Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 29 (March 10, 2021)
Lorraine looked up at Reiner's face, her heart sinking into her stomach as Bertholdt's final words to her sunk in.
"So be it," she repeated his words back to him, detaching her ODM gear cables from Reiner and walking out onto his shoulder. Lorraine gripped her blades, a single tear making its way down her cheek. She looked up at the approaching Titans and frowned, wiping her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She pulled the ODM gear triggers and swung down to the ground, whistling for her horse on the way, and climbing up, kicking the stallion into gear and catching up to Mikasa and the others. They watched as Reiner picked up speed, ramming into the horde of Titans, still protecting Bertholdt and Eren. Ymir and Historia were both on Reiner's back, fighting against the mass of Titans as they swarmed around the Armoured Titan. Soldiers sprinted around aimlessly, trying to simultaneously avoid and lead the mindless Titans. Lorraine looked around, watching as many soldiers lost their lives in the struggle. The sounds of shouting from the soldiers and Commander Erwin, growls and snarls from the Titans, and the screams from Ymir's Titan melded together, creating an orchestra of horror and death. The steam erupting from many Titans clouded the soldiers' visions. Beside her, she heard the sound of ODM cables and saw a small, blonde blur whiz past her.
"Armin, wait!"
She reached out to try and stop him, but Jean called out for help behind her. She whipped her head around, taking action and swinging up to slice the Titan's nape. She flipped her left-hand blade around so that it was facing the opposite direction, positioning herself and spinning around like a corkscrew. She cried, "Let him go, bastard!" Just as her blades had sliced through the soft flesh, Jean warned her, "Watch it, Lo!" A smaller Titan had its hands up in the air. Just before it could grab her, though, she pressed her gas trigger once again, sending herself spinning around once again, slicing each digit off of the monster's hand. Mikasa swiftly cut the fatal spot of the Titan clean off, sending blood spraying into the air. Lorraine and Jean landed on the ground, panting. Mikasa continued forward to rescue Eren. Behind them, they heard Commander Erwin shouting, but his words were muffled. Lorraine and Jean split up to surround the Armoured when they saw Mikasa in the grip of a Titan, screaming. Lorraine shrieked, "Mikasa! No!" Jean flew up to her rescue, cutting her free and carrying her to the ground. Armin landed next to Lorraine, who pulled him up onto her horse behind her. Armin held her waist tightly. Commander Erwin, his arm visibly torn off and bloody, bellowed, "All soldiers, retreat!" Armin said, "Great! We've got him! Let's-" He was cut off by a sudden impact next to them. Lorraine stopped and turned her horse to look back at whatever had caused the loud sound and sent dust up into the air.
"R-Reiner...?"
The Armoured Titan had hold of two rather sizeable Titans and was pulling his arm back. Armin warned, "Look out! Reiner's throwing Titans!" Jean rode next to them and said, "What the hell are you two doing?! Don't stop! We have to keep moving!" Lorraine sighed, but turned to follow Jean. They turned and dodged Titans one after another. Jean looked back for just a moment to try and find the formation, but as soon as he did so, a Titan landed in front of him with a loud crash, sending him flying off his horse, having been hit in the head with a giant piece of rubble. Jean screamed and fell to the ground. Armin, without thinking, leaped off of the horse to go after him. Lorraine tugged on the reins of the scared stallion, but he reared up as he stopped, sending Lorraine falling to the ground, too. As her horse galloped away from her, she stood up and called, "Wait! Don't leave us!" Armin had reached Jean and pulled him up to a tree, swinging his blade frantically, attempting to fend off the Titans. She drew her blades, but just as she had let out a loud battle cry, two large Titans crashed to the ground next to her, sending her flying back and tumbling onto the ground. She felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder and her back, but she shook her head, her ponytail finally falling out and leaving her hair, now ratted and messy, draped over her shoulders. She used her right hand to pull herself up to a seated position. Everything was blurry and had a red tint. The sounds of the battlefield were muffled, as though she had her ears covered. She winced as the excruciating pain shot through her back and down into her legs. She heard the muffled sounds of Armin screaming her name in the distance. The red tint over the world grew more intense and she reached up, but she felt something like a jolt of electricity in her left shoulder and dropped to the ground, reaching up now with her right hand. When she touched her shoulder, she felt a piece of metal protruding from the skin. When she brought her hand back, she saw that it was coated in a layer of deep red blood. Behind her, she felt the presence of a Titan. She couldn't defend herself.
This was it.
This was the end for her.
She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
As her eyelids closed and darkness engulfed the world, she heard the muffled, yet distinct scream of Eren. It was then that she felt something like a jolt of electricity through her spine and she thought she could see an orange spark shooting across her vision before she finally felt herself floating away from consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a bright light. She squinted in the light, letting her eyes adjust to the new setting before sitting up. The sun was high in the sky, casting a white light over the world. She smelled the familiar floral scent of the beautiful, blue bellflowers which took her back to her days as a child in Shiganshina. She looked around to see nothing around her except a wide expanse of the blue flora. There were no buildings for miles. No walls. No Titans. She looked up. The sky was painted a beautiful light blue, dusted with delicate, wispy clouds. She stood up, noticing that she was now wearing a beautiful, flowing, white dress. She wondered, "Where am I? What happened? Am I dead?" She looked down at her feet. She wasn't wearing shoes, though the ground beneath her was soft enough to go barefoot. The blue flowers beneath her danced around in the gentle, cool breeze that flowed through her dress and her hair swaying both around her softly. She looked up and saw a figure in the distance. She squinted her eyes to try and make out who it was.
