to compensate for my substandard narration of action, please listen to AOT playlist while reading this chapter

They say dreams appear for a reason, mayhaps a message delivered by the deepest of consciousness.

Or maybe, maybe just a gut feeling. A terrible, terrible gut feeling.

When you opened your eyes again, it was the gentle smell of Erwin's sheets. Unaware of what time it is, your eyes averted to where he is — office table meters away, holding a pen, and you don't know how long he's been disregarding the pile of documents to watch you sleep.

"Sorry, I got your bed." You groggily sat and rubbed your eyes. "What time is it?"

"Past midnight. And you've always been getting my bed, for the record."

"It smells good, I'm really sorry," you groaned, guilty that you disturbed his supposed rest. "You can lie down now."

And yet, you can't bring yourself to stand up and walk, and instead, settled at the edge of the bed to hug your knees. You feel horrid and sick in the stomach.

Erwin followed suit but he didn't lie down. Instead, he sat beside you to examine your demeanor, a bit confused. "You look like the one who got the bed taken over and wasn't able to sleep."

"It was a bad sleep."

Strangely, the dream wasn't in any way horrid. It was about the earlier times — back when you're still yet to adjust to what life beyond Mitras could offer. Spending most of your time being a bystander was terrible as everyone already had their circles upon your arrival. It's not that you were a loner; you tried. You tried because only if the people in Mitras did not spoil you with intimacy, you'd be able to endure living a life without companions.

Back then, just when you were about to cry, Petra sat beside you and offered a bag of carrots.

You look up at her, perplexed, as she remained shy. She knew how random it was; how weird for a classmate you hadn't even conversed with yet to offer you that much.

"I-I was wondering if you'd like some. The harvest in my province soared so well and my family thought it'd be a good idea to share some with my classmates." She fidgeted, a bit too nervous if you'd accept it or not. "With the price of vegetables hiking up in the capital, I do think it really would help, y-you know…?"

You looked around the room, then. Most of your classmates had the same bag. Some were smiling, some were chuckling at the strange encounter, some were talking about how rare it was to encounter a province girl as they all grew up in the capital, and the rest were talking about the dishes they plan to cook with all those carrots.

Almost all of them find Petra weirdly amusing, but endearing nonetheless. You were no exception. It explains why you tailed her after that encounter, just like how you did to Erwin back then. And oh, she let you — happily so — as she's having quite a hard time finding her clique too. Both of you came from measly provinces, who would understand the alienation of the capital better than both of you? Petra, despite having the same willingness to be with you the way people in Mitras — especially Erwin — did, had the gentleness you hadn't experienced yet. Despite the similarity they possess, Erwin doesn't have the softness she has. Petra doesn't exude the feeling of authority that makes you quite scared to counter. It was like they were coexisting in a circle of yin and yang. One of them being taken away from you would rattle the balance and ruin your core.

You wonder what was so bad with a dream reiterating that fact.

"Bad sleep," he mused, "did it involve fires?"

"No, it was a good dream."

But then finally, the feeling made sense in you.

Your breath hitched and turned to him in alarm, "Something bad is going to happen."

A line almost everyone dismisses; everyone except Erwin, for some strange reason.

Maybe he knows you always end up right.

He observed your body language first to see if assistance to calm down is needed, but you're quite too agitated in getting your point across. "Something bad is going to happen! Where is—"

"A grave news came, Commander!" The subordinate banged the door open which quickly plastered him with shame under the assumption that he interrupted a supposedly intimate moment. However, "The people stationed in Stohess for this week are—"

Blood quickly drained in you. "What happened?"

"The armed forces released a statement about killing a whole unit of rebels in an armed encounter. But the units reported otherwise moments before the crackdown! If there really was an encounter, then—then they'd call on us for backup!" the man cracked in tears. "They were caught alive defenseless and tortured before killed!"

"What did the statement say?"

"There were censored photographs of a dead body, which we recognized from—" and with that, the man finally broke down.

