LOCATION: WALL MARIA - YEAR 845

Eren Yeager awoke with a start, reeling from the dream he had just had. It was simply a bunch of flashing images in his brain, slathered in a bunch of different colors. He wasn't really sure what to make of it.

"Eren?" The soft voice of the six year old he had been living with for the past three weeks caught his attention. Sitting up, he spotted Lucy sitting next to him, her basket full of wood, no doubt Mikasa's handiwork.

"Lucy? Is everything okay?" He asked as he looked at the child.

"You fell asleep." Lucy stated simply. Eren grimaced.

"My bad." He apologized. "Did Mikasa load up the wood for you?"

Lucy nodded. "Mmhm."

Eren saw Lucy as his younger sister. John had been friends almost since they were babies, and their parents had known each other as well, so Eren, like John and the Yeagers, had always been a constant in her life.

Eren, like John, was extremely protective and caring of Lucy. He didn't care that they weren't directly related. As far as he was concerned, like his parents, Lucy and John weren't like family, they are family.

"Why are you crying?" Lucy asked him, catching his attention.

"Huh?"

"You were crying while you were asleep." Lucy told him. His eyes widening, he reached his hand up to his face, and was surprised to see that he had indeed been crying. Looking back up at Lucy, he answered honestly.

"I don't know… but how about we don't tell Mikasa, or anyone else. Can you do that for me?" He asked with a smile as he stood up, picking up his half full wood basket. Lucy nodded, smiling.

"Sure!"

Smiling, Eren turned to Mikasa's direction. As he approached, he was unsurprised to see her basket was practically already full.

"Hey, Mikasa, are you almost done?" He asked as he approached.

Mikasa put the last piece of wood in her basket, and then put it on her shoulders, before turning and answering Eren.

"I'm done. Let's go." She said with a nod.

With that, the trio began to make their way back home, mostly in silence. The sounds of birds chirping, and wind blowing through the grass and the leaves was the only thing that accompanied them.

Eren took that time to think.

In the last three weeks, it seemed like things had taken a bad turn.

After Big John, Rex, and Deacon went on that hiking trap, they were found a day later unconscious. Until his dad examined them, they were assumed to be dead. Eren could vividly remember the horror that had flooded his body at the possibility that three of his friends were dead.

When his dad returned, informing himself, Mikasa, and Lucy that the boys were fine, Eren felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

A weight that slowly built up as time passed. Time where they continued to sleep.

It felt like the world was against them all.

Lucy was becoming more and more shy. Withdrawing, his dad had said. The longer the boys, mainly John, continued to sleep, the less she would speak to anyone that wasn't a close friend.

Eren could only be happy that Lucy was staying with him, and not that fat slimeball in human skin, Charles.

He hoped the other three woke up soon. He really did.

He didn't know what he would do if they didn't.

As they approached they gate, they spotted a familiar form approaching them, who called out.

"Hey kids!" Said the man. The man was a Garrison Soldier and was dressed in the usual outfit that all soldiers wore. He had a thinly shaved mustache, and short blonde hair atop his head along with thin, yellow eyes. At the moment, his face was also a little flushed. Eren was unsure if it was because of the heat or not.

"Hey Mr. Hannes." Eren greeted him as they approached, stopping under the shade of the gate.

"How you three kids doing? Staying out of trouble?" He asked with a grin, looking at all three of them.

"Staying out of trouble when we can." Mikasa answered. "Assuming Eren doesn't pick a fight again."

"Mikasa!" Eren groaned, not a fan of being called out. Hannes laughed.

"Yeah, that is very true, isn't it Eren?" Hannes asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning closer to the boy.

Eren didn't answer. Instead, he took one whiff and leaned away immediately in disgust.

"Ugh, you smell like a tavern!" He exclaimed as Lucy and Mikasa covered their own noses as well.

Hannes stood back up as the sound of the other guards at the gate started to laugh.

"If only tears were cups of ale!" One of them said, not even trying to hide the bottle of booze in his hand, lifting it up for all to see as he spoke. Eren sighed.

"Of course." He said, not at all surprised.

"You kids care for a-" Hannes stopped himself as he glanced at Lucy. He had no problem letting the kids have a swig, but he knew that her brother would have a fit if he had found out Hannes had let her drink.

He wasn't gonna take advantage of John's continued unconsciousness.

:"...Nevermind."

"Uh, Aren't you on watch?" Eren asked him. Hannes smiled.