"Reiner...?"
She smiled. Reiner smiled back, but then his face fell and he turned, walking away from her. She gasped. She reached out and called to him, "Wait, Reiner!" She picked up the edge of her dress and ran towards him, sending light blue petals scattering into the wind behind her. The more she ran, the farther away he seemed to walk.
"Reiner! Reiner, wait! Don't leave me! Reiner!"
She stopped running, but he kept walking. She felt tears forming in her eyes as he grew smaller and smaller, fading into the distance. She cried out, "Reiner, don't leave me, please! Reiner!"
"Reiner!"
She shot her right arm up, taking Eren, Armin, and Mikasa by surprise. Mikasa, who was sitting next to her bed, said, shaking, "Lorraine! Thank God!" Lorraine felt a drop of sweat run down her forehead and a sharp pain in her back. She put her arm down and looked around the room. She felt another jolt of pain as Mikasa grabbed her left hand and said, "Lorraine. Lorraine, are you okay?" Lorraine looked over at her, fear in her eyes. She finally was able to focus her eyes on her sister. She asked, "Wh-where...?" Armin said, "We're in Trost. Don't worry. We're safe now." Lorraine asked, looking at Mikasa, "M-Mikasa...? Are you okay? You got hurt...right?" Mikasa shook her head, but Eren explained, "She has a few cracked ribs." Mikasa said sharply, "It's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine." Lorraine looked down at herself. Her body was covered in bandages. Blood was peeking through one tiny spot on her shoulder, but other than that, she was cleaned up. Her arms had been covered in small scrapes from the battle and she still felt dizzy from hitting her head.
"How...how long was I out...?"
Armin sighed, "About three days." She looked up at Eren, who was looking down at her, relieved to see her awake, then back at Mikasa, who was still holding her hand with her head down. She looked back at her shoulder, reaching up with her right hand to touch it, despite the pain in her back. The blood spot had evidently dried awhile ago. Armin sighed. Lorraine asked, "What...wh-what happened...? How did I get back...? The last thing I remember is..." her voice trailed off.
"Reiner...! Where...?"
Eren said gently, "He's gone. He left with Bertholdt and Ymir." Armin said, trying to change the subject and brighten the mood, "C-Commander Erwin. He saw you get thrown and grabbed you." Lorraine sighed, "I see. Is the Commander...?" Armin said, "His arm was lost in the battle...but he seems to be recovering well." Lorraine nodded, but her face dropped.
"So...Reiner really left...?"
Eren said, "Yeah." Mikasa held her sister's hand tighter and sobbed softly, "I'm sorry. I-I should have...I..." Lorraine thought, "If Mikasa had killed them right then and there, then this would all be over." She looked down at her lap. Tears once again pricked the corners of her eyes. She said coldly, her voice trembling, "I'm sorry...I-I...I need...I need some time...alone." Eren and Armin obliged, sadly nodding and walking out. Armin turned as he was leaving and said, "A-are you...are you sure you'll be okay, Lorraine?" She nodded. Armin sighed and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Mikasa said, trying to steady her voice, "I'm so sorry, Lorraine." Lorraine asked, "Why?" Mikasa said, "We should have told you why we were there." Lorraine looked up at Mikasa. Her grey eyes sparkled with tears as she continued, "We...the Scout Regiment...we knew who the traitors were. I wanted to tell you, but...but we couldn't risk it...please...forgive me." Lorraine put her right hand over her sister's hands gently.
"Mikasa. I understand."
Mikasa looked up at her. Lorraine said, "If you had said something...then I would have been a possible risk to the mission." Mikasa sighed. Lorraine said, "Y-you did...you did the right thing." Mikasa said, "Lorraine, listen to me." She took a deep breath in and sighed.
"Lorraine, I may be at fault for all of this in more ways than one. Wh-when I looked at Reiner's face...just as I was about to attack, I...I thought of you. I remembered how happy you had been. I remembered how he had protected you during our Cadet Corps days. I guess...without even thinking...I-I hesitated because I didn't want to hurt you."
Lorraine felt a lump rising to her throat and Mikasa continued, her grip on her hand tightening, "If I had just done the deed, things would have been different. You wouldn't be here the way you are now. I..." A tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the bed. She said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lorraine was silent, her face wet with tears. Minutes passed with Mikasa and Lorraine silently crying together in the small infirmary room. Finally, Mikasa let go of Lorraine's hand and reached into her pocket, pulling out the small shard of Reiner's armour.
"Here."
She held out the piece of hardened Titan skin. Lorraine's eyes grew wide as she realized what the small piece was. Mikasa said, "I picked this up before...before the charge. I thought it might help you." Lorraine took the shard shakily. She stared at it. Her heart pounded in her chest as flashes of the incident rapidly crossed her mind. She wrapped her small, delicate fingers around it, bringing it close to her chest and sobbing lightly. Mikasa reached over and put her hand on Lorraine's thigh. Lorraine's gentle sobs quickly turned into loud crying. Mikasa could only silently move her thumb over her sister's leg comfortingly, listening as she let out cries of pain and loss.