-Nighttime, Paradise-

"Eren's been gone for a while," Connie said, staring at the front door. Right now, only he and Armin were awake. The rest of the trainees had gone to bed and were slumbering, but the three boys had stayed awake. Both of them had noticed that their cabin was currently missing their most emotional member, and for them it was quite unsettling. Normally, Eren would be the first in the dorms, but after the fallout between him and Ashley both boys could only speculate on what Eren was doing at this time of night.

Both Connie and Armin acknowledged that Eren had certainly crossed a line between him and Ashley. The Onyx Guard had practically torn him a new one, both verbally and physically. Armin knew that Eren's temper and lack of foresight would eventually lead him into trouble, trouble that neither he or Mikasa could bail him out of, just like what happened hours beforehand.

Yet Armin couldn't help but recognize what Eren felt when he saw his personal files out there in the forest. It was totally invasive, and if he and Eren hadn't wandered off in that particular direction then it would have gone right under their noses. Would it have mattered, anyway? Maybe nothing would have changed, other than Ashley knowing just how painful their pasts were. Armin, being a decent friend, had also told Mikasa what Ashley was doing during the exercise. Surprisingly, she didn't care. The only thing that mattered to her was making sure Eren was safe, and hearing that Ashley had beaten her brother against a tree wasn't something that she was going to take lightly.

"What do you think he's doing? Throwing a tantrum?" Connie asked Armin, who was watching the door as well.

"I don't know. After what happened between him and Ashley, it wouldn't surprise me that Eren needed some time alone," Armin replied. He remembered it well. Eren had a distant, conflicted look on his face after the exercise was over. Had what Ashley told him about his parents shaken him that much?

"You ever wonder what Ashley meant? She talked about cities crumbling and burning, and whole populations dying off."

"It was to remind Eren that she wasn't a stranger to war. She's more experienced that any of us. Those things that she talked about, they must have happened where she is, beyond the walls. Whatever war she's fighting, I just hope it never comes here, even if Ashley's training us in case it does." Armin replied. The whole war thing that Ashley talked about that was happening back on her world terrified Armin. If there were things out there that were slaughtering soldiers like Ashley, then he only prayed that they wouldn't come after them here.

"Did you feel that?" Connie asked. Armin saw that he was looking at the ground.

"Feel what?"

"The ground, it felt like it was moving," Connie said. Armin was silent after that. "Maybe it was just my imagination, yeah. That sounds right."

Both their heads leaned up when they started to hear voices. As the voices got closer, they started to become clearer and more pronounced. Armin's bunk wasn't next to a window so he couldn't peer through and see who was coming. Connie had leaned forward off his bed to get closer to the door to try and hear better. They kept themselves as quiet as possible.

"...so all that fighting was for fuel? For that imulsion stuff?"

Eren.

"Yeah. Seventy-nine years of constant fighting. Couldn't begin to imagine just how much of our home we wrecked."

Ashley. Talking to one another.

Both Armin and Connie were stunned to hear both their voices. The last thing they'd expect to hear was Ashley and Eren talking to each other in a civilized conversation, especially after today. There wasn't a single ounce of tension or grief between the two of them, and it appeared that they were getting along. Eren didn't sound angry in the slightest and Ashley sounded like she was enjoying talking to the Yeager boy.

The door opened, and Eren stepped inside. He was looking back at Ashley, who was in her underwear. Armin noticed that she was wearing a necklace, one that had two cog-shaped tags on it. He wondered if it was the equivalent of their own soldier tags for the Corps. She had a smile on her face. Eren took a deep sigh and spoke to Ashley.

"Thanks for talking to me Ashley. It was pretty cool to hear about your world," Eren said.

"No problem, Eren. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight Ashley."

"Night, Yeager," Ashley left with a wave as she made her way to the female dorms. Eren closed the door just in time to see Armin and Connie still awake, gawking at him.

"What?"

"Dude," Connie began, "you? Ashley? Getting along? What happened out there? She didn't threaten to shoot you or anything did she?"

