Author's Note:

Updates may or may not come less frequently since school has commenced. I apologize for the delay in advance and promise to try to write as quickly as possible. Have patience please.

Enjoy.

Rated M for: Detailed descriptions of gore and violence.

Chapter 12: Titan-shifters

A fresh, gentle waft of air circled my weightless body, playfully twirling a couple of strands of my hair around its long, invisible fingers. Initially, I thought that I was dreaming about flying or using the 3DMG and reveled in the easy, peaceful atmosphere, but as I gradually regained consciousness, I realized that I was lying on something flat and steadily elevating.

I peeled open my eyes. Immediately, I had to raise a bandaged hand to shade my face and I grimaced as I turned away from the blinding light that beamed down on me. When my eyes finally adapted to the radiance of the midday sun, I found myself staring into hard concrete. I frowned; the smooth wall looked familiar somehow, but I was too tired to reconsider the possibilities of its existence and lazily turned my aching neck to see what was on my right. Unfamiliar voices called from above and were answered from beneath me but I ignored them as I regarded the bright landscape and the now completely demolished castle quite a distance away, reminding me of what had happened. There were no titans as far as my vision could reach, which both calmed and stressed my poor nerves, but I didn't have time to ponder any deeper about the hazy memory with the aberrant from earlier before I suddenly grasped my situation.

Why does it feel like I'm looking down at everything?

I stiffly raised my head from the comfortable surface I was resting on and peeked over the wooden pole next to my arm. My eyes widened and I let out a helpless squeal as I reclined, my heart lurching into a frantic pace. I was floating on a makeshift stretcher at least forty-five yards above ground with nothing but a certain emerald-eyed boy and a slender blonde who I didn't recognize to catch me if the two ropes bound to each side of the stretcher would snap.

My whole body froze in fear and the wind that caressed my cheeks no longer provided any solitude. Although I wasn't really afraid of heights, I nervously swallowed and tried not to panic. A wire shot up from my right and I made a face as Eren's countenance entered my view.

"Hey," he greeted, amusement embellishing his intensely green eyes.

"Hey," I repeated grumpily.

His mouth curved into a crooked smile. "Scared?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I muttered, even though I knew why.

Eren launched a small, metallic projectile into the wall, following me as I was raised. I could faintly hear the sound of cogwheels working from above. "Just kidding," he answered in a casual tone, pretending to have to look for another place to attach his second hook.

I pressed my chapped lips together and took the time to study the fresh wrappings around my hands. "Did Mikasa change my bandages again?"

"Yeah."

"So much for being a medical officer," I dryly remarked as I relaxed and placed my hands on my stomach.

Eren grinned again. It was such a pleasant experience for once, to feel that I brought some kind of happiness with my presence, and I couldn't stop myself from mimicking his expression. His beautiful eyes lit up with even more joy as he noticed and almost hesitantly, he grazed his fingers over mine. My cold skin shivered beneath his warm touch but longed for more as he drew away.

"She might have overdone it," he said apologetically and averted his gaze. "Your hands are as cold as ice."

"They've been like that since I was a child," I sternly replied; I didn't like to talk about the night at the frozen lake but I also knew that I had to explain myself, lest Mikasa take the blame for what had been caused by an accident. "I damaged my hands pretty badly and they never healed completely back to normal. That's why I always rub them together—" I demonstrated for his surprised eyes, "—or keep them busy in some kind of way. If I don't move them or keep the blood flowing for a longer time, they'll start cramping."

Eren seemed thoughtful. "I always thought it was because you were nervous that you kept playing with your fingers," he said in a careful tone. Then, he settled one of his handgrips into its holster and fully gripped around one of my hands, raising himself with just a single wire. I was too shocked to blush but merely stared at our clasp.

This feels… extremely awkward, I admitted when he had to release his hold of me to retract his other wire, a secondary thought that breathed some color into his cheeks, but when he rearranged his fingers through mine, I regretted my earlier thought: it felt comforting, secure and reliable. At first, I thought that I found it pleasant because I finally made physical contact with someone who didn't aggravate me halfway to the brink of insanity, but then I realized that it felt good because I held hands with Eren. An idea that terrified as much as it intrigued me.

