Lana made her way down to the barracks. As she walked through the halls, she could hear every creak in the floorboard after each step. It was a discomforting sound, as it was the only sound she could hear.
As she approached the room, she was welcomed to the dim dust filled light. Her room hadn't changed at all since the last time she was there. It seemed that no one had taken residence during her absence. She placed her bag on the floor and proceeded to open a window to let in some fresh air.
The quietness was eerie. She turned to the empty bed next to her were her prior roommate used to reside in. She recalled her having to sit there for days after breaking her leg in the fight against Kenny Ackerman's gang. The young girl's life was lost in a battle against Marley protecting the outermost region of Paradis.
Lana laid down her ceremonial cloak on the bed in a neat fold to commemorate the lost comrade. She regretted never telling her goodbye the day she left the troops to pursue her new life. Then again, she never really said her goodbyes to many of them.
There was a small knock in the doorway. Lana turned to see Mikasa standing there. Her hair was much shorter than Lana remembered and it seemed that she had matured into a very capable woman.
"May I come in?" she asked.
"Of course," Lana gestured into the room.
Although Mikasa was always a part of her team, she never really got close to her. The two only shared in training regiments as they would often practice sparring with one another. They never really shared much else between each other.
"Is there something you need?" Lana asked.
"I'm not sure," Mikasa replied.
Lana had always depicted Mikasa as a strong person with motives, but the person before her seemed much different. She was quiet and kept her head down.
"Then, why come?" Lana questioned.
"I don't know," she replied quietly.
Lana approached Mikasa and grabbed a firm grasp on her shoulder.
Mikasa's eyes met Lana's. Her eyes were questioning everything that was going on around her.
"Fight," Lana stated.
It was clear that Mikasa questioned Lana.
"That's all you can do, is fight. Whether it is physically fighting someone, or fighting for what you believe in, or whatever it is that you need to do. You need to continue doing what you feel is right. Don't let anyone pull you against that. You need to move forward and beyond the past."
Mikasa remained silent as her eyes widened. Although she hadn't said anything, Lana knew exactly what must have been going through her mind. She tried the best she could to pull the words from her own mind. It was words that kept her going through. She moved from her shoulder and grabbed her face with both hands. She embraced her inner being and began to loudly share the words that were once told to her.
"We are all going through the same thing that you are. Don't be wallowing in your self-pity and act like the solider that you are. We are Ackerman's and we do not take shit from anyone. So I want you to go out there and fight a good fight. Fight for yourself and only yourself."
It was clear that the words had to have some sort of meaning to Mikasa as the fuel began to return into her. The fire was lit in her eyes as she gave a formal salute to Lana and promptly began to leave the room.
Lana returned to the window as if nothing had happened and gazed out to the courtyard below. Once again silence fell as there was nothing around. The Survey Corps barracks within the city was as quiet as ever.
"Things have changed around here," she said to herself.
Instead of wallowing in the silence, Lana decided to make her way to the training room. It was dimly lit as Lana prepared herself for some basic training. Although she had aged, her body had remained in top physical condition. Lana believed that her titan blood had a hand in the matter. However, with the way her body has been treating her, she began to wonder how much time she really had left.
After staring at a bag for what seemed like hours, she proceeded to begin her training regimen. She continued to punch and kick the bag practicing her already honed skills. Her continuous work after her retirement had proved to be detrimental. Thanks to her initial training through the circus and with Levi once she had joined the Survey Corps, her hand to hand combat skilled was something to be well noted on her file as a soldier. Although she was well sought after because of her titan blood, she felt like she could still be of use without her titan powers.
"You fight well for an old geezer," came a familiar voice.
She turned around not realizing how focused she was. Jean was standing not far behind her with a small grin on his face.
"Watch your tongue horse-face. I may have gotten older, but I can still kick your ass."
He shared a laugh with her as he tossed her a canteen of water.
The two sat down as Lana dried the sweat from her forehead.
"Why are you here?" Jean asked.
"It's not like I really had much of a choice. MP's came to the house with letters in hand. They were asking for all hands on deck new and old to be brought in. Even after arguing over the matter, it was clear that in this war, it will be fight or die. And what was my plan of action?"
"Don't you and the Captain have children?"
