Eren, Mikasa, and Historia were the last to leave the captain's quarters. Everyone else had trickled out, heading for bed. Eren was tired, but it was different from the drained exhaustion that he usually went to bed with. His heart didn't feel as weighed down, the laughter and light of the night following him out onto the deck.

"Good night, Eren,'' Historia called, waving as she headed to her room.

"Good night, Historia,'' he called back, smiling softly. She smiled back, eyes locked on his. They stayed that way for a couple of seconds before she turned and left.

While he watched her go, he thought about the conversation they had, how he couldn't promise what she'd asked. He would have to lie to her, hide from her, to protect her. He would not let her be used, even if that meant damaging their relationship.

Once she was out of sight, he took a second to breathe in the night air and watch the horizon. He was awed by it; inside the walls, the sky always ended at the land, a mountain or plain that cut it off. On the ocean, there was nothing to stop it. It stretched and stretched and kept stretching, even beyond the ocean. The ocean didn't trap the sky like the land did; it met the sky at the horizon and they went on together beyond what Eren could see. It was the closest thing to freedom he had ever seen.

'No, not freedom,' he reminded himself. 'Not yet.'

Eren rubbed his tired eyes and took a step towards his room, but Mikasa grabbed his hand to stop him. He looked at her expressionless face and sighed heavily.

"We should go to sleep, Mikasa,'' he urged softly, trying to pull her with him.

"Wait.'' Eren stopped pulling and looked into her eyes, waiting.

They stared at each other in silence, hands clasped together, completely alone under the stars. For a while, she didn't do or say anything, but he waited patiently. Then, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. He felt her soft, warm breath and her lips gently grazed his cold skin. Eren froze at first, shocked by the sudden contact. He listened to her steady breaths, felt her warm body against his, and smelled her unique scent, something that smelled like home. He relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed him tighter, nuzzling into his neck, and he gently ran a hand through her hair. The cold night air blew and icy sea water sprayed the deck, but they were warm in each other's embrace.

"We should go to sleep, Mikasa,'' he whispered. She huffed against his neck.

"Wait,'' she said again. He chuckled, exhausted but comfortable, pleased but sleepy. He let him hug her a little while longer, but eventually gave a massive yawn, unable to contain himself. She lifted her head from his shoulder and studied him tenderly, very close to his face.

"Are you very tired?'' she asked softly.

"Yes. Aren't you?''

"I'm fine, but let's go to sleep then.'' She took his hand and led him to their shared room.

The room's upper walls were upholstered with a fine wool of dark crimson, woven with bright flowers. The lower walls were inlaid with a marquetry of squared features that resembled the decorations in the captain's quarters. The floor was upholstered with the same material, woven with ovals that stood out against its light purple hue.

Eren stepped into the room, pulling Mikasa in after him. She reached behind them and closed the door, shutting out the noises of the sea. Eren shrugged out of his coat, letting it fall to the floor, and Mikasa took off her jacket, exposing the white shirt and red bodice underneath. By the moonlight through the room's porthole window, they moved over to the canopy bed and lay on top of the blanket. They curled up and huddled together, grasping each other's hands, looking into each other's eyes.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Eren's eyelids grew heavier and he felt like he was sinking into the bed. He sighed contentedly, sifting through the memories of the night.

"You can have your scarf back now,'' he mumbled. "It's over in the dresser. Top drawer."

"I don't need it when I'm with you,'' she replied. He opened his eyes and studied her in the moonlight. His eyes found the scar on her cheek, a scar she'd earned for his sake. He gently cupped her face and caressed it with his thumb; he didn't remember how she got it and he couldn't have stopped it, but he still felt guilty.

She closed her eyes and took his hand, rubbing the knuckles with her thumb. "That reminds me of you, too," she whispered. Eren frowned.

"I don't want you to remember me like that.''

"You were there," she muttered drowsily. "That's all that matters."

Eren watched silently as she drifted off to sleep, filling the gnawing void of his heart with the tender beauty of her face. His eyes drooped. The world slowly faded. He fell asleep with his hand clutched in hers.