Eren waved him off, "No, nothing like that. Ashley didn't threaten me or anything like that. We made up, that's it."

"Wait, she wasn't? How? You punched her in the face and she throttled you like a ragdoll. How'd you guys end up being friendly?"

Eren took off his shirt and tossed into a laundry basket before answering, "We talked about some stuff that happened. She told me that she wasn't really angry with me in the first place, she just wanted to know how she could understand us more."

"So you and her are cool now? That's nice," Connie said, "So what were you talking about anyway?"

"Ashley was telling me about all the things that happened where she's from, back on her world. It was... pretty intense to hear about it. Her people were constantly having wars so peace isn't something that she's used to," Eren said, remembering most of the things that Ashley had told him during their peaceful talk. There was a lot of things she said and narrowing it down was challenging. He slumped down on his bed and said, "She said she's going to try and work on our weak points tomorrow for training."

"Weak points? What does that mean?" Connie asked.

"It means what we really have to improve on, Connie. I'd imagine it would be more personal that what we're usually trained to do," reasoned Armin, "Ashley's certainly pushing us to newer limits every day."

"I like it."

"Say Eren, you haven't been as rage-happy as usual. Why is that?"

"Gee Connie, I wonder. I'll give you three guesses and they all start with the letter "A"."

"Har har. I'm going to bed. Night." Connie hid underneath his covers to get some shuteye.

"Well, I might as well get some sleep as well. It was nice to hear that you and Ashley made up," Armin said, turning over in his bed. Pretty soon he was asleep, leaving Eren in the dark room awake. Eren's mind was too clouded for him to go to sleep as easily as his friends did. All he could think about was the stuff that Ashley had told him. Who knew that there was so much out there, so much to explore and to see with their own eyes. Eren found himself envious of Ashley, how she was able to live in a world without walls.

As he put more thought into it, Eren began to realize that he wanted experience everything that Ashley had. He had once vowed not only to put every titan on the face of their world in the ground, but to also explore the outside world. Ashley's words had inflamed that passion once again. He would see the world beyond the walls, and maybe, just maybe, even Ashley's world as well.

...

"Good morning, cadets!" Ashley shouted with vibrant energy, somehow being able to be that much a morning person at the crack of dawn. The trainees were still busy getting themselves awake while the Onyx Guard stood tall and proud. Some of them could sense that she was smiling behind that helmet of hers, but they couldn't really tell. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon of red-blue sky.

"Why the hell are we up so early?" Jean whined, rubbing one of his eyes.

"What, you didn't think that just because Shadis is off somewhere that it's going to be all fun and games, eh?" Ashley laughed. Jean swore underneath his breath. "Look alive kiddos, today is going to be quite grueling for some of you."

"Some?" Reiner wondered.

"Today's going to be a little different. Rather than train you all in groups, you'll be going to do this on your own. No help and no assistance from your's truly. Just yourself and the task at hand, which is going to push you to your limits," Ashley explained, while holding up a list, "Look here. This is your life for today. You'll all be working on the things that I have cataloged and viewed to be your weak spots. Like I said, it might be stride for some of you, but for others it'll feel like hell."

Ashley walked over to the poster board and stuck the list right dead center. The trainees walked up to see what they would be working on for today. Some of them were not pleased in the slightest.

"What?! ODM Maneuverability?! What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh, come on! Why do I have to work with Eren of all people!"

"I heard that, Jean!"

"Do you think this is funny, Ashley?" A voice caught the Onyx Guard's attention, and it was revealed to be Annie, who looked mighty peeved at what she saw.

"Think what's funny?" Ashley said back, knowing what got Annie into such a mood.

"Camaraderie. That's what you wrote down for me and Armin. Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke Annie. I know you're a lone wolf but doing that only gets you so far. You have to build a bond of trust with someone here. Then again, you're always hanging out with Reiner and Bertoldt. Are they your boyfriends or something?"

Annie's face flushed bright red and quickly turned her head around so that nobody could see her glowing face.

