Dante opened his eyes and groaned as he slowly stood up. 'Son of a bitch', Dante thought, 'I told the kid not to open his eyes' "Damn it", he groaned, "It feels like I've gotten all the hangovers in my lifetime put together" He looked around and saw he was no longer in Fortuna, and no sign of the demon and Nero. Dante checked to see if his prized sword Rebellion was on his back, which thankfully was when he heard the sound of an explosion, soon followed by screams. Dante hurried to the sound and quickly climbed onto a roof to get a better view, and what he saw shocked him to his very core. A skeleton and some muscle on it and from what he saw was one eye looking at a group of what he guessed are soldiers. Inside were a boy with short blonde hair, a girl with the same length black hair and Nero unconscious lying on the ground. "Looks like the kid's alright", Dante said to himself, but then asked, "Those kids are wearing the same uniforms, but yet they're being attacked by their own comrades. Why?" Dante quickly and quietly moved from his spot on the roof and spotted a small river, possibly used for boats and thanks to all that parkour he learned, he moved along the canal and once he was near the gigantic wall, he lifted himself up and ran behind another part of the wall and leaned against it. He soon heard the sound of a boy in frantic, making him look to see another teenage boy with tanned skin, short brown hair from what he could see his eye color was a crescent color. 'So he was the reason', Dante thought, 'somehow that boy made that thing. Did Nero get hit or did he pass out before?' "Armin!", the boy called out, "Mikasa! You guys ok?" "Eren?", Dante figured was the boy Armin, "How did you-?" "I don't know", Eren cut him off, "This thing's vaporizing like a Titan, we need to move"

Eren looked and saw Nero lying on the ground unconscious; Armin took notice and said as he looked to the young half-devil, "This is Nero. He helped us against the Titans, and saved me twice from being eaten by them. He passed out after dealing with the Titans around HQ, and it's all thanks to his weapons and right arm" Dante smiled at the thought of Nero dealing with these Titans as Armin continued, "Sadly, he never told us where he came from. All he told me was that he was hunting demons when a bright light shined into his eyes and a voice called out. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in Trost" Eren took note of what Armin said and could tell Nero was strong all on his own, but like Armin, he wanted to know where he came from; soon, a groan from Nero gained the three friends' attention as Armin said, "Nero, are you alright? Are you injured?" Nero slowly lifted himself up and said, "I'm alright, Armin. Besides, if I was injured, any wound on me would've healed already, I heal fast" Dante took a peek around the corner and saw Nero on his knees around Armin, Mikasa, and Eren as Nero said, "Forget that, where the hell are we? Are we still in Trost?" Armin shook his head and said, "After you passed out, we scaled the wall into the inner gate to Wall Rose. Some members of the Garrison Regiment came to us and they must've seen what you and Eren could do, so they ordered us to leave and hand you guys over and not to say a thing, and if we did, we're charged with treason. Mikasa and I never swayed and we stayed beside you both. They asked Eren if he was a human or a Titan" Eren jumped in, "I told them I was human, but they didn't believe me and ordered a cannon to be shot at us. I don't know how I did it, but I made this thing to stop the cannonball"

Dante and Nero's eyes widened upon hearing this as Nero asked, "What about me?" "They haven't paid much attention to you-", Mikasa began but heard a cracking and looked up to see the head falling right on top of them, but before anyone could react, Nero used his Devil Bringer and crushed the head, causing everyone but Mikasa, Armin and Eren to scream as a soldier screamed out, "It's a demon! Th-that boy is a demon!" Nero froze when he heard it, surely he would be used to it by now, but it still hurt him, knowing he was once human himself. Dante heard it as well, knowing Nero was called that after the Savior incident, even though they should deserve what was coming to them, they were afraid. Eren saw that Nero hated the fact that someone called him a demon, Nero looked like a normal human, but yet they were calling Nero a demon and him a Titan. What the hell is going on? Eren grasped the key around his neck and said, "The cellar" Nero looked at him with confusion and said, "What?" "My father was a doctor before the fall of Wall Maria", Eren explained, "I'm starting to remember. This key, our house in Shiganshina. My father said I had to go back there. If I get back there, I'll learn the Titan's secrets" Dante looked up the wall where the district was and Trost was right next-door, pondering over what Eren said. 'Something tells me this is like The Order of the Sword all over again', Dante thought.

