Chapter 32: The Female Titan and her Blacksmith

Groaning, Annie started to open her eyes, feeling like she just ran a marathon. Given everything she went through, it wasn't surprising she felt this way. At least her body was back to normal. However, when she remembered what happened between her and Dillon, she sat up abruptly, ignoring her body's protests. She didn't see him anywhere, so it was possible he was still unconscious from the incident.

The door opened without warning and in stepped a grinning Hanji, having heard her movements. "About time you stopped taking a snooze."

Annie could not help but still be wary around this woman, though she hoped her expression didn't show it. "How long was I out?"

"It's morning now," she answered, closing the door behind her. "You were quite the sight yesterday. Probably sent half the Scout Regiment to therapy by your appearance alone."

She let out a snort. "I tend to have that effect on people. Where's Dillon?"

"When he finally stabilized, we got you both to the infirmary. He woke up about an hour before you did. We debriefed him on the incident, but afterwards, he took a walk."

"Where is he?" Annie hoped she didn't sound too desperate.

"He's at the lake about a mile from here. I've got Moblit watching him from a distance," she assured, furrowing an eyebrow. "Can't believe he was able to function normally after everything. Must be a Psion thing." Definitely something she was gonna file away for later.

She sighed, knowing that now was the best opportunity to talk to him. "Hanji, I need your permission to shift."

Hanji raised an eyebrow. "And why do you need to do that?"

"If we're going to be working together, he's got to see me as me, or else all of this is pointless."

She drummed her chin, thinking it over. "I'll consider it, but under one condition: tell me everything that happened yesterday. Leave nothing out."

This was going to take a while.


Skipping stones across the lake was doing nothing to ease the torment Dillon felt or the migraine that pounded his head, the latter being the least of his problems. Ever since he woke up, he couldn't stop thinking about what he did to Annie, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He was supposed to be better than this, be a decent person, not a lunatic. Come to think of it, he lost the title of "decent human being" a long time ago. The incident in his mind only confirmed it. Annie hated him. It was the only thing she probably felt for him, and he didn't blame her. He deserved it.

His heart skipped a beat when he felt the ground shake. Only one thing could make that sound, and one person who'd come for him. She was back. He took several deep breaths before he had the spine to stand up and turn around.

There she stood, looming over in a way that clearly displayed their height difference. The sunlight highlighted her inhumanness, the shadows emphasizing her muscle structure. "Hello, Dillon," she greeted.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Hanji told me," Annie answered. "You didn't think they'd let you wander off alone, did you?"

"No, I didn't." He could not hide how uncomfortable he felt in this moment. One step was all she needed. "You're a Titan."

"Your observational skills are impeccable." A slight smirk appeared on the Female Titan's face.

"Why?"

"I don't want you to separate me from the Female Titan in this conversation. I thought a constant visual reminder would help with that." She knelt closer to his level, causing him to back up a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you, Dillon." The neutral tone was finally gone as she spoke far more gently than she ever had in her life.

Dillon looked away from her giant eyes, staring at the ground. "I… I can't do this."

"Bullshit." Annie gave him a pointed look, even if he couldn't see it. "You faced me in Stohess, Dillon. I know you have what it takes to deal with the woman that ruined your life." She let out a sigh, letting some of the passion die down. "I will wait as long as I need to, okay? But in the end, you have to look at me and talk to me."

Dillon clenched his fist, trying to work up the courage to do just that. The images were still fresh in his mind, nightmares that refused to leave him alone, but she sounded so sincere. If she meant to hurt him, she would've done so already. With a deep breath, he slowly turned his head up so he could see her face.

Not even her expression was blank anymore. In fact, she looked rather sad just like she did in that village when the truth came out.

"I must look pretty pathetic, don't I?" he asked.

Annie stared down at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, a giant toe nudged him. A Titan "nudge" was enough to catapult him into lake.

He quickly surfaced, sputtering out water. "What was that for?"

"You start with kicking yourself instead of talking to me again, I'll drop you in," Annie warned as she fished him out, letting the water filter through her fingers so that Dillon was all the remained. She didn't put him down, and instead, kept him at face level. "It's trauma, Dillon, and it's something that's not going to go away anytime soon, especially if you don't talk about it."

"What do you want me to say, Annie?" he asked, wiping the remnants of water off his face.

