Chapter 33: Sins of the Son

With Levi Squad selected to retrieve Carolyn, Eren was more than willing to help. On one hand, he was upset that Dillon's parents purposefully kept humanity in the dark about the truth. On the other hand, Carolyn did not hesitate to help Eren when he was put on trial. The least he could do was rescue her from this prison she was being held in. As an added bonus, he could steer clear of Annie for just a little while longer. He knew he'd have to face her eventually but delaying the inevitable would work for now.

As Eren traveled with Levi Squad and Hanji, who was selected to lead the team, he couldn't help but be distracted by the sights. He had heard rumors about the horrible conditions of the Underground, but they paled in comparison to what he saw. "I can't believe how many of them are so..."

"Sick? Dying? Starving?" Eld finished, looking over his shoulder. "Trust me, Eren. You're lucky that you didn't grow up here."

"And the King does nothing about it?" he asked angrily.

"Not a thing," Hanji replied in a serious tone. "It may be a struggle to survive on the surface, but down here, there's even less hope."

And Captain Levi grew up here. Eren reminded himself. What did he have to do to make it out of here alive? I don't think I want to know.

"Petra, you look worried," Gunther noted.

"Oh, come on, Gunther. We're just trying to get inside a prison and retrieve Carolyn while dealing with whatever Elise has in store for us in the hopes we can complete our mission before she or Matthew return. Nothing to worry about." Sarcasm helped Petra cope with the situation.

"Could be worse," Eld reasoned. "We could be part of the team that's fighting them directly."

"I wouldn't have minded," Eren said, his voice darkening at the thought of what he'd do.

"If you were up there, you'd level more of the district," Gunther replied.

The group got uncomfortably silent as his words hung over the Shifter.

Realizing his mistake, Gunther tried to correct it. "Eren, wait, that was low. I shouldn't have—"

"Don't be sorry," Eren interrupted quietly. "I know what I did."

The more he transformed into a Titan, the more he was able to remember. His most vivid memory was when he focused solely on Annie in Stohess, desperate to kill her. He remembered the panicked screams of the civilians as they were crushed by debris or underfoot. None of that mattered to him as long as he killed her.

"Good job, Gunther," Petra growled.

"There it is," Hanji announced suddenly, pointing ahead.

Before them seemingly attached to the wall of the Underground was a massive prison. The cracks in the building itself was a dead giveaway that it was old and rundown, but it still carried an ominous look, almost as if it was haunted. There weren't many windows in the stone prison, making them wonder if what little light the Underground had was barred off for the inmates.

"Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little nervous?" Eld asked, a shiver running down his spine.

"Hate to say it, but it's not just you," Gunther said.

"We'll need to be careful, then," Hanji told them. "From what I've learned about Elise, she doesn't seem like the type of person to leave Carolyn behind without leaving behind any surprises along with her."

"We'll get her out of there," Eren swore.

The others sounded off their agreement as they continued towards their destination.


(Stohess)

Matthew's mind raced as he ran directly towards the Wall. Not two minutes ago, he heard Dillon over the mind link, telling him goodbye. He could feel the despair in his son's voice before the link between them was severed. Immediately after that, with the help of Elise, they searched for their son via his powers and detected him in Stohess, close to the Wall. He would've left sooner, but Elise had stopped him.

"Matt, this has 'trap' written all over it," she told him. "You go out there, and you risk getting captured by the Scouts."

"It's my son, Elise," he replied. "I'm not gonna let him die."

"What if he isn't in danger at all?" she pressed. "Dillon could be using you. You have to consider that a possibility."

Matthew narrowed his eyes at her. "Possibility or not, I'm going. Don't try to stop me."

She let out a snort. "Far be it from me to get between a father and his suicidal son, but I'm going to be nearby in case this whole thing is a setup."

Elise was currently hiding in a house near his location while Matthew approached the gathered crowd, looking up like they did. There Dillon stood in his civilian uniform staring down at the ground below. Stohess was where hundreds of innocents died, where the nightmare started. It only made sense for him to end it here. Fifty meters. One hundred and sixty-four feet to the bottom. Strongest adult or frailest child, a fall like this would kill them both. With no ODM gear, he would die for sure. Dillon didn't have the mental power to lift or slow his own body, not that he would anyway if this was his choice. Matthew tried again to penetrate his son's mind. He just needed enough to get in, to try and talk him down. There was a strong resistance, though, the natural abilities of his son thwarting his. He inched closer to the edge, causing the crowd to gasp in horror.

"Where the hell are the soldiers?" one of the civilians demanded.

Like those dogs could do anything. Would do anything. Suicides from the wall weren't a rare phenomenon, and more than once, Matthew had caught Garrison troops taking bets on whether they'd actually jump or not. Matthew tried to calm himself, to tell himself that Dillon wouldn't really do it. He couldn't take the risk, though. Instability ran in Psions. That much he knew from his wife's confessions and his own experiences, and Annie, that evil, blond bitch Annie, was already one betrayal too many. There wasn't much time. Dillon was preparing to take the plunge. A second slower, and he would fall.