"Yep! Watching the ol' gate we are." He admitted freely. "Thirsty work, playing sentry. Pinochle only goes so far to chase off the boredom. Li'l nip now and the keeps us all in our courage for a spell. Perks of being a guard, eh?"

Eren grit his teeth at Hannes' carelessness. "How do you expect to fight if you're so loose on your feet?!"

"Huh?" Hannes raised an eyebrow at the question, legitimately confused. "Now why on earth would I need to fight?"

Eren balked. "Why do you think?! What if they break through the walls?!" He exclaimed, infuriated. "We'd be sitting ducks on your watch!"

"Eren, you're hurting my ears." Lucy's quiet voice caught his attention. Looking at her, he saw that she was rubbing her ears. Mikasa's glare didn't help the building guilt.

"Sorry Lulu."

The laugh of one of the other guards caught their attention. "The doc's kid has some fire in him!" He joked as he stood up, approaching them with booze in hand. "Listen." He started in a condescending manner as Hannes tried to soothe the aching headache Eren had given him. "The only thing they've done to that wall in the past hundred years is scratch at it. I've got a feeling that if they get it in their big heads to do something else, we'll be more than ready for them."

Eren's frustration only grew at the statement, though he made sure to keep his voice down this time.

"A feeling? What have any of you actually done to stay ready for them? Dad says you gotta stay sharp."

"Ah good Doctor Yeager." Hannes said with a sigh. "Can't argue with the man who single handedly spared us from the plague. Thing is, he's talking about his scalpel." He shook his head. "What we do isn't half as important." Glancing back at the outerwall, he continued. "No disrespect against your father, but a soldier's time beyond the wall tends to put the whole thing into a different perspective. You see them groping around out there, mindless, dead-eyed…"

"Wait a minute." Eren interrupted. "Sounds to me like you don't think they're a threat."

Hannes shrugged. "Eh."

Eren's eyes widened at the blatant admission. He was tempted to go on another rant, but Lucy's presence made him rethink said idea. With a sigh, he turned to the other two.

"Come on, let's go." He said, stepping by Hannes. The other two followed him. He could vaguely hear Hannes speaky to his comrade, but it wasn't loud enough for Eren to hear.

He was tempted to go watch the Scouts return, but Mikasa didn't care for it, and Lucy most definitely didn't need to see the bloodbath that would be likely to follow. So, he decided to just forego that stop and make his way home.

"Eren, Mikasa?" Lucy's voice pulled both their attention towards their younger sibling.

"Yeah, Lulu?" Mikasa asked her.

"Do either of you think John will wake up?"

The sheer hopelessness in her voice shocked both of them. John always kept her shielded from the horrors of what happened in that household as best as he could, so Lucy was usually always energetic and playful.

They knew that she was getting more and more scared, but the tone of her voice…

Neither of them thought it was this bad.

"Of course he will." Mikasa said, not missing a beat.

"But it's been three weeks." Her voice hitched.

"Hey." Eren said, catching her attention. "Big John's the toughest guy I know! It doesn't matter how long he's asleep, he'll wake up. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because Death itself fears him." Mikasa responded with a smile, picking up on where Eren was going with this.

"Death runs in the face of Big John Gallagher!" Eren said in a comical way, causing Lucy to start laughing, despite the tears welling up in her eyes. "John will be fine. I bet he'll wake up any day now!"

"You mean it?" Lucy asked, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. Mikasa smiled.

"Big John is tough, and he is strong." She said, crouching down in front of Lucy and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I bet he'll be awake within a couple of days." Mikasa knew that was unlikely, but she wanted to at least give Lucy some more hope.

"I hope so." Lucy said, before wrapping her arms around Mikasa's neck. "Thanks Mika."

Mikasa smiled, hugging the younger girl back. "Always, Lulu."

"Hey, what about me?" Eren remarked with a smile. Lucy giggled and let go of Mikasa, running up to Eren and swinging her arms around his stomach.

"Thank you Ereny."

Eren scoffed at the nickname, hastily thrown together because Lucy thought he needed one, but he didn't complain.

"No problem Lulu."

As the three approached their home, they were surprised to see the condition of the front door, which now lay in ruins, completely destroyed.

"What happened to the door?" Lucy asked as they stopped to look at it.

"I don't know." Eren said as he looked at Mikasa, both of them on edge. "Stay with Lucy, Mikasa." If there was any danger, loathe as he was to admit it, Mikasa would be much better at protecting Lucy then he would be. And among the group, all six of them, including Armin, when it came to Lucy's safety, all bets were off.