"Anything that's bothering you. If you're afraid of retaliation, don't be. I'm a big girl. I can handle what you throw at me."

Finding whatever ounce of courage he had left, Dillon finally opened up with, "I'm so sorry, Annie."

Annie knew that he was trying to placate her first, but she chose to let him. It was a process.

"You needed me, and I wasn't there for you. I just hid in my room like a little—"

"You're doing it again," she interrupted. "Insulting yourself isn't going to get you anywhere."

He let out a frustrated groan. "Damn it, Annie. Just let me finish this."

She was tempted not to let him, but she didn't want this to devolve into an argument, so she simply nodded.

Dillon felt that the beginning was the best place to start, so he did. "When I first met you, I knew you were kind of screwed up. No offense."

The Female Titan snorted in amusement, sitting down while taking great care not to jostle him too much. "None taken, smooth talker."

He shook his head, a wistful smile on his face. "I don't know what drew me to you. You were attractive even if you couldn't see it. You had this way of… drawing me in with your mysterious nature, and I wanted to know more about you. Your eyes seemed cold and emotionless, but I ended up seeing them as sad. That's why I gave you the boot knives. That smile you had… it was truly beautiful, Annie." The wistful smile faded, replaced by a shamed look. "You asked me what I wanted from you that day. I wanted to make you happy. I wanted to be the one to make you happy. In hindsight, pretty selfish, isn't it?"

"It was the same way with my father," Annie admitted. "I wanted to make him proud, validate my existence in his life. He trained me to fight, and I fought harder with each day, trying to prove to him I was worth his time. One day, he pushed me so far that I… I lost control." She let out a heavy sigh, her voice getting quiet. "The day that he the proudest of me was the day I crippled him for life."

He told himself that he shouldn't have been surprised by the kind of life Annie had, but Dillon could not keep the shock out of his face. "I'm so sorry, Annie."

"Don't apologize for something you didn't do." She shook off the bad memory. "Keep going, Dillon. I know there's more."

He nodded, continuing. "Like you said, you being happy validated me being in your life. I started to care about you more after that, and I realized you cared about me when you saved my life and tore me a new one while I was recovering."

"And look how far you've come. Jumping right between the Scout Regiment and a dangerous Titan Shifter on the off-chance I wouldn't kill you barely a week ago." It seemed that Annie's Titan form enhanced her sarcasm abilities along with everything else.

Dillon couldn't refute that, so he just moved on and ignored her commentary. "Then, I told you that I liked you, and you wanted me to 'save myself from you.' The promise I made that night… I didn't know what your dark secret was. Maybe you killed someone, maybe you were a recovering drug addict, I didn't know, but I know I meant what I said that I would be there for you… until push came to shove." He looked down once more, shaking a bit. "You slaughtered my squad, you made me feel more vulnerable than I ever had in my life. If I didn't attack you, what would you have done to me, Annie?"

"You already dream of the possibilities, Dillon. I won't add to them."

He clenched his fist, not hiding the anger he felt anymore. "Sure, the Scouts faked my death, but I went along with it because I knew it would hurt you. I knew you'd be devastated to know that the person you 'loved' was in the stomach of a Titan because of you." A laugh escaped his, throat, but it was far from a pleasant sound. "It's funny. I tried so hard to be a better person in this world, and in the end, I'm no better. Not to you, not to the military, not to anyone."

Annie didn't say anything at first, wanting him to get it out of his system. When he didn't speak further, she pressed for details. "This is about Stohess, isn't it? It was the center of your mind for a reason."

Another nod as his voice got shaky. "354 people died that day because of me, Annie. Because I was too weak and afraid to do the right thing. You were right. None of that would've happened if I just grew a fucking spine."

There was only one thing to say to that. "Drop it."

That took Dillon off guard. "W-What?"

Her massive eyes weren't blazing in anger, but there was a fire in them. "You did not make me kill anyone in Stohess. I was fighting for my life. I am responsible for the deaths I caused. All of them, so don't bother carrying that weight for me. I was angry and hurt at what you did, but I shouldn't have blamed you for it."

"But if I—"

She put a finger to his lips, nearly covering his whole face. "I know what you're gonna say. Don't bother. You're not someone who was trained practically at birth to become a weapon. You're not someone who had to struggle to survive every day. You're a boy who chose to enlist to kill the monsters that scared him. There was no way in hell you could've fought through all the shit I put you through any sooner than you did. Disagree with me if you want to get dropped in the lake again."

