The Wings Of Our Dreams
AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Here's the next chapter of The Wings Of Our Dreams. Enjoy!
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RememberShiganshina: You're welcome, buddy.
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Guest: Well, here it is.
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Guest(3): Now.
23 Trust us
Levi grunted as he swung away from a ten-meter's swipe and quickly redirected himself towards the nape. Not even half a second later and the Titan began falling over dead.
'This is just perfect,' Levi thought bitterly as he flew over a twelve-meter before relieving that one of its nape as well. 'As if our situation couldn't get any shittier.'
With a swift swing of a sword, another Titan lost its fingers when it tried to grab Levi as the small captain zipped behind it and sliced off the nape.
Levi latched onto one of the trees with his feet planted on the side of it. He frowned. This area wasn't ideal for fighting so many Titans. Especially since they weren't prepared for the sudden attack.
He noticed one of the soldiers quickly bitten in half by a five-meter, and there was one ten-meter in a heavy crouching position. An abnormal, definitely. That Titan then, similarly to a frog, jumped into to air and opened its maw wide as it headed towards a stunned soldier.
With a grunt, Levi sprung himself from the trees and fired his cable in the direction of the abnormal. However, just as the cable latched itself onto the Titan's flesh, Miche suddenly appeared and slashed the nape, causing the Titan to fall limply on the ground with the soldier looking relieved before swiftly zipping away.
Levi and Miche then flew in the same direction as they latched themselves onto some stone ruins that were located in the area.
"Mind you telling what is going on, Levi?" Miche asked. "My nose has never detected such a large amount of Titans going towards a single spot. Just what on Earth did your team do that they've attracted so many?"
"Eren transformed out of nowhere!" Levi said. "Or at least part of him did. Though apparently, it was only accidental. The Titans must have been drawn to the transformation."
"Heh. Even after five years you still somehow get yourself into complicated situations."
"Oh, spare me the talk. Let's just do our job and kill those overgrown bastards."
The two of them accelerated their gear, and soon two twelve-meters in front of them had their napes flying off.
Collin grit his teeth as his blades tore through Titan flesh, with the seven-meter quickly falling down once his weak spot was compromised. He immediately zipped over to another Titan, ten-meter this time.
The Titan was about to grab him with both arms, but Collin let the cable loose and descended under the giant arms. He latched onto the Titan itself before swinging under its legs. He then made a quick turn and fired a cable on the ten-meter's neck, and sliced the nape off.
Collin spun before firing a cable on top of one of the ruined towers in the area and zipping over. He let himself hang for a moment before wiping some sweat off his forehead and taking a breath. He looked around the battlefield and saw the number of Titans there.
Eren's transformation attracted so many of them. Several dozen easily. There weren't so many when they first started their mission here. Collin glanced at Eren who was still trying to get his hand out. Hange and Moblit actually ran into the fray, with Hange excitedly touching the Titan arm before jumping away and holding her arm in pain. Judging from Moblit's motions, Collin could guess he was scolding her.
Loud footsteps reached his ears. Looking to the side, he saw a fifteen-meter approaching his way, its arm already outstretched. Just as he was about to jump off, the Titan halted before falling to the side, its neck smoking.
A snap of a cable got his attention and he saw Nanaba plant her feet next to him.
"How are they down there?" Nanaba asked.
Collin glanced one more time in Eren's direction, seeing nothing changed. "They're fine, so far. No Titan reached 'em."
"Good, and we better keep it that way," Nanaba said. "Follow me, rookie."
"Right."
The two quickly dislodged themselves from the tower and flew off. They reached a twelve-meter that was walking in Eren's direction. Nanaba quickly descended down and swung towards the ankles, slicing through both. Once the Titan was forced on its hands, Collin took the chance and took off the nape in with a quick double-slash. The two wasted no time before moving to the next target.
"Years without casualties," Nanaba said they maneuvered around a ten-meter and slicing behind the knees. "And this day we lost over a dozen Scouts!" Collin and Nanaba then swung to the nape and slashed it at the same time. "This better be worth it."
"I dunno what to say!" Collin said. "I know this shouldn't have happened, but…!"
"No, don't!" Nanaba said. "Honestly we shouldn't be surprised. We played with something we didn't understand. Of course, something would go wrong. All we can do is minimize the damage."