Slowly, Eren approached the door as Mikasa gently guided Lucy behind her. Thinking on his feet, he picked up a relatively thick piece of wood from his basket, intending to use it as a weapon.

As he approached he could make out both his parents' voices, discussing something unknown to him. They were talking about someone.

"Grisha, What on earth is happening to him?"

"I don't know Carla. I… I've never seen anything like this."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"From what I can gather, despite his new condition, he's fine. It'll most likely take some practice controlling his newfound strength, but he's fine."

Then a third voice spoke up. A familiar voice. One that sent relief flooding through his entire body, along with a sense of joy and surprise.

"So, I'm not turning into some freak?" Asked the voice of Big John Gallagher.

"John…" Eren whispered, before dropping the stick in his hand and sprinting to the doorway, nearly tripping as he stopped in front of it. "John!" He shouted as he took in the site inside, his cry catching both Mikasa and Lucy's attention, not that he was paying attention at the moment.

Grisha and Carla were both looking at him with varying faces of bewilderment, not expecting him to be back so soon most likely, and sitting in between them was the biggest site for sore eyes he'd ever seen.

Sitting between his parents, looking a little bulkier than he remembered, was John, who was looking at him in surprise.

By then, both Mikasa and Lucy had joined him at the door, and once both of them got a good look at John sitting in the main room, Lucy nearly pushed them both to the ground as she rushed towards her older brother, tears in her eyes.

"JOHNNY!" She shouted as she jumped up onto her brother's lap, John grunting in surprise as she wrapped her arms around John's chest, bawling her eyes out.

Tentatively, John wrapped his arms around Lucy's small frame, almost as if he'd crush her.

"Shhh, it's okay, Lucy. I'm here." He said soothingly, trying to calm Lucy's distress.

"I-I-I d-didn't kno-ow if y-you w-w-were gonna w-wake u-up!" She stuttered out, causing John to furrow his brows in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I wake up?" He asked, looking around at everyone else.

"After the first week…" Mikasa spoke up. "You didn't wake up. We all thought you would."

"Days went by." Eren piped up. "We all got more and more worried."

John looked at them in bewilderment, before looking up at Grisha. "Mr. Yeager, how long have I been out?"

Grisha looked at Carla for a moment, as if contemplating on telling him, before gazing back at John.

"We found you three in the forest three weeks ago." He informed John. "You… had us all worried."

John's eyes widened as he realized just how terrified Lucy must've been, all of them must've been.

"Awe, Luce." He said as he pulled her tighter into a hug more akin to what he would usually give. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I was afraid you weren't gonna wake up." She said, her voice high-pitched and quiet, strained with pure emotion.

"Listen to me." He said, picking her up and sitting on her feet in front of him, leaning down to see he was eye level with her. "I will never do something like that again. I promise."

"But how can you-"

"Never." John interrupted whatever she was gonna say, reassuring her with a gentle smile. "You're not gonna lose me, got it?"

After a few seconds, Lucy nodded, sniffling. "Okay." She took the chance to pull John into another hug, which he happily returned.

"Now that I think about it, I wonder if the last two weeks were an adjustment period." Grisha said, bringing his finger to his chin in thought.

"Adjustment period?" John asked as Lucy separated.

"Yes. After the first week, you were fine, physically. All three of you were." Grisha explained as he turned to look at John. "When you remained asleep, at first I had assumed you had gone into a coma, though you had none of the symptoms of a coma, it was as if you really were asleep."

"But instead, my body was adjusting to this strength I now have." John finished for Grisha. "Think that means Deacon and Rex have strength too?"

Grisha shook his head. "No. If they do have some sort of newfound ability, I severely doubt it's the same as yours."

"Dad, John?" Eren's voice silenced their conversation, as they both looked at him. "What are you guys talking about?" He asked in confusion.

Grisha and Carla both widened their eyes, before looking at John, wondering how he planned on going about this.

John shook his head. "I'm not gonna lie to any of you." He looked at Eren, pointing to a dust pile on the floor. "See that brick?"

Eren and Mikasa both looked at it, confused. "What brick?" Mikasa asked. "It's a dust pile."

"Yeah, now." John remarked. "I crushed with one hand to prove to Grisha that I have some sort of titan strength." He explained. "You guys remember that carriage Charles has, the one he lets the MP's use, right?"

