3rd POV
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They were late, he noted, though he could understand why.
The forest was usually quiet. A peaceful silence mostly interrupted by faraway footsteps of the surrounding titans he's become used to hearing over the years and the wildlife that inhabited the area. Yet, today was another story. Explosions and strange screams were erupting for some reason.
He had deliberately chosen to move as far as he could from the path used by the Survey Corps for he knew the fate of those who left the walls, hence deep inside the forest of giant trees. He wasn't ignorant to what befell his sweet Amalia and her husband, Emmett in their foolish attempt to explore beyond the walls.
Sighing wistfully as sadness took over him whenever the thought of his family and what was left of it surged,
'Armin...'
He wondered how his grandson was doing. Was he safe? Was he still with his friends, Eren and Mikasa? What about young Colith? Is she still taking good care of them? The poor girl had to take on the roles of adults and welcome them. He wondered if they were okay. They wanted to enlist and he knew that they weren't aiming for the MPs. Garrison? Or Maria forbid the Survey Corps! He knew of his grandson's friend, Eren's, desire to join the scouts and had prayed that none of them had chosen that path.
He was about to set plates on the table when the front door abruptly opened. He didn't even so much as twitch when Isabel barged in with a wild grin.
"HEY GRAMPS! OH, IT SMELLS GOOD HERE! BUT ANYWAY, GUESS WHAT!"
The elderly shook his head in fondness as he turned towards her with a raised brow, beckoning her to go on, which she does, her smile nearly reaching her ears.
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1st POV
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"Ugh...if only I could throttle past me. Dumb bitch..!"
A groan left my lips as a regained consciousness. Hissing due to the sunlight assaulting my eyes, I realized that I was in my room back in HQ. With a slight wave, the curtains slid to a close, shielding my eyes from the light. I craned my neck to look around, slowly sitting up to assess my body's condition, and yep, still exhausted as hell, though it was far better than—
'Hold on what day is it...?'
I squinted, debating whether or not to use [Instant Heal] on myself but paused when I heard noises outside, indicating that people were approaching. My gaze lit up in joy upon recognizing the voices and shifted so my feet were on the floor, facing the door as it opened. A soft smile crept up my lips when my gaze lazily fell onto Mikasa who had frozen mid-sentence upon seeing me.
"Hey! What's up with you? Stop blocking the entr...ance..." Eren pushed the door wide open then stopped, eyes widening. Behind him was Armin who was basically doing the same.
"Huh...yo?" I tentatively held two fingers in a peace sign, "What did I miss—HOMF!" three bodies immediately collided with me, causing us all to fall back on the mattress.
Oh well, I love hugs.
"Hold on hold on, I can't understand anything y'all are saying! One at a time please!" I clapped my hands, halting the teenagers' frantic gibberish after they released me. I smiled, glad to see them but frowned upon feeling their auras.
They were upset if not outright agitated which naturally put me on edge too.
"Okay what's wrong," I checked Eren out for any sign of injuries, patting his back and arms. "what happened? Are you alright?" I cupped Mikasa's cheeks and gently turned her face left and right as she blinked, startled. "Did someone insult you? threaten you?" and lifted Armin to see if anything was wrong. He let out a yelp at the action. I bristled, fatigue quickly forgotten as I sprung up and headed to the door.
"Just give me a name, and I'll send them to their ancestors..."
"No, wait! it's not that! Please don't! Colith!" Armin called as he caught my wrist, Eren doing the same as Mikasa quickly placed herself between the door and me, preventing me from further advancing. Puzzled, I blinked.
"Huh? Then why do you guys look upset?"
The trio sighed as they led me back to the bed when I nearly wobbled. Sheesh, needa be careful. Mikasa gently handed me a cup of water and that's when I realized that my throat was a bit dry. Thanking her with a head pat, I gulped down the water then beckoned Armin to go on, seeing as he wanted to recount everything I missed.
Apparently, our return had caused quite the stir given the lack of casualties this time around which was enough to impress a major part of the population. In short, this was a first. An expedition with no casualties was unheard of, yet that's what occurred this time and the scouts received cheers in return. However, that did not prevent complaints from erupting due to the brevity of the expedition which caused some people to express dissatisfaction regarding wasted taxes, which in itself was a common occurrence, though it was vastly overlooked by the populace.
"I don't get it, this is good right?" better than canon at least, "Then why the sour faces?"
I saw Mikasa's fist clench in fury. Eren nearly growled while Armin's frown deepened as his expression hardened.
Eren and I, mostly me, were to be handed over.
Oh.
"What."
"That's what we're wondering too." Armin began, eyes downcast, "Despite our return, we suffered no casualties thanks to you which should be enough to prove how valuable you are to the scouts. Yet I don't understand why they want us to turn you over."
"I won't let them," Mikasa growled, expression fierce, "I won't let them separate us! Not over my dead body!"
"How long have I been asleep and when will Eren and I be sent to the capital?" I asked suddenly after a beat. The trio snapped their head toward me, eyes wide in disbelief.
"You're just going to accept it like that?! You're really gonna sit here and do nothing?"
"Easy there I never said that, lil bird. Just wanna know how long I slept, that's all." I held my hands in defense, "Plus I can't exactly do anything if I don't know what's currently going on."
"two days. You've been out...for two days." Armin helpfully supplied. My eyebrows rose as Iwhistled then gave him a grateful nod which prompted him to go on, "you'll both be gone for the capital on Tuesday."
I ignored Mikasa's "Not if I kill them first," with a sweat drop. "Tomorrow then. I see. What did Erwin say?"
They exchanged startled looks, seemingly remembering something. I tilted my head to the side as they fumbled—mostly the boys—with their words while the ravenette heaved out a sigh.