A faint whisper came from the darkness. Then another. And another. They hissed after each other in a constant, steady rhythm. Eren opened his eyes and saw nothing but pitch blackness. He felt shorter and weaker; even though he couldn't see himself, he knew, in that way you know things when you're dreaming, that he was a child again.

The whispering grew louder, closing in on him from everywhere and nowhere. He couldn't tell how many there were; there seemed to be one and many voices at once. It disoriented him. He looked around, but he didn't see anything else. He tried to move, but he couldn't even lift a finger. The voices grew louder, all but screeching in his ears, a thunderous cascade of nonsense that said words that he couldn't understand. His chest tightened. He couldn't shut his eyes.

The voice abruptly spoke with the force of an explosion, all the whispers crying out as one.

'Eren!'

The voice shook his insides, knotting his throat and stomach, making him nauseous and groggy. He tried to open his mouth to breathe more freely, but he couldn't. He couldn't even gulp the nervous spit that accumulated in his mouth. He wanted to scream, but his lips were sealed shut. He felt trapped and powerless in a way he hadn't felt for a long time.

Eren blinked, and a nude woman suddenly appeared in front of him. She was very tall, much taller than him, with long, black hair that covered her face and flowed down to her round, firm breasts, merging with the darkness of her surroundings. Her whitish pink nipples contrasted against her pale skin. Her body was slender and toned. Her pubic hair covered up to her hip and down to the pink slit of her vagina. All of it made Eren very uncomfortable, even sick.

'Eren!'

They yelled his name again, calling to him in that same rhythm, the thundering chant of an infinite number of people. They all roared in unison from the abyss. They grew even louder, more forceful. He never heard something so loud in his entire life; he almost wished it would deafen him, but he still heard it over and over again. It vibrated violently through his body, shaking his entire being. He couldn't get enough air through his nose, each inhale seemed to take in less. He felt like he was drowning.

Then, the woman moved her head and her hair fell away from her eyes.

"Eren," she said softly. Her voice cut through the deafening shouts like a scythe through grain. The other voices were cut off, imposing deafening silence.

Eren, breathing heavily, looked at her eyes and was swept with a wave of blissful calm. He recognized those greyish-blue eyes.

"Mikasa…''

She held out her hand towards him. It was soaked in blood, dripping a thick stream of dark red that flooded the abyss chant began again, even more forcefully, but it didn't hurt this time. He kept her eyes locked on hers; they were like an anchor in the chaos.

"You're free,'' she said.

A tear slid down his cheek. He slumped in relief and took lungfuls of air, now released from whatever bound him. He reached her and slowly walked towards her. With each step, the voice grew stronger and louder, repeating his name faster. He felt like he was levitating, walking in thin air.

Eren grabbed Mikasa's hand, soaking his own in blood, and the green iris of his right eye burst into a lighting violet that filled the abyss with pure white.

Eren awoke to an intense beam of morning sunlight shining in his eye. He winced and raised a hand to shade his face, gathering himself. His heart pounded, he was sweaty, and he still saw the Mikasa in his dream like an after-image. That was the most vivid dream he'd ever had; he could still feel his hand caught in Mikasa's bloody grasp. He looked at his hand and found Mikasa, his Mikasa, still holding it in her sleep. All his remaining tension melted away; after the struggle of the nightmare, seeing her in the light of day was all the more beautiful.

He turned to face her and thought about the dream, picking through the images and sounds. It had been too real, too immersive to be a normal dream.

'Was it a vision?' he wondered. He supposed it was possible, in a world of monsters and memories that weren't his own, but if it was he had no idea what it meant.

He studied Mikasa's eyes and face; she looked nothing like the woman in his dream, even though he'd been so sure it was her.

'Why were they calling my name? Where were they? Who were they?'

His mind raced with questions that he couldn't answer. He sighed, frustrated; he wanted to find whoever had called him, longing and fear fighting inside. He found himself longing for the bliss he'd felt in the dream, when the voices had stopped and the woman had set him free. He didn't know why he had felt it; it seemed almost imposed on him, smothering his fear.

