Chapter 20: The Truth Revealed

Levi let out a sigh, massaging his head as he rode out of the forest with a team of Scouts. It had been half an hour since the fight, and he was exhausted. He considered his squad lucky that the Female Titan had started showing mercy, but the same couldn't be said for Oluo or the people she killed prior to the change of heart. Oluo had a rather large family, and Levi was not looking forward to telling them that he was dead. No matter the man's faults, Levi was honored to fight alongside Oluo, and Levi would never forget him.

Eren had passed out shortly after Mikasa carried him away, and Levi was greatly worried for the boy's future. None of what happened was his fault. The Female Titan was just too experienced, and he was too green. The Military Police wouldn't care about that as long as they got their precious Titan to experiment on and dissect. If worse came to worse, Levi would break him out of there and get him into hiding. He was humanity's last hope and a good kid, and he refused to let him suffer at their hands. He also decided to meet up with Carolyn to make sure she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire if things went south.

The minute he thought of Carolyn, he immediately thought of Dillon. No one had seen him since the Expedition started. He was with Darius's squad, a squad that he also hadn't heard from. If the Female Titan encountered them, and he was as headstrong as they said he was…

Am I going to find your body, Amsdale? He wondered. If I do, will I recognize it?

"Captain, we found more survivors," one of the Scouts announced, riding back with a couple wounded.

"Just like the others," Levi noted. "Injured, but alive."

"There's a village across the bridge," he continued as the wounded were led to a wagon to be checked on. "Seemed like there was a fight over there."

"Let's check it out," Levi suggested, riding forward.

Nodding, the Scouts followed him as they entered the village and what they saw made them stop. There were four bodies lying on the ground. One of them was a bloodstain, the second was crushed into a house, the third was horrible mangled with an open-mouthed scream, and fourth seemed to be in a sitting position nearby.

"We've got a live one," Levi stated, jumping off the horse and rushing to him. "Soldier, are you injured?"

There was no response.

"I asked you a question," he said, kneeling down next to him. "Are you–? Amsdale."

Sure enough, it was Dillon and looked like he had been through the worst kind of hell. His eyes were vacant, almost as if they were dead. His breathing was shallow, and he just sat there without moving. He didn't even give an inclination that he heard Levi.

"Kid, can you hear me?" Levi asked quietly.

Dillon still didn't move or talk.

The captain let out a sad sigh, looking at the other Scouts. "He's in shock. We'll have to carry him back."

"Yes, sir," the Scouts replied, helping Dillon onto one of their horses.

"The rest of you gather the bodies," Levi ordered. "We're bringing them home."

They saluted and got right to work.

Before he left, Levi took notice of something. This was the first carnage he had seen. These people were killed brutally and effectively, but outside the village, the rest became wounded. This was where the bloodshed ended. Whatever the Female Titan was doing before changed after she left this village, and something in his gut told him Dillon knew what.

What does the kid have to do with any of this? He wondered as he galloped out of there. I won't know until he talks… if he talks.


For the next couple of hours, the Scouts were persistent in searching the fields for every wounded soldier or corpse they could find. Once they passed the boundaries of the village, that's when the bodies started piling up. They found Darius's corpse near his horse, what was left of him, that is. Many of the bodies were chewed up, but the majority of them were crushed in some fashion. It just reminded the Scouts of how easily hope could be taken away. They wrapped the bodies up in with cloth with the intention of burying them once they got back to the Walls. At least they could give them and their families that small shred of decency.

The rookies were all given separate tasks. Ymir, Krista, Connie, and Sasha were attending the horses, which meant bandaging their wounds and preparing them for the ride home. Jean and Armin, however, had the job of aiding the Scouts with filling up the wagons with bodies.

"This is the part of the job I'll never get used to," Jean said sadly.

"You're not alone in that," Armin replied.

The brown-haired teen shuddered. "Feels like death is just everywhere. All I can think about is how will it end? Which one of us is next and whether it'll be me?"

"Try not to obsess over it," Armin advised after a pause. "Only thing that train of thought is good for is breaking your nerve. Believe me. Push it out of your mind."

He let out a sigh as he and Armin carried in the last body. "I suppose you're right. No, I know you're right."

