CHAPTER 25

The cart swayed lazily from side to side. Sunset had disappeared hours before and the squad was now travelling with torchlight over a familiar, however not frequently used path to the Erhmich District. The cart itself was considerably full with both Hange and Levi, Eren, Armin and Mikasa and finally, Pastor Nick who sat stiffly between the superior soldiers.

The journey had been tense due to the breach in the Wall, however no further information had been collected as of yet. The runners had been dispatched at the same time of their departure and as the Captain sat quietly, gaze lowered and pistol at the ready, he couldn't stop thinking of whether they were already on their way back to their designated locations.

Conversation had been no more than confirming that threats did not work on the senior man, rather that he would die over releasing his secrets. It was no new information to the Captain, so he sat idly with his pistol cocked and ready if needed.

He raked his mind over the quickest means of travel to the surrounding towns and buildings near the base that held the secluded regiment. The male had surveyed most locations outside of the Wall and thanks to skills honed over many years of survival, he could surmise approximate times for the runners to reach their locations.

Levi had doubts, though.

He did not know what Erwin's suggestions were capable of, especially the newbies. The Commander was not one to throw incapable soldiers into a situation as severe as this, however the blond man was known to use up soldiers for his missions like gas in their canisters.

Levi was acutely aware that his superior was a very intelligent man and likely would not allow for an inferior solider to handle this situation – as far as he knew, Erwin had some sort of interest in Juno, it was just that he hadn't identified what it was yet – so at the very least, the older man would have suggested the best cadet's as he would likely hope to gain something from the female by keeping her alive.

Levi growled lowly. The pastor glanced him but said nothing.

It was a trait he did not appreciate in Erwin. The driven soldier was willing to do and use anything and everyone for the cause.

The grip on his weapon tightened as he noted the dim lights of Erhmich in the distance. This meant that the runners were likely reaching their allocated destinations at the same time.

"Do we… do we know if they've been found yet?" Nick suddenly asked. Pairs of eyes rose to meet his strained expression.

"We know as much as you. We've been in the same slow cart the entire time," Armin deadpanned. "If you have anything to say, you better say it soon because we're almost there."

The pastor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Lips pursing, he chose silence.

Levi snarled, eyes flashing and anger threatening to dispel through harsh actions. "If I find out that the information you're keeping could have saved them, her, your life will end before you can so much as mutter a prayer," Levi remained leveled, terrifyingly calm as his slate orbs pierced through the quivering man. "You best hope that they return."

"She will return." Nick announced through chattering teeth.

Shrieks and cries pummeled through her ears. Wails of pain and pleas, words morphing into sounds someone should never hear. Liquid sloshed and splattered in waves hitting the lower walls.

Juno stood frozen, eyes blurred out as she watched the titans tear Mike apart. Her chest was tightly constricted, forgetting to breath precious oxygen. The ringing in her ears was so powerful, only the sound of her friends death cries could pierce through.

She could not see him properly nor could she bring the brain power to her limbs to move, to make a choice.

Something inside the female cracked as another piercing scream hit her like a ten-ton slab of concrete.

"Do you remember what it was like before you joined the Corps?" Juno asked as she sat back into the cushioned seat. Mike appeared indifferent as he lightly grasped the mug of ale in his large hand. He then said with a slight frown, "I'm not 100 years old, Juno. I do remember my younger years."

The brunette chuckled, bringing a bent knee up to rest against her torso whilst her other leg hung freely from the bench as normal. She then wrapped one arm around it to secure her bent leg in place.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it!" She jested, laughing deep in her throat as she brought a drink to her lips and took a hefty swig. When she was done, she lowered the mug and asked, "I know that you grew up in a modest home, neither rich or living in the slums. Tell me something."

The senior soldier seemed to consider her closely. They both sat alone in the mess hall, adjacent to the fire place. Erwin had allowed for the regiment to have the evening off after having the troops serve for forty-eight days straight. Many of the soldiers went home to visit their families or chose to relax in the local taverns. Some even decided to stay on base and finish their personal errands such as laundry or mending torn uniforms.