"Hum, we—"
"I thought I was clear when I told you to inform me as soon as she wakes up."
My beans all jumped in surprise at the Corporal's cranky voice and hastened to salute. Although, had to shake my head in amusement at the slight glare Mikasa threw his way as she half-heartedly saluted. I'll have to scold her later. Meanwhile, the boys looked terrified, looking anywhere but at him.
He wasn't wearing his uniform as he stood, leaning on the door frame, staring at us owlishly. We eventually made eye contact, and a smile crept up on my features.
"Hey there, Captain. I'm afraid I'm still a bit sore. The kids filled me in. What's up?"
He quirked a brow then looked at my beans, jerking his head outside, "You two, the Commander's requesting for your presence, make sure to inform him that she's awake this time, now scram." he gestured to Armin and Mikasa then glanced at Eren who flinched, "and you, go to the mess hall, I'll be joining you there." he grunted before grumbling "Does he think I'm his maid? Tch..."
Unsure, the trio glanced at each other then at me, hesitating to leave but a nod and a gentle nudge from my part were all it took for them to reluctantly comply. Levi watched it all unfold with a deadpan.
"You spoil these brats too much, they can't even follow simple orders." he folded his arms, leveling me with an annoyed look. "You should cut this out before they get in real trouble in the future."
I snorted, shaking my head in mirth, fully knowing he had a point. " Oh? And who am I to dictate what they should or shouldn't do?"
"Their fucking caretaker?"
A snicker left me at his flat response before I gestured to the chair beside my bed, "Come sit. Must be hard to move around with a wound like that, are you okay?"
"I should be the one asking that. You were out for two days." He shot back, deliberately avoiding the question as he walked with a slight limp to the chair. Gotta applaud his dedication to looking tough 'cause I'd be writhing in agony on the floor if I were him. Wonder how the fuck he injured himself though!
I pursed my lips, slightly peeved that this detail didn't change, which is beyond me since I made sure that no one from the squad engaged the female titan, so why...
"I guess I still feel a bit drained, but I'll survive." I lifted the curtain slightly to peek outside. The sun was beginning its descent, signaling that it was around 18h. I watched the scouts go on and about their work before turning to Levi with an inquisitive look, "So what's the plan? Heard we were gonna be shipped out to the MPs despite literally making history. What's our dear Commander up to? Surely he won't just hand us over, will he?"
"Probably not. Who knows what's going on in that guy's head." Levi shrugged, "You seem to take it rather well though, for someone who's about to go into the lion's den."
"What do ya know? I have faith in Erwin. Pretty sure he'll turn the situation around, somehow." he hummed at my response. A thought suddenly popped into my mind, causing my eyes to gleam with interest, "AH! By the way, I take it that you met these two! Where are they?"
Levi's countenance shifted, eyes softening immediately as the tension in his shoulders dissipated before it was replaced with a look of fond exasperation.
"WHAT AN ASSHOLE THIS GUY! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE NERVE OF THIS BASTARD! OI! LET US OUT! WE'RE NOT EVEN SCOUTS!"
"For the love of Sina, Isabel, keep it down!" Furlan sighed, leaning on the wall, "this is what we get for attacking a superior. Can't believe I got dragged in your mess...!"
"It's 'OUR' mess, Furball! AND I HAVE NO REGRETS. I'LL DO IT AGAIN!"
"SHHH!! Do you wanna rot here for the rest of your life?! H-hey you won't report that to Er-the commander right..?"
"NEXT TIME, I'LL KICK HIM IN THE DI—"
"Bwahahaha! In the dungeons?!" The male sighed as I cracked up, repeatedly slamming the bed, "damn, can't believe I missed that! Would've loved to see it myself! Poor guard, must be rethinking his career choices." I shook my head, "So that's why they're locked up?"
He nodded while my laughter subsided into soft giggles before I finally calmed down, still highly amused by the sheer audacity of this girl.
A soothing silence took place, only perturbed by the ambient noise from the outside before a "You know..." from Levi caught my attention. I hummed, signaling for him to go on, "They told me what you did..." there was a pause, "thank you."
That effectively made me snap out of my thoughts. I turned to him, puzzled, before my breath slightly hitched upon seeing the look on his face.
His smile during season 3 doesn't even come close to what I was currently witnessing.
This...this was the first time that I saw such a soft and heartfelt expression on his usually aloof features. AND IT WAS SOLELY DIRECTED AT ME!!
A blush crept to my face as I choked before quickly looking away with a hand clutching my heart. Damn, no wonder he doesn't show emotion 'cause this is a weapon of mass destruction!!
"What?"
"N-nothing!" when his face morphed into confusion at my behavior, I quickly cleared my throat before a sudden desire to tease the heck out of him outshined my flustered state. I slowly turned to him with a mischievous glint in my eyes, "You should be careful, Levi. Don't wanna make me fall harder for you now, do we?" the flabbergasted look I received was enough to make me burst out laughing, though I refrained from it less it ruins the moment.
He looked like he regretted his life choices when he decided to suddenly pay me a visit, though I'm pretty sure it didn't leave him indifferent if the brief reddening of his ears was any indication.
Huhuhu. Success.
"Tch, I wonder if it's the fatigue that's making you spew nonsense or you're just like this."
"Oh, I'm serious, mind you. You're an amazing man," I leaned toward him and slightly tilted my head to the side while keeping eye contact. "I wouldn't mind dating you someday." I purred.
"...Dating?"
I blinked, not expecting a confused look from him before realization hit me. "Right, you don't know that term I guess." I scratched my chin, "Oh well I meant courting. Let's do that someday when things settle down preferably."
There was a silence.