Collin only sighed, having no real response to that. She was right. The best they could do now is get rid of the Titans before they can get to Eren or kill anybody else.
Eren pulled with all his might but the muscle of his Titan arm made it feel like he was glued to it. Closing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, Eren pulled harder. This time, he actually felt his hand slowly slipping out.
"Oh, man, that thing's hot," Hange said with a smile on her face as she held her hand which was red from her previous attempt at touching the exposed muscle. "The tests I can do on this are simply-"
"Section Commander!" Moblit shouted. "We need to get moving! The Titans could reach us!"
"But Moblit, don't you see-?"
"All I see is that we are exposed and surrounded by Titans! I know you're eager, but that won't help us if we get devoured! We need to free Eren from there and quickly get out!"
"No!" Eren said as he pulled with all his might. "I can do it myself! I just… have to…!" With one last yell, Eren tore his arm out of the muscle, though he ended up falling on his back. Immediately after, the partially formed ribcage and arm then began evaporating into Titan steam.
"No!" Hange screamed as she grabbed her hair. "No, no, no! I wanted to do experiments on it!"
"Time and place, Hange!" Moblit exclaimed. "And we have a Titan upon us!"
Eren and Hange gasped as they saw that a twelve-meter was able to break through the defense made by the Scouts and was approaching them.
"Fine," Hange said. "Eren, ready your gear and we're out of here."
However, Eren just glared at the Titan as he rose. "No. I will take of this Titan. I will take care of all of them," he said as he brought his hand to his mouth.
"You're planning to transform?" Hange asked.
"You better get out of here, Section Commander."
Hange lightly gritted her teeth, some level of uncertainty still plaguing her mind. "Are you sure?"
"Of course," Eren said with determination.
"All right," Hange said before turning to Moblit. "Let's get out of here! Eren will transform!"
"Is this a smart thing to do?" Moblit said as they backed away over a dozen feet.
"If something goes wrong then we're still on standby," Hange said. "We'll go if the transformation fails again."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Hange."
"Honestly, I hope so, too," she said before something next to the evaporating arm caught her attention for a moment.
The twelve-meter was now dangerously close while Eren continued glaring. "You're going down. All of you are," Eren said before opening his mouth wide and biting his hand.
And… nothing happened.
"W-what?" Eren said, his eyes wide as he saw his bloody palm. "No, this… This can't be happening!" He once again bit into his hand. "Transform, dammit!"
Hange grit her teeth. "Shit! Moblit, we're going in!"
"Yes, Section Commander!"
The two got ready to fire their cables and team up against the Titan. But then halted when they saw another Scout fly up to the Titan, his blades about to strike.
"Die, monster!"
However, the Titan showed its quick reflexes when its hand grabbed the man mid-air and looked at him with a glossy stare. The Titan opened its maws and brought the struggling soldier closer to it.
"No! No, please!"
Eren gasped as he saw the soldier beg for his life, helpless in a firm grasp of a Titan. And he couldn't do anything to stop it in time.
"No, let him go!" Eren yelled as he outstretched his hand, desperately trying to reach him.
Yellow lightning then enveloped him followed by a large explosion that made Hange and Moblit cover their faces from the wind and dust it gathered. A large skeletal hand sprung from the epicenter as muscles and skin quickly formed around it as it grasped the twelve-meter's wrist before it could bite the soldier.
With a few steaming breaths, Eren's Titan form was in full view, with Eren himself completely transformed this time. And he was angry.
Eren roared before squeezing tightly and breaking the Titan's arm as it let go of the soldier, who made sure to zip away from the area. Eren then threw twelve-meter down before stomping the nape and giving a triumphant roar.
Every Scout, and every Titan, looked at where the scream was coming from.
"Is… Is that…?" Nanaba said in shock as she and Collin hung from some trees.
"Yeah, that's Eren's Titan form," Collin confirmed.
Levi cut down another Titan before seeing the transformed Eren. 'So, that brat did it after all. If only he did it sooner.'
Growling loudly while steam emanated from his mouth, Eren sprung into action. He ran to a five-meter, knocked it down, and stomped on the nape. He then immediately went to a ten-meter next to him, grabbed him, bit off the nape, and spat it out.