"From whom! Speak properly!" You shouted, the utter panic overruling any semblance of sympathy.

"It was Petra. They—they publicized the cadaver of Petra."

Your consciousness crumbled, depriving you of hearing anything, not even the Commander's additional inquiries about the tragedy, not even when your feet moved on their own in barging out of the room. When you came down to the meeting hall, everyone was crying, crying for the most endearingly amusing comrade who gave no one exception with her kindness.

"Show me the photograph released by the military."

Moblit shook his head and folded the laptop down, "It won't be a good idea. Besides, it's censor—"

You cut him off harshly but shoving the laptop open, and there it goes. It was censored, yes, but the hues of orange cannot be mistaken.

Alongside the blood all over was her twisted neck.

The poor girl was indeed tortured.

Not only that, her photograph was posted to send a message. Petra was a college student on the surface, after all, and known for her critical stances against the prophecy. They were exposing a college student's body — a body born by the measly farm they aim to conquer — to deliver a message: trying to go against the likes of the Reiss would end you up in the same fate.

"Anna, stop—"

"Don't call me Anna," you spat weakly. The fact that it was given by the person who instigated the said prophecy reeked your very core. Moblit was confused, but you followed up with a question, "Where's the body?"

"As per the statement, they will deliver her remains to the bereaved family in Orvud. It's not that hard to deduce that they'll use her as collateral to finally take ownership of that farm."

"They wouldn't have the time to chase over a measly farm if we take over one of their greatest assets."

"What do you mean by that, Commander?"

"They thought displaying Petra's body in public would be for their benefit as she was a high-profile advocate on the surface." Erwin pointed out before turning to everyone. "Moblit, have the guerilla's public information office release a statement of condemnation and urge the sympathizers to join us. Miche, have our legal forces at the university, precisely Petra's friends, do the same. Our goal is to have everyone join the rebellion. If we manage to gather that much, then we could finally commence The Underground Commune."

"Commune? Do you mean—"

"Yes, the whole Underground District will be filled with our forces, up to a point where they have to halt the land-taking operations over the country. They can't afford to lose the Underground, not when lots of nobility eye this place. No matter how abandoned it seems, this place holds the key to the development of Eldia." He shot you a short look before giving the final command. "The state forces want us to fear them by disrespecting Petra's remains and we know better than to prove them right. Petra did not deserve to die, none of our late comrades did, and publicizing her murder was their greatest mistake. Carry that as you fight later on." Miche flashed the map for Erwin to instruct the base plan while you and the others assemble your guns and green cloaks.

The Eldian Guerillas had wings in its cloak — you caressed yours one last time, as from hereon your other half's wings are engraved on it. It will never be the same again, but unlike Furlan's, you've now accepted that fact — resolutely so.

ERWIN WAS RIGHT. The military police expected retaliation, but they thought the fear would overrule especially among the legal forces.

The sympathizers assembled a mobilization without arms at hand, nothing but placards calling for their justice. The military police let them be; mobilizations are not intimidating for them after all, not when they begin the program with just around twenty people at most. However, when piles of people came until they covered the whole road, the military police called for backups. It was too late, though, because when a citizen chanted;

"Petra's remains were your greatest mistake!"

Then the other side added, "They were seeds that you planted,"

"Whom shall sprout countless Eldians who'd dedicate their hearts to continue what they started!"

"Dedicate your hearts!"

"Dedicate your hearts!"

Soon after, spikes of metal strings were heard. People with green cloaks came flying in the air and landed on different roofs. The military police regretted their leniency.

The citizens looked up, some of which are in awe, and shouts of cheer loudened.

"Disrespecting Petra's remains was your greatest mistake!"

"They were seeds that you planted,"

"Whom shall sprout countless Eldians who'd dedicate their hearts to continue what they started!"

"Dedicate your hearts! Dedicate your hearts!"