Careful not to wake Mikasa, Eren slowly got up from the bed towards the door of their cabin. He opened it very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, and stepped out on the walkway of the promenade deck, closing the door behind him just as cautiously.

He walked to the edge of the deck and gripped the handrail, watching the sunrise. Its reflection merged with the wavering water, a streak of gold in its reflection of the cloudless, bright blue sky. Eren smiled with a joy he thought he'd never feel again. In a way he couldn't put into words, the dream motivated him. It had rekindled the flames of his spirit. He felt hope.

He looked down and saw a silhouette of his reflection in the water. He imagined it was traveling below him, with the ship. He bent over the handrail, gripping it tightly, lifted his body and balanced playfully on the bar, watching himself in the ocean. He leaned down as far as he could without falling and smiled at his reflection; he looked a bit like a child.

Suddenly, he saw another reflection beside his own, featureless in the restless water. He squinted, as if he could force the image to become clearer. The longer he looked, the clearer the image became. He watched, fascinated, as the reflection grew a pair of ears, then a nose, then a mop of blonde hair. Then, a pair of eyes emerged and Eren's stomach dropped.

He stared at the water, stunned, unable to register what he saw. But the eyes he saw in the water, the eyes bluer than the ocean and brighter than the reflection of the sun, pierced his own. He slowly opened his mouth, lips and jaw trembling. He lost his grip on the handrail and fell on the metal, knocking the air from his lungs in a faint, strangled scream. He lowered his feet to the deck, taking in shallow breaths, never taking his eyes off the water. He was too scared to look away.

"No… No… No…'' he whispered hoarsely. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and his lips were numb. He thought of looking to the side, seeing him standing next to him, and sobbed, horrified.

'Am I still dreaming?'

"Armin…''

The reflection watched him blankly. Eren's stomach churned with guilt and bile built up in the back of his throat. With all the strength and courage he had, he tore away his gaze, looking where Armin should've been if the reflection was right. But he saw nothing. The wind blew in his face, tears he didn't know he'd shed stinging in the chilly breeze. His legs nearly gave out from under him.

A pair of arms grabbed him from behind and he screamed, grabbing the handrail as they lifted him. He had an image of a burnt Armin taking him, pulling him into the water to join him.

"Eren!" said Mikasa behind him. "What's wrong?''

Eren came back to himself, sensations trickling in through his panic. Mikasa's face was pressed into the back of his neck. Her arms wrapped around him in a hug, not a grapple.

"Did I scare you?'' she asked with attempted playfulness.

Eren let go of the handrail and sighed heavily. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to calm himself. He needed to hold himself together, for Mikasa's sake.

"Eren? Are you there?''

Eren opened his eyes and looked to the side; he found nothing. He stared down at the ocean; Armin was still there.

"No…" he groaned desperately. "Go away…''

"Am I bothering you?'' Mikasa asked, mistaking his words. He shook his head.

"Wait for me in the cabin, please…'' he ordered, voice trembling. She let go of him and stood beside him, right where Armin should be.

"Are you alright?'' Eren looked at her terrified. She didn't want her to see Armin. He didn't want her to suffer even more.

"Please… Go,'' he begged faintly. She watched him with worried eyes.

"Please…''

She ignored him and looked down at the ocean. Eren felt powerless to stop her; he couldn't protect her.

Mikasa looked back at him, seemingly unphased. "Is it seasickness?'' she asked sympathetically.

He frowned in disbelief. "What?''

"What Hange said, seasickness.''

"Don't you…?'' He trailed off.

'See him?'

"I feel alright,'' Mikasa answered. Eren stared down at the ocean again. Armin was still there, where Mikasa's reflection should be.

'Am I going crazy…?'

"Eren, we should see Hange. You don't look good."

He couldn't stop staring down at Armin. He smiled weakly at Mikasa. He didn't want her to worry.

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy." He was so anxious and exhausted he could barely get the words out. "Wait for me, in our room. I'll go see Hange, and check if I got sick." His voice trembled and he cleared his throat. His eyes burned and he blinked back tears, looking away to hide his face.

