Dear World

Rosalindax

Summary:

Commander Erwin Smith has returned from the battle of Shiganshina, he now carries the colossal titan with it's full powers.

Eren's depression, along with Erwins presence, is strong enough to ripple the fabric of time.

Or

Canon rewrite AU, Erwin lives. Eren is becoming a madman over Armin's last words and Mikasa wants to keep whats left of her loved ones. Also, Marley is taking its last breath without knowing it.

Chapter 1: My friend : can you close your eyes?

Notes:

Dear everyone, don't delete something you don't like. Or else you'll regret it just like I did with deleting this story.

Either way! This is what I think would have happened, if Armin had died back in midnight sun and Erwin had become a titan!

This story is going to be mostly gen, and please expect canon typical violence and death toll!

I hope you reading enjoy! XD

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"It's just a burn..."

"Please... Just keep breathing..."

The boys dormitory was ancient.

Armin wondered why the girls' dorm wasn't as destroyed as theirs was. As if no one in the history of the training corps ever walked over from the Boys dorm to the girls and said : "hey, is the maintenance any different?"

But Armin could recall a few times when a drunken bet was put on how many times can Reiner hit his head against the wall.

But, Armin couldn't be more grateful. He had a roof above his head and a clean place to sleep and enough privacy to hide his diary.

The first time Eren frightened Armin with his visions of the future was one of those nights, where everyone seemed to be especially over their heads after ODM maneuver training. Armin bit his nails as he watched from him and Erens shared bunk as Connie, Jean and Eren jumped to catch the horizontal support of the ceiling and Reiner started to count.

"who could hold himself longer. Pfft, of course that's gonna be me, not you horseface."

Armin wanted to smack himself across the face. Playing with the supports of the dormitory was something the girls didn't do and one of the reasons why their dorm didn't look like it was going to fall over their heads any moment.

The cheers got louder when the three of them reached two minutes. Armin himself got curious and watched the three pained faces as they tried to stay on. Eren and Jean were staring at each other, like they wanted to curse but they knew they didn't have the energy to spare.

Armin jumped down from the bunk and looked at them curiously. Statistically speaking, Connie could easily win the match. He had less weight to hold on and more physical exercise under his belt because of growing up in a village. He wasn't starved like Eren was when Armin, Eren and Mikasa were refugees but had a more demanding life than Jean did.

So Armin did nothing but smirk, and handed the only silver coin he had to Thomas, who was gathering money for betting. Thomas chuckled and shook his head. Others followed, either betting on Jean or Eren.

Armin started counting when he saw the beads of sweat forming on Eren's face. Jean's hands started shaking quickly after.

It was only a minute after that, that Jean turned his body around and started taunting Eren. Eren, with his ever present rage, turned around and kicked Jean in his back as hard as he could.

Armin winced. Both Jean and Eren fell back on the impact of Erens kick. Connie dodged Erens body by pulling himself higher. So Eren fell down with the back of his head.

The crowd went deadly silent when the horizontal support started shaking. Connie immediately let go of it and landed on his feet. "That was close!" he murmured, hitting the dust off his clothes.

Armin was on his feet immediately. "Eren!" Armin shouted and quickly stood over him, checking his head for injuries, he let out a relieving breath when he found none. Or no bleeding at least.

Eren groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "This is your fault... Horse- face!" he tried to say but all that left his mouth was pained gasps. Armin shook his head.

"My fault!" Jean screamed at the other side.

Marco grabbed him from behind, keeping him still. "Jean, please-" he murmured. Jean growled angrily and then sighed.

"Fine. Have it your way, suicidal maniac." Jean growled as he turned around, Marco quickly following him behind.

Armin helped Eren sit up. "Come on," he urged the brunette. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

Eren nagged when Armin threw the brunet's hand over his shoulder. "-min, I'm fine.."

"You can't even say my name properly so no, you're not." Armin argued and helped him stand up.

The crowd of preteen boys had decreased by that time but Armin spotted Thomas' blond head before it was too late. Armin cleared his throat to get the other blonds attention. "Thomas..." he said out loud. "I believe I won a bet here."

Thomas smiled knowingly and put two gold coins on Armin's hands. "You psycho, I bet you knew this would happen," he said.

Armin could only smile and he shoved the coins into his pocket. "A little bit of brain never hurts anyone."

"You bet on me... Losing?" Eren mused, trying to raise an eyebrow in his concussed state.

Armin took a deep breath and opened the dorm door. The first step outside in the chill of the autumn air made the blond shiver. "No. I bet on Connie winning." he said.

Eren nodded drunkenly as his eyes shifted closed.

Erens weight became heavy with every step they took, most likely because the brunet was unable to support him. Knocking on the nurse's office was a physical struggle.

The nurse opened the door with a gasp and instructed at the empty bed where Eren could lay down. The nurse excused herself to find the doctor and left the infirmary. Armin's blue eyes followed her with an eyebrow raised.

Should he just wait here?

What if what Eren needs is urgent?

Must they wait.

A sudden tight grip on his wrist made Armin jump out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw Eren wide awake and- was that purple lines in his green orbs?

"You're here?" Eren gasped, trying to stand up and failing. "How are you here- I thought-"

Armin put his hand on Erens and gave the other a comforting smile. "Eren, it's alright, we're in the infirmary. Of course I'll stay here with you! You and Connie almost got yourselves killed after all."

Eren slurred the world together. "Im... I'm pretty sure Connie can't survive this..."

Armin rolled his eyes. "Connie will probably survive better than you'll do," he joked. "You took a bad hit to your head!"

Eren blinked in confusion. His hold on Armins wrist became almost painfully tight. Armin's heart skipped a beat when tears gathered in his friend's green eyes. "Armin... I'm... I'm a killer." Eren murmured, tears falling from his eyes. "I... I massacred all those people without a- without breaking a sweat."

"Oh, it looks like a bad hit to your head-"

"80% of humanity is already gone..." Eren murmured. "With a little more effort... The rest will be gone too. My titan is too powerful for Mikasa to stop on her own."

Armin shook his head. "Now you're talking nonsense." He murmured. Armin leaned down and pressed the back of his hand to Erens forehead to check for a fever. "Eren... You don't have a titan."

Eren blinked in surprise. "Oh..." he murmured, as if the words were just settling in. "I... Forgot..."

Erens head fell back on the pillow and his eyes shut in an instant.

Armin rubbed the wrist that Eren just handed a death grip on. He hissed slightly in pain, just realizing Erens hold had cut the circulation in his hand.

"Sometimes... I worry about you Eren. You hit your head too hard." he murmured, holding his wrist to his chest.

While Armin was too lost watching Erens blissed out face, The doors of the infirmary burst open. Armin didn't need to turn around to see who was behind the doors.

"Eren-" Mikasa called loudly as she ran towards his bed. She was in pyjamas Armin didn't know she possessed and guessing from the S.B. written on the sides, it probably belonged to Sasha.

Mikasas immediately stood beside the bed, her stormy grey eyes scanned Erens sleeping form from head to toe. She took his hand into her own, firmly holding him as a reassurance. "What happened?" she murmured, her eyes darted to meet Armins. "What happened, Armin?"

Armin fought the urge to roll his eyes. "He's concussed. He was saying some really weird nonsense too."
"Oh... Why?"

"He was having a race over who can hold himself longer, he forgot Jean kicks harder than he does and got himself knocked out." Armin explained as simply as he could.

Mikasa held on to Eren's hand tighter, her thumb running over his knuckles. "And where were you?" she murmured. "Were you writing your diary?"

Armin shrugged. "Yeah, I was. Unlike you, I'm not really keen on dictating Eren." he added with a chuckle.

Mikasa took a deep breath. "Where is the nurse?"

Armin shrugged, "she went to bring the doctor... Sit down, Mikasa, it looks like this is going to be a long night."

Mikasa looked at him for a moment, then turned her gaze at Erens sleeping form. She took a deep breath and sat down on the side of his bed.

Armin was right, this would be a long night.

Eren was discharged with thankfully minor bandages.

When they reached the dorms again, instead of sleeping, Armin picked up his pen and started writing over his diary.

Months later, when they were no longer reckless preteens but instead hormonal teenagers, Armin was woken up by the quiet sound of pleading whispers.

Armin tried to cut the voices off by yanking the pillow from under his head and covering his face and ears with. But that did nothing to block the sounds.

The sounds were coming from far too near for the pillow to be any good.

Armin groaned in his sleep as he sat up, rubbing his sore eyes and searching for the source of the sound.

His blue eyes slowly awakened and found Eren hugging his knees, his back to Armin, and moving back and forth like a burning candle.

Armin sighed, fisting his blanket. Eren was having a night terror again. "Eren, we're heading to Trost tomorrow, please go back to sleep." Armin whined, blindly grabbing Erens collar to push him back down on the bed, but he couldn't, Eren was still sitting up.

Armin fell back on the bed, looking at the ceiling above their head.

Eren turned his head back a little, Armin could see one of his eyes. Bright, green and foggy. "Trost..." he murmured. "Armin... Do you remember Trost?"

Armin covered his eyes with his forearm. "Yeah," he murmured back. "The refugee centers were there."

Eren looked back at the wall, hugging his knees a little tighter. "The Colossal appeared. The titans came in... And I was such a fool thinking I can take them all on... Thinking we can... How could we? When Berthold, Annie and Reiner were in our ranks..."

Armin groaned in his sleep. "Did you hit your head again?" he murmured. "Get back to sleep Eren-"

"But I guess I owe them something... If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have unlocked my titan."

Armin sat up, his blond hair askew and dark bangs present under his red rimmed eyes. "How many times should I tell you, Eren?" he murmured. "You don't have a titan."

Armin took a deep breath. "You know what?" he murmured. "I'm going back to sleep, feel free to join me."

Armin turned around, his back to Eren as he covered himself with blankets.

Armin's quiet whispers suddenly stopped altogether. Slowly, Armin felt a weight settled behind him. Eren curled into a ball and fell fast asleep.

Eren did have a titan and Armin was screwed.

So screwed.

Because of his night terrors about Trost were real,

If Erens night terrors about his Titan was real,

Was Eren really going to kill 80% of humanity in cold blood? Will his titan blood get the better of him one day?

Will Eren destroy humanity like everyone in his court thought he would?

No, No, Armin won't let that happen.

Armin might not have the power to stop a massacre at the size of 80% of humanity but he can stop the court from having actual evidence against Eren. The massacre can be years from now, but Erens court is in a few hours.

And Armin was the only evidence other than pure fear that the members of the court had.

No, this Eren can never.

This Eren can never do such a thing. Armin has to protect this Eren right now. Even if he does kill humanity in the end, Armin has to protect Eren, right now.

But that wasn't a decision he could make so lightly. Armin could only make himself into a ball under a fountain and hug his knees, hours before Erens court.

One that can have him either dead or joining the survey corps.

Armin ignored the crowd moving in the city and hugged his knees tighter. He buried his face in them and let his thoughts run loose.

He could be wrong.

Eren could be saying utter nonsense.

He could-

"Armin?"

The blond lifted his face at the familiar sound. He met Mikasa's concerned eyes. "Oh! Mikasa!" he murmured. "Sorry I rushed out..."

She shook her head. "No. It's ok." she said with a nod. "Let's get back, we can be summoned for Eren's trial shortly. You look sick, you should eat something."

Mikasa turned around to leave but Armin grabbed her sleeve.

His eyes were glued to the ground and he took a shallow breath. "Mikasa..."

Mikasa kneeled down to be eye level with the blond. "What is it Armin? You've been closed off in the past few days."

Armin shut his eyes, letting go of her sleeve. "Mikasa what if... What if Eren really can't suppress his titan side one day... What if, what if he starts killing humans?"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "This isn't time for doubts, Armin, you know it."

Armin sighed loudly, burying his face in his hands. "I know, I'm just taking all variables into consideration and-"

Mikasa stood up. "Even if he does turn his back on humanity, I won't turn my back on him!" she said confidently and solemnly. "And I know you won't either."

Mikasa was right.

Even if it was Eren or humanity, both of them knew whose side they would choose. Even if Armin was sure a good conversation won't make it as bad as Mikasa was making it sound like.

Armin stood up. Her firmness and confidence made Armin make his mind easier than he thought he would. "Yeah, yeah, you're right." He took a deep breath. "Ok, Mikasa, I have to do something real quick."

"What?"

"I'll be right back."

"ARMIN!"

Armin didn't wait for her response, he ran out towards the dorms and towards where he kept his diary.

The evidence should be destroyed.

Armin's fingers held tightly to the notebook. One notebook. For the three years he spent documenting his cadette years, Eren's nightmares among them. His watchful eyes stared without seeing at the moving flames, his mind completely elsewhere.

Every cell in his body screamed against throwing the notebooks in the bunfire.

what if... What if I can observe more...

Armin swallowed the rising lump in his throat.

no.

what if I can understand more about Erens nightmares this way. The court doesn't know if his diaries exist anyway.

Armin held his notebooks tighter. He bit his lip. damn it.

He sprinted back into the dorm and hid the notebook behind the loose brick like he always did.

Thankfully, he didn't burn the books and there was no need to.

Erens custody was given to the scouts thanks to Erwin Smith's magnificent manipulation.

"Come on, Armin! How much free time do you think we have?"

Armin ran after Eren as fast as he could, but Eren was faster. He also knew the whereabouts of these grounds better. So he ran towards the plains of fresh air with an easy mind while Armin's eyes were darting around, taking the new environment into his mind.

The plain was no less than beautiful, a few hundred yards away from the stables and the castle. The smell of fresh grass filled the area and filled his senses. The sun was slowly setting behind the outline of Wall Maria. There were a few pink flowers every here and there.

Eren turned around, throwing his hands in the air. "Mikasa will bring some sandwich on her way here..." he cleared his throat. "Armin, Welcome to the place I had my first ever conscious transformation to a titan!"

Eren looked like a child bragging about his drawing, the happy smile he had on his face was proof of that.

But to Armin, it all repeated the famous vision that followed with 'My titan' did this.

My titan destroyed that city.

My titan killed 80% of the world.

Mikasa can't stop my titan.

Armin shook his head. Eren had no idea what he said in his dreams and Armin wanted to keep it that way.

Armin closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind on his skin for a moment. "I don't want a third wheel..." Armin said with a smirk. "I'm sure I can find something to do over with Jean."

He opened his eyes to a frowning Eren. "You're so funny." he murmured, but couldn't fight the slight smile that settled on his face.

Armin gave him half a smile, one that only half of his face was smiling. "So, are you going to confess you're nervous about next week's expedition or not?"

Eren crossed his arms, turning around. "Nope."

"It's our first ever expedition. It's normal to be nervous, Eren."

Eren sighed. "Ok, maybe... Commander Erwin said one third of us will die in the expedition... Like one from us three." he swallowed hard. "It doesn't mean that, does it?"

Armin shook his head. "No, Eren, Statistics doesn't work that way." he assured him with a knowing smile.

A smile that Armin dropped the next moment.

Sure, one third of the people dieing didn't mean one person from every three person group will die. But Armin was the only person in their group of three that had a chance of dying in the upcoming expedition.

A very high chance of dying.

Armin swallowed hard, Eren noticed his discomfort but said nothing. His jade green eyes looked Armin up and down, waiting for his next reaction.

And if Armin died... There was no one protecting the diary...

The diary that can almost spell the end for Eren with all that he'd written down.

Armin shook his head. No that won't happen. He looked up, his blue eyes serious and forceful. "Eren, I need you to promise me something." Armin murmured, holding up his hand for Eren to shake. "No. I need you to swear on your mothers memories."

Eren frowned, the mention of his mother suddenly taking his attention from the skies to Armin. "What?" he snapped. "What is it?"

Armin held up his hand, waiting for Eren to shake him to seal the promise. Eren did, he held Armins for a moment to see what he'd say.

"After I die... Find my diary and burn it without reading it." Armin said, looking right at Eren's eyes. "Swear it. Don't let one single soul put their eyes on it."

Eren froze for a moment, his childish smile dropped and then he tried to pull his hand back. But Armin didn't let him, pushing forward when Eren pulled. "Armin!" he shouted out loud. "Don't talk like that! You can't- you can't- not until we see the ocean!"

Armin shook his head. "Just promise, Eren." he whined.

Eren frowned. "You can't die, not now! Not yet!"

"Eren!"

"Stop thinking like you'll die at any moment!"

"Eren?"

"What's wrong?"

Both of them turned around. Mikasa was holding the basket of sandwiches in her hand, looking at both of them with questions written all over her eyes.

Eren narrowed his eyes at Armins direction. "He wants to promise him something. To burn his diary after he's gone."

Mikasa narrowed his eyes at Eren and then at Armin. "Armin... Are we talking about the same diary me and Eren have been trying to find since we were kids?"

Armin shrugged half heartedly. "Well, not exactly- but yeah... To some context..."

Mikasa nodded thoughtfully. "What makes you think Eren will be able to find it after you're dead?"

Armin's face crumbled. "Faith? I just don't want anyone to read it." he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I wrote some really embarrassing stuff there."

"Ok, Fine, I promise. I'll burn your diary. I won't let anyone read it. You know I'm a man of my word." Eren murmured, a little breathy and uncertain. "But Armin... How am I going to find your diary if you're- you know-- when I can't even find your diary when you're alive." a knowing smirk passed his lips. "Right, Mikasa?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes. "I've never really put my mind into it, but if I do I'm sure I'll find it." she said confidently, biting down on her sandwich.

"There!" Armin murmured. "You can even ask Mikasa for help."

Mikasa cleared her throat. "Armin... You do understand that if we find your diary we'll most likely read it too, right?"

Armin took his sandwich from Mikasa's hand. "Well, I hope you are moral enough not to read your dead friend's diary." Armin murmured.

"Armin!"

"I'm joking." he murmured with a small smile, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'm just joking."

Erens dreams happened again and again. Everytime he woke up in cold sweat just to see Eren hugging his knees, a strange fog in his eyes that made his jade green look a little purple, and Eren kept talking.

Talking about Mikasa, about his titan, about the founder's will and the amount of people he's killing.

Eren even cried once, talking about how he wanted a life with Mikasa not whatever this mass killing was for.

Armin ignored it for the time being, he wrote every single thing that left Eren's mouth in his diary, hoping to make sense of it one day. Otherwise, Armin's mouth was tightly shut. However, the time came where Erens dreams took a dramatic turn.

The first time it happened, Armin was sitting under a tree near the remains of Utgard castle withinwall Rose, where the Scouts were camping for the night. He had left his camp with Eren simply because the other was too anxious to fall asleep. So Armin left the camp to sit under a tree, a lone tree near the forest.

A small lantern was all the light he had and he was using it to full extent, writing and drawing whatever came to his mind about that day in his secret Diary. The smell of fresh leaves and the distant snores of his comrades was the only reminder that Armin wasn't alone.

He kept writing anyway.

He narrowed his eyes at the sharp pain that came from his wrist before gently massaging it. Even if Eren hadn't had a serious night terror in days, It has truly been a few eventful days. his hand was getting tired just from writing it down.

The calm silence was broken by the sound of footsteps. Armin shut his diary as he heard someone breaking a branch as they walked. Armin took a sharp breath, quickly hiding it in his diary in his breast pocket.

Armin jumped to his feet to see what was behind him. A wolf? A comrade? He was shocked to see Eren, in his night's
clothes, staring blankly at him and struggling to take a step forward. Eren's eyes were wide but unfocused, staring at somewhere far beyond Armin. The familiar purple in the green of his eyes took Armin off guard. Erens steps were clumsy, not knowing where
exactly he was going.

Armin swallowed and took a step forward, and another, and another. Until he was at Eren's arms length. "Eren?" he murmured and waved a hand in front of him. He got no was the first time Armin was moving around during a night terror.

"Eren!"Armin screamed again, grabbing the brunette by his shoulders.

When Eren didn't respond to his voice again, Armin was sure he was having either another vision or a nightmare, or a mix of both. Armin held his shoulder and shook him slightly, trying to pull him out of his trance.

"Eren!" he whispered loudly. "You're like this again!"

Eren's eyes never focused, a bead of sweat gathered on his face and suddenly, out of nowhere, he grabbed Armin's upper arms and shook him harsher. Moving the smaller boy's entire body with ease.

Eren looked him dead in the eye, not one ounce of realisation in those green and purple eyes. He harshly keptArmin close. Erens hold on his arm beginning to bruise with the strength of a titan.

That took Armin completely off guard.

Erens gaze finally focused on Armins blue eyes, at last. His lower lip suddenly trembled as if he was crying.

"It's just a burn... Keep... Breathing..." Eren shouted breathlessly.

Armin couldn't pinpoint the desperation in Eren's voice or his eyes. He'd seen that look of grief only once before, when Eren and Mikasa boarded that boat after watching Eren's mother being devoured.

"E-Eren?" Armin's voice was shaking more than he wanted it to. Armin shook his head to try and snap out of it. How could he wake Eren up if he was in a stupor himself?

"Eren, it's just a dream!"he said loudly. "Wake! Up!"

That loud voice was apparently enough to snap Eren out of his took a deep breath. His hands let go of Armin's shoulders like they were burning. His green eyes stared at his palm for a moment, gathering his nerves. Then be looked up, confused,

"Armin?"

Armin sighed deeply when he saw the purple in Eren's eyes was completely gone. "Yeah, it's me." he murmured.

Eren rubbed the back of his neck. His pure green eyes looked around the forest and the destroyed castle. "Where- where am I?"

Armin cleared his throat. "Utgard castle. You were having a small night terror again, nothing bad." he said. Armin gently put a comforting hand on Erens shoulder. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Next to them, Mikasa appeared from the woods in her full gear. Armin remembered she was the first volunteer to keep watch. She stared between a horrified Eren and a confused Armin and a frown appeared on her face.

"Eren... Armin... I heard something here."She said, looking at both of them with a question written all over her eyes.

Armin swallowed hard and glanced at her from the side of his eyes. "Eren was sleep walking again." he murmured, quite unsure of himself.

Mikasa nodded thoughtfully. She approached and put a gentle hand on Erens other shoulder. Who only jolted away from her touch.

Slowly his green eyes focused on her and he closed them again. Taking a deep calming breath.

"Where are we again?" he asked, hand rising to hold his head.

"We're in the woods, remember? Outside Utgard castle?" Mikasa explained calmly. "A safeplace of the Scout regiment."

"Oh..." Eren murmured as the realisation settled. "Yeah. Right. Utgard. Not Shiganshina."

Mikasa and Armin exchanged a worried look but didn't comment on it. Shiganshina brought bittersweet memories for all of ran a hand through his hair, the ragged breathing still present and his eyes barely focused on
the ground. "Sorry... I woke you up."

Armin gave him a wry smile. "It's fine... I was there... reading a book." Armin said cautiously,pointing to the tree with his thumb. "When I came here, you just grabbed me and screamed at me...
Then I woke you up because it was getting out of hand."

Eren rubbed his eyes. "Weird..." he hummed with a yawn when his breathing finally settled. "I Don't remember that... Like I've been dreaming a long dream."

Eren yawned again and looked at his friend from the dim light of Armins torch.

He saw a strange sort of realisation pass from Armins blue eyes. "What did I say?" he asked.

Armin opened his mouth to tell a lie but then decided against it. He pressed his mouth to a thin line."Nothing comprehensive." he said almost truthfully. "Nothing you should get yourself worried about anyway."

Eren noticed the slight twitch of his lips, the aversion of his blue eyes, the small awkward smile and all the other tell-tale signs of lying Armin wore on his Eren was too tired to point them out.

"So.. What were you reading, Armin?" Eren murmured, looking away and touching the back of his neck. His eyes shone with mischief as he met Mikasa's eyes.

Armin tensed up and looked away at Mikasa, who gave him the same questioning look. "You had
time to pack books?" she asked fundly.
He felt trapped between their questioning looks. With a sigh, Armin bit his lip and looked away.

"Ah, Fine. I wasn't reading. I was completing my personal reports."He said, fisting his fists.

Eren chuckled, averting his gaze back to Armin with a smirk. "You mean your diary!" he said,green eyes glowing in the dark. "So it's here somewhere!"

When a smile appeared on Mikasa's face as well, and she started to look around, both of them playfully looked around the ground without moving. Making Armin jump from embarrassment.

He felt heat rise up to his cheeks. "Stop it you two! You won't find my diary, you've been trying since we were 9!"

"It is here! I wonder what sort of deep dark secret you have that you write there and we don't know when you're alive." Eren teased, which successfully made Armin grow redder."Come on, Armin, teach me how to find your diary. Come on, didn't you leave a task for me, Arlert? Come on, teach me how to find it!"

"You'll learn when the time comes. Before that, none of you are touching my diary." Armin shook his head and pushed Eren back to the camp. "SEE YOU LATER, MIKASA!" he shouted and ignored Erens genuine laughter as he pushed him back to their sleeping camp.

Mikasa never admitted it, but in order to find Armins mysterious Diary, she thoroughly searched the area for any sign of notebook or pen, or any sign of Armin's existence there, at a late hour.

To her disappointment, she found none.

The second time it happened, Armin was sure he'd heard Eren wrong.

Their shared room was dark in the middle of the night. What Armin could see from the night sky behind their rooms window was as mesmerizing as moon, colorful stars and a wind that brushed his ears like a lullaby that otherside would have pulled him into a deep sleep.

Armin had only one of the lanterns lit in the room he shared with Eren in the Scouts bandaged head was swinging and he felt unbearable pressure behind his eyes, but he still had his blue eyes fixed on the book infront of him.

The truth is he needed answers about Titan history, about Eren, and he
could only get them from within the lines of this thick leaned back against the wall and pulled the blankets tighter around himself to fight off the sudden breeze.

That's when he heard a rustling sound coming from Erens side. Armin ignored it but then the sound turned into footsteps that stopped somewhere right in front him.

Armin took a deep breath and gently closed the book. He lifted his head to meet his best friend/roommate. As he expected, Eren was completely out of it. His green eyes were glassy and
focused somewhere far beyond Armin, purple lines merge into jade green. Just like every other time he had one of these night terrors.

No, he had those visions of the future.

Armin was almost certain of them now. They were no ordinary night terrors. Eren subconsciously knew about Trost, Eren knew about Reiner and Berthold, Eren knew about Annie and yet-

Armin waited and watched with calculating eyes and tried to keep his breathing even as Eren stood
there, staring blankly.

His face was blank. Armin could see a hint of sadness and confusion in those greenAnd purple orbs. As if to make things worse, a single tear escaped Eren's eyes and ran down his face.

All The while Eren was frozen, staring somewhere far and beyond.

Armin gulped and put the book aside. "Eren?" he murmured and received no response. slowly, he kneeled on the bed to meet Eren's eyes.

Again, Eren didn't respond. Like he was still dreaming. And a sick sense of word, he really reached out to put a hand on his shoulder or shake his friend awake, but before Arminshands could reach Eren, he whimpered something that made Armin freeze.

"We promised to see the ocean together!"Eren gasped, another tear rolling down his eyes.

Armin took a sharp breath, he drew his hand back as if it was burning. "Ye-yeah" he stuttered. "We still can-"

Suddenly, Eren was in motion. He grabbed Armin's shoulders and shook him violently, the bandages on the blonds head loosened and fell down like a loose necklace around his neck.

Erens green eyes went from glassy and numb to sharp and pleading in a matter of moments andArmin could only focus on his friend once he stopped shaking him.

Even in his dream Eren looked miserable, something tugged in Armins heart and he felt it deep in his mind. Something wasn't right.

"It's just a burn..." Eren whispered, staring at Armins blue eyes. "I thought you'd - keep breathing." he pleaded helplessly.
Armin was frozen in shock for a moment. Eren never let go of his shoulders. His green eyes never left his own.

"Eren..." Armin breathed out with horror.
Armin narrowed his eyes and slapped Eren's face as hard as he could. Eren stumbled a little until he fell back. Landing on the ground on his back.

That should have knocked the sleep out of closed his eyes and took a deep breath. just a dream. He told himself. it's just Eren's dream.

Eren looked up, his eyes a clear green. He blinked up at Armin a few times as if to clear the sleep away. "Ah... Armin... What happened?" Erens soft voice turned Armins attention back to the present. Armin Looked down at his friend. Eren rubbed the back of his head where he had hit the floor.

"Armin?" he murmured when Armin didn't answer.

Armin shut his eyes tightly. Erens words echoing in his brain.

"We promised to see the ocean together."

"It's just a burn... I thought you'd... keep breathing."

"Those meant nothing." Armin repeated out loud. Eren was just dreaming. Eren was dreamingArmin was burnt and that he wasn't breathing.

True, Erens visions became more and more complicated everyday, He couldn't blame Eren for having nightmares.

It wasn't just a coincidence that Eren dreamt something , whose dreams always come true.

Erens rather loud mumble shook Armin out of his thoughts.

"Armin? Are you ok?"

Looks like the tables had turned. Eren was shaking Armin out of his thoughts. Armin nodded rapidly and stepped off the bed, sliding a hand under Eren's shoulder and helped his sleepy mind to stand up. "We should get you back to bed, Eren." he murmured softly. Eren just yawned as an answer.

"You were having a visio- night terror again." Armin quickly corrected, not
wanting to alarm Eren even further.``Go back to sleep, Eren." Armin murmured as they walked to Erens side. The sound of their footsteps echoed in their silent room. "It was just a nightmare." Eren was too exhausted to object.

Armin smiled as Eren slowly dozed off and his breathing evened out even when they were still walking.

Armin chuckled slowly, Eren's ability to fall asleep in the most interesting situation never ceased to amaze him. But Armin had to admit, Eren was heavy. But With whatever strength he had he carried Eren all the way to his Bed, which wasn't much.

Armin threw him on the bed with a silent cry. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched Erens sleeping form. "Ok... Back to work." he murmured. He had to give answers to Hange tomorrow, after all.

Before he could turn around, Erens free hand caught him. Armin yelped in surprise, he slowly turned his head to see Eren's eyes glassy and purple lined again.

Eren was experiencing another vision again.

Erens purple lined eyes gathered tears again. His hand had a death grip on Armins wrist. "Don't leave me now..." Erens pleading voice was painful to hear.

Armin sat down on the bed, before he could open his mouth to talk, Eren latched into his body and hugged him. The embrace was painfully tight, Armin had trouble breathing. Eren crushed him in his embrace, the brunet's chest shaking with sobs. "Don't-Don't leave me now."

Armin leaned his head against Erens soft brown hair. "I Won't... I'm right here, Eren..." he murmured softly. Eren pulled back and their eyes met again. He looked at Eren, his eyes closed, body slumped against Armins.

Armin threw Eren to his bed with panic.

Closing his eyes, Armin turned off the lantern and threw himself at his own bed, completely forgetting about the book and his assignments. "Goodnight." he told no one and pulled the blanket all over
himself until it covered his face.

Armin was enjoying a peaceful dinner in the dining hall of the main HQ when the realisation slowly settled in. The sound of spoons and forks suddenly zoned out and Armin dropped his spoon in the soup.

The blond's eyes suddenly widened and he stared without seeing. His hands suddenly started shaking against the table. For someone as intelligent as him, it sure took a long time to figure it out.

Their operation to restore wall Maria was in a few days' time, and the more time passed, the more Eren Nightmares became frantic. Each time Eren found him while Sleep-walking and begged him to keep breathing through the burns.

Each time he woke up with a gasp with no recollection of anything. And Armin never told him what was happening.

Armin couldn't hear the endless sound of people chattering all around closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tried to let go of the dangerous thread of thought...

And failed.

His hands fisted around and he picked up his spoon again. He gritted his teeth.

It wasn't a coincidence.

"Armin?"

Armin opened his eyes with a small gasp. He quickly replaced the shocked look on his face with an awkward smile and looked at Mikasa. He focused his eyes on her stormy grey eyes.

"Hi, Mikasa..." he whispered narrowed her eyes for a moment before she sat down in front of him. Unlike him, who was in normal clothes, she was in full attire. She took a long look at Armins blinking eyes, searching for anything she could explain.

"Are you... Alright, Armin?" she asked, hesitantly, her grey eyes never leaving his own. "You Have been... More isolated than usual."

Armin hung his head low and played with his soup. There was no right answer to that, was there?

"No... it's fine," he murmured. His bow cut fell forward to hide his face under.

Mikasa's eyes softened. "It is something."

"It's... Fine..." she murmured and looked up, giving her a reassuring smile. "How was your mission with Captain Levi?"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes even more. "If you were fine, you would have manipulated this conversation much better than that sorry attempt, Armin..."

Armin gulped.

"We're worried about you... What is it?"

it's Eren.

"Armin?"

Armin shook his head. "It's just... I have a lot on my mind." he murmured and silenced himself by choking himself on soul and tried to ignore Mikasa's worried look.

Mikasa leaned forward a little. Until her face was inches away. "You know I'll be here, right? If you need something." Mikasa asked, her eyes betraying her blank face.

Armin gave her a warm smile and gently set aside his soup. "I know, Mikasa." he murmured.``Believe me... This business of mine will be over within a few days... I'm sure you have your own hands full... But thanks... Thank you... For checking up on me."

Mikasa wanted to object, she wanted to point out how Armin was totally blank when he was awake, how he had kept himself far away from the campfire in the past few weeks. How he had turned suddenly pale a few moments ago.

Even Erens dense head had noticed these things. No one in their squad knew exactly what was wrong with him. And Mikasa... The most straightforward person among them... Had volunteered
to ask Armin himself when Eren failed to get a good answer out of Armin.

"Private Ackermann!"

Mikasa grit her teeth and looked back at the officer that called out for her. The man waved and offered no explanation for the summons whatsoever.

Mikasa stood up, the force of it knocked the chair back. Someone winced behind her but she didn't care. Armin's smile encouraged her to go, and tended to her work. He wasn't going anywhere. Then his eyes fell back on the tasteless soup.

Mikasa made her way out of the dinning hall with a strict frown set in place, this summon better be worth it.

Well, at least she knew Erens suspicions about Armin were somewhat true. Something was bothering their friend.

When Mikasa was out of sight, Armin grabbed the sides of his head and rested his elbows on the table. He shook his head, unable to stop the rising emotions rising to his head.

"Mikasa..." he whimpered so quietly that he couldn't hear himself. "I'm going to die..."

Saying it outloud suddenly made it real.

Armin covered his mouth, thankful for his long hair that was covering his face. "I'm going to die... I'm going to be burnt alive..." he murmured, hoping no one would hear him.

this wasn't the time.

no, this wasn't the time. They still need to reclaim wall Maria, they need to.

Armin took a deep breath and wiped his unshed tears with the back of his hand.

This wasn't the time to grieve over his unknowingly short life.

Armin sprinted out of the dining hall.

Armin shot his ODM and jumped off the wall.

Armin landed on the walls next to Erens fallen Titan and looked around at the rubble.

There was...No fire in sight.

Just the colossal Titan that was rapidly approaching and... Oh.

A flash of realization passed his blue eyes and his eyebrows relaxed. His frantic heartbeat slowly lowered until he couldn't hear it in his ear anymore.

He was going to die. There was no doubt about it now.

Armin fisted his shaking hands. He couldn't stop them. His closed fists shook but he couldn't stop them. He was going to die and all he could do was stare at the colossal titan.

Armin closed his eyes and turned back to Erens Fallen titan form, fixing his ODM gear above Eren Throat and raising his shaking sword.

Not even a chance for a Goodbye, Then.

He couldn't risk Eren finding all about his grand plan. And this was their only shot.

Armin took a deep breath, their conversation in the woods flashed past his eyes. Armin couldn't help but smile. Armin sighed loudly, his eyes watching the sky. "The truth is, Eren." he murmured. "When I think about the outside world. Courage flows through me too."

Armin took a deep breath and stabbed Eren's Titan. He fell when the tip of the blade hit Erens shoulder. Armin leaned down until his face was inches away from The titans skin. A soft smile appeared on the blond's face.

"Eren..." he said softly, a bitter smile on his lips. "Wake up, it's time to see the ocean."

"So, Eren, that sums up my plan." Armin kneeled on Eren's titan shoulder, who was sitting up,almost done healing... Almost. Armin held onto the Titan's hair and the two stared in determination at the upcoming Colossal Titan.

"As long as we properly execute it and manage to trick Bertolt, we're the victors."Armin said, more sure than he ever was. If Armin were to die, then his plan would work.

The Colossal Titan approached the pair with unreadable took a deep breath, his tongue ready to lie. To manipulate, Eren needed the false reassurance to go through the plan. "I know it's a plan I made up myself...but..." He said softly. "Its success mostly depends on how long I can hold out for."

Eren turned his head slightly to look at him. Armin's jaw was set but his face had beads of sweat, subtle signs of nervousness. He smiled softly, his blond hair falling up and down when he nodded.

"Eren, I'm sorry, but I can't die until I get to see the ocean. So I'm going to have to pull back once it gets life-threatening."Eren just stared at what he could see from Armin's face. Something was strange in those blue eyes and Eren recognised it.

"The rest is up to you, you know..." Armin said hesitantly, "because I'm just not a hero."

Eren wanted to frown but his titan couldn't. "No, I know you are." Eren thought, watching him. "You just can't see what I do…"

Suddenly the blue eyes lost their initial shock and stress, they seemed strangely at ease in Eren's Mind. Armin smiled again, "You still believe in it. right, Eren?" he asked, "We promised to see the ocean together!"

Armin's vibrant blue eyes burned with untold promises.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

The words echoed freshly in Eren's mind.

"We promised to see the ocean together."

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The sound of Armins words were already fading, slowly being replaced by the sound of Erens echoing footsteps on the rooftop. Eren's eyes couldn't see, they were wide but unseeing. He took one step after another on that rooftop. Towards the end of it where Armin was laying.

Armin was lying still.

Really still.

Berthold was already completely unconscious and Eren pulled him like the dead weight he was going to be.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

The air was peaceful and quiet in Shiganshina. The Colossals dying body was sitting against the Wall, dark and steaming. Eren could see it from that rooftop but his mind couldn't care less.

Because Quiet crackling sounds were coming from Armin's body, smoke rising from it. Armin's body didn't look like Armin anymore. It was a dark, shapeless shape, so far from Armins blond hair and blue eyes and features that quickly turned red in every embarrassing situation.

Eren's eyes couldn't register the scene in front of him and his mind was blank, except for an echoing voice in his mind.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

He fell on his knees next to Armin, still holding Bertolt by one hand. Erens took a shaky breath. "I always knew," he said, "you were more of a hero out of any of us."

Armin was unrecognizable, his hair was gone and what used to be the warmest pair of summer blue eyes Eren had ever seen was-

Armin shut his eyes tightly, as if that would block the world away. The sounds of crackling and steam rising punctured the otherwise dead silence.

Eren opened his eyes and the scene was the same. Armin's golden hair was gone, his face completely burnt out, his dreamy blue eyes now just black ash.

Eren had to look away, stare at the roof on the other side. "Why don't you ever run away?" he murmured with a broken voice.

But Eren was never alone in times of grieving. The world would never allow him that. A loud noise came from behind Eren. Gasping, he looked back to see a blond man with titan marks around his eyes and the Cart Titan.

Eren's eyes snapped away and focused on the titan that jumped around like a trained wolf. "ATitan?" he murmured. The Cart Titan began to jump from roof to roof.

"Shit!" Eren grabbed Bertolt and held his sword at the other's neck as the Cart Titan landed in front of him. "One move and he's dead!" Eren glared at the blond man.

Eren's eyes widened slightly. He's got Titan marks around his eyes. Is he the Beast Titan?!

The man's expression twisted. "Are you…Eren Yeager?" he dug his sword into Bertolt's neck. Aiming to kill berthold-

"You look nothing like your father."
A shocked "What?" left his mouth.
The blond man shook his head. "Believe me, I know what you're going through. We're both victims of your father. You've been brainwashed by him," he said.

"My dad?"

Suddenly smoke rose from the side of the walls and the man turned around. "What?" he shouted,annoyed when he spotted Levi covered with titan blood and steaming. "You're kidding me! Hechased me all the way here?"

Levi began to slide down the Wall, angrily charging the blond man growled. "Fine, Levi. My injuries force me to call it a draw." he turned his attention
to Eren. "Bertolt, I'm sorry, but I think it's the end for you." The Cart Titan turned away. "Eren,someday, I'm coming back to rescue you!"

Eren gasped as the Cart Titan jumped away from him. His eyes widened.

In a splash of wind, Levi landed in front of him. Growling at the direction the Cart titan was running, titan blood running down his face.

"Captain!" Eren murmured and let go of Bertholds unconscious discarded his dulled blade, and they fell down the roof.

"That was the last of my gas. I'll chase him! Hand over your gas and blades!" He ordered and held out his hand. Eren shook his head slightly. "Right!" he began removing the canisters.

"Hurry!"

Eren fidgeted with his gas capsules, it was almost out and ready for Levi to jump back into action,chase the titan-shifters and finish the mission.

But before Eren could take out a capsule, a weak cough filled the air, coming from where Armin had fallen.

Eren froze, his breath caught in his throat and his mind forgot all about the gas tanks and blades.

He slowly turned his face, looking at the burnt body.

The world was merciful enough to give him hope. He heard it again. A faint, small breath of life coming from Armins burnt lips.

Eren launched himself at Armin's blackened body and leaned down, he hadn't heard it wrong.

Armin was breathing again.

He didn't even hear Mikasa land on the other side of the roof, he didn't hear her startled gasp and didn't see the way she suddenly touched the side of her face in a burning headache.

"Yes!" Eren shouted loudly, if only Armin could hear anything.

"Keep it up!"Tears in her eyes, Mikasa touched her head, shock and grief on her face.

"Armin's breathing again!" Eren leaned over him. The small rise and fall of Armin's chest was followed by a weak round of coughs. But Armin continued to breathe weakly. "Come on! It's Just a burn! keep breathing!"

Mikasa finally broke out of her stunned stupor. "Armin?" she turned back, hope burned in his green eyes as he looked at Mikasa and the captain. "Captain!Hurry, give me the syringe!"

Levi was on his knee between Eren and Mikasa, the titan blood steaming from his body. He reached into his jacket,
searching for the injection at an achingly slow pace.

Eren stared at Levi, who wouldn't make eye contact with either of them. Eren pulled up Bertolt and wrapped an arm around his neck, his other hand pointing at Armin. "We have to turn Armin into a Titan and we'll have him eat Bertolt! Please Give it to me!" he pleaded, tears clouding his eyes.
Finally, Levi held up the box. "Yeah."
Suddenly remembering, Mikasa blinked away the tears and covered one ear, firing off a red smokeround.

Slowly, Levi's hand was stretched toward Eren's outstretched one. It was barely a few inches away from Eren's desperate hands before two hands clutching the handles of 3D gear suddenly slammed
on the roof. It caught Levi's attention at once.

Floch climbed up With Erwin tied to his back. "Captain Levi…I finally found you. CommanderErwin is in critical condition!" Floch said desperately. "His stomach was torn open and his organs are badly damaged!"

Quickly Floch laid the commander's body on the roof. Erwin was unconscious and haggard-looking, moments away from death.

"I couldn't stop the bleeding," Floch told Levi honestly.

Levi stared with wide eyes.

"But I thought that injection might be able to help." floch concluded.

Silence settled. Eren and Mikasa stared at Floch, Not believing what just happened.
Armin continued to breathe weakly. His small coughs echoed in the silent area.

"What?" Eren's hand remained suspended in mid-air, the case inches from his retracted his hand and held the case to his chest, not looking at Eren's eyes.

Eren's eyes froze in the air. "Captain?" Eren murmured, not believing his eyes.

Levi quickly walked over and reached a hand over Erwin's face. A soft breath caught his hand and relief washed over him. Floch and Eren crouched around the commander as well. "He's still breathing. He's alive."

Eren stared, not took a sharp breath, stricken and stood up, holding the syringe close to his chest. "I'm using the injection on Erwin." he said, leaving no room for negotiation.

Immediately, Eren shot to his feet. "You said you'd use it on Armin!" he argued loudly and glared furiously down at Levi.
Suddenly, Mikasa drew out her sword. The sound of metal against metal echoed on the roof. Athreat.

Levi took a deep breath while Eren blocked his path to Berthold. "Do you guys…have the faintest damn clue…what you're doing?" Levi asked them slowly without looking up at either of their eyes. "It's Erwin, the Commander of the Survey Corps, and you want him to die without lifting a finger?There's no time for this. Stay out of my way." Levi started to move but Eren caught the case and stopped him.

Levi's eyes stayed on the ground. "Eren, keep your emotions out of this."He said with the calmest voice he could.

"My...emotions...? Why did you hesitate to give me the syringe earlier?" Eren asked, a small tear rolled down his cheek that betrayed his angry posture.

"I was thinking Erwin might still be alive," Levi said truthfully.

"There's no way you could have expected Floch to carry Commander Erwin here in this critical condition."

"You're right, but now that Erwin is here, I'm using it on him."

With that Eren tried to take the case.

Levi was faster, he smacked him away with the back of his fist. Eren flew away to the other side of the roof, a few of his teeth fell down, blood trickling down his lips.

Mikasa cried out in rage and jumped on him, sending Levi on his back. And holding a sword to his throat. Levi gritted his teeth, struggling to keep Mikasa's sword away from his neck.

"Hey!" Floch yelled at her but she didn't hear.

Mikasa kept Levi's wrist with the case pinned down. His strength isn't all there! She glared furiously. I can take it from him by force!

Floch stepped toward Levi and Mikasa. "The one who will save humanity is Commander Erwin."he shouted loudly, throwing his hand in the air as if he was stating the truest of facts.

"Shut up!" Mikasa snapped at him.

Floch shut his eyes tightly for a moment. "I will not shut up. Don't think you're the only ones who had it tough!" Floch challenged her. "You Might not know, but…" He pointed toward the Wall. "On the other side of that Wall, there's not a
a single living soldier left!"

Mikasa snapped at her with an angry frown.

"Everyone died when the Beast Titan threw boulders at us. I didn't think anyone could be saved, But Commander Erwin thought of a plan for us to fight back at theBeast Titan and we did. We were smashed to bits just as he planned." Traumatized, Floch returnedMikasa's frown just as angry. "And I'm sure the last thing they felt was pure fear. I survived somehow, and when I looked for survivors... I found him still alive. I admit I wanted to finish myself."

Levi's breathing shuddered, Mikasa continued staring at Floch. Eren was still fighting against the conclusion the blow to his head and teeth had caused."But that's going too easy on him," Floch said softly. "I thought to myself that he ought to tastemore of this hell."

Even Levi was taken aback by his words. "And I understood." Floch shouted. "The only one who can lay waste to the Titans is a devil! And If I can bring back the devil, that must be my mission in life! That has to be why I survived like a coward when everyone else died!"

Mikasa's grip on Levi didn't soften, not one bit, not when it meant the life or death of one of her best friends.

"So stay out of his way!" Floch lunged to take the injection and Mikasa readied to cut him down.

"Stop!" Levi reached up to stop her but he wasn't fast enough.

Hange grabbed Mikasa from behind, restraining her. They were too busy to realise Hange had joined in. They kept Mikasa like a tight awkward hug from behind.

"Hange," Levi said with hope, lifting his pulled Mikasa off, falling back and away from Levi and the syringe in his hand.

Jean joined them, on one knee. Staring at the scene in front of him and color left his face. Just Behind him and to the side, Connie was on his knees, Sasha on his back, holding her protectively.

"Oh..." Jean said, voice strained. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No way…" Connie said, shocked as he eyed Armin, Bertolt, and Erwin. "I don't believe it." his hands unconsciously tigheted, holding Sasha close as if to make sure she is still there.

Mikasa let out a pained gasp when Levi started getting the injection ready, his eyes shifting toErwin. Mikasa screamed in agony and began sobbing, Hange kept her close. "Mikasa!" Hange kept her in place. "You have to know how much we need Erwin! We can't let the flames of hope extinguish inside the Walls!"

"But Armin could do that, too!" Mikasa said as she cried.

Hange nodded. "It's true, Armin is exceptional. But he doesn't have Erwin's experience and leadership!"

Mikasa held the side of her face, tears finally streamed down her face as Levi reached forBertholds collar and picked him up.

"There are people I want to bring back, too," Hange said, voice tight, while Mikasa kept weeping and hiccuping. "Hundreds of them. People I've known since I've joined the Corps."

Mikasa slowly closed her eyes as she slowly quieted down. She wrapped her hand around one of Hange's wrists and began to squeeze.

"But…" One eye closed and bloodied, Hange held her even closer. "You know, don't you? Nomatter who it is, there comes a day to say farewell."

"I might be managing it," Hange said, "but I still can't accept it. It's taking all I have just to keep sane. I know it's impossible, but you have to accept this. It's truly painful. I understand. But I have to keep moving forward. I'm sorry but... It's Armin's turn now."

A soft gasp left her lips. Closing her eyes, shoulders slumped, she accepted Hange's embrace. Herhand fell away from Hange's arm.

Levi took a hard breath in and prepared the injection and moved forward.
"Captain," Eren gasped out, grabbing Levi's boot. Some of the teeth had already healed but his face was still bloody, Levi couldn't bring himself to look at his eyes. "Do you know… what the ocean
is?"

Levi kept silent, holding the syringe tighter. "No matter how far you look, it stretches past the horizon. It's a gigantic lake. Armin said—"

"Hey!" Floch tried to stop him, pinning his shoulders. "Cut it out! You'll just make it harder for everyone."

Eren ignored him. "He wanted to see the ocean beyond the Walls," Eren said pitifully, crying asFloch held him up. "But that was our dream since we were little, and I forgot it long ago!" tears rolled down his titan marks."I wanted to avenge my mom by killing the Titans…"

Jean, Mikasa, and Hange were silent.

"Hatred was the only thing fueling me." Eren looked at Armin and listened to what was left of his shallow breathing. "But he's not like that! Armin cares about more than just fighting! He has bigger dreams!"

Levi closed his eyes for a moment and opened them with newfound determination. "All of you,clear the area!" he yelled, an injection in one hand and holding the back of Bertolt's shirt in the other.

"I'm going to have Erwin eat Bertolt!" Hange stood, hands still on Mikasa's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go, Mikasa." Hange murmured as they flew away.

"Shit. Shit," Jean whispered before he turned to leave, his hands slowly raised to cover his ears as he flew away and landed on a far roof. Connie carried Sasha, still unconscious, on his back."Armin," he said, tears falling out of his eyes. "See you."

Carrying Eren on his right shoulder, Floch fired off his wires. Eren reached out to the roof as he was carried away. Eren's eyes were focused on Armin's burnt body that he could see between the tips of his fingers.

Eren was pulled back, back, back-

Armin is getting smaller and smaller.

When they landed on another rooftop, Eren could see the captain kneeling beside the commander and taking his left and only hand to inject the syringe.

The Titan looked nothing like him.

For first the titan was a 15-meter titan with long blonde hair that dangled around
its face. The Titanstruggled to stand on his feet but did it anyway, reaching for Bertholds screaming and thrashing
body to devour.

Berthold was screaming for his so-called friends when he saw Jean on the far rooftop, but Jean just frowned and looked away, leaving Berthold to his fate.
Levi landed a few feet in front of them, carrying Armins burnt body. Eren and Mikasa jumped forward and gently laid him on the roof. Connie, along with unconscious Sasha, kept their distance.

Jean walked over and kneeled next to Mikasa and held Armins head slightly higher, to make his breathing easier. But Jean noticed the lack of painful gasps.

That was the first time the others, except Eren, saw silent distress in Mikasa's eyes.

Erens hands were frozen above where Armins blond hair would have been, tears streaming down his face, his green eyes red rimmed and teary. "It's just a burn... Just keep breathing." Eren hummed, not having the courage to touch the
ashen body. "Please... It's just a burn... Just keep breathing"

"Armin... Do you remember... That book? We've seen none of it, yet. The flaming water, fields of sand, mountains that would take days to- to climb? We promised to see the- the ocean together,"
Eren murmured softly, taking one of his hands into his own. "Don't leave me now..."

Jean wanted to point out the fact that Armins ears were burnt off, that Erens pleas would never reach Armin, but he kept quiet.

The air was unbearably silent. Erwins titan detransformed and Hange, Levi and Floch were gone in an instant.

In the distance, Levi grabbed Erwins steaming body, surprised that the second arm had grown back. He lifted the commander and pressed him to his chest in a tight hug.

Suddenly, Eren stood up, eyes shifting between Mikasa's face as Armins silent body.

"I have- I Have another transformation left!" he said desperately. "Maybe I can take him back to Trost? A- A
hospital?"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes and nodded, totally agreeing with his half baked Idea. Eren stood with burning green eyes and lifted his hand to bite it on.

A sharp command from Jean stopped him.

Eren narrowed his eyes furiously. "What?" he shouted angrily. "You have a better idea?!"

"Eren..." Jean snapped loudly and swallowed down.

Slowly Jean took his fingers away fromArmins throat, from where was supposed to be a pulse point.

"There... There is no pulse..." Jean said, biting on his lip.

Erens green eyes widened and he stared at Jean and slowly, slowly shook his head. Jean swallowed the lump in his throat.

"He's Not- It's no use." Jean said and closed his eyes.

Mikasa and Eren were frozen, Eren shook his head in denial so Jean did what they should have.

Jean laid down Armin's head to rest it on the roof. He took Connie's cloak, who was too frozen to protest, and covered Armin's face and body with it.

The last of the smoke cleared the air, the dam started breaking by the faintest light of the silence cracked when Eren fell on his knees. His head fell down and he choked out a sick uncontrollable laughter.

Mikasa reached a shaking hand towards him when Eren started laughing loudly. She looped her hands around his and closed her eyes.

Jean clenched his jaw and looked away from Eren's breakdown to Sashas senseless face.

Connie held her firmly, afraid that she might fall off the roof. He stared at the two of them "Armin just died..." Connies eyes widened and he stared.

Mikasa held Eren tighter. Eren
covered his eyes with the palm of his hands. an ugly mixture of sobs and laughter left his eyes were wide open, staring at Eren.

"Why are you... Laughing?"

Eren could only revel in a sick sense of Deja Vu like he'd seen this exact scene somewhere closed his eyes, not being able to see that body anymore. "It's just a burn... I thought you'd-"

"-keep Breathing..."

Notes:

How was it?

Please leave a comment or a kudos to make the author happy! I genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts!

Chapter 2: My friend : We'll see the world.

Summary:

The scouting legoin come back to wall Sina and leave the job of killing titans to Hange's titan killing machines.

Eren wants them to work faster.

Notes:

Hello everyone!

There were a few questions so... Yes, I'm rewriting dear world and yes, there are going to be some major changes from the one I deleted.

For those curious readers who asked why this fic was tagged Eremika, well the answer is simple! becouse they are going to end up together here!

But of course I had to put the main canon changes in the first chapter so people know the real impact Armins death has on both Eren and Mikasa.

Anyway, please enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Levi ran towards the strange looking titan before the steam cleared.

He started running before he knew he was running. He was running before he felt his feet hit the ground. He heard the zipping sound of ODM before he ordered his hands to send the grapples flying.

The moment Erwins titan fell down, toppling down, Steam gathered all around him.

The titan looked hideous, not enough hair and full of brownish scars over its right hand. But it did its job.

The titan passed out and fell, the amount of steam that rose more than Levi had ever seen.

He jumped down, from rooftop to rooftop until he was in the middle of the steam, covered with his lower half of his face covered with his hood. His dark eyes looked around for a sign of movement. He knew Hange was right behind him, their curious nature demanded them to be there if not the instinct to protect a friend.

The titan disappeared before long. steam slowly cleared and Levi finally found Erwin Smith's form emerging from the body of that titan.

Unconscious, his upper body was raised, facing upwards. His hair fell all over his face, the hair gel he always insisted on using was useless against the heavy steam that made his hair dance over his closed blue eyes. Erwins clothes were still bloody, his jacket tattered, but Levi could already see Erwins right hand grown back.

Levi jumped forward to grab at his body before it had a chance to fall. Levi let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he felt the warm press of Erwin's body and the soft humming of his heart beat against his skin.

That made Levi pause for a moment. An emotion that had never come after watching someone injured in this line of work, flooded his body.

Relief.

Finally.

Levi held Erwin tighter, closer, as if to confirm to his hearing heart that this welcome weight belonged to none other than Erwin. The same man with memorizing blue eyes and the rarest of smiles.

When the steam cleared, Levi could see Hange in the background. Staring with awe, their brown eyes relieved and stressed at the same time and Floch-

Erwin took a shuddering breath and snapped Levis attention to itself.

Levi saw Flochs figure in the distance, a wicked smile on his shut his eyes, slowly pulling Erwin out of what remained of the steaming titan body.

"Im Sorry, Erwin," Levimurmured into Erwins unconscious ear. "But you'll have to stay a devil a little longer."

The world steamed around them. The sound of burning filled their ears as Levi stayed there, a little longer.

When Erwin opened his eyes, he was sitting in a totally dark place, another world. The first word that crossed his mind was Afterlife. But after life wasn't supposed to hurt.

Erwin wanted to rub his sore eyes to relieve the pain behind them. A sense of touch, so foreign and familiar at the same time, flooded his brain and he pulled his hand- no, hands- back and saw his right hand had grown back.

Again, the thought of possible afterlife came to the forefront of his mind before he felt a slight tremor in his abdomen.

Yes, Afterlife wasn't supposed to hurt.

A sudden explosion of steam caught his attention and Erwin turned around. What greeted him was the head of A colossal Titan. Half of the head was skinless and the other was just a skeleton.

Erwin's face didn't flatten. It took much more to antagonize him. He narrowed his eyes, dangerously glaring at the monster. The Titan didn't do as much as blink, but a miserable tear escaped the titans eyes.

Erwin woke up with a sharp breath. This, unlike what he assumed, wasn't the afterlife. Erwin Smith was very much alive.

At this point, he was used to the view of the walls, the view from 50 meters above the ground wasn't something a person can forget easily. The sun had risen and filled the walls and the empty city with its light, so it was almost noon.

What Erwin had forgotten was "what happened?" The last thing he remembered was the explosion That was the telltale sign of colossal Titans transformation and the beast Titan that was showering them with deadly rackets made of rocks.

A feeling on his shoulder made him turn around, Erwin met Levi's tired eyes for a moment. Levi stared at him in silence for a moment, as if not believing his eyes. Which made Erwin frown. Something wasn't right.

"Finally back in the land of the living." Levi murmured, which made Erwin frown impossibly more. Levi stood up to his feet and took out a smoking gun and threw a red signal without covering his ears.

"You have no idea how true that statement is." Levi murmured, a little relieved.

Erwin couldn't help but notice the bags under Levi's eyes or how his eyes were red rimmed. Something had happened, something that made Levi to the point of being emotional.

Erwins eyes traveled down to his right hand. Right hand... That didn't exist. But it was there now, Erwin could feel it. Working with it was a little alien and left more questions than answers.

His frown disappeared when he remembered the serum and noticed the pile of blood on the left side of his white blouse.

The pieces started to fall together.

"The serum-" he murmured.

Levi took a deep breath and nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Yes." He murmured. "How much do you remember, Erwin?"

Erwin rubbed his chin for a moment, images of the night replayed in his mind. "Levi..." he asked, closing his eyes. "I almost died, didn't I?"

Levi kneeled down again, his eyes inches away from his. "Aren't you a genius?" he murmured, but Erwin could see through the facade of confidence like it was glass.

"Colossal or the Armored?"

"Colossal." Levi murmured. "Now... Tell me what you remember."

Erwin explained the last things he remembered up to the point when he told Levi about his dream to know the secret beyond the walls.

And in turn Levi, explained everything with an unrecognizable look on his face. Each word made Erwin think harder and he could picture himself doing every single one of those Levi explained. Sending tens to their deaths, being smashed by speeding rocks.

Levi hadn't finished when Hange came crashing down on the wall. A happy but bitter look on their face. "Erwin!" they murmured with a soft smile.

Erwin knew that sense triumphs in their eyes. It screamed that if You're here, I don't need to be the commander. That I'm free.

"You're awake. Finally came back.'' Then, Hange slowly turned his gaze back at Levi. "...Did you tell him?"

Levi nodded.

Erwin took his eyes away from Hange and back to Levi. "The Beast Titan?" Erwin asked, noticing the way Levi's eyebrows twitched. He pressed his mouth to a thin line and crossed his arms, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "He got away," he admitted. "Along with the armored."

Erwin took a deep breath and pulled the blanket off of himself, slowly rising to his feet. He found a pang of happiness in his chest that he couldn't quite name. And then he felt the phantom pain in his right The arm wasn't phantom anymore. Erwin fisted his right hand in front of him before letting go.

Fist.

Open.

Fist.

Open.

"Are you sure you can stand on your own right now?" Levi asked, quickly standing as well and helping Erwin stand up by grabbing his sides.

"I'll be fine. The sooner we get back to Trost, the better." he said as a matter of fact but kept his hand around Levis' shoulder regardless. "The basement... Where is Eren... And everyone else?"

Hange's eyes closed. They fidgeted with the hem of his collar before turning to the horizon. "Jean and Connie are looking for survivors. Sasha is unconscious.
Eren is... Not in the mood and taking Armin to his childhood home with Mikasa." Hange said as a matter of fact.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Let's not waste more time?" he asked. He fisted and unfisted his right hand, just to feel the sensation again and looked at Hange. "Where is he?"

The truth is waiting for them.

Right around the corner, waiting to be discovered.

The silence between them could be cut with a knife but neither needed to talk. Mikasa understood Erens need for the silence and didn't need words to understand his emotions.

Just like how Eren didn't need to tell Mikasa where he was going when he suddenly yanked Armins body when Jean said it's better if they take him to bury in the ground near the river.

Eren carried Armins lifeless form towards Armins childhood home. Mikasa assumed it was because he could find it again one day. She was aware that the tradition of burning the bodies and burying it somewhere like this with no ceremony was worse than the death their blond went through.

Eren puts the body on Armins bed. His childhood bed. The one he used to read on when he invited the three of them over.

Mikasa stayed back to give Eren some space, hoping that would calm the despair in his eyes he saw earlier.

That was when she saw it. That open book. She picked up the book. She brushed the dust away and yet the cover was still dark and mered with dust. The book just laid there for six years after all.

There was no mistake in it, it was Armins story book. The sane book he always read to them on cold winter days and under the fall of the leaves. The story of dragons and castles.

Mikasa smiled bitterly and hid the story book in her jacket.

She turned around just in time to see Eren tucking the burnt body under the blankets. His green eyes strangely hollow as he stepped back.

Mikasa put a comforting hand on his shoulder, not offering a smile. "Let's get going..." she murmured. I can't stay in here for much longer.

Eren took a shuddering breath.

"Eren, we will come back but... Right now... We have to go back to the Wall... And then Dr Yeagers basement..."

Eren closed his eyes and lifted his head a little, taking a deep calming breath. "The basement," he said quietly. "Yes, the basement."

Mikasa put her hand over his back and gently pushed him away from Armins bed. Her own eyes were glued before she forcefully yanked her eyes away and towards the exit.

She guided Eren and herself out of the dusted house and towards their superiors.

"-And managed to steal the Colossal Titan." Hange concluded, looking at Commander Zacharyand Queen historia with a strange adoration. "Without the power of the colossal titan the enemy has no way of breaching the walls again."

Unlike the Garrisons and the Military police regiments, only three people from the survey Corps Were present during this meeting. This fact highlighted the casualties more than Erwin liked to admit, yet another staggering blow to the scouts that Erwin had to deal with.

The truth is, the scouts needed a boast and so did the public opinion about the scouts. No one would join a regiment where they know their lives aren't valued. Well, not the amount of people Erwin needed after they realised what the world beyond the walls truly held.

Knowing the MPs, they wouldn't take responsibility for Marley, they would somehow find a way to push the responsibility into the Scouts shoulders.

Hange had done a wonderful job of reporting what happened in Shiganshina. Levi had yet to say a word, the way his gaze held onto the floor and his crossed arms screamed annoyance and the desire to be anywhere but here.

To their left, Commander Pyxis and the Garrison regiment hummed thoughtfully while theMilitary Police regiment remained silent. The queen nodded softly, a hint of gratitude passed her
eyes.

Zachary however, was less than happy. "The Survey Corps has exceeded expectations yet again." Zachary said with a flat tone. "How much do you estimate until wall Maria is habitable again?"

Hange wet their fingers and flipped through the papers. "With the current speed of the Titans Smashers working per estimate about a year until the Titans within Wall Maria are eradicated. Then, we can gather and hold a memorial for all the Scouts we couldn't commemorate. After that, Wall Maria can be habitable again."

Queen Historia leaned forward on the table, her blue eyes looking for a sign. "It will take another six months with our resources to build houses and other necessities for the people to live in." she said as a matter of fact. "But all things considered it's a bright ray of hope."

Commander Pyxis cleared his throat. "This is perhaps our biggest victory yet, but there is more toit." he said, looking directly at the queen. "What do we do with Grisha Yeagers notes? To say the information about his early life is dangerous is an understatement." Commander Pixis rubbed his
chin. "So is the matter whether it should become public knowledge or not. But it's not something we should hide."

"The public shall never know about this!" One of the Military police isles, Captain Adler, almost jumped. He stood up and looked at the queen. "Or we'll lose our control over the people! Just imagine the uproar, your majesty. We will never be able to control them."

Queen historia narrowed her eyes at the Military police Isle. "What is your point in this, CaptainAdler?" her tone made it perfectly clear she disagreed.

Adler, with determination in his eyes, looked at the rest of his comrades. "Information such as this will surely cause an uprising within the walls." Alder said as a matter of fact. "Wild Panic. Whocan possibly control that? We could barely control the fear back when titans were our greatest fear."

Levi struggled not to jump and shout at the military police officers. Because that was exactly their job, wasn't it?Maintaining law and order within the walls?

Erwin clenched his jaw. He stood up as Hange sat down. "As a scout, who has worn the wings of freedom for years, hiding this vital information like King Reiss is unbecoming." Erwin said and narrowed his eyes at Adler. "We in this room, have all sworn to give out our hearts for the people of the walls. I don't see how a mere social reaction may be threatening to our position and work ethics?"

Adler almost jumped. "How do you explain to the people that not only we are not humans, Butthere are humans outside of the walls that send titans to us and want us dead. We... Subjects of Ymir... that are a global enemy? And how can the public possibly consume the fact that Titans are people and that given the chance We will turn to titans. And we have three of the nine titans while the enemy has six. Speaking of titans. I've heard Eren Yeager has been unable to access his titan healings and founders ability. All things considered. This will all cause public fear when not even Yeager can fight like we assumed and he used to."

Levi leaned back against his chair and looked at Adler dead in the eye. "You're not the personwho's fought titans all their life, Captain." Levi spat. "You and all your MPs have never even seen a titan upfront. Let alone kill 'em, What are you so worried about? Conscience?"

Erwin could see the raw anger floating in Levi's eyes, until Hange put a hand on his shoulder andLevi took his burning glare off of Captain Adler.

Erwin exchanged a look with Nile for a moment and was disappointed to see he, the commander of the MPs, agreed with Captain acts would be expected of people with such low morality.

Erwin shook his head in disappointment. "In the end, the choice falls with the Queen of the walls." Erwin said as a matter of sat up a little straighter and closed her eyes for a moment.

Silence settled.

Slowly, Everyone's eyes settled on Historia, who had her fingers laced in front of her in a manner of thinking. Nobody said a word until Historia dropped her hand and looked at Commander Zachary." My choice is made." The Queen announced. "Let the newspapers have it their way."

Erwin signed the last paper.

The last paper that confirmed the death of all those who died in the battle was dubbed "the battle of Shiganshina" by the newspapers.

He took a deep, calming breath. As usual, Levi was there simply for moral support. But unlike always when he sat beside him and pointed out certain memories of the deceased person Erwin was signing for, this time he was standing next to Erwins only office window.

The entire wall was a window, Erwin hadn't noticed it had turned night until he saw the way moonlight caught Levi's face. And Levi was thinking. Thinking hard enough that his brows were frowned and his fingers were playing with the hem of his collar.

"What are you thinking about?" Erwin asked, closing his papers and notebook. "What's wrong, Levi?"

Levi fisted his hands, unfisting them with a deep sigh. "Doesn't it bother you?" he murmured, his dark eyes glued to the view of forests and stars. "All this mess... For only thirteen years."

Erwin put his notebooks and plans aside. "Depending on how you look at it, thirteen years is enough time." he said with a nod, standing up to close the distance by standing behind Levi. "What is really bothering you."

Levi narrowed his eyes at Erwins reflection. "My problem." he said, turning around. "Is that thirteen years isn't enough for what I had in mind?"

"Levi-"

Erwin couldn't finish his words because he was interrupted by a gentle knock at his door. Silence settled between the two. None of the two of them took their eyes off each other until the door opened and someone stepped in.

Erwin glanced at the man from the corner of his eyes and was surprised to see Nile standing at the door in full MP custom. He nodded silently.

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Oh, Nile... Can you come back in a few minutes-"

"It's quite alright." Levi snapped, taking both of their attention. "You know where to find us when you're done."

Levi stormed out of the room, hitting Niles shoulder on his way out.

Erwin looked outside at the window for a moment to calm himself down, the forest and th3 stars were truly beautiful, a blessing.

Nile took a step forward, and another, until he was standing next to Erwin. He would talk shortly, saying why he came all the way from the interior to see Erwin here in Trost. Until then, Erwin could enjoy the magnificent view outside of his office in the Capital, which was open to the nearby forest and mountains. He might not agree with King Fritz's whole Idea of Paradise, but he sure did choose a great place to make his small paradise.

Their greetings used to be filled with handshakes and sometimes angry growls, so many emotions? Back when they were cadettes.

When did they grow so distant?

(When the MPs slaughtered the Survey corps.)

"You still have that?"

That snapped Erwin out of his thoughts. Erwin followed Niles gaze to the chess set next to his office table. A smile settled on Erwin's face. "That's my fathers set." Erwin said. "I'd never lose it." The fake smile fell from Erwins lips. "I was expecting you, Nile."

"Of course you were." Nile said and pressed his mouth to a thin line.``I just came here to talk and... Congratulations to you... Your fathers theory was right, after all."

Erwin purposefully used his right hand to offer a handshake. "How about we talk over a game of chess?" he accepted the hand shake hesitantly, apparently still not used to the way Erwins hand had grown back.

Erwin walked over to the chess pieces. "Well, Nile... It's been a while." Erwin said, a humorless smile on his face, and sat down behind the black pieces. "We used to play all the time."

Nile returned the smile and sat down, looking thoughtfully at his white pieces. "Is it still your favorite game?" he asked. Without further ado, he moved a pawn to start the game.

Erwin nodded. "It still is. I learned how to play from my father... It feels like I connect with him this way."

Nile took a deep breath and moved a knight. "Do you remember... When you playfully said I'll owe you dinner and a party if you ever prove this theory of yours?"

Erwin chuckled. "Really? I don't remember?"

"Well I do, and Marie insists I should carry out the promise. So, I came here to invite you some time for dinner." Nile said, leaning back. "After all, a promise is a promise."

Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "Thank you, Nile." he said while slowly moving a bishop. "I'm looking forward to that already."

Most of the game went silently. Erwin had to admit, Nile used to be a master in this game but now he wasn't playing with his usual confidence. It had probably been a while since he last played.

Nile's hands were too hesitant, he changed pieces too much but Erwin could still see the same tactic since they were kids.

Erwin surpassed a grin.

After a while, Nile broke the silence. "It must be great." he said out loud to break the silence. "I still can't believe it. your fathers theory was right all along."

Erwins hand froze above his chess pieces, a sly smile passed his face and he laced his fingers together. "The world is much bigger than even my father anticipated."

Nile moved another piece.

"When my father talked about humanity outside of the walls I didn't quite predict them to be our enemies." Erwin said with a humourless chuckle.``At least your elite "Vs. Human'' squad will be useful."

Nile was taken aback for a moment before he gathered himself. "I thought we'd moved past that,"he said carefully. "That was King Reiss' orders, not mine."

Erwin removed his eyes from the chess pieces to focus on his longtime friend.
"Regardless," he said stoically. "the squad still exists, doesn't it?"

Nile didn't react, his face perfectly expressionless.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "And from what I've heard they have myself, our Section Commander, our Captain and our special operation squad are under tight observations." Erwin recited the warnings he had heard from the queen herself.

Niles eyes Suddenly widened before he took a deep breath. He moved his bishop. "It's for your own protection." he reasoned. "Those squads don't interfere with either of your actual work. Just control the possible threats upon your life. You might not have noticed but you, the Survey Corps, have become the last flame of hope within the walls."

Erwins hand, his healed right hand, hovered above the queen before he chose to move another piece.

"I understand Commander Zachary's possible concerns, but we in the survey corps can take care of ourselves just fine. Your 'elite' squad will only scare the possible recruits."

"Are you dismissing our protection?"

"Your 'protection' is interfering with our change in program and that's no protection. So yes, I'm Dismissing it."

"Erwin, you realise some people want you dead. The recruits you had from the Military police. The same ones you made them ride to their deaths. Those weren't normal people, they were partially nobles. You're changing the way the Survey Corps works. For that, people want you dead."

"True." Erwin said.

Nile noticed the hidden smile that suddenly appeared on Erwin's face. He didn't bother to hide it again. "But the truth is, one day, we'll be exposed to an unknown world and we already have a sworn enemy. If we cling to our old tactics..." he moved his rook in the same row as his exposed king. Nile wasn't expecting that move from Erwin and it was too late to notice his mistake. The only space left for his king to move was blocked by Erwins Bishop.

"Checkmate."

Erwin leaned back on his chair with a smile, fingers still carefully placed in front of him. Nile crossed his arms and a small laugh passed his lips. "I see you haven't changed a bit." he said, accepting his defeat. "Even after all this time you still have trouble talking straight, even to your own friends. You could have just told me to dismiss the squad, you know."

"Old habits die hard."

Nile shook his head with a forced smile. There was no better way for Erwin to show his opinion so clearly.

Eren dragged himself back to HQ.

There was no better word for it. His feet felt numb and he felt electricity running down his left hand. He held his left elbow with the opposite hand and dragged himself back to HQ, the medical wing, where he stayed until whatever was wrong with his titan healing could be discovered.

(There was no way he would go back to his room. The same room that belonged to a certain blond that had every inch of that room decorated with his ideas of what the ocean looked like.)

He pushed himself down the stairs until he reached the storage room, he turned on the lantern. Eren took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He unconsciously leaned against the doorframe, and then he realised he wasn't alone.

Mikasa was sitting on one of the beds, with a narrow book on her lap. Her eyes were glassy and focused directly on Eren's face. She was wearing some uncomfortable looking robes, but the bags under her eyes told she hadn't had much sleep. Mikasa had a first aid kit right next to her, ready for whatever injury Eren might have.

Eren completely forgot what he was there for.

He tried to push himself away from the doorframe a little angry and afraid now that he was found out. "How did you know?" Eren asked simply, slowly putting his weight back on his two feet.

"That you go out and fight titans at dawn?" Mikasa said blankly, her grey eyes looking tired and worn out. Her hand held the first aid kit she must have been holding all night. "We guessed."

"Huh, wow, who gets the credit?"

"It was Jean." Mikasa said blankly.

Eren let out a chuckle. "Wow, since when is he a genius?" he mumbled, not looking up at Mikasa's hurtful eyes.

"He always was smart." Mikasa said as a matter of fact. "But he was overshadowed by- " she didn't have to name it. They both knew who was always the smart/planning person in their squad.

She shook her head, not wanting to follow that train of thought right now. Eren. The important factor right now was Eren, she could deal with her emotions later. "Not the point." she said out loud.

Eren rolled his eyes, he wanted to walk away before it escalated but he was stopped by a warm trail of blood on his lips. Eren lifted his hand to his bleeding nose with an angry grunt. not now.

Nonchalantly, Mikasa held up a patch of clear tissue in front of Eren. He took note of how she gave him some space. If this was normal, she would have been wiping the blood and bandaging him herself.

But she stayed back an arm's length and handed him the clean tissue. The next moment, she decided against it and stepped forward, the distance closed between them and she held his face with one hand and used the other to wipe the blood away, she urged him to tilt her head a little forward.

Eren pressed his mouth to a thin line and fought the protest rising in his heart. He gave in to her gentle touch and careful look in her eyes.

She swallowed hard and met his eyes, storm dancing in her grey eyes. "Why?" she asked gently, holding his head a little titled down and wiping the blood. Her touch tender and caring. "Why do you go out at this time? What is so thrilling?"

The blood flooded down his nostrils like there was no ending to it. Eren stumbled back and almost fell, but she caught him and led him to sit down on a bed.

The dizziness he felt was new. His body could take a certain amount of stress fighting Titans all night and Eren was certainly pushing it. With his titan healing miraculously disappearing, he had no excuse for throwing himself into a fight like that. He looked away, not wanting to look at her eyes.

Mikasa sat down next to him. The gentle touch on his shoulder and her eyes that glared daggers at Eren was an unwelcome contrast. "You don't have to do this, Hanges machine will do all the work if-" Eren stared at the bloody tissue in her hands and noticed his bleeding had stopped, that his face was steaming slightly.

A sign of titan healing.

The steam disappeared the moment Mikasa drew her hand back.

Eren shook his head. "it's not fast enough." he said. "It'll take forever for Hanges 'executioners from hell' to finish off the titans no matter how much they are."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"The sooner we go back to Shiganshina the better."

With a tired sigh, She held his shoulder tightly and moved him back and forth slightly. "Eren... You can't go on like this..." she said, an evident warning in her tone.

"I know..." Eren murmured, meeting her gaze, not even trying to give her a tired smile. "But we have to go back as soon as possible. The Titans within wall Maria will be gone soon... If I go one more night."

Mikasa almost growled. "Are you really doing this again? Without back-up?"

"I am." he said as a matter of fact. "This Titan Killing machine won't work all that efficiently anymore, anyway."

"Eren! You need to rest!"

No response. Eren just held the side of his head again and took the bloody tissue from her. He neatly folded the bloodied tissue to throw it away, since the bleeding had stopped.

Mikasa was surprised Eren didn't ignite a shouting match, like how he usually did when she tried to protect him.

"Eren..."

"I'll do it, Mikasa. You can't change my mind."

The calmness in his voice was strange. Why was Eren strangely ok with all this Mikasa wondered. Under his eyes were black and he stumbled as he walked away, he was physically exhausted.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "Eren! There is a reason why you weren't discharged from the hospital! There is a reason why you stay in a hospital! You are ill-"

"I'm fine enough." Eren interrupted with a soft voice. He stood up, beating his nausea and walked away from the bed and mikasa, not once looking back. Eren made his way to the door.

Mikasa fisted her hands on her sides. As a last resort, Mikasa said loudly : "Armin wouldn't have wanted this!"

Her voice echoed, maybe she said it too loudly, someone could walk in at any moment trying to find out where the shouting was coming from.

That made Eren freeze on the spot, standing in front of her. He slowly turned around, looking at Mikasa from the corner of his eyes.

Mikasa took a sharp breath. "Armin would never agree to such a blind plan about you slaying Titans in the middle of the night with no backup." Mikasa said calmly, but her own worry was obvious in the ups and downs of her voice. "Especially when you're exhausted."

Erens eyebrows formed a frown. He tilted his head back to stare at Mikasa from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm - We're worried about you, Eren." she said. "Just look at yourself, your titan marks are scaring instead of healing. You can't even walk properly, what's left of you if you try to go out again!"

Eren rubbed the titan scars under his eyes, frowning a little as his eyes searched the cabinet. "The doctor said I should stay but none of them can really help me."

Mikasa unknowingly put the book on her lap. "The only one that can help you is yourself." she murmured quietly, her hand running over the text of the narrow book. "That's what it's said here..."

Eren stepped back in horror, his eyes widened when he recognised the book. "That's- that's Armin's book..."

Mikasa looked down at the wrinkled cover and the shape of stars. "This..." she murmured. "Yeah, it's his book. I was reading the story of that dragon and it's castle... The one he never finished before the walls fell."

"What... What happens in the end?" he asked.

"Why don't you sit down so I can read it to you?" Mikasa murmured.

Reluctant, Eren sat down, his eyes trailed on the floor and Mikasa started reading out loud. The story of dragons and princes taken hostage by dragons.

Somewhere down the story, Eren rested his head on her lap and she played with her hair, all while reading the children's story. The words were said and said until Mikasa read the final sentence and Erens breaths slowly evened out.

"The end..." she murmured, slowly closing the book.

Her plan had worked, Eren was exhausted enough to fall into a peaceful sleep the moment he felt a little sense of peace. She gently brushed his hair away from his face, a bitter smile on her lips.

at least, she murmured to herself. we finished your story, Armin.

Mikasa made sure not to wake him up when she stood up and let his head rest on a comfortable pillow. "Goodnight, Eren." Mikasa murmured softly. She closed her eyes over cold instincts and kissed his forehead. "Sweet dreams..."

The doctor's words echoed in her mind.

make sure he has enough sleep.

and don't skip meals.

there isn't enough information to know why his titan healing isn't working, so we'll have to rely on human level healing from now on.

Mikasa put the blanket over him, a sigh escaped her lips. "Don't go where I can't follow you." she whispered quietly. "Is that really too much to ask?"

The silence didn't answer her.

Mikasa bumped into Jean on her way back to her room. Sasha must be worried. She was worried enough to promise she won't eat that night's rare ration of meat until she comes back to their room.

Sasha, so considerate for her roommate.

Mikasa rubbed her eyes and didn't see Jean fast approaching towards the medical bay. His right hand was still in a cast, a souvenir from the battle of Shiganshina.

He raised his healthy hand the moment she saw her coming out of the medical bay. "Oh, sorry, I thought the nurse was here. It's time to take off the cast." he said, pointing at the cast around his left hand with his right one.

Mikasa shook her head, her eyes fell on Erens sleeping form. "No, I asked her to leave, I knew Eren would come here eventually."

Jean rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Right, Right, I'll come back tomorrow morning. Is the suicidal maniac alright?"

Mikasa looked back at the medical bay's closed door. "He's seen better." she said quietly.

Jean fought the urge to roll his eyes. He spinned on his heel and turned around. "Well then, I'll come back tomorrow morning when the nurse is here... To finally get this cast off."

Mikasa fisted her hands and sighed loudly. "Jean!" she said a little loudly, halting his movements. "... How did you... How did you move on from Marco?" she asked genuinely.

After all, Jean was the only one who lost someone so close.

Jean stopped and turned around, a little surprised by her question. "Our story is different, Mikasa. Marco wasn't just my friend." Jean said as a matter of fact, burying his free hand in his pocket. "... And I lost him to useless titan fighting."

Mikasa's hand froze in the air, and she slowly took a deep breath. "Oh... Sorry..."

Jean turned around completely, his back to her. "I'm not surprised. You are always too occupied with Eren to understand others' emotions and motives."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "That's not true!"

Jean slowly turned his head around. "If you knew the slightest thing about us, you'd know you could trust us to help you with Eren. Once you lose Eren to his own raw emotions you'll understand what I mean."

Jean left the medical bay before she could say another word.

He should have listened to Mikasa.

It was too late to have regrets, Eren should have guessed the titans hiding in the woods were not normal Titans. No normal titan would stay so far away from human scent.

However, Eren wasn't thinking. the truth is, he was craving the rush of adrenaline and the sick pleasure he got from ending a titan with his hands. Knowing he's finally fulfilling his promise.

That went according to plan, at least.

That night, Eren transformed on a deserted spot on top of Wall Rose and ran all the way to the place he was expecting to find the last Titans within Wall Maria. He should have expected Titans smart enough to hide weren't normal titans.

"Abnormals" Eren growled under his breath right when one jumped and grabbed his head, biting and screaming on his face. Another climbed around his ankle with a scream. Eren took a step back and hit a tree, this jungle was too dense for fighting in Titan form but what
What choice did he have?

He tried to grab the third one that was aiming for his hand, but the other titan was faster.

Eren was slower.

His right foot was being bitten off too fast for it to regenerate.

Eren wasn't regenerating.

Erens head was spinning.

"EREEEEN!"

With a battle cry, a flash of light appeared and Eren was suddenly drenched in the blood of the abnormal Titan on his face. It began to steam. When the body fell, he saw Mikasa's figure in full ODM gear, striking down at the titans in a feral way Eren had never seen before.

Eren completely forgot about the one on the back of his head, the abnormal raised a hand and hit his nape, repeatedly with a pained cry. Suddenly the sharp pain was gone and Mikasa was flying around him, her blades bloodied and dulled again.

Eren stumbled back, the veins around his real eyes were starting to hurt, the push of transforming too much and staying transformed was too much on his body.
He stumbled back until he hit a tree, his Titan body fell without much grace.

"Is that Eren?" Sasha shouted, as the three of them flew towards the steaming pile in the woods. The giant titan cried out loud and hit a tree behind him, his nape bleeding heavily. Suddenly, the titan slid down without much grace. Awkwardly sitting with his head down and knees slightly up.

And it didn't move.

"I think so, or else Mikasa wouldn't have taken off so fast." Jean murmured and looked back at Sasha and Connie. They were flying at the highest speed and if they continued they'll simply lose their gas. Jean narrowed his eyes at the other two.

"Eren is down, we protect him until he wakes up or it's safe to pull him out!" Connie dodged a branch and gave him a mocking salute. "Aye aye captain." he said with a smile.

Jean wanted to roll his eyes.

"EREEEEN!"

Mikasa was ruthless, slicing and swinging faster than anyone had ever seen her. Jean was almost sure her eyes were glowing madly behind the bloodstains on her face. They reached the nearby trees, and the three of them landed on a branch for a moment. Jean pointed the tip of his sword to Eren's titan. "Connie! help Mikasa protect the nape." Jean barked and Connie jumped immediately, slicing up an upcoming 4 meter titan on his way to Eren.

Jean looked down. As far as he could tell, almost all of the titans were abnormal, fast and agile. "Sasha, you and me, keep them at bay, here. Until it's safe enough for Mikasa to pull the suicidal maniac out." he said and Sasha nodded frantically.

They both jumped down and looked up, there were more coming from beyond the woods, beyond where they could see in the darkness of the night.

When Connie arrived to take his shift fighting titans, Mikasa flew away and landed on Erens back, standing on his nape, having absolutely no clue what she must do.

On her left, Sasha was suddenly covered in a pool of Titan blood. When a small 4 meter jumped and ambushed her. "Mikasa! Wake him up!" Sasha shouted, slicing the small titans head of its body before circling and hitting the weak spot. She landed on the back of Erens limb knees and shouted: "HURRY! THERE'S TOO MUCH COMING!"

Mikasa blinked and swallowed hard. She gently kneeled down and pressed her palm against titan Eren's nape. It was warm, too warm. "Eren! Eren! Wake up, we have to go!" she murmured.

No response, not even a grunt or a growl.

Mikasa gulped. "Eren! Eren! Wake up, we have to go!" She pleaded again and got no response. Eren simply didn't respond. His titan just lay there, like he was resting on a sunny afternoon.

"What is it with him!" Connie shouted. He spinned around and cut a titans eyes out, before turning and slicing its nape. "GET HIM UP ALREADY!"

A chill ran through her spine when she realised she couldn't.

Jean, Sasha and Connie were fighting with all their might. These abnormals were faster, could jump, and their previous fight with Eren made the jungle a giant pile of black steam, limiting their vision.

Suddenly, a titan appeared behind Connie, opening his mouth to devour the human. Connie was fast enough to dodge the mouth but the titan still hit him and sent him flying back until he hit a tree. A branch tore his left arm and it started bleeding heavily.

Jean's breath caught in his throat when Connie looked limb and fell down, his hooked ODM gear kept him dangling in the air.

Jean abandoned the titan he was fighting and aimed for Connie, he grabbed him and hooked his gear to the nearest branch. "Connie's down!" Jean screamed and let his ODM gear take them. He landed and quickly fixed Connie's ODM gear so that he would be tied to the tree in a safe distance away from the fight. He tore his cloak to make a makeshift bandage and wrapped it tightly around Connie's bleeding arm.

"Mikasa!" he shouted, knowing she'd get the message. Eren was still passed out, his Titan form barely moving, barely steaming.

Mikasa shut her eyes, "He won't wake up!" she shouted, sad and bitter about how she couldn't reach him.

Jean narrowed his eyes and jumped down from the branch where he left Connie. He was too late to realise the giant arm coming from the other side of the tree.

Time slowed down for Jean as the giant came around him, blocking the moon light from his eyes.

"JEAN!"

Sashas voice echoed in his ears but he was too late to react, by the time he angled his ODM to cut the offending hand off, the fingers were already closing around him and limiting his movements.

Jean's eyes widened when the blond titan opened its mouth to bite on its prize. Jean snapped back when he heard the buzz of ODM gear. "Stay back!" he shouted at Sasha. "Yank Eren and get out of here!"

Sasha stopped her movement and stared with terrified wide eyes.

"GET GOING!" Jean shouted just as he started to feel the dampness of the titans mouth. Sasha turned back with tears in her eyes towards Mikasa. Jean closed his eyes, his blades were dulled and he couldn't change them in the death grip of this titan.

All he could do was close his eyes when he felt a sticky liquid land on his hair.

Just in that moment, he felt an impact on the titan about to eat him. It was too forceful to be any of his comrades. Jean's eyes opened immediately. The impact made the titan fall down and open its tight fist.

Jean was floating in the air for a moment so he used that split second he had to set his ODM gear flying towards a tree.

His eyes searched for the source of the force that saved his life as the blond titan that tried to eat him, fell down. Behind him was nothing. Nothing except a titan with marks like freckles all over his face and chest. The titans right side was merged with ugly scars, as if this 'founder Ymir' had spent a lot of time and details on this specific titan.

Jean's eyes widened when the freckled titan kicked the other titan away.

He shook his head. just chalk it off as another abnormal. He told himself and jumped towards Eren, he ignored Sashas cheerful scream when she saw him in one piece. He landed right next to Mikasa. "Is he coming out?"

Mikasa shook her head.

"Then we have no choice." he said as a matter of fact and raised his blade. "We
cut him out!"

Mikasa was too late to protest, too lost in her own thoughts to protest, when Jean sliced down the titans neck and pulled Eren out from the hem of his collar. Jean pulled and pulled but Eren was unconscious and the veins were still attached to his face and arms, making it impossible to pull him out.

"Mikasa!"

Mikasa stared at the veins around Eren's face, it wasn't red like it always was, it was a sickly crismon, too dark it was almost black-

"MIKASA!"

Sasha landed next to them with a scream. "For goodness sake-" Sasha screamed and sliced the useless muscles from Eren, managing to cut his hands from wrist down in the process.

Mikasa's eyes widened, oh, Jean wanted her to cut those viens off.

Jean gave her a worried look. "Lets go!" he ordered before the titans could charge at them. Immediately, the three of them shut off their ODM gear and flew away from the titans. Jean carried Eren all the way to a high branch. Sasha almost got caught in the waiting claw of a 7 meter class.

They landed on the branch next to where Jean had secured Connie. Connie was still awake, thankfully. He stared at Jean when he gently put Erens unconscious form next to him on the branch.

"Suicidal maniac." he murmured under his breath.

Mikasa kneeled down next to Eren, she lifted his severed wrists and noticed they were not bleeding. She sighed in relief when the wound started steaming. Sasha looked down, sickly pale as he looked at the monsters on the ground. The steam from all the titans they killed was making it hard to see the living ones in the dark of the night.

"So many abnormal..." she murmured. "Why were there so many abnormal?"

Jean crossed his arms and noticed a four meter class titan was pawing at the three they were on, trying to climb up... And his feet were a meter above the ground.

"We have climbing titans now." Jean growled. In his response, Sasha chuckled.

"Let's get going," he said. "I'll go forward, you two bring Connie and our maniac."

With that Jean leaped forward, swords ready to slice any curious titans who might jump in their way. Sasha secured Connie's hand around her neck in a piggy back ride and jumped down.

Mikasa cradled Eren in her arms in a bridal style. Her eyes pleaded with him to wake up all the way until they reached wall Rose.

Once Eren was safely on the wall, Mikasa could finally let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

She gently lay down Eren on the wall, who was still completely passed out. A sick feeling told her she was lucky she came as fast as she did, or this night could have ended up much worse than it did.

Jean sat cross legged near the edge, his eyes fixed on the horizon, staring at the sun that was slowly rising to the top.

"That suicidal maniac did it." he murmured. "He wiped the titans in the south, He almost got us killed but he did it." He fisted and opened his hand several times, trying to calm down his raging heart. He glanced back at Mikasa and Eren. Mikasa held his head up to make it easier for unconscious Eren to breath, an unreadable expression on her face.

To her right, Sasha removed the sorry excuse of a bandage on Connie's arm and wrapped a real one around it, slowly covering the entire wound. It wouldn't be enough, they have to go back or risk
infection.

Connie winced when Sasha pulled it too tightly. "How many... Did you... kill?" Connie murmured, struggling to keep his breathing even.

"6." Sasha murmured, cleaning her sweaty forehead with the hem of her coat after she finished the bandage. "And you?"

A smile passed Connie's lips. "7..." he murmured and dropped to his knees. He raised a shaking hand with a tired mocking smile aiming at Sasha. "I won this round." And he fell back with a thud, laying down and almost falling out of consciousness.

Jean sighed. "Lets head back to base and the hospital." he murmured and stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "He needs some medical attention."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

Jean chuckled. "Both."

Sasha waved at him from where she was sitting. "Hold up! what do we do?" Sasha murmured, raising both of her hands Connie shrugged half heartedly, his left shoulder barely moved. "No idea." he murmured. Connie and Sasha exchanged a look with Mikasa and they turned their gaze to stare at Jean. Jean raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What what? Give us an answer." Sasha said jokingly. "What is it? What lie do we come up with to cover up all this-" she vaguely moved her hand around the air, unconscious Eren and Connie's injury.

Jean touched the back of his head and closed his eyes for a moment. "let's do him a favor." he murmured and opened his eyes. "There is no way they can find the bodies. Erens condition has been critical at best so these new injuries won't make Hange suspicious. Connie, We'll come up with a convenient lie about you... Maybe an accident during training with your ODM gear."

Connie shrugged again. "Not really believable but the medic will report it anyway." Sasha threw his hand around her shoulder and walked to the edge. "Come on now." she murmured with a smile. "Let's get you patched up. Back to HQ!"
"Aye aye second captain" Connie murmured, he turned back to give Jean and Mikasa a salute before she jumped, dragging him down with her.

Jean sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you want to get him back to the hospital... Or do you want to take him back to his room? Do you need help with any of them?"

Mikasa shook her head slightly. "Hospital." she murmured softly. "He's in no shape to go back to HQ."

"Well then, I'm heading back, we don't want Levi to get suspicious." Jean nodded and walked away to the edge. He looked back one last time. "Make sure to catch him up with our lies when he wakes up, Mikasa." Jean murmured as he jumped down, leaving the two of them alone on the wall.

Notes:

How was it?

Please COMMENT or leave a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 3: My friend : you'll travel the seas

Summary:

Eren doesn't want to go back to his previous room and Mikasa finds a solution for Erens problem.

Eren thinks everything is going fine but everything changes when the Memories of the future crashes down in Erens mind the moment he touches Historias hand.

Notes:

Whoops! It looks like Im updating on Armins birthday!

HBD Armin! Sorry I killed you in this story XD.

By the way- they are aged up two years in this story which means they were twelve when the wall fell, fourteen when they started their cadet years, seventeenth when Trost fell and 18 right now.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A few hours prior,

Eren fidgeted on his bed, feeling sleep suddenly drain from him as he felt, no knew, two sharp eyes had him under close observation.

Eren jerked awake, his heart beating in his throat as his eyes darted around the room.

His eyes landed on Hange, who raised their hand very slowly as if to tell Eren they wouldn't harm him.

Somehow, Hange's presence isn't the slightest bit calming his raging nerves. Eren clutches his shirt, right above his heart. That would make nothing good. His eyes glared daggers at Hange and his body was in a strict fight or flight mode.

Hange smiled in return. "Well, Eren, I just needed to check up on you." they explained, slowly lowering their arms. "How are you feeling... Armins loss must have affected you greatly."

Eren grit his teeth together, "I'm fine." he spat, sitting up and throwing hit feet to one side.

Hange picked up a notebook and pencil. They ripped the cap off the pencil and sat down next to Eren writing so illegible that Eren thought it was in another language. "You say you're fine, huh?"

Hange nodded eagerly. "Do you miss him? Do you miss it when he used to read outloud in your room? Do you remember his voice? His laugh? His words and quotes?"

Eren was taken aback for a moment. His eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. "How did you-"

"His reading habit?" Hange murmured. "Oh Eren, as a scientist I have to study my subject very carefully."

Eren took a deep breath.

"Do you remember him?"

Eren narrowed his eyes. "Of course I do, he has sky blue eyes and blond hair with the-"

"-had." Hange corrected. "Armin looked like that."

Eren opened his mouth to argue but then quickly closed it.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Hange asked, purposely trying to trigger his emotions. "When you think about all that you could have done together and now you can't?"

Eren's face melted before he gathered himself into an offering frown, sitting a little further than Hange.

Hange beamed again, just like when they were talking about their titan experiments. They scribbled down their notes and from what he could see from the notes, they'd written "titan healing reverses" in front of the box "grief"

Eren subconsciously touched the bags under his eyes and was surprised to find the titan marks were as deep as ever, even the little healed when Mikasa was around was reversed.

of course. Eren thought to himself. I'm a test subject to Hange right now. I always was. Just like How Armin was always so sparable.

Eren bit his lip. "No, don't think like that."

Hange raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I need to rest, Section commander." Eren said as politely as he could, but his frowned eyebrows betrayed his otherwise calm face. "I need you to leave."

Hange clears their throat. "Ok, last question." they murmured. "What happens when you remember it was your superiors who didn't let your friend be revived."

Eren grit his teeth, a low growl emitted from his throat like an angry wounded animal. "I get angry enough to transform right now and risk everyone's lives within this hospital just to harm you."

Hange's eyes widened.

"I need you to leave unless you want to trigger my anger any further." Eren added for good measure. "You know, I'm having a very hard time keeping my inner titan at bay around you, Hange."

Hange stood up, they hit the dust off their coat and looked at Eren with conflicted eyes. "Although you are the only one with titan powers, that doesn't mean you are the only one going through grief."

Eren gives him a sharp look. "Oh you mean Moblit?" he spat. "Don't compare us over that! At least I had the decency to respect my fallen friend." Eren snapped back. "Not like you, who didn't even search for what was left of Moblit. Tell me, Commander Hange, What are you going to tell his parents? Sorry, I abandoned your son after he sacrificed himself for me?"

Hanges knuckles turned white.

"You're angry right now, I get it. So I'm going to give you some space." they said as a matter of fact.

Hange left the room and Eren in a painful silence.

Hanges words had more effect on Eren than he wished to admit.

It made him think and when he was thinking he realised even when Armin was gone, he himself was doing nothing to achieve their shared dream. Outside of the walls might be enemies but there was also Freedom!

That thought made him carry himself off his hospital bed and sneak out of the hospital. Eren made his way to wall Rose and bit on his thumb as hard as he could.

These 'executioners from hell' or 'Titan killers' as people liked to call them, weren't working fast enough. Eren couldn't have freedom if Wall Maria was still full of titans.

And... They couldn't hold a ceremony for the fallen when Armins body was rotting in his childhood home. Armin deserved to be honored in a real ceremony.

And that couldn't be done when retrieving the bodies was so dangerous in titan-land.

Forming his titan body around him was second nature at this point, the night didn't cover his lightning transformation and Eren had to take extra measures not to roar.

Eren hoped no one could see or hear him when he sank his hardened titan hand on the wall. He climbed up the wall and sat on his knees for a moment, his titan eyes roaming the dark night and his titan grit tightly gritted together.

Eren was ready to jump and empty his anger and frustrations on the first titan he saw when a sudden but eager shout caught him off guard.

"MISTER YEAGER!"

That childish scream stopped him from sliding down. Eren turned around, looking towards the center of the shout. His eyes met two small dark cloaks in a few feets of his titan body. Eren's eyes widened. What are they doing here? They could have been crushed under Eren's heel and he would have never known!

He looked at the two children dead in the eyes as one of them took a few steps forward with shaking feet. He could see that the brave soul had blue eyes. The other brunette with dark black eyes was shaking and fell to his knees in pure fear.

Eren's titan growled angrily.

That did nothing in pushing the boy away. "Mr-Mr Yeager My-My name is Cy-Cy-Cyrus." he stuttered, holding up his hands in surrender. "I- I had a few questions about titans if-if that's ok?"

Eren made a face, his titan leaned down a little, to look at the two of them a little closer.

The other boy grabbed him by his elbow. "Cyrus, have you gone crazy-"

"Matheo!" the boy named Cyrus murmured, pulling his hand out of the other's grip. "This might be my only chance to talk to the great Yeager outside of newspaper articles!"

Matheo swallowed hard and looked away from Eren's death glare.

Eren narrowed his titan eyes on the boy. He brought his hand around the body's little body, careful not to crush him as he lifted him to the air like a doll.

"Oh-Oh, I think that's a yes!" the boy murmured, resting his elbows on Eren's titan hand. He put his head on his hands and stared lovingly into his titan eyes.

Eren raised an eyebrow. His attempts at scaring the boy were not answering at all.

"Do you feel this titan skin? How is it compressed if it's really made of air?" The questions rambled on and on even when Eren kept lifting him up.

The other boy suddenly jumped to grab Cyrus' dangling feet in a useless attempt to stop Eren from pulling him up until he was at eye level with the most horrific titan ever recorded. Even then, the boy kept asking questions. "How do you control this mass? Is it hard? Easy? Do you lose consciousness inside? Is this your body or is it obeying your body? And finally-"

The words froze on the boy's tongue as Eren's titan eyes stared at him with a little disgust.

The little boy swallowed hard. "Sir... What did your father taste like? Do you remember the taste of human flesh?"

Erens titans eyes widened. the nerve of this boy!

Eren rolled his eyes and hardened the forefinger of his other hand to crave on the wall.

"MATTEO! Matheo-Matheo- can you read what he's writing?"

"I DON'T KNOW, CYRUS PLEASE LET'S GO BACK HOME, I DON'T WANT TO DIE IN A TITANS HAND LIKE MY BROTHER!"

"Eesh, Matheo, ok."

Eren rolled his eyes. In the end, Eren craved the words, 'go home!' and dropped the boys into the ground and resumed his search for titans.

Present

Eren woke up from his nightmare with a silent scream. He couldn't control his breathing until his eyes recognised the familiar setting of the hospital room.

how did he even get here?

His green eyes couldn't focus on the wall and the instinct to scream was trained out of him long ago, since the first night he got these visions.

Visions of the past. Almost 2000 years almost. Enough to make everyone go mad.

Eren forced himself to sit up. He was still in his hospital room, in Trost. Where he was under close observation because of his lack of titan healing and he... Preferred it to going back to their room.

His body thought he was in battle, thus unable to sit down and heal his normal bruises, too busy keeping his heart and other organs intact under the intense stress and flood of other emotions Eren couldn't name.

heavy grief. Hange had whispered. you're in the fourth stage, just wait until you move on, your healing abilities will be back on track.

Was moving on even an option?

Eren tried not to think about it too hard, his head was hurting like it had never been. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to soothe down the pain.

Slowly, his door opened and Eren's eyes landed on a suddenly smiling petite nurse. "Ah, Mr Yeager. I'm glad you're up." the nurse said and scrambled something on her notes. Eren raised an eyebrow. The woman sat down on the bed and took his left hand, checked his pulse and wrote everything down with a smile on her face that proved Eren was physically alright.

"Good news! Your latest tests prove to be great," she said, like it's the best news of all. "I talked to the doctor and you can be released tonight."

released.

It was such a nice name for being kicked out of the hospital.

The nurse smiled again. "You know, I heard they have cleaned out the Scouts dorms and found some really interesting stuff there, like diaries and pendants! Even forbidden books, you guys are a different breed."

Eren nodded blankly.

"So you'll have a nice clean room waiting for you. Private Ackerman has been notified, she'll be here for you shortly."

Somehow amongst all that, it was good news.

Eren didn't want to go alone.

Being face to face with it was harder than Eren thought it would be.

The hallway to their room was empty, most people who lived in it were boys section had four survivors and currently one of them, Eren, was forcing himself not to run away.

Because right behind that door is everything Armin left behind.

There are drabbles and scraps attached to the walls. Doodles of what the ocean might look like. Notes written down about everything he could remember from that book about the outside world he found when they were five years old. Question marks all over the floating river of fire

("Why is it like that?" Armin would ask every now and then when sleep simply wouldn't come. "No seriously, Eren, why is it like that? If that molten rocks are really that warm they should-")

Eren hadn't listened to what he'd said afterwards. What did he do? It probably didn't matter anymore, Armin is never going to see it and neither is Eren.

"Eren..."

Mikasa's voice pulls him out of his thoughts again. The gentle hand on his shoulder is patient and supportive as always.

Protect Armin and Mikasa...

That was his mission wasn't it? He failed with Armin. What makes Eren so sure he'll be able to protect Mikasa?

Mikasa.

Mikasa's smile is gentle and warm. Eren wants to get lost in her stormy grey eyes. "Do you want to go in?" she asked, as if reading his mind. Eren let his hand rest above the handle. It felt cold under his fingers. "Right behind that door..." Eren murmured quietly. "I-"

Mikasa swallowed the bitter feeling and reached out for Erens shaking hand on the handle "Eren..." Eren fisted his shaking hands and let them hang on his sides, a small breath escaped his lips. "I...
can't..."

Mikasa pressed her mouth to a thin line. She held his hand in hers, pulling him to follow her away

from the door. "Let's go." she said. Eren followed her without knowing where she was going. He glanced back at their room one last time.

And hoped that the small sanctuary wouldn't be breached.

He was wrong.

Mikasa took him to her and Sasha's shared room. Sasha gave her a knowing wink before she took her already packed bag and waved at them goodbye.

Sasha knew about a plan that Eren didn't. Mikasa had told her about it only last night, and yet Sasha had agreed.

The previous night, when Mikasa had explained the situation to Sasha in the dead of the night under the light of a small candle, she understood. Sasha gave her an understanding nod and decided to give her parents a visit that very afternoon.

Jean too. He said it has been so long since he'd visited his family back in Trost. And since they were sure Eren wouldn't act reckless again like that, it was a good time for a small break.

Sasha took Connie, not wanting him to feel too much of his wiped out family. And after all, Sasha and Connie were like twins. Mr Braus had accidentally called Connie "son" more than once and Sasha's foster siblings all viewed Connie as an unofficial older brother. It did little to lessen Connie's greif about his titan mother and his slaughtered family. But it did enough.

Mikasa knew Eren couldn't get back into his shared dorm with Armin. It was a painstakingly obvious fact. Armin liked to leave his signs wherever he went. Mikasa had known from experience since they were refugee orphans back when Wall Maria fell. Armin liked to draw on the walls with almost anything he got his hand on. Coal, pen, pencil, craving on stone?

The camp they were at was filled with Armins little drawings of sea shells and moons and suns and whatever he could remember that brought him joy. Armin wasn't the kind of person to keep his thoughts only on his mind.

The best example of this was his diary. Eren and Mikada had never seen it themselves but they knew it existed and the same Diary Armin asked for them to destroy if he were to die. Armin used to disappear for hours as a small child only to return with an ink stained hand. When they were cadets, Mikasa had caught him scrabbling on a notebook more than once.

(It was a little game between the three of them. Who can find Armins diary? Armin panicked everytime Eren and Mikasa tried to search for it. They never found it. Now Mikasa was doubting her abilities to find it on Armins wish)

So, Mikasa could only imagine what signs Armin must have left in his room, a private sanctuary which he had been living in for almost a year.

"I'm sure Eren can't get in the dorm." Mikasa had told Sasha over the dead of the night. "So I'm going to bring him here. I've already signed up to find a suitable home for us. Probably somewhere in Krovla or Trost."

And then, Sasha decided to leave the room to Mikasa and Eren. Sasha actually wanted to give Eren and Mikasa some space but ended up emphasising on the dent in their once trio.

Mikasa couldn't sleep that night, both out of excitement and a strange mix of other feelings. But Eren had passed out on Sasha's bed. Mikasa stared at his peacefully sleeping face for a few seconds before her eyes fell down on the paper in her hand. It was signed. Now all it needed was Eren's signature.

"Property of house." she murmured quietly and a smile passed her face. She was lucky, the papers had come in on the best day they could. Tomorrow, she'd give the papers to Eren, and he'd probably sign them and they will have a house!

A house!

Mikasa stared at the paper and her own signature on it. It felt clumsy and unclean but it was her first time signing something so it was mostly ok. She turned back, going to put the paper back on it's folder and try to get some sleep at least. Granted. They still had a few days off but she needed all the rest she could get for Tomorrow. A pained sound came from Erens direction.

And she stopped in her tracks.

Eren wasn't sleeping as peacefully as she'd hoped. She slowly turned back, Eren was fidgeting and jerking slightly in his sleep. Mikasa always knew the tales of a nightmare but... She never knew how to deal with them. She always stayed back and watched with an ache in her heart until Eren woke up.

Even back when they were orphans of war, Calming Eren down after a strange nightmare was Armins job. He knew the ins and outs and the words Eren needed to hear better than even Eren's mom. The way Armin used hum small words and gently pat Erens chocolate brown hair that manipulated Eren's nightmare into a sweet dream.

Mikasa can only copy those acts now.
Setting all the frozen bodies and the hesitation aside. Mikasa pushed herself to sit down on the bed. Hesitant hands pushed Eren's hair out of his face. Slowly, small memories of Carla's favorite song came to her mind. (The same song she used to sing to herself almost every time.)

It looked like it was working. Mikasa could see, from the moonlight coming from the window right in front of them, that the tension slowly slipped out of Erens body. The light coming from the window was just a small reflection of moonlight but it was enough for Mikasa to see Eren's face slowly melt into a calm sleep once again, his titan marks slowly healing until it was just an old scar.

Old, but still visible under his eyes.

She felt a beam of joy rise in her being. She leaned down to get closer to Erens ears. "Sleep well, Eren..." Mikasa murmured. She sat back up and stared out of the window. Tonight, the moon was full. And the stars were painting the skies in beautiful colors. To her, it was like a sign for a good beginning.

"I hope you'll like my gift."

Eren stared at the metallic door in front of him with indifferent eyes but Mikasa could see the spark of joy in them. "A home?" he asked, looking at her eyes with blank green ones.

She nodded and flipped the keys in her hand. It made a soft 'jingle' sound. "Our home." she added with a smile.

Their house was in Krolva city to the east of Wall Rose. It was near the scouts HQ, their previous living quarters, and cheap enough that Eren and Mikasa could pay the mortgage with their salaries without shortage.

Courtesy of the Scouts.

The house was an orange two story building in the middle of a small yard surrounded by other houses just like it. It reminded Eren too much of their old house back in Shiganshina.

"Do you like it?" Mikasa asked, with a strange glint in her eyes, something of pure joy that Eren had rarely seen in her eyes. In truth, Eren was indifferent, he couldn't bring himself to care much about where he was living. Either HQ or here a few streets below.

But for the first time since she was rescued from those kidnappers, Mikasa was happy about something and Eren could not crush that. If she was happy, then Eren was more than happy and could put the hollowness in his chest away for a few hours.

(Even if the house needed thorough cleaning and gardening and painting and-)

"Yeah, it's good," he said instead. The smile that spread across her face was totally worth it.

She walked over the dead garden and Eren followed, hands in his pocket. She played with the keys until she could fit it inside the keyhole. "It's not ready. It has furniture and everything we need but.." she said as a last thought as her smile dropped. "It's still almost empty, but we can buy some necessities later."

Eren shrugged. "All new houses are empty," he added with half a smile.

She bit her lips and fiddled with the keys. Eren raised an eyebrow as Mikasa fiddled with the keys, trying to find the right one. He cleared his throat to get her attention for a moment before he said : "something is bothering you..."

Mikasa shook her head again. "No. No. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you."

Mikasa pressed her mouth to a thin line. "I just remembered my mother. She always said a specific dish should be the first dish that is served in a new home."

Eren nodded thoughtfully. "Ok... What is it?"

Mikasa closed her eyes with a sigh. "It was something she made with the fish we got from Trosts market and some veggies... I don't remember anything else about it and I- I've been missing its taste for a while... I think she took the recipe to the grave with her."

Eren pressed his mouth to a thin line and didn't say anything else. Mikasa hummed, the keys didn't seem to be working. It's ok, Eren was patient enough even if the new keys weren't working. Eren turned around, staring at the dead grass in front of their house, their house.

Well, that was a strange concept that Eren had no idea how to deal crushed the dead grass under his feet. He really had to deal with this mess of a garden later, now he just didn't want to.

Suddenly, He heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming at them. He snapped his head up to see a boy in black and blue clothes stumbling and running to their house. His little eyes widening as he saw two people at the front.

The boy was maybe fourteen, maybe even younger. He had short blonde hair and big eyes that were fixed on Eren like he'd seen a ghost. Eren merely raised an eyebrow when the boy stopped in front of him. He was too out of breath to say a word. He stopped, leaned on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

In a flash of recognition, Eren realised he was the same boy who was asking a weird question last night. What was his name?

Mikasa had stopped playing with the keys and turned around, standing right next to Eren and giving the boy one of her famous glares. The boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "ARE YOU EREN YEAGER?" he shouted rapidly, turning his head to hide the blush on his face.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes and stepped in front of Eren, scanning the boy from head to toe. Eren took his hands out of his pocket. "Yes. Is there a problem?" Eren asked the boy who, if possible, the boy blushed even further.

The boy stiffened. "Yes-" he blurted out. "No! I mean, No. NO! There is no problem."

"Then why are you here?" Mikasa said stoically.

The boy's tongue failed him and he couldn't form coherent words out of excitement. He waved his hands in the air like he could prove his point with those mindless movements. That made Eren and Mikasa exchange a look.

There was no mistaking it, he was the same boy with the green cloak that sneaked on Wall Rose with his friend for some reason and almost got himself killed. He was the same boy Eren caught in his titan form.

Eren raised an eyebrow, did this boy have nothing else to do? What a fanboy. He wanted to ask something when a sound of angry footsteps filled the empty street. It was coming from very near. Eren and Mikasa turned around to see it was their next door neighbor.

"Cyrus!" A man, very similar to the boy himself, stepped out of the house with his full Garrison uniform. The boy, Cyrus, stilled and all color left his face. The man sighed, Eren recognised him. He had replaced Hannes in the Corp of engineers. His name was Roko Cohen... And apparently he was their next door neighbor.

Roko smiled at the two of them. "Hello, welcome to our neighborhood." he said with a welcoming smile and held his son's shoulder to stop him running away. Mikasa just nodded. Eren didn't react. "Forgive my son, Ms Ackermann, Mr Yeager." Roko said and held his son close to his side. "He's been restless since he heard you're moving here."

The boy smiled awkwardly, more like he was showing his teeth, his uneven blonde hair danced around as he fidgeted. Roko ruffled the boy's hair. "He's a fan. He's been asking around for a description of your titan from eye-witnesses wherever it showed up. Sometimes going behind me and his mother's back to do so." Eren raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy, he had such large blue eyes. Eyes that were burning with adoration and curiosity. The likes of which Eren had only seen in only one person before. Mikasa looked away, focusing her slight frown on the floor.

Eren sighed loudly. "Is that so?" he asked.
"He faked a pass licence once to get to Stohess after the famous fight of the female titan." The father said with a laugh, he put a hand on his son's back and urged him to go forwards, back towards their house on the other side of the street. "Well, we should get going. it was nice meeting you, Ms Ackermann, Mr Yeager"
Eren raised a hand. "Please wait."

Father and son did wait.

Eren took a deep breath, he already regretted what he was about to do. He kneeled down to be in eyelevel with the boy with wide blue eyes. "What's your name?" he asked with the most pleasant smile he could.

"Cyrus. Cyrus Cohen."

Eren put a hand on the boy's shoulders. "Cyrus. I have to ask you to stop running after Titan-shifters." he said as bluntly as he could.

The boy's eyes widened as if he was stabbed across the heart. "But-"

"No buts- believe me, it's just trouble." Eren said as a matter of fact.

"But, Mr Yeager, sir. I want to pursue my studies in titan biology..." Cyrus said, biting his lips. "... And join the scouts one day, isn't- isn't that what the scouts do?"

Erens blood froze for a moment. There are people who still want to join the scouts? Who in their right mind would after witness so many people-

Oh. Right.

Eren cleared his throat. "Cyrus, what you're doing is borderline illegal."

"So is what the scouts do almost all the time!"

He could see Mikasa narrow her eyes and Cyrus's father rubbed the bridge of his nose. So he wasn't very supportive either.

Eren was taken aback by the bluntness of this boy. He surpassed the urge to growl, instead he put firm hands on his shoulder and decided to get along with it. "What do you do?"

"When sir?"

"When you see a titan shifter."

"Nothing much..." Cyrus put his hand on the back of his neck. "I usually write down everything I can get and then draw the titans' physical shape and any sign I can find of it in the area. Like that time when the colossal and the armored transformed on wall Rose."

Eren nodded. That didn't sound harmful. "Ok, how about you show me all your sketches and drawings. And I'll tell you All I know about other titan shifters..." he said. "In exchange for you not going after any clue you can find... And give your parents a break."

Cyrus almost fainted.

Roko laughed it off and pushed his son to go back towards their house. "Great! Don't you think, Cyrus." he said with a smile. He looked at his new neighbors. "Mr Yeager, Ms Ackerman, you are welcome to ask whatever you need. My wife and I will be happy to help. It's not easy to be new
to this neighborhood."

Cyrus nagged but his father eventually dragged him back to their house across the garden. Eren could hear Cyrus tell his father, "I'm never washing this shirt." and putting his hand on the place where Eren had put a comforting hand on.

Eren raised an eyebrow and remembered the days he put Captain Levi's opinion above all else. The way he worshipped his and Hange/Erwins opinion.

Eren sighed loudly, too much had passed since he was a reckless teenager like Cyrus. He can't blame the boy for being curious, can he?

Eren sighed loudly when the father and son were away from view. "That kid is in trouble." he murmured. He turned back to walk back to their house.

Mikasa finally opened the door. Their first glance at their house brought a small smile on both of their faces. "I wonder why..." Mikasa murmured.

Their house was two floors, the floors were floors with wood and carpets. The higher one was just rooms and storage. The lower floor had a small kitchen and a living room. With a giant dining table right in front of the door.

It warmed Erens heart, it was their house. Mikasa and Erens. Unconsciously, Eren reached out and laced their fingers together. Mikasa did that too. "Is there a reason why you were so kind with that kid?" Mikasa asked, slowly closing the door.

Eren shrugged a small smile and passed his lips. "No reason." he said and gently closed the door behind him.

Against her will, Mikasa had to leave the house hours after settling in to get back her belongings that she accidentally left in the dorms of scouts HQ.

Nothing could possibly prepare her for what she saw when she returned home.

Mikasa almost dropped the basket in her hand as she stepped in the house. In the table in front of the front door were all sorts of colorful food and cuisine Mikasa had seen and had never seen before.

There were at least three different dishes and two different stews on the table. With some sodas and colorful salads. She put the basket in her hand aside and moved closer. The scent was overwhelming, mixed with all the dishes made with fish and carefully crafted vegetables on the table.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "I was only gone for three hours." she wondered.
And most importantly, who made all this?
With that question hanging heavily in her mind. She moved on to the kitchen where a strong smell was coming from.

Her eyes widened when Eren came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. In his hands was a plate filled with what Mikasa had only seen her mother make...

"Eren.." she murmured, eyes wide in shock, before she blinked it away. "Did you make it all... This?"

Eren didn't smile, his green eyes held an emotion Mikasa couldn't read. "Yes.." he murmured and put down the plate. "I think you might like this one." he added, pointing at the new rolls on the
plate.

(Yes, she will definitely like that.)

"Eren... Why are you cooking?" she asked curiously. He turned back to the kitchen. "I well- you said you missed your mothers food and I..." Eren murmured quietly. "I discovered one of the previous owners of the attack titan was a man with Eastern ancestry..."

Mikasa walked toward the table. There was no way they could eat all that Eren had prepared. She took a pinch of one with salted fish. It tasted otherworldly in the way that had her mouth watering.

The question of how he could cook so well was still unanswered. Last time Eren cooked he almost burnt down his mothers kitchen. Mikasa remembered that as clear as day. She leaned forward on the table, the taste of the fish still lingering on her tongue. She couldn't help but sniff at the next on the table because there was a big load of it. All colorful and smelling like heaven.

Mikasa couldn't help but pick one of the sushi. How did Eren even find the material for this? From what she remembered, His mother had a very limited storage of-

Mikasa shut her thoughts off and gently let her taste buds feast on the delicious meals presented to her.

Her eyes widened. "Eren! That's... That's exactly like my mothers." She whispered. She ravished the way it tasted in her mouth. "I've never seen anyone else make it."

Eren came out of the kitchen again, this time without the apron and a knowing smirk on his lips. "Well, I.." Eren cleared his throat. "As I said, One of my predecessors had the same ancestry as your mother... All I prepared for you is... Traditional food." Eren explained as easily as he could. "I'm... Experimenting with my ability to see their memories. I think they have more use than just taking away my sleep."

Mikasa blinked. She stared into Eren's green eyes and the scars forming under them. "You made all of this..." she murmured, pointing at all the freshly baked food on the table. "For me?" a slight blush traveled on her face and Eren looked away, touching the back of his neck. "But I didn't know which one you were talking about so I made anything I could think of... This way you can honor your mothers traditions..."

Mikasa smiled, happy and genuine as she moved on to another, a strange looking steamed fish. She took a piece and
put it in her mouth. The taste was like nothing she had ever eaten.

The satisfied smile on her face made him smile too.

Weeks later, wall Maria was announced free of titans.

Mikasa held Eren's hand all night because what he had been dreading came closer and closer by the second.

Armin's funeral.

Like one might have expected, they gave all the fallen of the operation of Retaking Wall Maria one ceremonial funeral.

Which had a very high attendance rate.
From parents to friends, from the Garrisons to the Military police and retired people of the Survey corps themselves.

9 piles of fire were scattered over the main square of the Capital. Each one has 10 or 11 bodies. The people stood in silence around the burning site, all dressed in all shades of black. The darkness of the night made the fires burn even brighter.

Eren and the rest of the Survey Corps survivors were on the balcony of the palace, a few meters above the ground and looking down at the burning piles.
Eren was glad he didn't know which fire was holding you-know-who. Not that he could be recognised anymore.

Slowly, he felt a gentle touch on his hand. He dropped his frown and closed his hand around it. As if sensing his distress, Mikasa had reached a hand to Eren and Eren held her hand tightly. All without looking at each other. All Eren could do was hold her hand tight, and hope that this overbearing feeling (that Mikasa was
certainly feeling as well) would somehow go away.

If he closed his eyes he could imagine Armin standing right next to him, a bitter look on his face while he watched the ceremony go on.

Instead he was down there, in one of those burning piles.

(Eren purposefully didn't ask which Armin was laying on, for the sake of his own sanity)

It was interesting, how there were nine stands burning the body of the survey corps and there were nine stands burning the body of their comrades.

Two of the stands suddenly burned out while the rest of the seven stands kept burning. Their fire died down like the fire in the dead people they carried.

The other seven stands kept burning.

Soon, the survivors were called in for the main event, where they lined up in front of Historias throne and the queen gave them their medals of bravery one by one.

The air was stiff and the hall was silent. In the dead silence, when Everyone had their focus on the survey Corp survivors, Everyone noticed it.

The moment Eren took the queen's hand and kissed it, he froze. His shoulders dropped and his eyes were wide like he'd just seen a nightmare.

And he stayed like that for a few seconds.
Eventually, He hesitantly let go of Historias hand and she had to move on.
When Eren stood up for a salute, they all noticed how his titan marks were gone, vanished like they never existed.

The same scars he had trouble healing for the last month.

They all noticed how Eren's breathing was ragged, like he'd come back from a
long fight. And his eyes turned hunted and afraid.

Eren found the superiors quickly after their short visit with the queen, when the ceremony was still going on.

He was with his team at first. Listening to whatever argument Jean and Floch had at the moment with Sasha and Connie watching closely. All the while, Mikasa stood right next to him and Eren was silently glad for it.

Everyone had their eyes on them, the military police officers (all of them alive and pretending like nothings ever mattered to them.), the Garrison (bitter smiles on their face) and even the Survey corp retired veterans (haunted looks, still somehow giving the five of them a bitter smile.)

the veterans must be delighted. Eren thought to himself. We finally won back wall Maria. We're finally winning against the titans. Suddenly, Eren shifted when his eyes landed on Captain Levi, Who was listening to Hange and Erwins conversation while calmly sipping his tea.
Eren walked away from his friends. The sudden act made Jean and Flochs argument slowly fade away. All their attention at Eren who suddenly seemed social all of a sudden.

"Eren?" Mikasa murmured, a small question in her tone. Eren ignored them. He walked over to Levi with cold and emotionless eyes. The conversation between Hange and Erwin stopped to a halt and they stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Eren..." Hange murmured. "Is something wrong?"

EVERYTHING.

Instead Eren let go of his fisted hands and never let go of the eye contact he had with Captain Levi. Behind him, he could see his friends gaze on him, anxiously waiting what he might do... But there was no reason to worry.

"I wanted to apologize." Eren said with an expressionless face, looking straight at Levi's grey eyes.

"For attacking you."

Levi slightly lifted his chin. "Why the sudden change of attitude?" he asked seriously but Erens green eyes didn't give any answers.

"I've just... Seen things in a new light."
Erens gaze shifted from Levis to commander Erwins, the light in Eren's eyes were completely sucked out. "I shouldn't have stopped you from reviving the commander."

Hange wanted to say something about how we are all vulnerable in such moments but we need to control ourselves but she didn't get the chance. Without a pause Eren kept on: "I'm sorry I challenged your judgement. If you may, I want to excuse myself from this ceremony."

Erwin narrowed his eyes and nodded. The ceremony was almost finished anyway. Eren didn't look at his friends' eyes when he passed them on his way out. Not because he was ashamed, but because his eyes were focused on the road ahead. Mikasa's eyes were wide open, shocked at why Eren would say that. What could he be thinking? Next to her, the others were shocked into silence until Erens echoing footsteps faded away. Sasha gulped.

"Did he just apologize?" Sasha murmured, not believing what happened right in front of her. Her words were so hushed only Jean and Connie could hear it. Jean exchanged a look with Connie and slowly shook his head.

"I.. he did."

"Oh, it's moving!"

Hange cheered quietly, slowly bending down to pick up the strange looking
fauna. "Uhhh!"

"Hange!" Levi said harshly, taking a step towards the warm waters. "Don't touch everything you see, it can be poisonous!"

Next to him, Erwin smiled a little and closed his eyes. He snaked his arms around Levi to keep him from interrupting Hange's peace and keeping the others close. He took a deep calming breath and let the sense of saltwater in the air flood his senses. "Let them be Levi." he murmured. "This is all that death and destruction was for, isn't it?"

Levi rolled his eyes but didn't move away from Erwins embrace. The ocean was truly a sight to see, endless endless waters spreading all over the horizon. The smell of saltwater in the air, the sun that shined so bright it looked like a dream. Connie, Jean and Sasha were the first to jump into the waters. Eventually, they fell into the waters, soaking wet. Their laughter danced all around them, even when Jean was complaining about his
ruined attire.

Hange was in front of them, about ten meters forward where the waters were up to their knees. Erwins eyes traveled away, until it settled on Eren, who was standing too much in the front and was slowly going even more forward. Erens back was to them and he was obviously holding something. Eren walked and walked until the waters were up to his waist. Mikasa followed quickly behind, even when she was flinching awkwardly at the water's moments before.

"What is it with them?" Erwin asked quietly, never taking his eyes off the two.
Levi pressed his mouth to a thin line, Erwin noticed the slight twitch of his fingers.

"They're remembering the dent in their broken trio, aren't they?" Erwin concluded, crossing his hands behind his back. Levi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"yeah! but it's more to it, the ocean, you'll see Eren it does exist!"

Why did Levi have to overhear that conversation that night?

"They are..." he murmured in response.

"It's a loss." Erwin admitted. "I was planning on training him... To be the commander after Hange. He had the potential."

The silence between them was only filled with splashes of water and Sasha and Connie pulling a complaining Jean into the waters. The three of them, along with Hange, were the only ones truly enjoying themselves.

"But it's going to change, Levi." Erwin said suddenly, turning to meet his dark eyes. "we've made amends with our fallen comrades and from now on, things will change." Levi looked at Erwin's eyes, there was a hint of something Levi couldn't quite name. Erwin looked back at the ocean again and a rare smile passed his face. The wind danced between his hair and the sun made it glow.

Against his better judgement, Levi didn't answer with a sharp comment. Instead he looked back at the ocean.

There were no titans coming.

He could close his eyes and take a deep breath.

He decided not to.

In the waters, Mikasa did her best not to feel awkward at the feeling of moving sand under her feet as she walked the remaining distance to Eren. When she reached him, he didn't react, except for a small look in his eyes. Her eyes glanced over at Eren who was staring at nowhere ahead.

And then, she noticed something.
He was holding a small vase close to his heart. A small white and blue vase with the wings of freedom branded into it. His hands were slightly shaking and his eyes were closed.

Mikasa didn't need to see it to know what that vase was. How did he even bring it here without anyone noticing? Wasn't it hidden away somewhere with the rest of the ashes of their fallen comrades?

Mikasa took a step forward, the sensation of water traveling all the way to her hips was a new, welcoming sensation. But it tickled and Mikasa Jumped back. Anyway, she took another step, and
another and another until she was standing where Eren was.

Eren didn't take his eyes off the ocean. His mind focused somewhere Mikasa couldn't reach.

As if sensing what she was thinking, he murmured: "Getting it wasn't that hard."
He gently moved his hand across the white and blue vase with the wings of freedom carved on it. "I just thought Armin deserved better than a cold storage in Shiganshina."

Mikasa couldn't agree more.

And she couldn't ignore the slight tremor in Eren's fingers. Gently, Mikasa put her hands on Erens, helping him hold the vase that contained their friend's ashes, Armin's ashes.

They exchanged a look. Without further words, they lowered the vase down until it touched the warm waters underneath.

Eren wanted to think Armin was laughing now, smiling, going on an adventure. Even though those ashes weren't really Armin anymore. But the truth is, in almost a month, Eren had forgotten what Armins laughter sounded like.

Eren could see his face, hear his voice, hear him whisper "ocean" in the soft way he always did when he was daydreaming about life ahead of him. He could imagine the tremor in his voice when he thought he was a burden to them. He could hear his scream. But his laughter? Somehow Erens mind had forgotten how it sounded.

And he was terrified of the day he could no longer recall his best friend's face.

The waters took the vase, far far away from the shores.

Mikasa Held his hand tighter, offering a pained smile of her own when he looked at her. Eren couldn't help but return the smile. He'd leaned on her a lot lately. His mission was to protect Mikasa and Armin.

And look how it turned out.

He might not remember Armin's voice but he knew he wouldn't want him moping around.

The waters carried the vase away until it was a small dot wandering into the endless ocean. Free and caged at the same time.

Mikasa looked down at the waters as a small shell fell under her feet. "It's all like he described it." she murmured. "Endless body of saltwater that spreads through the horizon."

Eren didn't respond.

"And you were right too." She murmured. "Beyond the ocean is-"

"-Freedom?" Eren completed it for her. Mikasa nodded.

"Yes..."

"Behind the ocean... Are our enemies..." Eren pointed at the horizon, face completely expressionless.

He kept his free hand pointed at the end of the ocean, somewhere far that they couldn't see.

"If we defeat our enemies... Will we finally be free?"

Notes:

Ok, how was it?

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Next stop: Marley! Falco meets an intresting man and befriends him, not knowing he is Eren yeager in a secret mission from Erwin Smith himself!

What is Erwin planning? Will Eren survive with his head on his shoulders in the end?

Chapter 4: Warm Welcome: The man in the asylum.

Summary:

Falco promised himself he wouldn't get attached to the golden laced book that fell from the soldiers pocket.

He never guessed he'd make friends with the said soldier. His name? Mr Eren Kruger.

Notes:

I honestly have no idea why I wrote 13k words of Falco reading a recap of the story.

I like to mention the fic "power to strive" by ii-pheonix-ii in , which gave the motivation, inspiration and help for writing this chapter, please check it out :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Unlike Gabi, Falco was totally fine with calmly stepping off the train. Gabi jumped out, kicking an imaginary enemy in the air. "Woohoo!"

"Finally home!" Udo murmured and walked out, Zoofia nodded silently and kept her hands firmly in her pocket as she walked out. Udo turned back, "Falco, you coming?"

Falco stepped out of the train and looked back. "Yeah Im coming." he murmured but his eyes stayed glued to the door. He smiled when Colt finally stepped out, he was sober enough to walk but he was holding the side of his head with a frown. "Shouldn't have... Drank that much." He murmured. Slowly he opened his eyes and gave his little brother a soft smile. "Im fine... Go on."

Falco didn't mind. He kept his hand around his brother's middle even if Colt was standing on his own feet and walking with quite the balance.

The platform was crowded. Falco looked around. Udo, Zoofia and Gabi found their families soon. He could hear Gabi explaining the entire mission with such vivid detail to her parents

"Falco!"

All of his worries left his body when he heard her. Falco turned around and ran towards the voice, two elderly men and women stood with plain clothes. Falco let go of Colt and ran to her, hugging his mother as hard as he could.

"Mom! Dad!" he said happily, looking up from where he buried his face in his mothers shoulder. "I missed you."

His father put a hand on his shoulder. "I missed you so much" Falco raised a hand to pull his father into the hug too.

Colt stumbled his way to them. Not quite sober yet. He waved a little, his eyes aimed a little bit higher than they should, looking at somewhere in the sky.

Their father laughed out loud. "What were you thinking son?" he said and threw his son's hand over his shoulder to help him stand and walk home. "You're not familiar with Alcohol, what made you drink this much?"

"Honestly dad," Colt growled, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know and I'm never trying it again."

Falco saw his parents smile to each other. "Let's get you home, honey." their mother murmured and gently patted him on the back.

Falco couldn't agree more.

With only two off days, he really wanted some rest.

They walked and walked into downtown liberio. Falco certainly didn't miss the strange smell of the air. The pollution or the grey sky of his hometown. But the familiar grounds, the dark buildings and stonewalls was more than just a home.

His fathers backache returned with a vengeance. Falco offered to help Colt walk but his mother held Colts other hand and said it's ok, that they'll carry him home.

Falco smiled at himself. Colt really did get himself into trouble.

He walked a few steps behind his parents, more because Colt was too slow and he didn't want to go home alone. He spent the extra time marveling at the small differences since last time he was in liberio.

Six months... He was away for six months and some of the streets looked completely unrecognizable. Some faces looked too worn out.

And there was a black building he had never noticed before. Falco stopped in front of it. people were standing in a line not so far away, waiting to be led inside. The building was surrounded by a long iron wall and fences. Which reminded him of a prison... But they wouldn't build a prison in the middle of liberio right?

People in the line were soldiers, guessing from their white uniform and grey armband. Some of them were fidgeting, biting their lip, holding their head, talking to no one Falco could see... And some were absolutely still.

"Lost your way around here, eh?"

Falco turned around, there was a Marlyan soldier right behind him, looking down at him with a glittering dirty look.

Falco nodded. He had lingered here long enough that he couldn't see any of his family anymore. They were gone, they'll probably notice he is gone in a few minutes.

Falco wanted to ask what the line was all about but the soldier beat him to it. "These guys are still stuck in the war." the Marlyan said with a chuckle. "Wanna check something out, Kid?"

"What-"

"BOOM!"

The line crumbled.

Falco took a step back.

The soldiers fell down, some fell on their knees and some completely broke down, curling to a small ball on the ground and covering their face and ears.

Immediately, Falco kneeled down next to the nearest one and held out a helping hand. "I didn't know our kind could get this too." he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

The marlyan soldier chuckled and waved it off. "It looks like you do." he said as he walked away, saying something to the nearby guard.

Falcos hand froze in the air, the blond soldier wasn't going to accept his helping hand. He gulped and stood up. That blond soldier didn't want to take anyone's hand. Falco wanted to walk away and forget this happened... But noticed an amputee trying to rise back to his only foot.

Falco kneeled down next to him and helped him stand back up. The brunet man had long hair, much longer than the military usually allowed, and one eye.

"Thank you." the man said once he could balance himself on his foot. His green eye scanned Falco from head to toe.

Falco could only smile back. "You're welcome..."

"Alright! Move! We're going inside, there is enough room and supplies for everyone!"

Falco winced at the loud noise himself. He wanted to point out that the shouting wasn't going to do any good to the soldiers but he kept quiet.

One by one, the soldiers were pushed up by the guards and led inside.

The gates remained open, but the soldiers slowly disappeared inside the mental institute.

Falco closed his eyes and sighed.

He turned around to walk away but he felt something odd under his feet. He looked down. It was something odd.

It was a book with bright yellow, almost golden, cover.

