The Wings Of Our Dreams

AN: This is it, guys. The big one. The one chapter I've been waiting to publish ever since I started writing this fanfic, and the one many have been anticipating for a long while. Now I'm worried that it might not live up to the hype. But I still hope you like it.

Now to reviews.

RememberShiganshina: Damn right it's only the start

Boshwa: Well, we can all hope

Yoyon586: Hopefully it gets even more.

dariuscrawford482: Oh, for sure.

guytrouble76: Thanks a lot

Lachie: Well, you'll just have to wait

Jobro89: Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it less annoying

AsymmetricBlade: Well, I won't reveal anything specific about Collin's future. You just have to wait and see for yourself.


Warriors


Everyone ran to the top of the tower where they were met with a worrying sight. Bellow them were easily over a dozen Titans, all of which were approaching the castle.

"W-we couldn't see them in the dark," Lynne said, sweating nervously. "But under the moonlight…"

"How can they move?" Gelgar wondered, equally nervous. "This shouldn't be happening. The sun went down hours ago."

Collin frowned, though couldn't help but feel nervous himself. How on Earth could this be happening? And here of all places! He swore he must've had some rotten luck.

The rest of the 104th didn't look much better, with Krista looking the most worried out of all of them. Of all the times for them not to have the ODM gear.

"Hey, guys! The hell is that?!" Connie spoke.

All their heads turned to the spot where Connie was pointing at. The reactions varied on them. Ymir looked surprised, Krista stunned, Reiner and Bertholdt had looks of shock and amazement, and Collin frowned deeply. Lumbering some distance away from the Utgard Castle was the Beast Titan, simply moving away and not even turning towards the castle's direction.

Collin immediately brought his blades out. "So ya came back, you son of a bitch."

The group looked surprised at Collin's reaction.

"W-w-wait, you saw him before?" Bertholdt asked.

"Yeah, back at the base ya'll were stayin' at. The bastard almost killed Section Commander Miche." Collin walked forward toward the edge of the tower. "And he ain't no normal Titan. Or abnormal for that matter. He's like Eren."

"W-what?!" Bertholdt exclaimed while Reiner looked surprised.

"And I'm gettin' some answer from 'im," Collin said as his foot touched the edge.

Reiner looked at his friend puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"Goin' after 'im. He owes me a rematch."

"No!" Reiner quickly grabbed Collin's arm and pulled him, much to the taller teen's surprise.

"The hell, Reiner?!"

"Are you mad?! You can't go after him!"

"What?" Collin asked baffled. "What do ya mean I can't go after 'im?"

Reiner stared at him for a moment before pointing down at where the Beast Titan was walking, an area where the trees only reach about the third of the Titan's size. "Look at the trees down there. They're too short for you to swing around effectively." Reiner took a breath. "Also, do you remember what happened before with the Female Titan? If that beast truly is another shifter, do you really think it's a good idea to rush in and fight him?"

"But… But I'm prepared now," Collin protested.

"Are you? Tell me, are you actually prepared? You're still willing to just charge in by yourself against an enemy whose abilities you aren't familiar with! Hell, even if you could fight him, he's hardly the issue. You see the Titans below? They are the ones currently attacking us! The Beast is just walking away! Or are you willing to just abandon us so you go off and fight him by yourself?"

Collin's mouth hung open as his gaze met Reiner's, the grip on his blades easing. Was Reiner right? Was he really about to abandon them here? The thought of him leaving his friends behind was just…

Gritting his teeth, Collin breathed out. "I'm sorry. I… I wasn't thinkin', and… I'm so sor-"

The tower suddenly shook as something crashed into it, making everyone almost lose their balance.

"Damn it! Go bother somebody else!" Gelgar exclaimed as he took out his blades. "You're standing between me and a tankard of ale! I've earned the right to get trashed!"

"Seriously!" Lynne said as she looked at her teammate in disbelief. "Now of all times are you thinking about that?!"

"Everyone concentrate!" Nanaba ordered. "We have to engage the enemy! So anyone able better get ready. Collin!" The said teen snapped his head in her direction. "That means you, too."

Collin stared at her for a moment before regaining his composure and nodding. "Right!" He pulled out his blades and joined the four soldiers.

"W-wait!" Reiner called out.

Looking back again, Collin saw Reiner almost reaching out to him, and the hesitant look told him everything he needed to know.

"It's fine. I'm comin' outta there alive. Believe it," Collin assured before smiling.

"The rest of you rookies, stay where you are," Nanaba said as the five walked up to the edge of the tower, blades drawn. "Let the ODM gear do what it was designed for. Now… Attack!"

The five jumped down the tower and descended towards the huge gathering of man-eaters. One reached for Gelgar, who just ended up slicing through his arm, and for Nanaba to come and slice through its nape.

Collin moved out of the way of another Titan reaching upward before hooking himself to the neck, and zipping over, killing the Titan with a double slice. Turning around, he zipped up the tower along with the others so they could be out of range.

Lynne was the last to get up and she looked quite worried. "The door's been kicked in!"

Collin gasped and looked down. There was a Titan that slowly began evaporating near the tower's doors, though the wooden remains of the door could be seen on the ground. This was bad. The fight barely started and already there was a big issue.