"I'll go with you," Mikasa offered, putting a hand on his shoulder, but Eren shook his head. He didn't dare try to speak; his throat was tight and he knew if he spoke he would burst into tears.

He took a shaky step towards the stairs, steadying himself on the handrail. Mikasa reluctantly stepped aside and let him pass. He felt her intense gaze following him, but didn't look back. He wanted to fall into her arms, to feel the warmth and comfort of her hug, but he couldn't. He wouldn't scare her; he had to be strong for her.

"Eren…" she called after him softly. Eren stopped, forcing himself not to look at her. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold his composure as he shook.

"Wait for me in the cabin, captain," he ordered harshly. Silence stretched between them, only broken by the sounds of the sea. Then, he heard her retreating footsteps and opened his eyes. He continued forward, eyes on the floor and guilt twisting in his stomach.

He looked down at the water and his heart sank; Armin was following him in the reflection. He looked disappointed.

'I'm sorry…' Eren thought. He regretted being hard on Mikasa. He thought that Armin wanted him to be softer with her. That is, if the thing in the water was Armin.

"You demon whore!"

Hange cut a finger off the captured soldier with her pocket snip. Despite being a gardening tool, it proved to be an excellent torture device. It was like pruning a bush. Their prisoner shrieked with agony in his chair, convulsing and straining against the ropes on his wrists and ankles. Hange was surprised that her head didn't hurt; she had a slight hangover from all the beer she drank the night before, but the screams didn't hurt her head. In fact, Hange felt relieved and a little thrilled at his pain. It helped her focus, cleared her mind of the brain fog she'd woken up with. She opened and closed the pocket snip a few times; the thin, slicing noise gave her a little jolt each time.

Levi sat next to her, wearing the same black leather apron and gloves as her. They'd borrowed them from the butchers in the kitchen. They were spattered with traces of dried animal blood.

'This is an animal, too,' Hange thought, watching their captive as he hunched over in his chair and his screams turned to pitiful whimpers.

Levi held his knife like a chisel, placing the tip on the knuckle of the prisoner's right index finger. He brought his fist down hard on the butt of the hilt. There was a sickening sound and the finger fell to the floor, tearing a new batch of screams from the prisoner's mouth. Tears streamed from his bulging eyes and his tongue spasmed and wriggled in his gaping mouth.

"Help!" he shrieked. "Help! Somebody help me!"

"Did they call for help too?" Hange spat, disgusted. He had tortured captive Eldians on that boat, the same ones she tried to help back on the island. Onyan and Yelena had given him to the Survey Corps as a "special gift," and Hange was wringing all the retribution she could out of him in his very own torture chamber.

"Please! Please! Stop…!"

"Tell me, how did you feel when the children begged you to stop?" she asked coldly. She knew from the volunteers that he had a special taste for children.

"I guess he was turned on by it," Levi said, voice edged with hatred. Hange knew him enough to assume that what little emotion he expressed was only a fraction of what he felt.

"No! No! I didn't do anything! Please!" His face was red, veins bulging on his forehead. Hange knew he was lying, she could see it in his eyes. She thought that, for once in his life, he may have regretted what he did. But it was much too late.

She sliced off another finger and it fell on her knees with a spatter of blood. The prisoner violently shook his head. His scream was weaker than before.

"Slow down," Erwin warned behind them. "We need him to last us for the entire trip."

Hange looked at him over her shoulder. He watched them from the heavy metal door, back in his military uniform. All traces of charm and charisma from the night before were gone as he observed the scene with cold indifference. She noticed that he didn't seem to enjoy the man's suffering as much as she did, even though it was his idea.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry." She adjusted her glasses, disturbed and embarrassed by her own excitement.

Levi turned to look at Erwin. "Why don't you join us?" he asked, spinning the knife in his hand. Erwin eyed the blood and dismembered fingers.

"I'm fine here, thank you."

"What do you want!?" the Marleyan cried. "Tell me what you want! I'll do whatever you want! I'll tell you whatever you want!"