As they put the body with the others, Captain Levi approached them. "Arlert. Kirstein."

The two saluted quickly. "Sir?"

"We found Dillon Amsdale," he said.

Jean's eyes widened. "You found him? Is he all right?"

"No," Levi answered. "Come with me."

Quickly, the two jumped out of the wagon and followed him with worried expressions on their faces. Their minds raced with possibilities as to why the captain wanted them to see him, the biggest possibility being he encountered the Female Titan and came out gravely injured. If that happened, Jean would make it his mission in life to find and destroy her.

"The squad Amsdale was a part of encountered the Female Titan," Levi explained. "They were all killed except for him."

"Why did she spare him?" Jean wondered.

"No idea," the captain admitted. "He's been unresponsive ever since we recovered him."

Levi led them to a wagon where Dillon was in. He was sitting on the edge and looking down on the ground. His expression nearly mirrored the stare Armin had when after Eren's supposed death in Trost.

"Dillon," Jean said, recoiling at the sight of his friend.

The blacksmith didn't respond, remaining motionless.

"If he says anything, report it immediately," Levi ordered, walking away.

Sighing, Jean kneeled down so that he could see his face. "Hey, buddy, can you hear me?"

Silence was the answer.

"Dillon, it's me, Jean," he urged, trying to find something to elicit a response. "Come on, man. Say something."

He continued to say nothing.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing," Jean muttered.

Armin finally spoke up. "Jean, I don't think there's anything we can do. I think the only people that can reach him right now are his parents or Annie."

"Yeah, good idea," Jean agreed before turning back to his best friend. "It's gonna be all right. Once we're back in the Walls, we'll get you some help."

Then, Dillon's mouth started to move, sounds coming out of his throat.

Jean's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting results so soon. "Dillon—"

"Jean, wait," Armin urged. "I think he's trying to say something."

The sound slowly turned into a soft "I…" There was a slight shift in his eyes, the despair getting more apparent. He still didn't look at them, though, but he seemed to be making an effort. "I… know who… she is…"

Jean's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at that startling revelation. "What?"

Armin didn't say anything, sadness creasing his features. Ever since the Female Titan reacted when Armin called Eren the "suicidal maniac," his suspicions about who she really was increased. With Dillon in the state he was in and being the only one left alive in his squad, it was obvious that he was spared like he was. The clincher was when he reacted the moment he said Annie's name.

"Who is she?" Jean asked quickly. "And how do you know?"

And just like that, Dillon returned to his silent state.

"Hey, talk to us, man!"

"He's gone," Armin said glumly. "I'm gonna go tell the captain what happened."

Jean clenched his fist with a growl, feeling completely helpless. He shook it off, though, grabbing hold of Dillon's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're going home soon."

"Dillon!"

Jean and Armin were surprised to see Mikasa, of all people, run up to the motionless blacksmith, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Dillon, please tell me you're alright," she begged, looking at his eyes, horrified by the emptiness in them. "Come on. Say something!"

Like the others, she was unsuccessful at pulling him out of his comatose state.

Armin sighed. "He's been like that ever since he was found, Mikasa. He needs time."

"…Who did this to him?" she demanded in a low, dangerous tone.

Jean felt a shiver go down his spine as he answered. "It was the Female Titan. Dillon was the only one who made it out alive."

"I should have killed her when I had the chance." The minute she found out who the bitch was, she was going to chop her into pieces until there was nothing left. Titan or human, she would die.

"Mikasa, there's nothing we can do about the Female Titan right now," Armin said, approaching her. "We need to get ready to leave before the Titans get here."

She exhaled the rage out of her mouth so she wouldn't do anything drastic. The idea of hunting down the monster sounded very appealing, but she had priorities. "I'll take care of him." Without hesitation, Mikasa lifted Dillon out of the cart and carried him towards Eren's. She would protect him and Eren with her life. On any other occasion, it would have been a hilarious sight, but there was no room for levity. All that mattered was getting home.

Once several Scouts reported Titan activity not too far from their position, the Regiment immediately mounted their steeds and took off for Karanes District. They knew the moment they reached the District, things would get worse, but there was nothing they could do about it. They needed to focus on getting to safety before it was too late.