Juno had chosen to stay on base. At first she had played with her dog. When the giant mutt was over running back and forth, which was not uncommon for the dog as it was deeply spoilt by the other soldiers and now suffered weight gain, the pair moved back inside. Upon dropping Boo back at her personal living quarters, the brunette headed to the mess hall to collect some drinking water.

This is where she ran into Mike, who was quietly having an ale and staring thoughtfully into the dying fire.

She hadn't asked to join him, but rather sat down and poured herself a drink without a second thought. "Levi's doing reports," she had informed. "Nobody wants to watch that man swear angrily at a piece of paper."

An hour had now passed and now she sat expectantly watching him.

"Well, as you said – I grew up in a modest home. When I was fourteen, I joined the Corps," Mike began, gently tapping his finger on the rim of the mug. "Some would consider this late, as the joining age is as low as 12 now."

"What was your first titan kill like?" She asked, leaning forward with anticipation.

"Scary," Mike replied softly, his corn flower eyes dancing over the dusting of freckles that graced the bridge of her nose and disappeared over her cheeks. "But I managed. It was a 10 meter class, just outside of the Wall."

"Did you freeze up or was it easy?" Juno asked.

Mike stared at her, considering her question. At times he forgot that she was in fact, a Foreigner. She simply did not know.

"It was… difficult. My wires had tangled and I hung from a water tower," Mike recalled as the memories resurfaced. "I also ran out of gas. I was young and inexperienced – not entirely sure how to use my heavy body weight to my advantage and instead just using the gas entirely."

"What did you do?"

"It ran at me and for a moment, I considered my last dying breathes," the older soldier breathed. With a sigh, he continued, "but at the last minute, I heard my own voice telling me to fight. So I did – I swung and ran along the barrel of the water tower, dodged it's hand and used my own weight to propel myself onto its neck. With one blow, it collapsed. Erwin arrived and helped me back to the Wall."

"You… heard your own voice telling you to fight?" Her brown orbs shone with gold.

Mike blinked several times. "Yeah, I think so. There's no room for both mankind and titans. Ever since then, I just kept fighting."

Juno remained still, watching him carefully as she mouthed quietly, "Just keep fighting."

With a war cry, the brunette threw herself off the edge and fired a wire directly into the back of the tallest titan. The titans lifted their attention to the fast-moving figure pistoling from side to side, unable to keep up with the wafting smoke left behind her.

Her knuckles clasped at the blade she collected from the base, the metal slowly turning orange from the immense inferno rising from the brunette. Using the taller titan as leverage, Juno swung down and landed on the back of a shorter titan and swiped the blade across the back of its neck.

Smoke and heat sent the blade seamlessly through titan flesh, leaving a whistling sound in its wake.

A large hand reached out to grab her but Juno brought out her second blade and driving herself towards the titan, she spun quickly like the rotating blades of a propeller. Combined with the already searing blade, both weapons sliced its hand into pieces that fell to the ground.

Roaring with anger, Juno ran up its arm and sliced the blade across its neck. The filth stifled its movements, falling slowly with the petite figure riding it down.

In the distance, Pati was approaching the sound of titans collapsing. She had ridden her horse to its maximum capacity for more than an hour, arriving to the base within a time frame unheard of.

When she had noticed the entire camp had abandoned the site, the eager soldier calculated the nearest buildings. Without missing a beat, she drove her horse towards the fallen mill.

It had only taken the determined woman a short while to scale the plains and reach the small tree line surrounding the area. It was at this moment she forced her horse to halt immediately, gasping as the large, haired titan strolled past her without so much as glancing in her direction.

Crouching in the shrubbery, the female waited a moment before heading towards the consistent crashing sounds. Leaving the haired titan behind her, Pati finally reached the last set of trees.

Gasping, she froze.

Pati had seen the Foreigner once or twice before. The first was during the Graduation ball. The second time she had seen the unusual woman was when she had run down the main street when the 57th had returned.