"Someone'll come and get you later. Catch some sleep until then." he abruptly stood up, heading to the door.
"What? But I just woke up!"
"Yes and you still look tired, I'll take my leave." with that, he was out of the room.
'Damn, did I just make Levi Ackerman flee?' a snort left me as I plopped back on the bed, deciding to relax. I could easily deal with the fatigue but didn't wanna arise suspicions since I was supposed to be extremely exhausted.
'He sure is a tough cookie, huh?' I snickered
The sole reason I'm keeping this up is his flustered aura whenever I flirt with him. He might be a master in the resting B face department but nobody could hide their true feelings with me around. The knowledge of being the cause of such reactions was enough to make me continue this shit. Plus he's adorable when he's embarrassed huhu!
A surge of memories suddenly hit me like a truck, causing me to space out for a few seconds as I sorted through the information I just received. My eyes lit up. Finally!
"I see...so that's taken care of!"
Stretching and now in a good mood, I decided to make a quick trip home so I can wash myself because, good lord, I needed a bath asap!
I returned to HQ 30 minutes later with the vial I found on my nightstand. It'll definitely come in handy in the future.
Approximately a couple of hours later, someone indeed came to fetch me. That person was Eren since the boy, apparently, didn't trust any strangers in my immediate vicinity, especially in my weakened state. The corporal being an exception that is, considering the boy's irrational fear of the man which didn't make any sense to me. I mean, Levi hadn't even laid a toe on him, yet Eren couldn't seem to relax in his presence. Oh well, I guess some things couldn't be changed. Bummer.
We swiftly arrived in the mess hall which only had seven residents, Erwin, Levi, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and—Oooh was that Ilse?! and a guard. They all turned to us upon our arrival. I sent a wink toward Levi, causing him to clench his jaw in response and glance away. Chuckling, I let Eren guide me to the only chair available, the one at the end of the table between him and Erwin.
"Glad to see you finally awake, Colith. I hope you're feeling better."
"Thank you for your concern, commander," I nodded gratefully then turned to the others with a smile, "sup guys!" they returned the greeting. "So, what's going on here? What do you need me for?"
"We were discussing the possible identity of the one controlling the female titan," I quirked an eyebrow, "We were hoping for you to finally tell us what you saw to correlate with our suspicions."
"wait, you really have no clue?" I briefly glanced at Armin who seemed nervous all of a sudden. So he still has the same suspicions I see. What a smart boi.
"We do. However, we lack enough evidence that could incriminate her further other than mere conjectures, which begs the question, do you know who it is?" Erwin pressed to which I nodded. It wouldn't hurt to tell them now anyway.
"Well yeah, I know since I fought her. It's Annie."
There was a stunned silence until Armin broke it with a, "so I was right." while a dumbfounded Jean muttered, "she said it so casually..."
Curious, I decided to inquire, "What do you mean?"
He shifted uncomfortably when all eyes were on him. I wanted to reach for his hand to give it a little squeeze but he was too far, so I settled with an encouraging smile.
"We...we didn't have any evidence, but I had this feeling it was her," He proceeded to roughly say the same things as in the anime while omitting the ODM gear part considering that Marco was alive. Oh well, I guess they just lacked more evidence to know it was her since I didn't make things easier for them. Regardless, he mentioned being handled relatively gently by her on their first encounter which nearly made me do a double take. What the fuck, Annie? I was surprised when he was the one who mentioned the resemblance to her titan, something, I reckon, had been Mikasa's assumption.
"I see, well yeah, it was her." I confirmed, causing Eren to look at me, flabbergasted.
"There must be a mistake...Annie? A-are you sure it's really her—"
"If she says it's her, then it's her. There's no need for more evidence." Levi cut him off sternly, "which reminds me, how come you couldn't catch her?" there was no malice in that question, just pure curiosity.
Thankfully, I had an answer, "I overestimated myself." this surprised everyone. "I had the upper hand but decided to test something."
Mikasa who had been silent up until now's eyes widened in realization, "So that scream..."
"Exactly! since it was a first, I underestimated its effect, and bibidi babidi boo, no more strength! But don't worry, I definitely saw her when she fled, so I'm sure it's her". I turned to the disbelieving teen, squeezing his shoulder in reassurance, "Sorry Eren."
"Hold it," my gaze found Levi's form. He looked suspiciously like someone who just connected the dots. Oh boi. "That one time, you said she was 'One of us', you were referring to her being a shifter? So you already knew?"
A few gasps echoed in the room as everyone turned to me in shock, even Erwin.
'AYO HE STILL REMEMBERS THAT?!' Although internally I was freaking out, I managed to keep a serene front and simply let out a weary sigh.
This is why I love this man, but damn.
"Is it true?" Erwin asked with an enigmatic expression.
"Yes, and before you jump to conclusions, let me explain. Firstly, I wasn't sure if she was just like me or if it was a Eren situation, considering that she could've already been living here before the fall for all I knew. Secondly, we only knew about the Colossal and Armored titan, therefore she could've been a neutral entity since there was no record of a female titan, so I didn't lump her with those two." I clarified, "And I guess my hunch was off." I was straight-up bullshitting my way out of this and I hope nobody caught on it. Thank Allah it somehow made sense.
"Then, how did you know she was a shifter to begin with?" That was Jean. Welp.
I briefly glanced at the guard then turned to Erwin. "is it possible for him to wait outside?" A mystified look came across his face for a split second before he nodded.
I could have said it all with this guy here. Too bad he was a damn spy.
One of the few changes brought by my presence I guess. It's funny 'cause they think I didn't notice their bullshit and continue their attempts on my life. Oh yes, fourteen assassination attempts in the last month. Oh well, whatever suits their fancy, ight? The only reason I'm even letting them keep this up is that I seem to be their sole target, and also out of pure curiosity. And although I dislike this ability with passion, brainwashing was never this useful. What are they gonna do? Complain about it? Lmao.