"You see, that's what I was thinking when they first came to the door. What would happen to the kids if we were to leave? And then it was pointed out, what would happen to the kids and their lives if we were to stay. If we are in a state where every asset is detrimental then what happens if we aren't there. We'd be probably within the masses running for our lives and be a part of the fight. So instead of fighting for just my family, why not fight for the society."
"So you left them behind to be in the war."
Lana shouted, "Why does everyone make me out to be a bad mother! I'm fighting for them and everyone in this god forsaken land. I didn't abandon them, I'm trying to save them!"
Jean realized he had hit a nerve and tried to calm her down, "Relax, I'm not saying you're a bad anything. I just can't believe you managed to find it in you to come back."
Lana was puzzled at this point.
"It's been years since you were last fighting alongside us. You created a whole new life beyond the Survey Corps, and yet here you are back in the barracks as if nothing had ever happened."
Lana looked down at the ground, "That's not exactly true," she turned her head towards Jean and then back down at the ground, "You're right, I created a whole new life outside of the Survey Corps. But my life never really exactly left here. There was still huge pieces of me that were impacted by the military. I had to have regular doctor appointments for studies for one. And for two, I never really got to see my own husband. I mean heck, we had been so far apart from each other it's almost like we don't even really know each other anymore. So ya, I came back. But things will never really be the same."
"Ya," Jean said quietly and looked down at the floor.
"But in the end, things will always be changing. It's up to you to decide how you want to take it. If I want to come in and try to act as normal as possible, then so be it. Besides, look at you. You're so grown up now that I hardly recognize you. And besides," she grabbed a hold of his chin, "What is exactly on your face."
She began to laugh as he pushed her away. The two continued to share a conversation with one another reminiscing on the old days and reflecting upon the memories they had shared. Just like Mikasa, Jean too had matured into a strong individual. She recalled the time when he was paranoid about the Survey Corps, but now the times had changed.
Jean and Lana continued to train together. Jean had become much stronger than Lana remembered. She easily could have out ran him in the past but now she wasn't so sure. Lana began to pull out some of her heightened powers wanting to be stronger than he was, but then began to feel drained after their training. She knelt down onto the ground in a sweat trying her hardest to catch her breath. Jean was considerate for her as he tried to help her sit on the benches. Lana tried to shake it off but knew she had pushed herself a little farther than the usual.
"Lana," came a voice.
Through her slightly blurred vision, she could see Armin standing in the doorway.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, better than ever," she proclaimed with a smile trying to raise her water up.
Armin rushed over, "You don't look fine to me." He tried to lift her up from the seat, "Come on, let's take you to a doctor."
"No please, no more doctors. At least not for a while,"
"I think you're misunderstanding what I'm trying to say. I'm not suggesting you to go to the medical ward. We were instructed to go to the ward."
Lana looked up at Armin to see the straight face he had. He was completely serious on the matter. Lana didn't question it any further as Armin helped guide her to the medical room. Through the halls, Lana was reminded how quiet the barracks had become. She was used to the soldiers walking around and the normal chatter of the halls. Even though the Survey Corps was a smaller division to begin with, time had really taken a toll. There were soldiers present within the halls, but they kept to themselves and only glanced at Lana and Armin. She did not recognize a single person she had passed through the hall.
Once they had reached the room, Xavier was inside with papers in hand. Armin sat Lana on the bench as he sat in a chair nearby.
"Alright, both of you are here. Excellent."
"Look, I'm fine. No more tests, no more I'm done," Lana proclaimed.
"There must be some misunderstanding," Xavier stated putting his papers down. He turned to Armin, "Did you not explain it to her?"
"I felt like it would've been best if you did."
Xavier let out a groan realizing that he had to start from scratch.
Xavier began to explain that he had been conducting research alongside Hange for years in regards to titan shifting capabilities. Although Lana was clearly aware of the matter, what she didn't know was that his primary focus was trying to find a way to extend the life of the Eldian shifters.
The shifters of Eldia, Armin, Reiner, Eren, Annie, and that of the Jaw Titan and Cart Titan only had a matter of thirteen years once they have received the power of the titans. It was then decided that those titan bearers would then pass on their abilities to a successor. However, what if they were able to extend that life span and eradicating what was believed to the Curse of Ymir. Xavier wasn't just trying to see what makes up a titan shifter or a person with titan powers. He was trying to see what could be done about this so called curse.
"And so that's where I need you to come in. I understand that you have a brother and that after your fight on Marley, came into contact with those of Rhea."