Lynne zipped to the top where the unarmed rookies were, and all of them seemed to sweat in nervousness. "Titans are in the castle. Get below and improvise some sort of a barricade. Be careful. Retreat to the top only as a last resort. Hurry. The rest of us will keep other Titans at bay the best we can. Our heart and soul to the cause! Go!"

This seemed to reinvigorate their spirits as they simultaneously exclaimed "Right!" before quickly running down the tower.

Lynne zipped down to her teammates' level. "The rookies are warned. Let's go and fight!"

The other four didn't waste any time before descending down again, maneuvering around the Titans and taking them down. They zipped to the upper part of the tower and repeated the process again.

Collin ended up slicing through a ten-meter's eyes and backing away before Henning came and sliced the nape. "Good work, rookie!"

"Thanks!" Collin said before flying upward. They haven't been at this for long but it felt longer than it should've. But they were doing well so far. Not even a scratch gained. This truly spoke of how good Team Miche was.

Jumping down, he swung around a seven-meter before slicing its nape off. As he moved upwards, he saw something that made him worry. A Titan was falling through a window of the tower. Wasting no time, he zips over to the window. Planting one foot on the sill and one hand on the side, he was met with Reiner and others.

"Hey, are y'all right?!" Collin asked before noticing Reiner was holding a bleeding arm. "What happened?!"

"The Titans got in. We took care of them," Ymir said before turning away from the window and to the wooden door that was busted. "But we better barricade this before more of them come."

"I'll help," Collin said as he was about to enter.

"No, you won't," Reiner said through gritted teeth, wincing from the pain in his arm.

"Reiner?"

"Look, we were the ones who were ordered to take care of business here. You were ordered to go down there and fight. As a soldier of the Scouts, you know what you have to do."

"But… But what if-"

"Oh, stop with that. We can take care of ourselves," Ymir said. "Not like your gear would be useful in this cramped space anyway. So go on and get outta here."

Collin breathed through his nose, this decision not coming lightly. "Fine. I trust ya. Don't die on me!" He jumped backward and fired his cable, ready to take care of the next target.

After a few more minutes, the number of Titans was reduced greatly. The large ones at least. Gelgar and Nanaba took out a fifteen-meter while Collin helped Lynne take out a twelve-meter by slicing through the ankles and Lynne taking the nape.

"Well, looks like we just might make it," Gelgar said as the five stuck themselves on the side of the tower.

"This tower really helped," Nanaba said. "The rest will be easier to handle."

"Henning and I will check on the recruits," Lynne said. "Will you be fine without us for a minute?"

Nanaba nodded. "Go."

Lynne and Henning quickly zipped up to the tower top.

"Gotta say, rookie," Gelgar spoke to Collin. "You're handling yourself pretty well down there."

"Thanks, sir," Collin said with a small smile. "I try my best."

"Then you better keep it up, Collin," Nanaba said. "Our job still isn't-"

A sudden noise interrupted her and got their attention, something that seemed like a strong gust of wind.

Gelgar looked around. "The hell's that noi-"

There was a large crash heard from down below, as the stables practically exploded. The ground was littered with stone and wooden debris, and the horses they put in the stables laying on the ground dead.

"Oh no," Nanaba breathed out as she watched the horrific sight.

Then the noise returned.

"There it is again!" Lynne exclaimed.

"But where is it coming from?!" Henning said as he looked around.

Collin's eyes darted all over the place, trying to find what was causing that sound. Eventually, he was able to see something flying through the air, a large boulder… and headed in their direction! Collin wasn't able to get the word out as the boulder came at incredible speeds and struck the top of the tower.

The teen gasped further when he saw Lynne and Henning limply flying through the air, and spurting blood.

"No!" Collin exclaimed before zipping toward them, avoiding some flying debris as he did so. He was able to catch Lynne under one of his arms while using the other to put Henning on his shoulder. Zipping to the top of the tower, he put them down soon after his feet touched the ground.

Collin couldn't help but stare at the two as they lay motionless, with Nanaba and Gelgar also arriving to the top.

"Lynne! Henning!" Nanaba exclaimed as she ran over along with her teammate.

"I'm sorry," Collin breathed out. "I wasn't fast enough."

"Oh god," Gelgar said as he began sweating.

"Hey, what's going on?!"

They turned to see Connie come from the stairway along with the others.

"They're dead," Collin said he gripped his blades harder.

"And instantly, it seems," Nanaba added as she looked over her now-deceased teammates.

Collin quickly turned around and looked in the direction where the boulder came from. His eyes filled with rage as he ran over to the edge. "That bastard!"

"What?" Connie said as he and the others walked over, with Reiner's right arm in a makeshift sling.

They saw the Beast Titan standing on top of the Wall, who was looking directly at the tower.

"Wait, he did this?" Connie asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it," Collin said, his face in a deep frown. "When I get my hands on 'im I'm gonna-"

The Titan suddenly let out a loud roar, his arms spread into the air. The group stared at him, wondering what on Earth he could be doing.

Krista's eyes wandered downward and immediately widened at what she saw. "Guys, there are even more Titans down there!"

Everyone looked down to see the castle grounds once again being swarmed with Titans, at least twice as many as there were before.

"You're kidding, right?" Gelgar asked nervous.

"This has to be a part of some larger strategy. This isn't random at all," Nanaba commented.