A squad leader from the MP shouted in both anger and surprise as this is the first time guerillas appeared in the capital — this is the first time they'll see the face of ruthless Commander that wreaked havoc in Orvud. "Our comrades were subdued by the 47th Interior Unit and their remains are being prepared for release. We will not back off with empty hands, Petra will be brought home by us! Soldiers, advance!"

"Finally unleashing your true colors now, huh? Hundreds of citizens will die if you pushed through this, you damned in the head Commander! So much for fighting for their so-called emancipation!"

But then, not long after that remark, citizens brought out something from their sleeves. The Military Police panicked and immediately readied to fire upon realizing that everyone was armed.

If one were to look from afar, it could be deemed how gun turns people into killing machines whose every shot diminishes humanity, with every hit shredding any semblance of emotion — dreams of going home and letting someone go home, paying the debt to his country and seeking the country to pay its debt, among many other reasons.

Instead of fear, a couple of citizens — most from the frontlines — sneered at the guns pointed at them. "The position of your guns says a lot about you, state lapdogs!" Isabel, the one at the center, shouted. She then dropped a command, "Guns up the sky!" The citizens followed suit and thus she added, "Fire!"

The military police finally realized what was up — the citizens were not, in any way, holding real guns. It was smoke grenades to deprive them of vision, to give the flying guerillas their needed leverage. Isabel's command for citizens to chant deprived them of the ability to hear the metal strings and so within a minute, three units of military police were put down.

If one were to look from afar, it could be deemed how the death of an endearing comrade turns people into a bloody rage, how the lack of choice but to collectively retaliate diminishes the upper hand of those in power.

Eventually, the citizens did not chant just Petra's name. They chanted for Gunther Schultz, for Eld Jinn, for Oluo Bozado, for Petra's father, and among all the mentioned, your heart screamed at them screaming justice for Furlan Church.

"Furlan was confirmed to be killed due to the prophecy," Erwin muttered to himself as both of you fled. "So my gamble to take you with me upon his death was the right call..."

"I don't want to be called Anna anymore."

"But that would keep your identity from the surface safe. Are you sure?"

"I know that's what you're trying to erase in this mission, Commander. To blur the distinction between civilians and guerillas would leverage our forces. To see the citizens comply with the plan right now shows how successful you are in it."

"I'm not the one in success; the citizens brought it upon themselves. No one claims it but them. That's the same reason why we must avoid bloodshed. None of our attacks must hurt the people below, and if there is someone to kill, it must be those who tormented Petra's squad. Call for the—" Erwin was cut off when a series of gunshots were heard, and citizens' chants were replaced by screams.

"They're shooting the citizens!" Miche exclaimed. "They're using them as pawns to distract us from attacking them!"

Erwin deduced the situation before speaking, "With a place this smokey, the military can easily claim we're the ones behind the shooting," Despite the horrifying realization, Erwin let out a grim smile — a deranged one, perhaps, one seething in anger. Then he dropped a command for everyone to hear. "Soldiers, kill every military police with guns at sight!"

"But Commander!" You shouted with heart drumming so loud at the thought of Isabel dying. "The citizens need help in evacuating!"

"No! We don't have enough forces as it is. Continue charging at the enemy!"

"Erwin!"

"The MPs in the area are not too much right now and their desperation to shoot the unarmed is brought by their awareness that once the smoke subsides, all their units would be eliminated! They want to distract us! If we decrease our forces now and fail to eliminate them before the smoke's gone, then all of the people here would be doomed! Don't go by their trap!"

"Commander, are you saying we let the citizens be the pawn?" Nanaba asked.

"No, the citizens here knew this could happen, and so their formation is arranged from those who are most willing to die to those who want to evacuate once the situation gets dire. Those who are to evacuate have trucks waiting for them at the back, all of which came from different farms. Now as we speak, people on the frontlines are helping the rest escape before bullet reaches them — they are all seizing their time left before the bullet reaches them."