Wisely, Dillon chose not to do just that and kept his mouth shut.

"Now, I'm going to talk." The Female Titan removed her finger and sighed once more. "I've done things that are unforgivable. Some of them, I'm even okay with. Some things I regret more than others. When I fought in the field, I was a warrior doing…. I was in a war. But I left you to die." She looked at him with pained eyes. "That is unforgivable.You have every right to hate me for that. I couldn't bear to kill you because of how I felt about you, but I left you in a position where you could easily die, telling myself that Armin, Jean, or the others pursuing me would find you. I left your life up to chance.That wasn't a kid trying to survive. That wasn't a warrior in battle. That wasn't even a girl who betrayed her family for a guy she abandoned. That was a coward."

He still didn't say anything, allowing her to get it all out in the open.

"I tell myself if I wasn't a coward, I would've ended it with you a long time ago. I knew it was going to end badly between us no matter what I ended up choosing, but I still went along with it. Dillon, you were everything I'm not. You were strong to go against the tide, and I just went along with the tide. You can touch people's lives in a positive way while all I can do is end them." A dark look crossed her face. "If I was half as dedicated to my mission as Reiner and Bertholdt are, I would've killed you when you revealed your abilities to me. There was a chance you could've read my mind, gotten everything you could about my mission, about who I was, but I did nothing. Instead, you made me happy, and it meant so much to me. I couldn't let it go. I couldn't let you go, and I still betrayed you." The Female Titan clenched her free hand. "Damn it, I'm ranting so I don't have to focus on it. I failed you! A Titan could have eaten you. I crossed... how fucked up is it that I still want to be with you after what I did to you? I'd have nightmares about me too. Anyone with sense would have tried to kill me in that mindscape."

Once again, Dillon was unprepared for what she said. "You still want to be with me? But why? After everything I did to you-"

"You're precious to me, Dillon!" Tears finally escaped from her eyes and streamed down her face. "I've always been terrible at showing you, but I care about you. I love you."

He couldn't fathom what was going on. "What? But you hate me. You said it yourself."

"I'm complicated, okay?" Seeing the Female Titan look so frustrated with herself was quite the sight. "I don't really hate you. I hate the things that you've done, things you've said to me, but not you yourself. If I really hated you, I'd have killed you already. I was upset, and I needed to get it out." Since he was pouring out his feelings, she needed to do the same. "You lied to me, sold me out to the Scout Regiment and almost got me killed by doing so, you called me a psychopath, and you promised to kill me at the trial if I refused the chance being offered to me. I was so furious. I was being turned into a tool again. I don't know how—"

"I lied."

Two words stopped her dead in her tracks. Annie wondered if it was her heart that leapt or if the Titan form actually had something that could perform a similar function. She needed to know for sure he meant what she hoped he did. "What did you say?"

"I just told them what they wanted to hear." Dillon opened his mind so she could see his thought process and emotions as he spoke. "I managed to fool Erwin into believing I would do it when we talked alone. It was easier than I thought it would be, though not by much. The emotions were real and still fresh. I just had to choose my words properly. Same with the trial. I honestly thought someone was going to catch on, but no one ever did. I was going to tell you sooner, but then all this crap happened with my parents."

Annie couldn't believe what she was hearing as she his emotions wash over her. If what he was saying was true, Dillon conned the military itself into believing his words… if he was telling the truth. "Dillon, I want to believe you, but you have made it very hard to lately."

He nodded in understanding. "I know. I did end up trying to kill you after all. Twice. I could point out that they weren't during my saner moments, that it was me going out of control, but that's up to you to decide. Honestly, all I can say is that if I was put in that position, I really don't believe I have it in my heart to kill you. I can't make you believe what I'm saying, and I won't blame you if you don't."

She wanted to believe that. Trust was so hard for her, especially when his actions and lies nearly led to her death. He gave away her identity. He knew what would happen because of that, but he also betrayed his comrades to save her in his own stupid-ass way. It saved her life. At the very least, a cage was better than death. She noticed that he didn't seal off his emotions. He wanted her to feel what was in his heart, the truth that he could never hide. "You… you really wouldn't hurt me?" Perhaps it was strange considering her relative size and power, but in that moment, the Female Titan seemed more fragile than he was.

