Regret

Armin and his aide are frantically running towards the woods in direction of where they heard the thunder struck. Armin is terrified and cannot think clearly, he can only concentrate in finding Mikasa.

When Armin reached the ruins, he and his aide stopped suddenly in terror. In front of them was an enormous crystal-like structure with no clear form, having massive spikes protruding from it, like some sort of crystalized explosion.

Armin after composing himself noticed a figure walking towards them: Mikasa, wobbling while dragging her feet, is walking towards them, covered in some kind of fluid.

Armin: Mikasa… He starts running towards her, feeling extremely angry and scared.

As he reached her, he grabs her by the shoulders and starts to shout at her

Armin: MIKASA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!

Mikasa is barely conscious: Ar…min…

Armin lowers his head in shock: It… never ends…

He then notices that Mikasa has several bleeding cuts in her legs. He anxiously grabs her face and examines it… she has no titans marks anywhere.

Armin to himself anxiously: She… has not transformed!

The military aide: Minister… step aside…

Armin turns and sees his aide with a terrified look on his face pointing his rifle towards Mikasa.

Armin panics: WAIT STOP! STAND DOWN!

Aide: NO! S.. she is a titan! I… I can't let this happen again!

Armin placing himself in front of Mikasa: STOP THIS NOW! You don't understand!

Aide: MOVE ASIDE MINISTER OR I WILL SHOOT YOU TOO!

Armin frantically screaming: STAND DOWN! SHE IS NOT A TITAN!

The aide aims and puts his finger on the trigger while shaking

Armin screaming: WAIT! STOP!

Armin throws himself over Mikasa as the aide fires towards them, scraping Armin in the shoulder.

Armin turns and screams: IF YOU HURT THIS WOMAN, PARADIS WILL KILL US ALL! YOU WANT OUR BLOOD IN YOUR HANDS!?

The aide drops to the ground in shock. Armin picks Mikasa up and carries her back to the station.

Armin to the aide: You better erase what just happened from you mind… if you know what's best for you… and your family.

The aide looks scared at Armin… he is like a completely different person…


Unknown place

A small black-haired girl is standing in a vast field looking up. The sky has unnatural colors. A small boy is now holding one hand of the girl. They are now facing in front. Their faces are blurry. A tree… it turns to crystal. The field turns red. It's blood.


Mikasa wakes up anxiously. She is now in a bed at the military station, Armin is by her side. She notices her legs have bandages.

She slowly raises up and sits in the bed… she has a vacant look in her eyes.

Mikasa says to herself: Eren… I… understand now.

Armin is staring at her with a stern look, he has bandages in his shoulder.

Armin: Mikasa… what happened in the woods?

Mikasa is still confused and dizzy: Armin… where… am I?

Armin: You are in the east military complex, I brought here from the woods… covered in a fluid… coming out from a titan hardening structure… You need to tell me what happened.

Mikasa: I… needed to check…

Armin: Check what?

Mikasa: If… what you told me… could let me see him again…

Armin: What I told y… Armin at that moment panics… he remembers he told Mikasa where the source of the power of the titans could be after it's disappearance.

Armin: You… did what Ackerman said?!

Mikasa: I… had to try… I felt… so alone…

Armin gets up hysterical: HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID MIKASA!? You realize what could have happened?! You almost got killed! You almost got ME killed! How did you know where to look?!

Mikasa: Yelena…

Armin: Yelena? How… She… was in prison… with Ackerman… wasn't she? FUCK! He has been playing with us all this time! DAMMIT! Armin is frustrated and very angry.

Mikasa still not recovering: He… was not there…

Armin puzzled: Huh?

Mikasa: I… was alone… for so long… At that moment Mikasa's eyes open up… she remembered something important and snaps out of her confusion.

Armin: What? What is it?

Mikasa gets up and starts to get ready to leave: Thank you Armin… for taking me here… but I can't tell you anything more… for now.

Armin getting anxious: What? What are you doing?! Where are you going?!

Mikasa: I have to go back to Paradis now… tell Annie I'm sorry that I had to leave so suddenly… and that I hope we can continue our plan… sometime later…

Armin gets up: What?! You can't just go like that? How are you going back to Liberio?!

Mikasa: I'll walk, I don't care if it's far… but I need to go back now.

Armin: You can't…

Mikasa starts leaving and Armin suddenly grabs Mikasa's wrist angrily and strongly

Armin: You can't leave like this! You have to tell me what happened!

Mikasa turns and looks at Armin… she has a vacant yet hurting look in her eyes. Armin realizes at that moment what he did and let's go of Mikasa.

Armin incredibly ashamed: Mikasa… I'm… sorry… I don't…

Mikasa: Armin… do you believe… we know ourselves well enough… to know how we will react… and what we will do… when we are at our lowest? I think… we can never really know…

Mikasa leaves the room, while Armin sits down feeling the most ashamed he has ever felt, and in shock about what he did.