Aside from my failed murking attempts, as soon as the guard left the room, I soundproofed it under the guise of yawning so they couldn't see my eyes.
"Alright, before I begin, where are the others from our promotion?"
Erwin quirked an eyebrow, "they were sent to one of our bases located near the southern part of the Wall this morning. As you may already know, we have suspicions regarding the colossal and armored titan's presence amongst them." a hum left my lips, "Why such a question?"
"I see, you did well. Alright, listen well, the information I'm about to reveal must not leave this room. Jean, you're new here so this is mostly aimed at you." Jean gave me an unsure nod which prompted me to continue. " alright, to answer your question, I have this thing...I don't know how to explain it, that allows me to sense when a shifter is nearby."
The silence was deafening. Ilse who was charged to record this exchange stopped writing.
"I have no idea how it works exactly, but that's how I discovered that she was a shifter, and that's also how I knew that the 104th brigade had 4 more shifters besides Eren and me."
"F-Four more?!" Armin and Ilse squeaked while Eren and Jean were gawking. The rest had bewildered looks on their faces.
"Y-you can tell when there's a shifter...?" I nodded at Eren's question.
And it was the truth. I had this feeling that always made my nape tingle whenever one of them was around. Think of it as my own spider-sense which instead of detecting danger, was more oriented toward shifters. I shit you not I legit panicked the first time I felt sudden goosebumps out of nowhere when I met Grisha that night.
"Which means, I know that the Colossal and Armored titans are among them. As for the last one, I don't know which titan they possess and what affiliation they have. In short, three shifters are currently out there and two of them are our targets."
"So you know their identity." Levi realized.
"Not necessarily, no. I know when a shifter is nearby, but not who it is precisely. For example, you see my neck," I twisted so they had a visual of my nape, "it's not noticeable at first, but the bristles are one of the few visible signs that a shifter's present. The only reason I knew about Annie was that we shared the same dorm for three years. She was mostly a loner who only associated herself with me since I had, in her quotes 'a comforting presence.'" that made Eren perk up. He nodded along in agreement." As for the unknown shifter, all I know is that it's a she as well."
I wish I could tell more—which I definitely can, mind you—, but I want them to deduce this one by themselves. My goal isn't to keep spoon-feeding them answers. They're smart, they'll eventually figure it out so giving them clues is all I can do right now, which makes me wonder...
"Not to change the subject but what happened after my scream? I wasn't really in the right state of mind at the time so I'm not sure what happened afterward."
I honestly had no clue what happened, just saw Annie's little figure dip after some time, or did I hallucinate that too? The question seemed to catch them off guard, especially Levi whose focus instantly shifted to his tea as a scowl came across his face.
'???'
Ilse was nice enough to clear things up for me. I was about to comment on it when Eren said something that made me pause.
"you fainted?" he nodded.
"Eld said that as soon as we heard the scream, I passed out. It wasn't for long though, just a few seconds at most."
"By any chance, did it go beyond ten seconds...?"
"Huh, yeah, that's what I was told... How did you know?" Eren frowned in confusion at Jean before noticing the frozen blond beside him. He glanced back and forth between Jean and Armin who both sported the same dumbstruck looks, too preoccupied to notice the befuddled frown that came across Mikasa's face. I beckoned her to voice what was bothering her.
"...I think I experienced something nearly identical but it was short."
"You mean, you fainted too...?" Mikasa shook her head at Ilse's words.
"Almost." was the girl's short reply as she eyed me for answers, wanting to comprehend what was going on with her. Guess we'll have that discussion on her heritage later huh.
I glanced toward Levi to confirm if he went through something similar but halted when I saw him stubbornly glaring down at the table, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Naturally, my tired brain eventually caught up on it, and just as I was about crack up, Armin's shaky voice made me swallow back my laugh.
"R-Reiner...and Bertholdt are shifters...!"
The silence was far more deafening than the last one as everyone's brain tried to process the new information while I just glanced awkwardly around.
"...so you're still up for a late-night barbecue...?"
They all looked at me as if I grew a second head.
As it turns out, my scream did, indeed, affect the pure titans. Not that I was expecting anything but to hear that it caused them all to collapse and remain unresponsive for a whole ten minutes baffled me. And to learn thatit not only affected the shifters, but also the Ackermans was mind-blowing, though it shouldn't have surprised me.
In other words, the pure titans lost consciousness for about 10 minutes, whereas shifters were out for 10 seconds meanwhile someone of Ackerman lineage will experience a short blackout. And from what Mikasa told me, it didn't last more than a split second, which...is enough to cause an accident when using the gear.
Yup, I think I know how Levi got injured but let's not dwell on it. *snort* Jesus, I know I shouldn't laugh 'cause it's entirely my fault but let's move on—
I still have no flippin' idea how it affects transformed shifters however, since my brain decided to say 'Sayonara Nigga' and refused to further cooperate at that time.
Either way, that's how they knew about Reiner and Bertholdt, and it didn't take them long to figure out who was who thanks to my artistic skills.
"How do you even know what their titans look like? You said you weren't there when they appeared." Jean had said in confusion. In response, I casually pointed to the seething teen next to me while not looking up from my sketches.
"Try living with a vengeful kid who has an overflowing imagination when it comes to finding freakish ways of obliterating titans in the worse way possible. Give him crayons and a piece of paper. It does wonders."
And to tell you that everything went south real fast would be an understatement. Eren went through the five stages of grief in just five seconds and I'll let you guess what was the last one. Whereas Annie's betrayal didn't impact him as strongly as in Canon since nobody died this time around, I wasn't surprised when he almost ran out of the door to murk them.