"Tch. Don't be so stupid. As if. So I guess that whole thing about being on your own was just for most of us, then." Annie said, not looking forward to the training for today. Neither was Armin, but instead of the sheer annoyance that Annie had he was just a little terrified that he would be working with Annie Leonhardt. Alone.

"Don't you worry Armin!" Connie said, slapping the blond's back, "If she gives you trouble just seduce her with that intelligent, manly charisma!"

Armin gave a nervous sliver of laughter, and Annie turned to glare ice-cold.

"Try it and you're a dead man, Arlert."

"Hey hey hey, save the aggression for the training today, Annie. You can take it out somewhere else when you've started," Ashley said, pushing both Annie and Armin away from the group of trainees to get them started, "I'll watch over you two for a couple minutes and then move on to the next person, sound like a plan?"

"Sure, whatever."

"I don't mind, Ashley."

"Cool. The rest of you," Ashley pointed to the forest, "Get yourselves training. I want you to be out there sweating, people!" She yelled at them and the trainees ran as fast as they could with their ODM gear and their muskets, disappearing deep into the forest to get started. Ashley went her way to an open area, Armin and Annie trailing behind her. She made her stop to where there were makeshift walls made of wood and a target dummy.

"Remember when I was teaching you two about hostage situations a couple days ago?" Ashley asked, "Well, today we're going to be doing something a little easier. Since Annie is going into the Military Police and Armin is vying to be a Scout, let's see how the two of you can work together to take me down when I have a victim at my disposal."

"More rescue training?" Armin asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Armin. You're smart as hell but you lack impulse and readiness," Ashley said, "Titans don't take their time when they start eating people, do they?"

Armin seemed a little shaken by what she said, "N-No, they don't."

"And Annie, you're too withdrawn. Like I said, going lone-wolf only gets you so far in the military before they decide they've had enough."

"And you think it's a bad thing?" She asked.

"Not at all. I think you just need to branch out with your social skills and learn to have a level of cooperation that you can use with later comrades in the Military Police. Think of this as like an intuition for the future, something to help you get on by."

Ashley pried her helmet off, along with her lancer and the sawed-off. She put them on the ground nearby and walked back over to the wall, reaching down to pick up the dummy. What the two trainees didn't expect was for Ashley to whip out a knife, about eight inches long and serrated on one side of the blade.

"Alright you two, you've got ten seconds to get this dummy away from me or I turn him into a pincushion. And don't be afraid to be a little rough with me, now go!" Ashley said.

Armin's brain immediately went into overdrive. While he knew just how strong Ashley probably was, getting the dummy away from her was going to be a challenge. They had their ODM gears on them, so the advantage of speed and agility went to their favor, but how to reach the dummy before Ashley's deadline was the tricky part. Armin knew that if they went for a straight-up assault, Ashley would simply dodge and they would lose. Any sort of headlong attack would fail, so they would have to use their wits in order to have a successful rescue.

Assessing the situation was going to be crucial, and he needed to see everything. Ashley's vision was on them, but if she was paying attention to only one of them and not them both...

"Annie, distract her!" Armin said, "Get her attention!"

"Hm." Annie gave a small grunt as she fired the ODM hooks to the wall behind Ashley and launched herself into the air, and just like he predicted Ashley turned her body towards Annie, shielding herself with with dummy but leaving her rear unprotected. He also noticed that her legs with very close together, almost rigidly. Without any sort of real balance, a strong kick would be all that's needed to knock the Onyx Guard down.

A strong kick. That's it!

Armin fired his ODM hooks right underneath Ashley and propelled himself, sliding on the ground with his feet forward. Ashley had no time to react and no distance to try and retreat as Armin slammed his feet into the back of her calves, toppling and disarming the Onyx Guard. Annie, who had caught on what Armin was doing, swooped down and snatched the dummy from Ashley's hands when she had been struck. The trainees landed on opposite sides of the area, leaving Ashley on her back.

"Not a bad idea, Armin," Annie said, respecting the boy's cunning mind, "Didn't think you had it in you to try and attack Ashley from behind."