Falco picked it up, he hit the dust away and inspected it carefully. The name was "Dear world" and it's cover was hard, something rare in Marley nowadays. Some of the pages were worn out. From the touch of his fingertips, he knew the paper style was different, it was denser, harder.

Falco turned around. This book must have belonged to the amputee soldier, because it was exactly where he fell!

"Mr- you-" he said loudly but he knew they were already gone.

Falco hugged the worn out book closely to his chest and stared as the asylum's doors closed shut and the metal gate slowly started to close. He felt the texture of the book dig into his hands.

He stood up and ran. "Mister!" he shouted, passing through the front gate, until he reached the main doors and knocked. "You dropped your-"

The door was opened and a guard in full uniform stood in front of him, he glared down at Falco like he was a bomb ready to explode.

Falco gulped and opened his mouth to speak but he beat him to it. "It's not visiting hour." the guard said, pushing him back until he was a few steps away from the door.

Falco stared with wide eyes. "I'll be back in a moment! Someone dropped his-"

The guard shook his head, glancing back to see the men inside the hospital, some shook, some screamed and some stared at the ceiling. "Trust me son, you don't want to be there. Not right now."

Falco blinked a few times. The guard's face was completely blank.

At loss of what to do, he nodded and stepped back, slowly going out of the mental institute. When he walked out of the gates, he looked back, the guard was gone and the gates were closed. His forest green eyes shook slightly and he looked away, glancing back at the busy street ahead. His parents were nowhere to be seen, it's ok, he knew the way home.

Falco leaned against the walls and hugged the book tightly. This book must have been important for that soldier if he carried it all the time, right?

Falco shook his head and made his way to the sidewalk with slow lazy steps and tried not to think about the men over in the mental institute. He kept the book in one hand and focused only on the echoing sound of his own footsteps.

This part of Liberio was not as crowded as the rest. The stone floor was renewed and trees were planted on the sides, even if the brick houses looked old and worn out.

He sat on the first wooden chair he came across, which was miraculously clean. He should go back home, Colt and his parents were waiting for him. He touched the side of the golden book in his hands and wondered if sneaking inside the mental institute was worth it.

He was alone. No that was wrong, he was surrounded by people coming and going on the streets but no one cared about what he was doing, maybe his yellow armband attracted some minor attention, but nobody really cared.

The sun was setting down, coloring the sky in a strange orange color.

Falco put the book on his lap and stared at it. "Dear World..." he read the title out loud, hovering his hands above the letters burnt on the hard golden cover. "Collection of a Life of a Scout, Armin Arlert. Published by STOHESS publications."

Falco narrowed his eyes. He'd never heard of Stohess publications or the "Scout". And he dared to say he's read at least one work from every legitimate publication in Marley.

He hummed and opened the book. What's the worst that could come out of it? Surely reading the book wouldn't damage it that much!

This book was important to that soldier, some part of Falco wanted to know why Before he sneaks inside and gives it to him.

Falco bit his lip and opened the book. The first page was empty. This book wasn't dedicated to anyone by the author. But it had a hand-written note at the bottom.

"To Cyrus Cohen, this is the best gift for you, isn't it? happy birthday!
-from your best friend."

This book belonged to a person named "Cyrus Cohen." Falco didn't know anyone by that name and didn't sound like an Eldian name. In fact, it sounded like middle-land Marlyan.

This book belonged to a marlyan! So why did that soldier have it?

Slowly, Falco looked around to make sure no one was staring at him. If a soldier caught him, he'd think he had stolen it.

That's the last thing he needed.

That didn't stop him from flipping the page and starting the first chapter.

"It feels strange to be writing a journal after two years. Strange in a good way. I missed the feeling of putting my memories to words and immortalizing it on a piece of paper.

I'm sure my previous diary is still buried in a pile of rubble under the remains of our house. They are still in one piece right? The titans can't harm Books. That's the only thing of mankind that the Titans can't destroy."

Titans?

Falco narrowed his eyes. The question soared in his mind. Why after two years? What had happened? Titans? Was this story taking place the great marlyan heroes freed the human race from Titans?

I suppose I'll have to catch up then? It's alright. My memories are very blurry about the past few years (that was the main reason I kept a journal) but I still remember the highlights.

After the Titans rampage in the City of Shiganshina, I had to leave everything and flee... So all of my previous diaries are lost for now. Shiganshina fall was a new start for everything.

It's hard to believe how we could escape Shiganshina and the Jaws of those titans. If I close my eyes, I can still imagine myself clutching to my grandfather's coat and watching the rest of the boats for the fainest sign that Eren and Mikasa had survived.

The relief after we reached the safety of Trost was genuine. But I know many many weren't as lucky as I was.

That was almost two years ago. Why didn't I write a journal in the meantime? Well the simple answer is that I didn't have a pen or a notebook to write anything down in Trost. I fled Shiganshina with only the clothes on my back, Grandpa, Eren and Mikasa. Once we found refuge, there was an extreme shortage of... Everything.

The refugee camp was behind the city of Trost. Behind the safety of 50 meter walls. Grandpa found a safe spot for the three of us, Me, Eren and Mikasa. He never really told me what he did himself... And as the ungrateful child I was I never really asked. I thought there was some safe spot for Adults but there wasn't.

For three months this went on, Grandpa made sure we had enough to eat and that the other refugees double our size didn't bother us much from afar.

I was somewhat content with what we had. This could be much worse. We had a safe place and food, even as rare as it was, was enough. But... Eren and Mikasa had changed. Eren had watched his mother being devoured. Eren and Mikasa were living with the fact that they couldn't rescue Mrs Yeager. Mikasa was silent most of the time. Eren however, was loud and angry all the time. For starters, he picked up fights with the military police left and right.

Eren's father and Mikasa's guardian, Dr Yeager, never showed up at the refugee camp. When the attack happened he wasn't in Shiganshina, so he couldn't have died.

That only made Eren even angrier, I never thought that would be possible.

"They are just parasites!"

"Wasn't that your job?"

"You should have fought the titans! We're in this mess because of you."

He even called me a parasite once... Not that he was wrong... But Mikasa punched him in the face.

Eren had promised that day on the boats on our way to Trost. That he would slay every titan. Mikasa heard it and so did I. She and I both know Eren shouldn't be making promises like that.

Falco gulped, for a moment he realised he was holding the book too tightly and he might damage it.

Humans hate the titans. Humans hated subjects of Ymir...

...that's exactly why.

Falco closed his eyes with a sigh. In the warrior program, they had to read all about the tragedies the subjects of Ymir had done to the world. Every single one.

But this was new... So Falco kept reading.

Anyway, what happened in the months to come wasn't so pleasant. About six months passed and the government ran out of resources. And the frozen land within the walls didn't bear anything.

A suicide mission was announced to fight the titans it was labeled "the opertaion of hope" and anyone within an age range had to commit.

My grandfather was among them.

Long story short, Grandpa's body was one of the few ones that was brought back.

I remember Crying in Mikasa's embrace all night, then Eren came and hugged the life out of me.

Still, I wonder why they stuck with me all that time.

Now that I think about it, I don't remember that day much. I knew my grandfather wasn't going to come back from that suicide mission the king had sent them off to, so I didnt go to see the survivors. But Eren and Mikasa did.

From about 250,000 sent soldiers only 200 returned. Carrying less than 50 bodies with them. Which was strange. Why would they carry the body of dead people when they didn't care about them when they were alive?

Eren ran back to the small basement with Mikasa in his toe. I was sitting in the shadows and staring at my own hand, too afraid to go out and notice that my grandpa wasn't among those who had returned.

But of course, it was naive and cowardly of me to think hiding in the shadows would do any good.

Eren grabbed my hand and pulled me all the way to the burning posts. Saying that's the only thing I could do for my grandfather. That night that we bid farewell to my grandfather, Mikasa and Eren never left me once, even if all I did was pull them back and ask them to leave.

The bodies burnt and burnt and burnt. Now we had enough food to feed ourselves... Or at least that's what they said in the desperate winter that was coming.

This notebook fell off the garrison that was in charge of burning the bodies. It fell off and the officer didn't even notice. I jumped down and grabbed the notebook and hid it in my clothes. Eren gave me such a strange look but Mikasa understood.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened it and noticed it was brand new. I felt horrible but I couldn't just let go of it.

But Finding a pen was harder. It was ridiculous how pens had gone extinct. If This was shiganshina, I'd simply go to the only library in town and find a pen lying around. But in Trost... We weren't allowed to leave that easily.

I didn't actually get my hands on a pen until about two years after that... Which is today...

Eren joined the cadettes as soon as he could, determined to be the best titan killer after that three years of Cadette training. Naturally, Mikasa followed... And I... Thought to give it a chance because of the dreams of what laid beyond the walls was all I had now.

To be honest, I think Eren has lost the dream of traveling the world. Perhaps he forgot it entirely. He's consumed with rage and never really talks about all we dreamt of anymore.

The flaming water, the fields of Ice, Mountains that would take days to climb... The ocean...

The pen! The pen! How did I get the pen? I'm not proud of what I did... but I stole a pen from a military police officer that was visiting the training camps.

right now that I'm writing this, it's night. We're in a forest near Trost with a beautiful lake a few feet below. Eren is dangling upside down. With Reiner Braun and Berthold Hoover (two of our classmates. Well the only ones Eren could convince to help him. Also, they are the only people who were in wall Maria.) encouraging him to get up.

Today we had basic training on our ODM gear. ODM gear is one of a kind. With nothing but merely two hooks and a compressed gas, it will help the soldiers mimic flight. This is why fighting titans will be much easier.

Somehow, Eren couldn't keep his balance on the poles. Which is strange, because I could do it with no problem and--

"Falco!"

Falco jumped and shut the book and stood on his feet, he turned around and saw his parents with a completely sober Colt, running at him.

"Falco! You gave me a heart attack!" his mother shouted, fear pouring out of her voice. She held his head in a despertar hug when she reached him. "Oh, boy"

His father shook his head. "Let's go home, sun it's getting dark." he said with disapproval. "We made your favorite dishes... No use with them cold is it?"

Falco smiled and shook his head. "No... I'm sorry I just... Got lost in thought for a little bit."

"Uh, to be young." Colt mocked and received a pat in the back from their father. "Don't mock your brother, Falco... Where did you get that book?"

"I... Uh... Bought it." Falco said with the most convincing smile he could. "It's second hand and cheap."

His mother ruffled his hair and put her hand on his back to push him forward, towards their house. "Let's go home, honey." she murmured and pushed them to walk.

That night, Falco ate one of his mothers best dishes and listened to Colt tell an exaggerated story about what happened in the camp and noticed how his parents exchanged a smile, knowing full well Colt had omitted the heartbreaking and horror parts of what happened.

He finished and hugged his parents goodnight. Sleeping on his own bed after six months really did feel nice. But the moment his head touched the pillow, his mind was flooded with a question and he sat up immediately

"Hold on!! Reiner Braun?"

Falco found himself in a nearby park the next day. They were free from warrior training for two more days. And Falco needed the rest. So he found himself in a park, sitting comfortably on a bench and his mysterious new book in his hands.

Colt and his father were talking to the neighbors a few feet away. He had enough time to read.

oh, I guess I never really explained that day in shiganshina Did I?

It was 845. A calm sunny day like any other.

I said goodbye to my grandfather and ran out. I actually wanted to meet up with Eren at noon on our usual spot, next to the river.

The neighborhood bullies caught up with me. Three boys, about five years older. Who had a liking for beating me up. And of course, Every day I gave them another reason to do so. That day, the reason was that I told them the 50 meter walls surrounding us won't last forever.

The neighborhood bullies didn't like it. The tallest one proceeded to kick and punch me to a wall, and when I told them I won't fight back because that'd be lowering myself to their degree, they punched even harder.

And they kept on going until Eren and Mikasa showed up.

Eren carried me over near the river. To talk and rest a little before heading back home. It was slowly getting dark. The sky was a strange orange mix, one usually associated with calmness.

Eren told me how Mikasa had given away his secret. He wanted to join the scouts, so that he could leave the walls. He wanted to see the world... I wanted that too... But even then I knew I didn't have the physical capabilities to do so.

Mikasa frowned at him.

She had given away his secret in front of his parents.

And of course Mrs Yeager had disagreed.

I said, for the hundredth time. That because the walls hadn't fallen for the past century, doesn't mean they won't fall today. Or tomorrow.

Eren agreed, and so did Mikasa, and so did every single Scout I ever saw.

A sudden earthquake took us all by surprise. Smoke emitted from the gates and a yellow light blinded everyone.

Eren almost fell into the river.

I couldn't stop my curiosity, I ran to the street to have a better view of what happened.

There... Was a giant skinless hand, made of only deep red muscles.

And soon came a giant skinless head, only muscles, eyes and bones.

I think I had jinxed it.

The moment the rocks went flying the first thing that crossed my mind was that I hated being right. The titan, that was later named the colossal titan, had kicked the gate. Leaving a 16 meter hole in the gate of Shiganshina.

The rest is all kind of a fast blur. I remember Mikasa and Eren running to their home. Looking for Mrs Yeager. And then... I went looking for Grandpa and we ran away from Shiganshina... Somehow managing to avoid the titans.

Each city has one gate towards the inner walls and one escape route, using boats to reach the inner walls like Wall Sina and Wall Rose. Those were all theoretical and never tested before. The swarm of terrified refugees overwhelmed the maintenance keepers. Barely 20 percent of people of Shiganshina could evacuate before the gates were closed.

The moment I went on the boat, my eyes went looking for Eren and Mikasa. Praying I would spot Erens chocolate hair or Mikasa's red scarf. But instead of that... I found both of them hollowed out and Eren close to breaking down.

They boarded the same boat, fortunately, but Grandpa stopped me from going after them. He said to give them some space. And I did.

But... The momentary peace, the feeling that we survived, didn't last long.

Heavy footsteps echoed loudly. Suddenly, a titan with brown skin and spikes appeared out of nowhere. Barreling through the walls like it was a piece of paper.

Leaving a 16 meter high and 7 meters wide hole... and in that moment... Wall Maria was breached.

I could see the outlines of what could be best described as an Armored titan with pieces of armor thick and brown, and short silver hair on the top of its scalp.

The book fell from Falcos hand but he caught it before it hit the ground.

The stranger passing gave him an odd look but Falco didn't even see it over the cloud in his mind.

The armored titan...

The same titan he was fighting over with Zoofia, Udo and... Gabi.

The armored titans varied all over the centuries. Different looks, sized shapes and armors... But Mr Braun was the first recorded Armored titan to possess hairs... silver hairs.

And Armin Arlert said walls more than once.

Wall Maria... Armored... Colossal... Pure titans...

"It's a-" He gulped. How did this even get here? That explained it! Falco knew most of the book publishers in Marley and this book belonged to none of them.

Could this be-

Could this book be from Paradis?

But how?

Was Armin Arlert... One of the devils?

Island devils...

Falco gulped. He stared at the golden cover. This was a book from Paradis. Now he knew why the book structure was odd and why the paper looked too yellow. This book was from Paradis!

Falco eyed the book, like it was talking to him.

No time to waste. He sat up from the bench. Idiot! He was reading that book in public!

With a nervous sigh he hid it in his backpack. Today he'd give it away, pass it to his superiors. A book about Paradis might as well sign his death warrant if he was ever caught.

Falco clutched the book close to his heart. He felt the armband heavy on his right hand, Unusually so, as he walked towards the nearest military basement to their house.

Even the midday sun couldn't help him focus on the road ahead. People were moving, tending to their daily lives, and Falco was having a heart attack at the thought of his parents coming home soon and noticing he wasn't home.

The military station ten minutes away by foot. A dark and old building with fences and guards with fully loaded guns. Guards who were Marlyans and had no quarrel killing Eldians.

Falco held the book closer to himself as he reached the street, he could see the building. He could read the "Marley National Security Guards" written in Bold letters on the dark black building.

He could see the guards glaring at anyone who passed.

He stopped, two steps away from the corner. That's the last chance. If he goes towards the station he can't change his mind, those guards are just waiting for a chance to beat him. Falco sighed loudly, gripping the book as hard as he could.

I'll give it up now. He thought to himself as his eyes fell on his yellow armband. if I'm discovered with it. God knows what will happen.

But if I give it now...

I'll never find out what happened to Armin Arlert... Or his friend Eren... Or Mikasa...

And... The public never knew what happened in that operation, if I read this book, I'll be one the first civilians to know what happened to the warriors. I'll know what happened to Ms Leonhart. Or Mr Galliard... Or Mr hoover.

and he was curious.

Falco shut his eyes. Why was it so hard to let go of a story about island Devils?

Falco turned around and left, each step faster than before, until he was running back home.

I'll finish it first, and then give it away!

He decided. Curiosity gets the better of him. He promised himself he'll read as fast as he could. And give it away to the military. He'd say he found it somewhere near the mental institute and thought it was nothing but nonsense babbling at first.

That would work.

Falco, ran, ran and then stopped. He shouldn't be getting attention to himself like that. And he was breathing very heavily. He took a break near the same mental institute, he never knew it was this close to his home. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Holding the book in a way no one could read the cover.

Then, he slowly tucked it and hid it in his jacket. The less people see this at all, the better.

He stayed there, leaning against the wall for a few minutes for his ragged breathing to calm down.

It was really a beautiful day.

Falco turned his head to see the sky. It was still grey, filled with all sorts of chemicals that dulled the sky from blue to grey. The midday sun couldn't be seen clearly. But the slight chill of the air was more than welcome.

It was somehow, a beautiful day, for Falco.

He put his hands in his pocket and walked, just to stretch his legs. Maybe if he tells his parents they'll allow him to visit Udo today? They still had one more day off before training.

And Falco really missed Udoes mother's cooking.

He sneaked a look inside the mental institute from the open gate.

The guard gave him a warning look but Falco tried his best to ignore it. The patients were scattered all over the yard, some were sitting, some laid on the fresh grass and somewhere anxiously spinning around.

But there was a man, sitting alone. A man with chocolate brown hair, one green eye and his left leg amputated from below the knee... And he was waving at Falco.

Falco pointed at his own chest. "Me?" he mouthed quietly and got a nod in response.

And then he recognised him. It was the man, the man that this book belonged to.

Falco swallowed... Did he know?

His blood ran cold at the thought.

He should have gone back to his house, ran and denied ever seeing that man. That was the only way he could get out of this.

But instead, Falco took a deep breath, ignored the guard and stepped inside. He wanted to know. How did that man have the book? Why did he have it?

Later, he'd learned the man was named Mr Kruger.

And he had no idea Falco had that book.

Strange as it was, Mr Kruger wanted to get to know him because he was the only person who acted kindly with him since he arrived in Liberio. He told Falco all about his family. How he really wasn't mentally wounded. How he was scared of going back home... Falco listened.

Falco never brought up the subject of that book.

Any question of why Mr Kruger acted familiar was shoved aside from Falcos brain.

it's absolutely not the time to start writing but I'm writing anyway because I doubt I'll survive today... if it wasn't for Mikasa I wouldn't be here at all, which I prefer to be honest. And if it wasn't for Eren-

Right now, we're in Garrisons HQ on the top floor with a few of my surviving comrades in Trost, fresh out of gas, terrified and a swarm of 4 meter titans are downstairs in the supply room.

How did we get here?

Long story short, the Colossal Titan returned with a vengeance. He kicked a hole through the wall and disappeared like 5 years ago.

If it wasn't for Eren I would have panicked right then and there when I got the news.

I met with Tom, Mina, and Samuel and waited for our employment as the middle guard. If I survive this cursed day, I'll explain everything.

Marco found me in a few minutes and... Well... He found a problem in his squad's gear. He asked me to fix it for him and he said he'll report it. Lucky for him, he found it on time before he went battling titans.

"you'll be alright, You're in the top ten!" I tried to joke back but found myself stuttering. Marco, always so gentle, Smiled at me and thanked me for helping him fix his ODM gear in such a short notice.

Why do I say all this? From the people I met today, he's the only one who... Who lived.

Falco took a sharp breath and fought the urge to turn the pages and see who exactly was going to die. He kept reading.

Too many questions clouded his mind. Like "why are they fighting the titans like this?" or "why do they keep referring to themselves as human?" the fact that Armin Arlert didn't describe himself as a subject of Ymir, not even once, was suspicious.

I said farewell and joined my team in the middle guard.

The moment we got deployed, Eren saw me nervous... And... Assured me it will be fine... He said we should see it as an opportunity... As a way to climb up the ladder before even joining the Scouts... I believed him.

Soon we advanced, jumping rooftop after rooftop, smoke rising all around us. I was too blind to see a jumping abnormal. It attacked us and swallowed Thomas whole.

The four of us that reached the other rooftop stared with horror as Tom dangled from the titans mouth, then it turned his head and swallowed.

Like a piece of...

Eren jumped into action before I could actually comprehend what just happened. I screamed and jumped after him because he shouldn't go alone, he shouldn't go alone and then- a titan appeared out of nowhere and bit off his leg. Right in front of my eyes.

The rest is a blur, I landed on a roof, a low roof one that a titan could reach easily. My body couldn't move, not even a muscle. Minas cords got caught by a titan. Samuel was caught in the air like a ragdoll and they all screamed and struggled uselessly. The titans were stronger.

I didn't notice what a mess I was in before a titans hand reached for me, held me up over his disgusting mouth and let go. I screamed as much as I could and tried to get myself out of that wet, stinky mouth but not to no avail.

Down his throat... Down... Down...

Falco shut the book, immediately.

He stared at the small candle in his room, his eyes burnt a little before he looked away. "Did he just..."

Falco opened the book again and read the last paragraph.

He had read it right.

Falco blinked his sore eyes. "My..." he murmured dumbfounded. "How will he... Survive...?"

He wondered, he does survive his first deployment and becomes a Scout. That's the point of the book!

Falco opened the book again.

and then... Eren... He appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my hand. He was holding the titans mouth open. It was a split second of pause and then he pulled and threw me out of the titans mouth.

No time to think about how he got there with a missing leg. I landed on a rooftop and looked up, he was trying to keep the titans mouth open and reached out a hand.

"Armin... Remember the book you showed me... We'll see it together... The ocean..."

Those were his exact words.

I scrambled as fast as I could and tried to reach Erens outstretched hand but before my finger could catch his, the titan closed his mouth.

And swallowed.

Eren, why did you do that? Why?

After all this-

I have to go now, Jean just came back with everything they've found. Lets see of we can reach the gas downstairs.

Falco bit his lip, from the looks of it, Mr Braun was actually in that room, stuck with the rest of them with a swarm of titans. He wondered how he felt. How did the invincible Armored titan feel when he knew what price they were paying for the success of their mission.

Falco looked out of his window, the sky was completely dark. The air pollution blocked every star in the sky, and the nail of the moon could barely be seen.

Falco sighed and rubbed his sore eyes. His right eye was starting to burn. He should go back to sleep... But the urge to know what happens next was too great to pull through.

We survived!

Hard to believe but we did!

But as I'm writing in, I'm on top of wall rose with some of the highest ranking garrisons.

After I lost every member of my squad, my mind went into a blank state of terror. I Panicked. No matter how much I screamed, the titan was walking away like nothing... The titan that ate Eren was walking away like nothing's happened.

I don't remember the rest, I just remember the next time my mind actually comprehend anything, it was almost dark, the sun was setting.

And Connie was shaking me as hard as he could, with his squad right behind him.

And I screamed again... I think his eardrums were damaged for a good few minutes.

(I hate reliving this day... But I must write this down, I must!)

So, I took off and let Krista, Connie and Ymir argue this out. Connie said I shouldn't go alone... But whatever...

I found Hannah giving CPR to Franz on the street...

I couldn't do this anymore.

The withdrawal signal ringed.

But we were out of gas. We were stuck in Trost, titans all around us. The backup team was nowhere to be seen, and the main HQ warmed up with titans.

What a nightmare.

I gathered with some of the other cadettes on a rooftop. I shrank away to a corner, letting my head fall and just wait. Almost all of them hollowed out just like I was. Meanwhile Sasha, Connie and Marco somehow had the strength to smile and try to motivate others to move to HQ to get a refill.

Bless them.

Just to make things worse, Mikasa appeared...

... And asked where Eren was.

"Ouch..." Falco murmured softly. "That must hurt."

He couldn't imagine telling Udo that Zoofia had gone... That was just totally impossible really... But the thought of it, having to tell a friend their loved one is gone.

Falco sighed loudly. This was going to be a long night.

she put a hand on mine.

Then, turned to the rest of the cadettes.

She walked over the roof and raised her sword.

"I'm strong! Stronger than all of you combined. I can go and kill every titan and I don't need any of you."

The speech wasn't very inspirational, but it did it's work.

She took off. Effortlessly slaying the titan near the roof just to prove her point. Sasha, Marco and Connie just needed a little motivation, and joined her soon after. So did Jean, but from the tired look on his eyes he thought this wouldn't work.

I couldn't stay here now, could I?

As hard as it was, I put my weight on my feet and jumped after her. I saw Floch and his friends give an old odd look to each other before jumping after us.

The aftermath of the slight rain was fading away and the titans were hoarding through the city again, someone has to look through this small fact that they almost disappeared when the sky went grey with clouds later.

But now, it looked like titans liked to destroy houses too.

Mikasa was unbelievably fast. Dodging titan and titan and slicing the nape of each that she came across. I was surprised but that speed and agility before I noticed, a little too late, that she was using too much gas and letting her grief take her away.

She was going too fast.

She was going to run out of gas very soon and no matter how good she is, when you lost your mobility against a titan it's over.

Sometimes I hate being right.

Falco hummed thoughtfully, this plan of theirs was sure to be full of loopholes. For example, how are they going to battle the titans within their HQ where they certainly have 0 mobility.

But what other choice do they have? It's either "die now" or "die later"... Falco himself always chose "die later".

I remember pleading just for Mikasa to be alright, I really couldn't lose both of them in one day to the same cause. I flew over the rooftop. "Be alright. Be alright. Be alright" repeated in my mind.

A roar filled the air and grabbed my attention. And I noticed her, on the ground, her blades in hand and staring blankly at two titans. "Mikasa!" Swinging in, I came in and grabbed her, bringing her up and sending them both of us rolling on the roof.

I noticed the two titans in front of her were actually fighting. Throwing aimless punches and roars at each other. "Mikasa, are you hurt?"

"You two okay?" Connie slid to a stop next to us, appearing out of nowhere.

I nodded.

Connie screamed when he saw the two titans. Both are 15 meters tall. He readied his gear to jump but Miakda stopped her.

"No, that Titan is…" Mikasa stared at the Titans. Standing across from each other, the two Titans roared.

Bringing its arms up, the more muscular Titan assumed an offensive position.

Martial arts. This titan knew martial arts. At first, that was actually a bigger threat of a titan than before. An intelligent titan, I almost got a headache. The other Titan just roared and charged, while the muscular Titan kept his stance and threw a punch, decapitating his opponent. The head flew until it hit a tower. The headless Titan began to push up off the ground and the other titan, not looking at him and watching his hand heal instead, brought his foot down, crushing his nape.

His weak spot.

This titan knew his kind's weak spot! "He knew the weak spot! He finished it off!" I almost shouted. This titan was one of a kind, a Rogue titan.

Connie pushed us back. "We gotta get out of here! Before it comes this way!" he said.

"No," I replied, not taking my eyes off the Rogue Titan, "it's not reacting to us. Any other one would attack us for sure."

"It seemed to grasp the concept of hand-to-hand combat, too," Mikasa pointed out. "Just what was that?"

I really wanted to know what caused such a behavior, but we couldn't afford to study it at the time.

"All we can do is chalk it up as an Abnormal," Connie shouted. "We barely know anything about 'em, after all. Now let's just hurry to HQ!"

Falco narrowed his eyes, could this be?, he wondered. Was this titan an intelligent titan? But almost all of them were in marleys hands at the time.

If so, why didn't this titan show himself sooner?

Falco rubbed his eyes. They were right, this was probably just an abnormality. He laughed at the thought of his pure titan becoming an abnormal like that.

Imagine him working so hard at beating Gabi to gain the armored titan... Just for his mindless titan to ignore the prey and go after something else.

The thought... Wasn't exactly very funny. He kept reading.

I looked at Mikasa's gear, it was really a close call. I told him Mikasa was out of gas. Connie would have pulled his hair if he had any.

How could they get out of this mess without Mikasa?

I kneeled on the roof in front of her gear. "The answer's obvious!" I said loudly and pulled out my canister. "I don't have much left but hurry and switch yours with mine! This is our only option." I replaced it with her canister. "It'll amount to nothing if I keep it. Just… use it sparingly this time. Everyone's lives are riding on it."

My eyes fell on her broken blade and I held it in my hands. I have to admit that sounded like the best option at the time.

The best.

I still think it was the best.

"I prefer this to be my end that being eaten alive" I told her and kept the blade close to my heart.

Mikasa didn't hesitate, she snatched the blade back and threw it away. I never thought I'd be in the receiving end of her glare one day.

"I'm not leaving you here." she said and pushed me up to my feet.

"B-But the place is swarming with Titans! You can't possibly carry someone while jumping!" I tried to argue back but she wouldn't listen.

"Let's go!" Connie grabbed Armin.

I watched them run. Shocked for a few seconds.

Logically speaking they shouldn't have bothered with me.

No… Please don't… I'll only…I'll only get more of my friends killed!

Behind us, the Rogue Titan roared. And an idea came to my mind almost on the spot. "Wait!" I stopped and snatched my arm back. "Listen, I have a suggestion!"

And I told them the plan I came up with the spot... that was very vague.

Connie's reaction was just like I expected.
"Lead it?" Connie gaped. "How do you hope to lead that thing?"

I shook his head and explained it as best as I could. "I think it's fighting on instinct. If you two take out the Titans around it, it'll go and look for other Titans. That'll naturally lead it toward Headquarters."

I awkwardly looked away, did I even know what I was asking of them?

"Only you two can do it, so I leave the choice to you. I know it sounds crazy, but could we use that Titan to our advantage?" I proposed again.

After a ew seconds of tense silence. Mikasa broke it with hopeful words. "It seems worth trying, Let's go with Armin's suggestion," Mikasa said.

Connie was distressed. "You want us to fight Titans with a Titan?"

Mikasa looked at her right in his eyes. "Yes, exactly." he said bluntly.

Connie closed his mouth and sighed. Finally succumbing to the plan. It took a lot more convincing that I thought but really was our only chance. I looked back at the Titan, the Rogue titan was walking away from us and the HQ and towards two ten meter classes.

I stayed back as Mikasa and Connie jumped. They passed the Rogue titan and reached the two ten meter ones right in front him. I narrowed my eyes but... The two ten meter ones were ignoring Connie and Mikasa... Like the Rogue titan was somehow more important.

The plan worked.

The Rogue titan roared and looked around, his long hair moving in the air. His large green eyes suddenly focused on the HQ building and all the titans around it. He charged with another roar, completely ignoring the three of us.

This time, Connie didn't wait for me to respond. He picked me up and charged forward, towards HQ.

Mikasa sliced the nape and killed the Titan in her path, clearing the way for Connie, who was carrying me in his arms. To be honest, The position was less than ideal.

We crashed through the windows of the HQ. The Rogue titan just arrived just in time to save Jean from being eaten by two 15 meter class titans.

Jean was standing a few feet away. He was more than surprised to see us, based on the shaking of his hand. "Y-You're alive." Jean came up to us, looking horrified.

"We did it, Armin." Connie slapped my back way too hard.

"Your plan worked! Guys," Connie yelled, grinning. I just tried to stand up, "that Titan's an Abnormal! It's killing all the other Titans! We can use it to get outa here!"

"Use a…Titan?" Someone said.

The gasps and screamed were coming from all around us.

"A Titan helping us?" Jean asked. "What kind of nonsensical dream—"

"It's no dream," Mikasa interrupted. "Whether it's an Abnormal or not, I don't care. We're going to let it rampage here for as long as possible."

Jean rolled his eyes and didn't argue further. He led us down to the supply room where we had twenty minutes of peace before I came up with a plan to take out the 4 meter titans in the supply room.

And the plan that I wrote last time worked.

thanks to the Rogue Titan, we could refill our containers and blades in peace. Everyone filled their supplies to the brim. Now, We could finally get out of that cursed fight.

But when we went to the roof and were ready to jump back to the walls, I saw Mikasa hesitating to go. She was looking at the titan, on the other side of the street, who was slowly being devoured by other titans. She said she wanted to help with that certain tone of her.

There was no stopping her, even if I could count ten titans at sight and about ten more a few streets below.

Jean almost lost his mind, over how dangerous and maddening that is.

Reiner, however, pointed out they might need him. Annie said he's more powerful than any Canon and Berthold just nodded. I agree, I saw their point.

"It's not exactly your point but go on." Falco murmured with a nervous laugh.

Everything escalated when the same abnormal that devoured Thomas appeared.

I wanted to vomit when I saw it, Thomass face was still fresh in my mind.

And apparently, the titans mind as well.

He roared and three away those titans. The rogue titans hands were eaten off but he bit the other titan on the neck, severing the weak spot and killing it.

And roared.

A roar that shook the entire street.

Not so gracefully, he fell down. And steam started coming from all around him. Jean laughed it off and said we should leave if we don't want to be titan food.

Mikasa gasped and jumped down.

A few moments later, her happy shouts filled the air. I landed on the ground and... They were on the nape of the rogue titan... Mikasa was holding something- no someone... And I'd recognise that mop of chocolate brown hair everywhere.

Falco almost shouted. He immediately recognised the rogue titan as the attack Titan. The attack titan, the same "lost" titan. The only intelligent titan aside from the founding titan, that Marley couldn't tame.

Rumor has it that the inheritor of the attack titan opposed Marley so hardly, that he preferred to kill himself and pass his titan anonymously to a newborn... Just so Marley couldn't have its power.

Other Rumours say he escaped and vanished off the face of the earth.

So that's where he has been!

Falco gulped, this was top tier top secret that he has miraculously stumbled upon. Falco bit his nails and flipped the page. This story was getting interesting.

it was... Eren.

Eren was alive...

I dropped to my knees next to him. He was breathing in Mikasa's embrace and Mikasa was crying her eyes out. It was hard to control my emotion and I felt something break and the tears start streaming. I picked up his left hand... The same hand that was chopped off a few hours ago.

It was whole, not even a scratch on him.

I picked it up and laced our fingers and squeezed. I still can't believe it was real... And he squeezed back.

When me and Mikasa pulled him up to the roof. Jean almost vomited. Reiner, Berthold and Annie, the perfect soldiers, were in shock.

Out of pure fear, Mikasa and I didn't let anyone else touch him in his passed out state. Well, it was mostly Mikasa glaring daggers and Reiner who tried to pull me away and take my place in holding and carrying Eren. Reiner backed off. No one can survive Mikasa Ackermans glare.

The moment we landed on the other side, we had cannons pointed at us.

The Garrisons shouted at us, to leave.

Reiner, Annie, Berthold and Jean were slapped with a gag order and let out. Which, I can't really blame them because even I am really scared out of my mind.

Mikasa told to keep Eren and took a step forward, towards the men, with both her swords in her hands.

Did I mention we had cannons pointed at our heads? With about 25 trained and experienced soldiers pointed their swords at us?

Mikasa stood in front of us, both of her swords drawn and glaring at the Captain of the Garrisons in front of her. Threatening.

Meanwhile, Eren and I were back against the wall, Eren still Semi-unconscious and leaning against my shoulder. Suddenly he murmured: "I'll kill all of you..."

It is all a blur, how the Captain shouted questions at Eren. "Are you a human! Or are you a titan?" How bad Eren was sweating.

Eren, who had no idea what we were talking about and was still too tired to hold against his own.

The captain asked again, "ARE YOU HUMAN OR TITAN?"

Eren was conflicted, I could feel it in the way his hand tightened around my shoulder. "Im HUMAN!" he shouted, clearly having no idea what just happened.

The next thing I know the cannon fired.

the cannon fired.

In a split second, Eren the back of my uniform and Mikasa's arm. Pulled us close and bit down his hand.

Steam, cloud, warm warm smoke and then Me and Mikasa were in a shelter made of titan bones and flesh.

Falco leaned forward, eyes glittering.

"I-I remember... the cannon went off," I stuttered. "After that came a loud crash, and heat, And now we're inside a giant skeleton..."

Miaksa leaned forward. "Eren protected us," Mikasa whispered calmly, afraid of who might be on the other side of the smoke. "That's all we need to understand for now."

I gulped and looked down. There were flowers by Mikasa's boots. Purple Flowers, only on the inside. That wasn't there before.

Suddenly, Eren ran around the ribcage. "You guys okay?"

"Eren, what is this?" I asked immediately, almost terrified.

Eren's eyes turned darker, even more emotional than the time I saw him after Shiganshina fell. He said he didn't know. He said he thought it had something to do with his father. Something that he didn't know but could find in their basement in Shiganshina. I hate being kept in the dark. Eren stepped out of the ribcage for a moment to stare at the wall, the canons were aimed at us again. "But I'm sure they'll start attacking again soon enough." he murmured.

The decaying Titan body loomed over them.

"I doubt there's any chance of reasoning with them now, after seeing this." Eren murmured and grabbed the key around his neck.

Mikasa and I stood silent.

"My dad said it'd all make sense if I go there!" Eren clutched the key, staring at it intently. "He's also the reason this has happened to me. If I go to the basement, I might figure out what the Titans are too!"

"Damn it!" He punched a bone of the skeleton in frustration. "Why did he keep it a secret?! Thousands of Scouts have died trying to get that information! It's the only hope humanity has!"

Eren, punched the bone again, it shook and some parts fell. I stood a little straighter.

"And he just kept it tucked away in our basement all this time?! What the hell was he thinking?!" Eren gritted his teeth, eyes wild. "And where the hell has he been these last five years?"

Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his rage. "Eren, we have other things to attend to right now."

Eren sighed loudly. The smoke's clearing and we didn't have much time left anymore. Then, we heard the Captain shout: "Attack on sight! Let's finish it off quick!"

Eren narrowed his eyes and announced he was getting out of here, making both of us gasp.

"Anywhere will do for now. Then I'll go over the Wall and make it to the basement." Eren clenched his fist. "After I've changed into a Titan again."

"Can you really do that?" I thought but found out I had said it out loud.

Eren took a sharp breath. "I'm not too sure how to do it myself, but I think I can. It's just like how people can't really explain how they move their arms." Eren murmured. "Just now, my mind unconsciously focused on stopping the cannonball."

True, but at that moment Eren was out of breath and the rest of his reasoning was thrown out of the window when his nose started bleeding. Mikasa narrowed her eyes at that.

He wiped his nose, staring at the red staining his fingers. "You look really pale," I began, "and your breathing is rough. It's taking a toll on your body. You're not well!"

"My health doesn't matter right now." He wiped all the blood from his face. "I have two ideas in mind. You guys can get through this alive if you stop trying to protect me. I've already caused you two enough trouble as it is, so I'm gonna go it alone from here on out."

"No, I—" I started to object but Mikasa was faster to talk.

"Eren, I'm coming with you," Mikasa stated plainly. Just like always, Mikasa was always by Erens side. And no matter how I look at it, she always will be.

If only Eren understood that. He argued about not being her little brother and how he could take care of himself. If today's events proved anything was that Eren couldn't, he was too angry to be able to properly take care of himself.

They argued, and I was too lost in my own thoughts to argue with them.

Still hidden, Mikasa and Eren continued to argue. The Garrison weren't showing any signs of launching another assault. If they were, Mikasa would've sensed it faster than a stray cat. Assuming they reload in the shortest time possible, it would take them about twenty more seconds. Eren could spring into action and be gone before then.

Suddenly, The memory of little Eren and Mikasa beating up the bullies came to me.

Why was I reminded of that at a time like this? Is it because this is the end for us? I thought… This was the last time the three of us will ever be together.

"Wait, Mikasa, I said I had two ideas, remember? Armin, I leave the decision to you."

I snapped my head up in surprise.

"I know how unrealistic this plan is," Eren admitted. "The best option would be to use this Titan ability in a systematic way, under the military's direction. I know this sounds crazy, but if you think you can convince the Garrison that I'm not a threat, I'll trust in you and go with that option. That's my second idea. If you don't think you can do it, I'll go with the other idea as a last resort."

I could hear the soldiers filling the canons again.

"Decide in fifteen seconds,"

Why would Eren do that? I remember thinking that was the single strangest decision Eren ever made... Eren told me I keep a level head most of the time. That I always make good choices. He even said I was the one who called Hannes and ended saving their lives.

Something I had totally forgotten about.

Behind me, the last of the body fell apart as the realization hit me. It was all in my head. I convinced myself that's how I was. I convinced myself I was helpless and a burden. Eren and Mikasa didn't have a hint of doubt in their expressions.

I made my choice. Without hesitation, I got to my feet. "I will persuade them, without fail. I'll need you to act as non aggressive as possible while I do."

I turned around and marched forward confidently. A lot of things have been bugging me ever since Eren started fighting as a Titan. I haven't collected my thoughts yet, but there is something that I'll tend to do later.

I had to do this! I had to think as I talked! I ditched his gear and ran out. The noise startled some of the soldiers.

"Halt!" the Captain of the Garrisons held his arms out ahead of him.

One of the soldiers pointed a gun at me. I raised my arms..

"You've finally revealed your true form, monster! I'll do it! I'll give the signal to fire!"

I took a deep breath and stared at the captain. "Eren is not an enemy of humanity!" I shouted as cleanly as I could. "We're willing to disclose everything we've learned!"

The captain was moments away from exploding. He said something in the lines of "Begging for your lives won't help you! He's revealed his true form for all to see! What more is there to say?" and then, I remember this part because I was waiting for it, he shouted: "If you insist he's not our enemy, then show me proof! If you can't, then we'll simply eliminate the threat he poses!"

"There's no need for proof!" I yelled back. Then it struck me. There was no need, "this isn't about what we perceive him to be!"

"What?! I hear that countless people saw him!"

"In which case, they surely saw him fighting Titans as well!" I looked at the soldiers, surprising them. "And they must've seen the Titans swarming around him, too! Didn't you?"

Some of them stared back at me, and I knew the plan was working. "In other words, the Titans saw him as prey—just like they see us! That's an irrefutable fact, however hard you look at it!" Armin continued without stopping. Then the whispers began.

"He has a point."

"A Titan, on our side?"

"That's crazy."

Falco wanted to laugh, because pure titans were definitely more interested in a titan shifter like his friend Eren than they were in normal Eldians.

The soldiers had lowered their weapons.

The captain looked around in a panic. "Prepare to attack!" He threw his arm out. "Don't be taken in by their clever ruses!" I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips. "Their behavior has always been beyond our understanding! It's entirely possible they'd take on human form and use human language to deceive us all!"

One of the things I learned today is fear is more powerful than reason... And they were afraid.

Eren and Mikasa tensed.

The soldiers were once again ready to attack, glaring. I stood completely stunned. They've abandoned all logic. They're afraid to think. I looked over his shoulder at my friends. But they still looked at him with conviction.

Eren nodded.

I brought his fist forward and saluted, screaming with determination as loud as I could.

"As a soldier, I have long sworn to give my heart for the restoration of humankind!"

The Captain was blank-faced.

"Nothing would make me happier than to die for that cause! If we combine his Titan ability with our own remaining manpower, we can retake this city!"

Or at least that's what I remember saying. I came up with all this on the spot so it is hard to remember my exact same words. We were desperate for survival.

The rest of the soldiers were impacted by my words. The Captain wasn't.

"For humanity's glory, in what little time I have left to live, I will continue to advocate his strategic value!" I screamed with the last of his breath, my throat slowly started to hurt.

Silence settled.

one if the Garrisons began, turned to their Captain, and started to clear my words to him. It was a ray of hope that quickly demolished.

"Silence!" the Captain yelled at him. His arm began to rise and my eyes widened. Mikasa's hand inched over her sword and Eren brought his hand toward his mouth. The cannon loomed menacingly and the captain was about to bring his arm down.

"That's enough." A hand gripped the Garrison captain's arm. "I see you're still as delicate as a young deer despite your size."

The group snickered.

The Garrison commander brought the arm down. "Commander Pixis?" The captain gasped.

My heart was beating too loudly in my ear to recognise what the man was saying. But I heard: "can't you see that soldier's heartfelt salute! We'll hear your words!" and I dropped.

We are alive!

How many times can I be surprised about that statement in 12 hours?

Commander Pyxis took the three of us (Eren, Mikasa and I) up on the wall. Just us. It concerned the Captains but this is the famous commander Pyxis. He's known for not following tradition.

He talked about how if he was going to be eaten, he wanted it to be a lady titan... Which sounds dirtier when I write it down. He also took three sips of his drink, even gave some to Eren. That might be a very concerning weakness for the commander.

Of course, not following tradition.

And he asked me if what I said about the boulder was a means of survival or really something I think will work... It was just a means of survival but I said both.

Which... Brings us here.

The plan was simple really, we gather as many soldiers as we can up on the corner of the city, to attract as many titans as we can away from Eren. Then Eren transforms, moves the boulder and blocks the hole. Meanwhile Garrisons protect him from the upcoming titans.

And yet... I'm surprised the Garrisons are just going with this plan... I mean they can surely come up with something better than my half baked plan (that I came up with just to save Eren from being shot with a cannon) right?

As I'm writing this, the Garrisons are gathering and preparing for the mission. Which gave me enough time to write this. Maybe I shouldn't have because my wrist is hurting.

I'm stationed up on the wall, because the strategy of this mission was mine. Mikasa goes with the squad that protects Eren.

I... I hope... I hope I didn't forget any small detail and I hope it doesn't blow in my face.

For Falco, that actually sounded like a solid plan and he was eager to find what happened next. Especially now that the warriors have to deal with another titan shifter. Does Eren know about the titans? Or is he really clueless. Armin Arlert seemed to think he was really clueless.

If the attack titan is nearby, then the warriors must be close to the founding titan!

But... Why did they have to break the wall a second time? All these people dying...

Falco yawned loudly. It was getting too late.

One more chapter. He promised himself. And kept reading.

now that I'm writing this I'm alive, Mikasa's alive and Eren is in jail. Surprise surprise, grandpa always said he'd end up in jail if he kept up that attitude.

But no... This is somehow my fault.

I can't write about the battle of Trost right now, maybe tomorrow when I still remember the details? Who knows if I'm even alive tomorrow...

Long story short it was a victory, the first true victory of the human race against the titans.

The hole was plugged up with that stone. Just like how I predicted it.

But- why did we have to go with that half-baked plan of mine? I'm sure commander pyxis could come up with some better plan if given some time! Maybe one that didn't end in all these people dying...

I can't do this... I'll try writing it tomorrow.

I haven't been able to think straight since I talked to Jean. Since I asked him where Marco was.

Jean almost dropped on his knees, covered his ears and shook his head. I could see him holding back tears and ugly sobs. That was all the answer I needed.

When I actually found Marco in the pile of bodies that were going to be burnt, I noticed Marcos' face was bitten in half. His only eye was horrified and wide open, glueing the expression of horror permanently to his face.

Of all the people, I couldn't have imagined something like that happening to Marco.

Marco...

I'll really miss you.

I... Went over and rewrote the list of everyone in the 104th that didn't make it.

Macro... I'm sorry, there is no possible way you could have died except your gear not working. I'm sorry if I didnt fix it the way I should have.

Thomas... I hope you're somewhere they appreciate your jokes.

Mina... I'm sorry I ran off after Eren with no plan.

Franz... I-

The list went on and on.

For three pages.

Every single person that died in the battle that Armin Arlert had a connection with, some were mentioned before, some weren't. But at least one line was written about all of them.

Falco gulped and shut the book. The reality slowly sinked in.

Unlike the rest of the stories, all stories about the horrors of the titans, they felt unreal. They felt from so long ago. They felt unreal. But these people? They were real, they were 15! A few years older than he was right now.

He found himself in the bathroom, staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

Slowly, He raised his hand and closed his eyes. "I'm an eldian." he started, opening his eyes to stare at himself. "The sins of my ancestors weigh heavy and to redeem the world I shall obey Marley to my last breath, now and forever. By becoming a warrior..."

Those worlds felt strangely foreign, even out of his own mouth.

He read and read, cheered when the Scouts won the trial and got a deep burning feeling for the military police. And a strange curiosity about the overconfident Captain Levi.

the two titans that the Scouts managed to restrain were killed.

I can still hear the cries of the section commander of the Scouts as when they reached there, So heartbroken.

Me and Jean leaned against the railings and watched as the section commander fell on her knees and shouted to find the killer. The titans couldn't change my mind about joining the Scouts but that lady just might.

Jean shook his head. "Suicidal... All of them." he murmured, thinking I couldn't hear. "Why keep a titan within these walls? I'm not surprised someone had the common sense to kill it."

I sighed loudly. "We needed them, Jean. We barely know anything about the titans. We can't be an enemy we don't know. And if we could fight the titans with logic and common sense, we wouldn't be in this mess." I told him. "The Scouts are the only people that can defeat the titans. So just let them go with it. Why do you care? Tomorrow you'll be shipped to the interior."

He fixed his jaw and pressed his palm to his lips, thinking and growling. I couldn't help but notice that was the same hand that held Marcos bones the night before.

We were called to the main hall, and were told to bring our ODM gear for inspection. I'll look into how exactly they thought they could guess the killer from the ODM gear later.

Annie and Connie were standing next to me and Jean was on the other side.

The inspectors asked questions like "when was the last time you filled the gas?" or "when was the last time you updated your gear."

The cadettes were in relative silence, most of them agreed to killing the titans..
Which... Will tell us all we need to know about how the public views Erens new abilities.

I looked at Connie's ODM gear. It seemed broken, the handle was off and I'm surprised he survived Trost.

...and as unbelievable as it was, Annie's ODM gear wasn't her own, it was Marcos. I had fixed it that morning, I knew every dent, every structure. And the fact that my poor fixing skills might be the reasons he's dead... Just makes everything worse.

So yes, I'm sure that was Marcoes gear.

I swallowed and glanced at her, she was completely still and serious, as always. Why would she kill those titans? It made no sense.

That trail of thought didn't last long when suddenly, Connie asked Annie if Jean was serious about joining the Scouts. Jean was going to join the Scouts.

Suddenly, all of Jean's abnormal behavior made sense.

"Who cares." was Annie's only reply. She was going to stay with her goal of joining the military police, and after everything, who can really blame her for choosing peace and calmness? After everything we witnessed in Trost?

Falco closed the book for a moment. "Well..." he murmured to himself. If his assumptions were right and this woman really was Annie Leanheart, one of the warriors assigned to Paradise island almost 8 years ago. This act was probably all a part of their plan.

But warriors couldn't have stone hearts. One way or another, Annie Leonheart was a warrior.

And Falco was especially curious to know what happened to her, along with Berthold Hoover and Marcel Galliard. Because Marley was very very secretive about them.

Falco shook his head and opened the book again.

"Tell me something, if someone told you to die, will you?" she asked, completely seriously.

Connie almost rolled his eyes. He said no and Annie said the most Annie phrase one can say, "then my advice is do what's best for you."

Annie waited for my answer for a split second before asking me bluntly.

I thought about what I could say, there are a lot of ways I could justify what I believed about the Scouts or answer what she actually meant by that question... Both truths and lies... So I told her I would. If the situation called for it... I knew I'd do it if my sacrifice would save others.

I would do it... Not that I want to but sometimes it's just inevitable.

After all, I planned to join the Scouts from the start. Not for the usual reason people join the Scouts. Like revenge against the titans or survival of humanity... I just wanted to see the outside world since I found that book in my grandfather's cellar. Since I read about the Ocean. I want to see it, probably more than anything.

I know I might never reach it with the Scouts, but my other option (pursuing my academics) is too far from it.

Ocean,... It's childish but I'm glad Eren hasn't forgotten about our childhood dream.

Falco closed the book for a moment. When was the last time he was by the ocean? Falco truly didn't remember, the beach was right outside the walls of Liberio, but his parents could never get permission to leave the containment zone just for visiting the beach.

He went there once... With their warrior trainers. It truly looked beautiful.

Annie wasn't amused. "huh, for a mouse you got guts, I'll give you that."

"thanks, I guess. I'm beginning to suspect you care more than you let on"

She gave me a glare, I think she had forgotten I literally grew up with Mikasa and her death glares.

I couldn't help but smile and say: "it's the way you're discouraging us from joining the Scouts. Youre looking out for us. Is that why you're joining the MPs? I bet you can do some good there too."

She turned her eyes back forward, "no... Not really, I just want to live. The only person I'm looking out for is myself."

I wanted to point out that she could lie better than that, So I came up with the shortest and best answer I could... That didn't quite fit. "Well, Actually Annie, I think you're a nice person."

Falco laughed nervously.

she didn't say anything else and Connie scuffed, deep in his own existential crisis. He really didn't need to bring his inner struggle to the outside this much, it was obvious Connie was struggling. We all were, the 104th cadet Corp has just realised what exactly they have been training for. And it's pure horror.

After we were dismissed. I didn't want to leave Jean alone, he looked like he could really use the company, considering how close he was to Marco... Well...

So we walked out of the hall, neither of us saying a word. Both of us were content with the silence until Sasha arrived. Sasha, with a bag of fresh bread in her arms, pulled Jean and Connie away with a big smile on her face.

"Jean! We didn't know your mom could cook like that!" she said and almost jumped. "Your omelettes are good... Her's is just heaven!"

Sasha kept on babbling until Connie put a finger on her lips and shouted to talk clearly. She said Jeans mother was there to see him, and has brought enough omelette for the cadet Corp.

I shrugged it off and said I'll join them soon, I had to find mikasa. I hadn't seen her since after today... And didn't get the chance to.

As I was walking in HQ, I suddenly felt my elbow yanking into an empty yard. I almost stumbled and fell, in front of me was an angry Annie.

"Annie?"

The shock wore off quickly.

"Armin, you know their expedition is in a month, right?" she asked, completely seriously.

I knew what she was implying, she was telling me the chances of me dying in a week was more than high enough. I told her I knew.

"Good." Annie said loudly and snatched my right wrist and held it in a lock in front of both of us. My hand was starting to hurt, I tried to push it back but it only ended in me screaming in pain. Her lock stayed just in place.

"Annie! You're hurting me..."

But that fell on deaf ears. In Fact she tightened her hold.

"Annie, even if you break my right hand I'm still joining Scouts." I laughed it off but the pressure on my hand was getting too much to bear.

I just hoped whatever this was, healed in a month.

Annie narrowed her eyes. Her glares just like the one Mikasa gave Captain Levi when he was kicking Eren. "Write me a letter when you get back to base alive..." she said and dropped my hand. It swelled but otherwise it looked functional.

"You could have just asked..." I murmured and she looked away. Her right hand grabbed her left elbow and she walked away.

"Just live, ok?" she said so quietly I almost didn't hear... And walked away.

Which is why I have to stop writing because my hand is really aching and if I want to give a good salute tonight at the graduation ceremony, I have to give it a rest.

Falco gently closed the book and closed his eyes. He was slowly getting an idea about why Reiner Braun was so reluctant about his days on the island.

And he was getting an idea about how Annie Leanheart had failed her mission...

Notes:

So how was it? Falco will have this adventure for one more chapter before "Mr Kruger" asks him for a big favor.

One might wonder what happened! Wasn't Armin especially secretive about his diary in chapter one of this fic? Didn't he make Eren swear he'll destroy it? Why is it a published book right now? I'll explain it all in a few chapters.

Please leave a kudos or a COMMENT becouse that makes the poor author scream in joy like a toddler XD

Chapter 5: Warm Welcome : the world the boy didn't see.

Summary:

Falco eagerly reads the book and finds its ending surprisingly missing. Will he find out more about Armin Arlert? Why is Mr Kruger really that mysterious?

Notes:

To the people who read the previous version of "Dear world", the three chapters dedicated to the chapters titled with "Warm Welcome" is still a copy of the original.

The real changes start at 7! Then it will diverge from the previous version!

Anyway, I hope everyone likes this chapter! Don't forget to comment, kodus, or bookmark!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Their rooftop.

Their apartment was a ten story building, one of the highest points within the containment zone of Liberio.

Falco hugged his coat closer to himself as he watched the night sky on top of him. The roof was empty, just a worn out chair and maintenance machines were on the roof and the small door Falco came over from there.

Liberio was under his feet. The full moon shone the streets. There was barely anyone out at this time of the night.

Falco took a deep breath, the night chill ran through him. The ticklish sense of air pollution was still there, it was always there, but now it felt irrelevant.

Falco stared at the horizon. He wasn't there to see the ground.

This was one of the only places within the containment zone from which you could see the beach, Marley's navy and the large body of blue waters that stretched all over his vision.

The perfect spot to open this book and start reading again.

well it was over, right?

I had fallen off my horse, the female titan had seen me and I was sure I'd hurt my knee very badly. I could barely feel the rest of my body, I tried to sit up from where I lay on my stomach. Try to move, run, maybe even fly away using the ODM gear... (That was a foolish hope, the land was plain with barely any trees.)

I felt a heavy hand above me. It was too slow to hit me like a bug, but I guess this titan had a liking for making her subjects suffer. The pace was perfect for crushing me like an insect under her palm.

But instead, she lifted my hood and pushed it up, nudging me to lift my head. So I did.

It was the first time I saw the titan upfront. Her face was skinless but was still covered partially in with something like white patches of fat.

Her eyes were blue and I could only see one eye within her blond hair.

maybe I imagined it. But a flash of realisation crossed her eyes and her mouth opened slightly. If I knew any better I would call it shock and relief... And then disappointment.

Either way she let go of my hood and stood up, she ran towards the middle guard on her top speed.

she spared me...

It made no sense. I saw her squeeze some of the veterans to death. I saw her crush one under her heels. So why did she spare me?

"Falco?"

Falco swallowed and gently closed the book. "Colt?" he murmured softly, turning back. Colt was in his comfortable sweatpants, holding a mug of freshly brewed tea and staring at Falco like he was possessed. "Why are you up?" he asked.

"Up as in awake or up as in on top of the roof?" Falco murmured, searching Colt for a reaction.

Colt shook his head softly and walked the distance between them, until he was leaning over the roof. "Why are you awake?" he asked again.

Falco knew Colt had already seen the book so he just shrugged and put it away. "I'm just using our break to read." he said honestly. "What kept you up tonight?"

Colt eyes his brother for a moment before his gaze went to the view, somewhere lost along the ocean. "I'm going to see some of my friends in the Academy tomorrow." he admitted. "I just couldn't sleep."

Colt was always a mentally strong person, Falco wondered what could have upset him so much. "Why?" he asked curiously.

"One of them is... Studying the effects of pure titans and their... Initial hosts. We used to think pure titans don't feel anything. That their Eldian host is as good as dead but..." Colt admitted, taking a sip of his tea. "It turned out otherwise."

Colt gulped. "Does it matter?" he asked quietly.

"For me? For you? Not really." Colt admitted, "we'll eat a titan shifter and become a warrior, what happens when we're a pure titan doesn't really matter."

Falco took a sharp breath. Colt was telling him not to think about it, because it was dangerous.

"I'm going to visit my friends, the same people who discovered this..." he said, lost in his own thoughts. "And you should head back down too, it's cold out here and you don't really want to catch a cold."

Falco knew there was more to it, but couldn't quite put his hand on it. Colt wasn't someone that would get upset this easily. Swallowing hard, he asked the question that was bothering him. "Why is it hard for you to do that?"

Colt froze for a moment before he relaxed and stared at his brother. "Falco..." he murmured softly. "How do you think Marley knows all they know about the titans? Pure titans specifically."

Falco raised an eyebrow. "They experiment." he answered truthfully.

"You're right." he said with a soft bitter smile. "And how do they get the subjects of their experiment?"

Falcos eyes widened and he almost fell back from where he was sitting. Colt reached a hand to ruffle his younger brother's hair. He looked so small. Falco didn't move, still stunned by the new information.

Colt sighed loudly. He rubbed the side of his face and gave Falco a tired smile. "I'll get going." he said with a fake yawn. "Tomorrow is a long day."

He patted Falcoes head and turned around.

Leaving Falco in stunned silence.

I was writing that letter to Annie when Mikasa found me. In her panicked state, she almost broke down the door to the boys dorm. Luckily, I was the only one in it.

She said Eren was missing, that he wasn't in his bed or anywhere else she could search. I asked how is that possible? Because she has been in his room non-stop since she got him from the female titan.

She gave me one of her death glares. I started searching. In the end, I found Eren behind the lockers in the storage room. Behind the lockers that stored the journal and official letters and etc.

It was the first time in years that I had seen him reading something. He was sitting on the ground with his knees close to his chest and a piece of paper in hand. It didn't take a genius to know he was reading the death record of the latest expedition.

Petra, Olou, Eld and Gunther's death had hit him very hard.

Falco took a deep breath, this is war, a blood shed like this was long overdue. This is war, just like how everyone else had been telling him since he joined the warrior program, this is war. Killing is justified.

Eren saw me standing in the doorframe. The unshed tears in the back of his broke and he started crying. "she's like me..." Eren murmured. "What made her betray humanity? What?"

Somehow I think he was thinking if the same thing can happen to him? Maybe he can turn against humanity?

I sat next to him and stared at the records. It had more names that I could count. But as heartless as it was I'm just glad my friends weren't among them.

"You won't turn out like her, Eren." I assured him confidently. "You won't. You won't use your titan to slaughter tens and thousands of innocents."

He glanced back at me. As if asking me how I can be so sure. But I was. Because if there was any certainty in anything in this world was that Eren hated the titan. And Eren was the most human person I had ever seen.

his eyes closed and he slowly rested his head against my shoulder. "Im so tired..." he murmured. "We had to stop her... How many more people die before we have a chance to stop her again, we don't have the slightest clue who she might be."

He was wrong, I have more than enough clue to know who she might be... It's ridiculous, it's utterly ridiculous but I think it's Annie.

Even writing it is hard. Maybe because if I write it, it becomes real. But if we assume the female titan is a titan shifter that doesn't want us to win against the titans, she must be the person who killed Sonny and Bean... And who didn't have her own ODM gear... And who spared me? The same person who wanted to break my hand enough to stop me from getting into this expedition... On top of it all, she reacted to Jean's nickname for Eren... Those are more than enough proof, I have to send her letter (the one she asked me to write before our expedition) before delve deep into these thoughts.

Falco sighed loudly. There, right there. This probably was the end of Ms Leanheart.

She shouldn't have gotten attached.

But what else could she do? He wondered. She spent three years with these people. And from what Falco read none of them even slightly resembled devils. In Fact they looked more like them, than the Marlyans the warriors had sworn to serve-

Falco stopped that train of thought.

Eren felt my shoulders stiffen but he didn't comment on it.

Mikasa found us next. She didn't say a word... She went against Erens other side and rested her head against his shoulder.

We stayed like that, nobody had the heart to yell at us or separate us. For a long time. And then we were all fast asleep and too exhausted to move after.

When we woke up, It was three hours before the wake-up call. Three hours before our chores began. So we went back to the dorms to get ready.

Everyone was asleep in the boys dorm when we got there. fun fact, Connie talks in his sleep. Eren went to take a long shower, one that lasted almost two hours. So I picked up this diary from where I hid it. (The floor had a weak wooden floor, so I broke a part of it, hid my diary and put the wood back on it, perfectly concealed.)

After I finish, I'm going straight to commander Erwin and Section commander Hange. And tell them all I know about Annie.

And... Pray that I was wrong.

Falco thinks maybe his new habit was getting out of hand. He was laying upside down in his bed, the forbidden book in his hand and his eyes completely sore.

But this was no time to stop. The female titan had just revealed herself!

"when did you start looking at me... With those eyes Armin."

Was I really that bad at acting? Well, my hand was really shaking beyond control.

She lifted her hand to bite on, which was the perfect cover. She wouldn't bite on it, the real trigger was in her ring.

I shot the gun and Scouts fell from their hiding spot, doing their best in restraining her which would have worked if Annie didn't have that ring.

The ring, that also had a sharp needle to it.

A small smile passed Falcos lips. The battle has begun! The warrior Annie Leanheart was a top level Warrior, Eren Yeager didn't have much of a chance against her.

...but he did have quite the number of allies on his back.

Mikasa grabbed both of us and pushed us down the tunnel. We missed the explosion and survived... But Annie had transformed and we were in a too cramped Area for Eren to transform.

The roof shook and debris fell all over us. I could see that Eren was in shock. Who would have thought? I'm not the person to say anything, after all, I was in denial for almost a month.

The roof shook all over us. Suddenly a skinless hand reached for Eren from a hole in the tunnel, again, Mikasa pushed him back. And then, I read it in his eyes, Eren wasn't going to transform anytime soon.

The new plan was simple. I went from one side, Mikasa went from the other. Annie ought to only follow one of us. That gave Eren enough chance to escape.

And of course, like every plan ever in the middle of battle, it came with an unexpected surprise. The moment me and Mikasa stepped out of the tunnels, the tunnel fell over and Eren was trapped under the debris.

Eren was lying there. My heart stopped for a second before I actually saw the steam coming from his wounds. He was healing.

I kneeled down, he was passed out but I knew he could hear me. There was a wood piercing his right shoulder and the back of his head was bleeding. No doubt he had a concussion.

Someone who can't sacrifice anything, Can't achieve anything.

And Apparently, Eren had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he had to sacrifice his own humanity to do something in our cruel world.

I didn't blame him.

I said it bluntly. I told him he had to sacrifice his humanity to fight Annie. That was the simple, Cruel truth.

But Eren didn't respond, he just lay there, almost completely unresponsive-

"Falco!"

Falco jumped, his aching eyes darted around the room until he noticed the sunlight peeking in from his curtains and heard Colts heavy footsteps.

Falco panicked, he shoved the book under the pillow and hit his head to it. Slightly aggravating his not so healed wound on his head.

Colt knocked and slowly opened the door. "Falco? Are you awake?" he whispered, peeking his head in.

Colt lifted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes and trying to deepen his voice. "No?" he murmured.

Colt smiled and opened the door completely, walked over to Falcos bed. The bed dipped under his weight. "Get up, sleepy head. Or you'll be late for training." Colt murmured, gently rubbing Falcos hair.

"It's the first day already?" Falco grunted pulling the blanket up to cover his head. "I don't want toooo-"

Maybe he should have slept that night...

Colt chuckled, pulling the blanket. Falco gripped the blanket like his life depended on it. "Ah-Uh, don't let the Marlyans hear you." Colt told with a sing-song tone.

Falco grunted again, eventually, he lost the match and Colt pulled him out of bed.

The only good part about the soul crushing warrior training was that he could see Udo, Zoofia and Gabi again.

And the advice he got from Mr Kruger really was proving to be amazing. He almost beat Gabi in their first round of training. Thank you, Mr Kruger!

Magath was really a devil when it came to training. He went easy on them for the first day but even that left Falcos muscles aching and his breath exhausted when the four of them pulled themselves out of the grounds and into the small dining center in the back of the military base.

The tasteless stew they had for lunch was something Falco prefered 10 times over to what they could eat in the battle field. He knew Zoofia preferred this one as well.

Udo called all food except his mother's cooking tasteless. Gabi didn't care at all.

The moment the four of them sat behind the stoll, Gabi started talking. Exchanging all that had happened with Mr Braun in their two days off. Apparently, Mr Bruan had finally decided to tell them what happened on the island.

"Devils! All of them! Reiner was talking about some serious things, I'm even more motivated to wipe them out!" Gabi declared, biting angrily on her loaf of bread.

Udo leaned in. "What did Mr Braun say?" he whispered quietly.

Gabi leaned forward their heads in a close proximity so when Gabi whispered only they could hear it. "He encountered a suicidal maniac there who motivated everyone to get killed. Two devils that followed him everywhere he went. One that had the audacity to disrespect her higher officer!"

Udos eyes widened. "H-How?"

"She stole a steamed potato and when she was caught, she tried to bribe the superior but the part she offered was clearly smaller. A thief in broad daylight." Gabi said it with such passion Falco almost forgot he'd read the same story.

Sasha Braus...

A sudden laughter escaped his lips, Falco leaned back, trying back his smile.

Of course, Mr Braun would recall the story differently in his own point of view.

He noticed the other three had their eyes on him a little late. Gabi raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny Falco? This is horrible!"

Falco wiped the smile off his face. "Yes, of course." he said, looking at his friends one by one. "One can't even imagine doing that here now, can we?"

Gabi snorted. "Of course not. Such a disgusting way of living can only be worthy of those Island devils."

Gabi took another bite of her loaf and stew. Their conversation died down because she was the storyteller, and her mouth was busy.

After a few minutes, Udo turned to him. "So what did you do during our break, Falco?" Udo asked curiously, leaned over the table. "Did you and Colt do anything interesting?"

Falco shrugged. "Colt was with Mr Zeke most of the time." he lied. Colt was at home passed out on the couch for a full day. The alcohol did have a horrible effect on him. The second day, though, Colt was mostly out with his academy friends and Mr Zeke.

Gabi rolled her eyes, taking a sharp bite of her sandwich. "Why do you care, Falco? In a few months, Colt will inherit the beast titan and you'll be an honorary Marlyan. Why do you want the Armored?"

"That's the third time you've asked me that question Gabi."

"Doesn't make it any less important!"

Falco narrowed his eyes at Gabi. There was no way to actually tell her why he wanted the armored so much. The main reason was to keep her away from it. That's all.

Udo exchanged a silent look with Zoofia. "That's a serious question, though." Udo murmured, eyeing Falcos movement closely. "Why are you trying harder than usual?"

Falco tried not to look at Gabi, or else his eyes would give the true answer away. "No reason." he said with a fake smile, looking at Udo and Zoofia instead. "No reason at all."

Gabi narrowed his eyes, fixing her jaw. "Doesn't matter, I'm going to inherit the armored titan either way. No matter how much you try, Falco. And don't think I didn't notice you were trying to beat me today."

Falco couldn't help the smile that passed his face.

The loud bell quickly destroyed their small peace, the next round of their training started before the tiredness of the last one ended.

Back in the private of his own room, Falco took out the book from its hiding spot. He had some time left before Colt returned from his duties or his mother prepared dinner.

He had some time so he opened the book.

Chess...

With commander Erwin Smith...

Even when I'm writing it, it sounds surreal.

I almost totally forgot all about it. After we defeated the female titan, when Eren was still passed out. I was summoned to Commander Erwin's office. We were in Eren's room at the time being, with him still unconscious, Mikasa fixing her red scarf.

The messenger arrived and told me that I was summoned. Mikasa's glare was still fresh in my mind as I walked out of the room. I tried to persuade the messenger, who was a blonde in her mid thirties, what the commander wanted me for and she didn't give in. Later I learned her name was Nanaba.

When I arrived, Commander Erwin was looking out of the window. Nanaba closed the door with such a loud thud and left me alone with what looked like an angry commander. I almost kissed my life goodbye.

"Why did you keep the information about the Female titan a secret, Private Arlert?"

I blinked, I didn't exactly know the secret. "I was in Denial, Sir." I said honestly.

"Since when Did you know about her?"

I shut my eyes so tightly it almost hurt. "My suspicions started after the battle of Trost, Sir"

"You lured her out, and the plan to capture her was partially yours..."

Without thought I shouted: "I should have known she wouldn't transform the same way as Eren!" mostly becouse biting down your hand in a stupid way and another reason becouse injuring yourself with something sharp like her ring was deifinatly easier.

The commander finally looked away from the mirror, his signature look of confidence really carried a strange motivational effect.

"have a seat Armin." he said and sat down next to the pieces of chess himself.

That... Definitely wasn't the answer I was expecting.

"Why would they want to play chess?" he murmured quietly with a nervous laughter. "Why did he do him like that, just say you wanted to play chess!"

"you know how to play, right?"

I shook my head. "Yessir, l used to play with my grandfather all the time before Wall Maria fell."

And just like that... I was playing chess with the commander. As predicted, I lost the game. BUT it was a close call. During it he asked me about the time we defeated the titans without any Gas and then my plan to plug up the hole and the way I lured Annie into the spot...

And it wasn't just a game of chess, I was being tested. What for, I still don't know but--

The door to his room opened with a loud thud. Falco snapped back to see a familiar brunette with an evil smile on her face.

"Gabi!" Falco screamed and jumped up, shutting the book and hiding it behind him.

Gabi raised an eyebrow and walked closer. "Falco?!" she murmured. "What's wrong? Freaking out over nothing again?"

Falco laughed nervously, touching the back of his neck. "I- uh- you startled me. I was kinda busy. How did you get in?" he said, looking up to meet his friends eyes.

"Through the door. Duh... What's that?" Gabi tried to sneak around Falco to stare at the book he just hid, he moved and blocked her. Gabi narrowed her eyes and tried to sneak past him. "Nothing!" he blurted out.

Gabi tilted his head curiously. "It is something!"

"It's a book... I uh... I stole it from Colt, Don't tell him!" Falco said, faking a nervousness in his voice. "That's exactly why I don't want people to shout it."

A look of understanding passed her face and she put her hands on her hips. "Good then, hide the book, we're off."

Falco raised an eyebrow. "To where?"

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Udo and Zoofia are waiting for us downstairs." she said as a matter of fact. "Hide that book in a pillow or something and let's GO!"

Falco blinked for a moment.

"Come on!" Gabi urged him and nodded at the door. "Udo and Zoofia are waiting."

Falco wanted to refuse, the sooner he finished this book the better. But that would make Gabi even more suspicious.

So with a quiet nod, he put the Book in his library and followed Gabi out.

A nice day out with friends, what better than that?

Falco bid farewell to his friends and came back home regrettably late. His parents had already set the table and Colt was glaring at him when he walked in. He had to assure his family that he was safe and with friends.

The dinner went in relative silence and after his parents gaze was finally away from his actions. He said goodnight and went to his room.

He lit a candle in the dark and pulled out the book from the library, sat comfortable on his bed and started reading.

Reiner pointed at himself and then at Berthold "I'm the armored titan and he's the colossal titan." and he said it so nonchalantly. I thought he was joking and casually walked away with the rest.

Mikasa, bless her, was fast to react.

She drew a blade and slashed Reiners chest and slit Bertholds throat before I could even register what was happening.

I found myself shouting, "Eren! Get out of there!"

So, he knew Marcel Galliard was eaten somehow and that Ymir had the Jaw titan.

And now, Mr Braun and Mr hoover had made themselves known.

Whose side should he cheer? He wondered.

Mr Braun and Mr Hoover? Or the islanders?

That's something I'll decide later. He concluded.

Seeing the colossal titan after so long... It being so close to us this time, It's still hard to believe the reason behind all those deaths and destruction in Trost was Berthold.

He grabbed Ymir's body and threw it in his mouth.

The veterans advanced quickly, it was quite the sight to see. Those of us who had their ODM gear intact decided to jump down where Reiner was running away, a human Eren still in his hands.

We didn't have to worry, because Eren's titan quickly appeared with its significant cry of rage. He tried to punch Reiner, very hard. But ended getting thrown across the lands.

Falco leaned forward, this was getting serious, did something happen here to Mr Hoover? Is he this battle the reason he didn't come back home?

no matter how much we tried, the hooks wouldn't get to Berthold. He was emitting burning steam. Trying to get close to him was useless.

On the other side, Eren was loosing. It was silly how he was losing, Reiners Armor had the upper hand, because Erens mindless Punches and kicks weren't really useful. Mikasa tried to slice the nape and got only broken blades.

But then, Eren started to play some of Annie's techniques on him, which got them on equal grounds.

Neither of them could defeat the other. We shouted at Eren to stay close to the wall, because their goal was to kidnap Eren.

We Eren thought he's still mindless.

Up until Hange landed on Eren's shoulder. "ok, Eren keep this close to the wall!" Hange said, landing on his titans shoulders. Hange was so excited to see the titan Eren nodd.

"No! that's where the colossal titan-"

Falco stopped himself immediately.

He swallowed hard. He shouldn't be cheering for the islanders. He should be worrying for the warriors of Marley! He sighed. This was more complicated than he wanted to.

The next morning, Mrs Grice woke up sooner than usual. She found her oldest son in his room, going through his morning routine. Even though she didn't really support his choice of career, she was proud that he was dedicated to it.

She wanted her son to live past the age of 33.

So she ignored him and tended to her own chores. She wanted to make some of Colts favorite dishes today, she didn't like the smug look on his face when he returned home yesterday. She wanted to change that.

On her way to the basement, she passed Falcos room. Falco should have been sleeping, dreaming about a careless world.

So when she heard a hushed yell coming from his room, she was shocked.

"The founding!" Falco cheered loudly. "Eren is the founding! Does he even know it?"

Mrs Grice blinked a few times. She slowly knocked on his door. "Falco?" she whispered loudly. "Are you awake?"

Falco froze on spot, "yes, mother, I-Uh-I'm awake." he said loudly before he could move to hide the book, his mother opened the door and walked in.

"Wow, I didn't think you were a morning bird!" She said and walked in, a soft smile on her face. Falco hugged the book with an awkward smile.

"I just woke up early, mother." Falco whispered.

His mother smirked. "The bags under your eyes say otherwise, honey. What are you talking about, honey?" His mother asked and kissed his forehead.

Falco stuttered a little bit. "Just a book I was reading, Mother." he said and rubbed the back of his neck, "it's quite entertaining"

His mother eyed the book in his hands. "I'm so happy to see you in your love of literature again. Ah, I thought you'd grown out of it!" His mother murmured with a smile and ruffled his hair. "I can talk to Mrs Arlert if you want to? I heard she has received new books lately."

Falcos blood ran cold. "What...?"

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Mrs Artelan, honey, she and her husband are the local librarians? Do you remember them? You used to spend so much time with them when you first learned to read."

Artelan...

"Yeah totally!" he said with a chuckle. He stood up and put the Book in a random place in his library, just so that his mother wouldn't suspect anything. "In fact, I'll visit the library on my way back home." he picked up a few of the papers and shoved them into his bag.

He hugged his mother tightly. "See you tonight, Mom." he said and walked out of the room. She followed close behind.

"Watch out for the stairs!" she said when Falco decided to skip steps while running down.

"I did it, Mr Kruger!" Falco said happily, facing the one-eyed man with hope. "I beat Gabi in the race! your techniques did help."

The bench they were sitting on cracked when Mr Kruger moved to face him. He looked at Falco with his one eye. The smile was unflattered and proud. "Great, Falco. Keep that up and you might just win the armored titan."

Falco nodded happily. "I wouldn't have dont it if it wasn't for you, Mr... Can I ask a question?" he said, unable to stop himself. This man was too much of an unknown variable.

"Of course, what is it?" he said. His green eyes blank as ever.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked curiously. 'If you are this knowledgeable, why are you just a soldier?' went unsaid.

Mr Kruger looked away, his eyes fixed on the Mental asylum's small yard. He didn't answer at best. He stared at the patients walking around for a long while before he opened his mouth. "There are two ways to learn Falco."

Falco raised an eyebrow.

"Either you learn from a teacher or you learn it through experience." Mr Kruger said as a matter of fact. "One end with the expense of their life... And the other with the expense of yours."

Falco didn't know what to conclude from that.

Is that why he had the book? To learn something new about an unknown enemy as free as it was?

Falco opened his mouth to ask another question but closed it immediately, his eyes trailed back to his hands. He almost considered telling Mr Kruger about the book...

"Is that your friend?" Mr Kruger asked quickly, glancing back at Falco, his hair fell on his face and covered it almost entirely.

Falcos eyes widened when he saw Mr Reiner Braun in the entrance of the asylum. "Ah, It's Mr Braun, he's probably here for me." Falco glanced at the old man and waved slightly. The other nodded.

"Goodbye Mr Kruger." he said and stood up, waving a little bit as he ran out of the mental institute and stood in front of a pale Reiner.

Reiner Braun was more than surprised to see him there. He looked around, trying to find any threats while keeping his hand firmly on Falcos shoulders. "Falco... What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, Mr Braun." Falco said then he saw three figures coming at them. He waved at his three friends, he didn't expect to see Udo, Zoofia and Gabi there. "Hi!"

Reiner put a hand on his back and pushed him away from the mental institute, glancing back a few times in fear. "Falco... What were you doing there?" he asked seriously, glaring down at the boy.

Falco smiled fondly. "I befriended one of the patients there, he has very intresting advice about physical training but he's lost an eye and never takes his hair away from his face." Falco said with a smile.

Gabi harshly hit his shoulder. "So that's why!" she almost screamed.

Falco held his hand in surrender. "No- No-"

"Let him go, Gabi." Reiner pushed them apart and encouraged the fout kids to keep moving away in the stone road. "He can visit whoever he wants but I seriously suggest not to, Falco."

Gabo pushed back against Reiner and walked next to Falco. "Why are you so eager to go there anyway?" Gabi said with an eyeroll.

Udo crossed his arms. "They are war soldiers Gabi. We owe them some respect at least."

Falco looked away from Udo and Gabis eyes to stare at Zoofia, who was completely silent but equally curious.

He sighed loudly. "They sacrifice things we can't even fathom." Falco said as a matter of fact, pulling his backpacks strings. "What can be more dear to someone than their own sanity and happiness?"

Udo looked back at the institute. "And yet... They all gave it up for Marley..." he murmured. "They must care about it alot. They always tell us their sacrifices are necessary."

"It is... After all," Falco shook his head, staring at the road ahead. "Someone who can't sacrifice anything, Can't achieve anything."

Reiner stilled in front of him. Gabi hit him from behind like he was a stone wall. "Hey!" she protested and rubbed her forehead that hit Reiner. "Why stop all of a sudden?"

Reiner blinked back at Falco. And his blood ran cold. Falco didn't even notice he had quoted his forbidden book. Falco gulped but otherwise stared at Reiner with the best fake confusion he could come up with.

Time slowed down but eventually, Reiner laughed it off. "Nothing." Reiner murmured, rubbing the side of his face. "I heard a dead man's words... That's all."

They kept walking, the four of the warrior candidates silently decided not to talk about this anymore.

Falco hummed thoughtfully. It was easy to forget Mr. Braun was the villain of that story.

if I hadn't promised myself to write every single detail, I wouldn't be writing this.

Infact, I wouldn't have written anything from the past three years at all! Let alone yesterday.

Seriously? What sort of a soldier am I if this is going to make me lose my mind?

The plan was relatively simple, they, whoever they really were, wanted Historia and Eren... So we were going to give them away... Just not quite.

I got an earful from Jean and Connie about how similar I was to Historia/Krista over the years. Mikasa said it was just ridiculous and Eren always pointed out the small differences between us every single time this conversation came up.

Jokes on us, because those differences didn't matter. Jean was Eren's body double and I was Historias.

It wouldn't be the first time people mistook me for a girl.

It took about an hour of walking through Stohess city for the kidnappers to strike. They pulled Jean and I like a ragdoll into their container.

They were amateurs but went a long distance to bind us to a chair in an abandoned warehouse. I still have rope burn around my wrists and ankles.

In that warehouse, where I was disguised as Historia/Krista, one of the tugs couldn't see through the disguise...

A very ugly thug...

One that obviously couldn't get the fact that he was pawing at me, not a-

Falco shut his eyes. "It does have an age limit, I see." Falco muttered nervously. Flipping through the pages and skipping a few paragraphs entirely.

we landed on the wagon, the driver was already dead. I took the lead of the horses and stopped us from crashing into a brick house.

Jean suddenly drew his sword. "Don't move! Or I'll-"

I could hear someone pulling out their gun behind me.

I turned, Jean was threatening the woman with the tip of his sword. The woman, at least ten years older than us, slowly got up, completely ignoring the threat of Jean's sword. Soon she was holding her gun right between Jean's eyes.

I didn't think, I took out the gun I stole from the kidnappers and... I shot.

Which... Brings us here, in an abandoned warehouse, around a small fire with Captain Levi injured. Moments before I emptied every single thing I've eaten since morning into the river. Mikasa tried to soothe things down but couldn't. I just threw up more.

And no matter how much I scrub my hands it still dirty.

Surely Gabi was fine throwing a grenade at an enemy and killing the three people in sight.

But they were warrior candidates.

Falco sighed loudly and closed the book. He threw himself back into his bed and let out an angry huff.

He reached out for his nightstand and picked up a piece of paper.

His schedules.

The training schedules.

The new training times were strange, it started from morning to noon, then it gave them a four hour break before starting again in the afternoon until night.

Falco closed his eyes and took a deep, this was getting more and more unnecessarily complicated.

Better finish it sooner.

With the new schedules, night time was the only time Falco could read safely. Without the danger of someone knocking on his door, because everyone thought he was sleeping.

He turned on his candle and leaned against the wall, he let his hands hover above the book cover before he opened it and started reading.

Eren won't stop talking about how hard Hanges training is.

He needs to let go of his frustrations somehow. Hange is a tricky person to deal with.

Hanges new experiments are burning him out, horribly. I don't tell him that but his nosebleeds are heavy and his balance is questionable when he walks. Another result of too much Titan shifting.

However, the titan smasher, as Sasha and Connie like to call it, is impressive. A titan killing machine that kills titans without a single human casualty? Brilliant.

The mechanism is simple. A part of the walls is removed and Eren hardened his titan form like a net and a web of spikes in the hole. A human stands on the safe zone and on the other side of the wall, Titans sense the humans presence and try to sneak in within the small holes in the wall, peaking in with their heads and exposing their nape. At that moment, a wooden spike falls on their napes and effectively kills them before the next titan repeats the same process.

"Wow, that's smart! Why didn't they do it sooner?" he wondered, yawning loudly. Trailing his hand over the stretch of the "Titan Smasher" with something like this, they'd get rid of the titans in a matter of months.

But I can see it in Eren. He's exhausted.

When he came back to our room yesterday, he just fell down on the bed and his nose started to bleed. I checked him and found his nose was bleeding heavily.

I helped him up and sat next to him on the bed, his breathing was ragged and hard, which turned every alarm in my head ringing. Dr Yeager described that as a warning sign for me once but now I can only hope it's just a normal side effect of too much titan-shifting.

"You shouldn't go so hard on yourself, Eren." I say for the ten thousandth time but he doesn't listen. I help him to sit up but he's still leaned against me, one hand around his shoulder.

"I might have to transform more than twice in the mission" He murmured tiredly.

His nose bleed is too heavy and his own arms are too numb to do anything so I wipe the blood away and keep him sitting up. "Yeah, but the mission won't succeed if you give yourself brain damage while training."

He laughed. But it was barely audible.

"Look, Eren, I know you're addicted to the thrill at this point. But you have limits and exhausting yourself won't make things any better." I said, while cleaning his slowly healing face.

He just nodded, trying to play tough but a few seconds later, His head fell on my shoulder. He didn't answer when I called for him. So I--

Falco closed his eyes to blink but didn't open them again.

A few hours later, Falco felt a heavy hand on his head that shook it slightly, trying to shake the sleep out of him.

"Hey... Why are you up?"

The voice sounded familiar but Falco was too out of it to recognise it. His blurry eyes looked up and met identical green ones. A small voice in the back of Falco's mind suggested it was his older brother, Colt.

Falco rubbed his eyes but found it even hard to command his hands to move. He tried to talk but his sleep deprived brain could only come up with low humming.

"Are you up reading again? It's 2 am, Falco! I thought you'd grown out of it."

He felt something shift under his head and the next second Colt pushed him into the bed and tucked him in. Falco was too out of it to object.

"Go back to sleep, Falco. You have training tomorrow."

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, slowly setting towards the afternoon when Falco entered his room with a yawn, maybe reading up until god knows what hour isn't a very good idea at all.

He felt another yawn coming and he stretched his hands.

Today was really a tiring day. Warrior training was really becoming serious and Gabi found a new found determination since she found out about Mr Kruger. Udo and Zoofia had enjoyed quite the show today. The tension between Falco and Gabi is higher than ever.

Which is exactly why Falco should get the right amount of rest, the sooner he finished the book the better.

Falco threw himself on his green bed and rested his head on the soft pillow. He took a deep breath and let his tired heart calm down. It was a long day today.

He reached a hand under his pillow, where he kept the forbidden book. His heart took a leap when he didn't feel the familiar hardness under his pillow.

Falco gasped and stood up, he picked up his pillow and threw it away. His heart dropped when he saw it empty, the book wasn't there.

He paled.

Where was it?

Did someone find it?

Was it mom? Dad?

Did they read it?

His mind was running a thousand thoughts a second. Where was that book!? He always sneaked it right under his pillow! Always! He made the bed himself and cleaned his room. His mother never searched his room and neither did his father!

There was no possible-

"Cooooolt!" he shouted and jumped down his bed, running all the way from his room to his brother's room, "Colt!" he said and knocked on the door.

When Colt finally opened the door, it was obvious he was napping. His hair was at awkward angles and his eyes were totally dark. "Hi Falco." he said with a yawn, leaning against the doorframe. "How was training? Mine was horrible."

Falco shook his head. "Where is my book!" he asked calmly.

Colt rubbed his eyes. "What book?"

"You know what I'm talking about! That book!"

"Relax, brother!" Colt said with an eye roll. "It's just a book."

Falco glared at his brother. "A very special book! Where is it? Why did you pick it up? Did you give it away?"

Colt rolled his eyes again. "No, of course not." he said and stood up on his feet to cross his arms. "It's in your room, genius. I put it in your bookshelf. Maybe you should have looked there before you came here accusing me?"

Falco blinked once and twice before slowly nodding and walking back to his room. He could feel Colts tired but a suspicious look followed him to his room.

Falco shouldn't have lost his cool.

He went inside his room and stared at his shelves. Colt was right, the book was right there, on the first shelf. Falco could have seen it if he had looked there once.

Falco swallowed hard. He picked up the book and hugged it tightly. The answer to unanswered questions. The forbidden book.

If Colt even opened the first page... It would have been over for Falco.

the night before the dinner, they prepared a royal dinner for the Scouts. One that had me totally shocked, since becoming queen, hostoria had increased the founding for almost all cities, the resources became plentiful all within the walls. But I still didn't expect four different dishes and meat! Ready for us at night.

Sasha lost her control. Jean and Connie desperately tried to control her and ended up tying her up to a pole.

That's our Sasha.

Falco chuckled loudly. If only Gabi could actually meet the person she called a devil a few days back. Poor Sasha Braus, her lack of thieving skills has reached Liberio.

Falco felt Gabi and Sasha Braus could get along very well.

The food was delicious, but too seasoned for my liking. From the looks of it, Eren wasn't so eager either. Mikasa was enjoying her food, though.

To no one's surprise, Jean and Eren threw punches at each other not even three minutes into the dinner.

But This time, Mikasa and I exchanged a look and shrugged it off, watching the fight with a smile on our faces. Eren got hit pretty badly over the abdomen and Jean dodged a few punches until he got hit in the head. It's no problem, Eren can regenerate and Jean has always had a hard head."

Falco laughed at that, comparing a normal Eldian to a titan shifter isn't exactly the best comparison. but he's learned from this story that these people are made different.

Captain Levi came, punched Eren and kicked Jean and ordered them to go to bed.

I laughed a little and threw Eren's hand over my shoulder to walk him out of the restaurant.

We settled on the road, sitting down on the stairs and waited until Eren had healed enough already to move again.

The moon was barely there, a slim nail. And the stars were shining with all their might. The night sky was truly beautiful.

Falco couldn't help but look out of his own window, he could see nothing but black smoke and grey skies. Falco didn't remember when was the last time Liberio had a clear sky.

The last time he himself saw a clear sky was in the war zone...

a Garrison walked past us, he looked extremely like Hannes, I mistook him for a moment before my vision cleared and realised he was someone completely different, talking and laughing with a comrade.

A small silence settled between the trees of us.

"We'll make them pay." Eren said, breaking the silence. "We'll retake Wall Maria and kill every single one of them."

Mikasa nodded, staring at the place the Garrison disappeared.

To be totally honest, I never really liked how Eren and Mikasa always focused on destruction, rather than creation. Well, in the world we live in, there isn't much creation to focus on.

Suddenly I remembered. "Yes. But there is more to it." I said out loud. "The ocean."

Eren laughed, smiled. Mikasa looked at me with a strange look on her face.

"Armin-"

I stood up, throwing my hands in the air. "You'll see, Eren! It does exist!"

And Eren kept arguing. I don't know why he was suddenly so against the idea of the ocean existing, I think he was trolling. After all, seeing the ocean is our greatest dream. A small wish of the two of us.

Land made of Ice, fire that moves like water, fields of sand... All of it. I'm sure we'll see all of it together one day.

We said goodnight and Mikasa headed to her shared room with Sasha. In the end, Eren still needed a helping hand to our room.

He was too tired so I helped him to his bed and he fell asleep, fast.

And that concludes the night...

It's about three hours after midnight right now, but I have plenty of time to sleep in tomorrow. I have to save my strength for the fight that'll come tomorrow.

Even if Erens snores are going to make falling asleep harder at this time of the night, I'm sure I'll manage. Up until this point he's had no night terrors which is the best news

Whenever I glance back at him He's the same, peacefully sleeping. A crippling sense of anxiety rests in my heart like he's going to vanish into thin air. I won't ever admit it to him, but that day when that bearded titan almost ate him is still one of my recurring nightmares.

The operation to retake wall Maria is tomorrow night. Reiner, Berthold and the beast titan will no doubt be there. We hope to capture at least one of them so we could steal their titan power with that mysterious serum the captain has.

I won't take my notebook with me this time. I feel like my pocket is no longer a safe place for it. I'll just leave it at HQ. Which has only two outcomes.

Either I come back and write everything that happened in shiganshina and maybe even bring back my old diaries to complete the collection. Or... I'll die trying to retake wall Maria. This diary will never have to witness my failure.

Either I come back and write all about our victory or too dead to hold a pen."

A sense of panic started to flow in Falco when he realised he was at the end of the book.

I can only hope this mission ends with me seeing the ocean.

I don't want to die before I've seen what it's like.

Falco flipped the page.

And there were no pages left of the book.

"That's it?" Falco choked on a scream, flipping through the last chapters. Nothing, he was at the end of the book.

The small candle burnt out and left him completely in the dark.

"Where is the rest of it?" Falco murmured as he traced his hand around the book in total darkness. Suddenly he realised the unsteady texture of some pages at the end of that book.

He opened it again and traced his hand over thr lining, he almost got a paper cut. "Oh." Falco buried his head in the book, shaking his head with a sigh. "The last pages was ripped out."

That was the only possible explanation of the sudden ending. And of course, there were some signs of someone carefully ripping out the last pages right there for him to sense.

But... Why would someone rip apart the ending?

The next day, Falco decided he would take the risk and visit the mental institute even though it wasn't visiting hour.

He walked through and tried to ignore the burning gaze of the guards. He came inside with someone until he found a woman sitting behind a wooden chair, all sorts of books, receipts and notebooks in front of her.

Falco waved at the dark haired woman to get her attention. "Hello!" he said and cleared his throat. "I'm here to see Mr Kruger?"

The woman lifted her glasses to look at him. "It's not visiting hour, who is he to you?"

"I am a Friend. I wanted to see him." Falco said, standing on the tip of his toes to reach the high table.

The nurse flipped through the book and gave him a small sad smile. "Ah, look, he has assigned you as a close familial figure. You can see him. Eren Kruger is in room 139, Honey, at the end of that Isle."

Falco blinked the surprise away. Mr Kruger had assigned him as family... That was strange but Falco wasn't going to question his luck.

Falco smiled and bowed as thank you. He ran all the way down the hall, until he reached number 139 and knocked.

He got no answer so he opened the door.

To his surprise, the room was empty. He could see space enough for five people, each having a bed and a drawer. No one was in the room. Falco could only guess which bed belonged to Mr Kruger.

"There was only one bed without a picture on the drawer." he murmured to himself. "So that must be his... Since Mr Kruger doesn't feel ready to confront his family... It makes sense not to have a picture of them."

The ripped pages must be here, Somewhere.

Falco started to work, looking under the bed and behind the drawer. Even behind the clothes and inside the pillow... But there was nothing.

Slowly... He sat down on the bed. "What made me think Mr Kruger has the last pages at all?" he murmured thoughtfully.

He might not have it.

He might have found the book like that.

Falco sighed loudly and stood up. He wasn't going to find what he wanted here. He wanted to walk away when suddenly something got his attention. Falco quickly went back and opened the drawer. He hadn't looked inside the letters and papers!

Falco looked through every single paper he could see in the top drawer. Until he found a few papers made from the same strange texture as the book.

He beamed with joy. He looked around and made sure nobody had suddenly appeared.

The door was closed.

Falco was safe.

The page almost ripped in his hands. He found himself frozen on the spot, not being able to turn the page and read what was presumably the last page of the story.

"Why would Mr Kruger rip apart the ending of a book?" Falco hummed. "Was it that depressing for him?"

Falco looked around the room. This mental institution was by far the most privileged and well-known mental institution in Marley... But it was still a mental institution. Well, Mr Kruger did come here for a reason.

Why was turning the page so hard?

Falco wondered that alot. Why was knowing the ending of this chapter of the Armin Arlert story so hard to know? Was it because he was a human being- no, an Eldian? Is it because he actually existed? Is it because Falco lived through his life with him?

With a deep breath. Falco closed his eyes and opened them with curiosity. He turned over the ripped page.

Falco immediately realised it was a different font and size, shouting the fact that these weren't added by Armin Arlert.

As the reader might have guessed, Armin Arlert didn't survive the operation to retake wall Maria. Like most scout deaths over the years, The reason is still publicly unknown. all we know is that his body was brought back 90% burnt.

Yours truly's best guess from the information available to the public, is that he was burnt alive while trying to take down the colossal titan.

It is publicly known that Eren Yeager was the one to do the killing blow to the nape of the Colossal titan. Berholt Hoover, the human carrier of the colossal titan, was later fed to Commander of the scouts Erwin smith and he was revived from the brink of death, becoming the inheritor of the colossal titan.

As of the fate of Armin Arlert, yours truly can only conclude the importance of dreams and the drive to continue in this cruel world.

I can only wish the readers can see their ocean one day.

Best wishes for all.

The end
-summer 853.

He...

...He didn't make it?

Falco couldn't help but feel slightly at discomfort with himself. The information disclosed in the last page wasn't even nearly enough. To answer all the questions is that book.

Not even nearly-

Footsteps assaulted his ears and he quickly shoved the papers back into the drawer and closed it, like nothing happened.

The door of the room slowly opened and a familiar face walked in, his one eyes widened slightly at Falco. "Falco..?" he said with his usual deep voice that was too deep for his age.

"Mr Kruger!" Falco said with a fake smile. "I've been looking for you, sir."

Eren Kruger walked in and sat on his bed. "They let you in, I see." he murmured thoughtfully. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yes, Can you tell me why you had that book? How you had that book?

The question was at the tip of his tongue. But Falco swallowed hard and let it pass. The emptiness in Mr. Krugers eyes was too much of an unexplored territory for Falco to dive in.

Green eyes stared blankly at Falco. He touched the back of his head awkwardly. "I just uhm... Wanted to tell you your letters were sent successfully..."

A smile passed his lips. "I see, Falco. Are you going to the festival tomorrow night," he said, titling his head to stare out of the window. "I've heard it's quite the sight."

Falco nodded.

Of course he would. That was the first festival ever held in their part of the city.

Something flashed in those green eyes. "Can you do something for me, then? It's about an old friend of mine. Reiner Braun."

"You know Mr Braun, sir?" Falco asked, quite surprised.

He nodded. "Of course" he murmured. "He is an old friend of mine, we go way back. I wanted to reconnect with him again after all these years, can you help me?"

Falco nodded again, unlike the end of that story, this was something he could understand.

Notes:

So how was it?

Falco is pushing himself into a big trouble!

Chapter 6: Warm Welcome : the rich Eldian.

Summary:

The festival and ceremonies is one of the best days of Falcos life and surprisingly- the homeless Mr Kruger turns out to be the richest Eldian Falco has ever seen.

Notes:

Hi everyone! How's everything?

Im fine, thanks, its out midterm exams and I absolutely know nothing :P

Here we go! Have fun with another chapter of Eren manipulating our poor Falco :'D

Also there is a blink-or-miss hint of what Erwin has been up to with Paradises international afairs that will be explained in detail in some chapters from now, otherwise, HAVE FUN!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Falco stared at the cover of his forbidden book one last time, a piece of the floor in his hands and the book gently hidden in the dent in his room's floor.

Yup, he was never giving this book away. whoever this "Cyrus Cohen" was, the poor owner of this book, surely could buy another one. Besides, giving it back to him isn't really an option.

And... After all... Armin Arlert never allowed his diary to be published... He kept it a secret from his closest friend. Hiding it like this seemed like a good homage to pay.

And Falco certainly wasn't giving it away to the military and buying himself some trouble.

"Dear world." he murmured softly. Falco felt strangely attached to an enemy he has never met. He let his fingers hover above the burnt words before he gently put the wood down.

Falco safely tucked the forbidden book under the floor and covered it with wood, when Falco stood up and observed his handiwork, it looked as if the floor was never touched.

This story will do no one any good in the time being.

Falco smiled. He had fun.

Even though he could feel some vital spots were omitted/censored... But he could honestly see where the mentality was coming from, Armin Arlert was a member of the Paradis military after all.

Colt censors/clears/wipes out more information available to the public on a daily basis.

He thinks Falco doesn't know, but he does.

With a long sigh, he stood up. He didn't know what he was going to do with this information but he wasn't going to overthink it.

He stretched his arms and walked out of his room for the first time that day. He walked to their kitchen, where he saw Colt sitting behind the table with a mug of black coffee in hand and a heavy newspaper in the other. Colt looked up, smirking when his eyes met his little brothers. "Wow! Finally! Call the papers! Falco Grice has left his room!" he said loudly, folding the newspaper away.

Falco rolled his eyes. He opened the cabinet for his favorite snack, Cereals. "Haha, Colt." he murmured. "Didn't you have a meeting with Mr Zeke?"

Colt sighed loudly. "He cancelled it." he said with a smile. "He said I deserve an afternoon off, because of the festival."

Falco hugged the cartoon of Cereals. He smiled fundly, looking at his brother. "Can you join us then, I'm going with Zoofia, Udo and... well Gabi... To the festival! Can you come with us?" Falco stuttered and sat on the chair opposite to Colt.

Colt smiled, he stood up and reached a hand to ruffle his hair. "Sorry Falco, I think you guys should go alone."

"But-"

"Mr Zeke might need me." Colt said as a matter of fact and sat back down.

"But mom and dad won't allow me to go if you don't come for 'supervision' ! " Falco pleaded. "Didn't you just say you got the afternoon off?"

Colt cast his eyes downward. "Im... Busy, Falco, there are other things I need to do."

"But-"

Colt sighed loudly. "Listen, I told you there are things about being a War-cheifs assistant and the titles successor that I can't tell you, Alright, and I don't want to tell you, so don't ask."

Falco opened his mouth to object but then let his frustrations out with a sigh.

He let his eyes fall down to the table, Colt looked away. If he knew any better he'd think Colt was ashamed. Falco slowly poured the cereal in his bowl and then the milk. The brothers kept their uncomfortable silence.

It stayed that way until heavy footsteps approached the kitchen. Falco looked up from his bowl of cereal to see his father, who smiled fondly at him. "Look who is awake! good afternoon, son." he said fondly.

Falco smiled. His father walked over to gently pat his short blond hair. "I was awake dad... I was just in my room." he said truthfully.

Suddenly, his mother rushed in, she jumped over to the oven and turned it down. Falci hadn't even realised she had food on the oven. "Oh dear." she whispered loudly. "I almost burnt it." She removed the lid and suddenly the kitchen was ambushed by the heavy scent of his mothers food.

Colt swallowed. "Mom..." he murmured. "What are you... Making tonight?"

"Oh, nothing special, dear. It's just the Brauns are coming over tonight." his mother said, with a wink at Falco.

Falco gulped. "The B- The Brauns?"

His mother stared at him with a sly smile. "Yes, who else?" she said slowly. "Mr and Mrs Braun... Gabi Braun-"

Falco swallowed hard and fixed his gaze in the cereal and gulped down the rest of it.

His father sent him a worried look. "Slow down, Falco." he said with a smile passing his face. "What would Gabi say if she saw you like this-"

"Daaad!"

Their doorbell rang, and without hesitation, Falco jumped to open the door. He ran out of the kitchen with Colt laughing loudly behind him at his small act of embarrassment.

Falco beamed when he saw two figures behind the door. "Zoofia! Udo!" Falco cheered happily.

Udo and Falco high fived. "How are you, man, call Colt and let's get going!" he said loudly. "The festival is about to begin! And we must get Gabi!"

Falcos smile fell. "Well..." he murmured quietly. "Colt has something to do and... I don't think my parents will allow me to go to such an event alone..."

Udo whined loudly. "But-"

"It's Ok, son, you can go."

Falcos eyes widened and he looked back at his parents. Both of them gave him a small smile. "The Security is pretty high tonight." his mother murmured. "Nobody will try to attack you when they see your armband... Not tonight at least." she came closed and kneeled down next to Falco. Gently, she secured the yellow armband around his right arm and kissed his forehead.

His father stepped forward. "Go along now, you don't need your brother to protect you today."

Falco couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Go on, son, have fun and be careful." Mr Grice pat him in the back.

Falcos eyes beamed with happiness. "Thanks Dad!" he said and jumped out of the house. Udo grabbed his hand and pulled him to run. He waved back at his parents. "See you soon!"

His father hugged his mother from the side. They both waved slowly at the three kids. Falco, Zoofia and Udo ran down the streets.

Soon, the Grice house became a small dot in the distance.

The festival was in the main street near Gabis home. So when they took her, there was a lot of arguing with her parents. It took 3 minutes for them to reach the first stall.

And then, there were countless others to feast upon.

Falco felt pinned in place. "Wow!" he breathed out and watched the stalls and balloon and countless forms of food and entertainment flooded the street.

Gabi and Zoofia were in no better shape. They stared.

Neither of them knew from where to start.

But Udo did, once his eyes landed on a nearby stall of an old man next to a furnace. "Pizza!" Udo shouted, running at the store. "Man, it's been years since I had one!"

Gabi exchanged a look with the other two and ran after him. "What's wrong? Udo?"

"Nothings wrong! This is perfect!" Udo shouted with a smile, he picked a slice against the seller's foreign shouts and held one piece out for Falco. "Falco, Falco, try it! I used to eat this all the time before I came to Liberio."

Falco stared at the mad seller's eyes. He was a foreigner, one that couldn't speak their language but he was making his discomfort known with glares and growls at their direction. "I uh... Think it's best if we-"

"Give it to me!" Gabi shouted and snitched the pizza from Udo's hand. When she and Udo devoured their piece the seller suddenly started screaming :"money! Money!" on repeat.

Zoofia shook her head in disappointment. As Falco expected they were for sale, not free testers.

Udo gulped. Before he could come up with something (either a lie or a scream to run as fast as you possible could) a hand landed on their shoulder from behind, causing both of them to jump.

Falco turned around. "Mr Porco!" he cheered. What a good timing. Went unsaid.

Porco exchanged a look with the four of them. He let his frown show his disappointment. Pieck and Reiner appeared behind him.

"And how were you planning on paying for it?" Porco asked with an eyebrow raised, looking at the half bitten pizza slices in Udo and Gabis hands.

Gabi gulped, she slowly looked at Udo. "I uh." she stuttered to talk, the pizza slice almost fell from her hand.

Porco suddenly let out a bark of laughter.

Porco gently pat Falcos head. "It's alright kiddos, that's precisely the reason we bring Reiner with us." he said and turned around to give Reiner a sly smirk. "And besides, these look tasty."

Porco picked up four slices and gave Falco and Zoofia one. The two childrens beamed and ate it with a smile on their face. Porco gave Pieck her piece with a wink. "Well, Reiner?"

Reiner sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He opened his wallet while saying something under his breath. He handed cash to the nagging seller without any further words.

As the festival went on, Porco seemed more eager to spend Reiners money. For whatever reason Reiner complied.

Falco wasn't going to challenge his luck because those foods were delicious, He had never tasted anything so good and exotic with his friends before and as he ran and laughed with Udo, Zoofia and Gabi, he felt like he was having the best time of his life.

Suddenly, Gabi stopped in the middle of a square. People hit her a few times but she didn't budge. They circled her and stared at what she was doing. it was odd for her character but she closed her eyes and sniffed. "What's that smell!" Gabi asked suddenly, looking around.

Udo took a deep breath. "What smell?"

Falco didn't hear anything. No matter how much he tried to feel the scent, nothing came on.

Gabi opened her eyes and suddenly pointed at the direction of a wide street with a light blue decoration. "It's coming from here!" she said and ran towards it, determined to find where the smell was coming from.

they must be something very delicious there. Falco thought as he watched Gabi make her way in the crowd.

She didn't manage to go much. Suddenly, he collided with Reiners stone hard body. "Ah, ah, don't even look there." Reiner warned and forced Gabis head to turn around. "Those stalls are coming from Torana and Hizuru, they are expensive." He said as a matter of fact.

"But-" Gabi and Udo said in unison. Reiner pushed them forward and away from the street.

"No!" he said firmly.

Ms Pieck smiled at them, then gently patted the frown away from Gabis face. "It's alright Gabi, there are alot of other things you can try."

Porco sighed loudly. "Don't be so stingy, Reiner. The kids want it." he said with a smirk.

Reiner narrowed his eyes. "I don't have the money." he repeated. "And besides, we have to return."

"Already?" Pieck asked with her usual soft tone. "I thought we had an hour left."

Reiner shook his head. "We don't, look at the clock, we're already late." he growled.

"Tt. Killjoy. Knock yourselves out kids." Porco said, hands moving in a shoo motion. "We have to go, warrior business."

Porco ruffled Gabi's hair one more time before he headed towards the other two. They walked away. Soon they disappeared in the traffic.

"Ok, now what." Gabi murmured. "We... Don't have money..."

Udo sighed loudly. "We can find some more free stores! I'm sure there are more of them around!" he pointed out.

Falco shrugged, he folded his paper trash into a small piece so he could it easier. "Well, we can ask, Mr Reiner for some extra charge." he pointed out. He reached out for his friends and took their trash, he folded it all until he was a manageable size. "I'm going to take care of our trash, I'm sure there is a trash can nearby."

"Yeah!" Gabi cheered. "I'll go after them, let's meet here again, alright." she said and ran, Udo and Zoofia ran after her. "Wait for me!" Udo screamed.

As always, Gabi was much faster.

Between the heavy traffic and the relentless crowd, it took Falco a few minutes to find a trashcan and dump everything in it.

Falco clapped his hands together to wipe the dust. He turned to go back to the square, to find his friends again when he saw a familiar figure leaning against a wall in the street, and eating a small snack.

Mr Kruger waved at him, even a festival like this couldn't bring a smile on his face.

Falco waved back, he ran the distance between them until they were face to face... Or well, as close as face to face with a 170cm man he could be.

"Mr Kruger!" Falco said with a smile, "you're out of the asylum!"

Kruger looked down at the young boy. He pressed his mouth to a thin line. "They were kind enough to let me enjoy the festival." he said, leaning back at his walking cane under his left shoulder. He lowered the snack in his hands to reach Falcos height. "Have you tried these yet?"

Falco stared at the strange looking nuts in the man's hands. Falco raised an eyebrow. "Not yet." he murmured. "Where did you find them?"

"That little shop at the end of that street." He said with his usual deep voice, pointing at the same 'expensive' street Mr Braun mentioned a few minutes ago.

Falco raised an eyebrow. "I-Uh... How did you get it?" he asked, concerned at what Mr Kruger might have done to get something so expensive.

Kruger bit down in another one and offered the plate to Falco, offering him to pick up. "They gave it to me freely." he said as a matter of fact.

"Mr Kru-"

"I didn't do anything illegal, trust me, they gave a fair share to me because they had to," Mr Kruger said as a matter of fact. "Try it, you won't regret."

Hesitantly, Falco picked up a few pieces and put it in his mouth. He bit down and... The taste was new, totally new, crusty and sour at the same time. Falco hummed in approval. "What is it?" a smile beamed across his face.

"Pistachios... They do something to it in Torana, I'm not quite sure what." Kruger said honestly. "If you want more, just go over the store at the end of that isle and say you're a friend of mine. Make sure to use my full name. They'll give it to you free."

With that, Kruger tipped his head and started to walk away, slowly, because of his missing leg.

Falco gulped. "Sure?" he murmured as he watched the man go. He stared at where he disappeared in the crowd. For a moment, Falco decided to forget what the man said and go back to that square.

He found Udo clinging to Gabi and keeping her from rushing towards the same "expensive" street. Falco ran over. And tilted his head at Zoofia, she was perfectly silent. As always.

Gabi tried to wiggle out of his hold. "I just want to see!" Gabi whined and suddenly, she escaped. She ran, laughing and watching the others run after her.

She reached the place where the smell was coming from.

She stood in front of what looked like a cake like substance. Dark gold and decorated with-

Falco felt a small smile pass his face when he saw what Mr Kruger was eating was also in that store, his smile widened even more when he realised this was the last store in the street.

Is this the place? He wondered.

Udo and Zoofia reached them after a few seconds, panting and trying to catch their breath.

"Man," Udo murmured. "You two run too fast..."

Gabi ignored them, she stared at the desserts in front of her, wide eyes and shocked. Falco felt a tingling sensation in the back of his heart. Gabi looked like she really wanted something she'd never tried.

The people around walked and talked. Their words and laughter filled the void between them.

The spark died down in her eyes and she looked away. "Sometimes... I wish I had the money." she murmured, slowly lowering her eyes to the ground.

Falco gulped.

Zoofia put a hand on her shoulder, doubtlessly urging her to go away. Gabi eventually let in. Before she could leave completely, Falco decided to try his luck.

He walked over to the store and asked the chef in white clothes if those gold cakes were for sale.

"Oh, Ya, they Ar' " the man said, or tried to say, Falco wished he actually got his intentions correctly.

Falco stared at his hands before fisting them and looking up at the seller. He cleared his throat. "I... Am a friend of Mr Kruger?" Falco murmured hesitantly.

The seller's eyes immediately widened and he gave him the happiest grin he'd ever seen. "Ah, ah, Mistar Kurugar!" the seller cheered loudly. "Take all ya want, kids."

He put a large piece of the golden cake on a plate for him and shoved it into his waiting hands, no questions asked. No money taken.

Falco stared at the cake, from up here, the scent was even more sweet and memorizing.

His friends tackled him from behind. Udo stared at the chef and then the plate in his hands. Zoofia didn't speak a word but the way she clung into Falcos forearm spoke volumes.

Gabi stood in front of him, her back to the chef. She blinked. "What in the-"

The seller laughed loudly and scooped an extra cone of ice cream for the four of them, the biggest smile on his face. "Just give your good word to the boss, will ya?"

Falcos jaw dropped. "Boss?"

"Ya, Mistar Kurugar is the owner of this entire isle!" The seller laughed. "Go on kids, the bills on the boss." he leaned forward and gave them four forks.

The man had to tend to his other customers, so he left the four kids shocked beyond comprehension.

Gabi gripped the fork in her hands.

"Uh, Falco, who is Mr Kruger?" Udo asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the cake. Gabi stared at his soul, waiting for him to answer.

Falco gulped. "Oh... Do you remember that old man who gave me advice on how to beat Gabi?" he explained with a shrug.

"Hey!"

"I saw him and apparently... He's the boss." Falco said before Gabi could complain any further.

Gabi blinked. "That Hobo from the mental asylum?" she almost shouted.

Falco nodded, one half of his face pulled into a smile.

"Wow! That old man doesn't look like someone that can buy an entire aisle." Gabi murmured with horror.

Zoofias eyes glittered and shone. "A rich Eldian..." she murmured in disbelief, the first words she'd said that night. "How is that possible?"

Udo threw his hands in the air. "Who cares?" he said loudly. "Let's feast!"

He was the first person to take a bite of the cake. Gabi and Zoofia rushed to take their share. After the four of them devoured the golden cake, they looked at each other with a glint in their eyes.

An unlimited supply of desserts and sweets were in front of them.

Falco Didn't think the four of them had ever had so much fun.

The four of them couldn't keep themselves standing after they'd gone over every isle they could. They managed to bring themselves near the podium, where Willy Tyburs speech was going to take place.

Udo threw himself over the first bench he saw. "Man, I hope Magath doesn't see us like this." Udo murmured and bent over his aching stomach.

Falco leaned back against the chair, feeling a pleasant warmth in his body. "Yeah..."

"Kill joy..." Gabi muttered and elbowed Zoofia to get a verbal reaction. Zoofia just nodded.

"Is this... The placem..?" Falco asked.

"Yeah." Udo said with a nod. "We're supposed to meet them here."

Gabi laughed. "I think we ate too much." she laughed. "What sort of warriors will we be, I wonder."

"Yeah, one might wonder."

The four friends suddenly jumped with a squeak, stomach aches completely forgotten. They turned around and saw Colt, laughing at them.

Falco shrinked back down on the chairs. "Cooolt!" he whined.

"Wow, it looks like you kids had your fair share of fun tonight?" Colt murmured with a smile and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Yeah!" Gabi cheered. "Best day ever!"

Colt smiled, looking past each of them one by one. "Great! The ceremony is about to begin and we really should get going now. The Tyburs have saved a VIP spot for us."

Gabis eyes shone, "VIP?"

Colt smiled softly. "Yes, now let's get going."

Falco suddenly remembered his deal, he sat up. "I uh... Have to get something from home." he lied through his teeth, looking at Colt. "I'll be right back."

Colt hummed. "Ok. Be right back, though." he said. Gently, he out a hand on Gabi and Udos shoulder to urge them to go forward. "Let's get going now!"

Falco looked as his brother took his friends to the stage. He could faintly hear Gabi say all about what she ate and tested, with Udo confirming all she said.

Falco stood up, he hummed and turned around, separating his way from the others. He sneaked past the crowd, from one street to another until he reached the mental asylum again. Until he got to where Mr Kruger was.

Mr Kruger was leaning against a wall and staring at a piece of sandwich. Falco wondered again why a supposedly rich man like him acted like a hobo and lived in a mental asylum. He ran to him with a smile plastered over his face. "Mr Kruger!"

Krugers blank eyes met Falco.

"Mr Kruger! You never said you-"

"- I'm not rich if that's what you're wondering." Kruger interrupted him. "I have lots of friends from all over the world. Most of them couldn't be here for this festival and told me to supervise their workers."

Falco nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm glad you've reconnected with your friends sir."

At last, a faint smile passed Krugers face.

If all goes well, he'll have reconnected another pair of old friends tonight.

Convincing Mr Braun to come with him wasn't hard. Especially when Mr Zeke gave the ok.

So Falco ran across the crowd and Mr Braun followed him. Until they were out of the podium and Falco had to pull him wrist to make Mr Braun follow him. "Where are you taking me Falco?" Reiner said with a sigh when they reached the building under the stage.

Falco didn't stop, opened the door, revealing stairs that lead to a small cellar. He jumped down the stairs. Towards the door of the cellar. "It's a surprise sir! You'll see."

Reiner shook his head and followed him anyway. There were few that could scare the famed Armored titan, and none of them could be inside that cellar, right?

Falco opened the door and jumped inside. "We're here!" he cheered loudly.

Sudden light attacked his eyes when he stepped inside the cellar. The room was lit with a small lamp. There were only two chairs and a table. Mr Kruger was sitting on one of them.

And he smiled, eagerly, for the first time.

"Thanks Falco." he said at the same time that Reiner entered the room.

The footsteps behind him stopped to a halt.

Mr Kruger titled his head, looking at the man behind Falco. "Well, Reiner, it's been a while." Mr Kruger murmured, eyes locked with Mr Braun.

Falco smiled, a wide and happy one. He had done it. He had reunited two old friends. He wanted someone to do the same for him if he ever got separated from Udo, Gabi or Zoofia.

But the look on Mr Braun's face was nothing short of stunned.

Falco's smile dropped immediately.

"It's a great spot, right?" Mr Kruger held up a finger, Falcoes eyes widened when he saw a trail of blood coming from an open wound in his palm. "On the stage is pretty cramped. We have a perfect spot, they are right above us."

"Mr Kruger! Your hand is bleeding!" Falco murmured, staring at the trail of blood on his hands.

"Oh..." Mr Kruger murmured carelessly. His eyes met Mr Brauns. "I didn't see it."

Falco was expecting to see Mr Braun smiling again. After all, he was seeing an old friend. But the expression on his face was nothing less than pure horror. Like that one green eye was taking right from his nightmares and brought to life.

Of the silence was any proof that they didn't know how to invoke a conversation.

Falco gulped. "I'll uh- I'll leave you now." Falco murmured, trying not to bite his lip as he did so. He slowly took a step back towards the door and-

"I think you should hear what we have to say." Mr Kruger said suddenly, nailing him in place.

Reiner gulped as he reached a hand out for Falco, he could see it shaking in mid air. "Falco." he said softly, but his voice trembled. "Do as he says."

Falcoes felt his heart drop. He swallowed hard, not liking the new atmosphere one bit. He took a step back, leaned against the door and closed it. He stared at Mr Krugers one eyes, nothing seemed different.

But Mr Braun was stiff, eyes blown wide and the end of his fingers was vibrating against the cold air of the cellar, slowly he sat down in front of his old friend, eyes staring into Mr Krugers one eyes.

Kruger leaned against his cane. "It's been so long, hasn't it Reiner, a few years since I've seen you." he said and titled his head.

A sudden question flooded his mind. how long ago were they friends? He thought to himself. It can't be much. If it was more than four years that means-

Falco felt his heart drop.

Just what had he done?

Mr Kruger can't be an islander!? Can he!?

Of course, how else would he have that book.

Falco felt his blood run cold. Mr Kruger knew Mr Braun because of his mission in Paradis... Could he be someone he had read about in the book?

Falco was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the silence that settled between the two men.

Reiner closed his eyes, "yes, it's been long." he forced the words out. Falco shook himself out of his mind to listen closely.

Just who are you Mr Kruger?

Kruger looked up at the ceiling, where the people were getting ready for Willy Tyburs speech. Sounds of footsteps assaulted their silence and shouts of managers could be heard faintly, like coming from the end of a tunnel.

Mr Kruger stared at his injured and bleeding hand. "Do you remember, back in Cadette training, when you always said you wanted to go back home?"

Reiner swallowed. "Yes." he said shortly.

"Well, Reiner you have a fascinating home, now I know why you wanted to go back to it so much."

Reiner pressed his mouth to a thin line.

Krugers eyes focused back in Reiner. "Now I just might understand why you did all you did." he whispered. "It's all worth coming back to, at any cost."

"I lived here. With very kind people, I made friends with some of them" Kruger titled his head a little, his one eye gave a genuine smile to Falco. "Made some friends."

Reiner was stiff and stunned, Falco couldn't let go of it at all.

Krugers eyes returned to Reiner, Falco thought he saw Mr Kruger flinch for a moment. "But I don't understand one thing, Reiner..." he said with fake awe. "Why did you break Wall Rose a second time?"

Falco took a sharp breath.

Mr Kruger looked at him confused for a moment, they locked eyes just for a split second for the realisation to sink in. Then his eyes were back on Reiners terrified ones. "Why was Marco eaten alive?" he continued. "Surely you remembered him? Black hair, black eyes, freckles all over. The guy Jean obviously had fallen head over heels for?"

Falcoes eyes widened before he forced himself to relax. Mar- Marco Bodt? Was he talking about Marco Bodt?

Kruger continued "All those scouts, slaughtered by Annie."

Could it be? Falco gulped.

"Stohess? It kind of reminds me of Liberio. Such a beautiful city. ruined."

Kruger leaned forward more, Reiner closed his eyes, trying not to **shout** react to his words. "All those people who were killed eaten alive when Wall Maria fell... All because of berthold..." Kruger said, slowly looking up to meet Reiners eyes. "... And you."

Falco looked down. He knew all too well what he meant.

The fall of wall Maria, the restart of this conflict.

"Do you feel their burden?" Kruger asked bluntly. "Of course you didn't know them. It's easy to kill people you don't know when you have such a fine Paradise waiting to go back to." Kruger said sarcastically, waving his hands in the air. "You didn't know them, not like you knew Marco."

Reiners shoulders started to shake. He fisted his hands in front of him. Falcos eyes softened, Reiner refused to open his eyes or meet his gaze.

a nostalgic smile on Krugers face. "You know what Armin told me, once? When I was under debris and Annie was wreaking havoc on Stohess?"

Falco felt his breath catch in his throat, he was simply unable to take a breath. His eyes went wide and didn't settle, he stared at them dumbfounded.

Falco didn't know if he should be happy that his initial theory was right or terrified that his initial theory was right.

Was this man really Eren... Eren yeager? Falco thought to himself. The events he recalled fitted his POV perfectly but-

"He said." the man leaned forward. "That if you want to fight monsters, you have to abandon your humanity."

He was.

Mr Kruger was actually Mr Eren Yeager.

The same person Armin Arlert described as determined, lively, goofy, reliable, human... And insanely powerful. Second only to Mikasa Ackerman.

Falco never thought he might actually see that display of power up close. The thought made him shiver.

wait... Why did Mr Kruger- Eren Yeager have Armins diary all this time?

Armin tried to hide it from him and Mikasa Ackerman all his life.

Kruger locked eyes with Reiner. Who seemed too shocked and reliving his trauma.

"Why did Armin had to be burnt alive?'' Kruger asked, his sickly calm composure crumbled, if only for a second, Falco saw pure rage in his one eye, it burned and promised to burn everything down to the ground. He saw it in the way his lips twisted, his eyes narrowed and his body went alert.

The next moment, it was all gone.

"Tell me Why, Reiner?" Eren said, eyes blank. "There had to be a reason."

Reiners composure fell. His mask disappeared and he grabbed his head, sobbing quietly to himself

Falco gulped, not believing his eyes.

But... Why was Eren Yeager here? Why did he befriend him?

Did he know Falco had the book?

"You-" Falco breathed out, "you tricked me! You're- You're from Paradis!" he shouted in shock.

"Yes." Eren said as a matter of fact, breaking character for a split second to stare at Falco.

This man- this man was really Eren Yeager.

"Those letters you told me to send." Falco asked quickly, meeting a green eye. "They- they were for your family?"

What a stupid question to ask, he already knew Eren didn't have a family.

Eren smiled sickly, a wide grin that reached his eyes. He let the cane fall down and he untied the end of his pants legs, where his amputated leg was. He pushed the fabric up, revealing slowly steaming fibers that formed a fully functional leg in a matter of moments.

If there was any doubt, there is no longer.

"My family?... No." Eren said as his leg slowly healed back without even a scratch. "But it did reach my comrades."

"Co-Comrades?" Falco felt the air leave his lungs. He took a step back until he collided with the wall, the Scouts were coming.

Eren nodded and hummed lightly. "Yes. I'm sorry I had to trick you Falco." Eren shook his head. "I'm the bad guy here. But to me, you were the bad guys once."

"That day, when you broke the wall and titans invaded my hometown.. I watched my mom get eaten alive." Eren recalled, too lost in his own thoughts.

Falco bit his lip, he knew this already. For the first time ever, he cursed that forbidden book.

"I couldn't understand." Eren hummed, "why was my mom eaten by a titan?"

"Because… On that day, we broke the wall."

"Why did you break the wall?"

Falco was starting to feel like an intruder, like this conversation was not meant for his ears to hear… But then again neither was an entire book.

Reiners eyes fell down for a fraction of a second before they met Erens again. "To sneak in with the chaos and see how the king would react."

"What was your mission?" Eren said every syllable clearly, focusing on every word.

"To retake the founding titan and save the world"

"I see." Eren murmured, his eyes fell down. "If it was to save the world then you had no choice."

The world…

"Back then you told me..." Reiner whispered. "That you'd make us suffer and die the worst way possible." the end of the words began to shake. "Is that why you are here?"

Eren's eyes widened. "Oh..." he murmured, he played with the back of his ear for a moment, an act that reminded Falco so much of Mr Zeke. "I vaguely remember saying that."

"Huh"

Falco could only hope the man in front of him still had any significant similarity to the teenager he read about in his forbidden book. he's still a teenager. A traitorous part of his brain pointed out.

Because the Eren Yeager in that book wouldn't be here for revenge.

"True, I saw everyone on the other side of the sea as my enemy…. But then I crossed the sea, slept under the same roof with them. Ate the same food with them… Reiner, I'm just like you." he said. "Sure, there are jerks here. But good people too."

Falco stepped back and tried not to gasp when Eren turned his head to meet him. "Over the sea, across the walls. It's the same'' he said as a matter of fact. "But you were thought everyone within the walls was a devil. You were children and it was drilled into you. You were kids, what better did you know?"

"Right Reiner? Hasn't that been eating away at you?"

Reiner leaned forward slowly. Suddenly, Reiners seat was thrown back. "No! You're wrong Eren." he said, his voice shaking violently as he fell down on his knees and elbows. "That day- when Marcel was eaten. Annie and Berthold tried to turn back and end the mission." he let out a shaky breath, one that felt like a sob. "But I talked them into it and made them go on!"

"I wanted to be a hero! I wanted peoples respect!"

The tears in Reiners' eyes were making Falcos eyes water. He felt his heart start to pound loudly.

"Its my fault!" he said and sat up, Falco could clearly see the tears in the back of his eyes, that almost sent Falco into a shock.

Their hero was in tears.

"Your mom was eaten by titans because of me!"

Falco gulped and shut his eyes. This was just too much to see his hero crumble. Sure, he knew, had known for a while now. About what happened on Paradis. What unfolded before Reiners very eyes. But this.

"I'm sick of this!... Of myself!" He said and fell back on his elbows again. "Just kill me." he said, his voice muffled by his own hands.

What was he-

Falco pressed his back against the wall, watching in horror. Was this the esteemed warrior? What was wrong with him. Why was he-

Instead of doing anything, Eren stood up. Stumbling a little bit on his newly healed leg. He leaned forward and-

Eren offered a hand.

Falco... Didn't like the sound of it. His heart hammering in his chest. The silence filled his being and made his hammering heart panic even more.

Eren offered a hand that Reiner stared at with confusion. "You and I are the same." Eren said. Finally, as if ages had passed, Reiner accepted the hand and stood up on his own two feet.

"You and I... We are the same." Eren said when they were face to face.

Suddenly, the air cracked and the next moment, Eren yeager had stabbed Reiner in the back of the neck (with a knife Falco never saw in his hands)

Right where the titan weak spot was.

Falco gasped, he stumbled back. His back hit the stone walls and a small panicked voice left his mouth.

Eren let go and Reiner Braun fell to the ground, a deep gash across the nape of his neck and blood oozing out like a waterfall.

"I won't stop until all my enemies are destroyed." Eren declared loudly, above Reiners unconscious body. He took a step back and let the puddle of blood gather on the floor.

Falco's mind started ringing. He sprawled into action before he really knew it."Mr Braun!" he shouted. Mr Bruan was lying on his front, which meant the wound in the nape of his neck was heading upwards, bleeding like a waterfall.

"I wouldn't leave him if I were you..." Eren Yeager hummed and walked over them, nonchalantly going towards the door, out.

Falco stared in horror. "What did you do?" he shouted. Falco dropped to his knees on the puddle of blood that was forming on the ground. His hesitant hands touched the wound and put as much weight as he could, the blood kept oozing out.

"Don't worry, He'll heal." Eren said carelessly, glancing back to see Falco for a moment. "Probably..."

Falcos eyes widened in shock.

Eren sighed loudly. "Apply pressure to his wound, if he doesn't bleed out, he'll be just fine."

Falcos hands were shaking when he pressed them to the wound as hard as he could. To no avail, the bleeding never stopped.

Falco didn't notice how Eren left the room, and how the door was clicked shut, keeping the two right where they were.

The crowd cheered, saluted and smiled.

Willy Tybur surely felt proud of his speech, finally coming with the truth of the titans appearance to keep the little allies he had left. The lights flickered the shape of the demon behind him was scary enough to make the children cry and fill the adults with fighting spirit.

All in all, a good speech.

But... Where was Eren Yeager? That Demon must have revealed himself at this point.

Willy looked from one person to another, every fiber of his being was terrified at the sudden lightening bolt that was soon to come. His eyes met his sisters. Lara. She was as cautious as he was. She stayed with the crowd, eyes narrowed at every possible angle.

The men and women continued to cheer.

Willy kept his composure.

The cheering lasted for five minutes, until the audience sat down, one by one. In the end, there was a brunette man dressed in all black standing in the audience, an unreadable look on his face.

His formal clothing pattern was something Willy was familiar with but couldn't quite pinpoint.

The man was still slow-clapping when everyone went silent. His green eyes fixed only on willy.

The crowd gave him a strange look but he didn't stop. "Magnificent Speech." he said out loud.

His tone grabbed everyone's attention. "But declaring war? Are you sure of that?"

Willy narrowed his eyes, who was this man and what was he implying.

He looked around him and his green eyes fixed on Willy once again. "I'm sure you Heard me correctly. Have you tried talking to them? Diplomatic relations. Surely you haven't forgotten, not a week ago Marley used the same power of the titans to devour an entire city in the middle lands." The man said.

The crowd fell in silence.

He shrugged half heartedly. "I mean, what is stopping Marley from titan-bombing our homes right now?" he said, voice going deep and relentless.

Willy Tybur narrowed his eyes, remembering he had no such guest in the VIP section. This man wasn't the same blond commander who appeared in Torana.

"Who are you?" he asked loudly. "And why are you vouching for the devils?"

Suddenly he remembered where he had seen similar clothes before. He'd seen someone wear green pendants and dark green formal attire only once! In the country of Torana, west of Marley. Worn by a man who took most of Marleys allies with a surprising speech.

And the person who was wearing it was-

A smile spread across the strange man's face. "Oh well, dead and soon to be dead people are witnesses that I tried." he said with a small careless shrug.

Lightening.

Smoke.

Roar.

The stage exploded.

Willy Tybur was caught in the air by a 15 meter titan and shoved into a mouth with two level teeth.

The attack titan.

Thousands of feet in the sky, a black airship flew hovered over Liberio.

Flying, Erwin Smith never thought he'd see something like that. His blue eyes focused on the city under his feet, the city that would soon be wiped out. Truly a small payback for what their government did to Paradis all these years.

Onyakopon was flying this ariship like the master he was. No worries about that. But the rest of their plan?

Jumping into uncertainties is almost the way of the Scouts at this point.

Erwin fixed the hem of his sleeve and stared at the navy ships under the plane. Soon they'll be entering Liberio Airspace, and the Marlyans will have no idea.

The door to the observation room opened and Hange stepped in along with Levi. The smile on Hanges face said everything was acceptable up to this point.

Levi stood next to him, staring down at the city half heartedly. "Wicked how we are flying over them so casually." Levi spat.

Erwin looked at the control panels, under the window. "A souvenir from our Allies in Torana." Erwin said with a villainous smile. "We've jammed their signals. They can't call for help and they don't even know it."

Levi rolled his eyes. Technology was becoming an even more headache than the newer recruits.

Erwin turned his gaze to Hange. "Hange, are the squads in position?" he asked.

Hange picked up a pocket clock and then closed it with a nod. "Yes, They should be. We just have to wait for-"

As if waiting for Hange to say it, a blinding light came from liberio, along with a sharp battle cry that without a doubt belonged to Eren's Titan.

"Wow, speak of the devil." Hange murmured as the remnants of the electricity faded away.

Levi tsked and walked back towards the end of the airship, he stood in the doorframe. "Careful. They take that too literally here." Levi said with a nod at Hange.

Erwin shook his head. "Devils." he murmured. He found himself more and more accustomed to the word these days.

He walked away from the control panels and the window, he picked up his pocket knife and spinned it in his hands. Levi and Hange made way for him to pass through the door towards the open area outside the airship.

The wind whipped his hair from side to side. Erwin wondered for a moment if he would actually survive the fall. A smile passed his face.

"Tsk. What are you thinking?" Levi asked and crossed his arms. He had his blades in hand already.

Erwin spinned the knife in his hands again. "Nothing." he said and dropped the smile. "Meet me on the rendezvous point."

With that, Erwin Smith jumped from the airship, aiming for the ports and Marley's endless battleships.

They would never see it coming.

When Erwin could spot a humanoid figure, that was staring at him. He slid the knife across his palm.

Lightning fell from the sky, the first battleship was melted without breaking a single sweat.

As the colossal titan formed around him, Erwins only thought was this power was really one of a kind.

Armin Arlerts description of Erens cry of rage did no justice to the actual terrifying sound of the attack titan.

because I was born into this world.

Did Willy Tybur really have to say that word to word?

As the building shook above him and Falco tried and failed to keep Reiners wound from bleeding, he came to realisation.

This room wasn't going to last.

And he probably didn't have time to get out of the cellar, not with Mr Braun in this position.

"Mr Bruan!" Falco shouted as the tables started to shake and the roof started to crumble.

A brick fell down from the roof.

"Mr Braun! Please wake up!" he screamed, he pushed down further into the wound and Reiner hissed in pain.

That was... He never thought he'd be so delighted from such a sound. "Mr Bruan!" he said loudly. He realised how the bleeding under his fingers were stopping and Mr Braun was slowly peeking his eyes open. "Fal-co..." he murmured.

"Yes!" Falco said, turning the man around with all the strength he had and pushed him to sit up. It was hard considering how his limbs were like jelly. "It's me, Mr Braun, please we have to get out of here!"

Reiner closed his eyes. "Why are you still here kid?" he murmured helplessly.