The boy didn't let go until we reached the top of the wall and I shakily had to get onto my feet while he climbed over the edge. I thanked the two soldiers that had hoisted me to safety using some kind of manually driven, mechanical device fastened to the warm concrete and they replied with curt nods as they cooperated to gather the ropes into separate sacs and disassemble the makeshift stretcher. I straightened my clothes, trying to make me look as proper as could be, and massaged a particular sore spot at the lower part of my back. A familiar voice caught my attention and I turned around to see Hange stroll in the direction away from me, accompanied by her squad and a slower Armin, Mikasa halting to look at me. I hesitated before giving her a friendly smile and she nodded in reply, tugging at the red scarf that she never seemed to be without. Further along the endless wall and following its old, unused cannon rails were the rest of the Survey Corps group that had set off from Hermina, inclusive a couple of youthful faces I was sure I hadn't seen before. They belonged to equally young, unequipped bodies but judging by the firm look in their eyes, I quickly understood that they weren't just rescued civilians. Nobody seemed especially injured except for me and a heavily bandaged girl lying on a similar makeshift bed as had been mine. I subconsciously started towards her, growing anxious at the noticeably empty spots where her right forearm and knee to below should have been, but stopped myself as soon as I saw the thin vapor that surfaced from her wounds.

I whipped around. "For how long have I been out?" I asked Eren, who had patiently waited for me to assess the situation. "And am I just tired, or is the girl over there—" I nudged my head diagonally backwards, "—smoking?"

Eren tensed. "You lost consciousness back at Castle Utgard," he obediently replied, deciding to answer my questions in sequence, "which was about four or so hours ago. And that's Ymir, she entered the Training Corps the same year as I and… she's another titan-shifter."

Titan-shifter, I mused. She… she must have been that hideous creature from earlier.

Both Eren and I opened our mouths to say something and we simultaneously shut them with the same embarrassed expression. I bit my lower lip, feeling my cheeks redden, and Eren scratched the back of his head while lowering his gaze. Fortunately, before the moment could get any more uncomfortable, a stranger's voice spoke.

"Eren."

Eren turned around with his eyebrows softly raised. A brawny guy with short, blonde hair approached us, his sturdy features set determined, and right behind him shadowed a very tall, slender guy with dark, disheveled hair and a worried look across his kind face. The former had a primitive swathe around his right forearm and both were dirty with dust and sweat. The two looked at me, dark amber and forest green orbs eying me from head to toe, and I met their gazes with a mutual amount of confusion.

"I'm Reiner," said the blonde finally and gestured towards his friend. "This is Bertolt. We'd like to talk to Eren for a moment, if that's alright."

"Sera," I politely replied. They were both younger than me and it wouldn't surprise me to hear that they were recruits as well, even though they looked older than Eren. "Sure, he's all yours."

"I'll find you later," promised Eren as he gave me a quick smile.

I responded with one of my own before joining the yet still Mikasa who silently acknowledged my presence with another nod. We began walking but only barely; the girl seemed intent on waiting for Eren, constantly halting to look behind us. Reiner spoke quietly, although when I managed to catch a word or two I, too, stopped and turned around, furrowing my brows as I observed the trio. Eren discreetly glanced back towards us and Mikasa immediately stiffened, her whole demeanor changing into one of mistrust.

Before I was able to ask her what was going on, the bulky blonde promptly tore off his swathe and moved towards the slowly backing Eren with swift strides. Something similar to a nasty bite mark dissipated as the skin on his forearm rapidly healed, the process exuding a now very familiar, white, humid vapor from his pores. I instinctively backed, my eyes widening and my hands automatically leveling with my chest in a defensive manner, when I realized what exactly he was.

"I'm done!" roared Reiner in reply to his visibly paling friend. Bertolt's eyes rounded while he desperately attempted to stop his friend. "We'll resolve this now!"

I hadn't even noticed that Mikasa had vanished from my side until I saw her ruthlessly lunge—her hands clenched around bladed handgrips—towards the muscular blonde and concurrently knock Eren to the side with her brash advance. Reiner feebly attempted to block her attack with his bare hands but the razor-sharp edge of her sword carried too much force from its sprinting owner and simply cut clean through his right arm, stopping only when it collided with his skull. I stared, petrified, as the lifeless hand dropped to the concrete with a sickening sound and a pool of scarlet liquid instantly enveloped it. Buried deep within the length of Reiner's other arm, Mikasa disconnected the soaked steel from the handgrip and turned her focus to the horrified Bertolt. With a graceful step in his direction, like a dancer following his or hers carefully planned choreography, she swung her second blade towards his reclining head and managed to make a deep wound in his neck, releasing a flood of blood to stain his clothes. Her first victim barely seemed to believe what had happened, his eyes wildly tracking his crimson hands and the blade set deep within his left arm, while Bertolt shrieked in pure hysteria. The scream abruptly ceased as Mikasa kicked his long legs, depraving him of his already wavering balance, and swooped down on his lying shape with her single sword held high.