"W-Well, Ashley said I should work on being more impulsive, so it was the fastest thing I could think of," Armin rubbed the back of his head, his face flushed from being praised by Annie. He wasn't used to people complementing his intelligence.

"You kids, ugh," Ashley groaned as she stood up, rubbing the back of her calves, "Smarter than you think, more aggressive too. The two of you did good. Real good."

"Thanks Ashley," Armin said while Annie just gave a nod.

Ashley turned her way back to her weapons and placed them back on her back. As she made her way to the forest where the rest of the trainees were at, she didn't notice the ticker behind her with a camera attached to its spine. Safely hidden in the bushes as it spied on her, Ashley had no idea that she was being watched by the little monster, the camera focusing on her as she entered the shade of the forest.

...

-the New Hollow-

Mortemus kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, which played a live feed of Ashley venturing into the forest. It seems that she had become quite comfortable in her time as a training instructor for the recruits. The ticker had been spying on her for some days now, sent by Mortemus to keep an eye on his unofficial nemesis. On top of his mighty hydra, the Theron Elite watched the live feed of O'Malley joining other trainees and watching how things were going on her end, unknowingly being watched as well.

He saw just how closely she had bonded with some of the trainees. While there was little to no audio from the camera, Mortemus could tell that they had grown to like the Onyx Guard in little more than a week of her being here. The two blondes, the boy and the girl, were presumably her favorites, along with the fuzzy-haired short boy and the autumn-haired girl with the appetite.

What a shame that he would have to cut those ties short.

Mortemus, while driven by vengeance, was also a keen strategist with a bloodthirsty edge. A swift, brutal attack on the training grounds would not only destroy any sort of hope they might have had against the Locust, it would also drive a wedge between them and Ashley. Their fear and anger would turn them against her, and the trust that she built up between her and the trainees would be nothing more than wasted effort.

While the majority of his forces were being prepared for the eventual conquering of the walls and the extermination of both humanity and the titans, a strike team of drones and Hollow beasts were waiting for his orders to seize the campsite, the trainees, and capture Ashley O'Malley. After all, a good genocide needs a captive audience. Why not have it be his sworn enemy, the one who massacred his fellow Therons so many years ago? What a sweet irony that would be for her to spend time trying to prepare them for the Locust, only to have her completely helpless as his armies slaughtered these lesser ground-walkers.

"Sir?" The Elite turned his head to see one of his golden hunters walking up to him, holding a longshot. Compared to the hydra, the hunter was rather puny and had to crane his neck up to speak to Mortemus, "The Ripper human and his boss are here."

Mortemus pressed his teeth together. Dealing with these humans of Paradise was such a pain in the ass. Saturn was the better negotiator.

The Theron Elite hopped off his hydra.

"Tell him that he better mind his mood this time."

"Afraid not, sir," The hunter said with a chuckle, "Your attack on the Underground has turned him into a mouthy cur, as most humans in this world are."

"Indeed, at least the humans of Sera could give us some comfort in their shreddings," Mortemus said as he cracked his knuckles. He'd have to settle this like Uzil Sraak once did; with his fists.

...

-Training grounds-

"Mind your left, Connie!" Mina said as she swung across the canopy, letting the short haired boy know that she was coming. Connie easily dodged the girl, but wound up running right into a tree, ending up as a pile of splayed limbs and tangled wires on the ground. The comical sight was something to behold as Connie regained his bearings, hearing the laughter from his fellow trainees as they went on around him.

"Who put that tree there?" He mumbled, seeing stars in his vision.

"Still running into non-moving objects, Connie?" The boy turned around to see Ashley, who had arrived just in time to see him fail. She offered a hand and Connie took it after rubbing the growing bruise on his forehead.

"Yeah, laugh at me like everyone else is in this forest," Connie mumbled, getting heated.

"Oh, I'm just kiddin', you're doing fine." Ashley said, "So, how goes your training?"

"Eh, it's alright, other than running into everything in the forest," Connie said with a sarcastic tone, "Seriously, I feel like I'm going to be in pieces when my training stuff is done." Connie said as he reached down to untangle the wires around his legs and put the ODM gear back on his waist. It had wrapped itself around his stomach when he had collided with the tree when he was working on his weak points.