That... Stuck Falcos nerves.

He almost froze completely for a moment.

The roof above them shook another time. Another cry of rage filled between them and yet the only thing he could hear was Mr Braun's silence.

What... What did he mean?

Another cry of rage filled the air.

Squeals and screams.

And this time, more than just debris fell from the roof. Falco almost thought he was done for when he saw the roof close down around him.

But Mr Braun suddenly sprung into action, yellow and red lightning filled the air and Falco felt the gentle and firm hands of a 15 meter titan close around him.

The roof fell on his head.

If the hands shielding him like a delicate flower were a second late, he would be done for.

The last thought that crossed Falcos mind was that perhaps, The Eren Yeager in Armin Arlerts eyes was the real person who died in this story.

Falco opened his eyes with a gasp, hoping he had just dreamt everything. Hoping he'd be back in his room with Colt teasing him over his ruined sleep schedule.

Instead he was inside two firm shielded hands, with debris all around him. The armored titan shielded him and raised him above the ruins of that building they were under.

The ground around him shook mercilessly.

Falco fell on his back. Slowly, he sat up and peaked around the place. In Front of him was nothing of immediate danger. Just debris, broken windows and... Dead bodies.

That's what he'd never get used to. He'd been to war, as a warrior candidate it was his duty to kill for Marley... But he'd never get used to the sight. Never.

Falco slowly put his feet on the ground, checking his footing before hoping down.

The confident roar of the attack titan filled his ears again and he froze. This time with no barrier between them, it looked even more terrifying.

Falco bit his lip, he hid behind the armored hands for a split second before he sneaked a look at the battle ground behind him.

The attack Titan stood quite proudly. Falco fisted his hands. It looked different from the drawing he saw in that book. His double level teeth were sharper. His skin paler and his hair arguably longer.

And he never saw blood trailing down those shark sharp teeth.

Under the titans feet, the theater and the VIP seats were completely wiped. Falcos eyes widened.

Udo...

Zoofia...

Gabi!

Colt!

They were there!

He stared at the ground below. The Attack titans Glowing green eyes waited for the next opponent, holding the sharp crystal in his grasp.

The warhammer.

How had he defeated her so easily?

Falco rab across the streets of Liberio. Bodies littered all around the city and some of the buildings long destroyed. He tried to ignore the fight as much as he could. He could hear the explosions coming. He even saw a blinding light, followed by a wind of heat, coming from the ports... And then he saw the outlines of what was the Colossal Titan.

He stood in place. Colossal titan. He murmured in disbelief. The giant, skinless titan that could be seen, even from this far.

The titan that, according to that book, belonged to the commander of the Scout Regiment.

"They are here..." Falco murmured, quietly. "Paradis Island... The Scouts..."

Falco bit his lip. No. Marley was strong, it could hold up. And besides, he thought to himself. they are probably here for Eren Yeager. Or Mr Kruger. They'll leave once they have him.

Falco breathed heavily at this point, he ran with all his might, away from the collapsed buildings and stages and towards where the sound of fighting was coming from.

Fakco bit his lip. please be ok Colt. Gabi. Zoofia and Udo..

He could see the Cart titan in full gear standing next to the Jaw titan. This was Marley, they had the advantage. They had the warriors!

but this is the Scout Regiment. A traitorous part of his brain murmured. have you forgotten they were raised to kill titans?

As if waiting for him to say it, he heard an explosion from where The Cart titan was. He forced his aching body to run faster, a sharp pang ran in his head but he ignored it. He ran.

The Cart titan Exploded.

By the time he reached the streets, the remnants of the beast titan was all that was left.

The Scout Regiment moved around with their ODM gear like birds that are used to flying.

Falco watched, as best as he could in the dark of the night, as the Scouts flipped in the air and flew. Flew, flew away. After all, their fight was almost done for.

All that remained was an Angry attack titan in the middle of the square, hitting the Jaw titan against the floor as hard as he could.

Falco closed his eyes. Mr Porco will be fine! He was a warrior!

Instead, he trailed his eyes at where Ms Pieck last was. The titan body was almost completely gone. So he followed the pale line of steam. She must have been steaming heavily to leave such a trail behind.

Falco ran after, he even stumbled and fell once. But he didn't stop. He ran until he reached the place the steam ended. He climbed the stairs and found his subject.

Ms Pieck was wounded, badly. She couldn't even stand up on her own and was leaning heavily against commander Magath, who had blood running down the side of his face.

he let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw Gabi, alive and in one piece. Gabi, with a rifle in her hand, kneeled down and could only watch.

"Gabi!" he sighed in relief.

She met his eyes with a blank look of confusion. "Falco..." she murmured quietly. "You're... Alive..."

Falco swallowed hard.

Gabi looked back at Ms Pieck. "Udo and Zoofia...aren't." she murmured, her lower lip quivering. "And the Cart titan isn't known for being dense or protective" she murmured, as if confirming a fact to herself.

Udo...

Zoofia...

Before he could ask why or for the numbing feeling to really settle in his nerves. Gabi turned towards the window. "Where in the world is Reiner?" she almost screamed. "Why isn't he fighting?"

"Just kill me."

Falco swallowed hard. Last he saw, Reiner transformed to protect him. And then... The armored titan must have survived. It excelled in defence after all.

So where was he?

"Just kill me"

"He is... Stuck somewhere." he said, instead of every fleeting thought in his head.

Gabi pressed her mouth to a thin line. She hissed under her breath and ran towards the window. She leaned forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Reineeeeeer!"

Her desperate scream echoed in the battle field. It traveled all around and reached their ears again. Gabi threw her head back and forth. "REINERRRR!"

Falco stumbled and leaned over the window. "Reineeeeerrrrrr!" He screamed, in tone with Gabi.

Gabi leaned down dangerously, to the point he was afraid she might fall. "REINERRRRR!"

Their voices echoed all the way. the ground stopped shaking, signalling the near end of the attack titans rampage.

Their desperate screams went on and on, until neither of them could muster the strength to scream.

And then, like a desperate ray of hope. The ground shook again. Gabi and Falco clung into each other, to keep the other from falling from the window.

When Magath pulled them back in, their eyes finally met the Armored titan. It looked different, more detailed and the armor seemed less dense. But Falco couldn't help but grin at the joy he felt deep down.

Gabi threw her hands in the air. "Yeah!" she screamed. "Show him Reiner!"

What a rematch this would be!

The armored Titan halted, looked back at the attack titan. The attack titan didn't seem affected one bit.

Suddenly, Falcos blood went cold. "Gabi." he swallowed hard. "Did Mr Braun take those hand to hand combat lessons he wanted to?"

Gabis face was lit up, an unbearable ray of hope shone through her face. She didn't answer, her focus on the upcoming battle. Falco guessed he hadn't.

The attack titans hands hardened into a fist, the titans stared each other down as they slipped into a position to attack.

Suddenly possible imaginings of the two titans previous battle flooded his mind and he cursed Armin Arlerts detailed descriptions of their previous battles.

The two titans stared each other down, slightly kneeling and advancing in time it took to blink.

The attack titan roared, it shook the building they were hiding in.

The armored advanced but The Attack titan dodged it like it was nothing. Instead, he threw himself forward and a well timed punch at the armored Jaw and broke it like a piece of glass.

Blow after blow.

The rest is a blur in Falcos head. He just remembers Gabis terrified shriek and the final blue that pinned the Armored titan permanently to the ground.

Reiner Braun was defeated.

Gabi gasped, it felt like a soundless scream, a plea of helplessness. She stuttered and slowly, slowly moved back. Falco turned around, he could see tears rounding in her eyes.

Falco gulped. "Gabi-"

Gabi bit her lip, the one traitorous tear escaped her eyed and she stormed off, holding the gun in her hands. She ran off the apartment.

"Braun! Wait!" Commander Magath tried to stop her but he was also wounded and currently holding Ms Pieck.

Falco took a deep breath, not caring for the world, he ran after Gabi. Commander Magath shouted after him too, said things about them being irreplaceable to Marley but Didn't hear any of it.

He just trained his eyes after Gabi, who was running like her life depended on it.

Her coat floated in the air, the streets were empty, that made running through them much easier for the both of them.

Falcos breathing started to get heavy, Gabi was in no better state, but she kept running through the dark alleys. Running and Running towards the place the fight was taking place.

"EREN YEAGER!" she screamed, her mad voice echoed in the streets of Liberio. The stone walls bounced the screams right back at Falco and he couldn't help but follow her.

Gabi chased down the airship until it met the main street, she kneeled down and aimed the rifle at the only man hanging from the airship.

"Gabi!" Falco screamed when he reached her. "It's not going to-"

Gabi shot aimlessly, and to her surprise, the man lay limb and fell with a Buzz. His gear malfunctioned and the body fell down. A few meters away from where Falco and Gabi were standing.

Gabi didn't waste a second. She ran after the body that was slowly being pulled on the ground. She stared at the gun-like asset in the man's hands for a moment before Falcos concerned voice got her attention away.

"Gabi..."

"I'm going." She said seriously, choking back in far tears. "You can't stop me." she inspected the gun in the soldiers hand one more time, it seemed to have a trigger that wasn't on normal guns.

That must be the trigger.

"You don't have to come." she said quietly, so quiet, that Falco could hear her facade.

Falco shook his head. No matter what, he couldn't leave her alone. Not like this. "Gabi... Whatever you're doing," Falco vowed. "I won't leave you alone."

"But-"

Falco nodded again. "Im coming."

Gabi pressed his mouth to a thin line. Without any warning, She pressed the trigger and a strange buzzing came from the gear on the man. Gabi yelped as she was pulled away. Falco gripped the man's cooling body like his life depended on it as he was lifted above the ground.

And into the sky.

Up up up.

Falco felt dizzy, he almost lost the grip on the body. Almost. They hit the airship's body. His head was spinning at this point. It was Gabi who grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him up. She threw both of them into the airship.

Who leaves the door open?

Falco hit the floor of the airship with a loud thud, he unceremoniously rolled until the momentum passed.

Gabi, however, was as graceful as ever. She landed on her feet and immediately loaded the gun, the soldiers were too preoccupied with celebrating their victory to notice anything.

Gabi aimed.

And shot.

One by one, the lights flickered and turned off.

Jean hanged on to the plane by his ODM gear and was slowly being taken away. He hoped his black and silver uniform was really as good a disguise as it felt like.

Under his feet, the city was in shambles, parts of it burned and fell on itself, brick houses, towers and roads long gone. Replaced by a small flame in the dark of the night.

The last lamp, the lamps that showed where each squad was, flickered off and the squad members jumped, their ODM gear worked with a buzzing sound and Jean watched as everyone aboard the plane.

The sound of endless fire filled his ears. He could hear someone screaming in the distance, he could hear buildings burning. But that was the plan wasn't it?

Mission success, apparently.

"Jean!"

Jean looked up, his eyes tore away from the view underneath to his friends kneeling in the entrance of the airship.

"Jean!" Connie shouted, reaching out a hand for Jean, next to him, Sasha did the same. "Get up!"

His ODM gear buzzed and pulled him up with all the strength it had. He grabbed into Sasha's hand simply because she was nearer. Sasha pulled him into the plane.

Connie let out a deep breath. "Close one." he murmured and stood on his feet. Jean and Sasha copied the same.

Jean looked at the cheering crowd in the back of the plane, their laughter and talking blocked the sounds of destruction outside.

Before he could ask anything, someone called for him.

"Captain,"

Jean turned around. Adler, one of the first people who volunteered to be a Scout after retaking wall Maria, was calling him. He had received a nasty cut on the tan skin under his black eyes.

"you are being called by Section Commander." Adler said with a nod.

He sighed inwardly and nodded. Adler gave a small salute before a smile passed his face and he moved on to join the cheering crowd in the front and back of the ship.

Jean took a deep breath. "How many?" he asked, not needing to clarify anything.

Sashas lips twisted. "As of right now we have six confirmed kills." Connie murmured.

Slowly, Connie sneaked one hand around Jean and Sasha, pulling both of them in an awkward side hug. Leaning their foreheads against his own.

Connie didn't dare break the silence at first.

"I know it's not so fair to the others." he said after a moment. "But I'm glad we are safe. You two... You two are special."

Jean shook his head and gently pushed his hand off. "This set is really uncomfortable, don't get so huggy." he said.

Slowly he broke the hug and looked at the metalic door on the front of the ship, where the soldiers were currently cheering and watching the city burn to ashes.

That's where Hange was, where he was summoned. Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. "I'll be back in a-"

A sudden "thump" filled the atmosphere, only Sasha heard it. The others were too drowned in their cries of victory to notice it. Slowly, she glanced back at the open door.

Just in time for two small figures to throw themselves into the airship.

A small blonde one that fell not so gracefully and the brunette that landed on her feet in a perfect style.

Sasha was too late to point out the rifle aimed at her.

She tried to move but the gunshot was faster. A warm hot feeling spread through her abdomen and her legs started to lose their footing.

She stumbled. Her shocked eyes met Connie, who jumped in to catch her from falling down and Jean... Who hesitantly held up his own gun at the small figure.

"Sasha!" Connie shouted, his voice echoed on and on in Jeans head.

They didn't notice the men charging at the back of the airship, until they heard painful cries of achingly young souls.

A few hours before,
Scour Regiment Headquarters, Paradis island:

Commander Erwin Smith looked over the Scouts gathered in the meeting room, all dressed in black and silver uniforms. Behind him Sasha and Connie opened a map and pinned it to a wall.

"As you're all aware, tonight we will strike our first attack outside Paradis Island. To the same nation that has been sending pure Titans our way for over a century." Erwin said loudly, grabbing everyone's attention. "Our mission is stationed here in the City of Liberio."

Down, next to the podium, Jean narrowed his eyes.

"Liberio, is the heart of Marley." Erwin said as a matter of fact, pointing at the map of a grand city next to the ocean. "And also, our greatest strategist point"

Sasha and Connie walked down the podium, joining Mikasa and Jean in their special spot.

On the other side, Hange stood with a smile and Levi glared at everyone on his way.

"The Marylians rely too much on their unbeatable military. They think no nation has the resources or man power to attack their capital since it shares no border with a grand nation... Except, Liberio shares a border with Paradis." Erwin said out loud. "And that is when our mission begins."

Erwin pinned the drawings of the beast titan, Cart Titan, Jaw Titan and the armored titan to the wall. One by one. He then turned to the crowd. "The so- called unbeatable Warriors of Marley are not so unbeatable, as you all know. The Scout Regiment excels in beating Titans."

A round of cheering left the crowd.

Sasha and Connie noticed Jean's small frown at the crowd's excitement.

"That only leaves normal VsHuman arsenal. Your suits are bulletproof, but be aware of the missiles in Marleys arsenal." Erwin warned. "Also the bullet proofing works within a certain distance. Too close and it just might not work as we wish it too."

"You all have your assignments. The special operation squad will handle the Jaw and the Cart titan, the rest of you are with Captain Levi, Capturing the beast titan and eliminating their arsenal. While I am tasked with destroying their Navy and port using the colossal Titan. Any questions?"

There was one brave soul who lifted her hand. "Sir what about the Armored titan?"

A sly smile passed Erwins lips. "Worry not about him or the warhammer titan. Those two will be dealt by the attack Titan, Eren Yeager."

For the first time in almost a whole year, there was info about Eren's whereabouts.

Jean could feel Miaksas distraught radiating around the four of them. She tensed, staring wide eyes at the commander.

Sasha stopped herself from gasping. Connie pulled her back. Jean narrowed her eyes and glanced at Mikasa. Mikasa, who with all her fearsome strength, looked broken inside. She narrowed her eyes and pulled her red scarf up, covering her nose and her mouth.

"Eren... What have you done?" she murmured, too quietly for anyone to hear but her friends.

Jean had to admit, commander Erwin's move was smart. Putting the four of them in social pressure so that they couldn't react or demand more information about Eren.

The whispers died down immediately.

"We shall start our mission in eliminating Marlys threat to our island once and for all!" Erwin cheered, lifting his right hand up and then standing in salute. "Dedicate your hearts!"

The crowd in front of them cheered and saluted, a sum total of 30 soldiers, not a large amount. Not even close, but this was mostly a covert mission, they couldn't risk more lives with such unknown variables at stake.

Neither of them spoke, until they were in the privacy of their separate Chamber in the airship. The dark airship that was cramped with top secret technologies to prevent Marley from discovering it in their airspace.

Jean stared out of the small window, the only one in the room, his other squadmates sat down, all drowned in their own thoughts.

Being the Special Operation Squad came with its own positive attributes.

"We're almost there." Jean said loudly. "Wow... It's changed so much since we were last here."

Mikasa looped her scarf around herself. In the past year, she felt oddly alone.

It was Jean who broke the silence, His eyes were fixed somewhere outside, in the night sky. "Mikasa." he said. "Did you know about Eren?"

Mikasa closed her eyes for a moment. "I didn't."

Jean nodded thoughtfully and crossed his arms, eyes lost in the clear sky. "Commander Erwin's plan was... Strangely calculated." Jean hummed, staring out of the window. "He trusted no one with it. Not even Levi or Hangi."

Connie gave Sasha's potato back, his little appetite suddenly gone. Connie frowned, staring at the palm of his hand. "He trusted one."

Sasha glanced back, trying to swallow her load. "Who?"

"Eren." Mikasa answered instead.

Sasha opened her mouth to object but didn't know what to say, so she leaned back and shrugged.

Silence settled between them. The only voice that reached their ears was the sound of the engine.

Jean took a deep breath. "Do you know what he's doing?" He asked out loud.

Mikasa held the scarf in her hands. She slowly looped it around her neck. "I don't know why." she said as a matter of fact. "But I know things will take a turn for the worst tonight."

Sasha cleared her throat. "We're not fighting for human survival anymore" she murmured. "It's... Just kill or be killed from now on."

"That doesn't sound like Eren."Jean pointed out. "Eren?" he prompted.

"No it doesn't." Mikasa said seriously. "I don't even understand what he's doing, sometimes I wish A-" her voice died down.

Sasha and Connie stared at her. Waiting for her to continue what she was saying. Mikasa's eyes slowly turned blank. "I don't need to understand what he does. I believe in him." Mikasa admitted quietly.

Jean however, couldn't trust someone so blindly. But he didn't voice it outloud.))

Falco should have taken his half healed head injury into consideration when he followed Gabi mindlessly.

And now, his head was too numb to actually feel the blows coming. He just knew they were there. They had to be there, he could hear punches and kicks. He could feel his own throat going dry.

He could also hear Gabi.

But a paralyzing sense of numbness that fixed itself on his body stopped him from feeling or seeing the impact of the punches and kicks.

Out of nowhere he could see a man with a mullet covering his ears, Falco pegged that behavior as strange. Because the split second their eyes met, He almost thought the man was hesitant.

Either way, the man slowly let go of his ears.

"Get away from them!" a man with a shouted mullet, grabbing the their attacker by the hem of his shirt and pulling him back.

The others drew back. A closed fist stopped inches away from Falcos right eye. Falco was dropped immediately.

The man, the one with a mullet, glared down at the other soldiers. "That's enough." he said, with a tone like an order. "Tie him and leave them to me."

One of the soldiers, a woman, came near with two sets of ropes. Gabi tried to resist, but she was severely wounded. An angry red scar was already forming under her eyes.

Falco wasn't in any better shape, infact, he was sure he had aggravated his head injury. A concussion maybe?

"Gently."

The mullet man's orders snapped him back into reality. Did he really order his men to be gentle with them? After shooting their comrade?

"I'll take it from here. Tend to Sasha." he ordered and kneeled down next to the two children

The woman's jaw dropped. She violently pushed Gabi forward, she answered with a scream.

"But Captain Jean-" the soldier tried to reason.

"I said, tend to Sasha." the man ordered.

This Captain must be a higher ranking officer. Falco thought to himself. He wanted to rub the side of his head but remembered his hands were bound to his body. And so was Gabi.

The man, kneeling to eyes level in front of them, sighed and stood up. His eyes were pained but Falco supposed it must be, Gabi shot his comrade after all.

The Captain moved behind them and gently pushed them forward, against the other soldiers dismay and shock.

"Who in their right mind, recruits children for a war?" the Captain growled. He looked down at the two as they walked. The air was deadly silent except for the pleas of people for Sasha to stay awake.

"How old are you?"

Falco didn't hear him at first.

Gabi hissed and narrowed her eyes at the Captain, Falco knew that expression way too well. She was moments away from spitting in the Captains face.

"Twelve!" Falco said suddenly, truthfully.

The hand tightened on his shoulder. A door opened in front of the three and The Captain shoved them inside. "Twelve." he growled. "Twelve..."

Did he imagine the Captain hating that number?

Because he said it with such a spite.

However, the door closed behind them and Falco could keep himself up enough to know they weren't alone in the other room.

He could see a woman with Mr Kruger- no Yeager, who was sitting nonchalantly. Falco bit his lip. What was happening?

The woman went aside and Falco saw the last person he expected to see.

"So, did everything go according to your plan, Zeke?"

Zeke Yeager, steaming and vaporizing at the same time, sat in one piece in front of them. Falco guloed. What was happening. Zeke looked up, glaring down at the two warrior candidates.

Gabi was shocked into speechlessness. Falcos jaw dropped.

"All well, for a few miscalculations..." Zeke answered.

The new woman, Who Falco hadn't seen at first, glanced at them. Then she turned her eyes at the Captain. "And who are these?" she asked.

"Miscalculations." Zeke answered for him.

The port smoked, the navy was destroyed beyond repair, Erwin wouldn't be surprised if the nearby ships had melted.

Erwin leaned back and emerged from the nape of the colossal Titan. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the sight with his own calculating eyes.

From where he was standing, everything seemed strangely foreign. He was 60 meters above the ground, glaring down at the rubble under his feet. The sky was utterly quiet, not a single bird in sight and all the tall buildings near him were dust.

Erwin Smith valued his hallowed victory.

"So this is Marley..." he murmured softly, looking at the destruction under his feet. "They are not the Humans you were thinking about, are they father?"

The silence didn't answer.

He was expecting a fleet of soldiers by now, after all, he did flatten their entire port. More people were killed than perhaps the entire Scout regiment.

So where were they?

Erwin shook his head. The lack of comeback only meant one thing. "The great Marlyans never thought about a counterattack for their own strategy." Erwin hummed as he readied the smoke signal.

He covered his ears and shot a green smoke signal.

He could see the airship coming for him. To take him back home. This was a Victory.

"How disappointing."

Notes:

you may have some questions such as:
how was Armins top secret diary published?
How did Jean became a Captain?
Did sasha survive?
How will Mikasa and Erens relationship be affected?

Please don't forget to leave comments and Kudoses! Those make my day, Thanks!

Chapter 7: Calm before the storm : the mysterious titan.

Summary:

Jean tells the story of what happened and tells the story of an unlikely ally.

Not every allyship is an offer of friendship.

Notes:

Wooow look at this! I'm updating!

Sooo it was my birthday a few weeks ago and since my midterms ended yesterday, my family decided to get a party for me! So, happy birthday to me!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter XD

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"I think it all started when... When Commander Erwin promoted me. Even back then I knew it was suspicious."

Jean murmured, his eyes lost in the movement of the leaves. His hand ran over the rough edges of his notebook, his other hand used it as a leverage against the height branch he was sitting on.

"He isn't the kind to just promote someone because of chivalry as he said to me that day." he added with a chuckle.

Jean took a deep breath to calm his nerves down. "I think It all started when we came in with the cleaning squad to find any other rogue titans. I recognised you- you know- from the time you rescued me I just didn't want to believe it."

Jean took a deep breath and ran his hand over his notebooks. "Three years ago... In this very forest..."

Just in that moment, he felt an impact on the titan about to eat him. It was too forceful to be any of his comrades. Jean's eyes opened immediately. The impact made the titan fall down and open its tight fist.

Jean was floating in the air for a moment so he used that split second he had to set his ODM gear flying towards a tree.

His eyes searched for the source of the force that saved his life as the blond titan that tried to eat him, fell down. Behind him was nothing. Nothing except a titan with marks like freckles all over his face and chest. The titans right side was merged with ugly scars, as if this 'founder Ymir' had spent a lot of time and details on this specific titan.

Jean's eyes widened when the freckled titan kicked the other titan away.

He shook his head. just chalk it off as another abnormal. He told himself and jumped towards Eren, he ignored Sashas cheerful scream when she saw him in one piece. He landed right next to Mikasa

But now ignoring it wasn't as easy.

Jean stepped back, half in the reflective fear and half in surprise. "Stay Back!" he shouted at the other poor recruits as he drew his blades. "Do not engage with this titan or any other titan in the reign."

"But it's just sitting there!" another recruit shouted. Jean growled when he heard the buzz of ODM coming from behind him.

The new foolish recruit jumped, blades in hand and swinging towards the freckled titan like he was waiting his entire life for it.

Jean jumped after immediately and slammed him bodily against the nearest tree. "Don't!" Jean shouted when the poor boy landed on the lower branch. "When there is an abnormal, there are more hiding behind that you don't see!"

The recruit rubbed the side of his face with a mumble. "Gee... Protective much."

Jean ignored him and looked at the rest of the recruits on the ground. "What are you waiting for?" he shouted, although he was at their level, he felt enough authority to shout orders at them. "Land on a high branch and you, go inform the commander. Meanwhile, None of you gets close to that titan!"

With that, Jean jumped down and ran towards the freckled titan until he was standing right infront of its eyes, blades in hand, and ready to strike.

When they became eye to eye, something flicked in Jean's heart. The titan that had scars on the right side of his face and freckles all over his body, looked awfully familiar, even when Jean's mind couldn't put it together.

He lowered his blades and glared at the titans emotionless face.

The titan leaned against the tree, head down and eyes closed.

an abnormal.

The thought passed Jean's mind again... But an abnormality still hunts humans. It's in titan biology to hunt humans.

Jean narrowed his eyes, a hissing sound echoed when he drew his blades back in his ODM gear and walked closer to the titan.

he was shipped to Paradis... Which means he was a patriot.

Erens voice echoed in his mind but not as strongly as the recruits' cries from the higher trees.

Jean shot his grappling gun to land on the bench right next to the titans eyes. "You were once a human..." he murmured, staring deeply at the titans eyes. "... But how? Is your humanity really that strong? Can you really resist your titan instinct and not eat me?"

Jean sighed loudly. "What am I thinking?" he huffed angrily, rubbing his sore eyes. "You're better off dead... You're probably in pain."

Jean stood up and drew his blades, he jumped over and stood on the titans nape, with the way the titan kept his head low, Jean's position was pretty secure. He held his blades high and ready to strike down. "Well..." he murmured, wetting his lips. "Goodbye, random stranger."

The blades swang down towards the body of flesh-

Stop.

-only to stop right before he could penetrate the flesh.

protect him.

The sound echoed in Jean's mind and took effect before he realised it.

Jean took a sharp breath through his teeth, partly annoyed at the noice dictating his movement but the words faded, like a lost dream and Jean forgot about them.

But their effect lasted.

"Kirstein! What's wrong with you?"

Jean snapped his head towards the voice coming from the ground, captain Levi on his horse, glaring daggers at Jean's direction. "Having fun brat? Finish the job before the titan snaps."

Jean jumped down from the titan and stood between the freckled titan and Levi. He spread his hands wide, using himself as an obstacle to keep Levi away from the titan. "No!" he said loudly and surely of himself.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"No." Jean repeated.

Horses charged towards them. Jean expected it, this was the first titan spotted in almost two years after all. It was only found because the survey corps was exploring the land outside wall Maria.

Horse ran, Erwin rode forward with Mikasa and Eren closely behind him on their own horses.

Erwin pulled his horse back gently. "What is happening here?" he asked, his presence like a looming statue, towering over Jean.

"He won't kill the titan." Levi said shortly, narrowing his eyes further.

Jean shook his head, slowly lowering his hands. "And I won't let anyone else do it."

"This is a pure titan that is a threat to us, Jean." Levi said as calmly as he could.

"NO!" Jean shouted, "We need him! Perhaps more than we need this forest or this entire state!"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Pardon?"

At Times like this, Jean hoped he had Armins strategic mind and ability to think on the spot. If Levi's glare wasn't enough, Erwin was also looking at him with doubt.

Jean's eyes widened when he saw Eren and Erwin and an idea sparked in his eyes.

Levi drew out his blades. "Didn't think so-"

"We need him!" he shouted again. "Think of it, captain, Erens term will end in less than 5 years and there is no guarantee we can get our hands on some titan turning syringe by then!?" Jean shouted, putting himself between titans and deadly blades. "Is it really worth it to risk losing the founding titan forever if we can't have someone inherit it?"

Eren was taken aback for a moment. Mikasa looked at Jean with shock and a sudden burst of anger that made her glare and growl. Almost immediately reaching to take Eren's hand from the other horse.

Eren did take her hand as a reassurance, but his jade eyes stayed at Jeans.

Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say-

Jean shut his eyes. "We might be pure titans to inherit our own titans and he is our only chance other than Connie's mom! And-and He can behave!" he said as a matter of fact. "Just look at this."

Jean turned around and left the other four and the other recruits on the trees in stunned silence. He turned towards the titan, even when his instincts shouted against it, and reached out an open palm.

what am I doing? He thought with terror boiling in his blood.

His nervousness amplified when the titan moved. Moved its hand. His dark eyes held waves and waves of emotion but he slowly moved his hand until, to Jeans horror and relief, his index finger pressed against Jeans open palm.

Jean gasped out the breath he didn't know he was holding when the titan didn't attempt to eat him.

Suffocating silence filled the area until the forest was full of whispers and murmurs of awe. Until it was all their ears could hear.

"SILENCE!"

Erwins loud shout effectively made everyone fall back into silence again. The blond commander narrowed his eyes at recruits on the trees and pushed his horse forward towards Jean. The titan dropped his hand and leaned back against the tree again.

"Do NOT try this ever again." He threatened. "Not you, AND NOT ANY OF YOU! Understood?"

A chorus of "YESSIR!"s came from the recruits at Erwins command.

Erwin took a deep breath and pushed his horse forward until he closed the distance between Jean and himself. "This was the most reckless thing anyone has ever done." he said as a matter of fact, his brows frowned.

The commander took a deep breath. "But, you have a point in this." he said with a bitter smile.

The commander's blue eyes traveled to the 15 meter titan above him. "This titan lives." he announced. "A behaving pure titan is worth more than this forest."

Another round of whispers and murmurs echoed in the forest but Erwin and Jean both ignored them. "Get back on your horse." Erwin ordered. "We'll station watch outs in this forest. if the titan leaves then it's a threat and will be dealt with accordingly."

Jean nodded with a breath of relief. "Thank you, sir."

Erwin pointed at everyone else to desert the area.

And Jean looked back at the freckled titan one more time the titan just sat back. His lips grew into a bitter smile at Jean, again, extremely familiar.

Jean gripped the handle of his horse tight enough that his knuckles turned white.

"Get on, you have other places to look at."

Jean snapped out of his trance and turned his head towards the voice. It was coming from Eren. Who had a mischievous smirk on his lips. "... I wasn't expecting it to work... But I suppose you're just another Eldian." he murmured, his purple laced eyes searching Jean up and down.

"Whatever that's supposed to mean. Why are your eyes purple?" Jean asked, his eyes wide.

Erens smile only grew. "Oh, this?" he murmured, running his hands under his eyelids, his smirk growing even wider. "It's called the founder's eye, Jean."

"What?"

Eren turned his horse around, waving dismissively as he rode towards Mikasa and the commanders.

Jean watched him from the corner of his eyes. The next time he saw his eyes, they were their usual jade green.

"-That very night... A guy called Adler came to me and Connie's room. He seemed nice. He came with one of the very first groups who volunteered to be a scout after the disastrous operation to take back wall Maria. He said Commander Erwin wants to see us all-"

Commander Erwin had called all six of them to his office right before dawn. Jean and Connie had to physically pull Sasha out of her room in order to force her to the meeting. Meanwhile Eren and Mikasa, the perfect silent bystanders, watched them.
When they finally reached the Scout headquarters, the new recruits in the area started to behave normally and their small chat ceased to nothing.

Jean didn't like the atmospheres the new recruits brought with themselves. He could hear them laughing and joking and dreaming, about the outside world and victory. And he heard other small secrets being exchanged between life long friends that- no... He didn't hear that.

He chose not to hear many things while they were passing.

Adler, the same messenger from earlier, opened the door of the main office for them. He was stationed as Erwins assistant as well. Jean could see how happy he was that they all had come and he didn't have to leave his new friends to find each of them individually again.

The plain black doors of the main office of the Scouts closed without an echoing sound. In Front of them Erwin, Hange and Levi sat behind the table. Levi had his arms crossed and light was reflecting off Hange's glasses. "Welcome back." they said, a hint of a smile in their voice. "Please
sit down, we have important matters to discuss."

The five of them exchanged a look before sitting down on five chairs in front of them, around the circular table. Erwin laced his fingers in front of his face to hide his smile.

With Connie and Sasha on either side of Jean and Eren and Mikasa in front of them. Erwin tapped his fingers to the table. It was probably the first time Jean was seeing the commander with some hint of a concealed smile. "I'm sure you've met some of our newer recruits already." Erwin explained. "Unlike what we expected we have quite the number of recruits this year."

They nodded.

"It's refreshing to see them so happy sir." The brave one, Sasha, said loudly while the rest nodded their heads in silence.

"As you are all aware, in the near future there will be no titans for the Survey corps to fight against." Erwin said loudly. "But there are bigger threats in the waiting."
Jean noticed the way Eren closed his eyes and his arms tensed.

"The Survey corps will undergo some thorough changes in the near future." Erwin explained, he picked up a small black box from the drawer and put it on the table.

"This change will start with you."

The words got their attention immediately, Connie and Sasha blinked at each other and Mikasa leaned towards the table. Eren acted stoic and distant, like nothing was important in this room.

Erwin cleared his throat. "You... are our new special operation squad." Erwin said with a smile. "And Jean Kirstein... You have proven yourself to see potential and we have seen your talent in leadership. You will become, officially, the Captain of the special operation squad."

Silence settled, mostly because Jean was too shocked to answer. Jean was taken aback for a moment. Of all the things he wanted to hear, those words certainly weren't one of them.

Captain Jean?

Well, he preferred Captain Kirstein but-

He was thrown out of his thoughts by Connie, who nonchalantly threw his hand around his shoulder and started shaking him. "Oh, Congrats Jean-boy." Connie mocked.

Jean wanted to smack the boy across the face.

Sasha did the same from the other side. Shaking both of them violently, laughing as she did so.

"Ay, Ay, Captain Kirstein!"

Erwin cleared his throat which made Connie and Sasha carefully back away and sit back on their chairs. Jean saw Erwin intentionally play with the green pendant around his neck. "The paper works are now in work and you will be expected to wear your badge accordingly from tomorrow."

Jean opened his mouth to ask but then noticed the black box that Erwin gently slid to his front. There was a golden Scouts logo on the black box and Jean couldn't stop his fingers from slowly opening the box.

Jean bit the smile that grew on his lips when he saw the red pendant inside the box. His eyes traveled over to Levi and saw their pendants were the same color.

Red pendant is a captain's sign, after all.

Green for the commander, Blue for a section commander and-

Red for captains.

"It's beautiful!" Sasha murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "It'll look good on you, Captain."

Hange laughed and then shook her head. "Careful now, Connie, Sasha, he's your superior officer after all."

"Superior officer." Eren chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back.

Erwin cleared his throat to get their attention back. "And for starters, we want this squad to map the lower half of the island in the following week."

Jean nodded, eyes still wide and the whole situation still totally unbelievable.

"You think you can do it?"

Jean blinked. "We have to evaluate it first. Aside from the beach, we barely know anything else about the south... But yes, it'll be done." he said.

"Good." Erwin said, his positive aura melted away and was replaced by seriousness. "You must understand that As members of the Special operation squad, you five will be expected to be available almost at any time and each of you might be needed to help train the new recruits."

"Yessir," they all said at the same time, Even Mikasa.

Meanwhile, Erwin explained every detail they needed. Jean tried to ignore the way Levi gave him a look that was both proud and annoyed.

Jean's blood ran cold for a moment because he had Levi's old position now.

Someone would be very happy to hear this.

On a moonless night, all Jean could do was use spare paper and pencil as drawing tools.

The camp in the woods, where all of them stayed for the night, was deadly calm. Only the sound of the nearby ocean penetrated the tent's thin walls. Jean's eyes traveled from the paper to Connie and Sashas sleeping form. They were tangled together and often kicked each other in their sleep. Meanwhile, it was Mikasa and Erens turn to stay watch.

This mission to map the southern borders was supposed to take two weeks. Which didn't really need the special operation squad to complete it.

But... After they found that freckled titan in the woods, no one could be exactly sure that the land outside wall Maria was completely titan free.

Jean thought it was ridiculous because if Eren had done anything right in his life was that he had exterminated all the titans just like how he'd promised the entire cadette corp when he was twelve years old.

Well, every pure titan anyway. There were a lot of titans left.

First and foremost himself.

Jean sighed loudly and left his sleeping place as quietly as he could, afraid of waking Connie or Sasha up.

Jean rubbed his achind head as he walked out. Mikasa immediately turned back, looking at Jean from the corner of her eye.

Mikasa and Eren were sitting around the fire they had made before calling it a night. Eren poked the fire with a long stick in his hands, the wind coming from the beach was putting out the fire slowly, little by little. Eren's eyes were completely glued on the fire. "Sleepless night?" he said, a little loudly.

"Yeah." Jean whispered with a hushed tone. "I'll go for a walk on the beach... If anything happens I'll hear you..."

Mikasa pointed at the tent with her thumb. "Should we wake Connie or Sasha up?"

Jean shook his head. "They've been running around and mapping this place for the past few days without rest... Let them have it."

"Hey Jean..." Eren chuckled. "Relax a bit... It's not like a titan is going to jump and eat us."

Jean grit his teeth. "They just might-" he hummed. "I'll be back in a moment."

That's all Jean said before he headed towards the beach.

Step after step, the texture of the ground changed from dirt to sand. Hard to soft. With every step he took the sound of the waves became more dominant.

The moon couldn't light much of the ocean and Jean didn't step further than the light of the camp could reach. Just enough that he was away from the light but not enough to drown in darkness.

Jean took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The air smelled of salt and he could feel the thickness of the air.

And he wondered. There was no need for him to be promoted. Perhaps Captain Levi wanted to change squads. Yes. That is the most likely reason.

Because otherwise...

Jean opened his eyes and turned around. He wanted to return to the camp before his eyes caught the reflection of a white thing in the sand.

He froze for a moment.

Then he kneeled down and took out his handkerchief from his pocket and searched for the white object in the sand. He hoped he had seen something wrong but his fingers could a small cylindrical shape.

He turned it around and took a thorough look at it. It looked like a cigarette but smaller and leaner. And definitely used. Jean had no way of telling if it was new or not.

He turned his head up and looked around.

A few feet away from where he found the cigarette, he found strange patterns on the semi- wet sand. It was larger and it was hard to tell with the little light he had but it was unmistakably a trail of footsteps.

Jean took a sharp breath through his teeth, the footsteps were definitely new.

Right now, his squad was the only people outside of the walls. Even if the person running around here was a paradisian, this cigarette in his hands wasn't made in Paradis. He was sure of it.

Jean narrowed his eyes and ignored the sudden panic in his heart as he walked as fast and quietly as he could back to their camp.

Eren was the first to notice. "Jean?" he murmured but Jean walked past Mikasa and Eren and yanked the tent's door. "GET UP!" he whisper-yelled at Connie and Sasha. They jumped up with bagged eyes and naggings on the tip of their tongue.

Mikasa and Eren stood up. "What's wrong?" Mikasa murmured. Jean waited for Connie and Sasha to come out of the tent before he held up his handkerchief. "We've got company." he said quickly. "Connie, Sasha! Come here!"

Jean looked each and everyone in the eyes. "We're not alone." Jean said as a matter of fact. "I found fresh footsteps on the beach side and then this-" he opened the piece of parchment in his hand to show a white cigarette. "I think it-"

"It's a cigarette and it belongs to a Marlyan." Eren interrupted, "They are here." Silence settled between them, a cold horrified feeling slowly grew in their heart's.

"They're here?" Sasha murmured. "As in... Right now?"

Jean fisted his hands, he growled under his breath great, the best opportunity to test his patience. Jean snapped his head at Connie and Sasha. "You two, report back to HQ right now and take all the maps you made with you." Jean ordered. "Tell Hange and Erwin whatever we know. We'll see if we can find them."

"Find them?" Connie murmured, eyes wide.

"Yes, you two, go." he said, pointing at the horses. "NOW!"

Connie and Sasha nodded sharply, they gathered their equipment in record time and their horses quickly disappeared, to go back to the walls.

Mikasa threw a bucket of water on her fire. "What now?" she asked. "They can be anywhere on the outer walls."

Jean rubbed his chin. "Not really." he hummed. "The footprints were all going south, towards the same port we saw that day. Assuming that's the only port on the island, that's where we should be going."

Jean gently rubbed his horse's face with an emotionless face. "Let's go." he murmured. "If they are here to turn more people titans then..."

"We'll stop them." Mikasa assured him, Jumping on her own horse. "Eren..."

Eren nodded as well.

Jean would have prefered if they could somehow reach that port without a sound but they had to get there as fast as possible.

When they reached the port and hid behind it. Jean caugh the silhouette of two soldiers with white uniforms gathering their equipment back inside a black ship near the port. From how they were gathering their equipment, it was obvious they were leaving and their guns were unloaded inside the boat, away from their reach.

Mikasa spiralled into action before Jean and Eren could even blink, stabbing one of the soldiers and knocking the other out.

Jean climbed the stairs and took out his binoculars to take a look from the high of the port. He jumped down immediately next to where Eren and Mikasa were. "Not good," he said. "There is a giant mothership and two other small boats coming this way."

Eren narrowed his eyes, cracking his knuckles. "How many are there?"

"Five in each boat. I couldn't get a good look." Jean crossed his arms. "If they are here to release more pure titans we have to stop them before they transform." Jean said as a matter of fact. "If not, it still doesn't matter, we can't have that ship in one piece."

Mikasa tied the Marlyans tightly to a tree.
Eren stared at the two small boats coming their way. "Then I'll transform," he said, lifting his right hand to bite on.
He was stopped by Jean's hand that gripped his wrist. "No! Eren! There might be more of them!" Jean said, forcefully pulling Eren's hand away from his mouth.

Eren narrowed his eyes, glaring at Jean who looked overly confident. "Ever more reason to transform right now!" he hissed.

"And let them escape with whatever info they have on the island?" Jean hissed back. "Look, Eren, they are in a great position to escape with their boats and we won't be able to follow them."

"Isn't that the point?" Eren rolled his eyes. "Then they'll return later with the poor Eldians that are going to be turned into titans."

That made Eren stop for a moment. Good.

Eren growled under his breath and broke Jean's grip on his hands. He hated to admit it but Jean was right. Slowly, Eren felt a familiar strong grip on his shoulder.
He turned to see it was Mikasa. "Eren..." she murmured. "Listen to him."

Eren gritted his teeth and then sighed loudly. "Whatever." he murmured. He could see Jean relax a bit. He turned around to check on the boats once again.

"Ready your blades," he whispered. "They are near."

As the ship got closer to the shores, an earth shattering sound came from behind the ship. The force of the waves almost knocked both of the enemy ships over, forcing those who could escape flee with their life to the shore and those who couldn't drown.

The colossal titan emerged from the waters. Bones and muscles of the titan stood proudly. Erwin did nothing but stand and yet it made the Marlyans scream in fear.

That's what power does, Jean thinks to himself, crossing his arms over his chest as he and his squad watched from a safe distance on top of a nearby hill.

The Marleyans escaped to the shore only to meet Captain Levi and his squad pointing a gun in their face.

Since the special operation squad had done its work, they had a seat to watch everything from a safe distance, Jean wasn't especially worried.

(He was worried, worried because Eren was drowned in his own thoughts since Commander Erwin and the others arrived.)

It was Connie who broke their deadly silence of the night. "Wow! Have you guys ever seen the commander's Colossal Titan before?" Connie asked curiously. "Is it me? Or does it look more muscular than Bertholds?"

Jean narrowed his eyes. "His face looks different too." he hummed. "Longer, leaner and with bigger eyes."

"But that doesn't make them any less heavy to destroy the ground they are walking over." Eren said, his eyes on the ground.

A beat of silence passed. The chat between Jean and Connie died down immediately and Eren found everyone, even Sasha with her sleepy eyes, staring at him with confusion.

"Eren?"

Eren looked up, a little confused. It took a few moments for him to realise he'd said that out loud. He pushed his long brown hair out of his face. "It's nothing. The ocean plate must have taken a bad damage at this point." he murmured.
Connie and Jean exchanged a look but didn't comment.

Neither of them noticed Sasha slacking off to sleep. Except Mikasa who pulled up her ponytail. "Sasha! Wake up." she said loudly.

Sasha mumbled something but her eyes kept closing. Connie sat down and leaned against a rock, turning his back against the fight on the shores. "Let her be, Mikasa." he murmured. "We've all had a long night."

"But we're going to have an even longer day, though, so keep trying to wake her up, Mikasa." Jean said carelessly.

Eren couldn't help but chuckle.

Sasha rubbed her eyes. "Ok, Ok fine I'm awake."

Mikasa rolled her eyes. She turned to Jean as the nonexistent fight in front of them ceased and their enemy was arrested one by one. "What are they going to do with the Marleyan volunteers?" Mikasa asked, staring at Jean.

"Why are you giving me a death glare? Mikasa, that won't work on me." Jean said and rolled his eyes. "But they are going to keep them here for a while until a military session goes on and they choose what to do with them."

Eren's eyes stared at the group of Marlyan volunteers that were standing away from the others, Commander Erwin was talking to them, probably testing them in his own strange sense of the word.

Slowly, his eyes were searching for the woman she saw in his dreams. A 2-meter tall woman with an important message from his brother, from Zeke.

Eren missed their home.

Missed their garden, the house, his room, the smell of fresh pies in the morning that Mrs Cohen, the neighbor next door, was too kind to give them every weekend.

And how much nothing reminded him of the pending apokolips.

"I think we're in for a cleaning season." he murmured as his hand brushed the wooden outer gate of their small garden. Mikasa opened the door and walked inside, a smile on her face. "We are," she murmured with a smile. "We were gone for a week after all."

Eren shook his head as they walked through their small garden to reach their home, it took only ten steps from the gate to the door.

The keys jingled in Mikasa's hand before she put them inside the door, before they could step in however, they were. interrupted by an overly eager teenager running down from the Cohens house.

Eren laughed under his breath. "Cyrus..." he murmured as the blond boy got closer, panting and clutching a book to his chest. "What brings you here this early?"

"Mr Yeager! Mr Yeager!" The boy cheered and ran to them with the biggest smile on his face, before he stopped right in front of the two of them, his blue eyes darting between Eren and Mikasa.

"Im- Im so glad I could find you!"

Eren raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be attending your academics right now? School?"

The neighbor's son, Cyrus, jumped up and down and shook his head. His short blonde hair dangled up and down when the excited boy couldn't keep his excitement. "Mr Yeager? Ms Ackermann? Can I ask you a question?"

Eren and Mikasa exchanged a look. Eren kneeled down with a gentle smile on his face. He reached out to ruffle the small blonde locks. "What is it?" he asked.
Cyrus beemed. "Is it true that Ms Ackerman had to save you from bullies when you were children?"

Mikasa chuckled very quietly and hid it quickly, looking at Cyrus with laughter in her eyes. Eren smiled. "Well... What can I say?" he murmured looking back at Mikasa with adoration. "She was always my savior."

Cyrus' excitement seemed to dull down. "Oh... That's cool!" Cyrus murmured, huge eyes looking between her and Eren. "I didn't believe it at first when I read it, I guess I lost the bet... But even the Attack Titan needs saving from time to time." Eren hadn't seen any new articles about himself or anybody else that would hint at that fact.

Strange. It had been a while since the newpapars had dropped the "Attack Titan" rampage and their interest in him.

It was Mikasa who broke the silence. "Aren't you young to be reading newspapers?"

Cyrus shook his head. "It wasn't a newspaper article and no, Ms Ackerman, I'm fourteen! I'll sign up for the cadettes soon! If they hadn't aged up the requirements, I would be in my last year of training" he said with a slight frown. "Believe me, nothing good comes out of 15 year old soldiers." Eren hummed, standing up to his feet. "Then where did you read it from?" he asked curiously.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Cyrus held up the book he was hugging so that the adults could see it better. It was a thick book with a hard golden cover. The name of which was burnt into the surface. 'Dear world' written in plain cursive.

"The book. Dear world." Cyrus said and waved the book in the air. "It's a collection taken from Armin Arlert's diaries. He was your best friend right? I was so curious, I finished it in two days. "

The atmosphere changed on a whim.

Mikasa dropped the keys, the sound of it echoed in the deadly silence between them. She slowly took her eyes off the keyhole to stare at Cyrus with wide eyes.

Eren looked at Cyrus with horror. His green eyes fixed on Cyruss confused Blue eyes. "Armins... Diaries..?" he said, with a fixed jaw.

"Yes..." Cyrus murmured, confused. "Is something wrong?"

Eren knew he was bad at hiding his anger, the poor boy took a step back, carefully clutching the book to his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the urge to grab the book from the teenagers hands.

Instead, he opened his palm. "Can I have your book, Cyrus?" Eren asked, more like ordered. Eren could feel Cyrus suddenly tense. His blue eyes wavered a little and he bit the side of his lip. Cyrus offered up the book with a forced smile. "Sure..." he said awkwardly. "Will you... Give it back to me?"

Eren took the book, too preoccupied with the new information to answer him. "Thank you, Cyrus."

Mikasa held the door open and Eren stepped inside, Mikasa gently closed the door with one final awkward smile at Cyrus.

The door closed in front of the teenager's face.

Eren opened the book the moment he heard the door bang. Mikasa made her way to the living room, where Eren was standing, too angry for his eyes to focus
on the words he was reading.

"Dear world..." he murmured, running his fingers through the hard cover and opening the book, Mikasa was surprised the book didn't rip apart under Eren fingers.

"Collection of a Life of a Scout, Armin Arlert. Published by STOHESS publications" Eren read outloud.

Armin's diaries...

Published...?

Eren opened the first page, wishing he could find something, anything, to prove this wasn't his best friend's sacred diaries that were published.

The same ones he was supposed to destroy.

Nothing like this was in his future memories.

Mikasa closed her eyes, touching her forehead. "How did they...?"

A laugh echoed in the empty room. Mikasa opened her eyes to see Eren holding a hand to his mouth and laughing nervously while staring at the first page. "Armin's... Diaries..." he repeated and barked a laugh. "It's... It's true... It's really his diary."

Eren covered his mouth and took a sharp breath. Mikasa's eyes widened. "How did they even get a hold of it?" he asked loudly, his green eyes traveling from the book to Mikasa's eyes. "He always... Kept them hidden and- and- I- I didn't look for them! It's my fault! I didn't look for it and they found it!"

Mikasa closed her eyes, thousands of memories, of Eren and her teasing Armin for his diary, of them flipping his room upside down trying to find that forbidden piece of Armins life...

...and now...

"He was afraid of people finding it out." Mikasa murmured quietly, her eyes falling to the ground because she couldn't tell Eren this was a cruel joke.

Eren threw it on the sofa, running his hand through his long chocolate hair and pulling it. "Did you know where he kept them?" Eren asked simply, voice hoarse.
Mikasa pressed her mouth to a thin line. "It can be a fake." Mikasa said as a matter of fact.

"Read it, Mikasa" Eren pointed at the book thrown at the sofa, eyes glued to the golden surface. "It's like... He's talking. I read the first page and yet all the details match."

Eren gasped and ran a hand through his hair. "But- but- he hid them somewhere. How could they find it if you and I couldn't?" Eren murmured quietly. Mikasa was having a hard time swallowing her own emotions and disappointment in herself.

Suddenly Erens froze. "The room..." Eren murmured.

"What..?"

"Our room in the scouts HQ" Eren murmured, green eyes wide and panicked. "He must have hidden it there somewhere..."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"And when I... Abandoned it... They must have cleared it out entirely and..." Eren bit his lip, narrowing his eyes angrily. "And they must have found Armins' diaries... And someone must have read it and published it... So it's my fault... I abandoned our room and gave both our personal space to strangers."

"Oh... Eren..."

Eren ran an angry hand through his hair, almost pulling it out. "How can I fail him so many times?" Eren gasped, burying his face in his hands. "How?" The sound of Erens angry breathing echoed in the living room.

Mikasa had a hard time lining up with her own guilt.

That little game of chase she had with Armin all those years ago. Of Armin swearing no one can find something he hides and Mikasa accepting the dare. She never knew she'd win this way.

Eren buried his face in his hands, the golden book totally forgotten. Mikasa sat next to him, slowly taking him into his arms. Eren crumbled and broke down, safe in Mikasa's arms.

Jean closed the book with a sigh. Cyruss dead book was bent and almost broken at this point.

"someone must have found it when they were clearing out his room." Jean hummed, dropping the book on the table of the Scouts HQs library. "And did you really call me horse-face that many
times, Yeager?"

Eren stared out of the window, with his head resting against the window frame and his arms crossed. Mikasa, Sasha and Connie sitting on a comfortable chair nearby.

"And I like baked potatoes!" Sasha argued loudly. "Not steamed!"

Connie smacked him from behind. "No, I remember!" he said. "You had a steamed potato when you were arguing with Shadis!"

Jean rubbed his eyes. "You're all missing the point." Jean argued. "How did they get a hold of Armins diary? These are top level scout secrets... Maybe if I get to the Scouts records, I can get the name of the guy who stole his diary... Do you think Commander Erwin will let this go
on."

"Yes."

The firm words from Eren snapped their attention to him. Eren fisted his hands against the window. "That information is no longer useful to the scouts... I doubt Erwin or Hange would do anything about it. Especially Hange. They're all about letting the public do what they want with their knowledge."

Sasha looked between Mikasa and Eren's stoic face. "Should we stop it?" she asked, not sure how either of them would react.

She was greeted with silence. Sasha rubbed her chin, then she hit her fist to her open palm. "I remember now! someone sneaked inside the records room a few months back." Sasha murmured softly. "I think that's how they found out about what happened... After."

Jean narrowed his eyes.

"Hange, Erwin or Levi won't stop it" Jean concluded. "If anything, I think they somehow knew it was going to be published. I like to think I know them and they really need a new shift of positive public opinion for the Scouts."

His words threw the group into silence.
Silence that was broken by a small sound coming from the other side of the room. "Have any of you read it?" Eren asked suddenly. Lifting his head to stare at their eyes. Mikasa was worried about the others' actions. Sasha rubbed the back of her neck and was the first to break the deafening silence.

"I did a peak... Just a small look." she admitted. "I was curious what he'd written about me."

Connie leaned back against his chair. "Yeah..." he murmured. "Me too, but I couldn't go further, I remember how scared he was when we found out he had a diary. How scared he was of the thought of us finding it and reading it."

Eren fisted his hands and turned around, meeting his friends' eyes. "Good..." he murmured. "Because he'd be very sad if we did."

Eren didn't wait for others' answer before he calmly stepped out of the room, Mikasa wanted to follow before she sat down again, deciding to give him some much needed space.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Jean stared at the freckled titans dark eyes, a low chuckle escaped his lips.

The freckled titan gently pushed Jean off his face. Jean jumped back and shot his ODM gear towards a nearby tree branch. "Well... Listen... Hange wanted to know exactly how coherent you are..." he said out loud.

The titan turned his head towards Jean. Jean nodded again. "Section commander Hange Zoe. They're also the head of the Scouts development center. Which means sooner or later they'll come to analyze you. Since you're more human than titan, I thought I should give you a heads up... If you understand me, can you hold your hand up?"

Jean narrowed his eyes when the titan started moving. The freckled titan slowly held his right hand up, it's dark eyes looking straight at Jean.

Jean hummed thoughtfully. "Wow that's... I wasn't expecting that. Ok, how much can you control yourself? Can you write?" he murmured.

The titan blinked thoughtfully before fisting his hand. He hovered his titan hand above the dirt and let his index finger make a long line on the dirt.

Jean kneeled on the titans shoulder again and hummed thoughtfully. He couldn't read Marleyan but if he writes something coherent enough to have Eren take a look at.

Jean rubbed his sore eyes for a moment until the sound of leaves being crushed and dirt being moved suddenly stopped.

And to his surprise, he could read what was written on the ground.

Yes.

He could read it. It was written in Paradises language and Jean couldn't believe his eyes. They were told only Eldians of Marley were turned into titans but if this man here can write in Paradis language then it means-

-he was from Paradis.

"Are you from Marley?" Jean asked worriedly.

The titan turned his head around to look at Jean from the corner of his eyes. The titan slowly shook his head, slow enough that Jean wouldn't fall off.

this titan is strange indeed.

"Do you know what Marley is?" Jean asked for good measures.

The titan shook his head again.

Jean hummed thoughtfully. "Can you write where you are from?" he asked. "Try it, please."

The titan leaned down a little bit and rested his open palm against the ground again. This time it was much less illegible. But by the crooked lines on the ground, Jean could read the name of a city east of wall Rose.

"Jinea." Jean read out loud. "... So you really are from Paradis!?"

The titan didn't respond.

Jean cleared his throat. "Ok, enough questions for now. I think I never introduced myself. My name is Jean Kirstein. I'm from Trost district. Have you been there?"

The titan nodded quietly. It opened its mouth in a small roar that sounded like "Yee"

"Oh, at least I know you can make sounds." Jean murmured as a joke. "I think you frightened the guards."

To Jeans equal horror and joy, the titans lips pulled into a fake smile. a smile. Making a titan smile was never in Jeans to do list.

Suddenly Jean's smile dropped. "You've been to Trost... As a human, right?" he murmured, panic rising to his chest when he remembered that fateful day the walls came crashing down. Jean gripped the titans hair as hard as he could, leaning towards its face. "As a human, right?"

The titan turned around, looking down in shame.

"Were you... Were you in Trost when the walls were breached?"

The titans hand started to shake, gently moving on the ground until it spread a piece of the ground free of red leaves and wrote "yes."

At first, Jean wanted to turn around and leave. A titan that came to Trost could be dangerous no matter how it acted now. But then, something in the back of his mind whispered one word.

witness.

This titan could be the only witness Jean could ever get his hands on.

Jean jumped back only to land on the ground in front of the titan. "Look, I'll be honest here." he said, holding his hands up. "I won't blame you if you hurt anybody during that time but- if you remember them- there is someone I lost at that time."

The titans leaned closer until its head was close to the ground, a few meters away from Jean's own.

"He was tall, about 15 years old, he had black hair and freckles all over his pale face. I think he had an undercut on the back of his head but to be totally honest- I don't remember him that well but I can show you a picture I have of him if you want one- that's not the point!" Jean murmured, shaking his head in frustration. "The thing is- he was great with ODM and I doubt- really really doubt- that he could die just by titans and I think he was sabotaged somehow. Did you see him that day?"

The titans mouth opened in surprise.

"I... I know... You're probably thinking this idiot thinks all titans know each other." Jean murmured as his smile dropped.

But the titan smiled. The titan smiled but in truth it was just showing its perfectly sharp teeth. The titan moved his head up and down in a nod. The freckled titan pointed at his head with his finger and drew an imagined line from his forehead to his chest, as if cutting himself in half.

Jean choked on his breath, images of how he found Marco invaded his mind. "Ye-Yeah, If you mean the way he was cut. Yeah- he was cut in half- did you see it? What happened to him?"

But instead of answering him, The titan stood up to his feet. One step after another, he started running away.

"No WAIT, Tit- I mean-!" Jean shouted, sending his ODM hooks to fly after the titan.

The ground shook by the titans footsteps and Jean flew after him, wind traveled through his face and pushed his hair back until he sent his ODM gear hooked to the back of the titans head.

But before Jean could land safely on the titans back, it turned around and grabbed Jean's body in a death grip. Jean's hands were trapped on his sides. Unfortunately Jean didn't have his blades ready to slice the titans fingers off. So he could only watch in horror as the titan stopped to a halt and tightened its hold on him.

A loud roar left the titans mouth and echoed in the forest. Jean had to shut his eyes against the saliva that fell all over him.

The roar was simple enough, a plea to be left alone.

Or a threat.

The titan threw Jean away like a ragdoll. It happened too fast but Jean was able to send his ODM gear at the last minute.

Jean fell down with a loud crack and rolled on the ground a few times. Although the ODM gear took some of the impact, he still landed on his hand and the force of it made it bleed, Jean was wondering if his hand was broken again.

The ground shook as the titan ran away, away to the other side of the forest.

Soon, the guards Erwin had stationed would come to see what was wrong. Even in his injured state, Jean doesn't really need to move, he'll be found soon enough.

Jean grabbed his bleeding elbow tightly and watched the 15-meter titan disappear in the woods.

"I refuse to believe the words Commander Erwin told me. He said he can't stop the free media but I know he knew what was happening. But I guess he needed to turn the public opinion to our favor- anyway- Eren cried his eyes out but was good the next few days..." Jean leaned back on the titan. "... Uh... When the azumabito arrived, that's when the problems started. When their proposal was being read I could see Eren boiling with anger." he murmured. "Hange offered another alternative, one that said Hizuru could help Paradis start relations with the rest of the world."

The sun was beginning to set, the sky a beautiful range of orange and light gold as their carriage was pulled after the locomotive on the railing they had just built.

It stretched towards the horizon and gave them a small sense of peace as the locomotive rode towards the sun.

"Hange has a plan for everything right!" Sasha cheered, throwing her hand over Mikasa's shoulder to pull her closer in excitement. "I can't believe we're going to Marley! The outside world!" she yelled happily, turning her head towards Connie. "What else do we need? A brush? Some food?"

Connie titled his head with a chuckle. "Marleyans have food, potato girls. You're not going to starve."

Jean sighed loudly, his fedora hat covered his vision of the two and he could see Eren who was sitting next to him.

Sasha sighed loudly. "Nothing even compares to Nicolos cooking... And don't call me potato girl!"

"Sasha, you don't need to choke me because you're excited. "Mikasa murmured, slowly untangling her arms from her neck.

"But we're going to the outside world! The first outer island scout mission Ever! I mean- do Hange and Commander Erwin have a plan for everything?"

Eren hummed thoughtfully. "If only they had more time." he sighed loudly. "Even if the Marleyan Volunteers gave us titan serum and we can preserve the founder in safe hands… My term still ends in three years, Zekes in two. Soon enough they'll start talking about my successor." Erens jade eyes stayed still on Mikasas.

Mikasa, who gripped the fabric of her sleeves as tightly as she could. "I'll take it." she said as a matter of fact.

"No offense, Mikasa, but the azumabito will be on our throats if that happens." Jean pointed out.

Mikasa glared at him sharply. "If we don't give a volunteer, the government will choose one for him." she snapped, "we can't just have a random MP taking Eren's titan."

"Which Is exactly why I was planning to volunteer myself." Jean said, tipping back his fedora. "I'm a captain of the survey corps so the other regiments can't offer a better alternative or argue."

Connie rolled his eyes. "And that makes you even more unsuitable." he said. "All of us here are high ranking scouts. You just happen to be the commanding officer." he sighed loudly. "I'll inherit it, Eren, and I'll take good care of it."

Eren smiled bitterly. "Connie..."

Sasha shook her head. "But Connie, we can't have you inherit it! You're an even worse idiot adventurous than I am." she murmured.

Then she leaned back and cleared her throat. "I don't really want to but-" she pulled her bangs back with shaking hands. "I'll inherit it!"

"Sasha-"

"I know it's a big sacrifice!"

"No... Sasha..." Eren murmured, looking a little downwards. "I don't want any of you to inherit it. I want you all to live long lives." Eren admitted, his eyes looked down in embarrassment. "You're all really important to me... More important than anyone."

Eren looked away to hide the redness on his face, the embarrassment he felt when he was emotional. "I... Don't want any of you to deal with the 13 year curse."

They say in comfortable silence, slowly going towards the sunset.

Eren looked at Mikasa from the corner of his eyes.

He had to fight the smile on his lips.

"Oi!"

"What are you turning red for?"

Jean took a deep breath and leaned his back against the titans neck. "Commander Erwin... He sent some soldiers here and there... Mainly just to see the world and mere observations. This activity took a nation's attention. A small nation in the west of Marley named Torana... At the time this was all a secret, one that I couldn't tell you because I was sure a few of the MPs were following me around. Anyway, One day... A black ship arrived in the island..."

The woman bowed by simply putting her open palm over her heart and ankling her neck slightly downwards.

She had a veil covering her curly hair tied to a tight bun in the back of her head and covered it with a red veil that barely covered any of her head and as she later said 'it was just for preserving traditions.'

She had slightly darker skin than Paradise's average but was much lighter than Onyankopon.

Jean had the perfect spot to analyze her, on the Scouts seat, left of where she was standing alone, facing the queen and the top commanders.

She looked directly at Historia and ignored Erwin, Pixys and Zachary unless she was being talked to.

The woman was the head of her crew and looked at them with polite smiles when they stopped the ship and said she wanted to talk to the queen.

Which... Historia granted under military supervision.

"I come on the behalf of king of Torana!" She said out loud, nodding her head politely. She showed her badge with the royal sign resting above her breast pocket. "My name is Captain Aisha Levant. And I come on direct behalf of our king to talk to you your majesty."

Historia took a deep breath. "I see... And why is that?"

"Torana has a long history of being Eldias trade partner. And not just Eldia, we held annual festivals to celebrate and come across new opportunities for trades and making fortune." Captain Levant explained. "I come on behalf of the king to Invite Paradis to this event. But of course, it's an open invitation. You don't need Toranas permission to visit the city of Taxven as tourists."

Historia narrowed her eyes. "Why would Torana take such a risk? Wouldn't inviting us ruin your chances with other nations?"

"That is for us to decide." Captain Levant said with a smile. "Paradis is free to come and interact with other nations as long as it doesn't step on Toranas regional rules."

Historia raised an eyebrow. "I see." she murmured.

Premier Zachary rubbed his beard. "We thank Torana for its generous offer but... I fail to see why Torana would go to such lengths to get our attention. Isn't it-"

"We accept your invitation."

A strong voice interrupted Zachary's speech and the old man and everyone in the room turned around to meet Erwin's eyes, who had his fingers laced in front of his face. "Foreign affairs falls in the Scouts line of duty and I am the commander, and responsible for gaining the world's focus on us. After all, Torana came here just because our agents in their land were captured and well... Our secret was out." Erwin cleared his throat. "The least we can do is to accept their offer of alliance."

Erwin turned around to face Historia.

"Of course, that falls on the queen's behalf if she wants to stop our mission."

Historia hummed thoughtfully, gently running her eyes over the letter from Toranas king in front of her.

"To the Queen of Paradis"

"Sir, you still haven't assigned the squad that will accompany you in your journey." one of the soldiers asked.

With no way to beat the heat, Erwin and Levi could only wait at the port as the ship drew closer and closer in the ocean. In Front of them, Captain Levant smiled and looked longingly at the coming ship. Her crew had left the island weeks ago to return with a more fitting ship to escort Paradises representatives to Torana.

Levi raised an eyebrow, wiping his forehead against the intense summer heat. Levi, as strange as it was, had trouble packing and brought a small suitcase with himself only and refused to give it to anyone else. He stood beside Erwin and watched the ship come near them, readying himself for a whole new expedition.

"No one shall follow us." Erwin ordered, not once taking his eyes off the upcoming black ship. "Captain Levi and I will go alone"

The gasp that left the soldier was expected. Erwin was more concerned about the worried look that Levi was giving him from the corner of his
eyes.

"Not to intrude, Commander, but wasn't it safer if we sent another group first." one of the military police officers escorting them said as a matter of fact. "You're putting too much at risk by going by yourself and taking Captain Levi."

"As I said, Captain Levi and I will go alone," he said loudly. "That is the last I want to hear about this subject. Our special operation squad is currently in Marley. I understand why you might have a problem but it is a scout business. Not MP matters."

Erwin looked at the Toranian captain standing right next to him, she pressed her mouth to a thin line and said nothing.

The MP opened his mouth to talk but politely closed it, swallowing down whatever he wanted to say. No words were exchanged until the black ship reached the port. Just blissful silence and the excitement of a new, open and risky path between them.

Finally, The black ship sided by the port, it was the largest one they had ever seen, almost the same size as the Azumabitos ship and three people of their crew stepped into the port. Two men in
military forms that refused to meet any of their eyes."Captain Levant!" they saluted.

It was the first time Erwin saw a Toranian salute, it was strange. They held their open palm while stomping their feet on the ground and then angled their hand to point the tip of their hand to the side of their head.

The two behind her gave another salute aimed at them, which was followed by the other Scouts saluting them. She smiled at Levi and Erwin. "Shall we?" the woman said with a small nodd, her head scarf holding tightly to her hair. She stepped forward.

"This ship is operating to take Commander Erwin smith and his partner safely to Torana!" She ordered her crew. Erwin scanned the two guards and the captain thoroughly. Every paranoid cell in his body was telling him accepting their escort is borderline insanity but he tried to push them aside.

"He is Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey corps." she said with a nod introducing them to her crew. "And with him is Captain Levi Ackerman."
She bit down on her smile, keeping it polite and steady. "Then please, be our guest." she said and pointed to the entrance of the ship and cleared the way. "Our crew will take care of everything else
until you reach Toranas borders."

Erwin stepped inside the metallic ship. It looked different from what the azumabitos escort was. This was almost all black. With a large open area and behind it he assumed were the rooms.
Levi followed quickly behind him, his sharp eyes looking left and right to inspect its cleanliness.

"Tsk, I should have just stayed." he growled under his breath. The shorter man looked back, and met the waiting eyes of their people. Erwin walked over to the railings of the other side, where he had the open view to the ocean once
again.

Beyond that...

Beyond that was waiting for different people.

Let's see how similar you people are to my fathers theory...

Their luggage was taken care of and before Erwin knew it, the ship was leaving the port. Slowly but surely, the shores became smaller and smaller

Erwin didn't look away from the horizon as the ship took him away from the only place he'd ever known.

Paradise.

Levi had yet to leave his side. But his back was against the railing and his dark eyes were fixed on the blue sky, his ears lost in the sound of seagulls and waves.

How long will it take to reach Torana?

Hange had assumed a few days, considering how limited their knowledge was, her guesses were always accurate.

"Erwin."

Levi's soft but alert voice threw him out of his thoughts. The taller man turned around, chasing after what Levi was worried about until he turned around and saw the captain, Captain Levant, standing in front of them.

Captain Levant was alone this time, face completely serious. "First and foremost, I wanted to thank you for accepting Toranas invitation." she said. "I believe you'll like your stay in our nation. Your
rooms are ready, if you have any questions you can ask them." she said as a matter of fact, pointing at the men wearing slightly lighter red colors who were standing a few feet away. She nodded.

"And if you need to talk to me or any other of my crew just notify them, they will also help you adjust to the cultural shock you may have on your stay in Torana." she said as a matter of fact. "I have to attend to my duties for the time being, Commander Erwin, Captain Levi." she said with a nod and turned to leave but Erwins question stopped her.

"Captain Levant?"

She turned around, with her eyes narrowed dangerously at them. Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "Weren't you afraid of coming to the island of devils?" he asked seriously.

The question made Levi raise an eyebrow.

The air stilled between them for a moment, uncomfortable, before She smiled mockingly.

"Of course... Working with Eldian officials is voluntary in my nation..." the Captain smiled. "Also... It's a high honor to be martyred for Torana, and my crew are replaceable. The real question is, were you willing to risk your reputation merely to kill a few newcomers?" Erwin narrowed his eyes.

The captain shook her head. "I was sure you all understood how the world would hear about this day, whether it helped your image or worsened was all up to you. Which title was going to be published 'the ship that came to peace and was slaughtered by the demons of Paradise Island' - or 'the ship that came to the island of so-called devils and left with blessings and rare trades'... I expected nothing less from the person who eradicated the titans from their island."

Captain Levant tipped her hat. "If you may, I have to tend to my crew." she said and stepped back.

"Please, be our guests."

Then, with confident steps, she disappeared into a cabin. Erwin turned his gaze back to the blur ocean. Levi tsked and watched as the woman disappeared. "This whole mess is unbelievable." he murmured under his breath. "Why did we have to go alone?"

Erwin shook his head, "there was no need to involve anyone else." he said, turning to meet Levi's eyes. "Besides, I can't trust anyone else in what is going to be our first mission outside the island."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "But you trust me?" he asked, confused. Erwin laughed inwardly instead of giving him an answer. "Tsk, Erwin, you are insane." Levi murmured as the loud sound of a horn filled the air.

"You could have just said you wanted to go on a vacation with me... Not everything has to involve your job."

"That mission in Marley was... The most stressful mission I ever had in my life. Meanwhile, Hange traveled the world more or less to give what they knew of titan biology- it's name titanology by the way- to other scientists of the world as good will. Hange was having the time of their life, you should have seen their face when their name was carved into the 'wall of titanologists' in a western country... But I didn't like the outside world one bit." Jean admitted out loud, resting his back against the titans giant neck. His hands played with the edges of his notebook. "But You know,... Marley is a really beautiful place..."

The freckled titan didn't respond, his dark eyes kept glued to the horizon.

"I think you would have loved it." Jean murmured with a smile. "As a human, of course. Eren had a field day teaching us what he knew about Marley from his fathers memories and-"

He sighed loudly.

"... If someone told me that Eren will disappear and then send us all to raid a city and kill innocents and put our own lives on the line, I would have never believed them." Jean hummed angrily. He covered his ears and slightly shook his head. "Worst of all? This was all a plan he had with Commander Erwin..."

The freckled titan turned his head around to look Jean from the corner of his eyes. The titans scarred hand rested over his heart and Jean read the question written in its eyes.

"Friend? Uh you mean Sasha? Sasha is- is still in her death bed. Connie is running around her like a butterfly and Nicolo... Oh my... No one has told Nicolo or her family yet..."

The titans dark eyes shone in the moonlight. As if he was asking something of Jean.

Jean bit his lips. "And Eren?"

The titan nodded.

Jean smiled bitterly. "Don't worry. Eren didn't do anything outside of what Erwin ordered him. So he's running free. I'll check up on Mikasa tonight if you insist."

Jean pressed the palm of his hand on the titans cheek. "This is... This is the longest conversation you listened to without pushing me off..."

Jean didn't want to test his luck, so he sent his ODM gear and spinned around the titan.

Jean held on some of the short bangs and held his feet on the titans nose. He looked directly into the titans healthy eye.

"You still aren't going to answer me, right..." he murmured, looking right at the titan. "I... Know you can."

The Titan gently closed his eyes.

The silence in the forest had never been so suffocating.

Notes:

Soooo how was it?

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy :D

Chapter 8: Calm before the storm : reunions.

Summary:

Erwin tells Eren to stay away from Jeans squad from now on. Of course, Eren does the exact opposite.

There are new uprisings that might not he in Erwins benefits...

Notes:

Hello everyone! How's everything?

It was my birthday a few days ago and I need to mention it every five minutes lol!

Things are getting out of hand at in this chapter, I'll put a warning just in case.

WARNIIING

WARNIIING

Nothing serious, just An unconscious person at a hospital in a coma.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Leave me be! You bastard islanders!"

"Are you devils done with your shitshow?"

"I thought the rogue titans ate the last one of you, scum of the earth!"

"Can I gag her?"

Jean rubbed the side of his face, his ears still hurting from all the noise and gunshot sounds he had in liberio. And now, a mere day after the incident, there were still miscalculations and newly found information he had to deal with.

Jean crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair as his eyes were lost in the moving background of the train's only window.

(Sometimes Jean hoped he could rip the red pendant from around his neck and be done with being a captain.)

This train to Trost was going to take what they found from Marley military and the two kids to Trost. AKA Survey corps headquarters.

Jean took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Do you have anything soft enough to gag her with?" He said, turning his eyes to the poor female soldier who was holding Gabi fast by her tiny shoulders.

Gabi tried to jump, her uneven hair fell over her face like a madman. "Damn well- no need to ask sympathetic when I know the devil's you are, you blood thirsty- HHHM HUU-"

The female soldier had yanked a bondage from her emergency pocket and tied it over her mouth and behind her head. "Done." she said, holding an injured but struggling Gabi by her shoulders.

Jean's eyes turned towards the other calmer (but equally nervous) child. Falco, he'd come to learn his name. "We're going to take you to a secure prison on the commander's order." he said as a matter of fact.

Falco didn't nodd or respond, but Jean knew he'd understood.

The train reached the station.

One by one Adlers so-called 'souvenirs' from Marley were taken away to the Scouts headquarters. "Be careful with that!" Adler gasped, but didn't let go of Falco. "That's the only container I found!"

Jean rolled his eyes at the careless new recruits.

They got off the train and straight towards a room where they would wait for more help to transfer both the gas container and the kids to the headquarters.

All while Gabi made every little movement almost impossible.

But when they moved to their room in the station and shut the door, Jean could finally take a relieving breath.

He leaned against a wall and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Falco staring dumbly outside of the window. Out of curiosity, Jean looked out and saw the boy was staring at one of Hange's titan killing machines outside of Trost.

"The... The executioner from hell."

Jean raised an eyebrow, looking at Falco who seemed to have seen a ghost.

"What did you say?" Jean murmured.

Falco shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud." he dropped his head, his fingers played with the hem of his sleeves.

Adlers hold the boy's shoulder tightened. "Good thing you're not as much of a trouble maker as she is." Adler murmured.

As if waiting for him to say it, Gabi chewed on the bondage around his mouth and pushed the gag out of her mouth just enough to scream. "YOU FILTHY DEVILS!" she yelled, jumping and turning back to glare daggers at Jean's eyes. "One day you'll pay for the sins of your ancestors by motherland Marley!"

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line, there was no use arguing with a twelve year old.

"Sins of ancestors?" Adler growled angrily. "You've just committed a load more sins than my ancestors combined. I feel like I'm talking to a Marlyan propaganda poster."

Gabi shouted curses.

She yelled and screamed until the other scouts arrived at the station. They also ignored the girl's screams and threats and escorted Adlers container out. Soon, two Garrison soldiers arrived to take Falco and Gabi away into a more secure prison for people so small.

Jean didn't need to open his eyes to understand Erwin had arrived. The sharp sound of all the soldiers saluting was enough proof of him and Hange entering the station. Jean reckoned with his own half hearted salute.

Erwin, with his hands crossed behind his back, gave a side glance at the container that was being taken away. Erwin waited until it was only him, Jean, Hange and Adler (his assistant) in the room before he spoke. "Did you find the Gas I asked?" Erwin asked Adler, who in panic, saluted twice.

"Yessir!" Adler said loudly. "But unfortunately, this was the only storage I could find in Marley in the little time I had. It's Zeke yeagers gas weapon, sir. I checked twice. Oh and-"

Jean watched Adler take a thick data book from the breast pocket of his coat. It was the size of his palm. "- as you ordered, I didn't give the manual to the storage room. As of right now, the only people who know the existence of this database are the four people in this room."

Erwin took the manual and flipped through the pages, humming thoughtfully.

"Gas weapons..." Erwin growled.

He turned to Hange with an unreadable expression. "Tell the engineering department we need masks against this gas, start working immediately. We need a counter. We can't have our soldiers turn titans because of this gas."

Hange took the manual and nodded sharply. After all, Hange was the head of development and was working closely with the Corp of engineers.

"However, they are not going to use the same trick twice." Hange said cautiously.

Erwin nodded in agreement. "We have Zeke, their boy wonder. They can't do much without him."

Erwins eyes travelled to Jean, who stared with calculating eyes at his superiors. "Jean, come to my office at 6 sharp in the afternoon. The special operation squad is disbanded for the time being, alert your squad before coming..."

Jean's eyes widened.

why?

why would they disband the special operation squad?

"Everyone, except you, can be on break until further notice." Erwin ordered.

Jean couldn't fight the urge to rub the bridge of his nose in annoyance. The only question in his mind was why?

Hange turned to Adler. "Thank you Adler, for now, we'll work on the gas you found in Marley. Hopefully we won't turn into mindless titans because of Zeke's scream anymore." they said with a smile

"Thanks for your gratitude! Section commander." Adler said with a salute.

Erwin waved his hand dismissively. "Both of you are dismissed. Adler, book a meeting for the queen and the premier please for me later this day."

"Yes sir!" Adler saluted again. Someone should tell him to control his emotions. He turned around and rushed towards the crowd on the other side of the train station, going on their day.

Jean nodded silently before he also turned around to leave.

Sasha, Sasha was in Trost. I should give her a visit...

Jean could hear one of the last conversations between his two superiors

Hange stretched her arms up. "Adler reminds me of moblit." they said out loud.

Jean pulled his mulled back and out of his face before he raised his hand to knock on the door of Erwin's office. The MPs standing guard outside were suspicious enough, not to mention the lack of guards outside Erwin's office.

"Come in."

Jean took a deep breath and opened the door. The first thing he saw was Erwin behind his desk, frowning and looking thoughtfully at the man leaning against the large windows.

His eyes widened when he saw Eren in the room. Casual as he was. In his favorite black jacket and burying his hands in his pockets. He had his long hair pulled in a man bun. His clouded eyes met Jean's and he smirked.

"Hey, didn't think I'd see you around." Eren chuckled.

Jean fisted his hands unknowingly. "Likewise," he said through gritted teeth. "Not since you disappeared off the face of the earth and we were notified of your plan only after we came back from Marley."

Eren smiled and lifted both of his hands in surrender. "Oh-Uh, not my fault." he said in a fake innocent voice. "It was the commander's orders. It's not like I went rogue or anything."

Jean shook his head. "You did- when you failed to tell me. Do you have any idea how hard it was to stop Mikasa from raiding the city trying to find you." he said, his voice rising in volume.

Eren held his hands up in a mocking surrender. "Don't fool yourself, Jean."

That only made Jean's eyes narrow further. "Huh?"

"Both me and the commander know what makes you so angry isn't me disappearing that day in Marley, it was you having to participate in the operation to take me back. All that blood that you think is on your hands-"

"Eren, that's enough."

Both of them turned around to see Erwin with his laced hands held in front of his face. "You made a mistake when you didn't give the official paper that would be Jean of your mission in Marley. That's subordination, considering you stopped me and Adler from doing so."

Eren shrugged. "Sorry, Cap."

Jean fought the urge to roll his eyes at Eren's sarcastic reply. But he let it slide, not wanting to spark a fight in front of the commander.

Erwin cleared his throat, looked at the two mens eyes who were standing right infront of him. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions." Erwin said with a strict nod. "...Feel free to ask them."

Jean's hands fisted on his sides. "Commander, I- I have trouble believing acquiring the warhammer titan was Eren's only objective in his mission." he said truthfully. "If it was something as simple as that I would have known about his mission, wouldn't I? Speaking as the captain of a squad that took a shock with Eren's sudden absence. Is there anything that's being kept from me still?"

Eren chuckled humorlessly. "Oh dear lord..."

Jean glanced at Eren from the side of his eyes. "No... The Scouts wouldn't take all this risk just for the warhammer titan." he said, stressing on every word.

"Have a little faith in me, will ya?" Eren murmured, staring blankly at the other.

Jean ignored him.

Erwin nodded and laced his fingers in front of him. "It's true that the special operation squad should have been notified sooner, however, it is expected of a Scouting squad to recover fast after a shock, which you did." he said as a matter of fact. "And the warhammer isn't just one titan. It's perhaps one of the most overpowered titans we could have faced. The warhammer titan was the Tybur family. The warhammer titan was one more titan that could have been on our enemy lines. The warhammer was the key to free the female and add yet another disadvantage. So yes, acquiring the warhammer was more than enough reason of its own."

Jean opened his mouth but then reluctantly closed it, nodding instead.

"And considering our history with the Tybur family, it was best that they are out of the picture right now." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "This will help our image improve considering Willy Tybur was the only person worsening our image and washing the other nations against us."

Erwin shook his head. "This isn't what I asked you here for, however."

Jean asked an eyebrow. "Very well..."

"The special operation squad will be on mandatory hiatus until Eren subordination is punished and Sasha's condition is dealt with... In the meantime, I want you to train the newer recruits that will be added to our ranks tomorrow." Erwin said with a nod. He reached over to his drawer and picked up a sealed file with the brand "854 recruits'' written in red.

He handed it to Jean who accepted it with hesitating fingers. Jean narrowed his eyes as he opened the file. The first paper was a list of 24 new recruits aged 17-19 who just graduated from the cadettes.

The rest of the paper was their images. So young, so hopeful.

Jean kept a neutral face as he met the commander's eyes. "May I ask why you chose me for training them?"

Erwin closes the document. "It's an order," he said simply. "Follow it... and help those recruits level up to what we need them."

Jean's eyes fell on the names on that list.

He could barely handle adults his age and not get seven killed in the last mission.

(He didn't take into account the number of people who survived, the changed situations and unknown odds against them.)

(Of course, it's easier to blame yourself, blaming yourself means you had the faintest control in the situation even when you didn't.)

But... That was the commander's orders.

So Jean nodded. "Yes, sir." he murmured. "I suppose everything I need to know about them is written here?"

"Yes, the state we need them to be in and the hours they are supposed to train are all Hange's program and written in your file. We can trust you, It is not your first time working with recruits." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "If you have no questions, you are dismissed, Jean."

Jean nodded with a tight nod. He saluted and turned around to leave. He ignored Eren as he took one step after another towards the door.

"Jean, will you leave your students to be eaten?"

It took a moment for Erwins question to settle in Jean's mind. He slowly turned around and his hand froze by the handle of the door. "Pardon? I... I think I didn't hear you correctly?"

Erwin nodded dismissively. "Excuse me, that was a strange thing to ask."

Jean left the room without much delay, the last thing he heard was Eren when he said. "Well, you're being really creepy now, commander."

The moment the doors closed around Jean. Eren turned around and his smile dropped. "Ok, now. Will you at least tell me where you have him?" Eren growled, a little annoyed.

Erwin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No." he said simply. "Stop asking."

"That's my brother you know-"

"And the key to the strongest weapon earth has ever seen." Erwin said matter of factly, "I won't have it by your reach like that."

"Come on! Don't you trust me?"

"No."

Eren crossed his arms over his chest. "Kill joy." he huffed, pouting a little. "I don't understand why you're waiting so much when we kickstart the thing right now."

"Zeke isn't an idiot. He'll get suspicious if you hurry. Besides, almost everyone outside the Scouts think you have gone rogue. We need to make these rumors before you try anything." Erwin murmured. "Remember, you can't pull the name of th3 scouts into the dirt with you."

Eren barked with laughter.

He almost doubled over and laughed, laughed ugly and loud until he could feel tears in the back of his eyes. "You- you want me to partially stomp the world- killing about half of all humans and you don't want your name on the dirt?" he laughed, "just what are you planning, commander?"

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Your part hasn't finished yet." he said as a matter of fact. "And for my plan to work, I need you to be present and conscious. Until then, try to stay away from Jean's squad."

"This plan would have been ten times better if you actually told me whatever this plan is." Eren growled angrily, he pointed at the exit door on his back with his thumb. "Don't tell me disbanding the Special operation squad like that was a part of your plan. And sending Jean after kids? Tell me what is really going on, Commander."

Eren took another step forward and rested his fists on Erwins table. "Though I have to say, it's strange how you have even Historia complying with your plan."

Erwin placed his laced fingers in front of his lips, humming thoughtfully. "Everyone knows exactly how much they must."

"Well, I'm the one who's getting his hands soaked in blood." Eren growled through grit teeth. "You can't just use me like a slave like that and not whatever the hell you're planning."

"You won't understand the complicated politics behind it even if I do explain it to you, Eren Yeager. You are a soldier of the survey corps. Not a strategist."

Eren chuckled. "Do the western countries that are foolishly aligned with you know you plan to flatten them?" He murmured.

Silence settled suddenly.

But Erwins glare was worse than a hundred daggers sent to Eren's way.

"The boundaries of the rumbling are extremely clear and you better remember your borders very clearly once you start it." Erwin ordered a borderline threat. "It only continues-"

"Until the desserts of Torana and the mountains of Lara, I know. But-"

Erwin held his hand up, which silenced Eren immediately. "This conversation is finished, Eren. Return to your quarters." he said, narrowing his eyes at the other.

Eren clicked his tongue as he pushed himself back on his feet. "Genius bastard." he murmured quietly as he left the room.

Eren made sure to bang the door.

Eren shut the door with a bang, closing the door as hard as he could. Though it did nothing to soothe his anger.

How dare he? How dare he tell nothing of the plan I had the most part in!

"That's why they say Politics better stay out of Military affairs..."

Eren snapped his head back to meet the eyes of a familiar tanned woman. "Ah, Private Yeager," the Toranian ambassador said with a nod. "I believe I have to congratulate you on acquiring the warhammer titan."

"Captain Levant-" Eren said in acknowledgement. Eren looked and walked away, ignoring the woman coming in his direction.

She did the same thing.

Eren never knew how it was that Torana was easier to trade with than Hizuru. If Erwin hadn't secretly sent men to see the countries in the outside world, Torana could never have found a way to communicate with Paradis.

Yet another perk of having Erwin alive.

Her guards knocked on the door and she entered with the position of an ambassador and the grace of the queen.

Eren didn't have a good feeling about this woman.

So he stopped when the guards left on her orders. The hallway was empty and Eren was curious, so he took silent steps towards the door and pressed his ear against the door and then watched the little he could through the keyhole.

He assumed the woman had sat down when the clicking sound of her heels stopped.

"First and foremost I suppose I should congratulate you on your victory against Liberio." Levant hummed thoughtfully. "That is quite the feat."

"This victory was largely thanks to the technology Torana provided us with." Erwin said seriously.

Levant smiled. "A fair trade is a fair trade." she said. "As they say, you bond more fiercely over a common enemy than a common friend."

"As I've seen." Erwin said, "our conversation will take a while. So Captain Levant, tea or coffee?"

"Tea should suffice, meanwhile, I assume you have important questions to ask me."

"Of course, Of course, about the newest shipment of our iced stone gas I was wondering if-"

Eren heard other footsteps coming from the other side of the hallway, thinking the maid had finally come to ask whether Erwin and the ambassador wanted anything.

Eren fled the scene, afraid of being caught red handed.

The Trost general hospital was famous for its admission of near death patients and saving their lives.

Well, that's what Jean hopes right now. Hanging to a thin thread of hope that the bullet that penetrated her abdomen and left a hole, would be less in the surgeon's hands.

That's what Jean hoped, and what Connie hoped too, since he had yet to leave her side.

Jean walked past doctors and nurses, in a panic himself. He ran until he reached the special care section of the hospital and to his surprise, found Mikasa outside of Sasha's room.

Mikasa was holding tightly to her robes and her eyes were glued to the closed door.

"Ah, Mikasa!" Jean murmured, surprised.

Mikasa turned around, her eyes widened in realisation, she turned around and bit her lip. "Jean." she said, emotionless. "I heard Sasha is still sleeping."

Jean shook his head. "Yeah- she is. The doctor said she was in a coma and... And they don't know when she'll wake up." Jean summarised the load of information Connie said last time he visited.

Mikasa crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry I couldn't be here after the surgery... I thought Eren would come back home."

"And did he...?"

"What?"

"Come back home?"

In his answer, Mikasa hugged herself and a frown settled on her eyes.

She grit her teeth together and Jean knew he'd hit a spot.

"He hasn't." she met Jean's eyes again. "Jean, I came here to ask for time off for Eren and I."

Jean rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh- I completely forgot to tell you, the Special operation squad will be off duty for the next month." he murmured with a sigh. "I'll be assigned to the new recruits and Eren is ordered to stand by... Connie and you can report for duty or- preferably- take the rest."

Mikasa nodded thoughtfully. "Good, I need to-" she was interrupted when the door opened with a creak.

Their eyes landed on the dark bags under Connies eyes. He was startled for a moment and stepped back. He blinked away the redness in his eyes and smiled forcefully. "Oh... Hi..." he murmured, a little dazed and stepped forward. "I think you're here to visit Sasha."

Connie rubbed the tears in his eyes with the back of his hands, afraid they might fall from his eyes. "Sorry..."

"Connie..." Mikasa murmured.

The other wiped the tears with the palm of his hand. "So-sorry-" he whispered. "I contacted her family and- and they said they'll be here tomorrow."

Mikasa nodded.

Jean put a comforting hand on Connie's shoulder. "It's alright." he assured him, his words sounded fake even to his own ears. "I'm sure Sasha will pull through. She's our potato girl! A titan couldn't kill her let alone a small bullet."

Connie pressed his mouth to a thin line and shook his head.

Jean pulled him into a hug from his side. "Come on, let's get you to the doctor, I bet you didn't get your ankle checked. Dude you got it sprained during the mission."

Connie pressed his mouth to a thin line. "I kind of... Forgot." he admitted. "Besides, it's not aching so-"

Jean rolled his eyes and nodded at Mikasa's direction. "Mikasa will stay here while we're gone," he murmured. "Seriously though, what would you do if she got more serious damage?"

Connie smiled, but his smile was bitter and sorrowful. "I think I would have lost half of myself..."

Mikasa shook her head and stepped inside the room, leaving Jean to get Connie somewhere he could be tended to. She herself stepped inside the room and closed the door carefully.

Mikasa couldn't find the strength in herself to turn around and look back. She pressed her head against the rough wood of the door and took a deep breath.

The door was colder than she expected.

Mikasa closed her eyes and took a sharp breath. She turned around and then opened her eyes.

Mikasa's eyes immediately fell down and her hand closed around her red scarf. She pulled it up to cover her nose and mouth, a little comfort in a place of death.

Sasha was sleeping. No, sleeping was wrong, she was unconscious. Her eyes were taped closed with a white medical tape and her chocolate hair was splashed all around her face. She had blue hospital gowns hugging her loosely. A white pipe pushed down her throat, to give her the air she couldn't take and her chest rose and fell slower than it usually did.

Mikasa contained a sob.

She fought the urge to turn around and leave immediately. She told herself this was better than burying her into a grave.

That wasn't past them yet. They just might have to get a funeral for her if she doesn't wake up soon.

How much more can these machines keep her alive?

Mikasa sat down on the end of the bed, her eyes softened as he looked at Sasha's unconscious face.

"Wake up..." Mikasa pleaded.

"Wake up sasha... This is no place to fall asleep..."

"There are people waiting for you..."

As she expected, only silence answered her and the hum of the machines.

Mikasa was prepared to meet the embrace of an empty house again.

But She saw Eren in the garden. Not their own house but Cohen's house, their neighbors, talking with their son.

Their son, Cyrus, was 'die-hard Eren fanboy' as Sasha had dubbed him.

Mikasa swallowed down her emotions before they could choke her and took slow but sure steps towards the two.

Even when Eren's back was to her, She was spotted sooner than she liked.

"Sir, it's Ms Ackerman over there." Cyrus murmured quietly, not taking his eyes off Eren's or making any move.

Eren pressed his mouth to a tight line. He squeezed The boy's shoulders and nodded. "Get going, Cyrus."

The boy nodded, a devilish smile spreading on his lips. "Sure, have fun Mr Yeager! I'm sure being apart for too long has been hard on both of you" he murmured.

Eren forcefully turned the boy around and pushed him away. "A Scout recruit shouldn't talk like that!" he shouted.

Cyrus laughed and walked away with a wave and a nod at Mikasa's direction.

For Eren, he knew it wouldn't be as easy.

He took a deep breath and turned around, a thousand excuses at the tip of his tongue for his absence. For the absence of the last year and for not returning to their house right away.

When Eren turned around, Mikasa was standing right infront of him. The scarf pulled up to cover her mouth and her eyes searching for something in Eren's eyes.

Eren opened his mouth to stay something but found himself pulled by the invisible hands of silence. All the excuses fled from his mind after their eyes met.

"I'm sorry,"

Eren couldn't hold her honest gaze. He looked down in both shame and shyness.

"I won't ask questions."

Eren bit his lip and met her eyes again. She was serious. She held her hand for Eren to take. "Even when I want to ask why you left so suddenly and killed so- so many-" she pressed her mouth to a thin line with a small pause. "I won't ask any questions from you. Let's go home. If you're in it, then that's enough."

She reached over and took Eren's hands in hers.

"Does Erwin know you're here?" she asked. "I assume he was the reason why you couldn't come home last night."

Eren took a deep shivering breath. "Yes and he doesn't know I'm here- Or I think he doesn't." he said. "Or my guards haven't stepped in yet."

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "Guards?"

Eren shut his eyes for a moment and then wrapped his arms around Mikasa's shoulders to push her into a tight hug. He let his head fall on her shoulder and take a deep breath of her scent.

"I'm sorry..." he found himself saying like a broken mantra, murmuring nothing into her shoulders.

(Maybe that is why Erwin told him not to visit any of his friends.)

Mikasa gently hugged him back, letting her hands slide up and down his back. "It's alright." she murmured back. She pulled back enough to look at his eyes and cup his face. "Let's go home."

Eren shook his head. He turned his head enough to press a kiss to her palm and hold her hand to his cheek where it was. "No- let's- let's go to the festival." he murmured. "It's the anniversary of retaking wall Maria so..."

Mikasa tilted her head. "Really?"

"I'm not really in the mood for celebrations but- I think- I think we should visit Armin together one last time."

Mikasa nodded with a smile, completely ignoring Eren's last comment.

Eren laced their fingers together. "Please..." he murmured. "Even if you're mad at me... Let's go..."

Mikasa nodded again, smiling genuinely this time. "It's been a while since we visited the ocean."

"Let's hurry then." Eren prompted, pulling her to run with him. "If we don't- we might miss the train to Shiganshina!"

Their laughs echoed in the neighborhood while they ran. They ran until they were a small dot in the horizon.

"I am Captain of the special operation squad, Jean Kirstein,"

Jean said loudly, putting his fist above his heart. "And I'm here to officially welcome you graduates of 109th training Corps to the Scout Regiment."

In Front of him were 24 recruits. 10 female, 14 males. All between 17-19. All extremely eager to punch the enemy in the face.

(As it was that simple.)

Behind him was a brand new training ground in the forest outside wall Maria to prove to them how amateur they are. Hopefully that will break their fake confidence enough to stop them from rushing into a heated battle because they think they're immortal.

Jean tried to look everyone in the eye.

"The truth is, in the past, The Scout Regiment acted as a spear head for human knowledge against the Titans." Jean said loudly, walking against the first row of cadettes. "As you all know, that case is no more and we've been thrown from the frying pan into the fire."

He stopped to stare at a nervous looking boy who was saluting with his left hand instead of right. "So, I'm happy to see all these new faces brave enough to overcome their fears." Jean announced loudly.

Jean tapped the boy's left fist over his heart, the poor boy immediately switched his hand and shook with cold sweat.

Jean passed him without commenting any further.

"There are alot of things that are different from the training Corps around here." he said clearly. "And I've volunteered to help you get to the initial stages and then officially welcome you to the ranks."

He stood in the middle again and cleared his throat.

"Any questions?"

There was silence for a moment until a person said : "will we get to work with Eren Yeager?"

Jean raised an eyebrow and turned towards the voice to meet the boy with raised hands. "And who are you cadets?"

"Cyrus Cohen, Sir!"

Jean narrowed his eyes. "Ah, I know, the fifth rank in the top ten this year. Quite impressive." he murmured. Jean fought the urge to roll his eyes at his comment. "I think I have a better question, why are you obsessed with that man?"

"He's the attack titan and the founder! And he recently acquired the warhammer titan! What is there not to be fascinated about?" the young man gasped. "The more I read his reports and stories I get more excited to work with him even though he's my neighbor!"

"How interesting..." Jean murmured nonchalantly. "Then I'm sure you know what happened to Eren Yeager on his first assignment..."

Cyrus smiled awkwardly. "He got... Eaten..." he murmured, a little shamefully.

"That's right." Jean said with a nod. "For that not to happen to you, the Scouts have conducted a test for you, look at it as an entrance exam."

Jean turned around to point at the jungle and the training ground hidden in them. "This training exercise is to see how good you might be at killing titans. And I don't want to see sad faces!" Jean said with narrowed eyes. "These dummies are far- far easier than a real titan." Jean said as a matter of fact, pulling a blade out and holding it up. "But beware, the hands and the upper bodies can move. On the titans body there is a green slime that if you hit it, it'll stain your uniform."

Jean swung his blade in the air until it pointed at the dummies and the fake houses inside the jungle, from where they were standing only a silhouette could be seen. "The objective is to reach the finish line and kill at least one titan... Or you can kill these five titans in this area entirely. The moment there is a stain on your uniform then you're out of the game. Keep in mind this is just a training stimulus. you can go in groups of three. Any volunteers?"

Cyrus's hand shut upwards again. "I volunteer!"

Jean stepped aside. "Go on, ready your ODM gear and... The ground yours." he said with a tight nod.

The boy did as he was told, he took off quickly. And rushed towards the first titan.

Jean found himself smiling.

The moment Cyrus wanted to swing his blade and cut the titans nape, the dummy titan turned around and Cyrus hit the titans face. The poor boy's face crumbled when the titan's hand hit his left foot and left a big green stain on his black uniform.

"And that's a hit!" Jean announced.

Cyrus landed on a nearby tree. "It... Moved?"

"Cyrus, you're out." Jean announced loudly. He turned around and looked at the other recruits. "I said things are different around here than the cadet corp, didn't I. These dummy titans are actually being controlled by human hands whose sole objective is to make you fail this test. If this was real, Cyrus was long gone."

Jean shook his head and turned back to watch Cyrus sitting on a branch and second guess his life decisions.

"Don't rush into battle like that." Jean said calmly. "No matter how angry you are, you are no Ackerman. Anger won't make you any stronger. If it's one thing you have to learn from Eren Yeager, is that."

Jean cleaned his throat and turned towards the rest of the recruits. "Well, I assume you all want to form groups. Cyrus Cohen will come back to try again with one of your groups."

They all nodded and moved around, forming small groups on their own.

time and location unknown.

"Are we unanimous in this?"

Premier zachary nodded. "Then we have no choice but to impeach Erwin Smith." Zachary thought out loud. "We are near times of war, we can't have disagreements within our own ranks."

"Erwin Smith should have been impeached long ago! The moment Eren Yeager disobeyed him and sent the entire country into war! He says Yeagers disobedience wasn't a disobedience but why? He's just acting to say things are still under his control!"

One nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "We have the resources to inherit the founder as well, preferably to a loyal MP. We can't get involved with this Scout Drama anymore."

"The entire country is at stake. If we can't impeach him peacefully then we'll have to resort to a coup d'etat."

Premier Zachary nodded again. "Then to ensure that the power goes peacefully, what we discussed in this session will stay a secret."

The people around the table nodded one after another and cheered to their unanimous decision with a pint of Marleyan wine.

Within a week, they were invited to a Marleyan restaurant.

For what Reason? Jean didn't argue and politely excused himself.

Erwin had to admit, the food tasted different and tremendously delicious.

His dish was. on the table of the 'official meeting of higher-ups'. Where himself and Hange were seated among the same ranks of the Garrisons and the Military police. The room was separate from the rest of the restaurant. The room was pristine white with a table that had Commander Zachary on the top, Hange, Levi and Erwin, Nile and his two section commanders along with two members if the Garrisons since commander Pixys couldn't attend.

Hange was very social with them, it was her way of making sure everything was going alright with the information about the outside world wreaking havoc on every inch of the island.

The MPs seemed strangely at peace with it. Not giving a damn about the real threat does that to you. Erwin looked at Nile Dok from the side of his eyes. His friend looked strongly ignoring the subject too.

The first person to talk any sense between the Military police and Scouts was the head of Garrison's engineers, Roku Cohen. "My cannons feel completely outdated against what Marley's artillery was described." he said as a matter of fact. "The Corp of engineers is doing all it can thanks to Section commander Hange, but it's like running when your opponent has had a head start of 100 years."

Commander Zachary laced his hands in front of him, taking a long look at everyone on the table. "All we can do is wait, for now, all we do is like shooting in the dark. At least with the recent mission of the Scouts, we have a vague idea of what it might be."

Erwin strongly disagreed.

Every single minute they spend here is like giving Marley time to attack. How long does it really take for Marley to rail their borders?

No, there were ulterior motives to gatherings such as this.

However, he didn't voice any of his concerns.

Not even when the Marlyan workers came with their wine.

Erwin had already voiced his concern about having the higher ups of the Military having dinner in the same place, let alone drinking from the same source. It screamed it was an assassination attempt.

There was no use arguing with these men a second time, so he watched as the workers poured wine for them. Even commander Zachary.

Slowly, a worker picked up Hange's glass to fill it. She laughed it off and pushed it aside. "Sorry," she said with a shrug aimed at the rest of the table. "I'm a Scout."

"Thank you for your generosity. But No. The scouts aren't allowed Alcoholic beverages both on and off duty." Erwin said as a matter of fact. The worker nodded dutifully and took their wine away.

Nile chuckled. "New order of yours, Erwin?" he said, lifting his own glass for a cheer.

Levi clicked his tongue and leaned back on his chair. "It's not new if you haven't noticed." he said, raising an eyebrow. "We've had this rule for a while."

Hange blinked at the rest of the tables, strange looks.

But to no avail, The Scout regiment was used to these glares.

Erwin heard a military police officer mumble a half hearted, "kill joy" while happily drinking fine Marlyan Wine...

The anniversary of retaking wall Maria was more than Mikasa expected it to be.

They took whole new measures this year in Shiganshina. Decorating the entire city in green and blue. Parades walking in every street and giving treats to happy children.

Mikasa looked around, this newly rebuilt city represented nothing of the Shiganshina she knew. She guided Eren, who seemed eager to follow her, through the new buildings. Most of them were also upgraded with new Marlyan technology.

There was a parade in the main street, people dressed up in mockery of the titans and chores stomping down the street, playing their instruments as loudly as they could in the middle of the cramped crowd.

In the middle of the crowd, Mikasa stopped to buy two small flowers, when Eren was too preoccupied by watching the parade to notice.

Mikasa smiled at Eren and he, surprisingly, smiled back genuinely. "Come on, let's go." she said, giving Eren a small white rose. She pointed at some where passed the crowd, "They are leaving flowers in the memory of those lost in that operation under that-"

There was a statue of a scout, not so far away. Where in tradition, people left flowers to honor the fallen scouts.

Mikasa and Eren knew a dear fallen scout. A certain blond with a fascination with the ocean he never got to see.

But Eren stopped. He stopped in the middle of the road and when Mikasa turned around in surprise, Eren shook his head, "No need." he said and turned the flower bunch between his fingers. Mikasa wanted to ask what he meant when suddenly Eren threw the flower away, eyes totally serious.

"No, this is a celebration of victory, so let's celebrate it."

Mikasa watched, eyes wide, as the flower was stomped under the peoples feet. Eren's eyes trained over to the wall decorations, a small smile on his lips. "Mikasa? Can we-'' Eren murmured, eyes staring at the wall decorations. "Can we race to that tree?"

Mikasa blinked a few times, the sound of cheering and laughter blocked Eren's words. "What?"

Eren closed his eyes for a moment and opened it with new light. His green eyes focused on Mikasa's stormy grey ones.

"Let's forget about him, Can we race to that tree?"

"The tree?"

Eren smiled sheepishly. "It's a race!"

Mikasa was comprehending those words until Eren took off, running past the crowd with a laughter much more childish than his 21-year-old self.

Mikasa blinked and a smile crept up to her face. "Eren!" she shouted with a suppressed laugh and followed him behind.

She sneaked out of the crowd, Eren was nowhere to be seen. He was serious about the race, which made her smile softly.

She knew the way to that tree like the back of her hand. Even with the cramped streets, with the changed buildings. With every single new face that came to her eyes.

She finally left the city limits and she could see the lone tree next to plains and plains of wild sunflowers. flowers that reached up to her waist.

She could see a tree on the hill and a small male figure was running towards it, who turned around and gave Mikasa a wave of his hands.

No matter how fast Eren was or how much headstart he had, Mikasa was faster and he reached the tree at the same time as her. The tree, the only thing that had barely changed. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by plains of wildflowers with no other tree in sight.

"You're faster." she said, voice completely even with no sign of tiredness. Eren however, was panting heavily. He pressed his back to the tree and slid down. Breathing in a wild manner that was expected after running the distance.
Mikasa gently sat next to him. The wind was welcome between the flowers and themselves. She could still hear the sounds of the festival, but they were far enough that they were drowning in the
scent of wildflowers and the peace between them.

"I like this place." Eren murmured, pressing his head against the rough bark and closed his eyes. His hand slowly found its way to mikasa'es and laced their fingers together. Mikasa was frozen for a
moment, smiling childishly to herself for a split second.

"I really love this place." Eren hummed with his eyes closed. Mikasa nodded, she liked it too but she didn't think of mentioning it. Today wasn't a good day, but it came close.

The sky was clear and blue. The sun didn't feel shy and blessed them with all the light she could. The grass was tall and a soft breeze danced between it.

Mikasa felt a soft smile appear on her lips before she closed her eyes as well.

Notes:

Wohoooo so how was it?

oh oh, Erwin might get impeached! Why does Erwin want Eren to stay away from Jean squad or something. I wonder o.0

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy XD !

Chapter 9: Calm before the storm : costs of ruling.

Notes:

I was really sad when I realized the previous chapter wasn't worthy of a comment :'(

Anyway, I liked writing it so it doesn't really matter. However, I love getting feedback, I read every comment and bookmark note and cherish it with all my heart. So please spare one :D

Anyway, please enjoy.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jean leaned back against the titans neck, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing really happened this week." he said out loud, the morning sun leaked through the leaves of the forest and danced over his face. Jean played with the two lunch boxes he was carrying. "Sasha is still sleeping. Connie refuses to leave her side. Other than that, Nicolo has been leaving some seriously tasty dishes in her bedroom hoping that would wake her up. Up until now it has done nothing but make our mouths water."

The freckled titan gave him the simplest and most bitter smiles as he listened.

Jean rolled his eyes. "The kids are fine, too. By the way."

The freckled titan frowned, one eyebrow arched up and his index finger waved in front of him.

"What?" Jean murmured, annoyed. "Compared to me, a bunch of 19 year-old cadets are kids. They are kinda my students so- I can call them kids."

Jean shook his head. "By the way, I bought something for you today. I have no clue why I made omelet for you too, but I thought it might be rude if I eat here alone." he murmured. Jean opened the second lunch box and held it up for the titan to grab.

The freckled titan reached over his shoulder and took the open lunch box with delicate motions from Jean's hands. Jean wondered how a titan could be so gentle.

Jean opened his own lunch box to eat his breakfast. The freckled titan threw the omelet into his mouth in one motion. The food was so little for the titan, in the size of a gum for a human. But the titan turned his head around and smiled.

Jean swallowed down. "Did you miss human food?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

The freckled titan nodded rapidly.

Jean bit on his breakfast and chewed thoughtfully. "So uhm... do you have a sense of taste or do you just eat it to act polite in front of me?" Jean asked the titan.

The titan nodded, taking another one of the lunchboxes to throw the omelets into his giant titan mouth.

"Oh my, you do have a sense of taste?" Jean gasped, his own share of omelet turning into copper in his mouth.

Does that mean titans can taste the humans they eat?

The thought was enough to make him gag. He slowly closed the lid of his lunchbox and put the rest of his breakfast away in his backpack. This is certainly not a way he wanted to start his day.

He felt a giant finger press into his hair, as if it was gently patting his hair.

Jean sighed loudly and stood up, gently pushing the titans gentle finger away. "Ah..." Jean murmured with a smile. "It's nothing. I'm just going to have a tiring day, that's all."

The freckled titan smiled softly.

"I'm sure it's better than yours though."

Jean stood up and hit the dust off his uniform, before reading his ODM gear to jump off. "As always, it was fun talking to you. You really are a good listener." he said and waved goodbye.

The titan waved his hands slowly in the air.

Jean jumped down and flew away.

Jean crossed his arms over his chest and hung the binocular to his belt.

The training exercise was held in the ruins of Edons city in the east of wall Maria, a place that was abandoned after reclamation of wall Maria simply because most of its habitants were already dead.

The tall buildings here however, made it the perfect place to train the newer recruits. The 24 of them were splitted into two groups and The objective was to take a fluorescent piece of parchment from the base of the other team.

They also had paintball guns because there was no way Jean was going with Flochs idea of fake guns- real bullets.

Just like always, if anyone was stained they had to leave the game and or act injured.

Meanwhile, Jean and Floch were watching the match from the highest building in the town.

"And I repeat, we had to go with my idea." Floch said for the hundredth time. "What's the point if they can't feel the pain properly? They'll be a liability in the field."

"Maybe later, but now they are just recruits and It's just a training exercise, Floch. Their first time. It's highly unlikely that Commander Erwin would use recruits in the line of fire-."

Jean cleared his throat and turned around. He probably shouldn't have said that in front of Floch.

Floch raised an eyebrow. "You were saying." he murmured as if he was threatening Jean to say one more word about being a recruit in the literal line of fire.

Jean drove his attention back to the group in front of him.

The training exercise ended with the green team winning, Jean had to admit he was surprised Cyrus Cohen- the ultimate Eren fanboy- could actually lead a squad to victory. The boy was making a show of it too, waving the fluorescent piece of parchment in the air while his teammates cheered.

Behind him, Floch rolled his eyes.

Jean cleared his throat. "Ok, ATTENTION!"

The recruits stopped immediately and stood in lines in front of Jean.

Jean clasped his hands behind his back. "Very well, the recruits had less casualties than yesterday." Jean said with an emotionless face.

The crowd cheered and high fived.

"BUT!" Jean yelled and the young recruits stopped talking immediately. "This was just a training stimulus. From tomorrow, your real combat begins now that we have a clue of your strengths and weaknesses. Now, do you have any question?"

The crowd of recruits was silent for a moment before Cyrus raised his hand.

"Questions that don't relate to Eren Yeager." Jean added as a last comment.

Cyrus lowered his hand.

But another boy in the line raised his hand and asked "Sir, are the rumors about Commander Erwin being impeached true?"

Jean shook his head, these unfortunate but baseless rumors had reached his ears as well.

"As you said, they're rumors." Jean said, hiding his uncertainties behind a facade of calm. "Treat them as such, until or unless, there is an official statement."

When there was no other question, Jean waved his hand and turned around. "Dismissed until after lunch."

The recruits scattered, their happy and tired sounds echoed in the open space.

Jean couldn't help but smirk. He turned around to ask Floch what he was up to for lunch but he was stopped when Floch pointed at his back.

Jean turned around and saw two girls coming after him from the recruits. One of them had a large smile on her lips. They both saluted.

"Sir- we had a question." the blonde one asked. "We wanted to see if a rumor is actually true..."

Floch arched an eyebrow.

Jean cleared his throat and tried to lose his smile. "What other rumor are you talking about?" Jean murmured, looking at Floch from the corner of his eyes.

"Lana says if we get eaten by a titan we can turn into a titan, is that right captain?" the second one said, pointing at the blonde. "It's really scary if it's true..."

Jean waved his hand dismissively. "No- it's just a rumor, for us to turn into titans you need to get in contact with the spinal fluid of a titan." Jean said as a matter of fact. "Getting eaten doesn't really look like the kind to have this sort of contact."

The blonde recruit jumped up. "But! Think about it Captain! If the titan was injured in their spine area and the Eldian had spinal injury for whatever reason, it's actually highly likely that one might transform!"

Jean shook his head. "Listen, Lana, I've seen more people get eaten than I can count. None of them turned into titans." he said, it took all his might from stopping the worry to melt into his tone.

Lana's smile dropped immediately.

She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Uh... Sorry... It's just someone in our neighborhood kept saying he saw his friend turn into a titan for years now. We all made fun of him until... You know... The news of Marley reached out... I just thought it might actually be true." she bit her lip.

Her friend gently patted her on the back. "Let's go..." she said awkwardly. "Sorry, we didn't mean to bring back bad memories."

Jean nodded in their direction. The two girls disappeared sooner than they appeared.

Jean stretched his arms with a deep breath. "So, Floch, I never thought I'd say this but-"

"They might be right."

Jean turned to face him with an eyebrow raised. "What?" he asked.

Floch narrowed his eyes. "That titan in the woods, the one you visit often," he asked.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"You said he was a Paradisian, right? Not Marleyan."

"That's what he said."

"Then there has to be a way he was turned into a titan. What the girl said actually made sense."

Floch rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might actually help identify the titan, you know. Maybe he has a family waiting for him." he wondered out loud.

Jean opened his mouth to say something but then gently closed it.

Jean pulled his hair back. Flochs words made him think about the matter. All this time, it never crossed his mind that the titan might have living relatives, people that might be worried for him.

He had to find out more information about the titan. After all, this conscious titan is one of their biggest mysteries.

"I'll look into it later." Jean promised.

Erwin stood in front of the military council.

One way or another, this day would come.

The day when he had to face premier Zachary and Pixys on opposite sides. The day when he had to stand military trial for all that happened within the Scouts.

And Erwin knew, while standing in front of Zachary, Pixys and Dok, they just wanted to get rid of him. This wasn't a trial, it was merely a sentencing.

Erwin raised his hands. "I had explicit permission from the Queen," he said as a matter of fact. "I am not required to answer to anyone on how I handle the matters in my regiment."

"The Queen is no longer standing in front of you, Erwin. As long as she is out of commision the government is in my hands." Premier Zachary ordered firmly.

Pixys took a deep breath. "I'm afraid it does concern the rest of the military when you announce war with what was left of the countries who don't tolerate us." he said simply.

Erwin narrowed his eyes at the old man's direction. "Must I remind you who stopped the formation of a global alliance against Paradise, two years ago, in Torana? It was me and my tactics. If we had listened to the rest of the military we would have much bigger problems than Marley to deal with." Erwin retaliated. "If I'm not mistaken the three people who are accusing me right now, were the same people who said we should act cautiously and not attend global events."

Nile Dok crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. "That was the past." he said as a matter of fact. "We are in times of war right now and we can't have disagreements within the big three regiments. I'm sorry, Erwin, but for many reasons than one we three have decided it's best if you are replaced with someone more... aligned... With the rest of the three regiments."

Erwin grit his teeth for the sake of putting up an act.

"You are making a mistake." Erwin said calmly. "Impeaching me in times like this will simply be one of your worst mistakes."

Zachary lifted the small gavel and hit it against the table. "That will remain to be seen."

The sound of it echoed in the empty room.

"Meanwhile, Commander Justivs of the military police will take your place" Premier said as a matter of fact.

Zachary stood up and fixed his coat. "I hope you have plans for your retirement, Erwin." he said. "If not, make some."

Erwin fisted his hands at his side tight enough that his knuckles turned white.

Hange slammed the folder on the table, angrily looking between Erwin and Levi in Erwin's office. "Tell me this is a joke!" they demanded.

Erwin laced his hands in front of his face and trailed his eyes towards the view of the outside of his windows, a beautiful scene of plains of grass and a small hill. It was turning dusk, the sun slowly falling behind the walls. Erwin would have to turn on the lights or else this rapidly approaching dusk would drown all three of them in darkness.

"Are they out of their mind!" Hange said loudly and slammed the folder on the table. "They are out of their mind. Marley is behind our borders... And they want to put Justivs in your place?"

The sun was falling behind the walls, what a beautiful sight it was in Erwins mind. He didn't notice the way Hange was now standing in the shadows and the light was just lighting Erwin and Levi.

"Justivs." Levi growled. "Of course it had to be Justivs."

Hange threw their hands in the air. "Tell me about it! He knows nothing about the inner workings of the Scouts and he-"

"- it's alright, Hange, it's not like we can do much about it."

Levi and Hange turned their heads towards Erwin, not believing what they just heard from the man.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Erwin met their gaze one by one. "Premier Zachary ordered it." He reminded them both.

"Erwin." Levi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Don't just stand there, tell us your gambly grand plan."

A faint smile passed Erwins lips. He turned around and gave it to his comrades.

"We Do nothing."

Hange jumped back, their hands freezing in the air. "What? Erwin!"

Erwin smiled knowingly. "I said what I said.'' he said, his smile turning into a devilish smirk. "Besides, I bet Justivs will die before he reaches the 10-day milestone."

Levi leaned forward on the table. "Oh, so this is what it is? Another gamble?" he growled. "This is nothing to gamble about, Erwin."

Erwin slowly shook his head. "It's not a gamble when I know the future, Levi." he murmured. "As I said, Justivs will die even before his 10-day milestone."

Levi and Hange exchanged a look.

Erwin offered no more explanation.

All it took was a glance at his red pendant and all the doors suddenly opened to him.

Sometimes... He hoped that wasn't true.

Because when he asked to take a look at the Survey corps records, he was let in with a salute.

Jean sat down on the archive and scammed through the files about the previous 57 expeditions which he hadn't been in himself. What the girls had gossiped about had got him suspicious.

Because his thoughts kept going towards the freckled titan.

He came from Paradise right? Then the only way that is true is from the impossible scenario his students said.

Either that or the titan is lying. It's worth investigating though.

Jean immediately found what he was looking for. The only record of a man named "Gregory Thomas" saying his slain friend "James Atkins' ' had been turned into a titan. This report itself was enough to guarantee the man's early retirement due to "mental instability and seeing illusions''

Which, given the circumstances, made sense.

Jean narrowed his eyes and flipped through the reports until he reached the name "James Atkins."

Jeans pressed his mouth to a thin line.

Back in the day, they used to write about their soldiers' deaths in vivid detail. Jean had to take a deep breath because the poor man's insides were drawn on the report. He was missing his right side entirely, his spine bit in half that his bones were sticking out.

But, all it did to Jean was to stick to a familiarity he wished he could forget.

But! Think about it Captain! If the titan was injured in their spine area and the Eldian had spinal injury for whatever reason, it's actually highly likely that one might transform!

And... Marco was bitten in half, his spine most likely broken too... If his spine got in contact with titan fluid then-

Jean rushed out of the archive, there was only one person who could confirm or deny these theories-

-the person who saw it with their own eyes.

It took a few hours by the new train station from Trost to the city Gregory Thomas lived in.

It took just a few questions from the locals to find his house. What really took long was to convince the man to let him in.

He knocked again. "My name is Jean Kirstein and I'm a captain in the Scouts." he repeated for the second time. "I just had a question!"

This time the wooden door in front of him opened just enough for Jean to see the old man's eye. "What do you want?"

"Please, sir, I- I need to hear your observations again. Did you really see your comrade turn into a titan inside another titans body?" Jean asked as plainly as he could.

The old man's eyes widened and he stepped back, horror written all over his eyes. Jean used the opportunity to step inside his house. "Are you... You are... You are a captain..." he murmured when his wrinkled eyes fell over Jeans red pendant.

Jean closed the door behind him as he stepped in. He narrowed his eyes. "Sir... I need to know what you saw."

The old man looked away. "What's there for me to tell? You must have read it all already?" he growled.

"Eye witnessing is different." Jean shook his head. "Listen, sir, I... This matter has turned somewhat personal and I need you to recall whatever it was that happened that day. I know It's hard for you, but doing that would do a great favor to the Corp."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Like what, Eh?"

Jean pushed his mulled out of his face with a sigh. "There was a pure titan spotted a few days back. From our intel we could see that it had no connections to Marley, meaning it was a Paradisian before it transformed." Jean explained. "We are searching for how that might be and your experience might be a big help."

The old man narrowed his eyes. "It's personal to you because you're hoping that titan is one of your dead friends, right?"

Jean took the cruelty of those words fully to his heart. "Yes," he said clearly.

The man sighed and shook his head. "What's there to tell? My minds all foggy from those old days." he murmured. "The third expeditions outside the walls. James and I had just gotten graduated. He was a menace when it came to ODM."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line.

The old man sat down and put both of his hands on his cane in front of him. "Our group ran into a hoard of titans on our way back to the walls. All abnormal." he said with a sigh. "My group was wiped, just me and James could pull ourselves out. Just when I thought things were going fine, a titan jumped up from the middle of the earth, took James left half into his mouth like a piece of chocolate and bit down... It all happened too fast, he didn't have time to scream. James' other half fell down the horse and I screamed at the top of my lungs. I rode on horseback while looking back at the titan, I remember the titan was bleeding on his mouth. Everything happened in a rush, a sudden yellow light knocked me off balance and then- then a hand tore the titans stomach from the inside out."

The old man met Jean's eyes. "I kid you not, I saw a titan being born with my own eyes, as if a baby ripped his mother in half trying to be born." the man murmured, his eyes wide in horror. "And the titan... The titan had James' face." The old man murmured. "I swear it, the titan was James. No one believed me at first, no one, but now that the news of Marley has reached out, people know that I was right. That the titan-"

The rest of the man's words were lost in the whim of the moment. Jean's ears went deaf after he heard what he wanted and dreaded to hear.

There was no denying it. The stories matched. Marco could have been turned into a titan.

The freckled titan that saved him that day, might have been none other than Marco Bodt.

Jean zapped through the gate at the beginning of the Jungle outside wall Maria.

He could feel the cold sweat run down his temple and couldn't care to listen to the guards' shouts. Jean shot his ODM gear on top speed through the trees and the branches.

When Jean's mind actually started working, Jean stopped immediately, he shot his ODM grapples in the opposite direction to stop himself, But the impact threw him against the nearby branch.

A branch scratched under his eyes and made it bleed. Jean just narrowed his eyes and sent another set of grappling hooks.

The rush of adrenaline was enough to distract him, his eyes searched for the freckled titan.

Is that titan really you, Marco?

No. The stranger question would be what would happen if the titan was Marco?

What would you do? It's not like you have any titan altering powers.

The zapping sound of his ODM seemed to have woken up the titan living within these trees. By his next turn, Jean's eyes caught a glimpse of a titan standing under a tall tree.

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line, he made sure to land properly on a branch. Jean's eyes met the freckled titans in a moment of clarity, and realized how similar it was to Marco. If it wasn't for the scars on his right side of his face and arm, it would be an exact but larger replica of the freckled teen he thought he lost.

The freckled titan- marco? Should he call him marco?- gave him a smile. He moved his right scarred hand and waved in the air, as if he had been waiting for him.

Jean felt like he had been punched in the gut.

Like he was ready to barf.

Jean let go of his ODM gear handles and covered his ears, shutting his eyes and turning around.

No, he won't see what he can't fix.

What can he possibly do? From what Ymir had said, living like this felt like living hell.

Jean turned around and swallowed all his doubts back.

He could see the titans face turn surprised at his sudden change of action.

Jean flew back and didn't answer the guards when they asked why he rushed in and came out so fast.

"You look like you've been run over by a train."

Jean ignored Connie's remark as he stepped closer to his friend. He unknowingly played with the red pendant around his neck as he watched the crowd in the throne room of the castle gather in small groups.

Afterall, no one wanted to miss the goodbye ceremony to the most prestigious commander the scouts have ever had.

It was near sun dusk and the light danced through the large windows that covered all the four walls. Everyone had gathered to bid farewell to Erwin smith, from Scout recruits to higher rank MPs

Jean rubbed his sore eyes, he really shouldn't let his internal conflict show. "You don't look better yourself." Jean shot back. "How's Sasha, by the way?"

Connie sighed loudly, rubbing the bridge of his nose and the bags under his eyes. "Not any better, she shows no sign of waking up anytime soon." he sighed. "What's wrong with you? You looked fine yesterday..."

I think that freckled titan is Marco, that's what's beating me up.

But Jean didn't say it. His eyes searched the crowd for any sign of Eren and Mikasa but quickly found Mikasa finding her way towards them alone.

She stood next to them with an emotionless look in her eyes. "Hi." she said with a nod.

Connie titled his head and pushed his closed fists into his pockets. "Where's the golden boy? Doesn't want to show his face?"

"Eren was... He said he was tired. He wanted to rest." Mikasa said as a matter of fact.

Connie rolled his eyes. He hit his back against the wall, leaning against it, and crossed his arms. "Of course, Eren still won't show his face to us." he growled.

Mikasa pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Connie..."

"Go along, Mikasa," he snapped. "Defend him. After all, it was Eren's recklessness that got Sasha hospitalized!"

Mikasa opened her mouth to object, an angry frown on her face, before she grit her teeth and stepped back.

Jean decided to intervene if their argument reached another peak, but he didn't have to because Mikasa and Connie turned away from each other in peace.

The room was overtaken by a sudden sound music that announced the queen's arrival.

The people stood in their lines. The Garrisons on the left, the Military Police on the right and the Scouts in the middle. The high ranking officers standing on the front. Which meant the special operation squad would be on the first row.

It was the first time Jean saw Hange and Erwin in the crowd. Jean left enough space for Levi to stand between Hange and himself, out of respect of Levi being his Elder.

Hange turned around to meet him with a soft smile. "Come here, Jean... Levi won't be attending." they said with a playful wink.

Jean arched an eyebrow but didn't argue. He took a shaky step forward and Connie and Mikasa followed his suit.

Jean turned around and turned his eyes on the recruits, his class was standing right behind them and the older recruits were standing behind them. "They Are... Behaving...?" Jean murmured, quite surprised.

Mikasa chuckled and elbowed him. "They're repeating your actions." she murmured as a matter of fact. "I think they look up to you."

Jean rolled his eyes. "I'm not that good in their eyes."

"You're their commandant or captain, of course they look to you for guidance."

Jean shook his head a little. "They'll be assigned to their separate squads next week. It's not good if they're dependent on me." he murmured. Jean stopped talking the moment he saw Historia come in dressed in her long red dress. Her baby curve more or less covered, hiding her pregnancy as much as it could.

But it was still visible for anyone with eyes.

Every soldier saluted and the unanimous sound echoed in the room. Historia walked until she was standing right infront of her throne, her crown shone in the light coming from the windows behind her throne. She hit her fist against her heart.

Everyone stood freely.

Jean couldn't help but cross his hands behind his back.

Historia took a deep breath and looked at the first row of the Scouts, to meet her friend's eyes, before she started her speech.

"Today we gather here to bid farewell to Erwin Smith, the 13th commander of the Scouts." she said out loud.

Erwin said nothing as he stepped in from the first row and stood in front of the queen, one step lower than Historia.

"Thank you, Erwin Smith of the survey corps, for all your years of service." Historia announced loudly. "Your leadership and sacrifice offered us a way to retake wall Maria and battle the pure titans. A war that ended in victory. The small time of peace we have now is thanks to you and your comrades that delayed the war with Marley."

(From what Jean could see of the commander, Erwin was dead calm.)

"Thank you for 9 years of service. This is a heartfelt salute." Historia hit her heart against her chest.

Erwin saluted the same.

He turned around and left the ceremony without one more word.

The crowd watched him as he turned around and crossed the throne room and pushed the double doors open and walked outside, like a calm storm leaving an area.

Jean held his fist tight enough that his nails dug into his palm.

A blond man in his forties stepped forward, he proudly wore the MP badge and stepped forward from the middle of the military's first row. He stepped in front of the queen as he was called and stood where Erwin had been a few moments prior.

Historia cleared her throat. "Hereby, I, Queen Historia, announce to you, Fredrick Justivs, the 14th commander of the survey corps. May your service be in Paradise's favor." she said.

who the hell is this Justivs?

Historia pointed at her servant and she came with a pendant in her hand. Justivs kneeled down.

"Jean?"

Jean didn't turn his head around. "What?"

"You still look..." Mikasa didn't continue. "Never mind... Haunted?"

Jean shut his eyes for a moment. "I know something I wish I didn't." he murmured back.

(The moment he shut his eyes he could see the freckled face of the titan that faded into Marcoes.)

Mikasa didn't push it.

Historia put the green pendant, the sign of the commander, around Justivs neck and the man kissed her hand. After that, he stood up and turned towards the crowd.

It was time for the Scouts to salute their new commander.

Jean took a good look at their so-called new commander. His blond hair was pulled back in a bun and his eyes were wide open. His skin looked young, younger than someone in their forties.

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. Of course, someone who spent the war behind the safety of wall Shina would not age as they did, Wouldn't have battle scars on their face, wouldn't have a haunted look in their eyes.

They would look so young and naive enough to think the Scouts would suddenly obey him after Erwin smith.

Hange broke the deafening silence as they stepped up and saluted Justivs. They stood next to Justivs as the only Section commander at present. It broke the ice but made Jean's blood boil.

It should have been Hange.

Levi had refused to attend. With the captain gone, that made the next person in the rank was the first one of the ordinary Scouts to salute the new commander.

Which meant the next person after Hange... Was Jean.

Jean felt all the eyes were on him, especially the new recruits and Premier Zachary, who stood in the MP line. He forced himself to take one step forward to stand in front of the man.

Justivs...

You see, when the mind is in unease, it's hard to adjust to change. The dark eyebags under Jeans eyes should have been the Scouts first clue of Jeans mental state.

And now he had to pledge his loyalty to someone who couldn't care enough to come out of his safe spot when titans were falling from the sky.

Jean grit his teeth angrily.

In a split second decision, Jean turned around towards Hange and saluted, the sound of his fist hitting his chest echoed in the stunned silence of the crowd.

Jean, as insane as it sounded, didn't fix himself and went to stand in line, all while ignoring Justivs and the rest of the Military police, one of whom dropped his wine and the glass shattered on the ground.

All the scouts present turned their eyes from Justivs to Hange and saluted.

"We give our hearts! For the glory of humanity!"

This time, the mantra was aimed at Hange, unlike how it was expected to be aimed at the new commander Justivs.

The military police were shocked into silence.

Premier Zachary narrowed his eyes from where he stood with the MPs. Their poppet commander just lost the little legitimacy it had when no Scout saluted to it. The message was extremely clear.

We won't obey you.

Notes:

Oh no, Jean, that was a bad move. Now the new commander has a grudge against you XD

please leave a COMMENT or KUDOS to make the author happy :D

Chapter 10: Song of Solace: hidden behind walls.

Summary:

Hange can't believe Erwin would do so much without telling them.

No, with Erwin out of commision, Hange has to take over Erwins hidden plans. Is Hange Zoe ready for the burden?

Notes:

QUICK RECAP!
*Erwin sent Squads to travel the outside world but failed. This attempt caught a small nation named "Torana"s attention.
*Torana has an embassy in Paradise.
*The Azumabito are the same as canon.
*Eren went to liberio on Erwins orders but didn't tell Jean when he was supposed to, taking the rest of the special operation squad off guard.
*Sasha is comatosed.
*Connie blames Sashas state on Eren and Eren won't show himself to anyone of his friends except Mikasa.
*the rest of the regiments Impeach Erwin becouse they are getting ready for times of war and want Paradises forces to be united.
*they replace with an MP names "Justivs" no one is happy about it!

Who is ready to finally see a glimpse of what Erwin has been planning?

These three chapters will be about Hange and their struggles to make Erwins plan move forward while Erwin has to stay back.

By the way, I did a harry potter stunt here, kudos to the person who gets it!

WARNIIING

WARNIIIING

War, being bombed and mentioned death. I honestly don't know why I put these warnings on an AOT fanfic of all things when we have worse in canon but it's better safe than sorry.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Days before.

Hange rubbed the side of their face. "So you're saying..." Hange ran their hand through their face. "... I knew you were up to something all this time but all this..."

Erwin stared out of the window, his eyes lost somewhere in the view of the mountains in Hanges office. "I understand it is too much to take in at once. But You have the most important role in this plan after Eren." Erwin said seriously. "Which is why I had to tell you the whole plan and why your part is so crucial.

Hanges lip trembled in excitement and worry. "To be totally honest with you, I still can't believe my ears." Hange shook their head. "It's almost... Unbelievable. You went to Marley? And talked to the Eldian restorationist? I knew you had something going on with Torana... But Marley."

Hange lifted their hand to bite their knuckle. "... Unbelievable. But of course you will. You could have died doing that!"

Erwin smiled, a rare knowing smile. "If I'd died then you would have taken over for me. With your view ideologies you could have led the Scout regiment in these rapidly changing times." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "So I wasn't particularly worried about that."

Hange's jaw dropped but they quickly gathered themself with a sigh and leaned back on her chair. "You're just saying that now. I could have never contacted the Restorationists of Marley or sent men to gather allies around the world. Your presence changes a lot."

Erwin looked back at the view again. "But we don't know if these changes are good or bad." he said and let his words linger in Hange's and his mind.

Hange bit their lip.

"I need a yes or a no, Hange." Erwin said as a matter of fact, not meeting their eyes. His calculating blue eyes stared at the horizon and let Hange's thoughts linger in the deafening silence of their office. "If everything goes according to plan. Eren will start the rumbling and will die by his friends hands, specifically Jeans Squad and The Marleyan warriors. I must ask you if you are willing to participate in our plan."

Hange fought the urge to slam their fist on the table. "You are going to stomp the world... Kill innocents in Marley, a genocide?" Hange through grit teeth. "And you want me to help him do it?"

"I know it's hard for you. But all I'm asking of you is to think in Paradise's favor. If you help, Jean and the squad will reach the continent before Eren has a chance at going any further than Marley." Erwin said as a matter of fact.

Hange looked away, unable to fight the bubbling anger and guilt in their chest. "How are you so sure Eren will stop after Marley? What's stopping him from flattening the world?"

"You."

Erwin said that without skipping a beat.

