The stew was burning hot, but Falco didn't feel it on his tongue, or maybe he just didn't feel bothered to pay attention. His memory had started to reassemble from earlier that day. The tension in the air, dozens of airships from Marley, soldiers shooting left and right, the Unit spurring with the Paradis people and Zeke Jaeger.

"It's okay, Falco! Your big brother will never leave your side!"

He nearly choked on his stew. His body felt numb and cold despite the blazing fire in front of him. Was that what death felt like? He swallowed hard, hoping the lump in his throat would go away. He couldn't cry right now, not in front of all these people who were trying to save the people back home. Even the island people were trying to help them. Weren't they? They seemed to be getting rather loud in their bickering.

Gabi was barely touching her food despite Reiner pouring some of his into her bowl. Falco hated seeing her look so sad and scared. He clenched his spoon. If she had been the one to take the hit with the wine bottle, she would have been turned into a monster instead of him. He wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Reiner either.

But how was he supposed to save her from the dark future now? It took a long time for the Unit to control their Titans, and it was not a good time that they had to fight a Titan bigger than a whole street in length. He didn't suppose that he would be seeing any memories from Porco soon either that would help him.

Falco almost gagged. His stomach hurt. How had he eaten a whole person?

No, he couldn't get sick now. Big brother always made sure he was safe, so he had to make sure the girl he cared about was safe too. He didn't want Reiner to report him to Marley for what happened back in Liberio. It had been his fault, after all. Mom and Dad always taught him to be kind to strangers and not to judge what they had been through. But why had that backfired?

The voice of that strange bearded lady brought him back from his disordered thoughts. "Jean. You valiantly hurled a thunderspear at that little boy Falco over there to defeat the Cart. Of course, you missed by a hair, which is why he's still here, alive."

His chest tightened. That had been close. But Jean was just a soldier, doing his duty to fight back because they had attacked them first some years ago. Right? Wasn't he? He probably had a family just like Sasha Braus did that he wanted to protect. He probably just got carried away and wanted revenge like Gabi did. After all, he saved them from being beaten up on the airship.

His classmates would have understood the same. Casualties just happened every day. He didn't have time to cry about Udo and Zofia and Colt and Porco. It was normal. It was just a life of war. He couldn't complain or cry.

"What was it again? The name of that good friend of yours you once told me about? Marco?" Yelena the bearded lady continued, making a smug face. That name made Reiner and Annie flinch next to him. Was this another friend of theirs from here?

"Annie was only following my orders," Reiner explained, "We were afraid of being found out, and we thought the best way to shut him up would be to have a Titan kill him. I held him down to keep him from moving while I made Annie take off his maneuvering equipment. Marco was stuck there until a Titan came up behind him and ate him."

Jean was scowling. "Did Marco say anything to you in the end?"

"He said, 'we haven't even had a chance to talk this over.'" Reiner bowed his head.

The air around them was tense. Jean didn't move. Falco hoped that he didn't have any weapons near him. Having two friends die was difficult for these people. He wished that he could talk to them about Udo and Zofia. They had been really good friends. Udo helped him study for written exams and Zofia had an odd sense of humor. They would have understood why the Paradis people were upset.

They had just been sitting at a play. Zofia was crushed by a rock that flew from the building Falco was in. Udo was trampled by the crowd that got frightened. They hadn't done anything wrong. The people on Paradis were just upset from the mission a few years back.

"I watched as the Titan ate Marco," Reiner blurted out. "I flew into a rage after that and killed the Titan. Don't forgive me. I really am worthless."

"That's enough!" Jean growled.

"I'm sorry-"

A raging beast threw himself across the circle around the fire and onto Reiner. Everyone gasped. Falco grabbed and pushed Gabi out of the way. Forget any weapons. This man was a living one. His fists showed no mercy to Reiner as his face quickly turned into a bloody pulp. Teeth went flying, and he thought he could hear bones crunching.