"Run Eren!" she furiously yelled. "Get away from here!"

Mikasa was just about to plunge her sword downwards in a fierce arch when Reiner returned to his senses and rushed towards her crouched shape. The girl was overtaken by his fast movement and unable to take a defensive stand; he tackled her with all of his weight and sent her flying over the ledge, a low grunt escaping her lips, before turning towards me and Eren, darkly eying something behind us. I perceived the hurried footsteps of several people and their panicked tones, calling for the two of us to get away from the lethally wounded recruits. A hand clawed into my shoulder, urging me to turn around, but it was impossible to tear my eyes away from the morbid scene in front of me. Fat drops of sanguine trickled out from the cut in Reiner's grim face and profusely oozed out from the interstices between Bertolt's fingers clenched around the side of his neck.

For a moment, there was complete silence as the two boys regarded us, Bertolt with fearful tears in his eyes and Reiner with cold resolve. But then, a bright illumination made the colors of the world disappear and a blast hurled me back.

Hot fume and dirt blocked my vision for several seconds and I vaguely noticed that I was flying before a lean arm snaked around my waist just before I fell off from the top of the wall. With salty water running down my cheeks, my eyes irritated by all the sudden experiences, I rubbed my eyes and tried to discern the face of my savior. Hange's rather noble profile appeared from behind a cloud of smoke, her shocked, brown eyes set on something ahead of us. Anxious but oddly unafraid, I craned my neck as well and found myself staring up at the largest titan I had ever seen, dwarfing the second titan that emerged behind it. The latter held a tiny figure in its matte, golden hand but slid down the wall before I had the chance to see who it was. Still, I had a pretty good guess already.

Eren.

The Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan, whispered a sinister voice in the back of my head. The first titans to ever breach one of the Walls and the reason to your mother's first depression.

The Colossal Titan was completely skinless, its massive, fleshy body glistening like the skin of a cherry beneath the rays of the sun, and strangely incomplete, straddling the wall with its naked, ivory ribs. Forest green eyes set deep within their sockets looked down at us from a hideous face and white, impeccable teeth reached from ear to ear, shaping a permanent and perfectly symmetrical grin. The titan-shifter held something in its retracting right arm while raising its left fist aloft. I heard a female shout a name before Hange's terrified but adamant voice drenched her high-pitched cry.

"Everyone get off the wall!" she barked.

Hange's grip around me tightened as she leapt away from the concrete, shooting the hooks of her 3DMG into the wall a couple of yards below the edge. My old injuries suddenly made an ugly reappearance and I gritted my teeth in an effort to suppress any sounds of pain as I clung harder to her shoulders. We were already in the air, followed by everyone else, when an enormous arm struck the top of the wall and sent rubble and dust into all kinds of directions. A broken piece of stone flew towards me and Hange but she deftly avoided it by exhaling some gas with her handgrips, lifting us above the debris' course. Reaching the peak of the boost, we started swinging down towards the wall with too much speed. I automatically dampened the impact by bending my legs, Hange doing the same, but it still took a toll on my already weakened limbs even though the adrenaline burned like fire through my veins, eradicating all other emotions except excitement. I fleetingly registered another bright light followed by an explosion, both originating from the other side of the wall, and understood that Eren had turned as well. His titan-shape released a bloodcurdling, easily recognizable growl that threatened to deafen me and judging by Hange's stiffening body, she, too, identified the owner of the roar. The scream was then cut off by several crashes and I could nothing but fervently hope that Eren was alright; the titan-shifter that had grabbed him seemed much more imposing than the Colossal Titan I assumed was Bertolt or even the unknown, female-looking titan-shifter.

"It took Ymir!"

A small, golden-haired girl in civilian clothing yelled from her place in a soldier's embrace. Her blue eyes were round and frantic, and she fought to try to be able to turn around. I followed her gaze and saw the great titan-shifter spread its humongous jaws, throw two bodies inside the dark vault and lock them in with a loud snap.

