"Elijah... You should just-"

"No, Mikasa. He's out there...I know it."

"Hey, you two," Mikasa turns us both around to the Scout officer. "You're up next, we need to get to the top of the Wall."

"Just give us a second!" I turn away, nearly losing my hold on Mikasa. I whistle, desperately hoping that my loyal companion can hear...but my call only echoes through the air. "Damn it!"

"Elijah... We have to go."

I groan. "...Alright." As much as I hate saying that, Mikasa is right. All I can do right now is continue with my mission.

Thank God surviving the night wasn't the only miracle to happen today.

The distant sound of clomping on the ground brings my attention back to the forest behind me...and there he is. "Spirit!" I nearly fall on my face as I release my grip on Mikasa and run toward my horse and he does the same to me. I ignore Mikasa and the Scout's calls, right now, I'm more relieved that Spirit's alright.

The animal stops in front of me, then I embrace him like an old friend. Hell, this horse has gotten me through a lot in the past month. He's never let me down. I know that caring about a horse like this is strange to some people, but I don't care. The bond between a horse and their rider is like family. They're almost as loyal as dogs. Sure, they can't protect you as well and they're more skittish than dogs, but they're just as emotionally attached. The bond between Spirit and I...can never be broken.

"Good boy, Spirit."

Wall Rose

"So that's what happened. And you say...another Titan shifter?"

I nod. As the Scouts hoist themselves up to the top of Wall Rose, I report tonight's events to Hange. I did manage to catch some sleep, so with the little rest I've managed, I feel somewhat better...still hurts though. "Yes. Connie coined him, the 'Beast Titan' due to its appearance."

"Hmm. What do you think of Ymir?"

"She's not the enemy...but I don't know if she'll be our ally. She's hidden this secret for years, even when Eren shifted in Trost. Whatever other secrets she may have... Maybe she'll talk about them later."

"Please believe us!" We turned to Christa, who Hange was interrogating before I stepped over. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir transformed into a Titan to fight off the other Titans and save us! She did so with no regard for her own life, which proves her loyalty to us, her comrades! It's true that her judgment until now is unforgivable. After all, she may know things useful to humanity and yet she kept quiet about it! I imagine she didn't say anything in order to protect herself. But...now she's a changed person! Ymir is an ally of humanity! I know Ymir better than anybody. She's a much simpler person than she looks."

Hange lowers her head. "I see. Obviously, I hope we can build a trusting relationship with her. Her judgment aside, the information she holds is a treasure for humanity. I hope we get along. But you know..." Hange steps aside, walking over to Ymir's lain body. "Even if she's a simple person, this world becomes more of a confusing mess with every passing day... You said... Your real name was Historia Reiss?"

"Yes. That's right."

"Reiss, as in that noble family?"

"Yes."

"I see." Hange turns around, placing a hand on Christa's... Historia's shouder. "Nice to meet you, Historia."

"Yeah." I am now coming to terms with that I've joked about Ymir treating Christa... Historia like royalty when in fact Historia is noble by blood. I'm not too sure myself, but isn't the king named Reiss as well? That means... Historia is a princess, right?

"How's Ymir?" Hange asks the Scouts around her as we arrive. Historia kneels beside her friend while I stand between Hange and Moblit.

"She's still in a coma. Her bleeding has stopped, and we think steam is coming out of her wounds."

I nod. "She'll be okay then, eventually."

"For now, take her back to Trost so she can get some proper medical care. She's in your hands."

"Understood."

"Now then..." Hange turns back around and Moblit and I follow. With Ymir situated, I'm sure we're back to the real reason we're here. "Our original mission was to seal this wall."

"We didn't see a breach along the southwestern side, Gelgar's team reported the same. Then again, we lost light at the time. We possibly could've missed it."

"We'll find it, Elijah."

"Yes, ma'am." Despite Hange's reassurance, something still didn't feel right. The number of Titans we fought supports the notion that there's a breach, but... That was just at one location, and they weren't that numerous when we got to Utgard.

