No guys. This isn't an April Fools joke. I'm actually updating on the first day of this month. Not because I want to but because I felt like I should make up for my disappearance that one day of last month. I still don't know though if this means that I'm giving you guys an early chapter or if I'm going to also be releasing another chapter on Sunday. That'll depend if I can finish chapter 10 on time.

"When there's something strange in the meadow clear, who you gonna call? Titan Shifters!"

Ymir

I was in denial. I didn't want to see it even though it was happening right in front of my face. The worst thing is that I don't think I was ever able to prove myself to her.

In the few days we've already spent in the training camp, Eliza has been drawn closer to Marco than she ever had with me nor with Armin.

I was out in the clearing where everything took off. My frustrations were being taken out on the stupid trees that have seen everything that may have been happening here. My knuckles were bruised from the abuse I was putting them through. Any cuts that were opening on them healed up as quickly as they appeared blasting the air around me with steam.

"AHH!" I roared as I roundhouse kicked the tree and blasted wooden splinters onto the grass. Yet it still stood, mocking me. Even its leaves rustled its laughter.

I wanted to transform at that moment. Use my Titan to level the entire area and trash all of its contents so that Eliza wouldn't be able to return.

She was growing soft. I couldn't let her get soft. I needed to save her from herself but I had no clue how to do that.

"Why? What does he have that I don't?" I threw myself on the ground and sat leaning on the tree I'd been attacking a moment prior. "I can protect you and he can't. Isn't that why you chose me?"

I sat there quietly looking up at the sky where the Sun was setting. Its light streaked the sky with orange colours. It reminded me of Eliza's beautiful Titan transformations when energy surrounded her in a protective life-giving aura.

She's the only person I would do anything for.

My nose perked when I caught the scent of someone approaching. I quickly stood up and adopted a challenging pose in preparation for an attack. Whoever it was smelled dangerous.

"Ymir?" I coiled my fists closer to me ready to release a devastating punch. The person that came out from the trees was Reiner. His face had a look of surprise instead of his usually hardened expression.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Mind if I ask you the same thing?" I mirrored still refusing to relax.

He wasn't the only one I smelled. There were more people out here but I couldn't see. Not to mention that I still didn't recognise a lot of the cadets' scents in the training camp.

"We were just out for a walk. The evening is too beautiful to just throw away."

"We?" Reiner coughed at my observation.

"Uh—"

"Hey, Reiner! Where'd you go?" I turned to face the direction where the voice came from. There was movement there and whoever it was smelled similar to Reiner.

"Uh. I'm over here! I just ran into someone!" Reiner explained.

There was a pause in movement before the person started forward. However, there was a sudden ruckus as they tripped. But I knew that was a distraction. I could smell a 3rd person behind them but their scent faded as they probably ran away.

"Ymir?" Bertolt came out of the darkness and joined Reiner. The moon's light was weak and it made me anxious. Nothing good could come out of the darkness when you're outnumbered.

"Yeah. That's definitely my name. I don't need you guys reminding me all the time," I snarked.

"Sorry. But it's surprising seeing you here. You usually spend most of your time next to Eliza when you can." I knew he wasn't surprised because I could smell the stench of fear on him.

"Sorry to disappoint." I scoffed. "But I'm not like you who sticks to Reiner like a nail on wood. But even then, nails fall out at some point."

"Come on. There's no need to be rude. We're all friends here right? We are friends with Eren right? So you can relax." Reiner stepped forward putting out a hand.

I stared at his hand. There's no way I'm shaking his hand. But I did let my fists unfurl and went to crossing my arms.

"No thanks. So who did you tell to run away?" I asked looking over to where Bertolt came from and ignoring his offer for a handshake.

"I don't know what you mean?" Reiner chuckled.

"It was just the two of us out here," Bertolt confirmed.

"No. There was definitely someone else out here with you guys."

"And how would you know?" Reiner challenged though he was still trying to present himself in a good-natured way.

"Let's just say I have a good nose for these things." Reiner and Bertolt both flinched. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Reiner shook his head. "You just reminded us of someone we used to know." Bertolt nodded. "We're just going to go back to the Barracks. It's late and you never know when Sadies will do a surprise inspection you know?"

I watched them leave but I stayed for a while longer. Those guys were up to something. Maybe I could see what they're up to. It might make Eliza see that I'm more important to her than Marco. Yeah. That's what I would do.

Eliza — A Few Days Ago

I still hadn't learned how to move to the sides by the time we needed to prove ourselves to Commander Sadies. The good news was that we only had to show him we were competent and balancing ourselves and maintaining an upright position.

"This is it." I breathed.

"Hey, you'll be fine. You already showed Sadies how capable you were yesterday when you tried it for the first time. And you've been practising all day yesterday and today," Marco placed a hand on my shoulder in reassurance.

"Yeah," Armin chimed in. "Besides, if I can do it, then you should be able to too. You have more skills than I do after all. Right?" He looked at Ymir.

"Whatever, shrimp." I rolled my eyes. Ymir could at least try being supportive right now.

"NEXT."

"Thanks, guys."