Levi turned and chopped another finger.

"Why!?"

"That one was for interrupting."

"Levi, Hange," Erwin called. They both spun around to face him. "Do you remember the sergeant Eren told us about? The one who fed Grisha's sister to his dogs?"

"Oh!" Hange lit up, smiling sadistically. "Yeah, Gross!" She turned to the prisoner and raised the pocket snip centimeters from his face. "Look, we don't want you to do anything. We don't want to know anything. We only want you to suffer! Do you know why!? Because it's fun! Why else!?"

She shouted maniacally at him. She thought about Eren and Mikasa's pain. She thought of howArmin had died because of this man's perverted ideas. She thought of how Moblit had died for that too. She thought of all the scared, crying people in the cells below Shiganshina. How many had suffered and were suffering because of men like him? She couldn't remember feeling so angry in her life. Her blood boiled in her gut and her face burned.

"Cut him," Erwin ordered.

Hange cut off half of the man's nose without thinking. Without hesitation. It didn't even feel like it was her hand; like she was watching it happen instead of doing it. The captured torturer sobbed, loud and wretched, hitting the back of his head against the chair. Blood poured from the wound into his open mouth. He whimpered and wheezed, spitting out thick gobs of blood. Hange stared at him, teeth bared in a crazed, sadistic sneer. As she watched, as the rush faded away, it slowly dawned on her what she had just done.

Her hands suddenly started shaking violently and the pocket snip slipped from her hand. She looked at her bloody hand, shocked and horrified.

'What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? Why did I-"

A hand grabbed her shoulder. "Are you alright?" asked Levi. She shook her head to clear it and folded her hands to stop them shaking.

"Yeah… Just a little bit… dizzy."

Levi looked her in the eye, as if he could find what was bothering her there. Then, he shrugged and removed his hand. "I'm not surprised," he said dryly. "After yesterday… I guess you don't remember anything."

"Oh no, I do." She pushed her glasses up on her head nervously. "I'm sorry for… all that."

"Don't worry. You were drunk."

The prisoner whimpered quietly, shaking his head, but they ignored him.

"You were very patient with me. I know I can be…"

"Abnormal," Levi finished. Hange smiled weakly.

"Yeah. Thank you for taking care of me. And tolerating me."

"Tch! Torture make you emotional or something? If I knew that, I would have chosen a different partner."

She smiled wider. "Yeah, well, you didn't, so you're stuck with me now." She scooted her chair closer to him and leaned over, her lips a hair's width away from his ear. Levi stiffened, shoulders tense.

"I'm still disappointed you didn't put the hat on," she whispered. Levi shot up from his chair as Hange grinned.

"Fuck this," he grumbled. "I'm leaving."

"It suits you very well, I promise!" she giggled, getting up to follow him. Both of them froze; Eren stood in the open doorway next to Erwin, still dressed in his costume from the night before, though without boots or socks. Hange waved at him, scattering drops of blood from her glove.

"Hi, Eren! What's up?"

Erwin cleared his throat. "He wanted to speak with you, Hange"

"Help me! Kid! Please!"

Levi turned and walked back to the prisoner. Hange heard a snap and a scream behind her.

"Don't interrupt!" Levi shouted.

"Don't cut his whole finger off, damn it! Slow down."

"Trust me, Erwin, he'll last two weeks. I know what I'm doing."

Hange ignored them and squinted at Eren, wondering why he was so blurry. Then she remembered and slipped her glasses back on, the lenses flecked with dots of fresh blood. With their clarity, Eren looked deathly sick, with pale skin, dark eyebags, and pronounced cheekbones. How did he get that sick overnight? And Hange had never seen him so scared, his expression heavy with desperation and worry.

"Hey, Eren, what's wrong?" she asked tenderly. Eren looked behind her nervously. She looked over her shoulder; Levi was watching them, ignoring the prisoner, gaze fixed on Eren.

"Hange… Can we talk someplace else?" Eren asked pitifully. "Alone…?"

Erwin looked down at him intrigued for a couple of seconds. Hange was curious too; why would he need to talk with her alone? The commander looked back at her and gave a small nod.