As Collin looked at the new Titan horde, wondering what was going on, he remembered something from before. When he arrived to help Miche he heard what he remembered to be the Beast Titan's voice saying 'You can move now' before the Titans stopped standing still and attacked Miche.

"I agree with ya, Nanaba," Collin said, getting the blonde woman's attention. "That Beast Titan, he can control these other Titans on verbal command."

"What? You can't be serious," Connie said.

"Control Titans? Are you sure?" Reiner asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered I saw him do it," Collin said as his anger rose. "That son of a bitch just sent a small group to see what he was workin' with. He's toyin' with us!"

The tower began shaking as the Titans pounded on it, having everyone on top brace themselves.

"We have no time! Gelgar, Collin, we have to engage!" Nanaba ordered before jumping down and activating her gear.

Collin spared a glare in the Beast's direction, seeing that he was descending down the other side of the wall. He ejected his damaged blades and took out a fresh pair before jumping down right after Gelgar.

Collin quickly latched onto a Titan and sliced through the nape before quickly zipping over to another, and another, and another, killing them all in quick succession.

Nanaba sliced through a fifteen-meter's nape, making it fall over, though accidentally hit the smaller tower, making it collapse. She ascended to the higher part of the tower, just a bit below Gelgar.

"The tower… it won't hold for long," Gelgar said in a tired voice. He brought one of his blades up and saw that it was shattered to a small numb. "I'm fresh out of gas and this is all of the blades I have."

"I'm also running low, and this is my last pair," Nanaba said with a frown. "Damn it! We're not even close to being done."

"Well, look at the rookie down there," Gelgar said with a small smirk as he saw Collin strike down a ten-meter. "Looks like he's doing an even better job than us."

"Yes, but he disregards his own safety. One wrong move and he's done for."

"Man, it's a shame really. I knew he had potential to be a great soldier. Shame he just might end up dying with us," Gelgar said groggily, the side of his head bleeding. "Man, and I couldn't even get one last drink."

"This isn't the time for-" Nanaba gasped when she saw her partner slightly swaying, sweat dripping down his head.

"Sorry, guess I must've bashed my head. I can't… hang… on…"

Gelgar leaned down, his hook unstuck from the tower as he fell.

"Gelgar!" Nanaba exclaimed in concern.

Gelgar was soon caught by one of the Titans, and just as he was about to bite, Nanaba swung down, latched onto the Titan's nape and struck. Her blades broke but she jumped away and stuck one of the cables on the tower. The Titan leaned forward, its head striking the tower and the hand that held Gelgar letting him go, though he fell into a hole made in the tower.

Nanaba saw this and was about to go after her comrade, but her gas exhaust only let out fumes. "Damn it, that's everything I got." Turning her head, she gasped as she was met with half a dozen Titans staring right at her.

On the top of the tower, the members of the 104th looked absolutely horrified as they saw the Titans grabbing Nanaba, with one of them biting on her leg as she screamed, and another pulling out Gelgar from his hole and putting him into its mouth.

"Oh God," Connie said with wide eyes and trembling lips.

"This… this is horrible," Bertholdt said, his hand shaking.

Collin ended up slicing another Titan's nape before he stuck himself to the tower. He panted for a bit as he saw the Titan fall down and slowly evaporate. He wasn't sure how many he had taken down, but he was sure it was at least ten. Maybe if he kept this up he could-

"No, please don't!"

The large teen gasped when he heard Nanaba scream and immediately turned his gaze upward. His eyes widened and he found it almost hard to breathe. Several large Titans were tugging on Nanaba, her leg bitten off below the knee as she screamed, and Gelgar's upper half was inside a Titan's mouth before he bit down, letting the legs.

"Please, daddy no!"

Collin further stiffened at what Nanaba just exclaimed, the look of terror in her eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No, daddy don't!" Nanaba screamed desperately as one of the Titans brought her closer to his mouth. "I'll be a good girl, I promise!"

His body trembling, pupils constricting, and his heart beating so hard it could almost be heard on the outside, Collin watched as Nanaba was about to be devoured, her words still ringing in his mind.

Then something in him snapped. His face turned from a surprise to a glare in an instant, his teeth gritted and a growl leaving his lips. He let out a scream as he unhooked himself from the tower, fired the hooks in the direction of the Titans, and zipped over there as fast as he could.

Large spurts of blood practically exploded from several Titans, with one of them being sliced through the eyes, another having its chest open, one with a cut-off lower jaw, and several knocked over from the force of the slashes to their heads. The Titan that was about to bite Nanaba had his hand sliced, and not only the nape but its entire head had been cut off and sent flying.

On the tower, the group's expressions turned from horror to amazement at what they just saw. It happened so quickly that they almost couldn't see it.

Collin swung around, the large amount of Titan blood on him evaporating as he did. He made sure to move away from those Titans, with Nanaba under his left arm. He gave the creatures a glare before glancing at Nanaba, whose teary eyes were still wide and her mouth hung slightly open.

"Dontcha worry, Nanaba," Collin said in a softer tone. "I got ya. Now to get ya up-"

Suddenly, the brick his cable was latched onto loosened, making him exclaim in surprise as he was suddenly descending. Collin fired another cable and struck the tower, stopping himself from falling further. However, the moment he stopped himself the cable snapped from the firing compartment, making him fall again. Collin pressed Nanaba into himself as his back hit the floor, making him grunt audibly.