Kid was livid.
Had to grab his arm and engulf him in my aura so he wouldn't pop a blood vessel which thankfully worked since he calmed down enough to listen to what was said next.
But anyhow, we were currently heading to the capital. I was in the carriage sitting next to the Commander while Jean and Levi were both facing us. Overall, it's the same plan as in the manga with Jean posing as Eren while my beans were charged to lure Annie out.
Me? Well, I wasn't partaking in the operation.
Why? I'll let you take a guess.
I'm currently the only black person in these god-forsaken walls. Where are they gonna find a replacement?
"Why not use paint on someone?"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
Anyways, my presence will serve to cement the ruse so yeah, I'll let the kids handle this one. Speaking of the kids, Armin bamboozled the shit outta me last night.
"I...I want to overthrow the royal government!"
Yeah, definitely wasn't expecting that one. Aside from his sudden desire to emulate the French revolution, he apparently met his grandfather. Sadly, I was still dead to the world when it happened so I missed everything, even if he threw himself at me after the meeting and almost crushed my lungs in the process while bawling his eyes out in the confine of my room.
Couldn't fault him on that, and I think I felt a few tears leave mine when he began profusely thanking me, though he was upset that I hid it from him which was understandable. Still, I had my reasons for doing that, and I know he knew it too since—
"Grandpa refused to come with us."
Well, you have it. But enough reminiscing! Time to focus on the mission!
"Hey Jean, you sure you're not Eren's long lost cousin? 'cause I can barely tell you two apart."
An angry flush bloomed on his face as he refrained from snarling back a snarky response. A chuckle left my lips as I glanced through the window. We still had a couple of hours before we arrived at Stohess so I turned to the males as a yawn threatened to leave me.
"Do you mind if I take a nap? I still feel a little tired." The roads leading to wall Sina were all well maintained, given that they were mostly used by nobles, so there were next to no jerks or bumps that would cause you to hold onto the walls for dear life lest it'll cost you a concussion and a couple of brain cells.
The question seemed to throw them off as they all stared at me, stunned until Erwin nodded silently. This time I didn't stop the yawn and put my hands in my mustard-colored hoodie while leaning back before promptly passing out.
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3rd POV
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"She really fell asleep..." Jean stated, flummoxed as he watched Colith snooze nonchalantly without a care in the world.
The Commander just let out a chuckle at her easy-going behavior while the Corporal rolled his eyes.
A few quiet minutes went by when Erwin suddenly felt a new weight on his shoulder which prompted him to peer at the dozing woman leaning on him with raised brows.
Immediately, he felt eyes on him.
He glanced at the other occupants of the carriage and found a gawking Jean who swiftly looked down upon making eye contact while Levi's eyes were narrowed in a glare.
"A problem, Levi?"
The Ackerman blinked a few times before scowling.
"No." he clicked his tongue then glanced outside with a frown, adamant on ignoring the blond's amused smile.
Mike was utterly baffled.
After sending his squad in charge of the cadets to spread the alert, he was facing alone a horde of titans to give them a chance of escaping. Thus far, he had eliminated most of them and was about to call it a day when the beast-like titan that had been wandering around aimlessly for a while he strongly suspected to be a shifter suddenly grabbed his horse. An act that cemented his doubts.
'A shifter!'
He was so shocked that he nearly got crushed when the thing chucked his horse his way, making him inadvertently fall off the roof into the awaiting hands of the smaller class.
'SHI—'
The thing caught him tightly and was about to chomp him down when the strangest thing happened instead.
It winked at him, effectively causing him to stop struggling and stare in astonishment at the misshapen creature currently holding him. He was so stunned that he didn't hear the new deep voice, and only noticed the hairy giant looming over them after feeling a big gust of wind brush against him as the titan crouched to peer at them curiously.
"Strange, they tend to have trouble understanding when I talk to them..that's new."
Mike's entire being stiffened upon meeting the 17 meters' yellow eyes. It started asking questions about his equipment to which Mike didn't answer, too gobsmacked to form a coherent sentence.
The beast ended up reaching for his equipment seeing as Mike wasn't talking. And even though Mike knew he was currently facing an enemy shifter, he couldn't help but flinch when its long fingers plucked his gear off.
He now found himself gearless and vulnerable on the ground, surrounded by titans, yet he wasn't as afraid as he should be. From what Levi told him, as long as he had the necklace, he—
"Hm? That's an interesting necklace you've got there," his hand immediately clutched the jewel, obstructing it from the titan's view. "Oh? So you do understand me. Bah, doesn't matter, I found what I was looking for."
Mike watched as the beast walked away from him while keeping an eye on the remaining Titans. The one that had caught him was still there. Its big grey eyes never left him once throughout the one-sided conversation. Although, he couldn't help but feel that there was something...off about it. Especially its eyes.
Just when he thought he could slip away, the beast added something,
"Oh right, you can move now."
Wait what—
He whirled as soon as he heard footsteps heading toward him, clutching the jewel tightly. He didn't know how it worked exactly but he was confident in his survi—
A shout left his throat as he was picked up by a 12 meter just as the others tried to get to him, but as they made eye contact he made a confused noise when he noticed something but didn't have time to dwell on it when he realized his predicament. His stomach twisted painfully with trepidation and before he could blink, the titan shoved him in its mouth.
Distress would be an understatement to what Connie felt at the moment. His group had finally arrived in his village and the first thing he laid eyes upon were destroyed houses and other facilities in the same state. Footprints were visible on the way there but he couldn't bring himself to think about the worst.