Eren roared yet again before running towards more Titans, his heavy footsteps leaving large prints into the ground. A pair of Titans, a twelve-meter and a fifteen-meter, found themselves in his way. Eren punched down the fifteen-meter before grabbing the twelve-meter by the neck and punching into the nape. The fifteen-meter tried to get up but Eren slammed his fists down on the nape, obliterating it.
Slowly, the Titans began drawing their attention away from the soldiers and settled their sights on Eren, seemingly deciding that he was their new target.
'This might be a good opportunity,' Miche thought as he observed the situation. "Relay the order! Let's attack the Titans while they are distracted by Yeager!"
The soldiers began killing the Titans, which was simpler this time around as plenty of them had their backs turned, making their weakness more open for attack.
Though Titans were still able to reach Eren, who continued fighting them off and killing them. Eren slammed a four-meter that was biting his hand into the ground and tearing out the nape with his fingers. He then dug his elbow into a fifteen-meter's face and punched into the nape.
The rage-filled green eyes then noticed a thirteen-meter abnormal running at him, with Eren bringing up his fists for a fight. However, that abnormal soon found itself completely limbless within a second, and the moment it fell to the ground, its nape went flying off as another blur passed.
Miche, Nanaba, Levi, Petra, and Collin landed in front of Eren, who still looked at them with a glare.
"You think the brat is there?" Levi asked.
"Hadn't attacked us yet," Collin said. "So I think he is." He took a few steps forward, his blades hanging in his grip. "Hey buddy, can ya hear me?"
Eren leaned down and grumbled as if he were observing something. Everyone watched him carefully, knowing what happened the last time he fully transformed.
"C'mon, Eren, you gotta transform back," Collin said. "The Titans were all killed. There is no need for you to stay like that. Eren, please. Get down so we can get outta here."
Eren's Titan breathed a bit more heavily as looked down at Collin, the confusion in his eyes slowly fading away. The Titan then slouched over as his form began steaming. And similarly to before, Eren rose from the nape, and this time successfully got out all his limbs.
"Did… did we win?" Eren asked.
"For someone who had a front seat to all of that, that's a pretty strange question to ask," Levi commented.
"Bring Eren down, and let us mount up," Miche ordered. "We have spent enough time here and we cannot risk another Titan attack."
"So, you don't remember anything? Anything at all?" Levi asked as his steel gaze settled on Eren.
"No," Eren said as he looked down in shame. "I'm sorry. I know how important it is for me to unleash my Titan powers, but… I just can't remember. I only remember transforming and the next thing I know, I'm getting out of my Titan."
So after the surprise of Eren's accidental transformation, the Titan attack, and Eren actually being able to transform, all the Scouts quickly retreated on their horses back inside the Walls. When evening came, Levi and Hange called for the rest of the residents of the castle to gather in the meeting room to discuss the events that unfolded.
The doors opened to reveal Eld walking inside, though he made a moan in pain as his hand went to his chest before he sat down with the others.
"Are you all right?" Petra asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing's broken. It's just bruising," Eld answered before looking at Collin. "And god damn, kid, you have a nasty kick."
Collin scoffed before crossing his arms.
"Hey, Collin, you're the one who injured him and Gunther. At least act polite!" Petra scolded with a disapproving look, while Gunther himself flinched when his name was mentioned and his hand went over his nose for a moment.
"Oh, of course. Y'all almost kill a comrade, but I'm the one who should act polite. Makes perfect sense," Collin said sarcastically.
"We were doing our job!" Oruo protested as he slammed his hands on the table. "We were supposed to act if Eren went out of control!"
"He transformed by accident! That's it! He wasn't outta control!"
Eren looked at the situation nervously as he saw Collin getting angry once again. "Wait, Collin, that's enough. They were just doing their jobs."
"Well, they were doin' it badly then," Collin said. "Look, I dunno why ya just accept these guys goin' on ya, but that don't mean I'm gonna let 'em."
Levi audibly scoffed. "I heard you were temperamental, but this is honestly ridiculous. Assaulting your superiors is stupid beyond comprehension. Can you really blame them for reacting to Eren's sudden transformation the way they did?"
"Yeah, I can!" Collin spoke before Levi could continue. "Eren wasn't goin' crazy, and they threatened to kill 'im. They wouldn't listen, so I made them listen. No offense, Cap'n, but if ya think that what they were doin' was justified, then your sight's shorter than your height."