Collin groaned as he got up. Looking at Nanaba, he was glad that she seemingly wasn't hurt as he made sure his body took the brunt of the fall. Some rumbling got him on edge again as he saw the Titans now looking in their direction.

Getting himself ready, he prepared to fire his other cable. He had to get Nanaba to the top of the tower where she'd be safe. Maybe he could still deal with the Titans with only one cable left.

He pressed the trigger on his handle and… the cable didn't fire.

Gasping, he pressed several more times and… nothing.

Any excitement the members of the 104th had been once again replaced with dread as they saw what was happening.

"His cable's jammed!" Connie exclaimed.

"No!" Krista said as she looked over the edge.

Reiner gritted his teeth, his good arm shaking as he clenched a fist. "No. No, no, NO!"

"Damn it," Ymir said with a deep frown.

Collin once again pressed Nanaba into himself as he moved backward, his breathing labored and sweat dripping down his head. This wasn't good, not one single bit. Without the ODM gear, their doom was practically certain. He just managed to save Nanaba and right now they were facing death again.

If fate was real, it had a sick sense of humor.

The Titans began moving in their direction, after which Collin quickly turned around, wrapped both of his arms around Nanaba, and ran. He headed toward the busted section of the wall which was further damaged by the Titans. He had to at least get away far enough so he could-

He felt himself being lifted into the air as something was wrapped around his foot. He saw he was being lifted by a four-meter as it went to open its mouth. Swinging his sword, Collin sliced the hand off and landed on his feet before resuming his run.

The Titans were now moving in on them, one crawling three-meter actually grabbing his cloak and pulling him back. Once he landed on the ground, the Titan went to bite him, but Collin pulled his head through the cloak's opening and kicked the Titan in the face, making it fly back.

Reiner brought his hand to his mouth as he heavily breathed through his nose. His teeth began chewing on the skin as he helplessly watched his friend trying his best to fight off inevitable death.

"Reiner," Bertholdt said as he grabbed Reiner's shoulder as if trying to calm him down.

"He's gonna die, Bertholdt. There's no way out," Reiner said, his voice showing his desperation.

Bertholdt looked away, his eyes trembling. "I-I know. I know."

"No, stop!" Krista exclaimed as she grabbed a rock and threw it down. "Leave them alone!"

"Krista, that won't do any good!" Ymir exclaimed as she grabbed the short girl's arm when she prepared to throw another rock. "Damn that idiot! Why did he have to get himself involved like that?"

Connie's hands grabbed his head. "Damn it! Is there nothing we can do?! Ugh, this is bullshit!"

Trying to run away again, Collin panted heavily as he felt his energy slowly leave him. He ended up hitting his foot on a piece of rocky debris, making him grunt in pain before falling again. Trying to ignore the pain in his foot, he glanced back and saw the Titans dangerously close again.

"Mommy, please," Nanaba said desperately again, her voice softer this time as she wrapped her arms tightly around Collin.

The teen couldn't help but look at the woman as she desperately clung to him.

"Don't leave," Nanaba continued. "Please don't leave me alone with him."

Collin's face trembled for a moment. He saw the Titans have practically surrounded them and were just about to grab them. He put a hand on Nanaba's head and had her lean into him.

"It's fine," Collin said in the most comforting voice he could muster as he heard Nanaba sob. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

He closed his eyes. He knew he couldn't outrun these monsters. At least he could try to give some sort of comfort to the woman in his arms.

Deciding she had enough, Ymir quickly ran over to Connie, surprising the small teen before she took his knife.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Connie asked.

Ignoring the question, Ymir turned to Krista. "Listen to me, Krista! Remember the oath with took on that snowy mountain!" Ymir ran over to the edge of the tower. "Stop with this façade! Live a life you can be proud of!"

Krista blinked. "Ymir?"

Reiner was about to reach the freckled woman. "Hey, Ymir, what are you-?"

Ymir jumped off the tower, Krista yelled for her friend, and the freckled girl used the knife to slice the palm of her hand.

A bright flash of light appeared along with a loud Titan-like roar. Collin's eyes snapped open to see a familiar sight of yellow lightning and a morphing Titan body as it descended down. The other Titans also got their attention focused on the sudden new arrival.

The new Titan was shorter, only about five meters, though like Eren it was proportionately muscular, though the head was disproportionate compared to the rest of its body. The eyes were completely black, it had brown hair that reached its shoulders, claws, and sharp teeth.

The moment the Titan landed on another it quickly bit the nape off. It jumped off with great agility, grabbing onto the tower before launching itself on another Titan and biting the nape.

Collin watched in astonishment. Another shifter? And it was on their side this time? Well, considering how it was killing those Titans at least that part was confirmed.

He snapped out of his amazement when he heard Nanaba whimper. He used the opportunity of the distracted Titans to get up and run away again. He actually managed to pass the castle grounds and towards the forest.

Seeing the Titans were still occupied with the leaping one, he laid Nanaba against the tree. She was looking groggy, no doubt from losing a lot of blood from her severed leg. Collin took off his jacket before grabbing the right sleeve of his shirt and tearing it off, exposing the diagonal scar he had on the forearm.

