Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 11 (May 15, 2019)
The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orange glow over the world while Lorraine and Mikasa hoisted Eren over Wall Rose, draping his arms over their shoulders. He was unconscious, but he occasionally let out a groan. Armin asked as they gently lowered themselves down the wall and onto the ground, "How do you think this happened? Has he always...y-you know...?" Lorraine sighed, looking at her friend's sleeping face. Mikasa said softly, "We should worry about getting him to safety first. We'll ask questions later." Lorraine grunted, struggling to hold Eren's dead weight, "She's right. We have to...make sure he's okay-" She gasped. Mikasa and Armin both looked up. The group was suddenly surrounded by Garrison soldiers.
"Oh no! What do we do now? They'll never let us go!"
"I'll kill them all."
Lorraine's eyes widened apprehensively as she and Armin gaped at Eren. Mikasa froze in her place for a moment. Eren's eyes were half-lidded and he had a horrific grin on his face. His smile faded as he began to realize the situation. Lorraine asked, gently hitting his cheek, "Eren? Eren, are you okay?" Armin asked frantically, "Can you move? Please, Eren! Tell them everything you know! I-I'm sure they'll understand!" Eren asked, confused, "Armin? Lorraine? Wh-where are we?" Whispers fluttered around from the army of Garrison soldiers.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. He said he's gonna kill us all."
"I know. I heard it, too."
"I'll bet he wants to eat us!"
Mikasa stood up and stood defensively in front of her sister and her friends. Eren looked around, still not sure what was happening. He asked shakily, "Wh-what are they talking about? A-are they pointing their blades at us?! B-but those are for taking out Titans! Why are they looking at us like that? Wh-what's going on!?" Lorraine tightened her grip on his body as she looked back up at Mikasa and the Garrison. Armin knelt beside Eren, holding his other arm and supporting his weight. A light breeze stirred up the dust around them while Garrison Regiment Commander Kitz Woermann shouted, "Cadets Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Lorraine Ackerman, and Armin Arlert! You have committed an act of treason! Whether you live or die depends solely on your actions here and now! Don't try anything funny or attempt to move from where you stand! If you do, we will blast you to bits immediately and without hesitation!" Lorraine's amber eyes darted from soldier to soldier fearfully. Each one had both Titan-killing blades drawn and all the sharp blades were aimed directly at the four kids.
"Now," Commander Woermann shouted, "This is a direct question! Answer truthfully! Are you a human or a Titan!?" Lorraine began to protest, but Eren interrupted, "I-I'm sorry, Sir, but I...I-I don't understand!" Commander Woermann said skeptically, "Feigning innocence won't help you, Monster! Now answer the question before we blast you to bits!" Eren gasped and looked around, panicking. Woermann explained, "Listen! A great many people witnessed the moment you appeared from inside the body of a Titan!" Eren's blue-green eyes shimmered.
"We've allowed an unknown being to infiltrate Wall Rose! Even if you are a member of the Cadets as sanctioned by the King, it is well within my authority to eliminate any and all threats as quickly as possible! The Armoured Titan that took down Wall Maria could very well appear at any moment now! Hell, for all we know, you could simply be a distraction!"
Mikasa furrowed her brows and gritted her teeth. Woermann continued, "Even as we speak, the very survival of humanity is at stake! Do you understand?! We simply cannot afford to waste any more time or manpower on you; however, I will take you down with high explosives if I must!" A female soldier with short, silvery-white hair and round, wire-framed glasses said something quietly to the Garrison Commander. She was too quiet for anyone to hear, but Mikasa stepped forward aggressively.
"My specialty is rendering flesh. If anyone doubts me, then I invite you to step forward. I will gladly demonstrate my technique for you."
Lorraine growled lightly. The white-haired woman turned to Commander Woermann once again, speaking quietly to him. Eren snapped, "Hey! Mikasa! Armin! What's going on!? Lorraine?" Armin said sharply, "Hey, Mikasa! Attacking people won't help us! We have nowhere to go inside the Wall-" Mikasa cut him off, "I don't care. I won't let anyone kill Eren." Lorraine said, "Mikasa, I know you want to protect Eren, but let's just try and talk it out!" Armin agreed with Lorraine, "Yes. None of them truly understand the situation! That's why fear is spreading among them like wildfire!" Commander Woermann turned back to them and shouted, "I'll ask you one last time! What are you really?!" Lorraine stared out of the corner of her eyes. Mikasa adjusted her grip on her blades. Armin held his breath. Silence. Eren took a deep breath.