Both Eren and Mikasa nodded.

"I flipped it this morning."

Both their eyes bulged out of their sockets at his words.

"W-What?" Eren asked, dumbfounded.

"That's impossible!" Mikasa said in disbelief.

John nodded. "Yeah, it is. Yet it happened."

"You mean you actually grabbed it and…" Eren made a motion, almost like he was flipping a table. John nodded.

"Exactly like that."

"Which begs a question." Carla's voice caught everyone's attention. "What happened to you boys in the forest?" She asked, turning towards John.

At her question, everyone's eyes turned to John, who's brow furrowed in thought.

"Let's see. Me and Rex were setting up camp while Deek was taking a leak. He comes running back, telling about a-" John's eyes suddenly widened in realization as he looked up. "The cave!"

"Cave?" Grisha asked.

"It was the weirdest fucking cave I'd ever seen."

"Language!" Carla admonished, causing John to flinch.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly, before looking at Grisha. "Care to tell me if you ever heard of a cave like this?"

"Describe it to me." Grisha replied.

"The walls of the cave were a translucent purple all around, cracked all to hell. They felt like warm, melting ice." John explained. "There was this little square carving in one section of the wall. I touched it, and it seemed to just pull back into the wall, like the cave was alive."

"Go on." Grisha encouraged, though he glanced at Carla to see she was just as mystified as he was.

"The walls just turned back, and purple light started shining through the cracks." John recalled. "Last thing I remember was a voice. Then…" They watched as John actually shuddered. "Nothing but pure pain."

"Do you remember what the voice said?" Grisha asked. John shook his head.

"Not entirely. Something about guardians?"

That made Grisha's eyes widen. "Of course!" Everyone watched as Grisha walked off, heading towards his room. After a few seconds of what sounded like him rooting through something, he walked back out, a decently thick book open in his hand. "Let's see here…" he said as he approached them, his hand moving quickly, turning page by page. His face lit up as he stopped on one particular page.

"What is it, Grisha?" Carla asked as Grisha sat the book down. All of the occupants of the house gathered around in an effort to see what he had found, Mikasa and Eren setting their baskets down on the ground.

"It's an old legend I read about a few years back." Grisha explained. The page showed what seemed to be an angel, descending from the sky, with three people standing under her. On the opposite side, the illustration seemed to show hundreds of titans. "It tells of three warriors, who would be blessed with incredible power the likes of which out number the titans tenfold. When humanity would need them most, only then would their power be gifted. The power was known as the Gift of the Guardians."

"So, you think me, Rex, and Deek were chosen to have these abilities by some higher power?" John asked, looking up at Grisha.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. To be quite frank, your strength shouldn't be physically possible. This is the only possible explanation I could think of." Grisha admitted. "Your abilities are so far outside my expertise, John. I'm admittedly grasping at straws here."

John looked down at the book for a moment, before looking up at Grisha. "I appreciate the help anyway, Mr. Yeager." He said sincerely.

Grisha nodded. "It's no problem. You can keep the book if you wish, see if you can get something out of it."

John nodded. "I oughta go see if Deek and Rex are awake. See how they're doing."

Grisha smiled. "I would recommend that. I would come with you, but unfortunately, I have a patient to attend to in the interior." He said, looking at the time. "In fact, I'd better get ready to go now."

John nodded as he stood up, closing the book. "Well, I better go ahead and get going. Where are they anyway?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Vastata were kind enough to allow Deacon to stay at their home, along with their son." Carla informed him as Grisha left the room to begin packing. John rolled his eyes.

"Great. They're gonna be fun to deal with." He remarked with a frustrated sigh.

"Can we come?" Eren asked, gesturing to himself, Lucy, and Mikasa. John shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't care, so long as your mom is okay with you two coming with me." John said, looking at Carla, who smiled. She turned her gaze to Eren and Mikasa.

"Go see your friends, but be careful."

Eren grinned. "Thanks mom!" He said, sprinting over and giving her a hug, which she gladly accepted.

John bent down to pick up Lucy, who was excited to have a day to spend with her brother again, as he looked at Mikasa and Eren. "Alright, let's go. We'll see you later, Mrs. Yeager."

Smile still on her face, Carla nodded. "You're welcome back at any time."

Turning in the direction Grisha went, he called after him. "Thanks for the help Mr. Yeager! I'll see you later."

"Take care!" The doctor called back.

John was about to leave, Mikasa and Eren following them, but stopped as he remembered something else.