Isabel is willing to die.

Isabel very much knew she could die, and yet…

You pointed your gun below the silhouette of a soldier. Just when you were about to pull the trigger, something daunted you and your hands shook.

You're about to kill a military man — a being who most likely has a family waiting for him. But when he unhesitantly pulled his own trigger at the citizens, your shaking were motivated from anger.

"H-hah—"

Erwin called your name, "You don't have to kill them if you don't want to."

Isabel is willing to die.

"Hah, huh—" your breath ragged, shaking intensified, and the hah's soon became a scream as the statement repeated inside your mind: every bullet he shoots raises Isabel's chance of death. Isabel is willing to die. Isabel very much knew she could die. Isabel, Isabel, Isabel, Isabel.

The fury awakened something in you, it was the voice you fear the most:

"flower hanging at the edge of the precipice, with an undeserving fate subjected by the world,

you have to unleash the lack of mercy inside you, too. that's the only way you'd be able to live.

you have to unleash the lack of mercy inside you, too.

unleash it.

unleash it."

But now you listened as it talked, and for the first time in your life, you were not scared to do so.

You propelled a scream then pulled the trigger just before he could. It pierced his head. You pulled it again to ensure his death, crying. You flashed your gear towards another position to do more, to kill more.

You shouted alongside the bangs of your gun, all in tormenting urgency to save your friend.

Not long after, the shooting ended; the flares subsided. It's done, and the daunting casualties were flashed to everyone.

.Bloodshed. It was utter bloodshed.

"Clear! The next MP units are running 5 kilometers away from here!" A squad leader three roofs away from you reported from her telescope.

"Twenty casualties from the citizens! Ten injured, ten dead! Area all clear, the trucks are on the way to the Underground!" A squad leader down below had reported from the transceiver.

"State of the military forces below, report," Miche said.

"All clear. None injured, all dead."

The Commander pressed the transceiver, "The Stohess operation is successful. All except the Command Unit and Squad Miche, discharge!"

"Yes, Sir!" Everyone said in unison.

The Squad Miche is just behind so no one uses the transceiver anymore. "The new squad unit is on standby at Stohess funeral home. The truck to bring them home is on alert, too."

"We would be able to bring them home," Erwin concurred.

"Petra will be brought home."

Upon reaching the place, it came to you that the new squad unit in question is led by someone close to your heart.

"Levi!" With a blurry mind, you quickly ran towards him. Levi just finished tying two MP soldiers up; he turned in surprise upon hearing your voice.

He's alive. Levi's alive.

You jumped at him with a hug.

Levi's not the type to return that under normal circumstances. So now, he did it so tightly with a weak sigh of relief.

"Isabel is in the frontline," you wept, muffled in his cravat. "Why did you let her? What the hell is she thinking?"

"I made sure she was alive before flying here." He withdrew from the hug, and instead leveled his face the same as yours, "And she has the same question: why didn't she tell us she was Anna? Why didn't she tell us she joined the rebels?" And to end, he gave a hard flick on your forehead, "What the hell are you thinking?"

You averted your eyes away in guilt, but Levi knew better; he forced you to look at him while glaring.

"I'm sorry."

He called your name tiredly this time, contrary to the stern tone prior. "I'm not asking for apologies."

"I'm sorry Furlan died because of me. Whatever the confrontation, I was part of the reason why he died, because I used to be Anna, and they were finding me for the prophecy."

"No," he quickly interrupted. "It's not your—"

"Because you're not her, I told you. You're the name you go by right now." Erwin cut in. "Whatever they planned on that dead child was out of your control, therefore not your fault. Also, the caught soldiers are saying something right now. Go back to the present."

"The rats keep on saying that Petra betrayed the movement. They took it back after I rearranged their faces." Levi deadpanned.

You walked to them as Miche pointed a gun at their heads, "They were sticking their noses too much! They were trying to seize information even lowly soldiers don't have the privilege of knowing!"