"I'm human!"
After another long silence, Woermann raised his hand slowly to the sky. He said in a low voice, "I see. Don't take this personally. This is simply how it has to be. Not a single person in this world can actually prove their own innocence." Lorraine and Mikasa reacted instantly. Mikasa ran back and grabbed Armin. Lorraine clutched Eren as the group started sprinting away as Woermann gave the signal to fire the cannons.
Lorraine felt herself hit the ground. A flash of bright orange lightning blinded her, leaving her vision dark and clouded.
"No. Wait."
She looked around, rubbing her eyes. It wasn't her vision. It was the air around her. She looked around. Dust and steam filled the air, swirling and spiralling around them. She looked up and saw what appeared to be a giant skeleton. Armin looked up, trembling in fear. Mikasa knelt next to Lorraine and offered her hand. Eren was nowhere in sight.
"N-no...no way..." Armin stammered, "I-I can't... What...happened...? I-I remember hearing the cannon-" Mikasa interrupted, keeping her voice steady as though this was all a normal occurrence, "Eren protected us. For now, that's all we need to know." Lorraine sat on her knees in stunned silence, just holding Mikasa's hands. She looked down at the ground and gasped lightly, letting go of one of Mikasa's hands and reaching down.
"Bellflowers...? Only inside the skeleton...?"
She picked one of them and brought it up to her nose, just as she used to. She sighed and held it close to her heart. Eren called to them, running around into the skeleton, "Hey! Are you three okay?!" Lorraine stood up, ran to him, grabbing him by the arm roughly, and said, "Eren! What the hell is going on!?" Eren winced in pain.
"Ow! I-I don't know, but it's already beginning to vaporize! Now, let me go! That hurts!"
Lorraine gasped and let go. Eren said sternly, "While we have the chance, we should run away!" Armin said, "Hang on! I can't tell if they're watching and waiting or if they're in a daze, but the Garrison Regiment isn't showing any signs of activity at the moment." Mikasa looked in the Garrison's direction and said, "I'm sure that as soon as the dust and steam clears out, they'll launch another attack. Not only that, but after seeing what happened, I don't think we'll have a chance of reasoning with them." Eren gasped suddenly.
"I remember something, now. The basement. My dad's basement!"
Armin opened his mouth to say something, but Eren continued, "My dad said that everything would make sense if I were to go there! He's also the reason this happened to me! I think if I get to the basement, I may figure out what the Titans are, too!" Mikasa took his hand gently. Eren snapped, "Damn it! Why did he keep it a secret!?" He growled and gripped Mikasa's hand.
"H-hundreds...no...thousands of Scouts have died just trying to get that information! It's the only hope humanity has and he just kept it tucked away, hidden right under our noses!"
Lorraine said, "E-Eren...I'm sure he had his reasons-" Eren shouted, "What the hell was he thinking!? And where has he been these past five years?!" Mikasa said, snapping him out of his confused rambling, "Eren! We have more important things to worry about right now." Eren sighed.
"I'm getting out of here."
Lorraine protested, "And where do you think you're going!?" Armin asked, surprised, "How!?" Eren looked down at his hand and said, "Anywhere will do for now. Then I'll make my way over the wall and back to Shiganshina after I change into a Titan again. I'm not entirely sure how I'll do it, but I know I can." Armin asked quietly, "How do you know that?" Eren shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's kind of like how I can't explain how I move my arm. Just now, my mind unconsciously focused on stopping the cannonball." Armin said, "I see. That's why the Titan body decayed so quickly; it only had the capabilities and endurance to carry out that particular task." Eren nodded.
"Yeah. Next time, I'll be an even stronger one! A 15-meter Titan-killer like before!"