"Ya I did find out that I had a brother. It was a bit a traumatic to find it all out in one swoop. And the others are from Rhea, but not all of them are considered shifters."
"Which is fine they don't need to be a part of this. I want you to tell me what you know about your brother and the others," Xavier affirmed grabbing the papers once more.
She began to talk about Cecil. She explained that the two of them were members of the royal Weismann line. Although he couldn't shift, he had the ability to alter someone's mind like she could but at a much stronger level. His partner Clyde and his little brother had powers much like what they saw in the War Hammer titan on Marley. They were capable of constructing objects through sediments within the ground that appeared to be bone like in nature.
"I still don't understand, what exactly do you want?" Lana asked.
"I think your brother might hold some sort of key to unlocking the curse," Xavier shared. "You see, much like the founding titan, he holds onto the ability of that mind. If we can figure out something within that, then maybe she can unlock something that is creating the lifespan limitations. Now with him in particular is hails from a land where the titan blood originated from, much like yourself. Your results can only take us so far."
"I don't understand what do mean it can only take you so far. I myself am a Weismann by blood and therefore I too have the capabilities to change someone's mind."
"That may be true but something just doesn't look right."
"You're like us," Armin spoke up.
"I don't understand," Lana questioned.
"When you came back to us after battle, things were just not adding up. You were getting up there in years, but the only part of you that was truly deteriorating was your titan. You are aging gracefully, but your titan powers seem to be depleting itself at an alarming rate I'm sure you've noticed yourself."
"But that doesn't make any sense at all," Lana began to shout. "Times change, so do people." Lana tried to piece it together herself.
"That's why I want to ask your brother and the others to just go through a few series of tests. Your brother and his partner are older than you and I want to test to see the differences."
Lana obliged to talk with Cecil and Clyde about undergoing a series of tests. Once they go through the tests they would be sent home to Lana's house where Alex was residing with Erwin and Isabel. It was only a matter of speaking with them to ensure that they were willing to go through the tests. She wasn't sure that it was going to go well with Cecil but it was only a matter of asking him to find out.
Armin went with Lana to speak with Cecil as he wanted to see the prince himself to see if may trigger something. Lana was convinced that Armin was just being childish. She figured that if anything were to happen it would have already just by interacting with her alone. The two of them reached the room where they were being held and were greeted by two guards.
"No one is to go in or out," one of the guards said blocking their path.
"Are you being serious?" Armin showed some anger. "The people in that room are representatives of a nation. We could be allies with them, but instead we are treating them like some sort of prisoner!"
Lana calmly placed an arm on his shoulder, "What exactly are you guarding?"
"We are preventing any interaction with the citizens of Rhea. We have been instructed to take the preventative measure due the sheer strength that they possess."
"Right," Lana said with a snarky tone. "Now let me ask you again, what exactly you are guarding. Because if I remember correctly, behind that door should be a circus performer who was part of a notorious group designed for killing and thievery through discrete means, her two children who no doubt are just as skilled as she is. Let's not forget the brother duo who is supposedly known for sleight of hand tricks and are very more than capable of lurking within shadows. Last but not least, did you forget about the person who tagged along with them capable of mind alterations?"
The two guards looked towards each other and began to become uncertain. One of the guards quickly opened the door to see that the room they had been guarding for hours was empty.
"They're gone!" Armin was surprised.
"And by the looks of it, they've been gone for a while too."
As the guards began to frantically search around the room it wasn't long before they took off to inform a superior officer.
"How did you know?" Armin asked.
"Easy, a simple room especially one with a window is an easy place to get in and out of," Lana began to approach the open window, "Especially if you know what you're doing, it doesn't exactly matter what floor you're on."
She looked down below. The room that they were in was about three stories up. The curtain had been removed and was used as a rope to climb down. Lana theorized that Clyde had gone first to act as a cushion in case someone fell. Everyone would have climbed out with ease and without making any sort of sound.
"Where did they go?" Armin asked peering over the windowsill.
"Hard to say," Lana leaned over, "but there is only one way to find out."
"You can't be serious."
Without hesitation, Lana grabbed a hold of the curtain and made her way down to the ground. Armin wasn't far behind her. When the two reached the ground, Lana began to try and utilize what skills she could remember.
