards to Eren and the sword that was given to her. The only part she refused to tell him was about the letter that she had given to Erwin. She felt that telling him about it now would result in a conversation that she was in no mood to deal with.
A plan of action was created for the squad as Levi went over what they would be doing upon their arrival at Shiganshina. Now that Lana was no longer going to be wearing her maneuvering device the original plan was altered. She was now to be by Erwin's side guarding him at all times. She was also to be up on the wall with him allowing her to have a larger view if anything were to appear. Once the holes of both walls were covered, it was Lana's job to count how many titans would be present within the district and keep track of all the ones that would be killed as they would reclaim Shiganshina.
Levi was worried for Erwin's safety. He spoke with him prior to Lana's meeting with him and had tried to convince him to stay behind during the operation. His efforts were meaningless as Erwin refused to back down and pull himself out despite his current condition. With Lana no longer participating in the operation as previously expected, Levi saw this as a great opportunity to keep the Commander safe.
The night before the operation was to commence had finally come. Their hard work was going to finally pay off. As a way to thank everyone and bring the spirits of the regiment up, a special dinner was prepared for everyone. An excessive amount of meat was purchased from the Reeves Company and was prepared in a banquet. Everyone was thrilled to see the amount of food that was present. A commotion was broken out the minute that Sasha had seen the copious amounts of meat. She went crazy and was hard to control at the sight of the meat to the point where the others had to tie her to a post. This was to prevent her from taking all of the food and allowing everyone to get their fair share.
Lana sat with Levi as the two decided to share their meal together and away from the rest of the squad. Lana watched the others yelling and screaming at each other in excitement, anger, and more.
"I don't think I've ever seen them this lively before," Lana proclaimed as she took a bite of her roast.
"I didn't think that could get any louder," Levi replied.
Jean and Eren stood up from their seats and began yelling at one another. They had each other held by the collar as the two stood in a hostile stance.
"There they go again," Lana said as she rested her head on her hand leaning on the table.
"Do you think they'll ever get along?"
"They're teenage boys, of course not."
"Tch"
"Come on I bet you were like that at one point in your life."
The two began to throw punches at each other. It had become apparent that neither of them were going to let up the argument.
Lana let out a sigh as she shook her head at the sight.
"I stopped them the last time, it's your turn. I mean that is your squad after all," she said looking over at Levi.
Levi rolled his eyes as he got up from his seat. He made his way over to the table as Mikasa took notice. She calmly continued eating her meal as she let Levi handle the situation. He called to the two who were fighting and immediately broke the fight. He stopped them by punching Jean in the stomach and kicking Eren in his. Both of them ended up on the ground.
Lana laughed at the moment but did feel some sympathy for the two. Nobody liked the idea of having to face Levi's wrath and punishment. He came back and finished his meal. Not too long afterwards Lana could see Mikasa, Armin, and Eren heading out as the others remained.
"Hey Levi, this is just a thought so bear with me on it. Don't you think it would be kind of nice to talk to those three? I mean we are going back to their home town, it would be kind of nice to make sure that they are at least ok."
"Why don't you do it?"
"I'm going to stick around and make sure the others don't get themselves into any more trouble."
"You can be a pain sometimes."
"Bite me," she replied as he began to follow the Shiganshina trio.
Lana retired to her room for the night as she wanted to get as much rest as she could before they headed out the following morning. When she returned to the room she had found Sigi walking about without any crutches.
"Sigi!" Lana said with surprise when she saw her.
What she noticed was that Sigi was wearing her uniform as she was walking around the room.
"Oh, Lana you're back already."
"What's going on?" Lana asked.
"I'm coming with you guys! I managed to get clearance from the doctor!" she proclaimed with excitement.
"Yeah, but I thought you wanted to stay behind not be in the front lines!" Lana yelled in concern for her roommate.
"I did give it some thought and I decided that I can't let you guys hog all of the fun. I'm being put back in Hange's squad, isn't that great!" she replied with a smile on her face.
"As long as you're happy I guess, and if it's what you want. Just be careful out there ok. I know just by the limping that you aren't one hundred percent yet."
Sigi gave a giggle in reply with a cheerful smile.