I stepped up to the training gear and allowed soldiers to connect my harness with the cables.

"Nice job Cadet." Commander Sadies praised as I hung in the air quite still. All of the practice had paid off as I barely made any movement.

"Thank you, sir," I said once I was back on the ground and unhooked from the cables.

Next was Historia and she was absolutely amazing on the training set. Her eyes shined brightly with excitement as she was praised by Commander Sadies as well.

"You did awesome out there, Christa," I swooned.

"Oh? You think so?" Historia cutely averted her eyes as she blushed.

"I wouldn't think about lying to a beautiful girl like you," I winked. This was one of the things I was most confident at doing. I bet I could even flirt my way out of an execution given the chance.

"Definitely."

"I mean you could use some practice. Everyone could." Armin and Bertolt chimed in.

"Uh…" She looked over at Ymir I guess expecting her to say something too but Ymir was being Ymir looking up at the sky and brooding.

"Don't worry about her. She's always so cold that you wouldn't realise if she's replaced by a block of ice."

"Oh." Historia seemed troubled as her eyes remained on her. An uneasy feeling spread in my gut.

Did she already form an attachment to her so fast? But Ymir never spoke to her when we gave Sasha food. I couldn't help myself from glaring at Ymir. Fine then, Historia wouldn't be easy to get under my wing. I'll have to use Eren even though I would have needed to in the end.

"Still. It's a shame," I gazed longingly at Historia as she wandered off.

"What is?" Marco inquired.

"Oh. Uhm, that we won't be able to see the real ODM gear until next year. I really wanted you to learn how they work with you guys," I looked between him and Armin. Shit, I didn't realise I said that out loud. But thankfully Marco didn't push the issue.

Armin was about to say something but was interrupted by Eren's screams. Instead of the wild screams of vengeance that would regularly escape him, these sounded more hollow and heartbreaking.

"Braus, I would like you to exchange harnesses with Yaeger." This is what makes me admire the Commander. His ability to issue orders without his face betraying a wrinkle of remorse even when he's responsible for the sabotaging of his cadet.

I glanced between Ymir, Armin, and Eren. I would like to say that I'm well off in that department too. Despite my moments of weaknesses, I've been able to keep them under my thumb for the moment. However, the real test of manipulation will come when Trost falls.

"Hey, do you want to get out of here?" Marco smiled down at me. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed into his eyes.

I'm in control here, not him I gulped.

"Yeah. But, won't they notice we're gone?" I looked at the Commander. He was busy switching out Eren's harness and the others had gone to gather around to see what was going to happen next.

"I don't think so," he tilted his head to the side as he observed the area, gods that's cute. "Come on, I just want to show you something I found a while ago."

"And when did you have time to sneak out of the camp?" I asked.

The place Marco wanted to show me was a clearing around a mile or so away from the camp. It was stunningly beautiful with all kinds of flowers blooming out of the grass. Thick trees surrounded the area as well giving it some privacy if someone decided to take a hike around the place.

"Uh. Jean and I were sent out in the morning. The kitchen didn't have any ingredients for what they were going to make today so they sent us."

"And you guys happened to come across this place while being scavengers ?" I asked, chuckling.

"Actually, Jean already knew about this place. His brother is part of the Military Brigade and he trained in the same camp we're in. I should introduce you both. I think you'd both get along."

He kind of lost me by the end. I was distracted by the amazing scene that was unfolding before my eyes.

The stars that made up the coordinate were usually discernible in the night sky here in Paradis but this time the collection of stars were accompanied by fireflies that floated about. Their lights mixed into something beautiful casting wonderful glows on the plants.

"This is so beautiful," I said in awe. The scene literally brought tears to my eyes that I had to blink away.

"It is. I honestly didn't expect this when I decided to bring you here," Marco admitted.

"Well. You accidentally know how to treat a girl." I couldn't believe what I was doing. My body was moving by itself and I didn't seem to have any problem with it.

I smiled as I walked my hand over his chest leading it around his neck. Marco was the one who seemed stunned by my actions which I saw as amusing.

"Eliza? What-what are you doing?" He finally sputtered out.

"Making the first move. You seem like the type of guy who would be too polite to make a move on a lady," I leaned up closing in on his lips with my own.

I could feel the warmth of his lips, that's how close I came to kissing him. But then I felt my lips connect with the palm of his hand instead.

"Whad are yoo doib?" I asked through squished lips.

Marco removed his hand from my mouth and sighed. "I have something I need to tell you." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up to the sky breathing in. "I'm actually not interested in girls. I've tried to like someone before because my parents expect their boys to continue with the whole generation of Botts, you know what adults are like. But I just can't." He crossed his arms as he shifted away from me and avoided my gaze.

"So are you into other guys?" I asked confused.

"No. I know I'm weird. I'm sorry."

I smiled softly and guided his chin in order to bring his eyes into mine. "You don't need to apologise for anything, Marco. And I don't think you're weird, everyone is entitled to who they want to spend their life with. And you don't need to be in a romantic commitment with anyone to do that anyway," I laughed.