"Reiner!" Gabi screamed.

"Stay down, Gabi!" Falco barked. Armin and Connie jumped into action and tried to restrain Jean to no avail. Falco was no better with Gabi who wriggled easily out of his grasp. She leapt between Jean's fists and Reiner's beaten body. Jean's foot made hard contact with Gabi's back. She collapsed on him.

Damn it! How could he stop Gabi from jumping into danger head first? Not even this Titan power would work against that! Reiner would be so upset with him. When this was over, he'd probably report him to the authorities. Kickstarting the attack at home, killing two of his own comrades here. Hadn't Reiner almost been stripped of the Armored Titan because of his failure and loss of his three comrades? He'd surely be stripped of the Jaw Titan, and his parents would be-

Wait. Gabi's sobs of pain and fear were muffled out. The faces of the people around him became blurred. Reiner barely moved. Just like back in Liberio. Reiner had failed his mission here. He became friends with the people here, only to betray them. He had no will to fight back. He needed their help in Liberio. He needed his help to save Gabi.

Falco didn't feel so good. Why was he freezing up?

"I'm sorry!" Gabi cried. "We wanted to slaughter you because we wanted the world to forgive us by getting rid of the devils on the island, and now everyone in Liberio is going to die because of it. Please… help us."

The person named Jean, who was looking more like a devil, panted. His face was splattered with saliva and flecks of Reiner's blood, and his hair was frazzled. His friends loosened their grip. But before anyone could make another move, Jean swiftly grabbed Gabi under the arms and held her like she was as valuable as freshly caught wild meat. She wailed. His friends yelled at him and pleaded with him.

"Jean, put her down!" The girl with dark hair begged.

Jean snorted. He put one arm around Gabi's neck. "Why's that? Did you forget that she also killed one of my best friends? She's only now apologizing for something even I knew at her age was wrong but still did it. Seems like she really takes after her family." He deliberately kicked Reiner in the face. The Shield of Marley choked and sputtered.

Tears welled in Falco's eyes. Reiner had no honor or pride left in his broken body. And now him too? He had done what Reiner wanted to by inheriting one of the Nine. But he couldn't change anything. Why had he been so stupid like a little kid? He'd been too meek. Too kind. Now he was damn cursed to die at twenty-seven because Reiner wanted him to die instead of Gabi because he was too pathetic and selfish to do anything himself.

And now Gabi was in the hands of another monster. She desperately eyed Falco for help. Commander Magath moved in the shadows of the rowdy devils as if he was walking into a pen of bulls in rut. Something hotter than the too amicable fire flowed into Falco's veins. It wasn't the power of one of the Nine. It was something he hadn't felt before that made him sick yet elated.

"Falco, help her," Reiner's voice weakly commanded. His body steamed heavily.

Falco shook. The something in his veins reached the same boiling point as the wounded Armor. Those moments on the train home flashed through his mind. To inherit one of the nine Titans is an honor. Honor? Was it an honor to have an angry hunk of flesh scream at you to condemn you and your family if you refused? Big brother wouldn't have wanted this. Mom and Dad didn't entertain the "honor". Was this group of enraged strangers and people he thought he could trust all he had left now?

You are going to rescue Gabi from the dark future we face.

The explosion happened.

Without thinking, without feeling anything in his weak body with the hidden strong Titan, Falco battered head first into Jean. It wasn't enough to dislodge Gabi from his bloody hands. The others gasped. Magath tried to pull him away with one hand while holding onto a knife with the other hand as a threat to Jean. "Grice, back away!"

"You want me to back away now? Didn't you choose me as a candidate because I never gave up? Because I was doing a wonderful job not being a gross traitor? Am I only worth protecting now that I have a Titan?"

"Grice-"

"Grice what? Well, just so you know, I did betray my motherland! I was too nice to say no to another person in need, and look where that got us!" He turned to face Jean the monster, who scowled. Gabi's face was wet from tears. "Isn't Reiner enough? People are going to die outside of the Walls because my stupidity helped you help Eren!"