"Yes, of course!" she replied, throwing her apron and gloves on the floor. She tossed her pocket snip to Levi; he caught it without even looking. He was still watching Eren, an intense, searching look in his eye.

Hange bounced up to Eren and saluted. "Hello, Commander Eren," she chirped, smiling. "How're ya doin?" He didn't respond or react in any way, but the look on his face was answer enough. He looked depressed and exhausted.

"Hange," Erwin prompted. "Your glasses."

"Huh? My glasses? Oh!" Hange took off her dirty glasses and handed them to Erwin, who seemed unsure what to do with them; the blood would have to be washed off before she could use them again. She smiled at Eren"I won't need them if we stay close, Commander Jaeger."

He didn't respond to that either, just turned and walked away. She followed his lead and trotted up beside him. She felt Erwin's gaze on their backs as they left.

"So, Command-"

"Don't call me commander, please," Eren interrupted, not looking at her. His long hair covered part of his face, but Hange still saw that tired, worried expression.

"Oh, okay…" she said, deflated. She was disappointed in herself; she had wanted to cheer him up, but she'd only bothered him instead. She scratched her cheek nervously and tried a different tactic. "So, Eren. Do you want to know who that man was?"

"Which man?"

"The one who was tied to the chair, in the room back there! He tortured Eldian children for fun. That bastard made a lot of our people suffer, and now we're giving it back to him!" She pumped her fist enthusiastically. Eren looked down at his feet.

"How are the ones we saved…?" he asked timidly.

"Not good! And it's because of that animal. He's like that Gross you told us about."

Eren stopped in his tracks. Hange stopped ahead of him and turned to look at his face. He was crestfallen. He frowned and a tear slid down his cheek.

"I don't want to talk about that, please…" Eren begged in a thin voice, on the verge of sobbing. Hange grabbed his shoulder, unsure what to do. All her attempts to improve his mood had only made it worse.

"Yes, of course! I… thought that maybe that would make you happier. We're making him pay."

Eren suddenly put his face in his hand and started to cry. Hange pulled him into a hug he didn't return, rubbing his back and whispering calming words in his ear. She was confused; the night before he'd seemed fine, even happy. What could've happened since then to make him this distraught?

"I saw Armin…"

Hange pulled back and looked into his wide eyes, incredulous. He seemed terrified.

"What…?"

"Don't tell Mikasa…" Eren whispered desperately.

"I… Yes, whatever you want Eren. But, what do you mean by… that you saw Armin?"

"He's reflected in the ocean. I still see him if I look overboard… Mikasa couldn't… I had a nightmare, or a dream… and when I woke up and got outside… Armin was there…"

Eren was nearly hyperventilating. He looked at her pleadingly, begging for answers without words.

"Okay…" Hange caressed his shoulder. She wanted to make him feel better, but she was completely flummoxed by whatever was happening. She had to know more. "What was that nightmare about?"

Eren looked away. "I don't remember," he said curtly. She frowned, disbelieving, but she didn't feel like pushing him to confess whatever he was hiding.

"Do you want me to check if I can see Armin too?" she asked. He nodded.

Hange accompanied Eren to the outside walkway of the vessel. He grabbed her hand while they walked towards the porch that wrapped around the ship. She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest with each step they got closer. The tension in her neck hurt and her blood pulsed uncomfortably through her veins. She was sure she wouldn't see anything, but her imagination began to run away with her. What if she saw Armin? What would that mean? What could she do? It could easily be a hallucination, but she wasn't sure if that was better.

They reached the edge of the upper deck and Eren leaned on the handrail, staring into the choppy water. Hange didn't dare look over, but she squeezed Eren's hand to show her support.

"He's still there…" he said weakly.

"I…'' Hange's voice trembled. "I better go get… Go get a new pair of glasses! I don't think I could see much without them!" She chuckled very nervously. She wanted to run, but Eren grabbed her hand more tightly.

"Look," he said in a voice dead with exhaustion. She fidgeted fretfully, adjusting her eyepatch on her sweaty face.