"I mean, if you went on a rampage, I'd pull you out of your nape as fast as I could. That would probably hurt. With sparring, I guess I would have to as well, especially when you're the Female Titan. That's gonna take some getting used to. And if you were trying to do something wrong or stupid, I'd try stop you. Maybe I'd have to defend myself or other people if you took shots at us, and—"

His rambling was interrupted by a pair of lips consuming his face. Well, more like crashed into him. The force of the kiss had him pinned down to the palm of her hand, but she wasn't letting up just yet. So, he attempted to return the gesture, the key word being "attempted." He doubted she could even feel it.

When Annie finally pulled away, she said, "It's been too long since we've kissed."

"Y-Yeah," Dillon stuttered, still reeling from her affectionate gesture.

"No more lies, okay? There's been too many between us."

He nodded in agreement. "No more lies. I'll be honest with you even when you ask me if an outfit makes you look fat."

Her eyes narrowed. "Something you've been meaning to tell me, Dillon?"

There it was. That damn smirk on his face.

"Jerk. If I didn't miss seeing that look on your face, you'd be getting acquainted with my foot right about now." Annie simply bopped him on the head with her finger. "This will have to do."

Dillon rubbed his head, but it didn't take a mind reader to know that he missed this banter just as much as she did.

She let out a sigh. "Dillon, while we're being honest, I need to know something: why did you come back to me? You could have died. You could have been executed for treason." Her face creased with regret for putting him in that situation.

He didn't answer at first as he went back to the day. When he managed to figure out what he wanted to say, he spoke. "While I was under suicide watch, Levi Squad let slip that you started to spare Scouts after you left me in that village. And then it escalated into you abandoning your mission when you had the chance to take Eren. I couldn't believe it. I thought you were just a heartless monster, but I was wrong. No matter what you did, you were still the same girl I fell in love with back in Training." He looked away once more. "Unfortunately, I ended up trying to separate you from the Female Titan."

"The Female Titan and I are the same person. You can't have one or the other, but… I want to become a better person, not someone who just says, 'I'm sorry' and then goes on hurting people, hurting you. I want to find something better with you. Something good.I want you to find it in me, but I need you to find it in the actual me, not an idea of me. I want it to be us in this moment, you know? Damn it, am I even making sense?"

"Yeah, you are," Dillon answered, gently stroking her cheek. "I want to be a better person, too, and be able to move on from all this."

Annie closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "I will help you through it. If it hurts or becomes too hard, come back to me and this moment."

"I will, but I will also help you," he promised, finding it easier to be drawn to her. "Annie… why did you take that chance with me? You could've just run without looking back, back to your father. Why choose me over him?"

"You mean the hardest choice I've ever had to make? It's certainly not one without its own regrets," she admitted. "I want every day to try and save him. There was a time and place I would have been okay with killing anyone to get to back to him, no matter how many bodies I left behind me. Most of the world is willing to turn to evil to protect what they love. Why shouldn't I? Seeing the suffering of the people in the Walls hurt me. So much so I wanted sometimes to just kill them all to look away. The longer I was there, the more I found myself wanting to help them. I refused to let myself though. I knew what I was: a girl who'd do anything to get back home to people who loved her."

"So why didn't you?"

"Being around so many strong people. Eren, Armin, you... I regretted not being that way. Every time one of you called me a good person, it hurt, but I also loved it. I wanted to be that good person. It started as a moment of weakness. I don't know why I didn't kill Armin. You know why I couldn't kill you. Then it just kept happening. I couldn't turn them into things in that fight anymore. That was the start of something for me. Something I decided on in Stohess. That day, I just..." It was so hard to find the right words to say. "I wanted you to love me, monster and all. To look at all the horrible things I've done and still be able to love me. I don't know if I got that from my father before I left. He and my mother sentenced me to... it's complicated. I was my mother's instrument and my father's protégé. I was fashioned into a tool of war, and only when he sent me away did he hold me in his arms, give me that comfort I so desperately wanted from him. How do I know that was love and not guilt? But you… you threw everything away in front of your comrades to declare you still love the monster you hate and fear more than anything else. You were my enemy, but you still loved me. You looked at me, tears in your eyes, and begged me to choose the only thing you thought could save me. You saved me." Even in Titan form, Annie's smile was still beautiful. "Dillon, you're the bravest person I've ever met."