"Shut up, kid. You don't know what Reiner and Annie took from us."

"Eren took my friends from me! And you want to take my last one away?"

Jean threw Gabi up as a taunt. The dark-haired girl made a grab for her, but Jean had the height advantage. He tightened his grip. Gabi was turning pale.

"That's enough, Jean!" Connie begged.

"You tried to kill me for the Titan in me! Haven't you taken enough from us?"

The commander of the devilish squad, the one with an eyepatch, peered from next to the little makeshift bed with the sleeping man with a face covered by bandages. There was an expression of remorse on their face. The bandaged man slowly sat up to see what was going on. Not that Falco cared.

"Just put her down, Jean!" The blond boy named Armin demanded.

"Go get her, Annie," the voice of the Cart Titan told Annie. The blonde girl put her hand to her mouth, about to bite it. The gesture was enough for everyone to notice. Jean dropped Gabi to the clearing floor carelessly. Gabi sobbed between gasps for air as she crawled next to Reiner who was stirring and trying to reach her to console her. Mikasa knelt over to check her over.

THWACK.

Jean's body hit the clearing floor in one punch to the side of the face. The other two boys with him panicked as another person fell to the ground, grunting in serious pain. The eyepatch commander and the dark skinned man ran to his aid. That bandaged man had gotten up and used all the strength left in him to take down the filthy monster. Wasn't he one of them? He was. There was no reason to feel sorry for him.

Reiner suddenly sat up. "Falco, why are you crying?"

His face was horrid to look at. But he deserved it. In fact, it needed a finishing touch.

"If you want to save Gabi, Reiner, YOU CAN SAVE HER YOURSELF!" Falco clocked him right in the nose. Reiner recoiled in pain, and Gabi screamed.

The dark future was already here. There was nowhere left to go but ahead with it. Falco bolted off, ignoring the startled faces of the people he had no ounce of compassion left to show. Unnoticed by him, the bearded lady smiled smugly.

…

He couldn't run too far. Pieck thought as she analyzed the dense brush and tangling roots on the forest floor. She knew the terrain of the island rather well from prior infiltrations. The Cart wouldn't be able to fit through the trees, and she didn't want to risk toppling a tree and creating a signal for the enemy soldiers to notice or for the trunks to fall on top of Falco. Commander Magath sat in front of her wielding a rifle and a blade as he urged their horse on. They were going to lose valuable time if one of the horses wasn't well-rested, but they simply couldn't let one more of their most precious children fall into the hands of the island inhabitants, even the more well-meaning ones.

"Falco!" Commander Magath called out.

"Hush. The Scouts use the trees to their advantage. Their maneuver gear makes them strike like hawks. It's almost more impressive than aircraft."

"I wish we could have borrowed some of theirs back at the camp. It would make tracking him much easier."

"We can't waste their energy."

"They have a rather impressive amount of it in their hearts to dedicate when they wish to go after our powers— people. They'll get Leonhart next if Commander Hange doesn't get a grip on the situation." Magath sighed. "I should have been quicker to act."

There were so many situations he could have meant by that in these past months, probably years. Pieck hung her head. Duty's chains clanked loudly for them both, the link going back hundreds of years, rust wrought on by injustice after injustice. Yet there was grease for these metal chains.

Udo. Zofia. Colt. Porco. They had survived in their places, and they were going to fight for them. Pieck had not spent her short lived childhood longing for a freedom for her people only to give up now. Whatever Eren Jaeger and her beloved comrade Zeke Jaeger had conspired, it was not what she wanted. Yet some people simply enjoyed the chaos of it all. Yelena seemed to. At least until Commander Magath put her into a twist and cracked her collarbone before they took off after Falco. But Pieck didn't want to criticize Commander Magath for his brutality at a time like this.