Mikasa said, cutting him off, "Eren. Your nose is bleeding." Eren wiped the red stream of blood from his upper lip on his sleeve. Lorraine added, "You look pale and your breathing is ragged." Armin said, "Transforming like that must have really taken its toll on your body." Eren snapped at them, "My health isn't important right now. Look. I have two ideas in mind. You three can get through this alive if you stop trying to protect me. I've already caused you enough trouble as it is, so I should go it alone from here on out." Armin, Mikasa, and Lorraine protested simultaneously.
"Y-you can't be serious, Eren!"
"You can't go by yourself!"
"I'm coming with you."
Eren said firmly, "No. I can't have you guys getting hurt." Mikasa said, "If I can't keep up, you don't have to worry about me." Eren snapped at her, "Mikasa, I've told you before: I'm not your little brother, so stop treating me like a kid!" Mikasa sighed, hurt.
"Eren Jaeger! You keep shooting us down when we're only trying to help you!"
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were shocked by Lorraine's outburst. Lorraine continued angrily, "Since we were kids, you've done nothing but refuse our help and act like a bratty child! I know I haven't exactly been the nicest girl out there, but I've since learned the error of my ways." Eren put his hand on his cheek where Lorraine slapped him. Lorraine folded her arms, but before she could say anything, he said, "Hang on. I said I have two ideas, remember?" Lorraine scowled at him, listening. He said, "For the moment, the Garrison isn't showing any signs of launching the next assault. If they were, I'm sure Mikasa would've sensed it faster than any of us would with her cat-like senses." Armin nodded and said, "Assuming they reload in the shortest time possible, I'd guess we have about thirty more seconds." Eren said, "Right. Armin, I leave the choice up to you." Armin looked up at him, his blue eyes wide with surprise.
"M-me?"
Eren explained, "Look, even I know how unrealistic this second plan is, but the best option would be to use this Titan ability in some kind of strategic way, under the military's direction. I know how crazy this sounds, but if you think you can convince the Garrison Regiment that I'm not a threat, I will put my faith in you and we'll go with that option. If you don't think you can do it, I'll go with the first idea as a last resort. You have about fifteen seconds left." Armin looked at Eren. His eyes were sincere.
"Can you do it, Armin? Whatever you choose, I will respect your decision."
Armin whimpered, "E-Eren? Why are you trusting me with such an important decision?" Eren stated calmly with a confident smile on his face, "Because even when things go awry, I know we can always trust you to make the right call. For example, that day five years ago, back in Shiganshina." Lorraine recalled the moment fondly, looking at Armin. Eren continued, "If you hadn't taken Lorraine to get Mr. Hannes for us, Mikasa and I wouldn't be here now."
A huge chunk of the skeleton fell to the ground, stirring up more dust and steam. Armin pondered for a moment, then stood up, plastering a brave expression on his face.
"I will persuade them. I promise. Eren, I will need you to act as non-agressive as you can."
Armin turned and walked out into the cloud of dust.
The sound of Armin's gear hitting the ground rang out through the open expanse and his footsteps came to a stop. As the steam and dust cleared, Commander Woermann's voice was heard once again.
"Halt! I see that monster has finally revealed his true form!"
Lorraine watched in awe. Armin held his hands in the air and pleaded, "Eren is not an enemy of humanity! We are willing to disclose everything we know! Just please, hear me out!" She stepped closer to Eren's side, grabbing his upper arm protectively. Woermann argued, "Begging for your lives won't help you! He's revealed his true form for all to see! What more is there to say!? If you insist that he's not our enemy, then I ask you to provide proof! If you can't do that, then we'll have no choice but to eliminate the threat he poses!" Armin shouted in protest, "You don't need any proof! This isn't about what we perceive him to be!" He hesitated for a moment, then continued.
"I understand that a great many people saw him! In that case, they must have seen the Titans swarming around him, too! The Titans see him just like they see us humans: as prey! That is an irrefutable fact, no matter how you look at it!"
Murmers travelled through the crowd of soldiers.
"That's true."
"He's right."
"A Titan on our side?"
"He's got a point."
"That's crazy!"
Commander Woermann's eyes darted from soldier to soldier and his breath hitched in his throat as he shrieked nervously, "P-Prepare to attack! D-don't be fooled by their tricks! Their behaviour has always been beyond our understanding! I-it's entirely possible that they'd take on human form and use our language to fool us all! W-we can't let them have their way any longer!"