But now as the seasoned woman peered fearfully upwards, the Foreigner was glowing waves of heat and steam, fighting wildly like a caged animal. Juno's uniform was partially scorched from her body – her standard mid-length shirt was now clinging to her body by several measly strands, her fitted pants now had large patches of burn holes and the blades grasped tightly in her hands were now chipped down three times, burning brightly like a freshly forged sword.

It was at this moment that Pati saw the mangled form of Mike Zacharius within her eye line. He appeared still, motionless on the ground in a pool of blood. Biting back a cry, she sank her horse back into the tree line, unsure of what to do.

Juno threw herself upwards once more, screaming wildly as she brought a blade deep into the neck of a titan. It snapped suddenly, now to the hilt. At this very moment, her dark eyes flicked past the beast and widened as they fell upon the figure hiding behind an old, birch tree. Gasping, Juno lost her footing. The scalding heat dispelling from her body finally burnt through her harness and Juno was thrown into the air.

She shouted, completely unsuspecting before being tossed directly into the waiting hand of the same tall titan.

With fearful eyes, Pati watched the titan extend its jaw open and swallowed Juno whole.

She was gone.

The titan seemed to bask in a satisfying meal, turned slowly and strolled away into the trees behind the building.

What do I do?

Not a single drop of blood to so much as determine Juno had been consumed.

She had been eaten whole.

And as the experienced woman struggled to choose her next decision, a fraction of movement caught her eye. The distracted titans seemed to lower their gazes, all three of them – the small, bug-eyed thing, a medium sized male and a child-like female – to the mangled man since forgotten due to the pint-sized female flying around their heads only moments before.

Mike gave a long, pained groan.

"He – he's alive!" Pati gasped, bewildered at the sight of an old companion lifting his heavy arm to claw at a patch of grass. He pulled his iron body away from the titans with little success.

Pati burst from the tree line, immediately drawing both blades and propelling herself into the air with such vigor and accuracy, the first titan didn't realise it was almost decapitated until it stumbled forward and hit the ground.

Releasing a powerful roar, she swung up and threw herself down, tearing through the bug-eyed giant with ease before it could grasp its disproportioned fingers around what was left of Mike's legs.

With one final use of her 3DMG, Pati took a sharp turn and took down the final titan.

Throwing down to the ground, the woman almost lost her footings as she scanned the area frantically for more titans. Once she was certain no more were within her range, the female rushed to Mike, who now lay motionless in enough blood to fill a bath tub.

Hands shaking, she used her entire body weight to push the giant man over and onto his back. A small yet audible groan left his pale lips.

A fraction of relief rose in Pati at the sound of life escaping the soldier. Lifting his head gently, she placed it in her lap and bit back a pained cry as corn flower orbs met her gaze.

"Pat – Pati?" His voice was nothing more than a whisper amongst a storm of silence.

"Hey Big Bear," Pati managed to say with a saddened smile. A thin, line of blood slipped from his lips, running slowly down his chin. "Been a long time. Never thought our next encounter would be like this."

Mike blinked slowly, peering uncertainly up at her with dying light in his eyes.

"T- this means word reached the Wa – " His sentence cut short as he broke into a cough. Splatter of blood skimmed down his chin and to his side. Stupid idiot, Pati thought to herself as the man below her struggled to gain composure. Even when he's dying, he still covers his mouth when he coughs. Mike gasped and in a hoarse voice, continued, "Erwin… he knows… that's… you here."

"Yeah, and I'm going to get you out of here," Pati declared, her tone deepening with indignation. "I'm going to bring the horse over. Your legs are fucked."

"M- meat grinder," Mike snickered before letting out a groan, eyes rolling into the back of his head as the woman shifted as gently as possibly to lay his head on the ground. "T-thought I'd die a soldiers –"

"Shut up, Mike," Pati hissed as she brought the horse over. She encouraged the giant beast to lower itself until it was practically laying down next to Mike. With immense difficulty, Pati used Mike's harness to attach him to the saddle, then studied the situation quickly. After a moment she announced, "We have two options. I can severe the bleeding using free straps. This means from the knee down, you'll have two useless meat-sacks hanging from your body for a two-hour ride back to the Wall. It'll be difficult to keep you in place, but the weight of your legs will keep you on the horse."