Tearing the black cloth a bit more, he wrapped it tight around Nanaba's leg. Hopefully, she didn't lose too much.

Putting his jacket back on, Collin saw that it seemed to be dawn already. It looked like much time passed. With all the fighting, the passage of time seemed like a blur. He looked back at the battle. The leaping Titan seemed relatively well against the others.

Collin's eyes then widened as something else left the castle grounds. The Titan that snagged his cloak was moving towards them, at first it walked but then it began running. Collin frowned before taking out his blades. He may not be able to the gear, but the weapons were still useful.

The Titan swiftly approached them, and Collin decided to meet its charge with his own. He ran towards the Titan as fast as he could, quickly closing the distance between them. It was just about to grab him before Collin ducked under its arms and swung his blades.

The three-meter soon found itself falling on its face as its legs were cut off. Just as it was about to push itself off the ground Collin ran on its back and sliced at the arms, making it fall down again. Not wasting any more time, he began quickly striking the nape, and after a bit, he was able to carve it off.

Collin panted as he saw his handiwork. The three-meter was unmoving and began to steam. That was the second Titan he was able to kill on foot. Granted, they weren't very large Titans but he figured it counted for something.

He jumped off the steaming carcass and approached its severed arm, which still gripped his cloak.

"Thanks for bringin' this back," Collin said as pried open the huge palm, taking the cloak and putting it on.

The battle at the tower turned louder and he quickly turned around to see what was happening. The leaping Titan began throwing the tower bricks into the other Titans, swinging around the tower as it did so.

As it barraged the Titans with bricks, the tower started to lean down, just about ready to topple over. Collin at the sight in panic, but the leaping Titan was able to climb to the top. Reiner, Bertholdt, Krista, and Connie jumped onto the Titan's hair before the Titan jumped off.

Collin blinked. 'Wait a minute. Where's Ymir? Why didn't…?' His eyes widened. "Oh, ya gotta be kiddin' me."

The tower fell down, crushing the Titans beneath it. Collin brought his hand to his face to protect himself from the dust cloud the fall created. After a little while, he opened his eyes and observed the scene. The entire castle was in rubble, only a small part of the tower jutting out as some form of a structure.

Though he couldn't see the Titan or his friends from all the dust in the air. He thought of checking how they were. Perhaps the Titans were all killed.

Just as he made several steps, the rubble began to shake, and several Titans rose. He groaned. Looks like that was hoping for too much.

The leaping Titan attacked one of them and bit the nape off, however, the others soon began advancing on it. They grabbed and bit down on the shifter as it struggled in vain to break free.

"Y-Ymir," Collin breathed out. He wanted to go there and help, but what could he do? His gear was useless and there was no way he could run fast enough to get to them before they devoured her.

However, the familiar sounds of ODM gear brightened his hopes. Dashing through the dust cloud were over a dozen soldiers, and all of them advanced on the Titans, killing them in quick succession. Several more soldiers arrived on horseback, and Collin recognized the leading one to be Hange.

A smile was brought to his lips. This honestly seemed too good to be true. Just when he thought there was no way out for them, the Scouts finally arrived. He was never more glad to see the Wings of Freedom before.

Once the Titans were taken care of, he ran over to the unconscious Nanaba, slung her over his shoulders, and ran toward the soldiers.

The Titans have all been eliminated, and all the Scouts landed. Reiner, Bertholdt, and Connie joined Eren who looked relieved to see them.

"Okay, is everyone accounted for?" Hange asked as she looked around.

"Not yet," Connie said. "I-I think Collin should be around here-"

"Hey!" Collin shouted as he ran towards them with Nanaba on his shoulders. "C'mon, she needs help!"

Several Scouts ran over to him, and he handed Nanaba to them. "Careful, she's… been through a lot." He only got nods as they took Nanaba away.

"Collin!" Eren exclaimed as he ran up to him. "You're alive!"

"Just barely," Collin said as he watched Nanaba be taken to a stretcher. He sighed deeply and rubbed his head. "Damn, I really thought I wasn't gonna make it there. I was just 'bout ready to…" He shook his head. "Ah, screw that. It don't matter. At least we made it." His expression soured. "Well, not all of us."

Eren looked down for a moment. "Yeah, I know. They told us that Team Miche didn't survive." He looked up at Collin and managed to form a smile before putting a hand on the taller teen's shoulder. "But I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, so am I," Collin said with a chuckle.

"Hey!"

Collin and Eren turned to see Hange quickly approach. "Thank goodness! Collin, I was worried you were sent straight to your death."

"Not far off, actually," Collin said with a chuckle. "By the way, thanks for sendin' those Garrison soldiers. Were they able to get Miche to safety?"

Hange nodded. "Yes, and he's being given medical care. His wounds weren't grievous, thankfully." She then frowned and crossed her arms. "I also expected you to accompany them."

Collin shrugged. "Well, they didn't say those were your orders, so I thought it was fair game. 'Sides, I had to go help. Got Sasha out of a pickle 'fore joinin' Team Miche."

"Man, those damn technicalities," Hange said with a small groan. "But, I guess I can't reprimand you for that." She approached Collin and patted him on the back. "Good work for surviving as long as you did. "

Collin smiled. "Thanks, Section Commander."