"Maybe Erwin could help you more!" she suggested. "Or Levi!"

He frowned slightly. "I don't trust them…"

"Why!? Please Eren, I don't like this."

"You're the only good one."

"Huh?" Hange stared at him, dumbfounded. "Erwin and Levi are good too."

"Levi killed Armin!" Eren shouted, not looking up. Hange flinched, confused by his anger. Blaming Levi for Armin's death would be like blaming her for it; she had agreed with Levi's choice, but she didn't take her sword and stab him. Neither did Levi.

"He didn't! He… had to make a decision. You understand why he made that decision. We are were in a military corps and Erwin was the comman-"

"I don't care!" His eyes were miserably dull. "Armin is no longer here… Even if I see him now… He's not here… He's free from this… I want to make sure he's not still here… I don't want him to suffer anymore… Please… Look…" Each word he said was fainter than the last.

Hange stared at him. She felt his pain; she didn't want him, or any of them, to suffer anymore either. But she knew that they were going to, that Eren would have to endure more pain. He was just a kid, but she knew that he would be the one to suffer the most for their mission. He deserved to struggle and suffer with dignity and pride at the very least, to be more than just a subject of pain.

"Without his titan under our control, we have no idea what he would do with it!"

"I know. That's why I'm giving him the chance."

She had never fully agreed with Erwin's decision to recommend him for a command. But she realized now that without his position, if he had no power, then his pain and helplessness would've consumed him. He needed to lead, to have autonomy, to have the freedom to keep moving forward.

Hange slowly approached the handrail and looked down at the ocean. She couldn't see very well at that distance, but she only saw two reflections, not three.

"I can't see Armin," she said firmly. She looked back at Eren, who sighed with relief. She put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it gently, comfortingly. He slumped against the railing and pulled at his hair.

"Why is this happening to me…?" he choked.

"I don't know… But we'll figure it out."

"I don't want Mikasa to know I can see Armin…"

"She won't. I'll only tell Erwin and Levi."

Eren nodded weakly, looking defeated. Hange couldn't resist the urge any more and pulled him into a tight hug. He rested his head on her shoulder and hugged her back, pulling the two of them together. Hange smiled and gently combed her fingers through his hair. He was getting taller and soon she'd have to crane her neck to look at him. She thought about the other scouts at dinner the night before, how grown-up they'd all looked. It was sad and heartwarming at the same time.

She heard a faint sound that she thought was just Eren's breath. Then, she heard it again, slightly louder, and thought she could make out words.

"What is it, Eren?" she asked softly.

Eren didn't respond. The whisper came again, from the left. Eren's head rested on her right shoulder. The only thing on her left was the ocean. Hange tensed and hugged him tighter.

"Eren…" she said weakly.

Eren still didn't say anything. The whisper came again and started to chant, repeating something Hange couldn't make out. It grew louder and faster, surrounding her, freezing her in place.

"Eren…!"

Eren squeezed her to the point of pain. She couldn't resist; he was too strong and she was too scared to move. The voice grew abruptly louder, but she still couldn't understand it. Every sensation was painfully amplified, every nerve was on fire, and her temples pinched with anxiety. She closed her eye and tried to think of a logical explanation to calm herself. She knew that the first time Erwin transformed, the blast deafened her, so it was probable that this was a symptom of an injury from months ago manifesting now, perhaps with the unfamiliar movement of the ship.

'Help me…'

Hange saw pinpricks of light in her damaged eye. She opened her good eye, but saw nothing but sky. The words reverberated violently in her head, invasive and unfamiliar.

"Eren!" Hange tried to push him away from her in panic. "Eren! Eren get off of me!" He didn't respond. She screamed, horrified.

'Help me!' the voice shouted with a surreal magnitude.

Suddenly, Hange was pushed to the ground, sliding along the deck before coming to a stop. Shocked tears fell down her cheek as she gathered her nerves, panting heavily.

"I have 7 years left to live."

Hange looked up to Eren. He stared back blankly.

"Don't tell Mikasa."