"And…"

"Option two, I cut both off just below the knee, burn the stumps and wrap you up. You've already lost enough blood for two people – had it not been for your abnormally large body, you'd be dead by now."

"One - one. Maniac –"

Pati pursed her lips, moving quickly to fasten straps around his legs. "You can't see what I see! I hate to bring it to you, but you aren't going to be the tallest man in the Regiment anymore if you make it back alive."

With a hefty pull, Pati secured the straps around the remnants of his legs. Mike suddenly thrived with life, screaming in immense torture as the pain seared through his body. Pati slapped a hand over his mouth, gazing sympathetically at her old comrade, her old flame.

"I know, I'm sorry," Pati whispered as the man convulsed briefly before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he blacked out. Pati sighed, eyeing the blood that eased up as she tightened once more.

With quick fingers, she tore her jacket from her shoulders and shredded up the material into pieces of bandage. Quickly making use of her immediate first-aid kit, the soldier tied off the gaping wounds below his knees, ensuring it was tight enough that what was left of his lower legs were turning blue. Standing up and wiping her hands on her now dirtied pants, Pati moved to the other side of the horse and reached over to hold one of Mike's arms.

"Up, up!" She beckoned the horse and on cue, the obedient steed brought itself up with Mike sliding with it. The woman gulped as she used her entire body weight to level the large man into a laying position, one mangled leg on either side.

With determination, she threw herself onto the horse and roughly positioned Mike to be strapped down onto the saddle and to the back of her harness.

"Heyah!" Pati shouted, sending her horse into a powerful gallop. It struggled at first, adjusting to the sudden and heavy weight change but within a minute or two, they were propelling quickly over the plains and back to the Wall.

Pati could feel the moisture breaking through her make-shift bandages and spilling onto the horse, her lower back and thighs.

He didn't have long. And Mike certainly wasn't part of her command.

Pati was instructed to bring Juno back.

There was no Juno.

She didn't know how she would explain how everything transpired.

She wasn't sure how she could explain the circumstances of both Mike and Juno.

What Pati could resolve was that she saved someone – or at least, she would try her best.

Mike was coming back to the Wall.

Sharp, icy air slipped through muscled legs adorned with thick, wiry hair. The atmosphere had shifted suddenly, the sun dropping to a grey orb and the air cracking suddenly that a thin layer of ice began to creep up the cliff and towards the beast standing stiffly at the edge.

The glint bouncing from steel horns became dull as the light dispersed until a dwindling haze. The lush green earth quivered with the cold snap, vibrant green diminishing to a thorny grey.

Baphomet shifted, his shoulders tensing as he sniffed the air sharply.

Rot penetrated his sensitive nasal passage, sending the beast man into a recoil as sudden realization began to dawn on the ancient being.

Snarling, he jolted to peer over his shoulder at the familiar tree line he had perused for years beyond human knowledge. Varying coloured eyes gazed back at him, brows lowered with concern lines appearing across abnormally large brow bones.

The titans of recent past stared at him with declining life, clinging to the trees as the cold, harsh snap moved towards them.

Baphomet shifted, fists clenched tightly as he calculated his next steps.

It had been well over one-hundred years.

The creature had made a promise, an iron clad agreement that he would never return.

His last steps on Earth had caused a great deal of unintentional pain. In human years, this had gone on for longer than an average lifespan and still existed. For a beast as himself, it was merely a blink of an eye.

His shame, the wound that nestled in his heart, was still very much fresh.

Although the deity of sorts was older than time itself, he had learnt the ways of humans during his short stay. As far as he could ascertain, he existed alone for long enough that he gave himself his own name and whispered it into the ears of other beings so he could have some sort of company.

But never did he intend for pain and suffering.

The thin, sheet of ice bit at his hooved feet, bringing the beast from his deep thought.

To break a promise and possibly cause more pain or to take the risk and save the female who can end it all…

Gritting his teeth, the beast lurched forward.