"Now then," Hange said, her tone more serious as she looked over to a group that was gathered around what Collin saw was lying Ymir, though in a really rough shape as her stomach was bleeding, and her right arm and leg missing. "We still have matters to attend to."


Sometime later, the sky was covered with gray clouds as the Scouts relocated to the top of the Wall. They were able to recover what they could from the tower, though there wasn't much considering everything that happened.

Reiner was brought up with one of the small elevators operated by another soldier's ODM gear. Just as he reached the top, he tried getting himself over the edge, but since he had to use his non-dominant arm to lift himself it was a bit harder.

Seeing his friend's dilemma, Collin walked over and offered his own hand to help. Grinning, Reiner gladly took as Collin pulled him up.

"Thanks," Reiner said before rubbing his damaged arm. "Man, now I know how you felt. Damn, this sucks."

"It does, don't it?" Collin said with a smirk. "Well, 'least unlike me you got yours on the battlefield."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a battlefield, but sure."

"Well, in any case," Collin said as he pulled his arm from his jacket, the torn sleeve now showing the diagonal scar he had on his forearm. "Least we're gonna match, won't we?"

"Heh, I guess."

Collin put his arm back into the sleeve. "You feelin' all right, Reiner."

"Yeah, I'm just." Reiner turned his gaze towards below the Wall. "A lot happened today, that's all."

"No kiddin'. But we're here at least."

Reiner didn't say anything, just looking to the side as his fist clenched.

"Reiner?"

"Ah screw it, I'm not all right," Reiner spoke before palming his head and gritting his teeth. "That's the second time, Collin. Second time I got close to death. You remember when Annie almost crushed me, and now I almost got devoured. God, what if I don't make it the third time, what if-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Collin brought a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Look, I know how you're feelin'. Trust me, I almost got turned into Titan chow myself. Listen, don't focus on the fact you almost died, but that you made it alive. Trust me, ya ain't gonna get anythin' by feelin' down now. Raise your chin up, and smile that you got to see another day."

Reiner stared at Collin for a moment, his eyes slightly trembling. "Y-Yeah, I… I guess I can do that."

"That's a good start," Collin said as he tapped Reiner on the shoulder. "'Sides, you're only human. I don't blame ya for feelin' the way you do."

Reiner sighed. "Yeah, you're right. No use whining about that now. I need to act as a soldier and move forward."

Collin smiled. "That's the spirit." He then turned to Betholdt who just stared at them from the side. "What 'bout you, Bertie? Ya feelin' all right?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm good," Bertholdt said. "Honestly, after that speech, I think I also feel better."

"Good to know. Don't need both o' ya mopin' around."

"Hey, is everything okay with you three?" Eren asked as he helped Armin climb over the Wall.

"Oh, we're doin' fine," Collin said before wrapping his arms around both Reiner and Bertholdt's shoulders. "They just needed some encouragin', that's all."

Bertholdt blushed for a moment while Reiner rolled his eyes and shook his head. They were amazed how Collin could be so positive.

Eren smiled. "I'm glad. The sooner this is over, the sooner all of you can come to your hometowns."

Reiner lightly gasped when he heard that, with Bertholdt looking at him for a moment. Bertholdt suddenly gained a smile before he separated from Collin.

"Yeah, that's exactly right!" Bertholdt said, in a tone that was somewhat cheery which surprised them. "That's right, Reiner. Home, we can go! Let's be honest we've been here long enough. Compared to everything else we've had to go through, the rest is easy."

Collin looked a bit confused at the proclamation. He honestly never saw Bertholdt acting like this. He was usually more composed.

Reiner just stared at his friend for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, I… I guess you're right. Not much further to go." His smiled then dropped before looking at Collin. "It's just that…"

"Huh? Reiner?" Bertholdt said.

Reiner shook his head. "Never mind, it's nothing."

"Okay, I think the two of ya really need some rest," Collin said. "You've been through enough for today."

"We may as well have, but." Reiner paused. "I just… I want to see my home."

"Ya will. We all will. That's the promise we made. And we're keepin' it."

Reiner looked at Collin before smiling a somewhat strained smile and nodding.

Collin then remembered something before he turned to Hange, who was standing over an unconscious Ymir. Honestly, he still wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. Ymir held such a secret this entire time, she could've transformed earlier and saved more lives.

And there's also the fact of Krista hiding her true name, which was Historia. After which even her demeanor seemed to change.

Well, regardless of that, he still had something to do.

"Look, I gotta go. There's something I gotta tell Hange," Collin said before departing leaving behind a curious Reiner and Bertholdt who looked somewhat tense.

Hange was currently addressing Connie, who had his head hung low. "Don't worry, Connie, we'll focus the manpower on investigating what happened to your village."

Connie sighed. "Thanks, Section Commander."

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Collin spoke. "But I've gotta talk to ya, Hange."

The Section Commander gave him a curious look. "Is it important?"

"Very," he said in a serious tone that had Hange raise an eyebrow. He looked at Connie for a moment before speaking to Hange again. "Look, can we… move over there? I… think it's best if we're without the current company."

"Really?" That got Hange's attention. "Okay, I'll oblige."

The two moved away to where they had some space to themselves before Hange crossed her arms.

"Okay, now what is so important you needed to talk to me alone?"