"Commander?"

"Forget it, Pieck. We're equals."

"Right, Theo." Saying his name felt unnatural to her tongue. "Please don't hold Falco accountable for anything. We should have been watching the children closer as the festival approached with so many foreigners entering the gates. And I didn't consider that anybody could have infiltrated the military. I underestimated the island's military strength and how it could have developed over four years. All I could do was look forward to a new hope for Eldia and let myself slack off in hopes it would benefit us Eldians. I didn't think about Zeke and how I knew he had a surviving sibling on the island that he could use to benefit us and not think he wouldn't use it to his own advantage and-"

"Pieck, stop." The horse shook its head, making its whole body shudder. "Don't blame just yourself. There's too much of it to go around that if blame were Marleyan wine that was drunk by every person for two-thousand years, it would be flowing out of every damn orifice on the body until the world flooded."

Pieck cracked a smile. "That sounds like something Zeke would say." It wasn't a sin to hold on to the better memories of a beloved comrade, was it?

"Well, I told him he would never be good enough for Marley. Was it just me who pushed him to the edge? Didn't I push you two into battle after battle? And your comrades sent on the mission? I can always blame myself, but then I remember voicing my skepticism of sending four kids not old enough to hold a drink to a vast island of monsters and having the brass talk me into intimidation."

Pieck nodded. "Nothing we can do now but take a stand for Falco and Gabi. And any other people out there who will survive this." She peered around, looking for tracks from a distressed boy.

The moonlight shone directly over the canopy. The path ahead was illuminated by mutual agreement. She hoped that things would turn out the same when they returned to the camp.

…

"I didn't think Jean could outdo me in bashing your face in," Annie mused as she wiped Reiner's face with a spare cloth. "Keep awake so you heal faster." Gabi watched closely near her as Mikasa also sat next to her, consoling her and also ensuring that Jean wouldn't come nearby.

Reiner groaned as Annie hit the most sensitive spot by his nose. Nice job, he kept screwing people up. Jean was being tended to by Armin and Connie as their Commander Hange and Onyankopon helped Captain Levi sit up as they removed his facial bandages which were soaked with blood and vomit. His face looked as awful as Reiner's, and he was in excruciating pain, but he couldn't help but lecture his squad around him in a hoarse voice.

"You've sure got a brat's idea of revenge, Kirstein."

Jean grunted in annoyance as Armin was careful to touch his face to apply some ointment. "So they get a pass because they were kids when they first invaded us?"

"Tch. You've been to Marley. You saw a fresh batch of Eldians getting hauled into the Internment Zone for a life of war ahead. Do you think that they really chose this?"

"They could have fought back."

"Fought back? With what? Every citizen in the Underground City could have ganged up on the military police, and they would have shot us dead before we could charge the gate. It's pure luck and guts to escape squalid shit." Commander Hange gingerly applied some new gauze on his face.

"They had Titan powers! They could have changed their minds once they got here! If they could knock down a whole wall-"

"And they didn't have families' lives back home dangling in front of them? And the rest of humanity?"

"And you're siding with them?"

"Kirstein," Captain Levi snarled. "If you're going to rearrange more faces for people long dead, you're going to have to keep your ass behind here." He winced. "I've had enough of that shit myself. There's next to no chance of anybody out here who survives in the next few days of leading a normal calm life again. Is that why you first stepped up to join us years ago? Or is there something else you're bloodthirsty for?"

The bickering died down. Reiner sat up with the help of Annie and Mikasa. Gabi sniffled and hugged him tightly, hurting his aching ribs.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"My back hurts. But where's Falco? Why did he hit you?"

There was no use in keeping this a secret anymore. He had this long coming.

"Gabi… I didn't want you to inherit the Armored Titan."

Her puffy brown eyes blinked."What? Why?"

"I didn't want you to find out this way. The island, the people who live here. It's not an honor to have to live a lie knowing the truth."