Matthew started to push his way through the crowd. He didn't care about the squawks of alarm or the cries for him to watch where he was going. He had to get to the base of the wall before Dillon took that leap.

Then, Dillon spotted him, recoiling in surprise. "No, no, no, no! What the hell are you doing here?" His voice rang over the wall, echoing throughout that part of the District.

Matthew wasn't sure if he was yelling at his son to stop or not. His voice felt disconnected from his body even as the cold tendrils of paternal panic spread down his spine as he ran. He didn't feel quite human in this moment. He just needed to stop Dillon.

"Leave me alone," Dillon shouted back, the pain bellowing from his lungs. "Just go away!"

Matthew reached the base of the walls and looked up the corpse of the stone edifice at his son.

Dillon shifted, and he sunk to his hands and knees.

Matthew heaved. He didn't quite feel relief, but the immediate chances of the jump ebbed. It was then he had the wherewithal of mind to expand his senses over their area. He needed to know who else was here. At first, he couldn't detect anyone familiar, but then, a signature was closing in fast from behind. He turned to see Jean land next to him, staring up in horror.

"Dillon, don't do this," the so-called best friend begged.

Matthew raised a hand. "You should have looked after him." A rock smashed into Jean's legs from behind, causing him to crumple to the ground. Then the elder Amsdale was on him, pinning him onto his stomach. "Quit screaming and don't fight," Matthew ordered as he started stripping the soldier's gear with a free hand and his mind.

"Get off me, you psychopath," Jean snarled, trying to resist the man. "This is your fault!"

Matthew didn't hesitate. He punched the boy in the back of the head hard. "Stop struggling."

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Probably wasn't a good idea to assault a soldier in the middle of a crowd.

Matthew glanced over before lifting up that same rock and sending it at the offender. There was a sickening crunch and he no longer needed to worry about that one. He didn't have time to wonder if he'd regret it later. All that mattered was his son. The rest of these people that were fleeing in terror? They were cattle that never realized they were living on borrowed time. He could save them though. He, Elise, and Dillon could save them once they finished this. Dillon just had to be made to understand.

"You killed him," Jean managed out, the back of his head bleeding.

"I'd rather not kill you too. You're a good friend to him. Don't throw away your chance."

Matthew stepped back, the ODM gear now floating free of Jean.

Jean was at a loss for words, covering the head wound as he slunk back from the man.

The ODM gear fastened itself around Matthew's body like it was moving of its own accord.

Matthew's face was gaunt and haunted, and his eyes remained unfixed. "You could have a concussion." Then, he was off, shooting up the wall. While he may not have had the experience of a soldier on using ODM gear, the basics were easily grasped. He made it to the top, but he kept his distance as to not provoke his son.

"I told you to leave me alone," Dillon said, backing up, but making sure he was still close to the edge. "You can't just give me that, can you?"

"Dillon, I'm trying to help you," Matthew responded calmly. "I can't leave you like this."

"Help me? Help me?" Dillon clenched his fist, furious tears streaming down his face. "You and Mom were all I had left... and then you joined her."

Matthew felt his heart break by those words as he stepped slowly towards him. "I haven't abandoned you. I'm right here."

"Take another step and I jump," Dillon threatened. "You hear me?"

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands in defense. "I won't take another step."

"If you really cared so much, you wouldn't have turned your back on family. You would never have hurt my best friend!"

"Everything I have ever done was for you," Matthew said sincerely. "Sometimes, there are certain things that must be done to keep you safe."

"And what about Mom? She's my family, too. I know what she's done, but she's still my mother, damn it." He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "It's messed up. It's all messed up."

"It's all going to be okay." Matthew risked taking a single step towards him. "You have to understand. Love isn't enough. I thought I could forgive. Let her sins go, even though I was among her greatest victims, but love isn't enough. It's just a feeling. In the real world, actions matter, and people who can do what your mom did, they don't change. They have to pay for what they did. You know that. You knew that when you learned what Annie was. You couldn't save her from her choices."

His son looked away, closing his eyes as tears fell down his face.

Matthew stretched his arm towards him. "Please, take my hand. You and I… we can still be a family."

"And what about Elise?" Her name was like poison to Dillon's mouth. "I suppose you want me to accept her."

"I know you don't trust her, and I understand completely," he replied, "but I need you to trust me."

Dillon didn't respond, his body shaking from everything he was feeling.

"Dillon, look at me, please."

Slowly, his son turned to his father, eyes red from crying so much. He was so broken, and Matthew would do anything to heal him.

"Do you trust me?" Matthew asked.

A fresh wave of tears cascaded down Dillon's face. When he spoke, his voice was soft and shattered, but his single word carried the biggest impact. "No."

Suddenly, a lightning bolt descended from the sky and within a matter of seconds, the Female Titan had returned, appearing not too far from the Wall. She swept her arm in a nearby house, a familiar house.

Matthew whirled in her direction, genuinely shocked. "What is she doing here?" How had he not sensed her?