"Is everyone clear?" Hange asks of my fellow cadets as we approach Mikasa, Connie...and Sasha. "We'll deal with Ymir later. And Connie, I'll arrange a Scout squad to investigate your village later. For the time being, I want you to focus on the mission to fix the Wall. Got it?"

"Got it!"

As Hange continues to speak to us, I turn to the other redhead nearby. She manages to keep her eyes away from me, and honestly, it's kind of hard to look at her directly, especially after... Regardless, I step beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "...Hey."

The girl finally manages to look back at me...with that signature smile of hers. "...Hey."

"I uh...kept my promise, barely, but...I did." Smooth, Elijah.

Sasha sidesteps a bit closer, our arms brushing against each other. "Good."

"There's no hole anywhere!" We look down to Hannes in complete and utter shock. Even with my internal theory, I was hoping to be completely wrong. "We spent all night looking for it...but at least between Trost and Krolva district, there's nothing wrong with the Wall."

"What'd you say?"

"We bumped into soldiers from Krovla and retraced our steps. We haven't seen any Titans the whole way here."

"But...we know for sure that there's Titans on this side of the Wall."

"Did you actually look? Are you sure you're not drunk?"

"I didn't drink! Wait, why are all of you here anyway?"

Hange turns to the assembled Scouts, a finger resting on her chin. "If there's no hole in the Wall...so be it. For now, we're falling back to the Trost district!"

So there really is no breach...but how does that explain the Titans inside? I stand in place alongside Sasha with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin as they huddle around Hannes. Like me, I'm sure they're trying to wrap their minds to the truth.

"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down. We're going back ahead of you." He drops off the Wall and departs, leaving the four of us in a daze.

"There's nothing wrong with the Wall?"

Armin steps off, his mind churning. "There's been nothing like this in five years. Why is it all happening now? This world is getting more and more out of hand." Sasha and Mikasa follow along shortly, but I stand with Eren a moment longer before I gesture to him.

"Come on, before our heads explode from thinking." I catch up to Mikasa, walking beside her as I think about what's happening. Which, like I said, makes my head hurt. "...I knew there wasn't a breach."

"Eren, have a minute? We need to talk."

"What about?"

"How so?"

"Last night, when I was fighting, somehow that idea came to me. That Beast Titan... He climbed the Wall instead of breaking through. Given...other recent information about the Walls, it made sense."

"Five years ago, we demolished the Wall and began our attack on humanity."

"Hange told us the Wall is made out of hardened material Annie produced. They have a similar composition."

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

"That explains why they never breached the Walls in any case, rather the city gates. Maybe the Walls are too tough to break through... Hey, where's Eren?" I notice Mikasa stops moving to look back, so I follow her sight to Eren, Reiner, and Bertholdt conversing behind. I start to call to them, but I catch Mikasa's glare silently telling me to keep quiet. Confused, I whisper. "Why?"

"...Listen."

Not really following, I heed Mikasa's command, tuning in to Reiner. "Our primary goal was to ensure all of humanity was wiped out, but now there's no need for that."

"Uh..."

"Eren. If you agree to come with us, we won't have to destroy any more of the Walls. Understand?"

...What? What is... What is Reiner saying?

"No, wait! I don't understand at all!"

"I'm saying... Why don't you just come with us? I know this is sudden, but we need to go now."

"Right now? Where will you take me?"

"I can't say that yet. But... Well, it's something like our hometown. So? What will it be, Eren? It's not a bad deal, right? You can easily avert this crisis."

"I wonder about that..." Eren sighs and looks our way. Being just a step in front of her, I can see Mikasa's face become near murderous while my own is damn confused. Behind me, Armin calls us to get us moving, yet we stand still.

"Mikasa..."

"Yesterday, Hange gained Annie's records from Sasha and told us that two others came from the same area as she did in the 104th... Reiner and Bertholdt." I gasp softly as I look back to the trio, seeing Eren with his arms folded as he gazes to the sky. No...no way...Reiner and Bertholdt came from the same place, I knew that already, but Annie's never spoken of her home. "Do you remember the scouting expedition? Their units were told Eren was in the right wing, right?"