Hange swallowed hard. "All battle units!" she then ordered, looking about to meet the eyes of her troop. "Ready yourselves for battle! As an enemy of mankind, we'll slay the Colossal Titan once and for all!"

The soldiers seemed uneasy at first but quickly gathered themselves and shouted a unison of: "Yes, sir!"

Hange nodded before looking at me. Her brown eyes were uncharacteristically cold and her tone clearly indicated a command. "I have no choice here. Be ready to land on your own."

I didn't have the time to reply before she activated more gas and pushed off the wall. In the corner of my eyes, I saw that almost everyone did the same although they gained more speed compared to our combined weight. My mind was pristine, the adrenaline heightening all my senses, and I instantaneously worked through Hange's words; it came to no surprise when she dropped me as soon as we passed the top of the wall. I reached the safety of the concrete with an agile crouch and quickly came to standing, eager to see what was happening.

Armed with deadly blades, the soldiers propelled themselves towards the Colossal Titan in a united front. Their dark green capes fluttered behind them as they soared through the steamy air and avoided a gigantic but slow arm. I instinctively ducked even though the same limb missed my head by at least a dozen yards.

"All at once! Cut its nape!"

I couldn't distinguish Hange from the rest. The soldiers were all so small compared to the titan-shifter, like birds flying their way to their favorite branch in an ancient tree, and as birds, their speed made up for their lesser size. I watched as they began to descend, their hooks buried deep within the titan's back and shoulders, but before any of them could get close enough to actually reach the monster's flesh, the titan-shifter suddenly let out an enormous amount of steam from every part of its gruesome torso. Everyone within its closest vicinity was blasted back and even I staggered and bent slightly as the hot gust forced me away. When the initial force of the push back faded, I lowered my hands that naturally had risen to protect my face and, frowning, came to a hesitant running towards the bemused group of Survey Corps members in front of me. The now unmoving titan-shifter continued to violently release fume from its body, creating a misty barrier around it. A soldier attempted to launch her hooks towards the Colossal Titan but the tempest deflected the sharp metal from connecting to its creator's flesh and she morosely reeled in her wires after a couple more tries.

My shirt stuck to my skin, humid with both my own perspiration and the searing atmosphere so close to the titan-shifter, and I brought a sleeve to my forehead, wiping away pearls of sweat. Two or three soldiers crawled up the wall to my side while carrying the unequipped recruits and I heard Hange voice shout some quick orders all around. As the group started to disperse and split up into smaller teams, I saw her approach the edge of the wall and look down, her otherwise so cheerful brown eyes weighed down by the gravity of the situation. She noticed my gaze and glanced at me once before calling a troop to her side, her focus intensely tracking something on the ground. Another rumble erupted; I had almost forgotten about Eren.

"...no choice." Hange concluded by the time I reached her. I suspiciously eyed the Colossal Titan but it hadn't even moved an inch from earlier. "When the opportunity shows itself, we fight to kill, is that understood?"

The soldiers weakly complied. She looked them all deep in their eyes before turning towards me, a sigh slipping past her lips.

"Thought I'd never say this, but Levi was right," she wearily told me, seemingly unaware of the curiosity she roused in the squad. I shifted uncomfortably beneath their confused gazes. "You shouldn't have left Wall Sina. If you come to harm… well, any more visible harm, he'll have my head. Remain here and help with the injured, will you?" she asked, abruptly smiling.

I stiffly nodded. Hange sounded awfully gleeful for someone who had just predicted her impending death. I didn't really think Levi would murder her but I had seen the cruel part of him one too many times to be fully ascertain he wouldn't do anything similar.

Hange opened her mouth to continue when she was interrupted by a sickening crunch coming from below. It was the unforgettable sound of bone and flesh yielding for a stronger power, a sound I immediately associated to brutal melee. The soldiers snapped to attention and looked down the wall behind them, and I urged myself closer to the ledge as well, ready to feel the uneasiness in my stomach as I reminded my hyperactive brain how high above the ground we actually were.