"Okay, so light the candle."

Frowning, I hesitantly brought my attention from the overly excited Hange to the fresh candle wick placed neatly in front of me. Another session had concluded and unlike other days, Hange had spontaneously decided she wanted to complete a training session on the same day. We usually tried to spread the different appointments into varying days so I could have a break or Hange could complete her paperwork, but with the limited time, it looked like she wanted nothing more than to make sure she obtained what she needed.

As I stared at the wick, I sniffed lightly. It didn't bother me in the slightest that my mad-scientist friend was neck deep in knowledge and loved every ounce of it. I was happy to help if it meant I could contribute in some way.

"I'm… not sure how I'm meant to do this," I mumbled, staring at the candle. "You want me to magically light it up? From where I'm sitting? Do I touch it or…"

Hange shrugged from her seated place on the wobbly desk. The furniture shifted with her overzealous movement, causing the irritable male leaning against it to huff lightly.

"We've seen her heat up her actual body," Levi drawled, moving away from the increasingly shaking desk as Hange moved around excitedly. "It's not like she can turn herself into a human fire-blower, Four-Eyes."

Hange wriggled on the furniture once more, glasses glinting under the faint hue of a lantern. "That's the thing, Levi – her temperature would have needed to be approximately one-hundred and fifty degrees Celsius to create third degree burns on those men. She isn't that far off in creating actual flames – so there is no harm is testing her abilities! Maybe Juno will grow strong enough to burn down the titans."

"I don't want to accidentally burn you, though," I muttered with realization at the absurd thought. "And let's not forget how much this messes me around – I blacked out and my temperature dropped a great deal."

Levi's stony stare shifted to Hange as his eyes narrowed, "She almost died."

With pursed lips, Hange let out a sigh and then chirped with conviction, "Look – I'm not asking a lot of Juno. We can try a few times to see if she can light the candle on fire. If it doesn't work, then we leave it for now. I wouldn't put her in danger, Short-stuff."

I hesitantly drew my attention to Levi who studied his fellow Veteran with immense scrutiny. A few seconds passed before he replied with tight lips, "Fine."

Hange whooped triumphantly and threw herself from the desk. Startled, I sank back into my chair as her body suddenly halted in front of me, the tall brunette hunched over the lonesome candle like a hawk about to swoop on a helpless bunny.

"Right!" She declared, glasses glinting as she bit back a manic cackle. "The strategy is this – touch the wick with your index finger. Concentrate only on your index finger touching the tip of the wick and focus all thoughts and energy into sending a jolt of heat – fire – into that one area."

Observing the woman, I nodded at her clear instructions. It was easy enough to lean slightly forward, outstretch my arm and place the tip of my finger on the untouched candle. With precise action, I implemented the task and stared intently at the candle.

I was suddenly aware of how quiet it had become.

In recent past, I was told of how Eren was put under similar testing. Various methods of producing results were put onto the young male, most of which revolved around blood work, scientific sampling and lastly, the goal to control his titan form at will.

As two pairs of eyes – one of which was large as saucers with admirable awe and the other seemingly studying me with such accuracy that should I so much twitch, I was likely going to be forcible removed from the room – I realized that I was going through the same process as Eren.

The sudden need to deliver results seemed to cross my mind as seconds slipped into minutes and nothing had occurred. Was I thinking too much? Was it the fact that I could hear myself breathing?

"You're making her nervous," Levi snapped at Hange. "How is she meant to give you want you want when –"

"It's okay," I mumbled, removing my finger from the wick and rubbing my face to rejuvenate my concentration. "I wasn't focusing. I was… thinking about disappointing you guys."

Hange withdrew slightly and asked, "Disappoint? What do you mean, kiddo?"

With a resigned sigh, I sat back into my chair and pursed my lips. "I guess what I am trying to say is that I was in some pretty shitty situations when this occurred. Before that, it was just a slightly warmer temperature. Other times we've done testing, it's only been concentrating on warming things or normal training. It's just this is a pretty big step and what if I can't do it?"