Then, he felt something get torn off from the ODM gear. He spotted the piece fly into Dillon's hand before it was tossed off the wall. "That component was vital to firing your cables. Without it, you'll fall and die." His voice was still shaking, but there was a fiery determination in his eyes now.

Matthew was silent, letting the seconds tick by as he processed what happened. The emotions Dillon felt were real, and most of the words that were said he believed. The suicide attempt, however, was nothing more than a fabrication. Jean's random arrival gave him the ODM gear he needed to reach the Wall, but it also isolated him from Elise. Dillon closed his eyes many times during their conversation, giving him the opportunity to sense Elise's Psion signature without being seen and shield Annie's presence. Without the mind link, Matthew would be none the wiser.

"It was a trap," Matthew said in a strangely calm tone, but when he gazed at Dillon, there was murder in his eyes. "You—"

"Lied to you? Manipulated you? Turns out I'm really good at that," Dillon said, wiping away his tears.

"How dare you do this to me?" he demanded, clenching his fist.

"I had no choice," Dillon protested. "I had to get you away from Elise. I know it was wrong and horribly underhanded, but I had to do it."

Matthew let out a snarl as he turned his eyes towards the battle below. His own son betrayed him. The damn idiot had no idea what he was doing.

"Dad, please. Listen to me," Dillon pleaded. "Elise did something to you. You weren't like this when you left to save Mom. That bitch had to—"

"Even now, you're deluding yourself," he interrupted, his voice low. "I am the one who mangled myself, Dillon. I maimed my own mind to fool myself into loving my wife, I neutered myself to be the man she could be with." Matthew went from low to shouting in an instant. "I compromised myself again and again so she could be a damn crusader and fool herself into believing she'd changed."

"She did change," Dillon yelled back. "She fought for people who couldn't defend themselves."

"Those people were tools, remedies for what ailed her. Every evil she's ever done, every life she's ever thrown away, she's always believed it for the greater good. And the bodies her crusade against the Military Police have left behind bothered her just as little as it did me and all the others. Annie could feel sorry. Maybe she could even cry, but it doesn't really matter in the end because when push comes to shove, she'll kill and kill more people to get what she wants. It's always about them. They can devalue lives. That's what makes them what they are. They are the same kind of monsters."

"Like you?" Dillon shot back, livid. "Like you devalued that man you killed down there? Like you devalued Jean when you attacked him to get his ODM gear? Look at yourself. You're becoming exactly like them."

Matthew's eyes flashed, and Dillon flew right into his grip that fastened around his throat, squeezing. "Don't you ever compare me to them." he growled. "You know nothing of the things you speak."

Dillon made gargling sounds, choking. His eyes were wide and fearful, for he couldn't believe his own father was doing this to him. He grabbed his wrist, trying to remove his hand. "Dad, stop… please…."

It seemed that Matthew was only considering letting him go, his furious eyes never leaving him.

The noises emanating from Dillon became higher-pitched until he was thrown to the ground, causing him to gasp for air. He stared up at the man in disbelief and fear.

Matthew took a deep, ragged breath. "I'm just trying to be a good father. Keep you from making the mistakes I made. I won't let you destroy your life. If I have to sever every tie you have here, I'll do that. If I have to cut the puppet free, I'll do that. After today, no more monsters." His hardened eyes flashed once more, and Dillon was sent rolling a good distance away. "Stay out of my way."

With that warning, Matthew jumped off the wall. Sure, the natural mechanism to fire the cables was busted, but he didn't need a machine to do his work. With a flash of his eyes, the cables erupted from the gear, obliterating a good portion of it in the process, and latched onto the roof of a nearby building. It slowed his fall and allowed him to glide across the ground before landing. He tossed the broken pieces of the ODM gear aside, leaving behind the blades and the cases that held them, before making a mad dash towards the battle. His quarry was in sight and he would tear her apart for the sake of his son.


(Underground)

Hanji opened the old door slowly, the scent of ancient dust and mold hitting their noses. The Section Commander went inside carefully, the rest following her with unease, a bit queasy at what they might find within. Their lanterns were the only defense against the suffocating darkness that awaited. They descended the worn stone steps cautiously, eyes alert for danger.

"This place gives me the chills," Petra muttered, voicing her dread. Her honey eyes glanced around nervously, wary of what might be lurking.

"Yeah," a tense Eld commented, looking as paranoid as he felt.

"I'm not surprised," Hanji replied thoughtfully from the front. "Many prisoners have died here in the past. Perhaps their spirits still haunt the place?" She laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're not helping," Gunther groaned.

Eren shared the feeling as well, but for other reasons. He couldn't transform in this confined space, and that made him feel trapped and helpless. But he steeled his mind and followed the others deeper within the dungeon. Carolyn's life was on the line, and he wanted to repay the debt he owed her.

As the time passed, they were soon greeted by a foul stench that made them sick to their stomachs.

"Gah! What's that smell?" Eren complained as he held his nose shut in disgust.