And what were his weak points? Coordination, or in simpler terms he wasn't the brightest when it came to strategy, teamwork or solo play.

Boy was he embarrassed when he saw that.

"You'll be fine, Connie. Honestly, you're trying too hard too quickly. You gotta give it some time," Ashley said, rubbing the top of his head.

"Thanks Ashley," Connie would never admit it to her, but he loved it when Ashley gave them praise. It made him feel like he wasn't just a soldier to her, like each and every one of them were important to her. The little things that she did, such as a simple "You'll be fine," and "Do your best!" or other words of encouragement made it feel far more personal for him and probably everyone else here. She was far more intimate than Shadis, who wasn't exactly people-friendly, or friendly at all.

Around Ashley O'Malley, Connie felt like he was the safest person in the walls.

And he was, for now.

...

-Unknown location-

Kenny Ackerman had spent much of his murderous life accumulating power by any means in every sense. People like him could only imagine what power could be like, and his current employment under Rod Reiss was merely a stepping stone towards his dream, that much he assured himself. It was also under the Reiss patriarch that Rod founded the Anti-Personnel Squad, with Kenny being made their captain. It came naturally for him to be a leader, much like he had done in the past. With his command uncontested, his position unchallenged and his dream undisturbed, Kenny found himself ready for the future.

Until he came.

Until they arrived.

And they were dead-set on ruining everything.

Right now, Kenny could only watch as Rod Reiss dangled from the jaws of one of their flying beasts. They called it a hydra, a name related to a many-headed snake that Kenny had read about when he was a boy, but the creature that had his "boss" in its mouth was far from any storybook here. The back of Reiss's clothing were snatched in the beast's teeth, suspending him above the ground. In front of him stood their commander, clad in night-black armor. His troops with their golden helmets and strange, toothy rifles flanked his Anti-Personnel Squad, outgunning them five to one.

Kenny remember where this all happened, back when the Underground was slaughtered by these monsters. Reiss had to pull many strings to make sure the truth didn't come out, and even then with the public accepting the outcome that titans had burrowed underground, anyone with half a brain could tell that there were points that didn't make sense with the story.

Rod Reiss tried to get more freedom on his left shoulder, but found that he could barely reach. The hydra's teeth were iron-clad shut, and it was only by its master's will would it decide to let go. He was also wincing from a stinging bruise on his cheek from when Mortemus socked him.

"It was Grisha's fault!" He said, "He was the one that stole the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan! If you want to blame anyone for that, blame him!"

"Do you really think that matters?" Mortemus said, the Theron's voice full of annoyance, "Grisha can drop dead for all I care if he isn't already. You said that you would have information regarding the titans powers hidden within the populace here, yet all I'm getting is, well, nothing really. Reiss, Reiss, this is terribly disappointing for someone like you."

The hydra holding Rod let out a growl, causing the man to yelp in fear.

"Unless you want to be hydra chow for my beastie, then I suggest you start telling me what I really want to hear. The remaining titan powers are here on this island somewhere, buried in the blood of stupid human children. Saturn has extracted only two of them after we pulverized Marley, and the rest are here somewhere."

"Grisha," Rod said, "h-he had a son! I don't know his name yet, but he's still alive! He might have passed on his powers on to his kid!"

"And you're certain of this? You realize there's only one way for his offspring to attain that power," Mortemus said. He'd seen just what it takes to pass down titan powers to the next wielders. Saturn had been adamant to keep them out of human hands lest they vanish into their population.

"Yes! I'm sure of it! He must be the one that has the titan powers."

"Very well. I'll take your word for it," Mortemus snapped his fingers and the hydra dropped the portly man on the ground. Rod pushed himself off the ground and made his way back to Kenny. He kept a glare on the Theron Elite, wishing that he'd be able to show just what he was capable of right now. But he couldn't risk anything yet. Mortemus knew too much and the Locust were prepared to destroy the walls on his command. So he had to play it safe, for her.