"Before I leave, I just want to thank you both for taking care of Lucy." He said, turning back towards Carla. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Carla's gentle smile never wavered. "Always John. We're always here for you. All of us."

"Yeah!" Eren said, smiling excitedly. "We're family! Right Mikasa?"

The oriental nodded her head. "Right." She said, smiling up at John.

John couldn't keep the smile off his face. "That is the truth."

With that, the group left, Carla waving them goodbye.

As they left, a thought suddenly occurred to Carla.

"Wait a minute… how are we gonna fix the door?"

Armin Arlert could safely say that his day had gone off track pretty quickly, but then again, when didn't it.

The local bullies had once again heard him remarking how humanity's future lied beyond the walls. Instead of letting him dream, they decided on a better course of action.

Which of course, translated to beating him up.

So once again, He was on the receiving end of their punches.

"Where's the sacrilege now, huh?" One of them asked Armin as he was slammed against a wall. "Or does your philosophy say it's wrong to fight back?"

Armin simply glared at the bully as he grabbed his wrist. "As a matter of fact, it does. I'd rather take a few lumps than brawl like a beast." As much as he hated getting beaten up, having his friends always saving him, he no longer feared any of the bullies considering how often this happened.

"Oh, so now I'm a beast?" The bully holding Armin asked, snarling.

"I mean, I think it's pretty accurate." A third voice butted in, surprising everyone, before a black blur slammed into the bully holding Armin, causing him to find himself on the ground.

Everyone looked towards the bully, and Armin felt immense delight as he saw Deacon Ross, having slammed the blonde bully into a wall. Armin couldn't begin to say how much he was happy to see Deacon awake after three weeks.

"Hey, you-OOF!" Whatever the plump bully was gonna say was cut off as something orange, almost as if it were glass, appeared out of nowhere, gripping him and slamming him into a wall opposite of Armin.

"What have we told you shit stains before?" The very welcome voice of Rex Luke flooded Armin's ears, as he turned to see him approaching, the orange glass stretching from his hand. Armin took note that Rex was now wearing sunglasses, something he didn't usually do.

"I mean, I'm not the brightest, but pissing off five different people who stick together? Not to mention one can lift you off the ground no problem and the other one is literally twice your size?" Deacon chuckled at their stupidity. "I'd be thinking twice."

The third boy looked between Deacon and Rex, eyes wide in fear. "Y-you… you two are monsters! Freaks!" He turns tail and tries to run away, only to feel something tugging his foot. He yells in fear as he is lifted into the air by his foot, Rex's other hand extended, causing the orange glass to grip him as well.

"I'll tell you three one time. Before? We were normal. Now? We will make you wish you were never born." Rex's threat works very well, making Deacon laugh at their whimpering.

"Oh come on, you three! You enjoy hitting people, so you can take some punishment can't you?" He asks with a chuckle. The three begin begging out of fear.

"Please, let us go!"

"Don't kill us!"

Rex rolled his eyes under his glasses, and drops the two boys, causing Deacon to back away from the one he had against the wall, a smile on his face. "Leave, now."

Armin watches the three run as fast as they can, before Deacon is in front of him, offering him a hand. "You alright buddy?"

Armin takes the hand, too happy to see him awake as he yanks him into a hug. "It's good to see you two!"

Deacon chuckled. "Considering what you just saw, you're taking this considerably well."

Armin sighs as he releases the hug. "How long have you been awake?"

Deacon looks at Rex. "Couple hours now, right?"

Rex nodded as he approached the two. "Something like that. It was early this morning, I know that."

Armin looked between the two. "Do you two feel alright? Why are you wearing sunglasses, Rex?"

Deacon and Rex looked at each other, then they looked at Armin seriously. "You… did see what we just did, right?"

Armin nodded. "Yeah, but I'm more happy that you two are awake."

Rex chuckled. "Damn, Armin, you see superhuman abilities right in front of you, and you care more about the person than the power."

Armin glanced between the two, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Do those abilities have something to do with why you've been asleep so long?"

Rex and Deacon looked at each other for a second. "We have no idea, honestly. It's our best guess." Deacon explained.

Armin furrowed his brow in thought. "Does it have anything to do with that hike you three went on?"

"Probably." Rex admitted. "There was some cave we found the day we went out. It was the last thing me and Deek remember. Weirdest cave you'd ever see in your life."

"What was it like?" Armin asked, curious.