Hanji said nothing, a serious look on her face as she brought her lantern to a silent cell. The light revealed the skeletal remains of a prisoner inside, a look of torment on its face. "Rotting corpses," she explained with narrow eyes. "The former inhabitants were treated very poorly indeed."

"Makes me wonder if we'll find Carolyn's body next," Eld muttered with a grimace.

She shook her head. "I seriously doubt it."

"What makes you say that?"

Hanji turned her head to face him with an amused expression. "If she was dead, Dillon wouldn't have been able to access her memories."

Eld looked sheepish for forgetting that little titbit. "Oh. Right."

Unfortunately, that moment of turning around cost her. She took another step and the ground gave in. Hanji let out a frightened yelp as she started to fall, but Gunther and Petra quickly grabbed her and pulled her away from the edge. A sizeable hole was revealed as the pieces of the floor took a couple of seconds to hit the bottom. If she had fallen, it was highly likely she would've broken her leg.

"That was too close," Gunther said, panting a bit.

Hanji let out a nervous chuckle as she got her bearings. "She's clever, that woman."

Petra stared at the gap for a brief moment, sizing it up. "We should be able clear it."

Taking a few steps back, Hanji took a running start and jumped over the hole. "Should be good," she said, dusting herself off

Nodding, Gunther was the next one to go, and was quickly followed by Petra. Eren made the next leap, but when he landed, he almost fell backwards into the pit were it not for Petra grabbing him by the shirt.

"Thanks," he said, trying to shake it off after she pulled him up.

"Couldn't let Humanity's Last Hope have a pitiful death," Petra teased.

Eren let out an embarrassed chuckle as Eld made it to the other side easily.

"Eyes on the floor," Hanji advised as she pressed forwards. "Could be more traps."

"Are you telling us or yourself?" Gunther wondered with a smirk.

"Don't make me come over there," she warned

The squad shared a brief laugh, but the time for levity was short-lived as the darkness once more engulfed them. For what seemed like hours (though in truth it was only a few minutes) they continued to go deeper into the prison. The next, and final, trap was a simple trip wire that they easily stepped over. Once they were on the other side, they saw that the wire was attached to a rifle that Hanji simply detached.

"Maybe not as clever as I thought," she muttered, sounding disappointed.

"Over there," Eld announced, pointing ahead down a corridor that led to a barely lit room.

Carefully, the squad walked as quickly as they could while keeping an eye out for more traps. When they reached the other side, the sight before them made them drop their jaws in horror.

"Carolyn," Hanji gasped, running towards her friend.

Suspended in the air by four chains that were attached to four corners of the room was Carolyn Amsdale. But she was completely different from the woman they remembered. There were deep gashes in her face clearly from a knife alongside dried-up blood from her nose and ears. Though she was unconscious, her face was still scrunched up with pain. Her shirt was opened up to make way for shallow cuts and bruises. Clearly, Elise had been taking her sweet time with her.

"What did that bitch do to her?" Eld snarled, his fist shaking with barely contained rage.

Hanji didn't answer as she checked her pulse. "She's still alive, but her pulse is weak."

This is sickening. Eren thought darkly. If Elise somehow survives, I will hunt her down myself and tear her apart.

"Let's get her out of here," Gunther said as he and the others drew their swords.

"No, wait!" the Section Commander intervened. "There's no way Elise would make it so easy. Check the chains."

Though they were anxious to get Carolyn down, they followed Hanji's advice. Looking more carefully, the chains led to holes in each corner of the room, the holes seeming to lead upwards into the supports.

Hanji walked over to take a closer look, eye's widening as she recognized the design of the trap. "Clever," Hanji said grimly. "It's a weighted trap. The supports are weakened, off balance by just enough to be dangerous. Her weight is the only thing keeping them from collapsing. We free Carolyn, and this entire place comes down on us."

"Damn it," Eld swore in anger.

"We can't leave her here. What do we do?" Eren urged Hanji in panic.

"Shut up and let me think," she ordered, walking up to a room corner to study the trap while the others did what they could to tend to Carolyn's brutal wounds.

"We'll get you out, Carolyn. Don't worry." Petra's voice shook as she cleaned a section of skin for gauze.

After what felt like an eternity, Hanji walked up to them with determination. "I have a plan, but it needs all of us to work," she spoke with authority.

"Let's hear it. We don't have time to waste," Eld urged her.

"These chains are each held in tension by a spring of some kind. The spring snaps back, the force is going to be just enough to knock the supports loose. We have to remove the chains one at a time and keep them from reeling back inwards. If we fail, the supports collapse, and all of us die."

"Hey, we already risk our lives against the Titans. This is nothing in comparison," Eld encouraged.

Hanji let out a small laugh at that statement. "That's the spirit! Now, let's get Carolyn out of this hell."

"But how are we going to remove these chains?" Gunther pointed out.

"With this." Hanji held up a set of bolt cutters with a smug grin. "Luckily, I came prepared. Gunther, grab this chain and don't let it move. Eren, you support Carolyn's body."