"D-Damn it, Annie." His current tears flowed more freely despite his best efforts to prevent them.

Carefully, Annie cradled him against her cheek, letting her warmth soothe him. "I've got you. Don't worry."

The two stayed there for a while, finding the comfort they needed in each other. Their tears were that of relief, the nightmare finally coming to an end. No matter what happened, they would always have each other.


(Stohess)

Getting into the Interior was not a problem for Matthew. Since he lived there, he could come and go as he pleased. Explaining Elise, on the other hand, was a touch difficult. He eventually had to settle on Elise being a friend he visited every now and then, and she accidentally burned herself while they were together. The guards bought it while chortling at the fact the up-and-up Matthew Amsdale had a mistress. They let them in on the grounds that Matthew owed them a favor, or else the missus would get some very interesting news. A pity that their blackmail scheme was never going to work.

While Elise was recovering and resting, Matthew barely slept a wink, still shaken up by what he had done. He didn't mean to hurt his son that much. He just wanted him to stop fighting him and understand why he chose to join Elise. At this point, Dillon was in no position to listen to him. He hoped that would be able to get it once they could talk without all the drama and the baggage that weighed on their lives. In the meantime, Matthew made himself useful by keeping an eye out as much as possible. Sure, he got a few hours sleep, but he wanted to make sure no one got the drop on them.

"Security hasn't been raised around here," Matthew announced once he was back inside the house. "I thought there'd be a manhunt for us by now."

"Erwin isn't the type to show his hand," Elise said, splashing water on her red face to keep herself cool. "He has something planned for us. I'm sure of it. Hopefully, our little match with the Female Titan gave him something to consider."

"Right. Of course." He took a seat, staring at nothing.

She sighed, sitting across from him. "Dillon didn't leave you a choice, Matt. He was out of control."

"But I still hurt him," Matthew said, looking down at his hands. "What kind of father does that to his own son?"

"The kind of father who saw no alternative," she answered. "If you didn't stop him, he could've caused a lot more damage than just ruining my pretty face. Hell, you probably saved his life."

He let out a chuckle, though it was far from a pleasant sound. "I've had these powers for 20 years, Elise, and there is so much I don't know about them. I could've put my son in a coma, and I wouldn't know about it."

"I thought you two had a mental link between each other," Elise pointed out, confused. "Jacob and I used it all the time to make sure we were fine."

"We had a powerful connection when we first started out, but it waned when he went to Training for three years," he explained. "Now, it's just down to basic communication. I don't dare try to force myself into his emotional state, especially after what I did."

"Well, if the link is still there, that means he's alive." She took his hand into her bandaged one, making sure he avoided the burns. "Listen, I can help you, and if Dillon's hurt, we can find a way to fix him. So many possibilities have opened up with our powers. The things we could do if we really tried, if we really put our minds to it-" She laughed at her own joke. "I can teach you everything I've learned. I may not know all that we can do with these abilities, but in the time we have left, the possibilities are endless." She threw him a serious look. "But you have to do something for me first: you have to face Carolyn."

Matthew visibly stiffened at the mention of her name.

"I gave you the opportunity to end it, and you stalled with the excuse of talking to Dillon and the Scout Regiment first. Look how well that turned out."

"If I killed her yesterday, it would have been far worse between Dillon and myself," he told her.

"Or maybe you didn't want to confront her." Elise's stern gaze pierced into his eyes. "We can't let the past hold us back anymore. Today, no matter what happens, Carolyn dies."

"And then what?"

She smiled at him. "The next adventure."


(One hour later)

"Before we begin, I believe it is prudent to discuss the possibilities presented to us," Erwin started, eying his subordinates carefully. "After discussing each encounter we've had so far with Elise, we know that she does not wish to become our enemy."

Here we go, Levi thought with a sour expression.

"Her advanced powers, along with Matthew's, could prove to be useful in our campaign against the Titans and the Marleyans. Considering that she, too, is from there, she may have current intel that could prove invaluable."

"Except she doesn't give a damn about any of that," Levi retorted. "She's been fixated on Carolyn all this time."

Erwin put his hands together, deep in consideration. "Yes, and one can imagine what she and Matthew will do once the object of their hatred is dead."