"Annie...attacked from the right wing...but there's no way Reiner and Bertholdt are like her in any way. They never talked, never! She almost killed Reiner! Annie had hum right in her ha-"

He continues talking as Reiner engages the Titan, his hook going straight to her shoulder. Reiner's going for her nape! NO! Can he do it while Armin distracts her? Maybe he can...no. At the last second, she spots Reiner flying by her face. And just as quickly, Reiner is grabbed. "Reiner!" He's not completely crushed, but he's struggling nonetheless. That's when she places her thumb over his head...then there's blood everywhere.

But before I'm completely frozen, Reiner returns, bursting out of the Titan's hand. I gasp in relief as he goes to Armin and picks him up, then I look to the Titan. It looks at its smoldering hand before lowering it, possibly wondering how in the hell Reiner escaped. No matter, I get to Jean and start our retreat with Reiner. "We've bought enough time, right? Let's get the hell away from it! If it isn't a man-eater, it won't follow us!" We run as we watch as the Titan stands up, then begins to run in the opposite direction of us. "Look... That big bitch got scared and decided to go home!"

No...why? Something's telling me that Reiner is wrong. I may have lost my sense of direction due to the fight, but... I don't think she's retreating, but advancing...to Eren.

"You're just tired, aren't you? Right, Bertholdt? You've been through so much, it's making you crazy."

"Y-Yeah. Reiner's just very tired."

"After Reiner escaped...Annie looked at her hand for a few moments before setting off for Eren's location in the center. Armin suggested he would be there after Reiner said Eren was in the right flank. There was no way she heard us, so..." I look to Reiner again, noticing one thing I remembered when identifying Annie and that's the similarities between her Titan and human form. Annie had the same eye color, hair color, and even some facial features. Eren and his Titan share the same hair and aggressive nature. If Reiner is a Titan...which one would he-

At the epicenter of the cloud stands a figure, one of Titan size, but its behavior and appearance are atypical. In the brief glimpse I get of it, I can see blonde short hair, an armor-like body, and eyes that flash red in the cloud of dust. A titan that would continue to haunt me for years, even just mentioning it sends a chill down my spine and sends pure hatred into my soul.

"Besides, if you really were the Armored Titan that wants to destroy humanity...why would you be asking me this in the first place?"

Short...pale blonde hair... The Armored Titan had like that...and so does Reiner. I turn away, looking down at my feet, my breathing intensifying. No...don't tell me...after all this time...for three years...I've been beside the enemy...called him brother...trusted him with my life. I look to Mikasa, my eyes pleading with her to tell me this is some cruel joke so we can laugh it off. This is all just a coincidence, right? A lot of people have that pale blonde color. That's when I realized one fact...

Mikasa, rarely, if not ever, tells jokes.

"What did you think would happen? That I'd nod and say, 'Sure let's go?'"

Reiner is silent momentarily as he looks away from Eren, his eyes sinking into his face. "That's right. What the hell was I thinking? Have I really gone crazy?"

Eren turns around to head to us. "Come on, let's go." Please, come with is, Reiner, Bertholdt. You can't be who they think you are. That's when the wind picks up, fluttering the flags along the Wall so strongly that one of them manages to snap apart and fall. The change in the air...the parting of the clouds...the brightening in the sky... This all feels too familiar. Unconsciously, my hand reaches for my blade, though I barely manage to hold it steady. I'm not the only one: Mikasa, too, shakes, her hand betraying her face.

"I see..." Reiner says softly. "That's it. I've been here too long for my own good. It's been three long years...surrounded by nothing but idiots. We were just kids... We didn't know anything. If only I knew that there were people like this...I...wouldn't have become...such a half-assed piece of shit!" Reiner reaches for his sling, taking it off his neck and slowly unwrapping it. "It's too late now... I don't know what's right anymore. But the only choice for me now...is to face the consequences of my actions...and as a warrior...fulfill my duty to the bitter end!"

Reiner's arm, the one that ones injured, shows he dark veins and arteries that are now around Ymir's head and shoulders, in addition to the steam evaporating from the healing wound. In an instant, those markings vanish. That...proves it...and I snap.