The following morning finally came. Everyone was walking around anxious for what was to come. They were gearing themselves up for the travels dawning the wings of liberty proudly on their uniforms. They made their way to the district where they were to head off once their supplies had been prepared. Last minute preparations were made, such as gathering a few more rations and making sure all of the gear was tuned properly. A couple of the engineers had volunteered themselves to join them to ensure that the proper maintenance on equipment was being handled. Although all soldiers were trained on how to properly dismantle and repair their maneuvering gear, there were a select few who were able to do it with precision and speed. They became the engineers for each division and were set on creating and fixing larger equipment as well as maintaining individual devices. It was crucial for everyone that everything was functioning properly.
One of the engineers was helping in the process of lifting the wagons and horses over to the other side of the wall. At that time the sun was just starting to set. The plan was to head out at a time where the titans would be least active. Through studies it was apparent that titans needed sunlight in order to be active with the exception of a few abnormal ones.
The engineer that was guiding the pulley system started to struggle a little as the weight of the wagon had become too much for him to handle. The lift began to drop at a faster rate risking the supplies that was on it. Lana quickly grabbed a hold of the lever that the man was trying to control. With the two of them working together, they were able to slowly regain control over the lift and gently lower it to the ground.
"Thanks for your help," he replied wiping his brow.
"No problem at all," she said with a smile.
He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a piece of hard candy on a stick. He calmly put it in his mouth and stared down below to make sure the wagon was alright. He could see the two soldiers down below pulling it off and giving the ok to raise the lift again.
"Hey Spencer, I always see you with candy. Where do you even get them from?" Lana asked.
"These? I make them myself. Shops can never get them the way I like them so I just started making my own. Why do you want one?"
Lana declined the offer and left the engineer to go about his work. The horses and the wagons were all lifted over the wall and prepared to set out for the expedition. Lana solemnly gazed at the sunset as she could feel the tension between the others rise exponentially. Everyone was getting their minds ready for the turmoil that they were about to face. She could even see Sigi draping her cloak over her soldiers. Her normal smile was not present as she wore a harsh expression on her face. As she looked around, she could see that Sigi wasn't the only one. Her jaw dropped in amazement at all of the soldiers as they prepared themselves. It then dawned on her that this was her very first official expedition. She had no clue what to expect but assumed the worse after the stories she had heard.
Their superiors were returning from their meeting with the commanders of the other factions and the director himself. As they were being lifted up to the wall she could see people down below gathering. She couldn't exactly make out any faces but there was something about the people that was different. It was when they called out that she realized who it was. The Reeves Company and a few of the citizens had gathered to the wall to cheer the Survey Corps.
Levi, Hange, and Erwin had made their way on top of the wall as the crowd below were cheering for them. Lana looked over at the Commander unsure of how to respond let alone how he would take the display of kindness. On the other side of her, she could hear the yelling of determination coming from the 104th. The others were surprised by what was going on as more and more people gathered down below. Before Lana had known that the Survey Corps had become disliked amongst the people and often faced verbal brutality from the citizens. It was nice to be able to feel the strength and faith of the people down below.
Commander Erwin raised his sword in response to the cheers and let off a loud yell. The 104th stopped their cheering in sight of their commander. The send-off was something that the Survey Corps hadn't experienced in years. The entire brigade followed their valiant leader as everyone on the wall raised their swords as they strived for victory. Tensions were lowered as everyone began to grow confident towards what they were about to face. Everyone was lifted over the wall. Once they mounted their horses, they set out towards Wall Maria.
It had grown dark late at night when they reached a forest. They used the stones from the church as a light source to see where they were going as they slowed their pace. A lot of the soldiers had dismounted their horses and begun to walk while others remained. It had been hours before anyone had seen a titan in the forest as some had grown impatient. A fraction of the soldiers were growing anxious as they had wanted to be at the district where as the others were trying to remain calm fearing that they would confront a titan while in the forest.
Lana could hear Jean and Mikasa informing Eren that he should rest to save his energy. Lana thought to herself that rest was not such a bad idea. As soon as she thought that, a titan was spotted. Immediately those closest to it were not hesitant to draw their blades, however upon realizing that the titan was inactive was when they continued. The creature remained still not acknowledging them as they calmly and quietly passed it. Lana approached the Commander for permission to rest in one of the wagons to save up her energy in case of an emergency. He agreed that it was an excellent idea. She approached the nearest wagon and jumped in as it continued to move at its pace.