"Remember our deal, Rod. You tell me where the titan powers are, and we leave your bastard child alone. That is it. Anything else is fair game."

Rod prayed that he would be able to meet Historia again. Everything he did right now would be for her safety, nothing else. Kenny would have to deal with it, not when monsters like Mortemus were running around in the darkness below. Rod had another topic that he wanted to talk about with Mortemus.

"I heard that an outsider now lives in the training grounds near Wall Sina," He said. Mortemus made a dead stop, revealing that he knew what Rod was talking about, "So you know who it is."

"Yes. What about her?" the Theron growled, knowing that Rod was poking around a very sensitive subject.

"What is she to you?" Rod asked. Mortemus remained silent for a moment before answering.

"None of your concern." And that was it for the Theron, but it wasn't for Rod. This let him know that the outsider had some weight on Mortemus. Perhaps she was an old enemy of his. If anything, the fact that Mortemus was so quick to shoot down the conversation about the outsider meant that whoever she was had gained some personal vendetta from him. Rod could only wonder just how she and Mortemus had any sort of relationship, realizing that if he was going to save the walls from the devils below he would need to meet with her one day.

Behind him, Kenny found himself enjoying the spectacle. Sure, he utterly hated Mortemus and every other Locust, but like Rod he was learning from the brief moment of calm fury that Mortemus had shown for the outsider. He recognized the desire for revenge anywhere, even from a Locust. It was a possessive feeling, one that he held for many years. If this outsider meant so much for Mortemus to either capture or kill, then it was edge that Kenny would use. Would he kill her out of pettiness just to see the moment of loss on Mortemus's face? Of course he would. The only variable was when.

"C'mon Kenny, we're leaving." Rod said, marching his way towards the staircase with most of the Anti-Personnel Squad behind him. Kenny and his second stayed for a while to watch the Locust move about before taking off, leaving the Locust to themselves.

Mortemus spat on the ground. Oh how he would just love to put a hole in their empty heads. But for now, he would need their cooperation.

"Sir?" One of the golden hunters spoke up. Mortemus turned to address his soldiers.

"Search the walls. Relay a message to the strike team. Tell them to begin the operation."

"And if one of the trainees turns out to be a shifter?" Another asked. Mortemus gave a low hiss.

"They will be... acceptable losses. The Onyx Guard is the only thing that matters. Now go."

...

The first sign that there was something strange going on was the ground beginning to rumble. It wasn't like an earthquake, more like something was digging beneath the earth. Connie had felt the dirt shift for several brief moments before settling down. He'd felt the same thing last night, and now it was happening again.

"What the hell?" He wondered out loud, looking down at his feet to see if he was just imagining it.

"What's up Connie?" A trainee asked.

"Did you guys feel that? It was like the ground was moving." Connie said. The trainee looked at him like he was crazy.

"Psh, talk to Ashley about it. Maybe our mysterious new trainer has something to say." He said before zipping back up to the canopy. Connie stood there for a little longer before zipping to where Ashley was last seen. He knew that she was hanging around with Annie and Armin earlier so there might be a chance that she'll be there. If not, then he's gonna be in the forest for a while. Ashley could keep herself hidden when she wanted.

The young trainee noticed the Onyx Guard talking to Eren and Jean. She was holding both of their muskets in one hand and pointing at them with the other. Jean was pouting with his arms crossed while Eren was sheepishly smiling at Ashley.

"I gave you these guns so that you could practice your aim and be better soldiers, not start dueling each other like some age-old outlaws." Ashley said, her tone of voice condensed with annoyance.

"Well, to be fair, Jean started it," Eren said, and the other boy turned to gawk at him, "and he said that you'd never find out."

"That's a dirty lie you suicidal prick!" Jean screeched.

"Enough, both of you. I don't care whose fault it is because it was a stupid idea to begin with. And if it was a dumb idea, why the hell did you agree to it?" Ashley faced Eren. The three of them heard laughing in the background, which belong to Connie. Hearing the Onyx Guard scold the two of them like misbehaving children was just too funny for him to bear.