Pretty much everyone froze when they heard what Collin said while Levi's eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Brat, I am this close to just beating the snot out of you," Levi threatened in a low tone that made Collin's posture slightly stiffen. "If you want to keep testing me, then it's on you-"
"Stop it!" Hange exclaimed as she rose from her chair. "Arguing among each other isn't helping us. You can deal with this after we settle Eren's situation."
Levi's gaze settled on Hange. He was honestly surprised she actually interrupted him. "Well, four-eyes, I have to admit I didn't believe you had a serious bone in your body."
Hange adjusted her glasses. "Levi, considering what you said about respecting the chain of command, don't forget that I rank above you. So please keep your comments to yourself as we examine our Titan situation, okay? That is an order."
Levi actually raised a stunned eyebrow at that. He didn't remember any time she pulled her rank over him. Mostly he was the one berating her.
"Heh. Fine then," Levi conceded.
Collin brought a fist to his mouth and coughed into it, all the while less subtly mumbling the word 'whipped' as he did so. A bit across him, Eld couldn't help but chuckle a bit. He may have kicked him in the chest, but if nothing else Collin was amusing.
Levi briefly turned to glare at the newest recruit and scoffed in annoyance.
"Good," Hange said with a smile. "Now, we better continue from where we left off. Eren, you said that you didn't remember your time while you were a Titan."
Eren shook his head. "No. Sorry, Section Commander."
"I hope you mind me intruding, Hange," Levi said. "But if Eren cannot control his powers, then sealing up Wall Maria with his help may as well be just a pipe dream."
"Do not fret, Levi," Hange said. "We were actually able to gather some very interesting during our little trip outside the Walls." She reached below the desk and put a roll of bandages there. "I found these being held in the Titan hand as it was evaporating. Collin, are those the same bandages you gave to Eren?"
Collin took a bit of a closer look as he examined the bandages. "Yeah, I think those are the same ones."
"And then Eren went to grab it after which the transformation happened. That is something I base my new theory on. We initially thought that self-injury was all that was needed but that clearly wasn't enough. So, the reason why he transformed is because he had a strong focus on what he was doing. Like picking up bandages.
"That was also proven to be correct when a fellow Scout was caught by a Titan and Eren went to reach for him, and caused the transformation to happen. Eren's Titan actually grabbed the twelve-meter by the wrist as he was still transforming to prevent it from eating the soldier. In conclusion, while self-harm does trigger the transformation, Eren has to have a clear goal in mind for him to actually transform."
Hange then spared Eren a glance. "That was your aim, correct? To reach for the Titan?"
"Um, yeah," Eren answered. "I knew it would've been futile but I just couldn't let it kill my comrades."
"An admirable trait," Hange said with a smile. "Now I think the intensity of the purpose determines the outcome of the transformation. With simply picking up the bandages, his arm transformed. However, when it came to confronting a bigger threat, the transformation was full. That does coincide with the reports we've had from Trost. When you transformed the first time, it was to get out of the Titan and fight. The second was to stop a cannon ball which didn't require a full transformation. And the third time was to lift the boulder which you could only do, fully transformed.
"Also, I observed another thing," Hange said before bringing her hand up, showing that it was still red from her touching the Titan flesh. "While I touched the exposed muscles, they were extremely hot. However, the bandages I took weren't even warm at the time. This leads me to believe that Eren can manipulate his transformation to not cause harm to the things he has no intention of harming."
"That's all well and good, Hange," Levi said, looking very unimpressed unlike everyone else. "But what good is all that if he can't keep his mind?"
"Yes, it's a shame he wasn't conscious at the time," Hange said. "However, he showed no aggressive acts towards his fellow soldiers this time. It's like training your body for a task. The more you do it, the better you are. I think the same goes for the Titan transformation."
There was a moment of silence as everyone in the room processed the information. That was actually quite a bit more they learned. With how the mission started out, it looked like they weren't about to learn all that much.
"So, from what I'm getting here," Gunther began. "You didn't transform on purpose?"
Eren flinched. "No, sir. It was an accident."