"Wait," a voice called out from behind them.

A few of the Scouts looked behind them to see two Titans running after a couple of stragglers, one of which was carrying a body on his back. Several of the soldiers didn't take having to leave some of the bodies behind very well, so two of them decided to head out into Titan territory to retrieve one of them.

"Titans spotted at the rear," the Scouts announced as a red flare was fired into the air.

"Full speed, all soldiers," Erwin ordered.

"Our best chance might be to circle back," Levi suggested. "Make a beeline for the trees. We can't put up much of a fight out here."

Erwin shook his head. "No, our best option is to make for the Wall."

Levi growled, but he didn't debate the commander.

The soldier carrying the body, a man named Dieter, ducked under a Titan swinging his hand at him. Unfortunately, the wind from the attempted attack caused the body to fall off. His eyes widened in shock, but things got worst. The Scout that went with him was plucked off his horse, letting out bloodcurdling screams as he was mercilessly devoured. Dieter, enraged, attempted to kill the Titan singlehandedly only to be trapped in its fist. As he screamed in terror, Mikasa pulled back and launched herself at the Titan, cutting its nape quickly. As the beast fell, Dieter crawled out of his hand, terrified and ashamed. In his attempt to bring his friend's body home, he caused the death of another Scout.

The other Titan, on the other hand, was more focused on pursuing the Scouts who were riding along with the bodies.

"It's about to be right on top of us!" Armin exclaimed.

"Terrific," Connie replied sarcastically. "As if this day couldn't get any worse."

"Ground's too flat to engage ODM gear, and not only that…" He looked to his left and noticed three more Titans coming after them. "We'll soon be outnumbered."

"Come on, Armin," the bald teen pleaded. "There has to be something we can do."

Armin eyed the wagon that contained the bodies. With that added weight, the horses were slower than the usually were. There was only one thing to do.

"It's gaining on us," one of the two Scouts in the wagon stated.

"I'll jump behind the bastard and distract him," the second Scout said, pulling out his swords. "That should give you the chance to-."

"Don't bother." Levi, who slowed down to aide them, interrupted. "We've got to jettison the extra cargo. Dump the bodies."

The first Scout stared at him, flabbergasted by his order. "But…but sir-."

"Do you know how many corpses are already left behind?" the captain questioned. "These aren't special. Dump them. Consider it their last service to the cause." His brutal honesty hid the grief of doing this. Levi never wanted this to happen, but it had to be done.

"Are we doing this?" the second Scout cried out. "We can't be seriously doing this!"

The first Scout looked down before making up his mind. "I'm sorry, but there's no other way!"

With that, he kicked open the door and started tossing the bodies out one by one. The wagons were picking up speed, the gap between them and the Titans increasing. Levi had a feeling one of those corpses was Oluo, but he shook it off. He couldn't get sentimental when it came to survival. Once the last body was jettisoned, the survivors took off full speed, leaving the Titans behind. It was finally over, but nothing would ever be the same after this. The 57th Expedition was one of the greatest failures of the Scout Regiment, and humanity would never forget it. All thanks to the actions of a traitor.


Dillon groaned as his eyes opened, his blurry vision started to focus. He felt drained in so many ways, he thought he'd pass out. Once he could collect himself, he realized that he was in a room with Hanji sitting across from him, giving him a concerned, but relieved, look.

"Can you hear me?" she asked. "Dillon?"

"Where am I?" he wondered weakly.

"You're in Scout Headquarters," Hanji answered. "We found you in a village near the forest. Your eyes were dead, your breathing was minimal, and you remained motionless for the next few hours."

"Damn," was the only reply he could muster.

"However," she went on, "there was one moment where you said something. When Armin Arlert and Jean Kirstein tried to snap you out of your motionless state, you said, and I quote, 'I know who she is."' She looked at him dead in the eyes. "Dillon, I know what happened in that village was probably the worst experience you've ever gone through, and I wish that we didn't have to do this… but we need to know exactly what happened there."

He didn't answer right away, looking down at the ground. He could hear the bones snap, the bodies squishing beneath giant feet, and horrible, whishing sound as if something was being spun. "I can't."