She unclipped her sword from her harness and placed it next to her. Lana leaned on the back of the wagon and gazed up at the cloudy sky. She couldn't make out any stars, it was only darkness. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head far enough to block out any light that may be directed at her from those walking near the wagon. As she sat there, she thought about the outcome of the expedition. This caused her to become sick to her stomach. The sound of someone else jumping up into the wagon prompted her to look up.
Levi sat next to her and pulled the hood of his own cloak over his face to conceal his eyes. Lana looked over at him without a word. She turned back and made herself more comfortable.
"There is a possibility that one of us may…"Levi began to speak.
Lana already knew what he was going to say and decided to cut him off, "I know there is."
They sat in silence for a while.
"Levi can you promise me something?" she asked pulling the hood of her cloak off so that she could properly see him.
He did the same and turned to face her.
"Can you promise to move on with your life in case I die? I want you to be able to be happy."
Levi turned away from her hurt at the idea of her dying.
"And you're so sure you'd die?"
"I almost did once before, remember. Just promise that you won't hold what happens to me against yourself alright. If I die that's all I would want, just for you to move on and be happy."
"And what if I die?" he asked hanging his head down refusing to look at her.
"Well, I suppose you'd probably want the same. There will always be a place for you in my heart. But I can't let what could have been haunt me."
They were silence once again as Lana pulled her hood back over her eyes. She leaned firmly on the back of the wagon and brought her knees to her chest.
"Once all of this is over, if I make it out alive I'm resigning from the Survey Corps," she said bringing her knees closer.
"What!" Levi proclaimed abruptly turning towards her. "Why?"
"I want to be able to live a normal life Levi. I never really realized it before, but the one thing I really wanted most in my life was to be able to live a normal one," she was quiet for a moment before continuing, "Would you come with me?"
Levi thought about her question as he lifted one knee up and placed his arm on it. As he was quiet, Lana hugged her knees pressing them firmly up against her chest as she waited for his response.
"No," he replied.
His response hurt her. "Why?"
"Because my life here is a normal life. The normal life of a soldier in the Survey Corps. What people define as normal is up to them. To me this is normal. People call me Humanity's Strongest Soldier just like how they call Eren Humanity's Greatest Hope, or how Mikasa has the strength of a thousand men. I've even heard a few of the soldiers call you Humanity's Guardian. Hearing stuff like this has become normal to me just like many things. Stay or don't. What you do is what you consider to be normal. But for now, let's just take what we have."
The words pierced through Lana's heart. Tears swelled in her eyes as she felt his warm hand on hers. She let go of her legs as they flopped straight. She held onto Levi's hand believing that this was going to be one of the last moments she was going to share with him. He firmly held onto hers trying his best to comfort her as he realized what was going on. Although, nothing could change, the fact that the end was drawing near. She wanted to tell Levi how she truly felt hoping that things may change.
"Levi," she was hesitant as she firmly held onto his hand, "I….lo…" the wagon jolted preventing her from continuing.
It was finally announced that they were drawing near Shiganshina. Everyone had quickly grabbed a hold of their horses and mounted them. Lana with tears in her eyes quickly reattached her sword and left Levi for her horse. The moment was gone as everyone had become focused on the matters at hand.
The sun had risen when they finally reached Shiganshina. More than two months had passed since the day that Bertolt and Reiner were revealed as traitors. More than two months since Annie Leonhart had been captured and detained. More than two months since Ymir had revealed her shifting powers and left the Survey Corps. More than two months since Historia Reiss had taken the throne as queen. It had been more than two months since Lana was found and brought into this new world. Although striving to learn the history of her past, she was torn apart by her desires of living the normal life that she had dreamed of. Now she was conflicted with the idea of losing the person that she loved, the very person that helped bring her into this new world. Although she wanted to tell him how she felt she believed that things would remain the same. The concept of what was normal.
She shook off all of her thoughts as she made her way into the district alongside the rest of the Survey Corps. This was the moment that would define everything for them. It would decide the fate of humanity and uncover the mysteries of the titans. It would define the outcome of the future that lies ahead.