Deep within forests unknown, a young barn owl lighted soundlessly on a top-most branch of an ancient and enormous ash tree. The wood beneath its talons was warped and disfigured by time and its' color was bleached and weather-worn, yet it remained standing all the same. Its incredible height offered the owl an excellent view of the endless woods around him as he scanned the ground below for his next oblivious pray. The owl had only just spotted a small mouse skuttling around the hulking roots below when a low hum disrupted the soft hush of wilderness, and the mouse took off into the underbrush.
The hum was subtle but undeniable, pulsing through the tree as if it came from within. Peering down between the thick branches, the owl caught sight of an eerie blue glow emitting from between the twisted roots below. The light danced and pulsed, reflecting off the wood and reaching out across the fallen leaves and debris as if searching for something. Even an apex hunter such as he knew what danger felt like, his feathers deflating and becoming slick against him in fear. With one downstroke of its powerful wings the owl was airborne, angling his fight northward towards hunting grounds less foreign to him. Whatever prey he sought would not be found here, and as the tree disappeared from view the owls' keen instincts told him just how close he had been to no longer being the hunter… but the hunted.
Three long years had passed since Armin had taken his Allied Ambassadors to Paradis in hopes of reconciliation, and now it seemed to him as though the world had eased into a tense period of impasse. Despite their desperate escape from the Capitol, the Jaegerist-lead Eldian people had chosen not to push persecution on them or those they deemed "traitors". Instead, they pulled deep within their metaphorical walls and cut all diplomatic contact with Marly and the other allied nations.
Though Historia (who remained deeply committed to uniting the people of Paradis and opening the path to an alliance) was still able to ferry information to the mainland, the situation was quickly deteriorating. The fear of an attack from the outside world only grew as the Jaegerist controlled government tightened their hold on the Eldian people. Their military sector was growing exponentially and their technology, though crude, was much more deadly. It had all come to a head in the past several months when protests began popping up around communities that were backed and supported by Historia's administration. This caused a significant amount of panic within the partnered nations in regards to the safety of their intelligence team, and they were now calling for an extraction of the Queen and her government officials.
Back in the country of Marley the citizens of the free world struggled. Though several cities were once again standing tall and the fields and farms yielded crops and livestock to the people, it was not so much food and shelter they hungered for now: it was power.
As regional governing parties began to gain back their strength they bickered and fought over ownership of land, resources, and jurisdictions. There was a constant struggle of dominance within the higher branches of both the military and government, each group looking to come out on top of a rebuilt civilization.
Thanks to the diplomatic ties with the Allied Nations (more specifically the Hizuru nation) technology advancements were another resource that was coveted by those wishing to climb up the governmental hierarchy, though a lack of means kept both military and societal progress at a slow trickle. The vast resources buried beneath the ground on Paradis that could have aided them remained solely within the Jaegerist's grasp, though from what Historia had gathered they had little to no understanding of how to utilize it.
An incredibly frustrating aspect for Armin to accept was the bitter truth that even as life was born anew for the world, old ideals somehow remained. Six years after the fall of humanity there were still those who called for the persecution of the Eldian people, or any other nationality they considered a blight on their lands. Organizations and extremist collectives called for justice. Hate and mistrust 2000 years deep was still ingrained in the hearts of Marly, despite the destruction such hate had dealt to life on earth.
Had they not learned what that kind of hatred could cause? Was the loss of 80% of the population not enough to get them to let go of their prejudices? There may not be all powerful titans to aid in that kind of damage now, but deep in his heart Armin felt that if left unchecked, those prejudices would someday bring on another Rumbling: one that humanity will have created for themselves.
A knock on the door made Armin jump, sending the open notebook on his lap tumbling to the floor. He picked it up and set it on the end table next to the chair he was in, standing up. He hadn't written anything in hours, anyway. His thoughts had been too jumbled up to translate them into sentences.
Looking over the cluttered desk in front of him, he quickly tucked an ancient looking journal underneath a plethora of historical documents that littered its' surface. It seemed that no matter how many times he reminded himself that the Titan chapter of history had closed, there were still too many questions; questions that Armin intended to answer. Although these intentions were not necessarily being kept a secret, no one needed to know just how deep his obsessive curiosity had become.
He walked across his modest apartment living room and opened the door to find Oz standing on the other side, looking uncomfortable. Osmond Bennet was a red-headed engineer with an unruly beard and lighthearted demeanor. Originally from Marley, he had been overseas training in military mechanics within Hizuru when the Rumbling happened but had returned shortly after to lead the research and construction teams of Veritas as they struggled to get off the ground. Now that the city was beginning to stand on its own two feet, he was spending more and more time in the communications center of the parliament building.
Armin enjoyed when he got to be present for Historia's monthly check-ins. The radio they used to communicate with their counterparts on Paradis always fascinated and baffled Armin, though he supposed much of the world was strange to him considering what his life used to be. He wondered if…
Armin frowned, having finally registered the look on Oz's face. It wasn't just uncomfortable; it was tense and severely nervous.
"What's going on, Oz?"
Oz sighed, rubbing the side of his neck. "We have a problem." His voice was as tense as his face.
"What kind of problem?"