"Dillon…"

"I said I can't!" Dillon shouted suddenly, glaring at her. "Just leave me alone!"

Hanji noticed it in his eyes: the fear. He was terrified. There were brief moments that he was looking around, expecting her to come busting through to get him. She gave him a sympathetic sigh and approached him slowly. She pulled her chair with her and sat in front of him. "Dillon, please look at me."

Slowly, Dillon attempted eye contact. He was visibly shaking.

Talking to people that suffered severe trauma like this was never easy since every person reacted differently. She needed to tread lightly to get the answers. "Dillon, she's not here. This is a safe place for you. You can tell me."

"It hurts," he whispered.

"I know it does," she said, "but you need to be stronger than this. It's the only way we can protect everyone. You need to tell me."

He let out a shaky breath, knowing that she was right. There was no other choice. "We… we just got word that… that the right wing had been killed. Darius ordered the others to split off and get ready for the attack and kept me by his side. I wanted to help, but he didn't want me to get killed. Then… she showed up."

'"She' being the Female Titan?" Hanji asked.

Dillon nodded quickly. "Yes. She was chasing after us and… they attacked her and…" Tears were springing to his eyes. "She killed them. And Jensen… oh, God." He buried his face into his hands as the memories resurfaced.

She really didn't want to ask, but she had to know. "What did she do to him?"

"She… held him by his cable," Dillon continued, his voice breaking. "He begged her to let him go and… she smiled." He could still see that smile. That horrible, sadistic smile she gave to him. "And then…" He closed his eyes, hearing Jensen being spun around and his bones snapping in the process. "She started spinning him around and she was enjoying it!" Dillon cried out, the tears falling down his face. He was breathing heavily, almost to the point of hyperventilating.

Hanji's eyes widened in horror. She hadn't witnessed the Female Titan killing people, but this went beyond sick.

"I tried to attack her," he went on, trying to regain his composure, but failing, "but she used his body to throw me off my horse before killing Darius. Then she was coming for me."

This is it. "What did you do?"

"I got angry, and I prepared to fight her to the death," he answered, talking a bit quicker as if his life depended on it, "but then she saw my face… and I started seeing hers." He started shaking again, but it wasn't out of fear. "I recognized her."

"Dillon, who is she? You need to tell me right now."

His lips trembled for a moment and then he blurted out the six words he never wanted to say. "Annie Leonhart is the Female Titan!"

And just like that, Dillon completely lost it. It was far worse than when he was in that village. His sobbing was so filled with anguish that it sounded like he was screaming. She remembered seeing the girl at the trial and knew that the two had a relationship. This was the deepest level of betrayal one could ever experience, and it grieved Hanji to see Dillon go through it.

"Why?" he shouted, slamming his fist into the table. "Why did she do it? Why?"

"Dillon–" Hanji tried to get his attention, but he was gone. He wouldn't listen to anyone.

He continued to beat the table, almost as if he wanted to break it. "Why didn't she kill me? Why didn't she kill me!?"

Hanji stayed silent as she watched Dillon sink off his chair to the ground, asking "Why?" repeatedly. He curled into a fetal position, eyes slammed shut. He was unable to cope, unable to be free of his pain, unable to move on. Understandably, he just continued to cry.

Quietly, the scientist walked out, motioning for the two Scouts waiting outside the door to watch him. Once they were inside, Hanji approached Levi, who had been listening to the whole thing.

"It all makes sense now," the captain said in a monotone. "She hurt the man she loved, and she tried to make up for it." He snorted. "Lot of good that did."

She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "What do we do with him?"

"I'm putting him under temporary suicide watch," he answered. "When things settle down, I'm suspending him from the Scouts. He's no good to me in this condition." He wasn't disappointed in him; he was disappointed in the circumstances Dillon was shoved into.

Hanji stared at the closed door. "I hate to say it, but Annie knows that by keeping Dillon alive, her cover's blown. By now, she's probably long gone."

"I doubt it," Levi stated, sipping his tea. "She ran in the direction of the Walls. She's worn out, but she wants to keep up appearances."