"Its walls were like cracked purple glass, and it felt like warm ice. Even felt like there was water on it when you touched it." Deacon explained, looking at Rex. "Didn't it?"

"Yeah." Rex confirmed. "Then Big John did something. Next thing we know, walls turn black, cracks glow purple… some voice saying something about guardians…"

"The Guardians have been chosen, and the power shall now be bestowed upon those who are worthy." Deacon recalled correctly, pulling both Rex and Armin's attention to him.

"You remember what is said?" Rex asked, surprised. "How?"

"I mean, it kinda stuck with me, considering the very next moment, we were all on the ground screaming bloody murder with some kind of purple lightning shooting at us." Deacon remarked, glancing at Armin. "You got an idea what it could be? John's more that history stuff. You're the one who usually reads everything."

Armin furrowed his brow in thought. "Do you know if anyone followed you?"

They both shook their heads. "Not that we know of." Rex admitted. "But the way that voice bounced around, I really doubt it was a normal person."

Armin brought his finger to his chin, contemplating something. "There is this old book that Dr. Yeager let me read. It was filled with a bunch of old myths and legends. One of them is about Guardians. That's all I can think of." He looked at the two. "What specifically is going on with you two?"

Rex and Deacon looked at each other for a moment, before glancing at Armin. "I'm fast." Deacon answered.

Armin tilted his head. "Fast?"

"Like, really fast." In the next second, Deacon disappeared from his view, and Armin jumped in fright when he felt a finger tap his shoulder. He spun around, only to spot Deacon…

…standing right behind him, in less than a second.

"See what I mean?" Deacon asked.

Armin nodded, his gaze full of wonder. "Cool!" He turned to Rex. "What about you?"

Rex looked at Armin for a second, before sighing. "Well, first off…" Rex reached up and pulled off his glasses. "...this." Armin starred in surprise at Rex's eyes, which were a glassy orange. Nothing could be seen of his eyes, not his cornea, his iris, or his pupil. It was a solid orange.

"What else?" Armin asked, speechless.

Rex responded by holding up his arm, aiming it at Armin's feet. "I can make these glass construct things." He said as orange glass seemed to warp and solidify from his hand in an instant, and Armin found himself standing on an orange glass panel now. "And anything I lift with them feels weightless too."

Armin nearly lost his balance when Rex lifted his hand slowly, with an ounce of struggle, and Armin found the platform lifting him off the ground as Rex's hand rose, the construct warping so that it stayed flat for Armin to stand on.

"Woah…"

Rex let Armin back down and deactivated the construct. "And if I want to just do direct damage…" Rex aimed his hand a fair bit away from Armin, and then an orange beam of light seemed to eject from his hand, shooting straight into the ground, leaving a small smoking crater. "...there's that."

Armin looked at the two. "You think the cave did this to you?"

Deacon nodded as Rex put his glasses back on.. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

Suddenly, they heard a loud whistle sound out from the end of the alley, and turned their attention to the source, happy to find some familiar faces.

"Deek, Rex!" John called out, approaching them with Eren and Mikasa in tow, a book in his free hand, while his other one held Lucy.

"Armin!" Eren called to his blond friend, waving his hand.

"Johnny!" Deacon called back, smiling with glee, Rex letting out a small smile of his own.

John put Lucy down on her feet, and stood back up to smile at his friends. "You all wake up today to?"

Rex snorted. "Could be to wake up too. My parents were actually civil with Deacon, if you can believe it."

John's eyes widened, a grin breaking out on his face as he and the others listened in disbelief.. "You're kidding."

Deacon laughed as he nodded." Yeah! Said they were fine with us hanging out, so long as they didn't lose Rex. Their words were, 'We'll tolerate you too'."

John and Eren chuckled at his words, while Mikasa giggled, Lucy laughed, and Armin smiled.

John lightly patted Rex's arm with his knuckle. "Looks like they're coming around."

Rex smiled. "Let's hope."

Deacon and Rex both glanced at each other, the smile leaving their faces. "So, we've had an odd day…"

John put his hand up with a chuckle. "Let me guess, You woke today with some strange ability, you think it was the cave, you're wondering if I have abilities too."

Both chuckled as he hit the nail on the head. "Let us guess…" Deacon said, glancing at Rex.

"...Same boat?" Rex finished Deacon's statement, causing everyone to laugh.

"We were on our way to see you." Mikasa explained. "John stopped by our house while we were out getting wood, freaking out from what we heard."

Rex glanced at John, smirking. "You freaking out?"