"Reiner! Are we doing it?! Now?! Right here?!" Bertholdt...that makes you the other...the Colossal Titan...the one who started it all...

"Yeah. We settle this...right here, right now!" Reiner steps forward to a puzzled Eren, but he never makes it.

"YOU BASTARD!" Blades out, I leap out from behind Eren, severing Reiner's newly healed arm while Mikasa dashes after me and cuts Bertholdt's throat. My blade stuck in his left arm, Reiner and I share a glance, him knowing why I came for him specifically before he throws me aside and shoves Mikasa off Bertholdt. We land on the side of the Wall, furious. "I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!" I push myself back up over the Wall, but I'm already too late.

"Bertholdt!" Yellow light shines around them as I land behind Eren, the others running behind me. Reiner's determined look... Bertholdt's pained... Before I could attack again, lightning strikes.

Knocked to my feet, I use my cloak to protect my face from the wind and steam as I see half of Bertholdt's Colossal Titan rise on the Wall, Reiner's Armored Titan standing beside him. Turning my head, I see Eren hanging on the edge of the Wall but suddenly drop. "Eren!" Reflexively, Reiner reaches out, grabbing Eren. At the same time, Bertholdt reaches over us for something.

"Ymir!" Ymir? I remember now when Ymir revealed her form, Reiner and Bertholdt... They knew who she was. But why bring her? For her power? I see Reiner leap off the Wall, hearing Armin call for Eren. Tears evaporate from my eyes as I look up to Bertholdt, gritting my teeth in an effort to hold in my cries.

Three years ago

We're now outside the camp, walking through the forest. Bertholdt and Reiner take lead while Armin, Eren, and I trek behind them. "There's no shame in caring about your life, Bertholdt," Armin says. "We all do."

I look to Reiner, wondering what his story is, he's been very quiet. "Why did you join?"

"I'm going to return to the home that was taken from me. That's all I care about now. I will do it. No matter what." I hear the conviction in his voice, not too different from mine and Eren's. The three of us want the same thing, to return and take back our homes.

Bertholdt looks about, turning to Eren. "What about you? Why did you sign up?"

Eren frowns initially, but as he speaks his face becomes more and more fierce. "Why'd I join? I decided I have to kill them. I won't stop till every single Titan is dead and rotting. Dead. Every last one."

Reiner and Bertholdt look absolutely flabbergasted, but that's how one would react to Eren's reasoning. Reiner glances at me, silently asking me the same question. I look back with a face similar to Eren's. "I couldn't stand idly by and let that one continue to live on, the Armored Titan, it took my family away from me." I grip my mother's necklace wrapped around my neck. "Eren can kill all the Titans for all I care, but I will be the one that sends the Armored Titan back to hell."

Reiner nods and turns around. As we come to a clearing in the woods, he speaks again. "You saw what those monsters are capable of and you still want to take them on?"

"Damn right," Eren states. "It's just after screwing up the training, I don't know if I'm cut out to be a soldier."

The clouds spread apart in the sky, revealing the full moon. Light hails down on the earth, revealing our location to be on a cliff overlooking lower levels of the forest and a large lake that flows into a river. It is quite a marvelous scene, one I did not know is so close to the camp.

"We'll take it from step one: belt adjustment. By tomorrow, you'll be an expert. I know you've got what it takes. I can see it in you. Am I wrong here?"

Eren looks back at Reiner, smiling in happiness that the older boy will help. "No! I won't fail. Thank you, Reiner." Reiner smiles back, then looks for a short but noticeable moment at me before turning back to the scenery below us.

Reiner...all this time, you knew that we were enemies. But you covered it with friendship, brotherhood...and so did you, Bertholdt. Annie's betrayal hurt differently. We knew her, but you guys...We believed in you. I wipe my tears away as the force of the Colossal Titan's steam begins to wear down.

To my right, another flash of lightning, then a familiar roar of Eren's Titan. I stand up, staring up at Bertholdt with a raging, murderous determination. You had the nerve to cry, Bertholdt... So be it, I'll make you cry.

Reiner... Bertholdt... I'm gonna kill you... YOU FUCKING TRAITORS!