Armin, a few moments later, ordered one of the troops in the station to take Mikasa in a motorized carriage to Liberio's port and see that she gets on a boat to Paradis safely.


Some months later…

Armin and Annie's relationship became strained after Mikasa left. Annie was heartbroken that she suddenly left without saying anything… but she was even more hurt that Armin never explained to her what happened and refused to talk about it… she could feel something was wrong, and could not forgive him for not trusting her.

The relations between Paradis and Marley were officially established and were accelerating, bringing may benefits to Marley. One of them was establishing a telegraph line between the nations, which took some months to realize. Another was the transfer of Kaspar Ackerman to a Marley prison, as his proximity to Yelena in Paradis became a great risk. As expected, neither of them revealed any information.

Armin informed the ministers of the situation that had happened with Mikasa, but kept the unexplained matters that concerned her out of it, in order to protect her and the relations with Paradis. Armin was informed the site was an ancient ruin of the Eldian Kingdom, but was completely destroyed during the Rumbling and the government was too understaffed to had it secured. The military took control of the site, and the enormous crystal structure become a massive source of income for Marley, as the incredible rare material had many uses.

Armin insistently tried to contact Mikasa through the telegraph, but his messages were always left without response, but he kept communications with Historia…


CONFIDENTIAL – MARLEY CONFEDERATED UNION

MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS – MARLEY/PARADIS DIRECT TELEGRAPHIC LINE

URGENT MESSAGE FOR: ARMIN ARLERT – MINISTER FOR ELDIAN AFFAIRS

SENDER: HER MAJESTY HISTORIA REISS, QUEEN OF THE KINGDOM OF PARADIS

18 OF SEPTEMBER, 858

Hello Armin,

I'm so glad that we can communicate more frequently now. I understand your concerns about Mikasa and the situation that occurred there on her visit. Rest assured, she told me everything that happened, but refrained herself from telling me any details, just as she did with you… so I can't really tell you anything more about that.

I have kept the information to myself, I care more about Mikasa's wellbeing than anything else, especially if we really don't know what happened. Having said that, I have to tell you Mikasa has been acting really strange… even more detached from the rest than usual. She has not left her Estate at all after finishing up the diplomatic report to the cabinet.

And… there is something else… but she specifically asked me to not say anything to you until the time is right… It's all very strange Armin. In any case she is fine, you don't need to worry about her… I don't know if she is mad at you… but said she prefers not to speak to you for now… Something happened? She did ask me to say hello to Annie, and tell her that she misses her… I never knew they were that close. Kinda jealous actually…

I'll stop now, your translator must be wanting to kill himself for how long this message was. I'll speak to you later. Bye.


Armin is left even more concerned: Something else? Damn… what is happening with you Mikasa…

Annie for a long time had been trying to take a look at Armin's correspondence with Historia, but Armin always disposed of them quickly. This time, she did not care if Armin got angry…

Annie approaches Armin rapidly from behind his desk and grabs the message from his hands

Armin nervous: ANNIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Annie mad: WHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?! I'M READING THIS RIGHT NOW!...Let's see what was so secret about your chats with Historia….

Armin is panicking as Annie reads the letter… she starts to get red of anger…

Annie gives Armin a death stare: What… did you do… to Mikasa…

Armin: I…. I can explain….

Annie hysterical knocks Armin down and puts him in a headlock: Tell me right now… I'm so mad I don't know what I will do… you understand?

Armin scared for his life: Y..yes!

Armin tells Annie everything that happened at the east station. Annie is still angry

Annie: Why didn't you tell me?

Armin: I don't know… I guess to protect Mikasa…

Annie getting red: Are you seriously going to lie to me right now?

Armin looking down: I… was ashamed…

Annie: You should be.

Armin: I've tried to write her to tell her I'm sorry but she does not respond! What do I do?!

Annie: I don't know. I understand that you got angry because of what she did… but you hurt her… when she needed you… did you even hear what she said? That she was alone for a long time? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? I'm… disappointed in you Armin.

You better fix this… or I don't know if I can keep this up…

Armin is shocked and saddened: I'm… sorry Annie…

Annie saddened: It's not me who you should be apologizing to…


A few months later

Annie and Armin's relationship became even more strained and colder after the incident with the letter. Armin requested Historia to arrange for him to visit Mikasa, but she responded that Mikasa requested that he should not be allowed to come to Paradis until the time was right. Historia never explained what that meant.

Armin was very distressed and could not concentrate in his work… he had ruined the relationships with the two most important women in his life…

After some weeks, Armin received another urgent message from Historia to his home…

Annie sarcastically: What is it this time? Another rejection?

Armin is trembling in shock and horror

Annie starting to get worried: Armin? What is it? SOMETHING HAPPENED?!

Armin speechless: It…. It's... Mikasa…

Annie panicking: WHAT IS IT?! GIVE ME THE FUCKING LETTER! She grabs the letter from Armin's hand and starts reading.

Armin in panic: She's…. pregnant…