Hange slowly raised their head to look at Erwins eyes who was burning with utmost trust and confidence. "You will stop him. You Jeans squad and the warriors. But they won't be able to leave the island if you don't pave the way for them." Erwin said and took one step after another so that he was standing right infront of Hange.

"So tell me... Will you participate in my plan?"

Hange narrowed their eyes.

"I... This is madness." Hange bit their lip. "But you've always seen things I was never able to see." Hange hummed thoughtfully. "So... I choose to trust in your plan."

The smile that spread through Erwins face was a rare one.

"Great."

Hange held up their clipboard and turned towards the workers on the deck. "Come on! We don't have much time. This flying boat should be ready by this afternoon." they said.

Hange waved the clipboard in front of themself to somehow fight the heat on the ocean. The shores were turning orange due to the rising sun and they had a lot to do before lunchtime.

The tides were calm today, at least.

Hange turned towards Adler, who held all their maps and plans in his hands and on his backpack. "This flying boat must be able to fly at any given hour and it must be concealed so not everyone can see it or use it." they ordered.

Adler nodded, throwing his head up and down. "Yes, section commander," he said. "The engineers are making a unique switch as we speak."

"Good." Hange's eyes fell on the notes again.

TO DO LIST, Dec 14,

*hide and maintain the flying boat.
*talk to the new recruits and put them in their respective squads according to Jeans analysis.
*meet up with the queen and her 'group'
*visit Fiona (?) district with the queen.
*check up on Yeager.

I hope you're having fun being retired, Erwin.

"Uhm, section commander..."

Hange hummed.

Adler murmured thoughtfully. "Why is this plane here and not somewhere safe by the port?" he asked. "Why are we acting so secretive?"

Hange hummed thoughtfully, checking off the requirements. "Don't ask questions that you don't want answered, Adler." Hange said, giving him a tight smile. "This flying boat is a Scout's top level secret."

Adler opened his mouth to say something but gently closed it.

Hange put a tick next to the "hide and maintain the flying boat" box and added an "come back and check up on it again" box underneath her notes.

The act suddenly reminded Hange of Moblit.

Hange smiled without knowing it. Moblit worried so much about Hange that got himself killed.

"Section commander!"

A worker rushed to him and Hange narrowed their eyes at the approaching man. "What's wrong?"

The worker took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. "The ambassador- the ambassador of Torana is here to see you." he said out loud.

"Levant?" Hange asked, to be clear.

The man nodded.

Hange pushed the clipboard into their breast pocket and walked away. Hange just had to step down from the duck and saw Levant, with her signature Red uniform. A light beige coat that hugged her tightly against the wind and a red scarf around her hair and neck, her curly black hair danced out from under the veil.

Hange fixed their clothes before taking another step towards them.

Levant smiled knowingly, it looked like she was showing them her teeth. She waved her hand and the two body guards that were following her stepped back with a tight nod.

Until there was only the two of them at the beach, a reasonable distance away from the waters and calm waves.

When Hange was close enough, They noticed a white cup of warm tea in Levant's arms.

The woman was positively feeling cold, while to Hange this was warm.

Hange pushed that confusion away.

"It's a beautiful day isn't it, section commander?" Levant murmured, taking a sip of her tea as she looked in the horizon. The sea crashed against the shores and burst white bubbles as the wave drew back. The sky was painted orange by the sunrise.

Hange wasn't surprised to see the esteemed Ambassador of Torana awake and here at this time.

She was known for appearing where she needed to be.

Levant cleared her throat. A servant came and she passed the empty cups to her servant. "I wished to talk to you." Levant said as a matter of fact.

"I'm honored but I think if you want to talk to the Survey Corps, Commander Justivs would be a better option." Hange said as politely as they could.

"I can talk to Hange Zoe, titanologist and the head of research and engineering department of the Survey corps, without having to answer to anyone. After all, most of the weapons you're working on, comes from Torana." She said as a matter of fact. "We have met before. To anyone else, this is just another formal meeting about the new shipment of useless guns."

Hange closed their eyes with a soft nod. "I understand." Hange said.

"Section commander, we have a lot to talk about." she said as a matter of fact. She shivered a little, burying her hand inside the pockets of her coat. "I should have dressed warmer."

"We can go inside..." Hange offered.

Levant held up her open palm. "No need, the less the audience the better. After all, commander Erwin said I can only talk to you about these matters." she said as a matter of fact. "I assume you know about Paradise and Toranas... allyship... In more matters than one."

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin line. "I am. Erwin told me everything."

"Well-" Levant sneezed, immediately covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Bless you."

"Excuse me..." she murmured. "I come from the desert and beach side of Torana. Even our winters aren't this cold."

The ambassador shivered slightly.

Hange felt bad about her. If she stays until winter, she will have a hard time with the minus temperatures.

Hange smiled politely. "Well yes, Paradise's weather is never that warm." they said with a nod. "What brings you here, ambassador Levant."

Levant pushed her hands in her pockets. "How do you think a country like Torana survived being Marley's neighbor for so long?" she asked seriously.

Hange was stunned by the question for a moment. They stepped back to think for a moment, rubbing their chin thoughtfully. "Your considerable resources in Fossil fuels, Oil and gas probably helped you alot." Hange murmured thoughtfully. "I'm surprised Marley hasn't attacked yet."

"There is something else... Marley tried to... Several times." Levant admitted. "When I was seven years old. I remember waking up to the sounds of sirens that announced a possible attack soon. But instead of bombs, Titans fell from the sky."

Hange opened their mouths to say something but then refrained from talking.

Levant met their eyes with a knowing smirk.

"The government had protocols for that. Underground sites that would hold us safe from bombs and titans. I remember our Eldian neighbors were... Horrified... The word isn't enough to describe their feelings. Back then, Marley had no way of actually disposing of the titans it brewed. They'd often roam in the city for days before they bombarded the entire city with both titans and humans dying in it."

Hange looked away. "It must have been a paralyzing position."

"It was." Levant admitted with a nod. "But... As I said, I live in the desert side of Torana. When the sirens stopped and we came up we saw no titans on the land. Just steam. Apparently, Titans can't stand extreme heat." Levant turned her head, her piercing dark eyes met Hange. "You know what my father told me, when I asked why Torana is the only nation that doesn't keep these devils on tight check and internment zones?" Levant asked.

"What?"

"He said : no man should be punished for the sins of their ancestors and as painful as it seems, we must uphold this value if we want to reach true peace."

Levant shook his head. "But in the end, These big words held no meaning when Marleys planes came back with fresh bombs. This time, the sirens didn't sound. The buildings shook, glass shattered and people died without having a chance to scream. That was about twenty years ago. The first time Marley used bombs and titans in war and failed, somewhat." she said, turning around to look into the waves and shores. "I lost my father that morning. Our house fell over and I became an orphan. When I looked up in the sky, I could see Marleyan planes rushing through the sky towards the east. That's when I realized our enemy wasn't our Eldian Citizens... But Marley."

Levant kicked the sand."We were ready for war. That's why I joined the military." She said. "Turned out, Marley simply decided to start a war with Paradise instead of Torana. The next time they used titans in war- almost ten years after that- they succeeded thanks to Zeke yeager."

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin line. "Why are you telling me this?"

Silence settled.

The waves were climbing higher, almost reaching their feet.

"I'm telling you this because... With Justivs in your commanders place. The peace between Torana and Paradise might not last." Levant said as a matter of fact. "And If Paradise does push us back and betray us, we will have no other choice but to align with Marley... Because it means our survival."

Levant held her head up and narrowed her eyes. "Keep your new commander under control." she said, an edge of threat to her voice. "Or else, Torana might just side with Marley instead. Our country and the west can keep its neutral state for so long."

Hange's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"If Paradise doesn't do its responsibilities according to the contract we had with the queen and commander Erwin, then we will go away as well." she threatened. "I would think twice if I were you. Considering all the artillery you're going to fight Marley with comes from Hizuru and Torana."

Levant nodded "that's all, goodbye, Commander." she said and turned around, leaving Hange in the stunned silence on the beach.

Hange's hand froze above the door handle.

To the point their hesitancy was drawing the guards attention. The royal guards who worked directly for Historia and knew nothing of the matters discussed inside that room in the eastern wing of the tower.

This room had a hidden entrance from right within the Scouts headquarter in Stohess war.

And initially Hange had no clue.

If Erwin didn't have to lay low, Hange would have never been informed.

Hange took a deep inhale and pushed the wooden door open.

The room had a window and it was totally covered with red curtains. There were no guards in the room and the only person wearing formal military attire was Floch.

Historia sat on top of the table, Floch and Eren on the other side. Eren had his normal black coat on and acted careless. Floch was cleaning his dusted gun while waiting, under the desk.

"Excuse me for being late." Hange took a moment to take the sight in. "As we all know, Erwin has to stay back." Hange said, sitting on top of the table facing Historia. "From now on, I'll take his place."

Floch kept polishing his gun. "What are we going to do about Justivs?" he asked, straight to the point.

"He'll probably fuss for a while." Eren murmured. "Justivs basically has no authority in the Scouts when no one will obey him."

Historia nodded. "Besides, we don't really need the Scouts military power as of right now." she said. "Even if we did. The people under my command should be enough."

"Don't forget the bad boys of this plan." Floch mumbled, still toying with his gun.

Hange opened their folder. "That is not the immediate problem right now." they said. They held up a folder that held an important piece of paper. "The Owl contacted us a few days ago." Hange said, pressing their mouth to a thin line.

The other turned their head in their direction.

"According to the Owls data, Marley is planning a surprise attack on Paradise within the next ten days." Hange said out loud, sliding the reports and Owls telegraph towards Historia.

Historia took a deep breath as she opened the folder.

Marley, surprise attack. 13 days.

Estimated 5-0-0 soldiers total. 3-0-0 Eldians.

The sun will shine on the 4th realm.

-Owl.

She read it out loud and held up the paper. "Does he always telegraph like this?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

Hange smiled knowingly. "Well, yes, he can't cross a certain word limit because otherwise Marley would be able to breach it." they said. "The last line is actually a code. The sun will shine on the 4th realm. The number is actually random, but if it's 7, it means the owl might be in danger. 13 means his identity was compromised and the rest of the messages aren't from him. And 9 means his identity was compromised and Marley is forcing him to send this message."

"This Owl again." Historia nodded thoughtfully. "How did Erwin come across this Owl again?" she asked.

"It's a long story, I think Erwin should tell the tale himself." They said, completely evading the question.

Floch raised an eyebrow. "This mysterious Owl again." he murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. "We still don't know who he is, do we?"

Eren fisted his hands.

"We know he's an Eldian male." Hange said with a smirk. "And that he has a rather high military status in Marley and leads the restorationist from the shadows. Only commander Erwin knows his true identity."

Floch rolled his eyes. "Of course, whatever."

Hange cleared their throat. "And heard something... Unbelievable... From Erwin when he lent this responsibility to me. Can I ask something, Queen Historia?" Hange murmured, standing up to their feet, holding their fist over their folder.

Historia narrowed her eyes. "Yes, you can ask." she said, nodding.

Hange took a sharp turn. "Did you really... Did you really agree to have Eldian refugees on the eastern beach of the island?" Hange asked, the reality of the world sank deeper as they said them outloud.

Historia arched her eyebrows and took a deep breath. "Yes." she said with no hesitancy or doubt. "We agreed to give refuge to the families of the Eldian restorationists of Marley... Or well... Anyone who needs it can come."

Hsitoria narrowed her eyes. "I understand this is a shock for you, but Even Erwin left the responsibility of this to me and Eren. Also, you understand why this had to remain a secret, right?"

Hange took a calming breath to stop themself from slamming a hand to the table. "I understand."

"Just so you know. A new shipment arrived from Marley yesterday." Historia murmured, pulling a streak of her hair back. "I have to visit them and show them who their queen is from now on."

Eren raised his hands as surrender. "Listen, I still don't get why you accept these Marleyans with open arms-"

Historia snapped her head back. "They are not Marleyans, Eren." she said, narrowing her eyes. "They are Eldians who would have been turned into titans to fight for Marley if we hadn't taken them under our care. It's the least we can do to reassure the Eldian restorationists/Patriots of Marley."

Hange shut his eyes for a moment, their mind running on different scenarios. "Then I want to come with you on your next visit to..." Hange trailed off.

"Fiona district." Historia offered with a nod. "Their city is called Fiona district."

"Then I want to accompany you on your next visit to fiona district." Hange said, looking directly at Historia.

Historia just nodded. "It is quite alright, we were planning on introducing them soon, after all."

Hange nodded politely.

This was much more work that she assumed it was going to be.

The carriage moved and moved Hange knew the roads were new because of how smooth it was.

Hange crossed their arms over their chest and leaned back, Eren was sitting next to him and his eyes stared outside, looking at the view from the little window that was left open.

Historia had decided to ignore the safety measures and let them all take one carriage to the hidden city of Fiona, on the east beaches of Paradise.

It took three hours or so for Hange's ears to pick the first signs of civilization on the grasslands. Hange pulled the curtain away and saw homes on the side of the road.

And children.

Children with different dress styles than usual children in any other district. The boys abandoned their games and ran after the carriage, waving their arms as far as they could.

Hange pulled the curtain down.

"Lively, aren't they?"

Hange slowly turned around to meet Eren's eyes and the wicked smile he had on his face. "Better than the ones we left on Marley, not?" he said, his smirk going wilder.

"It is obvious from their clothing style that they are from Marley." Hange murmured, narrowed their eyes. "Still doesn't explain why you've chosen to keep this a secret. Or well..." Hange rubbed the bridge of their nose. "... Erwin had chosen to keep this a secret."

"Let's not double guess right now. They are here and they are lending us a much needed manpower." Historia said with her eyes narrowed. She reached for her back to fix her dress slightly back up, covering the fake plastic that made everyone think she was pregnant. "Man, pretending to he pregnant was the worst thing I ever decided to do." She sighed. "Couldn't you find another way?"

Eren raised both of his hands. "Na-Ah, don't blame me. I just said the first thing that came to my mind." He said. "You decided to agree to it."

"You're not the one carrying a piece of plastic around your stomach." Historia snapped back.

The carriage suddenly stopped. "We're here already?" Eren murmured.

Before Historia could answer her, a guard knocked on the carriage and said: "we're here your majesty."

Hange pressed their mouth to a line.

Historia stepped off and so did Eren. Hange waited a moment, fisting and unfisiting his hand before their natural curiosity won their heart.

Hange stepped off, covered their eyes because of the white light that invaded their eyes. Then, Hange's eyes saw a bright, lively city with colorful buildings. Clean houses coming in dark blue, dark red and black colors. The streets were clean and wide enough that sunlight peaked in.

Unlike Liberio, there was no sign of mice or cockroaches on the stoned streets. No walls that covered their sight or light.

(This city looked like heaven compared to what Hange remembered of Liberio before Erwin literally bombed the shores, blowing a large part of the internment zone.)

(And Eren destroyed the rest.)

And here they were. Eldians of Marley who cheered for Historia who walked in the front. Her guards kept the people at a reasonable distance and opened a way for Historia.

The Queen had a smile and waved slowly, smiling at anyone who caught her eyes. Eren walked a few steps back, hands buried in his pockets, completely ignoring them.

Hange could hear whispers behind their back. About Hange, some whispered of who Hange was. Some dismissed it because Hange was carrying the Scouts Logo.

"That private carries the Scouts Logo, I bet it works with the Owl too."

"That's a new face!"

"You think this means our IDs will come soon?"

Hange took a deep, calming breath.

"That is the queen of Paradise."

"Paradise is a monarchy? Not diplomatic."

"Shut up, it's like diplomacy is any good when you can't vote."

"What does she want to say, I wonder?"

Historia fixed her crown slightly when a guard opened the stage door. The stage was nothing spectacular, just stairs that led to tall stairs. Signs of the three walls decorated the stages and the place Historia was supposed to stand and give her speech.

From the way people were cheering at her, Hange supposed it wasn't her first time.

Eren pushed his hands into his pockets. "Historia..." he murmured, a little threat in his voice. "You better go."

Historia stepped on the stage, climbing the stairs one by one.

"Commander, Private Yeager, we should take you to your safe place."

Hange was taken aback by the guards sudden voice but nodded. He followed the man in the front of the stage. From this spot, they could see Historia clearly.

"Oh! A scout!"

Hange turned around, there were three boys, their eyes shone and glistened when their eyes fell on the Scouts Logo on Hange's back.

"It is a Scout!" another boy said, waving for Hange.

Hange felt their heart turn warm. Something deep and all consuming, like the first time the Scouts got a blessing from the crowd. Or the first time they caught a titan alive.

Hange held a hand up, waving at the boys with a smile on their face.

Then the smile froze when Hange remembered a relative of these boys was most likely killed in the attack on Liberio.

Hange pressed their mouth to a tight line. Do they even know about the attack?

"Welcome."

Hange turned their head back at Historia.

"My name is Historia Reiss, the Queen of the walls." Historia said loudly, the crowd that gathered around the main square was enough that she didn't need to yell.

But people were rushing towards them at the main square.

"Fiona District has grown since the last time I was here. I suppose we have only you kind people, the scouts and the volunteers to be thankful for." she said loudly. "However, I'm here to address the most commonly asked question. When will Fiona district be connected to the rest of Paradise. Well... Unfortunately, our plans are postponed but this should be possible in the next two weeks. Soon, Fiona District will become Paradises Forth district after Wall Maria." Historia announced. "As soon as the foundations of this city stand strong and you get your ID, you will be able to travel within paradise as freely as you please."

"Meanwhile, you can report to our agents about what your job has been, or what you want to do. We've arranged alternative education and job opportunities if you will. And I carry news that I had to tell Citizens of Fiona personally."

Whispers rose from the crowd.

"Marley has made an alliance with some of the countries of the world." Historia announced. "And recently, they have made a declaration of war against Paradise, even had a clash with the Scouting legion upon it."

Some gasped, some took a step back and some cursed.

"I want everyone here to be rest assured that Paradise and Paradisians will not abandon you. Marley's war isn't just on Paradise but on every single Eldian on the planet." Historia said harshly. "And as long as that is their objective, we will fight against it. Will all out might if it's what it takes. Because I know people that are here right now, won't just stand to be killed."

The crowd cheered with all their might.

"And I, as the queen of this land, felt responsible to let you know. Most of your restorationist relatives are in communication with us. With their help, this war won't last much longer." Historia said. "May this land see the time of peace and prosperity."

Historia left the stage with cheers from the crowd. Some even threw flowers. Of course that is what they'd do to the person who saved them from being a secend-degree citizen or a slave for Marley.

But Hange couldn't help but feel unease. When Historia stepped down and was close enough that Hange could whisper, they leaned in to whisper in her ear. "They don't know about the attack on Liberio do they?" Hange whispered, looking forward.

Historia didn't show any emotion. "They only know what we tell them." she said as a matter of fact.

Hange fought not to show the conflict in their mind.

Eren just wanted to go back home.

Mikasa was probably worried. She would never buy his excuses and he didn't want to waste the little time he had left with her. He just left the house because Mikasa left to help the Braus family move Sasha, in her comatose state, to their home.

Historia always made him come to these trips because she thought Eren could feel Eldian and non-Eldian presence. Maybe Eren could, but right then he wasn't feeling any non-Eldians around.

Not that his feelings could be anything accurate.

Eren pushed his hands into his pockets and walked back to the carriage the moment Historia stepped down the stage. He wanted to go back home.

"Mr Yeager! Mr Yeager!"

Eren ignored it, but he could see someone moving in parallel to him, waving his tiny hand to get Erens attention.

Eren stopped with a sigh. "Let him get close." he murmured, looking to his left. He looked at the guard and waved dismissively. The man stepped back and let just the petit blond boy to step forward from the crowd.

The boy shied away immediately, pulling the book in his hands into a hug and his dark eyes landed on his shoes.

"You know my name." Eren said with a tight smile. "How do you know my name?"

"Are you really Mr Yeager?" the small boy asked, not meeting Eren's eyes. He moved on the heel of his feet.

Eren narrowed his eyes on the boy. Something about the boy was familiar and it was pulling at the strings of his heart. "Yes..." he murmured. "Is something wrong?"

The boy blushed shyly and looked away. "No... I just... Mom says it's because the Queen, you and the Scout Regiment that we are here so... I thought maybe I should give you a gift...be-because I love our new home." he said.

Hange and Historias footsteps got nearer and nearer until the queen was standing right next to him.

Historia smiled. "Ah, that's really nice of you." she said, she pushed Eren forward with her other hand.

The boy held up the book he was holding. "We used to sell bo-books in our old-old home so I thought I should give my favorite ones." he murmured, bowing his head a little. "It's about- about the ocean and marine life. Mostly The-the the sea."

And now, Eren's eyes weren't seeing the boy anymore.

His mind wasn't in Fiona district.

The sound of the crowd was blocked out by a sudden scream and pleading.

"Eren! Eren, look! According to this book, most of the world is covered in a gigantic lake called the sea!"

The boy's giant looking blue eyes were triggering a memory.

A recurring nightmare.

Armin grabbed him by the shoulders, he was frozen in his teen years while Eren had grown. They were drowned in a black sea of nothing.

Or maybe Eren can't remember where they were.

Armin shook him back and forth, his eyes pleading. "No, this isn't the Eren I know! Eren! snap out of it!" he screamed in his face.

But Eren couldn't move even if his life depended on it.

Armin kept screaming in his eyes. "No! the Eren I know won't kill a fly let alone 80% of humanity!" he pleaded. "Please Eren! wake up!"

"Eren."

Historias voice snapped him out of his trance.

The boy, his offered book.

Fiona, and the poor manipulated people Erwin filled it with.

The present.

Eren turned around to face the boy again, ah yes, the kid who offered him a book. Erens throat feels too dry to talk but he forces out a dry "thank you."

He ruffled the boy hair and waves at him before the guards push him back into the carriage

"Can you get me to Krolva? Please? I'm kind of in a hurry."

Historia had moved back to the castle, changing her way in the middle of the road when the royal guards arrived. This way, she could return to her home without suspicion.

Which left Hange and Eren alone.

Hange sighed loudly. "Just go there on horseback if you had failed to notice I'm in a hurry too." Hange said back.

Eren uncrossed his hands and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What's the matter, Hange?" he said with a playful tone. "Don't you like the plan Erwin has been working on?"

Hange clicked their tongue angrily.

"I don't know it fully but..." Eren trailed off, shrugging carelessly. "You should be fully trusting him. Isn't he the commander of the Scouts?"

Eren smirked. "Isn't that what you said that day? That The scouts would be nothing without their commander? You should be thrilled, Hange." Eren murmured. "That Erwin is here and all this mess isn't on your shoulders. Why the bad mood?"

Hange glared at him. "I see you're still in a phase."

"To you, I'll always be in a phase. What's the point of proving myself to you." Eren murmured with a frown. "To you, my opinion will always be invalid."

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin line.

Soon the carriage stopped in the Scouts headquarters and Hange stepped down without much goodbye. To their surprise, The main stables and yards were completely empty. There was no sign of the usual rush around the Scouts headquarters.

Hange froze in place when they saw the empty stables and heard the lack of people around.

as if this place was evacuated.

"Goodbye, Section Commander Hange." Eren said as he stepped off the carriage. "See you sooooon!"

Hange turned around for a moment. what is wrong with you? They wanted to say before they were interrupted.

"Well, Well, look who I found."

Eren and Hange's heads snapped towards the new voice. It was Justivs, the new commander.

Justivs said that, holding his hands up like he wanted to hug someone. He walked towards them with three guards walking right behind him. "Look who I ran into."

Hange unconsciously stepped in front of Eren, putting themself in between Eren and the new commander. "Commander Justivs... That's some new faces right here." Hange murmured, narrowing their eyes at the men standing behind Justivs. "Let me guess, recruits taken from the military police?"

Justivs frowned. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it. All that matters is if one's wearing this symbol proudly." he said, hitting his fist against the wings of freedom on his breast pocket.

Eren arched an eyebrow. "How can someone be proud of something they had no part in." he asked, acting genuinely confused. "Weren't you part of the interior police?"

"Eren..." Hange said with an edge of caution in their voice. Eren met their dark eyes and closed his eyes.

"Excuse my words." Eren said as a poor excuse of apology.

Justivs narrowed his eyes. "Excuse my words, sir." he corrected.

"There is no need to call me sir, commander." Eren raised an eyebrow and pressed his palm against his chest. "But why would I excuse your words? You didn't say anything."

Erens lips pulled into a sarcastic smile. "sir." he added with a mocking salute.

Justivs narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't smile so much if I were you."

"Why?"

"Because My first order is to have you arrested." Justivs said as a matter of fact. "Eren Yeager, you have crossed far too many boundaries of the charter of Paradise to be able to walk free."

The men behind Justivs immediately pointed their guns at Erens head.

The click click sound of it echoed in the area.

Hange's eyes widened. "So that's why this place is evacuated." they said out loud.

"Well, yes." Justivs said, clicking his tongue. "Surrender Eren. There are dozens of shooters around the compound waiting for my order to shoot you through the heart. You can turn when you're severely injured, can you?"

Eren narrowed his eyes. "You've come prepared." he murmured. Then he exchanged a look with Hange.

Hange nodded.

Eren slowly raised his hands in surrender. A man from behind Justivs immediately jumped and handcuffed Eren's hand behind his back.
"Eesh," Eren hummed as the guard pushed him away. "Youre welcome for all I did."

The guards ignored his words.

Against the better judgment, Hange stayed back and just watched as they Eren away.

how am I going to explain this... They wondered quietly.

"And you," Justivs snapped, a finger pointed at Hange. "Meet me in my office. After lunch."

Eren turned his head around. "Why after lunch?" Eren shouted as he was walking away. "Ah! You must be so hungry! You worked so hard today!"

Hange sighed. Eren had to have gone insane.

"Yes, commander." Haneg said and nodded. Hange hit their fist against their chest, a salute.

Justivs, looked at Hange's closed fist and then their eyes.

"Good." he said before turning around, leaving Hange in the deathly silence of the evacuated headquarters.

No where better to hold a titan shifter than deep underground.

No titan shifter other than the warhammer, that is.

Eren couldn't help but smile in his dark and damp cell, knowing he could escape at any moment. He rested his head on his hands on a pillow, looking at the ceiling.

If his memories are true, he should be expecting a guest.

(Not Mikasa, it would take some time for the news to reach her and by that time Eren had escaped.)

And guessing on the fading footsteps coming towards his cell, he knew it was true.

The footsteps turned sharper until someone was running towards his cell. His shadow appeared on the ground and the next moment, Cyrus was standing on the other side of the cell, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"M-Mr Yeager?" be murmured in horror.

"Hello, Cyrus..." Eren said, standing up to his feet.

Cyrus stepped in the light and stood behind the cell. "I came here as fast as I heard and yet I still can't believe my eyes," he murmured. "They... Put you... In a cell..."

Eren rolled his eyes. "Don't act surprised now, kid." he murmured, standing up. Eren didn't make eye contact with the boy as he walked to the sink, pulling his hair back into a careless bun. "I guess you're disappointed?"

Cyrus opened his mouth to talk but then sighed loudly. "My father thinks your subordination should be punished," he murmured.

Eren chuckled. "And you...?"

"To be honest... I don't think you're capable of actually being a threat to the island." he confessed in one breath. "Or maybe I don't want to believe it. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been strong enough to come into the scout regiment in the first place... You... You were like my teacher and idol..."

Eren glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes. "You think highly of me..." he said emotionlessly.

"I believe you don't think highly of yourself, sir." Cyrus said with a smile.

Eren rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Listen, Cyrus and listen carefully."

Cyrus nodded.

"Act like you don't know me while I'm in prison, or else they might arrest you too." Eren ordered.

The younger one was taken aback for a moment. "But why?"

"I heard what Jean did during the ceremony. Justivs is now just looking for a way to get back at Jean for making fun of him like that. He might after his students." Eren explained. "Jean might act distant but he gets attached very quickly."

Cyrus clicked his tongue. "Are we talking about the same Captain Kirstein here?" Cyrus murmured, an eyebrow raised.

"Believe me, we are." Eren shook his head. "There is no better way for a bitter revenge than to injure/take/kill one of his students. You just happen to be the most potent one."

Eren waved his hand dismissively. "Besides... I might actually need your help to escape. I need to ask for a favor."

The words made Cyrus press his mouth to a tight line and just listen, his heart pounding in his chest.

But why would he help Eren Yeager escape? Wasn't he a fugitive of the law?

Justivs was one of a kind.

Hange gets how stressful it might be to be thrown into a responsibility you're not ready for. They can't help but feel sorry for the man in front of him.

Justivs sat on the place Erwin used to sit. In his office and in a headquarters where he wasn't respected. It will draw anyone insane.

Hange sighed loudly when they stepped inside and the door was closed behind them.

Justivs stood up from behind his office table immediately. "You're late." he snapped.

"I'm not, commander." Hange said. "I'm right on time, infact."

Justivs fist was tight enough that his knuckles turned white. "Listen, Hange Zoe, there were alot of claims that you were staging a coup-"

"I'm not." Hange said, not letting him finish.

Justiv narrows his eyes at them. "Well I think you are. How are you going to prove your innocence?" he asked.

"Everyone is innocent until proven otherwise." Hange said in their defense. "We've done nothing to provoke you."

"You've done EVERYTHING to provoke me." Justivs yelled, pointing a threatening finger at Hange. "From now on. Nothing goes without notifying me, you understand?" Justivs shouted loudly. "I don't know what's going on in your-"

The banged open when a frantic Adler jumped inside, still clinging to the doorframes as his heavy breathing didn't seem to calm down.

Hange turned their head around slowly.

"What is it?" Justivs shouted angrily.

"I just got word." Adler gasped. "Eren Yeager! He has escaped his prison!"

"What?" Justivs slammed his hands against the table, the force of it knocked down his pen to the ground. "Do you have anything to do with this?"

Hange swallowed. "I do not." Hange said through grit teeth.

Justivs growled angrily. He picked up his coat and glared daggers at Hange's direction. "I'll deal with you later, traitor." he snapped.

He didn't say another word as he went out, slamming the door in Hanges face.

Notes:

So how was it? Here are a few questions to look forward to:

*Who is the owl? (It's not an OC! it's a legit character. People with sharp eyes will be able to guess it the next chapter.)

*how did Erwin get in contact with the restorationists?

*what Other surprised does Erwin has in his sleeve?

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to motivate the author!

Chapter 11: Song of Solace: children in forests.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

For the first time in a long while, Levi woke up because of the sounds of pots and plates around the house.

Their house, located on the highest floor of the Scout Regiment headquarters in Trost, one of the safest heavens in town.

Levi sat up and glanced on the empty spot on his left, there was no sign of Erwin other than unmade sheets.

Levi pushed his hair back and reached for the glass of water he left for himself the night before.

So Erwin had woken up earlier.

What a surprise.

Levi rubbed his sore eyes as he walked out of the room. The moment he opened the door he could hear sounds coming from the kitchen.

An eyebrow raised, he went inside and saw Erwin with a new brown apron and a white hat behind the stove.

Levi just stood there, staring with wide eyes and dark eyebags at the rare sight.

"You're... Cooking? I thought I banned you from my kitchen." Levi murmured. His eyes fell over the table, a plate of eggs and bacon were ready and Erwin was making the other.

The blonde finished quickly, humming thoughtfully as he filled the second plate and took off his hate with a smile. "What? can't I start my day with a smile?" he asked when he saw Levis' surprised face.

Levi pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Last time I saw you smile so genuinely was when we discovered there were humans beyond the walls," he said. Levi cleared his throat and sat behind the set table. There were eggs and bacon on the wooden table.

Erwin immediately stood behind him, his smile unflattering. "Well, I think I just want to start my retirement days with a smile." he said, putting a white parchment on Levis' lap.

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Did you... Hit your head somewhere?" he asked sarcastically, fidgeting with the piece of parchment over his lap.

"Maybe," he murmured. "Why don't we eat our breakfast..."

Erwin turned off the stove and poured the tea in Levis cup. "It's your favorite." he said with a wink before sitting down.

Levi hummed thoughtfully, he picked up his cup and pressed his lips against it. The tea was too warm to taste but the scent showed the components. Deep and mysterious.

"With a drop of saffron." Erwin said, pulling his plate of eggs and bacon towards himself.

Levi arched an eyebrow. "How did you get saffron?" he murmured, shocked. "Saffron is like gold on the island."

Erwin smiled knowingly. "I have my ways, Levi." he said with a wink.

Levi swears this man is getting more and more mysterious every passing day. He cleared his throat. "So how are you going yo spend the first few days of your retirement?" Levi asked curiously. "... We can go to a pub. Since you are no longer a scout, you can drink Alcohol." he offered.

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Well, you can't join me..." he hummed. "So it's not that enjoyable."

Levi took a sip of his now colder tea. The taste of saffron was evident, it wasn't just a pint. Erwin had a lot to spare and exceeded Levis' recipe.

Levi fought the smile that crept up to his face.

"So... Anything you were planning for the day? I heard you got the day off." Erwin said, opening a folded newspaper that was previously resting on the table. "Anything you had in mind."

Levi cleared his throat. "Something small."

Erwin hummed thoughtfully, he held the newspaper up to read the newest article about the recent changes in the military.

Levi started eating his breakfast.

"Did you know they celebrated Justivs newest appointment in Nicolos Marleyan restaurant?" Erwin asked out loud.

Levi cleaned around his lips. "I'm not surprised," he said. "You kept saying how it's dangerous to trust something that comes from Marley all the time. You even banned all the scouts from drinking alcohol in fear that they might get their hands on that wine-"

Erwin chuckled. "I get it, I'm strict." he said. "Can you blame me though? I can't trust anything Marleyan."

"Well... I was thinking about something. About the two kids we got as prisoners of war." Levi said suddenly. "The Marleyan kids."

Erwin stopped reading. He folded the newspaper and put it aside. "And..." he murmured, urging Levi to keep talking.

"I want to check on them."

"And why?"

They remind me of Farlan and Isabel. Levi wanted to say as plainly as he could but found he lacked the courage.

"They are criminals." Erwin said again.

Levi looked him in the eye. "And so were we."

Erwin tapped his newspaper. "War criminals."

A frown settled on Levi's face. "And so are we. Why are you so against them?"

Erwin sighed. "Why are you so insistent?" he wondered.

Levi shook his head. "Nostalgia..."

Erwin changed the subject to something about the new Scouts who were arrested, a new recruit among them.

Levi didn't push the kids out of his mind.

Misaka helped Connie and Jean relocate Sasha from the hospital to her hometown. Her large adopted family all tried to help and in the end, the room they prepared for her was colorful. Decorations made with colored paper were glued to every corner and per the doctor's request, her parents had bought gallons of her favorite perfume and left it open on her nightstand.

All in a vain hope that she will wake up.

Mikasa smiled to herself as she watched Sasha's mother pet her daughter's hair. "Thank you, Mikasa." Mrs Blouse murmured as she pushed her daughter's hair out of her face. "Thank you all, where is Jean, I thought he came here?"

Connie leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "The messenger of the corps came a few seconds ago. I think our captain here has been called."

Mikasa blinked in surprise. "I thought we were on break?" she said out loud.

Connie shrugged. "Not Jean," he said. "We're all off but not Jean. Hey, I uh, I should get going."

Mrs Blouse looked at Connie in surprise. "Where are you going? We were just eating!"

"I'll visit my mother." Connie murmured with a sigh. "I mean... That's all I can do right no-"

Jean pushed the doors open.

"Connie- Mikasa-" Jean shouted. "There is- Eren! He was arrested!"

Mikasa and Connie exchanged a look.

All they could give Sasha's mother was a curt goodbye before they rushed out of the room and then rode back to the headquarters on horseback.

Falco could only watch as Gabi hugged her knees tightly and moved back and forth like a candle light. She chewed on her nails angrily. Her chocolate brown hair fell askew out of her clip.

This has been her since they arrived in this compound.

In this comfortable looking cell. It was warm, two comfortable and clean beds and a rather large window on the top of the wall.

Falco pressed his back against the dark bars of the cell.

Comfortable or not, this was their cell.

"... Cell... Titan... Escape..."

Falco pressed his hand to the dark cold bars. The sounds that were coming towards them increased in both volume and pitch.

Out of curiosity, Falco pressed his ears against the wall.

The words were muffled but he could clearly tell the sound of rushed footsteps outside.

It wasn't until an officer came to inform the guard on the next cell that Falco realized what was going on.

"Eren Yeager has escaped! We need troops for the investigation." the officer told the other.

The second officer nodded and rushed away.

Falco pushed back, surprised. He looked at the bars and tried to see the end of the hallway. He saw a man wearing a rose uniform run back, a few others making their ODM gear ready.

"That's our chance!" Falco hummed thoughtfully.

Gabi jumped off her bed. Her eyes wide and serious at the same time. "WHAT?"

"HUSH!"

"what?" she whispered again, quietly this time.

Falco took off his jacket and went back against the wall, he struggled to pick up a loose brick from the wall. He put it in his jacket and tied the sides together to make it like a basket. "The place that holds Eren Yeager is far far away from here." he murmured.

Gabis eyes widened. "What are you talking about? How do you know that?"

"I've seen Eren's titan break brick walls like it's made of paper. The government knows that which means they'll hold him underground. The only facility that can do that is the military police HQ in Stohess." Falco recited from Armin Arlerts book. He never knew the book would be useful in such situations. "Also, If Eren Yeager had escaped using his titan, we could have felt the ground shaking. We didn't. Which means he is not here. They are sending tropes to investigate his escape which means it's the perfect time to escape."

Gabi blinked. "What should I do?"

Falco shut his eyes. "Lay on the bed and Act sick." he said, pointing at the bed. "When the guard is near, hit him with a brick. once, ok? We can't afford to make much noise."

Gabi took the jacket from Falcos hands and nodded.

Levi looked at the blood stained cell in the Garrison compound, glaring at the guard who looked down in shame.

"So... You're telling me..." he hissed. "...That two kids escaped?"

The old guard bit his lip and nodded.

Levi felt a head building in the back of his eyes. When he rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment, Isabel and Farlan came into his mind.

Even if he could forget them. Their image came into his mind every now and then.

He could still hear Farlans gentle laugh and Isabel's giggles. He could hear them so clearly that if he closed his eyes, he would think they were still there.

Like he was still in the underground. Struggling with his two companions to make their dream of living under the sun come true.

What would they think if they knew what was behind the same walls they were wishing to see?

why am I suddenly thinking about them?

The answer was obvious, The two children they got from Liberio.

They reminded Levi strangely of Isabel and Farlan.

A girl trying her best to fight for what she believed was the good cause and a boy trying to keep everyone calm and in check.

And something told him it wasn't just the two of them in this friendship. Something was missing.

And that feeling was why Levi ignored every news about Erens escape that day and went towards the Garrison's headquarters in Trost.

Levi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You mean you couldn't handle two kids?" he repeated. "And they escaped?"

"I'm afraid so, captain."

Levi turned around on his heel. "I'll look for them. If you find them before I do, give them to me." he ordered.

The guard saluted and watched as Levi left the dungeons.

Kaya.

The girl that saw them in the forest was named Kaya.

She caught them in the middle of an argument and offered them a warm meal in their home if they wanted to.

Of course, they looked at each other, partially starved, and nodded.

Kaya led them to her house, the Blouse farm.

Just like Kaya said, there was a warm family and a set table waiting for them. A man and woman in their fifties sitting on top, three boys and another girl beside Kaya was around the table.

"Welcome to our house." Mr Blouse said. "Come in, I'm sure you're hungry."

Falco looked at Gabi, who was stuck and frozen.

So he talked instead. "My name is ben... And this is my sister Mia." he said, faster than he wanted to. He pushed Gabi to bow to the family. "We ran away from our home."

"Ah, you poor things."

The woman, Mrs Blouse, smiled and put a gentle hand on Falcos shoulder. "Please come in, the Blouse family always welcomes guests."

Mr Blouse nodded as well, holding up a smile as the two of them walked towards the table.

Falco would be lying if he said the smell of homemade food and the warmth of the house wasn't pulling him in. Other than the old couple and Kaya, there were three more children around their age sitting around the table.

Mrs Blouse immediately rushed towards the kitchen and brought two extra bowls. The kids around the table made space for Falco and Gabi with smiles on their faces. "It's tasty!" a brunet boy said. "If you keep standing there you won't get any."

Falco pushed her to come sit down. Mrs Blouse put their bowl in front of them and an extra set of spoons and forks.

Gabi stared at the stew they had. It was full of meat and veggies, the smell of it tingled Falcoes senses like his mother's meals.

But Gabi looked at it like it was-

"Is it not to your taste?" Mr Blouse asked softly.

"No! NO! It's great!" Falco pushed a spoonful of the stew into his mouth.

Falco looked at Gabi from the corner of his eyes.

"Man this tastes so good- doesn't it Mia?"

He could see that Mr Blouse wasn't buying his act. His eyes were fixed on Gabi and she was Mrs Blouse.

So thoughtful. So kind.

Falco elbowed Gabi.

She took her spoon with shaking hands. "Ye-Yes." she said with trembling lips. "It-It tastes good."

Gabi took more than a minute to take a bite.

Falco forgot what the stew actually tasted like.

Somewhere during the lunch, Falco saw Gabi sneak her knife into the pocket of her dress.

She thought she needed it for defense.

He ignored it.

After lunch, Gabi and Falco decided to help the stables.

The truth is, Falco wanted to help and Gabi didn't want to leave him alone between island devils.

Kaya took them to the storage where they kept the hay for the hay and each of them carried a basket towards the stables.

Falco noticed the way Gabi was extremely quiet, sometimes her hands went to check on the knife she had hidden in her dress. Falco ignored it until he saw Gabi staring at a room in the back of the main house the entire time they were walking from the storage to the stables.

Falco didn't have to wonder for much.

"Hey, Kaya," Gabi asked, narrowing her eyes at the closed doors of the said room. "What is that room for?"

Kaya turned back to look at where Gabi was pointing. She suddenly froze and pressed her mouth to a thin line, looking away. "My sisters there..." she said so quietly that her voice didn't reach Falcos ears over the sound of the horses nearby. Kaya dropped her basket in front of the stables.

"What?" Gabi asked again.

Kayas shoulders slumped down with a sigh. "Mr and Mrs Blouse' daughter. Her name is Sasha, she's like my sister and she's... She's in a coma." she murmured.

Gabi arched an eyebrow. "Why?" she asked curiously, looking back at the closed door.

"She was in the Liberio attack and got shot... But... They didn't reach the island on time and her surgery wasn't very successful..." Kaya shook her head. "We're doing everything we can to wake her up."

Falcoes eyes softened. He gently put his basket on the ground and smiled. "I hope she gets better soon." Falco offered.

Then he elbowed Gabi.

Gabi huffed angrily. "Yeah, Yeah, whatever." she said to Kaya.

"Thanks uh..." Kaya pointed at the kitchen. "Are you guys hungry? Because I think it's time for a snack break."

Gabi raised an eyebrow. "But we didn't do anythi-"

Falco interrupted her. "Yeah, sure! Why not." he murmured.

Gabi rubbed her hurt elbow and nodded hesitantly.

When Kaya left, Gabi elbowed Falcoes side in revenge. "Why do you keep bossing me around!" she whispered. "That's so unlike you- Falco!"

Falco hummed thoughtfully. "Because you were acting... Differently... If you think about it we need their support until Marley comes for us." Falco murmured.

Gabi looked away. "How long do you think that will take?" she asked quietly.

"Not long. Knowing my brother, he probably suspected something about Zeke and has told commander Magath." Falco said with a shrug. "If they know that, Colt can convince Marley fairly easily."

Falco took a sharp breath and rubbed the side of his face. "There is something else I think about..."

"What?"

"Gabi... I think..." Falco clutched his hand above his heart. "I think... I think you shot their daughter."

Gabi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Falco shut his eyes. "Look I- I'm not sure but you shut a woman and she was the only person with severe injury that they could have possibly brought back. And they said they have an injured daughter in that room."

Gabi suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You mean... You mean I couldn't do anything in that war?"

Falco shook his head, holding up his hands in defense. "No, I mean-"

"We have one way to find out if that devil is dead or not."

"What? No! Gabi!"

"Don't worry, I won't provoke the family." she said, waving dismissively. "I just want to check... Don't you?"

Falco shook his head and followed her.

The room was nothing fancy from outside, just a door that opened into a larger room and was connected to the main house.

Falco looked around before nodding at Gabi. She hummed and opened the door.

They opened the door and stepped inside. Falco bit back a sudden yelp when he saw Kaya sitting beside a sleeping woman on a bed.

It was her.

It was the woman Gabi shot.

Kaya looked at them, a tight smile on her face. "This is my big sister, Sasha." Kaya murmured, pushing Sasha's hair out of her face. "As I said, she's in a coma. They say she might never wake up."

Falco looked away.

Gabi kept staring.

Levi kneeled down, a small tsk at the tip of his tongue as his fingers curled around the yellow Eldian armband on the ground.

"Huh, not masters of escape after all." he hummed thoughtfully, taking the evidence and pushing it into his pocket. "Where can you two be, I wonder."

Levi's dark eyes went from tree branch to tree branch expecting the two twelve year olds to jump out of them any second.

However, he heard footsteps from behind him, and a very familiar face came into view. The messenger of the Survey corps and Erwins previous assistant rushed towards him. "Captain!" he panted, standing for a moment to catch his heavy breath. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Tsk, I've been busy, the two Marleyan brats have escaped." he said, narrowing his eyes at the other man. "What is it Adler?"

Adler took a deep. "Its commander Justivs, sir. He wants to relocate you in Zekes prison in the woods." he said. "He wants you there ASAP."

Levi turned around angrily, walking towards the South and the nearest hunting village that was nearby. If the kids had escaped, they had probably taken refuge there.

The hunters over there are a little too kind for their own good.

Or maybe, Levi is thinking too cruelly for his own good. You can't leave battle hardened sense behind, after all.

"I'm busy right now, tell Justivs he has to wait." Levi said, waving dismissively.

"But sir-"

"What? Let me guess, he arrested everyone's ass like he did with Yeager, hasn't he?"

Adler opened his mouth to object but then shut it gently. "Yes sir."

Levi looked at the ground. "Tell him to wait, I'll be there tonight. Tomorrow morning at most." he said dismissively.

Adler nodded and left before he could say anything else.

"Connie's here!"

One of the boys cheered and jumped into the kitchen. "And Nicolo!" he giggled. "Come on! I bet Nicolo has even more sweets to offer us if we promise not to eat the food he leaves for Sasha!"

The two boys followed him out.

Kaya immediately put down the plates she was going to clean and turned around, "Connie is Sasha's close friend, he's been living here often since his parents were turned into titans on an attack four years ago." Kaya answered the unasked questions in Gabi and Falcoes eyes. "And Nicolo is- Ahem- a Marleyan chef. You two might want to talk to him."

Gabi almost dropped the napkin she was cleaning the plates with.

Kaya nodded and rushed out.

Gabi snapped her head towards Falco. "Did she just-" she blinked in surprise.

Falco watched Kaya run out of the house. "Yeah, I think she did... I'm going to take a look..." he murmured, abandoning his broom.

Falco stepped outside the kitchen to the living room and sneaked a peak from the window.

The moment his eyes saw the smiling man talking to Mr and Mrs Blouse, he recognised the young man with ridiculously short gray hair.

"Where is Nicolo? Anything else he has brought for us lately, Connie?"

Connie laughed, touching the back of his head. "No, he's fixing a broken wine glass over his carriage. He's taking a shipment to a jungle prison, believe it or not."

"You always say the craziest things, how are you anyway?"

"Great as I always was." Connie admitted with a forced smile. "How is Sasha, any changes?"

Falco took a sharp breath through his nose. There was no mistaking it. He was a soldier who was present that night, he saw them. He saw Gabi shooting the soldier and then arrested them with that captain.

Gabi held the plate Kaya abandoned and was going towards the door but Falco caught his arm suddenly. "Gabi, No-" Falco pushed gabi back into the kitchen. "It's him..."

Gabit put the plates aside. "Who?" she asked, surprised.

"The man with the captain." Falco hissed. "There is someone. A bald soldier that arrested us."

Gabis eyes widened. "Oh..."

Falco bit his lip. "Let's go meet the Marleyan chef outside. The soldier must not see us."

"Or else there is no telling what he might do." Gabi completed for him. She nodded seriously. "Let's go."

Falco followed her footsteps towards the back door in the kitchen and took the longer route circling the farm so that somehow Connie wouldn't see them.

They circled the farm and found themselves right at the entrance. There was a blond man in a black hat, standing next to a carriage full of wine boxes and looking closely at a green glass of wine.

Gabi cleared his throat. "Are you Nicolo?" she asked loudly.

Nicolo stopped, he turned around and nodded. "Yeah, that would be me." he said, putting aside the wine glass. "... I've never seen you two around."

Gabi shook her head. "We're new here. That might surprise you but we're-"

Falcoes ears turned sharp when he suddenly heard a leaf break.

Falco turned around and saw the same man, Connie, point a gun in their direction.

"You two stand right there."

Falco and Gabi froze, they slowly turned around and saw Connie's dark eyes. "I mean you harm, but you have to go back to the headquarters," he said.

Nicolo blinked in surprise. "What? What did they do?" he asked, hazel eyes looking at Gabi and Falcoes innocent looks.

Connie pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Commanders orders, Nicolo, I can't explain it." he answered. "These kids are from Marley and I have to take them back to the headquarters if they escaped and-" Connie pointed his gun at the two kids. "They have, obviously, escaped."

Nicolo stepped back towards his carriage. "They are... Marleyan?" he asked. His back hit the wine boxes and the one he was inspecting the damage a few moments ago.

Falco narrowed his eyes. This isn't good. The soldier had recognised them and wanted to take them back. And since he knows Gabi, she'll-

He didn't have to completely think when Gabi drew out the kitchen knife she had hidden in her pocket at lunch and charged towards Connie.

To Falcoes surprise, Connie didn't pull the trigger, he barely dodged Gabis attack.

But he was present enough to grab at her wrist and push her back, the kitchen fell into his hands and Gabi was thrown back.

Gabi stood up again, glaring daggers at Connies way.

Connie held up the knife for a moment. In that moment, Falco saw that Gabi had cut a small gash in the man's side with her attack.

But Connie was deeply in thought for a moment. "Oh, Sasha..." he murmured quietly. "I guess we should have paid more attention when they were teaching us this move."

Putting the thought aside, Connie shoved Gabis knife into a safety spot in his persona and looked at the two of them, shaking his head. "Please don't make this harder." he said, with a little grief in his voice.

Gabi suddenly turned around, pointing her fierce glare at Nicolo. She sliced her hand in the air. "Don't listen to anything they say to you! Marley is coming to get us- they'll flatten this island of devils once and for all." Gabi shouted, looking at Nicolo.

Nicolo stared dumbly, his hand went towards the lone vine glass on the carriage. "You sneaked... Inside..." he repeated what Gabi had told him, realizing drowning in his eyes.

"Yes! And I assure you! Marley will come back to free us from these DEVILS! And their-"

Nicolo caught the wine so tightly that his knuckles were deprived of their color.

Falco jumped.

"No, Gabi-"

Nicolo smashed the wine bottle on Gabis head. He wanted to, but Falco pushed him away and took the hit to the head.

"NICOLO!" Connie shouted.

Connie shoved the gun back into his pocket and kneeled down in front of Falco.

He held the boy up slightly to see what the wound was like. There was a deep gash right above Falcos right eyebrow. The red wine inched down his face until it reached his lips.

"FALCO!" Gabi shouted, pushing Connie away to hold his head up. "Falco! Your head is-"

"You damn murderer!"

Gabi shut her eyes to prepare herself for the impact that she knew followed after such angry shouts.

But it never came.

"Let me go! That kid- that kid shot Sasha!"

"You think I don't know?"

Gabis vision began to blur when Falcos breathing turned shallow, like he was in a deep sleep. His eyes rolled back.

Gabi wanted to scream. Falcos wound needing right now or else he might-

But she didn't.

She turned around to see Connie holding Nicolo back firmly by his shoulders. Nicolo had the deadly broken glass of wine pointed at Gabi, his red rimmed eyes glaring at her. "Sasha won't wake up because of her!" he shouted. "You should be helping me!"

Connie grit his teeth. "Yeah, I probably should have helped you kill her." he murmured thoughtfully. "If Sasha was dead. Or if the girl was holding a gun. What's stopping me from pulling the trigger myself?"

Gabi held Falco tighter to herself.

She must run and carry Falco away with her.

"But look at her-'' Connie snapped, holding an open palm at Gabi's direction. "What's the difference between you and her right now? When both of you are hopeless to heal someone you're close to?"

"I-"

"Keep the buts for later and let's get that kid to the hospital." Connie ordered. "Get your carriage ready."

Nicolo shut his eyes and looked away. "She can't come with me." he said as a matter of fact. "And we should get his mouth rinsed because-"

Connie let go of Nicolo to kneeled down and carry Falco bridal style. Gabi followed him at his toe. "Forget about the details, you can tell me later."

Hurried footsteps echoed in the air. "What happened here?" Mr Blouse in his accent. "What's-"

Connie waved his hand dismissively. "Just an accident, wasn't it Nicolo?" he said, putting Falco down the carriage and hopping on it himself. "We're taking Falco to the hospital in town."

"I'll come!" Gabi argued, climbing on the carriage. "You can't-"

"Gabi you'll just slow down the carriage, you can come with the rest of the Blouse family-"

"-you stay back! I'll go with Falco!"

Connie narrowed his eyes. "Do you really want to risk that?" he asked, nodding at Nicolos direction.

Gabi pressed her quivering lips together.

Connie picked her up like she weighed nothing and put her down. "It's ok, you'll come soon and I know first aid." he said, right before Nicolo forced the horses to move.

Connie smiled in sympathy. "It's ok." he said as softly as he could.

Before Gabi could force herself to run after the carriage, they were already too far. Just a moving dot in the horizon.

Mr Blouse took Gabi to the town on horseback.

For the first time riding a horse, Gabi couldn't call her experience enjoyable.

At the first building that resembled a hospital, Gabi jumped down. Rushing towards the entrance without a care for who she was pushing. Mr Blouse followed him quickly.

Gabis eyes were lost in between the doctors and their white clothes, the nurses who rushed away and the crying patients.

Gabi fought the urge not to flinch when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. "Gabi, Connie is over there." the calm voice of Mr Blouse filled her ear and she turned around.

At the end of the second hallway, Connie was talking to another person whom she had seen on the aircraft. A short man wearing the blue/black logo of the Scout regiment.

Gabis legs couldn't take her any further.

Mr Blouse couldn't understand her inner thoughts so he pushed her gently. "Come on, don't be afraid, I'm sure the Doctors are doing everything they can."

Gabi stepped forward with shaking footsteps.

Connie and the captain quickly noticed their presence.

The captain looked at Gabi with his eyes frowned. "Mr Blouse," he said with a nod

"Captain Levi?" Mr Blouse asked, quite surprised. "What's wrong?"

Levi narrowed his eyes at Gabi's direction. "That girl's wrong." he said. "What is she going here?"

Levi walked the remaining distance to Gabi, he was stopped when Kaya jumped in his way. "Mia ran away from her house and came here." she said confidentially. "She didn't do anything wrong?"

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Really? Except this girl's name is Gabi and she is an Eldian from Marley. A POW." he said, pushing Kaya aside. "And she ran away from prison."

Levi looked down.

Gabi was too stunned to see his gaze.

"I should ask all of you to leave back to your home, the Scout Regiment will handle things from here." Levi ordered, not taking his eyes off Gabi.

"Captain Levi, do you mean she was a soldier you fought?" Mr Blouse asked seriously.

"Not me personally." Levi said. "Enough questions, I need you out. This place will be full of Garrison soldiers in a short while. We'll handle it from here."

Mr Blouse looked at Gabi and then put a hand on her shoulder.

Connie nodded in his direction and Mr Blouse had to leave. He smiled at her softly before turning around to leave.

Gabi grit her teeth together angrily.

Levi kneeled down to be in her eye level. "Don't worry kid, the doctors said the boy will survive." Levi said as a matter of fact, gently pressing under Gabis chin so she'd look up.

Gabi slapped his hand away, glaring angrily at him. "Let Falco go-go he had nothing in this-" she said. She tried to act confident but her voice was wavering. "Whatever you wanna do-"

"I'm not ordered to do anything to you other than to take you Somewhere safe..." Levi stood up, clearing his throat. "Well, much safer than in the arms of the siblings of the girl you almost killed."

"What-what will happen now?" Gabi murmured.

Levi narrowed his eyes on the girl. "You come with me." he said as a matter of fact. "He comes with me too. And if you know the best for yourself and him you won't cause any trouble for me."

"Whe-where are we going?"

Levi pressed his mouth to a thin line. He looked at Connie and signaled him that he should help relocate Falco.

Erwin found the task of filling his empty time extremely frustrating.

When he was making his plan, he knew he'd have to lay low for 5-10 days before the rest of the regiments literally blew up. However, he didn't know boredom could be so frustrating.

He found himself staring outside the window more times that one, often staring at his own reflection in the view of dusk.

Erwin turned around.

He moved into their room and opened the closet. He picked up a key from the nightstand next to their bed and put it right into a small, normal looking hole in the wall.

When he turned the key, a small rectangular door opened and behind it, hid a telephone.

Erwin pressed the speaker to his ears and waited for it to dial the castle. "I need to talk to the queen." he said before the person behind could say anything.

Soon enough, he heard a soft humming coming from the other side of the phone. "I didn't know you had installed a telephone in your home." Historia said on the other side.

"I had to. I knew I would be impeached sooner or later." Erwin said in his defense, gripping the telephone tightly. "Excuse me for calling unannounced. I just wanted to see if Hange... Did anything outside of the plan?"

There was a visible silence between them until the ten second policy of the telephone system finished. They listened to the conversation for ten seconds to see if the line was connected.

Historia cleared her throat. "No, they didn't. But Hange was kind if... Surprise... That the Marleyan-Eldians weren't informed on the attack on Liberio."

Erwin rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We can't afford an uprising from them and you did tell them about the declaration of war, right? They'll think they declared war and then we attacked... Which isn't so far from the truth."

"Not so far..."

"The Marleyan Eldians on the island are more or less restorationists or their families, most of them won't care if Marley is nuked to dust."

"And those who do care? I hope you understand what you're gambling with."

"I do, I assure you." Erwin felt a smile crept up to his face. "You'll see the results of my efforts soon enough."

"better be worth it."

"You'll see, your majesty and also-"

Erwin heard a loud knock before a key was into the door and the light sound of it quickly reached Erwins ears in the empty house.

"-I'll have to end the call. Levi is back. Good night."

Erwin quickly put the phone back on and closed the hidden closet. Hopefully, Levi won't find it out before he has a chance to tell him.

Erwin locked it and hid the small silver key above the drawer, before he went to open the door.

"Hi, Levi, you're back-" Erwin wanted to say but attention immediately diverged towards the smaller figures that Levi was holding firmly by her shoulder. And another blond preteen that was passed out in Connies arms, who was standing behind them. "-early..."

The two miscalculations. Falco Grice and Gabi Braun.

Gabi stared forward like she'd seen a ghost, even when she raised her head her eyes didn't focus on Erwins face.

She was terrified, her hands shook on her sides and her eyes darted everywhere, focusing on every corner other than Erwins eyes.

Connie nodded. "Commander..." he murmured, pointing his head towards the passed out blond in his arms. "Sorry, I can't salute."

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. "It's quite alright... Is that Falco Grice?" he asked, to be dumbly clear about the passed our boy with bandages around his head.

This is going to end badly if Falco is seriously injured. All my plans will turn to dust if the owl finds out about this...

Levi clicked his tongue angrily. "Yes, and this Gabi."

"Oh, I see you found them" Erwin said, just to say something while he was thinking. "What are you going to do?"

Levi's dark eyes fell on Gabi and turned to see Falco. "Connie, get Falco on the guest's bed. One the second room on the right." he ordered.

Erwin stepped aside for Connie to do what he was ordered to.

"We're going to take care of these kids until we find their parents." Levi said as a matter of fact, the look on his eyes told Erwin this was not negotiable.

Erwin stepped aside with a sigh. "Welcome to our house..." he said in defeat.

Levi gently led the stunned girl inside. "Let's go inside, brat. I'll get some lunch ready, you look exhausted." he murmured, patting Gabi on the shoulders. "By the way, our house is on the highest floor of the headquarters and there are guards on every inch of this building... Just so you know."

Erwin watched Levi lead Gabi to the guest room with a gentle manner. Far gentler from the way he had handled the 104th.

Gabi was stunned enough not to be able to speak without stuttering. Guilt. She was feeling guilty.

Erwin sighed loudly as he closed the door.

Notes:

Here we go!

How was it! Comments are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 12: Song of Solace: A game of chess

Notes:

Helllloooooo

Here is a last 2021 chapter!

I hope everyone has fun in the new year!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Erwin was very clear on how Hange must handle the Scout regiment in his absence. It had two clear goals and a hundred unclear scenarios that Erwin trusted Hange to deal with on their own.

Number one, help Zeke's escape so that everyone will indirectly understand what was inside the wine.

Number two, prepare Jean for what he will have to do.

Number three, make sure Justivs doesn't find out about their plan and ruin anything.

The rest was summarized with one sentence from Erwin.

"I'll trust you to deal with it, Hange, we'll save Paradise and give our fallen comrades meaning and purpose."

"I know how hard it must be for you, but thank you for trusting me and my plan, Hange."

Which is how Hange found themself in Torana's embassy in the capital of Mitras that sunny day with Jean. In the main meeting room. All the heating system was up.

The Marleyan engineers, with Torana help, were tasked to help make a defense against Marley's gas weapon. Paradise couldn't have a large population if it suddenly turned into titans.

And this was the result.

Hange looked at the clean black mask on the table. It was huge looking and totally black to match their uniform with a scout logo on the bottom right.

Jean stayed behind Hange, looking at the mask with curious hazel eyes.

Aisha Levant, Toranas ambassador, watched Hange's every move very closely.

Hange hummed thoughtfully. He wrapped fingers around the mask and lifted it up to eye level.

A representative of the Marleyan engineers, a bold man in his fifties, cleaned the oil off his hand with a piece of parchment. "The only way we could find was not inhaling that gas at all." He explained. "And on your order- we created this!"

Hange offered Jean to have a look. He took it and stared at it like he was seeing an insect.

Jean rubbed his chin. '`This will protect us against Zeke/Marley's gas weapon?" he summarized loudly.

Hange looked at the mask in Jean's hands. It looked easy enough to apply. Just pull the string around the head and it'll fix itself over their mouth and nose. It was light enough to carry in your persona and ODM with no problem.

The Marleyan man looked at Jean and then Ambassador Levant. "Yes, the only substance light enough to make this glass was made from the sands in Toranas dessert." he said.

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin line. "It looks like we owe you again, ambassador." they said, looking at ambassador Levant with a tight smile.

Levant nodded. "No need, I'm sure paradise will pay back our debt someday." she said with a dismissive wave.

The Marleyan inventor looked at Hange apologetically. "However, they have one big weakness." The man said with a loud long sigh.

Hange raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

The man looked down in shame. He took the mask from Jeans hands and gently hit it against the table, so gentle, Hange expected nothing to happen. However they both heard a loud crack hit the room.

Hange's eyes went wide when he saw the container on the side of the mask fall off as if it was never there.

The man shook his head. "The masks break easily," he said. "It's not a problem we can fix. If we make it any more durable it will be heavier than the weight limit allowed. Your soldiers must be extremely careful with it."

This was bad news...

But it's not like they would battle with these on.

"According to what our sources have told us, this would suffice." Hange murmured. "Have them ready. We need two for every soldier in the regiment. One to be used and one as a spare."

Levant slowly clapped her hands. "I assume that means we have another deal..." she said, holding up her hand. "I just received word that the first ice burst stone shipment has reached Toranas soil safely."

Hange felt some of the weight fall from their shoulders. "That's a relief." Hange murmured. "At least something is going according to plan."

"And I carry good News, Hange Zoe," Levant said. "The south-Eastern nation of Ethian just contacted Torana's authorities! They want to send an ambassador and start their trade if Ice bursts stone on one condition."

Hange's eyes widened.

Another nation was willing to trade with them?

How is... How is that possible?

Jean crossed his arms over his chest. "Do they have a death wish? After Marley declared war on us?" he asked.

Levant shook her head. "They want it precisely because Marley declared war on you." she explained. "If it remains confidential, it'll give Ethian enough resources to bite back at Marley if they ever come to their borders. But, if Marley conquers Paradise... They might as well kiss having this resource goodbye."

Hange rubbed their chin. of course, other countries would be interested... After all, Torana is buying Paradise's iceburst stone ten times cheaper than what Azumabito offered.

Erwin accepted their trade simply because Torana was a door towards the Western countries.

in other words, Torana is exploiting our resources in exchange for being our voice on a global scale.

Jean seemed to have the same thoughts.

Hange clears their throat and smiled. "We will be glad to meet Ethians representative, and negotiate on our terms." Hange said, holding their hand for a handshake. "Please tell the Ethian president that-"

A hard knock on the door got their attention.

Then the double doors opened and the last person Hange ever wanted to see stepped in. The same middle aged man that was a recurring nightmare to Hange.

Justivs walked in, slowly clapping as his guards circled them and the table. "Well, Well, Well, I was hoping to talk to the ambassador in private." he said, shaking his head, "bold of me to assume you'll leave her alone for a moment, section commander Hange."

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin. "You are aware of the new upgrade in our uniforms, commander." they reminded him. "I'm just here to check on it."

Justivs nodded and then his eyes went towards Ambassador Levants. "Great, because once this is finished. We need to talk, '' he said.

"It's already done, commander. You can say your wishes." the ambassador said. "You can say what you please."

"Well then. I'm afraid I don't carry good news." Justivs said, shaking his head. "I'm here on behalf of all Paradise military to ask All Toranaian officials to leave Paradise immediately."

Ambassador Levant blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Hange had no chance to soften the blow of what Justivs said, because ambassador Levant narrowed her eyes and held a hand up. "I wonder why? Is paradise no longer interested in working with us?" she said. "We are the sole representatives of Paradises' allies. Leaving this island is the same as sabotaging the ties commander Erwin built with the western nations."

Justivs narrowed his eyes. "My order was clear enough ambassador. Toranians are meant to leave this island until tonight." he ordered.

Hange looked over at Jean, who looked equally surprised. He stepped back, away from something quickly escalating from a personal argument to international conflict.

Hange stepped between them, holding their hands and facing Justivs with caution. "Justivs, listen." they whispered. "Kicking them out like this is the same as adding the western nations to our long enemy list."

"Are you criticizing my decision?" Justivs said loudly. "I'm the commander, and if you hadn't noticed, these western nations - that you and Erwin adore so much- might actually be Marley's spies."

Hange wanted to make him stop talking. But Hange was too late as Levant heard him.

Levant's eyes looked up and down Justivs figure. "And here I thought people nicknamed island devils had better brains than the marleyans." she said calmly.

"Doesn't matter what you think about us. What matters is that we are unanimous in thinking you should leave." Justivs said back.

Jean stepped in. "Maybe this was a matter better discussed in private." he said, putting himself between the two. "Embassador Levant just said-"

"I know what she just said." Justivs spat. "It should have been said to me and NOT Hange Zoe! That itself is an act of treason."

Justivs waved his hand in the air. "Embassador! You have your orders, leave Paradise immediately."

Levant didn't acknowledge, she just glared daggers at the man's direction.

"And you two." Justivs threatened, his finger pointed at Jean and Hange. "Your insubordination will be punished." he snapped and turned around to leave. He disappeared from the compound without another word.

Hange couldn't convince Justivs back.

Looks like the man was serious in his decision to sever Paradise's ties with the rest of the world.

Well, not the Azumabito. He was perfectly fine with Lady Kyomi staying on the island. But he didn't want to see a drop of Erwins efforts left on this island.

Hange sighed loudly and held up her hand in front of Aisha Levant, Toranas now ex-ambassador in Paradise.

They gathered quickly. As if they were ready to be kicked out. Ambassador Levant's red dress held tightly to herself and a red coat she liked to wear to keep herself warm. She looked back at the black ship that was going to take her back home. It was resting on the deck, with the lazy waves of the ocean hitting it every once in a while.

"Some people remove their masks when they have power." Levant said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Hange Zoe, for what happened. But as the ambassador I seize all Toranas activities in the island and inform the capital. Other than the treaty solved with commander Erwin, you can publicly assume Torana and the western countries your enemy."

Hange wanted to sigh.

The plan to destroy the world would be a better title.

Hange rubbed their eyes. "I... Understand." Hange murmured. "We'll leave you to it. And I apologize, our government is going through some reformations right now."

"It's quite alright." she said. "You did all you could."

Hange didn't want to say goodbye to the only way they had of connecting to the world.

But eventually, the time came that they had to shake hands and say goodbye.

And Hange watched as Toranas ship sailed away...

With it, went every doubt Hange had that there was a better alternative to the plan Erwin had conducted.

I'll see through the end of it.

Hange vowed.

I trust Erwin.

I'll see through the end of it even if it costs my life.

"Justivs has no clue what he's doing, is he?"

Jean's question echoed in Hange's ear but they gave it no mind.

Hange clasped their hand behind their back as Hange and Jean walked through the headquarters of the scout. "Don't let him hear you say that..." Hange murmured. "He's already holding a grudge against you..."

Jean rolled his eyes. "What is he going to do? Anyway, We all know he's just temporary. And he just- just kicked the ambassador of Torana out!" he murmured. "When will Commander Erwin pull an unexpected trick from his sleeve."

soon.

sooner than you might think.

Jean huffed angrily. "Why did he do that? And why are the Azumabito still here?" he murmured, his eyes looking around the compound that was rapidly getting more crowded as recruits and veterans alike, walked to their stations.

Hange pulled their brown hair back. "It's simple Jean." they murmured. "The Azumabito are selling weapons to Paradise while Torana offers foods, artifacts and defensive strategies at best."

Jean hummed. "And for someone who believes Marley will attack no matter what we do, Trading with Azumabito is a priority and since the Azumabito never liked the fact that Torana is getting it so cheap..."

"They eliminated their rival..." Hange completed for him. "I wonder what the Azumabito gave in return."

Jean's eyes were lost in the crowd that was moving in the main hall. "I hope it was worth it." he murmured, his eyes falling to his shoes.

Hange smiled softly. "I saw what you did with the recruits."

Jean's eyes suddenly opened wide.

"Nice work, Jean." Hange nodded. "I thought they might have killed you by now."

Jean touched the back of his neck awkwardly. "To be totally honest, I think Commander Erwin gave me this job to put me away for a while." he murmured.

oh, well, you aren't exactly wrong.

"We did need someone to train these recruits." Hange said, patting him in the back. "Isn't it nice to be the 'Levi' to a bunch of recruits."

Hange saw a recruit approach them slowly but surely in front of them.

Jean laughed awkwardly. "I don't think I can hold that much authority and prestige, honestly," he admitted.

The recruit suddenly gained a lot of courage. And stood in front of Hange and Jean. The blond recruit saluted and Hange read the tag the scout logo of his green coat. Cyrus Cohen.

Cyrus only stared at Jean for a split second. "Can I- Can I talk to you, Captain." Cyrus asked, his face completely pale of his color.

Jean rubbed his eyes with a sigh. "I don't know anything new about Eren." he murmured. "Eren escaped and then we have no clue what-"

"It's not about Eren Yeager, sir."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you Alone?" He murmured.

"Private Cyrus Cohen, if it's something that concerns the regiment I should hear that as well." Hange said before Jean could nod.

Cyrus opened his mouth. "Captain... A trap-trap is laid for- they want to- There was a bunch of MP officers who just-"

Suddenly, the doors burst open and a few Scout officers jumped inside like worms. Holding rifles in their direction and barking orders.

"HANDS IN THE AIR!" the soldier shouted.

Hange realized with stunned clarity that the guns weren't pointed at him, but at Cyrus.

"Cyrus Cohen, step forward and HANDS IN THE AIR!" another soldier barked.

Jean suddenly stepped in front of Cyrus, blocking the gun's path to his student.

Hange narrowed their eyes. "What is happening here? Lower your guns." Hange ordered.

Justivs stepped in from the crowd. "And now you side with criminals, Hange Zoe?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Hange was stunned to see this man twice in one day.

But Justivs didn't care. "Cyrus Cohen, you are under arrest." Justivs shouted, looking directly at the young man.

Stuck between the commander and his student, Jean hesitated for a second, which was enough for two men to grab Cyrus by his shoulders and kick his knees. The boy fell with a yelp of pain.

Hange saw that the poor gathered his courage one last time to shout.

"CAPTAIN! THE COMMANDER HAS LAID A TRAP-"

But he couldn't finish his words when a soldier covered his mouth and the other knocked him out by hitting the back of the rifle to his head.

Hange could see the hurt in Jean's eyes.

"Get the bastard into a cell." Justivs growled. The two guards took Cyrus by his shoulder and took him away. In a moment, Jean saw the back of his students head was bleeding-

-he almost lost it.

"What right do you have to treat him like that!" Jean shouted. Their voices have made people gather all around them. If it wasn't out of Jeans respect for Hange, he would have strangled this so-called commander.

"Because I am the commander and you better watch your tone." Justivs snapped.

"But why?" Jean growled. "You have no evidence against Cyrus or anyone else."

"We do." Justivs said as a matter of fact. "You yourself noted that he was a Yeager Fanatic, what makes you so sure he didn't help him escape?"

"Being a fan of someone and helping them commit treason are two completely different things entirely!" Jean shouted, wiping his hand in the air. "You have no right to treat a scout soldier right!"

"You have no right to have this attitude in front of me." Justivs said.

Jean felt a sudden but tight grip around his elbow.

He turned around to meet Hange's fierce eyes. They shook their head slowly. Very very slowly.

don't do it. Hange was saying. Calm down.

Jean grit his teeth angrily.

Eventually, Jean thought maybe the only way he could stop himself from acting in impulse was to leave the place. He broke Hange's grip on his elbow and turned around.

An angry growl left his lips as he turned around to leave before saluting the commander.

Jean went through the crowd of watchful eyes, when the glares at his direction became too much to bear, Jean shut his eyes and covered his ears.

No...

This isn't right...

Jean grit his teeth.

That man is purposely going on my nerv-

Jean hit another person.

He opened his eyes to see another recruit had bumped into him. The boy was rubbing his head and looking down at the pile of papers and maps that had fallen on the ground. "Oh sorry, so sorry-" he said out loud, falling down to gather his maps and letters from the ground.

Jean sighed loudly and shook his head. "It's ok. But you should be more careful." Jean murmured, falling on one knee, to help the boy.

"Ah! Thank you captain!" the boy said a little loudly. The smile on his face was obviously fake. "Sorry, I'm- I'm in a real hurry."

Jean watched him leave with tired eyes.

He pushed his hands into his pocket as it was his habit. His hand felt a stray piece of paper on his left pocket.

Jean's eyes lit up with an understanding. The recruit had put that paper. It wasn't there before the boy bumped into him.

Apparently, something couldn't be said out loud.

Jean narrowed his eyes and immediately made his way to the bathrooms. Once safe inside a stall, Jean ignored the unpleasant scent and picked up the piece of faded folded paper inside his pocket.

"Urgent." Jean read the first thing he saw. His fingers delicately opened the paper.

His hands froze when he registered the words. He moved on reflex. Towards the ODM gear storage and then the stables.

He rushed towards that cursed forest as fast as he could, the words on that paper echoed in his mind.

A squad of MPs carrying anti-titan weapons from our arsenal was sent towards the titan forest.

we have reason to believe they are aiming to kill the conscious freckled titan.

Gabi refused to leave the room while Falco was unconscious.

So Erwin could only see their faces while standing outside the door frame. Erwin put his hands in his pockets with a soft hum as he watched Levi check Falco one last time before he had to leave.

"All well." Levi murmured, looking at Falco under the blankets and then at Gabi. "If we do what the doctor says... Then he should be all well."

Gabi hugged her knees tighter and nodded, not once taking her eyes off of Falco.

Levi stepped out of the room, shaking his head when he met Erwins questioning gaze. "Please take care of them." Levi said as he walked to the front door. "Don't irritate them while I'm gone... With riddles."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Ok then..." he chuckled. "Where are you going, by the way."

Levi pulled his ODM gear out of the closet. The harness and the gas suddenly fell on the ground.

Erwin picked them up and helped put them around Levi.

"Justivs wants me to watch over Zeke." Levi said, pulling the harness of the ODM gear tighter around his chest. "Of course the people he puts in the position are incapable brats. How can MPs fight him if he suddenly turns titan."

Erwin nodded. "Watch out," he murmured. "And take care. We all know how unpredictable Zeke is."

Levi pulled the pendant around his neck, fixing it tightly so that it wouldn't fall. "I will. And you watch over those kids who are currently eavesdropping and thinking we don't know."

A sudden sound of footsteps came from behind the hallway, inside the guest room and a sudden shout of "DEVILS!" that echoed in the room.

Erwin smiled knowingly.

Erwin opened the guest room door and saw Gabi hugging the life out of the other boy.

Erwin opened the door completely. "Ah, you've woken up." Erwin said with a stoic face. "I was getting worried."

Falco looked at Erwin with hooded eyes. As if he didn't know what was happening or where he was.

"Gabi..." he murmured, pressing his bandages. "What- what happened?"

Gabi pulled back, smiling widely at the other.

Erwin said it before Gabi could say anything. "You're safe. You're in the Scout regiment headquarters. My name is Erwin Smith and you're in Captain Levi and I's home."

Falco blinked slowly. "Who is... Erwin? Who are you all I- Colt, Mom, Dad... Where am I?" he murmured.

Erwin chuckled. "Maybe you'll get a better grip on reality after breakfast." he murmured, opening the door wide. "Come on, my eggs and bacon are famous in the land."

Erwin nodded, keeping the door open.

Erwin made his way to the kitchen and started cooking.

Erwin put two plates of egg and bacon infront of Gabi and Falco and opened a newspaper to read.

He sat on top of the table and read his older newspaper like it was the most important piece of news he'll ever consume.

Falco stared at his plate.

He couldn't ignore the sounds of his stomach nor could he eat a meal the man responsible for attacking his hometown had provided.

"It's ok. It's not poisoned." Erwin said, bending the newspaper to look them in the eyes. "Please, eat. My partner will kill me if he finds out you didn't eat anything."

Gabi suddenly burst, all her self control leaked away. She stood up and slammed the table. "What's your obsession with us! Why are you doing this!" she said out loud. "It makes no sense! Why would you destroy our hometown and then invite us to your house? Aren't you worried we might overhear confidential information and escape to Marley. Because I will! I will do that!"

"I am not particularly worried." Erwin said, his eyes on the untouched plates in front of Gabi and Falco. "After all, I'm just a retired commander."

Falco narrowed his eyes. That was a blatant lie.

"My house has better security than this entire place." Gabi said, throwing her hands in the air. "You know nothing about military practice!"

Erwin sighed loudly, closing his newspaper with a loud ruffle sound. "I see, bold of you to assume our military is organized to fight people. We exist because we had to fight man-eating monsters." he said, not looking at either Gabi or Falco but looking at their plates. "Of course, Children wouldn't understand that..."

"We are not children!" Gabi snapped back.

Erwin put aside his newspaper. Piercing blue eyes took Falco and Gabi under observation. "True, The correct term would be child-soldiers." he said as a matter of fact.

Gabi pushed Falco back and growled angrily at Erwin. "We are twelve!" she shouted. "Just becouse you Paradisians are still babies at twelve doesn't mean we are as immature and dumb as you are."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "In Paradis, twelve isn't even old enough to be accepted into the cadet corps," he said. "Because no matter where you are from, a twelve year old can't form thoughts and beliefs of their own. They are copy machines trying to find themselves which is the perfect vessel to brainwash into your own ideology."

"You're making words up-"

Erwin shook his head. "Really? Because a copy machine is standing right in front of me." he said as a matter of fact. "Copying the words of someone whom I can only assume was your superior since you were ... Six... Years... Old." he said, with intentional wait between the last words just to watch the horror on Gabis face.

Gabi screamed angrily. She stood up and toppled the table over.

Falcos breath hitched. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Gabi pushed the table over. It fell sideways, All the food was wasted on the ground.

(Apparently, Erwin smith had the mind not to put glass plates on the table.)

A loud cracking sound echoed in Falcoes ear.

"Don't say another word!" she screamed, glaring angrily at Erwin. "You should be killed for all the lives you took!"

Erwins eyes looked over the mess on the ground, then at Gabi. "How many have you killed?" he asked calmly.

"How many have I-" Gabi narrowed her eyes. "WHY DOES IT MATTER?" she screamed. "They were savages who invaded my home! Killed my loved ones!"

Erwin nodded. "Exactly..." he murmured. "Then you should be killed too. Haven't you killed people in mass numbers? What's the difference between you and me, other than age?"

Gabi growled angrily. "You haven't acknowledged your guilt! For thousands of years! Your ancestors trampled this world! Wiped millions of cultures! Forced people to bear their children-"

"Wrong." Erwin said, holding up a hand, in the manner of an angry teacher. "I'm disappointed in you, Gabi braun! In standard issued Marleyan books, you should say the 'forced people to bear their children' part before the 'trampled the world' part. Read your books better next time."

Gabi opened her mouth to scream again but found she was stunned into silence.

Erwin stood up, towering over the younger girl. "Face the truth, Gabi," he said. "You've been brainwashed. Repeating those words won't make your situation any better."

Falco was beginning to fear this man.

Gabi pushed him back but it looked like she was hitting a wall.

Gabi shouted angrily and went to their guest room. She slammed the door shut.

Another shout of "DEVILS!" echoed in the room.

That left Falco alone with the old commander.

Falcoes eyes were fixed on the man. Suddenly, his shoulders slumped down and he rubbed his sore eyes. "Oh dear..." he murmured. "Since when is being brainwashed a legal excuse?"

"How can we be so sure you're not the one doing the brainwashing?"

Falco wanted to slam a hand on his mouth when he said that. way to talk out of line, Falco! He told himself.

The old commander turned around, raising an eyebrow at Falco. "Excuse me?" he asked. His calculating blue eyes traveled up and down Falcoes figure.

Falco shut his eyes and jumped down his chair. "Nothing sir!" he said. "I should go and check on Gabi!"

Falco rushed to the door but before his hand reached the handle, the old commander said something that stunned him.

"You are a boy of intellect, would you like a game of chess?"

Falco stopped.

His ears turned sharp and his hand slightly shook. A part of him said he could easily say no but the other part remembered the book. That damned book called 'Dear World' was his only source of information for the island. And there, Armin Arlert had spoken very highly of this commander.

Falco turned around and nodded, it took more bravery than he thought it would. "Yes, I'd like that." he forced his tongue to say.

The left half of Erwin's face was smiling. "I'm glad. Let me call housekeeping to clean this mess and I'll set us a game of chess." he said and then went towards the door.

Falco heard the man gently order a soldier to call housekeeping. Then he came in and led Falco to the living room. To Falcoes surprise, there was an already set chess set used as decoration under the large windows, right next to the coach.

Falco had to close his eyes against the morning sun seeping through the curtains.

Erwin sat behind the small table and offered the other seat to Falco. Falco struggled to get on the higher chair but was glad he could reach the entire board. He has the white pieces in front of himself.

Falco wanted to say something...

...but his anxiety ridden mind couldn't come up with anything.

Erwin rubbed his chin, waiting for Falco to start the game.

"What does it feel to be sitting in front of the person who blew up your hometown?" he said out loud.

The question pierced the atmosphere like a thin knife.

Falco bit the insides of his cheeks, his eyes traveled over the chess board again. "I... I'm not your best fan, I'm not going to lie." he said. "But... You were the military leader, and that was payback for two previous attacks from Marley."

Erwin raised an eyebrow, his hand stopped rubbing his chin. "You are... Truly bright for your age." he said, truthfully.

"That's not what my grades say, but thank you." Falco said flatly. Then, Falco did the classic move of moving a white pawn two steps forward.

Erwin mirrored his action. "Then you're going to have an easier time accepting the truth." Erwin said out loud.

Falco blinked in surprise. "The truth?"
Falco moved another pawn.

Erwin moved another pawn. "One day you'll understand there are more hands involved in military missions that you might want to acknowledge." Erwin said as a matter of fact.

Falco moved another piece. "I'm aware sir, I was trained for the military. Both Gabi and I were..."

"It's different when you're an adult-" Erwins pawn hit Falcoes away. "-as I said, you form beliefs on your own, slowly. Often it's good... Or it might be bad..."

Falco bit his lip against the first loss. But moved another piece, not wanting to give up in front of the literal enemy.

"Marley has many enemies. Most of them weren't convinced by Willy Tyburs great speech before his demise... Because I intervened before he could." Erwin explained. "You might not like it. But it's the truth. Marley wasn't afraid of the rumbling. He just wanted the money."

Falco looked at Erwin after moving his first bishop, aiming for a checkmate. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean...?" he said.

"As I said, there are a lot of twelve year olds don't understand." Erwin said. "For a fact. Marley is not afraid of rumbling."

Falcoes eyes widened. "That's a bluff... Marley has always been terrified of-"

"Really?" Erwin chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Then why did they attack? If they were so afraid as you say? Why didn't they ask the Tyburs for more information? Why now? After a hundred years, is Marley suddenly interested in paradise?"

Erwin moved his king.

"Well I'll tell you why. There is a resource of Ice burst stone, fossil fuels and coal right where we are sitting. It's estimated that the fossil fuel reserve alone to be over two times worth the entire oil companies in Marley. Two times more." Erwin explained. "Marley wants it. And doesn't care how many women, men and children will be killed to get it."

Falco pressed his mouth to a thin line. "I don't..."

"You're under no obligation to believe me." Erwin said, shaking his head. "I just want you to understand I'm working for the better."

Falco moved a piece. "Working?"

Erwin hit Falcos pawn with his bishop, taking the spot. "Some work from the shadows, some in the light..." Erwin murmured. "And some lost in the shadows are trying to restore the light."

Falco felt extremely uneasy.

His hands froze above his pawn, Falcoes eyes moved up.

Erwin was observing his every reaction like a statue, his blue eyes looking at Falco with the corner of his eyes as if he was expecting Falco to say something, or know something.

What am I supposed to do? Is that a code? He thought to himself. He was sure of the second thought more after every second.

"Is... Is that a code? Am I supposed to say something?" Falco murmured, trying so hard not to look away from Erwins burning gaze.

Erwin hummed thoughtfully, his observing demanous suddenly dissolved and he laid back, a tight smile on his face. "Sorry, that was a strange thing to say." he said. "I guess retirement's boredom is putting a toll on my mind."

"Apparently."

Erwin sighed loudly. "I worked and worked and worked to ensure at least one nation remains our ally." He chuckled. "... Don't get me wrong. I'm still listening... I'm still working."

Falco narrowed his eyes. "So what are you doing right now?"

"Waiting-" Erwin said, unable to contain the half smirk on his lips. "- and watching."

When Falco noticed it, it was too late.

Erwin moved his queen to the center.

It was a checkmate.

And Falco couldn't move any of his pieces because that would open another route that the old commander could checkmate him with.

But before the old commander could say checkmate, something flared inside Falco.

The world stopped spinning.

The man in front of him, Erwin Smith, moved in slow motion. He suddenly reached to grab him.

he was falling?

"Falco!"

Gabi...?

Yes, it was Gabi standing above him.

Falco screamed from the depth of his heart. A scream that left his throat sore and a scream that quickly took his voice away.

The sudden jolt of electricity that phased through his body was like no torture he'd ever been through.

It ended as soon as it started.

Falco found himself on the ground, looking at the ceiling.

The sounds outside were numb, like it was coming from the end of a tunnel.

"Is it for that wine?"

Gabi...

"What wine are you talking about?"

"the one he was hit with- maybe- maybe he's having a seizure."

"Oh... No..."

Erwin held up bridal style and moved Falco on a bed in their guest room. He turned around and left immediately.

Erwin ran outside from his home to the headquarters. "Prepare an Anti titan squad right now!" Erwin barked orders without much of a thought. "Towards Zeke yeagers prison! We must go there immediately. This vibration could have only come from his scream!"

The scouts looked at one another with surprise. "What vibration?" one murmured.

"The one that has the MPs over there in panic." the other answered, pointing his fingers towards the MPs who had their wide eyes on their open palms.

Erwin ignored them.

He had only eyes for his own ODM gear.

ZEKE...

Levi... Levi was never supposed to be there when he screamed.

Hange hugged the sole pink rose he had in their hand.

Hange walked.

And walked.

Dark clouds in the gravestone were too cliche, as if someone was writing Hange's story and deliberately wanted to make it sadder.

Hange sighed, burying their nose in the pink rose.

Hange took one step after another, having an eye for the names on the Scouts Graveyard before Hange's dark eyes met the stone they were looking for.

Hange stopped.

Then sat cross legged in front of the gravestone, a smile on their lips.

"Hello, Moblit." they said. "I brought you a rose..."

Hange put the rose on the cold gray stone, their fingers traced the name carved on it.

"Sorry I... Never really knew what people were in graves and I'm... I'm... Sorry I never visited sooner." Hange murmured. "I hope you like the rose."

For the first time, Hange felt the weight of silence.

"I just... Wanted to talk to you..." they whispered.

Nothing.

"I just got word..." Hange murmured, hugging their knees. "Zeke screamed and turned all his guards into titans. Everyone who had drunk the wine felt it."

No answer came from the stone cold grave.

"They forced everyone who drank the wine to wear a white armband." Hange chuckled. "It looks like we're taking a page from Marley."

"Erwin won." Hange murmured, closing his eyes against the cold wind. "Now almost every commander is in the line of getting turned into a titan. The chain of command is broken beyond repair and the only person who can stand an upcoming invasion is Erwin and the scouts. Erwin won. Now, when Eren stumps Marley, Erwin will shout it to the skies that Paradise wasn't at fault. Create an imaginary yeagerist alliance that took command and impeached him. He'll say Paradise was played."

Hange sighed loudly.

"But it was all me..." Hange murmured quietly, pulling their hair back. "It's all me, Moblit. I indirectly ordered to change the normal wine into Marleyan wine in Nicolos restaurant. I made sure Zeke could escape and lay low. I helped Eren once he escaped prison. I was the one who took The Owl's information when Erwin was out... Moblit... It was all my fault..."

Hange stared at Moblits name written on the grave.

"And now... I know Justivs won't just stay back. One way or another he'll come at me. He knows I know all of Erwins plans... He'll try to force it out of my mouth." Hange sighed loudly. "I should go to a safe place... But I can't look Levi in the eyes... He got caught in the crossfire because of my miscalculations."

A faint voice echoed in the gravestone.

Hange stopped talking.

They were here.

Justivs was here...

"Huh..." Hange chuckled slowly. "And I wondered when they'd come."

Hange put the flowers down, their eyes stayed on the carvings of the stone.

Moblit Berner.

The sudden flashing pain that flared in Hange's neck was expected.

Hange didn't even bother lifting a hand to yank the syringe out. In a small while the toxin in the syringe will knock them out.

Hange can fight back of course, but they most likely want information. They want to know what Erwin wants to do now that the plot is that damned wine. They were terrified.

Terrified of Erwin.

Terrified of Hange.

And the only way the rest of the government could find out what they were up to, is to get it out of Hange's mouth.

Force it out if they have to.

Hange sighed.

The words on the stone were blurring together. Hange could no longer read out Moblits name.

Moblit...?

His name was Moblit, right?

Hange's head hits the stone before they realize they have lost their balance.

"Search every inch of this forest!"

"Any sign of Captain Levi or Zeke and you flare a gun!"

Erwin had barked those orders a few hours ago.

And right now, standing under the rain, Erwin could only watch the dark forest as the men searched over the forest.

And all they found was the remains of slain titans. No sight of a single man left.

"Commander!" came Adler's voice from near the river. Erwin pulled his hoodie forward and ran in the pouring rain towards his assistant's voice.

Erwin dropped to his knees immediately when he saw a body near the river, his clothes were soaked wet, with both blood and water, and his open wounds were turning black on his face.

"Levi... It's alright." Erwin whispered, cradling Levi in his arms. "Your injuries aren't so severe."

Erwins knees dug in the dirt.

Levi didn't reply.

His chest rose and fell faintly against Erwins.

Adlers eyes softened. "Commander... He's..."

"Shh. Get the medics." Erwin ordered quietly, pressing Levi's head under his chin. "Get the medics..."

Adler opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it. He ran back and shouted for the medics.

Blood and Water trickled down Levi's face.

He was unconscious.

Erwin closed his eyes, Levi was an Ackerman, he can survive this. He told himself.

He can survive this.

he has survived worse.

Erwin pressed two fingers against the other's neck, the best pulsepoint he could find.

Erwin felt a heartbeat. He gasped out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

It was faint but it was there.

This... This was never mentioned. Erwin murmured.

(Since nothing was written about Hange and Levi. Erwin just assumed nothing would happen to them in his plan. But he was wrong. He wouldn't know what happened to them because Eren didn't know.)

(Eren is held away from them after all. How could he know about all this.)

(And if Eren didn't know what happened to their future. Neither did Erwin.)

Erwin held Levi in silence.

It's ok.

It will turn out fine.

Tap tap tap.

Hospitals can be a scary place.

Tap tap tap.

Levi was unconscious, his face stitched together from the wounds Erwin has no idea how he suffered. After all, Levi was... Well... Levi.

Tap tap tap.

Erwin sighed, he pulled Levis white blanket up to under his neck in fear that the other might be cold.

Erwin looked at the IV in Levi's left arm. It made a tap tap sound that Erwin wasn't fond of at all.

At least their room in the hospital was private.

Knock Knock.

The door was open, so why would the doctor knock?

Erwin looked up. As he expected he saw Justivs standing in the doorframe.

The old man had the manner to bring a bunch. One he put on a drawer near the door. "Erwin Smith?" he said, his mouth pressed against a thin line. His hands let go of the flower. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

Step by step, Justivs walked closer to Levi.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. He walked away from Levis bed to keep Justivs a distance away from Levis bed.

"Justivs." he said, an acknowledging nod.

Justivs took a deep breath. "Neither of us want to chat, so I'll go straight to the point." he said confidentially.

Justivs was slightly shorter than he was. His hair pulled back strickly and his eyes were deprived of sleep.

"I'm sure. You're wondering where your loyal subjects are. I'm here to say they were so easy to trap." Justivs said as a matter of fact. "I'm sure you're wondering where Hange Zoe and Jean Kirstein have been in the past day, Since they were both declared missing."

Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "And I'm guessing you know where they are."

Justivs crossed his arms behind his back.

"You're intelligent. Perhaps the best strategic mind we have on the island. But it wasn't hard getting you in an iron grip considering how dear your comrades have been to you since the eliminations of Titans." Justivs said, eyes narrowed. "You better not try to take control of the government now that we have all eaten wine mixed with titan fluid."

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "You're here to threaten me with their lives." Erwin summarized.

Justivs nodded. "I am." he said seriously. "I don't know if you're lucky or this was a part of your plan, commander, but if you step inside the three regiments headquarters, Hange Zoe will die. Who knows? Jean Kirstein and his squad aren't safe either... And neither is Captain Levi."

Erwin kept his face neutral. "You give big threats considering you'll eventually lose your authority. You know better than anyone The Scouts are under my command."

"I know. And you're a monster in disguise, Erwin Smith." Justivs murmured. "God knows what you'll do if the power was in your hands."

Justivs took a step forward. "What makes you think the world is better in your view?" he asked. "What makes you think you know best for our island?"

"What makes you think you know best?" Erwin repeated the question.

Justivs chuckled, mindlessly rubbing his chin. "I'm not so sure of myself..." he said truthfully. "Infact, the only reason I'm sure of, Is that you're the kind to sacrifice everything for the sake of a far reaching goal..."

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "And you're worried because..." he trailed off.

"Not all of us are Scout Soldiers. Some of us like what we've spent our lives making. Some of us don't want to wake up in an all out war." he said. "Do you have the slightest clue of the economic damages Paradise has faced after Eren Yeagers actions in Marley?"

Justivs shook his head.

"Do you have the slightest clue of what fear of war does to the people with lower income? Or the middle-class?" Justivs snapped. "You don't, and you don't care. All you care about is eliminating Marley's threat and you don't care how you do it."

Erwin held his hands in fists, a tight frown on his eyes.

Justivs lifted his chin. "I won't be surprised if Zeke Yeager actually turns half of our forces into titans like he did in his prison. Not all of us are Levi Ackermans that can survive such a thing." He said. "Soldiers, Men, Women, even rouge children who took a sip of that wine. You're not beyond killing them."

Erwin smiled. His blue eyes fell on the white parchment wrapped around his hand.

"You have sharp senses, Commander Justivs. If only you were sooner in discovering the secret in that wine." Erwin murmured, shaking his head. "You're in danger too..."

Justivs returned his fierce glare.

"Moblit Berner."

Erwin was surprised to hear his fallen comrades' names on the other tongue.

Justivs smirked. "Section commander Hange was captured while she was visiting Moblit Berners grave. Interesting how hopeless people react when they're reminded of their grief." he said. "The conscious titan. Jean Kirstein went to protect it. It'll take a genius to understand it was a trap for him and not the titan. And Levi..."

Justivs eyes fell behind Erwin. "I don't need to explain it, do I?" he murmured. "Stay out of my work. Or you'll sign their death sentences."

Justivs glared at Erwin.

Erwin returned his glare, regardless of the threats he received just now.

Justivs nodded. "Best wishes for the captain..." he said and turned around.

He left without another word.

Erwin fisted his hands angrily. His skin felt stretched.

THUCK!

Erwin's fist collided with the wall, and a large crack appeared on it. Some of it fell on the ground. Erwin felt warm substance on his knuckles pour down his fist. He pushed his fist to the wall.

Another punch.

This time, the wall was pierced like it was a piece of paper.

Erwin grit his teeth, growling angrily.

Hange...

have they done anything to you?

There was a hole in the wall, thanks to Erwins punches. Erwin shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath from his nose. "Calm down..." he told himself. He yanked the small debris stuck in his bloodied knuckles one by one. "Calm down, this is hardly anything new."

The bloodied debris fell to the ground.

Erwin held up his fist and looked at the wounds. It took a moment for it to steam and heal. Erwins blue eyes watched it closely. The wounds healed themselves shut while steaming.

Erwin was a titan, after all.

(With nine years left to live.)

Erwin shook his wrist, as if he was wiping it dry. His blood vaporized from his fist. If it wasn't for the hole in the wall, there was no evidence of Erwins outburst.

"These people can't stand between me and my goals. They never have, they never will." Erwin said out loud.

Erwin looked at Levi's unconscious figure on the bed.

He sighed loudly as he walked the distance between them until he was standing on top of the bed. "Don't worry, his threat towards you was an empty threat." Erwin murmured quietly. "But... The one aimed at Hange, Jean and his squad was very real."

Erwin leaned in to kiss the top of Levi's head. "I'm sorry." he murmured. "But Hange knew the risks and agreed to it. I can't back down now... From now on, Hange and Jean are as good as dead."

Levi's eyes stayed closed, closed and motionless.

"I'll send people to protect the rest of the special operation squad." Erwin promised. "But that's all I can do."

Erwin turned around. He has work to do.

He looked at Levi one last time.

Then he left the room. This mission was far from done.

Not many people could stop Erwin Smith from marching inside Premier Zachary's headquarters.

Even less wanted to stop him.

Erwins eyes traveled from one armband to another, the number of people who had drunk the wine was concerning.

(What soothed Erwins worries was that the number of the scouts infected was only seven.)

(Seven people, out of 300 soldiers, had disobeyed his orders and drank. That itself is a great show of how loyal the scouts were to his word.)

Erwin walked, no marched, inside the headquarters until he knocked and then barged open Premier Zachary's room, where he knew the commanders were gathering.

He wasn't wrong.

Behind him, two scout guards followed him inside.

Erwin was right. Pixys, Justivs and Nile Dawk were there. They were sitting behind a round table with Zachary on the top.

(Erwin hid his smile when he noticed a white piece of parchment wrapped around all of their right shoulders.)

The room was drowned in silence until the white double door behind Erwin was shut.

Erwin took a moment to look at them in silence.

A Lot had changed in Zachary's office since the last time he was here. The three logos of Paradise Military were still the same but the white round table was renewed into a more prestigious one. The floor was carpeted with a red carpet.

Zachary clicked a pen.

Pixys looked disappointed with his eyes frowned and arms crossed.

Justivs was holding a pencil with both hands, his knuckles turned white of how hard he was gripping it.

"Erwin." Zachary said, pressing his mouth to a thin line.

Erwin nodded, looking at Commander Pixys, commander Nile Dawk and the rest of the MP commanders, and Justivs.

The pencil in Justivs hand snapped in half in his grip. "So you made your choice?" he said, looking Erwin in the eyes.

(Yes.)

Erwin took a deep breath and diverted his gaze at Zachary. "I came as fast as I heard. It looks like Zeke Yeager has fooled everyone."

Zachary leaned his head against his fist. "And who's fault is that?" he said, an angry frown on his eyes.

Erwin titled his head. "I warned you, I warned everyone in the Military of the dangers of something that came directly from the enemy," he said. "I went as far as banning Alcohol in my own regiment entirely. And yet all of you ignored my warnings. Don't blame me, you brought this on yourself."

Pixys crossed his arms over his chest. "Good or bad it's done and we're right now at the mercy of Zeke Yeager." He said, his eyes trailed down at the white armband around his own arm. "There is no point in arguing."

Erwin shook his head. "Not exactly." he said, looking at Pixys. "As long as you don't hear his scream you'll remain human."

"What makes you sure we won't?"
"You won't. He crawls out of his hiding spot." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "He has no reason to. Not until Marley attacks."

Zachary's eyes widened. "You-"

"We know where Zeke Yeager, Yes." Erwin interrupted him. "But that's not the point, In about a daytime Marley will attack. Which is why this can't wait. I'm not here just to give my condolences. I'm here to give an ultimatum."

Zachary sighed. "You say since we will all die eventually, we should put our death to the right cause." he said.

Erwin nodded, "precisely," he said. "You're just ticking bombs waiting to blow up. Do you truly think the four of you can handle the military as titans?"

Erwin pressed his fist above his heart. "I would have taken command... Make sure your sacrifices won't go in vain." he said. "That would have been great if I wasn't impeached."

Erwin looked at every one of them in the eyes.

"I used to control my regiment with an ironfist but becouse of you both our key factors are rouge. I can neither control Eren nor Zeke Yeager and we are in their mercy all thanks to you impeaching me." Erwin snapped.

Justivs grit his teeth. "Don't act innocent. You know where Zeke and Eren Yeager are. If you knew well, you'd give them up." Justivs threatened. "But you don't, because-"

"-Because I know the nature of our enemy better than you ever will!" Erwin snapped, his frown turning painful on his eyebrows. "I was in the front lines when our enemies were titans! You are sitting here and wasting a peace I created!"

Erwin held up a threatening finger. "I risked my life by showing myself and my face to normalize the concept of Eldians- Of Paridisians! And what did you do?" Erwin pointed a threatening finger at Zachary and Nile. "You two did everything you could to make sure we stayed isolated. Because you were afraid! You are disqualified because you are afraid! But you weren't afraid of drinking yourself into the point of turning into a titan!"

Erwin stepped back, taking a deep breath. "You disqualified yourselves when you kicked out Toranas ambassador." he said, much calmer. "And I have no clue what you can possibly do in your state... Other than wait and watch."

Erwin looked away Pixys gaze, a little ashamed the world played itself out in a way that the old man has to be the subject of such words.

"A Lot of people believe that as well." Erwin said with a sigh. "We can't break into a civil war when Marley is on our throats. So, you have two choices, Premier Zachary..."

Zachary narrowed his eyes, dangerously angry.

"Either you make me an authority again, or the people will and you'll deal with an all out war. The choice is yours. Which side do you think the people will take?" Erwin said as a matter of fact.

"That's all I had to say..."

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line and turned around on the hill of his foot.

One step.

Erwin could feel Zacahrys burning gaze on the back of his head.

Two steps.

Pixys looked at Zachary.

Three steps.

"Erwin."

Erwin stopped immediately. He took the moment to smile, genuinely. He let it reach his eyes.

Then he bit it down and turned to face Zachary with an emotionless face.

"Come." Zachary said through gritted teeth.

Erwin stopped a flash of a smile appearing on his face before it ceased to exist. "Yes Premier?"

Zachary took a deep breath and put his fists on the table. "Im revising your impeachment. Effective immediately." he said, his shaking hand waved in the air. "From now on, you're the Scouts commander again, the one responsible if anything happens to the rest of the regiments as well."

When his ears finally heard the words he wanted, Erwin smiled.

A warm feeling that rose to his eyes.

"Huh." Erwin laughed it off. "How great..."

Erwin snapped his head back at a guard. "Inform the garrisons. Take every single non-infected civilian from within Wall Maria to Wall Rose. Every single one." Erwin ordered. "Shiganshina will be a battle ground soon."

Erwin looked at Zachary. "We need our forces split in two. Non-infected people should be prioritized in protecting the civilians. The rest are down in Shiganshina." he said. "We can't take any chances."

Erwin then hit his fist against his chest.

"I'll make sure this island sees the light of the future." he vowed, letting his hand slide down from the salute.

Erwin turned around to leave.

As Erwin was going away Nile Dawk noticed something on his face. The proud victorious smile. One that always appeared when they were playing chess during their cadette days.

And the eyes that locked with Nile for a moment with the same attitude. Congratulations, everything else was a piece of chess in a larger game of life.

And that smile told one thing that made Nile's blood run cold.

Checkmate.

Notes:

Oh oh, Hange and Jean are in big trouble... I wonder what will happen to them? Will they survive in one piece?

Find out next chapter!... And maybe brace yourselves.

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy.

Chapter 13: Song of Solace: Price of loyalty.

Notes:

*takes a deep breath*

LETS GOOOOO the new ep is coming out and I'm watching it tonight XD

ANYWAY! Here is this chapter! Please brace yourselves and if you're a sensitive reader read the warnings, otherwise skip them becouse they contains spoilers of this chapter!

Please point out any spelling, gramaticak mistakes!

Pleeeease let me know what you think of this short chapter in the comments!

WARNIIIING

WARNIIIING

Torture, getting shot (gun violence?), kidnapping and death. Also there has been small changes in the tags.

Chapter Text

Location unknown.

Two days before Marleys estimated attack- A day before Erwin smith takes control of the government.

They had been straight to the point.

Hange's body ached to the point they had to sit up while warmth traveled down their face, their chest, their stomach.

Blood.

Hange gasped through grit teeth. At the sudden stretch of their abdomon by raising themself. The chains around their bound wrists jiggled.

This chair Hange was strapped to was hit enough times that Hange could feel it crack under their weight. Hange had pulled their tied hands enough hands enough times from the place they were tied behind themself.

Hange felt their own breathy gasps echo in the damp room.

Where were they?

All Hange know that it was deep underground. Maybe near an MP headquarter. A room so damp with the only source of light the bars on the metal door.

So deep underground.

Hange's torturers had been straight to the point. Hange didn't have time to understand their location before the blindfold was yanked off their face and replaced with one punch after another.

Not even asking what this was for.

Hange knew now, this was revenge.

The force of each one knocked Hange's head sideways and they were unable to fight back with their strapped feet and bound hands.

Neither did they want to.

(Being crushed under colossal titans feet had to hurt more than punches and pulled out nails, right?)

Until they left Hange alone in that room, their face numb enough that they couldn't feel their broken nose and blood running down their face.

Something throbbed in Hange's mouth. Something broken.

a tooth.

The torturers had left Hange alone for some reason, maybe let them wallow in their own lonliness and their thoughts. The hunting ghosts troubled Hange far enough.

Then, slowly light creeped inside the room. The door was opened and light peeked in from out in the hallway. Light ran on the stone grounds until it reached Hange's feet and then her eyes.

Hange had to look away from the sudden blinding light that reached their eye.

Footsteps.

pitter-patter

pitter-patter

Until Hange opened their eye and saw two clean leather boots right infront of them.

"This isn't what I had in mind... For us to meet again."

Hange had no energy to chuckle or respond.

"I'm sorry for the way my comrades have treated you... But you are the only person who knows Erwins plans."

Hange pressed their lips together tightly.

"And this is the only way you'll spill, Hange Zoe."

"Justivs..."

At the mention of his name, the man crossed his hands behind his back.

Something gathered in Hange's throat and they knew it wasn't just guilt. "I'm guessing- guessing- you were good friends with-with Sannes." Hange murmured, spitting out the blood in their mouth.

Justivs looked down. "I knew him. He was my superior in the interior." he whispered. "After the coup detat I visited him often and he said all about how he was tortured at the hands of the scouts... By you... Even though he was at peace somehow."

Justivs perched down, kneeling infront of Hange. Two of his fingers touched under Hange's chin and gently pushed it up so that they could have eye contact.

Hange's eye was out of focus. He could barely see the commander.

"I really didn't want to do this, but I was left with no choice."

Justivs voice echoed in the cell, coupled by the sound of dripping water.

(was it raining?)

Justivs slowly drew his hand back and let go of Hange's chin. "But you leave me no choice, as long as you keep your silence, this will continue." he said matter of factly. "Tell me, spill everything you know about what Erwin plans."

Hange let their head fall, a bitter smile on their lips.

"So you choose silence."

Justivs stands up. There is so little of Justivs Hange can see from between their shriveled hair and their heads that hung low. Justivs held his fist tightly. "Why...?" Justivs asked, wondering out loud. "You scouts are messed up in the head. Your job is one of the worsts in the walls and yet you're so persistent."

Hange wasn't expecting the punch that knocked the bloody teeth out of their mouth.

Justivs shakes his hand.

"Or maybe you think you deserve this treatment somehow... Like Sannes." Justivs wondered out loud.

If Hange could move their hand, they would have wiped the blood from his mouth.

Instead Hange smiled because Justivs had somehow hit the spot. "I... I deserve this- this treatment becouse I'm... I'm the one who made this... This possible... possible." Hange murmured, feeling too lost to care. "Thousands and millions are going to die- and It's going to be partially my fault."

Justivs narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Hange chuckled, the chains jiggled back and forth as the force of their laughter rocked the chair back as forth as far as the pinned-to-the-ground chair was allowed.

Justivs thinks I had gone insane.

The thought made Hange laugh harder. The sound of it echoed not only in the cell but in their mind.

HA HA HA...

"You're mad..." Justivs whispered, looking at Hange rock back and forth on the chair. Their chocolate dark hair dancing a mad dance.

Justivs sighed and waited, watching Hange's every move. "I'll ask this one more time." he said. "What do you mean about what you said, and what it's your fault."

Hange stopped, licking their bloodied lips until the wound broke and started bleeding again.

"Flo-Floch is the one- the one acting as Erwins proxy." Hange said, his lips pulled into a maddening and bloodied smile.

Justivs narrowed his eyes. "The one that smuggled guns and plotted behind my back with other soldiers? I already know that." he said loudly. "Tell me something I don't know. Like what is Erwin really planning? I doubt he'll just stay back. I bet this is all his plans, isn't it."

Hange gasped but bit their lip to stiffen another round of laughter.

Justivs raised an eyebrow.

"Floch wasn't the one plotting behind your back-"

Justivs face was pulled into a frown.

Hange slowly raised their head, a smile bloomed under her bruised face and bleeding eye. "- I was." Hange said, with exaggerated movements of their mouth and bloodied lips.

"So you're that traitor who-"

"I was... And it's too late for you to stop anything." Hange said breathlessly. "I know now..."

Justivs pressed the pistol under Hange's chin to force them to look upwards. "Know what? That you've fucked up?" he hissed through grit teeth.

"...It's your turn."

Justivs grit his teeth, grabbing Hange by their shoulders. "What is Erwin planning? Where is Yeager!" he shouted at Hange's face, losing all facade of calm.

Hange shook his head. "Which one? Zeke or Eren?"

Justivs grabbed their hair and pulled, a pained gasp left Hange's lips. They hair was pulled out of their face that made Hange's eyes met Justivs anger. "Don't play me." he said through grit teeth. "This torture will continue until you spill whatever you've done and Erwins plans to do. Either you'll die a slow death or talk. Your choice."

drip.

drip.

drip.

Hange pressed their mouth to a thin line, slowly closing their eye.

"So you made your choice?"

drip.

drip.

"I'll only ask one more time before our friends come in to have our next session with you? Where is Eren Yeager?"

Hange licked their lip.

"Somewhere... Somewhere you can never have... his titan." Hange answered in between their numbered breaths.

Justivs pushed Hange back like they had the plague.

He pulled at his collar, maybe to make it easier for himself to breathe.

Hange chuckled again, their eyes looking at Justivs.

Justivs pulled a gun from his belt and held the pistol at Hange's forehead.

Hange opened their mouth to say something but then gently closed it. Their mind would have gone on override if this was any other situation. Hange, they said: "So It's... your turn."

Justivs growled angrily, pushing the piston on Hange's forehead to force their head back. "What did you say?"

"There is an... An order to these... These things." Hange murmured, feeling a nostalgic smile creep up to their face. "When ones time is up, the other has to take over."

Hange pressed his forehead closer, their eyes glowing maddeningly.

"And now it's your turn, Justivs." Hange murmured, licking their dry lips. "Best of luck..."

Justivs met Hange's eyes.

Hange stared back, equally determind.

Justivs narrowed his eyes.

Justivs pulled his gun back, shoving it back into his pocket. "Very well, then, I'll be more than happy to catch up to my turn." Justivs said as a matter of fact.

He left the room, slamming the door closed.

It took a few minutes until the torturers returned.

Location: The forest of the freckled titan.

Two days before Marleys estimated attack- A day before Erwin smith takes control of the government.

"MARCO!"

Jean zapped from tree to tree. Gas flew out his ODM gear as he tried to dodge the branches. His eyes searched every inch he could see for a sign of freckled titan- or worst ODM gear and titan steam.

Jean landed on a branch.

"No..." He murmured to himself, his nails biting into the tree branch. "No way. am I- too late?"

No.

think Jean, if a titan had been killed this entire place would be steaming.

Jean looked up at the blue eyes visible from between the green tree branches.

No steam.

Jean stopped his ODM gear. Landing on a thick branch to look around. He filled his lungs with air before he screamed again.

"MARCO!"

is shouting the titans name really a good idea?

It has never taken me this long to find him...

Jean kneeled down on the branch. There was no giant titan footsteps on the ground either. Just where are you? Jean thought in panic.

click.

Jeans ears suddenly caught the glimpse of a glitter of a gun being pulled.

Bang!

Jean turned around just in time to see a man in full ODM gear, a gun pointed at him fired.

The force of the impact Knocked Jean off course. The sudden bruning in his right shoulder blinded him for a moment, then came the impact of falling on the ground, the cold cruel ground.

Jean gasped, grabbing at his right shoulder. He pushed himself up to his feet, crawling towards the nearest tree.

"Where did he fall?"

Jean clutched at his wound, hiding behind a giant tree to cover himself. From the little he caught of them, they were three soldiers after him, all dresses in black from head to toe.

"Give up, Jean Kirstein." one of them shouted.

"There is no point. With your wound, you'll die if you're not taken to a hospital."

Jean gripping his bleeding shoulder, blood oozed from his open wound into his fingers.

In that moment, he remembered Cyrus. The one time he wasn't asking about Eren, before he was arrested, he was saying something.

Jeans eyes widened.

Cyrus was warning him.

"This wasn't aimed to kill Marco. They wanted to capture me!" Jean said quietly with stunned clarity.

It was rapidly becoming darker and colder in Jeans eyes.

Adrenalin could keep him up for so long. The blood loss would catch up to him soon.

Jean grit his teeth together and listened. The buzz of ODM gear became nearer and nearer before it started going away.

"Where is he hiding?"

"I don't know, boss."

Jean clutched at his bleeding shoulder.

The blood was running too fast for Jean to be able to stop it.

The world was swimming around.

(The bullet had hit a main blood vessel.)

Jean lost his balance and fell down, still hiding behind a tree as much as he could. His vision darkened dangerously.

Then Jean felt the impact of his head against the ground.

"You're a stubborn one, arent you?"

Drip

drip

drip

Justivs shook his head. He leaned against the wall and watched as the men went back, completely ignoring their master.

The door closed off.

Hange couldn't feel their fingers.

"Give up. Don't you understand that Erwin has sent you and that boy to your deaths."

Hange's vision was swimming, the vision barely focused on Justivs.

Justivs clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You better hurry, I'm off to a meeting with the rest of the regiments and I'm almost certain Erwin will show up. By that time, your life is over."

Hange shook their head.

"You... Said... A boy." Hange murmured, biting their lip bloody to fight their raw throat.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Justivs sighed, rubbing his forehead then crossing his hands infront of his chest. "We have your favorite apprentice under gunfire."

Hange's black eyes looked up at Justivs. "He-Jean-?"

"You got that right." Justivs pushed back and stood up, hitting off the dirt on his uniform. "Last chance Hange,"

Hange looked at Justivs horrified for a moment before realisation washed over their eyes.

Hange said nothing.

Justivs gave up entirely. Shaking his head in disappointment.

He turned around to leave, sparing Hange one last glance. "Keep it up." Justivs told his comrades dissmisvely. "And remember, if Erwin tries anything funny I'll signal you to finish both of them off."

Hange fisted their hands tightly as they could.

Jean didn't immediately open his eyes when his body slowly came back to himself.

He knew something was up when he could feel a buzzing feeling on his right shoulder and his hands stretched back, the rope on his wrists and ankles burning into his flesh.

And then- the memories suddenly flashed before his eyes. Of the bullet, of Cyrus' arrest and of his own capture.

So he pretended to be unconscious just to spy on his kidnappers.

But all he could hear was a faint buzz coming from the end of a tunnel. The blood loss was still toying with his mind. Jean had trouble even comprehending the touch of grass under his face.

"... Erwin... Red flate... Done for..." an old man said, his voice was followed by a buzz of ODM gear.

"What?" Jean thought to himself. "Commander Erwin...?"

Jean quickly pushed the thought aside.

He was in this position which meant these men wanted nothing to do with Marco. He was still a titan in many peoples eyes so they won't go looking for him, hopefully.

"Justivs is out of his mind."

Jean fought the urge to stay still, not to frown.

"Erwin is known for manslaughter. Do you really think he'll stop his coup becouse we have two of his higher ranking officials with us?"

What coup...?

"I don't know, Rick, all I know is that I don't want Erwin to take over the entire military. The man isn't exactly known for keeping the kill count low."

"yeah, the partial rumbling is bad enough on it's own. I bet if Erwin takes over, we'll have a full rumbling at hand."

Rumbling?

That's it. They're two people and those idiots forgot to take out my ODM gear.

From the weight of his ODM gear, he knew the blades and the gun was gone, but the structure on its own was sharp enough to cut the rope on its own.

Jeans fingers played with the rope, pushing it against the sharp edges of his ODM gear to tear it out, all while still listening to the man with his eyes closed.

"there is one thing I agree is that Erwin Smiths views are far too harsh for the delicate situation we are right now."

"yeah, thanks to him those Toranians could spy on us for Marley. And half of the world is at our throats right now."

Jean grit his teeth silently until the moment of freedom arrived.

The rope fell from around his wrists and the flesh started to burn, however, Jean didn't have any time to spare. He immediately grabbed the handle of his ODM gear and shot the grapples.

"Huh,"

"Wait!"

Jean took off, flying towards the branches. I lucked out. He sighed inwardly, ignoring the shouts coming from his kidnapper.

A few guns were fired and they hit the nearby trees, it gave Jean enough time to hide behind one. "Ok, great. I have no weopon and they have standard issue guns." He growled angrily. "I have no choice but to escape."

Just as he thought that, one of the two soldiers landed right on a branch right infront of Jean. He pointed his gun at the other, eyes narrowed. "Drop your ODM." he shouted. "I'm not afraid to shoot!"

Jean grit his teeth.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"I SAID DROP YOUR ODM!"

In their shouting match, both of them failed to notice a dark figure lurking under the tall trees.

"DROP YOUR ODM!" the soldier said again. He aimed at the branch and fired a shot, the bullet missed Jeans foot by an inch. "DROP IT OR YOU'RE DEAD."

Jean took a step back, calculating what he should do. Maybe dropping his ODM and surrendering was the option with his most survival rate.

However this was still the titans forest, any conflict within these trees will give the goverment another reason to kill the titan-Marco.

No, Jean grit his teeth. you wanna catch me, you'll have to follow me out of here!

With his choice in mind, Jean sent the grapples back and jumped away.

"COME BACK!" the soldier shouted at him.

Jean jumped from one branch to another, trying his best to move in zigzag motion to avoid a possible bullet.

The moment Jean turned his head around, he saw the two soldiers coming at him in full speed. The former smiled in triumph. Holding up his gun towards Jean.

They were close.

Dangerously so.

The man held up his ready gun. "You're a dead man, Kirstein!"

The man fired another bullet.

Present, after Erwin Smith takes over the government.

From that morning, Erwin had been busy scamming through this note and that, going through maps and other data.

In other words, preparing for war.

The list of people who weren't scouts and hadn't drunk the wine was dangerously low. However, Erwin had the lost infront of him and the highest ranking of them infront of him. Rico Bresenska. She handed him the lost of Garrisons, glaring at Erwin. "These are the list you wanted."

Erwin scammed through the names, surprised to see only a handful of the MPs in them. "This is bad." he said outloud. "How's the evacuation going?"

Rico pressed her mouth to a thin line, her fists tightly held behind her back. "People are... Less than willing yo cooperate but it's going smoothly."

Erwin nodded, giving back the list to her. "Good, please move every infected person down to Shiganshina." he ordered. "You can go back to your work."

Rico didn't salute on her way out.

Erwin sighed loudly and sat behind his office table, rubbing the sides of his head.

Up until this moment, there had been no news from the search parties looking for either Hange Zoe or Jean Kirstein.

Erwin put his elbows on the table, leaning his laced hands against his mouth as he watched Floch present the clues he had found about both Hange and Jean.

Jean had disappeared quickly after Cyrus, one of his students, was arrested by Justivs for vague crimes.

(The poor boy was still in prison.)

Erwin hummed thoughtfully.

Floch slid three letters and a folder towards him on his desk, otherwise, the room was deadly silent. Sun light barely peeked through the curtains and made Erwins office dimly dark.

The folder was the papers related to Cyrus Cohens arrest and the testimonies of the last person Jean had talked to.

The letters however, were a different story.

Erwin picked them up, each feeling different under the touch of his finger tips.

"These three letters were found in Hange Zoes office this morning, we don't know who put two of them but the third one is from Hange to you." Adler said, putting the two letters infront of Erwin. "Other than this, we found no clue of section commander Hange's whereabouts."

Erwin sighed loudly, he picked up the first letter just to see his own name written on the back of it.

A letter to Erwin Smith.

Erwin flipped the letter back. "And Jean? Any luck finding him?" he asked.

Floch shook his head. "We found every trail but no clue" he said. "Although... There is a student of his who wants to see you, immediately."

Erwin arched an eyebrow. "What does he say?"

"He won't say anything. Says he'll only talk to you."

"And his name?"

"Cyrus Cohen. He was arrested and is still in prison for insubordination." Floch said.

Erwin didn't take his eyes off the letters. "Very well." he said, "Adler, Floch, you two are dismissed, please continue your search."

Both of them saluted and left the room.

Erwin didn'tm watch them leave, instead kept his eyes frozen on the letter. One was from Embassador Levant to Erwin. The second one was from her tp Hange.

The third letter was from Hange to Erwin.

Erwin immediately put the one that was actually for him aside and stared at the other two.

But... Why?

Why would Hange leave a letter for him?

They met regularly. What made Hange think they need to talk with a letter?

Instead of reading it at that time, Erwin decided to put the letter in his breast pocket, saving it for later. And then, picked up a letter opener and sliced the second letter open.

The one that was from Embassador Levant to Hange. Erwins eyes quickly started reading.

"Dear Hange Zoe,

Notice how I said Dear? Becouse I no longer have to refer to you formally, Section-commander. I have to say your pressence was one of the best parts of my stay in Paradise. So I wanted to return the favor.

If you ever want to pay a visit to Torana, or any of the allied west, you're welcome to do so! My formal invitation is attached to this letter. There is an annual conference of Titanologists in the western hemisphere that I'm sure you'll find greatly interesting. If you want to attend, I'll personally guarantee your safety and prepare your pass.

Thank you for making my stay in Paradise enjoyable. I look forward to doing the same to you. I apologize for any obstacles that came between us in my formal stay and I assure you that I didn't take Commander Justivs actions personally.

I hope I see you soon,
-signed, Former Toranian embassador, Aisha Levant."

Erwin sighed loudly and slumped back against his chair. "Even more reason..." he murmured, rubbing his eyes. "Torana wanted Hange out in case something happened."

Which rose the question... Why Hange?

There is an annual conference of Titanologist in the western hemisphere that I'm sure you'll find greatly interesting.

And Hange was a known Titanologist.

Erwin wanted to smack himself across the face. "They wanted the Titanologist responsible for killing the titans on the island!" he said to the audiance of no one.

Erwin sighed, standing up to his feet.

This was flattering...

... But Erwin was nowhere near finding Hange's whereabouts.

Hange tried not to react.

But it grew harder and harder after their beating intensified.

This time, they had no regard for the way they kicked Hange's chest, breaking at least two ribs on their way.

Hange screamed then.

And then, it all became numb. He could only impact of their boots and not any pain. Maybe it was their body finally having mercy on Hange, passing out instead of making them feel it all.

The torturers lost their faces when Hange's vision became blurry, the blood loss and the exhaustion too much to fight against.

A few kicks to their face was enough to make it all a mesh of black and white.

Until suddenly- gunshots.

Screams.

The door being slammed open.

There were hands touching Hange and they were too spend to flinch away.

"What a dirty sight to see."

"Floch! Watch your tongue!"

The hands were kind.

They snapped the rope around Hange's wrists and ankles, freeing them. But it was no use when all Hange couls feel of their limbs were its existance and the cold ground under thier tethered clothes.

The man holding him held their head up a little higher, Hange could see his blurry silhouette of the brunette.

"Mob-lit...?"

The man held her chest slightly higher, it made Hange breathe a little easier. "No, section commander. I'm Adler, remember me? I'm the commander Erwins Assistant." he said gently. "Hang in there! Trosts hospital is not far!"

Hange's chest felt like it would collapse on itself, they were drowning while miles away from any water.

Hange's eyes made Moblit's face appear in front of them.

The kind hazel eyes looked at Hange with a smile. "Section commander!" he said with his usual distressed tone. "Please! You should be considerate about yourself!"

Hange coughed up blood, blood that trailed down their lips. "Mob-lit, I- I'm sorry..." they murmured, gasping again, trying to fill in lungs that were already full of blood.

Moblit stood up, leaning to offer a helping hand at Hange. "Section commander- we need to leave!"

Hange felt the pain in their body slowly fade away. "But Moblit!" they said, reaching a hand towards the sihoulete on Moblits head.

"Trust me, Hange." Moblit murmured with a smile. "Take my hand like you always have." Moblits hand stayed where it was.

Hange smiled, as much as his bruised and cut lips would allow.

Their shaking hand reached towards Moblits.
"no, section commander, don't close your eyes!"

Hange's eyes rolled back when their lungs were too weak to keep fighting.

Trosts hospital was a mess.

The world was too shallow to describe the chaos in the main hospital in the area that had accepted to take in the patients from all around wall Maria. With the countdown towards the end of evacuation coming closer, the hospital became more and more like a busy street.

Which was why Erwin was called to come in and discharge Levi the next morning. The hospital no longer had enough room for most of it's patients.

Erwin made his way to Levis room, surprised to ses a doctor already above Levis unconscious figure.

Erwin knocked politely before stepping in. The middle aged man nodded in acknowledgement.

"How is he?" Erwin asked and his were eyes fixed on Levis rising and falling chest.

The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose. "Not good, not bad. It's a miracle he's alive and his wounds are not infected yet." he said as a matter of fact. "But I suppose you scouts have always been of a different breed."

Erwin glared at the doctor from the corner of his eyes. "When will he wake up?" he asked, saying through his tone that he wanted none of the mans sarcasm.

The doctor cleared his throat. "He's currently in a medically indosed coma to help his body recover. We'll keep him like that for a few more days. 4 tops. But we will discharge him sooner and the treatment will continue at home." he murmured. "Trosts hospital can't actually hold all the patients flooding from Wall Maria."

Erwin narrowed his eyes.

"We're in a brink of war, doctor." he reminded him. "You can't expect us to keep citizens in Wall Maria when Marley is at our borders."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Are you a psyche? How do you even know Marley will attack?" he asked. "All I've heard from the garrisons is that everything is as calm as it ever was."

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "I can't tell you government secrets, doctor. And I'm sorry for the sudden change of plans. I'm sure you'll be able to accommodate." he said back. "If Trost hospital needs any more resources please tell my assistant, his name is Adler. I'll help in whatever way I can."

The doctor sighed and then nodded.

Erwin looked at Levi again, an unknown longing settled in his eyes. "Actually... He'll come to take Levi home. I have to be on the front lines by then..." he murmured.

The doctor sighed. "I have other patients to tend to... But best wishes... Commander Erwin." he said.

The doctor left in a hurry. He left Erwin alone with Levis unconscious figure.

Erwin sat on the chair next to Levis bed, guilt squeezing his heart. "I haven't found them yet, Levi." he confessed. "At this point..."

Erwin sighed loudly.

His mind decided this was the best place and time to read Hange's. He might never get another chance in the war zone.

Erwin sat down, his fingers sliced the letter open and held up Hange's handwriting for a few minutes. Erwin recognised the letters but couldn't read them as he pleased.

The letter was two pages.

Erwin pressed him mouth to a thin line and forced his mind to read instead of just staring at the words.

To Erwin,

By the time you read this letter, I'm most likely gone, Either kidnapped or killed. But I did all I could according to your plan.

I knew what Justivs planed. Ive known what he's wanted to do since Jean and the recruits saluted to me instead of him. Funny right? How life plays itself out. When Miche threatened that Id soon die in the mouth of a titan. Who knew we'd get caught within political games?

Erwin was pulled out of his toughts when the doors were burst open, Floch and Adler were on the other side. Adler clearly distressed.

I just wanted to tell you a few things...

Erwin arched an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

"Se-Section commander- Hange-" Adler stuttered. "We-We found them."

Erwin jumped off his seat. Quickly walking out of the room. "Where were they? Is Hange alright?"

Adler visibly swallowed back his words. "We found them in an old abandoned werehouse owned by the previous MP commander." Adler explained. "And they are-"

Now this might sound mad, but this was my job. As a titan researcher, later a titanologist, I came across opportunities I never would have if I wasn't a scout.

Erwin ran faster than he'd ever have.

there were days I could have lost my mind. As you know, but looking back, the end of it all, when I traveled to the lands I never knew existed and talked to people I never knew existed who shared my love for titanology, I believe it was maybe worth it all.

Erwin pushed the guard who tried to keep him back from the emergency room, slamming the door open. The room Adler told him Hange was being treated at.

when You asked me to fill in your shoes I knew the day would come when Id truly have to dedicate my heart to the cause.

Erwins eyes widened. The patient laid on the bed could hardly be recognised as hange and not a mess of blood and bone.

well I suppose Levi was always right. Recalling those memories and smiling at my time and my research.

The man looked at the clock as the nurse covered Hange's unrecognizable face with a white sheet.

"Time of death, 18:06" he said, sighing. The nurse picked up a clipboard to write.

Erwin let go of the door handle, staring at the bed and the doctor while his face remained neatrual.

I have always been an abnormal.

"Cause of death, unknown. Patient was found with evidence of torure. Clipped nails, trauma to the head, heart and lungs. Most likely becouse of suffaction." The doctor dictated at the nurse. "The rest is up to forensics to find out."

my time has come to an end, but... I suppose a lifetime of research in such a delicate and dangerous subject has it's own disadvantages. I can't just think having my name known all over the world as the only respected titanologist of Paradise came without a cost.

Erwin slammed the door behind him, not caring at the doctor who politely told him to stay back.

Erwin walked over until he was standing right above the bed, Hange's body lying right underneath his hands. Erwins face remained neatrual, no sign of frown or grit teeth. Just completely neatral face as if he was looking at a newspaper and not his long time comrades unrecognizable body.

Even if I die, there are still alot of people who know my name within the titanology world. That couldn't have been done without cost of being a scout.

There was truly no one breathing under that white sheet.

from your reckless replacement,

Hange Zoe.

Chapter 14: φιλική αγάπη

Notes:

OMG THANKS FOR 200 KUDOSES!

Thanks everyone who left a comment or a kudos or a bookmark. Thanks to your rewards I get motivated enough💜💜💜!

This chapter is really like some sort of filler before we delve in to more details of the owl and Marleys attack. Becouse I thought after the next three chapters( names "double agent" that'll focus on the battle and the owl.) it'll be too late to have some answers about Jean, Connie and Mikasa!

So please enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The Blouse stables were incredibly quiet.

Connie didn't want to think about what the revelation of truth about Gabi and Falco had done to them.

He pushed his horse back. Gently patted the animal before he jumped down, taking the rein to lead his brown stallion towards the stables, where he assumed a few of the kids were working.

"Hey there..." Connie said loudly once he reached the stables. He thought one of the boys would be inside, and he was right.

Two of the blouse boys came in. "Big-bro, Connie!" one of them said. "You're back!"

Connie riddled his hair with a smirk. "Ah! Look at you! You're growing up so fast!" he said. "I told you not to worry about your height, you're a late bloomer."

The boy giggled.

The other one took the handle from Connie's hand. "Whatever! I'll always be taller than him!" he murmured, slightly angry.

Connie rolled his eyes. "That's something only time will tell... Buuut Sasha always said that to me too." he said, pushing his hands into his pockets. "By the way, is Mrs Blouse home?"

The boy led Connie's horse to his spot. "No... She went shopping with papa and to collect our allowance from the queens officers." he explained. "Kaya said she'll help you with Big-Sis Sasha today. What was the name. Fiso-Fisio-physio-"

Connie smiled. "Physiotherapy."

The boy cheered. "Fisotherapy!"

Connie hummed thoughtfully. "Ok, ok. But I thought they'd bring everything to the farm every month." he wondered out loud.

The boy shrugged. "With the code red that's going around, the citizens from wall Maria are coming here again." he murmured. "Things have been hectic... Even around here."

Connie turned around. "Right. Right." he murmured. "I'll be going, then, have fun!"

The two boys waved him goodbye.

Connie made his way to Sasha's room. He knocked before entering, a habit born of walking too many times into her dorm in an inappropriate time.

"Big-bro Connie?"

Connie raised an eyebrow. That was Kaya behind the door. He pushed the handle and opened the door. Just as he assumed, Kaya was inside, sitting at the edge of Sashas bed.

Connie smiled at Kaya, he did his best to ignore Sasha's face and how lifeless it looked. He stepped in and waved his hand for Kaya. "Oh, hey there!" he said. "You're early."

Kaya nodded, very eagerly. "Yeah I was... Excited... How can I help you?" Kaya asked.

Connie pushed his hands into his pockets and looked at Kaya with the most gentle smile he could manage. "Of course, come on." he murmured, "I heard you're going to help me with your big sis' physiotherapy therapy today!"

A rare smile appeared on Kayas face. She wasted no time to rush towards the other side of the bed. She stood right in front of Connie, her eyes going from Connie's face to Sashas unconscious figure.

Connie cleared his throat. "Ok, Kya... I don't know most of how this works. But we'll follow the things the physiotherapist told us to do. Today, you'll fill your foster mothers shoes." Connie explained.

Kaya nodded. Then she took a sharp breath and looked at Connie. "Why- why are you doing this?" she asked suddenly.

Connie raised his eyebrows. "Why what?"

Kaya slowly hugged herself."Why are we doing this?" she asked again, "you come here every week, and do the exact same thing and exercises the doctor told you. But why!?"

Connie bit the smile on his lips. "If Sasha wakes up and finds out all her muscle mass was washed away while she was asleep... She'll be really sad. You know how much she hated exercising." Connie murmured. "This way, she won't be all bad."

Kayas lips trembled. "So you think she'll wake up one day?" she murmured. "But- But the Doctor said she might not. Because-Because Gabi shot her!"

Connie shook his head.

"Im think she'll wake up eventually," he murmured. "Well, I certainly hope so."

"Why?"

Connie's hands froze.

He raised his head to meet Kayas burning gaze. Not with rage but with question and confusion.

So Connie prepared the most noble answer he could.

"Every time Sasha and I stepped outside the walls... We thought about the possibility that we might not return. But we did our best to come back." Connie said. "I'm sure Sasha is trying her best to wake up right now... And it's enough proof for me."

Kaya opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted when the doors burst open. One of Kayas younger foster brothers rushed in. "Big-bro Connie!" he said, grabbing his shorts. "There is a man with the Scouts logo who wants to see you!"

Connie chuckled. "See me?"

"Yeah! He said his name is Adler!"

Connie frowned. That messenger and Commander Erwin's assistant never bore good news.