Hange gave a small gasp, watching me carefully as I sunk lower into my chair and ran my fingers through the loose strands of hair.

"Listen up, brat," I drew my attention upwards, startled by the tone directed at me. Levi had shifted from his placement by the desk, having moved undetected and now standing righteously in front of me. With narrowed eyes and lines of authority gracing his usually smooth features, he snarled, "You've come pretty far so there's no point wallowing in self-pity when you have only had one attempt. Do you think it took one attempt for Eren? No. It took days, weeks and soon, months before he was able to change upon will."

"But you knew he was a titan," I retorted, slightly irritated by his sudden pep-talk. "You saw first-hand what he became and what he was capable of, it was just a matter of being able to control his titan form. But me? We have no idea. I don't know if that was the extent of my skill, which in that case is rather pitiful considering it wipes me out straight after, or if I'm something a whole lot worse that could go completely out of control and burn an entire civilization down!"

Levi continued to stare harshly into my face, not a single movement of breathing or the slow lower of an eye lid. His brow was knitted heavily, forming stern creases across his forehead and subtle lines around lowered eyes. Although the lighting may have contributed to my observations, but as I glared irritated at the ravenette, he appeared older.

The Captain was dressed in his simple white shirt, black trousers and combat boots. Only moments before he was adorned in his complete professional attire as he was still unable to perform his full duty as a soldier, however at the mention of my own training and testing, he promptly removed his jacket and changed his shoes.

It was the soldier in him, the need to be prepared if anything occurred. He wanted to be able to move swiftly without restrictions to his body. His sleeves were now rolled to his elbows, creases forming along the crisp white. It cast small, angled shadows from the dimly lit lantern.

Similarly, as he stared intently towards me and my reasoning began to soften, the shadows cut across his handsome features and although he appeared harsh and unwavering, I wanted to assume he was simply trying to give me the courage I needed.

We knew Levi Ackerman was strict in his choice of words, or none at all. He would display his meaning in actions, whether it be stringent authority upon his subordinates or in the throws of passion as he took my body as I willingly gave it.

"Hm," I shuffled upwards to sit correctly, finally pulling my gaze from Levi. Although he was made of stone, polished wood and a handful of unyielding words, he generally meant the best for those around him. "Okay."

I placed the tip of my finger on the end of the wick and closed my eyes.

Inhaling deeply, I removed the thought of resistance from my mind.

Another deep breath.

Searching the delicate fibers of my memories, I sourced the moments where my body grew hot and my hands flaming. What did I feel? What were my thoughts?

A rattled twitch moved through my arm, shifting my once mobile position for a moment. I didn't think of what was in front of me now that a memory of pure anger and fear began to well in my stomach.

Strawberry blond hair, a dark room and no contact from those I cared about.

A sudden flash of hands holding me down against my own will and I winced, unable to hide the whimper that slipped past my now bared teeth.

I couldn't draw this from fear.

I refused to be scared for the rest of my life.

The thoughts were abruptly forced from my spectrum and with another deep breath, silvery eyes and black lashes flitted past my closed lids. Familiar finger tips weathered by years of battle brushed against my side, resting reassuringly at the base of my lower back.

I squeezed my lids tighter, feeling the strain of my concentration pulsing in my temples.

With bated breath, the sun beat down on my face. I swallowed hard, focusing on the soft chirps of Summer bugs that sang from the tall grass behind the main building of the Scout HQ.

Warmth tickled at my limbs as my lids opened at the sound of grunts, body against body as I met the image of black hair fluttering as a figure swerved, jolted to one side and dodged the large mass of another soldier in training.

His skin was milk against the burning heat that rose from the dry ground. The shrubbery was singed from the growing scorch of a week-long heatwave that washed across the lands, only emphasizing the alabaster forearms that moved across his small frame as Levi placed his hands on his hips and instructed the rookie to move to another partner.

Breathing heavily, a combination of exerting energy and the sun beating down on his body, Levi shot his attention away and met my observant stare. Clumps of black-as-night hair pooled over his hawk-like eyes, narrowed as always as he peered at me from a distance.