"Oh, no! It didn't work! He's too frightened to think clearly! Armin, come back! We have to get the hell out of here before it's too late!"
Armin looked back at the trio for a moment, then, instead of retreating, he gave a strong and powerful salute, bringing tears to Lorraine's glimmering eyes.
"I am a soldier! I have dedicated my heart to the restoration of humanity, Sir! Nothing could make me prouder than dying for such a noble cause! If we were to use his Titan ability and combine it with what little manpower we have left, I believe we can do it! We can retake this city for humanity's glory and in what little time I have left to live, I will continue to advocate his strategic value!"
Armin's loud salute made the woman beside Woermann suggest, "S-Sir, I believe his words are worth considering-" Woermann interrupted, "Silence! No matter how much they beg, they're still traitors! The duty of a soldier is to dispose of those who violate the law!" Armin gritted his teeth, holding his strong salute. Lorraine clapped her hands to her mouth. Mikasa readied her blade. Eren brought his thumb closer to his open jaw. As Commander Woermann raised his hand skyward, he was grabbed by an old man in a Garrison uniform, preventing him from giving the signal.
"Alright, Commander Woermann, that's quite enough. I see you're still as delicate as a fawn despite your size."
The white-haired woman stammered, "C-Commander Pyxis! What're you-" Commander Pyxis interrupted, letting go of the shaking Commander's arm and gesturing towards Armin, who was still standing tall, trembling and gritting his teeth.
"Rico, can you not see this young man's splendid salute? I've only just arrived, but not to worry. I've been filled in on the situation."
He turned his attention back to Commander Woermann and said, "Now then, I'm putting you in charge of the reinforcements, Commander. Something tells me we ought to hear these kids out." Armin collapsed to his knees with a heavy sigh of relief. Lorraine ran to Armin's side and cheered, "You did it! I knew you could, Armin!" She hugged him tightly as Eren and Mikasa joined them. They all looked up at the old Garrison Commander, who knelt down in front of Armin.
"Cadets, what are your names?"
Each introduced themselves, standing and saluting.
"Cadet Armin Arlert, Sir."
"Mikasa Ackerman, Sir."
"Sir! Cadet Eren Jaeger."
"I'm Cadet Lorraine Ackerman, Sir."
He smiled, the grooves and wrinkles on his face giving him a warm expression. He smelled lightly of alcohol, but his actions were perfectly sober. He said in a gruff voice, "At ease. My name is Commander Dot Pyxis. Cadet Arlert, that was a fine salute you made there. You mentioned that this...what did you call it...? This 'Titan ability' that Eren possesses, it would be possible to retake the city. Did you truly believe that or was it just a desperate plea for your life?" Armin looked at Eren briefly, then said honestly, looking back up at Pyxis, "W-well, Sir, it was both. I was going to suggest that Eren, in his Titan form, could take that giant rock in the middle of the city and use it to block the destroyed entrance. I-I just came up with the idea on the spot in the hopes that they might see the potential in Eren's ability and how it might help to solve the situation humanity faces. I was, of course, desperate to survive and to protect my friends, too."
"'Desperate to survive', eh? There truly is nothing more credible than those words, Cadet Arlert. So, what do you say, Cadet Jaeger? Can you plug the hole?"
Eren stammered, "W-well, I'm...I'm not sure. At the moment, I know about as much about this as all of you do. I-I don't want to get everyone's hopes up and then-" Pyxis interrupted, "Oh, do forgive me, Cadet. I'm afraid that I asked the wrong question. What I meant to ask is this: will you plug the hole?" Eren and the others looked up at Pyxis. Eren took a deep breath and said, "I'll do it. I don't know if I can plug the hole or not, but I will do it. I have to!" Pyxis smiled and said, standing up, "Well said, my boy! Calling all staff officers! We have a plan to put together! Head to the top of the wall!" Armin stammered nervously, "W-wait a second! Y-you can't be serious, Sir! It was just an idea I came up with on the spot!" Pyxis smiled slyly and walked away. A Garrison woman with short, brown hair said calmly, "Don't worry. The Commander is envisioning something that we can't see yet. Our best bet is to follow his lead and don't doubt his decision." Armin nodded and the group walked together, headed up the wall to join the Garrison Regiment.