"Like you weren't." John said with a smirk of his own.

Deacon glanced down to see Lucy, looking between everyone. He smiled, and crouched down to her level. "And how's everyone's favorite princess?" He asked with a smile. Lucy smiled and began bouncing up and down.

"Happy! It's good to see you all again!" She said, wrapping her arms around Deacon's neck, who returned it while he was crouched.

"It's good to be up and running, Lulu." He said as they separated.

Rex looked at John. "So, what's your freaky add-on?"

John chuckled. "Well, I tried to lift Charles' carriage after barreling through a door, and it ended up taking a ten foot drop."

Deacon, Armin. And Rex laughed, having just heard this story.

Armin smiled at John. "Did you flip it?"

"Like it was a toy." He looked at Rex and Deacon. "What about you two?"

"Well, I'm fast." Deacon said, disappearing in a blur behind John, surprising Eren, John, and Mikasa, while Lucy looked on in wonder.

"And I can do this…" He proceeded to make a hand construct and tap John's arm with it. "... or this." He moved his hand away and shot the ground again with an energy blast as the construct disappeared.

Everyone looked at the smoking crater where he blasted the ground, and John grinned at Rex. "Neat."

Rex chuckled. "Yeah, but unlike you two, I gotta wear sunglasses now."

"Why?"

"Because this." He proceeded to remove his glasses, showing his orange solid eyes to everyone.

"Jesus christ." John said, eyes wide as everyone else had similar reactions. "That's why you're wearing the sunglasses, ain't it?"

Rex nodded as he put his glasses back on. "Yeah."

John raised the book in his hand, opening it. "Dr Yeager gave me this book. You guys remember how something in there said something about guardians?"

Rex scoffed. "This one remembers everything it said!" He said, pointing to Deacon, who chuckled.

John widened his eyes. "What did it say?"

"The Guardians have been chosen, and the power shall now be bestowed upon those who are worthy."

John glanced down at the book as he found the page he was looking for. "Then maybe this legend is real after all. Here, read this." John said, handing the book to Deacon, who began reading the legend of the Guardians, with Rex standing next to him, leaning over him to read it.

"Long ago, after the titans invaded our planet, the gods gifted us power incomprehensible to the average mind. But the gift was never able to be used, as the gods intended it only for those who were worthy. Unfortunately, no one was worthy of the power, as their body would not survive the process. The gods promised, however, that only in the future, only when humanity is in great peril, shall the chosen Guardians be granted their incredible power, so should they protect them from the wrath of the Devil's monsters."

After reading through what was there, Rex spoke up. "So you really think we were chosen by some higher power?" He asked, glancing at John as Deacon scanned the illustration on the page.

John shrugged. "It's hard to believe, but until today, so were superhuman abilities." He remarked.

Armin nodded. "That is true." Everyone turned to him. "What intrigues me is this section right here. May I?" He asked, holding his hand out to Deacon for the book, who nodded.

"Of course." He said, handing the book to Armin.

"Here." He began reading. "Only when Humanity is in great peril, shall the chosen Guardians be granted their incredible power. You guys getting your powers is apparently a warning of something bad coming." Armin spoke, looking up at them.

Everyone looked at each other at his words, a sense of foreboding filling the atmosphere.

"B-but, we've had peace for a hundred years." Rex spoke, admittedly somewhat shaken. "Is it positively referring to the titans?"

Eren spoke up. "The way he was talking, it sounds like your powers were made specifically to fight the titans. Maybe they're gonna get through the wall somehow?" Considering the present military, even Eren was somewhat unsettled by the prospect.

"But how would they get through the wall?" Mikasa asked. "The tallest titans recorded are 15 meters. And they aren't nearly strong enough to break the wall."

"And from what I know, they ain't exactly the brightest bulbs, so how could they think of something?" Deacon questioned as the group began to seriously debate.

"But look at how restricted we are on the planet." John spoke up. "We're reduced to three walls, and that's what remains of humanity. But of the titans?" He picked up the book from Armin's hands, who gladly handed it to him. "'After the titans invaded our planet.' That's what it says. The titans around the walls aren't near the only ones out there, and if I had to venture a guess, the Survey Corps aren't exactly equipped to go far…"

"So you think there is a titan that can break through the walls?" Rex asked, slightly worried.

"Honestly, I think there are a lot more titans than just the ones that want to eat us, if this is any indication." John admitted.