Connie sighed. "It looks like this is canceled." he said with an apologetic smile aimed at Kaya and rushed out.

Just to see what Adler has in store for him.

Jean didn't immediately open his eyes when his body slowly came back to himself.

He knew something was up when he could feel a buzzing feeling on his right shoulder and his hands stretched back, the rope on his wrists and ankles burning into his flesh.

And then- the memories suddenly flashed before his eyes. Of the bullet, of Cyrus' arrest and of his own capture.

So he pretended to be unconscious just to spy on his kidnappers.

But all he could hear was a faint buzz coming from the end of a tunnel. The blood loss was still toying with his mind. Jean had trouble even comprehending the touch of grass under his face.

".... Erwin... Red flare... Done for..." an old man said, his voice was followed by a buzz of ODM gear.

"What?" Jean thought to himself. "Commander Erwin...?"

Jean quickly pushed the thought aside.

He was in this position which meant these men wanted nothing to do with Marco. He was still a titan in many people's eyes so they won't go looking for him, hopefully.

"Justivs is out of his mind."

Jean fought the urge to stay still, not to frown.

"Erwin is known for manslaughter. Do you really think he'll stop his coup because we have two of his higher ranking officials with us?"

What coup...?

"I don't know, Rick, all I know is that I don't want Erwin to take over the entire military. The man isn't exactly known for keeping the kill count low."

"yeah, the partial rumbling is bad enough on it's own. I bet if Erwin takes over, we'll have a full rumbling at hand."

Rumbling?

That's it. They're two people and those idiots forgot to take out my ODM gear.

From the weight of his ODM gear, he knew the blades and the gun were gone, but the structure on its own was sharp enough to cut the rope on its own.

Jean's fingers played with the rope, pushing it against the sharp edges of his ODM gear to tear it out, all while still listening to the man with his eyes closed.

"there is one thing I agree with is that Erwin Smith's views are far too harsh for the delicate situation we are in right now."

"yeah, thanks to him those Toranians could spy on us for Marley. And half of the world is at our throats right now."

Jean grit his teeth silently until the moment of freedom arrived.

The rope fell from around his wrists and the flesh started to burn, however, Jean didn't have any time to spare. He immediately grabbed the handle of his ODM gear and shot the grapples.

"Huh,"

"Wait!"

Jean took off, flying towards the branches. I lucked out. He sighed inwardly, ignoring the shouts coming from his kidnapper.

A few guns were fired and they hit the nearby trees, giving Jean enough time to hide behind one. "Ok, great. I have no weapons and they have standard issue guns." He growled angrily. "I have no choice but to escape."

Just as he thought that, one of the two soldiers landed right on a branch right in front of Jean. He pointed his gun at the other, eyes narrowed. "Drop your ODM." he shouted. "I'm not afraid to shoot!"

Jean grit his teeth.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"I SAID DROP YOUR ODM!"

In their shouting match, both of them failed to notice a dark figure lurking under the tall trees.

"DROP YOUR ODM!" the soldier said again. He aimed at the branch and fired a shot, the bullet missed Jean's foot by an inch. "DROP IT OR YOU'RE DEAD."

Jean took a step back, calculating what he should do. Maybe dropping his ODM and surrendering was the option with the most survival rate.

However this was still the titans forest, any conflict within these trees will give the government another reason to kill the titan-Marco.

No, Jean grit his teeth. you wanna catch me, you'll have to follow me out of here!

With his choice in mind, Jean sent the grapples back and jumped away.

"COME BACK!" the soldier shouted at him.

Jean jumped from one branch to another, trying his best to move in zigzag motion to avoid a possible bullet.

The moment Jean turned his head around, he saw the two soldiers coming at him at full speed. The former smiled in triumph. Holding up his gun towards Jean.

They were close.

Dangerously so.

The man held up his ready gun. "You're a dead man, Kirstein!"

Jean tried to move away, kept his zigzag motions but the man was almost ready to fire his gun.

For a moment, Jean thought he saw his life flash before his eyes when the gun made a creak sound, ready to fire.

And just in that moment, between the air and the earth, came a loud earth shattering sound. Jean saw something shift on the ground and he was right.

Jean's eyes widened.

Just before the man could shoot, the freckled titan jumped from the ground. The titans mouth wide open as he jumped.

It all happened so fast, the man didn't have time to scream.

The titan jumped and bit on the man. The body of the soldier who pointed his gun at Jean was in the titans mouth. The only parts that were out were his head and right shoulder and arm.

Time went in slow motion as Jean's mind failed to see the scenario.

Jean stopped on a branch, standing to his feet and staring at the freckled titan- No! Marcoes titan, holds a man in his teeth.

"Mar-co?"

His neck and shoulder was right under Marcoes teeth.

The titan bit down. His eyes were angry and lifeless as he did. Blood dripped down the titans lips and chin. The man's head was thrown away and his hand fell down from the titans lips.

"Rick!" the second soldier screamed as he landed on the bench. "No! Rick!"

Jean blinked in surprise.

Did Marco just...

Did he just eat someone?

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT YOU UGLY TITAN!" the second soldier screamed, drawing his own blade.

Jean's senses were on fire the next moment. His mind made up the idea that he won't let this soldier touch Marco.

But Jean didn't need to do anything.

The titan roared, he roared loudly enough that the trees shook and the ground lost its balance. Jean narrowed his eyes at the second soldier. He lost all the color in his face and turned back.

Jean's blood froze.

No!

he'll go and report to everyone that this titan ate someone!

Jean grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the ground, the poor eaten soldier's hand was dropped on the ground, and so was his gun.

The second soldier was quickly zapping away with his ODM gear.

Jean ignored his own suddenly bleeding abdomen and jumped down. He yanked the gun from the lifeless cut hand and aimed at the place the man was going.

It took a few seconds for Jean to aim. Before he fired.

Time seemed to slow down as Jeans eyes followed the bullet that pierced the air-

-and hit the Soldier in the back.

When the man fell down, dangling from his ODM gear like a ragdoll between the branches of red and yellow leaves, Jean let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

Jean dropped to his knees. One hand went to his side and it came bloodied. Jean hissed angrily. "Damn it." he cursed. His wound had opened in his attempt at escape.

Jean took a shaky breath and turned around. "Marco!" he said out loud, calling the titan for the first time by his name.

But Marco didn't respond.

For a moment, cold dread washed over Jean because this titan might not be Marco! He might have killed for a completely strangers titan but then, Jean followed the titans gaze.

Marco was looking at the decapitated head of the man he'd just eaten.

Phantom hands squeezed Jean's heart. He could see the emotions pouring out from the titans dark eye. Blood dripped down the titans lips.

But his eyes stayed on the head.

Jean ignored his bleeding side and grabbed his ODM gears handles. He shot the grabbles to Marcoes skin and jumped up to grab a strand of the titans hair.

Jean fixed his footing on the titans nose and stared deeply into the titans eyes. "No, No, listen to me, I know you're Marco- and I know you did that to protect me." Jean said, hitting his closed fist against Marcoes titan forehead. "You hear me?"

The titans eyes turned even more distant, then his eyes fell down.

Jean cursed under his breath.

He pointed at the man's decapitated head. "I did that in self defense." Jean declared loudly. "Do you hear me Marco? You still haven't eaten anyone and I killed those two in self defense."

The titan opened his lips.

His dark eyes gathered tears.

Jean pressed his palm against the titans forehead. "Marco..." Jean murmured quietly. "It's alright."

The titan closed his eyes, his tears fell in thick droplets against the ground. The titan pressed its trembling lips together.

Jean hummed quietly. If only he could Give Marco a hug right now. But his hands were too small to hold his burden and responsibilities on Marcoes shoulders.

Jean gently caressed the titans forehead. "I know you're sorry, it's ok. You're still Marco..." Jean assured him. "You still deserve to turn back to humans."

The titan turned his wrist in the air as if asking why?

Jean shut his eyes. "Because..." he murmured. "I've... I've killed people and not just in self defense."

Jean shut his eyes. "There... This'll be a secret between us, Ok? If they find out, Even commander Erwin will order your death. Let alone that coward Justivs." Jean murmured, cursing under his breath.

The titans' eyes widened.

Jean smiled softly.

He pressed his hand against the titans forehead. "I will turn you back human." he vowed. "I promise you, Marco, you'll turn back human even if it costs my life."

Marco blinked in surprise.

Jean jumped down with his ODM.

The world swimmed around Jean. He had to stay up until the world stopped spinning around him. He took one step after another towards the decapitated head, completely ignoring his bleeding side that was slowly making his vision blurry.

Jean kneeled down and started digging the ground with his dulled blade. "I'll say I killed the second soldier and I don't know what happened to this one after I shut him." he declared loudly. Once the hole on the ground was deep enough, he pushed the head on it and covered the ground again.

"This... Jungle is... Huge..." Jean murmured, slowly losing his vision all around him. He tripped when he tried to stand up. Blood loss finally catching up to him.

Jean looked at the titan. He pointed at the makeshift grave. "You... heard me?" he slurred. "I k... Killed that-"

But Jean didn't get to finish his words.

He lost his footings and he fell. His face hit against the ground, the dirt fell right under his eyes. Jean didn't have the energy to stand up again.

His vision was blurry, he could barely make the outlines of Marco who reached for him and picked him up. Marco held him in the safety of his palm.

The last thing he felt was the burn on his side coming from that bullet wound.

Marco looked at Jean in his palm.

Jean was quickly going cold since he passed out. "Safe." the titan said, holding Jean in the warmth of his hands. The titans throat was sore from all this time of silence.

Marco lifted Jean to see him more clearly. "Want to keep safe." he said, breathing more easily when he felt Jean's heart beating and his scent was still the alluring scent of a living human.

Marco stood up to his titan feet. His hands quickly warmed up Jean, hoping that would keep the man while he was bleeding out.

"Reason Eren... Turned... Me... Titan..." Marco said quietly. "Keep... You... Safe..."

Marco took one step.

Then another.

And another.

Until he was running towards the most cramped space of human scent that reached his nose, there must be a hospital there, right?

Rage couldn't even begin to describe Mikasa's emotions when she heard about Erens arrest.

She rode all the way to his prison on horseback, her eyes dripping venom towards anyone who dared stand in her way. The building was in mayhem, guards running back and forth trying to find a clue of where Eren had gone.

Or at least, that's what little of the Chaos Mikasa could see in the army center before two courageous armed guards stood in front of her.

Both men pointed their guns at Mikasa's direction.

Good for them to be wary of an Ackerman.

"I want to see him and you can't stop me." she threatened, taking one more step towards the double door. One door between her and the dungeons.

The guard put a hand on her shoulder. "Private Ackerman, we were told you are in mandatory le-"

Mikasa grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it painfully. He had no time to scream and hissed through his grit teeth as Mikasa held his twisted hand above.

The other guard stepped forward and cocked his gun. "Private Ackerman! let him go!" he demanded, holding the gun up to her face.

Mikasa glared angrily at the second guard.

The man's gun started shaking.

Mikasa kept the poor man's wrist in a painful lock. The man gasped and doubled over but the pain didn't go any easier. To make it even worse, Mikasa applied more force and the man screamed out, falling to his knees.

"Keep your dirty hands away." Mikasa threatened, letting go of the man's arm. He fell down, holding his wrist to relieve the pain.

"And I'm not on mandatory leave."

A fierce kick was aimed at the man's head. He fell back, knocked out on the ground.

No one dared to stop her.

But when Mikasa reached the deep dark cell that was previously Erens. She was as shocked as the others were.

There was a giant hole in the cell.

It was true.

Eren had escaped prison.

As the memory flashes before her eyes, Mikasa could only stare out of the window.

Her house was emptier than it had ever been since she and Eren moved in here.

The air was beginning to cool as winter slowly approached. The cold season was soft in Krolva district, much softer than Shiganshina or Trost. But not warm enough for Mikasa's liking as she was alone.

Mikasa pulled the blanket around herself and looked outside the window. Mrs Cohen, their neighbor, was planting the winter flower in her garden.

She waved when she saw Mikasa from the window.

Mikasa hugged a cup of warm cocoa, wrapping her fingers around the warmth, lifting it to touch the lid to her lip.

Cocoa.

"another thing that Eldians within Liberio taste every once in a blue moon." Eren had explained, bringing loads and loads of cocoa and coffee into their home. "It's chocolate! I know just what to make with it!"

Mikasa sat down, her gray eyes followed his movements around their cozy kitchen. "You know... We can quit the scout regiment and open a coffee shop" she said.

The seriousness of her words completely depended on his reaction. Mikasa leaned her head against her hand and watched as Eren suddenly froze above the stove. The milk was moments away from boiling.

Eren turned around, looking at Mikasa completely. "A coffee shop?" he murmured. "My skills aren't that great..."

Eren waved his hands in the air, resting his back against the cabinets. "And besides, the people on this island don't know what coffee is, let alone a coffee shop." he explained, resting the palms of his hands on the cabinet. "If it wasn't for the newest trade with Torana and Hizuru, we would never even taste it."

Mikasa's lips pulled into a smile. "Eren..."

Eren smiled awkwardly. "Annnd, this is all from my memories of past Attack Titans, maybe one day-"

"Eren..."

"One day we'll... What?"

"The milk."

Eren jumped back and saw foams and foams of milk had spilled all over their stove.

Mikasa smiled at the memory. The warmth of the hot cocoa and the taste is a grim reminder of Eren before he disappeared on Marley.

Not Erens first disobedience.

Since then, how Eren had changed so much is a mystery, like a ghost was latching to him like a demon.

Mikasa sighed loudly.

"If he can do it once he can do it again..." Jean had said.

"But that doesn't mean we can't fight for him!" Sasha had pointed out. "Even if Eren is acting like a lone wolf, he's still one of us and as of now, we have no reason to abandon him."

"It was the commander who ordered the attack. Not Eren." Mikasa repeated, holding the cocoa mug tightly. "Not Eren..."

There was a knock on the door.

Mikasa broke the train of thoughts and stood up, shivering a little when the blanket fell from around her and exposed her to the cold.

Mikasa made her way to the door and gently opened it. She wasn't expecting anyone. So she thought the person behind the door was Mrs Cohen. Maybe she wanted to say hi?

But instead, the person behind it was wearing the Scouts logo.

"Private Adler?" Mikasa murmured in surprise, opening the door to lean against the door frame. "What's wrong?"

Adler cleared his throat and held Mikasa a paper to take. Mikasa tilted her head as she took the paper from his hands.

Adler bit his lip, maybe readying himself for the news he was about to announce. "I regret to inform you section commander Hange Zoe has passed away." Adler said with a nod.

Mikasa's fingers froze on the letter.

Wide gray eyes stared at the messenger's face. "Ha-Hange...?"

Adler shut his eyes and looked away.

He took a deep shaky breath. "In an attempt to keep their clutches on Commander Erwin, the rest of the military had captured Hange Zoe and Jean Kirstein to keep Commander Erwin in check." he said without taking a breath, fast and clumsy, "section commander Hange died under torture becouse they refused to give away any information about commander Erwin. And Captain Kirstein is MIA as we speak."

Mikasa inhaled sharply.

The paper folded under her grip.

She forced out the words against the lump in her throat. "Jean! Hange? Information? What information? Hange couldn't have possibly had some grand scheme! Justivs just wanted to kill them." she growled.

Adler took a deep breath and looked back at Mikasa again. "I'm afraid we don't truly know. I can tell only what I know and commander Erwin told me." he said. "I- I'm afraid that's just how politics work."

Adlers rubbed his reddened eyes.

"That's just... Just what happens when the military turns political." Adler murmured, barely keeping his emotions from breaking his voice.

Mikasa's eyes fell.

Her throat failed to form words.

"Adler..." she murmured instead.

"Yes, Private Ackerman?"

"Is there- is there any funeral?" she asked.

Adler shook his head. "I'm afraid not... We're in times of war and due to its protocols there won't be any funerals." he said.

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, ready to put strings of curses towards them but realized poor Adler had nothing to do with what was happening around them.

Mikasa sighed, resting her hand against the door. "Thanks for informing me, Adler." she said with a nod.

"I'm afraid that's not all."

Mikasa arched an eyebrow.

"This letter is a formal call that your leave has put to an end. Since the captain is MIA you'll have to report back to the commander." Adler nodded and turned around to leave.

"Wait! Don't tell me Jean is in the same position!" Mikasa snapped angrily. "What? I should be waiting for his death announcement too?"

Adler took a deep breath. "Not... Not exactly but... Jean Kirstein is MIA so, Maybe." he sighed. "Commander Erwin is putting his plans on the thought that Jean Kistein is dead and I'm- I'm sorry."

Adler saluted. "I... I have to report back to base." he said. "Commander Erwin wants all scouts on Shiganshina grounds before dawn tonight."

Alder turned around to leave.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

Just like that?

Losing Jean and Hange would be a blow to Erwin but... would he really just recover like that?

A chilling thought settled on her mind.

what if their deaths were a part of his plans?

Mikasa closed the door.

But before she could step away from the closed door and open the letter Adler had given her, he heard a crash.

Something had broken, maybe a vase.

The gate in front of their house was kicked and the small vase with gardenia flowers was kicked down.

If it wasn't for Mikasa's Ackerman sharpened senses, she would have never heard how angry Adlers kick was.

Mikasa turned around, facing the wooden door of her house.

"If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have never crossed the seas to come here..." Adler said loudly, thinking no one would hear him.

When Mikasa reopened the door she saw Adler sitting down and gathering the broken pieces of a broken vase in his hands. His eyes were frowned in focus and he sighed when he saw Mikasa from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said out loud, truly apologetic. Thankfully, the vase that had fallen on the stones and shattered, was empty. Adler gathered the larger pieces into his hand and pushed the smaller ones into the mud of the garden.

"It's just- it was an honor to work for section commander Hange. Even though they went to extreme lengths sometimes." Adler said with a sigh. He fisted the hand with broken vase pieces. "I'm just saying if I knew all this work was going to be so in vain- I wouldn't have crossed the sea to come here... It's just an idiom in my village, meaning I tried so hard."

Adler leaned back, fisting the broken pieces in his fist. "Sorry, it was on me."

Mikasa wasn't in the mood to argue with him, so she just nodded and closed the door.

She'd just ask their neighbor to clean it. She won't have the time to do that anyway, since Erwin had summoned them to Shiganshina.

Mikasa sighed. She gently opened the letter with careful hands. "Let's see what you say..."

Mikasa walked towards her room where she stored her uniform and ODM gear. Carefully taking the stairs not to trip and fall while reading.

Formal summons,

Mikasa Ackerman, you are expected to return to the scout regiment as soon as possible due to code red-times of war. You are expected to report back to Commander Erwin Smith on 13th of the month in Shiganshina.

Signed, commander Erwin Smith.

Mikasa stopped immediately when she saw a shadowy figure in her room.

She turned around, facing the intruder but to her surprise she met a pair of jade green eyes.

"Hello, Mikasa."

Eren leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his worn out green shirt and jacket. He uncrowded his arm and stood up, pressing his mouth to a thin line.

The dark bags under his eyes and the dead weight in those jade green eyes showed the fact that he was very much still a fugitive of the law.

The letter slipped and fell from Mikasa's grasp. "Eren!" she whispered, relief and joy slipped through her voice. She took one step after another towards Eren, holding her hands up to embrace the other.

Eren took a step back. He held his hand up to keep Mikasa back if she came too close.

Mikasa stopped immediately, the tears of relief that came to Mikasa's eyes immediately dried up.

"Sorry, I'm just here to say a few things." Eren said matter of factly, the dark bags under his eyes made his gaze look hollow and tired. As if he himself couldn't believe the reality around him. His jade green eyes didn't falter from their eye contact.

"I thought you should know..."

Mikasa didn't notice her open arms slowly fall to her side before her right hand reached to grab at her red scarf. "Where have you been?" she asked without skipping a beat. "Commander Erwin is on command again, you don't need to worry if you show yourself-"

"I'm done. I don't want to worry about who's on top and who we sacrifice to keep Erwin on top!" Eren shouted, waving his hand in the air. "I'm done!"

Mikasa blinked in surprise. "What do you mean-"

"First Armin, and now Hange, then Jean? how many other people have to die to keep Erwin alive and commanding!" Eren snapped. "And even if we do! What guarantee do we have that even with our best man in command, we can win this war? What guarantee do we have for our right to live?"

Mikasa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Eren... What do you mean? What do you want to do?"

"Any moment, we're closer to an impending war. We are strong but how strong are we against the entire world?" Eren said loudly. "I'm going to finish this. This way, I won't have to wonder who is going to die next! Or when is the next war coming"

Eren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll fight this war on my own if I have to. I came here to tell you to stay out of my way." Eren said. When he opened his eyes, the jade green of them was mixed with an amethyst purple and a fire that Mikasa knew very well.

Mikasa fisted her hands on her sides. "You're going too far alone." she murmured. "I'll come with you."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"This is my battle to fight... As the founding titan."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "So that's what you want to do?" she said. "Fight, fight and fight? Kill children in your battles and clueless innocents?"

Eren looked away.

"So that's all you can do? Fight?"

"This is the end for this war-"

"But This isn't the end for you! There are other things that you can do! Other ways to spend your life!" Mikasa said loudly, reaching a hand for the other. "Not just fighting!"

Eren turned around and slapped it away. "Like what? Like you?" he murmured.

Mikasa drew her hand back, shocked.

Silence settled in their home. So much so that Mikasa could hear their neighbor, Mrs Cohen, come out to investigate what happened to make such noise.

Mikasa's hands dropped.

"This is the part where you apologize." she said, surprised at how small her voice sounded.

"This is the part where I leave." Eren shot back.

Mikasa's eyes flared up with new determination. From the way Eren tried to carry himself out of their bedroom, to the way his gaze weighed more than when he was inside, triggered Mikasa's instincts like no other.

Mikasa grabbed Eren by the collar, halting his movement.

She stared at his eyes, so serious and unrelenting. He was less than a head taller but it was enough for Mikasa's heated glare to reach his eyes.

if you leave now, you'll go somewhere where I can't be with you.

Mikasa shook him back and forth with the collar of his old black jacket.

"That's it!" she shouted in his face. "I can't watch you do this to yourself anymore!"

Eren didn't flinch back, and waited until she stopped pushing him back and forth. Mikasa held him close to herself, her fist buring into her collar and almost tearing the old fabric apart.

He only narrowed his eyes, leaning his head dangerously close to Mikasa's face once she stopped. Until his breath was falling over her face, and hers on his. Until their eyes could see nothing but each other. "This is so hard for you, isn't it? Acting rational?" he whispered.

There was no need to worry about when the object of their voice was less than an inch away.

Mikasa grit her teeth angrily. She took a shaky breath. "If this is your rational thinking, then I want you to act on impulse for the rest of your life-"

Mikasa felt Eren's hand on the back of her head for a split second before he pushed her closer to close the gap between their lips.

Mikasa felt Erens lips incredibly soft over her own.

Mikasa's eyes widened just as Eren closed his.

She gave up, letting go of Erens collar to wrap her arms around his neck to pull her impossibly closer and deepen the kiss.

Slowly, Eren pulled back. They pressed their foreheads against each other. Both breathing heavily into eachothers air. Eren's hair loosened from his man bun and fell all over his shoulders, over Mikasa's fingers.

"You asked me to..." Eren murmured, his voice breathy but vulnerable. "...act on impulse."

Mikasa laughed breathily. "See? Not that bad..."

"But this is the wrong thing to do, listening to your heart like that."

Mikasa felt a wave freeze over her skin. She licked her suddenly dry lips. Was Eren's skin always this cold to touch? "Why not?" she asked, sincerely.

Eren pushed back, Erens jade eyes stared at Mikasa with newfound determination.

His hands were hesitant to let go, but they did. He stepped back.

"If I had gone with what my heart was saying, I would have fought with Levi with all my might to make sure Armin would have been revived." Eren said matter of factly.

Mikasa's eyes widened.

Armin?

Mikasa swallowed the lump in her throat. "Eren... You haven't brought Armins name up for about a year-"

Eren didn't let her finish. "But then what? We would be a sitting duck waiting for the Marleyans to cut us down without Erwins guidance." Eren spat.

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"So I'm not making the same mistake again." He declared. "This is war, it's not like it's going to stop for anyone's emotions."

Mikasa fisted her hands on her sides. "What sort of logic would allow you to just leave your friend to die!" she shouted. "Armin was-"

Eren waved dismissively.

"Armin was a weakling who couldn't earn his right to live on his own. A burden on the two of us who did nothing but hold us back." Eren said as a matter of fact, narrowing his eyes at Mikasa. "Armin was a burden who deserved to die much sooner than he did."

"EREN!" Mikasa shouted, interrupting him mid speech. "Have you forgotten the-"

Eren took a step closer, intimidating unlike last time. "I haven't." he chuckled. "What do you want me to remember? His sick dependence on us? He followed us around like a dog because he had no other choice. As I said, he was a weakling who couldn't earn his right to live on his own."

Eren pushed his hands into his pockets. "Duh! He couldn't even fight! Didn't even try to earn his freedom and keep it. He would have died ten times over if it wasn't for me and you." he chuckled. "A parasite. waste of little resources we had."

Eren laughed to himself. "You can't even believe how many times I thought I should let him die on a rotten ground after the bullies beat him to a pulp. I betted he'd be happy to be put out of his miserable life." he hummed, a smile on his lips. "His weakness made me want to puke."

Mikasa could only stare at him while the other bad mouthed their fallen friend. Her eyes slowly gathered tears in disbelief.

Eren huffed carelessly. He used Mikasa's momentary shock to turn around and leave the room.

Immediately, Mikasa came to herself. "Eren! Where are you going!" Mikasa shouted, grabbing him by his elbow. "You can't just-"

Eren pulled his hand out of her grip. "What? You expect me to just sit back and let Marley attack us? Thinking I don't lose because I don't run away, like that coward."

"STOP CALLING HIM NAMES!" Mikasa had shouted that into his face without knowing it.

She pushed back, glaring angrily at Eren. "He's the reason we won back Shiganshina! Why we defeated berthold!" she shot back.

Eren rolled his eyes. "Oh really? Because according to what Jean said he lost his cool and ability to lead you the moment one thing went south." he spat. "I'm not like him, Mikasa. I won't wait for enemy to attack and then give them philosophical talks they're too deaf to understand."

Eren turned around, turning his back on Mikasa. "I'm going to do what I had to do. To preserve my freedom, to preserve my right to live." he said as a matter of fact.

Eren turned around slightly, enough to look at Mikasa from the corner of his eyes. "You should go. Erwin is counting on your help. If I were you, I'd forget that coward and do what needs to be done."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

"This is goodbye, Mikasa." Then, without any further explanation, Eren turned around and left.

Mikasa was too shocked to follow him.

His words echoed in the back of her mind until the ghost of his words had left the house.

Notes:

Chapter title, "φιλική αγάπη" means friendly love.

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 15: Double agent : Pay off.

Notes:

Who is ready for the owl!

Ps. I wasn't expecting everything to be so obvious about this dude but here we go I guess!

Again! Thank you, all of you who read this fic and leave. Especially to those of you who leave a comment or bookmark note becouse those just give me life!

I hope y'all like the Dr strange reference in the previous chapter! Because there is an Itachi reference in this one! Kudos to the person who gets it!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"the commander's attitude has done a 180 degree flip!"

"Can you blame him though? Section commander Hange was tortured to death by the Military Police and Captain Levi is in a coma! Those MPs have really crossed the line!"

"not just commander Hange, I feel like Commander Erwin is suddenly reminded of all the people who have died by his cause."

"like Captain Kirstein?"

There was a sound uproar from the other recruits that echoed down wall Sina towards Trost.

"We don't know anything about Captain Kirstein yet... He might as well be dead."

"You think so?"

"He's officially MIA, and by what Cyrus was saying Justivs had a really bad grudge against him."

"You mean he's torturing the Captain somewhere too?"

"I don't think so. Captain Kirstein wasn't as involved in political matters as Commander Hange was. So..."

"You think he's already dead?"

"He always said to treat rumors as they are until there is an official statement, so don't give it too much thought."

Another recruit swung the blade. "All we recruits of the 109 have to do is to make sure no titan even comes near Trosts citizens!" he declared loudly. "His ghost would have sent us all to cleaning duty and a cell if he saw us lacking like this!"

"If Cyrus was here, he would have mentioned how Eren Yeager's first mission was in Trost too." the recruit laughed.

"Good thing he's in prison and hasn't heard his idol has turned into a rogue titan."

All of them laughed out loud. Their chatter died out as all groups stood in their places. Their eyes glued towards the south.

Everyone was so sure that Hanges experiments will eventually kill them- that honoring them was never discussed between the old veterans.

Moblit used to follow Hange around always. and if it wasn't for him and his sharpened alarm senses, Hange would have died ten times over. Miche and Nanaba put too much effort in trying to convince Erwin not to indulge Hanges habits more than he already did by giving it it's own budget.

"Well, At least someone is happy to be devoured by a titan." Miche had said. No one laughed.

But in the end, Miche was lost without a trace, so was Nanaba, Moblit was blown to bits and in the end, Hange was the only one lucky enough to have a body for a funeral.

A memorial with only one attendance.

Shiganshinas funeral house was small, just a room big enough for about a hundred people and a person who stood up and preached on. But even though it was small, it had been rebuilt just like the old one. Made with delicate colorful grass that made up the windows. The shards made the image of a mother gently holding her child.

Light of the early day peeked in from the window, painting the funeral house a mix of red, blue, green and yellow.

The casket had been right under those colorful windows before it was taken away to be buried, leaving Erwin with a room full of ghosts.

He could look none of them in the eyes.

Erwin took a deep breath.

The house was silent enough that he could hear his own rapid heartbeat.

But even then, the silence sounded holy- unbreakable.

Erwins eyes focused on where the casket had been, now empty. The body had been given back to the ground.

Erwin was naive.

Naive to think he would have to stop sending people to their deaths once the island was cleansed of titans.

He was naive to think he could drop his guard.

Erwin took a deep breath.

"I promise you, Hange."

His words reached his own ears a few times.

"I will end this conflict even I have to end it in blood-"

Erwin shut his eyes.

"-I'll make sure it's the least amount possible."

At least Hange Zoe became a renowned Titanologist. Just like they always wanted.

When Erwin closed his eyes, he could still imagine the pure joy in Hanges eyes when their project was accepted into the hall of Titanologists in Torana.

When Hange was discovered, other than Adler's testimony that said Hange was calling Moblit, there was no way they could identify that that destroyed body was Hanges.

Until Erwin found thos blue pendant in the torture chamber, Hanges pendant of section commander.

Erwin took it out of his pocket, there was still a patch of dried blood that covered the blue pendant.

Erwin narrowed his eyes.

This blood can never be cleaned. He told himself.

Pitter

Patter.

Erwin's eyebrows pulled into a frown when heavy footsteps broke the silence.

Erwin turned around, looking at the intruder from the corner of his eyes.

To his surprise, the intruder had the MP logo on his chest and flowers in his hand.

Nile.

Nile Dawk.

The frown dropped partially when Erwin saw his old friend. "Nile..." he said, half nodding.

"I... Came as soon as I heard." Nile said, his eyes focused on the empty altar. "I'm sorry for the loss... Did Hange have a family?"

Erwin looked forward, not paying Nile any mind. "No." he said curtly, his eyes lost in the thousand images of colored glasses. "Hange hadn't updated the will list since joining the Scouts."

Erwin sighed loudly. He leaned back against the chair.

Nile sat down, putting the small flower bouquet away. "And I suppose Hange never really talked about a family," he concluded.

Erwin shook his head.

That was a long, tiring subject he didn't want to talk about, and obviously, Nile was here to talk about something else.

Erwin rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

The question came just as he expected it. "Erwin..." Nile said out loud. "I didn't mean to overhear but... You promised Hange to end this conflict, by that you meant Marley and Eldia right?"

Erwin held Hanges blue pendant tightly in a fist.

"... Or did you mean the conflict inside of Paradise?" Nile added. He held Erwins reactions under sharp observation.

Erwin chuckled slowly, humorlessly and without a smile.

Instead of an answer, Erwin leaned back, putting his eyes on the decorated and colorful window of the funeral house. "Do you remember... Four years ago, when I confronted you about the officers that were following the surviving members of my Corp around?" Erwin said out loud.

Nile hummed in agreement.

Erwin shook his head. "Back then you said it was for the security of my soldiers. Even before I had started sending them all away in different parts of the world. Expanding our scouting operations to every single point we knew we won't be shut in sight. Why didn't you offer protection then? That was when we needed it the most... "

Niles fingers dug into his forearms. "That was different-"

Erwin didn't let him finish.

"A Lot of things have changed since then..." Erwin stood up, looking down at Nile. It took a few seconds for the other to realize Erwin was staring at the black parchment wrapped around his arm. "But the military policys will to have everything under their control has still stayed the same."

"You mean-"

"It was thanks to you and that 'protection' you offered four years ago that that squad knew Hange would be visiting Moblit."

"That's ridiculous-"

"I told you to stay away from us, remember?" Erwin said through grit teeth. "But you refused. That makes you equally guilty in this, Nile."

"I swear I had no part in this-"

Erwin hald his hands behind his back. His blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the other. "Oh? but you did propose Justivs to take my place." He said matter of factly.

Nile sighed, rubbing his face. "I didn't know he was going to take your place- Erwin I'm just the commander of the northern division and I thought the four other commanders just wanted to see who would be fit to take my place!"

"Is that your excuse?" Erwin spat. "That makes you either an ignorant or a fool."

Erwin grit his teeth before relaxing his jaw.

"Fact is, because of this absence of mine, things have spiraled out of my control." Erwin said without an ounce of remorse. "I don't think I can stop Zeke's scream."

Nile's frown fell on the ground. "You can't, or you won't?" he asked, venom dripping from his voice.

Erwin shook his head. "Once Eren transforms in the city, his scream will pull Zeke out of his hiding spot but it'll attract the Marleyans and their airships too." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "Whether my priorities are stopping Zeke or Marley is completely unpredictable right now."

Erwin stood up, crossing his hands behind his back

"When you write a letter to Marie... Send my regards and apology."

That was all Erwin said before turning around and leaving.

Pitter

Patter

Pitter

Patter

Nile pushed his hair out of his face, half in despair.

Erwin stopped for a moment.

His smirk became too much to conceal.

Shiganshina was ready, or at least the little people whon Erwin could gather and keep without the threat of them exploding into titans was little.

Thankfully, the anti-gas weapon masks were enough to ensure there wont be more people who are in the threat of turning into titans.

Erwin walked into his office, left the door open and rushed to the radio-telephone on the desk.

He immediately dialed his home, perhaps the last time before entering battle. It got connected to the telephone server and then to Erwins home per his request.

"Commander Erwin." Alder said after he picked up the phone.

"Adler," he said. "How is Levi?"

"I just discharged captain Levi and moved him to your house." Adler said on the other side. "I can actually see him! He is stable."

Erwin took a breath of relief. "Adler, how are things at home?"

"Well, the girl is giving me a fright-"

"-MY NAME IS GABI!-"

Sound of struggle came from the other side of the line, like debris falling behind a tunnel.

"-Ok, alright, excuse me, ah, Gabi the great, pardon me for disrespecting your honor!" Adler said, clearly not aimed at Erwin.

Erwin gripped the radio-telephone tighter.

"Adler, Don't provoke her."

"she is the one provoking me, sir!"

"Don't get provoked then." Erwin said, "remember, you will have to keep Falco healthy and far far away from Shiganshina, at all costs."

"copy that, sir."

"That's all-"

"sir, wait!"

"What is it?"

"Can I put Gabi in a cell?-"

"-DEVIL!"

Erwin sighed loudly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm afraid not," he said.

Adler sighed on the other side. "very well, sir, over."

Just as he said that, the door was knocked and opened without his permission.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Over." he said to the phone before putting it away.

Click.

Erwin turned around, there was a black haired woman wearing the Scout Crest and standing on the door, hugging a folder of paper. "Commander..." she said, her voice sleepy but serious.

Erwins eyes scanned her up and down.

The first alarm was the fact that she didn't salute when she entered.

The second was the fact that Erwin had never seen her before.

Which only meant one thing: this woman wasn't one of the scouts.

Erwin narrowed his eyes, playing along with the lie. His eyes fell on the name patch sewed under the crest.

Ophelia Fredricks.

Erwin fought the surprise. Ophelia was a blond woman, petite but strong willed. A woman who should be stationed on the southern shores, protecting it from an upcoming attack from Marley.

This woman wasn't Ophelia.

If this black haired intruder was wearing her uniform it could mean two things. 1) the black haired woman was an MP or a Garrison who didn't want to be in the time of the attack or 2) she was a Marleyan and they were already on the island.

So it has begun.

Erwin nodded in the woman's direction. "What seems to be the matter?" he asked, walking behind his paper and mindlessly letting his hand travel over the papers. He decided to play along with the lie.

The woman held up her reports. "I wanted to give reports of the southern navy, sir."

Navy...

Erwin was now sure that this woman was a Marleyan. Paradise doesn't have a navy and the only person who can't figure that out is a Marleyan that can't read paradisian and might mistake the Hizuran battle ships in the south with Paradise's attempt at a Navy.

Besides, Navy was a Marleyan word that people rarely used on the island.

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line.

what could this woman be planning?

Erwin let her step closer.

She came close to the table and put her files and then.

Erwin was stabbed in the throat.

And then the woman pulled the dagger out, blood shot out of Erwins wound.

He didn't see the attack coming, but the next moment, blood was slipping down his throat and Erwin lost his balance. His face hit the cold ground before he could comprehend it.

"Tch." a playful huff left the woman's lips. "For someone so prestigious, you were ridiculously easy to kill."

Erwins mind was quickly coming back on track.

The woman turned her back on Erwin and to the door. "You won't be much of a threat without proper leadership." she said, shoving the dagger into her pocket. "Now... Where can Eren Yeager be?"

Erwin pushed himself up to his feet.

The sound of it attracted the woman's attention and she looked almost stunned as Erwin stood up. Erwin met her eyes emotionlessly as he pulled his collar back to allow more air pass his slowly healing windpipe.

"I admit. Your plan was good." Erwin said, itching his sore but healing and steaming throat. "But, I have long transferred my consciousness to the rest of my body. I believe it's something Reiner Braun used this technique in the battle of Shiganshina and that's why we couldn't kill him."

Pieck narrowed her eyes. "So the rumors are true about you." she said out loud. "You're just like the devil they described."

Pieck swung the blade to hit it again but this time, Erwin grabbed the blade.

His hand bled under the force. Under the bluntless of that dagger.

Erwin shook his head. "Marley always thinks she has the upper hand in battle just because she takes others by surprise." Erwin said, opening his collar button. "... But you never a strategy might be flawed."

Pieck narrowed her eyes when Erwins grip tightened on her dagger. More blood spilled just as steam rose to cover it.

Erwin felt himself smile. "This strategies flaw... Is my existence." he said, pushing back and crossing his arms behind his back.

"Cart titan." Erwin said simply, glaring down at the woman. She looked into his eyes but her gaze lacked the venom he was expecting.

It looked... Careless.

"Cart titan." he repeated. "Pieck finger. At the end of your term. About 3 years left of your term until Marley replaces you."

Pieck didn't say anything.

She looked at Erwin, lips pressed to a thin line and wheels of her mind spinning behind those sleepy eyes.

She breaks the silence with a hushed, barely there voice. "How do you know?" she asked.

"Knowledge is power." Erwin said. "Especially when Marley spends all its budget on controlling the eldians. It has barely any left to battle foreign intelligence agencies."

Pieck tilted her head.

That moment the door was barged open and two guards stepped in. Pointing their guns at Pieck head.

"There is no need." Erwin said, raising a hand for them to drop their guns. "I believe Ms Pieck here has a point to make otherwise she wouldn't have come all the way to see us."

Pieck looked at Erwin with calculating eyes.

Silence settled in the room.

One beat.

Another...

Clang.

The dagger was dropped. "Well, you got me." she said, looking Erwin directly in the eyes. She had the common sense to understand who's the man in charge, at least.

To know who's more powerful doesn't depend on where you are from.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, slowly holding her hand up. "I thought I was being pretty sneaky."

"Not a soul comes to this island without the queen noticing, it's a property of this land. It works on Eldians, at least." Erwin lied.

Erwins eyes scanned the petite woman. With her figure, he had trouble believing she was a titan shifter. But then again, it was never these things that made a titan shifter strong.

"So it doesn't work on Marleyans?" she asked.

Erwin shook his head. "It doesn't."

Pieck slowly lowered her hands. "Then I can help you with it."

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. "How can you help me, exactly?" he said. "You don't look like the warrior who would turn their back on Marley just like that."

Pieck held his hand above his heart. "I didn't want to become a warrior. I was forced to because that was the only way I could afford medicine for my ill father." she explained. "If Marley is out of the way, if this was is over, the regime that makes healthcare so impossible for us will be gone, right?"

Erwin nodded, very slowly.

"I can show you where the Marleyan fleet is hiding. Right here in Shiganshina." Pieck offered.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "And in exchange?"

"You defeat Marley once and for all. Deal with this curse that makes us fight for our right of living." she said, venom dripping from her voice. "Deal?"

Erwin looked at her and nodded. "Deal. But on one condition." he said, then he turned his eyes towards a guard and said: "could you bring a vial of the Zoe Syringe, private?"

The first guard saluted and turned around.

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "Zoe syringe? The name... Sounds very familiar." she murmured. "What does it do?"

The guard came back with a small metal containment and saluted.

Piecks eyes widened. "Oh, so I should have saluted in front of a higher officer." she wondered out loud.

Erwin walked over to the guard and took it from his hands and opened the box. He picked up the syringed and pulled some of the clear blue liquid into the syringe. "There are alot of errors you made." Erwin said.

Erwin turned around towards Pieck. "Give me your hand."

Pieck raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And what is that?" she asked out loud.
"This'll insure you won't turn into a titan. It has no side effects, I assure you." he said, holding up a waiting arm. "I've been a subject of it myself once."

Pieck took a deep breath but rolled up the sleeve of her left hand and held it up for Erwin to take it.

Erwin cleared his throat. "Pieck finger, this is the Zoe serum." Erwin explained, taking her arm and pushing the hem of it slightly upward. "This serum is designed to increase cellular mutation of an Eldian. Used mostly in hospitals to treat serious medical emergencies."

Pieck didn't flinch away when the syringe pierced her skin, however, she glared angrily at Erwin. "Nice of you... But I'm not ill..." she said carefully.

Erwin pushed the clear blue liquid into her vein before he pulled out the syringe. "I know." he said as a matter of fact. "However, it has a side effect on titan shifters." he said, giving the syringe back to the guard.

The guard quickly pushed it back into the metal box and discarded it.

Pieck rubbed her wrist with the other, her eyes scanning Erwins. "And that is?" she asked.

"Your body thinks you're severely injured right now. All your energy will go to healing yourself. You might shed some skin or some limbs even." Erwin said dismissively.

The memory of Hange holding his hand in front of him with an apologetic smile came into his mind.

Erwin pushed the bitter sweet memory away.

"But considering how durable the cart titan is- however, you won't be able to transform for 2 to 4 hours." Erwin wanted to sigh loudly. Pieck was the cart titan which meant the effects of the serum would be much less than any other titan. When Hange was testing this on him, Erwin couldn't transform for three days.

The smaller the titan, the lesser time it takes to recover.

Piecks eyes shone with delight and curiosity, but also an alarm. "Ah... Zoe syringe... That's an odd name for an even odder syringe." she hummed thoughtfully.

"It's named after its inventor! Don't disrespect Hange Zoe's memory, Marleyan!" one of the guards shouted.

Piecks eyes shone. "Hange Zoe. Oh, I remember the news even reached Liberio. the same titanologist who was honored in-"

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "We're not here to discuss Eldians achievements." Erwin said, an edge of threat to his voice. "The Marleyans, where are they?"

"They are hiding in the residential area waiting... So they're... Not far." Pieck nodded. "You'll just have to take me to the roof of this building and I'll be able to show you the place."

Erwin stepped out of her way, nodding at the guards to clear the way.

"Well, then," he said. "Please follow me, Ms Pieck."

Erwin stepped out of his office.

Pieck followed him in the stoned walls towards the roof.

When they passed the hall, other soldiers looked at Pieck with surprise. It took very little time for rumors to travel in the groups of soldiers.

"Commander!"

Erwin turned around, Floch was running towards him with alarm sprung in his eyes. "Sir." Floch came closer.

Erwin stopped. "Excuse me." he said for a moment then turned to floch, he walked calmly towards the other.

Pieck stayed back, but her narrowed eyes immediately sensed the danger.

When Floch and Erwin were a reasonable distance away, Floch started talking. "Sir- the southern port was compromised, not one person has survived." he explained.

Erwin took a deep breath. "As I thought," he wondered out loud. "Floch, find another Zoe syringe and find anyone who is wearing a false Scout uniform."

Flochs eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Just do as I told you."

"Yes sir."

Floch turned around and called some of the guards to follow him.

Erwin turned around and met Piecks eyes again. "Sorry for the interruption, as you can guess it's getting hectic near the times of war." he said. "Follow me, we should act fast."

They reached the roof quicker than Erwin expected.

He hoped Floch was capable enough to have caught any other Marleyans lurking around.

The doors opened and the sun of the afternoon shone upon their eyes. From the roof of this building, they had a good enough view of the entire city of Shiganshina.

Pieck didn't say anything, she just took one step after another until she was standing right next to the edge.

Erwin looked at the guards. "Don't take your guns off of her." he ordered, his watchful blue eyes glued on her as he stepped closer, almost standing right in the middle of the roof.

"So tell me."

Wind blew, it played around with Piecks loose ponytail. She kept her back on him, her eyes glued on the view.

The silence was more or less filled by the sound of wind.

"Where is the enemy?"

Pieck turned around, pointing a finger right at Erwins chest.

"Right. there." she said, focusing on every word.

Pieck narrowed his eyes.

Erwin acted shocked, crossing his hands behind his back.

Erwin chuckled and shook his head.

Pieck frowned angrily.

Erwin shook his head. "Why are you mad, Ms Pieck?" he asked, pointing at his own chest. "This is hardly a surprising turn of events."

Pieck pressed her mouth to a thin line and took a deep breath through her nose.

But nothing happened.

Erwin chuckled.

The sound of his smile echoed in the empty room. "But the effort was admirable..." he said, raising his hands to clap slowly. "However, you forgot something. Look down, there, Ms Pieck."

Pieck whipped her head around to look down.

It looks like Erwins gamble on floch had paid off.

Erwin walked over to the edge to look down, again crossing his hands behind his back.

Down there, they had another blond person wearing the Scout crest handcuffed and on his knees. The man struggled to get up but he was fatigued, yet another symptom of the Zoe Syringe other than the fact that he wasn't transforming into the Jaw titan.

"His name is Porco Galliard, right?" Erwin said out loud. "It should be that."

Pieck snapped her head back. "How did you know? I know this island isn't that magical." she said, fisting her hands over the stone walls.

"It isn't." Erwin said, gritting his teeth.

Erwin turned to Pieck, stepping intimidatingly close to her personal space, almost towering on her. "All my soldiers are handpicked." Erwin laughed out loud. "You think wearing the crest of the Scout Regiment is that easy?"

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "For example. All new recruits are trained again by someone I trust personally. Then, each of them are assigned missions that'll make us meet. I know the face of everyone in my regiment." he said as a matter of fact. "... I've always known."

Erwin grabbed her by her collars, pulling her up until she was standing on her toes.

(Erwin knew She refused to fight back because of the rifle aimed at her and the unpredictability of the situation on her end.)

"You- you slaughtered 72 new recruits that day." Erwin growled under his breath. "In cold blood. And you expect me to believe that you suddenly sympathize with us?"

"I could have-"

"I would have believed you. But the Owl never gave your name as someone who could convert." Erwin pushed her back, she stumbled but caught her balance.

But when she looked up, her eyes were horrified. "The owl?" she mouthed.

"Yes. The owl." Erwin emphasized. "The same inside man Marley has been looking for for Years."

Erwin chuckled, he raised his hand and then lowered it down.

Gunshots echoed in the area. Two bullets missed Pieck but the five rest hit her in the foot and back. Pieck made a small and surprised voice at the impact. She fell down, hissing at the pain and the bleeding wounds on her body.

"PIECK!" came Porco Galliard's voice from downstairs. Followed by "LET ME GO!"

Erwin ignored it. Floch was more or less capable of dealing with the matter himself without killing the man.

Erwins eyes fell on the bleeding wounds on her leg, back and side of her thighs. But the serum was already taking effect. There was a pale and scarred shape forming around the wound on her leg, like an amputation trace. "These wounds would have killed you, Ms Pieck." Erwin said, kneeling down to be eye level with her. "But thanks to Zoe Syringe. You won't die."

Just as Erwin said that, Pieck let out a yell of pain as her leg amputated on her own. The limb just fell off from the hem of her pants as she tried to sit up. "What the-" Pieck yelled, breathing heavily as if she'd been running miles.

Erwin sighed loudly. "I told you, you might shed some skin or limbs," he said. "But look, it's already growing back."

Piecks eyes fell on the wound on her left leg, it was amputated from above the knee. All the bullets except one were stuck on the foot that amputated on its own. The leg was dangling from Piecks pants.

To her surprise, she could feel her leg growing back right from the place it was amputated. Much faster than normal.

Erwin stood up, shaking his head. "You might be wondering why your amputated leg isn't steaming and fading." he said before she could ask. "It won't disappear, we'll have to bury it. Yet another side effect of the Zoe syringe."

Erwin looked at the ground, then he lifted two fingers into his mouth and whistled as loudly as he could.

Just as the voice echoed, bright yellow lightning filled the area.

Erwin looked at the attack titan that emerged from the side of the building.

Erwin waved his hands dismissively. "Take the Cart and the jaw to an underground prison," he ordered. "Our battle is about to begin."

Erwin looked up, just as he expected, airships made themselves known in the sky.

Erwin sighed loudly. He turned towards a guard. "Alert the signal flares. They should go up immediately."

Pieck was shoved to her feet, the left foot that was just healed up to the knee.

"Flares?" Pieck asked, confused. "What other plans can you possibly have?"

Erwin turned around, a smirk on his lips. "Why don't you keep an ear out for what happens?" he chuckled.

Just as he said that, the area was filled by a sound of four flare guns going up.

Erwins blue eyes were focused on the four green flares. Two of them made an X while the other two made two parallel lines on the sides of it.

Erwin looked at the sky,

your turn. He said to himself.

let's see if your plans work.

Erwin crossed his arms behind his back, following the movement of the airships very closely.

Owl...

In the skies, Magath looked at the ground closely. It was just him, another commander, Reiner and Colt inside the cabin. With Magath taking the lead of the airships.

Magath narrowed his eyes at Shiganshina ground, still no sign of the founder which meant they had to stay up. "Pieck is already deployed. Just as planned, the cart and the jaw will try ahead of us." Magath said loudly.

"Well then, better." Colt murmured. "We need them to smoke out the founder before we deploy."

Magath looked at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "What's the matter, Colt, nervous?" he asked.

Colt swallowed hard. "I try not to be, my brother and Gabi are down there." he said truthfully. "They can be-"

Colts eyes widened suddenly.

Magath turned around to see what he was staring at.

Yellow lightning and earth shattering roar.

"They did it! Pieck and Gaillard smoked him out." Magath said out loud. "Reiner- show them what Marley's shield is made of. Just as planned."

To Magaths surprise, Two green flares were sent to the air in opposite directions, forming an X from behind wall Maria and two parallel ones on the sides.

Magath got closer to the window, staring at the X with surprise. "What are those devils trying to do?" he growled. "Scare us away or-"

"-It doesn't matter. They just like sending these signals." Reiner said. Magaths careful eyes watched as Riener nodded, he immediately fixed his parachute and went towards the exit.

Reiner jumped down.

Wind flew inside the cabin at an almost deafening speed.

And then-

Click.

The other commander in the cabin met the harsh ground, Knocked out.

Magath turned around and saw Colt slamming his hand on the lockdown key in the cabin.

In the main cabin, soldiers were confused why the doors weren't opening for them to jump and enter the battlefield.

The key Colt just smashed would make sure everyone stayed right inside the airships.

Magath stood up from the pilot's seat. "COLT!" he barked. "WHAT ARE YOU-"

Colt immediately crooked his gun and held it on Magaths direction.

When their eyes met, Colts eyes were dark almost completely distant.

He then titled his head slightly, letting his eyes fall closed for a split second. "Sorry, Commander Magath." Colt said, taking a shaky breath through his teeth. "Believe me, I wouldn't have done this if you had left me any other choice."

Magath was torn between feeling shocked and betrayed. "Colt-"

"Don't make this harder at either of us." Colt said calmly, opening his eyes and staring down at the old commander.

The door was knocked.

Colt took a deep breath. "Come in, it's done. Code 2- green." Colt said without missing a beat, his eyes never left Magaths.

Magaths eyes widened, regretting the fact that he couldn't pilot the airship while armed. "What are you doing?" Magath said. "Have you sided with those-"

"You always thought one of the warriors would betray you, you weren't wrong." Colt said back. "You just put your suspicions in the wrong place."

The doors opened, two men holding their guns at Magaths face. "The soldiers are all disarmed, sir." one of them said. "And we got word, all the other airships were disarmed successfully."

Colt sighed, his gun dropped to his side and he used the other to rub the bridge of his nose. "Great." he grunted.

The soldiers came in, to Magaths surprise, they weren't wearing any Eldian badge which meant-

"You smuggled Eldians as Marleyans!" Magath barked. The soldiers grabbed Magaths hands and pulled them behind his back. They pushed him to his knees.

Colt walked past them. "What better way to climb up the ranks?" Colt asked, not very amused. He tapped the radio on the plane before picking up the headphones and putting them above his head.

"We're going to land, general Magath." Colt said simply, his hands playing with the radio buttons. "Sorry, but there will be no war for Marley to win today."

Magath didn't get the chance to say another word just as Colts shoulders relaxed, almost drastically as if all the stress just washed off his body when the connection was established.

"This is the Owl speaking. With Code 3-green." Colt said, looking at the window and purposefully avoiding eye contact with Magath.

"well done, Owl."

Erwins voice echoed in the cabin. Magath recognised it immediately.

Colt slowly put the radio down, almost too harshly for the delegate device.

"Colt..." he said, Magaths own eyes wide and betrayed at the same time. "You..."

Colt looked at Magath from the corner of his tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry..." he said out loud. "But I am the Owl you've always been looking for."

Colt looked away, not being able to meet up Magaths eyes for much longer.

Was it guilt? Regret?

Either way it was too late for both.

But there was one truth Magath could read from the body language of a boy he had known since he was practically an infant. In Front of Magath wasn't a mastermind that Marley had been trying to catch for the past two years and god knows how much before that.

The Owl.

No, all Magath could see was the hopeless look of someone who had no other choice.

Notes:

I'm honestly surprised at the amount of people who guessed correctly. I guess I have to work on my plot twist and story telling capabilities XD

please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!💜

Chapter 16: Double agent: The rise of the Owl, part I

Notes:

Sorry for the wait!

I've been in conflict with myself, becouse I thought my fic wasn't being good enough and that my writing is like I'm translating my native languege to English. I feel pressured but I love this fic already and I can't wait to write some scenes and ooooooffffffff.

Thanks to everyone that reads this fic and has reached this point already. I love you all. Especially those who give feedback, you're literally the only reason I keep writing this fic even though I've given up on my abilities...

Sighs. Oh and Krolov was the guy who was always with magath. The same dude that BOOed the traumatised Eldian soldiers infront of Falco in the anime.

Anyway! Please enjoy! I split the Owls story into two parts so this is the first!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

One day before Willy Tyburs declaration of war,
Location: Liberio, Marley.

Moon.

Beautiful shining orb hidden behind dark clouds, what Colt couldn't see even on the roof of their home. He looked up, regretting already pulling the strings of his thoughts.

All he had to do to stop a massacre was to run to Magaths office and yell Erwin Smith's plan.

But..

Colt shut his eyes, grabbing the sides of the roof until it made his knuckles turn white.

Erwins words echoed in his mind.

No.

He has to see through this, for his family.

But that didn't stop the lingering feeling of defeat rushing through his mind. Even if they live through this, the chances of him living to see it is slim to none.

So he sighs, and pulls a piece of paper from his pocket, a letter he never puts down in fear of some Marleyan spy finding it out.

It was nothing of importance, just a letter he was too much of a coward to write.

Colt drew out a pen with shaking hands.

He hoped it didn't affect his hand writing, that Falco would be able to say it was Colt writing this letter and not someone else.

Dear Falco,

He wrote, because he was the easiest person to explain to.

He would understand.

Dear Falco,

If you're reading this letter, then at least a proportion of my plan has worked. That you're with Mom and Dad in Paradise.

Whether I survived to be with you is a whole other story. I wrote this in case I won't be able to explain everything to you in person...

Sun.

Such a beautiful rarity in a polluted area such as Liberio.

But that day, it shone so brightly that Colt's mother didn't need to wake him up. The child felt the warmth and got up himself.

When he jumped down the stairs, his father was reading an old newspaper and his mother was making tea.

Colt jumped on the chair and gulped down the bread that was on his plate.

His father smiled. "Easy there now," he laughed. "I bet you're the only child in Liberio to ever want to be a warrior candidate."

Colt smiled against the bread crumbs on his face and those that fell on his shirt.

His father ruffled his unruly hair.

Colt giggled softly.

To him, this was all a game his uncle set up.

(Back then, Colt had no idea his uncle was the leader of that restorationist unit. That his kind hearted uncle was the middleman of the infamous Owl and the Eldian rebels.)

Colt jumped down and put on his backpack. "Goodbye, Mom! Goodbye Dad!" he shouted as he sprinted towards the door.

"Hold on! You're not going anywhere until Your uncle comes and picks you up!"

His mothers words died down when Colt opened his uncle behind the door, surprised that the door opened before he knocked.

Uncle Grice shrugged it off and said his goodbyes to his parents before he took his hands.

Colt had recently found out what each Eldian Armband means and why everyone in the camp was so fascinated by the concept of that yellow piece of cloth.

The fact that they were all a year or two older also made more sense.

So his childish eyes looked around the crowd of Eldians. All brown, a few grays.

That was, until they left the internment zone and Uncle Grice unknowingly pulled Colt closer to himself.

"Uncle Grice...?" Colt murmured, looking up at the older man. "Why did you sign me up if mom and dad didn't want me to go?"

His uncle shrugged, the older man's blue eyes traveled around and scanned for any danger that might come close. "Plan B really..." he said, automatically.

"Plan B?" Colt asked curiously. "But I'm the youngest one in the camp! The youngest person who got accepted!"

"Are you sad about it?"

"Not really... At least it's not as cold as school was..."

Uncle Grice looked down, a small smile on his lips. "I'll explain it to you when you're older," he said. "You can't put all your trust in one person, especially if that person is a yeager."

Colt looked back at the building, they were quickly getting closer and closer to the Warrior training Camp. "I don't understand what you mean... Uncle Grice..."

"And you're not supposed to! You're five years old, little boy."

"Five and a half!"

"Ok, Ok, whatever you say." Uncle Grice whispered, ruffling his hair. "Run along now..."

Colt did. He ran inside the camp with a smile on his face. It would be years until the Eldian devils will be allowed near any weapons. Until then, it was all physical training, something Colt aced with ease.

Colt turned around, waving at his uncle.

Uncle Grice waved back.

Little did Colt know that was the last time he'd see his uncle.

"Poor boy."

They whispered behind him.

"Did you think they left him on purpose?"

Colt stayed inside the camp while parents came to pick their children up one by one.

"No Eldian boy can survive without parents."

But neither his parents nor his Uncle Grice showed up.

"Poor thing..."

In the end, when it started to pour cats and dogs, Colt raised his lowered gaze and summoned all the courage he could.

One step outside the camp.

Two steps.

When Colt reached the internment zone of Liberio, the Marleyan guards eyes widened when he saw him. "Colt- Colt Grice?"

Colt was too stunned to speak. "Ye-Yeah." he whispered, looking at the guard with equal horror and confusion. His hands started to shake so he grabbed his bag pack firmly and looked down.

"Get inside kid." the guard pushed him into the zone and grabbed him by the shoulder. "And if other police ask you anything you say you had no idea about what your family was doing."

Colts lips trembled. "What were-were my family doing?"

The Marleyan police pushed him and told him to go back home. Colt stumbled but didn't fall. He turned around and fought the cold dread rising to his heart by sprinting as fast as he could to his house.

"But that old couple can't be a restorationist!"

Colt ran faster.

He banged his small hands on the door of their house. "MOOM!" he yelled. "DAAD!" After the first hit the door Just opened.

And Colt realized the door wasn't even closed.

Now... He was starting to understand why everyone was avoiding him like the plague.

He ran inside the home and was met with an empty dark house, everything in shambles as the police must have searched everything very thoroughly. The house looked haunted, even the windows were broken and the carpets were yanked from under the ground. The tables were broken and the curtains torn.

Colts vision started to blur. "M-Mom?" he mumbled.

The backpack was dropped.

And his footsteps echoed in the empty house as he ran into any room.

Soon, he ran out of the house.

In the streets people gave him angry looks but he didn't care. He was crying, he knew. He stumbled and fell right in front of his uncle's house. His face hit against the cold stones. Colt pushed himself up and saw the doors of the house wide open.

There was no need to check the house.

Colt hung his head low when he saw a Marleyan police officer come out of the house. "Look at him, the rebel devil lived here." he told the other who just came out of the house. "What a pity. The restorationists had such nasty leader."

Colts eyes widened, too much of a child to stop his river of tears both of the pain of his fall and the emotions bubbling in his chest.

rebel?

restorationists?

The response was automatic. He didn't want to deal with the blue wearing Marleyan police. He pushed himself up, ignoring his scraped knee and bleeding elbow.

Colt took one step after another.

Towards his grandparents house.

Grandpa must be there, so was Grandma.

They always knew the answer to almost anything.

Grandma probably had a mug of hot chocolate ready for him, around a warm blanket.

While Grandpa explained the complicated politics behind it.

Colt hugged himself.

He took a wrong turn, but changed his way. People kept staring strangely at him.

It will all be over soon.

He just had to make it to his grandparents house.

Colt pressed his trembling lips together, carrying his heavy weight towards the old couple's house.

He reached the old wooden house and...

The door was wide open.

Colt walked in.

The door made a 'squeak' sound.

Colt closed it behind it. The only people who came running to greet him were ghosts.

And a chill of cold air.

"Grandma... Grandpa..." Colt murmured.

He closed the door and pressed his back against it and slid down.

The house was a mess, much unlike how tidy his grandparents kept it.

Another tear fell from his eyes, rolled down his cheek and fell to the ground.

"What-" Colt hiccuped, tears streamed down his face. "-What ha-happened here?"

The silence politely informed him there was no one to answer him.

Colt buried his face in his hands.

... After that, no one told me what was really happening. In the end it was the newspaper that informed me what had happened. Uncle Grice was a restorationist and he sank the rest of our family with him. I'm sure you know that already. I had to ask help from someone whom I was sure would never help me...

The door of Commander Magaths office was way too heavy for Colts guilt to push. But he did anyway.

"Come in."

Colt swallowed the lump in his throat and opened the door.

The young commander's eyes widened when he saw a small figure at the door. "Grice?" he said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Colt shut his eyes. "I had no idea who else to ask for he-help." he said without taking a breath.

Magath stood up. "If you're asking help for your restorationist family. Turn around and leave."

"But- Commander Magath!" Colt cried. "They let me in this program! Why would they do that if they were restorationists!"

Magath stopped, turning to look at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "There is very little I can do or want to do to help restorationists like them," he spat.

"They're not rebels!" he cried out, fighting the emotions gripping his throat. "I'm here right? Doing my best to be an honor to my motherland. My parents aren't restorationists because they set me on this path."

The last part was a lie.

But Colt bit his lips and said, he'd do anything not to return to an empty house.

Magath sighed loudly. "Fine. I'll see what there was." he said dismissively.

"Thank you, commander Magath." Colt said quietly. "I'm in your and Marley's debt."

Magath stood up. "Get out, Grice. Show me your gratitude in the training field."

Colt nodded before holding his hand up in a salute and stomping his foot.

It had been a while, I didn't know how much. I knew it had been a while because the glares I received from the neighbors slowly faded like a scar. I could ignore the way the police clicked their tongue or grabbed my backpack just to turn it upside down and let everything fall on the ground, all just to laugh hysterically in my face. But I couldn't ignore the way the very Eldian neighbors avoided me like a plague.

Or ignore me.

After a while, they started calling me names. The store owner even refused to let me get inside his shop once my stomach started to make noises. I could just turn around and leave, I'd learned very soon not to engage in people who didn't want to risk it with the Marleyan police. After all, no one could prove our parents were not guilty. Or our grandparents. I have a vague guess if I wasn't on camp when the police came, I would have been taken as well.

But... Help came from somewhere I never expected it to.

"Mom! Dad!" Colt cried out. Throwing himself into his parents embrace. "You- You're alive!"

The wagon had yet to go away. The Marleyan police looked as If this was the mistake of the century but couldn't say anything. Not when they knew Commander Magath was watching.

The couple hugged their son as tightly as they could. His mother took a deep and relieved breath. "Thanks to you Colt... Thanks to you..."

Colt was too busy ravishing the warmth of his family to understand what his mother meant. But a little farther, a marleyan man stood watching the family.

Magath turned around. "We're done here." he said to Krolov. The other shorter man raised an eyebrow in slight disgust in front of the family who refused to even get off the streets.

"Why did you do that, Magath?" Krolov asked, turning around to follow Magath out of the internment zone.

Strange gazes followed Magath out of the Eldian internment zone. All of which he ignored.

Magath kept his eyes on the road. "Colt Grice," he repeated. "That boy was the only one who knew what was going on around here. Losing him would have been a loss to Marley. Besides being the younger person who got accepted into the camp."

Krolov laughed.
"He's just a kid- he can be easily replaced by another Eldian brat." he said carelessly.

"I ordered as I saw fit." Magath said. "Besides, there wasn't any evidence pointing at this devil's spawn. I was chosen to choose the successors of the next warrior units."

Magath narrowed his eyes.

"I'll do as I see fit."

...All it took was Magaths signature under my warrior training certificate. His signature meant our family had climbed up a small ladder in Eldian social status. which meant our parents could be spared from immediate death.

But as you, Grandma and Grandpa weren't spared.

Perhaps knowing Marley wouldn't spare an old couple who had done nothing wrong their entire lives was the biggest catalyst for my action. Becouse if it happened once, it can happen again no matter how hard I try.

However, even years after you were born, the Marleyan police still had their eyes on us. I knew the slightest slip up could mean the worst. Which Is why I didn't say no to anything Magath and Zeke needed.

I always said and I will say it again, I will never get you involved with the errands I had to do for Zeke. From censoring to taking blood tests of what Eldians made, what titans with Zeke's scream...

Now that I think about it... Maybe that cooperation and Royalty is what landed my position as the inheritor of the beast titan...

Years later,

"So do you like... Have to eat someone?"

"Yes."

"Eek."

"Falco... You're a warrior candidate yourself, you know that already."

Falco swung his feet back and forth on the chair. "I know but... Like..." he said, tilting his head. "You are like... Actually... Going to eat someone."

Colt looked at himself in the mirror. His white matleyan uniform had a sharp contrast to the yellow armband that he didn't necessarily like but was proud of. Colt touched it just for the sake of it.

The yellow armband.

Warrior candidate.

Colt smiled to himself but then quickly pushed down the emotions rising to his heart. They were going to declare the inheritor of the beast titan today.

Colt looked at Falco in the mirror. His younger brother smiled childishly.

"Nothing is certain, Falco." he murmured thoughtfully. "They're just going to announce the inheritor of the Beast titan. I might not be."

Falco pouted. "I'm just saying... The person who invented these powers should have like... Made the power transition better." he murmured. "I mean- if I was founder Ymir- I definitely would have liked... Made the transition of power be by- Uhm- holding hands and singing a special rhythm. And the person wouldn't even die!"

Colt laughed. He turned around and walked away. He was already getting late. Colt ruffled his little brother's hair. "If you were founder Ymir, the world would have been a heaven." he said. "But right now, we have to see things as they are."

Falco jumped down. "Ah! By the way! Gabis cousin Mr. Reiner just came back!" he said. "Do you know him?"

Colt went out of the room and closed the door behind him. "Nope." he said. "He went to paradise before I climbed up the ladder. But from what Porco always says-"

Colt rolled his eyes.

"Mr Porco doesn't like him." Falco concluded. "But from what Gabi says he's a really cool guy!"

Colt shrugged. He went to the kitchen, Falco followed him like a shadow. "Hey, why don't you ask Gabi to introduce you to her cousin?" he prompted.

Their mother and father were in the kitchen. Warm tea bubbling in the kettle and the scent of freshly baked bread traveled in the air.

"Come on,"

Colt couldn't bring himself to sit down from excitement. So he just gulped down his cup of tea and waved his family goodbye.

He shouldn't be late

"Colt!"

Porco ambushed him from behind, hitting him in the back of his neck. "Look who I saw!" he chuckled.

The force of it took Colt by surprise, he snapped his head towards his friend's face before he gave himself the chance to relax. His eyes fell on the red armband on Porcoes left hand.

The one he wore so proudly. Colt was really happy for him to finally reach his dream.

Colt rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Porco... I see you've styled with the red armband again." he whispered, quietly. "Sorry but I have to go. I really don't have time..."

(Porco always was an honorary Marleyan through his brother, but he didn't wear the red armband until he got the jaw.)

(Colt was almost certain the reason was pure spite.)

Porco rested his elbow on Colts shoulders. "Why so serious? Haven't you heard the news?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"What news?"

Porco froze. "Uh... Oh... I think I ruined it."

Colt raised an eyebrow with a sigh. "I'll ignore it." he murmured, shrugging Porcos hand off. "Besides, other than Magath, anyone can change their mind last minute."

Porco smiled knowingly. "Not in these things- Colt- besides... Magath gives the final order." he said. "You should get going. If he didn't want you as the next beast, you wouldn't have been doing what you were doing in the past seven years."

Colts shoulders dropped. "Porco..."

"Hey, it's ok. I understand. We all do different things for Marley right?" Porco said, leaning his head slightly. "You should get going, you really don't want to be late."

Porco was right.

He really didn't want to be late.

"Colt Grice, you are chosen to succeed the beast titan."

The news...

That was the news that changed Colts life forever.

Not just Colts but his entire family's lives were changed by hearing that one simple sentence. And apparently everyone knew he would be chosen except him.

He looked at the commanders, with Magath on top.

He wondered if Zeke had a say in this or not. He probably did.

Colt looked at each and everyone of the four people inside the room and saluted. Excitement boiled in his blood and he didn't know how he expressed his gratitude. All he knew was the sudden but all consuming feeling of relief.

Another step up the ladder.

This time, the Marleyan Police won't come after his family.

Eventually, Colt was told to leave with the wonderful news. He rushed out of the military compound before his movements slowed down in the streets.

He said "hello" to the policemen in the internment zone and walked home. He couldn't kill the smile on his face even if his life depended on it.

Now that he thought about it, it was so obvious that he would be chosen. He wouldn't be allowed in a mile of Zeke Yeagers work if he wouldn't.

He knocked on his home and stepped back.

Mom and Dad will be very happy.

Colts smile froze on his lips.

He knocked again, with the back of his hand.

Knock. Knock.

Colt blinked, once twice. They weren't home?

Dad didn't say anything about work? Or mom about visiting the librarians? Maybe Falco went to visit Gabi?

Colt took a sharp breath. He knocked on the door violently. "Mother? Father?!" he yelled, louder than he intended.

Images of an empty home filled his mind.

Colt shot his eyes, grabbing the sides of his face tightly. "No..." he whispered to himself. "I'll soon be an honorary Marleyan. Marley won't touch my family."

Colt grit his teeth together.

Keys!

He had keys!

Colt shoves his hands into his back pocket and pulls out his keys. His hand shook when he tried to push it into the keyhole.

Click.

Clang.

Colt spinned the keys and pushed the door. The door hit the wall and made a loud BANG sound. "MO-"

But the sound died in his throat.

Colts eyes widened.

Porco, Pieck, Falco and Gabi were in front of him with someone he could only assume was the famous Reiner Braun. Pieck held up a chocolate cake, a gentle smile on her face. "Surprise!" she said, "we didn't know we could scare you so much..."

Horror washed off his face and he almost slumped down.

Yes... Everything was right as it should be.

Colt took a relieved breath. "It's alright, thank you. Thank you everyone."

"Sorry, Man." Porco said, laughing. "This little boy here said you had keys." Porco ruffled Falcoes hair, who smiled almost happily.

"And you did!" Falco said in his defense.

"Whatever! Let's celebrate, Man!" Porco threw his hands on Colts shoulder. "You earned it Colt!" he cheered, pushing a bottle of beer into his hands. "Got these specially for you!"

Colt looked at the beer bottle with surprise. "Uh- Porco-"

Porco silenced him with a sudden shush. "Hush! I'll tell you all the good places when we're alone." he chuckled. "Wouldn't want Reiner to hear my favorite spots."

Reiner crossed his arms over his chest, clicking his tongue. "Have fun, Guys." he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll just get going... Congrats Colt."

Colt nodded. "Thanks Mr. Reiner..." he murmured, waving goodbye.

Reiner shoved his hands into the pocket of his coat and turned around, waving dismissively. Then he stopped and looked at Gabi and Falco with a smile. "Why don't you come with me? I have a lot of things to tell you guys."

Gabi cheered, running after her cousin and Falco followed the two of them.

But deep down, Colt couldn't help but feel Reiners greif from across the room even when he left their house. "What's wrong with him?" Colt asked out loud before he could stop himself.

"Berthold." Pieck said without missing a beat. "And that he is the only one who returned from Paradise. It's taken a toll on him."

Colt rubbed the side of his face. "Yeah... Right... Paradise." he murmured, his eyes fell on the bottle Porco shoved into his hands. Ice ran down his senses when he found out it was a bottle of wine.

Now, Colt was grateful for Reiner taking the kids out.

But... That didn't mean they couldn't celebrate a few things now that they're gone.

Colt bit his tongue and tried to twist off the cork. It popped off. Porco grinned, from ear to ear and opened his own. "You want one Pieck?" Porco offered, holding up a third bottle.

She smiled but waved her hand. "No. I guess I'll just leave you to it. Uh... I left the cake in the kitchen!" she said. She picked up her cane and leaned against a chair and started walking away. "See you tomorrow, Porco!"

Colt raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow?" he murmured.

Porco shrugged it off. "Yeah, we're going to the front lines again." he said dismissively. "With Zeke and Reiner both so wounded from their time in Paradise, Pieck and I have to take care of more than a few things."

Porco hit his bottle against Colts, a sly smirk appearing on his lips. "That's the job!" he chuckled.

Colt pressed the lid to his lips and took the largest gulp he could. It tasted bitter but numbing, Colt immediately wanted more. "Couldn't blame them!" he said with a laugh. "Bet everyone who goes to Paradise will lose their mind!"

"Yeah, cuz you have a few relatives there?" Porco teased.

Colt sighed loudly. "This joke was funny just the first few times." he growled.

Porco hit his shoulder. "Loosen up! Those were restorationist family!" he chuckled. "What matters now is the Honorary Marleyan family you're going to have, right eh? Colt?"

Did it?

Grandma...

Grandpa...

Colt rolled his eyes. Maybe the taste of liquor wasn't a bad idea after all.

And this was a day of celebration.

Mrs Yeagers cooking was one of a kind. But even the best pies taste dull because of what Colt usually came here to do in the Yeagers home.

Zekes room in his home was something not short of a torture chamber, just a table, one bed and a case to hold his pen and folders.

"Ah, Colt." he said from behind his table, his eyes focused on the paper in front of him. "I guess you have the papers ready?"

Colt hugs the folder tighter. "Yes, Mr Zeke. Happy to say we have enough 15 meter titans to launch an attack on the mid east allies first defense line in this mission" he said, a small smile on his lips.

Zeke raised his head. "Finally some good news!" he said, reaching his hand to take the folders. "And the two to twelve meter possible titans?"

"They're pushed to the front lines. The first line of attack." Colt said. "Just like your usual strategy, Mr Zeke."

Zeke raised an eyebrow, looking at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "Well well, it looks like you're learning a lot from me, Colt." he says. "Looks like you might just be a good beast."

Zeke put the paper down. "Did you say goodbye to your little brother, Colt?" he said, completely out of the blue.

Colt was taken aback. Zeke asked very little about his family but now he was asking about Falco?

Colt smiled, "yes... He's very excited, actually."

"They look up to their older brothers a lot. Especially if they are capable and strong."

That made Colt smile, but just as he was about to express his gratitude, the room drowned in darkness.

Colt blinked a few times, it was pitch dark. He could barely see what was in front of him. Other than the window, everything was drowned in darkness.

It pushed him a little late that the electricity was cut yet again.

Colt could see very little of Zeke but he saw the reflection of his glasses being cleaned. "This is my favorite part of war." Zeke said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Colt pushed his hands up until it hit the table. He followed the outline of the table until his side hit a chair.

He slowly and carefully sat down.

Colt rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I thought the energy crisis was over. Why is the electricity still out?" he murmured out loud.

Colt couldn't see Zeke, so he didn't know what he was feeling.

Colt tilted his head. "Mr. Zeke?" he repeated. Why was the man so drowned in thought?

Zeke came to himself immediately, he pushed his glasses up with his unoccupied hand. Again, Colt only saw the reflection. "Well, the crisis for more energy never truly ends, Colt." he said. "And the moment Marley feels the need, the internment zones electricity will be cut."

and no one should say anything. Colt completed in his mind, narrowing his eyes at the darkness.

"Well, Colt. There is very little we can do when it's pitch black." Zeke said. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the room.

Then, a small light came from a match Zeke lit and used it to light a candle. "Let's get back tomorrow when there's a little more light."

Colt stood up and nodded.

Besides, Mr Zeke was the War-chief and he always knew what he was doing. Maybe he'll have more than enough time to plan on the train.

... To be totally honest with you, I should have guessed something was wrong. When he suddenly began talking about younger brothers. But I barely understood anything about Zeke Yeager before I knew what he was.

I still understand very little.

As of right now, the most important factor we have in common is the fact that we care highly about our family.

Anyway, when we returned from that mission, we had no idea about the flu going around...

When the train arrived in Liberio, Colt was shocked to see everyone covering their faces with gas masks.

Colt raised an eyebrow, this strange act continued on until they reached the internment zone, and saw the same mask on the Marleyan police.

"Uh, Mr Zeke..." he whispered. "Is uhm... Do you know what happened here?"

Zeke lights a cigarette, letting it rest against his lips. "I have no clue," he said. "But get used to it, Colt." He kept going even when Colt had stopped. "When you're a warrior, you barely hear any news from home."

"Colt Grice?"

Colt turned around, to his surprise, the person who called him was a Marleyan police, wearing the same mask that everyone had outside the internment zone.

"Yes." he said, turning around to see the policeman fully in the eyes.

"You should come. Your family has caught the flu and are in the nearby hospital."

Dread washed over him.

"Follow me, Eldian."

Colt forced himself to take a deep breath and take one step after another until they reached the hospital.

The policeman was right. Both the old man and woman resting on that bed with an IV in their arm were his parents. The hospital was a mess. Nurses and doctors, who wore similar masks, ran around the building. One shouted something, the other answered.

They looked like they hadn't slept in days.

"COLT!" the little yell snapped the others attention from his unconscious figure of his parents to the voice. Colts eyes widened and he kneeled down to hug his younger brother.

A nurse quickly followed Falco. She stood a few steps away. "Sir, are you his relative?" Colt broke the hug and stood up. "I'm- I'm his brother."

The nurse sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Sir we are discharging your brother." she said as a matter of fact. "But he might still carry the disease. However, he'll live."

Colt blinked in surprise. "Live- what do you mean?" he asked.

The nurse looked back, apparently, she was needed somewhere else. "Your entire family got the disease." she said, clearly in a rush. "Take your brother and try to keep him away from other Eldians."

The nurse rushed away before Colt could ask anymore questions.

Finding their way back home was easy.

Going through the night was proven to be hard.

Colt wished he could just stay at the hospital and try to find out about what was happening. He could get his hands on some old newspapers in the house. He was reading them under the moonlight coming from the moon.

Colt sighed loudly when he got his answer, he leaned back at the chair.

Not the best thing to come back home to. Apparently, there was an epidemic in the internment zone. Many suspected it to be a disease primarily targeting Marleyans. However, the latest version has been killing Eldians instead.

And those masks were what protected people against this disease.

And there had to be a shortage of them in the internment zone.

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line.

He was too lost in thought to notice the upcoming footsteps until it was too late. He snapped his head around to see Falco in the door frame.

Sleep wasn't coming to either of them that night.

Colt turned around, pushing the newspapers away. "Hey, Falco, what's wrong?" Colt murmured, gently ruffling through his brother's hair. "You can't sleep?"

Falco bit his lip, shaking his head. With the small candle he had, he could see that Falco was gripping something in his hand.

Colt leaned down to he eyelevel with the other. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Falco shook his head. "No-nothing." he murmured. "There was just- Candice's father die-died yesterday..."

Colts eyes softened. "Uh, I'm so sorry to hear that. May he rest in peace." he murmured.

Falco shook his head. "No... No our teacher said after the power went out, the hospitals fridges went warm and all the- the- anibotics melted and couldn't be used to treat again."

Colt looked away. "Antibiotics." He corrected it automatically.

"The- The antibiotics need a cool place to keep working don't they?" Falco asked out loud. "Then why did they cut the power?"

Colt tried to brush the matter off. "Come on, why is it suddenly bothering you?"

"Candice said her father was healthy before he got the flu." Falco murmured, looking down. "And I..."

Colt raised an eyebrow. "Falco, mom and dad are the hospital but they might not need the-"

Colt noticed how stupid his reasoning sounded. Instead, he decided to shake his head. "They'll bring back the power soon." Colt promised. "Besides, the Doctors know what they're doing!"

He knelt down again and hugged him tightly, tight enough that the other couldn't breathe. "We'll be fine," he said, overly confident. "Mom and dad have come out of worse, believe me."

Colt held him tighter.

Sometimes it was hard to ignore the fact that Falco wasn't even ten years old.

... You might be asking why am I saying all of this? Well, this flu outbreak taught me a thing or two about how Marley as a system views the Eldians.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. But not all commanders and generals are like Magath. Not all of them will change their minds after working with Eldians. A very simple one of them was General Surter of eastern reign...

Colt wasn't expecting to be allowed a day off. He was glad Falco had warrior training he had to go back to, or else he didn't know what else to do with him.

The compound was less chaotic than the hospital. Much less so. Since it was proven last week that the disease has lost it's effect on Marleyans, people have stopped wearing those masks as well.

If they ignored the epidemic in the Eldian internment zone, life would have gotten back to normal.

Magath had sent Colt to give the reports to General Surter of the southern reign, Although Magath was the commander of the warrior unit, General Surter was the one who 'called the shots in the eastern affairs' as Porco had said.

Colt walked to his office and was ready to knock when the conversation struck him.

"I say let them live it out."

Colt blinked in surprise.

He looked left and right, thankfully, the hallway was empty.

"At worst the epidemic is going to kill 400 Eldians right? 400 hundred less scum on the earth."

He had heard the curses so much that they'd lost its effect on Colt. But with the state of his family in mind, those words felt like a dagger was twisted in his gut.

"Why would Marley let them die when each of them can be a titan in the battlefield." another voice pointed out.

"So what? The Eldian internment zone of Liberio holds over 5,000 Eldians!" he sighed. "I always say we should have done what the rest of the continent did!"

"You're at it again-"

"Ah! Surter-"

Colts heart was warming to the second officer. Maybe he was truly kind. Maybe slightly less open minded. Maybe there really were more people like Magath in the military-

"You always forget something."

"What, General Surter?"

"These Eldians aren't citizens of Marley. Each and every one of them is a bomb. A bullet. They aren't humans but war artillery."

Colt felt the hope in his heart turn to cold hands that squeezed and squeezed until all his hopes poured out of his eyes.

They aren't humans but war artillery

"Why do you think Marley came on top in the past 100 years?" General Surter continued.

"Why?"

"Because the Tyburs taught us how to make pure titans out of Eldians. That's why we could send every traitor to Paradise island. That's why we have won the wars in the past decade."

"So what-"

"I mean we must kill the Eldians slowly. Because we have to stretch them out until the weapons of mankind advance far enough to battle titans."

The general slammed his hand on the table.

"Then, I'll personally give you the keys to the missiles we'll launch to the internment zone."

Colt closed his eyes.

This was only a simple confirmation.

He stepped back and stepped forward with heavier steps, his usually light footsteps made a small but audible sound this time on purpose when he approached the office. The last thing he needed was General Surter suspecting him of eavesdropping.

He knocked and was granted entry.

As he suspected, the three military men inside spat at the sight of him.

... I became a warrior candidate to stop my family from turning into titans.

It turned out, we were nothing but war artillery to Marley. No matter what I do this threat will always hang on our heads. Even then, being a warrior was my only chance of having a somewhat decent life. So I coped with it.

Everything changed, when Magath decided to take someone of the warrior unit to the latest free festival held in Torana...

They say being next to a person addicted to cigarettes will eventually make you addicted.

Colt would never dare call Zeke addicted to cigarettes but he has his fair share of smoking breaks. He even offered one to Colt.

Which he held in his hand right now. Colt lit the end of it and then looked at a long inhale of it. The smoke ambushed his senses and he immediately coughed up.

"How is that supposed to be relaxing?" He said out loud.

"Not for your age, it's not."

Colt almost jumped at hearing Magaths voice. He thought he was alone on this rooftop, the rooftop of the storage. He saluted. "Commander Magath, Sir!"

"You look like you haven't slept for days!" Magath spat, taking the cigarette from Colts shaking hands. "You're too young for this, kid."

Magath let the cigarette fall to the ground and smashed it with the heel of his foot. Magath leaned against the balcony railings.

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. He wanted to remind the commander of the warrior unit that he was 18, legal of age and already 6 years past the age warriors usually are assigned their titans. He's an old man at this point, already past the half point of the average Warrior's life.

But... He was picked for the role of the beast titan thanks to this man.

Even now, Magath is still a mystery to Colt.

Why would a Marleyan fight to raise the average age of a warrior from 12 to 16?

What could they do in those four years, anyway? Eldians aren't allowed secondary education. For them, school finishes at 10 years old. Just so they could read.

Why would Magath take the cigarette from his hands?

"You're awfully quiet."

Colt gathered himself quickly. "I'm thinking, sir," he whispered. "I'm just really excited to become a warrior for Marley and... And it's an honor to work for War-chief Zeke."

Magath hummed thoughtfully. "Don't copy the words I taught you to say. But At this point I think I don't care." Magath said.

He met Colts eyes again. "A mission, Colt. And not like the ones you're used to." he said as a matter of fact. "I'm taking you and Pieck to the annual free festival in Torana to accompany Willy Tybur."

Colts eyes widened. "Uh- Sir-"

"We have many enemies as I'm sure you're aware, Grice." Magath said as a matter of fact. "Almost every major government has a representative in the Annual festivals of Torana. That festival alone makes tons of money for corporations and businessmen... And also happens to be the main source of income for our enemies."

Magath cleared his throat. "By having the warrior unit represented, I'm sure it'll cause enough of a terror." he said. "So you and Finger are coming with me."

Colt held his chest. "But- But sir! Wouldn't it be better if you take warriors with you?"

Magath narrowed his eyes almost dangerously. "Are you questioning my decisions?"

Colt stood up straight. "No sir. I was merely thinking out loud."

"Well, Don't think out loud. Because the rest of the warriors are too busy to attend." Magath said as a matter of fact. "Prepare yourself, we'll be leaving in two days. Saturday at 7 sharp. Bring a summer uniform because that place is hell on earth. literal dessert."

Colt nodded, already regretting it. "Yes, Sir..."

Magath left him without much of a word.

The moment Colt opened the door to their house, fully knowing who could be here this time of the night, Porco walked inside the house.

"Hey, Porco..."

Porco hit his back. "Long time no see!" he said out loud. "I heard it from Pieck! You're going on a vacation!"

Colt rubbed the back of his head. "... Not really a vacation..."

"It's a once in a lifetime chance! Don't miss it." Porco urged him.

Colt pouted. "But I get to travel all around the world after I become a warrior, right?" he murmured. "Right now, Falco needs me and- I can't abandon him like that."

Realization washed over Porcoes eyes. "Uh..." he murmured. "Your parents are still in the hospital..."

Colt nodded. "The doctors say they'll survive but... It'll take a long time." he said. "And... What am I going to do to him? It's too dangerous to take him with me." Colt looked at the stairs, his eyes followed every step upstairs where Falco was doing his homework. Studying yet another history lecture.

Porco nodded. "Yeah, well..." he said, putting a hand on Colts shoulder. "Since I'm a very generous person-"

Colt raised an eyebrow. "If it bothers you so much..." Porco sighed. "... I'll take care of him. I'm off on a mission in three days but-"

Colt froze.

Then he chuckled. "You?" he burst into laughter. "Porco! You don't even know you shouldn't bring liquor near a ten year old."

Porco held up a finger. "I have my parents, grandparents, and uncle to help me." he said, an evil smirk spread on his lips.

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. "How many more times are you going to bring up my restorationist family?" he asked sincerely.

Porco shrugged, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "When you get one of these!" he chuckled, tapping his red armband. "Besides you were the one getting wasted near a ten year old."

Colt ignored that comment. "Thank you, Porco. It means the world."

Porco hit his shoulder. "It's alright. You'll pay it back, one day." he said, pointing at the stairs with his thumb. "Now, go give the news to Falco. And tell him my mother is really sensitive!"

Colt smiled without knowing it.

... The mission was supposed to be completed with Pieck. But she was called in at the last minute. She said warm temperatures never suited her anyway.

When we arrived, 'warm' wouldn't even begin to explain the boiling weather there. I wondered how anyone survived. I even had a hard time breathing. Now I understood why Marley never bothered to attack the nations in the south west.

But since Torana was between the small land where the continents met, it had always been a country and economy based on trades. These festivals were held annually to promote the trades from all over the world.

And just as Magath said, the mid-east Allies got most of their income from the goods they sold here to their trade partners. If Marley could scare them away, it would be a big win.

An entire island was dedicated to this cause. The leaders or representatives were all invited to a special party held by the Prince of Torana. None of us were expecting the surprise we saw on the party...

If Colt said he wasn't enjoying his time, he would be lying.

Sure, the people around glared at his yellow Armband, whispered between themselves and looked away. But that was what they wanted, wasn't it? Magath wanted to scare away Mid-Easts supporters and it was clearly working. Colt wasn't known at all, maybe if it was one of the warriors, it would have had a better effect.

The main party was something Colt has only read about in old books. People dressed in colorful clothes and styles, from Kimono's to burqa's to Marleyan dresses. The Party was held on the highest point on Shem island. Colt could easily stand on his tiptoes and watch the entire island from the wide Windows of the party hall.

Willy Tybur either refused to talk to him or wasn't a talkative man in general. He had a maid that almost passed out in the open air, he said she might have had a stroke because of the warmth of the desert. He looked kind, but Colt didn't get his hopes up.

After all, he and his family were the only Eldians who lived in the lap of luxury without ever looking back at the state of the rest of the Eldians.

Willy talked to his old friends, often laughing at things that were completely u related.

Magath and Krolov talked to their own allies. Marley had a lot of enemies, but it had a few friends as well. From the look on Magaths face, it would appear he was getting something he wanted according to the budget as well.

Colt played with the hem of his collar, pushing it to let more air travel into his lungs. He wanted to find a piece of paper or a folder to fan himself with. The air was scorching hot outside and inside wasn't much better, but at least, the cold air coming from those towers made it slightly better.

Colt wasn't offered wine, he could guess why.

He crossed his hands behind his back and stayed a few feet away from Magath and his allies. He didn't have much to do, other than watch the people and mind that people don't 'accidently' bump into him.

Magath and Krolov finished their conversation just in time when a well dressed man, with a golden crown on his head, held up his wine.

The crowd slowly fell into a respectful silence. Krolov turned to Colt with a frown. "That's Toranas Prince. Not crown Prince, but he's a pretty well known face." he spat, even when Colt hadn't asked a question.

The Prince, maybe in his mid twenties, smiled at the crowd of nobles, military and influential people from all over the world in front of him.

The Prince's eyes fell on Willy Tyburs. He saw both of them nod in acknowledgment, as if they were childhood friends.

The prince cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to Toranas free festival!" the man announced.

Colt was glad to see angry eyes were not focused on his Eldian Armband anymore.

He crossed his hands behind his back and listened carefully to the person in the center of attention.

The general cleared his throat, almost as if he was annoyed. "As we all know, the laws of Shem Island are simple. Anyone can stay for a week and participate in the trading festivals. As our great founder always said: any soul can enter Shem Island freely and unafraid."

The man took a deep breath. "Is it because of those rules that this island was able to flourish and bring prosperity to countless people and countries of this continent." he said. "And it's because of those rules that we can not close our doors to our new guests."

Colt raised an eyebrow. Almost every major nation in the world has a representative in this festival. No one would want to be left out of a tax free island to trade but...

new guests?

Willy turned to Magath, narrowing his eyes almost dangerously at the other man.

"Korolov?" Magath said, looking at the other man. "Anything you want to say?"

The man shook his head. "Our intelligence agencies haven't had any alarm for it so-" Krolov waved dismissively. "It's probably just another tiny nation somewhere on the globe."

Colt averted his gaze back at the Prince.

The wine glass in his hands looked moments away from being shattered under the angry force of his fingers. "So please welcome the new representatives of Paradise Island..." the man cleared his throat for the tenth time, forcing the words out of his throat. "Formerly known as the Eldian empire."

The crowd was shocked into silence.

And so was Colt.

He felt his heart skip a beat, his throat suddenly dry.

Just as a woman gasped.

Just as the crowd broke into a round of angry whispers.

Colt looked at Willy Tybur. He took a deep breath to keep his calm and composure, fisting and unfisting his hands a few times. Until he played with his tie instead.

"Our dear guests, please." The Prince said. "I am as distraught as the rest of you," he assured the crowd. "But they are here and now... I have to deal with them as our tradition dictates, I'm afraid." the Prince said with a sigh. "... I call Commander Erwin Smith of Paradise Island."

The Prince pointed at a blond with a green coat in the crowd. What caught Colts attention was the dark haired man that was no doubt either a body guard or someone he deeply cared about. Because the shorter man glared daggers at everyone.

The blond, the infamous Erwin Smith, nodded in acknowledgment.

And that... Was enough to ensure no one would talk to him through the rest of the night.

Colt stared at him.

Was that man, really, someone from Paradise Island?

Colt shook his head. So what if he was? You're an honorary Marleyan! Snap out of it!

Willy Tybur snapped his attention back at Magath. "I have a business to attend to." he said through gritted teeth. That was all the explanation he gave before he disappeared.

... I knew it was only a matter of time before something happened. It did. But now, knowing this devil, I bet Erwin Smith was planning that all along.

If you ask me, Falco, I'd say Erwin and Willy definitely had a meeting. I'm certain of it. I wonder what they said, sometimes. But that hardly matters now.

A few hours went in peace, the crowd successfully ignored the Paradisians, Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman, until...

It was only until a child threw his leftover orange juice at the blond man.

It all happened in slow motion in Colts eyes. One moment, mischief passed a Marleyan representative's eyes and the next, he whispered something in his son's ears. After that, the boy grabbed his orange juice and splashed it all over the commanders neat clothes.

The black haired man, Levi Ackerman, shot daggers at the boy's eyes. He fisted his hands so tightly his knuckles turned white, but still he didn't react.

Dead silence settled in the meeting room.

"Eldian Devil!" the little boy shouted. "Why are you even here! You're making this place dirty!"

Colt tried to hide it away but Magath noticed his discomfort. Krolov laughed out loud. "Uh! Too bad Tybur isn't here to see this!" Krolov laughed. "Would've loved it!"

By his laughter, the crowd broke into a mess of mocking and laughter and cries of "get back you devil!" and "they should have sunk the ship that brought you bastards here."

The Toranian new reporters, all the reporters really, snapped their cameras left and right. All eyes focused on the man with his stained uniform, Albeit with mocking

"We should wipe that island of dangerous Devils once and for all! Why are you standing here?"

The man was met with applause.

A very loud applause.

The dark haired man, Levi, apparently had enough and grabbed the other's elbow. "Erwin," he said. "This is a mess, let's go."

But Erwin Smith shook his head and nodded at the other to wait.

And at that moment, Erwin Smith smiled.

Colt almost dropped his glass. Why was this man smiling? He was being humiliated and cursed at- why is he smirking?

The boy who threw his orange juice, was now fueled by the crowd and Erwins lack of reaction. He laughed in triumph and threw his glass on Erwin.

The glass met Erwin's face and broke, the shards pierced the man's skin. A deep gash above his thick eyebrows and another under his eye. Erwin patiently reached and took out the shards against his partner's protests.

The crowd kept mocking him.

"We should kill him!" someone shouted. "Send his head back to that devil's island! And tell those devils the fates that's waiting for them!"

"Yes!"

"Seconded!"

"Even the Prince agrees!"

Colt swallowed the lump in his throat.

He looked at the eager journalists who wrote down every detail. The media coverage was strangely wide in this party.

Erwin held the glass shard in his hands. He looked up, holding his head high.

His blue eyes suddenly changed color, from Ocean blue to yellow.

Lightning sprouted from his wounds, it traveled in the air, striking it and everyone around him.

The people screamed in horror.

He was a titan shifter. The man didn't even need to move a finger to show his power.

Even Magath noticed it. "That's the-" Magath whispered.

He didn't need to complete it.

The Colossal titan.

Colt could only see a pure white when the lightning intensified.

But as soon as it happened, it was over.

The lightning stopped.

The whipping sound in the air stopped.

It was just Erwin Smith, standing in front of a crowd that was staring at him with fear. No sign of the injuries on his face.

"If I had wanted to, none of you would have survived the blast." The words were said so plainly, so calmly that it made something boil in the back of Colts mind. This man, an Eldian, had such audacity and his cold voice sent shivers down Colts spine.

The fear and tension rising in the party was serious.

The man held his hands open, inviting. "I think this is a very good example of how the world treats Paradise, am I right?" he said, tilting his head.

He took a deep breath. "But even then, with all the threats on my life. I stand before you myself."

His words echoed in the hall, for some reason, Colt felt chill run down his bone. One way or another, the words of this Eldian will affect Magath, Tyburs and eventually people of Liberio- if only this man would shut up.

"I stand before you myself instead of hiding behind a tower of infinite conflict and excuses." he said, raising his hands. "You're speaking as if wiping out an entire nation is something that can be done overnight, by a flick of a key. But you are gravely mistaken." Erwin narrowed his eyes. "The only person who can wipe nations right on end with a flick of a knife across the wrist is me."

The crowd gasped.

Immediately, guns of the guards snapped at Erwins direction but the man didn't stop.

"My name is Erwin Smith, and I carry the colossal titan." Erwin said as loudly as he could. "I can do alot of things with that power, But I won't. Because I have the common sense of knowing what war entails."

Erwin turned around, narrowing his eyes at everyone in the room. "The common sense of knowing that war is death and death is waste."

The same people who 'boo'ed him and mocked him not long ago, were stunned into silence.

"You say you're justified and I can't refuse your facts. You speak as if your blood is bluer than mine, and yet, you are willing to kill your own for war against mine. What does that make it? It makes blood against blood, it makes the races equal in slaughter and death."

Erwin Smith held up a finger. "So everyone here." Erwin said, "you can all drop your facades. You have other reasons to hate me, other than the fact that I'm an Eldian. You profit from his hate." he accused them all.

The crowd was drowned in murmurs, mostly coming from the reporters area.

"We are all here for profit." Erwin said again. "And so am I. I'm looking for tradings. Diplomatic relationships. Because I don't want the world destroyed. I'm speaking on behalf of government of Paradise-"

Erwin took a deep breath.

"We understand your hate." he said out loud to all the ears listening to him. "We understand your hate and accept it. But we don't want war. We don't want to use the rumbling and we don't want bloodshed more than it's already been."

Erwin looked at everyone.

"Paradise doesn't want conflict. Because if we do, we'll have to use choices we don't want to use. Just like what happened here." Erwin repeats again. "That's all I can say. We inherited this conflict from our ancestors... But I believe it is time to put it to rest. Let's not provoke each other in a place that was designed to unite people."

Erwin takes a step towards the crowd.

It takes Colt a moment to realize he's going towards the boy who spilled juice on him and threw his glass. He kneeled down. The poor boy blanched.

Erwin Smith, took something from his pocket, a flower.

A single white flower.

"This flower is native to Paradise Island." Erwin told the boy, a gentle smile on his face. "We give to people when we want to make up with them."

He held the flower in front of the boy.

The boy, tears now gathering in his eyes, accepted the flower with shaking hands.

(Colt didn't miss the way even Levi Ackerman was shocked at Erwins actions.)

Erwin stood up again, looking at the crowd. "That's all." he said with a smile. "Paradise will protect itself, but we want this conflict over."

The crowd of nobles looked at Erwin with calculating eyes.

Colts mind was bombarded on how this would turn into bad news for him and his family. Marley, or anyone really, won't take kindly to this speech no matter how-

Clap. Clap.

Colt snapped his head back towards the person that was clapping. It started with one person, a Toranian journalist, who clapped slowly. He cared not for the people around him and started clapping after Erwins speech.

And then another one,

Clap

Clap

Clap. Clap. Clap clap.

Soon the entire room was filled with the clapping of a few. Whilst others stared at Erwin with daggers in their eyes.

The father of the boy who started it, snatched the flower from the boy's hands and crushed it under his heel. But barely anyone saw it.

Erwin smiled genuinely this time.

And for a split second, Erwins eyes met Colts.

Colt took a step back.

He felt like a predator was scanning him.

Erwin looked away, but the look in his eyes followed Colt even when Magath left the party while growling angrily and Krolov was cursing under his breath.

... And now, I should have turned around the moment I saw Erwin Smith. After all, I just witnessed what the power of his words were.

Yes, maybe I made a mistake, I should have told Magath or Korolov about Erwin before all this. But...

"Are you trying to get me and my entire family killed?" Colt snapped, taking another step back. Already regretting the choice to come out and explore the hotel building.

Erwin stepped forward from the darkness. They were in an empty hallway. He slowly raised his hands as if to tell him he meant no harm. Colt fisted his hands, ready to yell. "I- stop following me! If Magath even suspects it, my family will be-"

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Killed? No. But I won't exactly call your family's state living." he said, keeping his eyes on Colts. "And I know your uncle believed the same."

Colt stopped.

For a few seconds all the sounds in the hallway seized. The "who who" of an owl and fading footsteps was all that could be heard in the stunned silence.

Colt rubbed the side of his face and looked away, he didn't know where the anxiety was coming from, but the hammering of his heart and his blood pressure was higher than it has ever been.

"What do you want from me!" he whisper-yelled. "You've kept an eye on me since the party!"

Erwin smirked, such a dirty smirk. "You were the only Eldian around other than Tybur." he said calmly. "There is no need to panic, Colt. I'm just here to talk."

"But I-" Colt wanted to yell but he bit his tongue.

These Eldians aren't citizens of Marley. Each and every one of them is a bomb. A bullet. They aren't humans but war artillery.

Colts shoulders relaxed suddenly, before tensing up again. He took a shaky breath.

And the moment Marley feels the need, the internment zones electricity will be cut.

No... No, our teacher said after the power went out, the hospital's fridges went warm and all the- the- anibotics melted and couldn't be used to treat again.

He gave the people who made his life like that the power to speak all his life. What could Erwin Smith say that could be possibly worse than that?

Worst case? He'll report everything to Magath. He'll surely want more on this mysterious man. Magath is intelligent. He surely wants to know his enemy before the battle.

Besides, All his life, Marley had always been his only option. He was curious about this man, but not curious enough to risk his family.

This was best, he'd get along with the man for now and acts as he would see fit.

When Colt gave in to this curiosity, he changed his life forever.

He raised his head, his hazel eyes suddenly emotionless. "Then talk." Colt said, his tone more like an order.

Erwin Smith's eyes widened for a moment.

Uh, so he wasn't expecting Colt to be eager either?

Notes:

Did Erwin and Willy have a battle wits were they talk politics? Yes they did.
Will I show it? Soon.

honestly, the 'Erwin reveals he's the colossal titan' scene was way cooler in my head XD

please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 17: Double agent: The rise of the Owl, part II

Notes:

We have a family friend, who's a police officer, and he always told me a few things when I'm traveling. 1. Never give your phone to anyone to make a call no matter how desperate they are. 2. Wear clothes that don't have pockets on the outside. 3. Do not take strangers bottles of water or any other bottle. 4. Do not accept books, letters, any written thing from a stranger who wants you to give it to someone on the other side. It all sounded very ridiculous to me until I checked it up and saw how ridiculously easy it was for smugglers to smuggle drugs or illegal substances/information in the pages of a book, in between a letter, or put it in a poor man's pocket. Moral of the story is that:

DON'T TOUCH A SUSPICIOUS BOOK! BLOODY HELL, FALCO!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

... That smirk.

That god awful smirk.

What kind of life he must have had that made him think the scenario we were in was funny?...

"Then talk."

It's been a few seconds since Colt said that and he was already regretting it.

Erwin's eyes looked up and down, scanning him worse than Magath did when he was deciding whether he'd be worthy of a titan of the nine.

It had to be, because Erwin Smith was an Eldian and actually a titan of the nine.

Erwin took another step forward.

And Colt took one back.

Colt leaned up against a wooden drawer in the dark hallway, holding the side of it with his right hand.

Erwin's eyes fell on his closed fist. "I'm sure you have more questions than I do," he said. "Ask away."

Colt fisted his hands on his sides before letting them relax and fisting them again. "How do you know my uncle?" he said.

"Grice..."

Colt shut his eyes, all that his family went through because of that man marched in front of his eyes.

His parents arrest.

His grandparents one way ticket to Paradise.

Falco being forced to be a warrior.

"Grice... The name has even reached your walls hasn't it? The leader of the last restorationist group." Colt spat angrily. "It's because of him that my family was-"

"It was because of him that we knew what we know about the Eldians and the outside world." Erwin offered, interrupting Colt midspeach.

Colt looked at his eyes, his eyes twitching angrily. After so many years, he wished he could forgive the man for putting them through all this. "Is that supposed to somehow make me feel better?" Colt whisper-yelled. "What am I even doing here? If Magath even suspects that I talked to you, My family will be done for!"

But... But why did Erwin bring it up?

How did they even know his name unless...?

Colt made a sound between a growl and a sigh, his curiosity won and he looked up at Erwin. "What did he say?"

Erwin raised an eyebrow, as if someone as sharp as him didn't know what Colt meant.

"Who?"

"YOU KNOW WHO!" Colt took a sharp breath. "My uncle, the restorationist one. What did he tell you guys? Isn't he supposed to be a mindless monster somewhere?"

Erwin sighed loudly. "No." he said. "Your uncle Grice was used as bait to lure the titans away from the Marleyans."

Erwin waved his hand, as if to say his words through non verbal means. "The Marleyan made one of their prisoners run away from the deck. Then they turned the rest of their prisoners titan and the titans would follow the Eldians. because pure titans inherently choose Eldian smell over Marleyan. Your uncle just happened to be the one who was thrown down the dam while still human. We know this because..."

Erwin cleared his throat. "Have you heard about the owl?" Erwin asked.

Colt narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I- I heard it a few times from my parents... Apparently Marley wanted to know who he was." he whispered back. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Erwin cleared his throat. "Well, the Owl was an Eldian named Eren Kruger who had managed to be a Marleyan police officer," he explained. "He also carried the attack titan. He led the restorationists from the shadows and arrived at the last minute to save one. Grisha Yeager. Grisha inherits the attack titan and comes to the walls to find the founding titan."

Erwin took another step closer, this time Colt didn't move back. He just glared at Erwin's eyes. "We know all we know about Marley thanks to your Uncle. Who was close with Grisha Yeager." he said, seriously. "That's why I was surprised to see you here... I thought the family of the restorationists met the same fate as they did."

Colt rubbed the side of his face. "They do... We just lucked out." he said before he could stop himself.

"I want to help you."

Colt burst into laughter before he covered his mouth suddenly.

Colt gathered himself and stood up, looking at Erwin with a mocking smile. "You?" he chuckled. "How exactly are you going to help me?"

"I can offer you a better alternative. I suppose your family is safer in Paradise than it's ever been in Marley." Erwin said as a matter of fact.

"Paradise?" Colt snapped. "The same country the entire world hates? The same people the world wants dead?"

Erwin shook his head. "It won't always stay like this." Erwin said, too sure of himself.

Colt wanted to burst into laughter. "How exactly! We Eldians of Marley have been working our entire lives to prove good Eldians exist!"

"because I know how the world works. I'm more of a politician than a military officer." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "The world works on cost and benefit. Soon, Many will understand allying with Marley has more cost than benefit."

"Marley is the powerhouse of the world! He can do anything he wants!"

"Good. We can at least agree on the fact that Marley can do whatever it wants. Even risk the safety of its own people to attack another nation." Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Oh.. Excuse me. Marley hardly thinks of it's Eldians as 'its own people'."

These Eldians aren't citizens of Marley. Each and every one of them is a bomb. A bullet. They aren't humans but war artillery.

Colt covered his ears. "Shut up!" he whisper-yelled. "You know nothing!"

"I know more than I'm comfortable with. About the present. About the future." Erwin admitted quietly. "But I'm sure of one thing. If weapons of mankind advances far enough. Marley will feed it's Eldian citizens into their own titans."

"SO WHAT!"

Erwin was taken aback by Colts sudden outburst.

"I've been aware of this fact since I was five years old!" he yelled. "What changes this fact! The Eldians of Marley are doomed for! I KNOW THAT!"

Erwin's eyes didn't leave his own. "I understand..."

Colt chuckled. "You have no clue..."

"I do. because the person who stole our right to live freely is the same person. because that... Is probably something that The first king wanted to happen to all Eldians." Erwin said, hitting his fist against his palm. "And Marley won't have any mercy on us if we don't fight for ourselves. I will fight until I have retaken my right to live from the king who stole it from me. And I know you will too. You want your family to live in peace. Isn't that why you became a warrior candidate?"

Colt fisted his hands angrily.

"Brave words and all. But Your ancestors left mine on the continent. You left us all alone to fend for ourselves! What makes you think I'll trust you now?"

"Zeke is a man of royal blood."

Colt blinked in surprise, too stunned to say anything.

His eyes widened, he took a step back. "What? There is no way-" he gasped. He always knew something was suspicious about Mr Zeke's ability but this? This is madness-

"Dina Fritz was a direct descendant of king Fritz. She was Zeke's mother. It's his blood that makes his extraordinary capabilities possible. It's because of that that Marley loves him so much even if they don't know it." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "And I know, Colt, something very deep inside you knows that if you inherit the beast titan... You can't inherit Zeke's powers. And even deeper... You know Marley will punish you for that."

Colt shut his eyes. "You're making this up." he said through gritted teeth.

"I may be making that up." Erwin said, playfully nodding up and down. "But it's all cost and Benefit, Colt. How much will it cost you if Marley finds out you don't have the same abilities?"

Colt fisted his hands, angrily enough that his nails dug into his palm, milked of their color.

"It's because of that that I'm talking to you. A cost of war with Marley is far too great for Paradise." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "Perhaps... Even greater than the great titan war..."

"what are you trying to imply-"

"I will try my best so that the rumbling will be our last resort. But even I can't promise we won't need to use it if Marley keeps provoking like this." Erwin said. "Tell me. Will Marley stop even if we truly prove to them that we're not devils. Can we ever do that, Colt?"

"No." Colt forced the truth out of his mouth, the truth he'd hidden away in the darkest corner of his mind for so long.

"You're right." Erwin's words echoed. "because like I said in the party. Marley benefits from hate and as long as he doesn't see the cost, he'll continue to do so."

Erwin took another step forward. "I know you enlisted into the warriors to save your family from certain death. But let me tell you, the situation will never change in Marley unless you leave."

Colt clicked his tongue. "Leave? Huh." he spat. "Leave to where? Marley was my only option. And everything I'll ever have to do will be worth it if it guarantees my family's safety because I have. No. Other. Choice."

"I can give you a more pleasant alternative." Erwin pointed out. "... You and your family."

Colt threw his hands in the air. "Why am I even listening to your nonsense?" he snapped. "I should go now that I know you're not saying anything new-"

Colt made sure to bump into Erwin as he walked forward. He took heavy and loud steps away from the man before his feet stopped.

He hung his head low, fisting his hands angrily.

Colt had felt the commander's eyes burn holes in the back of his head.

"Cost, Benefit..."

Erwin's words echoed in the room. "You can risk it and wait. By my calculations, the war with the Mid-east will be over in two years. Two years before Marley targets his thirst for power at Paradise. And three years until Marley finds you don't have the power they want. What will happen then? I wonder..." he said out loud. "... I don't want war, Colt, but I won't back down from it either. I know deep down, you want this over. Perhaps you want your family somewhere safe and far far away..."

Colt turned around, couldn't wipe the frown from his face even if his life depended on it. He looked at Erwin from the corner of his eyes. "So what? you say... If I cooperate... You'll give my family a safe haven?"

Colt wanted to laugh at how the words synced together.

"In paradise. Yes. Even if you yourself don't live to see that day, I'll make sure your family is safe." Erwin vowed. "... If you help us."

Colt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Help you?" he chuckled. "That's a very big word. I don't have the connections nor the skill to do so. If. If. IF I decide to help you. What can I possibly do that will benefit you?"

"Quite a lot, Frankly." Erwin said, crossing his hands behind his back and holding his chin up high. "As I said, I don't want war with Marley. But one way or another, Marley will attack paradise. In two years, according to my calculations. I want to keep the kill count as low as possible. I can tell you there are people within your precious warrior unit that have already planned a massacre in Liberio. Believe it or not, it's one that I'm trying to stop. But I know I'm not strong enough to."

Colts eyes widened. "What!?"

"You heard me correctly. You need to know the full extent of your choice before you make one." Erwin said as a matter of fact.

"But-"

Erwin held up his hand. "You don't have to answer me right away." he assured him. "I know what a difficult choice it might be. But you know it's the right one to make."

Colt narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "If you don't want an answer from me now then..." Colt hummed. "How will you get my help?"

Erwin crossed his arms behind his back.

"Our next direct communication will be done by the messenger from Stohess." Erwin said, his lips pulled into a triumphant smile.

"A messenger from Stohess? What is that supposed to mean?" Colt murmured, an eyebrow raised. "... Is it a joke?"

"No. you'll understand once the message reaches you. Keep in mind, page 154 and 7. Meanwhile, I'll send an agent to check whether you can work with us or not. Remember, red for No. Green for Yes and Yellow for asking you later."

Colt frowned. "For what?"

"If you see my signature along with two wings of a bird and color scheme of only these three colors, that's my agent waiting for you to answer whether you are willing to work with the scout regiment or not. After that, they will work on securing a line from Liberio to Paradise." Erwin explained, he picked up a paper and pen from his back pocket and signed on a piece of paper. He held it up so Colt could see it, before he pushed it back into his pocket.

Colt let the smooth handwriting or the sign sink into his memory. Even if he refuses the deal, that is still going to be of help to commander Magath. But this man is crazier than he thought he would be.

"Secure a line from Liberio to Paradise? How exactly?" Colt hummed. "It's almost impossible!"

"Impossible? And so was defeating all those many pure titans in Paradise with swords." Erwin said with a smile. "Everything is worth a shot when survival is at stake. Even the grand plan I have in mind. We'll discuss the details later when you've made up your mind."

Erwin looked back. "I believe I should leave you to it. You were given a life changing decision after all." he whispered. "I'll leave you to think about it before your absence gets long enough that your commander notices it."

Erwin turned his back to him, before looking at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "I hope we meet again." he said, nodding and walking away.

The ground yielded under his weight and made a creaking sound. Colt watched him leave.

How can someone, an Eldian, carry such confidence in such a position? The only person who would take the risk and propose something like this, betrayal, to the enemy definitely has to be a madman.

The sound of the second footstep ambushed Colts senses and he snapped his head back, afraid it was Magath or Krolov. To his surprise, it was Erwin Smith's dark haired companion, Levi Ackerman.

He didn't wait for colt. "Your superiors are knocked out cold. You can get back without worry." was all he said.

Colts eyes widened, so the fact that Magath and Krolov were so tipsy a few hours before wasn't a coincidence at all.

Madmen.

Colt thought to himself.

Both of them.

Colt watched them leave. He saw the way Erwin smiled at something Levi said.

the whole lot of these Paradisians.

When Colt stepped off the train, the stiff, heavy and polluted air of liberio was welcome for the very first time in his entire life.

Colt pushed the backpack higher to his shoulder as he stepped off.

Liberio...

Colt barely missed the gap between the station and the train as he stepped off.

I can tell you there are people within your precious warrior unit that have already planned a massacre in Liberio. Believe it or not, it's one that I'm trying to stop.

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. he was bluffing. He concluded. who could possibly want Liberio destroyed. He was just playing mind games with me and-

"COLT!"

Falco jumped away from the safe circle of Porcoes parents and rushed to Colts direction towards the station.

Colt abandoned everything and let his bags fall. Magath and Krolov were long gone after all. He kneeled down and hugged Falco tightly. The fact that Falco was here alone meant the cruel truth that his parents had yet to be released from the hospital.

Colt pushed it aside and held his little brother tighter.

He looked up at the old couple. porcoes parents were such nice people that, although extremely strict on their own sons, had big enough hearts to take care of Falco while Colt was away.

(Befriending Porco was perhaps the best decision Colt ever made.)

Colt ruffled Falcoes hair and noticed a new scar on the boy's temple. "Falco! What happened?" he murmured, standing up to his feet.

Falco rolled his eyes. "Uh, nothing." he whispered. "Gabi just beat me in hand to hand."

In a normal circumstance, Colt would have shrugged it off. Almost grateful that Falco is in a position to get such wounds. because being a warrior candidate was an honor! A rarity! A good omen!

But since he talked to Erwin, since the alternative he offered, Colt can't help but wonder what did Falco ever do to be deprived of higher education? What did he, or anyone else, did to guarantee that being in the middle of war at ten years old was their best chance?

Colt shut his eyes and shook the thoughts away. Forget it! it's bad enough you hesitated far enough that you couldn't tell Magath!

Colt took a deep breath and looked at Mr and Mrs Galliard. "Thank- Thank you so much for taking care of Falco!" he said, bowing slightly. "I didn't know what else to do if it wasn't for your help."

Mrs Galliard smiled knowingly. "It's alright," she said, her voice strained with age and stress. "We wouldn't have wanted you to lose this chance, For Marley."

So that's where Porco gets it from.

Mr Galliard patted him in the back. "We have lunch if you want! Porco will come back today too and I bet he's as exhausted as you are." he said.

Colt couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Mr Galliard, but I really have to go back home and report to Mr Zeke," he said apologetically. "But thank you for the hospitality."

"No way! When I heard the Paradisian was there- I promised myself to give you and Pieck some proper dinner so you can rest and get his possible trauma out of your system." Mrs Galliard said, shaking her head. "It's decided! Colt! Don't even argue! I bet you need a proper rest after looking at that devil!"

Colt laughed awkwardly. "But Mrs Galliard, it's just morning now."

"So what? Get going young man! I'm expecting you at lunch." she said. She leaned forward and took Falcoes hand from Colts. "Meanwhile- You have warrior training, don't you?"

Falco nodded. "Yes ma'am!" he said, almost scared.

"That's right! See you once you're down with Mr Zeke, Colt!" Mrs Galliard said with a smile.

They took Falco away just as they brought him. As they went away, Colt saw when Mr Galliard whispered a joke in Falcoes ear and the way he giggled.

His eyes softened.

Working with Paradise is just as the same as betraying them.

Colt hated himself for being so tempted about it.

Colt had to make a stop to their home to make himself somewhat presentable. While Magath and Krolov could call it a day and return home, Colt had to go and report back to Mr Zeke.

Considering how close Pieck, Reiner and Porco were to the previous Colossal inheritor, he had to prepare himself for explaining how a commander from Paradise now carries the colossal.

Colt dropped everything in front of the door and closed it behind him. The house was covered in a thick layer of dust. To no one's surprise. After all, his parents were still in critical condition in the hospital, and Falco had stayed the time in the Galliards home.

Colt sighed loudly. He dropped every piece of clothing he had with each step he took towards the bathroom.

When he opened the door, a small moment of panic passed him. What if water was cut?

He rushed towards the sink and let the water pour down. Colt took a deep relieved breath when water started to come out of it. The water was yellowish at first, but after a few minutes it cleared.

Not as clear as it was over in Torana though, the water in a literal dessert was cleaner than here in Liberio.

I bet that's what happens when a government looks at a group and says- hey! There are my people!

Colt shut his eyes closed. Then he looked up and met his own eyes in the dusted mirror.

For a second, he just stared at his own reflection.

Then, He fisted his hands and yanked his short hair back. "Stop." Colt growled under his breath. "Erwin said nothing. And you heard nothing. Understand?"

Slowly, He raised his hand and closed his eyes. "I'm an eldian." he started, opening his eyes to stare at himself. "The sins of my ancestors weigh heavy and to redeem the world I shall obey Marley to my last breath, now and forever. By becoming a warrior..."

It looked faker and faker after every word.

He was late.

He ran into the military compound while his hair was still wet from the shower. Colt ran past a few Eldian soldiers on his way and all he could do was wave at them. His eyes were set on the building that hosted the military's affairs. He stopped to catch his breath a few feet back.

Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Colt jumped back, but saw it was the famous Reiner Braun.

He stepped back to give him space, holding his hands up as if to say he meant him no threat. "Hello. Uhm. Colt, was it? Falcoes brother." he said awkwardly.

Colt stood up, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah!" he murmured. "It's nice to meet you, uhm, Mr Braun.'' As much as he loved talking to the Eldian Hero who was the only survivor of Paradise's raid, Colt needed to report to Mr Zeke as soon as possible. "I- uh- can I do anything for you?"

Reiner cleared his throat. "I won't- I- well..." he took a deep breath. "It's... It's alright. I-I'll ask you later."

Reiner turned around on his heel and turned his back to him. He slowly walked away from him while Colt was almost nailed to the floor by surprise and confusion.

He watched the hero take one step after another away from him until it suddenly settled what Reiner Braun could have wanted from him. "It's true!" he said loud enough that Reiner could hear him.

Reiner froze on the spot.

Colt walked the distance between them. "The colossal... It has another inheritor." from here, Colt couldn't see Rieners face. But he saw the way Reiners shoulders suddenly tensed.

Colt cleared his throat. "I... I saw it with my own eyes." he said, biting his lip. "The electric signature was very similar to that of the colossal."

Reiners shoulders suddenly slumped. "I see..." he whispered.

Colt swallowed the lump in his throat. His hand reached to put a comforting touch on Reiners shoulder. His hesitating hand stopped in the air when Reiner asked a question: "Was it really... Really Commander Erwin that got the colossal titan?"

Colt pulled his hand back. "Yeah well. That's how he was introduced. Blond. Tall. Blue eyes." He explained.

Reiner looked at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "That's bad..." he whispered.

Colt raised an eyebrow. "Bad?"

Reiner shook his head and sighed. "Thanks colt. It means alot." he whispered back.

Then he kept going without answering Colts last question.

... When I think about it. In every single mission we go, we can end up like Reiner. Alone and traumatized, with no other choice that find traces of our loved ones in random people we see.

But again, what other choice did we have?

Choices. Choices. Choices. Maybe the range choices we are allowed to have defines our attitude more than I would like to admit. And since then, Erwin's words echoed non-stop in my mind. Even when I was with Mr Zeke...

"What's the matter, Colt?"

Zeke's question struck Colt and pulled him out of his thoughts.

Yes, Yes, they were in Zeke's office, in the military compound. With power. He wanted to add. Working here is much easier than working in the full darkness that draws the internment zone once the night falls.

Is it like that in Paradise?

Do they wake up reminded how the world hates them?

Do they wake up afraid to their bones of the deadly disease that's going around?

Do the-

"You drank again last night, didn't you?" Zeke said, lighting the tip of his cigarette.

Colt pulled himself out of his thoughts and shook his head. "No, Mr Zeke. Taking care of Falco alone has been... More challenging that I thought it would be." he admitted. "But I'm his big brother. I'll have to take care of him."

Explaining that is much easier than explaining how he can't get the Paradisian commander's words out of his head.

Zeke pointed at the mess of papers on the desk with the hand that was holding the cigarette. "Prepare the next round of our pure titan attack." he ordered, hitting his cigarette for the ashes to fall. "find as many possible 15 meters as you can."

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line.

No one ever asks him what 'find as many possible titans as you can' entails. And even if they ask, Colt is in too much shock at what he actually does to find them that he can't bring it in himself to explain.

Go to prison. Blood test. Get the number. Pull the person out and onto the plane to war even if all the fourteen year old did was steal bread out of starvation.

It's not worse than what Erwin Smith wants from you.

have you forgotten about the time-

Colt took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Very well, sir. I'll head to the prison faculty today." he said with a nod. "When did Commander Magath schedule the next attack."

Zeke turned around to leave the office. "In two weeks." he said as a matter of fact.

Maybe if Erwin wins. This titan fall will stop.

Colt took a deep breath through his teeth. Maybe it was for the best if they won. Things can't get worse than they already are, can they?

But Magath...

A deep voice said in the back of his mind.

have you forgotten all he did for you? He saved your family! You fought by his side! You can't betray him like that!

Colt fisted his hands and watched Zeke leave.

Tell him. His subconscious ordered.

Tell him. He'll know what to do. Mr Zeke is a genius.

Colt bit his lip, reaching out his hands to spill everything he knows about Erwin Smith to the man he considers his idol.

But he froze before he could take even one more step towards the man.

Zeke is of royal blood.

How does Smith know that? Up until the name of Zeke's mother. How does Smith know all that- Unless.

Zeke is in contact with them.

The realization washed over Colt like ice water. Colt slumped down.

Erwin Smith has his inside man.

Colts horrified eyes slowly looked up at Zeke's back. Time slowed down in Colts eyes.

Which means he'll eventually have the upper hand. Marley is already betrayed.

Colt didn't know his heart could skip a beat like that. Memories flashed before his eyes.

I can tell you there are people within your precious warrior unit that have already planned a massacre in Liberio. Believe it or not, it's one that I'm trying to stop.

"So it was you..." Colt wondered very very quietly, in a hushed tone that he knew Zeke couldn't hear. "Damn you..."

Colt held the sides of Zeke's office table so tightly that his knuckles turned white. If Zeke wants Liberio destroyed then they might as well dig their own graves. Colt doesn't know how, or when, or even where this attack is going to take place, but if Zeke is the traitor, then they are all doomed.

Colts heart hammered in his ear.

I'll Tell Magath. If I tell him- he'll increase security- or find out how he talked to Erwin or-

Colts mind ran a thousand thoughts in the split second between Zeke's steps. But even then, a cold sense of dread clutched his thoughts. The simple truth that he had no truth.

And if it was Zeke's words against his, the whole of Marley will believe Marley's boy wander over Colt, who was just a warrior candidate.

At that moment, Colt wished he was wrong.

Wished he had gotten the clues wrong. Wished he could just wake up and find out he had deducted wrong.

Zeke? Could Zeke do that?Zeke won't risk the internment zone!

all the people.

His own grandparents!

Colt fisted his hands. The answer was so obvious. "He reported his own parents." he whispered quietly. He barely understands anything about Zeke Yeager but at least he knows this.

Once a traitor. Always a traitor.

But...

What would that mentality make of Colt if he helps Erwin Smith?

Zeke stopped at the door frame, he threw his cigarette into the trashcan and turned to Colt. "Oh, and don't go to prison this time. Go to the internment zones hospital and test those in critical condition."

Colts hands froze above the papers. "But, Mr Zeke! My parents are there!" he said louder than he intended to.

Zeke stopped, he took out his cigarette and looked at Colt from the corner of his eyes. "Im sorry, Colt. This is General Surter's orders... In Fact... Two of the Marleyan police are outside to follow you to the hospital." he said. "He'll certainly let your parents slip. You're almost an honorary Marleyan after all."

Colt could only stare wide eyed at Zeke as he walked away.

Sure he was known to be Mr Zeke's assistant, known to be the next beast. But if he wasn't- his parents could have easily been sent to become a titan.

Is it really that simple? That easy? For everything to slip between Colts fingers?

"NO!"

Colt woke up in cold sweat before slamming a hand over his mouth.

Falco. He was in the house. His scream would wake them out.

His clothes stick to his body.

The dream- no, was it a nightmare or a prediction?- was chaos. Liberio was in ruins and he was standing in a place where their house was supposed to be. Their house was crushed under the rubble, and Colt was left hoping that his family wasn't inside.

And then, his mind was ambushed by other nightmares, a nightmare of his critically ill parents turned into titans. It was pure luck Colt did most of Mr Zeke's testing himself.

Colts feet took him off his bed and towards his drawer. His shaking fingers opened his bag and took out a black metal box.

If someone else had tested the people in the hospital…

Colt opened the box and held up a long syringe inside. The special syringe used to examine the ratio of the Eldians blood transformation, which is used to guess the approximate size of it's pure titan.

Someone could have sunk this syringe into his parents viens. It could have been a 15 meter titan. And even if it wasn't...

Colt picked up the syringe-

-and smashed it against the wall.

"I GIVE UP!"

His loud shout echoed in the empty room. He pushed both his hands into his short hair and yanked them out almost painfully.

"I give up!" he said again, quieter this time.

There are three choices.

One, Telling Magath, and Marley will believe Zeke over him and an accusation like that will grant him and his entire family a one way ticket to being a titan in the next raid. Or a very slim chance that Marley will believe him. If hell freezes over.

Second, Doing nothing and hoping Zeke isn't a traitor, which will most likely end up with his family dead under the rubble.

And third... Erwin... Hope this commander will stay true to his world.

Considering his options, the third one was the most likely scenario.

Cost and Benefit.

Marley will eventually spill it's poison in their lives. Whether or not Colt becomes a warrior, just like Colt just saw. Or Maybe Zeke will. If he says no to Erwin, his choices will be crushed under the rubble, or turned into titans.

Colt could have lived like this and could have lived happily. so long as he didn't have the option Erwin Smith offered next to him.

If saying no to him is death either way then-

"-I'll risk it all and go for it." Colt concluded out loud.

Colt kneeled down, his fingers slowly but surely collecting the larger pieces of the broken glass into another hand.

This place better not be full of glass shards.

... Eventually, Falco, you'll find yourself in positions where not choosing a path is not an option. In a world that was rapidly changing around me, I realized I'll have three choices no matter what I do. Even If I had feigned ignorance would have been the same as choosing Marley.

Whether Zeke is working with Paradise is still a big question mark that I couldn't answer. So I assumed he was. All the proof was pointing in that direction. With that in mind, it meant that that snake was eventually going to bite Marley.

And I didn't want you or mom and dad caught in that crossfire the way our grandparents were. I always went for the safest option around AKA becoming a warrior to secure my family's safety. But everything changed. At that moment, I realized Marley was no longer the best option around.

I decided that even if a slightly better alternative presented itself, I would risk and go for it.

Still, I wasn't going to risk it all as stupidly like Uncle Grice did. Something that our Uncle didn't have and I did, was someone to blame things on. Since I had ridiculous access to Zeke's office in the military department, I decided I was going to do it in a way that if I was found out, Marley would suspect someone else and not me. It was a hard choice but I did it anyway.

I didn't have proof for Zeke's plan. But if I was going to do anything for Erwin, I could make fake proof, convincing enough that if Marley found it, it would all point to Zeke.

Of course, I had to find out what Erwin wanted, First...

"Hey, Colt! Will you tell me why you've been so tense these past few days?"

Colt pushed his hands into his pockets, looking around in the dirty streets of the internment zone and the one or two open shops on the other side of the streets. "I thought we came here to unwind." he murmured, clicking his tongue. "I can't do that without Alcohol."

Porco chuckled loudly. He hit Colts shoulder with his fist. "It's noon! Goodness, watch out Magath doesn't catch up on this habit of yours!" He murmured.

Colt shrugged. If he was going to betray Marley it's better if he keeps up the act of a drunkard, less people will suspect him this way. But Colt was quickly losing hope of Erwin ever contacting him again, or maybe he had and Colt hadn't realized.

Colt chuckled, partially glad he didn't agree right away. "Whatever-" he murmured.

"What's really on your mind?" Porco asked, as the sound of their pitter-patter footsteps echoed in the semi-dark streets.

Colt sighed. "I can't repay your parents..." he admitted out loud.

"Seriously! Colt!" He growled. "Believe it! My mom and dad are just too happy to have another boy around."

Colt pushed his hair back. "Still! It's been three months since I came back and I still have to leave him at their door every once in a while!"

"You can't help it! You take care of Falco as much as you can, Colt. Loosen up a little bit." Porco rolled his eyes. "No wonder you need Alcohol to shrugg things off."

Colts eyebrows twitched slightly. "Enough about me. What's on your mind?" he says.

Porco looked back disgustingly. "Believe me, nothing can bother me for more than a few hours. That's all I need to dispose of any problem."

"Yeah, any problem other than Reiner Bruan."

Porco's eyes frowned in disgust and annoyance.

Colt burst into laughter. "Hit the spot, Didn't I?"

Both of them burst into laughter.

Eventually, Porco threw his hand across Colts shoulders as they walked. Colt did the same.

The streets in Liberio were far from present. They used to be pleasant and surprising, but not since Colt had gone to that mission and his eyes had opened. Since he noticed things he would have been happier if he hadn't noticed.

But the main street had a bakery, a flower stand and a supermarket.

Colt and Porco talked nonsense all afternoon, Porco even got a cheap bottle of beer for them to have. Which Colt was extremely grateful for.

It was nearing dusk, when the florist looked at the two of them with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Hey you! Young man!"

Colt and Porco both stopped. They turned around, slightly tipsy from all the beer and walking around all night. Colt wanted to roll his eyes. The woman probably just noticed the red armband around Porcoes left hand.

Porco pressed his free hand to his chest. "Me?" he asked.

The old woman cleaned her hands on her white dress. She clicked her tongue. "No, Not you!" the woman said, shaking her head. "The one with the yellow Eldian armband!"

That sentence was enough to cause a permanent dent in Porcoes self-confidence. Colt wanted to fall and die from laughter right then and there.

But the florist didn't let them. She curled her fingers towards her palm in a 'come here' gesture while her eyes looked mischievously at Colt. "Hey you! Come here!" the florist said.

It was Porco who pushed him towards the wooden stand of the flower shop. Colt rubbed the back of his neck and blinked in surprise as the middle aged florist bent down and held up a flower bunch, made of vibrant roses of red, light green and yellow.

The florist held it right in front of Colts chest. She smiled, almost villainous. "This is for you."

Colt accepted the flower bouquet, hesitant and confused but when he saw the vibrant red, yellow and green colors, his heart skipped a cold beat.

He held the bouquet with shaking arms. He could do nothing but stare at it in surprise. His fingers quickly found a tag and just like he expected, there were two wings of a bird drawn on it and underneath was written...

Smith.

If you see my signature along with two wings of a bird and color scheme of only these three colors, that's my agent waiting for you to answer whether you are willing to work with the scout regiment or not

Colt took a sharp breath.

Porco felt him stiffen in his arms. "Colt?" he asked, taking his arm from around his shoulder. "What- ooooh- You're not used to this, are you?"

Colt bit his lips but didn't say anything.

Porco elbowed him. "Come on, play it cool. It's the first time you have a secret admirer! It'll be the norm once you become a warrior, believe me!" he said, not knowing what was going on in Colts mind the slightest.

The florist smiled profoundly. "I guess from the red on your face- you might be interested in who gifted you this?" she asked.

Colt opened his mouth to say something but ended up nodding.

She left her stand and patted Colt in the back before she pointed at a woman who was looking at them. She was wearing a gray dress and had her hair strictly pulled behind her back. The brown eldian Armband could be easily seen against her gray outfit.

The girl blushed very sweetly, waving a hand.

What an actor. She was definitely fooling Porco and everyone else.

Do they teach manipulation tactics over in Paradise? Colt thought for a moment before brushing it aside.

Colt cleared his throat, thankful for the heat over his face. Now he didn't really need to act. "P-Porco." he murmured. "I-I'll be back."

Porcos lips pulled into a devilish smile.

He hit Colt in the nape of his neck and whispered. "Good luck..." he mused, mockingly.

Colt tried to ignore it.

He made his way to the woman across the street. He could feel Porcoes curious eyes follow his every step, so he made sure his back was to Porco as he walked.

He could feel his feet shaking.

His heart was pumping in his ear.

And every reason left his mind.

His left hand started shaking as he wrapped it around a green rose. The thorns dug into his fingers.

Colt kept his eyes on the woman. The blonde kept her smile tight, but he could see the nervousness in her eyes. This isn't easy for her either.