"Man, we can't leave you two along anywhere, can we? I mean the moment we stop you're gonna try to shoot each other!" Connie heckled, and both Eren and Jean bristled at the shorter trainee's mocking voice. His laughter was quickly cut when Ashley cuffed the side of his head. "OW!"

"Quit being a jackass, Connie. You two," She tossed Eren and Jean's muskets back to them, "get back to training and please don't try killing one another for once."

"Hey Ashley, can I ask you something?" Connie said, the Onyx Guard turning to look at him, "Earlier I felt something odd. Like the ground was moving, and-"

That was as far as Connie got before Ashley gripped him by the shoulders and lowered her face to his level. Her hands were threatening to crush his shoulders.

"H-Hey, what gives?!" It was then he noticed the sudden change in Ashley's demeanor. Where she was once calm and collected now bordered on sheer dread.

"Connie, don't fuck with me here," She said, her voice as hard as a rock, "Did you just say the ground was moving?"

"W-Well, it wasn't exactly moving, really..."

"CONNIE!" Ashley thundered, spooking the three trainees around her. Her eyes were wide with anger and fear, and the boy in her arms never looked as scared as he was now. This was a completely new side of Ashley that they had never seen before. It was if something had triggered a sense of high alert within the Onyx Guard, and all it took was Connie talking about the ground moving. Eren and Jean were watching the whole scene with shivers up their spines. Seeing Ashley talk and act like this was sending all kinds of bad signs.

"Okay okay! Yes! The ground was moving!" Connie said, his voice high-pitched, "Can you let me go, please?" Ashley did just that.

The Onyx Guard was as still as a statue. Pure horror was etched on her face as she brought her hand on top of her mouth.

"Ashley, what's going on?" Jean asked, a little scared of what was happening.

She mumbled something out of him and Eren's earshot, but Connie heard it.

"They're here..."

"Who is, who's here?" Connie asked the Onyx Guard. Eren suddenly felt a sense of overwhelming fear when he heard Connie ask those words. The words that he shared with Reiner several days ago about the true enemies of Ashley were replaying in his head.

Whatever's out there ain't through with her yet, and whatever might come, we oughta be prepared. We have no idea just what her enemies actually are...

It reminded him of those little monsters from when Ashley first arrived here. And if Ashley's sense of dread was an indicator, then Eren got a bad feeling that they were about to find out just who Ashley's real enemies were. Ashley suddenly snapped out of her trance. She quickly put her helmet on her head and equipped her lancer. She turned to face the three trainees in front of her, who were so off-put by her sudden actions.

"Listen to me, get everyone you can and head to the woods. It'll be safer there. They won't be able to shoot you easily if you stay in the canopy."

"Wait a second, who's they? What's going on?" Jean asked, getting frustrated.

"Don't think about it, just go! You'll die if you stay in the open!" Ashley said to them, scaring them into a focus.

"Ashley," Eren said, his voice trembling, "Are we talking about your enemy? The one that killed all your kind before?"

Before Ashley could answer, the sounds of crumbling rock and ripped dirt started behind them. The three trainees and the Onyx Guard watched as a massive hole collapsed before their eyes, big enough to swallow the mess hall and more. The sun's rays couldn't penetrate deep enough at the angle that it was in the morning sky, and so all they could see was total darkness. Connie and Jean hid behind the Onyx Guard, shielding them with her armored body. Eren stood there stunned, but for Ashley it was a repeat of many, many battles on Sera.

She recognized an emergence hole when she saw one.

And there was only one creature she knew that could dig a hole that wide.

A leg, huge and spider-like, burst from the shadow below and crashed on the lip of the hole. It was followed by five others, each one equally as massive. A hideous shrieking roar filled the air as whatever the legs were attached to rose from the darkness. Whatever it was, it was BIG. It rose higher and higher until it towered over the four of them, and the legs split open to reveal an armor-plated head with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Jean screamed.

No way...

"CORPSER!"


It begins.