He shifted his weight, moving to one side and ran his fingers through the damp locks hanging loosely around his face. It was clear no one else was with me as I stood lonesome from a distance away, admiring the soldier who had become my own.

I could feel a smile building on my lips.

And as I watched him, he blinked several times and the faintest of smirks rose on his mouth. Eyes softening, I felt the radiance emitting from the usually stone-cold man as his cheeks became slightly fuller and as he turned, Levi winked sneakily at me before returning to the training soldiers behind me.

A wave of heat catapulted across my skin, spanning from my middle and out to my limbs. My lids flew open as I gasped, jolting forward as a burst shooting from my hand.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark room. My sight was blinded by the burst that made its way through my body like a fiery kinetic bomb.

A few moments passed and finally, I could see both Hange and Levi standing at the head of table. Hange peered hesitantly, clutching her notes to her chest. I couldn't read her expression as the dim lamp only provided more shadows than I could care for.

Levi had placed both palms on the table, leaning forward as he stared hard at my expression. His brows were slightly risen however knitted so familiarly, but the look in his eyes was something I had not expected.

Pupils large and watching with acute attention, he was both in awe and… proud?

It was then that I lowered my eyes to the candle.

"You… you did it," Hange mustered through a shaky voice. The woman lowered her notes, relaxing as she moved around the table, grin growing more wild with every step. "You did it, Juno!"

It was nothing short of suddenly feeling startled as she approached, my skin becoming clammy. Hange paused, the excitement moving from her features as she glanced quickly to Levi.

The Captain had already moved across the room, lifting a clean, white kerchief and pressing it below my nose. With mild confusion and growing disorientation, I swayed lightly as the muffled sounds of Hange and Levi muttering quickly behind me reached my suddenly blocked ears.

"… she wasn't ready," Levi hissed as I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. "I know you like to push your experiments to the brink, but make her bleed again and I'll –"

"Levi, we didn't know it would happen!" Hange interjected, what I assumed was her own hand now resting on my other shoulder. "And Eren had the same reaction the first time he forced his skill to rise without using anger."

Attentively, I brought my hand to Levi's, which was pressing the kerchief to my nose. Their voices became still as I removed his grip and lowered the material to inspect it. Droplets of ruby, red littered across the once perfect accessory belonging to the Captain.

"I feel a little uneasy," I mumbled and lifted the item back to my nose. "But I think I'm okay."

"See, Levi!" Hange chirped, squeezing my shoulder. "She can do it. We need to train her up a bit more and go from there."

I couldn't see his expression but I could only imagine the severity in how much a human could convey their irritability into an expression without acting on their emotions. As my skin began to feel less clammy, the droplets disappearing and my sight adjusting to the room once more, I blocked out the hushed conversation occurring behind me and lifted my attention to the candle once more.

Not only had it caught light, but the once cylinder shaped wax had melted at such an alarming rate whilst catching on fire that it appeared to explode across the entire table.

And sitting where the candle had once been, a small dent still lightly burning like a miniature fire pit.

What am I…

A/N: Hello everyone!

I hope everyone has been well :)

I have been so chockas with work, studies and soon I am moving out with my partner. It's been a whirlwind recently, but don't worry - I haven't forgotten this story!

There was a bit of chop-change in this chapter to benefit some upcoming story lines, so I do apologize if you found this a little confusing.

I also strayed from canon and I just had to... And there will be some secondary character development as I just feel that my love for these characters, they deserve a bit more fanfic time, ya know?

I promise I will be pulling some more feels from you... so don't fret if you are a bit bummed about canon, because you gonna get them feels real soon, son.

I am also cross-eyed from staring at a computer for most of a 24hr day thanks to work and studies, so I hope my small errors aren't too bad! There is only so much proof reading I can do, bleh.

Who's keen as beans for season 3? Did you see Levi's neck muscles in the promo... excuse me while I take a hit from the defibrillator ha.

I hope you guys are still enjoying this... please drop me a review to let me know your thoughts - It sounds silly, but it does drive me to pump out more words knowing that it makes someone happy :)

xxx