The two nodded and did so. They waited tensely as Hanji squeezed the tool tightly to snap the metal. Two halves of a chain link clattered to the ground loudly, but to their relief, the prison remained standing. They repeated the process twice more, Eld and Petra grabbing another chain each. Eren and Hanji worked together for the last one. With the final chain cut and grabbed by Eren, Hanji was able to lower Carolyn to the ground.

"Well, now what? My arms are getting tired," Gunther groaned.

"One of us has to get Carolyn to safety first." To Eren's surprise, Hanji set Carolyn down on the stone floor and grabbed the chain he held. "That person is you, Eren. Carry her away from this room and back the way we came."

"What? Why does it have to be me?" the teen asked in confusion.

Hanji looked him in the eyes with utter seriousness. "Because you're far more valuable than us, Eren. We can't afford to lose you. You have to get Carolyn out of here, no matter what happens to us. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Eren managed to get out. With a hesitant look to the rest of them, Eren lifted the broken Carolyn into his arms and carried her slowly out of the sadist's room.

Hanji looked at the others. "Well, anything you all want to say?"

"This is a shitty way to die," Eld answered bluntly.

They all shared a chuckle, completely agreeing with that statement.

"When I say now, run," Hanji ordered. "Ready? One... two... three... now!"

The squad quickly released the chains.

They wasted no time and ran like hell, making it halfway out when thunderous crashes occurred, and cracks began forming in the walls around them. They just barely made it out as stone rubble from the ceiling crashed loudly into the room, the hallway behind them soon following. They didn't stop until they caught up with Eren and Carolyn on the 'ground' floor, the brunette teen filled with relief at their survival as the corridor they had just escaped came crashing down, bringing most of that section of the building with it.

"Well, that was fun," Hanji laughed madly.

"Hanji, you're insane," Petra said, panting heavily.

"Just figure that out?" Eld snarked.

"You know, I just realized something," Hanji said, tapping her chin. "We could have avoided that."

"What?" Gunther asked in disbelief, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, we could have walked the springs back in so they didn't snap. That'd disable the trap."

They each stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

She just continued on as if she was talking about the weather. "Or we could have bound the chains together with rope or tied them in a knot together. Might not have held, but it would have given us more time. Probably wouldn't have been as exciting, though."

Eld facepalmed. "I swear, Hanji, you're going to be the death of us."

The Section Commander simply rolled her eyes. "You four get Carolyn to a hospital the moment you get above ground. I'm heading straight to Stohess."

"Good luck out there," Eren replied.

Nodding, Hanji dashed towards the exit. She knew that there was an opening in the Underground that immediately led to the surface. She would use that to save hours of time she would've spent on foot, and travel through the city as fast as she could. Worst came to worst, she would take on Matthew and Elise. Hopefully, they would be too tired to melt her mind.


(Stohess)

Elise knew that a trap was highly likely. She knew that it was just too convenient for Dillon to attempt suicide in Stohess while they just happened to be in the same District, yet she still went along for the ride. Now, she was zipping across buildings with stolen ODM gear to avoid the damn Female Titan, who seemed more than a little pissed off at her. If she survived this, she was going to have a very long talk with Matthew about the art of not having a death wish.

Of course, things got more complicated when another hook from an alley latched onto a building. Elise looked to see Mikasa zooming directly at her, blades drawn and murder in her eyes. The Psion barely managed to block the attack, but the force of the girl's speed threw off the direction she was heading, making her crash onto a nearby balcony. Elise hopped to her feet quickly as Mikasa landed next to her. Thinking fast, Elise lobbed her two blades at Annie to keep her at bay and followed up by blasting Mikasa through the window of the house, going after her. She ignored the screams and running of the inhabitants inside the house and levitated another blade at Mikasa's neck.

"You really didn't think this through, kid," Elise said, panting a bit as she moved closer. "Really think Leonhart will attack with you in here?"

Mikasa simply stared back and answered, "Yeah, I do."

A giant foot came crashing through the side of the building in a sweeping motion. Eyes widening in horror, Elise barely had enough time to erect a psychic barrier as she was catapulted out of the house.

Mikasa didn't even flinch during that attack and simply put the fallen blade into her gear before taking off.

Elise, on the other hand, scrambled to attach her hooks to something. She got lucky when one of them embedded in the side of a house, managing to slow her descent. Simple as that. No reason to panic. Nothing to worry about except for the skinless abomination against nature making a beeline for her.

Suddenly, Annie clutched her head in pain, blood pouring from her face.

"About time you got here," Elise said mentally, gathering her bearings for another round as she spotted a familiar figure running towards the scene.

"Kill her before Dillon gets here," Matthew ordered, sounding very pissed off.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" With Annie properly distracted, it wasn't hard for Elise to throw two blades right into the Titan's eyes.

Matthew jumped out of the way as Mikasa came for an attempted impalement from above. Before the girl could go for another attack, he smashed one of blade cases right into her head, knocking her down. He followed up with a telekinetic blast that sent her against a wall of a house and finished things off with four blades that pinned Mikasa to said wall by her arms and sides.

"You intervene again, and your hands come off," Matthew warned darkly as he ran towards the blinded Female Titan.