"I know how you feel now."

"I told Falco he had to save you from this or he'd get turned in to authorities. He wanted you to live a long life too. He was so malleable from fear of losing his loved ones that… I passed this on to him. He's not going to live past twenty-seven. I'm sorry, Gabi. I deserve to get stripped of the Armor when this is all over… if we even get out alive."

"But we have to! Mom and Dad and Aunt Karina need our help! I don't care about being an Honorary Marleyan anymore! I'll take the Armored Titan just so a baby doesn't get it after two more years! We need you to fight for us now!" She cried into his blood soaked sleeve.

"I know. I will. For you and Falco. Like I should have"

…

Falco panted for air. His throat hurt from crying. His feet grew tired, but he didn't want to stop running. Where was he going to end up? All these trails in the forest looked the same. They were all so dark and had no light coming from the sky shining through. But there was no turning back. He couldn't remove the Jaw from him- it was imbued into his being. He was linked to so many poor unfortunate souls before him.

He slowed to a jog before stopping to lean against a tree to catch his breath. He wasn't going to fight anymore. Enough was enough. Every blow he had taken flowed into his mind. The battlefield. The airship. The wine bottle. Zeke's screaming. All for Gabi. No. All for Reiner.

Gabi didn't deserve any of this. Why did she have to be related to such a horrid man? Big brother never wanted him to become a Titan. He wanted Gabi to take the Armor. But that was different. She was a natural at fighting anyways, better at everything. Colt never asked them to do anything for each other. He always stepped in to protect him. Reiner just needed him alive to do his bidding.

A fresh wave of sorrow washed over him. He plodded on, letting his tears water the ground of this wretched soil where his uncle probably died twenty years back. And now his whole family was awaiting death by Titans as well.

"Falco?" a familiar but detested voice called. Oh no. It was Commander Magath. What did he want to do with him? Falco darted ahead.

So many roots merged together underfoot like snakes in a pit. He didn't care if they enveloped the Commander. Anything to get rid of those who wanted to pursue him and use him.

"Falco, we see you! You're going to get hurt!" a more soothing voice called. It was Ms. Pieck. Oh, how he wished he could turn back. Ms. Pieck always knew what to do. But he had to resist the temptation. She was in league with a devil.

Go forward, go forward, go forward.

"Stop!" they both screamed. They were on a horse and had caught up to him from about fifty meters behind.

He stopped, but not of his own will. A thick root caught him underfoot, and his head made contact with a jagged stone.

No! I can't stop!

A warm blaze of energy surrounded his cold and abused existence. His Jaw Titan awoke from within and burst through the canopy of trees, meeting the lonely moon in the sky. This was his chance to fly away.

…

He didn't. His wings had been cut. Or rather, his nape. He didn't remember any of this. All he could recall was a quiet darkness and steam. And then, he was on the back of a horse in the embrace of Pieck behind him. Her face was covered in marks.

"Falco, you're awake now. We're going back to the camp."

Why was he so tired? He felt his face and brushed over some uneven skin. "Did I turn into a Titan?"

"You did. The Jaw is quick. It's a good thing that the Cart Titan is swift enough to catch up with it." She stroked his hair. He accepted the gesture.

"Grice?" Commander Magath turned his head while leading the horse ahead. Falco flinched. "We didn't come after you for your Titan. We came here for you and Gabi."

"Why? To turn us into Titans later?" Pieck held him tightly in her grasp.

Commander Magath sighed. "I would be lying to you if I said otherwise. You two are the only candidates left in your class alive, and strategically, we would have no time to train others."

Falco moaned. He couldn't move. He wished he could.

"But our mission has changed now. We can't rely on you or Gabi to fight. You were right. I did handpick you as a candidate. It was my duty, even if it made me a coward in fear of my own life even if I was inclined to speak out. There's no real honor in shortening children's lives."

"None of this was your fault, Falco," Pieck said, "We adults need to take the blame for what we did to groom you into this duty."