Collin let out a breath. "Honestly, I just didn't want to speak 'bout it in front of Connie. It concerns his village."

"What? "

"Hange, I think I may have an idea what happened?"

He proceeded to explain everything. What he went through, what information he was able to glean from everything that happened, the lack of breach, the disappearance of the villagers, the sudden appearance of Titans, and what he thought it all meant.

In the end, Hange was left wide-eyed and mouth partially opened. Honestly, she would've normally been ecstatic to have such a hypothesis thrown in her lap but considering the context, today it was very much different.

"Collin," Hange said in a low voice. "Do you have any idea what you're suggesting?"

"I know, I know, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me. I know it may seem strange, but not long ago I'm sure we'd probably think a human turnin' into a Titan utterly ridiculous. And remember, the Titans' weakness is in the nape. Why's that? Well, we did see in which part of the Titan body Eren and Annie were when they're transformed."

Hange ended up biting her thumbnail as a frown adorned her face. "I get what you're saying, but still…" She grumbled under her breath. "I think we'll have to wait for more concrete evidence."

"Hange, I don't think it could be anythin' else."

"Section Commander!" a girl with mid-length red hair Nifa called. "The Garrison Advance Squad has arrived."

The group, led by Hannes came to give their report on where they found the breach. To everyone's shock, Hannes reported that there was no breach at all and that the Wall was perfectly intact. Hange and Collin exchanged glances for a moment, and Reiner told something to Bertholdt.

"But that doesn't make sense," Armin commented. "It's a fact that Titans have been at the other side of the Wall."

"Seriously, Hannes, how much did you have to drink?" Eren asked unimpressed.

Hannes quickly got frustrated. "Why you little…? Who do you think you're-? Hey, wait a second. Why are you kids even here?"

That got Mikasa, Eren, and Armin to pause for a moment.

"We'll have to change strategies," Hange spoke. "We're heading towards Trost immediately."

The troops then went to prepare for departure. Collin looked back and saw Reiner and Bertholdt talk about something. He was about to join them but someone interrupted him.

"Hey."

Collin turned around after hearing Sasha's voice and saw the girl behind him, giving him a smile. "Hey, I'm… glad ya made it."

He smiled back. "Yeah, I heard that plenty today. But thanks. Glad to see you're doing fine as well."

The girl from Dauper shrugged. "I mostly served as a messenger girl. It's not that special."

Collin chuckled. "Man, I kinda wish I had that. I'd ask if we could trade but there ain't no way I'd want anyone to go through what I had."

"That's actually pretty sweet of ya."

"Hey, Sash, your accent's slippin'," Collin observed.

Sasha shook her head. "It ain't no slip, Collin. I just… well, I ain't so uncomfortable now."

"Really?" Collin said surprised. "That's great. But did anyone give ya problems 'bout it?"

"Well, Eren did mention it sounded odd again."

Collin rolled his eyes. "Of course. It just gotta be him."

Sasha scratched her head. "Yeah, well, turned out better than expected. Nobody else had a problem."

"Good to know, 'cause there ain't no problem. Say, how's your dad."

"Oh, him? Well, he's just-"

"I'm the Armored Titan and he's the Colossal Titan."

Collin froze completely when those words reached his ears, quiet but just loud enough that he was able to pick up on it. He turned back to see Reiner with Bertholdt by his side talking to Eren.

Sasha was caught off guard by Collin's complete turn in demeanor. He just stood there silently, his eyes shaking as he looked at Reiner, Eren, and Bertholdt talking. "Hey, are ya-"

"Sasha, I…" he interrupted before turning around. "Sorry, I gotta go."

"Listen, just… come with us, please," Reiner told Eren.

"And… where exactly would we be going?" Eren asked somewhat shakingly.

"You can just think of it as our hometown. Not a bad deal, right? A chance to avert a major crisis?"

"Whoa, whoa, hol'up!" Collin said as he suddenly approached the three. "What're the three o' ya talkin' about here? And the hell's that 'bout the Armored and the Colossal Titan?"

Bertholdt began sweating nervously as he stared at Collin. "O-oh, nothing. It's just that… Uh… Well, you see, after everything that happened…"

"Collin, listen," Reiner said. "Look, I know this probably won't make any sense but-"

"Reiner, you are speaking nonsense!" Eren suddenly exclaimed. "Look, even if you were the Armored Titan, why would I just suddenly go with you?"

Bertholdt let out a small gasp before looking at Collin's expression, his sweat intensifying.

Collin once again found himself in complete shock. Did he hear that right? No, it couldn't be.

"Um, Eren, what're ya blabberin' about?" Collin asked, still flabbergasted.

"Collin, Reiner here told me that-"

"Look, we're just tired, all right!" Bertholdt suddenly interrupted. "Listen, all those deaths at the tower, the Titans, almost dying and now Ymir suddenly being a Titan, it just made him delirious for a moment!"

Bertholdt then seemed to give Reiner a desperate look. "Come on, Reiner. Tell them. You're just tired. You're not in your right mind."

Reiner stood silently for a few moments, his mouth open and his pupils shrunk. Collin looked absolutely confused while Eren seemed expectant.

The tall blond gave Collin a wide-eyed look before looking down with a strained smile. "Yeah, what was I thinking?"