"Why come back here if it's too dangerous for her?" Hanji wondered, confused.

"Hell if I know," he muttered. "She had Eren right where she wanted and she let him go. I have a feeling that if she's still here, she won't be for much longer."

"Do you think it's possible that Annie would be open to—"

"If she wanted Amsdale in her life, she would've taken him and run," Levi interrupted, knowing where she was going with that line of thought. "Besides, the kid's too broken to try and reason with her. All he'll accomplish is reminding Leonhart of the pain she caused, and she'll run faster."

Hanji massaged her forehead, trying to think of something. "We don't have the resources to go after her right now. Eren's too weak from the fight, and we lost forty percent of our forces. Not to mention the Military Police is going to take custody of him soon."

After the disastrous Expedition, Erwin was immediately summoned to the capital. Zackley, albeit reluctantly, revoked their custody of Eren Yeager. In a few days, he would be on his way to the Interior where the Military Police would be waiting for him. One could imagine what they would do to him.

"Then we stall for time," Levi said, putting the cup down.


(The next day)

With a tired yawn, Annie made her way back to her room. She spent the better portion of the night and the morning drafting up two letters. One was addressed to Dillon, telling him everything regarding who she was, where she came from, the secrets of the Titans, and everything else she knew. By the time humanity was hunting her down, she would be in hiding, somewhere they couldn't find her. Once they searched her quarters, they would find the letter and know the truth.

The second letter she sent out by a different carrier pigeon this morning. It was addressed to her comrades, asking them for an extra week to try and capture Eren before they moved on to the next phase of their plan. If her request was granted, it would buy humanity enough time to prepare for their attack. It was the least she could do after everything she did.

She sighed sadly, her mind never ceasing to return to the Expedition, to Dillon. Once she returned to the Walls, she felt the link between them sever. The last emotion she felt from him was fear. Fear of her.

I hurt you so much, Dillon. Annie thought for the umpteenth time. I'm sorry.

Finally, she entered her bedroom and was surprised to see a letter waiting for her on the bed. Curiosity overtook her as she took it, examining it. Her first thought was that it came from Dillon, but the handwriting on the envelope indicated someone else wrote it. Carefully, Annie opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. As she began to read it, her eyes widened in horror and she started shaking her head in denial. "No. No!"


"Right now, the only reason she's leaving is because she believes that her identity has been compromised. Unfortunately for us, Amsdale will never have had a chance to tell us."


"Officer Annie Leonhart,

I, Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scouting Regiment regret to inform you that during the 57th Expedition into Wall Maria, Dillon Amsdale perished. We tried to bring his body back for a proper burial, but we were pursued by Titans. We were forced to leave his body behind to give the survivors a chance to escape.

You have my deepest condolences and my apologies for bringing you such terrible news."


The scientist slowly faced him. "Levi, that is a very dangerous gamble to make."

"If we let her run, we might as well spit in the faces of all the Scouts that died today," Levi growled. "They deserve better than that."


For the first time in so long, Annie felt her entire world crash around her. It couldn't be true. Dillon had his powers. He could prevent the Titans from eating him with his powers… unless he was in a position where he couldn't use his powers, like… being unconscious.

Oh, God. She thought as she felt tears come into her eyes. What have I done?

The dam burst and Annie started to weep, the letter falling from her hand. She loved Dillon more than anyone else in the world, and not only did she betray him in the worst possible way, but now, he would never be coming home.

"I'm sorry, Dillon," she cried out, burying her face in her hands. "Please, forgive me!"

Her anguished cries drew the attention of her fellow officers, but she yelled at them to get away from her, which they wisely did. She wanted to be alone, to suffer in solitude. The world didn't take away Dillon Amsdale; she did, and she could never make it right. She really was a monster.


"The moment Annie finds out we played her this way, she'll make it her mission in life to kill us," Hanji warned.

"Then she won't find out," Levi said simply. "As of right now and as long as she lives, Dillon Amsdale is dead."


Remastered Edits: Not a whole lot this time. I cut out the scene where we see Dillon hiding himself inside his mind. In the grand scheme of things, very unnecessary. I did add a little bit of Mikasa interaction since their relationship is different from the original.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.