Colt stopped right in front of her.

His hazel eyes stared at the woman's blue ones. Neither said a word.

Until he picked up a green flower and held it up for the woman to take it.

She blinked in surprise.

He smiled, forced and fake but, he smiled.

The woman took a shaky breath and took the flower from Colts hands. She was wearing a worn out leather glove, maybe to avoid leaving fingerprints all over Liberio.

Colt cleared his throat. "Did you get your answer?" he asked, looking at the girl slightly more serious.

The girl smiled. "Oh... I sure did..." she whispered, holding the flower up to smell it. "You must excuse me. These flowers turned out light green instead of dark green."

Colt didn't answer, he just pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"Well, now if you excuse me. I'll steal you away from your friend for a few minutes." she giggled, grabbing Colts shoulder and pushing him into the street.

Colt looked back at Porco from the corner of his eyes.

His clueless friend laughed. Porco laughed and waved as Colt was pushed away and away.

Guilt threatened to eat Colt alive.

He couldn't take his eyes off of his friend who stayed back.

what am I doing?

"Don't start regretting now."

The woman's words struck Colt back into reality. He looked down at the woman and the new serious look she had in her blue eyes. "My name is Rosa." She said quietly. "For convenience, around here I'm Rosa Smith."

To everyone else, they were just an awkward couple who were leaning into each other. But Colt knew better. Physical affection in public made people look away, gave them the semi-privacy they probably needed. Rosa held onto Colts hand even tighter.

Colt nodded. "Oh... Ah ok..." he whispered.

"I'm here under the direct order of commander Erwin." she said even quieter, hiding it under the disguise that she just wanted to get closer to the other. "Sorry if this is making you uncomfortable."

Colt shook his head. "It's ok. Where are we going?"

"No where." she said. "Just having this walk as a way of having a conversation with you. To tell you what commander Erwin needs from you."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "How did you come here?" he asked. "The security of the internment zone is irontight."

Rosa looked up, a smirk appeared on half of her face while the other half stayed emotionless. "Yeah, but Marley was getting refugee Eldians from the Mid-east. Sneaking here wasn't that hard of us."

Colts eyes widened. "... How many... Are you?" he asked in horror.

Rosa hummed. "Why don't you tell me what commander Erwin told you about our mission before I say anything else." she said, particularly whispering it in his ear.

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. "He said... Well... He said, ``You want to secure a route to paradise." Colt said.

Rosa chuckled. "Atta boy. Well done. Well, we are about 20 Survey corps soldiers living in the internment zone as of now. We've been taking care of restorationists here and there for the past four months."

Colts jaw almost fell. "So this has been going on since before he talked to me." he concluded out loud.

Rosa rolled her eyes. "Of course. Anything to make more options available on the table." she said as a matter of fact. "The route to Paradise is already secured. We have a telegraph line that we can communicate fairly well with the island. But we had a few problems."

"Didn't know Paradise has such good spies."

"We didn't." Rosa cleared her throat. "But now we do. Times make us change."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "So? What do you want from me when you've already come too far?" he asked.

"Some questions can only be answered by someone inside this rotten system." Rosa murmured. "But your real responsibility starts after the Mid-east is defeated by Marley. Once Marley starts threatening Paradise, we need the scale, the method and the time Marley will attack us. Before that, all we can do is to dull down the effect of the raid of Liberio."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "If you're such good spies can't you stop the raid of Liberio all together?" he asked the question that has been bugging him.

Rosa looked at Colt with emotionless eyes. For a few seconds, they walked in silence before she said: "Do you know who is orchestrating the raid if Liberio?"

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"Zeke Yeager." he said through gritted teeth.

"Good." Rosa murmured, tilting her head. "What can we do about Zeke? Kill him? Kidnap him? Anything will do to him will bring us out in the open. Resulting it from escalating into an all out war."

Rosa looked away. "Look, we're trying alright? Although there are people who want to just kickstart the rumbling and be done with it. We don't want Marley to kick the bucket like that." She spat. "Right now, when Yeagers do their thing, all we can do is to lower the civilian casualties and focus the destructive power on Marleys military for now. All we can do is to slowly start to evacuate the restorationists' family to Paradise."

Colt took a deep breath. That was just a lot of information to fill in.

He looked at the empty street in front of him, going smaller and smaller as the walls closed in around him.

"Bold moves." he murmured. "Marley's intelligence agency is... Flawed... But not that flawed."

Rosa chuckled and leaned into Colts personal space. "I have covered up my tracks pretty fairly but we can't meet too many times even under the disguise of dating. Besides, I'll be killed in a month... Not really but I'll have to leave back to lower the chance of connecting me and you to Paradise."

"I told your commander, all I can do for you and your island is to rat out a little confidential information sometimes. Don't expect any action from me." Colt repeated what he had said.

Rosa nodded. "We know and that's all we need." she said. "After a route is secured to Paradise, we'll uphold our end of the bargain. Your family will be safe in Paradise. Meanwhile... We need to secure a way for you to give the information to my colleges. Maybe once a month? Once a season? For now, we need a map of Liberio's deck."

Colt chuckled. "So you're really moving people to Paradise. What do you gain from this?" He asked, almost curious.

"Experienced workforce?" Rosa shot back. "Believe it or not, Paradise actually welcomes and needs you as much as you need us."

Colt hummed. "Not convinced but... I haven't stayed back either. I know just the way to communicate with you without being found out."

"What?"

"There is a trash can outside Marley's military compound. Outside Zeke Yeagers office, to be exact. The janitor is usually an Eldian so I can leave the info you want there and you collect it."

"This way... Even if we are ratted out... The blame will fall on Zeke Yeager." the girl concluded. She pushed back and raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like a genius." she said, a joking tone in her voice.

"You have no idea what it takes to be a warrior candidate," he said with a sigh. "Now tell me, How did you get all this stationed?"

Rosa chuckled. "I was a part of the garrison regiment before I converted to the Scouts." she said. "Lets just say finding holes in walls was my job for the better part of my youth."

Colt hummed thoughtfully.

That night, Rosa told him everything he needed to know.

... Just like Rosa said, she was 'killed' a few weeks later by the hand of a Marleyan. But I didn't believe her death one bit because the day after she 'died' I found a skip coded love letter under my pillow. Which was an address over in Paradise in a city named Trost... added with a 'find if you survive!'

I actually gained the confidence to send the first letter very later on after. Something that answered Erwin's question about Marley's battle with the mid-east. I told him all I could and answered truthfully. About the way I thought Marley would eventually win that war.

After a while, it became more of a thrill. A very needed outlet for the stress of my sick parents whom Marley refused to heal. An outlet for you who was being treated like a child soldier. Of my own child self who had to run around the internment zone looking for my family.

It felt thrilling, Falco. Especially after I talked to one of the restorationists. One whose parents were sent to Paradise. He visited his parents once and he assured me his family was having the time of their lives. After that, I became almost twice more sure about what I was doing. When Mom and dad finally got discharged, I made a vow to myself that this would be the last time.

However, Knowing I was the owl that Marley was so desperately looking for, eased none of my guilt when I spent time with the warriors...

The deadline of that two years was quickly approaching its end.

And so was Marley's patience with the mideast. The war was going on for four years too long.

With it, the times that Colt and the three warriors were all on their time off became rarer and rarer. Until it was just scraps of time. Colt would sneak in to meet Porco before Zeke would call him again.

More often than not, Pieck and Reiner were there too. Colt would drink a cup or two of tea and try to forget the fact that he was betraying them all.

This one wasn't special either. Porco, Peick and Colt were sitting around a round table with Reiner leaning against the wall. He prefered to enjoy his coffee in solitude.

But this time, instead of a joke, Porco opened his mouth to say something else entirely:"What's the matter with Commander Magath?"

Colt shrugged, holding his white mug with both of his hands. "I... Haven't seen commander Magath in weeks. What- what's wrong?" he asked, looking at Pieck this time.

Pieck leaned back against her chair, massaging the dark bags under her eyes. "He's suspecting an inside man." she said.

The warriors all fell into silence. Colt brought his cup of tea down, genuinely shocked that it took them so long to find out.

Porco clicked his tongue. "Restorationists." he spat. "There has been a rise in their activity, we don't know how. We don't know when. These motherfu-"

"Language!" Colt whispered.

Porco huffed angrily. "Come on, man! It's just us!" he said.

Colt sighed loudly, he closed his eyes and pressed the lid of his mug on his lips. The smell of tea almost pulled him away.

"Colt- based on the previous restorationist unit- do you know what they want?" Porco asked out of nowhere.

Colts eyebrows twitched, he lowered his cup and made sure to glare at Porco as he explained. "I really know the bare minimum of what the previous restorationist unit was planning," he said truthfully. "... But I think there is only one person who might know. And that's the Owl himself."

Porco rubbed the side of his face. "Shit, these Rebels are sprouting out of nowhere."

"But if you ask me their goal is different this time." Pieck murmured. "If the owl really was someone of a rank in the military. He would have retired by now."

"You mean he lied about his status?" Colt asked curiously. "because it'd be the best way to trick a bunch of people who are desperate for change."

Porco titled his head. "Yeah, cuz you would know..." he chuckled.

"Cut these jokes out for god's sake!" Colt murmured, faking panic. "Or else they might suspect me for real!"

Porco opened his mouth to say a clever remark but he decided otherwise when he saw the panic in Colts eyes.

Colt looked at the clock, his shoulders slumped down and he wanted to curse the entire world. "Oh, Work time again!" he growled, standing up.

"Sometimes I think Zeke likes exhausting you..." Porco murmured as Colt fixed his uniform.

Colt fumbled with his books. "Honestly." he murmured. "If I knew someone was going to eat me at some point, I would have exhausted them with useless work too."

That earned a smile from the group.

Hours before dusk, Colt went to the library outside the internment zone. He always saw the scouts face to face outside the internment zone where every inch was under surveillance.

He went towards the Eldian physiology books to get what he needed for his latest research. Just as he picked up the thickest book, he saw the face of a not-so familiar man on the other side of the bookshelf.

Colt looked down at his book, opened at a random page. "Nice work." Colt murmured from the other side of the library. "They were so occupied by the news of the restorationists that they had to pull down on their officers guarding the internment zone."

"Which made it possible to escape." the other man concluded.

As he always said, Erwin Smith was a devil.

Colt made sure to keep his back to the shelf, so that the man couldn't see his face. "How are the... Families... over in Paradise?" he asked.

"Better than I expected. " the man on the other side explained. "The families are settling well."

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line.

This is the third group of restorationist families who are sent to Paradise and not once have Colt heard of anything going wrong on the other side, except that time when they realized Home Electricity still wasn't common on the island.

Colt put a piece of note inside the book, the next one he wanted telegraphed to Paradise, and put it back on the shelf. "Stay low for now," he ordered.

"Erwin Smith is coming to Liberio after the war is won from Marley's side to negotiate with Willy Tybur again."

Colts hands froze on the book, he could no longer see the other man but knew he was already long gone.

"It's useless, isn't it?"

The man disappeared just as he appeared.

... It's scary how Marley and Mid-eats war ended just at the time Erwin had predicted it.

Even more reason the man was a devil I shouldn't have trusted.

But I was in too deep to regret things then.

When Marley won the war and we returned home, my real mission for Paradise started. I had to tell them if Marley wanted to attack them.

Surprisingly all they did was ask around a few questions from Reiner about the best course of action. I reported everything back to them. To be totally honest, the way I became almost drunk most of the time, made people think I would have slipped if I was the owl. Which took the suspicions away from me.

And then, Came the messenger from Stohess that Erwin had promised me two years ago...

Colts schedule had become increasingly freer since the war ended but that didn't mean Zeke was done with him. Or the moment training started again, he was busy as a bee.

Colt wondered why Zeke kept doing his duties if he was going to sink Liberio right in hell very soon. Colt didn't question it. The safe house the restorationists were building was big enough to shield them from a possible attack.

But... Colt can only save his family. Everyone else...

These thoughts wouldn't leave him even here in his home. Under the safe roof of his parents home.

Colt sighed loudly as he lifted his head from the sea of paperwork on his desk. "Yup, done for the night." he murmured quietly, rubbing the side of his face.

He brushed his teeth and hoped he could wake up early tomorrow. Early enough to go back to base with full hands.

Colt took small and featherlight steps, afraid he would wake up his parents in this ungodly hour. It was almost 2 in the morning.

On his way back to his room, he noticed Falco's closed door and the way small light was coming from under his younger brother's closed door. Colt rubbed his eyes and then looked at the closed door again. "Falco?" he whispered quietly.

Colt gently knocked on the door and waited.

No answer came from the other side.

Colt hummed thoughtfully and opened the door. The moment he opened the door, he saw Falco's tidy room lit by a single candle above Falcoes bed.

Although the candle was almost completely burnt off, it would still burn down the house if it fell on Falcoes bedding. Colt crossed his arms over his chest. Falco was never this careless unless-

Colt looked down, there was a book with a golden cover on the ground. Colts mind put two plus two together. "Uh, Falco. I see you're reading until you pass out again." Colt murmured, bending down to pick up the strange golden book.

Falco was leaning back against the wall and sitting on his bed. But even then, his eyes were closed and he looked uncomfortable.

Colt put a gentle hand over Falcoes head and shook him away. "Hey... Why are you up?" he whispered. After shaking him a few times. Falco slowly woke up with a mumble.

Colt smiled. "Are you up reading again? It's 2 am, Falco! I thought you'd grown out of it." he murmured.

Falco mumbled senselessly in his sleep. So this wasn't the first time he had stayed up reading.

Some things never change.

Colt pushed him into the bed and tucked him in. Falco was too out of it to object. "Go back to sleep, Falco. You have training tomorrow." he whispered, pulling Falcoes blanket over him and blowing the candle away.

Colt looked down at the book in his hands. "Dear world... Huh..." he read outloud. "The only person who would put 'dear' next to this world is definitely a rich Marleyan!" he added with a chuckle. Falco was just about to put the book inside Falcoes library when his eyes landed on the rest of the title.

Published by STOHESS publications.

The stohess was all capitalized, as if it wanted to grab attention to itself.

Colt almost dropped the book.

Our next direct communication will be done by the messenger from Stohess.

"Shut it..." Colt murmured in horror. He immediately opened the book, there was no sign of this book being anything other than a normal story book. Given to someone names "Cyrus Cohen"

Colt rushed back into his own room and closed the door and clutched the book almost angrily. "Wait- he said page 154 and 7." Colt wondered out loud. "It must be skip coded."

With his heart hammering in his chest, he put the book above the tower of paperwork and opened page 154. He held a pencil with shaking hands and put a small dot under every word then skipping seven words and writing the next one.

What Erwin wanted to say was simple.

"Attack on your home during the ceremony of war. Attack Titan near your home." Colt read the words quietly.

Colt swallowed the rising lump in his throat. His hand held his shirt above his heart.

Colt stared at the book.

So it was coming...

Seeing Zeke in the hospital of the internment zone next to a hobo man with a cane was all the confirmation Colt needed.

He had seen Falco talk to the man a couple of times, someone who had psychological wounds from the war.

Colt watched Zeke and the man have their talk from afar. Then, Zeke threw a baseball ball to the man, who failed to catch it.

Colt recognised the ball, the same one Mr Ksaver had given Zeke.

Colt narrowed his eyes, hiding behind a wall. This man certainly wasn't just a normal person.

Colt pushed the book 'Dear world' deeper into his pocket and made his way out of the asylum. Or at least wanted to, before an aged sound stopped him.

"Colt!"

Colt stopped, that was Zeke's grandfather. He turned around to meet Mr Yeager. The old man opened his arms for a small greeting. "Hey there! Haven't seen you in a while! I hope Zeke isn't too hard on you."

Colt smiled as best as he could. "Oh... Uh... Not really." he murmured. "How are you Mr Yeager?"

Mr Yeager sighed loudly. He rubbed his forehead and looked down. "I wish I had better news for you... But there is a man who is asking your brother to run errands for him."

The words froze Colt on his tracks. "What?" he whispered, shocked.

Mr Yeager nodded. "Yes, he had been talking to your brother and somewhat training him. In exchange, I saw Falco send a letter to him a few days ago." the old man explained. "I talked to him but... Well... Maybe he'll listen if you ask him to stay away from your brother."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "What's his name?"

Mr Yeaged nodded at the yard with his head. "Eren Kruger." he murmured. "I saw him in the yard a couple of minutes ago."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "Eren Kruger." he tasted the word a few times, the rhythm of it was extremely familiar until it clicked. Erwin had called the last Owl "Eren Kruger."

Colt narrowed his eyes. No. This can't be a coincidence. "Thank you, Mr Yeager." Colt said as a matter of fact. "I'll talk to him."

Colt forgot about what he had and went to the yard. The only person who was sitting alone was the same hobo man that was talking to Zeke a couple of minutes ago. He played with the baseball ball, throwing it and catching it aimlessly.

Colt pushed his hands in his pocket.

He approached the man without a word and sat down next to him. "Eren Kruger?" he said out loud, not making eye contact with him.

"That would be me."

The sound was too deep and too raw, not suiting his appearance at all. Colt looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "No. Eren Kruger is long dead." he whispered, taking a big risk.

Eren looked at Colt, with his one eye. "Erwin said you might contact me." Eren whispered. "Kruger would have been slightly proud to see the owl is on Marleys nerves again."

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. "How do you know?"

"I would, I carry his titan after all."

Colt fought the urge to frown. He reached for his pocket instead of biting back a less clever comeback. "You should be more careful with this." Colt said, holding up the book 'Dear world'. "I found it in my brother's room. I think it fell and he picked it up."

Eren looked at the book, a sudden grief passed his eyes.

Colt shook his head. "Oh, and by the way, your grandfather told me to tell you to stay away from my brother. Please do. I don't want him anywhere near this mess."

"Actually. It's a part of my responsibility to keep your brother safe in tomorrow night's raid." Eren said as a matter of fact. "And the Scouts are ready to take your family to Paradise."

Colt hummed. "I know that already." he swallowed the weight in his throat and looked away. "Take the book."

Eren's eye softened. "Did you read it?" he asked.

Colt shook his head.

"The book will be safe in your brother's hands." Eren said with a nod. "Much safer than it is here anyway. Your call, you can destroy it or put it back in your brother's library."

Colt clicked his tongue. "If your father was as careless as you are, I'm not surprised that his restorationist unit was found out." he whispered.

Eren didn't answer.

Colt stood up, there was no point in keeping this conversation any further. He knew the plan, and didn't have the power to stop it. He will put the book back on Falcos library and pretened he just acted like a kind older brother and put it in his library.

He had long ago accepted this path's Cost and Benefit.

Colt watched the airship leave with his eyes wide. A scratch under his eyes and Udo's blood still on his hands.

He dropped to his knees when Falco flew away with Gabi on the airship. There was no way his parents would leave without Falco. Chaos.

All this...

All this and his parents were still in Liberio.

The world burnt around him. Colt watched the airship leave with wide eyes. "No way..." he whispered.

His parents and brother should be on their way to Paradise's safe house. Far far away from the threat of Rumbling or an all out war.

And yet...

Look where he was.

Colt fisted his hands.

For the first time since he was introduced to the cruelty of this world, Colt shouted his frustrations at the top of his lungs.

... I knew Erwin had promised. So I thought he'd take better care of you. All I had to do was explain everything to mom and dad and send them with the next fleet. The last one.

So, Falco, I really do hope Erwin held up his own end of the bargain...

They needed volunteers to clean out the area.

Suffocated by guilt and mixed emotions after seeing the state his house was left in after the attack, Colt decided to volunteer.

(Their house was crushed. If the restorationists hadn't hidden his parents in a safe house, they would have been crushed as well.)

Colt walked to the hospital, his head held low. He went towards the place he'd last put someone very dear.

Colt picked up a soaked piece of cloth and kneeled down next to Udos still figure. "Udo..." Colt whispered quietly, wiping the dried blood from the boy's face. "I went to check your mother... She's gone as well."

Of course, the boy didn't answer.

They were gathering the bodies for a ceremonial burial so Colt had to hurry a little faster. He let the wet cloth soak the dried blood and at least clean Udo's face.

Colt smiled bitterly. "Forgive me, Udo." he whispered, his eyes long dried of all the tears they could produce. "But we've never been humans to Marley. Or to Zeke. Or to ourselves. Even if I had told anyone. Nothing would have changed."

Soon, a nurse came and put a comforting hand on Colts shoulder. They put Udo in a body bag and gently took him away.

Colt stayed kneeling on the ground. The guilt ate his mind alive, made his hands shake and his knees go weak. But he had to see the end of this. At the very least, Falco was safe over in Paradise.

Now, all he had to do was send his parents there too. After all, his contract with Erwin ends very soon.

"Olivia..."

The familiar but weak sound turned Colts towards itself.

Right on his back. An old hand was stretched towards another body bag that was being taken away. Not just any old man, but Mr Yeagers. Mr Zeke's grandfather.

That man didn't even spare sympathy for his own grandparents.

His feet took him near the old man. He was kneeling next to the man and taking his wrinkled hand into his own before he could process it. Perhaps, deep down Colt knew he didn't deserve it. "Mr Yeager..." he whispered, holding the old man's hand, "it's me, Colt Grice."

The old man's eyes took a few seconds to focus on Colts eyes. The sheet spread over his stomach was bloodstained. Red to the point it was hard to believe it had ever been white.

The old man's eyes focused somewhere behind. "That was... That was my wife..." he said, his voice breaking midspeach. "She- She..."

Colt closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Another death in the endless list.

"Colt..." the old man whispered. "Zeke... Where's Zeke...?"

Colt could feel the glares of nurses and the Marleyan police in the back of his head. But for once, Colt settled for the truth. The truth that for everyone else sounded like he was giving in vain hope to someone who is near his grave.

"He's well enough." Colt murmured, holding the old man's hand tightly. "He's slowly but surely healing..."

"Co-Colt don't lie to me..." The old man coughed up, blood traveled down his lips. Colt knew enough of medicine to know the old man was bleeding internally and too far gone for anyone to help him anymore. The old man gasped. "Zeke-s dead... Isn't he?"

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line, not knowing what to tell the old man.

Mr Yeagers head fell back on the ground, over the blue piece of cloth he was resting on. "What- what did I do- do wrong?" he whispered, so quietly that Colt didn't hear it at first. "What did I-"

Mr Yeager suddenly gasped just as he started to cough blood. His chest shook uncontrollably. Colt snapped his head towards a doctor.

The doctor looked away and shook his head, before walking away without a word.

Colt looked back at the old man again. "It wasn't your fault." he assured him the best way he could.

Mr Yeager shut his eyes. "Faye... Grisha... Zeke..."

"I'm sure they all understand," he whispered. "You tried your best to shield them from the bitter world we live in."

Mr Yeager turned his head to look at Colt. His head froze and his chest slowly ceased going up and down.

His hand in Colts slowly lost its grip.

Gone.

Colt leaned forward, just noticing the invisible hands around his neck. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. Suffocating him. Colt put his fingers over the old man's face and closed his eyes.

"Thank you Mr Yeager." Colt whispered, shutting his eyes. "And I'm sorry... I'm sorry that Zeke was so heartless."

Colt took a deep breath."I'm sorry." he whispered. "because even if I had told Marley... They wouldn't have believed me."

Colt stood up to his feet. He helped the nurses to put Mr Yeager in a body bag.

Then, with all the heavy burdens and guilt on his shoulder, Colt Grice made his way home.

Once he sends his parents over, this nightmare will be over.

Present,
Location: Shiganshina District,

Colt couldn't bring it in himself to step outside.

The scouts had come and taken Magath away, perhaps to talk to Erwin. Colt didn't know. He didn't know anything else anymore.

The fact that there are no sound of gunshot wounds and earth shattering titan fighting, meant the warrior unri was defeated in a similar manner.

Porco...

Colt bit his quivering lip. He let his hand travel on the control panels of the airship.

"It is over." Colt said out loud. He was safe. Falco was safe, his parents should have arrived here by now.

Colt fought the heat in the back of his eyes, rubbing them to the point of soreness. How is he ever going to look in Porcos eyes ever again?

"Colt..."

Colt swallowed hard, he immediately stood up on his feet and dusted himself up. "Happy now?" he says to the man standing behind him without turning to see his face.

"I... Am glad we could end this battle without unnecessary bloodshed. Although, there are still a lot of Marleyan forces hiding in Shiganshina, and Zeke Yeager is nowhere to be seen. And something I need to tell you about Falco."

Colt felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You did good, Colt. " Erwin assured him. "This was necessary. For reasons you know far too well."

Colt turned his head around, finally meeting Erwin's eyes after more than two years. Their last meeting had been hectic and now...

Colt pushed his hand away from his shoulder. "... But I'm still a traitor." he said out loud, his dark green eyes shutting tightly. "Where is my brother. My parents. I just want out of this mess. then you can kill each other all you want"

Colt didn't bump into Erwin as he walked out of the pilots cabin, but he wished he could.

When Colt stepped out, sunlight fell over his body, and a pleasant silence. His eyes back and saw the Marleyan and Eldian soldiers were being led away. All of them turned into Prisoners of war now.

Colt closed his eyes, for once, all he wanted to feel was the sunlight on his skin.

... So I hope that I can explain all this to you in person, but if I can't, I hope this letter will explain it all. Why I betrayed Marley. Why I thought Erwin's promise was more fruitful than Marley's.

You can call me a traitor, you can call me a madman, but I hope we are safe far away from the threat of war once you say all this to me.

Hope I see you soon,
Your brother, Colt Grice.

Notes:

And that- Folks- is how Erwin manipulated our poor Colt.

Sooo how was it. Poor Colt, has no idea this is just thr begining. Porco is going to be MAD mad XD.

please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 18: Double agent: Battle field.

Notes:

Hi everyone!

First of all, thanks for your comments. It has been extremely motivating becouse writing this chapter was hard for some reason! So that you for your support💜

And then- I'm no artist- but I doodled alot for this fic and might just post them next chapter! Some are even spoilers for the upcoming events XD

meanwhile! Enjoy!

WARNIIIING

WARNING

death, mentioned death, Blood, violence, shooting, guns, death by guns and too much violence for even my liking!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A few hours prior,
Location: Paradises southern shores, Memorial of Scout Soldiers.

Eren pushed his hands into his pocket, careful not to touch the worn out book too much or else it might perish.

Eren was on a schedule, he couldn't wait and enjoy the salt water air and the sound of birds in the area. And once he arrived by the ocean, he had seen this cursed body of water far too many times to be phased by it.

Erens feet guided him to the famous memorial made to honor the scouts who died in the battle of Shiganshina. Erwin had mentioned that he wanted the population to gradually forget about the war so the Memorial was somewhere far away from tourist attractions. Near a sand hill, far away from the deck. It would disappear on certain times of the day, simply drowns with the tides.

Somewhere only the people who wanted to visit the Memorial could find it.

Eren slid down the sand hill and met the giant stone near the waters. His jade eyes locked with the stone and endless pile of names.

His lips cracked a smile. "Hey Armin."

Waves hit the shores and Eren kneeled down in front of the memorial. The names were written randomly and it always took Eren a few tries to find Armins in three columns of almost 90 names.

Armin's name was the 23rd on the third column. The 83rd name if you count from the first column down to the third from right to left.

Above them was Erwins famous quote that was carved into the stone. By this time. Eren knew it by heart.

When a king bows down, it takes an entire kingdom to rise again.

in the honor of the fallen, who's sacrifice made it possible to stand here.

And then came the list of names.

He ran his thumb over Armins name, a bitter smile rose to his lips. "I-I am sorry I couldn't bring anything new today." he murmured, trying his hardest to keep his deep voice from breaking. "Well... don't blame me! you never had the chance to say if you liked your chocolate bars bitter or sweet... I... I don't remember you enough to say If you'd prefer sweet chocolate or dark chocolate I-"

Eren hung his head low.

"You were watching, right?- I am- I am sorry." he stuttered. "I just... I need Mikasa away because... because Armin... I'm going to do the biggest insubordination in the history of insubordination. That's the only way I could find to protect Mikasa. I couldn't save you... But I will save her. Even if I have to sacrifice the world for it."

Now saying that outloud, saying it made a strange weight lift off his shoulders.

"I'm going to do a suicide mission Armin. Something not even Erwin Approves... But I'm pretty sure he knows what I'm planning to do. I'm just surprised he hasn't stopped me yet." Eren whispered. "Do you think he approves? Or he just can't stop Zeke and I... and is thinking of alternative ways?"

The fresh scent of salt water invaded his senses again. The sea birds flapped their wings and the waves hit the shores.

But the ocean didn't answer his question.

"As I said, this'll probably be the last time I come here. From the memories I've seen anyway." he murmured. "So... For your last gift, Armin, I brought you our dream. As much of it as I could fulfill."

Eren took a deep breath.

He slowly pushed his hands into the insides of his coat and pulled out Armin's book. The same book that showed them the ocean for the first time. The one Armin found in his grandfather's house.

"I had to travel around a lot these past two years." Eren explained. "As you know. Erwin thought his new friends from the outside world got to see me, they'd fear me less. I saw amazing things, Armin."

Eren brushed away the little dust that mered the surface of that book. "Everywhere I went, I took a photo for you and glued it to the book." Eren said. "So you can see it now... And we can pretend we went there together."

Eren stood up to his feet and walked over to the ocean. He walked and walked into the semi-warms waters until he was waist deep in them.

And just like every other gift Eren had given his fallen friend, Eren let the book soak into the ocean.

The waters were clean, so Eren could see the book slowly slowly drown and their dreams get washed away by the current events.

"Goodbye Armin... And for the first time I think I can say..." Eren smiled bitterly. "See you soon."

Location: Scouting legion headquarters, Erwin Smith's home, Trost.

The taste of these foods was... Less than favorable.

Much less tasty than home made food but that was all they could spare. Considering the situation.

Other than the objection of his stomach, which Falco was quickly filling with the tasteless chicken stew they were given, one more thing bothered Falco.

It was Gabis words. Or well, the lack of it.

Since the captain was mortally wounded in a battle against Zeke and commander Erwin had disappeared because of the work, Gabis attitude had changed dramatically.

For example, she was sitting calmly across Falco instead of evaluating the captain and the commanders home for a way to escape.

Gabi tore her piece of bread piece by piece before eating them, even dumping some of them in her stew.

"What are you staring at?"

Falco jumped back. "Huh?"

"What are you staring at?" Gabi repeated, slowly looking up from her stew.

Falco awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing... I'm just thinking."

"About what-"

Falco tried to meet up with the stare of her brown eyes, but failed.

Falco slumped back, crossing his arms over his chest. "You look... Much calmer now." Falco murmured quietly.

Gabi just looked down at her soup. "I... Well, they are helping you stay away from Zeke and I won't be helping if I throw a tantrum" she murmured.

Falco blinked in surprise. "Uh... I... I'm surprised..."

"The captain is another victim of Mr Zeke... And so will you be if we do nothing." Gabi whispered. "If... If they really were the devils in our textbooks they- they wouldn't have helped us, would they?"

Falco chewed on his stew.

Gabi narrowed her eyes, angry at herself for saying that and at Falco for not replying.

She slammed her hands on the table. "Are you just going to sit there and say nothing!" she yelled.

Falco immediately pressed his finger against his lips. "Hush! The captains downstairs!"

"Ok, and?"

"He'll hear!"

"He's in a coma and-"

The doors of the house were slammed open by a soldier. Someone they had never seen before. The man's eyes immediately scanned the room before it settled on Falco and Gabi. "Ah! There you are!" he said. "Stay put, alright. I just came here to check on you guys."

Falco and Gabi exchanged a look before their eyes settled on the soldiers.

"Alright!" the soldier waved dismissively. "Now that I know you're here..." the soldier closed the door and his hurried footsteps reached their ears.

Why was the man so... Nervous?

He can't be nervous because he's visiting a few kids.

the only thing that will make a soldier so stressed is either war itself or a threat of war which means-

"-Marley is here!" Falco concluded out loud.

Gabi snapped her head in his direction, hoping to burn in the brown of her eyes. "...really? Are you sure?" she asked, hopeful.

Falco shook his head. "I'm not sure. Not really. But think about it Gabi! They were evacuating their veteran force today!" he said out loud. "The guards are significantly younger today. Can't you see?"

Gabi rubbed her chin. "Yeah...But why?" she whispered. "You mean you're stationing their veteran forces to fight Marley? That's why we're stuck here with the rookies?"

Falco nodded. "But... Then it raises the question... What do we do with this information?" he asked out loud.

"We go find our allies! That's what we do!" Gabi said. She stood up straight and hit her fist against her palm. "Reiner and Colt definitely convinced them to come after us!"

Falco hummed, a smile appeared on his face. "Colt..." he whispered. "And Mr Braun... Then... We should go."

Gabi hummed thoughtfully. "The only deck Marley can use to bring its weapons is in the South." she said. "But this island's intelligence Agencies are stronger than what we imagined. Which means they'll probably collide on the southest city around."

Falco rubbed the side of his bandaged face. "So uhm... What was the name? We landed there..."

"Shingan? Shinigami? Something like that." Gabi said. "But I doubt we can just take a train and go there now."

"No but... The stables! There may be some horses nearby." Falco whispered out loud. "If we can sneak out with one, then we can go away!"

Gabis enthusiasm suddenly fell off her eyes when she saw the bandage around his face. "Bur Falco..." she whispered. "What if... What if Zeke shows up there? We might not have enough time to get you out of his range on time."

Falco touched the bandage again. "It's alright." he murmured. "I'm sure one of the warriors is there to help me out."

"Im... I'm not so sure. Erwin said not even they knew where Zeke was."

Falco narrowed his eyes. "I think he knows. He just feigns ignorance." he said, biting his tongue. "... For whatever reason, Erwin either doesn't want to or can't go after Zeke. Maybe with Marley, he has his hands full."

Falco swallowed hard. "Or maybe- maybe he's using Mr Zekes spinal fluid and titan turning ability to destroy his own rivals within Paradise military. Maybe he wants full control of the governments- whatever the reason- I don't think Mr Zeke will enter the war just yet."

Gabi pressed her mouth to a thin line. "So you... Do you agree with going down there?"

"If we want to meet our family again- I think we have no other choice." Falco said as confidentially as he could. "We are valuable to the warrior unit and Commander Erwin knows that. There is no way he would just let us go back home."

Gabi narrowed her eyes, a small smirk on her lips. "Good to hear that... I think I just know the trick to get out." she murmured. She rushed towards the bedrooms and yanked all the blankets and covers. She kneeled down and tied them all together.

Falco ran after her and fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Gabi! They'll see right through us if we use these as rope and try to get down!"

Her mocking smirk didn't disappear. "Yes. Im counting in that." she murmured. "Come help me with this. We'll throw this out of the window and wait for someone to notice. We hide inside and when they send people to find us, it should give us the clearance to sneak into the stables and steal a horse."

Falco picked up a side of the makeshift. "There is no way this will work."

"I can't believe that worked."

Gabi was sitting behind Falco, because her very presence seemed to spook the animal. Falco took the reins and stormed out of the headquarters.

The poor recruits noticed their escape the first moment but their superior told them to let them leave, they had their hands full preparing Trost for a possible attack.

Which gave the two of them the cover they needed to escape.

The city of Trost couldn't be seen after a few minutes. Based on the numbers Falco had read on Armin Arlerts diary, they would reach Shiganshina in about an hour to two on horseback.

For now, the scanary wasn't bad and if it wasn't for the silence filled by horse sounds, it would have been better. Falco looked at the mountains and the clear sky, there was only a cloud or two. While the earth was covered in green grass and sometimes white flowers.

Truly a Paradise...

After a while, the walls could be seen with all their might. If Falco focuses his eyes, he can make one or two figures running on the wall.

He felt a sharp tug on his hair. "Falco... Where are we going to go?" Gabi whispered, holding tightly to the boy. "We have no idea where Marley might be. Even if they are in that city."

Falco hummed thoughtfully. Before realization settled in his mind, his eyes widened almost joyfully. "Shiganshina!" he said loudly. "South of Shiganshina there must be an uninhabited place where Marley can land it's troops! If they are anywhere it should be there!"

"How do you know that?"

"south of Shiganshina is a mess, I wonder how they are ever going to rebuild it, knowing the military police they never will. But I guess that's something I as a scout don't have to worry about especially when we haven't taken the titan territory yet!" Falco recited Armin Arlerts words by heart. Still running as fast as he could towards the South of the city.

Gabi tried to pull her head back but Falco didn't move. "What the hell are you talking about?" she shouted.

The buzz of ODM gear filled the area as paradisian soldiers zipped through the city from the wall, towards south.

"It means the only possible place Marley can land on is the south of this city!" Falco shouted loudly, narrowing his eyes on the streets ahead. "Which means Colt is there!"

"Well, that's where the Soldiers are heading to aren't they?"

A sudden roar filled the area that made both of them freeze but sigh in relief. "Did you hear that! It's vice-chief Bruan!" Falco yelled, pointing at the wall, or well what was supposed to be behind it.

But they didn't get remotely close to Shiganshinas inner gate because at that moment, guns of some of the guards crooked in their direction. Unlike what Falco expected, there were soldiers guarding the back...

... And his mind slowly realized the lack of gunshot sounds in the area.

If Marley was here... This city should have been a blood bath.

Falco had no choice but to pull at the horse's rein and stop. Maybe they were wrong in their estimations after all.

The soldiers aimed their rifles at them and ordered them to stop.

Then looked at each other in surprise when they saw two kids who demanded to be let in.

After a lot of debate with the soldiers. They decided to really let them in but two of them led Gabi and Falco over the wall using an elevator and let them cross the wall towards the south where Commander Erwin was stationed.

On the wall, Gabi and Falco had a great view for the fight between the Attack titan and the Armored titan and Falco's suspicions turned out true because as far as he could see, the Marleyan soldiers inside the city were equipped only to fight humans.

"Where are the anti-titan weapons?" Gabi asked out loud, almost horrified.

Falco wanted to know why the Paradisians are so sure that the attack titan doesn't need help and are surrounding Marley like this.

And more importantly... Where are Ms Peick and Mr Galliard?

Cold dread threatened to swallow Falco's heart whole because... Where is Marley's airship fleet? Did the Paradisians win just like that or hadn't they arrived yet?

The soldier's grip on Gabis shoulder tightened. "They never had the chance to ensemble them before their airship fleet landed."

Falco's eyes widened.

"Landed?" Gabi and Falco said at the same time.

The fleet wouldn't just land, would they?

It took about half an hour to get from one side of the walls to the other by foot. All the while, the earth shook with the sound of the two titans fighting.

And when Falco focused... It looked like Eren Yeager was purposely dragging it out.

"Yes, the fleet were landed by Paradises inside men and the soldiers were taken as prisoners of war." a soldier said. "All of them are alive if you were looking for a relative."

Falco bit his lip. Sure, they had acted kindly to Falco but would they act the same way for Colt as a POW? Or to him?

The soldiers got the elevator ready for them to climb down the walls. Falco and Gabi stepped inside the container, it was big enough to carry several horses, Even.

this certainly isn't going how we hoped it would. Falco thought to himself. When Falco looked at Gabi from the corner of her eyes, he could see she was planning for escape.

The elevator landed and the soldiers pushed them off of it. Inside the city, They were near a house-like building before suddenly a desperate voice filled the area.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

Gabi and Falco exchanged a look immediately, a warm feeling washed over Falco's tense nerves when he recognised his brother's voice, even when it confused him.

That was Colt. There was no mistaking it.

"YOU SAID YOU'D KEEP HIM SAFE!"

Gabi blinked in surprise, the sound of the titan fighting down in the city slowly became a normal background. Gabi fisted her hands on her sides. "Why is... Colt here...?" she wondered out loud.

That... Was a very good question.

They entered the city with an elevator from above its outer gate and right around the corner, was Colt and Erwin. Colt who had angrily grabbed Erwins collar. Whose eyes dripped Venom. "Is this the sort of Protection? You offer this?" Colt shouted in Erwin's face.

Erwin gently hit Colts hands away. "No. It was a miscalculation." Erwin admitted. "They escaped and... Got themselves into this..."

"Well I would have never helped you if this is the amount of control you have in your regiment!"

Falco couldn't believe his eyes.

Why were they talking so... Casually?

Why wasn't the colt taken as well?

Why are they-

"...Colt?"

Colt immediately let go of the commander. He turned around with wide eyes as his brother's hazel eyes recognised his face.

Colt rushed to Colt and Falco did the same, almost tackled in a hug. Falco's smaller figure engulfed in Colts larger one. "Falco..." Colt whispered, running his hand through the others messy hair. "What are you going here? You should have stayed in Trost."

"Tro-Trost?" Falco murmured. He pulled back and broke the hug. "How do you know I was in..."

Colt pressed his mouth to a thin line. He slowly opened his lips to say something but couldn't find the courage to say so.

With every passing second of silence, Falco became more and more sure of the thought he'd been pushing off.

"Colt- why are you- why weren't you taken as a prisoner of war?" Falco asked out loud, his eyes wide.

Colt shut his eyes, hanging his head low. Colt grabbed Falco by the sides of his arms. "I... I made a deal with Erwin..." he murmured, his tone shaking with regret. "I help them... In exchange for a peaceful life for you and mom and dad."

Colts hand almost fell down.

Falco stared at him, confused, surprised.

"Co-lt-?"

Colt didn't look up, or meet his eyes.

The sudden silence was hard for Falco to comprehend.

Colt has... What?

Gabi recovered from this betrayal while Falco was still frozen. "What do you mean by... By helping them?" Gabi murmured out loud, her eyebrows twitched in a frown. "Don't tell me- Don't tell me you're like Zeke."

Colt didn't meet her eyes. He looked away, holding his brother tighter.

"You can think of me as you want." Colt whispered, running his hand up and down Falco's frozen body. "But Falco..." Colt sighed, he pulled back and kneeled down to be eye level with his little brother. "We'll have to leave right now. Take this."

Colt shoved a letter into Falco's hand. Falco looked down at it with surprise. His clothes didn't have a pocket so he'll have to hold it in his hands.

"I've explained everything inside it." Colt assured him. He stood up and held Falco's wrist tightly. "But it's ok because I'm here now."

Colt snapped his head towards Erwin. "I need a horse now," he said. "I'll have to get Falco out before Zeke shows up!"

Erwin shook his head but pointed at one of the men anyway. "A horse won't be much good. You'll have to get on the other side of Shiganshina over the wall because the Marleyans are scattered over the city and-"

The scout came back with two black and white horses on its toe. Colt took the reins and grabbed Falco and almost threw him over it. Gabi as well on the other horse. Colt secured Gabi on one and then Helped Falco stay upright.

Falco still couldn't fathom what was happening around him. But even then, he could hear quiet curses under Gabis lips, who was trying not to spook her animal.

Traitor.

Rebel.

Basta-

Colt looked at Erwin. "Climb up the wall and follow it towards the North. There should be Garrisons ready there to take you back down. And take you to Fiona district."

Colt nodded at him. "Well, thank you, then." he said and hoped on.

Suddenly Gabi frowned angrily and pushed her horse. It started running at top speed towards the enemy line. It took a few seconds for Falco to understand what she wanted to do.

No!

"Gabi!"

Colt seemed to have the same train of thoughts. His entire body froze and tensed up for a moment. Falco saw the true fear dancing in his eyes and shaking his hold around the rein. "Ignore her Falco!" Colt whispered-yelled. "She went to warn them so we should go-."

Colt hit the rein.

"-as fast as we can!"

The scouts readied the elevator but just as it was a couple of meters off the ground, the walls vibrated with an attention seeking roar.

The ground near them was assaulted with a round of crushed boulders.

Electricity ran through Falco's body.

Because at that moment, they realized the walls shook because of Zeke's transformation on top of them.

Falco and Colt stared in horror as the wires of the Elevator broke and the container fell into a pile of dust with an earth shattering sound.

"No way! Shit!" Colt crushed. He pulled the horse back and looked at Erwin. "Any other elevators around?" Falco could feel the panic not only from his panicked voice but from his hitched breath.

Erwin looked at Erwin over the walls. He narrowed his eyes with a hum. "I'm afraid not," he said.

Colt grit his teeth. His last threat of patience snapped. "Then I'll go through the city!" Colt whispered.

"Colt, don't make this mistake, downtown is flooded with Marleyan forces that could strike you down-"

Colt pulled back on the rien. Narrowing his eyes on the commander almost angrily. "I know. But You don't know Zeke, he has a thrill of taking the enemy off guard." he growled. "I have to take Falco away as fast as I can."

Falco grabbed him instinctively, and Colts rapid heartbeat slipped through the hug.

"I'll just get out of the range. And find Fiona district later. Or send someone to follow us once it's over. I don't care."

Falco held on tightly to his brother.

"Gabi is ahead, so we must go! Now!"

Colt didn't wait for Erwins orders before he pushed his horse to ride forward.

With Zeke above the ground and sending crushed boulders at Mr Reiners direction, there was no time to waste.

Falco held on to his brother. For once, he wished Gabi hadn't reached where she was heading for.

Whatever this injection was- Porco couldn't find his next step from the previous one. The only thing kept him uptight and stopped him from poking the breakfast he ate on the navy on the three guards taking them down stairs, was his pride.

These devils keep pulling tricks from their sleeves.

Porco growled angrily, pushing his hands back and forth from where they were tied in front of him. He looked at Pieck from the corner of his eyes. She has had a better time recovering from the initial effects of that poison. Her eyes were clearly searching for a way out.

"Where will we put them?"

A guard asked, while leading them down the dungeons.

The main guard put his gun over his shoulder. "A cell deep underground for now." he said as a matter of fact. "Until Commander Erwin says otherwise."

"Floch don't you think-"

The man, Floch, shot him a glare. "Do not second guess Commander Erwin's orders!" he said, narrowing his eyes angrily at the guard. "... Or do you want me to report your actions? Huh?"

The two exchanged a look and then stayed silent.

Once they climbed down the stairs, the opportunity of revenge presented itself in the form of a long hallway.

Pieck and Porco exchanged a look.

This was perfect, an abandoned dark hallway with stoned grounds. They could climb the stairs right back up and jump out from the window on the higher stairs. And to Porco, the three men behind him looked like ponies.

Porco narrowed his eyes, he pressed his left thumb inwards with his right hand until it cracked.

The sound of it cracking was lost in the sound of their footsteps. Which allowed Porco to slip his left hand out of the handcuff.

He didn't waste time, just as Pieck stopped and kicked a guard in his knee and then kneed him in the face. Porco punched the man who was carrying a shotgun in the face and spun the gun out of his hand.

In the split second that the Floch took to put his hand in the trigger, Porco shot him in between his eyebrows.

He fell.

Porco took a simple moment to look at the redhead on the ground. "Did you really think it was that easy, huh?" he spat. "...Catching us off guard is nothing to be proud of!"

Pieck rubbed her sore wrists. "You alright?" she asked.

Porco rubbed the side of his face. He had to actually stay up and take a deep breath to calm the vision that was dancing around his mind. "Dizzy..." he murmured. "But I can manage."

Pieck looked at the hallway. "Looks like Magath was right." she whispered. "They are prepared to face us. Alright. Let's go."

Pieck took Porco's hand and climbed up the stairs. At the first window of the second floor, Pieck and Porco jumped out of it with the Scouts bullets following them in toe.

Pieck and Porco ran as fast as they could towards the city center. With none of them being able to transform, this was the only way to reach the Marleyan forces.

A bullet penetrated Porco's shoulder just as They took a corner and hid away from the rain of fire.

Porco leaned against the wall. For a curious moment, he looked at the wound. It sealed shut almost instantly, the steam and healed wounds pushed the bullet out with the least effort.

Porco stared at the bullet as it fell to the ground. He'd never been this good at healing before. He looked at his hands, his knuckles were mere with blood that wasn't his own.

Pieck looked at it with a small huff. "Well, at the very least we're sure it has healing capabilities." she murmured. "The commander said the poison overrides titan healing to the point it surpasses transforming."

"Devils..." he growled. "When do you think it'll get as it was?"

Pieck looked at the other side. "I have no clue." she whispered. "But it should be soon, for me at least."

Porco rolled his eyes.

Pieck started running again, Porco followed after him. "Why me? I bet if Reiner had this serum-" he sighed loudly.

Soon, Pieck and Porco rushed inside the place the Markeyan forces were hiding in Shiganshina's downtown. The white uniformed soldiers almost sighed in relief after seeing the two.

Porco almost felt ashamed. He couldn't transform and-

Piecks hit against his chest snapped him out of his thoughts. "There must be a change of plans." Pieck said loudly. "Where is Commander Magath? The airfleet?"

A soldier stepped in. "The airship hasn't appeared yet," he said. "And so hasn't commander Magath."

"Well, where is Krolov, then?"

"On the radio. Gabi said she had something very important to say."

"Gabi-" "Gabi?" they said at the same time.

The two of them didn't waste time and rushed towards the south where the radios were stationed. Where they were supposed to hear the orders from Magath. But instead, they find Krolov and Gabi.

Gabi threw her hands in the air, she was in the middle of her speech. "So I don't know what Colt did. But the airfleet isn't coming."

"Commander Korolov-"

But Krolov held up a hand, silencing Pieck before she could say what she wanted. He looked at Porco and Pieck for a moment, simply to acknowledge their existence before he looked at Gabi again.

His eyes turned dark. "So Magath was right. There was a restorationist in our ranks." he said, fisting his hands. "But it wasn't Yeager... It was Grice!"

Porco's eyes widened. "What the-"

Gabi nodded frantically. "The airfleet isn't coming and it's because of Colt that Commander Magath was captured by the devils!"

Porco stepped in, making a slicing motion with his hands. "What is going on here? The airfleet isn't coming?"

Gabi looked down and away. "No... I saw it with my own eyes. They have landed outside Shig- whatever- the city and commander Magath was taken."

Porco rushed in and grabbed her by her shoulders. "How's that possible? What does Colt have to do with any of this?" he asked, shaking Gabi back and forth. Porco was unable to keep his feelings from pouring into his voice. "Answer me, Gabi!"

Gabi sniffed, she finally looked up at Porco apologetically. "I-I don't know but Colt had made some sort of deal with- With Erwin and- and he let double agents slip inside the airfleet and take it from the inside out- I think- or well- that's what I overheard."

Porco's hands froze above the girl's shoulders.

He searched Gabis eyes for an ounce of lies. He found uncertainty, which he saw plenty, but nothing of lies. His hands started to shake slowly but he grabbed Gabis shoulders tighter, afraid someone might see that weakness.

"You're wrong." Porco murmured, looking directly into Gabis eyes. "Colt isn't a rebel- he just- he isn't. You've heard wrong and can't trust your assumptions."

"Yes, we can!"

Kolov's orders pierced through the thick atmosphere. "Everyone- For now, everyone stays on alert. The moment these devils come to protect their titan we strike them down. shoot him dead the moment he passes. If he does. He might be passing."

Porco slowly turned around.

At first, his eyes looked at Piecks, who crossed her arms over her chest and was drowned in her own thoughts. When their eyes met, Porco almost begged her to say something. Something that would prove Gabi wrong.

Because Colt?

Pieck looked away.

And the thread broke.

"No! We can't do that!" Porco snapped, standing up to his feet. "We have to at least give him a chance to defend himself!" he shouted. "We can't just-"

"Yes we can!" Krolov yelled. "The moment that traitor passes from us we'll shoot him down for good. And-"

Yellow lightning cramped on top of the northern walls, as if there was another sun shining down on them. All their eyes focused on the wall. And there- with the famous lightening pattern, appeared the beast titan.

Zeke held up a fist ful of crushed boulders and crushed them into smaller pieces. Before his perfect aim threw Reiners armored titan off of Erens attack.

Krolovm narrowed his eyes. "I guess that would be our queue. Get the little anti titan weapons we have ready." he ordered the soldiers who slowly rushed back to their posts.

"And Galliard-"

Porco snapped his head towards Krolov.

"-no more words that Rebel understands?"

Porco fisted his bloody knuckles. "You have no proof that he's a traitor!" he shouted, loud enough that it echoed all over the empty rooftops.

Krolov narrowed his eyes.

"Yes I do."

"That's Bullshit of the truth! I've known Colt for nine years! Since this warrior unit was created!" Porco snapped, throwing his hand in the air. "Nobody knows him better than me! There is no way- there is no fu-"

"The Rebel!"

Porco turned around, horrified from the sound coming from the south, a horse. It was unmistakably a horse. It would reach them, or pass from near them, in about a few minutes.

Just as Porco went through that, their soldiers rushed towards the east. The eastern side of the Marleyan posts.

Porco shut his eyes for a moment.

Although his mind told him that this was the truth, the truth that even Pieck agreen on- his senses couldn't believe Colt- Colt- was a traitor.

There was just no way.

Was it because of all that teasing? What could have possibly driven Colt to this? When did they even have the chance to plan? No. This is impossible for more reasons that I can count.

"Commander Korolov! This can't be the truth! Maybe if Colt comes around here- he wants to help up!" he said loudly.

Krolov growled angrily. "Just admit it- damn it-"

"No! That's- when could Colt even talk to Erwin? When on this earth-"

"Torana! On it's annual festivals!" Krolov snapped angrily. "The first time we saw that devil!"

Porco's eyes widened.

"That's all I can think of and that's all the reason I need to accuse an Eldian!" Krolov said as a matter of fact. "Colt can be on his way to ruin more of our plans. He's dangerous will all he knows. Are you going to argue with that?"

Porco was ready to say his string of thoughts but Piecks firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. Porco turned around.

Pieck pressed her mouth to a thin line. "Accept it, Porco..." she said. "You know he is capable of it..."

No...

this is bullshit...

Porco opened his mouth to say something-

- but the sound of a loud gunshot and the pained sound of a horse filled the area.

"WE GOT HIM!"

Not even Pieck could stop Porco from running towards where the order was coming from. Right around the corner, eastern street, a horse ran out of the street.

Which meant Colt was there.

Porco ran towards the sound. Pieck followed right after him.

Time seemed to slow down when Porco reached that street. The earth shaking sounds of Eren and Reiners fight seemed to be just that background.

Right after there, Colt and Falco had fallen down after their horse was shot. Who could have shot their horse? Why didn't the Marleyans just shoot Colt off the ride?

Porco pushed the thought aside. He looked up, right on the rooftops above the place Colt and Falco had fallen, the Marleyan soldiers aimed their guns.

"no! STOP!"

But Porco's hands could never stop the rain of bullets down the two brothers that were tens of meters away.

In a split second choice, Colt wrapped his arms around his brother's figure and hugged him tightly, shielding the smaller from the bullet rain at his back.

The bullets rained down on Colt's back.

What did he think of the moments that pierced his body?

Was he regretting it? Was he in the right?

If you're a traitor... Then why didn't you just stay back? You idiot.

Porco didn't bother pointing at the men to stop shooting. This poison in his veins would protect him anyway.

Pieck stayed back however, she screamed something. Porco didn't hear it. Her words made the Marleyans stop their shooting.

because there was no one else to shoot. All those Paradisiansa were safe on their walls, looking down at them with triumphant smirks on their lips as if the Marleyans were caged rats.

And the person who had passed here... Was Colt.

Porco had eyes only for the two brothers in front of him. Falco was shielded from his view but he could see Colts back.

And the white in his clothes were giving their place to a gushing red that was slipping out of the black wounds scattered over the others back.

And even though the nasuia was still clouding his judgment, Porco saw the way Colts figure slowly lost its balance towards the left.

Porco ran and kneeled down right on time to catch Colt before he fell to the ground.

Porco held Colt upright, mindful that the bullet wounds wouldn't touch the ground. "Colt? Oi, Colt?" Porco murmured, gently hitting Colts face. "Open your eyes- Hey, Oi!"

Porco looked at Falco, who was clutching a bloodstained letter to his heart. The front of his Blue and Green shirt and pants were bloodstained, almost changing color completely. Red traveled down his cheek and his stunned eyes looked at Porco. "Mr- Mr Galliard?"

Porco let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he realized the blood on Falco's clothes wasn't his own.

And then seized up when he realized they are Colts.

Falco's eyes fell on Colts limp figure. "Co-Colt?" he gasped. "What- what happened we avoided the- the- but then the horse fell and I-"

Falco was pushed into silence when Colt coughed up. It shook his body, and made red travel down his lips.

Porco shut his eyes. Even if The Marleyans wanted to help him, there was no way Colt could survive all this many bullet wounds and-

Porco looked up, Falco's hands shook around the blood stained letter in his hands. His clothes- the red on his face.

-Blood loss.

Weak fingers grabbed at Porco's collar. He looked down and saw Colts wide eyes. "Save-" Colt gasped with his dying breaths. "-Save Fa-lco."

why?

"What's wrong?" Porco asked the younger boy immediately. "What happened to you?"

But Falco's eradicated breathing and the way his eyes could only focus on Colts quickly paling face, he was in no way able to answer.

"Oi, Falco- you're healthy, why do you need saving?" Porco pushed Falco with his other hand.

But again, the boy was in no position to answer him.

Porco took a deep breath to calm himself down. Colts held his hand up, as if taking Porco's attention back at himself. Porco took it and held it tightly, "I will." he promised his friend even though he wasn't sure what he was promising.

Colts eyes slowly softened. As if his tired mind could just recognise who he was seeing.

"Porc- I'm... Sor-y."

Porco grit his teeth together. "No. Don't say it. If you're apologizing then- no. There is no way." he growled, shutting his eyes.

Colt held his hand tighter with all the strength left in his body. "Save... Falco..." he whispered. Or maybe Porco imagined the last part because all that left Colts lips was a hitched breath and then it became lifeless weight in Porco's arms.

Porco stared in horror at him for a moment.

"Co-Colt?" Falco whispered, he held the letter close to his heart and shook Colts body with the other. "Wake- Wake up, Colt! Wake up- brother-"

Porcos eyelids fell down, he grabbed Falco's hand. No need to say anything.

Falco's breath hitched.

Porco looked down at Colt. "So it was true." he murmured near Colts face. "I can't believe it. This isn't you."

Colts eyes stared without seeing, up at the sky.

You are... Are a rebel. A restorationist.

No. You aren't that kind of Person.

Did they threaten you? With Falco? Is that why you begged me to save him?

Porco let out a deep exhale.

No.

Porco closed Colts lifeless eyes. He slowly put Colts body down on the ground, much to Falco's horror.

I'll figure your reasons out another time.

Porco stood up, his eyes dark and hooded. "Let's go Falco." Porco murmured, he grabbed Falco's wrist and pulled him up to his feet.

Falco's eyes stayed on the ground. "But- But- Colt."

Porco snapped his angry eyes towards the boy. "Yes. Colt. I promised him something and I intend to hold up my end of the promise!" He snapped.

Porco pulled Falco after him, his own steps felt heavier and heavier for the poor boy. And the olders angry hold will definitely bruise Falco's wrist.

By the time Porco pulled Falco away from Colt and towards Pieck, Gabi had reached them and had hidden behind Pieck.

"Gabi." he said out loud. The girl tensed behind Pieck. The riffle thrown across her shoulder jumped and made a sound. "Ye-Yes! Mr Galliard!" she whispered.

Porco looked at the girl from the corner of his eyes. "Why was Colt trying to save Falco?" he asked non nonchalantly. The only piece of information Colt had forgotten to convey.

Gabi took a sharp breath. Her eyes fell on Falco's still face. Porco ignored it for his sanity. She shot her head. "Falco has ingested some of Zeke's spin-spinal fluid. I think Colt was trying to-to get him away from Zeke's range."

For a moment, Porco felt his blood boil in his veins. Could that have been it? Is that why Colt betrayed them? or wait? Did he betray them or did Gabi jump into conclusions? He thought to himself. did they blackmail him with this? Wait. What did Colt do that classified it's betrayal?

The more time passed, the more Porco realized Gabi had probably jumped into conclusions.

He grit his teeth together and stood up. "So Falco might just transform any moment Zeke screams right? And not just Falco. Probably a whole lot of people around us." he said angrily. "Well then, Pieck?"

Pieck pressed her mouth to a thin line. "The backup squads are on their way. We can catch up to them and find General Magath before it's too late."

Krolov stepped between them. "Hold on! Hold on! Are you just going to leave? In the middle of this mess?"

"We have no other choice!" Porco snapped. "I still believe Colt has nothing to do with this and even if we were- the only person who could tell them what the hell is going on is shot dead."

Porco grabbed Falco's wrist tightly and pulled him up and away from Colts corpse. He looked right at Krolov's eyes. "And if we leave now, we'll just be eaten and Marley will lose the jaw and the cart on top of any chance it has on turning the cards."

Krolov looked at Porco and then Pieck, when he saw the determination in their eyes. He exhaled in a sigh. "If you're so sure of yourselves then fine."

Porco didn't wait for Krolov to finish. He turned to Pieck with narrowed eyes. "Can you transform now?" he asked.

But even then, Porco didn't wait for Piecks answer. Sure, the dizziness he felt right after being injected with the Zoe syringe was gone but he still felt the fatigue laying in the back of his eyes. He wasn't, he would be able to transform even if he tried.

Pieck narrowed her eyes almost dangerously. "I don't have a knife so-" She hummed quietly. Pieck raised her hand to her mouth and bit down on the side of her finger. It wasn't deep enough to bruise.

Pieck looked at Gabi. "Gabi, give me the knife attached to your rifle." she said, finally.

Gabi abandoned the rifle she was given and snatched the knife to give it to Pieck. Pieck sliced it across his palm without thinking twice.

The wound steamed and steamed until it was shut again.

"The effects are less..." she whispered out loud. "If I make a deep enough cut I just might be able to..."

Porco pushed Falco closer to himself and stepped back, further from Piecks small range. "Do it then-"

Pieck sliced the knife across her wrist, deep enough that it could have amputated her.

To everyone's relief, yellow lightning gathered in the area.

"It's done. I aimed for the horse just as you asked."

Erwin looked at the horizon; if he ignored the sound of Eren and Reiners fighting, he could almost call it peaceful.

Erwin nodded at the messenger's words. "... And Colt?" he asked, looking down at the city.

"They struck him down. One of the warriors wants to take care of Falco, that's our best guess." The messenger said.

Erwin waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, return to your post." he ordered.

The man saluted and returned down. Left Erwin alone with his assistant, Adler.

Erwin cleared his throat after a few seconds of deafening silence. "Ask, Adler." he said, more of an ordering tone.

Adler swallowed hard. "Well uhm- I don't dare to question your decisions sir," he said in his defense, fear slipping down his tone.

"It's ok, you can ask."

Adler looked away. "Sir... I don't dare to question your decisions... But... was shooting down the Owl-" Adler trailed off, looking at Erwin, his pupils almost shaking from fear and confusion.

Erwin looked at Adler from the corner of his eyes. "I warned him," he said as a matter of fact. "And I'm not in a position to be flexible. To forgive those who disobey me."

Erwin walked away, patting Adler in the shoulder with a hard grip. "We are in the middle of war, Adler." Erwin said as a matter of fact, an edge of threat aimed at his seemingly loyal assistant.

Erwin let go of Adler's shoulders, his grip was tight enough to make the young man's shoulder throb painfully.

"I think we are far enough."

Piecks titan voice pierced the silence like a dagger.

Porco looked at the wall, narrowing his eyes, his blood boiling in his veins.

Who was he angry at? Who knew?

Porco looked at Piecks titan head. "Stop running, alright! Didn't you say we were far enough!" he said, unable to control the anger in his mind.

"we can not. If they really want to activate the rumbling, the pure titans they'll unleash will follow us." Pieck said as a matter of fact. "We'll have to get far enough that the pure titans can't sense you and me."

Porco huffed angrily. "This island..." he took a deep breath. "... Is making me want to poke."

Falco hugged himself tighter.

Porco shut his eyes, stopped his raging heart when he remembered... That... Scenery.

Falco's shaking hands slowly ripped the letter open, Porco wanted to stop him. The small letter was soaked in Colts blood. There was no point in opening it.

Falco's hands vibrated enough that he could barely coordinate them. Desperately seeking answers, Falco put the paper into his teeth and bit a corner off, it was easier than keeping his calm about it. Falco pressed his trembling lips together and ripped the rest of the letter open.

Falco swallowed hard and took out three papers. Three blood soaked papers that would have offered more than enough explanation. If only...

Falco presses the papers to his chest. "I- I can't read it..." he murmured, a sob escaped his lips. "So-So much blood it- it made it- it- Illegible."

A dam broke behind Falco's eyes and he finally- finally started crying.

Porco knew how to do many things. He was ready to use most of his skills here in Paradise.

But he never thought Paradise would do such injustice.

He wasn't the only one drowned in guilt. because in the corner, Gabi swallowed hard and reached out to her overwhelmed friend. "Hey... Falco..." she mumbled.

Falco slapped her hand away. He turned his head up to glare daggers at Gabi with her tearful eyes.

He said nothing, or maybe, he lost the ability to speak.

Maybe he didn't need to say the words out loud, it was written all over his face.

Colt died because of you.

Porco looked at the two, he himself was torn apart. How could this be a reality?

Colt?

Colt?

He regretted every single joke he made about his restorationist family. Every taunt, every foul mouth. Did that gave him the idea? Porco couldn't think of anything else other than-

That devil.

Porco grit his teeth angrily, he had never been so eager to spill someone's blood, but now he wanted the person who put Colt in this path dead.

Porco shut his eyes. "Come here, Falco." he murmured, pulling the crying boy into his arms. Falco sank into his embrace without shyness, too out of it to notice anything.

Porco hugged the boy tightly, running his hand through his hair. "We'll find out the truth about this." Porco promised him. "There has to be a reason. Colt wouldn't have done this just for the fun of it. We'll find out and make that person pay."

Falco shook his head in the man's embrace.

Porco just held him tighter.

That's right.

He'll get to the bottom of this.

Colt wouldn't be dragged down like this for-

Porco was snapped out of his thoughts when Falco flinched and shook.

Falco stiffened.

Porco immediately pulled back. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Falco shut his eyes, wiping under his eyes with his dirt stained sleeve. "No.. It's... Zeke..." he murmured, slowly opening his eyes.

Porco looked behind them, horror laced in his gaze. "... So that bastard screamed," he concluded. "It's only a matter of time before-"

But Porco didn't get the chance to finish his words before the ground started to rumble.

Erwin took a moment to enjoy the dance of wind on his face before he had to jump into yet another battle of word against word.

Magath...

Erwin rubbed the bridge of his nose. The sound of fist against fist of the titan fight below then took all his attention. Thankfully, the Marleyans inside Shiganshina were stationed to fight vs humans.

He truly didn't know what Zeke was planning. All he knew was that he needed to get in contact with Eren and there was no way in the world Eren wouldn't overpower Zeke.

So... That he is sure of.

Meanwhile, thanks to Colt, most of the Marleyans anti-titan weapons never had the chance to be stationed. He doubted those few free soldiers who had sneaked inside the city could do much inside the titan fight as long as they didn't have humans to fight with.

And Erwin wants to pull them all out of their hiding spot. They are the only people that can order them out... Is their commander Magath.

Another headache.

Adlers footsteps echoed on the wall and Erwin looked up. Two soldiers stood on guard behind Adler and Adler himself guided Magath to stand in front of Erwin.

Magaths hands were handcuffed in front of him.

Erwin fought the urge to smile. The last time he talked to Magath looked like a lifetime ago. Back then, Magath had Willy Tybur on his side.

-and Erwin had Hange and Levi-

"Thank you, Adler. You can leave me and commander Magath to our negotiations." Erwin ordered, never taking his eyes off Magaths stoic face.

Adler hit his fist against his heart and walked away.

Erwin cleared his throat. "We meet again, General Magath, congratulations on your promotion." he said, opening his arms, mockingly inviting.

"... I'm sure you have lots of questions."

"I do." Magath growled angrily, breaking his stoic look. "For starters, what lies did you feed Colt?"

"Just the right information at the right time." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "But that's not why I called you here.

Erwin took a step closer to make the large between the two slightly less.

"Listen, General Magath." Erwin said. "Some officers have been infected with Zeke Yeagers spinal fluid."

Magaths glare just turned even darker.

Erwin cleared his throat.

"We can have a stare contest all you want. But once Zeke screams, it won't be my men who are being devoured by titans. And I'm not going to risk my men to save yours." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "For your information, The cart and the jaw will not be able to transform. Well, Jaw titan won't be able to."

Magath clicked his jaw.

"What do you want from me?"

Was all he said.

Erwin took another step towards him to cross the distance. "Not much." he said. "Call your and tell them to surrender."

"So that we can all be your prisoners of war?" Magath spat.

"Precisely."

"Will your precious allies in the West be mad if we battle?" Magath growled. "What are you going to do next? Leak their boots?"

Erwin shook his head.

"You haven't changed one bit since the last time we talked." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "Still so delusional, so-"

"And you haven't changed one bit either. Thinking you can spin the world in your finger. You think you're so smart? You don't know the West like we do." Magath snapped back. "Those bastards are only using you and the power of the titans to get rid of Marley."

"Interesting. They've taken a page from your book, then." Erwin said, pressing his mouth to a thin line.

Magath chuckled. "You know what I've understood about you, Smith? You love being in control. But one day this control will slip right between your fingers. And without a greater ambition, you'll succumb to the same illness every man in absolute power in history had."

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line.

Magath wasn't in a position to comment on his plans.

Erwin waved dismissively. "I've already exchanged enough clever comebacks with Willy Tybur. Don't change the subject. What is your choice, Magath."

Erwin crossed his hands behind his back again. "The clock is ticking." he reminded him. "The moment the reinforcements reach Paradise's shores our pact will be over. I know they are coming."

"Pact?" He chuckled. "I didn't agree to anything, Smith."

"And if you keep me and limited resources occupied, it'll take more time for us to find Zeke Yeager. You know what happens when the founding titan gets in contact with a titan of Royal blood, right?"

Magath narrowed his eyes. "I believed that you were bluffing about that fact and I still think you are. You're just playing mind games again." Magath said confidently. "The rumbling was never out of your reach. You can't convince me or anyone else otherwise that-"

A roar echoed in the city below them.

The ground seemed to shake under their feet as several blasts of yellow lightning came from inside the city zone.

Followed by a dead silence.

If someone dropped a needle, the sound of it would echo down in Shiganshina.

Erwin looked away from Magath and down the wall.

Eren's titan finally stopped playing with Reiner and pushed him back, just in time that a ward of pure titans attacked the armored, Reiner fell down, slowly being devoured.

Then Eren spared a look at Reiner before he stepped back.

So Did Erwin.

On the other side of the wall, Zeke stood in his titan form and finally did something other than throwing rocks. He raised his hand and jumped down, transforming just as he landed on the ground.

"EREN!"

Erwin yelled at the top of his lungs. He could see Magath raise an eyebrow at how much he could yell.

The attack titan stopped in it's march towards the beast titan..

The attack titan turned towards the wall.

Erwin cleared his throat again. "EREN!... TURN BACK HUMAN... AND LET US HANDLE ZEKE!"

Erwin screamed in infront of everyone. Of his own soldiers, of enemy men, prisoners of war and maybe one or two civilians who were left behind. There was no ignoring the way the Survey corps couldn't have stopped the attack titan with his hands full, thanks to the Marleyans 'sneak' attack.

But of course, it was enough to take a look at those devilish eyes to know there was no yielding in them. Eren turned back towards the beast titan-

-and ran to it at full speed.

In a matter of seconds, the founding titan would reunite with someone of Royal blood.

Erwin snapped his head towards his men. "Evacuate immediately! Do not engage with the beast or attack. It's too dangerous!" he swung his hand. "I repeat! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY-"

The ground seemed to shake the moment. Dusk rose to the sky, blocking the sun. Soon everyone was lost in a sudden, red atmosphere.

Before the red disappeared, replaced by blue, Erwin was frozen, his hand raised above to point at his men to evacuate, and on the other hand, there was no one to evacuate.

There was a plain of white sand, a starless black sky and a silhouette of a tree.

Hear me... All subjects of Ymir.

The words weren't said out loud, but they were a thought in Erwins mind.

He was there with a variety of people he had never seen before, some of whom wore the famous Eldian Armband.

My name is Eren Yeager... And I'm speaking to you through the power of the founding titan.

Erwin chuckled. "So you won against Zeke..." He whispered out loud.

All the Hardening within Paradise island has been undone and the titans are free to roam.

Erwin looked at the shocked gasps that came from the Eldians of Marley.

My goal is to protect the people of Paradise... Who bore and raised me. The world hates us and won't stop until all of us are killed.

Erwin narrowed his eyes.

I'm going to move forward, until all life outside its walls...

Erwin felt his body materialize again and the ground hardened. The world fell all around him like Erwin had just jumped from a height.

... Are exterminated.

Erwin blinked in surprise.

Erwins shoulders slumped down.

Out of both relief and-

The wall they were standing on cracked like an eggshell.

"move, move, MOVE!" Erwin yelled.

Two soldiers jumped in, one caught Erwin and the other caught Magath just in time so as not to let them fall with their ODM gear.

Then the wall shattered, A colossal titan stepped out of it.

That split second between the moment Erwin recognised one of his own kind steps out of that wall and when he landed safely on the ground, Erwin ran through every single memory he could put his hand on since he received the colossal.

Did I do everything right?

A row of Colossal titans slowly made a line to walk through the Scouts and their prisoners of war. It looked like they truly had no intention of harming the people of the walls.

Is there nothing I missed?

The reflection of the raw Colossal titans passed his blue eyes.

Well... It's too late now.

I calculated everything precisely.

All I can do now... Is watch.

He tried to keep up the act of being surprised and offended-

-but a small victorious smirk rose to his lips when no one was watching.

Giants.

Hurried screams.

Who could let go of this opportunity?

Eren felt as light as a child, or maybe he was. He felt like a ten year old, so young and carefree. He spread his hands because he flew in the clouds, cool air passed his eyes and under his feet was a wide expanse of empty ground.

Forests, desserts...

Oceans...

Eren giggled loudly, holding his arms wide like a bird.

"This is-"

Eren held his hands up. "FREEDOM!" he shouted loud enough that his voice echoed around the clouds.

The Colossals fest stomped the ground, nothing left of them.

And yet, Eren was so high above the ground that he couldn't see the people he killed, couldn't hear their screams, their pleas.

Or some even prayed.

Too bad Eren couldn't see them. All he could see was the blue sky, the white clouds. All he could feel was the wind on his face. He knew he shouldn't start running or the spell would break. The birds around him would stop flying but-

"We will be free!" Eren cheered. "Isn't that what we wanted from the start, Armin!"

The name sparked electricity down Erens mind.

"Armin!" Eren said loudly, a smile spreading through his face. "I made it, Armin! I made it to the sea!"

Eren said that loudly enough that Armin could hear it, no matter which cloud Armins soul was resting in.

... As he used to say when they were little...

Erens tiny heart panged painfully in his chest...

Until he felt someone behind him and turned around suddenly, standing there, was the blond he was thinking about earlier!

Armin looked at him like he was seeing a ghost. He was pale, paler than he remembered it. And uh... He looked different. Were his eyes always this blue? Uh, his hair looks almost golden. Eren had forgotten the shade of them after almost five years.

Armin clutched his shirt, above his heart.

Erens smile engulfed his ten year old face. "Armin! Isn't it great! You look like you want to leave! I'm sorry- destroying humanity is the only chance we have at seeing it in peace!" he shouted. "We promised to see the ocean together! Don't leave me now!"

The next moment, two firm hands were on Erens shoulders and tears fell from his blue eyes like a river.

"Eren!" Armin shouted, pulling Eren back and forth. "Please wake up! You're scaring me!"

Up close, Armin looked ever more different that the silhouette Eren remembered from him.

No one can blame Eren, can they? He's never been the best at remembering faces...

Armin's strong hold around his shoulders tightened even more. "Eren! Wake up! Snap out of it!"

Armin bit his lip, he hit Erens shoulder a few times with fists that lacked any real power. "Wake up! Stupid! We have training tomorrow! You want Levi to kill us?"

The world spinned around them, Armin's eyes were not seeing the same scenery Eren was. To Armin, they were in their shared room. In the Survey Corps headquarters. To Armin, it was merely weeks after the victory of Trost.

"Eren..."

Armin fell back on the bed, his mouth slightly open while he stared at Erens frozen face. Eren's face was barely lit with the room's only candle, that was on the small table of their shared room.

Their room was deadly silent other than Erens threat of death and killing that Armin couldn't silence. Eren kept talking.

Armin swallowed hard. He clutched his diary to his heart. If only he hasn't stayed up to complete it. He wouldn't have had to deal with Erens night terrors so frequently. Armin looked at Eren's face, at the crooked smile that sat in his lips, the dead look and the one hundred yard stare on his jade eyes. "You're scaring me..." Armin mumbled.

With shaking hands, Armin reached for his diary and opened the notebook. When he wrote what Eren was saying, his handwriting was crooked.

A few words in and the paper was strained with Armins fearful tears of what he would do if Erens visions actually came true. It wouldn't. Would it? That was just stupid.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. He'll go straight to a doctor and have Eren checked. He can't let this get out of hand.

Word after word, Armin writes everything down in his diary, hoping he will help Erens recovery by showing them to the doctor.

Armin doesn't.

Notes:

Sooooo how was it?

I needed Porco to hate Paradise even more for the development I have in mind for him. So I thought- well- what better to kill off someone he's so close to? XD hit two birds with one stone. Both Falco and Porco are devastated now.

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 19: People help the people: Orders.

Notes:

Sorry... No photos or Erwins POV. Instead I decided to put Erwins POV the last section of this story becouse this attempt turned out wierd. So I'm just moving on with Jeans POV until they clash with Eren. And I tried sooooo hard to post my photos here and failed miserably!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The Colossal titans marched forward, in a line, not caring whether an animal or human passed between them and was crushed.

Erens founding titan was big enough that he could barely see the ground from two hundred meters up. Not a good enough view. He would never be able to distinguish the people he killed.

Up there, all were just a dot.

Erwin found the battle between the pure titans within Shiganshina and the Scouts highly boring as he'd seen it thousands of times before.

His blue eyes focused on the marching titans behind him. The red dust was quickly settling and if Erwin narrowed his eyes enough he could see the blue of the skies appearing between clouds of endless Steam.

Meanwhile, Erwin pushed his hands into his pocket, searching for the only letter he hadn't read from those found in Hanges office.

It was a letter from Toranas ambassador to him.

Erwin sighed loudly. they, or anyone of his hard earned allies, won't like the fact.

All those meetings were now useless banter.

Erwin opened the letter.

"Erwin Smith,"

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. The ambassador was nothing short of brutally honest. Her country was in a position that could afford that.

But now with the Rumbling as it was, Erwin could guess what this letter was about. A threat. A threat that Erwin couldn't pinpoint whether it was an empty one or a dangerously fulfilling vow.

Erwins eyes scanned the rest of the letter.

"I am certain you know what I want to speak of. It truly pains me to bring these words on paper, but not more that it pained me and my comrades were forced to leave the island. After all the help, the trades, the convictions, I hoped we would part on better terms.

I am well aware of the fact that you, Erwin Smith, aren't in command while I wrote this letter. However, I know this is merely temporary, and you'll return to power soon enough. Which is why I'm directing this letter to you and not commander Justivs.

The amendments in the treaty you had with our prince is the same as it always was. If the Rumbling reaches Toranas soil, Paradise will pay the consequences. Paradise should take that as a fact. You, Erwin Smith, know very well that we didn't align with Marley to protect our nation from an out war like this. If the Rumbling reaches the west, it will be dragged into the war.

Stay true to your word, and keep Eldia and Marleys war just as that, Eldia and Marley's conflict. If it's dragged to the west or any of its colonies, Paradise is the one that will pay, in blood.

You remember the treaty right? In all the years I've been working for my country, I had never seen someone so skilled in stringing truths in a way that suits you. It can't be blamed. Marley was still fighting the allied forces. Before Willy Tybur intervened, was either you and your sweet words, or Marley, whom we'd been at proxy wars for god knows how long.

You assured us the founder is under your control. Paraded the poor boy around in every opportunity you had. But that? That is a madman. I can see it in his eyes that he has lost the will to trust anyone, even you.

I can see it in his eyes. He has lost someone precious because of you, hasn't he?

Even then, as the ambassador, I knew we could trust you but we had to be cautious. You said the rumbling won't touch our soil.

And now... Lets see how much of a man of your word you truly are."

Erwin folded the paper again, pushing it into his pocket, just as he heard a zap of ODM gear near himself. He turned around, Adler stumbled on to stand on his two feet, struggling to work with his ODM gear. "Sir!" he shouted. "I have bad news! The foundations of Trost have been shaken by the rumbling! The city is in shambles and so is Krolva and-!"

Erwins eyes widened. "The exterior cities!" he whisper-yelled. "The recruits will handle it for now. Once Shiganshina is cleaned, we'll head to Trost."

Another round of thunder spears were sent and yet another poor titan soul exploded.

Alder looked at the fire consuming the city of Shiganshina behind them. "Sir- I know it's not the time but- what are the Scouts going to do about the Rumbling."

Erwin looked at the giant Skeleton of the founding titan, hiding his smirk. "Nothing." he said as a matter of fact. "For now? Nothing."

Erwin ignored Adlers shocked face.

"When the time comes, I'll send the Special Operation Squad after it."

The founding titan marched forward.

"But for now..."

Slowly but surely marching.

"... We wait."

two weeks before,
Location: Erwin Smith's office.

"I don't get it!"

Eren slammed his hands on the table, glaring angrily at Erwin who sat calmly behind his desk.

"We went through all that trouble to get Zeke." Eren said through grit teeth. He fisted his hands and slammed the table again. "... And now you won't let me meet him? Have him in prison?"

Erwin laced his fingers in front of his lips, humming thoughtfully. "It's bad enough that the word of the spinal fluid in the wine will get out once Zeke escapes. Don't try your luck or else MPs will get you too."

"TO HELL WITH IT! you know he can't contain me!" Eren shouted. "No- scratch that- I'll meet with Zeke with or without your help."

"Not when you keep that tone you will not." Erwin said calmly.

Eren stood up, fisting his hands on his sides as tightly as he could.

Erwin sighed loudly and he stood up. "You will not meet with Zeke. Because I can't trust you not to start the rumbling."

"The sooner, the better."

"Not in this case it's not."

Eren clicked his tongue. "What happened to you? You were the one who led thousands into their deaths and didn't flinch once. And now you're afraid of the death of a handful of people outside the walls?"

Eren turned around the table with small steps. "What's this coward all of a sudden?"

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Call me whatever, but it's me who has always made the difficult choices and will continue to do so." he said as a matter of fact. "War is like a swing, Eren. The harder you push it, the harder it'll come back at you until you're knocked out."

Eren clicked his tongue. "If I'm not mistaken... Weren't you the one who said war will always happen until the number of people is down to one or less?" he snapped.

Erwin nodded. "War is in human nature. And so is survival. The rumbling won't work no matter how good it is. Remember, Eren. I am a colossal titan and I've seen only the surface of what the world could offer and even then... Nature always had a way to stop me."

Eren frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Erwin crossed his arms behind his back. "Colossal titans aren't immortal, Eren. They're sensitive to heat, low light, and many more things that I can count. Even the full rumbling will never be able to reach the whole world."

Erwin walked away from Eren, not once looking back. "And once the rumbling fails. Paradise will have made the whole word her enemy... This time with no walls to protect it." he said as a matter of fact.

"You're bluffing."

Erwin stayed quiet.

"I know you are. The rumbling can flatten the earth. I know it."

"It can not." Erwin repeated, looking up at the door, his hand around it to open the door. "It may obliterate most of it but humanity will survive beyond it."

Erwin cleared his throat. "The foundations of the city's outside of each wall is heavily dependent on the walls. If you crack them, we'll have casualties in thousands."

Eren crossed his arms over his chest. "Small price to pay."

"The cost doesn't cover the benefit. That's all I'll say in this matter." Erwin said as a matter of fact, slowly turning the door handle. "As long as you have that attitude, Zeke will be far away from you."

Erwin opened the door to leave.

It's useless.

Eren will start the rumbling. It was written like that.

Erwin stepped out of the room, his words echoed in Erwin's office.

it's as if this was written in stone. The more time goes by, the more accurate those words are.

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. Eren will start the rumbling. He's too angry with the world not to. All I can do is to plan around it.

In the room, Eren rolled his eyes.

three years ago, A few weeks after Jean Kirstein's promotion,
Location: Kirstein house, Trost.

"you come back home after years and you spend all your time reading? Look at your parents for once, Jean!"

Jean ran his hand along the thick book on his lap. He really needed this vacation, it was about time since he came back to his home in Trost. Although the house was significant after being rebuilt, it still held the same woody aura of home. Most importantly, his parents' reassuring presence.

"Believe me, If I'd known being a captain would me Id have to read so much- I wouldn't have accepted it!" Jean said out loud, looking at the 500-page book Commander Erwin had ordered him to read. "And most of it is just old war strategies!"

His mother had rolled her eyes. She was setting the table while his father was flipping through the pages of a newspaper.

Jean put the book aside. "And that's... I think it's the first one out of a series." he said, shutting the book. He stood up and went to help his mother with the omelet on the fire.

His father closed the newspaper and looked at Jean with a smirk. "There is a reason why Erwin Smith is Erwin Smith." he said. "You should know history because it has a habit of repeating itself."

"I'm not complaining." Jean said, reaching for the salt. "And I know it's necessary..."

"You're just afraid you'd have to use them someday, or worse. The enemy uses them on you. But you should get used to it Jean. The day you'd have to make difficult choices for a large group of the people you know is rapidly approaching."

Jean looked back at his father.

"No work at Dinner!" his mother said out loud, "we just saw our son! Put these politics aside!"

Jean sighed and looked back at the omelet he was cooking.

Tap.

The touch was gentle, but in Jean's mind, it was as if someone had patted him on the head. The warmth that touched his side was larger than anyone's hand.

Jeans peaked his eyes open to see what was pushing his right side, and immediately closed his eyes when light ambushed his eyes.

Jean rubbed his eyes with a groan. He tried to sit up, but only managed to rise to his elbows. He slowly blinked his eyes open. His gaze followed the giant hand into the window and-

Jean almost fell off the bed when his eyes recognised a titan behind the window, and then forced himself to calm down when he realized the titan was Marco.

The freckled titan was watching him from one window, large enough just to fit a side of his face, and had pushed his hand from another Window.

Jean sat up. "Marco!" he murmured. "Where am I? Did we- what?"

Jean looked down and was surprised to see himself in a hospital blue gown. His hazel eyes searched around the white walls and pristine floor and found himself alone in the room, with two windows. And based on what he could see, they were on the highest floors. Jean swung his feet on one side and tried to stand up, but white hot pain flared from his side.

"Damn. Bullet wound." He growled angrily, reaching for his side. If only he could push the gawn aside and see the scar.

It must be ugly.

The titan slowly reached his finger for Jean and patted his head.

Jean chuckled, laughing on instinct. "Where are we? You brought me to this hospital, didn't you?" he asked the titan, who pulled his hand out of the window. Although the lack of medical staff around him was alarming, Jean didn't pay it much mind.

The freckled titan nodded.

Someone cleared his throat on the other side. Jean turned around to a doctor and a round of scared nurses standing behind the door frame. "I suppose I have to thank you for saving my life." Jean said with a small nod.

The doctor cleared his throat again. "And you're responsible for half of the heart attacks in this area. You are in Morgan's Hospital in the interior of wall rose, Trost." he said as a matter of fact, pointing his clipboard towards the titan. "You're lucky he stepped back after dropping you off here. What happened? The Military police will come here soon to investigate what happened."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. "There is no need."

"It's Protocol, Captain Kirstein." the doctor said as a matter of fact. "Yes, we know you and your status thanks to your red pendant of the scouts that was around your neck."

Jean wished he could hide that at least.

"Then you should know I must be reporting back to duty." Jean said, almost ordering. "And I am sure Marco has given everyone enough of a fright, it's dangerous if we stay here."

"... Marco?" the doctor asked, pointing the end of his pen at the freckled titan, a look of disgust painting his eyes.

Jean narrowed his eyes. "Yes. We don't know why yet, but he is a conscious titan. I'm sure you were informed about it."

The doctor pushed his glasses back. "Yes, we were told about the existence of such a titan and were assured it would be kept within that forest." the doctor said. "Captain Kirstein, you-"

A sudden bell sound rang in the hospital. The nurses exchanged a look and one after another, they rushed in the corridor.

With confusion, Jean asked the Doctor, who had stayed frozen on the ground: "What was that?"

The doctor looked at Jean with narrowed eyes. "We're under attack. The hospital has gone under red protocol- which means we must be ready if a round of wounded soldiers reach here."

Jean's eyes widened. "Markey attacked already?" he whispered, he turned around to see Marco. I need to hide you somewhere safe. He thought.

"I'm good enough!" he snapped angrily at the doctor. "I need to get to Shiganshina as fast as I can, so discharge me as fast as you can!"

The doctor nodded and walked away. A string of curses were on his lips that wasn't aimed at Jean

A few minutes later, a box was brought to Jean's room with his clothes, pendant and ODM gear. Jean ignored the fact that his clothes were shredded and dirty and put them on. "Marco, I'll drop you off at the forest and go down to shiganshina as fast as I can." Jean said, slipping into his ODM harness. He flinched away with a growl as the harness dug to his heavily bandaged wounds.

His back was to the Windows as he strapped the pieces in place. He suddenly felt something push on his back.

Jean turned around with an eyebrow raised. Marco's finger had tapped his back. "What?" he asked.

Marco held up two hands and put them facing downwards, making a walking motion.

"I don't get what you mean..." Jean admitted with a sigh. "Walk where?"

Then it clicked.

"I don't want to walk down to Shiganshina of course... My horse should be where I left it or..." he pushed his hair back. "...Or I hope."

Jean picked up the last piece on the box of his belongings. A red pendant with the scouts logo carved under it. Something Jean had yet to choose if it's cursed or blessed.

Jean held it in his fist.

But you should get used to it, Jean. The day you'd have to make difficult choices for a large group of the people you know is fastly approaching.

He shut his eyes and put it around his neck without a second thought.

He has to hide Marco and then get to Shiganshina as fast as he can. But before he could get to it, The doors burst open and Connie and Mikasa rushed in, fully dressed in their ODM gear.

Connie jumped in, surprised to see Jean in one piece.

"Jean!"

"We came as fast as we could!"

Mikasa even had her blade ready, which she lowered once her watchful eyes looked around and realized there was no threat inside the room. "They told us you were under attack." she said simply. "Was it Justivs?"

Mikasa pointed her blade at the window. "And isn't this titan supposed to be watched over?" she said through grit teeth.

Jean sighed loudly.

There is... So much unsaid that Jean didn't even know where to start.

Jean waved dismissively. "Forget about that." he said. "Aren't you two supposed to be in Shiganshina? Where the battle is?"

Connie shrugged. "We went there. Then Commander Erwin sent us here. Or well, his assistant did." Connie murmured. "He said you have our top priority mission."

Connie looked Jean up and down, even picked the clearly visible bandages under his shirt. "You don't look like the kind that knows about a top priority, top secret mission." he murmured.

Jean pushed his hand away. "That hurts." he said as a matter of fact. "And I have no clue. I just woke up from-"

Hear me, All subjects of Ymir.

The three of them froze.

A dessert flashed before their eyes.

The three of them looked at each other as a wave of horror passed their eyes.

Mikasa touched the side of her face. "Is that... Is that Ere-"

My name is Eren Yeager... And I'm speaking to you through the power of the founding titan.

Reality flashed before their eyes until they were in what looked like a white dessert. Jean looked around, at the silhouette of the glowing tree in the center.

"Is that... Eren?" Mikasa whispered out loud, the glowing tree reflected on her eyes.

"Mom!"

Jean and Mikasa looked at the direction of the sound. Connie had tackled an old woman with worn out clothes, untidy hair and eyes that feel like they've been sleepless for far too long.

Connie hugged the woman tighter. "Mom..." he almost shivered when the woman returned the hug.

All the Hardening within Paradise island has been undone and the titans are free to roam.

"I'm... Normal again..."

Jean froze at the familiar voice.

He slowly turned around towards it. In between every nurse, doctor and patient that was cramped around him in the paths, his eyes saw a face he had thought he would never see again.

Marco at his hands, the size of a human. His hair was ridiculously longer. His tired eyes were looking confused at his own fingers, testing whether they worked or not.

"Marco..." Jean said that out loud before he could stop himself.

My goal is to protect the people of Paradise... Who bore and raised me. The world hates us and won't stop until all of us are killed.

"... Marco?" Mikasa asked out loud, pushing out of his shock.

I'm going to move forward, until all life outside its walls…

... Are exterminated.

The world crumbled and reformed before Jean could reach out for the other. before he knew it, there was another wall between Jean and the titan.

And Connie's hug was empty.

All three of them froze, all missing a part of themselves in this equation.

"Eren..." she whispered quietly, too stunned to do anything else.

Connie slowly lowered his hands.

Jean shut his eyes, covering his ears for one second before slowly letting his hands fall.

"Rumbling... So he did it..." Connie murmured out loud, turning around to face the two of them. "And that- that thing-" Connie snapped, pointing at the titan behind the wall. "He is... Marco?"

Jean nodded slowly.

"God... This is too much information at once. Too much." Connie whispered, holding his head in his hands.

Mikasa slowly lifted her hand to touch the scarf.

Jean took a sharp breath. "We'll have to solve it one matter at a time, then." he said as a matter of fact.

"Fine, What should we do?" Connie murmured out loud.

Jean narrowed his eyes. "We'll have to rendezvous with the commander. The three of us know nothing about what happened in shiganshina, we need to gather information before we do anything else." Jean rubbed his chin. "But I say if the walls fall, We will have to check Trost and the headquarters before that. Maybe the commander's instructions are there."

"That shouldn't be hard. Trost is north of here, right?" Connie whispered. Mikasa nodded on his behalf.

He walked towards the door frame. The quickest way to Shiganshina would be with Marcoes titan, and if the walls are really gone, then he should be able to walk past what was left of wall Maria.

They hadn't walked a step out of Jean's former hospital room before a sudden cry ambushed the area, followed by constant murmurs around them.

Jean knew that the end of the hallway was reserved for patients who were in a coma, but was surprised to find all of them awake and almost in inconsiderable pain.

Nurses rushed in and out of that section of the hospital, yelling for more drugs to control the patients again.

It was Connie who stopped one of the petite nurses, who was carrying several IV, by standing right on his way. "What happened?" he asked, clearly in a hurry.

The nurse was breathing heavily, she used this opportunity to stop and take a breath. "Everyone in the ICU has awakened from their Coma, this place is a mess." The nurse said, shaking her head. "I'm in a rush, sorry."

The nurse rushed away.

Connies eyes suddenly widened.

At that moment, He thought the same thing that Connie and Mikasa noticed.

Sasha.

Connie turned to the two of them, holding a fist over his heart. "Sasha!"

The words were spoken with such hope, that it blocked out the white noise of the hospital.

"She's awake! I can feel it."

Jean opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to remind Connie of Sashas constant state of unconsciousness.

But Mikasa beat him into it.

"Don't go too ahead of yourself, this is the third time you're feeling her awakening." Mikasa put in, grabbing him by the elbow. "And Sasha wasn't medically induced in a coma. She's still probably sleeping."

Connie took a deep breath. "Fine. But I'll still check on her." he insisted.

Jean looked at the ground. "We'll have to check Trost, then you can Go," he said, almost ordered.

Connie didn't struggle.

Static shock moved behind Sashas eyes, giving her brain the shock she needed to overcome her coma.

If Eren wants the subjects of Ymir to hear him, they have to be two things, awake and aware. The paths gave him the energy to do that.

Hear me, All subjects of Ymir, my name is Eren Yeager.

Sasha pouted in his sleep, thinking she was in her bed, she blindly searched for the long side of her blanket with her arms. "I know... Your name... Eren..." Sasha growled, shutting her eyes to keep the sleep in them.

And I'm speaking to you through the power of the founding titan.

"Oi, shut up you big bastard." Sasha murmured, her tongue felt too big in her mouth, big enough that she couldn't form words as she wanted to. Her dry throat is another reason. "I'm tryna sleep."

It was when her hand reached slightly lower in search for her blanket when white hot pain flared through her body. It forced her to shut her eyes open and flinch in the pain coming from her abdomen.

All the Hardening within Paradise island has been undone and the titans are free to roam.

Am I hungry? Enough to hallucinate?

And then, her sense of touch noticed it wasn't her mattress under her, but white sand.

When she raised her head, she saw a starless sky and her family's shocked but grateful faces illuminated by the light coming from that glowing tree.

Jean asked Marco to take them to Trost, Mikasa and Connie were hesitant at first but climbed over anyway. A few hundred meters away from the city's surprisingly intact walls, Jean ordered Marco to stay back and away from any Garrisons who might kill him and told his friends that they'll have to cross the distance on the wall by foot.

Before they started running, Connie flew over to the titans ears and whispered. "Are you really Marco?" he asked.

Marco nodded, very slowly.

Connie swallowed hard. "My... Mom... My mom is like that... Does- Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Paths... Met... Your... Mother..." The titan whispered with its deep but quiet voice, so that the other two wouldn't hear him.

Connie stepped back. "How do you-" he asked with horror.

He couldn't ask when Jean stopped and told him to hurry up.

By the time they reached Trost, the horizon was a mix of steam, cloud and reddened sky, to their surprise however, Trosts walls were still intact.

Before the ground started to shake as the Colossal titans took their first steps towards the south. Jean looked down at his hometown with disbelief, why were the walls still intact if Eren wanted to crush the world outside.

When the dust slowly settled, a giant skeletal could be seen, its bones slowly but surely moved south. It was large enough that it could be seen from so far.

Connie pointed at the horizon. "Is that-?" he murmured, shocked.

The rising steam coming from Wall Maria was like a dark cloud.

"Wall Maria..." Mikasa murmured. "It's...unhardened."

Jean narrowed. "But... We're standing in Wall Rose right now and it's-"

Connie stomped his feet on the wall, childishly checking its resilience. "It's hard as rock..." he chuckled.

Jean looked back.

"And I assume that- that thing is Eren?"

"It won't make sense if it's any other thing." Jean murmured. "I wonder... How large it actually is if we can see it from here."

"Oi!"

The three of them looked back as a garrison rushed towards them.

"Oi! What are you doing there! The walls can crumble any second!" The garrison woman shouted, her eyes fell on Jean's red pendant immediately. "Wait- uh- a Scout's captain?"

Jean pushed forward. "Yes, that would be me. Please report everything you know since the alarms went off."

The Garrison nodded. "I will but we don't have time! The walls of Trost can break any second and the foundation of this city is on its walls. When they crumble..."

"... The city will fall." Jean completed for him. "Fine then, show me to the scouts recruits positioned to take care of stray titans and I'll-"

Jean didn't have the chance to finish what he started. Trosts walls cracked. Jean only had a moment to be shocked before rocks fell from the wall down to the city. Blocking the evacuation process and crushing harmless humans under it. Jean's eyes met the back and several hundred colossal titans who were previously sleeping inside the walls and now had crushed them.

The garrison gasped. "Oh no..."

With the Colossals first step, a few houses lost their foundations and crumbled, dust rose to the sky, almost reaching them at top of the walls.

The garrison rushed to her post without sparing a word.

His hometown... Was on the verge of ruin.

Mom... Dad.

No, they're fine, our house was far from the walls. He convinced himself.

Besides... They had enough time to evacuate.

Jean looked down at his own feet.

"wait...why is the Wall Rose still standing?" Connie said out of nowhere. "Is Eren going to take it too?"

"No, he isn't!"

Mikasa broke her silence with that cry. "He doesn't want to kill the outside world! He just said that to scare them!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. "With that many colossals- he'll be slower and weaker which will give the enemy enough time to evacuate!"

Connie and Jean exchanged a look. "Uh..." Jean cleared his throat. "Mikasa... We still don't know if Commander Erwin had set him up to it or not but-"

"Of course he did!" Mikasa argued. "The fact that Eren waited a little to unharden Trosts walls is proof enough! That's what Erwin would do to help the evacuation of the city and harm less people I- I'm sure of it!"

She pointed at the interior of the wall rose with her open palm. "Look! If he wanted to- wouldn't he just take the full force of the rumbling with him?"

With the Colossals constant movement, Mikasa had to scream her words and even then it was a mixture of different sounds, a cacophony of different voices.

"But..." Jean shouted out loud, looking almost horrified at the colossals leaving the walls. "It doesn't make any sense. if Eren is going for an all out genocide... He won't hold back like that."

"He said he was." Connie pointed out.

"Maybe he changed his mind! Maybe he just needs Wall Maria to destroy the military bases!" Mikasa yells, almost desperately trying to convince herself and everyone else. "Maybe he's still following commander Erwin's orders!"

Jean snapped his head at the ground, a cold realization blurring his thoughts.

And the solution clicked.

"No... It's not that." Jean whispered. "Guys do you... Do you Remember the maintenance of the walls several months back. That... The one that Survey corps did it instead of the garrisons?"

Connie titled his head. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Commander Erwin... Maybe commander Erwin killed the titans sleeping inside Wall Rose and Sina on that 'maintenance' mission." Jean raised his head. "That! That must be it! Erwin knew Eren would betray him at some point! So he limited the force of the rumbling in half so that it would be easier to stop!"

Mikasa took a step back. "No!" she yelled. "That's Eren! He doesn't want to kill everyone outside the walls! He just wants to protect us!"

Jean rubbed the sides of his face.

To think the commander would go that far, that far to limit Paradise's only ace up his sleeve.

Jean always knew Commander Erwin was a risky person, but to actually do that...

Jean fisted his hands. "Commander Erwin believes the outside world can respect our existence. That's why he doesn't want it extinguished. But if the country of Marley is suddenly wiped off the face of the earth then..." Jean concluded out loud. "That would happen much sooner..."

This... From Top to Bottom... Was hectic.

Almost unbelievable.

If it wasn't for the shaking of the ground and the loud earth shattering footsteps of the colossal titan, Jean's mind would have had trouble believing reality.

He grit his teeth. "If that is true then... Then he... Then the rumbling wasn't a part of commander Erwin's plan... But something he was trying to prevent" he declared.

"No!"

Jean shut his eyes. "Doesn't matter! Our plan is still the same. Check on Sasha and I'll rendezvous with you after talking to Erwin or anyone else who knows why he called us here." Jean snapped. "I'll check on my students, get resources and meet you in an hour, with a plan."

Mikasa pointed at the founding titans' skeletal form. "But Eren-"

"We don't know! All we know are two hypotheses. He can be doing what Erwin ordered him for all we know!" Jean growled. "Not like it's his first time. I know you want to see Sasha too. Which one would come first? Eren who might be on a mission or Sasha who'd just woken up and might need us?"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "... Sasha..." she murmured. "Fine. I'll go with Connie."

"Great, go, I need to check in with the garrisons and the recruits, in case they need any help and order our resources." he said as a matter of fact.

Connie and Mikasa nodded almost at the same time.

A few days before,
Location: Scout Regiment dungeons.

Erwin walked down the stairs with careful footsteps, Floch following his toe. This place was dark, illuminated by only two torches and inside of the cell was only a window that might or might not have received sunlight with it. He passed the empty dungeons until he came across the only person this place was holding prisoner.

A recruit named Cyrus Cohen. Someone famous in his grade for Eren Yeager as an Idol and one of Jeans students.

And someone who was held in prison for suspicious reasons.

"Commander Erwin?" Cyrus gasped, saluting before grabbing the bars of his cell tightly. "Is that you? I can't believe the first time meeting you is similar to you and Eren Yeagers first meeting!"

So the rumors were true...

The boy was wearing comfortable looking white clothes, his eyes widened dramatically. "I-I'm really honored, sir, I wish I could meet you in a better situation..." he admitted, ashamed.

Erwin looked at the boy up and down. "Cyrus Cohen, right?"

"That would be me, sir."

"You tried to warn captain Jean about a trap, am I right?" Erwin asked carefully.

Cyrus almost jumped. "Yes sir! Is the Captain alright? They were planning to kill him in the titans forest!" he said, stoned. "I tried to warn him but I... I ended up here."

"Are you sure he was led to the titans forest? In this trap you speak of?" Erwin asked.

"Yes sir!"

"Explain then!"

Cyrus cleared his throat. "There were 24 people who were assigned to Captain Jean. After Justivs became commander there were two other people added to us." Cyrus shut his eyes. "I overheard them talking about a mission. Something that had to do with the titan in the forest."

"The conscious titan?" Erwin asked with an eyebrow raised.

Cyrus nodded frantically. "Yes, sir! The one. They wanted to trap the Captain using that titan. I told one of my friends and he said I should warn Captain Kirstein before they had the chance to kill him."

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "And..."

"...That's why I am here. That was my insubordination..." Cyrus admitted with a sigh. "Can you save him?"

Erwin turned towards Floch. "Go there, you should find clues of his whereabouts there," he ordered.

Floch hit his fist against his chest and rushed out.

Erwin cleared his throat and looked at the boy again. "And Eren Yeager?" he asked. "Care to Explain that?"

Cyrus's eyes suddenly widened. "Eren Yeager-"

"You were the one who told him about the shift changes and gave him his chance to escape." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "That is a crime of disobedience no matter how you look at it."

The boy's jaw dropped. "But sir- this is Eren Yeager who was falsely accused!" he said in his own defense. "I may be in the wrong but I- Mr Yeager was our neighbor since I became a teenager, he was always patient with me and my interests and even taught me how to use ODM... So I can never believe someone as kind hearted as him to be in the wrong."

Erwin chuckled.

"Well," he said, "then, what do you think of me?"

The boy almost paled. "What do I- Uh- think of you, sir?"

"Precisely."

The boy laughed awkwardly for a moment. "Who doesn't know you... Uhm... Sir... If I am to be honest your methods are a bit extreme sometimes but... Extreme situations call for extreme measures."

Erwin hummed. "So would you trust in a plan I deducted?"

Cyrus rubbed his chin. "I wouldn't have joined the Scouts if I didn't sir!" he said out loud. "Although Mr Yeagers influence was still large," he added with a mumble.

"Great. Then you have a part to do" Erwin declared. He pulled a letter out from the inside of his coat and held it up. "Then you'll have to stay here."

Cyrus' shoulders slumped. "What..."

"if Captain Kirstein lives. Once the sky comes falling down, you're the first person he'll look for. You and his other students." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "Which is why I can trust you to deliver this letter to him."

Cyrus pressed his mouth to a thin line. "A letter?"

"Yes."

Held the cieled letter closer so Cyrus could see it carefully. With the Scouts logo on the letter, and his signature right after it, there was no denying of its legitimacy. "This letter." Erwin said, waving it in the air. "When Jean comes to take you out of this prison, and he will because he fears for your life, give this to him."

Cyrus's eyes kept looking at the letter. "Sir... Why can't you give this to him yourself?" he murmured.

Erwin reached out and held the letter between the bars so that Cyrus would take it. "Don't ask questions. And remember no one can read this letter other than Captain Kirstein, not even you."

Cyrus accepted the letter hesitantly.

"But... But sir..." he asked. "Why can't you ask someone who is outside to deliver this letter?"

"The only place I'm sure he'll show up to no matter how hectic it gets is this cell." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "He might not show it, but he cares a lot. Sometimes more than he can manage."

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Really? That doesn't sound like Captain Kirstein at all." he murmured.

"Let's just say his role model is like that." Erwin said shortly. "Can I trust you with this letter?"

Cyrus held the letter securely in his hands. "Yes commander," he vowed.

"I promise to keep this safe until it reaches captain Kirsteins hands!"

Jean didn't have the mind to be gentle with the lock on the dungeons, when it clicked open, he kicked it down.

With keys in his hands, Jean walked down until he found Cyrus's cell. "Well well well!" he snapped at the younger man who jumped at the noise. "Look what you got yourself into."

Cyrus pointed at his own chest. "Me?" he asked, surprised at the captain's outburst.

"Yes!" Jean growled. "I found the rest of the recruits and said you were still here!"

Cyrus looked down shamefully. "Sir, I-"

"I told you!" Jean growled. "How many times did I tell you to control your emotions!"

Cyrus pouted. "All I did was visit a neighbor in need!" he said in his own defense.

Jean fiddled with the keys in his hands. "Well, in the name of apocalypse, Marley and my position as Captain you're free to go."

Cyrus blinked in surprise. "What?" he murmured, staring at Jean's hands as he spinned the key and opened the bars.

Jean met his eyes, emotionless and tired. "I'm not letting you stay in prison while there's an apocalypse outside." he said as a matter of fact. "Go. Your friends might need your help. Get properly ready before you head south. The walls are gone."

Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck as he walked out.

"And one word about Eren Yeager and I'm going to lose it!" Jean threatened.

Cyrus opened his mouth to say something but then gently closed it.

Jean rubbed his sore eyes.

Then blinked in surprise. He pushed Erwins letter out of his clothes and held it in front of Jean, holding the ends of it with his thumb and forefingers. "Captain?"

"What is it?" Jean murmured, after a calming breath.

Jean almost froze when he saw the ceal and Erwins famous signature on the letter. "What is this?" he asked.

"A letter from commander Erwin, sir. He told me to give it to you." Cyrus explained with a confused smile.

Jean shoved it out of Cyrus's grip and pointed at the metal door. "Go!" he ordered. "And join your friends in the southern guard."

Cyrus saluted and rushed outside the dungeons.

Jean's eyes stared at the letter, his finger traced the outlines of the wax seal before he gently tore the top.

Torn paper fell to the ground.

"This can't be anything good." he said out loud before he fell on Commander Erwin's neat handwriting.

Jean.

I understand this is a less than ideal situation, but you need to read this letter to an end.

If you're reading this, then it means the rumbling is at motion. Since the government is in chaos, with every leader turned into a titan, no one from Paradis will do anything to stop it. Eren Yeager had gone rogue.

Jean shut his eyes for a moment. "Damn it. I was hoping for anything but this." he murmured. "I think I know where this is going."

or... That is what I want everyone else to believe.

The truth is, I have known about Erens plan for a long time now. I have had more than enough time to stop him. Not only that, but I cooperated with his plan to a large degree. I have known about Zeke's plan for escape also as for the spinal fluid in the wine.

Even if we are the villains of this war, not everyone has to know that.

In order to finish this conflict, the world must view us as the victors and Eren as the rogue villain. If Marley also gets stomped, we will win our biggest threat without losing our allies.

But I need you and your squad to do it.

The rumbling will never reach 100% of the world. As I learned myself. Colossal titans are not immortal. Especially those that have been isolated for so long. I believe at some point, the nature of this earth that has been unknown for so long will make The titans simply vaporize and die.

Think about it Jean, if the titans were so powerful, why didn't the Eldian Empire reach the whole world? Why did it stop at the continent of Marley?

So rumbling on it's own will not save us. Eren needs to be stopped by us, Paradisians, before nature stops him. Or else the outside world will attack us again. With us being devils, they have no other Choice.

Also our handful of allies have told me that if the rumbling ever reaches their soil, Paradise will pay in blood.

Eren has proven himself no longer worthy of carrying such a heavy burden. If you succeed in capturing Eren and stopping the rumbling before Nature does so, Not only Paradise will have a true chance at sorting things over with the world, but also you are free to do with Eren as you see fit. Like letting him be eaten by the conscious freckled titan.

Not only Eren, but you have the power to decide for the approach we'll have to every single titan or titan shifter on this island.

Hange's flying boat is still intact on the shores. In pier 41, I have men protecting it and Onyankopon is there to fly you there. As you might have guessed, I have ordered the titans within wall Sina and Wall Rose to be killed. So... Erens rumbling will be slowed down. Also, based on my spectaculations, the Marleyans warriors will be in the woods in Wall Maria. Find them, you'll need them to stop the rumbling.

While you do, any decision regarding any titan shifters on the island is yours to take. Whether you'll focus on imprisonment or anything else. However, I know you know the warrior's help is needed to stop the rumbling.

Although, I believe your hardest obstacle would be tackling your strongest squad mate's Ackerman instincts and loyalty towards Eren.

Of course, the choice is yours. To either take the chance that nature might not stop Eren and let him flatten the world. This time, we will truly be the only humanity left. But I like to think I know your mentality than to let that massacre happen when they are not all our enemies.

-signed
Erwin Smith.

The letter slipped from Jean's fingers.

The world suddenly weighed too heavy on Jean's shoulder, so heavy that he wanted to sink down on his knees.

"Captain...?"

"Prepare standard resources for four soldiers, I'll write down the address that I need it to be taken too."

"Uhm... Can I ask why?"

"No."

"Mother!"

There were alot of things Jean hoped for. And a lot of things Jean had always been sure of. The safety of his parents was one of them. Deep in Wall Rose, City of Trost, Jean had always been sure they'd be safe. That's why he thought going to the scouts was pointless, that's why he barely understood other's drive to protect what they loved.

This scenery, where stink covered his nose and wails echoed in the warehouse from the injured. The casualties were far more than Jean had initially anticipated.

Jean walked through the injured and tried not to bump into anyone, nurse or someone else.

Until he found a familiar face lying on a brancard under an open window. Thankfully, Jean couldn't see any bloodstains or visible bandages around her.

Jean swallowed the lump in his throat and kneeled down. He took his mothers hand into his warm hold. "Mother..." he said, quietly. "Mother, it's me." he gently shook her on her shoulders.

The old woman slowly opened her eyes, she looked weak, weaker than what she always was. She lifted her shaking hand to rub her face. "...Jean-Bo?" she murmured.

Jean nodded. "Yes, mother, it's me," he murmured. "Are you ok?"

"Got hit... By a rock..." She sighed. "Doc-Doctors saved me though..."

Jean let the relief wash over him. "Glad to see some sort of control over this mess..." he murmured. "Mother, it's alright. Where is father?"

The woman shut her eyes, pushing her hand over her forehead, as if to stop a headache. "He was taken to Rose... I think..." Mrs Kirstein mumbled. "I- I don't know. We got separated..."

Jean held his mothers hand tightly. "It's ok, if he wasn't in a critical condition then he's probably alright, just some time ahead." He said, extremely mindful of how ridiculously optimistic he sounded.

"Mother," he said with a reassuring tone. "Now that I know you and father are in safe hands, I have to return to duty."

And just as he was slowly standing up, his mother grabbed his sleeve and narrowed her eyes. "No. Stay." she demanded with her weak voice. "I don't have a good feeling-" a cough "-about this Jean."

Jean took a deep calming breath. "Believe me mother, this is nothing out of the ordinary." he assured her.

Her eyes looked fierce and pleading at the same time. "Skip this mission... This one time. For your mother..." she said, holding on to Jean tighter.

Jean's eyes softened, a part of his soul told him to just stay there and let Eren do his thing. Take a chance for once, like everyone seemed to believe it.

But all this... Would be only just the beginning if Eren isn't stopped.

Jean put a hand on his mothers and smiled as gently as he could. "I can't mother but..." he murmured. "I'll stay here until you're relocated inside."

Jean sat down, cross legged.

He noticed the fact that a recruit was in the back. There would surely be a lot of rumors, but for the first time, Jean didn't care.

Between the rumbling, Sasha, Mikasa's inevitable reaction and the warriors, he couldn't find the drive to be upset about a rumor between the recruits.

Jean didn't bat his eyes once. He held his mothers hand, and tried to ignore the inevitable reality that a lot of people will be crushed under the rumbling as he sits here, spending precious time. Just to make this a little easier for his mother.

Notes:

Oooooooh Mikasa and Jean are going to have a very very big disagreement...

please leave a COMMENT to let me know what you think! Or a KUDOS!

Chapter 20: People help the people: Opposing goals.

Notes:

Since I ommited a large part of the story- this fic will about five-six maybe seven more chapters!

Thank you! Everyone who let me know what you think in the comments! Love you all💜

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Just you wait!"

Nicolo pushed the tray of cut carrots into the biggest pot he could find in the Blouse household.

"This will be the best soup ever in the history of soup!"

Sasha, tilted her head, she looked over at the oven while she waited patiently for Nicolo to finish. "I'm ok though! Normal food will be fine, really!"

Nicole turned around, his eyes wide and surprised. "No! The doctor said no hard food when you wake up." he said, letting the water boil in the pot. "So soup it is. Celestial soup!"

"But I don't think the family will be ok with just eating soup today..." Sasha murmured. She wished she would get a better meal after waking up from a come..

She heard clicking sounds from the other side of the wooden door of the kitchen. And small shadows that came inside from under the gap of the door and the floor. "And I can hear them on the other side." she said with a small chuckle.

Just as she said that, a round of running footsteps came from behind the kitchen door as Sashas foster siblings abandoned their eavesdropping posts in the fear of getting caught.

The children ran into the living room and hid in random places across the house, behind a chair, under a bed, inside a closet.

Mr and Mrs Blouse couldn't take their eyes off of the Kitchen door. It had been closed by accident but no one went to open it. Mrs Blouse had decided to continue knitting a scarf but her knots came undone more times than she could count due to her lack of focus.

Mr Blouse sighed loudly, finally saying his thoughts out loud. "We should tell Nicolo about..." he gently closed his eyes. "I bet not even Sasha realized what was going on in that devil."

Mr Blouse put her knitting aside.

She took her husband's hands into her own. "Let them have this moment... We'll tell them once they come down from their excitement and I-" she shut her eyes and looked away. "Lets not kick our luck, Arthur, our daughter just woke up- such news will hit them both."

Mr Blouse hummed in agreement once his eyes fell on what little they could see from inside the kitchen.

"Oh dear, Nicolo! You can even make tasty soup!"

Damn it.

why did it have to be me?

Jean tried to stand still on Marcoes shoulder as the titans slowly made their way towards the Scouts headquarters.

Ruin wouldn't even begin to describe the city. Although the foundations were standing strong, the buildings near the walls were more or less crushed. Some were struck by flying boulders and streets were colored red by broken glass pieces.

Jean rubbed the side of his face. At least mother and father are safe. He thought to himself.

Slowly, he felt a large finger tap above his head. He snapped out of his thoughts at the warm familiar touch. He turned his head towards the titan, smiling knowingly. So he sensed his distress?

His eyes met the titans. He smiled. Marco kept taking small steps towards the headquarters, minding not to take long earth shattering steps or crush someone accidentally.

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. If he is going to go through all this mess, then he'll have to at least tell him.

"Oh. Ok." he murmured. "Marco... I have good news and I think it's time to tell you too. But please don't get excited..."

Marco's titan eyes turned to look at Jean.

"How do you feel about being an intelligent titan? A titan shifter?" he asked bluntly, not knowing what else to say. "... Because I might just get you Eren's titan."

Marco froze, one of his steps mid air. He slowly stood and turned his face entirely to meet Jean's. Jean had a view of the scars along the right side of his face and shoulder.

"I'm serious." Jean said as a matter of fact. "I don't know when. But you can have Eren's titans... Do you want that?"

Marcos' eyes focused on Jean's.

Jean didn't expect him to push Jean closer to his face. Bur Jean didn't resist. He let himself be pulled closer. Until Marco was nuzzling his face to Jean, his smile spreading over his face while he slowly nodded.

Jean closed his eyes as well, he gently patted the titans forehead as he forced himself to stay still.

"I'm glad..." he murmured softly. "I promise, Marco, I'll do everything in my power."

Marco pushed back and narrowed his eyes.

Panic surged through Jean's body before he took a deep breath. "I'll stay safe, don't worry." he promised. Jean smiled, only half of his face actually smiling. "I'll take that as a yes," he murmured.

"A titan!"

Jean narrowed his eyes at two scout soldiers who were guarding the headquarters. They dropped their guns and blades when they saw someone with a red pendant on the titan.

Jean smiled one last time at Marco and jumped down. He landed safely on the stone ground and stood up. "Captain Kirstein of the special operation Squad." he said, half introducing himself. Although there was no need when they could clearly see the red scout pendant around his neck. He looked at the building, it looked more or less intact, with only a few broken Windows.

The guards looked at the motionless titan behind him but saluted anyway.

"I don't want to see as much of a scratch on him when I come back..." Jean trailed off, glaring emotionlessly into the two guards' eyes. "Now, take me to section commander Hange. I need to have a talk with them."

The soldier paled for a moment. They looked at each other, as if urging one another to say a word.

Jean narrowed his eyes. "What?" he snapped. "I don't have all day! Is Hange inside?"

The black haired soldier rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm... Sir... If you weren't informed well... Section commander Hange... They uh."

"Talk coherently!" Jean shouted.

The soldiers in front of him froze. It took Marco's giant hand to pat Jean's head for him to understand how loud he'd been shouting.

Jean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then a deeper exhale.

In... Out...

In... Out...

If he is to survive this mess, he has to keep calm. Calm. Calm.

For Marco. A deep voice in his mind murmured. If you succeed you can help him turn normal again.

Images of the paths crushed his mind again. Of those few seconds he saw Marco normal again and not some monster.

And not just Marco... For Eren too. He's one of my squad, I can't let him make such a mistake.

I need to keep my cool. If I lose this opportunity and someone else is assigned, then-

Jean opened his eyes. "Speak Coherently, please. I'm in a hurry." he said calmly. "I have to go for a mission and I need to talk to Hange right now."

The soldier shut his eyes. "Sir- I'm sorry to tell you that but- section commander Hange was killed." he murmured.

Jean's heart skipped a beat.

"Hange is- how? In the war?" he asked.

The soldier shook his head. "No, I'm sorry sir, they were captured by Justivs and died under torture becouse- becouse Justivs wanted to weaken commander Erwin... We are not sure why."

Jean raised his hand to rub the side of his face.

No... No way...

"The funeral?"

"Was held when you were MIA, commander Erwin made himself the only attendances because section commander Hange's body wasn't- uhm- presentable."

Jean shut his eyes.

this is somehow my fault. If I hadn't ran off to that trap-

Jean covered his ears for a split second. Then he looked at the soldiers. "Very well keep Marco safe while I'm inside," he ordered.

He didn't look back, just marched inside.

As he expected, the moment he opened the doors, inside was a mess of injured soldiers and secretaries who ran around the headquarters for their paperwork. Although right now, the people inside were down to less than ten people.

Jean crossed the yard, Hange's thoughts never once left his mind.

I was hoping you could give me some answers. Or at least some supply of Zoe syringe. A map. Some information. Anything about the formation of the rumbling. He thought. Otherwise I can't...

Jean stopped in his tracks.

If Erwin is in Shiganshina...

And Hange is dead...

and Levi is still recovering...

Then that means.

Jean rubbed the side of his face. "No way..." he whispered. "Am I the highest ranking person in Trost?" he said very quietly so that no one could hear.

Maybe Hange can't give me the answers I want... Maybe Erwin can. I know he must know something about the rumbling that will help me. Otherwise a simple map of the continent will do.

Jean narrowed his eyes. Is anyone going to stop me if I go to commander Erwin's office?

Jean decided to put that theory to test. He just walked over to the highest floor. Two soldiers were guarding Erwin's office, which has a straight way to his home. Jean nodded at them. "Hi. I need to fetch something." was all he said.

One of the soldiers wanted to object but his mouth immediately shut when he saw the red pendant around Jean's neck. "Can I have a look at your medallion, sir? To make sure it's the real one." he asked.

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line and said nothing as he gave it to him. The soldier inspected it carefully to its blood red color to the scout logo behind it. He opened the door and gave it back to Jean once he was sure if it's legitimacy.

Jean stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him.

After his heart started beating harshly in his chest, Jean just realized how severe his choice was And how challenging it would be to go in there blind.

Jean looked at the office once more. He'd been here times and times again but now, it was in shambles. The large windows had broken and it's glass was scattered all over the floor, cutting the carpet and the table, some of it even broke the portraits of past commanders of the scout. There was also a part of the wall that had fallen down.

Jean looked at the table and the drawers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, took a sharp breath and started his search.

He looked at the table. There was nothing on it other than useless pieces of paper and pens.

Jean opened the left drawer and put all the maps on the table, spreading them and inspecting each of them which I might need.

He picked up two of them and folded them into his small ODM storage instead of his biscuits. One map was from the entire world as they knew it and the other was one specifically from Marley and it's Colonies.

Thanks to them, he'll have a fairly good idea where they should be going.

Jean continued his search through the left drawer. To his surprise, the moment he opened it, he saw a lone black metal box resting on the wooden drawer. Jean recognized it immediately. "Is this a Zoe syringe?" he murmured out loud.

"BEHOLD!" Hange shouted, holding up her injection. "My syringe just came out of the testing stage with pride.'' They obviously referred to Eren, who had been injected with the serum yesterday and failed to transform for almost 12 hours before he finally did so a few hours ago.

Jean held up their mountain of paperwork for them as they walked back towards the hospital. He raised an eyebrow. "Section commander, I don't want to be in a bad mood here... But I think you're going way too far-"

Hange put a finger on their lips. "Hush, Jean. You should learn how to keep confidential information!" they said. "As far as the public is concerned, all this syringe does is to accelerate healing in Eldians using a manifestation of Titan powers. It also might work on Marleyan physiology but that's to my titanologist friends to figure out! This! This will take my name into the statue of titanology, Jean!"

Jean kept his obvious question to himself until they were inside a private room in the hospital, Hange gently put their syringes into their metal boxes, a smile painting their face.

"Uhm... Hange. How does this syringe work?" Jean asked out loud. "I mean- I know you were just looking for a way to modify titan healing and- you know- the thing about stopping titan shifters from shifting was just a side effect but... If this thing really worked don't you think Marley would have gotten it sooner than you?"

Hange stopped. They turned around with a huff. "Well. Let's say it simply. Many titanologist believe the titan is a parasite. Meaning it feeds from the host and that's why titan shifters live very short lives. Because of its parasite nature... Titan spinal fluid aims to protect its host... Hence why they can turn into titans when in distress. It's believed that only Eldians have the capability to carry this Parasite. But-" they raised a finger. "What this syringe does- is that it overrides the priorities. To be truthful with you, most of this serum is just adrenaline! It tricks the Eldian body into thinking they are too injured and the parasite inside titan shifters aims to heal it, instead of turning into a titan. In normal Eldians this reaction is slower due to no titan parasite."

Hange smirked as she finished. "As to why Marley doesn't have one well..." they shrugged. "I don't know! Maybe they had their focus on other things..."

Jean dismissed the thought.

He pushed the syringe into his pocket. If he was going to fight against titan shifters, this would come in handy.

He was about to leave when he noticed a giant dent in the wall, and that something was reflecting a small light.

Jean raised an eyebrow as he walked towards it. He released the speaker, the numbers pad, and a piece of paper hidden underneath it. If the wall was intact, he would have never seen it.

A telephone.

Or was it a radio?

Jean picked up the piece of paper with a number written on it and hummed thoughtfully. It wouldn't be very unlikely for The commander to have one, he was the head of the scouts after all, but commander Erwin had everyone under his thumb. Who could he need so regularly that he'd need a telephone for?

The note almost folded in Jean's grip, the paper became a ball.

Jean ran his hand through his hair. "Why am I even looking for it?" he asked out loud. "Why am I even here? I should be in the rendezvous point and check up on Sasha!"

Jean shut his eyes. In the worst case scenario, he'd just hung up on whoever is on the other side.

Jean slowly swinged and pressed the numbers, until the code written on the note was called.

He waited.

And waited...

And waited...

The person behind the wall was the last person he ever expected.

"Commander Erwin?"

Jean's ears blocked every other sound other than the feminine voice coming from the phone.

A sound he knew well enough, although the two of them were never really close.

She sighed.

"Did you call to give further bad news?"

"Historia..." Jean murmured in disbelief. "Of course- who else would it be? All these plans... He had to have a strong back up. Someone like the damned monarch."

"who is this?"

"Oh, forgive my manners. This is Jean." He found himself growling angrily. "So you knew, huh? About-"

"The lines aren't that secure Jean."

That warning from Historia was enough confirmation on its own.

"I'm going to say this bluntly. What in the world made you think this was a good idea?" he snapped. "Mikasa will never cooperate! I just got discharged and Sasha- at the best case scenario- has just woken up from a long coma. Don't get me even started on how the hell are we going to persuade the warriors!"

His frustration appeared in the form of a hard punch against the wall. "Were you drunk when you agreed to Erwins plan?" he murmured.

Historia kept an uncomfortably long silence on her side.

Maybe she was phrasing her words, may be she was thinking whether telling him what she was thinking was a good idea-

- or maybe she was just going to tell him to man up and do it.

Jean was moments away from calling it a day and slamming the speaker to the telephone. He would cover his ears and hope that would be enough to black out the voice in and out his mind.

"... Jean..." Historia said sternly. "What do you want to know? Why did you call me?"

Jean clicked his jaw.

"At first, I wanted information. This wasn't a mission I could run headfirst into. Now I think I don't want to read any further into this." he admitted honestly. "Unless you have some sort of gamechanger."

"what do you want?"

"Tell me everything." Jean demanded. "I need to know the details that Erwin forgot to say in that letter- or didn't want me to know- if I want to save or stop Eren without getting me and my squad crushed like a mosquito. First, Did you know about Erwins plan?"

"I... Do not understand what you mean."

Jean took a sharp breath through his grit teeth. "Erwin will send me and my squad to stop the rumbling. Something he says Eren did without his approval." he said.

"I... Expected as such. We can't do anything Erwin reading right through us apparently."

Jean didn't know what she meant but whatever it was, he didn't want to dig further into it.

"Historia... If I'm going to have any hope of stopping this mess and save Eren. I need more information on this. For starters. What was Erwins deal with the western countries?"

Historia took a deep breath.

"... It's a long story."

"I have time."

"the shortest version would be that the westerners didn't want Marley and Eldians war to be dragged into their land. And since Torana recently shared a border with Marley because of Mid easts defeat... They striked a deal with Erwin to promote Paradises military with trades and very very cheap ice burst stone and fossil fuels. Economically, we didn't profit a penny. In fact, the deal ended very costly for Paradise. But Erwin thought their offer was better than the Azumabito's because it offered the chance of diplomacy. And talking to other nations.``

"And...?"

"Western countries told Erwin they would be fine with the rumbling as long as it didn't touch their soil."

Jean's heart skipped a beat.

"What? How- how can they say that? It's mass murder! How can they be ok with that as long as it doesn't happen to them?"

"I don't know. All I know is that now that the rumbling is in motion, we have to stop it before it reaches their soil."

"How did Erwin accept this!"

"I don't know. But it gave Erwin the chance to meet the owl and give refuge to thousands of Eldians inside Fiona district... So it had more good than bad."

Jean grit his teeth. "What's Fiona district?"

"these are confidential."

"You want Eren saved or not." Jean snapped. "I know you guys respect each other enough. You don't want him to drown in the blood he spilled, do you?"

Historia took a deep breath.

"Fine. Erwin proposed an Idea of Fiona district the moment he stepped back in Paradise. A place where we would give Eldians of all over the world a moderate place to live if they cooperated with us. For us, it was nothing- for them, it was Paradise. Erwin got the owl to cooperate with him from Within Marley this way."

Jean's eyes widened. "Owl? Like the same as Eren Krugers?"

"not exactly. The new Owl turned out to be Colt Grice. The next inheritor of the beast titan whom Erwin somehow managed to persuade. His parents must have reached Fiona by now... Settled in their own house. Crazy how much these people crave stability and respect. As Erwin said- it made them easy to use."

"And where is this Fiona district you talk about?" Jean asked.

"Do you want to write down the address?"

Jean let go of the speaker for a moment to grab the first piece of paper on Erwins desk and a random pencil. "Yeah, where is it? The warriors can be there for all we know." he murmured.

"they won't be there, but here you go. It's about sixty kilometers north of the southern port, next to the beach and hidden behind mountains. I was going to announce it today but I guess you'll get the news sooner. Oh, and the owl and his family must be there. You might need his help with the warriors."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line as he wrote the information down. He pushed it into his pocket.

"Anything else?"

"Well yes!" Jean murmured. "If you spare queenly graces, we're going to need some."

"Good Luck, Jean. Bring Eren back safely."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. "That isn't very high on my list of priorities but I'll try," he murmured.

Historia hung up first.

Jean didn't know how to put the speaker back in place so he just rested it on the box.

He savored in the silence of the office for a few seconds. He looked out of the window, the sun was rising high, soon, it would be noon. And Jean has very little time to enjoy the view.

He rested his hand on the doorframe, taking a deep calming breath. "Now... Time for work then." he murmured as he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

The jaw titan, with it's incredible speed and agility, jumped into the city. He bit the nape of the last pure titan near the armored titan and killed it.

With all of its strength, the jaw titan broke the hardening of the armor and pulled Reiner out of his titan.

The Jaw disappeared into the woods as soon as it appeared.

Connie jumped from his horse, perhaps for the first time in history, he was running faster than Mikasa.

They rushed into the Blouse stables, ignoring the horses outside. Connie almost tackled down the door. Mr and Mrs Blouse almost jumped when Mikasa and Connie stepped in, but they recognised his face.

Mrs Blouse smiled. "They're in the kitchen. And she's awake." she said.

Connie felt like a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders, Mikasa as well. He walked towards the kitchen much calmer this time. He looked inside and saw Sasha devouring something in a bowl and Nicolo too busy on the stove to notice their presence.

Connie took the opportunity and jumped inside. He rushed over and covered Sashas eyes with his hands. "Of course..." Connie smiled bitterly, looking down at the colorful soup bowl in front of Sasha. "What other situation did I want to find you in?"

Sasha let her spoon fall to the bowl. "Connie?" she murmured.

Connie let go with a chuckle. "Sleeping huh? I bet you had the time of your life. Oh, hi, Nicolo." he said, waving at the chef.

Mikasa stood on Sashas other side. "You shouldn't be eating too much." she said, eyes narrowed. "You just woke up."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Haha. I don't even remember much after we took off Paradise. But I'm starving!" she whined.

"But the doctor said you shouldn't be eating, big sis!"

The three of them didn't need to turn around as Kaya rushed inside and stood between Sasha and Mikasa. "You can't eat alot or else Big-Connie and I's efforts will go to waste!"

Sasha hummed. She turned to Connie with an apologetic smile. "I heard it from mom." Sasha murmured. "I wouldn't have been able to even stand up if it wasn't for you and Kayas insistence of physiotherapy."

Sasha gently patted Kaya's hair, She pulled Kaya to hug her from her side. "Well well well! Please tell me what the hell was that. I don't remember much after we boarded the airship to get Eren back."

Sasha rubbed the back of her neck. "And uhm- Eren was saying something. I think it was a dream but... uhm... It sounded way too real."

Connie sighed loudly. "Alot happened, potato girl, I don't even know where to start."

"Don't call me that!"

"No, Sasha, you'll need to sit down." Mikasa murmured, pushing Sasha to sit back down when she tried to stand up. "We'll tell you everything we can before Jean arrives."

"Ah Jean's coming?"

"Yeah, and then the two of us will probably have to leave for some mission." Connie murmured, waving dismissively. "Now listen... And brace yourself... After we took off to Marley-"

By the time Jean and Marco arrived in the Blouse stables. The resources had already arrived. He saw them covered by a red piece of parchment right at the entrance of the stables. They must have been behind them because Mikasa, Connie and Sasha were checking on it when Jean arrived.

Jean smiled at Marco a last time before jumping down from where he was on the titans shoulder. He landed and hit the dust off his clothes.

He gave Sasha a crooked smile. He had almost forgotten about her condition completely. "Nice to see you're up." he said. "Are you ok?"

Sasha swallowed hard, her eyes slowly went up from Jean's eyes to the titan behind him. "Yeah... Im ok but." she pointed at the titan with all her fingers. "Is that... Is that really Marco?"

Jean nodded. "Yeah, we don't know why or how. But he is." he murmured. "And... I know now what was the mission that commander Erwin called us for."

Mikasa crossed her hands over chest. "What was it?"

"We'll have to stop the rumbling. What Eren did wasn't planned."

Connie and Sasha exchanged a look of surprise and Mikasa froze.

Of course, Jean expected similar reactions.

"Uh... Listen. I know it's sudden, it was for me too, but if we don't stop Eren. There are other people who might." Jean said, confidently. "And they will either fail or kill Eren. After all, the true power of weapons of the enemy is still a mystery..."

"Where are you trying to go with this?" Mikasa murmured, her voice broke through the silence. "You know as well as we all do the rumbling- even dulled down- might be our only chance against Marley."

"I understand but... Erwin is the one who ordered this and- if Rumbling goes on and reaches the allies Erwin has managed to make, then we'll be in serious trouble and-"

Jean shut his eyes.

"Even if it was really our only way- I don't think anything good will come out of slaughtering innocent people. If we abandon our humanity to victory... I don't think what remains is worth celebrating." he said. "And I'm sure deep down, you agree."

Mikasa hummed angrily, her black eyes glared daggers at Jean's direction. As if he knew something Jean didn't.

Jean made his way to the tower of supplies that was dumped on the entrance. He put his maps and Erwins letter on them as he reached for the gas supplies. "Let's start... I'll explain everything along the way, just-"

Jean couldn't take the next step, because pain pulsed through his side and he looked at his shredded clothes. He had totally forgotten that he hadn't had the chance to see them or the bandage since he left the hospital.

"Uhm. Sasha. Are there any fresh bandages around that I can use?" he asked.

Sasha nodded. "Oh! Yeah! Go on and ask my mom- she should have some!" she said, waving towards the entrance.