As he sped up toward his house, ignoring his friends' and superiors' calls to wait, he came to an abrupt stop. His eyes widened to the size of saucers in front of a peculiar sight.
His house, it's...
It was intact.
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1st POV
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I slowly woke up to the sound of chaos going on and off in the distance and yawned as I straightened up from my lying position, unfazed by the cacophony of terrified screams and destruction unfolding outside. The carriage was empty, which means that they either must be standing outside, watching Eren and Annie wreak havoc upon Stoheiss. Or vibing. The former seems very likely.
Blinking, I casually hopped off of the carriage just to see Eren effortlessly toss Annie around like a giant bag of cement. Nodding in approval, I glanced around only to see Erwin being held at gunpoint which caused me to whistle, startling the shit out of the MPs who all whirled to look at me like deers caught in the headlights.
"Damn, what kinda drama's going on here." gotta act like I'm clueless. I heard Nail...Nile..whatever his name is, say as he turned to me with wide eyes, while his men were shivering their timbers.
"y-you..."
"Me?" I slightly tilted my head to the side, a shit-eating grin threatening to appear before jerking in surprise when Levi spawned from thin air in front of me with a scowl.
"You just woke up now? How the fuck did you sleep through all that noise?!" well I wasn't exactly sleeping but hey, can't say that now, right?
"Sorry!" I apologized with a chuckle, "So? I take it things didn't work out as we wished. What do you want me to do, Commander? Do I have a free hand?"
Erwin nodded, appalling Nile, "Of course, but are you sure?"
"Yep! That nap was all I needed!" I pumped my fists.
"Freeze!" Nile barked, pointing his rifle at me instead. He was hesitantly mimicked by his subordinates who were shaking in their boots as my eyes fell on them. Damn, what were they told to terrify them this much? "Where do you think you're going? You're not going anywhere, you monster! And you Erwin, look at what you did! You're destroying everything and you want to unleash another one?! Are you crazy?!"
"Hey hey hey, chill man, no one said anything about transforming so calm down. Do you really think they'd take well the appearance of another titan? Come on. Also shouldn't you deal with evacuations instead? Now if you'll excuse me—"
"I told you not to move or—" I cut him off with a dead-eyed stare.
"Or you'll what? Shoot me again? Or have you, perhaps, forgotten what occurred at the trial the last time one of your men pulled the trigger?" his mouth closed shut with an audible click as he eyed me with frightened eyes. I sighed, "Look I know you're just doing your job and all, and as a commander, you've got duties to carry but so do I, so I'll say it again. Let me go, otherwise, I'll have no choice but to use force and none of us want that now," I gently grabbed the barrel and squeezed it, casually damaging it beyond repair. "do we?"
Nile looked as white as a sheet as his jaw dropped. His subordinates weren't faring much better since they were all backing away from me.
"I believe that's enough, Colith. You shouldn't antagonize him further." Erwin chastised to which I chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'm just messing around," there was another boom in the distance which reminds me of the current situation. Right. Titan fights are bound to be destructive so casualties are to be expected. I saluted, about to dip but halted when he inquired about my gear due to my civilian outfit. I mean, a hoodie, a long wine-colored skirt, and a pair of sandals would be the last thing to come to mind when thinking of combat, right? "I won't need it!"
I threw in a peace sign, pecked Levi on the cheek then bolted away before he could realize what I just did. Cackling as I felt his aura burst in bewilderment, I swiftly arrived two blocks near the battle and began rescuing as many people as I could, starting with that poor little girl who had been roaming the streets aimlessly in the anime. Though this time, she was being carried by a wounded teenager I assume to be her brother.
"Hm...so it works. I see." I concluded.
Dropping in front of them, they squeaked in shock when I easily lifted them up and swiftly moved to one of the safest areas, far from the battle in seconds. After dropping them off and making sure their injuries were dealt with, I was about to turn around when the little girl caught my skirt, causing me to glance at her with raised eyebrows.
"T-Thank y-you...!" she squeaked with a shaky voice, her brother nodding along while looking at me with wide eyes.
Gaze softening, I gently ruffled their hair then left, ignoring the bystanders' astonished looks.
Most of the wounded civilians were perplexed at my appearance but had no choice but to listen to yours truly since they quickly realized that I was their only hope at the moment. Even ran into a group of soldiers attempting to rescue people buried under rubbles and naturally offered help. They were utterly flabbergasted when I casually lifted the debris they were having so much trouble moving to free the ones underneath. As for those beyond saving. Like. The dead. I had no remorse whatsoever since most of them were shit bags considering that [Bad Karma] was active.
What is [Bad Karma] you ask? Well, it's all in the name honey! No, seriously it's all in the name.
But anyhow, I didn't linger around too much to respond to any questions sent my way as I carried a bunch of people to shelters while keeping an eye on the battle.
Eren was doing relatively well. In comparison to the original source that is. I'd go so far as to say that he was going toe to toe with her. Tanking her hits and all like a champ. So proud of him!
How was that possible you ask? After all, Annie was a beast in close combat and she has far more experience being a shifter than him. Eren was in no way near her level on this front.
The thing is, she wasn't the only one using hardening in this fight.
About that?
Yeah, I snatched that shit from Rod Reiss a loooong time ago. It's funny how that little guy thinks he's in control when I'm the only one allowing his nonsense to continue since I need it for the plot. A plot that, might I had, i'm kinda butchering right now. But anyway, I was jumping from roof to roof, too fast for the human eye, while keeping up with the rescue and I was almost done until I saw Annie's titan ass scaling the wall like a freaking lizard.