"Then Levi clasped on his collar, a pin of Interior Military Police clasped on it. "Then tell us. You're not a lowly soldier yourself. Tell us what you know."

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" In utter fear of what Levi could further ruin in his shape, he shakily responded, "The prophecy of Eldia's prosperity is never a bluff—"

Levi cut them off with a punch, "Seems like you still want more, huh? Might as well tell me how much of your teeth you want to lose."

"Levi, let him speak."

"I'm not here to mess around some fucking prophecy, Erwin. I did not involve myself, let alone Isabel, in this type of shit."

"But I'm telling the truth! Saying this to you will get my head opened by Commander Kenny!"

Levi stopped in his tracks upon hearing the name of his uncle.

Sensing it, the soldier continued, "There was a world that used to be ruled by the royal family and that world was filled with giant monsters. Those monsters came from a tree, a tree blessed to the royal family. The giant monsters were used to kill every being that's not from the Eldian race—"

"You're speaking shit that's already been said by the storybooks," Levi hissed. "Don't waste our time."

"If the tree was from another world, what relevance does it have to today's prophecy? Are you telling me the tree is nothing but a conspiracy?"

"No, that's why let me finish!" The soldier countered. "Due to the sins Eldians incurred from that world, we weren't supposed to exist anymore. But someone saved us, someone had our existence persist, and that's why we're here! The goal of the prophecy is to relieve the savior and utilize their power for the prosperity of the entire humankind in this world!"

"And how do you know if it's true?"

"The royal family has visions of it."

"And you believed them?"

"Nations do! Marley believes them, Hizuru believes them, everyone does! How can a measly soldier like me decide what to believe with what's not when they do?"

Levi then grabbed a paper from his pocket and shoved it, "Then what does the saying in Furlan's cadaver mean? Alas, your men had done a fruitful job. The first horseman of the apocalypse has come in the form of a devil from the tree. How did Furlan become a signifier of war?" This time, Levi's face had changed. It was desperate, frustrated, seething in pain. "Just why—why, out of all people, why did someone like him get caught up in this mess?"

The soldier's face changed. It was a fear much greater than Levi. His face changed; even at the expanse of his teeth nor his face, he would not speak. He shuddered, tears flowed down without a word, and his eyes were so wide you'd think they could fall out.

"You won't answer, huh?"

Everyone was caught off guard when the soldier started banging his head at the wall behind him until it cracked. Even when blood poured down he didn't stop.

Miche grabbed him away before the final blow, even Levi was too shocked to speak. It proved that he wasn't lying. There was something in the prophecy and the royal family would rather sacrifice the whole populace instead of revealing it."

"Our job here is done. Apply first aid on that soldier and bring him in the truck."

"First aid?" Levi grimaced at Erwin, "You're letting him live?"

He looked at the now unconscious police before adding, "He was a citizen before a soldier and the guerillas are not terrorists. We're tending to his wounds and taking him in as a prisoner of war. Besides, with all the information he's leaked, he really has no other fate but an open head." As the other soldiers followed, Erwin looked at you, "The remains are already acquired and resting at the truck. We'll be bringing Petra home. Don't make her wait too long."

"Did you see this coming?"

"See what? The death of our comrades?"

"No. You know that Petra's death would cause an uproar. It was all too fast and yet you were able to handle everything. And we succeeded. Did you see that coming?"

As the truck moved, a look of lament resonated on Erwin's face. He called your name weakly, "I became the Commander for a reason. This might be the worst encounter we had so far but certainly not a new thing within our ranks."

"Did Petra…" you gulped, "Did Petra really lead a tormenting life?"

"No, she said giving you the carrots was one of the happiest choices she made in her life." Levi mindlessly answered, not even turning at you. "After all, it was you who brought her to us."

"Petra didn't stop bugging me with her gratitude since I brought you here, too."