My eyes widened in dismay as I saw Eren's limp titan form splayed across the green field at the foot of the wall, the left side of his face completely crushed. His titan-body breathed heavily and vapor rose from the severe injury, indicating his rapid regenerative ability, but since he didn't move, I realized that it was the pain of the blow that paralyzed his limbs. Approaching his extremely muscular body was another titan-shifter, an equally tall but twice or even thrice as bulky titan with thick, golden plates covering his whole face and body except on the crown of its head where short, blonde hair grew. Its eyes were also like gold but without either pupils or whites, and I knew that they were directed onto Eren's sluggishly standing titan.

"Stay close to the wall for now!" called Hange as she jumped off the concrete.

I barely even detected the soldiers' swift disappearance. There was something so majestic with the two titan-shifters, something that fascinated me to the very extreme, and I wasn't even aware that my tormented body moved to get away from the heat of the Colossal Titan. I witnessed Eren's brown-haired beast swing a fist towards the Armored Titan who quickly launched a counterattack, but before the latter was able to land his strike, Eren stooped, brought an arm around his opponent's neck and hurtled the golden titan-shifter into the ground. He proceeded with his initiative and fell on the Armored Titan; the two giants slammed into the grass and started wrestling, both of them making their best efforts to gain the upper hand against the other, and for a horrifying moment, it looked as if the blonde titan would win, its strong hands clamping around the brown-haired titan-shifter's left leg in an attempt to tear it apart from the body. My system was overflowing with exhilaration but I could still feel my throat constrict and my lungs shrink in fear for the boy I knew was controlling the dreadful titan.

It doesn't look right, I unexpectedly noted for myself as my body halted, satisfied with the distance it had put between me and the Colossal Titan. While Eren is struggling to rip the Armored Titan into shreds, his opponent—controlled by who could be nobody else than that recruit named Reiner—is fighting with a different intent. He's obviously after to take Eren—but to where?

Eren's titan form screamed in pain but he somehow managed to overthrow his foe with the combined strength of his wiry legs and immediately straddled the blonde titan-shifter across its broad shoulders. He then pulled his opponent's arm in an impossible angle, cracking the ostensibly impenetrable carapace, and ripped off the limb with inhuman might. His green eyes were glowing with fury and he bellowed in primal ferocity, filling me with dread.

Taking the opportunity while Eren was distracted, the Armored Titan abruptly propped itself up on its elbows and was able to throw off its huge load. Eren's titan form scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards the green-dotted wall, following two shapes I was too far away from to individually recognize. The golden titan-shifter didn't even seem fazed by its missing body part and barely allowed itself to reconstruct before following Eren, smoke rising from the fractured parts of its plates. It balled its large hands into fists and ominously exhaled a cloud of steam from its splintered jaw before bursting into a charge towards Eren who's face had just mended back to normal. Unable to dodge the Armored Titan's sudden advance, the brown-haired titan-shifter was tackled into the wall with a loud shriek and the collision of the humongous bodies shook the foundation, sending tremors all the way up to me. I wobbled unsteadily and automatically backed away from the ledge before I could fall. Quick to regain my footing, I started towards my former position and vantage point when a booming howl brought me down to my burning knees again. I squeezed my hands over my ears, grimacing at the mad, howling tone; I didn't know when it ceased and became a mere echo in my head but kept my pulsing face planted to the concrete until I was sure the world wasn't spinning anymore.

Something enormous stirred to my right, attracting my disoriented mind. I whipped my head just in time to see the Colossal Titan topple to its side and plummet towards the ground. Several voices clamored in horror, mine one of them, as I hastily dragged myself back towards the edge and looked down.

The immense torso landed exactly on top of the two grappling titan-shifters, creating an explosion so powerful that I thought the wall might collapse. A gust of scorching, dirt-mixed air smacked into my face, pushing me back, and the light temporarily dazed me. I groaned in pain as I roughly fell onto my backside and blinked fervently in an attempt to recover my sight, my chest heaving rapidly to inhale enough oxygen for my racing heart to keep working.

Eren, I thought as I shakily came to standing, my legs failing me once. I rubbed my eyes, ignoring the dirt on my knuckles. Please be alright. Please don't let anybody be hurt.

I didn't know to whom or what my wretched brain was so hopelessly praying to, seeing as though I didn't believe in any higher force or special deities, but I cussed at each and everyone of them when I saw the Armored Titan trudge away, seemingly unharmed from the earlier blast, with two dark shapes on his shoulder. The scalding steam that continuously arose from the scene far below me suddenly felt cool to my paling face as I saw the deep hole in the neck of Eren's torn, inanimate titan-body.

They took him.