Gritting her teeth in anger, Mikasa struggled to get herself free.

As Levi Squad learned the hard way, just because Annie's sight was gone didn't mean her other senses were impaired as well. As Annie concentrated on healing one of her eyes, she knocked over part of a roof right at Elise, forcing her back. Annie felt both her heels get sliced open courtesy of Matthew, but she could still stand. She whirled around and slammed her fist down right where the man was. Unfortunately, he managed to evade her attack.

The window next to him exploded, shards of broken glass flying right at him. Matthew managed to hold most of them back with his powers, but one got through and impaled his shoulder. He cried out in pain as he pulled it out, blood oozing from the wound. The cause of this attack landed nearby and blasted him against the wall. It seemed the Garrison had a set of ODM gear to spare.

"I won't let you kill her," Dillon swore, keeping his father pinned.

Elise came to the rescue by tossing a blade right at the teen's head. He barely managed to deflect it, but the lapse in concentration was enough to free Matthew, who quickly grabbed Elise by the arm.

"Don't do that again," he ordered, eyes blazing with anger.

Elise jerked her arm out of his hand. "Fine."

Dillon retaliated by charging at them, though he had learned his lesson from last time. Before they could blast him back, he opened the gas canisters and let loose the steam within them. A thick fog covered the duo, blinding them. Elise blew it away, but she was unable to block the savage kick to her stomach that sent her cashing onto her back. He quickly turned to Matthew and fired his wires to blindside him, but then the wires betrayed him by wrapping around his body and making him fall to the ground.

Annie, now having regained her sight, attempted to stomp on Elise only for her foot to be barely held back. Elise's nose was bleeding again by the strain, but Matthew quickly aided her, adding his own powers to the mix. The combined forces sent the Female Titan stumbling back, demolishing a house in the process. Dillon managed to break out of the wires and began throwing pieces of his ODM gear at them. Dodging them, Matthew stalked forward and punched his son hard enough to make him back into an alley, isolating him.

"I told you to stay out of my way," Matthew raged, slamming him against the wall. "But you always have to be a stupid, stubborn son of a bitch." He punched Dillon in the gut and tossed him further down the alley. "Open your eyes and stop clinging onto monsters, Dillon. For once in your life, grow up!"

Dillon glared up at the man, spitting out blood. "You gonna start beating me into submission until I do?"

"If it keeps you safe in the long run, I will."

Slowly, the teen rose to his feet, getting into his fighting stance. "Then give me your best shot… Matthew."

Eyes blazing with Psion energy and anger, Matthew lunged at him. Dillon sidestepped his attack and kneed him in the stomach before punching him against the opposite wall. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver so Matthew's retaliatory kick easily reached him. Dazed, but not out, Dillon responded with a leg sweep that downed his father. He jumped on top of Matthew, punching him in the face several times in an effort to knock him out. However, Matthew grabbed Dillon's head and slammed it against the wall, stunning him. Matthew stood up and hoisted his son to his feet to continue the beatdown, but a door handle hit the back of his head. Taking the advantage, Dillon slammed his elbow in Matthew's face, fracturing his nose. The teen went further by launching a kick fueled by Psion energy that sent his father through the door and onto the ground. The young Psion's energy was draining, and he suspected his father's energy was, too.

Dillon ran inside and was immediately assaulted by a set of pots in pans. He raised his arms in time, but the impact from the kitchenware was going to leave bruises. His eyes widened when Matthew came at him with a copper, frying pan. Dillon barely ducked from the first swing, but he could dodge the kick to his chest that sent him onto the table. He rolled out of the way as the pan came down, falling onto the floor. The teen scurried under the table, kicking Matthew's legs in an attempt to break them. He responded by upending the table and charging at the boy. Dillon blocked a few swings with his legs, crying out in pain in the process, until he managed to land a kick to Matthew's gut. While his father doubled over, Dillon spotted a three-pronged candelabra that fell off the table and lunged for it. When Matthew recovered, the two engaged in a pan vs. candelabra duel. Dillon's weapon of choice was long enough to hold with two hands and block with the middle section. However, Matthew got lucky and slammed the pan right onto Dillon's fingers. He nearly dropped the candelabra while recoiling in agony from his wounded left hand, but when Matthew charged again, Dillon jabbed the end of his weapon right into his forehead. Matthew clutched his bleeding forehead as he increased the distance between them.

"No more," Dillon begged in a pained tone. "Please."

"You still don't understand," Matthew responded, panting heavily. "They have to die so you can be free."

"That's not your choice to make," he shot back. "Not anymore."

Dillon used his powers to deflect the pan that was tossed at him, but Matthew came at him like a raging bull and tackled him out the window, the two crashing to the ground in a bloody heap. Even now, he managed to piss his father off further.


Elise was really getting sick of the Female Titan chasing her and lobbing debris at her. At this rate, she'd run out of gas and then the bitch would do whatever that twisted mind of hers compelled her to do. She needed to get out of range and take a breather. Fortunately, there was a particularly massive structure that could give her what she wanted. Changing course, Elise made a beeline for the Wall. She felt Annie's fingers graze her foot. So close, but not enough. The Psion smirked when she heard a growl emanate from her opponent before bringing herself up thirty meters onto the Wall, panting heavily.