Dillon bristled a bit at his mother being referred to as an object, but he wisely didn't say anything stupid. He was not of equal rank to either of them.

Annie, however, asked, "Permission to speak freely, Commander?"

"Granted, Leonhart," Erwin answered with a nod.

"Elise is powerful. They both are. You saw what I had to do to get them to retreat. They aren't invulnerable, but their powers are useful." She let out a sigh. "No way in hell I would trust them if I were in your shoes."

"And why is that?" Erwin asked, gesturing for her to continue.

"Like Captain Levi said, if she cared about the wellbeing of anyone in these Walls, she would've come to you with the information from the start and offered herself up as a military asset," she explained. "She didn't. She only cared about getting her revenge on Carolyn and getting Matthew to join her, which brings me to my next point. In one day, Matthew went from being hellbent on saving his wife to attacking his own son." Annie noticed all eyes on her and she addressed the elephant in the room. "Yeah, I know. I'm one to talk, but considering I had three years to get to that point and Matthew hadn't seen Elise in twenty years, it's a little different."

"You think she used her powers to sway him," Erwin inferred.

"Well, we won't know for sure until we capture her," Hanji said, finally getting in on the conversation with an excited giggle. "Oh, the questions I have for her could fill an entire book."

"That all depends on if you can keep her from escaping," Annie pointed out with a slight smirk. "No offense, but your plans could use some adjustments in that regard."

"Not yet," Dillon interrupted finally. "We need to find my mom first."

"Unless you know exactly where to find her, that's not gonna happen," Levi responded.

"I may have a way to do that," the Psion said. "I still have the mental link with my mom. I might not be able to pinpoint her location like my dad can, but I can try and access her memories… that is, if any of you are willing to help me save her."

"Supreme Commander Zackley gave us a direct order to find her," Erwin reminded him. "We are not planning on disobeying him."

And if he didn't give you that order? Dillon thought, but he kept it to himself. As long as they were going to do it, the why didn't really matter in the long run. He closed his eyes and began focusing on the faint link that was between him and Carolyn. He only caught a glimmer of the pain she was in, but he couldn't dwell on it. Once he reached her, accessing her memories was easy with her being in such a weak state. He treaded carefully as to not disturb her.

"Dillon, do you see anything?" Annie asked, ready to pull him out if things got out of hand.

"I see…. I feel myself chained," he answered, reliving the moment as if it was his own. "I'm against the wall. I can't move. There's an awful smell. Something rotting." His breathing rate increased as the sight of Elise with a terrifying smile filled his vision. "I'm scared. She found me after all this time. What is she going to do to me?" He winced, gritting his teeth in pain. "She's hurting me, and she enjoys it. She gets off on it. I can't do anything to stop her. It's too much. Make it stop. Make it stop!"

"Dillon!" Annie yanked him back, snapping him out of the memory.

He stumbled backwards and collapsed into a chair, panting heavily.

Slowly, Erwin approached him, staring down at him. "What else did you see?"

Trying to shake it off, Dillon thought back to the memory. "There were… torches. It was the only source of light in the room, but there was something else. Something… bars!" His sudden exclamation made Annie recoil. "There were bars on the door behind Elise. She's in some sort of prison."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "There's only one prison in the entire Underground. It's a death to everyone who's sent there. If Elise is down there, she'll have the run of the place and have the advantage."

"Not if we keep her from going underground," Dillon said, his face tightening into a scowl.

That statement caused the captain's eyebrow to raise. "And how do you plan by doing that?"

The blacksmith closed his eyes, knowing what had to be done. "By going after my father."


Remastered Edits: Okay, the reconciliation scene between Dillon and Annie is my second-favorite Dillon/Annie moment in the entire story, first one being the confrontation in Stohess. I will, once again, tip my hat to my co-writer for writing most of Annie's lines during this scene. We roleplayed this scene four different times with four different scenarios. What you see is a combination of all of them to make this work. I've been dying to get this chapter out to you guys, but it was well worth the wait to make sure we did the best we could first.

While minor in comparison, how Dillon managed to find Carolyn was changed since Matthew wasn't there to help him, and I wanted it to be a unique way for Dillon to use his abilities. Since he delved into people's minds a lot, using a recent memory seemed like the best shot.

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