"Even Reiner?"

Pieck hummed. "I don't know entirely what was going on with you and Reiner, but I'm sure he will want to have a talk with you when he recovers."

"Is Jean still there?"

"I think so. His captain and commander were giving him some stern disciplinary words when we took off to get you."

The horse also tripped over some roots. It whickered.

"I don't want to go by him again. He's a monster. I understand now why they are angry at us, but… it hurt me and Gabi so much. And Udo and Zofia are dead, because of them… and me." He whimpered.

"I know. It's okay to feel angry at them. They aren't my friends either, but I'll stand in the way to protect you while we also work to stop Eren Jaeger. It's my duty to carry that on for my comrades, including Udo and Zofia."

"Grice, you didn't cause Udo and Zofia to die," Magath added. "That's for Eren Jaeger to answer to."

Were they just saying this to comfort him, or were they being honest with him? His exhaustion overtook him. Even if these were lies, it was sickeningly sweet to hear.

…

The next time Falco opened his eyes, it was early sunrise. People were walking around the camp gathering supplies and having a final meal of leftover stew. Gabi was snuggled next to him under a blanket. Her face was so peaceful and calm.

Helping load some crates into a wagon was Jean, who had a nasty bruise on one side of his face. Falco gulped. He wasn't paying any attention to them.

"Falco?"

Oh great. It was Reiner next to him kneeling. His stupid face was healed up. He expressed some concern on his face. Falco's own face twisted into a frown.

"Oh, good morning. Feeling any better?"

"I'll be fine. I needed that punch."

Falco snorted. Was he trying to be funny? "Well, I can definitely turn into a Titan now. But I'm not good enough to protect Gabi. I didn't even take the right one."

"Don't worry about that anymore. I was never worthy of one of the Nine anyways either. Just a selfish older brother's dream to save his little brother's life".

"Big cousins do the same, I guess."

Reiner nodded. "Gabi knows what I did. We're not going to live by Marley's definition of honor anymore. I'm going to take care of this all for you."

"How?"

Reiner looked at the islanders and the remnants of the Warrior Unit. Commander Hange, Captain Levi, and Commander Magath were overseeing them as they finished loading up their supplies and hitched the horses. "We all are."

"Are you sure you can work together after what happened last night?"

"We have to. We need to get you back to your family. They wouldn't be able to handle losing another son on this island."

Gabi opened her eyes. She had been listening this whole time. "But where will we go?"

"You're going to stay on board an Azumabito ship. We're operating on borrowed time, but if Eren hasn't reached Marley's main port yet, we'll be able to take you back after we use the flying boat to capture and kill Eren. The Jaegerists wouldn't think that the Azumabito would be harboring two children- one of whom has a Titan that they think would be used against Eren Jaeger."

Falco blinked. Reiner seemed hopeful, but the plan seemed a little rough even when describing it. He'd better have been honest with him. The idea of confronting those Jaegerists again terrified him.

Pieck climbed out of the Cart Titan's body and made her way toward the children. Commander Magath followed behind her. "We're all loaded. We need to go now. We're going to save our families. And humanity."

Commander Magath and Reiner helped lift Falco and Gabi into the back of a wagon. They sat next to them as the horses were commanded to start moving. The wheels rattled as they hit some bumps over roots and rocks. The sun steadily rose higher in the horizon. Some morning birds fluttered before the wheels could crush them. They were free to go where they wished.

Falco gently touched Gabi's hand. "Reiner's going to save us both. He promised. So did Pieck."

Gabi nodded but didn't look at him. Her eyes were downcast. "I just want to go home."

"I do too. Maybe we can find some place safe to live together and not fight in a war after this."

"I don't want you to die in thirteen years."

Falco's heart ached. "I don't want to either."

Reiner was watching them. He didn't have anything to add to that. Good. There was nothing that was going to make up for this sin.