Her instincts pleaded with her to scale the Wall and run. Live to fight another day and leave them all in the dust. Unfortunately, that would mean leaving behind Matthew and the object of her hatred. She was not done with that woman yet. She and Matthew would kill her and then, Marley itself would be next. That being said, Paradis was getting really close to going on her list at this rate.

Elise's thoughts were interrupted when she saw a roof coming at her. She grappled out the way, the wood shattering against the Wall. While the roof crumbled into pieces on impact, the Wall itself was perfectly immaculate as always. That gave her an idea. Concentrating, cracks began forming in the Wall until a piece the size of the Female Titan's head came off. She threw it at Annie, who brought her arms up and crystallized them in preparation. The piece hit her body, making her skid across the road, though she was still standing.

Gonna have to get a bigger one. Elise thought, preparing to pull another piece from the Wall.

A zipping sound caught her attention as the black-haired nuisance from earlier came charging up the Wall. Having more time to prepare, Elise blocked Mikasa's strike and the two faced off. When Mikasa looked at the hole, her eyes widened, gasping in horror. Elise used the distraction effectively by psychically slamming Mikasa's head against the Wall.

"Next time, stay focused," she taunted, letting the dazed Ackerman fall. She wasn't about to waste a blade on the girl when there was a Shifter to contend with.

With Annie having to catch Mikasa, Elise was free to try and come up with a plan. Matthew was somewhere in the city fighting Dillon, so rejoining him would be a good option. That way, the two could escape together. Sure, security would be tight, but nothing the both of them couldn't handle. If the island of Paradis was declaring war on them, they might as well retaliate.

Unfortunately for her, the planning ceased when a gunshot sounded off, one of her wires snapping in the process. With the loss of one of the hooks, the other one couldn't sustain her, and Elise started to plummet towards the ground where a certain Female Titan was waiting with anticipation. "Shit!" she yelled, trying to impale the remaining hook in the Wall with no avail. Something snagged her line, making her come to a brief stop while hanging upside-down. Elise's expression was frozen in a state of terror as she was dangled in front of Annie's gigantic, grinning face.

Before the Psion could even think of attacking, she was whipped around, slamming back first against the Wall. The ODM gear shattered completely as she hit the ground. Her leg broke on impact and her spine almost snapped from the blow. Slowly, the Female Titan advanced towards her, malicious intent evident in her eyes and her smile. She was the predator and Elise was the pathetic prey.

"Get away!" the Psion shouted, trying to blast her back with her powers, but all they did was blow Annie's hair like the wind. All Elise could do was crawl backwards, frightened to the point of nearly wetting herself.

"You thought yourself superior to Titans," Annie said, the ODM gear crushing beneath her feet. "Mindless ones, probably, but against me, you're nothing." She lifted her foot and stomped right onto Elise's legs, moving said foot to grind them into the ground.

Elise's screams turned into broken sobbing as the bones and flesh were turned to bloody mush.

"That was for humiliating me yesterday, and this-" Annie picked Elise up by the head, holding her with two fingers. "-is for hurting Dillon." She pressed her fingers together.

Elise's head exploded, blood and gore scattering across the area. With a satisfied look, the Female Titan dropped the headless, legless, dripping body onto the ground.

"Holy shit," a familiar voice said behind her.

She turned to see Jean staring at her with a dropped jaw, holding the gun he used to shoot Elise's line in one of his hands. He looked so repulsed, not that she blamed him, but she couldn't care less at the moment. "Take care of Mikasa." She didn't even wait for a response as she dashed into the city. What she did to Elise was nothing compared to what she had in store for Matthew.


Groaning, Dillon slowly began to get up just at the same as Matthew. They were covered in scratches from the glass shards and their faces were still bleeding, yet they were still willing to continue the fight.

"Why do you keep fighting me, Dillon?" Matthew asked, spitting blood out of his mouth. "I know what's best for you even when you don't. I'm your father."

A wave a dizziness made Dillon nearly lose his balance as he answered him. "You're wrong. You let Elise get to you, and now, look what's happened. Dad, please. We can fix this if you surrender. I'll find a way."

"You think the Scouts are going to cut a deal with me?" he asked. "It was first come, first serve, and Annie took it. I'm dead if I give up now. You're right about one thing: we can fix this. All you have to do is come with me and let them all go. Your mother, your friends, Annie, everything and everyone. We can start over."

Dillon shook his head. "If you think I'm going to even consider that, even for you, then you've really lost your mind."

Matthew's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll take you by force."

The two reengaged slower than before, but their blows carried the same, brutal weight. A punch from Dillon caused blood to fly out of Matthew's mouth. A knee to the gut from Matthew nearly cracked Dillon's ribs as he doubled over. They traded blows like this, more blood spewing and bruises forming in the process until Matthew finally knocked his son to the ground. He pinned him down with both hands, eyes starting to glow.