Mrs Blouse was kind enough to offer helping him but Jean was fine with doing it himself. He just changed the bandages into better ones hoping these would last more than the hospital issued ones.

However, he wasn't expecting to see Mikasa with Erwins letter in her hands, her glare angry enough to kill anyone on sight. "You!" she growled through gritted teeth.

A threatening finger was aimed right at Jean's face. "You! You want to feed Eren to Marco." she shouted angrily. "You BASTARD!"

Jean's face lost the little emotion it held.

So she read it.

Jean took a deep breath.

And took a step towards her.

He slowly talked, as if Mikasa was a bomb that could tick off. "Since when do you read confidential letters, Mikas-"

Mikasa marched until she was an armlengh away from him. The threatening act had no use since Jean was two heads taller than she was. Nonetheless, her eyes held anger in their shine. "Don't change the subject!" she growled, hitting Jean with small fists that lacked the power Jean knew she possessed, "HOW DARE YOU!"

Jean swallowed hard. "I don't want to do that to Eren. Believe me I-"

But Mikasa didn't let him finish. "I won't let you!" she declared loudly. "I won't let you feed Eren when he has more years to live!"

"That's not the point." Jean said calmly with narrowed eyes. "I don't think you understand this correctly. I am ordered to do all this."

"No, this goes far beyond a simple order."

"You think I want to-"

"I don't think so. I'm sure you want to kill him. You want to feed Eren to Marco."

With that, the sound of metal against metal echoed in the area when Mikasa drew her blade from her ODM gear. Holding the tip of it towards Jean's direction, a few inches away from his eyes.

Jean fisted his hands and forced himself to stay still, his eyes focused on the deadly blade not so far away from his eyes.

"MIKASA!"
"Mi...ka...sa."

Sasha and Connie jumped back at the same time, watching the two of them glare at each other.

"Then. I won't hesitate to strike you down."

Mikasa's words echoed in the yard, it reached Jean's ears a few times.

Connie and Sasha exchanged a look. Before Sasha pushed herself to stand on her own feet, holding up her hands. "Hey hey... I think we should all take a deep breath. Or have lunch. To push down the tension."

Jean held up her hand, dismissing whatever she was going to say. "Listen, Mikasa..."

"I refuse to believe a word of that." She hissed, swinging her blade in the air. "Eren would never do a full genocide! This is all a fraud."

"Eren is dangerous." Jean said as a matter of fact.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "It depends. To me, the only person who is a danger is you, Jean." she declared loudly. "Who will carry that so-called 'order' if you're not around."

Although, I believe your hardest obstacle would be tackling your strongest squad mate's Ackerman instincts and loyalty towards Eren.

As Always, Erwin had been correct.

Jean rubbed the side of his face. "Open your eyes, Mikasa!" Jean said loudly. "This isn't like Marley! Eren's gone and he's killing everyone outside and the commander has trusted us to stop him!"

"But he does it to protect us!"

Jean took a deep calming breath. Mikasa was his squad's strongest, arguing with her like this would only make the matters worse, especially when she is threatening his life like this. The realization fell on his mind like ice water and forcefully cooled down his thoughts. "You're right." Jean said between grit teeth. "Eren is crazy but in the end, all he cared about were us."

Mikasa's eyes shone up with new light. "That's what I'm saying. And because of that- I will protect him even if it means protecting him from you."

Mikasa's stormy gray eyes were fierce, fierce that left no room for debate.

It reminded Jean of stubborn recruits.

Slowly, Sasha stepped in. "Mikasa... That isn't right." she said, slowly as she came closer to the two of them with steady steps. "This isn't you."

Mikasa shut her eyes, not wanting to meet Sasha's. "You're weaker... You should go back to bed, Sasha."

Sasha smiled knowingly. "Well, Well, it's nothing a tasty meat stew can't solve." she said with a smile. "And I honestly think you need that too."

"Don't intervene Sasha."

"It doesn't leave me much of a choice when it's my squad too." Sasha murmured. "Look, I care about Eren too and you know it, we all do. Jean does too even though he doesn't show it."

Sasha leaned closer, playfully whispering. "I honestly think he's a tad bit jealous of him."

Jean crossed his arms over his chest. Sashas words, although annoying, were digging deeper than Jean had managed with facts when Mikasa refused to listen.

"I think you should let Jean say what he thinks." Connie said from behind them.

Sasha nodded in agreement.

Mikasa clicked her tongue and lowered her blade. "Then talk." she snapped.

Jean cleared his throat. "Ok, Mikasa. I have a middle ground for us." he said as calmly as he could.

"What?"

"If we talk to Eren and you can convince him to stop without having to risk any of our squad- then I'll convince Erwin to let Eren live the rest of his years in peace."

Mikasa's eyes lit up. "You can... Do that?" she asked, perhaps asking if Jean really has that much of a high rank.

Jean rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Normally no. After all, I'm just a Captain, but Erwin said If we finish this mission then I can choose what to do with Eren." he sighed loudly. "That includes letting him live."

Jean shut his eyes for a moment. "But if you can't and we engage in battle- then it's obvious we can't trust Eren with the founder's power and we'll turn Marco back to human."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

"You think I want this, Mikasa?" Jean asked, taking a calming breath. "... Erwin gave me this mission with no briefing at all, whatsoever. All I want is to stop Eren from making a mistake, keep my squad intact and turn Marco back to human. These goals can coexist... And I'm in no rush."

Jean slowly took the letter from her fingers, she didn't resist and gave in. "I give you my word in this, if we can convince Eren to stop without battle, or even with it with no casualty, I'll talk it over with Commander Erwin."

Mikasa took a sharp breath. "You better obey your own words carefully." she snapped.

The sound of metal against metal echoed in the area as Mikasa pushed her blade back inside her ODM.

Jean sighed with relief. "Great." he murmured. "Where is Marco? If we want to reach Eren on time, we should hurry up. We must leave the island with the warriors tomorrow morning." he said as a matter of fact.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "Do we really need the warriors' help? Eren will listen to us." she said as a matter of fact. "If we go at him with a full arsenal we'll just lower the chance that he'll listen."

"This is Eren we're talking about. He won't be spooked, don't worry." Connie pointed out. "I'm not exactly keen on meeting them again but I guess... We have no other choice. Without the power of the titans, this is a suicide mission."

Jean pointed at the cargo behind him with his thumb. "Glad we can settle. Now get ready. We should be moving and Sasha..." Jean turned to her. "I completely understand and encourage you to stay out of this one."

Sasha shrugged. She looked at Mikasa from the corner of her eyes and smiled. "No. I'll come. You'll need my perfect aim. I'm the best at long distance weapons around!" she said confidentially. "I know I'm not at my peak right now. So I'll stick to long distance weapons."

Jean nodded. "Good idea."

They all changed their ODM and refilled their gas. Each of them with different ambitions as to why they had to save Eren.

The four of them were almost ready. Jean asked Marco to carry them around because they lacked enough horses and the ones inside Blouse stables were not trained enough to be trusted. He agreed.

They were moments away from going. Sasha was hugging her family goodbye.

Nicolo came with five small boxes of food, all of them small enough to fit in Sashas persona. "As promised." Nicolo murmured as he gave it to Sasha. "Its not alot, but, it's better than nothing." Nicolo murmured as he shoved the food basket into Sasha's hands. "Think of it as a prepayment."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Prepayment for what?"

Nicolo put his hands over Sashas, his eyes were staring at the ground. He couldn't find the courage in himself to see Sasha in the eyes.

But his warm hand around hers was enough. In that silent moment, it was enough.

"Come back alive."

Sashas eyes looked away. "I- I can't promise that but I'll do my best."

Very slowly, Sasha waved goodbye and left the house towards the entrance. When she came near them, Connie hugged her, as hard as he could. "I'm so glad you're awake." he murmured. "I thought we lost you."

Sasha gave him a tired smile. "Not this time, Connie... Not this time." she murmured back.

Jean smiled, only half of his face actually smiling. "I think we should go now. We'll have to start looking from the forest outside-"

"Big bro Connie- Big sis Sasha!"

Their attention was snapped towards one of Sashas foster brothers who ran towards them.

"Junior?" Sasha murmured with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong!"

"There is a titan here!" the boy said, almost sickly pale and his hands shaking.

Jean looked back at Marco and then at the boy.

"Um... Well... Junior uhm..." Jean cleared his throat, slowly lifting his hands. "Listen, every titan is dangerous and you must run if you see one but Marco here is- trustworthy."

The boy's eyes widened, he shook his head and jumped back and forth. "No!" he yelled, he looked at Sasha again. "It's a big titan! Can't you see the way the ground is slowly shaking?"

The boy threw his hands in the air. "It's big BIG and has no skin! With big eyes that looked down as if I was his next meal!"

Mikasa snapped her head to Jean. "A colossal!" she said.

"Sasha- go tell your family to go to Trost and see if what your foster brother is seeing is true."

Sasha ran after her foster brother while trying to calm him down. Jean couldn't help but stare at the place they disappeared to.

"Looks like our fight with colossals will start sooner than we expected." Connie said with a sigh.

Jean put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. The boy could have just seen wrong. Let's get ourselves ready."

Just as Jean was about to jump to Marco, Sasha rushed back, a horrified expression on her face. "It was real..." she said, her eyes blown wide. "And it was coming from... From the north where the sand is softer and taking small steps... That's why I couldn't hear it!"

Jean narrowed his eyes. "You mean it's intelligent?"

"Yeah but it looked nothing like commander Erwins." Sasha murmured, fear laced in her voice. "... The only logical thing is that... Eren is controlling it."

Mikasa crossed her hands over her chest. "That makes no sense." she growled.

Jean narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but why here. Why would Eren send a colossal here?"

Sashas breath caught in her throat. "Is it- did it come for us?"

"Why would Eren send a colossal to our direction unless-"

The sound that was in the background a few minutes ago, slowly became more and more audible.

Jean shut his eyes and fisted his hand. "Marco..." he murmured, looking at the titan. "Please go to the woods. We'll meet you back once we've dealt with this titan, ok?"

Marco nodded, he slowly stood up to his feet and took the couple of gas supplies he had agreed to carry with him.

Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie climbed up the tallest building of the stables, which still wasn't tall enough, with their ODM gear. "We don't have to engage with it directly. We just have to know why it's here."

Jean snapped his head at his friends as the titan got closer. "And don't get burnt!"

But just as then- The Colossal stopped.

Then, slowly turned around towards the woods. He completely ignored the squad and turned his marching towards the woods.

Jean stared at the Colossals side and the burnt ground he left. It took a few minutes before it clicked.

"THE COLOSSAL IS FOLLOWING MARCO!" Jean shouted. "He probably wants to kill it. We can't let that happen."

"What? This makes no sense-"

Jean didn't wait for Connie to finish and neither did Mikasa or Sasha, who followed Jean quickly after he zapped towards the forest.

Jean felt the wind rush over his face as he passed the colossal titan. Time slowed down as he became face to face with the faceless colossal and he narrowed his eyes.

If he continued this pass, he'd most likely find Marco.

Jean fundled with his ODM gear and shut forwards towards the silhouette of the color of skin he could see from far away.

He landed on the titans shoulder. "Marco! It's coming for you! We need to outrun it!" he said as a matter of fact.

Marcos titan stood up, eyes wide as he listened to Jean speak. Soon he started running. With every passing second, the colossal became more and more a shadow behind the trees.

After a few minutes, Jean heard three extra zaps of ODM gear near him until they landed on Marco as well.

When they were far enough that even the shadow of the titan couldn't be seen, Jean let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"It's changing its course for Ragako!" Connie shouted. "My- My mom is still there."

Jean froze up.

Jean cursed under his breath. "Then we'll have to get It's attention and lure it away."

"NO CONNIE! WAIT!"

But Connie zipped away towards the colossal, with his blades ready to slash the titan that was walking to the west towards his village with clear intent.

Connie dodged the branches and aimed his ODM gear on the titans back. He swung his blade, really to slice it with a cry. The colossal defended itself by emitting steam.

Sasha jumped into action. She pulled Connie away from the steam and the heat until they landed on an opposite branch.

Marco changed its course towards the Colossal. Jean pointed at Sasha to jump back at Marco. The last thing they needed was to get separated. "Keep your distance with it!" Jean ordered, swinging his blade. "We know from experience fighting a colossal will only get us killed!"

Due to their proximity, the Colossals attention slowly turned to them again. The Colossal looked down at them, before taking his steps towards Marco

"Is everyone stable?" Jean asked.

Connie and Mikasa nodded, but Sasha rubbed the side of her head with a hiss. "Yeah. Yeah." she said. "But I'm not on peak performance."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"Ok, Marco." he murmured. "Run but not so fast. The colossal is slow and we need to lure him away from both you and Connie's mom."

"Then what?" Connie shouted. "We can't outrun this forever! Eren certainly knew how to cripple us."

"He wanted to protect us!" Mikasa shouted back. "He sent the titan to deal with the pure titans in shiganshina and it just got out of hand! I'm sure of it!"

Jean ignored her reasoning.

Instead he turned to the three of them. "If he's a reasonable distance away from Marco and Mrs Springle- he might focus on other titans around."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "There are more titans around?" he asked.

"Yes." Jean said loudly. "The warriors. In fact-" Jean pointed the tip of his blade at the colossals head. "That thing is our only chance of finding the warriors. When it reaches them, it should be distracted enough to be killed."

Jean narrowed his eyes at the road ahead.

Now this was his best shot, even though it was a far one.

"Braun."

"Hey. Bruan."

"Wake up, Reiner!"

In the end, a gentle push from Gabi slowly woke him up. Reiner woke up with a grown, rubbing the side of his face as he did so.

Reiner looked around, from Pieck And Porco, to Gabi and Falco. "Huh? What?" he murmured, the background of the clear blue sky got his attention. "Where are we?"

Porco clicked his tongue. "Back to the land of the living I see. Should've just let you be eaten." he chuckled.

Reiner took a deep breath. His eyes fell from Porco to Gabi. Gabi tilted her head, looking Reiner up and down. Reiner then averted his gaze at Falco, who looked strangely quiet and withdrawn. With his eyes puffed, it looked like he'd been crying.

"We woke you up because- That titan has been following us." Pieck said as a matter of fact, she pointed at something behind him. Reiner turned around, his nerves froze when he saw the approaching colossal. "This one... This titan is after us."

Reiner jumped up, he had no time to enjoy the grass under his feet or the clear sky when an imminent threat was near them.

Porco narrowed his eyes. "I can take care of it just fine. It's that bastard right? The commander?"

Pieck hummed. "He should be. But something is wrong about it. His prestige, really."

Reiner stood up. "I'll handle it." he murmured, his voice deep and breathy. "Just let me-"

"Now! It's distracting!"

An explosion happened behind the titans knee and it fell down. Just as it hit the ground and was within reach, Sasha aimed at the titans eyes and shot.

Without it's vision, it didn't see Mikasa as she blew its nape with a thunder spear.

It all happened right in front of Reiner. He recognised their faces before they drowned in a cloud of steam.

"What the hell was that? Are they paradisians?" Porco shouted. He pushed Gabi and Falco behind him, his eyes stared in front of him.

"Guess we'll find out, Porco, be ready." Pieck ordered firmly. Porco nodded, narrowing his eyes.

It took a few seconds until four figures slowly came into their view. The three of them stayed back as Jean slowly stepped towards the warriors. Reiner wanted to act before he noticed Jean's eyes were slightly held up, not surrender but in a way he wanted to say he meant no harm.

Jean looked at the warriors.

The tension could be cut with a knife, Reiner could see how close Porco was to slicing his hand with his pocket knife and shredding Jean to pieces.

Jean cleared his throat, looking at the older ones in the eyes. "I'm sure you know me..." he said, keeping his face emotionless. "... I'm not here to fight."

Porco pushed Gabi and Falco behind him, glaring daggers at Jean's direction. "Hell." he growled. "Like I'd forget the devil's faces who trampled my home."

Jean fought the urge to say something back but instead looked at Pieck, who had the calmest eyes in all the warriors. "I'm Captain Jean Kirstein." he said, introducing himself. "And we are the special operation Squad. We aren't here to arrest you. But to make a truce regarding the rumbling. Our mutual problem."

Porco chuckled darkly. "You'll be too dead to arrest us very soon." he drew out his dagger and spinned it in his hand.

But before he could sink it into his hand, Piecks hand stopped him. She held it away and prevented it from penetrating his skin.

Pieck nodded slowly.

Porco pulled his hand back with a click of his tongue.

Pieck cleared her throat and looked at Jean with narrowed eyes. "You'll have one chance to explain yourself, Paradisian." Pieck said as a matter of fact. "Though considering what happened to Colt. It would be one chance too many."

Jean pressed his mouth to an angry thin line.

Notes:

Well I'm going to make the character's ambitions to stop the rumbling as follows.

Warriors: save their home, Obviously.

Jean: save/take Eren and make Marco human again.

Mikasa: Save Eren from a premature death. Because Jean promised her his future years are guaranteed if she helps finish it without casualties.

Sasha: wants to help Mikasa and a middle ground between Jean and Mikasa. Also believe it's the right thing to do.

Connie: believes another founder might find a way to turn his mother back to human because Eren never even tried. Also tags along with Sasha.

please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 21: People help the people : Campfire

Notes:

How is everyone?

I know alot of people (including myself) use fanfics to escape reality so I won't say much. I hope everyone is safe. The world is hectic right now. Praying for peace.

thank you all for your comments and kudoses, they give me so much energy :D

Then, I want to say there might be a gap before the next three parts are posted becouse university is driving me insane. So, there might be a gap between this part and the next with is titled "Crushed souls" so please subscribe to the story so that you'll be notified once it gets updated!

So, please enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"You'll have one chance to explain yourself, Paradisian."

Pieck said that as a matter of fact.

"Though considering what happened to Colt. It would be one chance too many."

Jean pressed his mouth to an angry thin line. "And it's all I need." he said. "Because I represent the Scout regiment. And we need to stop the rumbling. I assumed you might want to help."

"What makes you think we need your pathetic help?" Porco snapped. He pushed Falco and Gabi to hide behind him. "Besides, what can you possibly offer?"

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Leaving this island in one piece, maybe? The Scouts are on high alert as we speak. I doubt you can leave this island without cooperating with us. And I'm sure you want to preserve your strength for fighting... that thing."

Porco clicked his tongue. "Yeah. The same monster that you used to trample Liberio?" he snapped.

"Exactly." Jean found himself saying. He looked right at Porcos eyes, keeping his eyes emotionless. "Starting the rumbling was an insubordination on Eren Yeagers part. And we need to stop it before it becomes a catastrophe."

"Why should we-"

"Porco, let me speak to them." Pieck whispered, looking at Porco from the corner of her eyes.

Then, she turns her face to Jean. "What proof do you have that you want to stop the rumbling and don't aim to capture us. In other words, why shouldn't we kill you right now?"

Mikasa grit her teeth, her ODM gear clicked when she connected a handle to a blade.

Jean inhaled slowly. "Other than my word. I suppose I can't offer you any more proof." he said. "... But I guess Reiner knows I'm a man of my word. And that we won't joke about such an important matter."

Porco snapped his head in Reiners direction. "You know them?" he growled.

Reiner lowered his gaze, not in shame but in tiredness. "I do..." he sighed loudly. "... Jean wouldn't joke like that."

Pieck lifted her chin, humming thoughtfully. "That means close to nothing but... I think I have a middle ground." she said, waving her hands.

"What is it?"

"One of the warriors, The female titan, was in your hands." Pieck said as a matter of fact. "Reunite her with us and we'll understand you mean no ill will."

Reiner froze. He slowly looked up and Jean read a futile hope in his eyes that had been crushed far too many times to shine. Jean narrowed his eyes, Mikasa crossed her arms over her chest with an eye roll.

"I can show you where she is but I doubt
She'd be very useful." Jean murmured. "Annie Leanheart has been in a crystal for four years... Almost five years. We tried everything but her crystal won't yield."

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "... Crystal?"

"Something similar to that of Lara Tybur." Jean explained as much as he knew.

A tired smile settled on Piecks face. Jean highly doubted it was tiredness and simply how this woman looked. "Great, Porco will be able to break her out of it then." she said.

Porco tsked angrily. Remembering the last time he was used like a nutcracker to open Lara Tyburs. Crystal. Not a fun memory to be proud of.

But before the protest in his body can cease, Pieck holds up a hand for Jean to shake. "If you show us the female, we'll help you stop the rumbling and you get whatever you gain from this." she said. "Deal?"

Jean looked at her waiting hand for a moment before he accepted her handshake.

"I want to make it clear we need Eren Yeager and the founder alive. Any matters about him concern us and us only."

Pieck hummed for a moment but then shrugged. "Let's stop the rumbling first, if you want Eren Yeager as payment then so be it."

They shook hands but to Jean, time passed in slow motion. Jean and Pieck locked eyes for a moment. That instant, Jean couldn't see mischief or threat in her eyes but he was never good at reading people anyway.

Besides, Annie was in Trost and Trost was crawling with armed forces that could stop them. If Pieck wants to transform there, that would be simply a mistake.

"Deal." Jean said. "Annie Leanheardt is in Trost. But, you need to understand with every passing moment we spend here on the island, it's one more second for Eren to crush your home."

He can see the effect his words have on Porco and Reiner, but Pieck keeps her cool.

"Pieck! Why Do we need their help! It's probably some scheme!" Porco shouted. "We can't trust them. After all, they're the same heartless devils who trampled our home!"

Pieck looked at Porco from the corner of her eyes.

"I know." she said as a matter of fact.

Jean would have taken a liking to this woman. She somewhat reminds him of himself and realistic views. She probably knows they can't leave this island without a scratch let alone stop the rumbling on their own.

Jean knows she'll eventually stab them in the back, probably to kill or take Eren, but he'll be on high alert until then.

You are playing along to get the founder and push away the threat, aren't you? You reacted when I mentioned Eren would be ours. Jean thinks.

you just might be smarter than I thought. Ms Pieck.

"Woah..." Sasha murmured. "Trost without the walls feels... naked..."

The group ignored her words as they slowly got near the city without its walls. Wall Rose was still standing but without the outer walls, the city felt naked.

Jean looked over at his shoulder. Marco was carrying the rest of his squad while he stayed with the warriors to guide them back to the city on Piecks Cart titan.

"Pieck." he said out loud once they got closer and closer to the cramped area of the city. "Slow down, we're getting ready. Have you chosen who will come with me to the underground."

Pieck slowly stopped its motion in his titan form. "I will." she said as a matter of fact.

"Ok then, drop us off those military tents over there. They're all scouts and MPs so it'll probably be fine." Jean murmured.

They arrived on the row of tents and Pieck transformed back. Jean had to jump in and show his red pendant to stop the men from attacking the titans nearby.

Then, a guard stepped forward. "Captain Jean, we were told to inform you something sir. Since this matter regards the titan shifters on this island." the MP explained.

Jean raised an eyebrow, quite shocked by the revelation. "... So Erwin was telling the truth..."

"What?"

"Nothing." he snapped. "What is it?"

The soldier nodded. "The female titans Crystal was broken, sir. During the rumbling." he informed him. "And she has disappeared."

Jean sighed loudly. "Fine, we'll have to find her then. Thank you, private. For now, keep your distance with my squad and the warriors." he ordered firmly.

The soldier nodded without thinking twice.

Jean turned back to the group and pointed at them to gather around a large looking table. "Pieck, I have good and bad news. Annie Leanheart has broken out of her crystal and is currently missing. She should be around here though." he said as a matter of fact.

Pieck touched the titan scars under his eyes and hummed thoughtfully.

"I'll be going to check the underground to double check. You can follow me if you want to make sure I don't kill Annie there or something. Just please tell your comrades not to provoke the soldiers." he murmured, but his eyes were glued to Porco. "There is some pie and beer... So feast until we come back."

Jean led the way and Pieck followed him closely, right next to him. Annies Crystal should be in the underground. They'll bring it up, break the crystal and get one more titan to fight Eren with.

In the end, the sound of Falco and Gabis empty stomachs is what persuades Porco to let the two have some pie. He didn't touch the beer that Connie offered But Reiner did.

Falco and Gabi eat as much tasty pie and military snacks as they can, until their mouths are stuffed and food stains their face. Mikasa is glad at least they can eat. The boy looked sickeningly pale.

Mikasa didn't miss the nostalgic smile on his face. A smile that disappeared when his eyes fell on Marcoes titan next to the camp.

Reiners eyes fell and his hands gripped the beer.

"Oi. You look like you've seen a ghost." Connie points out. "What's with this bony figure anyway? You were the buffiest of the 104th." he said, pointing at Reiners physique with his beer.

Porco looks at Reiner with a chuckle. He can't hide his mocking smile this time.

Mikasa doesn't want to be a part of this drama.

She knows, eventually, this group will either be betrayed or will go their separate way. She only cares about this group Jean is gathering as long as Eren returns home safely.

"I'll be getting some beer." was all Mikasa said before she stood up and left the table. What was the point of this anyway?

She fisted her hands.

Pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Patter

Her footsteps are almost soundless as she goes away. She just needs some air. Away from whatever drama this will unfold into.

Maybe Jean is too blinded to realize what he's doing.

"I'll check up on her." She hears Sasha whisper in Connies ear.

"Hey! Don't leave me here! Alone with them!"

"Geez, you'll survive a few minutes, Connie."

Then, Sasha runs towards her. Mikasa waits and turns around so Sasha can catch up on her. That months-long coma has taken a toll on her body. She can run- thanks to Connie's sashas insistent in physical therapy while she was out- but she's slower.

Sasha stops and catches her breath. "Ah man!" she sighs, her inhales and exhales were out of sync. "Why'd you get so far? I don't see a beer in your hand."

Mikasa looked at her eyes for a moment. "Air." she said simply. "I need some."

"Mind If I breathe with you, then?" Sasha smiled. "Sorry. Connie's influence. I wanted to tell you something."

Mikasa presses her mouth to a thin line. Her eyes looked around for any sign of prying ears and found none. "Ok, what?" she murmured.

"When it comes to it, I'll help you talk it over with Eren." Sasha said, a smile glittering on her face.

Mikasa's eyes widened before she narrowed them. "What do you mean?"

Sasha shrugged. "Uh, well. I know you'll rebel eventually and I know I love Eren. So I'll help you talk it over with eren. And help you help Eren pull himself out of this mess."

Mikasa shut her eyes. "You would do that?"

"It's the least we owe him."

Mikasa's eyes dropped to the ground. "I don't need your help if I decide to rebel... But even then, Why would you help me?"

Sasha played with her feet on the ground. "I uh... Don't really know what you see in him. Nowadays. I don't think he is the Eren we knew at all." she said truthfully. "The person someone like you loves deeply can't be that bad can he?" Sasha sighed loudly. "Dad says this is a bad habit of mine..."

Mikasa raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject. "Bad habit?"

"Yeah..." Sashas eyes drifted over to Gabi and Falco, who were busy eating their pies. "I recognised that girl, you know. When I first saw her- Gabi, I mean Gabi- she was right next to two Marleyan soldiers, whom I'd just shot dead. And I said my humanity was probably worth more than killing a child."

"You make a mistake." Mikasa said through grit teeth.

"Maybe." Sasha said, looking directly into Mikasa's eyes. "But again, I think I shouldn't abandon you like this. Besides, you are a good girl! Someone you love can't be that bad, right?"

Mikasa huffed.

"And... As much as I hate to admit it, it's the same with Eren. He hasn't done anything to hurt me yet. He deserves some sort of chance to defend himself- or save himself- at least." Sasha admitted. "So- that's why I offer you my help. And that's why I accepted to come to this mission even when my body is all cramped." she chuckled.

Mikasa's eyes softened. "Sasha..."

"Save the thank-you's for later!" Sasha winked. "Besides. I'll stay away with the long distance weapons so I'm not really the one risking my life anyway."

Sasha put a hand on her shoulder. "Now- are you really going to get a beer and pie? Because Damn, I'm salivating right now."

The moment Sasha put her hand across Mikasa's shoulder and pulled her in, another headache pushed through Mikasa's nerves.

One of her famous headaches that pierced through her mind like a dagger.

infront of her was someone Mikasa had never seen before. A boy, maybe her age maybe less. Wearing the torn attire of warriors Mikasa had ever seen in ancient art. He kneeled down, taking her injured and steaming hand into his own. Sunset was behind him and covered his face in a mystic aura.

She was kneeling, blond hair falling to her shoulders and the boy sighed a name. "Ymir..."

She didn't answer. Maybe she couldn't.

"Someone you love so much can't be that bad, can he?" the boy asked her. "But... I fail to find anything good in King Fritz, Ymir, no matter how hard I look. But if you love him, then it will be well."

Mikasa's eyes widened, her breath suddenly caught in her throat.

What was that?

"Woah, woah, I've never seen you so excited about beer and pie." Sasha chuckled. "Let's go get some before it finishes!"

Sasha pushed her through the stalls before Mikasa could protest.

A few minutes later, Sasha had successfully managed to lift Mikasa's spirit. They were going back to the table with pie and beer in their hands. But Mikasa highly doubted the pie will see their table by the speed Sasha was eating it.

And Mikasa was right.

A few meters away from their table in the row of other tables, Sasha dropped the empty pie plate.

Sasha smiled at her softly. "So... Are you going to eat your snack?"

Mikasa shut her eyes and Sasha's face reminded her of the vision she had just a few minutes ago. Just a headache. She told herself. "Yes." she said out loud.

"I'm starving." Mikasa added.

"But Mika-"

Sasha stopped in her tracks.

Mikasa stopped after her, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop? The table is right over there."

Sasha blinked in surprise. "Nothing. I thought I heard Annie." she murmured out loud. "No! I'm sure I heard her!"

When Sasha said that, Mikasa's attention focused on the table behind them. A woman in a hood was sitting behind her table and ate pie without a care in the world.

Slowly, Sasha turned around. "Oh dear! So it was true! She really likes sweets!" Sasha gasped. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

The woman in the hood froze.

Mikasa's eyes widened when the hooded woman slowly turned around. Her face was all covered with sweet pie and food stains. But her icy blue eyes and giant nose were unmistakably Annies.

Annie gulped down in the pie before shoving more into her mouth.

Sasha burst out laughing, pointing a finger at Annies face. "Connie! Connie, look! Annie is gulping down her first pie in four years." Sasha shouted. "CONNIE!"

Connie abandoned his seat and rushed to where Sasha was.

Together, they laughed as hard as they could at Annies face and Jean's pointless efforts of finding Annie while she was here eating down pie.

Mikasa didn't say anything.

It was refreshing seeing Connie and Sasha laugh with each other after so long.

Eventually, the loud laughter coming from the table drawed Reiners attention. But he didn't have to stand up Because Sasha and Connie pulled Annie into their table.

Reiner and Annie stared at each other in quite a few minutes of awkward silence. Before Porco chuckled and pat Annie in the back. "We thought you were dead... I guess Mr Leanheardt was right."

Annie didn't react.

Porco offered her a beer. "Pieck and the devils captain went looking for you. Guess we had more luck." he growled.

"Pieck is here too?" Annie whispered. "If the whole gang's here who's protecting Marley?"

Porco and Reiner didn't have anything to answer her.

"Are you sure she was there?"

Jean rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I had a friend that visited her alot. I followed him once, the crystal was right there." he complained under his breath as he walked back to the military camp.

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "I did see the crystal shards." she said. "But no sign of Annie."

Jean hummed angrily. "If she's still here, then she's probably in the camp with Hitch."

"Who's Hitch?"

Jean took a deep breath. "Her best friend."

Pieck stopped for a moment. "She has a best friend? Annie?" she repeated. "I guess the island does change people."

Jean didn't stop walking back to the camp. "Come on, I know little to nothing about Hirch but I'm pretty sure they'd stop here for a small break."

Pieck didn't answer and walked silently right next to him.

It took a few angry stares of his comrades and a suspiciously long silent walk for Pieck to break the silence.

"What happened to that friend of yours?"

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"Died fighting the colossal titan." he explained curtly. "We couldn't have defeated the colossal without his sacrifice."

He means to say that to stop the conversation.

And he succeeded.

They walk the rest of the distance to the camp and the table they left their comrades in relative silence.

Jean wants to smack himself across his face when he sees Annie on the table while Sasha complained about her personality traits, Connie followed her lead and Mikasa stayed silent.

Pieck chuckled quietly.

"We can say you've met your end of the bargain." Pieck said as she went towards the table.

Annie stays silent all the while the group gathers and Sashas little one sided conversation falls to nothing.

The group look, minus Porco, look at the two with questions written all over their eyes.

It's Porco who breaks the dead silence by saying: "good thing I don't need to chew you out of that crystal..."

Sasha bursts into laughter.

Pieck and Annie glare at Porco relentlessly.

Pieck cleared her throat. "A deal is a deal." she said, looking in Jean's eyes. "Consider your part done."

"Glad to hear that." Jean said, then he looked at Annie. "Glad to see you're awake too... Are you on board with what's happening?"

Annie nodded, not eager at all to hear what Jean had to say.

Jean cleared his throat. "Now that everyone is here, I need to explain a few things. About the rumbling." he said as a matter of fact. Quickly, Jean took out the maps he took from Erwin's office and opened the two maps. One was Paradise and the other was a detailed map of the entire world, with Marley, its colonies and other nations drawn with vivid detail of where each country kept it's defense system.

Pieck shot a strange look at Jean, wondering where he got a map only most high ranking people of Marley could have. Something the warriors only saw in the middle of war and nowhere else due to it's confidential nature.

She didn't ask and Jean didn't wait to explain.

He pointed at the map of the word, the tip of his finger at the southern shores of Paradise "Since Eren has half of the Colossal powers he thought he'd have- then he'll probably start off by Marley's colonies to wipe the military bases with the power he has. Which means he'll start from south in Marleys colonies and then go north."

Jean pointed at the large piece of land under Marley, somewhere Onyankopons nation was too, and slowly moved his finger up until it reached Marley. Then from the north to the south, only a straight line was left to the western countries and the other nations. "Once the continent of Marley is finished, he'll go for Liberio and then straight to the other continents to the west. There is an Ocean between Marley and the west Continent and the only land place is the nation of Torana. There is the only place we'll have the hope of overpowering him."

Pieck rubbed her chin. "How are you sure this is the route he'll take?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. That's the hunch this time." Jean said, leaning back up. "Much like I'm not sure how we're going to stop Eren's titan. All I know is that it's been half a day since the rumbling started. Eren has had enough time to wipe out the southern continent and allied forces entirely. I'm sure commander Erwin has already held some sort of evacuation for the Eldians of Marley."

That was a lie.

Or at least, that was Jean's vague guess.

He knew Commander Erwin still had men in the continent but he highly doubted Commander will use that force to evacuate Eldians of Marley.

But the warriors needed to hear that- otherwise they would demand to stop in Marley as well and that would waste precious time.

Annie fisted her hands. "How much until Liberio is crushed?"

Jean took a deep breath. "A day, maybe less. If you come, we might just be able to stop it before Eren changes his course for civilians. But as I said- we will pass Liberio with a flying boat. If it has reached there, we might be able to stop him there. Otherwise it's all up before he reaches Torana."

"Why there?"

"Guessing by that desserts are scorching heat, his colossals are going to be weaker, Slower and therefore easier to defeat." Jean said as a matter of fact. "And if there are any refugees from the rumbling, it's going to go to Fort Slava and then Torana. That's Best place to catch Eren."

Annie growled under her breath.

"And we'll need the female titan. Anything really." Jean said as a matter of fact. "Do you have whatever courage you had when you battled Eren to escape from the walls?"

Pieck ignored Jean's words.

"Annie, we need the female titans powers." She pointed out. "I think the best shot we have is for you to consume a piece of his founding titan flesh and absorb some of its power. If you get the power to control Colossals or even it's size it would a big advantage for us."

Annie clicked her tongue. "So what? Our chances of defeating that monster are slim anyway!"

Annie took an angry inhale. "Where is he?" he snapped at Jean.

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Annie then looked at Mikasa, who stayed emotionless. "Armin." she said, slowly lifting her head. "Where. is. he?"

Jean opened his mouth to say something but then slowly closed it.

Mikasa crossed her arms over her chest. "None of your business." she growled.

Everyone missed the way Falco leaned in to hear more about the conversation happening, his ears listening curiously to every word since the name Armin was brought up. The book. It was painfully apparent now that he was surrounded by the characters of his favorite book.

Annie understood the silence and what it meant.

"Let me guess," she said out loud. "someone ordered him to die and he did."

Jean fists his hands.

But he nods anyway.

Annie closed her eyes then. "Fine." she growled. "I'm coming with you."

Porco spoke loudly. "Just one question."

"What is it?"

"Where the hell did you get these maps?" Porco tapped on the table. "And Why should you believe a word you say?"

Jean nodded. "Well, these maps were provided by the Owl from Marley and given to us. Actually, almost everything we know about Marley other than the surface was provided by the owl." Jean explained. "... I think you would know him?"

Falcos hand froze around.

Porco was close to jumping and suffocating Jean with his bare hands for the simple act of bringing up the subject. Pieck pressed his palm against Porcos chest to stop him.

"Don't provoke us." Pieck said simply, glaring daggers at Jeans.

Jean's eyes went to the boy that was almost tearing up again. Falco tried hard to keep his face neutral but he failed. He bit his lips and only managed to stop his eyes from tearing up.

And then, the similarity of names finally clicked. Jean wanted to kill himself for not realizing this sooner.

Jean walked around the table until he was next to Gabi and Falco. Then he kneeled down to be eye level with him. "Let me uhm, double check..." Jean murmured, "your name is Falco Grice. Right? Colt Grices brother?"

Porco stepped in and covered Falco with his body, stopping their eye contact. "What of it? Don't bring Colts name into your dirty mouth, devil."

Jean lifted his head to look at Porcoes eyes. Then he stood up to his feet with a sigh.

"Look, his parents are here in Paradise." he said as a matter of fact. "We'll have to drop him and Gabi on the way to the shores."

"No fucking way."

"Porco, I understand how much you hate this island. But Colt had a variety of choices and he chose his path-"

"I said- don't say his name. I don't know what dirty tricks you used to trick him but I won't allow this to happen again."

"This isn't a trick. This is the simple act of returning a boy to his parents." Jean said as a matter of fact. "We're going to a fight we can't guarantee our own survival. Do you want to drag them into it?"

"Not when that family is here Because of Colts betrayal. Nothing good can come out of this!" Porco snapped.

"Then just you wait. Fiona is on our way to the southern shores where the flying boat is waiting for us. Once you see Mr and Mrs Grice with your own eyes, maybe then it would be easier for you to drop Falco to his parents."

Jean hit the dust off of his clothes. Then, turned to face Pieck and Reiner. It appeared talking to them was more fruitful than Porco.

"Lets go. If we have any hope of catching up to Eren, we'll have to reach the port before sunrise tomorrow and it's..." Jean looked up at the sky, and for the first time, the horizon could be seen from Trost.

Jean waited to admire it for a second. The sun was right above the mountain sides, the light slowly going more red than yellow.

"The sun is setting already..."

Pieck and Marco did the honors of helping them travel south.

When the sun started to settle down, Jean could already feel the drain in Marcos movements. He didn't voice his concerns or complain but the moment they got into a forest, Jean held up his blade and told Pieck to stop. "We'll have to camp for the night. We can't drain our titans powers."

They would have to camp for the night.

Thankfully, Pieck and the warriors didn't argue.

Mikasa and Connie went to gather firewood while Porco and the kids helped to set up the camps.

In a rare act, Sasha was generous enough to share her stew and food Nicolo had given them.

They were setting when Jean noticed Marco had distanced himself from the group.

It was rapidly getting dark and the deafening silence of the forest was too much for Jean to comprehend. He left the campfire once the fire was burning with an acceptable yellow color and went towards where the titan had disappeared.

"Marco..." he murmured quietly, using his ODM to climb up to the titans shoulder. "Will you stay up all night?"

Marco looked at Jean with his scarred eye. Then smiled and nodded.

Jean cracked a smile. "You don't sleep, do you?" he whispered.

The titan shook his head.

Jean leaned towards the titans ears. "I made a promise to Mikasa... But I guess you'll inherit Eren's titan soon. A few years at most."

Marco shrugged slowly, not to push Jean off his shoulders.

"Hey, don't back off now." he said with a smile. "... We'll save Eren from this mistake and guarantee your spot. Two birds with one stone. Although... I have to give it to commander Erwin for such a well orchestrated plan."

"OI! JEAN! Dinner!"

Jean looked back. "I guess, we should recharge before heading to the founding titan."

Jean smiled at Marco one last time before he jumped down and towards the fire.

Sasha put the watered down stew in bowls and by the time everyone was sitting with their own bowl.

Gabi shivered slightly. "Co-Cold." she murmured. Falco wanted to remove his coat to give it to Gabi, they both felt a large presence behind them. They turned around, horrified to see the titan behind them.

But Marco wrapped his warm hands around them and they slowly warmed up. Soon, both children were leaning into his warm while eating their share, protected from the cold by the titans hand.

Half of Jean's face pulled into a meaningless smile at that.

"I believe this now."

Annies voice broke their much needed silence.

Not silence meant talk, and talk in this situation meant an eventual fight and argument.

"You really are... Marco..." Annie murmured out loud.

Just as Annie started to speak, Jean remembered the reason why he participated in her capture. She was probably the last one to talk to Marco before he was split into half a corpse half a titan.

Jean looked at her and Reiner, back then he had been so confused. Why would Annie have Marcos ODM? Why wouldn't she say anything? But Now that he knew about Annie and Reiners alliance then...

The stew in Jeans hands lost its taste. It all gave away to useless questions.

Annie's eyes tore themselves from Marco's indifferent gaze and focused on the campfire. "If no ones going to say it, I will." she said, her stew untouched in her hand. "How are we going to pretend to be friends now?"

"My question exactly." Porco chuckled.

Jean looked up at Annie's eyes, then at Porcoes. "We will never be friends. There are far too many obstacles between us. But-" he takes a deep breath. "- we can act civil until we stop Eren."

"Are you sure you can just take him?" Annie asked, an eyebrow raised. "What if you'll have to kill him to stop the rumbling?"

It's Mikasa who answers. "It won't come to that." She vows. "We can just talk him out of it."

"Do you think he would have commited genocide if he could be talked out of." Annie asks, tilting her head.

"It won't come to-"

"Would you be able to kill him, Mikasa?"

Annie's question striked everyone around the campfire. It even makes Sasha lower her bowl of stew to the ground.

Mikasa grits her teeth together.

Annie keeps going. "Would you be able to kill him if that means saving the world? Or your friends? Because I know you value Eren above all else. What would happen if you needed to kill him?"

Mikasa stood up in an instant, "what would happen if I kill you right now?" she growled as she stomped her foot. She tried to cross the distance to Annie.

Annie stood up as well, her ring/blade right next to her finger as a threat.

Jean cursed under his breath and caught Mikasa's hand before she could march over to Annie. This alliance was bound to a threat and Jean knew it. He hated the fact that he probably needed the warriors' help to stop the rumbling.

Jean and Mikasa exchanged a look. He had no power against the fiery glare in Mikasa's eyes.

Instead, he turned to Annie with a serious look in his eyes. "What needs to be done with Eren doesn't concern you." Jean said as politely as he could. "We had a deal. We take Eren. Alive. After we've stopped the rumbling. That is it."

"Yeah and we're supposed to believe that?" Porco said with an angry chuckle. "What makes you so sure Eren Yeager won't try this again? Or another Liberio? Or do you want him to?"

Porco straightened his back up and looked directly at Jean.

"Come on. Drop this facade." he huffed, leaning his head against his fist, resting it. "You're enjoying this."

"What is your point?"

"You know very well that the rumbling is in your favor. I bet you're even wasting time so your friend can crush more innocent lives." Porco said.

For a few seconds, the sound of firewood burning was all the sound in the area.

"If I had inherited the armored titan instead of Reiner. You would call him too dead to cause trouble for us." Porco said proudly. "If we'd just tore down your walls and left you all to answer to your sins- the world would have been saved."

Mikasa grit her teeth together. She wanted to jump at him, Jean could see the anger in her eyes. A justified anger. She was the only one here to have heen in the Colossals first attack.

But by some miracle, she kept her silence.

Instead, Jean couldn't let this slip. If Porco kept speaking his mind so openly he wouldn't obey his orders in the field or once they reached Eren.

Jean knew this alliance would fall apart soon. Very soon. All he needed to make sure of was that Eren wasn't eaten by them or killed by them while it happened. He would have to keep his ears and eyes sharp at Pieck, who would probably tell one of them to advance at Eren when his squad was too busy at some point to stop them.

But for now, he had to keep his authority, which meant he couldn't let Porco have the final word.

So, he raised his head. A smug smirk on his lips. That act was enough to make Porcos blood boil, knowing his words couldn't unsettle Jean.

"I'm glad you're here with us tonight, Porco." Jean said calmly.

Porco clicked his tongue. "Cut the crap. You're just mad I'm shoving the truth down your face."

Jean shook his head. "Your presence here is the best possible reminder of why Eren is doing what he's doing," he said.

Slowly Jean passed his bowl to Sasha, asking for more stew.

"You are the outside world, Porco. Your hatred is what drives Eren to push the rumbling forward." he said. "You don't see us as human. But as devils. And you don't kill humans. You kill devils. That's why it's so easy for you to speak about killing us."

Porco barked a dry laughter.

"Wow! So you're blaming this on me now?"

"I'm not blaming, I'm stating facts."

"Well, my hate is more justified than your baseless facts." Porco growled. "You were the ones who trampled my home! Liberio!"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

"Shiganshina." she said out loud, loud enough to break Porcos attention from Jean to herself. Her eyes then drifted off to Reiner.

"The fuck-"

"Ragako." Connie said, titling his head, looking directly at Pieck.

"Trost." Jean said, narrowing his eyes.

Porco grit his teeth together. "What the hell are you rambling about?"

Jean nodded at Reiner and Piecks direction. "Why don't you ask your friends about the homes they destroyed." he said dangerously low. "We did NOT restart this war-" Jean's eyes narrowed at Reiner who seemed so strangely quiet. "Marley knew about the rumbling. Knew it was a possibility. And still came forth."

"Bullshit."

Sasha clicked her tongue, she stopped eating her stew just for one second to glare at Porco. "Geeez, what is wrong with you?" she said back. "We're having a civil talk for once and this is how you react? No wonder Marley has so many enemies."

Porco growled angrily. "You can never trick me the way you devils tricked Colt!" he snapped angrily. "Is this all what you told him? Are these lies how you tricked him to betray our motherland?"

Jean shook his head. "Maybe Colt saw some of the truths you're turning a blind eye on." he said as a matter of fact. "For one, no one around this table is innocent. Except one." he whispered the last part quietly. "You're free to protect your home. Hate us all you want- but don't forget what your precious warrior unit does to humans on a regular basis."

"And don't you forget all your precious empire has done to every living human on this earth." Porco shut back.

Jean cleared his throat. "I understand your words. There is no need for you to repeat them." he said as a matter of fact. "I realized that this hell isn't anyone's fault to begin with."

"This was all the fault of a coward king and a greedy government." Jean said out loud. "You've put king Fritz on a pedestal since Willy Tybur revealed the truth... But the truth is this is all his fault. If he really wanted peace, he could have done it a thousand ways without putting immense pressure on his own people."

"All I'm trying to do is to earn my right of living." Jean said, looking at Reiner and Pieck. "... As I'm sure you've all been doing."

Porco narrowed his eyes. "These words can't win the world's sympathy for you devils."

"Just like Marley will never win Paradise's Allyship." Mikasa snapped back. "That's just how things are apparently. But it's foolish to think hating something is enough reason to cause physical harm."

"As much as it's hard to admit for you, we don't want the outside world destroyed." Jean said, spinning his own stew in the refilled Bowl Sasha passed to him. "If we keep that hate to ourselves, then it'll settle. Hopefully there'll be a generation that'll forget all about what happened at last."

Jean looked up.

"After the rumbling, When choosing to restart this conflict ask this question from yourself. Do you want to sacrifice your home's safety to destroy mine?"

Porco narrowed his eyes. "Big words out of your mouth. Your home isn't the one currently being crushed."

"After we finish the rumbling, there'll be a lot of times when you can ask that question from yourself." Jean said calmly.

Jean smiled tightly as Sasha. "Now, we're going to need to rest. This conversation won't do any of us good." he said. "We need to preserve our strength."

A few moments of silence passed.

Thankfully, Porco didn't reply with another sharp comment.

The silence was slowly becoming comfortable and needed, even. Jean enjoyed it for as long as it lasted. Then they slowly set up their sleeping bags to spend the night, Connie and Sasha decided to take the first shift.

Everything was going in relative silence until Falco broke it. He gathered all the courage he had and stood up from the warm and comfortable space Marco had made for the two children.

"I have a question!" he said out loud, his hesitating look moved From Jeans to Connies to Sashas. "... Is this really Marco Bodt?"

Jean dropped his sleeping bag down. "Yes... But how do you know his last name?" he asked curiously.

Falco looked up at the titan with awe and confusion. "... Can't believe I got emotional over your death." he whispered quietly.

He said those things before he realized what he had meant. Even the titan froze. He looked at Falco over his scared eye and watched over Falco carefully.

"Fal-Falco- you're sleepy and saying nonsense again!" Gabi tried to cover up and grabbed him by his shoulders. Falco looked back at the corner of his eyes at the shocked squad.

Falco gulped and tried not to stare at Gabi's confused face.

oh no. The cats out of the bag. He murmured, shaking with fear. If the warriors find out about the book it'll be over. He'll be-

Wait.

Falcos shoulders slumped down.

It's already over. Colt has done something much... More...

there is nothing I can do that will ruin our image further... I guess I should go with the truth then. I might as well finish what I started.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow and Connie chuckled with laughter. "You've never met him, Kid. He died long before you stepped foot on this island." she said as a matter of fact, glaring at where the two were.

The warriors looked at him from the corner of their eyes as well.

Falco leaned back. "I... Know Marco Bodt even though I never met him." Falco said as a matter of fact.

"Falco! You're sleepy and saying nonsense again!"

Falco sighed loudly. "No... I know what I'm talking about." Falco looked at the captain, seriousness in his eyes.

"There was a book..." Falco murmured and shut his eyes. "A book that fell off Mr Kruger- I mean Mr Erens uniform when he first came to Liberio." he murmured, looking at the Campfire. "It fell and I couldn't give it back that day. So I read it. It was about you people. I found out quickly it was about paradis and forbidden in Marley but I read it anyway."

Mikasa's eyes widened. Gabi paled and stared at him with wide eyes.

The warriors looked... Disappointed. Porco more than everyone.

"It was named 'Dear world'... It was a diary of one from your squad that was published. Someone named Armin Arlert?" Falco asked, finally looking up at Mikasa and Connie.

"And... Huh... And there Armin Arlert said he never thought the term 'bisexual panic' was real until he saw Jean Kirstein around Mikasa Ackerman and Marco Bodt." He added it as a joke. "I read it... And uhm... Hid it away in my room when I finished it. Armin Arlert was a good storyteller."

Connie and Sasha sat down, listening to what the boy had to say. Falco didn't miss the way Mikasa huffed angrily and excused herself to get some water from the river.

Of course... She's the same as the Mikasa Ackerman of that story...

"Why are you telling us this, kid?" Connie asked, leaning towards the boy.

Falco cleared his throat. "The ending was... Not finished." Falco said cautiously. "Well... Can you tell me what happened? After you went back to Shiganshina?"

Upon his request, Sasha and Connie just looked at eachother.

Silence settled when Jean refused to answer him.

Until Connie barked a loud laugh. "Wow! That kid has nerves." Connie murmured with a chuckle.

Sasha opened a snack for herself to eat as dessert. She bit down on her snack and then looked strangely at the others. "Well if no ones going to tell him..?" she said, still chewing on her snack.

"Oh, Come on, Potato girl, You were knocked out cold when the fun began." Connie nervously laughed it off.

"I was not!"

"Alright kid... I'm not a good storyteller but here is what happened... We'll have to finish before Mikasa comes back, though. I have a feeling she'd rather not hear this story all over again..."

Connie cleared his throat. "Ok, what's the last thing he said in his diary?"

Falco leaned in eagerly. "He uhm... Explained that tomorrow is the operation to retake wall Maria... And that's it." he murmured.

Connie hummed thoughtfully. "Ok then." he started. "That night, for the first time ever, the scouts got a sendoff instead of having angry glares in our way..."

"... And then... Mikasa and Eren broke into a fight with Levi." Connie said shortly, holding his hands up with fake distress. "It was pretty intense, when Jean and I arrived, Levi was horribly injured."

Connie turned to face Mikasa with a smirk.

By this time, Mikasa had already arrived and sat down next to them. Hopefully, she didn't protest or end their storytelling. "Wanna tell this part yourself, Ackerman?"

Mikasa pulled the scarf higher to cover her face. Not giving an answer.

Connie got the memo after a few seconds of deafening silence and turned back to Falco. "So there was this choice between who to revive. Commander Erwin or Armin. To be totally honest, I wanted it to be Armin but I knew there was no way Levi would choose him."

Connie sighed loudly.

"Berthold came to it pretty late and... And screamed for help. I almost went to help him before I remembered where we were and who he was. I mean- Armin was burnt right next to me." he murmured, resting his head on his fists. "...Right next to me. Eren begged Armin to stay alive but in the end the burns were too severe. His official cause of death was that his lungs raptured under the pressure of titan steam and heart failure."

Connie smiled bitterly at Falco. "Erens laughter still echoes in my ear."

Falco hugged his knees tighter. "Laughter?"

"He's a little psycho." Connie whispered like it was a secret. "He's been deemed untrustworthy the moment Armin died. Not that anyone can blame him."

"Oh..." Falco hummed. "I know he looked... Much different from Armin Arlerts POV."

Connie rolled his eyes. "Armin's morals depended on the heartbeat of Eren and this fellow." Connie said, pointing at Mikasa with her thumb. "Which is why he could pull a suicide mission so easily. But he never wanted to admit the monster that he would leave behind."

Connie leant back. "I don't want to blame this on Armin but-" he sighed loudly, closing his eyes. "- for someone so brilliant, it was odd for him to forget this little part."

Connie looked at the sky. "After a year, we got his body back from where Eren hid it, and then it was burnt along with the rest of the lost. His ashes disappear after that."

Falcos eyes widened in shock. "Disappear?"

"Yup, well at least that's the official thought. Unofficially..." Connie looks at Mikasa. "I think we better not discuss that..."

Mikasa lowered her scarf. "Eren stole them." she said as a matter of fact. "And we scattered it in the ocean."

Falcos mouth made an 'O'. It was a fitting end. At least Armin Arlert reached the ocean he loved so much.

Then, Connie elbowed Sasha. "See? The boy likes my story telling."

Sasha bit on her snack, not saying anything.

"So... What did you think of it all?" Connie asked curiously. "From an outsider's perspective I mean."

Falco shrugged. "Honestly, the character development was very poor and it was obvious some parts were changed by your government... But I guess it was all Because that Diary was never supposed to be published."

Connie laughed. "Hey, by the way- reading that book was too painful for me but Hey... Did Armin say anything about me?" He asked.

Sasha rolled her eyes and elbowed him. "Hey. This is Armin's diary, a violation of his privacy. we promised not to read it, didn't we?" she reminded him.

Then she turned to Falco. "Go to sleep, now." she encouraged him. "Tomorrow will be a very interesting day. Better we ready for it."

Falco wanted to object but Sasha stood up and gently laid him down on the sleeping mat. "Bye. bye. Sleep tight." she murmured.

Then, she looked up at Gabi, who was frozen in her place. Sasha opened her arms. "Hey, it's alright." she murmured, smiling. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Gabi stayed back, hesitant.

"I had amnesia, so I don't remember you shooting me..." Sasha said with a gentle smile. "And even if I did- you still would have been safe with me... So sleep, we'll wake you up if something happens alright."

Gabi stayed hesitant, maybe her hands were shaking, but eventually she gave in to a heapless sleep around the warriors she trusted and people she was slowly opening up to.

And Falco slept, his heart still being squeezed by unanswered questions that made it impossible to rest, but at least what happened on the other side of the war was no longer a question.

"Porco."

"Porco."

"Porco."

Porco woke up at the last sound of his name. A sleep he'd tried so hard to get now slipped away from his grasp. He sat up and wanted to growl his frustrations but saw Pieck with a finger on her lips, telling him to stay quiet.

"Follow me." she whispered.

Porco didn't protest.

He sneaked out of his sleeping bag and followed Pieck right into the woods until they were a reasonable distance away from the camp. Somewhere they wouldn't be eavesdropped.

"Your titan is the fastest." Pieck said as a matter of fact. "And at some point in this scenario, We'll find out where Zeke and Eren are each. When I give you tell you, 'NOW' you'll drop whatever you're doing and go to eat Eren Yeager..."

"... And get the founder!" Porco chuckled happily. "Man, I knew you had a plan."

Pieck nodded. "Now, keep quiet about this. We can't trust Annie and Reiner Because they know these people and their emotions might get in the way. Your titan is the fastest and the only one I can trust with this."

Porco nodded. "I'll do that. Just leave it to me."

Pieck playfully hit Porcos shoulder. "Now, we need to get back before Mikasa comes back from this break she took." she said as a matter of fact. "And pretend you're sleeping."

"Alright..." Porco whispered as he followed her back into the camp.

He tucked himself back into his sleeping bag and pretended to be asleep. With his mind at ease, it didn't take much pretending for him to actually fall asleep.

Sashas eyes stared forward, eyes wide in disbelief at what she had just heard.

Anyone couldn't have heard it and dismissed it as a noise in the forest. But not Sashas Hunter trained ears.

Sasha didn't move, cold sweat fell from her temples but she didn't move, afraid any movement might tick off the warriors behind her.

"Bas-"

"Shhh! Mikasa, talk a little louder will you?" Sasha looked back in horror. Sasha had hoped she would come to the river with Jean and she would tell him what the warriors were planning. To her luck, Jean said to go with Mikasa and Sasha didn't want to argue to attract attention. So she told Mikasa.

"I knew it!" Mikasa growled angrily. "I'll kill him with my bare hands!"

"Mikasa, no-"

"I'll take care of him myself."

"Just tell Jean if you got the chance! He'll know what to do." Sasha tried to reason but Mikasa glared daggers at her direction.

"No, I want to kill him. If we tell Jean I won't be able to protect Eren as much as I please."

"Mikasa-"

"Please don't." Mikasa said, grabbing her by her shoulders. "I will protect Eren. I will convince him to stop. But if we tell Jean then he might conduct a plan that I might not be able to do all this."

"But Jean is the captain-"

"I know- I know-" Mikasa murmured. "Because of that! Jean thinks about bigger, more important things Because of his position. But I just want to protect Eren. Do you trust me, Sasha?"

Sasha looked into her eyes.

There was nothing but genuine fear and pleading within Mikasa's stormy gray eyes. Something so rare to see.

Sasha gave in against her better judgment.

"I... Trust you..." Sasha murmured finally.

Too relieved to say it in words, Mikasa pulled her into a hug.

Sasha was taken aback, in their years of friendship, this was their first shared hug.

Sasha smiled as she wrapped her hands around Mikasa's and pulled her into an embrace.

Notes:

Spoiler alert: This choice of Sasha is something she will regret.

Very. Very much.

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 22: στοργή

Notes:

Hi! How's everything!

Not only University is driving me crazy- but I got sick. I could barely leave my bed for a few days. I still can't. Lol. But I wrote this a while ago. I just edited it and posted it.

Anyway! This is kind of from Eren/Erwins POV ane explores some stuff! Hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Erwin was more or less proud of the result of his speech.

He didn't expect much, after all, it was his first "speech" given to the people of the outside world. He just wanted to grab the attention of Willy Tybur and that warrior candidate, whom he later learned was named "Colt Grice" to his shock.

Some were clapping, some were glaring but everyone understood the obvious meaning of his words.

At Least, Erwin was able to convey the fact that Paradise doesn't want war.

Now, Erwin can tell himself he tried if the skies came falling down.

Erwin left the party without much, or well, Levi carried him back to their room. "Did you have to show off your titan there? It made your condition worse." he nagged.

Erwin smiled under his breath. "Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten their attention."

"Who's attention?"

"Everyones." Erwin humed. "In fact, I am going to try it again. Levi, let's talk to these people in their own language."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "And that means...?"

"I'll need you to ask Willy Tybur to meet me at the party. I believe the two of us have a lot to talk about."

Levi rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Erwin's plans looked impossible.

Erwin knocked on the door of the Tybur residence.

Their guards stared at him, at small the Eldian star in his clothes. The rules of this island were simple enough. These guards couldn't attack him unprovoked.

And up until this moment, Erwin had made no act that could be read as provoking. It took a lot of courage to just come here and knock on their door, but Erwin had a very good guess that half of his problems could be solved if he could talk with Willy Tybur. He isn't above chasing any alternatives that don't involve mass slaughter.

Levi, however, Erwin can sense he was on high alert since the moment they left their room.

After Erwin knocked again and explained what he wanted to the maid, she went to talk to her master.

Willy Tybur didn't decline their offer of talking.

It's harder to decline an opportunity when it's standing right infront of you.

The maid led them through the residence... Their hosts had certainly gone through lengths to make sure the Tybur family were beyond comfortable. The maid pointed at a door and informed them Willy Tybur was waiting for them in that meeting room.

Erwin didn't waste a moment to open the door.

Inside, in the darkness of the night and lit only by electric lamps, was a round table inside a simple room.

And of course, Willy Tybur and another woman, Lara Tybur, standing right behind him.

She glared at their direction, the moment they entered.

Willy stood up from a chair, he sighed loudly and pushed the chair back in its place. "Well well." Willy Tybur said. "I never thought I'd be talking to an island devil."

He took a step forward towards Erwin. "... Certainly not one that is so persistent."

Erwin gave him a tight smile. "In all truth, I wasn't expecting you to come there," he said. "So I thought I should meet you again, in person and private this time."

Willy fists his hands on his sides. "So you come here," he shot back. "What makes you think I want to talk to an island devil like you?"

Erwin put down his drink, it took a big chunk of his willpower not to smile at the other. "Oh, I believe I have a subject interesting enough for you."

"And what might that be?"

"If the Rumbling starts. All your fortune and the lap of luxury you've grown up on will disappear." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "Of course, not just that, but also the prestige of being the heirs to the saviors of humanity will be gone. You don't want the truth to be out, do you?"

Lara Tybur narrowed her eyes, glaring at Erwin's eyes.

Willy held up his hand to stop Lara from interfering, the usual calm and stoic woman was clearly at her limit at the face of foreign threat.

Erwin kept his face neutral. "All I want is to clear the illusion that Paradise wants the world stomped. If we wanted to, we would have when the walls were crashed by the warrior unit."

Willy gave him a tight, confident smile. "That is mainly because you couldn't have. The first king of the walls has stopped you from doing that." he said. "Island devils certainly can't be trusted with such power. It would have all been easier if you'd just followed King Karl Fritz's plan."

and waited to be eaten, was left unsaid. The words hang in the air, heavy between the two men.

Levi narrowed his eyes, he stepped closer to Willy just as Lara Tybur jumped to protect her brother from an attack. "Listen you piece of-"

Erwin looked at Levi from the corner of his eyes, wishing the other would simply stop. Levi did, he stopped his sentence and stepped back with whispering a hushed: "Bastards."

Erwin cleared his throat.

"You vehemently call us devils, where has this self hate taken you, I wonder?" Erwin asked out loud. "Do you say that about the Eldians on the continent? Does that make the Tybur family more at ease knowing the very same blood flows in your veins as well?"

Instead of meeting Erwin's eyes, Willy looks at Levi instead. A knowing smile passed his eyes. "Ackerman..." he murmured. "So your kind still exists..."

"I bet you wish it didn't." Levi growled under his teeth.

"Not true. We did ask the Ackerman family to join us in helping Marley. They chose their blind loyalty to the king." Willy explained. "I always thought that spelled the end of them, it appears I was wrong."

Erwin crossed his hands behind his back. "We're not here to relive history." he reminded them all. "But to look at the future. As I believe I am talking to the man controlling Marley from the shadows."

Erwin waved his hand dismissively. "I don't care as to why Marley is still fighting with its own neighbors even after one hundred years. Marley's business isn't related to us and I want it to keep it that way."

Willy narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I know Marley attacked us with the warrior unit to make up for all the need for fossil fuels it was using in its war." Erwin said. "I'm here to say, stay away from Paradise's borders and we can have stable trades. Who knows? Marley can certainly buy the fuels it wants."

Willy stared blankly at Erwin.

Then at Levi.

He raised an eyebrow, half of his face pulled into a smirk. "You have no idea how modern wars work, do you?" he said, barely stopping himself from bursting into laughter. "I guess it has to be that way! You were isolated for the past one hundred years!"

"I understand enough to say war will always exist as long as the powerhouses of the world benefit from warfare. All I have to do is to keep it away from my home." Erwin said as simply as he could. "This is a call to peace, to Marley. Will you be the first person to accept it, truly, Willy Tybur?"

Time seemed to slow down as Erwin lifted his hand and held it, waiting for Willy Tybur to shake it.

"The choice is yours to make." Erwin said, keeping their eye contact. "Accept it and be the first person to save thousands, or deny it and follow the long list of your predecessors."

Willy pressed his mouth to a thin line. "I can not trust you with such power. With the history we have..."

Willy crossed his hands behind his back and frowned at Erwin's inviting hand, visibly denying his offer.

"... Peace was never an option. The Rumbling will always be a threat to Marley. We can not know peace until you are all dead."

Erwin hummed thoughtfully.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Very well, if that is your choice then-"

Erwin cleared his throat. "If you ever think of starting a war with Paradise. You should know our response will be immediate and with no holding back."

"As I thought..."

"In the end, History will judge us both." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "On different lights, yes, but which one do you think the future generations will look up to?"

Willy narrowed his eyes. "You seem awfully confident. What makes you sure you're there when history is written?" he asked. "Because I can assure you that my family will influence it more than anyone... Just like last time."

Half of Erwin's face pulled into a smirk.

"Very well, then. Let's wait and see who wins. I'll be waiting to meet you again, Willy Tybur." Erwin said.

He turned around to leave, thankful for the foreign authorities that made this meeting possible. Erwin wasn't sure if Willy would let him leave his sight if they met in Marley.

Levi quickly followed him out.

"Do you really think you can control the founding titan!"

Erwin stopped in his tracks. He wouldn't be lying if he said Willy Tyburs blunt words felt like a wake up call.

"The only person who could control the founding titan was King Karl Fritz!"

Levi hissed under his breath.

"And you took his power from him!"

Erwin slowly turned around. "I do not care who can control the founding titan or not." he said back. "All I know is that a king who would wait and see his people get eaten- doesn't deserve this power!"

The door closed with a loud bang.

"MIKASA! I'm home!"

This other side of the world, in Paradise, the sun shone with all its might. Lighting everything with a beautiful glow. Eren breathed a deep breath of the fresh air and the scent of flowers coming from the neighbors garden.

Eren opened the door and stepped in, taking off his shoes and putting down the grocery bags.

"MIKASA! I'm home!"

Eren held up the full basket of vegetables and groceries he bought from the stores. "I thought I should make something before we head back to base tomorrow-"

To his surprise, he saw Mikasa resting on a sofa, surrounded by several bags of shopping.

"Sasha dragged me into shopping with the Marleyan volunteers." Mikasa said quietly, all the explanations she gave. She held something wrapped in aluminum. "This is a sweetened chocolate bar. I could only save this one because Sasha ate it all."

Eren hummed quietly. He carefully dumped the groceries in the kitchen before he accepted the piece of chocolate Mikasa offered. "Commander Erwin could only make one country trade with us... And now we have this..." Mikasa bit on her chocolate bar. "It's sweet... But how will this help us gain peace?"

"It won't..." Eren murmured, looking down at his own piece of chocolate. "The real deal is probably made behind closed doors."

"What?" Mikasa asked.

"Nothing..." Eren murmured dismissively. "I'll just go make some soup... Uhm... are you hungry?"

Mikasa leaned her head against Eren's shoulder, Resting and closing her eyes. She didn't move, Eren didn't want her to. She closed her eyes with a sigh. "... Starving."

The sky falls down, debris sprints away, bombs explode and the human ear loses it's capability to hear.

Explosion.

A lot of it.

People running in fear and all was done without one citizen of the enemy being wounded.

Self- destruction.

Weapons sold to island devils have those failsafes. They wouldn't give it away without one.

Eren is the one one who hears it first.

Eren is the one who watches Krolva under a rain of explosions. He sees his and Mikasa's own house reduced to ash.

Eren is the one that runs away from the weapons room in the capital.

He feels every single one of the people of Paradise that gets affected by those explosions.

It's only fair. The world wouldn't stay back and let herself be crushed. The west. A handful of utterly proud people would always show their spite.

Erwin will fail. Eren knows it. Paradise will suffer the consequences.

And yet, he won't stop the rumbling. Eren will continue this massacre even though he knows the strain this heat has on his titans. He knows about a hundred of them have died already from the heat. If he steps inside this dessert, there is a chance none of his colossals would reach the western hemisphere.

But Eren buys the chance because he just wants everyone dead. He wants them crushed for all the suffering they had caused for their own selfish gain.

They had stayed silent while Marley slaughtered, killed, stole- so what if they didn't do it themselves? Their silence should be paid for.

Eren felt another explosion in Paradise.

With every step he took towards Torana, the west and Erwin's so-called Allies, something else exploded in his homeland. He could feel it. He was the man in paradise, he was the women in Marley, the children in the colonies. He felt every Eldian in the founding titan. He was every Eldian in the founding titan.

Heat, burning heat.

It scratched his body and steamed his skin and his titan body felt lightweight. Steaming more than it could reproduce.

Another colossal falls.

What is one amongst 200 thousand more?

Another falls.

Eren has to ignore them, he has to keep moving forward.

Eren hears the zap of ODM gear. Jeans familiar commanding voice. Mikasa who appears in front of him. Sasha in the distance, Porco grinning with his shining titan teeth.

Wait... No That's the future. It hasn't happened yet.

But it will, soon.

He hasn't reached that point yet. He's still in the desert.

The people of Liberio are just leaving. He has yet to leave Marley and its Colonies towards the western hemisphere.

It's hard distinguishing the time.

He is in the titans head. He is in the explosion. He is the forest. It is day, he covers his eyes from the sun. It is night, he looks for some light in this dark tunnel.

Ah... How he wished he could tell when and where he was again...

Eren woke up with a gasp.

He stumbled out of his room and hit the wall before his mind registered that, yes, this is your home

His skin was sweaty.

He was heavy.

He was panting uncontrollably.

Eren takes a deep breath and leaned against the wall, he shuts his mouth so as to not wake Mikasa up. They'll have to get back to base before Sunrise and meet up with Jean.

"CaPtaIn." Eren murmured angrily, unable to keep the sarcasm off his voice.

Eren takes a deep breath and stands up on his own two feet again. The walk to the bathroom is a short one. He lights up a single candle to light the dark room. He opens the water and lets it gather in the sink before he splashes warm water all over his face.

Tomorrow, he'll just have to go back to the normal routine.

Obey one of Commander Erwin's orders.

Eren gripped the sides of the sink and stared at his own reflection. He frowned when he met his own green eyes. "Erwin..." he growled angrily.

His mere presence challanges everything Eren had in mind.

In every vision, the rumbling is too small. Almost half of what it is supposed to be, Eren has a very good idea who he'll have to blame.

I won't have the full power of the Rumbling. Erwin will take it from me.

Eren stares at his own reflection. His eyes were red rimmed and glaring angrily at nowhere.

I can't let him. If I don't have all the power I can't go past Marley and its colonies!

the rest of the world might go unscratched, they will catch up to me and stop me before I can go past Marley!

and Mikasa will have to-

Eren shut his eyes.

Another splash of cold water on his face and he is back to the empty sensation of not having anything on his mind.

Thankfully, other than usual training, there was nothing else waiting for them in the base. Eren enjoyed having Sasha, Connie and Jeans presence around him. Since he knew those were extremely limited.

During Lunch, it was one oddly time comment from Jean that threw Eren off the edge.

"No don't get me wrong, I have no clue of what the commander is planning. I bet nobody does." Jean murmured, spinning his stew. "But I bet he's trying to work around Marley... By cooperating with Marley's enemies."

Then, Jean shrugged.

"I mean- the west apparently has a reason to work with us. They're after us in Marleys attack list. You should be very naive to think this war will end even if Paradise is taken over."

Connie elbowed him. "Since when do you follow politics?"

Jean rolled his eyes. "You have no idea what books Commander Erwin has made me read and what hypothetical situations has he put me through." he admitted with a sigh.

The group laughed.

No one noticed Eren gripping his spoon hard enough that the metal bent in half.

The moment the training was done for the night and everyone retreated to their dorm room, Eren made his way right through the scouts headquarters.

He ignored Erwin's assistant, was his name Adler?, and barged open the door.

"Private Eren please stop, the commander is-"

To Eren's surprise, Erwin was sitting calmly behind his desk and reading a yellow book, the pages looked like they would fall apart under the smallest touch.

Erwin cleared his throat, "it's alright, Adler. Eren probably needs to report something important, right?"

Eren nodded, gritting his teeth angrily.

Adler didn't object, by the order of the commander, he left them alone to say what they needed.

"If you like Paradise, don't go there." Eren growled angrily, the moment after the doors closed and left Eren and Erwin alone in the commander's Office.

Erwin didn't say anything.

For a second, all that passed between the commander and Eren was silence and a glaring contest.

Slowly, Erwin closed his book. "Sit down, Eren." he ordered as he put the book back on a pile on his right.

Eren sat down on a chair, he stared at the pile of books that he'd never seen before. When Eren didn't say anything, Erwin started speaking. "Those are the books we found in Reiss' house. A wonder how they survived." he said out loud.

Eren's eyes widened. "You have read them. You know about the outside world. And yet you are still going to go to those two faced bastards!" he snapped. "What the hell?"

"You're specially narrow minded towards them, considering you've never met anyone from the western hemisphere or Torana."

"I have- well not me. Almost all of my predecessors have." Eren said as a matter of fact. His fists itched to hit them against the table in anger. "All they want is to come out on top. To regain their glory and they don't care how many people they maim or kill to do so. They were Marley's enemies and now their allies. What makes you think they'll be loyal to Paradise all of a sudden? They have yet a lot to gain."

Erwin raised an eyebrow.

"Then, apparently, that is something we have in common." He said calmly. "Everyone is looking for their own gain, Eren. Why are you surprised? Even the Azumabito are."

Eren fisted his hands. "This is- this is different." he murmured, visions of the catastrophe in Paradise invaded his mind. "They are dangerous."

"And so are we."

Erwin took a deep breath. "Eren, Torana and the western hemisphere didn't come here by chance." Erwin explained. "I sent a squad to Hizuru, without telling the azumabito. That's why I acted surprised when they arrived. My squad traveled to Hizuru- without telling the azumabito- and found out more about international relations. Then I wrote to countries I thought would respond- mostly those who had some sort of relationship with Eldian before Karl Fritz- and out of all of them, only Torana responded for diplomatic relations. Albeit secretly."

Erwin laced his fingers in front of the lower half of his lips. "I know Torana gains something from inviting us over. And I know the cost will be great. But..." he hummed. "This will be our first real chance at talking to the people of the outside world."

Erwin cleared his throat. "There is another thing that you should know."

Eren crossed his arms over his chest. He doubted there was anything Erwin could say that would change much in the long run. "What is it?"

"A full Rumbling will fail."

Eren frowned. "What do you mean? That's impossible."

"Eren, it's simple calculations. Eldia could have wiped the world with a flick of a finger. And yet- even after two thousand years and the Eldian genes being dominant. The Eldians are still a minority compared to the other races." Erwin said, "I do like to think the Eldians weren't as cruel as the Marleyans claim, but that's unlikely... Because power corrupts no matter how well intended you are."

Eren narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Nature has had a way to stop the Eldians from overpopulating the world." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "We don't know what it is. When I asked Hange, they had no clue either. But if nature doesn't intend to let the Eldians roam all over the world, then-"

Erwin cleared his throat.

"The Rumbling will fail at total destruction. Nature doesn't want us to be the only humans on earth." Erwin concluded loudly. "With that option out of the way, we have no choice but to cooperate with this state of the world. Marley and its colonies are the only place we are certain the Rumbling will work."

And then, Eren said something that he would have regretted if he knew the effect it had on Erwin's plans.

"Isn't that enough?"

Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe it will be, maybe it won't. But for now- we should work on making other alternatives available to ourselves."

Erwin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Eren... I have been thinking that if the people I am debating with saw you, they would be less scared of this, devil of paradise, that holds the founding titan."

Eren chuckled. "That won't change a thing!"

"Maybe. But You will be coming with me to our next mission." Erwin ordered. "If they see, a part of them will understand you're not some devil."

Eren narrowed his eyes, angrily. He fisted his hands on his sides. "Their opinion of us will never change no matter how much you work against it."

Erwin nodded. "True. But then I can tell the future generations and fallen comrades I tried for their sake and didn't resort to the last option on the first chance I got."

"These people are dangerous. And you still wish to work with them? They will burn Paradise down to the ground!" Eren snapped, suddenly standing up from the force of his own emotions. "They will never be your ally! They're just using Paradise, why can't you see that!"

"Eren." Erwin narrowed his eyes. "This is the last I want to hear about my struggles to make allies."

Screw you! Armin died to give you this chance and this is how you use it?

"Your ally making is bullshit!"

Eren shouted that before he knew it.

And he himself tensed up.

Eren lost the fear he had for Erwin and Levi that day on that rooftop in Shiganshina. But still, he could never imagine himself shouting at the face of the commander like this.

And Erwin is not reacting at all.

Eren pushed back. He turned around, wanting to storm out of the room. Erwin's next words shocked him to his core.

"Eren, just because you've seen the future, it doesn't mean you will make the best decisions."

Eren's hand froze above the handle.

He could feel his soul leave his body for a second, cold dread settled in his heart before they melted away from anger.

He turned around, heart beating rapidly in his chest. "What..." he murmured. "Did you just say?"

Erwin stood up as well, crossing his hands behind his back and meeting Eren's gaze with much more confidence and authority in his blue eyes. "Just because you've seen the future, it doesn't mean you will make the best decisions, '' he repeated.

Eren grit his teeth. "You're saying nonsense. Who said I can see the future?" he growled angrily.

"I wasn't planning on telling you this..." Erwin admitted with a sigh. "But you've been acting unpredictable."

Eren kicked the chair, it broke in half.

He didn't command his feet to do that. He just felt the impact in his leg and the sudden sound of broken wood that echoed in the office.

"I? I've been acting unpredictable?"

Eren didn't mean to smile, but none of his reactions had been his own anymore. His body smiled on its own, even laughed in the face of the commander. "Unpredictable?"

Eren barked with laughter. He laughed. Somewhere in between maniacal and genuine. He could feel the commanders stare in the back of his eyes. "Ok. Ok. Who told you that?" he asked, crossing his hands over his chest.

"Armin."

The way Erwin responded without a single doubt, set Eren's nerve on fire even more than it had already been.

Eren suddenly stepped back and fisted his hands on his side. The two titan shifters stared at each other. "Armin has been dead for years. What the hell are you up to?" Eren growled.

Erwin walked around his table, never breaking their eye contact. "Yes. He's dead. But he was the first to find out about your ability to predict the future to a high accuracy." Erwin said as a matter of fact. "He has documented what he knew in his diary."

Eren took a sharp breath. "Nothing of that sort was written in his dairy."

Erwin smirked, as if he knew something no one else in this world knew.

"Yes, the one that was published doesn't have any of those clues... Because I omitted them." Erwin said. He cleared his throat. "Armin Arlerts diary was found by a servant and she wanted to publish it. I didn't let her. She almost begged me to read it because she thought the dead were warning her about saving the walls. Or some other thing. Imagine my surprise when I found out what she said was partially true."

Erwin used Eren's moment of surprise to walk to the other side of the room, he opened a locked drawer. He searched for a few minutes while Eren had trouble controlling his own breathing.

Armin?

How did- How did he know?

Eren looked down, almost in shame.

No. He's bluffing.

there is no way-

"Ah! There is it." Erwin said, interupting Eren's train of thought. When Eren looked up, he saw Erwin holding a notebook in his hands.

Erwin cleared his throat. "Apparently, you had some Nightterrors that he has also reported to the authorities a couple of times but it was ignored due to more important matters at hand. In those night terrors, you have predicted your own titan, Reiner and Bertholdt betrayal, and-"

Erwin stopped. He put Armins diary in the drawer and dismissed the track of words. "-Other things. What's important is that I know now that you know the future. It will somehow explain your new attitude."

Erwin tapped the notebook. "Well...?"

Eren closed his eyes and looked away. "I haven't seen much into the future yet... Just glimpses."

Erwin nodded thoughtfully.

"And in one of them- the same weapons you bought from your so-called Allies self-destructed and destroyed half of the island." Eren said.

Erwin hummed. "Well, isn't that a better way of expressing your worries, Eren?" he said, almost sarcastically.

Eren shuts his eyes.

No way-

No way, this changes everything!

Eren forced his eyes to open up. If Armin was alive, Eren would have probably ranted to him at some point but not- not like this! How much did he knew before he-

Eren looked at Erwin's eyes again. "How much- How much had I told him?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Erwin looked down at the notebook. "Just as he had explained, apparently, you had no clue of these night terrors the next day... Apparently, you explained small parts of the future of that time up until the battle of shiganshina."

(Little did Eren know, that was a lie.)

Erens blood turned cold on his vines. "Battle of shiganshina-" he stopped himself from reacting too loud, "Did I... Predict... Armin's death too?"

Erwin put the notebook back in the drawer.

He clicked it closed.

Eren stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Erwin kept a polite silence.

Even though that was enough to Eren the answer was positive.

Erwin sat down behind his table again, inviting Eren to sit down calmly this time.

Eren bit his lips, he ignored the broken chair and sat down on the other chair. He ignored the cold hands that squeezed his mind until his thoughts felt numb from the inside out.

"Well then, now that you know about my abilities. Let me tell you what your precious allies will do to Paradise." Eren growled. "Bombs will explode. Two cities in ruin. And that's all on them."

"Your memories can't be that detailed." Erwin narrowed his eyes.

Eren chuckled, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair. "They aren't. But they are always true."

Erwin cleared his throat. "Well, you should get used to the idea of outsiders, Because Torana is already establishing-"

"An embassy, I know." Eren rubbed his sore eyes. "What about the Marleyan volunteers?"

"Yelena was... Angered. But the rest of them are still working on what they were planning to do. In Fact some were overjoyed when they heard help is coming for them." Erwin said. "Oh and... Hange won't be coming."

That made Eren freeze. "Hange? Why?"

"They have shut themself off the world to work on another titan research." was all Erwin said. "Glad to see this aspect of Hange hasn't changed... Although in Moblits absence, I don't know how safe that will be."

Erwin shook his head. "Pack your bags then, Eren, you'll be coming with me and Levi to the meeting."

Eren wanted to curse himself and the rest of the world.

But instead, he nodded.

Maybe it was intentional.

But by the time Eren was supposed to be gone, Mikasa was sent on a mission with Sasha to wall Sina. Later, Mikasa described it as "boring, but Sasha somehow made it interesting."

So, Eren started packing in an empty house.

Eren kept his firm distance from Levi and Erwin.

Not that the other two would want anything to do with him. Apparently, Erwin wanted to meet up with Torana and the rest of Marley's "unfriendly list" to see if he could buy any of their favors. And perhaps assure them that Paradise wont attack on it's own.

Eren doesn't know what Erwin was planning but whatever it was, it wouldn't stop Eren from trying to kill this planet. Showing him off like this would just embarrass them all.

But Eren has to find out how Erwin kills half the titan walls and stop him. That's the only reason he's cooperating.

A few hours after they left the port towards the west, Eren finds himself staring out at the endless ocean.

Blue.

Deep.

The smell of saltwater touched his face and he forgets why he was there for a split second. The horizon is endless and...

... Beautiful.

I wish you could see it too, Armin...

Eren clutched his hand above his heart.

The space on the boat suddenly felt way too lonely.

Eren leaned against the railing, resting his elbows on the warm metal and hanging his head low.

what is Erwin planning?

He told me nothing. He just told me to come with-

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Eren snapped his head up, he looked at the direction of the sound and found none other than the captain of the ship and ambassador of Torana in Paradise island, Levant.

The woman smiled knowingly, she took a few steps forward towards the other. "It's a sight no one can get enough of. Especially if you were trapped in the walls for so long."

Eren looked away, he decided maybe not looking at the woman would be the best option around.

"Excuse my curiosity, but I have to ask," the ambassador murmured, tapping her chin. "Was it... Frustrating... To be caged like that?"

Eren swallowed hard. "Don't you have better things to do, ambassador?" he growled.

"Hmm, no. I'm the host, I should make sure the guests are ok." She said. "And you are someone that grabs attention, Eren Yeager. The founding titan is no joke. I'm simply trying to understand the situation by understanding you."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Although I have to say- you have a longing in your eyes. It's either fascination or madness. I have yet to choose." she murmured.

She chuckled. "Although... The Ocean... The dessert..." the ambassador said. "All of it looks triggering to you. It's a sight most people want to see in their lives."

Lands made of Ice! mountains! Desserts! Oceans! Hey, Eren, wouldn't it be nice if we got to see these together one day?

Crack.

His eyes could only see Red. He looked down. It was just then he realized the wooden support of the deck was broken, he broke them. He grit his teeth and forced himself to calm down.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Hit a nerve?"

This woman is getting harder and harder to ignore by each passing second.

She smiled. "Well, it appears I got my answer."

"You're getting on my nerves." Eren growled angrily, glaring at her eyes.

Levant met Eren's eyes again. She smiled, not a diplomat smile but a genuine laugh. "I know you're a madman, talking to you is pointless. One way or another, you're starting the rumbling." half of her face pulled into a grin. "Make sure to crush Marley twice when you do."

Eren was surprised to see the calm ambassador with such demeanor. "If the Rumbling goes in motion, Torana will also be in danger." he reminded her.

Ambassador Levant raised an eyebrow.

Then barked a laugh.

She almost doubled over as if Eren had said a funny joke.

"Ha- Oh god, you're hilarious." she laughed.

Eren took a step back. "You're crazy..."

"Call me whatever, but once Marley is crushed and Torana is the one standing tall over their ashes... and I have my daughter finally safe... you'll know who the real madman was."

Eren raised an eyebrow. "Your daughter?" she murmured with horror. "Oh. She's an Eldian isn't she? Don't tell me her father is no longer alive. Is that why you risked it all and came here?"

That brushed her smile off her face.

"Ahem." she said. "If you need anything, just ask one of the staff. I believe our conversation will no longer bear any fruit."

Eren heard her whisper "al-eimlaq" at him before she left.

If Eren had to attend one more meeting/party where he just leaned against the wall and hoped no one would approach him, he would go insane.

Thankfully, this was just going to be three days long.

Eren would spend all those three days in a corner of the party and stop himself from staring at a clock.

Never once did he wonder what happened in Erwin's speech with those men.

"So, worry not, even if the Rumbling is activated, we will extinguish it before it reached The West. It will only be activated in self defense against Marley and its possible allied groups. So you won't need to worry if you stay out of it."

"You sound so confident, Erwin Smith."

"With all that I'm dealing with, I have to be, prime minister. So, which one is it going to be? I'm sure you've made up your mind, otherwise you wouldn't have invited us here."

"Correct. With Marley as it is fighting the mid-east allies, we have no other choice than to move on alternatives."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's not a No."

That vacation passed Eren in a blink of an Eye.

Eren returned with just a few pictures he took from the desert and Ocean, because of his heavy heart and obvious lack of friends on his side.

When he returned home, away from Mikasa's eyes, he pasted the photos into Armin's book. The same book that first showed them the ocean.

Eren had to be so gentle with it, so gentle that he had never had to be with anyone.

But the end result, he could pretend Armin was there too. One day, he would leave it at the ocean.

Maybe then, Armin would be able to see it.

By the time Eren returned home, Mikasa was still on her mission.

Erens head had yet to hit the pillow when the door of his dorm was knocked and a messenger informed him Section commander Hange was calling him.

That left Eren with more questions than answers. He got into his uniform and pushed his long hair back, to make himself at least a tiny bit presentable. He borrowed a horse to ride all the way outside Trost, to the open place that was designed to hold his titan experiments.

He left his horse in the stables and walked to the area. He looked around and found no sign of Hange, maybe they were still in the headquarters.

Eren hummed thoughtfully and decided to just wait for them. He kicked the nearest rock.

But he didn't have to wait long.

"Ereeeeeeen!"

That was never good.

He turned around, Section commander Hange was running towards him. In their hand was a metal box, which they were holding up high above their head. "EREN! Welcome baaack!" they shouted until they stood next to Eren.

"Eren!" they said, stopping to catch their breath. Hange panted loudly and grabbed their knees to steady themself. "Oh goodness. Sorry, I'm excited!"

Eren raised an eyebrow. "What happened..." he murmured. "They said it was important!"

"Oh and it is!" Hange gasped. They stood up straight.

Eren almost flinched back when he saw Hanges face. Dark bags were under Hanges eyes and their hair looked greasy and untouchable. If Eren looked close enough, he could see dirt on their face.

For the first time, Eren missed Moblit.

Eren tried not to look disgusted. "Ehem- I am- Er-"

Hange put a finger on his lips and pushed him back. "No no! Listen! I wanna talk. You wanna know why I've been MIA lately?"

Eren shook his head.

"Well! I'm going to explain it to you anyway! This is my latest invention! It came to my mind when I was doodling out of boredom and I made it with the help of Erwin's spinal fluid- or well, the colossal Titan's spinal fluid!" They rambled on, "and guess what! I was right! The colossal titan really does have regenerative abilities! It has to be special to hold such a giant without toppling over-"

"Hange! Please I don't understand a word!" Eren said, interrupting them midspeach.

Hange brushed it aside. "Doesn't matter. No one listens." they sighed. "Ah, I miss Moblit. He always understood."

Hange closed their eyes for just a moment, maybe they were gathering their minds. Hange looked up with a smile. "The thing is, I wanna try something. You see, this syringe will accelerate healing in Eldians. It can save thousands of lives and with some modifications- It might even work on Marleyans!"

Hange rubbed their chin. "So I was wondering- is it strong enough to overpower titan shifting? If it is, then it'll be a great weapon against the warrior unit!"

Eren narrowed his eyes. "When did you have time to think about all this?"

Hange shrugged. "Ah well, after Shiganshina, I realized if Erwin had died I would have no time to pursue my studies! I had extra time because I didn't have to worry about commanding the scouts!" they explained. "-speaking of Erwin, he told me something."

Hange looked around, as if to make sure there was no one else in the training ground. They leaned closer. "Can you really see the future?" Hange asked.

Eren blinked in surprise, Erwin told them already?

Eren wanted to smack himself across the face.

He sighed. "I'm not a psychic... I can just access the memories of the future as well as the past. It's the power of the attack titan." he said.

"Great! Will I win?"

Eren rubbed the side of his face. "Win what?"

Hanges eyes widened. They stepped back. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Hange hummed quietly. "Well, you see, Erwin told me there is an institute of Titanologists. That if you don't send some of your research and they don't accept your proposal, you aren't a legitimate titanologist." they rubbed their chin. "So I gave away a weaker version of my syringe and I'm still waiting for an answer."

oh... That...

Hange sighed. "But since you didn't know; they probably hadn't accepted it. What was I thinking? Of course they wouldn't let an Eldian in their community..."

Hange shrugged it off. "But, Tell me, Eren! Am I really going to win this?" they asked. "Tell me!"

Eren fixed his jaw, this here, is exactly why he wanted to keep his future ability a secret. He should be grateful only Erwin and Hange know.

"You know- let's change the subject-" Hange hummed thoughtfully. They rubbed their chin before their eyes suddenly shone. "Hey Eren!"
"Yes?"

"If you really can inherit future memories- then you should probably know how most of us die, right?" Hange asked suddenly.

Eren eyebrows twitched, annoyed and confused at the same time. "It depends on whether the future inheritor allows me to see it or not. But yes, I've Already-"

Eren swallowed

"-Seen a couple of deaths."

More than a couple.

That is a lie. Soon, the power of the titans will vanish regardless of the choice Mikasa makes. Eitherway, they'll disappear and they'll take Eren's ability to see the future with it. That is the point where there is no future after it.

But even before that-

"Do you know how I will die?"

Hanges question struck him like a lightning bolt.

Eren actually took a few seconds to gather himself before he looked at them right in their Brown eyes and said: "... On Duty... While filling commander Erwin's shoes."

The color leaves her face.

I guess Eren spoiled way too much of the future. Now, Hange knows the grim reaper will come after them before Erwin's term is over.

Hange laughed it off. "Ah, well, nothing is certain is it?" they asked, hesitantly.

Eren shrugged.

Hange cleared their throat, their attention quickly goes back to the experiment in hand. "Don't tell Erwin that." they said, no, ordered.

Eren pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"I wasn't planning to."

Hange shrugged it off dismissively. "Ok, forget it. I'll inject you, you'll try to transform."

Hange didn't wait for Eren's approval. They grabbed his hand and pushed the syringe into his vines. "There there-" they sang. "Now- I'll run and you'll try to transform. You probably won't be able to anyway!"

Hange ran away.

To Eren's shock, no matter how much he bit his hand, he simply wouldn't transform.

After a while, Hange appeared with a saw and saw Eren's hand off, it grew back within seconds. And Eren couldn't transform.

If Eren had not objected, they probably would have tried to sew his head off too, to see if it would regenerate.

To Eren's equal horror and amusement, Hange won the title of a titanologist. They got their name carved on the statue of legitimate titanologists in the world. The first Eldian to do so.

Eren assumed Erwin pushed Hange to do this in order to give the effort of the titan Study in paradise a tiny bit of legitimacy in the eyes of the world. After all, you can't make bold claims like that without backing up your evidence, right?

Eren looked at the Photo of Hange next to their name on the statue, the smile on their face was overly controlled but he knew Hange was extremely excited.

But then, Eren couldn't help but notice the name "Hange Zoe '' was written the last name, almost on the ground. Which could be easily ignored.

Eren sighed loudly, he tucked the newspaper back under the rest of the goods as he walked home.

Meanwhile, Erwin was more occupied with matters of more importance.

He stood in front of the queen of this island, in the confidential meeting he himself asked for and told her not to have a single ear listening to what he had to say.

Erwin crossed his hands behind his back as he inspected the queen's body language.

She leaned against her throne, her back to the large windows. She met Erwin's eyes and murmured: "well? What was this top secret thing you wanted to say?"

"The world is going to be crushed." Erwin said as a matter of fact.

Historia didn't react. She just leaned her head against her closed fist. "Isn't that the opposite of what you're telling the world?" she asked.

"I told the world we won't start a war. That we don't want conflict. That doesn't mean Marley doesn't want it and I'm not that naive to think Marley won't attack because we made a few friends with their allies and so called enemies." Erwin said out loud. "And neither is Eren as controllable as I thought he would be."

Historia pressed her mouth to a thin line. She kept her eyes strictly on his.

Judging by her closed face and lack of shock, Erwin could say she knew that too. Either she had guessed it herself or-

-Eren had asked for her help with his plan.

Erwin narrowed his eyes.

That's not impossible.

Erwin pushed the thought away.

"What is your point?" Historia asked, narrowing her eyes.

"What I mean is that the threat of Marley is too great. Eren knows that. And he won't stop until he at least tries the ace up our sleeve to destroy the outside world." Erwin explained. "I want to use this situation to our best benefit."

Historia arched an eyebrow. "Benefit...?"

"Get rid of the threat of Marley and prove ourselves the heroes." Erwin explained. "After Marley is gone, chances are, the rest of the countries in the world will choose to cooperate with us other than oppose us."

"You're speaking as if there will be any countries left after the Rumbling." Historia said blatantly.

"There will, because we will cut Eren's destructive power in half before the Rumbling even begins. Then we'll have to send a capable squad to retrieve him in front of the world. We can decide what to do with the founding titan next."

Historia hummed. "There are so many risky factors and loopholes in what you just said, commander. How are we even going to reduce Eren's power? And why do you think I'll agree to it?"

Erwin stepped forward, he took out a file he had been hiding in his coat and handed it to the queen. "I have written all my evidence in this file, including my hypothesis that even a full Rumbling will never result in the full death of the entire outside world."

Historia took the folder and opened it. "Oh well, why is that?"

"Let's assume that the Eldian empire was exactly as ruthless as the Marleyan claim they be." Erwin said, holding his hands up invitingly. "What stopped them from conquering the entire world? The mere fact that non-Eldians exist means the Eldian empire failed to breach its land further and further at some point."

Erwin cleared his throat. "Or well, as I think... Nature stopped it."

Historia pressed her mouth to a thin line.

"That is the only logical answer I can think of as to why the Eldians didn't conquer the entire with their earth shattering power. As we know from experience, even battling pure titans is a challenge. Let alone the nine intelligent titans." Erwin explained. "The only force in nature that could stop the Eldians from expanding was Nature. We don't know what it is. We do not have a clue. But we know that eventually, Rumbling will be stopped by Nature at one point."

"-therefore it's pointless to rely on this ace up our sleeve to save us at the last second." Historia concluded.

"If anything, a fully fledged Rumbling will only make matters worse with our relationship to the outside world." Erwin said. "My plan is simple. We reduce the power of the rumbling, eliminate Marley and its colonies, buy ourselves enough time to modernize without needing to rely on titan inheritance. My calculations and all my plans are in that folder. Legally, I'll need your signature and blessing to go forth with my plans."

Historia held Erwin's gaze for a few seconds.

She challenged Erwin and her own mind with the new information that Erwin just bombarded her with. To push Historia over the edge, Erwin said one last comment.

"This way, you won't need to get pregnant or enforce titan inheritance on your children."

That seemed to attract her attention.

With a sigh, she opened the folder and started reading.

She pushed Hange, Jean and the rest of the special operation squads folders to the back. Historia clicked her tongue at the cliche choice of soldiers to carry out Eren's assasination.

Historia skim read the text before she looked up at Erwin Again."According to your calculations... This Rumbling of yours will result in the death and destruction of 80% of Marley and its colonies and about one fifth of the entire world." Historia said, holding up Erwin's top secret report. "You look so nonchalant when you're talking about the death of four-hundred million people."

"When the alternative is killing almost 90% of the world. These numbers look golden." Erwin said, but even then he couldn't hide the guilt in his eyes with rational words.

Historia looks at the papers again. "What makes you so sure Eren will start the Rumbling? Or that not letting him exterminate everyone outside the walls is a good idea?"

"As I said. Even a full Rumbling, can't reach the entire earth. Nature will eventually stop it."

Historia narrowed her eyes. "I believe differently." she murmured. "If Eren starts it- I should just let him do as he pleases."

Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "Of course, if it's a risk you're willing to duty as queen should make this decision very simple." he said, "you are to choose what's best for your country."

"I want something that will guarantee our future-"

"There is no guarantee in this world." Erwin interrupted her. "None."

Historia leaned forward slightly. "Let me rephrase that- I want a solution that has less risk than this one. And one that certainly doesn't have a show put on for the rest of the world."

"It is the best way to at least some time of peace."

"But that can be done without setting Eren up as the big bad villain." Historia narrowed her eyes.

"If there is a better way, please enlighten us." Erwin challenged, holding his hands open and inviting. "Because I have ran out of formidable ideas."

"What you suggest will have all of our faiths dangling on a narrow rope." Historia said as a matter of fact. "And your life is limited. What guarantee do you have that your successors will follow this plan to the exact detail?"

"If not me, Hange. If not Hange, Jean. I have tried to put suitable people in the chain of command." Erwin explained. "Both of them know how risky this is. You shouldn't worry, the chain of command is stronger than you might think."

Historia leaned back on her throne. "Both Hange and Jean are mortal. They can die within the chaos you're making." she said. "Then what? You'll leave a golden throne with no suitable heirs that'll cause the Scouts downfall."

"I'll ask a better Question." Erwin said blatantly. "What proof do you have that doing nothing and not going with my plan will have a better outcome?"

Erwin titled his head. Then he gave voice to the guess that has clouded his mind since he stepped inside and saw Queen Historia's reactions. "I know he wants to start the rumbling. And I know he has told you about this plan. Do you support the full Rumbling instead of a partial one that I'm suggesting?"

Historias eyes widened.

Then she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, looking up and down Erwin. "You do understand that you are speaking to the queen of this land, right?" she said, deadly calm.

Erwin nodded. "I understand. That is why I am giving you this plan. Because I know the queen of Paradise will make the right choice for her people."

Historia looked down at the folder again.

She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. "He has the memories of the future. Manipulating him is impossible."

Oh! So Eren had told her!

"I believe differently," he said. "If he has the memories of the future he has already been manipulated and couldn't stop it from happening."

Historia's eyes kept staring at the papers.

After a few seconds, Erwin broke the silence by offering: "Do you need a pen?"

"Signing these papers is the same as signing Eren's death sentence." She murmured, telling that to herself more than Erwin.

Erwin ignored her words and picked up a pen from his pocket. He tried to give it to her but she refused.

"... Official papers must be signed with official pens." Historia murmured again. She slowly, very slowly, picked up a decorated pen from a box behind her throne and held it over the papers.

She swallowed hard.

Her hand started to shake.
"Worry not. I have people in line to inherit Eren's titans." Erwin said, as if that would soothe her worries. "And this isn't Eren's death sentence... This is you allowing yourself to think outside of the box and do what you think is best."

She gripped her pen hard enough that the decorative stones started biting into her skin. Her fingers around the pen turned white.

Her signature was crooked, angry.

But unmistakably Queen Historia's.

Erwin picked up the signed papers. The Queen of Paradise just agreed to kill half the wall titans of the island.

Erwin smiled to himself. He put the papers back on the folder and put it safely in the pocket of his coat. "Tomorrow, the titans inside Wall Sina, Sina's exterior, and Wall Rose will die."

"I know stabbing your friend in the back like that calls for a lot of courage." Erwin said, saluting to the queen. The sound of it echoed in the empty throne room. "But in ten years time, you'll realize this was the right choice to make."

"We'll see."

"Please keep acting in front of Eren as you always have. We must never let him understand when the wall Titans were killed." Erwin explained.

Then, he politely excused himself out.

Erwin didn't halt his plans. He still sent his special operation squad to Marley to map out liberio

and Jean was freaking out.

He didn't show it, but Eren could see it written plainly all over his face. He was the perfect spy since acted like the locals and had nothing suspicious on him.

Nothing that would be suspicious in fathers eyes anyway.

But Eren could see it in the way he was hurried, about finding their hotel, about avoiding the police, about concealing their accents, about the way he was on alarm at all times about every single small step or sound or scent.

And the way he just wanted to map the city so that they could go back home.

Jean was mortified but since he was a great actor no one saw it.

Eren did though, and it won't be the first time. After all, Eren could see the future.

when they thought they stopped the rumbling. When his founding titan was beheaded and the survivors gathered around just to be ambushed by the gas emitted from that worm being.

and Jean was the only one that this gas reached.

From what Eren remembered Jeans titan will be very ugly. His molette stayed in play but his face was ripped apart and his teeth were a bloody mess.

"Being a titan doesn't suit you..." Eren said out loud as he watched Jean trying to keep Sasha and Connie close to himself because 'we are tourists but we shouldn't attract too much attention'

"Did you say something?"

Eren's eyes widened and he turned around, a smile settled on his face as he locked eyes with Mikasa. He didn't mean to, but he needed physical reassurance.

He laced his fingers with Mikasas. She gave a shy smile as well.

"I didn't say anything." he murmured, slowly following the other three to the hotel.

All around them, people moved in the stores and their stalls. Yelling for their customers and advertising their work. Men and women, young and old.

A Mother with her energetic child.

A father, angry about how his son had run off.

Eren held Mikasa's hand tighter.

The room was ok, not good, not bad, but Eren had yet to get used to the lifestyle of the Marleyans, especially the dress code.

And his shared room with Connie and Jean felt a little odd.

The room was superb enough but After almost two years of blissfully living with Mikasa, and their lovely routine. Connie's sarcasm and Jean's lack of cleanliness was too much.

So, Eren decided to sneak out and try the dawn of the city himself.

He fixed his tie as he stepped out of the hotel. He made sure that Jean was too busy with the maps to notice he was gone. Mikasa and Sasha were in their own room and Connie wouldn't notice even if his life depended on it.

Marley was under his feet.

More or less.

Eren took a deep breath. The streets were a little bit different from the little his father knew about the outside of the internment zone of Liberio.

The streets were the same stone streets, the buildings were the same soulless grey, some colorful buildings here and there, and a gorgeous river ran through the city.

And happy people of Liberio.

Or at least, happy Marleyans of Liberio.

Eren took one step after another, aimlessly running straight north. Towards where he thought the internment zone was.

And Eren was right, soon he reached the giant golden walls of the containment zone. Armed soldiers stood guard, holding innocent civilians.

Eren could only watch.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sound of sobbing.

Eren turned around, following the sound of that voice to see a small raven haired boy, about nine years old, crying his eyes out in a small corner.

Eren looked at the guards, and then the small boy.

With a sigh, he took small careful steps towards the boy, making sure not to freak him out. Eren kneeled down in front of the boy. "Hey... Are you alright?" he asked

The boy looked at him with a question in his dark eyes and shook his head. The boy tried to wipe the tears off his eyes. He said something.

But Eren didn't understand a word, apparently neither one of his predecessors knew the language as well. Eren pressed his mouth to a thin line. He could guess from the boy's appearance that he was a refugee.

But... What was he doing near the internment zone?

Eren sighed loudly. "Have you lost your mother? Father? Mom? Dad?"

The boy's eyes widened. "Mo-ma" he stuttered. Apparently, the word was international.

Eren rose to his knees and offered a hand. "Let's go find her." he said, in hopes of the boy getting his intention.

The boy swallowed hard but stood on his feet. He took Eren's hand and rapidly nodded a few times.

Eren did something that had the little boy shaking and would have had Jean raging in boundless fury.

He asked directions from the internment zone guard.

The little boy tried to escape from his iron grip but Eren wasn't in the mood. He quickly asked where the refugees were and the middle aged overweight guard inspected him up and down.

He carelessly showed the south and said that they resided near the river.

So that's exactly where they went.

He got a few nasty stares from the locals, probably because of the small boy but he paid them no mind.

Based on the reactions of the small boy, they were getting close. He kept jumping up and down and expressing his joy with words that Eren had no clue what they meant.

In his response, Eren just smiled.

By the time Eren and the boy reached another zone, surrounded by lots of camps. It was night time, the sun slowly went down the horizon and took the light with it.

Eren took a deep breath, his green eyes gently looked down. "Are we home?" he asked.

"Home- Ho-me." The boy nodded, jumping up and down.

Eren smiled softly, He could see that the other refugees' costumes matched the boys so they were right.

"Goodbye, then."Eren murmured, putting a hand on his back and pushing him forward.

The boy ran towards a tent, laughing to himself but then, he suddenly stopped his tracks.

you are... You are going to die...

The boy turned around, giving Eren a wide grin.

Eren waved slowly, his face crumbled in grief. enjoy your life while you can, I don't want to do that, but I have to...

The boy started running towards him again, before he knew it, Eren was tackled in a hug.

Eren froze for a moment, his eyes slowly falling down on the boy, who was hugging him in a form of thank you.

"Ta- tank you."

Eren bit his lip, slowly looped his hands around the boy and returned the hug. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Tears started to form around his eyes. I don't want to do this.

I'm sorry.

Eren broke the hug and knelt down in front of the boy. "I'm sorry." he gasped as fresh tears started to fall from his eyes. "I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it, I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry." Eren murmured, keeping the clueless boy at arm's length.

I can't do it.

Eren couldn't care less when his breathing started to get heavy.

"I don't want to do it, I don't want to, I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt them-! I can't! I can't put them through so much risk, what if one of them dies?" Eren shouted more to himself than anyone else, while keeping the boy at arm's length.

"I can't do it... I can't put my friends through so much danger just to go for a total genocide." Eren admitted quietly, no one heard him except the boy who didn't understand. "And then what? I know I can't finish it and then what? How can I possibly entrust the world to military personnel and expect peace?"

Eren looked at the boy's dark eyes, searching for an answer and finding none.

"I can't do it... There... There has to be another way. Except genocide and breeding livestock." Eren murmured, standing to his feet and taking the boy's hand again. "Come on now, let's get you to your parents, then the first thing I'll do is to write a letter to Hange and explain everything. Erwin might be very dense but Hange will understand!"

The boy's eyes stayed wide.

Eren swallowed hard. "Ok, show me where your home is... Home...?"

The boy pointed at the first tent. Eren nodded quietly, trying to wipe his tears with his free hand.

yes... This was better.

Eren took a deep breath, deep deep breath to calm himself and his hammering heart.

"So... Did you see the ocean?"

Eren's hand froze on his face. That was a voice not belonging to the small boy.

A voice he had forgotten. But it sparked in his mind like electricity until there was no doubt in his mind what this voice was.

Or rather, who it was.

Slowly, his eyes moved to meet the boy from the corner of his eyes. He almost gasped when his eyes saw blond hair and blue eyes.

Big blue eyes of a nine year old who ran down the river and promised him flaming water, lands of ice, oceans and freedom.

Eren firmly shut his eyes closed.

No.

This was just a pull of his tired and homesick mind pulling old tricks on him again.

Armin has been dead for four years now. Get over it.

Or maybe it was the attack titans powers? Mixing past, present and future in a sick and uncontrolled manner.

When he opened his eyes, The vision cleared and the same foreign boy was over there again.

But before Eren knew it, the boy started to run opposite of the tents.

Erens blood went cold. "No wait!" he shouted, running after the boy on the opposite side of the tents. "Where are you going?"

Their footsteps echoed in the empty streets.

"You promised..."

Eren stopped in his tracks. He lost sight of the boy and found himself in the middle of nowhere, he felt all eyes on him and no one watching him at the same time.

And then, reality glitched.

For one split second, he was somewhere else. Somewhere with alot of white sand and a glowing white tree in the middle. He had no other choice other than to turn around and the intimidating presence of a being much greater than himself.

He turned around, and saw a child in torn clothes and covered eyes.

He would recognise that child with his eyes closed.

Founder Ymir.

"You promised..."

The words echoed in his head. He had to flinch back and to cover his ear against the buzz inside it.

"Didn't you promise to end it all? To kill the world?"

Ymir said the words he has yet to think about. He has yet to come to paths and declare those words but who knows how time passed for founder Ymir?

Instead of thinking it rationally, Eren stared into Her covered eyes. "Why do you hate me so much?" Eren murmured it very quietly.

Ymir didn't move. Eren was sure there was no one else that could see her other than Eren.

So Eren stayed put, just staring into the place the eternal child was waiting.

"Are you threatening me?"

Ymir narrowed her darkened eyes.

"Is this for gaining your own freedom?"

Ymir tilted her head.

"Why do you think Mikasa killing me is a sight to see?"

Silence...

"You're sick... Founder Ymir."

Ymir turned around.

We both are.

Founder Ymir said it and didn't say it at the same time.

Eren heard the words as if it was set in his brain from when he was born.

And then came another voice into his head.

If the path is as magical as they claim it is... Then... Eren will have access to the paths.

Eren looked at where the ghost of Ymir was once standing. Fine. If you want the rumbling. I'll give it to you.

But... You'll have to give me the power of the paths for that to happen.

what will happen if you give me the power of the past, present and future of the Eldians?

"Eren!"

Was that Mikasa?

"Eren!"

"Eren, WAKE UP!"

fulfill your destiny.

"Eren !"

Eren woke up with a gasp, he jumped upright, sitting up and his green eyes darted around the place he was in. It was slightly cold and he could feel the press of cold air on his neck and collar.

His green eyes suddenly found Mikasa's stormy gray eyes. She softened and she fiercely wrapped her arms around Eren's neck like it was the last time. "Eren!" she murmured.

"Mikasa..." he murmured, slowly coming to himself. "What- what happened?"

"We should ask you..." Mikasa murmured, tightening her hold on him. "You disappeared. I thought you were-"

She swallowed hard, her hands shaking slightly while holding Eren close. "Everyone is looking for you... I went to the internment zone Dr Yeager used to be in and asked the guards. They told me you were helping a boy find his home so I came here... I was lucky I found you."

Mikasa immediately broke the hug, pulling Eren back until he was at arm's length. "What happened? They say you suddenly passed out before you could bring their boy home."

Eren blinked in confusion. He looked around. They were in a tent. A big one by comparison. Eren turned around to see a whole family looking at him with worry, a couple, two boys, two girls and an old man.

And the boy he helped was among them.

Eren swallowed hard. "Hi..." he murmured, waving awkwardly. "Since when was I- passed out?"

The oldest son, a teenager, cleared his throat. "You passed out after you reached our... Our uhm... Camp." he explained. "Our brother found us and we brought you here, You've been sleeping ever since."

Eren unknowingly touched the skin under his eyes. "That long..." he murmured with horror. "The... What about the- people outside?"

Mikasa pressed her mouth to a thin line. "Eren..." Mikasa murmured. "There was no one outside the camp."

Eren ran a hand through his hair and didn't say one more word.

The hospitality was apparently very sacred amongst the refugees.

Because when Eren and Mikasa stood up to leave, the old man stopped them. He tried to convince them with his broken language to stay. That they had to stay

Mikasa and Eren exchanged a look and accepted their invitation.

The family of seven refused Eren and Mikasa's offer to help them make dinner. A mother, a father, two sons, two daughters and a grandfather.

The oldest son was the only one who spoke fluently and arrived back from the shop with stacks full of groceries and three people worried sick. Three very familiar people that jumped inside without a second thought.

Sasha, Jean and Connie met their eyes.

"Mikasa, Eren!" Sasha shouted, throwing herself on Mikasa's embrace. "We thought you were captured or something!"

Jean stepped in, crossing his hands over his chest and letting out a deep inhale. "Idiots!" Jean growled under his breath. "You said you'd rendezvous with us in an hour."

Mikasa nodded. "I forgot."

"You forgot-" Jean almost shouted.

Connie elbowed Jean gently. "Chill, captain." he murmured with a smile. "The important thing is that we found them!"

Their oldest son put the groceries near the corner of the camp. "I found them looking for you," he explained. "So I brought them here. They had the same clothes as you did."

"We thank you." Jean said with a small bow, completely mistaking the cultural signs. "But we have to leave now-"

Before he could leave however, the man of the house shook his head and blocked their way. "Stay. Dinner." he said while shaking his head. "Our guest."

Jean swallowed hard. He looked at Mikasa and Eren with a sigh. "Im sorry, I think we have given you enough trouble I-"

The oldest son stood up. "No sir- your friend found my little brother," he explained. "Please be our guest for dinner. My mothers dishes are quite delicious."

Jean gave them a polite smile. "Im afraid-"

"Yes!"

"Sasha!" Jean snapped, swiping his hand in the air.

The old man smiled. "Great!" he said with a rich accent. He turned to his wife and happily said Something in their native language.

"Come on Jean..." Connie rolled his eyes and rested his elbow on Jean's shoulder. "Look at the bright side!" he said. "Wasn't the refugee camps one of the things you had to write a report on?"

Jean crossed his arms, a small frown in his face.

The dinner was really one of a kind.

Served in different plates and sizes and the family lacked a few of the ingredients they needed but they were definitely very hospitable and offered the best they could to the person who saved their son from the wrath of Marley's police.

And after that, they brought the alcohol.

Or so, the strong liquor that only they themselves could make. Mikasa took a sip, Eren did too, but Mikasa was soon lost in the smell of Alcohol.

Jean was losing his mind over the fact that scouts can't have Alcoholic beverages on and off duty. But when the family started to grow suspicious, he had no chance but to let the four of them enjoy their drinks.

Connie held the cup to Jean's face. "Oh my- try this, Jean." Connie murmured with a hiccup. "It's so- soooo strong."

Jean pushed him back and kept him away at Arm's Length. "Yes, I noticed," he said out loud. "But someone needs to stay sober."

Sasha laughed, throwing herself and looping one of her hands around Jean's neck. "Come on! Don't spoil the mood." Sasha hiccuped. "Don't miss it, it's so damn good-"

Jean shook his head. "No- get off."

Mikasa laughed under her breath.

"Eren-" she said, looking around to crack a joke she normally wouldn't when sober. Her stormy grey eyes widened when she noticed he was nowhere to be seen.

She gently pushed herself to her feet and walked around, her mind was spinning from the force of Alcohol but she pushed herself up. Up and walking outside, to check if he was there.

He was.

Eren was there, looking at moonlight and his back to her. He was lost in his thoughts and the soft breeze played with his rather long brown hair.

Mikasa imagined his eyes captured in the moonlight.

Slowly but surely, she took one step after another until she was standing behind him and he didn't seem to notice. "Eren..." she murmured, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

Eren took a deep breath, his entire body shuddered and hw turned around, looking wide eyed at Mikasa as if expecting someone else. His eyes grew at peace when his eyes met hers.

"Mikasa..." he murmured, as if those single words soothed all his worries. "It's you..."

"Of course." she whispered, a small smile on her face. Her hands slowly dropped to her side. "It's cold, eren. Let's go back inside... We don't want to catch a cold."

Eren took a deep breath. "It's not that cold." he murmured, eyes turned to the sea of refugee camps. "We'll be fine."

Mikasa took a look at the camps, they looked peaceful, holding small families in this moment behind the wall.

The sky was a dark blue color, painted by small colorful stars and the full moon.

Mikasa took a deep breath and turned to Eren, "Eren-" "Mikasa-"

Eren turned around, slowly taking her hand into his own and holding both of her hands in front of them, slowly moving his fingers above her fingers. "Mikasa..." he murmured, green eyes locked with stormy grey ones, full of unsaid feelings. "What am I to you?"

Mikasa took a deep breath, the rush of Alcohol and adrenaline mixing her feelings together in a small mesh of unknown entities in her mind. "What..?" she murmured, in lieu of what else to say.

"Why do you follow me around." Eren asked again, his green eyes shining in the dark of the night, trapping Mikasa in the pool of their color. "Is it because I saved you that night? Or because we're family, or-"

He took a deep breath, holding tightly to her hands. "What am I to you, Mikasa?"

Something, maybe alcohol or shyness, stopped her from talking. Something had her caught in the spell of Eren's jade eyes. In his longing look, in the ghost of his smile.

Maybe it was the cold that made her shiver a little bit. Maybe it was the warmth on her cheek that stopped her from talking truthfully.

"You're... You're family..." she murmured, red painting her face. "You're family."

(From the way he stilled for a fracture of a second and his eyes grew cold and hurt, one could say that was the wrong answer.)

Mikasa opened her mouth to talk but a loud scream interrupted her. She turned around and saw the same little boy come at them and wave.

"Perfect timing." Eren murmured as the boy arrived.

Without one more word, the boy took their hands and took them back to the camp. His dark eyes burning with worry.

When they reached their camp, they realised the fight to make Jean drink some of the Alcoholic beverage ended with Connie being punched in the face.

One week after the incident, their job was done.

One week after traveling around Liberio and neighboring cities and Jean writing mysteriously confidential notes that everyone refused help for.

Afterwards, the group was packing their bags and taking their pre-ordered ship to Hizuru. The moment they reach Hizuru they are safe and Jean can finally let out that panicked tension in his eyes.

Mikasa could see it as if it was written plainly in a book. Ever since they first saw the internment zones, Jean has been acting differently. Connie and Sasha noticed it too, it came in forms of sudden glances, paranoia and secrecy.

She paid it no mind however, this was their first big mission and it was expected of Jean to be nervous even if he never outwardly showed it.

The air was damp and warm, the sun burned in the sky and the crowd of people on the platform was making it ten times worse. Mikasa grabbed her hat that shielded her from the direct sunlight. The slight breeze brought the sensation of the ocean with it and blessed her senses with a sense of calm.

Beside her, Eren carried her and his luggage off the train that would take them to the port. He put them on the train platform next to Connie, Sasha and Jeans.

"Careful." Mikasa murmured when she saw an angry man almost bump into Eren. Eren murmured something under his breath before and shook his head.

Sasha bit on her snack, something she took from the waiter at the last second. "This place is so crowded." she nagged, chewing loudly. "How do people find their way around?"

Connie leaned against the pile of suitcases and souvenirs they were taking with themselves. "I don't know." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "This place is more crowded than Trost! Sometimes I wonder why was Liberio was so full of people when Marley has literally an endless land to make more cities on."

Sasha bit on her snack again, not bothering to hide the cracking sound that reached their ears.

Slowly, they could see Jean's figure from the endless sea of the crowd, coming and going until Jean finally reached them and tucked his notebook in his pocket. "Our ship to Hizuru will be boarding in about half an hour." he said and cleared his throat and picked his own suitcase. "We should get going."

Connie elbowed Sasha. "Enjoy whatever that is, potato girl." he laughed. "This is your last meal on Marley."

Sasha bit down on her snack and held it with her teeth and picked up her suitcases. Rushing after Connie and Jean towards the main building of the port.

Mikasa held her suitcase with one hand and started walking, Eren started walking right beside her, he said no words but his eyes were speaking volumes, pleading that wouldn't be translated.

As they started walking, Mikasa felt a soft presence on her fingers. She knew it was the familiar presence of Eren's fingers, slowly threading their fingers together as they walked to the main building.

Mikasa felt a small smile settle on her lips. She shyly looked around to see Eren smiling sadly at her, an apology on his lips without saying it.

Mikasa didn't feel pressure, she was happy with the ending this vacation was getting even when the traffic of the building eventually separated their intervening fingers.

In the building, they checked their tickets and went towards the giant sign of "Eastern Vacation" port.

They couldn't linger in the main building much, considering how limited their time was.

Sasha abandoned her baggage and rushed to the giant windows. "Is that-" she gasped. "Is that our ship?"

She pointed at the superb white ship, people were quickly boarding it. "That's- That's-" Sasha gasped. Connie quickly walked next to her, his eyes widened at the size of the actual ship.

"Man... I bet it's even bigger than the colossal titans height." Connie murmured with awe, quietly so that no one would hear it.

Jean raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that's what happens when they have unlimited amounts of resources," he said loudly. "What's important is that we're boarding it and finally going home!"

Mikasa's eyes didn't quite catch that ship, it looked like a normal one and the writings on the body of that ship looked extremely familiar.

Sasha hummed. "We're going home!"

"What?" Connie asked.

"We're going home!" she cheered. "Wow, this really was The Scouts first ever mission with no casualties." she added, rubbing her chin. "First time for everything I guess."

Jean tipped his fedora with a smile hidden on his lips. "Well... That's a good change at least." he added with a smile. "Now let's get going before-"

"Where's Eren?"

Mikasa looked around, Eren was next to her just a moment ago. He was there, with that small bitter smile on his lips and longing in his eyes.

And now he wasn't.

"Where is Eren?" Mikasa asked, suddenly walking away looking around the building.

The four of them looked around, no trial of the brunet could be seen.

"Sasha... I think you jinxed it." Connie hummed, slowly coming to the realisation that Eren was nowhere to be seen.

"That bastard..."

Mikasa snapped her head to where Jean was standing next to the suitcases.

The loud sound of a horn echoed between them, a sign that the ship was about to leave, a last chance for the passengers to pass.

Slowly, Jean stood up on his feet, a small letter in his hands. A letter that was previously on Eren's suitcase.

The people around them ran in a rush, a second horn echoed in the area, urging them to move faster.

There was a frown on Jean's face as he shoved the piece of paper in Mikasa's hand. Anger oozing out of his hazel eyes. "That suicidal bastard-"

Mikasa held up the letter and swallowed hard. She started reading. "I'm sorry." She read Eren's handwriting. "I can't come back with you."

A chill settled in her gut.

I'm sorry.

I can't come back with you.

Mikasa threw the piece of paper away and looked at the moving crowd. "Eren!" she shouted. She dashed forward in the crowd.

"Eren!" she screamed, looking at one face after another and not finding the one she wanted.

Mikasa felt a hand on her shoulder before angrily shrugging it off. "Mikasa-" Jean tried to stop her from moving away but she pushed him back. "Mikasa! We need to leave."

"You go!" she snapped. "I'll stay and look for him."

Sasha blocked her way. "Mikasa-" she pleaded. "If we lose this ship we might never find our way back home!"

"Out of my way, Sasha."

Jean shook his head. "Mikasa, please," he pleaded.

Mikasa fisted her hands.

"We'll be back for him." Sasha said loudly. "We're fresh out of money, Mikasa! What will we do here? I promise you we'll be back for him."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes on her, she was speaking the truth. They were fresh out of money and had no other way to go back home.

"Mikasa, the orders were clear. We can't wait for him or our cover will be blown." Jean said as a matter of fact, eyes staring into the distance. "He knows that."

Mikasa let out a shuddering breath, shaking her head left and right. "No...we..."

Sasha stepped forward and looped her arms around her in an awkward but warm embrace. "Let's go, Mikasa." she murmured, gently patting her hair. "Ok?"

Mikasa sighed loudly and surrendered in her embrace, one single tear escaped her fearful eyes.

Jean narrowed his eyes, searching the crowd for their renegade one last time. His biggest fear had just come true.

The third and last horn echoed in the area. Their last chance to board the ship.

"Let's go." Jean murmured, rubbing the side of his face. "One day, we'll come back and find that suicidal bastard."

Sasha gently pushed Mikasa up to her feet and towards the platform, Connie was giving away their luggage to the staff.

Mikasa held to that promise they made.

"We'll be back for him."

Notes:

Title means familial love in ancient greek!

"Al eimlaq" means "the titan" I wanted her to say "the stupid titan" but unfortunately I don't trust my Arabic or google translate enough to put it here!

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 23: Crushed souls : Rumbling Reached.

Notes:

It is time...

Please note that I wrote these four parts on the death note. One thing that bothered me about the rumbling (even though I really enjoyed the ending in general) is that the characters have such big plot armor that nothing happened to anyone other than the yeagers. Also, for some reason, they had unlimited gas and blades?

So- I'm really going more on the death toll of the rest of the story. Even Jean knows they won't come out of this mission without causality.

SO! Brace yourselves!

WARNIIIING

WARNIIIING

major character injury/death(s), violence. Blood. And of course, people getting crushed!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

From here in Toranas eastern border, Fort Slava is a dot in the Horizon.

But the rapidly approaching 'raw of death' as the newspapers had called it wasn't. It could be clearly seen from the other side of the desert when the sand storms allowed it.

And it didn't... Well... They could still hear the rumbles.

And could see the train of innocent civilians seeking refuge and a safe place in Fort slava.

The citizens of the once proud ancient civilization, the only one who was brave enough to have relations with both Eldia and Paradise Island, was now watching as the Rumbling approached them.

Fort Slava was about a thousand kilometers away. With the estimated speed, the rumbling would reach the red line in a few hours. The same red line that Erwin Smith promised it wouldn't reach.

The clock was ticking.

Torana was fully intending on carrying out his threat if the rumbling ever steps foot on their border.

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

Fort Slava send its airships, trying to drop bombs. Blaming themselves and their hate that created this monster.

But they had very little time to prepare their airships. Those they did prepare was useless against the raw of Colossals

"The Port is that way, on the other side of the forest, south."

Piecks titan voice cut through their silence.

Jean looked over at Pieck's titan who was following Marco and Jean's direction. To be extremely honest, Sasha felt Jean himself wasn't sure where he was going.

Connie had mumbled something like that under his breath the moment they left Trost.

Jean's eyes focussed on the warriors for a moment before he looked at Gabi and Falco, a strange look passed his eyes. "We're going somewhere safe to drop the kids," he said as a matter of fact.

"What?" Gabi and Falco said, simultaneously.

"Over my dead body." Porco growled angrily. She didn't move from her place on Pieck's back, if he did, he would have fallen. "We are not leaving them on this island."

Jean rolled his eyes. "We had this talk!" he said seriously. "You can't seriously risk their lives in this madness, can you?"

Jean turned to Pieck. "Fiona district is a little to the west of here, apparently." he murmured, oh how much he wished he was at least a little informed about the secrets of the scouts.

Thankfully, all he got from his own squad was confused glares. Sasha wanted to say something but Connie elbowed her, probably to keep their act together.

To Jean's equal joy and surprise, they soon reached a district so close to the ocean, they could smell the saltwater in the air. To say it Shocked Jean that the houses were made of vibrant colors and modeled after Trost, was an under underestimation.

Jean held on to his ODM gear that kept him steady on Marco's titan as they marched towards the area. "Welcome to Fiona district." Jean said through grit teeth.

Before they entered the city, they met at an MP station, Jean thanked his luck for not having to waste more time in this place.

Jean took off with his ODM gear and landed on the ground. He ran towards the MP officer and pointed at his red pendant, the sign that he was a Scouts captain. "Captain Jean Kirstein. Please bring in Mr and Mrs Grice. Tell them their son is here."

The MP blinked. "Son?... As in... Singular?"

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Yes, is there a problem?"

The MP shook his head. "No, not really. The woman has been asking too much about her two sons that... To think only one made it here." he murmured. He turned around and went towards the station, "I'll call them in."

Jean nodded.

While he was talking. Porco and Reiner gently put Falco and Gabi on the ground. Jean could see it in both of their eyes that they were reluctant to let go of the preteens.

Gabi looked at the town once before he looked at Reiner. "Let us come with you!" she pleaded.

All while, Falco kept quiet. He just hugged the bloody letter and looked at where the MP had disappeared.

Reiner put a hand on her shoulder. "You can be safe here." He whispered.

"But we can go!" Gabi shouted. "We can help!"

"No!" Jean snapped, interrupting their moment. "It's bad enough you were in the war in the first place. With all due respect, all the two of you will do is to get in our way." he said as a matter of fact.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Jean is right." Pieck sighed, her titan turning to face the children. "Stay safe here. You'll be no good coming with us and risking your life."

"FALCO!"

They all turned their head to the direction of the sound of the anxious mother. Jean was surprised to see them already adapting to the more popular dresses in Paradise rather than the usual clothes on Marley. Falco recognised her immediately and ran towards the couple.

No one stopped them.

Mrs Grice kneeled down and Falco jumped into her embrace. Mr Grice wrapped his arms around his wife and son. "Falco! Falco, where have you been!" Mrs Grice pulled back to hold her son's face. "Falco, you're here! Where's your brother? Colt said you've gone with that airship and-"

Suddenly, the woman looked around. Her eyes searched Jean's squad and the warriors. "Where's Colt?" she asked. "He said you'll-"

Falco slowly looked down.

Shame flooded through his eyes.

"Falco... Don't tell me..." she murmured. She looked up from her son to the warriors in the back. Or well, Colts closest companion. "Porco..." she murmured, expecting him to tell her the answer.

Porco, still haunted by Colts betrayal, couldn't bring himself to say anything. He politely looked away.

Jean couldn't help but look away from the sight. He looked at the warriors, they had different looks of sorrow, other than Annie who looked confused.

To them, Colt was a traitor. They shouldn't be expected to break the news to his family.

(Jean has a great guess that the couple already knew what had happened)

He wanted to brush it off and to let Falco tell his family but then...

... Sometimes he wished he wasn't promoted. Maybe then he'd be able to ignore this pang in his heart.

Jean sighed loudly. It was thanks to Colt Grice that they knew a lot about Marley. That they could counter Marley's attack without a blood bath. He... Deserved better than to be abandoned like this.

Jean slowly but surely walked towards the family.

"Jean! What are-" Sasha wanted to ask but Connie stopped him. "-Sh!, let him."

Jean knew he could unintentionally frighten the family. So he moved slowly and held his hands up in a soft surrender motion. "It is alright..." he said. "My name is Jean Kirstein. I am a captain in the Scout Regiment."

Mr Grice's eyes widened. "Scout- Scout Regiment?"

Jean nodded. "Do you recognise the name?"

The man nodded. "Yes, Colt said something about cooperating with a Island devil- I mean-"

Jean gave him a tight smile. "I understand. I'm glad to see you've settled on Paradise at least. Our commander had asked for Colts favor and gave you and his family this safe heaven in Paradise. However..." Jean cleared his throat. Jean debated with himself whether he should give the family a proper scouts 'death monologue' as Sasha liked to put it or not.

I regret to inform you your son has passed away on duty of the Scout Regiment. It is thanks to his sacrifice that we can move forward.

No... This doesn't sound right.

But he decided against it. "But Colt himself was killed in the process... By Marleyans' hands." he said in the end.

Mrs Grice gasped, she covered the lower half of her face with her hand and pulled Falco closer to her heart.

"I am sorry for your loss." Jean told the parents.

Mr Grice looked down with a painted sign. "It's..."

"You don't need to say anything." Jean assured them.

Falco helped his mother to stand up again. She held Falco close. Mr Grice put his hand on Falcos shoulder. "Colt told us... Told us he might lose his life..." Mrs Grice murmured. "I never- I never thought he really meant it."

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. "This was... What he thought best for his family." he said. "Have you settled here yet?"

Mr Grice nodded, his eyes downcast. "Yes... More or less..." he murmured. "If I'd known this is how it would have ended- I would have never let my brother sign him up for a warrior candidate!" he added with a whisper: "this is my fault."

Jean wanted to assure them it would be ok, but failed to find the right words. Instead, he said: "if you need anything, tell the MPs here to contact the Scout regiment." he told them.

"Are they here to shame us?" Mr Grice asked out of the blue. "... For betraying Marley?"

Jean looked back at the warriors. Gabi was hiding behind Porco, staring at them with only one eye open.

"No one can shame you for that here." Jean told them. "But... Mr Grice, Mrs Grice, I have to ask you to take care of Gabi for the time being too."

Mrs Grice wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Ga-Gabi? Of-of course." she murmured. She looked down at Falco. "You followed her all the way to here, didn't you?"

Falco hugged the bloody letter tighter.

Mrs Grice nodded at Jean's question. "Of course she can stay with us." she murmured. "Our house here was built for... For four people anyway..."

That was all the confirmation Jean needed.

He turned to the warriors, he stared right at Porco and pointed at him to come closer. Meaning to bring Gabi here.

Porco was quickly second guessing every decision that could be made here. He could take Gabi to the family, where she would be safe. Or she could come with them to the continent.

Gabi looked up at Porco and shook her head. "No! I can help you to save Marley!" she said. Looking at Reiner and Pieck for confirmation. "I am the best warrior candidate this term!"

Reiner shut his eyes. "I know this, Gabi." he said, walking the distance to them and grabbing her by her shoulders. He kneeled down to be eye level with her. "Listen, Gabi." he murmured. "This is no joke. Let this war be handled by adults."

"But-"

"You'll be safe here." Reiner said. "Now, either you go with no problem or I'll drag you to them. There is nothing fun about going against Eren Yeager, believe me."

Gabi opened her mouth to say something, then she gently closed it.

"Good." Reiner said, standing up to his feet. "We will come back for you, that is a promise."

"I'll take her." Porco offered before Reiner could take her hand and take her to the waiting family.
"Porco-"

"I won't say anything to them." he growled, putting a comforting hand on Gabis shoulder. "No matter how much I want to..." he added.

They walked to where the Grices were. Jean glared at Porcos eyes for a moment, as if he wanted to say Say something, I dare you.

Little did Jean know who he was talking to.

As if Porco could say anything to his best friend's parents. As if Porco could just flip a switch and forget all the memories he had with this family...

... Like how Colt presumably did.

Porco wouldn't. Because unlike Colt, he wasn't a traitor.

He gently pushed Gabi forward until they were with the family. They accepted her with open arms even when Gabi was hesitant to go with them. She didn't move from Porcos side until Falco offered a hand. "Please..." he said, not explaining anything in hopes that she knew.

Gabi looked up at Porco and he smiled encouragingly. She took a deep breath and moved to stand next to the family.

It was too late when Porco realized Mrs Galliard's eyes weren't on Gabi but on him. She looked as if she was moments away from tearing up. "Porco..." Mrs Grice murmured, looking at him with horrified eyes. "I-"

Porco shut his eyes and turned his back to the family.

He didn't look around. One day they'd come back to get Gabi back and Falco...

Porci can just hope for the best for Falco and the rest of his family.

Porco walked back towards Pieck's titan, Reiner and Annie.

Just as he was about to stop, he felt a presence on his right, felt like a ghost, a spirit. Porco shut his eyes for a moment. Although it felt foreign, he could still feel Colts calm presence and joyful aura.

Porco slowly closed his eyes with a sigh. "Colt..." he murmured, quiet enough that no one would hear. "I hope this was the right call for you."

Walking away took more effort than Jean thought it would.

Meanwhile, Jean talked to the MP, just to finalize their data before they leave. "Keep that boy away from crowded areas, and have a soldier ready in the station to battle his titan if he turns, at all times, understood?" he ordered the soldier.

The MP nodded, and then saluted.

With that, Jean used his ODM gear to hop back on Marco's titan. He smiled and then pointed south.

They rode south in silence until the waves filled the empty air between them with the sound of water and saltwater smell in the air.

The azumabitos port, where the flying boat was presumably kept, could be seen as a dark abandoned building from there, the ocean behind it. Jean looked at Marco with a smile before his eyes stared at the sun, which was slowly rising to its peak.