"You see kid, back in my day I used to help people like Keith track targets down. Usually it helps if you profile your targets before setting out. In this circumstance our targets are a housewife with her kids, a narcissist, and two guys who would pretty much do whatever it is that they're told."
"But you said to the guards…"
"Oh what I said to the guards was true, but the reality of it is, is that they are on our turf."
As Lana continued to look around, it was almost like a chime went off in her head. She started running towards a direction with Armin trailing behind.
"How do you know they went this way!" he yelled.
"There is a tavern not far from here. We all have been through a lot of stress lately, it's probably about time to have a pint or two."
They made their way through the streets and began to approach the very bar that Lana had gone to under the guise of Nathanial. She opened the door and walked into the smell of booze and laughter. It was still early in the day so there wasn't much in terms for patrons within the bar. The bartender welcomed them with a smile. Lana obliged with a smile back and turned to find Cecil and the others sitting at a table.
"Ah shit!" Cecil called out when he spotted her.
"Amazing, you knew," Armin.
"Wait a minute, aren't you two titan shifters with the army," the bartender proclaimed.
"Oi can it you potbellied pig.. If you really cared you would have realized that there were already three of them sitting in your bar," Cecil shouted at the man. "Ello, sis. I don't suppose you're here to have a little ol' drink with us!"
"No."
"You're not bringing us back there, it's already been decided," Clyde continued.
"We aren't here for that either. Although the MP's may be out looking for you. I'm here for a different reason entirely.
Lana and Armin pulled up a chair and began to explain everything to the group. She explained to them about the curse, the lifespan, the testing. Everything that she could think of, she tried to inform them. Cecil began to take things a little more seriously. It was almost the mysteriousness of the situation is what caught his attention.
"So they think that we might hold some sort of key?" Clyde asked.
"It may be a possibility, but we won't know for certain unless you go in for those tests," Armin continued.
"Hold up, and what gives me any reason to believe you?" Cecil questioned.
Armin began to speak but couldn't quite find the right words. Cecil was a little fed up at that point and got up from his seat. He walked over to where Armin was and grabbed a hold of his face. Armin locked eyes with Cecil and was frozen. Lana recognized that feeling as she began to feel a tingle within her spine.
"Interesting isn't it?" Clyde spoke up, "to be on the other end for once."
Lana glared at Clyde as he had not realized the nerve he struck with her. She turned back and watched as Cecil remained fixated on Armin. The two were locked in place without blinking for a solid two minutes before Cecil broke away. Cecil stepped back and was speechless for a moment. His eyes remained wide as Armin began to regain his senses.
"Incredible….I've never seen anything like this before…What did I just see?"
Armin was just as lost as everyone else at the table.
"There is no way, you're only a kid. You couldn't have lived that long."
"Within Eldia, the titan shifting power is passed down to a successor. They aren't born with it, it's artificial for them," Lana explained.
"Incredible, everything you said was true and then some. Maybe, there is something more to this artificial origin than you had believed. But we won't know for sure. Ya, I'll help but I will only help on one condition. We go in for a few tests but then we get the next boat home to Rhea."
The others were brought back and were scheduled to undergo the series of tests and procedures alongside Armin. Lana was dismissed from all of the testing. She was glad to be able to take part in a well needed sleep and hopefully awake to a better day.
A lot had happened over the last few days. Lana remained awake in her old quiet room. The window was open letting in the cool night air as she reflected on everything that was going on. In just a few weeks alone, she reconnected with long lost family, rejoined the army, lost her best friend in battle, spilled blood on her hands, and was told that she may never shift into a titan again. This day in particular she wanted to try and get back into a rhythm but too much had changed. The same people she fought alongside with were either dead or had grown into a different person than she once knew. The thought kept her up in the night as she tried to fight her thoughts.
It was unclear what she truly wanted at this point. She had no real direction. Her end goal was to keep her family safe alongside the rest of Paradis from the threat. But she began to think about what really was the threat. She went head first into the fight thinking that Marley was the threat, but after experiencing what she did, she began to rethink that maybe Marley wasn't the biggest threat at all. The behaviour that Eren had been exhibiting was really confusing her. It wasn't like the old Eren she once knew when she had first met him. Then there was Zeke, who was brought captive back onto Paradis. Levi was instructed to hide Zeke away from anyone else in a secluded area. She had no idea where they were or how long things would be like this. All she could do was follow Levi's instructions and to go rogue within the military. All she was to find his whereabouts.