He heard Eren slam his fist on the skeleton as he growled, "Why? Why did my father keep this secret? How many Scouts died because he never shared this information?! Damn him" "Listen as much as we can talk about this", Nero said, "We have other things to deal with"

"We need to prove them somehow that Eren and I don't pose a threat", Nero said, "But with what the both of us had done, they won't listen" "Then we get out of here", Eren said, "Over the wall to Shiganshina, and to my house" "You're crazy", Nero said, "You can't just waltz back to your house and expect a 'Welcome Home' present. Those Titans will try to kill you" "Then I use my Titan ability", Eren responded, "I don't know how, but maybe I can transform at will" Nero began to ponder Eren's newfound ability and muttered out loud, "His ability's like a Devil Trigger" "A what?", Armin asked. "A Devil Trigger", Nero explained, "Only half-devils can use this ability. Depending on the person, a Devil Trigger can be different. Mine is mostly a ghostly figure behind me, while Dante, my friend, he can transform into a devil" Nero may not have seen Dante's Trigger, but luckily Dante taught him a few things as he continued, "But the way this thing is, it only had the ability to stop the cannon fire and that maybe why it's decaying like it is" Dante stood in silent hearing the plan that they were coming up with. "Eren!", Mikasa said, "Your nose" Eren noticed the bleeding and wiped it away as Armin added, "Your breathing is rasping and your pale" "He used too much of his power", Nero said, "Like my Devil Bringer, it looks like Eren's Titan ability relies on his stamina" "I'm fine", Eren snapped, "My health isn't important right now, but I have two ideas: one, you two stop protecting me and Nero; we're doing this on our own here" Armin was about to say something, but Mikasa stepped in, "No, I'm not leaving you" "No way you're coming with us", Eren replied.

"I plan on following you whether you say yes or no"

"Mikasa", Eren growled, "I'm being serious here. I'm not your little brother and I'm not a snot-nosed toddler!" "Eren is right", Nero agreed, "You'll run out of gas and you don't have supernatural abilities like us. Besides, I need to find Dante, if he hasn't been eaten by a Titan yet" Dante took another peek around the corner and saw Armin lost in thought, as if he was remembering something. 'Kid sure is lost in thought', Dante thought, 'Though, going over this wall and into this Trost district discreetly will be a pain. These people are obviously afraid of what Eren and Nero can do, and from what I can tell, the kid's mostly right, Eren's transformation is like a Devil Trigger, but I sense no demonic energy coming from him. Just what the hell is this kid?" "Besides", Eren said, "I said I had two ideas" They turned to Armin as Eren said, "Armin, I trust you'll make the right choice. I know how unrealistic this plan is, but if you can't convince them Nero and I don't pose a threat, then I'll go for my first idea" Armin was surprised at Eren as he asked, "How-how could you put such a task on me?" "You keep a level head", Nero said patting him on the shoulder as Eren added, "You always know the right choices to make" "But", Armin said, "when have I-?" "Think back five years ago", Eren said, "If it wasn't for you going to Mr. Hannes, Mikasa and I would've been eaten by the Titans"

'That's how you see me', Armin thought, 'Even Nero thinks that, but he's a complete stranger and he trusts me completely. I had convinced myself I was a burden, but they have put their lives in my hands' Armin stood up and said, "I'll try to convince them. You three just act non-aggressively as you can" They nodded their heads and Armin walked onward as he thought, 'Ever since seeing Nero and Eren fight the way they do, something has been gnawing in the back of my mind. I haven't been able to collect my thoughts, I'm just going to have to think as I go' He removed his 3-D Maneuver Gear and clattered to the ground. The soldiers heard the clatter and saw Armin run out of the dust, causing everyone to be alert while the young man held his hands up in surrender. "Is this your true form, monsters?", the head captain yelled out, "Taking on the form of a boy, I don't buy it-!" "Eren and Nero are not threats", Armin yelled back, making Dante smirk as the dust cleared, and thankfully no one has seen him yet while Armin continued, "We're willing to cooperate with the military and share any information we have" "Your claims fall on deaf ears!", the captain yelled, "If the demon and the Titan are not a threat, then show some proof!" "There is none!", Armin snapped, "In the reports, they say hundreds of soldiers saw Nero use his demonic powers to fight the Titans as Eren did the same! The Titans see them as one of us, as their prey! That is an inescapable fact!" Dante just wanted to come out and give the kid a pat on the back, he was brave as some soldiers began to ponder what Armin said.