"Ah, I see," Gunther said before looking at Eld and giving him a nod. Eld nodded back and soon the entire Levi Squad shared looks and mutual nods. The four then brought their hands to their mouths and bit hard.
Everyone except Levi was caught by surprise, with Hange yelping in surprise, Eren exclaiming "What are you doing?!" and Collin muttering "The fuck?"
"Damn this hurts!" Eld said as all of them cringed in pain. "Man, Eren, I'm impressed you can sink your teeth further without screaming."
"We made a judgment call and it was wrong," Gunther said. "Consider it our way of apologizing. That is if you can find it in your heart to forgive us."
"We had to make snap judgments!" Oruo said. "It was our job to keep you in check."
"The fact is, we were scared," Petra said before looking down in shame. "That's no excuse, I know. You have every right to be upset." She met Eren's gaze again. "But, all that aside, we're doomed if we can't trust one another. Just as you are if you can't trust us. I… hope you understand."
Eren was silent for a few moments before answering. "Yes, I understand."
The Levi Squad smiled at that, feeling a sense of relief wash over them.
The meeting was soon over, and everyone soon went to their respective rooms. Collin decided to walk alongside Eren so he could escort him to the cellar.
"Ya know," Collin began. "I'm surprised ya went easy on 'em. They truly were 'bout to kill ya."
Eren sighed. "Collin, I appreciate your concern, I do. But I can't bring myself to feel angry at them."
"Look, I know they were scared, but that didn't mean they had to act like that."
"It's not that simple," Eren said. "Besides, there's something Captain Levi told me earlier."
"Traditionally, you're not considered a real Scout until you come back alive. But out there, there is so little intel to go on. So many uncertainties and unknowns that it's a miracle that any of us can come back alive. You have to be reactive. Quick. Hit the ground running while anticipating the worst. That doesn't make them heartless though, they're not just a bunch of mindless machines. Whatever that may have looked like out there today, I can promise you that every single one of them was feeling conflicted."
"After hearing that, I completely understood," Eren said. "The Scouts risk their lives so often on such dangerous grounds that they have to react quickly. So I can't blame them for feeling angry after all they've been through."
"I… Well, I guess I see your point," Collin said before glancing at the Scout symbol on his breast pocket. "But still, they wanted to kill ya. I'm surprised you can just forgive that."
"Considering their circumstances," Eren said. "I can see why they'd do that. I can't blame them."
Collin smiled. "Man. I gotta admit, that's kinda deep. I'm impressed."
"I'm just saying what I mean," Eren said with a shrug.
"And that's what makes me feel proud to be your friend."
Once he dropped of Eren, Collin went to his own assigned room. He was starting to feel tired anyway. The entire day took both a physical and emotional toll on him. His arms began feeling sore from all the cutting and slashing he did.
Then he stopped when he noticed somebody was standing near his door. And that somebody turned out to be Eld Jinn.
"Hey, kid," Eld said. "Sorry if I bother you, but I want to tell you something."
Collin sighed. "Well, I s'pose I can spare the time."
"Listen, I know you are probably still angry with us even after we apologized," Eld said. "And I can understand that. I'd probably be, too. But you have to understand something."
"And that is?"
"You really have to keep yourself in check. Lashing out isn't going to do you any favors."
"I see. And I guess ya want of me to apologize for almost cavin' in your ribs?"
Eld shook his head. "No, I don't. And I'm sure Gunther won't ask that either. Hell, we might as well have deserved it. But… just keep yourself in check, kid." He then scratched the side of his head. "Man, I'm not really good with the speech thing."
"Nah, it's fine. I get what ya mean," Collin said. "Well, I… I guess it all turned out alright in the end."
"Yeah, it did," Eld said before passing Collin and giving him a tap on the shoulder. "Sleep well. You'll need it for tomorrow."
"Right. You as well," Collin said. But just as he was about to reach the door, he halted. "Hey, Eld, one more question."
Eld stopped and turned back. "Hmm?"
"Am I a Scout in your eyes?"
"Kid," Eld said with a smile. "As far as I'm concerned, you definitely are."
Collin smiled back. "Thanks."
AN: And that is it for now, my dear readers! Hope you enjoyed some action and some character development here.
Also, I implore you all, to check out my other stories. Trust me, they are worth it. And leave a review, they are great motivators.
See ya next time!