"It's over," he said. "It'll hurt more if you resist."

Once again, Dillon began screaming in pain as he felt his father trying to knock him out with his powers. At this rate, it was possible he could die. He thrashed in the grip he was held, but Matthew held strong. Then, a desperate idea came to Dillon. His father would probably have his mind guarded, but not something just as vital. Dillon's own eyes began to glow as he stared into his father's eyes. Silver, just like his. Then, the right eye was violently yanked out. Matthew recoiled in agony, covering the bleeding socket. Frantically, Dillon pulled out one of his boot knives and jammed it directly into his father's chest.

Matthew froze, blood beginning to leak from his mouth. Dillon was equally frozen in horror, staring directly at the knife that was quickly turning red. It took all his effort to let go, allowing Matthew to crumple to the ground. Dillon staggered away until his back hit the wall of a house, panting heavily.

"Dillon… why…?" his father barely managed out.

Dillon couldn't answer, petrified in a state of shock.

Choking sounds emitted from Matthew as he attempted to say more, but the blood filling up his lungs prevented him. It didn't stop him from trying. The seconds passed by, the only sounds being his father's dying gargles.

Dillon mustered up whatever courage he had left and walked over to him, kneeling before him. "Dad, I…" What was he supposed to say? What could anyone say? There was one thing could do, at least. He took his father's hand into his, gripping it tight. Even as he laid dying, Dillon would not abandon him.

Matthew stared up at his son with his single eye. It briefly glowed as he established the link with Dillon. "I will always love you… my son."

Tears sprung into Dillon's eyes, bowing his head in shame and regret.

The glow and the link faded away as Matthew breathed his last. He would never get up again.

Dillon could not take his eyes of the motionless body of Matthew. Blood seeped out of the stab wound he caused, staining the street. He killed him. He murdered his own father with a boot knife Matthew helped him make so long ago. His breathing became dangerously rapid to the point of nearly hyperventilating. He felt so much pain in his chest, he thought it was going to kill him right then and there. He barely registered the ground shaking rhythmically.

"Dillon?"

The voice made him turn his head towards the Female Titan. She was shocked to see Matthew's body, but the second her eyes drifted to Dillon, her eyes were filled with sadness and sympathy.

"I… I killed him," Dillon whispered, though she was still able to hear him. "He-he was trying to hurt me. I though he was-he was going to kill me. I killed him. I killed him. I killed him. I killed him. I killed him. I—"

Annie silenced him briefly by scooping him into her hands and bringing him to face level. Despite the blood on his hands that wasn't even his, she was still willing to hold him.

"What have I done?" he asked.

"What you had to do," she answered solemnly.

Whatever kept Dillon's emotions at bay broke as he let out an anguish-filled scream, falling to his hands and knees. His Psion powers were under control this time, but it did nothing to ease the pain. The sound died in his throat as he was unable to keep going, though the tears continued to cascade down his face. He couldn't face Annie after what he did.

There was some movement before he felt himself get pressed against something warm. He was up against the Female Titan's face where her cheek met her nose. She didn't say a single word as she just held him there. Even now, she wouldn't abandon him to his grief. She would be there to grieve with him. That simple thought made the pain just a little more bearable.


Remastered Edits: And now, we have finally reached the conclusion to the Psion Arc, or as another reviewer pointed out, the Traumatized Dillon Arc. Just as accurate. With some slight but effective changes, Levi Squad's mission was pretty much the same. With that out of the way, let's talk about the big stuff.

I have a feeling that there might be some people who will label Matthew as an abuser after this. I'm not going to lie. As someone who suffered abuse for most of my childhood, it took me to a dark place when I wrote those moments to the point of tears. Don't worry. I'm alright now. The only thing I can say about Matthew is that he's a tragic character who didn't get the help he needed. Lots of factors drove him to this point. What he did to his son was wrong, no question about it, but what was done to him was also wrong. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a lecturer. I just felt it necessary, this one time, to make it clear how I feel about this.

To everyone who was hoping that Dillon would kill Elise whether newcomers or veterans, sorry. Since Elise wasn't the main enemy of this arc, though she was the instigator, having her take on Mikasa and Annie seemed like the better solution. Hopefully, it all gave you a grim reminder about Annie, too.

And finally, Matthew's death. Originally, I was going to have Levi kill him, but having Dillon do it was a lot more fitting after everything. This is something our favorite blacksmith is gonna have to live with for the rest of his life. He made a choice, and this was the consequence.

This was a difficult arc to accomplish, but I'm feel so much better about this arc than I did in the original. It had everything the original was missing: a good antagonist, much better development with Matthew despite the tragic end I gave him, a massive improvement with the relationship between Dillon and Annie, and reasonable fight scenes that weren't completely one-sided. All in all, I enjoyed taking the journey a second time.

I hope you all did enjoy the Psion Arc because it's time to go to the Clash of the Titans Arc. The Remastered Edits will probably be fewer in that area, but it's possible there might be some big differences. I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.