That victory as short-lived; the captain was letting his fear get in the way of logic. Hell, even Vergil would accept that fact, but the captain screamed out, "Prepare to attack! The Titans' behavior has always been beyond comprehension. He may have been bred to speak our language and strike us at any given time! As for the demon, he has possessed them. A demon is like a Titan, a mindless beast that can take on the form of a human if it wanted too! I will not let these two live any longer" The soldiers prepared themselves as Armin's claims were tossed aside like trash. He quickly looked back at Mikasa, Eren, and Nero, but a simple nod of Nero and Eren's head gave Armin newfound courage. He turned back to the soldiers and placed his left arm behind his back and his right fist over his heart and shouted with a salute, "I am a soldier! I have given my life to the restoration of humanity, sir! And I will die for such a noble cause! We can use Eren's Titan ability and Nero's demonic power with the manpower we have, we can retake this city! For humanity's sake, in what time I have left, I WILL ADVOCATE THEIR STRACTIGIC VALUE!" Nero watched the captain, and could see one of the soldiers talking to him, as if what Armin had said had finally reached someone, only to be knocked to the wind once more as the captain yelled at the soldier to be quiet. He lifted his hand as Mikasa slowly reached for one of her blades, Eren was ready to bite his hand again, Nero slowly rearing his Devil Bringer back, and Dante reaching for Rebellion on his back. But before the captain could shoot his hand down, another hand stopped him and an older man's voice said, "That is enough. You always had a short temper with those nerves of yours" The was revealed to be older then the captain and was well decorated, signifying he was a higher rank then the captain. He was bald with a dark grey mustache as the captain stuttered, "C-Commander Pixis"

Dot Pixis smiled and said, "Don't you see this young man's brilliant salute? I had just arrived, but I am well aware of our situation. Gather our reinforcements. Let's hear what these youngsters have to say" Armin felt his legs give out as he tumbled to the ground while Pixis took a glance over to Dante's hiding spot and said louder, "And our newfound friend can stop hiding for now" Dante was surprised the old man spotted him right away as he stepped out with his hands clapping and saying in a sarcastic tone, "Well, I gotta say, that was a solid performance from everyone" Everyone looked to see the half-devil as Nero stood up with his bangs covering his eyes and walked over to Dante. Dante noticed, but what caught him off guard was that Nero didn't punch him or throw an insult at him, instead, he just looked at him with tears coming from his eyes as he said, "Where the hell were you a few hours ago? I could've died, ya know!" Dante just sighed heavily and thought as he embraced the young half-devil, who was like a child in tears, 'Who would've thought I would take on the fatherly figure'

After the ordeal with the captain, Pixis, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, Nero, and Dante stood on top of the inner gate while Pixis took a drink from his canister and looked down at the titans and said, "Nope not your lucky day. Getting eaten by a sexy, lady Titan wouldn't be so bad" After explaining Eren's theory about the cellar in his home back in Shiganshina, Pixis said, "So visiting this cellar should clear everything up" "Yes, sir" Eren replied, "but I don't know if I'm right or not" "For now I'll keep your claims in mind", Pixis said, "You five will be under my protection" He looked to Armin and asked, "You're Armin Arlert, correct?" Armin saluted, "Yes, sir!" "You said we could use Nero and Dante's demonic powers and this so-called Titan ability, harness their powers, and retake the city", Pixis recalled, "Do you think it could work or were you just grabbing straws to save your hides?" Armin was silent for a few seconds then replied, "Both, sir. I thought that Eren could use his ability to carry the boulder to the wrecked gate and if something were to happen, Nero and Dante could step in. However, I haven't seen Dante's skills in battle to know it, but with Nero's Devil Bringer, he may be able to lift the rock before he loses so much stamina. Granted, I was desperate to survive" Pixis was silent then repeated, "'Desperate to survive', huh" He turned and walked over to the five and then lowered himself to Eren's level and said, "What do you say?" "I'm sorry?", Eren asked. "The boulder", Pixis said, "Can you plug it up, son?" Eren lowered his head and said, "To be honest, I don't know. I feel a bit irresponsible not giving you an answer" Pixis merely said, "I'm sorry, I asked you the wrong question" His voice soon turned to seriousness as he asked, "Are you willing to, Cadet Jeager, or not?"

Eren's eyes widened while Pixis soon glanced over to the territory behind Wall Rose, as if reminding Eren as he looked back, to the events of five years ago. Dante could tell this kid didn't want a repeat of what happened to Wall Maria. Nero felt a tingling sensation going down his spine, as if thinking of what would happen if Titans were ever in Fortuna; the screams of his beloved Kyrie filled his mind as he imagined her in the grasp of a Titan about to eat her and her hand held out in front of her for Nero to grab. Nero clenched his Devil Bringer into a fist as Eren said, "I'll-I'll do it. I don't know if I can seal that hole, but I'll do it"

Author's note:

So Dante was in Wall Rose the entire time...taking a nap. *claps hands together* Nice Dante. So, now thanks to Armin's plan, Nero and Dante will help reclaim Trost.

Please R&R