"You're nothing like Jean you know," he huffed. "When I told him this, he pointed out every fault with that and ended it by stating just how much my parents would be disappointed."

"He sounds like a jerk," I said.

"Eh, he means well. I think he was just trying to make sure that I was sure about myself. Or he might need someone to mellow him out."

"I've seen how he is. The chances of him getting someone to do that for him is slim to none." I rolled my eyes.

There was a brief moment of silence after that exchange. It allowed the nature of how serious the conversation had turned out to sink in.

We burst out laughing. Although it started out nervously, it evolved into a crazy case of the giggles.

He may not be destined to be my partner in this new world I'm trapped in, but we can at least become the best of friends.

Armin — Days After Ymir's Encounter

The blond kid whistled out a happy tune as he walked about among the trees.

"Oh." He spotted an herb that seemed to be similar to the ones he'd been shown earlier by the cooks of the mess hall.

The kitchen had run out of their supply which was important not actually for the cooks but for the medic on the base. And since Armin enjoyed helping out during his free time, he gladly took on the responsibility to search for them out in the nearby forest.

"I think you are the one," he yanked out one of the stems and brought it up to sniff. He grimaced at the bitter scent. "Yep, that's the one," he cried.

He set down a basket he brought with himself and started stocking up on the herb making sure that enough of it would remain to regrow once more. As he did the wildlife that had been silenced since his intrusion picked up again.

"That should be enough. Whoa," he caught sight of an odd colourful bird as he stood up. Armin's eyes gleamed as he chased after it.

"Hold on!" He pleaded as the bird flew faster than he could run.

Armin's attention was split between tracking the animal, dodging trees and bushes, and keeping the basket in his grasp. He was also keeping track of where he was going memorising a path to get back to where he was running away from.

The boy ended up running into a fallen trunk blocking the way into an open area of the forest. At first, Armin thought he stumbled into a clearing. But upon closer inspection, he noticed that there were a bunch of trees laying on the ground with their trunks having been snapped. The one he ran into was part of the display of timber wood.

The bird Armin had been chasing rested on one of the fallen trunks and squawked. It preened its feathers and looked at the boy as it did.

Armin felt as if it was calling him. Beckoning him closer.

He gulped and climbed over the trunk. "What are you trying to show me, little guy?" Armin asked as he made his way over all of the broken trees.

The bird stared at him as he got closer. Armin reached out carefully with a finger holding it in front of the bird's face. But before he could make contact, the bird spread its wings once more. But this time it soared at a much slower pace.

Armin gave the mysterious place one last glance before he set off on the chase again. He was curious now about what the bird wanted Armin to see.

This time Armin was led to an actual clearing. A beautiful meadow filled with flowers.

"This looks like the place that Eliza and Marco talk about," he marvelled. "It really is beautiful. But why did you bring me here?" He questioned the bird that sat on a branch next to him.

It let out a squawk and plucked out one of its feathers. Before Armin could question it any further, it took off to the sky riding a thermal until it was out of sight.

The feather it had plucked off quietly floated about until it landed on the grass. But it wasn't the feather that caught Armin's attention.

A chunk of blue-white crystal was embedded in the tree the feather had floated by. The trunk was badly damaged having spewn its splinters onto the grass. Armin grasped the chunk of crystal and pried it out with great difficulty.

"I don't recognise this type of mineral. What could you be?" Armin wondered, turning the chunk around and inspecting it.

A heavy thud shook the trees interrupting his thoughts.

Armin looked up noticing the path of destruction that the hardened chunk had left in its wake. It went straight through the Forest and it had snapped branches, taken out chunks of trunks, and even shredded through some poor animal proven by a splatter of blood on wood.

This chunk, Armin realised, came from the area where the trees have been levelled. Whatever did that was connected to this chunk of crystal.

That would've been fine. Armin would've gone out and investigated the damage to hopefully get some more information out of it but there was something out there. He could feel something observing him from the darkness.

"Is—is someone out there?"

Armin supported himself on the tree leaning forward but not moving far enough in.

He thought he could hear something breathing from inside the darkness. A loud raspy breath.

"It's okay! I'm a— I'm a friend! I promise!" He called again.

A squirrel suddenly scampered out of the dark right next to Armin startling him.

"Oh. It's just you," he laughed in relief. "You scared me, little guy."

Armin picked up his basket and placed the crystal in his pocket to study further at a later time. He was about to head off to camp when he felt the sudden feeling of being watched prickle the back of his neck again.

He nervously looked back into the darkness. He didn't know if it was real or if he imagined it, but Armin swore he saw a large eye peering back at him for a moment before he was looking at darkness once more.

Heitor: Yep. Eliza definitely cares for the ones around her, she's an emotional one but it also makes her second guess herself a lot as seen with the aftermath of saving Ymir. And you actually gave me an idea on what to do with Jean. I have new plans for him now. I could also use some dessert after this chapter.

Edit: Changed movie into move. I did not catch that error during editing. Though there might be a lot of things I don't catch during editing ToT Thanks Heitor.

Original for those who want a laugh. "Making the first move. You seem like the type of guy who would be too polite to make a movie on a lady,"