And thus as if it was your long-awaited one, you wept hard. You didn't have the time to do so when you first got the news. You didn't have the time to do so when people were chanting for her justice. You couldn't even go to the other truck to look at it, even upon your arrival at the Underground district.

When you came across the injured Isabel, your cries went harder. She cried with you alongside curses for the things you didn't say, but it didn't feel as heavy as earlier anymore. You might never be the same again but there are still people left.

There are still people left.

The population in the underground had tripled. Plenty of recalibration must be done and lots of newly built units to be trained. Due to Levi's uncanny prowess during the encounter and the fact that he was the one to put down half of the soldiers in Stohess, it was the right choice to make him a squad leader. In exchange, he bargained for Isabel as his second-in-command (for no apparent reason; it's just to ensure her welfare while recovering from the bullet wound).

"When the MPs started shooting at us without any reluctance, we realized there really was nothing to be done with our lands if we relied on them." A new kid named Armin from Levi's squad said.

"Besides, Petra was kind to us. It's just not fair." Eren concurred. He was reportedly a new advocate from the freshman level who, despite months of experience, had already been leading his entire college.

"Marco was a kind man. He didn't deserve to die the way he did earlier," another one chipped in.

"The bloody confrontation proved our narrowest target from here on — the Police Commander Kenny Ackerman, who was reported to be one of the founding instigators of the prophecy alongside Anna's father—" you grimaced at the mention of your former name, "and the royal family. As the line between civilians and rebels blurred, the policy of gaining aliases will not be needed anymore. Unless someone disagrees…?" Everyone shook their heads, hence Miche continued. "After the recalibration, units will be distributed to different provinces to further enlarge our bases. Does anyone have any questions before we adjourn the debriefing?"

A small blonde girl with long bangs hanging to her nose raised her hand, "H-how about the prophecy of the Reiss? Is it true?"

The people in the Command Unit — with Levi and Isabel included — exchanged glances.

"We're not to rely on something based on hearsay. Unless we get concrete proof, the movement will deem it as conspiracy and bluff." Erwin answered.

"B-but—"

"If you don't have any questions concerning the new delegation of tasks, then let's adjourn the meeting for everyone to recuperate."

Without further ado, everyone rushed away from the hall tiredly. The small blonde girl followed suit, defeated. Just before you could ponder what she had to say, Erwin called you over to talk.

"Isabel reported something you should've said to me months ago, way before your training." He started, and thus you looked away in guilt. "They were able to find Anna not by the statement released by the guerillas but through Furlan himself."

"That's exactly why we have to investigate. This is not a black-and-white matter. If Furlan was with them, fully aware of that mission, how come he's the only one who got killed?"

"Then what if it turned out not that complicated? You know better than spurring something without any basis."

"But what if it isn't baseless?" you took out the piece of paper you had gotten from Levi. "This is written in Furlan's cadaver. No one understood it. No country goes by that language. But I did, Erwin. I did."

There, Erwin's grim was replaced with perplexity. "How?"

"This is how the voices inside me speak."

What do you want to imply?"

"That I might be the devil they're finding for. That Furlan died because of me. It spoke about the devil born by that tree! We saw that tree before, hadn't we? Back in Mitras, what have you seen in that tree?"

"You remembered…?"

"Have you seen that I'm a monster, too? Is that why you were so horrified when we came across it back in childhood?"

"You are not a monster," he scowled as if that was the main concern, "and no, I only saw what that tree could offer."

"The conquest horseman inside me, what if it just altered my memory of killing Furlan as well? What if, all this time—"

"Stop." This time, Erwin is no longer interested in unfolding further possibilities. You're about to lose yourself again. "You must be aware that if the horseman entails conquest, the devil who killed Furlan might've gotten on you too and taken over your mind. If things would go like this then we must assume the royal family isn't our only enemy. Let's come up with a recalibration concerning this possibility."

"W-what are we supposed to do?"

"We have to seek those who saw the tree as well. Those who saw it aside from us."