Not gonna lie, it was a pretty funny sight to witness from afar. My eyes fell onto Eren's titan form who looked relatively okay, even though he was missing a whole chunk of arm, preventing him from going after Annie. Although that wasn't an issue since, as I got close, Mikasa and...oh wow, Petra—damn, it's so weird to see Levi squad in action up at this point— were already dealing with her fingers, causing Annie's giant form to plummet to the ground where everyone was waiting to capture her.
I landed on a nearby roof to watch the entire debacle come to a close as Eren ripped her nape off with his teeth, her little body now in sight.
And that's when our eyes met.
A tired smile was written on her lips as she eyed me. Seeing this, Eren paused and glanced in my direction. Even in titan form he still looked like an utterly confused puppy, something I found absolutely adorable!
I pointed to Annie which snapped him back into focus. Silly boy. Just as he was about to reach to rip her out, a bright light immediately encased the area and that was my cue. Landing on his shoulder, I grabbed his ear to yell at him to get out, which startled the few scouts nearby in the process. Even heard someone yell out my name in the back but I didn't bother identifying who it was. Luckily, we had essentially covered this part of training so he had less trouble getting out even though his speed when doing so left much to be desired.
I didn't give him time to find his bearings considering the hardening's rapid spreading and caught him by his armpits then fully pulled him out. We landed a few meters away from the bodies just as the wind and light caused by the hardening subsided. I waited for him to find his bearings then glanced at the crystal cocoon Annie was in, him following suit.
"Colith..." Eren began, eyes downcast, "I—"
"You did well," I was quick to shut that self-doubt tirade out before it even started with a peck on the temple, "Good job kid," I smiled down at him, "I'm proud of you." he stared at me gratefully, titan marks still prominent on his face as a light blush colored his cheeks.
He was about to reply when the others joined us and began questioning my presence here to which I responded with a simple "I ran."
"Good job guys!" I gave them a thumbs up, flashing them a grin.
"No thanks to you, witch." Gunther lightly kicked Oluo in the shin, "What? You know I'm right! Tch!"
Rolling my eyes, I turned to Armin who was gazing at the cocoon, a dazed look in his eyes, and gently patted his head which pulled him out of whatever thoughts he was stuck in.
"We got her but..."
"Don't worry Min, we'll figure it out."
"Can't you just break through it?" I shook my head as we watched Hanji and her squad heading to the cocoon to investigate. I opened my mouth to reply to Eren's question but stiffened upon feeling Petra and Mikasa's aura freeze in terror which prompted me to look up.
The boys and the few soldiers around followed my gaze and froze in turn. My mouth twitched while those around me were freaking out. Armin looked on the verge of fainting so I caught him when his legs buckled while Eren's jaw hung loosely.
Lo and behold, there was a giant face in the wall alright.
But the thing is...that it wasn't the same as the one shown in both anime and manga. I mean, I wasn't expecting things to exactly happen the same way at this point, especially with my direct involvement but still, looks a lot creepier which would explain everyone's panic and—
Oh. It's looking at me.
HOLY SHIT IT'S LOOKING AT ME—
I chuckled nervously as we kept eye contact, "...ayo I'll call this one Albert Big man Noseworthy."
Their faces were pure comedy.
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While everyone was still unsettled by the whole 'There are titans in the walls?!' we were waiting in a room for Eren to recuperate. He wasn't as tired as would be expected from someone who just shifted, but using the hardening when he wasn't still completely used to it did seep a significant amount of his stamina.
The good news is that we were no longer summoned to the capital as stated by Jean. As for the bad news... Well, it has yet to reach them.
Should I warn them? Nah, they'll figure it out.
"I still can't believe that Annie is the female titan. Then again she went easy on us the first time around so I guess that was a clue. And Reiner... that son of a bitch played us by making us think he was on our side." Jean mumbled more unsavory things as he scowled. "And to make things worse, we discover that there are fucking colossal titans in our walls. As if Bertholdt wasn't already enough."
I glanced at Eren who was silently glaring at the ceiling and flicked his nose, "What did I tell you about murderous thoughts and senseless revenge?" he scowled harder which prompted me to pinch his nose, "hm?" I pressed.
"To look underneath the underneath before reacting." he grumbled nasally before huffing petulantly as I let go. I shook my head then nudged Mikasa with a hopeless expression, "Men. Am I right?"
She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to refrain from laughing while Eren threw us an offended look. I perked up when I heard my name. Armin and Jean were looking at me.
"You said that you can sense shifters, right? And since we know that Bertholdt's the colossal titan and all, doesn't that make those in the walls shifters?" I shook my head, puzzling them.
"That would've been the case if they were shifters, yes. These are pure titans." I clarified plainly, "Plus spending a hundred years inside these walls is impossible for a shifter. They're humans first and foremost, so they'd die at some point. Although Darold–"
"It's no longer Albert..?" Eren turned to Mikasa who shrugged helplessly.
"–showed signs of life which is enough for me to conclude that he's just a regular titan, one I might be able to command now that I think about it..." Jean blinked.
"What."
"Oh, Colith can control titans." Armin supplied since Jean was deemed trustworthy by now, "That's why there were no casualties during the last expedition."
"Hold on, you're the reason why they were acting so...un-titan like...?"
"Yep." Jean's jaw dropped.
"B-but how?" he sputtered, "I saw Annie literally smash and kick someone to wall Maria, how come they're still whole and alive?!" I simply pointed to the jewel around Mikasa's neck which prompted him to pull his necklace out to look at it then at me with bewildered eyes, "W-what about it?"
"As long as you have it, you won't meet Allah."
"Who's A— how the fuck does that even work?!"
"Magic~"
Jean stood there, utterly speechless as Armin patted his shoulder in a show of solidarity.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." was all the blond offered which further made the taller teen distraught and confused by the minute while both Eren and Mikasa shared resigned looks.