Unbeknownst to the four, the rest of the Scouts looked at them uneasily, with Mikasa even gripping one of her blades.

Reiner hung his head, a shadow over his eyes. "Damn. I've been here for too long," he said in a low tone. "Three years. Three years of this madness, surrounded by idiots."

Collin blinked. "Reiner?"

"We were kids, what did we know about anything?" Reiner said, his eyes slowly tearing before he glanced at Collin. "Why… did people like this, people like you, have to be here? Why couldn't you all just…? Damn it!"

Quickly wiping his eyes, Reiner began unwrapping his bandaged hand. "It is what it is! Hell if I know what's right anymore! So I'll face what I've done…"

The moment the bandages were unwrapped, Collin and Eren gasped. The teeth marks on Reiner's arms began steaming and slowly disappearing!

"...as a Warrior! No road left but the one that leads to the end!" Reiner exclaimed as he looked at his steaming hand.

'No. No, no, no, this can't be happenin'. Not again!' Collin thought as his mind slowly processed what was going on in front of him.

Bertholdt was also shocked but for a completely different reason. "Reiner! Wait, right now? Here?! We're doing this?!"

"Yes!" Reiner said before turning to Eren. "Right here, right now!" He pushed Collin away, stunning the young Holt before going after the stunned Eren. "We're ending this once and for all!"

Collin however quickly recovered and closed the gap between him and Reiner. He grabbed the blond by the arm and wrapped one of his own around his neck.

"And just what the hell do ya think you're doin'?!" Collin said as he glared at his friend who grunted as he tried to wrestle out to no avail.

"Reiner!" Bertholdt called out. But before he could help Reiner, Mikasa suddenly appeared in front of him, blades ready and a deadly glare in her eyes.

With a quick slash, Bertholdt's throat was slit open. The tall teen fell to the ground, grasping his bleeding neck with Mikasa stomping on him.

Collin and Reiner were both caught off guard by the sudden act, but Reiner snapped out of it and used the opportunity to elbow Collin in the face with his free arm. Collin grunted before Reiner suddenly grabbed him by the jacket and threw him over his shoulder.

"Eren, run!" Mikasa exclaimed as she was about to run Bertholdt through, but was stopped as Collin slammed into her. Mikasa was sent over the Wall, but she latched onto it with a cable while Collin stopped himself from sliding over the edge.

"Bertholdt!" Reiner called as he sliced his palm with an ODM blade.

Collin gasped and looked down at his sheaths, seeing that one of the last pair of blades he had was missing. He was able to get himself to his feet as he helplessly gazed at Reiner and the slowly rising Bertholdt as they were encased by yellow lightning.

The rest of the Scouts began quickly running towards the scene.

"Eren! Collin! Run away!" Armin said desperately.

At the last moment, Reiner glanced at Collin, who was looking at him with shock in his eyes and mouth open, a tear running down his cheek.

Two lightning bolts then struck Reiner and Bertholdt, producing a large shockwave that sent many people and some crates flying. With a loud roar, the Armored and Colossal Titan appeared, their forms giving off a large gust of wind.

Eren used his cables to keep clinging to the Wall and resist the strong winds. Collin, however, was sent over the edge, still keeping his gaze on the two Titans. With his gear inoperable, there was no way to save himself.

This had to be a joke. It just had to be. The monster that haunted his dreams and ruined his life five years ago appeared right in front of him. He remembered its face all too well. A face that now belonged to the man he called a friend for years.

'Bertholdt. Reiner….' Collin thought as he helplessly fell, with time once again seemingly slowing to a crawl. All those years they trained together, laughed together, shared the same bunk, talked about girls they had crushes on, speaking of what they planned for the future. And now those two were the same people who drove him from his home and killed his mother and father. Only one question plagued Collin's mind. 'Why?'

Then suddenly, the Armored's hand shot in his direction, and the red and bony fingers wrapped around Collin, stopping his fall.

Collin audibly gasped in shock and surprise. Confused, he looked straight into the face of the Armored Titan who held Eren in his other hand, the strong winds from the transformation flailing Collin's brown locks.

Yellow glowing eyes stared at Collin's brown for a little while, his giant face seemingly slightly shifting as Collin barely made any move, no anger or rage present in his face, just betrayal and shock.

"YMIR!" Historia shouted as the Colossal grabbed Ymir's sleeping form which was flung through the air.

The Armored Titan turned, the hand that held Collin moving over the top of the Wall as the giant fingers opened, letting Collin drop down safely. Reiner jumped over the Wall with Eren in hand, his armored plates sliding against the giant structure.

Collin simply lay there, shaky breaths escaping his lips. His head turned to where Reiner jumped as another burst of lightning appeared. He was able to hear Eren's roar and a loud impact.

Slowly getting up, Collin saw that he was now facing the Colossal's back, and nobody was on the other side with him. He moved to the edge of Wall Rose with a heavy step and looked down below.

Reiner and Eren were facing each other in their Titan forms, and all Collin could do was watch, with hardly a coherent thought in his head.


AN: And that's it for now, my dear readers. One of the most anticipated moments in every AoT 2 fanfic story. I really hope I managed to pull it off as it's definitely one of the milestones for my story. I'm eager to hear your feedback.

And as usual, I hope you check out my other stories. And I hope you leave a review. They are great motivators.

See ya next time.