"But what kind of titan would be able to break the wall?" Armin asked.

While this was happening, Lucy had quietly snuck over to Mikasa. "Mika?" She asked, tugging on Mikasa's shirt to gain her attention.

"Yes Lulu?" She asked, looking down at the young girl.

"Are the titans really gonna make it through the walls?" She asked, terrified at the prospect.

Mikasa wanted to assure the child, she really did, but she couldn't lie to her. "I don't know, Lulu." She admitted, crouching down to Lucy's level and pulling her into a hug. "But even if they do, we'll all be okay."

Meanwhile, with the rest of the group, they continued to discuss the possible titan breach.

"But honestly? What kind of attributes would a titan have to have to be able to break the wall?" Deacon asked, looking between everyone.

At the question, they all began to think, growing quiet.

The wind slowed.

A mother played with her child.

Some friends hung out together near the wall's gate.

Some birds flew peacefully in the sky.

Everything was calm…

…and then the lightning struck.

Everyone shouted in surprise as a sudden force hit the ground, sending almost everyone airborne, with the exception of John, who caught Mikasa and Lucy before they hit the ground.

"The hell was that?" John asked, looking at the rest of the group who still lied on the ground, standing to their feet as he set Mikasa and Lucy down.

"It felt like an earthquake!" Deacon remarked, looking around.

"But what kind of earthquake is that powerful?" Rex asked, looking between the two.

"Armin!" Eren shouted, catching their attention as they spotted him running towards the main road, out of the alley. "What are you doing buddy?" He asked as he began to chase after him. Mikasa followed, Lucy still in her arms.

"What the hell?" John muttered as he shared a glance with Rex and Deacon, before the trio followed.

They came out of the alleyway, to see everyone glancing at something towards the wall.

"Hey, Armin, what'd you see?" John asked Armin, who was silent, his face filled with fear. When he didn't answer, he shook his shoulder, but Armin still didn't respond. "Armin-"

"John." Rex's voice caught his attention. It was quiet, breathless, and it held a slight bit of terror in it. John turned to look at Rex, and was surprised to see him pale as a ghost, looking like he had just seen the devil.

"What?"

"Look…" He said quietly, his finger raising to point to the top of the wall, shaking as he did so.

John turned to what he was pointing at…

…and froze.

This couldn't be happening.

This wasn't happening.

This. Wasn't. Happening!

John felt his entire world freeze, his eyes focused on the horrendous site atop the wall.

There was no way this could be real.

But it was.

At the top of the wall, a massive red titan hand rested atop it, gripping the wall as smoke emitted from something on the other side.

"T-that's impossible…" Deacon muttered, horrified.

"Th-That wall is 50 meters high!" Armin squeaked, shaking with terror.

"Oh god…" Eren muttered quietly.

"I'm scared, Mikasa…" Lucy quivered, tears flowing from her eyes as she hugged Mikasa tighter, burying her face into Mikasa's neck. Mikasa could only hug her back, trying to comfort her as her own fear built up.

Then they saw the head.

Slowly, a massive head lifted itself to look over the wall.

It looked as if it had been skinned alive. It's mouth was that of a corpse, with absolutely no skin on it. Only muscle tissue and bone fiber were visible upon the steaming colossal beast.

"No…" Rex muttered, unable to look away.

They watched the titan's head slowly begin tilt down.

"What's it doing?" John asked as the head stopped moving, before beginning to rise again.

Then the gate exploded.

It felt as if the very heavens itself blew upon them, as the force of the kick sent anyone too close flying, while massive rocks and debris came flying through the air, landing on houses and roads, and killing anyone unfortunate enough to be under them.

John raised his arm to shield his face, looking away as the wind slowly died down, before looking back out towards the wall.

"No…" Deacon muttered, horrified at what just occurred.

"I-It blasted a hole…" Armin quivered, whimpering in terror. "...like it was kicking a rock…"

John could only look on, horrified, as a titan walked through the wall.

"Is this, what we're supposed to fight?"

A/N: And that's the end of Chapter 3. I was thinking about including the evacuation of Shinganshina in this chapter, but I decided against it since this chapter already stands at 7000 words. Next chapter, is when some real action starts.

I hope you all enjoyed this, and I encourage you all to leave a review. Seriously, they spur me on to write this story, and I really want to hear your thoughts and reactions. Plus, I want to make sure that I don't replicate the mistakes that lead to the original's downfall.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll talk to you in the next chapter. Have a good day, and be safe.