I felt offended.
A knock sounded just after and a soldier announced that Erwin wanted Armin to attend the assembly. I inquired if my presence was requested as well and was told that I was to head to where Annie was being held. Nodding in understanding, I quickly whispered something to Eren's ear, causing a wild blush to erupt on his face to Mikasa's confusion, and walked out while dragging a flummoxed Jean with me outside.
I gave Armin a quick hug and watched him depart. I was about to walk off but noticed that Jean still looked bamboozled.
Scratching my cheek, I turned to the Mp, a young recruit, I noted,–'cause these cowards sent a fresh cadet to fetch me since they're still scared of yours truly, figures– and told him to wait a bit. He blinked before nodding.
"Hey Jean, come here a sec."
He seemed to snap out of it at my voice and glanced toward me with startled eyes. He still looked a bit frazzled and honestly who wouldn't be in this situation? Once he was close, he opened his mouth to form a question when I grabbed his chin then planted a kiss on his cheek, which interrupted whatever he was about to ask.
"You did a good job today but you should probably go relax a bit, okay? You look like you're about to collapse." patting his back amicably, I turned to the flabbergasted MP and told him to lead the way. We walked off, not seeing the way Jean's face flushed, though I had an idea with the way his aura warmed with infatuation.
Oh boi.
I should probably talk him out of that crush before he gets truly attached.
We arrived, scaring the living daylights out of the guards with my mere presence and found Levi squad Hanji standing and glaring at the cocoon as if it would melt under their heated stares.
I stopped next to Hanji "Hm? Shouldn't you be attending the meeting?" she replied that her second in command had it covered. Poor Moblit, "So, what's the situation ?"
"Well, besides the fact that titans' been protecting us for a whole century from titans, and that those religious wackos knew it but never bothered to inform anyone of that tiny little detail, how do we get her out?" I shrugged, causing Levi to briefly glance at me then back at Annie's unmoving figure.
"Can't you do anything about it? Like break it or something?" he asked. Hanji gasped suddenly, startling everyone.
"The spears! We can always use the spears once they're ready! That way we'll be able to extract information from her!" I was quick to shut that idea down because knowing her, she'll go through with it.
"Bad idea. Unless you want a dead prisoner on your hands, I wouldn't recommend that solution."
"What do you mean?"
"The cocoon can only be nullified by its creator. If an external force attempts and succeeds in damaging it, it will only lead to the death of the one trapped inside." I was mainly basing myself on Lara Tybur's case. Forcefully breaking the crystal was an instant death for the shifter and I wasn't risking them inadvertently killing her.
"In that case, you'll have to explain more later on so we can conduct more testing in a better setting," Hanji requested to which I responded positively with a curt nod.
Having tested it myself with some clones of mine during my year-long solitude, I had concluded that there was no safe way to extract someone out without risking their death unless you were the founding titan, something I am not, and therefore had the power to influence all your brethren. Then again, I'm the [Mother of All] which should automatically mark every living being on this planet as my kin, a notion I still find, to this day, disturbing as hell. Although there are still some aspects of my powers that are unknown to me, I can't seem to completely influence eldians and other humans since there is no concrete link between us.
I lightly clutched the vial in my pocket.
Something I will fix in time for sure.
I was pulled out of my musings by Oluo's voice.
"But tell me, now that I think about it, for someone who just found out their friend was a traitor, you don't look that upset,"
"Oluo." Eld warned.
"No no, she looks too calm for my taste." I turned to him with a quirked brow.
"Ah, if this isn't my good old friend Bootleg. What, still thinking that I'm a traitor? Would you rather see me cry and roll on the ground screaming in despair? Would that convince you? Oh well, I can do tha—"
"Don't." Levi cut in immediately, likely realizing that I was dead serious. I pouted. "in other words, there's nothing we can do about this?"
I shook my head, causing those present to express dissatisfaction and mostly frustration in front of this impasse. After all, when your resident shifter confirms that there's no solution, you can only sigh and wait for something to happen.
"What's that in your pocket?" I jolted in surprise at Gunther's sudden question. Everyone turned to me curiously. With a sigh, I brought the thing to view.
Petra tilted her head, "What's this?"
"A stress ball. You squish it to relieve stress." I handed it to Hanji who did grabbing motions the moment she saw it, interested in the new material. "See, bootleg? This is how you handle stressful situations. There's no need to show it to the world."
He harrumphed in response.
The small moment of respite was promptly shattered by a soldier bursting into the vault. "WALL ROSE HAS FALLEN!"
Would you look at that? It's the plot!
BONUS:
We were all discussing plans to apprehend Bertholdt and Reiner when Jean suddenly perked up.
"Didn't you go on a date with Bertholdt two weeks ago? Shouldn't you have noticed that he was a shifter at this moment?"
Everyone turned to me, waiting for my reply. Erwin, Hanji, and Ilse mouthed the word 'Date', confusion clear on their face while my beans scowled in irritation. Levi's eyebrows were up to his hairline as he stared at me with wide eyes.
"I would have, yes. In fact, I was suspecting it at the time and would've probably found out if only I didn't feel 3 more similar presences trailing us all day." I responded simply, implying that I knew what they did, causing all the teenagers to suddenly look away.
They weren't slick.
"What is a 'Date'?" Erwin inquired, squinting.
"You went on a date with that lanky beanstalk?" Levi asked with a scowl to which I nodded and then explained the 'new' term to the three. Hanji sharply turned to the Ackerman.
"So Levi, how did you know what a date was?"
Levi did not respond.
HERE WE GO, AFTER ALMOST 2 YEARS, SEASON 2
SASAGEYO MY PEOPLE!!
Word count: 9500.