Jean took a deep breath and tried to ignore the prying eyes of the rest of his squad. When Marco's titan stopped, he tapped the titan in his neck to get his attention. "Marco..." he murmured, smiling when the titan showed his scarred face with a mirrored smile.

Jean took a deep breath. "I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye for now..." he murmured.

The titans' smile immediately dropped.

Connie leaned in to whisper something in Sashas ear, and Mikasa looked away to give the two some resemblance of privacy. Jean appreciated the concern but it was futile.

Marco tilted his head.

"You can't come with us..." Jean said, with his captain/commanding voice. "We have a bit of a size problem and- We need you safe here. if we manage to bring Eren in, you should be here."

He didn't miss the way Mikasa glared at him from the corner of her eyes.

"So... I'll come back for a proper goodbye, alright." Jean assured him. The titans smile returned. He held his gigantic hands above to gently pat Jean's head.

"OH MARLEY! So that's why you loved this titan so much, disgusting!"

He sighed and ignored Porcos shouts.

"Come on, we'll have to find that flying boat and leave ASAP." he ordered everyone. "Inside the building, now."

Jean jumped down the titan and ran towards the buildings open doors. Fortunately he was greeted by some of the Azumabitos guards. "Captain- we were expecting you."

Everyone was expecting something other than myself.

Jean cleared his throat. "Where is the flying boat? And how are we going to get to the continent?"

A guard pointed at the end of the building. "The engineers are giving their final touches. Onyankopon is also on board."

Jean walked past the guard. "Good, tell Lady Azumabito we're here." he shouted as he opened the door and went towards the open area where two engineers were fixing the flying boat.

Onyankopon was standing next to the flying boat, fidgeting with a broken piece of metal. He heard the crowd's footsteps and turned around. The anxiety tripled and washed off his face at the same time. "Jean!"

"Onyankopon." Jean said with a nod. "Are you the pilot that is going to take us to the continent?"

Onyankopon nodded firmly. "Yes, Jean. Where is Hange? I was told he would be with you guys." he said, looking at the crowd at the back of the deck again. He took a step back when he saw the unexpected guests. "Hange?"

Jean took a deep breath. "It looks like you weren't informed..."

"No, we've been in hiding since the news from Marley got here." Onyankopon explained. "Did something happen?"

Jean was tired, so tired of Erwins secrets and having to explain it all up in front of everyone.

"Hange died on duty."

Why won't he face the grieving himself, for once?

Jean looked at the flying boat, seeing it intact for the first time. "Is it ready?"

Onyankopon swallowed hard. "We're- We're just fin-finalizing it."

"Good, Where's Yelena and the rest of the volunteers?"

Onyankopon looked behind Jean, his eyes widened when he saw the titan Marks under Pieck's eyes. "The-they were relocated to a safehouse."

"-The plane is ready!"

The engineer's cry halted Onyankopon and Jean's conversation. Relieved to finally hear those words, Jean turned to Mikasa and Pieck. "We need to get those thunder spears and gas supplies ready." Jean ordered.

Jean went outside and with Marco's' help of superhuman strength, he carried them over to the back of the building, where the flying boat was.

Jean tried to help them assemble but Mikasa stopped him, standing in between him and a small cargo with a strict frown. "No. Don't run away from it." she said, pressing her mouth to a thin line. "You need to give Marco a proper 'see you later' or else you'll regret it."

Mikasa took what Jean was aiming for and took it to the flying boat.

Jean blinked in surprise before he sighed loudly. He composed his feelings and covered his eyes from the light of the sun and smell of salt water nearby.

Slowly as if it pained him, he turned around to see Marco's titan. "Hey uhm..." he said out loud. Marco met his eyes and kneeled down, he put his palm up on the ground, inviting. Jean accepted it and stood on the titans open palm. With caution, Marco picked up so that they were eye level with each other. "He...llo..." the titan said, Jean has yet to get used to how out of breath Marco's titan sounded.

Hopefully, it will change soon.

Jean smiled. "We'll be going soon and bring Eren back. Hopefully, with no problem. If Mikasa can do what she promised, I can convince Erwin to live out the rest of his years. If not..."

The titan nodded, there was no need to repeat what he already knew. But Marco looked away as if he was ashamed.

"No, no, look at me." Jean gently tapped Marco's cheek. It was warm, way too warm. "We talked about this... This has to be done, I know how much you hate- you know- but this is different."

Jean smiled when Marco looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "You weren't at fault. Ever. Neither last time, nor this time." he assured. "I don't know how you could possibly turn into a titan after being eaten- but let me tell you this- it was the best miracle I could have hoped for. And you are not like the others, understand?"

Marco looked back at Jean and nodded. "Still... Bad..." he said.

Yes.

It was bad. No matter how many honeyed Jean strings to each other, it won't change the simple fact of reality. The reality that Marco had killed the people who posed a threat to Jean's life and will have to kill in order to turn back humans.

At a loss for words, Jean smiled with comfort. "I know..." he whispered. "I understand."

Marco pushed him closer and Jean gently pressed his palm against the other's face. He smiled. Marco pushed him closer, the closest thing to a hug the two could share.

"Jean! The flying boat is ready!"

Mikasa's voice cut through their comfort. Jean pulled back and gave the other a tight smile. "You won't miss me, I'll come back." he assured him. "Guess you never thought I'd such a mission when you said I'd make a great leader, huh?"

That made the titan smile as well.

Marco slowly laid his hand on the ground so Jean could step out. "See you later Marco!"

Marco waved his hand as Jean went inside the plane and the doors closed.

One single tear left the titans black eye.

"Good... Bye..."

Marco watched as the plane took off, off towards its goal that could not be seen or heard from here.

"Ok, Onyankopon, keep us on track. How long will it take to reach Fort Slava? If Eren's not there we'll have to go even further until we reach him." Jean said, leaning closer to the switches that he had no idea what they did.

Onyankopon looked forward at the endless body of water underneath their feet.

"The fuel tank is full so we can travel all over the world and come back to paradise at half a day at most." He said. "An hour to Liberio. But to Fort slava? A couple of hours."

Jean squeezed the pilot's shoulder. "Alright, alert us when we reach Liberio." he told the other.

Then he turned to the back of the plane, the small crago full of Thunder spears and gas tanks was pushed at the back and his squad along with the warriors were sitting rather soundlessly in front of them.

Jean reached for the storage room of his ODM and pulled out the map of Paradise and the map of the world. "Alright." he said, wanting to grab their attention. "We need a plan to defeat Eren." Jean kneeled to the ground and flipped the map of paradise so that it's the blank cover. He picked up a pen he took from the pilot seat and looked at Porco, Pieck and Reiner. "Have any of you seen the founding titan upclose?"

That was the moment of stunning clarity that no one in their squad knew what they were up against. None of them had seen Eren's titan upclose. Neither of them saw it form.

Annie raised an eyebrow.

Porco clicked his tongue. "Yeah, I saw it when I bit Reiner out of his body." he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the metal body of the plane.

Jean took a pen from his ODM and held up the end of the pen for Porco to take it. "Then, by all means," he murmured.

Porco kneeled down on the ground and yanked the pen out of Jean's hands. "Alright, he had something like a skeletal fish. And a head. Very very bigger than your walls." he said

Porco moved the pen across the paper with anger, almost poking a hole in their map. With the turbulence of the plane, his doodles would have been unrecognizable if it wasn't for his explanations. "It had a head... And I have no idea how he moved with the fish bones." Porco said, putting the pen on his own ear.

Pieck narrowed her eyes. "It doesn't matter. If it moves it means it has some sort of flesh that Annie can consume and Copy his powers." she said simply, looking over at Annie.

Annie crossed her arms over her chest. For once, Sasha didn't want to think what she had had to eat to have such a reaction.

"Yeah, but we're going to have trouble fighting it." Porco said, waving the pen in the air. "That monster is huge."

Jean raised an eyebrow. "How much?"

Porco smirked, a villainous smirk. He drew a small line that didn't even rise up to a third of the fishbones he had drawn.

"What is that?"

"A colossal titan. Compared to the founding titan," Porco huffs, slamming the pen on the ground. "Now I hope everyone knows how big of a problem this is."

"Not so much..." Jean murmured thoughtfully.

"What? Do you have any ninja tricks to defeat this thing without killing it?"

Jean rubbed his chin. "I just might..."

He looked at Mikasa, Sasha and Connie from the corner of his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath and looked at the warriors. "As a captain of the scouts, I was forced to read a lot about titans and their biology. According to Hange Zoe's theory of mobility, the human nervous system simply doesn't have the capacity to control a titan this big. Which is why the titans construct a nervous system first before making the rest of the body and hide in the nape of the neck. The actual place that orders the mobility is in the head, as we saw that Eren couldn't move when his head was blown up, and the head's connection to the body is provided by the titan shifter which is in the nape of the neck." Jean explained, as best as he could. "Which is why if you hit a titans head it becomes stationary. And can't move until the head is healed."

Sometimes he wished he actually listened to what Hange was rambling. Now he knew why commander Erwin forced him to read so many books and keep updated.

"English, please." Sasha murmured.

Jean looked at Sasha and Connie. "We know Zeke is Eren's connection to the founding titan, it simply means Zeke is in the nape and Eren is commanding the titan somewhere in its head... If that theory is wrong then it'll be doomed and we'll have to think of another way... That will be the hunch this time..."

Jean rubbed his eyes. "Which means we must blow up the titans' nape. That way, Zeke will most likely be killed. But Eren is safe somewhere in the head... on top of that- Eren will most likely lose his connection to the founding titan. He'll be harmless and we can take him home."

"Don't ever put 'harmless' and 'Eren Yeager' in one sentence." Porco said and sat back. "Still, this plan of yours has a lot of loopholes."

"I know, which is why we'll need Annies help." Jean looked at the blond with narrowed eyes.

Pieck hummed thoughtfully. "Jean is right. Annie, once you get a glimpse of Eren's flesh, you'll have to take some of his powers, look at it as a plan B."

Annie rubbed a side of her face. She huffed angrily. "Huh, fine." she murmured.

"That almost settles it... That just leaves one thing." Jean stood up to his feet, hitting the dust off his clothes. "If you even look at Eren the wrong way-" Jean said, glaring at Porco and Pieck.

"Didn't you hear what he said? When he started the rumbling?" Porco clicked his tongue. "How can you still take his side?"

"Eren has said a lot of things." Connie said with a hum. "But we will still take him alive and stop this mistake. And Save the world."

"That is the foundation of our trust." Mikasa said, glaring daggers at the warriors. "We stop this rumbling, and take Eren home. Don't break our trust or else it'll have serious consequences."

Something was suspicious about Mikasa, the way she didn't take her angry eyes off of Porco, but Jean brushed it aside.

"Hey, Onyankopon, do we have a first aid kit around here?"

Onyankopon took his eyes off the view and the control panel for just a second to point at the left cabinet. "There should be some." he pointed. "Are you hurt?"

Jean opened the metal cabinet and sighed in relief when he saw the first aid kit. He opened it and took out the bandage. "Yeah... I'm still not fully healed from a previous mission." he explained.

"Why would the commander assign you to this mission if you're injured?" Onyankopon asked.

Jean hummed. "We were a little under-staffed," he said. He opened his shirt and looked at the bandage around his gunshot wound. With careful hands, he opened the bandages and pulled fresh ones around his wound, hoping these wouldn't cause much of a problem in the field.

Suddenly, a memory flashed before his eyes. Training the new recruits, or "spending time with the youth" as Levi had called it, did open his eyes to some new ideas.

Once he was finished, he went to the back of the plane and to their storage. If he knots some of the thunder spears and gas tanks to a net, it can be explosive together. And be shut from a distance.

He sat down and started. They weren't low on thunder spears and the rest of the people inside the flying boat were in their own heads, so no one objected when they saw him working with their resources.

Of course, all except one.

"What are you doing?" came the soft but curious and demanding voice of Pieck.

Jean didn't look up from the net in his hands. "I want to do one of my students' tricks." Jean explained. "Cyrus was right about a thing or two even if he was really hotheaded."

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "How are your gas tanks going to help?" she asked, an edge of mocking in her voice.

"Well, Cyrus once threw his gas supply at the dummy titan and shot it. Up until then- I knew iceburst stone was explosive but I hadn't realized how much. We are going to use a similar thing to separate Eren from the founding titan. Without risking our lives." Jean explained, knotting another gas tank and thunder spear to the net. "I'm using the extra gas sumply to make a makeshift bomb that we can activate from afar with Sasha's perfect aim, we can pull it off."

Pieck sat down in front of him. "That's not bad." she said. "I can do something with my hands and ask you some very needed questions."

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Questions?" he asked.

She looked up, her face stoic and emotionless. "You do not expect us to trust someone without knowing anything about them do you?" she asked.

Jean nodded. "I suppose not."

"For instance. Why are you so keen on taking Eren Yeager alive anyway?"

There were a lot of answers he could give her.

Including but not limited to the truth.

But given their situation, Jean gave her the answer that most heart felt. "He's a psychopath but he's my friend and one of my squad." Jean said without a doubt. "And I can't let him drown in his mistake any further than he already has."

Pieck hummed thoughtfully. "Well, that would make sense."

"About...?"

"You were wasting time..." Pieck said as a matter of fact.

Jean stopped, freezing for a moment before going on with his work on the net. "What makes you say that?" he said out loud, acting dumb.

Pieck leaned against the wall, her dark sleepy eyes had him under sharp observation. "You can drop the facade. If you weren't ordered by your commander, you wouldn't have gathered us to stop the rumbling." she said, meaning every word.

Jean hummed carelessly. "So what if it is?"

"You're not exactly the noble steed you pretend you are."

"I never pretended to be anything. I'm well aware of the blood on my hands." Jean shot back.

Pieck chuckled. "You like the way you view the world, don't you?" she said.

Jean finished strapping the bomb to the net and moved on to the second one. "I don't want to have a philosophical talk with you of all people." he whispered. "For me, it's saving my friends from making a round of terrible mistakes. What is it to you? I bet they're just as noble." he added the last part sarcastically.

"For me it's saving my home from being crushed." Pieck repeated. "... I can't say I'm glad that our goals align after all this bloodshed."

"If you don't want me to ask 'who's fault is that' you better stop." Jean said, dropping the net to move on to another bomb. "If you want to keep your hands busy, I can use the help here."

Pieck looked at the net, that wasn't even half done at this point.

"Why do I get the vibe that you're feeling guilty?"

The words shock Jean into silence. "I don't think it's any of your business." he murmured very quietly. "But I have a feeling you are also... Guilty. Regretful."

Pieck looked up, mischief in her eyes. "Hey, I asked first."

Well, that she did. Fighting every instinct that was drilled to his head since he was a cadette, Jean realized he couldn't keep it hidden anymore. Even if this was someone he might never see again after this mission.

Or maybe he might see her on the opposite side.

Jean shook his head. "Don't look back now. but have you seen Mikasa?" he asked thoughtfully.

Piecks hands fumbled with the net but she knit the bomb to it neater that Jean had managed. "Yes I have." she said, not looking up.

"She is worth a hundred soldiers. Graduated at the top of class. Scored even higher than the warriors in our grade." Jean explained. "She is a force to be reckoned with. Top 1. Not to say I admire her alot."

Pieck stopped for a moment. "And what score did you get?" she asked curiously.

Jean chuckled. "6th. I am proud of it. The people above me where either titan shifters or supersoldiers." he added with a smile. "Irrelevant. She and Eren were never a duo but a trio... They had another childhood friend. His name was Armin."

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "The same person Annie asked about?" she asked, wondering where the name was familiar from.

"Yeah... He was a certified genius. But when he was stressed... He tended to freak out if Eren wasn't around." Jean murmured. "It doesn't matter how much I explain this... Because the Eren and Mikasa you've seen and the two I know are other people entirely... Since Armin hasn't been around to be the voice of reason in their actions."

"Is that why you feel guilty? You think this 'Armin' person's death is somehow your fault."

Jean let his eyes fall closed.

His hands ceased around the net and he leaned back.

"It looks like I'm right."

Jean pressed his mouth to an angry thin line. "... As I said... Armin was a certified genius. Even Commander Erwin used his brains a couple of times during missions. It was in Shiganshina and we were isolated and he was in charge. Armin said he couldn't think of anything and gave the lead to me."

Jean rubbed his sore eyes with a loud sigh. "I pressured him to come up with a plan as soon as he could." he whispered. "... And he did."

Pieck stopped knotting the bombs into the net. For the first time that night, Jean saw sympathy in those dark eyes. "And I'm guessing that's when he died." she concluded.

Jean found himself nodding.

"Armin's plan spelled the end of him. Eren hasn't been the same since Armin took his last breath." Jean murmured quietly. "I think... I think if Armin was around, Eren would have never succumbed this far."

Pieck tilted her head, listening carefully to what he had to say.

"... And thus, you blame yourself for his behavior."

Jean nodded before he could stop himself. "I know you probably don't-"

"I understand your emotions." Pieck murmured quietly. "Well, I once had the same feeling towards Zeke."

Jean titled his head downwards. "Zeke?" he asked, stopping himself from laughing.

Pieck nodded and then swallowed a lump in her throat. "Both Zeke and Colt started acting suspicious at some point." Pieck murmured. "And I noticed. If I'd paid more attention, then maybe I would have seen through the invasion of Liberio."

Pieck pulled her hair out of her face.

"Zeke and I... Were close during warrior practise. We both fell on the slightly older side." Pieck murmured. "And I noticed how strange he started to ask when that boat took off to Paradise."

Pieck stopped fidgeting with the net.

"There were... Countless times... Where I think I could have done something if I wasn't so dense." she murmured. "Zeke. Colt. I was close to both. We still don't know why Colt even betrayed us..."

Pieck met her eyes, expecting an answer.

Jean shook his head apologetically. "I am sorry. I don't know why or where or how Colt was talking to Erwin." he said truthfully. "Sorry I can't offer any comfort."

"It's ok." she sighed. "Double thinking is useless anyway."

She leaned forward and tried to knit a gas tank and thunder spear next to another one. "But the truth is... Neither you and I had any better choice to choose from." Pieck said with a sigh. "Neither I, nor you, neither of us were hardened by experience back then. None of us knew the things we know now."

Pieck looked up. "Hey, I'm sure back then. That was the best you could think of." she said truthfully. "Even though I'm pretty sure that Eren turning into 'this Eren' as you put it, is partially your fault for so emotionally scaring him."

Jean chuckled. "Wow, and here I thought you were offering comfort!"

Pieck smiled. "That's just not my thing."

Jean snorted. He looked down at the pendant around his neck and held it in his hands.

"Yeah, talking openly isn't really me either." Jean murmured, holding his pendant in his hands. "I... Thanks for listening, I guess?"

Jean let the pendant fall back down around his neck.

"What does the red pendant around your neck mean?" Pieck asked curiously. "Does it show your social rank?"

Jean shook his head. "No, it's my sign as a captain of the scout regiment." Jean murmured. "... Red for captain."

Pieck hummed thoughtfully. "So that's why the guards listened to whatever you said." Pieck wondered out loud. "And I suppose that is why you were chosen to lead this mission as well..."

Jean sighed. "More or less..." he said.

He looked at the net, it was only half done at this point. Jean took another thunder spear and knit it to the net.

Pieck followed his movements.

They finished that net in silence.

"I don't have good news!" Onyankopon said suddenly. "Not at all."

Jean and Pieck jumped up and ran towards the pilot. "What happened?" he asked. "Is something wrong with the plane?"

Onyankopon stared horrified at the view of the window. "No... Not the plane." he whispered.

Pieck followed the man's gaze and her eyes also widened. She slowly covered the lower half of her face with her hand. "Oh no-" she gasped.

"What? What's wrong?"

"This is... This is Liberio."

Jean's heart skipped a beat.

Now that he looked at it, this place did look like it was once a building, once a city. But the crushed leftovers of the building looked nothing like the city it once was.

Footprints.

Titan footprints.

Annie, Reiner and Porco rushed to their side after Pieck's call. They gaped at the sight of their beloved hometown. Jean could only look away from their gazes.

Eren had done that.

Eren had probably killed every single person in that city, crushed their home like it was nothing. The concept was believable but now looking at it, reality looked crushingly true.

He looked at his squad, Mikasa didn't see his glare. Sasha and Connie shrugged awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"We have the power to stop Eren from doing more of this." he said, convincing himself more than anyone else.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that-"

Before he knew it Porco grabbed his collar angrily. "THIS IS NOT YOUR HOME."

Jean held up his hand, aimed his look at Mikasa and his squad to stop them from interfering. "I'm sorry for what happened to your home town." Jean said sincerely, "it's exactly what we're trying to stop-"

"My family- MY HOME- was there damnit-"

"And I'm sorry for that." Jean said, genuinely.

Porco grit his teeth together. "What is stopping us from killing you right now-" he growled through grit teeth. "We got off the island. We have all your resources. We don't need you alive."

A sound of metal against metal echoed in the plane. To Jean's surprise, it was Mikasa who drew her blade and Connie and Sasha who were ready to do the same. "Put him down." Mikasa ordered, narrowing her eyes at them.

Jean put his hands over Porcos tight fist, gently. "Eren. Eren is stopping you from killing us." he told him.

"What the hell-"

"You are four titan. But he is the founding titan. He can control all three of you in theory, right?" Jean said he saw the moment of clarity that passed Porcos eyes. "Without backup, he can control all four of you without breaking a sweat. While we are his friends. He's less likely to spook around us and pull at that last thread."

Porco growled. "You're lying."

"Porco. Let him down."

Porco looked over his shoulder at Reiner, who had kept his silence since the beginning. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because he's right." Reiner murmured.

Porco hissed angrily under his breath.

Then he let go of Jean, all to hit his fist near the metal wall of the plane. It left a dent in its wake.

"Guys- We're getting near fort slava- I can see some sort of wall in front of us."

Onyankopon's words pierced through the uncomfortable silence like a knife.

"A wall?" Pieck murmured. "Fort Slava doesn't have a wall big enough to he noticed from here..."

Pieck walked over to Onyankopon, and Jean followed her. Onyankopon was right, a wall could be seen in the horizon on the land, maybe a bomb had exploded and made all that steam around the wall but-

"Hold on!" Pieck murmured. "That is not a wall. Fort Slava doesn't have such a wall it's-" her eyes widened at the realization. "It's probably a row of Colossal titans! The amount of steam makes sense that way-"

Jean narrowed his eyes further. He couldn't see much from this distance, but if Pieck's words were true then-

"-then Eren should be nearby." Jean said out loud. "How long until we get to Fort slava?"

"Half an hour maybe..." Onyankopon said thoughtfully.

Jean sighed in relief. "Good, we have enough time to prepare." he turned to his own squad. "We'll get close to the founding titan in about half an hour." he looked at the warriors. "... If there's any preparation, Get ready."

Sasha and Connie went to the back to refill their gas tanks, Mikasa with new blades. Jean checked his own ODM, the gas was almost full but he'd have to refill it later, even a little spare could save his life in the mess they were going to encounter.

In the storage they bought with themselves, there was also a storage of anti-titan masks. It has been so long that Jean had almost forgotten about their existence. He looked over and saw Connie and Sasha arguing quietly in the corner.

"What's wrong?" he said, walking over to the two of them.

Connie and Sasha looked at the masks in their hands. "We're running low in anti-titan masks." Connie said. "It's alright, Sasha and I can share."

Jean raised an eyebrow. "No, these masks are critical. If Zeke pulls up something like he did with Ragako or his gas weapons, these masks can be life savings. Hange assigned two for each scout. How many do we have?"

"Six." Connie hummed.

"Ok, you and Mikasa each have two. Sasha and I will have to have one each. So that you and Sasha are near in your posts, if something happens, you'll have a spare." Jean ordered.

"Don't break this thing." Jean said, almost a threat to both as he hid a mask in his persona.

Connie and Sasha nodded in unison.

Jean looked at Mikasa and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed she had both of her masks on her ODM.

"Alright..." he murmured, getting everyone's attention. "I'll just have to repeat to avoid any misunderstanding." Jean said, waiting until everyone's eyes were on him. "We have an explosive net that we can use now. Pieck will have to take it and wrap it around the big fishy titans nape."

Jean nodded at Annie. "Meanwhile we'll have to protect Pieck from any sudden attacks from the Colossals or any other thing Eren might pull up from his sleeve." He said. "Annie, at any chance you got, consume a piece of Eren's titan."

"Don't make me puke all over this place." she said with disgust.

Pieck put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Jean ignored it. "The explosion from the bomb might be alot so we'll have to get a safe distance away and Sasha will activate it by shooting it from afar. With the riffle Connie and Sasha have been stationing all this time."

Sasha and Connie nodded at the same time.

"One last thing." Jean said, clearing his throat with a cough. "Eren is completely unpredictable. We'll have to see through this mission before he pulls any new tricks from his sleeve." Jean said. "Do NOT provoke him with sudden movements. Until we've knocked his head down and taken him out of the mouth."

"Then what?" Peick murmured.

Jean pulled his hair out of his face. "Then, My squad and I will go back to Paradise on this plane immediately." he said as a matter of fact. "What we do with the founder is... Still unclear but without Zeke, there won't be any of these insubordinations anymore."

"How are you so sure?" Porco hummed, throwing her fake scout jacket away. "How can you assure all the millions who lost their lives and home that such a thing will never happen again?"

Jean pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Paradise will clean the damage somehow, don't worry. We aren't the irresponsible devils you like to put us as." Jean shot back. "It won't be the same but it will be something."

Mikasa drew out her blade and checked on it. Even though there was no need to check on it. The sound of it echoed in the small plane, she narrowed her eyes as she put the blade back on her ODM.

"I want to make something very clear to you three."

Mikasa said, her tone very clear.

"If you decide to pull anything funny, or take Eren to your motherland I won't hesitate to-"

Jean put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stopped her train of thoughts.

Jean stepped forward, gently pushing her back.

"I fail to see the sort of guarantee you're offering." Porco said while clicking his tongue.

"I'm afraid you'll have to take your word just as much as we have to take yours." Jean said calmly. "The responsibility of the founding titan will fall on me in paradise, I will guarantee that Rumbling will be off the books as long as I'm breathing."

"What makes you so sure?"

Jean looked out of the window. "Nothing is certain," he said instead. "But it's better than being without a plan, isn't it?"

"We'll reach the rumbling in a few minutes!" Onyankopon shouted. "Is it even safe to fly over it?"

"We'll have to jump from a distance to avoid any debris from it." Jean told him.

Jean took a deep breath. He looked at Sasha for a moment, debating his not so open options.

"Sasha," he said with a sigh. "A moment, please."

Every wrong thing Sasha had ever done walked past her eyes but she nodded. Connie slashed his hand over his neck as a joke, maybe whispering 'you're so screwed'

Jean hummed thoughtfully. Sasha followed him to the pilot's place and waved at Onyankopon.

Jean went straight to the point. "Sasha..." he murmured. "I'm going to make a bet."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "A bet?"

Jean drew out a metallic box from his ODM gear. "Yes... I brought one vial of Zoe syringe with me. We only have one so use it wisely."

Jean dropped the metallic box into Sasha's waiting hands.

"Whether you want to use it against Eren or one of the warriors is your choice," he explained. "I chose you because you're our best sniper. If there is anyone that can make this serum meet the target, is you."

Sasha blinked at the smooth surface of the Zoe syringes box. "Uhm... Uh..."

"It's ok. I know it won't work on Eren's huge size anyway. Or it might. It depends on where it's shot, right?" Jean patted her shoulder. "I don't know what to do with it, but I know I wouldn't be able to hit it to the place I want it to hit anyway."

"Take good care of that. We'll have to go in a few seconds..."

First Pieck jumped down to transform mid-air and then they dropped the explosive net they had made.

One by one, Jean's squad jumped after him, they were directly above Eren's gigantic skeletal titan. Mikasa held Annie, Sasha Reiner and Jean himself decided to Hold Porco until they were down in enough distance that falling in their titan form wouldn't hurt them.

Using their ODM, they zapped in the middle of Eren's skeleton.

Just a moment later, steam blew in their faces, and started to take humanoid form. Jean narrowed his eyes at the sight. "Are those titans?" Porco growled angrily, next to his ear.

"Yeah, they are forming without the usual lightning bolt for some reason..." Jean growled.
Connie zapped forward until he was swinging right next to Jean. "There are titans forming all around his body!" Connie shouted. "And those are-"

Connies eyes widened. Sasha noticed it too.

"They are intelligent titans!" Sasha and Connie shouted at the same time.

Jean cursed under his breath. "Pieck-"

"On it."

"Reiner- Porco- Annie- transform and follow Pieck towards the nape protect her and bombs. Connie- Sasha- station a good place to blow Eren up. Mikasa- We'll have to slice the titans napes before they form completely to pose a threat to us."

The warriors let go and when they were a reasonable distance away, three lightning bolts shook the skeleton of Eren's titan.

Jean snapped his head at Connie and Sasha's direction. "Sasha, Connie, be careful because we don't have a view on you. You're on your own." Jean swung his hand in the air. "SCATTER! NOW!"

Sasha didn't wait to watch how one by one, the steam started to look more like a titan than a mash of air. All around them, out of the skeleton, the colossal titans' sounds were making Sasha go deaf. Were they always this close?

"SASHA!" Connie shouted in her ear. "Let's go on top of that bone, does it look good?"

Sasha swung with her ODM gear right next to him, the riffle around her shoulder seemed oddly heavy.

What Connie was pointing at was the highest point in all the titan, X like bones that reached much higher than Eren's head was. It was high enough that any of these titans would have a hard time climbing up to hurt them.

The moment they landed, Connie and Sasha got to work. Connie hit his ODM gas tank on his back just to make sure he still had enough gas. "Good." he murmured, pleased to hear the sound. "At least we have enough to fight these titans."

Sasha hummed as she set up the rifle, facing almost completely downwards. "Yeah, this'll be alright." she murmured. She looked down, with both of her eyes. Pieck had just finished wrapping the explosive net around Eren like a scarf and Annie's mouth looked bloody, at least some part of the plan had gone according to plan.

"NOW!"

Sasha took a deep breath. "Eren..." she whispered. She put her hand on the trigger, ready to blow the net. "I hope you're not in the nape..."

Just as she was about to pull the trigger, Connie's shout stopped him. "PORCO? What is he DOING?" he shouted, color left on his face.

Sasha saw it too. Porco, with his titan body, climbed Eren's body until he was on his neck. With one slash of his sharp titan claws, he tore through Eren's skeleton like it was nothing.

Again,

Again,

Again,

"He's going to kill Eren!" Connie gasped. "Is that-"

In between Porcos assault, a bloodied figure rose above the blood and the brain matter that Porco had torn from Eren's titan. Sasha swore he saw the Jaw Titan smile. From up here, she couldn't saw what it was, all she knew is that the person looked bloody and too small to be Eren.

Sasha froze when Porco leaned in to eat the human and take the, assumed, power of the founder for himself.

Sasha hated being so far up here and being unable to do anything but watch.

Their eyes were unable to see the flash of movement and the sudden zap of ODM gear towards Eren's head. All they heard was a loud shout of: "EREN!" and Mikasa was flying towards the jaw titan. Porco was too focused on the bloodied human in front of him to pay attention. So Mikasa used that and landed on his jaw to slice Porco out with one swift movement.

Connie and Sasha gasped. "Oh dear..."

"PORCO!"

A sudden roar of the armored titan filled the area. It's heavy steps shook the foundation of the founding titans skeleton

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

"NO ONE TOUCHES HIM!" she screamed, holding up her blade. "NONE OF YOU TRAITORS!"

Without a single thought in mind, Mikasa sank the blade into Porcoes chest from his back, making sure it would pass his spine and that he wouldn't be a bother again.

Mikasa growled under her teeth and kicked Porco off the founding titan. The boy fell.

He fell off the founding titans head.

Fall.

Fall.

Fall.

Not even the armored titan was fast enough to catch him and save him.

She turned to Jean, but in his eyes, he saw nothing but horror. Too shocked to fathom. She looked up at Sasha and Connie, who were equally frozen on the spot. Sasha expected such a thing, it was her that told Mikasa about their little plan after all. But It took a few seconds for Mikasa to understand they were staring at what was behind Mikasa.

The bloodied figure behind Mikasa opened her mouth-

- and screamed from the top of their lungs.

A moment after the scream, the founding titan shook like an earthquake. The steam gathered at ten times the speed it was and there were titans all around them in a blink of an eye. Sasha and Connie exchanged a look as they looked down.

Beast titans of all kinds surrounded them. From apes to dinosaurs to goats and-

Snakes.

A golden snake titan, big enough to slide between two of the ribs, climbed up to the place Sasha and Connie were standing as if it was nothing.

Sasha's breath hitched in her throat. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears. She could only stare at the slit eyes of the golden snake.

Connie was in no better state, he grabbed at his own ODM handle. "Where- where is the nape?" he asked.

Cold dread grabbed Sashas heart when she realized this beast titans weak spot can be anywhere in its body. She grabbed the rifle and aimed it right at the snake's eyes.

The snake hissed, smelling its prey. "Shi-shit I don't know and It doesn't matter I'll just blast him up-" she mumbled.

Sasha didn't get the chance to finish her words as the beast titans below them hit themselves against the skeleton, making them lose balance. Sasha and Connie were fast enough to deploy their ODM gear and stay steady, but their rifle fell out of balance and turned almost 180 degrees downwards.

"Holy shit." Connie shouted, down at the ground, a variety of beast titans waiting for them.

"Connie, the snake!" Sasha shouted, the other snapped its head towards the golden looking snake that slowly crawled towards them. Sasha grit her teeth, she looked at the thunder spears around her hands.

The snake attacked. Connie and Sasha jumped in different directions. They both jumped with their ODM and aimed a Thunder spear right on the snake titans head.

It exploded and each of them stayed up on one of the bones. Sasha put her hand next to her mouth and shouted: "DID IT DIE?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Connie shouted back. "TOO MUCH STEAM!"

A moment later, to both of their horrors, the snake was moving, it crawled up the bone Connie was attached to. Sasha jumped, she aimed a thunder spear lower than the place she aimed last.

"DIE!" she yelled but when it exploded, just more steam appeared and the snake was as healed as a new one.

The snake hissed, moving its slit tongue at the two of them.

Both of them jumped to another rib. Connie jumped towards the snake, barely missing the snake titans mouth, instead, he aimed a thunder spear inside his mouth.

It was Sasha who grabbed him and pulled him away from the explosion zone with her ODM gear.

The thunder spear exploded in the snake's mouth. In between the blood and steam, it was no sign that the snake titan was regenerating.

"Finally!" Connie shouted. Sasha landed on another rib skeleton and put Connie down. He looked around, alarmed. "Do you have a red flare?"

Sasha yanked it out of her uniform. "Yes!" she said in triumph.

Connie wiped the blood on his lips. "Good. Go, need to blow Eren's nape. I'll cover for you as much as I can." he said. "We have no idea how the others are. Let's just do our part and hop on the plane. We'll have a better view there."

Sasha agreed. They both jumped down from the rib and towards where they left the rifle. Connie Helped Sasha set it upright and stepped back, covering his ears as Sasha aimed. "Alright... I can't see anyone..." she murmured. "Let's do this-"

"SASHA LOOK OUT!"

Before Sasha knew it, Connie pushed her off the bones. Time slowed down in her eyes as she lost balance and fell forward. Sasha felt the rush of air at her skin and yelled, she turned around to stare at Connies eyes as she fell down.

Confused,

Because what happened?

Time moved in slow motion, confusion gave its place to horror.

A golden snake body emerged from the smoke, it pushed Connie into its mouth and slid over the skeletal bones. Rapidly towards the back and away from Eren's head.

Reality washed over Sasha.

"CONNIE!" she yelled. Her body was still weak from the months-long coma but she had to reach the titan before it had the chance to eat Connie.

She grabbed her ODM gear handles and swung over the ribs, only meters above the beat titans that often followed her or threw stones at her.

The snake titan went towards the back of the founding titan, dangerously close to the Colossal titans behind the skeleton, those who were crushing the world under their feet.

Sasha drew out her blades and yelled in the air. "WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KILL YOU!" she shouted in frustration.

She looked down at the snake titan and realized she could see Connie struggling to get out of the titans mouth.

She took a sharp breath.

110 centimeters wide... 20 centimeters across...

if I make deep enough gashes every meter or so, it'll eventually hit the weak spot.

Her guesses weren't exactly on point but she started making deep enough slices to kill a normal titan every meter, hoping one of them would hit the titans weak spot.

The snake titan kept running forward.

With each passing second, the sound of death approached them. The colossal titans' footsteps shook the ground and insulated Sashas sensitive ears.

And Sasha kept yelling with every slice.

Thump. Thump.

Eventually, when they were close to the founding titans feet, and Sasha was drenched in the titans blood, with Sasha's last slice, The snake titan cried and fell limbly against the ribs.

And Connie fell out of its mouth.

Sasha smiled, panting loudly before she realized Connie was unconsciously falling down from the bones like a piece of meat.

"No way!" Sasha shouted as she jumped. She wasn't fast enough.

Connie fell.

He fell right in front of Sashas eyes until his back hit the cold, hard ground and dust rose to the air.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Sasha landed a few feet away, the founding titan was moving forward and the Colossal titans were right behind it. The founding titans skeleton, that was their biggest threat, was now the only thing keeping them from being crushed under the Colossal titans feet. And it was quickly moving forward.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Sasha ran to Connie's body quickly. He was laying down, his eyes barely open but it was. Sasha breathed a sigh of relief and ignored the odd way his foot was broken in. Sasha saw the shards of glass tanks and the rapidly growing blood under Connie's chest.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Sasha kneeled down. She gently slapped Connie's face. She convinced herself the blood on his face was the snake titans blood. "Hey, Hey, it's alright! I'm here!"

Connie looked up at Sasha and narrowed his eyes. "Sa-Sasha-" he gasped. "The- The colossals-"

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Sasha looked up at the Colossal titans right behind the founding titans feet. The rib cage was wide enough that the founding titan wouldn't hurt them but the Colossal behind them-

Sasha shook her head. "Hey- Hey- doesn't matter- let's go! We have ODM! That's what it's for!" she said, pushing Connie to sit up a little bit. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Connie's gas tank shattered into a thousand pieces.

"It's- it's broken." Connie murmured. "My- My back- hurts... I don't think I can- stand up-"

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"It's alright! I'll carry you!" Sasha shouted so that Connie would hear him against all that sounds.

Sasha tried not to look at the nearest Colossal titan that was now only a couple of meters away.

"Sasha- the titan is gett- ing near." he gasped out.

"Doesn't matter, stay awake. Hang on to me and my ODM handle." Sasha ordered.

Sasha looked up at the titans rapidly approaching. She had half a minute, maybe a full one.

"You wo-nt listen-"

Her blood froze when she heard the familiar sound of zipping.

She looked down and saw Connie had aimed her ODM gear right at the rib above their heads. Connie had used that single moment that Sasha was staring at the rumbling in front of them.

The moment Connie pulls the trigger of the ODM, Sasha will be swinged away by her own ODM that was attached to her persona.

And Connie did it with no hesitation, so that in his weakened state, Sasha wouldn't snatch it away from him.

His mind was made up. With one last smile, Connie murmured: "We ha-d a good ride-, Po-ato girl."

And the next, Sasha was being pulled back by her own ODM gear.

Just as always, ODM gear was fast. Faster than her reaction of grabbing to her handle and stopping the flow.

Connie and the ground were getting more and more distant from her view.

The next moment, her back hit against the bone of Eren's skeleton. the sound of broken bones reached her ears before her back crashed against the founding titans spine. All of her breath was knocked out of her with that force.

She stopped for a moment to stop her panting breath. The blood rush that stopped her eyes from seeing anything.

In. Out.

In. Out.

In. Out.

She forced herself to stand up when she heard the roar of another titan.

Sasha ignored her mission for a moment and rushed back to the end of the titan. If she was fast enough, or by some miracle, Connie would still be there. She reached the founding titans feet.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"... Connie..." she whispered, her eyes looking around frantically for a miracle of a chance that the boy with the famous grin had escaped.

She looked under her feet as the founding titan kept moving forward.

She didn't have the courage to look behind her but once she did- and noticed a new fresh blood stain on the found that wasn't there before-

- her eyes saw the black scouts uniform in between the blood and crushed corpse, the only thing that would survive being crushed under a colossal- reality came crashing down on her.

Notes:

Please leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to yell at me or let me know what you think! Pleaaaase!

Hey, Press the Kudos button. Press this bottun, do it-

Chapter 24: Crushed souls: choice.

Notes:

Hiiiiiiii

First of all, thank you all for reading and commenting on the last chapter! I wasn't expecting it to get so much attention!

This chapter starts with a flashforward so I hope I did the right thing by putting it there, lol. Anyway! Hope you all enjoy!

WARNIIIING

WARNIIIING

major character injury/death(s), violence.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sasha looked into the raw of colossal titans and what they just stumped.

Black uniform in between a pool of blood. She was quickly getting away from it. The colossals slowly forgot the very thing they were doing.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Years in the future:

"Hey, Sasha..."

In. Out. In Out.

The sound of her own breathing was the first thing she noticed. After her mind cleared and her vision suddenly started to feel like the real world again. As if the touch, smell, sense, and even the voices, sounded dull for a full minute.

Until he felt a warm but gentle but warm hand on her shoulder, she flinched back but the touch followed her. Until Sasha's mind suddenly recognised the voice following the touch. The voice that could be heard even without the loud sound of her hammering heart and loud breathing.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"Hey... Sasha... Deep breaths... In... Deep breath... Out..."

Against her better judgment, Sasha followed the command of the sound and her senses sharpened enough to notice the voice was the voice of the friend. She filled her lungs too much and tried to hold her breath but failed. She gasped and spat out the air just to try again.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"That's ok," the voice assured him. "Come on, I'll try it with you."

Sasha shut her eyes, but that damned sound followed her until this day. It would most likely follow her until the grave. Those earth shattering sounds, that quite literally broke the soil under their feet. Crushed hearts, minds, souls.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"In..."

Sasha took a deep breath and managed to hold it for a second this time.

"Out..."

"Come on. You can do it Sasha..."

Sasha followed the voice's instructions until she felt her own hard grip above her heart. She felt the hard press of the wall on her back and recognized the gentle green carpet of their restaurant.

their restaurant.

"Nicolo didn't tell me it was this bad..."

When the voice said Nicolos name, Sasha looked up at the friendly voice. Her eyes widened when her mind gave a name to the freckled face and those gentle brown eyes.

Her eyes fell on the military police brigade sign on the friendly voices costume. She sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, Ma-Marco." she murmured. She immediately pulled herself up by leaning against the wall and standing upright. She couldn't bring herself to meet the other in the eyes. "I don't know what got the better of me."

Marco put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He squeezed and smiled when Sasha looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "I'm no stranger to these attacks, Sasha." he said calmly. "And the parade outside does sound like the-... Well, I'll tell them not to return around here."

Sasha rubbed the side of her face. "Perks of having a friend in the MPs." she joked. "Although..."

"I'm not here as a military police officer, Sasha." he said softly, he pointed at the table that Sasha accidentally knocked back when the parade approached Sasha's restaurant and she spiraled away from-

Marco cleared her throat. "Let's sit down. I'll bring some more tea."

Sasha sat down on another table. She leaned her head against her hand and pushed her hair out of her face. "This is a Marleyan restaurant, Marco, not a tea shop." she mumbled.

Marco ignored it.

This hall in the restaurant was empty. Covered with green carpet and gentle creamy wallpapers. It was reserved for 'important occasions'. Because of its walls full of windows and magnificent views from them.

Marco gently opened the double doors and asked a waiter for some tea, then closed the doors and sat right in front of Sasha again.

He didn't say anything. All he did was wait and let her calm down. It was only until the tea arrived and Sasha sipped all her tea in one go that Marco started talking again. "Nicolo said you never said anything about Connie's death to anyone..." he said, not taking his eyes off his own fancy teacup. "Not even his mother."

Sasha held her teacup until her knuckles turned white. "You think it's a step forward, huh?" she said mockingly. "Let me guess, he called you here because he thinks I'll be most comfortable talking about this stuff with you."

"It's certainly something."

Sasha sighed loudly. "... Why was it so important to hear this from my mouth?" she asked, slowly lifting her head up. "I'm fine, Marco, it's been years. Nicolo called you here, he's pulling at any strings he can to make me open up a bit in hopes of..." she sighed. "I just want to bury the rumbling... But the world is so keen on reminding me. I told you what you asked. Don't you have anything better to do?"

She looked out of the window, out of the blue cloudless sky and the small houses of Stohess around their restaurant.

Marco smiled softly. "I... I can't tell you if you're alright or not but... I'm certainly happy that you could explain that to me... If there is a time you need to talk and don't want to talk to Nicolo... Especially about that day... I'll always be listening."

Marco stood up to leave but before he could turn around to leave, she grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Why is it so important for you to hear this from me?" she said through grit teeth. "You've probably heard it all already, right?"

Marco shook his head, "it's not about what I want. It's about what you need. I've seen enough people in my years being an MP when I know someone is holding a secret that is eating them out. Sometimes the only cure to that is to just... Talk." Marco explained.

"Then sit down." Sasha growled.

Marco obliged.

If there was one person who deserved to know what happened next, it was Marco.

Sasha took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Alright. You probably know from the report's point of view so I'll just do a quick recap- uhm- where was I before I was interrupted?"

Marco cleared his throat with a cough. "The snake titan attacked you and Connie passed away..."

"Right, right, meanwhile with the other squad..."

The moment Sasha and Connie took off, Jean held his eyes wide open for the moment Pieck and the warriors would betray him.

Jean was almost second guessing himself on his suspicion of them but when Pieck approached him and started asking questions, he was sure she was up to something.

And Jean knew the first person who would react extremely harshly would be Mikasa. So he kept her close. He will have to notice their approach and stop it or else their weak alliance would fall apart.

After all, the moment this monster of Eren's titan is defeated, they can return home.

The steam between the ribs of Eren's titan formed intelligent titans of their own, one of the nine. Jean's best guess was that they were titans of the past. The moment the steam formed and the cart titans ran towards them, Jean or Mikasa would hit their weak spot, giving the warriors the time and space they needed to transform.

Three more lightning sounds filled the area, Annie, Reiner and Porco battled their own titans with more and more of them starting to show up. All they had to do, was to wrap that bomb- knited net around the neck of Eren's titan. Their best guess of taking out the suicidal maniac was that.

Jean landed on one of the ribs and watched as Mikasa sliced another titan away and Pieck passed the bars of Eren's ribs towards his neck. Their line of protection had worked, Pieck was running around the Enormous founding titans neck to wrapp that net. Jean looked up at the higher bones.

Sasha and Connie should be somewhere up there. Jean can't see them in the middle of all this steam but he can only wish they were fine.

When Jean looked at the back of Eren's titan, he saw the bony structures of it and hair that was taller than entire colossal titans.

wow... He thought to himself. with that hair and the skeleton and the-

"Skinless Muscles around his face!" He shouted before he knew it. He turned his head to the female titan, who was piled under another round of female titans, fighting to get out.

Of course... Much like Sasha, Annie wouldn't be in perfect physique either.

"That's your opening, Annie!" Jean shouted, encouraging his emotionless comrade to jump for it.

The steam quickly exploded around him. More titans. The titans around them were already more than what they could handle if battle became necessary.

He turned around to see the ribs behind them. More titans spawned from between the bones. "Shit, THAT'S YOUR ONLY CHANCE!" He shouted. "MIKASA!"

Mikasa snapped her head towards her shout and she noticed it too. They arrived together behind two of the titans who were battling Annie, it took a slice from their blades to take the nape and hit the weak spot.

With a shout, Annie pushed the rest of the titans above her away and Jean and Mikasa immediately fell back on one of the higher bones.

They watched Annie's titan run towards Eren's face just as the Cart titan finished wrapping the explosive net around Eren's titan. Jean and Mikasa climbed higher to be safe from the threat of the ever increasing titans beneath them.

Jean watched from afar. Annie reached the face, she hardened her fingers with a roar and sliced some of the muscles off his face. It was disgusting to watch Annie eat a titans flesh, to see her titans face become a bloody mess. So Eren decided to look at The Armored and the Jaw. Reiner was piled under and stabbed by several warhammer titans. Arrows stuck out of his body and the armor on his face was more or less destroyed. Porco was slicing off some of the warhammers, his ability to break and slice everything was the only useful offense against the warhammer.

"NOW!"

The world stopped for Jean.

Mikasa took off with her ODM gear with a string of curses such as "bloody traitor" before Jean could fathom it. She flew towards Eren's head.

It took a few seconds for the Jaw titan to choose between keep helping Reiner and-

The Jaw titan took off.

Jean's mind put two and two together. He immediately flew after Mikasa but the Jaw titan was faster and more agile. He quickly grabbed one of Eren's ribs after another and skipped all the threats of the titans by going under them.

Jean reached Mikasa on time. "Mikasa, don't rush into things. We can throw him off track." he warned her but all he got was a viscous glare from her.

"ARE YOU BLIND!" she shouted, never once taking her eyes off of Eren's head.

Jean's mind went on override trying to find the most perfect words that even those had very little chance of extinguishing the rage in Mikasa's eyes. But he didn't get the chance as suddenly he felt a force around his ankle that creeped up his foot.

Jean looked down and before he knew it, an Armored titan had grabbed his foot and pulled him down to the pit of titans.

Time slowed in Jean's mind. He could only see the red glow of the armored titans eyes and the waiting smirk of those below him, standing on the ribs for their turn.

Jean cursed under his breath and swung his blade to cut the armored titans fingers off but his blade hit its hardened flesh and broke.

"Jean!" Mikasa turned around to look at Jean in the hands of the armored titan. But she didn't stop the momentum of her ODM gear.

The world suddenly passed in slow motion. Mikasa's heart skipped a beat and her entire body drowned in silence as she watched Jean's blades snap in half on the armored titans finger.

Mikasa looked at Eren's neck. Porco had already sliced his skull.

She gripped her ODM gear handles tightly. Sweat ran down her face.

With her choice in mind, Mikasa abandoned Jean behind and rushed to Eren's head. He had two thunderspears in his hands after all.

Mikasa flew away until she was a dot in the background.

Jean threw a thunder spear at the armored titans eye, it exploded and Jean had to cover his face with his hands and hope the shards wouldn't cut him.

The air around him burnt with the explosion of the thunder spear and his vision turned white, he felt the hot cut of a shred on his cheek but thankfully it wasn't a deep cut and the fist around his leg let go.

Jean jumped back.

He climbed up a rib with the use of his ODM gear and rested on top, far above to be safe from the threat of the armored titans.

And he was too late.

"PORCO!"

A sudden roar of the armored titan and Piecks loud voice reached Jean's ears and he looked towards Eren's head. Mikasa had pulled Porco out of his body and held him up.

Reiners heavy steps shook the foundation of the founding titans skeleton

Mikasa had narrowed her eyes. And Jean knew... He knew something he had tried to ignore since he was given this mission.

Mikasa would never do anything that would harm eren.

"NO ONE TOUCHES HIM!" she screamed, holding up her blade. "NONE OF YOU TRAITORS!"

Mikasa sank the blade into Porcoes chest from his back, making sure it would pass his spine and that he wouldn't be a bother again.

Mikasa growled under her teeth and kicked Porco off the founding titan. The boy fell.

He fell off the founding titans head.

Fall.

Fall.

Fall.

Not even the armored titan was fast enough to catch him and save him.

Mikasa turned to Jean, but in his eyes, he saw nothing but horror. Too shocked to fathom. But Jean saw what was behind Mikasa after his shock passed. From the place Porco had sliced open, rose a bloodied figure that Jean couldn't say if it was male or female but compared to Mikasa, it looked like a child. And Jean's best guess was that it was a girl.

The bloodied figure behind Mikasa opened her mouth-

- and screamed from the top of her lungs.

The moment the Bloody figure screamed, the steam around them started to build ten times faster than it was. In between a breath and the next, the steams were complete, functional, titans.

Jean jumped from the rib but from the steam all around him, he failed to see an Armored titan catching up to him and taking him into his fist. And Jean found himself not only in the fist of one, but surrounded by a round full of armored titans.

Jean shut his eyes. This is bad. Very bad. He has only one thunder spear and is surrounded by an overwhelming number of Armored titans. He was sure no one was in a better place.

"Sasha... Connie..." He whispered out loud. "I hope you are alright."

The armored titan tightened his fist and Jean found it quickly hard to breathe, and he just had his right hand out of the titans hold, he had to be quick about using the thunder spear or else.

the net is all around Eren's neck. If Sasha makes the shut, it'll be quickly over.

but something tells me they aren't having it very easy.

So...

"We'll retreat to the plane!" he shouted out loud as he opened his eyes to glare at the armored titan that is determined to squeeze him to death. "Damn it, Here goes nothing." Jean shouted. He used his free hand go dig his last thunder spear into the Armored titans wrist, dangerously close to himself, and pulled the trigger.

It exploded and Jean could do nothing but cover his face by holding his forearms crossed over it. The hand holding him tight fell off and Jean kicked the wrist away while falling down towards the ground.

Jean looked up at the round of titans waiting on the founding titans ribs. All of them looked at him as if he was their new meal.

Jean cursed under his breath pulled himself up with his ODM, dodging the titans arms to snatch him from his way until his anchor hung on to a suitable place on the founding titans bone. He hung on one of the ribs.

He knew from the warm feeling on his skin and the burning in his gut, he was bleeding. His hand held his side, under his shirt but blood slipped from between his fingers and stained his white shirt. Jean didn't dare look down.

He had to act strong. Even if he wasn't, even if his stitches were torn and he was bleeding heavily outside and definitely internally. Jean took a deep breath to calm himself down and tried to ignore the roars of titans all around them.

Jean had to somehow stop his bleeding before he could do anything else. He knew he had to bring a first aid kit with him down here.

Jean let the back of his head rest against the bones. He took a sharp breath to calm himself down. Since the explosive net around Eren's neck hasn't exploded yet, Sasha and Connie haven't been able to finish their job. And it's not safe to linger around here anymore.

They were mere minutes away from fort Slava. With Eren's current pace, he could reach Erwins so called allies in a few more minutes.

As much as Jean wants Paradise to have allies in this world. Eren can't be stopped like this. It was a mistake on Erwins part to send us here like this.

Jean looked at the titans under his feet.

it's highly unlikely the warriors will help us again with what Mikasa did to Porco.

I knew they would betray us sooner or later but this- this couldn't be helped anymore. We have to retreat. At the very least, change gasses and blades.

Jean put new blades on his ODM handle and searched his pocket for the withdrawal signal. With the red flare, Onyankopon will be alerted and the others will see it and hop on to the plane with their ODM.

But before he could fire the withdrawal signal, a round of explosives echoed around the founding titan.

bang.

bang!

Bang!

A few seconds before.

Wind blew past her face and made her unsteady on her ODM, it was getting harder and harder not to look back at the Colossals with each second.

Sasha pulled herself up with her ODM. Her chest felt tight for her heart and her head felt strangely hollow.

Her vision was blurry and her hands couldn't grip the handles correctly but she had to go back to her rifle. The others had done their job of wrapping that around their neck. It was her turn now.

It was what she and Connie came here for.

She has to end their job.

Sasha spotted the black riffle and landed near it, she ignored the creeping monkey titan that was trying to climb up the ribs to where she was.

She ignored it as if she didn't see it.

She pushed the heavy rifle up and closed one of her eyes, with a deep breath, she wiped her tears away to get a clearer vision.

Although her hypersensitive ears told her the titans were creeping closer to her

-and this time there is no Connie to push her away from danger-

Sasha took a sharp breath and put his finger on the trigger.

Steady..

She pulled the trigger right as the titans climbed up to where she was. The bullet hit one of the gas tanks and exploded. The explosions triggered another one until all of them were on fire and the head of the founding titan was disconnected from the rest of his body.

A worm-like being jumped out of Eren's wound to collide with the walls of Fort Slava.

Sasha looked back in horror, the titans froze next to her.

If Jean's guess was correct, they'll freeze up and disappear because Eren's connection to the founding titan was gone.

And there they were, frozen on the ribs before they exploded into steam. The wind blows it on Sasha's face and she has to cover her eyes and mouth to keep away from the steams.

The ribs under her explode as well, the bones quickly start to steam and the logical part of her brain informs her that she had to go down to the ground if she didn't want to fall to her death.

The steam was too heavy around Jean to see the ground or the main body of the founding titan to see how much of it was left or not.

He landed on the ground, jumped between the hard, unforgiving ground. He hissed in pain as his open wound started to throb. He has to think about them if he doesn't want to bleed out. Jean takes a deep breath and pulls up his shirt to see his wounds. It's not bleeding as heavily as he thought it was but he wasn't going to be able to engage in any more battle.

Jean sighed loudly. He let his shirt fall down to cover his wounds. Jean's eyes looked around, the rising steam was too heavy, he couldn't see a single soul in this mess.

Other than the smell of death and the sound of people, people, shouting in happiness and sadness at the same time. The sound of the Colossals footsteps had blocked so many sounds that now that they were gone, Jean could hear the sound of the people and their rush to the battlefield to see any survivors.

Jean knew he had to get going before the rush and the excitement of having survived faded and people wanted someone to blame.

Jean cleared his throat. "SASHA!" he screamed to call them over. "CONNIE!" he looked around. " MIKASA!"

No, I won't be able to find them like this.

Jean started walking into the steam and towards where he thought Eren's head would be, he had to get to him before the warriors could eat him and steal his power. Kill Eren and take him away.

Jean ran towards the head. He reached for the storage of his ODM gear and pulled out a red flare and shot it towards Eren's head. Hopefully, the others would see it and come to Eren's head as well.

Now, Onyankopon would see it too and keep the plane around their area for a quick evacuation.

Jean took a deep breath and started running.

Mikasa opened her eyes to steam clouding her vision of the clear blue sky.

When the girl screamed, a girl she'd never seen before, the titans almost doubled. From the emergency of the girl's tone, the titans rushed to help her.

But who was she?

Mikasa had only a split second to think about that. Because the titans started attacking everyone around her. Soon, Reiner, who had jumped after Porco, was buried under a pile of warhammer titans. So was Pieck. Annie didn't have the time to transform back and use the powers she had stolen from Eren, because she was attacked by other female titans all around her. One that yanked her titan hand out of its socket with one motion.

From here, she saw when a snake titan creeped up to where Sasha and Connie were. Her eyes widened. She reached a hand but their view slipped from her fingers.

And she looked down, Jean was gone too.

what... What happened...?

A sudden buzz ran through her mind. A familiar headache. She looked around, the same girl looked at her from her dead eyes. This time, she had no blood, just a girl with a worn white dress.

"What are you?" she murmured, her hand slowly pulled her blades out. "You were... You were in the head, you are controlling this aren't you?"

The girl turned around.

"Are you controlling this? Eren would never hurt his own friends." Mikasa snapped. "Just who are you!"

The girl jumped off Eren's head.

Mikasa grit her teeth and gripped her blades until her knuckles turned white. "You don't get to get away from me like this!" she yelled and jumped after her.

As she swung around and into the founding titans titans ribs.

Her stormy gray eyes searched every single bone and looked at every titans eyes. She found out very quickly the titans were ignoring her.

bang.

bang!

Bang!

The force of the explosion knocked her off balance so she had to let go of her anchors and reattach them to the ribs once again. Mikasa looked back, she almost gasped when she saw the round of explosions around Eren's neck.

Sasha...

You did it.

The founding titan will disappear and we'll take Eren home.

Hope bloomed in her heart and made her heart soften. The girl. The girl's existence meant Mikasa had an excuse that Jean could use and buy back Eren's life from this.

Mikasa jumped down on her feet. One by one, the titans around her disappeared with a hiss. One by one they exploded into white steam.

Mikasa covered her mouth with her elbow, trying not to inhale the titan steam. She blinked in surprise as she checked her entire uniform for injuries or broken items.

Gas tank, half full. She'll have to fill it, just in case there would be a battle between them and the warriors.

Both thunder spears intact.

Blades, two more left. Good.

Anti-titan Mask...

Mikasa held up both of her masks. One of them was broken. A thick hole into the glass part of one. She disgraded it away carelessly. These stuff were uselessly fragile anyway. That's why she had two.

She looked up. A red flare rose to the skies. That was certainly Jean. Or Sasha. Whatever it was. They had to gather. Eren was harmless right now and Mikasa knew this was their only chance to take him home.

So she ran towards the red signal.

She didn't have to run for long. She was in Eren's head when the explosion happened. They must be heading there too. She ran in between the steam that surrounded them all. The wind blew the thick fog towards the south, with each step, Mikasa could hear the peoples voices more and more clearly.

people...

Mikasa shut her eyes and kept running. When she opened them, she saw two figures standing near the giant head of the founding titan. Mikasa hadn't seen it upclose. It was the only part that wasn't steaming. The mouth was slightly open and the head was almost the same height as Eren's attack titan.

It was huge...

But Mikasa's eyes focused on the two figures that were running towards the head as well. She recognised them.

Mikasa waved with a smile. This was over. They stopped Eren and could go back home now. "Jean! Sasha!" she said, waving her hand so that both could see her.

Jean reached them first. He suddenly stopped and looked behind Mikasa. She slowly turned around, alert. Pieck was standing behind them, her sleepy eyes dangerously narrowed. "Well well. It looks like your guess was right." she said, averting her gaze from Jean's eyes to the founding titan.

Mikasa hissed angrily, she reached for her blades but Jean put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. "True," he said. "... Now we can go our separate ways. I'm sure the people in Fort slava have already seen us. And know whose help you had to stop this rumbling."

Pieck tilted her head. "True." she said. "Everyone is reuniting with their family. Everyone except the Galliards..."

Mikasa clicked her tongue. "You guys betrayed us first!"

"Mikasa." Jean said, dangerously low and demanding.

"And you killed him." Pieck said back.

Jean looked at Piecks eyes again. "I'm sorry it came to this. I hope my comrade here can be forgiven but... She is right. I told you not to trigger Eren with sudden movements." Jean said. "And Porco did exactly that... I'm not surprised our alliance lasted only this far. But for future references..."

To Mikasa's surprise, Jean reached up a hand to Pieck.

Mikasa wanted to kill the man. After everything- why are you reaching to shake her hand? She wanted to scream but didn't, barely keeping her anger in check.

Pieck looked at his reached hand and to no one's surprise, she turned around and walked away. She stopped after a few steps to look at Jean from the corner of her eyes. "Just as you said." she said, lifting her head up towards the skies. "We will never be friends. There are far too many obstacles between us. But-" she takes a deep breath. "- we can act civil."

Pieck turned around just to meet Jean, Mikasa and Sasha's eyes. "Leave." she said. "Everyone else is busy reuniting with their families. You can leave."

Jean nodded. "Good luck."

Pieck didn't say anything. She simply walked back the way she came from and quickly disappeared within the steam.

Jean's shoulders slumped down suddenly as he sighed. "Oof. Let's get going. It's only a matter of time before Onyankopon runs out of fuel." he said. He snapped his head back and looked back at Sasha. He raised an eyebrow and looked behind her. "Where is Connie?" Jean asked, looking behind Sasha hesitantly.

Sasha froze up, she moved her hands to hug herself and closed her eyes. Slowly, very slowly, she shook her head.

Mikasa and Jean understood what she meant.

Jean fisted his hands, looked down and shut his eyes. "How?" he ordered her to say it.

Sasha opened her mouth to say something but no sound came from her lips. She swallowed hard and whispered: "crushed in the-the rumbling." she stuttered, not daring to look up in their eyes. "He..." she shut her eyes. "He got..."

Rumbling.

and by proxy, his killer was...

Mikasa took a step back, horrified. "No!" she said. "Eren is controlling the rumbling! He couldn't have killed Connie. maybe he's still alive-"

"Mikasa."

Mikasa stopped talking. He looked at Jean's angrily narrowed eyes as he looked up at the skeleton of Eren's founding titan. His eyes narrowed his determination. "Don't continue that train of thought." he ordered.

He turned his head at Sasha and Mikasa. "Lets get Eren out first." he ordered. "And It's not safe-" Jean took a sharp breath. "-We'll have to abandon Connie's body here and go back to Paradise."

Jean didn't wait for them to say anything; he went near the founding titans head and pulled another blade into his ODM gears handle. Mikasa watched silently as he opened Eren's titans mouth. "Sasha, use one of your flares to alert Onyankopon, Mikasa comes with me and lets you take out Eren." Jean says quietly, not meeting her eyes.

Mikasa shut her eyes for a moment. "You are still... You are still talking it over with Erwin right?" she asked out loud, "Eren will live the rest of his years... Right?"

Jean stopped.

For a moment, the only sound that passed the three of them was the sound of Sasha's flare as it sent green smoke to the skies.

He froze while trying to push the founding titans mouth open, slicing it away. It opened more, so that a person could slip inside and pull Eren out of that darkness.

But Jean didn't step in. He took an audibly loud breath and rested his hand against the muscles on the founding titans severed head. "Tell me, Mikasa... Do you think Eren can still be trusted with the founders powers?" Jean said, not lifting his head or turning to meet Mikasa's glare.

"Yes." Mikasa said, very confident in her words. "Because that girl-"

"Connie is now a crushed body on the ground." Jean shouted loudly as he turned around to meet Mikasa and sasha. It was evident his threats of patience had quickly snapped. "Remember that and then ask me again whether Eren can be trusted with the founders powers again."

Mikasa's heart ached at the revelation but she kept her grounds firmly. "You promised!" she shouted.

"Yeah- but that's changed." Jean murmured, quickly settling back into his cold captain-in-command persona. "Tell Me, Mikasa... How did you know what Porco was planning before he himself left Reiner to attack Eren."

Sasha took a step back and hugged herself tightly. "I... I told her..." she murmured with a gasp. "I overheard them- them talking and I told Mikasa-"

Jean looked as if someone had stabbed him in his heart. "You two..." he murmured, his eyes going Mikasa to Sasha. "... Didn't think to tell me? I'm the captain- let me act like one!"

"Well, I'm letting you act like one now and you're choosing not to defend eren!"

"Because it's impossible to defend him at this point!" Jean said, taking a shaky breath. "You think this is easy for me? But Connies dead, Mikasa. Connie. Is. Dead."

And that...

Mikasa growled under her breath, her hurt feeling resurfaced and made her control snap. "No! You won't take the last of my family away from me!" Mikasa screamed. "I have lost everyone! I will not lose Eren."

"You haven't left me much of a choice!"

"Eren can still be trusted with life!"

"Then you're even blinder than I thought you were." Jean replied calmly. "You lost Eren the moment he started the rumbling. The moment he made this choice and chose revenge over the island. Over all of us."

"Eren never wanted to hurt us-"

Jean held a finger up. "Not you, I agree with that... But tell that to Connie." Jean growled angrily. "I'm out of tactics to convince you Mikasa, in front of you is plain and simple fact. Eren will crush us all if given the chance. Hell, he probably knew about the pact Erwin had with the rest of the world and still chose to go against it!"

Jean stopped to take a deep breath. "But then again, I can't blame you for choosing Eren over every single human on this planet." he said with a sigh. "I've run out of tactics to convince you. But here, you'll have to choose between direct orders from Erwin, us and the world... Or Eren."

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, to object, but she was interrupted by the sudden movement coming from the founding titans head.

The three of them froze on their spot.

Mikasa, Sasha and Jean stared at the otherwise deadly still titans head. Time slowed down in Mikasa's mind and she swore she could hear cracking coming from behind the titans head.

Crack- Crack.

Another sound from behind them got their attention. The steam had reduced enough for them to see the group of people hugging each other and crying in relief. They could also see the worm-like being that escaped Eren's body when his head exploded.

And the worm's skin was bubbling, the tension broke and a white gas was freed to the air in the distance.

"PUT YOUR MASKS ON NOW!" Jean shouted as the insect bubled and exploded in the distance.

Mikasa was quick enough to take out her mask and snap it on her face. Just at that moment, Eren's head started moving. His body remade itself into a Colossal titan right before their eyes, the sudden burst of steam knocked the three scouts off their feet and made them fly a few distance away.

Mikasa was knocked back while Jean and Sasha were thrown the other way.

Sasha rolled on the ground, her back ached from hitting a cold stone but she pushed herself up to her elbows. Her eyes search around her and find Jean standing up right next to her.

STOMP.

STOMP.

Sasha snapped her head towards the sound and saw the titans head they were standing next to had become a colossal titan that was marching towards the worm.

"Sasha!" Jean shouted. He pulled out his own mask and stared at Sasha. "Put on your mask!"

Sasha jumped up to her feet. She looked back. The worm, and it's white gas, was getting closer and closer to them.

Sasha pulled her mask from her ODM storage. Her hands froze over a crack on its glass. Sasha watched horrified as one side of the mask fell down, crushed to dust.

"Sasha..." Jean's voice was exactly as stunned.

Sasha slowly looked up. "It's broken." she mumbled, holding up her hand as the pieces fell from her fingers. "It must have broken when I... Jumped after Connie..."

Jean's eyes followed down unto the broken glass pieces.

Sasha looked down in shame.

"Im so-"

Something was shoved into Sasha's face. In Fact it stuck perfectly to her face. Her eyes shot open and she stared wide eyed at Jean from the glass of his mask. Jean pushed it tightly to her face until it sticked on over her mouth, nose and eyes.

It happened in an instant.

Wind washed over them, not air but the famous titan gas.

Jean's shoulders slumped down but his grip over the mask didn't seize. He chuckled, defeat already pulling their strings on his face. "... I dragged you all into this..." he said, his eyelids slowly falling down. "No one else needs to die here."

The gas weapon would make all subjects of Ymir seize up after inhaling even a drop.

Jean could fight off the symptoms for this long.

Sasha took a sharp breath and quickly fastened the mask behind her head. Just in time Jean lost his balance and fell. So did all the crowd behind them.

Sasha grabbed Jean before he could hit the ground. "MIKASA!" she yelled for help. "MIKASA, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

But her own voice got lost within the panic of the crowd around her and the march of Eren's colossal titan towards the worm being.

Sasha's eyes twitched in annoyance.

She grabbed her ODM gear and circled her arms around Jean's middle to pick him up as best of his abilities.

"What're you- doin?" Jean tried to say.

"You'll turn into a titan soon... So I'll find you someone to eat!" She vowed. "I'll just have to isolate your titan from the rest!"

Jean's weak grip on her elbow got her attention.

"It's too late," Jean groaned. "Now- go."

Sasha looked around. Thankfully, the other eldians were behind them which meant if she took Jean far enough from the crowd, she'd be able to identify his titan later.

for what? What are your chances even- you idiot. Something whispered in her mind but she persisted. Sasha dragged Jean behind her against Jean telling her to abandon him behind.

She shot her ODM anchors towards Fort Slavas walls, her gear pulled her up the empty hill and into the empty military sight.

Sasha took a deep breath as they both fell down to the ground. "Don't worry." she assured the other. "I'll get Zeke. He- He should be still alive."

"Idiot." Jean gasped as he tried to fight the effects of the gas. He tried to pull himself up to his elbows but fell back to the ground. "Sasha..."

Sasha stood up and kneeled down again. "What-what is it-"

"Remember... In this mess..." he shut his eyes. "I'm just another titan... So save yourself..." his eyes fall down, regret filling his hazel eyes as his last words leave his mouth. "I was a bad leader... That's why we ended up here..."

"No- Jean-"

Lightening overtook them all.

The impact burned and pushed Sasha back. She rolled on the ground. She pushed herself up immediately when the rotten smell of titans reached her nose. And the loud roar echoed in the area.

Sasha's blood froze in her veins when she saw the titan that rose to his feet right in front of her. Jean's titan was very ugly, too long and elongated features but His molette stayed in play. his face was ripped apart and his teeth were a bloody mess in the front.

He reached and yanked Sasha off the ground before she could dodge it with her ODM. Sasha quickly found herself in the titans wrist. The titan that was quickly putting her into his bloody, saliva mixed mouth.

Sasha cursed loudly. If she gets eaten here then-

She drew out her blades and sliced Jean's wrist off. She jumped away and rolled on the ground. Zeke. She has to find Zeke. If Eren is so desperate that he'll kill them all for the rumbling then so be it.

Find Zeke. Feed it to Jean. Get out of here.

The titan had advanced to her again. It was in mid air, jumping towards Sasha when her eyes noticed the quickly approaching presence of another person flying towards her. Mikasa held her blades ready to slice the titans' nape and save Sasha from the attack.

Oh no, I shouted for her help and she'll probably-

"Mikasa NO DONT KILL HIM!" Sasha shouted, panicked.

Mikasa halted her movements and her blades missed Jean's titans nape by an inch.

Her stormy gray eyes widened. "What the hell?" she shouted back.

Sasha's hands were shaking as she put them next to her lips and shouted: "IT'S JEAN!"

Mikasa landed on the ground and ran to her. She was cursing under her breath when she reached Sasha. "Well!" she shouted. "Onyankopon will get here soon. We should get going-"

After Sasha didn't react fast enough, Mikasa grabbed her and used her gear to fly them away from Jean's next attack.

Sasha was more or less too stunned to move as Mikasa took her away. Every second, the sound of the flying boat got closer and closer to them until they were flying upwards.

"Hop on!" Onyankopon shouted.

Mikasa did.

Mikasa and Sasha hit the metal floor of the flying boat and rolled inside. Mikasa's back hit the other end of the plane, which knocked their breath out.

"You two ok?" Onyankopon shouted. From the little Mikasa could see from the window, Onyankopon was moving away and higher from the ground. It would be safer there.

After all-

Beside her, Sasha rolled around, she yanked the mask off her face and puked up everything in her stomach into the bin. She clinged to it for a few seconds, breathing very heavily.

Mikasa looked at her back, she slowly removed the mask from her face to take a deep breath. Her eyes softened. She reached to put a comforting hand on Sasha's shoulder.

She shrugged it off.

She cleaned her lips with the back of her hand. She slowly turned around and looked at Sasha, hopelessness and anger burnt in the brown of her eyes. "You..." she growled.

Mikasa swallowed hard, she never thought she'd see that look on her friend's face. "Sasha..."

Sasha stumbled forward until she was dangerously over the edge and leaned forward to see what was happening down there. The wind played with her hair and ran around the flying boat.

"Sasha look out!" Onyankopon shouted. "You might fall!"

Sasha looked down at the ground. Mikasa followed her to see what was happening down on the ground. They could no longer see Jean's titan. But they could see Reiner fighting to keep the worm back and Pieck helping her.

Just at that moment, Annie transformed. This time, she could use the powers she inherited by eating Eren's flesh. Mikasa's eyes widened at her new form. She had the size of a colossal. She stood right in front of Eren's figure with her hands up in front of her face in her favorite fighting style.

Eren and Annie's rematch was a sight to see. But not from up here. Mikasa had a feeling if Eren and the worm reunite, the rumbling will start anew.

She bit her lips.

"Do you think she'll win?" Sasha asked, very quietly. Her voice almost looked small. Mikasa shut her eyes and shook her head.

It was useless. Mikasa wet her lips. "Maybe we should just- let Eren ride it out." she whispered, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Stopping Eren was pointless anyway..."

"Pointless!" Sasha snapped angrily. "Mikasa! Eren is only miles away from our allies' borders!"

Sasha grabbed Mikasa's shoulder to turn her around to face each other. "I don't even care about Our Allies or not!" she shouted. "But can you stay back and let eren slaughter even more innocent people?"

"Eren is-"

"Look at this Mikasa! Look at this mess!" Sasha screamed in her face. "Connie is Dead! JEAN IS A TITAN! And if we don't do anything, He'll die!"

Mikasa couldn't respond while Sasha was throwing her back and forth.

"You said-"

"I know what I said! But look around you! That line is long crossed!" Sasha pointed her hand at Eren and Annies fight below them. Annie had countless wounds on her titan face. She was blocking the attacks while Eren rained fists to her titan.

Mikasa was shocked to her core. Annie? Did Annie get that weak all those years in the crystal?

"Look! Annie is getting knocked out! ANNIE! That can't be done unless Eren is fighting with everything!" Sasha screamed in her face. "EREN WILL BE OUR DOOM!"

"I-I can't! He must have a reason for that!" Mikasa shouted back.

Sasha narrowed her eyes on her. Her gaze slowly changed to the back of the plane, where their extra stock of thunder spear and gas supplies.

Unlike Mikasa, Sasha was quick to make up her mind.

She stood up and yanked her gas supply from her uniform. She'd promised to only engage in long distance weapons, but the world has flipped now and that promise is long gone. She immediately refilled her gas and put two thunder spears in her armsets. She looked at her ODM storage for the one metal box Jean gave him before this mess began.

I'm going to make a bet.

Sasha held the cold metal of the Zoe syringe tightly in her hand. Will this syringe even work on such a giant as Eren? No. It won't. The best use she can make use of is to utilize Zeke until she feeds it to Jean.

Mikasa looked at her back, "Sa-Sasha don't engage in battle, you're still weak from your coma."

Sasha snapped her head back. "You left me no choice!" she shouted, her voice couldn't be heard over the whiplash of wind. "You might be ok with letting Eren 'ride it out' but I'm not! I won't abandon Jean and I won't let Connie's sacrifice go to waste."

Mikasa rose up to her feet in panic. "You'll just get yourself killed!"

"I thought you were ok with letting Eren do as he pleased? What's the difference between me, Connie and everyone else in this place?" Sasha snapped again.

Mikasa was stunned into silence.

Sasha glared back, her eyes dangerously narrowed in determination. "If you don't care about humanity and just care about Eren. You'll have to stick to your words!"

Light flashed before Mikasa's eyes. A familiar pain flashes behind her head. She hissed in pain but reality caught up to her before she could dwell on it.

Sasha fixed the armband on her hand. "Make your choice, Mikasa!" Sasha declared loudly.

Sasha pulled her blade from her ODM gear. "I'm going there! And I'm going to find Zeke, cut him in half and feed it to Jean's titan before Jean dies. I don't care if Eren kills me too." she shouted. "I know I'm not strong enough to kill or stop Eren."

Sasha fixed the belts of her ODM gear. "The choice is yours. I'll throw a thunder spear to open Eren's mouth and then my job is done." she said out loud.

The pain was making her head spin. Mikasa held her head and hissed in the electric pain in the back of her eyes.

The next moment she opened her eyes.

Sasha was jumping off the flying boat.

Time slowed down.

"NO, Sasha, WAIT!" Mikasa screamed, tears blooming in her eyes.

Sasha fell down with her ODM gear. A thunder spear ready to aim. Mikasa watched in surprise as Sasha swung until she was standing in front of Eren's titan. She did what she promised, she threw a thunder spear that broke Eren's teeth. Her actions didn't interrupt Eren and Annies spar.

Then... Sasha disappeared into the mess of titans and steam.

Mikasa blinked in surprise. She could no longer track her movements from so high up.

If you stay up here, she'll die too.

A traitorous voice in the back of her head.

what's one more in the endless list of friends you failed to protect?

Mikasa took a deep breath but her breath escalated out of her hand quickly. She pulled the scarf up to cover her face and ignored Onyankopon's shouts of distress.

what Eren is doing is wrong?

I'm out of tactics to convince you Mikasa, in front of you is plain and simple fact. Eren will crush us all if given the chance. Hell, he probably knew about the pact Erwin had with the rest of the world and still chose to go against it!

If you don't care about humanity and just care about Eren. You'll have to stick to your words!

"It's not a choice." Mikasa opened her eyes and stood up. "I'll do both!" Mikasa murmured into the scarf. "I'll pull you out and end this, Eren, enough playing the villain."

Mikasa tapped her gas supply. It had enough to go by. She swung her blades in the air and looked at Onyankopon. "Keep flying. If you run out of fuel. Land somewhere near." he said.

"But Mika-"

Mikasa didn't wait for his answer, she jumped down. Feeling the air dance on her skin as she dived down. She sends her anchor on Eren's arm. One that was pointed to a punch to Annie's face. She landed on his hand and looked up, the hole she made in his titans teeth was still there.

She could get it done.

Mikasa flew with her ODM gear faster than she had ever done. Dodging the two titans attacks one by one until she threw herself into the titans mouth and landed on the sticky saliva inside Eren's titans mouth.

She snapped her head towards the back of the mouth. She sighed in relief when she saw Eren in one piece but stuck in between muscles of the titan. Only his head was out and visible.

Mikasa ran to the back and sliced the muscles away. Just as she sliced them, they grew back, as if they held on for dear life.

Eyes narrowed in determination, Mikasa sliced the muscles again, faster this time.

if you don't pull him out...

... And the others get to him...

Mikasa shut her eyes and cried out in anger.

And then... It stopped.

She raised her blade and grabbed the back of Eren's neck to pull him out. She raised the blade again and pulled Eren out of the muscles at the same time.

The muscles snapped and Eren fell forward into her arms. They fell back into the titans tongue.

Mikasa pushed Eren's body up and put her ear near his heart, desperately waiting for the familiar soothing rhythm she was used to...

Da-Dam... Da-Dam...

Da-Dam... Da-Dam...

Mikasa sighed in relief and pulled him up into her arms. "That's enough." she said into his unconscious ear. "... That's enough fighting."

The titan they were in started to decompose. Without Eren inside to command it, this titan will soon crumble into dust. Annie must have realized this too because her fists stopped shaking the very being of this titan.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

This was reality. She was stuck here. It doesn't matter who finds them, they will still be in trouble. And... Jean is still a titan. Jean who was supposed to vouch for Eren.

Although she was not sure he would anymore, even if he was human.

Mikasa shut her eyes tightly. Times like this, she really missed Armin.

Notes:

(Did you all think I worked my *somewhere* off writing this many chapters in my second language... Just to go with the manga ending?)

Comment? Kudos?... Please?

Chapter 25: Crushed souls : Aftermaths

Notes:

*Deep Breath*

Wow, it's really getting finished.

Well there is one more chapter and I might add an epilogue but I think thats pretty much it! It's getting finished!

Hope you enjoy!

Usual warnings apply!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Eren held his hands up in the sky.

He knew it was just a construction of the paths. He wasn't really flying in the sky, he was barely leaving the sands of the paths. He could feel their smooth feeling under his feet but he saw clouds, blue skies and freedom.

Eren raised his hands and enjoyed the dance of the wind on his skin.

"How can you?"

Oh, He almost forgot about him.

Eren turned around and saw Zeke still in chains. Ever since Zeke helped him contact Their father and order him to kill the royal family, Eren put Zeke on those chains.

And yet, that didn't stop the man from creeping into his dreams.

"There are people dying." Zeke murmured in horror. "These people never did you anything wrong."

The scene of the sky fell down and left them in the paths. The blue sky became black and the clouds were replaced by sand.

Eren looked down a sly smirk on his lips, a sly smile on his smile. "And I did nothing wrong to them. And yet they chanted my death to the skies... Oh well... Soon it won't matter too much anyway."

Zeke's eyes widened. "How can you say that?"

Eren turned around and held his hand up. By his command, the world swirled around them until they were somewhere insanely familiar to Eren.

A lake in shiganshina. Almost ten years back.

Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of birds and the children splashing water at each other. A place where three children, no more than ten years old, sat near the lake.

Zeke recognised them. "Those are..."

Eren's smile widened. "Me and my friends, yes." Eren murmured. "Mikasa and Armin..."

Eren swallowed hard. He reached his hand for the blond head standing next to his younger self. "Armin..." he murmured.

Suddenly they started to run. Armin ran past him, like Eren was a ghost. Armin ran towards his own house, passing through Eren without thinking twice.

Time quickly springed past them until the walls crashed, the titans flooded inside the city. With each passing moment Eren smiled even more. "I am going to save someone!" he declared. "And stop this cursed timeline from ever existing!"

Eren turned around to see Armin pulling Hannes sleeve down and shouting something in his ear. He is calling him to help Mikasa and Eren.

Soon, there will be no need.

"I have the power to control every titan that ever was!" Eren said loudly, holding his hands up and greeting the smiling titan that marched towards their house.

His younger self and Mikasa tried their best to lift the debris and free their mother. Eren looked at the smiling titan. "And now! I command every titan here to stay away from me, Mikasa and my mother!"

For a moment, the world stopped.

Time slowed down until it was barely a fraction of a second passed every minute. Zeke and Eren were frozen in their time, everything stilled around them.

The smiling titans stopped its march.

Eren saw the shock in his younger self and Mikasa's.

He himself smiled.

It was working! He can save his mother! He can save her!

The smiling titan turned back and walked away.

Just as his younger self and Mikasa slowly pulled Carla out from under the rubble.

"Who is she?" Zeke asked quietly.

Eren slowly closed his eyes. "She is my mother..." He said. he watched Carla take Mikasa and Eren's hands and they started running away from their destroyed house. "And she will live."

His eyes soften at the sight.

"Let's run!" Carla says to Mikasa and Eren. "Let's get out of here right now!"

Little Eren's eyes widened. "Mom, weren't your feet broken?" he asked out loud. Carla took his wrist and said nothing. They started running north, far away from any lurking titans.

Tears gathered in Eren's eyes. "I did it..." he gasped. "I saved her..."

"You came all the way here to save her, didn't you?"

Eren ignored Zeke's words. It didn't matter anymore. Soon, they'll all be destroyed, this cursed timeline won't exist and Eren can only hope the best for his younger self and his mother.

He looked down at his own hands and took a deep breath. He was ready to be turned to dust due to changes in the timeline.

He waited.

And waited...

And waited...

And nothing happened.

The paths started to shake. The time went backwards. Carla went back inside the ruble and the smiling titan forgot what it was ordered to.

Eren's eyes widened. "No! I order you to stop!"

The smiling titan kept marching towards their house. Hannes arrived and Eren felt dejavu swipe over him like a tidal wave.

"NO!" Eren shouted, pointing his finger at the smiling titan. "I AM THE FOUNDING TITAN! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!"

The smiling titan ignored his orders.

It kept marching towards their house.

Hannes picked up Mikasa and Eren.

The smiling titan searched through the ruble to take Carla out and-

"NO!"

The paths returned. Shiganshina broke into glass shards and landed all over the sands of the paths before they steamed into nothing.

Eren fell to his knees. His eyes blurred and he buried his fists on the ground. "WHY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Why can't I do what's my right!?"

Mom...

I could have... I could have...

At first, nothing answered him.

Then, Zeke vanished into thin air. The paths reacted to his desire to be alone. He stayed kneeling on the ground, staring at the white sand under him when a deep voice answered his questions.

The past can not be changed if it means no rumbling.

Eren raised his head to see Ymir, an eternal child, stare into his jade eyes with darkened black eyes.

Eren looked at founder Ymir with disgust. Her mere sight made him want to push her and poke.

Rumbling is the only way she can make her choice.

It must happen.

Founder Ymir's words were carved into his mind. He growled angrily and stood up to his feet. "If I can't save my mother- then it's pointless." Eren growled. "It's over. We return back to Paradise island. After the colonies are des-"

The Paths stilled again.

It was easy to forget Ymir had a higher power than Eren did in this path.

Eren slept on the ground and covered his ears.

His mind was bombarded with all the memories of the past and the future and he could no longer keep himself sane. What was the point? If he can't save his loved ones then what was the point of all this?

He gave the most destructive power on earth to a slave, who was afraid of nothing. What will happen now that Ymir has the will of the rumbling? Will she kill anyone who tries to stop it? Eren wouldn't be mad if she tried to kill the entire world but what if-

IDIOT!

OF COURSE YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST TOO MUCH!

Eren covered his ears against the sudden images that flashed through his mind. So much traveling through time had made his mind more of a mess than it already was.

Slowly, Eren sat up to his elbows. "I was supposed to do something here..." he murmured out loud, the sand falling down from his long hair back into the ground. "I... What was I supposed to change?"

Eren wasted all his energy trying to save his mother, and now he can feel the sudden feeling that something is missing deep in his empty cold heart. He knew he had the power to change the paths because he had seen it in his future memories.

He was hoping he could use the path's power to save his mother. But now- he doesn't remember what his future self had changed here.

Why does it matter anyway? What point is in this world if he can't save his-

Eren's eyes widened.

if you want to save Mikasa and Armin, and everyone else, you must see through this mission.

Krugers words echoed in his mind.

Mikasa...

Armin...

Mikasa was probably in the team assigned to take him down and Armin-

-Armin is a vase of burnt ashes traveling the sea.

Eren rubbed the side of his face. There wasn't much he could do to keep Mikasa out of the harm's way, not that she needed it, but Armin...

He is long dead, but as the power of the paths had proven, they can even summon the dead.

Eren swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He imagined Armin's blond head and blue eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he could only get a vague picture, Eren's memories had forgotten what his best friend looked like after so many years.

But Eren tried his best to summon Armin Arlert back into the paths.

Five years ago,
The boys dormitory, Scouts headquarters.

It was the first uninterrupted sleep Armin had had in weeks.

He laid under the blankets, dreaming about nothing and everything. But his dream suddenly morphed into something he couldn't understand. He gasped as he woke up, some of his blond head fell into his face as he stood up.

Armin blinked in surprise. "What was that?" he asked out loud. He looked around their room, Eren was sleeping in his own bed and their small room was empty of any threats.

Armin took a deep breath, he closed his eyes to calm his raging heart.

But when he opened his eyes-

He was no longer in his room.

Armin crawled back, Suddenly alarmed that he was in a sandy white dessert at night.

Armin looked up, the sky was empty of any stars other than a glowing tree in the distance.

"What is that...?" Armin whispered quietly.

Just a dream!

He told himself as he threw his blanket away and stood up. His feet sank into the white sands. Armin looked down, she poked his finger into the sand and found it slightly wet.

What is this place...

"Armin, is that you?"

Armin stood up, his back to the source of that voice. He blinked in surprise. Very slowly, the blond turned to the source of the voice.

His blue eyes widen and he takes a step back when he sees a tall brunette wearing Eren's favorite, and ripped apart, shirt. "Who is this?" he whispered. Although by now, Armin had a guess who this might be.

After all, how many people have had the same Jade green eyes as Eren Yeager?

The tall man didn't move. He just buried his hands in his pockets and looked away. "So it worked..." he murmured. "It... It doesn't matter who I am... It matters what you want."

Bravely, Armin takes a step towards the tall man. If you really are Eren then Puberty has hit mysteriously well. Armin thinks, remembering the boy who is sleeping right in the next bed.

Armin takes a deep breath as his eyes meet the mans. "You're... You're Eren aren't you? Or well... A grown up Eren that my mind can make." he whispers.

The man narrowed his eyes. "This isn't a dream." he said, gritting his teeth. "Call me whatever you want. It doesn't matter."

Armin took a step back. "Fu-Future?" he stuttered. "The- The same place where Eren's night terrors happen?"

"Doesn't matter." Eren says again. "What matters is your answer to these questions."

"What question?"

"Do you want to see the ocean with me?"

Armin blinked. Once. Twice.

The man smiled at his stunned face. He stepped back and immediately the world changed around Armin. The sky turned blue, the sand turned a gentle hue of orange and saltwater filled the air.

Armin's eyes widened when his ears picked the sounds.

Waves.

Armin was frozen, his back to the scene he was willing to die to see. The man put a hand on his shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts. He smiled. "Well? What are you waiting for? Don't you want to see the ocean?"

Armin swallowed hard.

He turned his head around. His bare feet sank in the wet sand. Armin looked down as a small wave hit his feet.

It tickled.

Armin bit his quivering lip as he took another step into the wet sand.

And another, and another, his toes sank into the waters. It hit something slimy and Armin jumped back with a shout. "Ah! What was that!" he shouted.

Armin swallowed hard and summoned all the courage he had. He stepped into the waters again and bent down to touch the waters, like a toddler who had just seen the nearest lake.

Armin took another step inside the ocean and stared at the horizon.

It was... Huge...

His eyes couldn't see its end. So blue, so gigantic. It stretched through the horizon enough that Armin's eyes couldn't see the end. Armin looked down when he felt something hit his feet.

A shell.

His shaking hands took it up and stared at it. The water slipped from his hands and he could only stare at the view in front of him, Taste the salt in the air and sink under his feet.

Armin turned his head up. He wanted to share this with Eren the moment he woke up. His smile widened when he saw Eren and Mikasa standing in the waters a few yards further than him.

Armin walked to them, his steps much slower than when he was in the land.

"Eren! Mikasa!"

It was them, Eren and Mikasa. Still teenagers and still like he remembered them go be. Armin jumped in front of them, still soaked in saltwater as he looked at each of them. "Eren! Mikasa! Isn't it beautiful!" he said. He meets their eyes one by one. "Look! Isn't it beautiful!"

His shining smile fell when the two of them didn't react.

Then Armin's eyes fell on their hands.

The two of them were holding a vase. Well, Eren was holding a small vase close to his heart. A small white and blue vase with the wings of freedom branded into it. His hands were slightly shaking and his eyes were closed.

Armin didn't need to see it to know what that vase was. The only person missing from their trio was himself.

How did Eren even bring it here without anyone noticing? Wasn't it hidden away somewhere with the rest of the ashes of fallen comrades?

Eren didn't take his eyes off the ocean. His mind focused somewhere no one could reach.

"Getting it wasn't that hard." he said, He gently moved his hand across the white and blue vase with the wings of freedom carved on it. "I just thought Armin deserved better than a cold storage in Shiganshina."

Slight tremor in Eren's fingers could be seen. Gently, Mikasa put her hands on Eren's, helping him hold the vase that contained Armin's ashes.

They exchanged a look. Without further words, they lowered the vase down until it touched the warm waters underneath.

The waters took the vase, far far away from the shores.

Mikasa Held his hand tighter, offering a pained smile of her own when he looked at her. Eren couldn't help but return the smile.

Armin swallowed hard as he watched the scene unfold before his very eyes.

What was this?

Armin swallowed hard and looked at the shores. The same mysterious man was standing on the sand and staring directly at Armin. Armin narrowed his eyes and walked back to the shores. He stood in front of The man and glared dangerously at him.

"Who are you? And why are you showing me this?"

The man closed his eyes.

"I just..." the man swallowed hard. "I just wanted to see your face when you see the ocean... Because I never got to do it in real life."

Armin steps closer, his eyes blown wide. He reaches up but stops a few inches away from Eren's face. "You're..." he gasped. "... You're Eren!"

Eren's eyes softened as he nodded.

Armin stepped back. "I- you have grown even taller..." he murmured. "And this shirt..."

Armin rubbed the side of his face, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Man, this is a weird dream! Once, just once, I Don't want to be interrupted by you in my sleep."

Eren cleared his throat. "I... Well... I think I should apologize for that." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't know I rambled about the future in my sleep."

Armin shut his eyes. "You know that! Oh no! That means you read my diary!" he shouted. "That thing was private Eren! I said destroy it! Not read it!"

Eren took a deep breath. "I uh... I'm so sorry about that too..." he admitted. "After you died... I Uh... I forgot about the diary entirely and..." he sighed loudly. "Erwin Smith found it. Apparently a cleaning lady found it and then gave it to Erwin."

Horror washed over Armin's face and his face blanched entirely.

"No way!" he gasped. "No way- No way- No way- what happened to it then?"

Eren shut his eyes and looked away in shame. "It got... It got published."

Armin couldn't stop his next action. His first went to Eren's face before he could think any better. Eren's face hit sideways from his punch.

"You had one job!" Armin screams at him. "The information was dangerous! Eren what the hell!"

Eren touched his punched face. "Ow..." he murmured. "I think Erwin edited out the parts, honestly." he whispered.

Armin looked up at the blue sky, taking one deep breath after another to calm his anger. "You still had one job..." he murmured. "I kept those a secret for five years and the moment I die- boom!"

Eren sighed loudly. "Scream... I deserve it." he whispered. "You don't know even the slightest thing about the future anyway..."

Armin turned to him again. "Ok, the moment I wake up, I'm burning my diary." he vowed. "You're unreliable, even in my dreams."

Eren shook his head. "You're not dreaming, Armin..." he said again. "We're in somewhere called the paths. Do you remember you told me once that my titan might be able to control other titans?"

Armin nodded.

"Well... It's a long story... But I can control far more than titans." he said. "I have something called the founding titan. I can even control humans that can turn into titans."

Armin tilted his head. "Yeah, I know that... We found that out from Historias father..." he says. "And apparently, I'm one of those that can turn into titans... By that logic you can summon people from the past or present, correct?"

Eren thought he'd have to explain a lot of things.

He missed Armin's mind. Now he's reminded why.

Eren sat down on the sand. He stared at the horizon, watched the waves of the ocean hit the shores. "Sit down please, Armin..." he whispered. "I need your help."

Armin was hesitant.

But he sat down next to Eren and looked at him, waiting for him to start talking. A gentle breeze passed their faces, the smell of saltwater filled the air.

And Eren started talking. "Long ago... The power of the titans was given to a slave names Ymir..."

"So... You mean as we're speaking..." Armin gasped, "the titans of the walls are stomping people under their feet?"

Armin ran his hand through his face, his blue eyes wide and horrified at what Eren just explained. "So the... The visions... They are true... You can kill 80% of the world!"

Eren sighed loudly. With a flick of his hand, the ocean vanished and they were back in the white sands and endless sky of the paths.

"I don't think so," Eren says, taking a fistful of white sand under his hand. "Erwin won't let me... He's too in depth of a dream that he can make peace with people of the outside world."

"Well... Can't he?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Eren snapped. "Stand up." he ordered and stood up himself.

Eren didn't wait for Armin to stand up, he grabbed his elbows and pulled him up to his feet. "I'll make you see- I'll make you see what his friends did!"

By Eren's command, the paths changed. They were now in the middle of a city. Armin looked around and recognised Shiganshina and its crowd who were in motion. All of whom were military officers.

Eren narrowed his eyes. "This is the present, Armin..." he said. "This is real time. You see those weapons?"

Eren pointed at a storage room, covered under a khaki blanket and being moved around by soldiers.

Armin swallowed hard. "Yeah... Well..."

"Those will self-destruct." Eren said. "The whole city will go up in flames."

Armin took a step back. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Armin didn't need to wait for any answers from Eren. Just at that moment, one of the big storages exploded.

Armin unconsciously covered his face even when he knew he didn't physically exist here. The debris flew past them. Hitting the people around them. The soldiers rushed to the scene, the storage went up in flames.

"Erwins so called Allies would destroy Paradise if given the chance." Eren said. Armin looked at him, his lips quivered before he bit on them. "See? I haven't even reached their cities yet and they're doing their failsafe."

"Eren..."

Another explosion.

Armin snapped his head towards the sound before a secondary explosion followed, a big wave of scorching flames past them. It burnt the people but passed their bodies like they were nothing.

"This is what we do to their mindsets." Eren whispered. "There is no befriending them."

Silence settled between them, before the flames set the entire city on fire. Flesh and blood burnt all around them, the smell reached Armin's nose and gave him a headache.

Armin fisted his hands on his sides. "Alright... Stop..."

Eren waved his hand in the air and the scene changed to what it was in the paths. He held his small friend by his shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "You... You understand why I did all this, right?" Eren asked with a small voice.

Armin looks up into Eren's eyes with disgust. "You think this'll make me agree with their mass murder?" Armin asked with narrowed eyes. "Why don't you show me what you did to them, Eren?"

Eren squeezed his shoulders.

Armin pressed his mouth to a thin line. "Stop with the lies, Eren." he said simply. "Who are you? I don't even recognise you. What made you do all this?"

Eren shut his eyes. "I..."

"You can be honest with me, Eren."

The words squeezed Eren's heart and made the confessions slip out of his lips.

"I... I didn't want the same thing that happened to you, happen to Mikasa."

Armin's eyes softened. "... What happened to me?" he asked quietly.

Eren lets go of his shoulders to crush his blond friend in an embrace. "You were taken away from me. In an ambush." he whispered. "Burnt to death... I... It happened all of a sudden and I..."

Eren's eyes gathered tears over the same memory all over again.

Have I ever lied to you, Eren?

And I promised We'd see the ocean together!

Armin's hands slowly wrapped around his back. "Hey... It's ok..." he whispered but Eren heard none of it.

"I trusted you the most!" Eren said, tightening his hold on the small blond. "And you... When you used that card on me to get yourself killed... I couldn't- I just didn't want to trust anyone anymore! I wanted everything to be in my hands!"

Eren pulled back and stared deep into Armin's eyes. "I wanted to- I wanted to secure my own right to live and don't need to trust anyone. I didn't want to lose Mikasa in another ambush."

Eren narrowed his eyes. "And until the outside world exists, we're always in the threat of another ambush. Another attack. Another death."

Armin started, stunned at Eren's words.

"I will secure my own freedom with my hands." Eren said as a matter of fact. "No matter who is trying to stop me."

"Even if it's me?"

Eren's mind blanched.

"You?" Eren smiled. "You won't stop me, Armin."

Eren leaned down to close the distance in their faces. "You had the chance. You knew what I was planning to do before even I did!"

Armin took a deep, shaky breath.

"You didn't report me. Didn't stop me. In fact, you made sure no one else knew." Eren said with a smile. "You won't stop me. You can't stop me. tell me, Armin, why didn't you just report me to Hange or Erwin the moment your suspicions were confirmed?"

Armin opened his mouth to say something but words failed him. His silver tongue turned to lead in his mouth as he stared at Eren's determined eyes. Instead, Armin settled for the truth. "Because you are my friend. Because I know you better than everyone, even Mikasa."

Eren's eyes softened.

"And I know this is also my fault..." Armin looked away at the sand. "I underestimated my value in your eyes."

"You always did." Eren whispered.

Then Eren waved dismissively. "It's alright, it probably won't matter in the long run anyway."

Armin raised an eyebrow. "Eren, you want to kill 80% of the world."

Eren shrugged. He turned to the glowing tree in the distance and turned his back to Armin. "I want to... But they are close to stopping me."

Eren walked towards the tree.

"Who?" Armin asked, walking after him.

"Mikasa, Jean's squad and the warriors." Eren explained. "I don't have enough power to kill 80% of humanity anymore."

Eren stopped, he stared at the glowing tree with sadness. "Ymir will stop the powers of the titans, after seeing what Mikasa will choose." he said out loud, the glowing tree reflected in his eyes. "And then..."

Eren sighed loudly, rubbing his sore eyes. "Doesn't matter. I'll be stuck here for a while until I remember what the heck I was supposed to do with the past here."

"What?"

Eren shrugged. "I don't know. I was supposed to change some aspects of the past." Eren whispered. "But I have no clue what it was!"

Armin took a step back. "This is getting more and more confusing... Why don't you remember?"

"By using too much of the founder's powers to walk through time I- " Eren yanked his hair out of his scalp. "- I forgot what I was supposed to do here!"

Armin put a hand on his shoulder. "What... What do you mean, Eren?" he asked.

Eren shook his head. "I... I remember some stuff from my memories- I was supposed to do something to make the timeline make sense." he sighed loudly. "But I don't remember what it is."

Armin leaned closer. "Alright, what happens if you don't change the past?"

"I'll probably be stuck here forever. Because time won't move on until it's fixed." Eren sighed loudly. "I'm so screwed."

Armin hummed thoughtfully, he looked at the options in his hands for a moment. Then he squeezed Eren's shoulders and smiled when his jade eyes looked up at his own eyes. "It's alright I'll help you." Armin offered. "Just tell me the events that are supposed to happen."

"I already told you." Eren whispered. "I don't even know where the mistakes are to fix them!"

Armin smiled. "Can you move backwards in time?"

Eren hummed. "Yeah."

"Good. if we move from here, and move backwards, it'll be easier to find the faults and fix them one by one." Armin told him.

Eren rubbed his chin. "Alright... This makes sense."

"Glad you agree, now start from right before you start the rumbling..."

The titan needed no effort to bite down on Marco's body. He was torn in half and just in that moment, his world blacked out.

He was falling down the titans throat when suddenly, the world no longer ached. Marco fell to his knees on white sand. He gasped when he stared at himself, still in one piece. He held his hands in front of his eyes.

He panted loudly and stared at his hands and feet, checking himself for any injuries.

"Can't believe that worked..."

Marco looked up at the sounds. He jumped back when he saw someone who he didn't know. .

Of course, Marco wouldn't recognise a nineteen year old Eren.

Eren kept his calm, he kneeled down in front of Marco with narrowed eyes. "Hello there." he said. "I'm sorry but, you're seconds away from dying. Your body was bitten in half by a titan."

Marco made a "Hah?" sound as he tried to calm down his breathing. "So- is this the afterlife?"

Eren shook his head. "Not quite. I'm here to make a deal with you." he said. "If you accept, I will turn you back to the physical world as a titan."

Marco's eyes widened. "Wait- wait is that how titans are made?"

"Not quite. Your case is special." Eren told him. "You will have full control of your titan and your mission won't start until years in the future."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "What are you- what are you talking about? Who are you?"

Eren's face didn't give away any emotions. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you know how dangerous Annie, Berthold and Riener are." he reminded him. "What matters is if you don't accept my offer. Jean will die in the future without the help of a titan."

Marco stood up to his feet. "Are you- are you serious?" he stuttered.

Eren nodded. "If you accept, Your sole mission is to protect Jean." Eren told him. "Which is why I'll grant you the control of your titan body... Do you accept these conditions?"

"What happens if I refuse?"

"I told you. Jean needs the help of a titan to escape from a dire situation in the future. Not just Jean. But many of your friends."

"Why can't I help them as human?"

"Because your body is torn in half. And for the timeline to work, Jean needs to think you're dead. I can't change that. Your physical body is already in two halves." Eren raised a finger. "But I can turn you into a titan and give you a second chance."

Eren stepped closer. "So? Do you accept this mission?" Eren slowly held up his hand for Marco to shake it.

Marco swallowed hard.

Then he narrowed his eyes. "If this'll make me help my friends, then ok." he said. He shook Eren's hand and his world flipped upside down.

In the real world, before Eren Yeager could seal the whole in Trost, a titan ran the opposite way to Wall Maria. He would stay in the forests until he was found three years later.

Eren hit the sand off his clothes as he stood up. Marco's body disappeared from the paths. He turned to Armin with half a smile. "Oh well." he said. "That's one more thing."

Armin smiled back. "Yeah... It was sad seeing Jean die so many times." Armin said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Poor Jean. That commander Justivs really wanted to kill him."

"Ok, we fixed the timeline up until now! Justivs doesn't kill Jean. Sasha survives. Even Jean has a good motivation to come and see Erwins mission." Eren smiled at the small joke. "Well, I think that's it!" he said. "going back in time, I don't feel any disturbance in the timeline at all until..."

Eren's eyes suddenly widened. His heart skipped a beat. "U-Until... The battle of... The battle of Shiganshina." he stuttered.

Armin put a hand on Eren's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Eren's face was deprived of its color. "I... What do I have to do... Have to change there... I..." Eren shut his eyes.

Armin's eyes softened. "Let me guess... It's where I die, isn't it?"

Eren's silence was its own answer.

Armin patted his shoulder and moved to stand in front of Eren. "Whatever it is... Eren... You need to fix it." Armin told him.

Eren swallowed hard. "Armin... By doing that, there won't be any place to change the timeline and save you." Eren whispered. "If we fix all this then you will die tomorrow. In every single timeline that exists-"

"It's ok." Armin interrupted him with a gentle smile. "I can make peace with that. Besides, we did fulfill our promise didn't we? We saw the ocean."

"We can still save you." Eren murmured, dropping his head. "I can try. Maybe Ymir won't stop me this time-"

Armin shook his head. "Don't." he said firmly. "It might be my future, but it's your past. And it's something you need to get over."

Armin shut his eyes. "In fact... I think it's time you let me go." he said, gently holding Eren's hand. "You've been haunted by my death for long enough already..."

Eren opened his mouth to say something but Armin interrupted him. "It's time for me to go home." Armin said with a chuckle. "You're still sleeping on the other bed next to me. I think I'll freak you out if I don't wake up on time."

Eren smiled.

Slowly, the two hugged each other tightly. Invisible hands squeezed Eren's heart, knowing this was the last time he'll get to see the blond. This time, he vowed to never forget his face, or his eyes, or his smile.

"Live a life after the powers of the titans vanish."

Armin's words, spoken so delicately against his ears, makes Eren's eyes widen. "I know Mikasa won't kill you... You'll survive the rumbling and get out of this time loop."

Eren shut his eyes tightly against the lump rising in his throat. "Armin I-"

"Eren... I trust it all in you." Armin whispered in his ears. "I'll gladly trust my dreams, my life, into your hands. See the world... For both of us."

Eren hugged the other tighter.

"I will, Armin." Eren said with watery eyes. "I will."

Something in Eren told him this was going to be the time.

Hesitantly, he broke out of the hug and looked Armin in his eyes. "I'll erase your memories and send you back now..." Eren said. "... Thank you, Armin... For everything."

Armin smiled.

He slowly waved his hand as the world slowly blacked out from around him.

Eren watched Armin's figure slowly disappear in the paths. In reality, he was pushed back into his dreamless and well deserved sleep.

Eren took a deep breath.

He was alone in the paths again. In the middle of the still sands and soundless air. But this time, Eren felt more determined. He wiped the lone tear before it had the chance to roll down his face.

He has a timeline to fix.

And a promise to fulfill.

Eren starred as the familiar conversation between him and Zeke happened. As zeke promised to be back for him. Until Captain Levi jumped on the roof.

He watched the fight and wondered what he had to change.

Eren realized what it was when Erwin transformed into a titan and ate Berthold. He stayed on the rooftop with his frantic friends and stared at Armin's chest that kept rising and falling.

"Why are you still-"

Eren's eyes suddenly widened. He stared at Armin's burnt face.

No way.

"You are still alive." Eren murmured with grief. "I-"

If Eren of the past manages to take Armin back to Trost, then Armin of the past will most likely live on.

"I have- I Have another transformation left!" he said desperately. "Maybe I can take him back to Trost? A- A
hospital?"

Eren bit his lip. Gathering the burnt representative of Armin's soul into his arms. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Armin's fate is to die here.

There is nothing Eren can do about that.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes and nodded, totally agreeing with his half baked Idea. Eren stood with burning green eyes and lifted his hand to bite it on.

Eren put a hand above Armin's heart.

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

Eren put his hand above Armin's heart. "Stop." he told Armin's soul that was in the paths. "Your time is up."

Thud-

A sharp command from Jean stopped Eren from transforming.

Eren narrowed his eyes furiously. "What?" he shouted angrily. "You have a better idea?!"

"Eren..." Jean snapped loudly and swallowed down.

Slowly Jean took his fingers away fromArmin's throat, from where was supposed to be a pulse point.

"There... There is no pulse..." Jean said, biting on his lip.

Eren's green eyes widened and he stared at Jean and slowly, slowly shook his head. Jean swallowed the lump in his throat.

"He's Not- It's no use." Jean said and closed his eyes.

Mikasa and Eren were frozen, Eren shook his head in denial so Jean did what they should have.

Jean laid down Armin's head to rest it on the roof. He took Connie's cloak, who was too frozen to protest, and covered Armin's face and body with it.

Everytime his younger self was sleeping, Eren narrated a part of the story for Armin's listening ears and watched the wheels in the back of his eyes make sense of the nonsense Eren said in his sleep.

But even then... Eren's subconscious won. Everytime, his younger self begged Armin to keep breathing. He kept reminding Armin of their promise.

Now... Eren knew it was futile.

Soon, when all was done, Eren was left with a clear timeline. Clear of any mistakes.

Eren took a deep breath as he returned to the paths. The world kept moving forward, and soon, Eren was pulled out of the paths when Mikasa made her choice.

The colossal titans stayed standing with no orders to move. Large columns that hunched forward and some fell to their knees to keep their balance in check.

Eren's giant founding skeleton also remained intact, leaning forward and out of shape but still intact. Sasha was expecting to see it steaming every place.

The grounds shake when Eren's colossal titan delivers another punch to Annie's titan. Annie is thrown across the debris and her back hits Forts slava.

Annie tries to stand up, her titan body shakes but she tries to stand up on her own feet.

Her exhaustion won, she fell to her knees and then her face hit the ground.

Sasha didn't dare look back. That was Mikasa's choice. Whether he wanted to or not, wasn't hers to choose.

Sasha used the standing colossals to swing to the destroyed nape of the founding titan. She landed and dust rose to the skies. "Ok, now, where's Zeke?" she whispered.

Sasha ran towards the debris in the nape of the neck. "ZEKE YEAGER!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She'll find him, feed it to Jean and then they'll get out of here. Onyankopon is right up in the sky after all.

Sasha pushed a large piece of bone away to see whether Zeke was under it. "ZEKE?" she shouted, looking after any sign of any human. "Zeke Yeager?"

She found blood under the next bone she pushed away. With a heavy heart, she pushed another bone and was horrified at what she saw.

All that was left of Zeke Yeager was his upper half, other than that, there was no steam or any sign that the titan shifter was healing. "NO NO NO NO" Sasha screamed, she stumbled and fell forward but she stood up and pressed two fingers against his neck.

Nothing.

Sasha sits back.

Nothing.

The Zoe syringe she was carrying felt heavy, very heavy. Without someone to use it on, that was useless.

With a heavy heart, she turned to where Annie last was. Reiners Armored titan was running towards her and-

A pure titan, with the same hair color and style as Jeans was following him. Sasha's eyes widened. No, If They Kill Jeans pure titan then-

She didn't have the chance to finish that thought because suddenly, Eren's titan stepped back. It froze while standing for thirty seconds and Sasha wondered why it wasn't delivering the finishing blow.

To her surprise, Eren's titan started to steam.

WHAT?

Sasha stared at the steaming colossal titan.

She covered her eyes when wind blew and the founding titans skeleton started to steam as well.

Sasha looked at the bones as they decomposed into a strange yellowed substance and then turned into thick steam.

Did Eren...

Did Mikasa do it?

Sasha's first instinct was to run towards Jean. In the mayhem that would be there with all those many pure titans, There was a big chance Jeans titan could be killed.

Or maybe he'll find someone on his own?

Sasha shook the thought away as she ran towards the place She'd last seen Reiner, and where Jean's titan had followed him.

what are you even going to do?

A traitorous part of her brain told her.

They are three warriors. They can do whatever they want. It's not like you can stop them alone.

Sasha immediately stopped.

and this is my chance to get to Mikasa and see what she did. Because the warriors will go after Eren the first chance they get.

Sasha turned around, a full circle. The steam was thick enough that she could barely see the horizon or understand where she was.

No, This is my chance to get to Mikasa while the warriors are busy with Annie.

Sasha stopped and ran towards Eren's founding titan. If I want to do anything against the Warriors, I'll need Mikasa's help.

Sasha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She focused her senses on her hearing senses. Then she opened her eyes and followed the hissing sound that was surely coming from Eren's titan. Sasha ran towards the source of all the steam as fast as her burning feet could.

With every step, the silhouette of two people sitting on the ground became more and more visible, until a cloud of steam went away and she could see Eren and Mikasa.

Mikasa had wrapped her hands around Eren's shoulder and pulled him into her embrace. Eren had done the same, he had buried his head in her short hair and breathed her scent for as long as he could.

"Never run off like that again!" Mikasa murmured, not knowing Sasha was watching them.

"I-I won't. Not again. I have learned my lesson." Eren assured her. "Tha-Thank you Mikasa, for stopping me before I could make a big mistake."

could?

COULD?

Connie's last smile filled Sasha's mind. Her brain repeated his final words for her on repeat.

We had a good ride, Potato girl.

Sasha was quickly panting. She fisted her hands and walked over to Eren before she could stop herself. The next moment she kicked Eren's side as hard as she could.

Eren gasped in pain and curled on his side. Mikasa jumped to her feet and glared at Sasha.

Sasha ignored her and pushed Mikasa away to kick Eren in his face this time. But Mikasa grabbed her from under her Armpits and pulled her back. "SASHA! Calm down!"

"LET ME GO!"

"Eren..." Mikasa murmured. "Are you..."

Eren hissed, he grabbed his side in pain. "That hurt."

"That was my DAMN INTENTION!" Sasha shouted as she tried to kick him in the ribs. "What were you THINKING? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU-"

"SASHA STOP!" Mikasa grabbed her from her middle and pulled her back, stopping Sasha from Kicking Eren as she pleased.

"Stop? STOP? I'll stop when I'm dead!" Sasha growled angrily, glaring daggers at Eren's way. "How the hell did you grow yourself a new body-"

Eren hissed as he sat up, looking at both of them apologetically. He stood up, holding his side in pain.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Ah! Stop acting like a baby! You have the powers of the titans! that doesn't hurt you!" she snapped, Struggling in Mikasa's arms.

Eren took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter, still holding his side. "I'm not a titan anymore..." he said, taking a deep breath.

Sasha stopped. She blinked in surprise and so did Mikasa. "What the-" Sasha almost screamed, Mikasa finally let her go. "What the hell, of course you are! That's the whole point of bringing back to Paradise!"

Eren shook his head, almost apologetically. "Founder Ymir saw what she wanted. Saw what Mikasa chose and freed herself from the titans. With no one to make the titans..."

The wheels turned behind Sasha's head. "Wait so- is Jean-"

"Must be human, yeah." Eren said, nodding. "But I wouldn't get my hopes up for Annie and Jean- with no titans, they won't heal by shifting back from their titans." Eren sighed.

His jade green eyes looked away in shame.

"I would... Find a doctor for him soon if I were you." Eren swallowed hard.

Mikasa walked to Eren and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get away from here..." Mikasa whispered.

Sasha took out a red flare from her storage room. "I'll call Onyankopon, he should get you back home." she offered. Her finger was on the Trigger when Mikasa stopped her.

"I'm not risking it!" Mikasa said, narrowing her eyes. "If Jean can't hold up his end of the deal because he's dead or injured, Eren might die!"

Sasha looked down at Eren with an eyebrow raised. "Him? He doesn't have the founding titan anymore, why would Erwin kill him?"

"He has more reason now." Eren hummed, his jade eyes clouded with regret and uncertainty. "He never really liked me anyway. If Paradise executes me... He'll have yet another card he can play with his friends."

Eren swallowed hard. "I killed all of Marley... But Erwin won in the end. I couldn't go past his allies. Just a city was destroyed."

Mikasa threw one of his hands over her shoulder and held him by his sides. "Doesn't matter." she said. "What's this any different from what Marley tried to do?" she reasoned. "Let's run away from this place, we can find somewhere safe! I'm sure of it!"

Eren's eyes softened. "Yeah... Yeah we can but..." he trailed off as her eyes met Sasha's.

Right, If Sasha grabs attention to herself, or calls the warriors, or tells the soldiers in Fort Slava.

"Sasha..." Mikasa murmured. "Will you... Tell everyone we died here?"

Sasha's eyes widened. "What?"

"Eren... I can't even look at you." Sasha said, half sobbing. "Connie died because of you! And no other reason! And Jean-"

No! Jean is alive. That's not possible. She'll go and find him and- there surely is a doctor in Fort Slava, right?

Mikasa pulled Eren closer to himself, glaring threateningly at Sasha. "Sasha, we can't do anything anymore. the power of the titans are gone." she reminded him. "It's better if Eren and I die here in the world."

"For god's sake- what am I even going to tell anyone?" Sasha asked, throwing her hands in the air.

"When you came here, you just found some dusted bones." Eren shrugged. "Most of the people who died in the rumbling were burnt from the steam too, so it's believable."

"You're acting as if you didn't kill every single one of them!" Sasha growled. "Including Connie!"

Eren closed his eyes and looked away.

Sasha took a deep breath, she clutched the fabric of her uniform and shut her eyes tight.

"Sasha... We're going anyway, with or without your help." Mikasa said. "I'm not leaving our fate to chance"

I'm not leaving our fate to chance.

Sasha was quickly running out of time, Jean probably needed her help somewhere in the steam. Sasha didn't have time to choose.

And her options weren't laid out in front of her.

Sasha swallowed hard. "You better go-" she murmured, gritting her teeth together. "... And I better never see you two ever again."

Mikasa quickly started walking away. Eren threw her hands off of her shoulder and took her hands into his own. Mikasa looked back at Sasha for a split second, "Thank you, Sasha... Goodbye..." she said. Eren noded too.

Sasha didn't react.

She just watched them slowly take on their speed. They slowly went opposite of the way in the rumbling, hand in hand towards the place that was setting down in the sky, behind all the steam.

Mikasa dropped all her ODM gear. They fell to the ground and dust rose to the air.

"It'll be ok, Eren." Mikasa assured him while they ran. "It'll be alright."

Eren never let go of her hand. They ran to nowhere with no goal in mind other than putting their life behind and letting the world assume them dead.

Eren squeezed her hand, Mikasa squeezed back.

Somewhere in their heart, hope rose in despair and guilt.

Sasha watched them from afar. She fisted her hands angrily and stomped her feet once. Connie's image wouldn't leave her mind. Nor could she forget how he died. But she closed her eyes and turned around to leave.

She had to find Jean.

She had to stop the death toll from rising.

Her steps were numb and slow, her mind couldn't force her exhausted body not to drag against the sand. The steam was dense enough that she couldn't see where Fort slava was. But it should be the opposite of sunset, that she could see.

Sasha swallowed the lump in her throat and covered her ears against the deafening silence in the steam. She stopped, her feet no longer able to take her one more step in the loneliness and silence.

"hey... Crying doesn't suit you, potato girl..."

Sasha's eyes widened at the familiar sound. She turned her head towards the sound. It was coming from the figure right in front of her.

The body made of steam, what was left of the paths.

Sasha shut her eyes against the tears forming in them before she opened them. "Connie..." she whispered. Connie was standing in front of her, slowly waving his hand.

Slowly, another figure appeared next to him. Sasha took a step back. The sight squeezed her heart and made her gasp.

Jean stood right next to Connie, a pained smile painted his face. He said nothing and didn't react when Sasha reached a hand for him.

It was too late.

She was too late.

Slowly, Sasha turned her head around to where Mikasa and Eren had disappeared to. She could see their silhouette still running, just two dark spots moving quickly away from her.

There is nothing she can do.

Her hands don't feel like it's her own. Neither does her tears. She opens her mouth to say something but words fail her.

With nothing else in mind, Sasha turns to Jean and Connie and hits her fist against her heart, saluting to her two lost comrades.

Jean and Connie's souls disappear with a coming wind. Connie waves goodbye at her slowly as the steam turns into the wind and disappears right in front of her.

Leaving Sasha alone in the battlefield.

The Marleyans and Eldians had gathered in one place, hugging each other and praying that they had survived this one.

No one expected Sasha to walk out of the steam towards them, with her uniform stained with blood that wasn't her own. And haunted eyes that were deprived of all the emotions they previously had.

Sasha did her best to find an isolated place to call Onyankopon to but ended up walking right next to the crowd. Her eyes fell closed with a sigh. The crowd of Eldians and Marleyans gathered around her in silence.

Sasha ignored them and sent her red flare in the air, calling for Onyankopon to come and pick her up.

She was sick of this place.

But the people who circled around her had other ideas. Her eyes saw Reiner in the crowd next to her mother. She didn't pay attention to them and just went directly to Reiner.

Reiner assured his mother she wasn't a threat and turned to Sasha.

"Where's Jean?" Sasha asked before Reiner could open his mouth. She knew he was already dead, but that didn't mean she was going to leave Jean and Connie on this continent.

Reiner didn't meet her eyes. "His titan was attacking us... When he turned human, he was injured. He didn't reach the doctor's office."

Something told me that was a lie. But it was the same feeling she has had ever since Connie was killed.

Sasha clutched the fabric above her heart. "Alright..." she said. "I'll take him home."

"Sasha..." Reiner tried to comfort her but Sasha pulled back. Reiner cleared his throat. "Onyankopon has landed because... He ran out of fuel."

Sasha gritted her teeth. "Oh, what the heck." She whispered.

She wanted to turn around to leave. Their allies' borders should be near. If Onyankopon couldn't take her back, they were her next best option.

Even if she didn't know them.

Didn't know what language they talked.

Sasha shut her eyes. She made sure to bump into Reiners bulking figure as she passed him.

But she stopped when Reiners mom asked the question Sasha had both been dreading and anticipating.

"What happened to Eren Yeager?" she asked suddenly, passing Reiner to get to Sasha. "You island devils can't just leave like that-"

"Mother-"

Sasha turned around and saw the Marleyan and Eldians eyes on her. She narrowed her eyes in anger. "Island devil?" she snapped.

She stepped closer and pointed her threatening finger at Reiner's mother. "Eren Yeager is dead. And that's all the proof you need." she said. "We spilled the blood of our comrades to save this land! A little gratitude would be nice."

Sasha looked at the Marleyans, then at the soldiers.

"Then-"

"Shut up!" Sasha shouted. "... Your voice is giving me a headache."

She covered her ears. "Mikasa Ackerman died trying to Kill Eren! I found my comrades bones one by one to save your sorry asses and you dare call me an Island devil!" she shouted.

Her shouts pierced the murmurs and mumbles in the crowd.

She looked at the Marleyan soldiers and then narrowed her eyes at Reiner and Pieck, who just stepped into the crowd. A horrible feeling settled on Sasha's gut when she didn't see Annie among them.

"Eren acted on his own and did horrible things! But don't act innocent!" Sasha shouted as she turned around. She took small limping steps away from the crowd.

"Sasha..." Reiner asked out loud. "Where are you going?"

"WHERE-" Sasha swallowed down her anger and drowsiness. "Where do you think I'm going?" she snapped angrily. "Away from here. I'll have more hope of finding a ride back home from there."

"I don't think they'll be very kind to you there..." Pieck said back.

"I didn't ask for your opinions..." Sasha growled angrily, she never stopped walking, her eyes on the other side of the desert. The Orange sky would quickly turn dark.

Sasha took small, shaking steps towards the city.

That city on the other side of the desert was just a small dot in the background.

It looked...

... So...

... Damn...

... Far...

Before he knew it, Sasha's vision blurred and she fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

Her face collided with the soft sands on the ground and her eyes closed immediately.

Slowly, her breathing slowed down from their erratic rhythm and became a relaxed rhythm, her eyebrows remained frowned.

Behind her, Reiner and Pieck exchanged a look.

Without a word, Reiner walked to her and checked Sasha's pulse. He sighed when he saw it was rhythmic and healthy.

He turned to face Pieck. "We should get her in," he said.

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "What? You want what happened to Jean happen to her too?" she asked sarcastically. "That Doctor is thirsty for Eldian blood. We could barely convince him to tend to Annie."

Reiner narrowed her eyes. "Sasha is healthy. We don't need a doctor's help. I'll make sure she stays safe."

Pieck rubbed her chin. "You're right, Maybe we can trade her for some food or resources from the Paradisians..." Pieck murmured with a sigh.

Reiner held Sasha's unconscious figure bridal style as they walked back towards the crowd. "Well, whatever." he sighed loudly. "Right now. She needs our help. That's all that matters."

Pieck followed his movement with her eyes. She pushed her hands into her pockets and pulled out a pendant from her pocket, Jeans red pendant. She stared at it for a few seconds before she pushed it back into her pocket, hidden and safe.

She followed Reiner back into what was left of Fort slava.

Notes:

Did y'all see me pull an uno reverse card on JeanSashaConnie?
I was thinking about letting Jean live but that would beat the point of Erwin "leaving a golden throne with no [suitable] heirs." yup, that was the entire point of Hange and Jeans deaths. Also, the circumstances of his death will be clarified next chapter (final chapter)

Don't forget to leave a COMMENT or a KUDOS to make the author happy!

Chapter 26: Return home.

Notes:

I built Erwins character after a mix of a king and a general. The general won all his battles except two (the last one led to his death) and the king was a perfect king in every sense, his kingdom flourished and he gave about thirty years of peace to his land. However, he was so focused on his kingdom that he forgot to train his sons in the same principle and lost that one son he did train. He "left his golden throne with no heirs." which later spelled the end of his dynasty

A Lot of people are probably mad at me for killing some characters and bringing others to life- so I'm going to explain my reasons and also because I like to talk about my stories and don't get the chance in real life XD

Deaths:

*Hange: to show Erwins plan isn't flawless and introduce the idea that Erwin is irreplaceable and has lost his most suitable successor due to his goals.

*Floch: to say a blind and mindless follower will die without anyone noticing.

*Colt: to establish the idea that a traitor has no place on either side (eg. Erwin set him to be killed, but he would have never done that if he was a scout) and that Erwin is ok with death as long as it is not his own men.

*Porco: to introduce the idea of the challenge of Mikasa choosing and protecting Eren over the success of her squad's mission.

*Connie: to challenge Sasha and open her eyes into where Mikasa's priorities lay.

*Jean: to reinforce the idea of the scouts "golden throne with no heirs". And to say no matter how good erwins plan is, with no suitable person to succeed him, Erwin is doomed to fail.

*Armin: to start the story/ to prove to Eren the dead can't be brought back to life. Hopefully that would help him move on.

Brought back to life:

*Marco: Eren's plan was to make sure Jean somehow comes out of Justivs plans alive. Without marco there, he would have eventually been killed along with Hange. (Notice how Justivs went after Erwins "heirs"? I tried to make it a noticeable liability on Erwins part that he's put 0 effort on making sure they survive and succeed his work.)

*Sasha: because the Scouts would have been outnumbered by the warriors in the final part if she was dead. Also, Mikasa needed a friend to remind her everything has a limit, even Eren's impulses to destroy the world.

Soooryyy for the long AN now for the actual story.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It's chaos.

Chaos wasn't a strong enough word to describe Shiganshina. Erwin had to rush south to see what the reports were, just to see the city on fire.

Every single one of the weapons they bought from their allies caught fire and exploded.

Erwin stood on top of the Scouts headquarters. He stared at the sight with calculating and narrowed eyes.

How?

The flames moved around, the efforts to put them out made even more fire breaking down and burning the city to ash. Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line as wind brought the ashes up and blew it to his face.

He can only assume the same happened to the storage room in the North.

They did threaten him. Erwin narrowed his eyes. So they wanted to flex their muscles? Show Erwin just how in control they are?

But how?

Doesn't matter anymore. With Marley gone, no one will have the reason or resources to attack Paradise any time soon. Besides, they still have Hizuru to help them modernize, even if the West is reluctant.

They had the same hatred for Marley. Now that it's gone. It's safe to assume their allyship is also gone.

But how did these set fire? Self destruction? Someone triggered it?

"Commander!"

Someone shouted behind him. "Thank goodness you're here! The storages have caught fire and it's reached the residential area!"

Eren looks to see his assistant. Adler. Someone so transparent up to now. And someone that is supposed to be in Trost until he tells him otherwise. So what is he doing in Shiganshina?

Erwin takes a deep breath. "What are you doing here in the south?" he asked.

Adler shook his head. "I was called here for help," he said.

and you got here sooner than me?

Realization washed over Erwins mind. He slowly turned around and looked at the burning area and the firefighters who threw water buckets on the raging fire.

It's pointless.

If they don't stop the fire now, it might reach the entire city. The best option that crosses Erwins mind is to go a safe distance away and transform into a titan. Then walk back here and distinguish the fire by stepping on it like one would do with a small spark.

Which will take time.

Well, you live another day, Spy.

"Private Adler." Erwin said suddenly, making the private halt on his way out. He turned slowly to the commander and waited for his orders.

A faint smile passed Erwins lips. "Tell your instructor in Torana that our plan was a success."

Adler froze on the spot, he quickly gathered himself and before he could take any action, Erwin continued to talk. "Dont take your suicide pills, I won't question you. You can return home safely, I know it's been long years for you."

Adler stepped back. "Seriously-"

Erwin turned around and walked away. "Don't test my patience. I'd already disarmed most of your bombs when they arrived on the island. You're lucky or else I would have hanged your head."

Adler stepped back again. And again, until he reached the hallway. That was the last time he was spotted on Paradise's soil. After all, nothing less was expected from such a talented spy.

Erwin shook his head. "You're so damn lucky I don't have the manpower to deal with you right now." he growled angrily.

And besides...

Levi...

Erwin turned around and went out, he barked his orders at the nearest guard to evacuate the area. That he will soon return with his titan.

Erwin hopped on his horse and ran south until he was a safe distance away from a living soul.

Erwins bones were aching when the fires were finally out.

He pulled himself out of the nape of his titans and laid eyes on the ruins of shiganshina one last time. It was crushed under his feet, just a pile of rubble and dust, no longer held any resemblance to a city.

Erwin pulled his hands out and slowly climbed up his titans head to stand on top of it, narrowing his eyes at the ruins of the ground.

No fire.

Well, that's something at least. His job is finished here.

Thankfully, the warriors and Jean's squad had finished stripping Eren from his founding titan. After all, Eren probably won't hurt his teammates. Because of that, he will lose.

Or so that's what Erwin thought.

Erwin truly aimed to let Jean decide what to do with Eren. It didn't matter much to him anyway. After Marley is no more, the biggest threat in paradise will be gone.

And he could at least keep a part of what he told Levi before they left for Shiganshina.

Then, we will have to identify and eliminate threats one by one.

Humanity outside might not have been what his father assumed. But Erwin will make them be.

Erwin commanded his body to lay down as he stepped out from it. His men were a safe distance away so he was alone in the ruble.

Steam started to rise...

Erwin narrowed his eyes as he walked north, minding not to trip on the ash and ruins.

Levi...

He was still in the hospital in Trost. No, right, he was moved to their home.

Erwin would have to go there as soon as possible.

The headquarters was a mess.

When Erwin arrived, people were running around, running errands and looking for missing people. A large number of them were missing. Those soldiers were guarding the Marleyan soldiers who would be kept as prisoners of war for now.

"Commander!" one shouted as he ran to him. "I just got a call from the royal prison! They won't be able to keep this number of POWs for longer than a week."

"Good, then we have a week to think about it." Erwin said immediately. "I will think about all this later, for now- keep them as they were."

Erwin burst through the doors of their house, somewhat near the headquarters, his heart throbbing as he remembered Levi was probably injured and awake and alone.

"Levi!" he shouted. "Where are you?"

"Damn this."

Erwin rushed towards the place he heard the hushed cruise coming.

He found Levi leaning against the wall and trying to stand up. He pressed his hand against the bandages on his face and his one eye held a look of horror. Levi tried to stand up and managed to stay standing on shaking feet.

Erwin rushed to him and threw his hand over his own shoulder to help the shorter man stand up. He carried Levi over to a chair and inspected his bandages face carefully.

But it was Levi's eyes that were staring at Erwin like he had seen a ghost. "Erwin, are you injured?" were the first words that left Levi's mouth.

Erwin shook his head. "No, You're the injured one."

"Idiot. You're steaming like crazy." Levi said, his eyes looking Erwins body up and down.

Erwin looked at his own hands.

Levi was right.

Steam rose from his hands, from his back and from his face. As the steam left his body, Erwin felt... Light. He stood up, moving his hand in the air. Was he healing? But he wasn't injured.

A buzz of electricity pushed in the back of his mind. Erwin narrowed his eyes.

The steam cleared just as it happened.

Now, Erwins body felt strangely mortal and weak. As if he could feel the power of the colossal had bid him farewell.

"Erwin?" Levi murmured. "What happened?"

Erwin pressed his mouth to a thin line. His hand reached for the picket knife he held close for his titan transformation and skillfully made a small cut in the tip of his fingers.

Erwin stared at the blood dripping down his finger.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

His finger just bled.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Levi asked, his patience at the end of his rope.

Erwin blinked in surprise.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. He'd have to find a bandage. "I don't know what happened..." he explained, meeting Levi's dark eye.

"But... My titan has disappeared."

Marco's eyes opened for the first time in almost five years.

His eyes felt like they were finally his own. The sky was blurry and the air wasn't filled with orange scents of humans around him. His nose didn't pick up the scent of flesh and blood from miles away and could only fill his lungs with saltwater air and...

Steam.

He slowly sat up. The ground felt especially hard underneath him. In disbelief, Marco held up his steaming hands in front of him and saw his clear unscarred skin. The smile on his face lit his dark eyes.

"I'm human!" he shouted as he stood up to his feet. He touched his face and found it under a mess of facial hair. "I'm hum-"

Does this mean Jean and the others finished the mission?

Eren did say my mission was protecting Jean so that means the danger is away now that I'm human...

"Someone bring him a blanket." a voice he never knew shouted from the other side of the steam.

Suddenly, in shyness, Marco remembered his clothes were along with the other half of his body back in Trost.

Embarrassment overtook him.

He accepted the blanket that was thrown in his direction for his own dignity although he suspected that it was already too late.

The Azumabito were generous enough to give him a room and a shower.

Marco found himself over the sensation of warm running water over his real skin. His real hands, not mistaken with the vague sense of touch he has had for the past years. He also found out that his body had been aging inside his titan. His height looked monstrous compared to the Azumabito, which he suspected would be taller than average.

And then, he stared out at the ocean. It was much different with human eyes. The salt water felt warm with human hands. He wanted to drown in it.

Although he didn't. They had eternity to come here to the beach with Jean after all!

A day passed and Onyankopons flying boat didn't appear on the horizon. That was the moment Marco started to dread. The next day, Commander Erwin ordered a squad to go to fort slava and appeared in the port himself that sunny morning.

"Commander Erwin!"

Marco ran after him until he stopped in front of a black ship that was going to take them to the continent. Erwin ordered his squad to go and get everything ready as he himself stopped.

Marco played with the hem of the white shirt he had borrowed from the Azumabito and took a deep breath. "Sir, I need to go with them!" he said, forgetting to introduce himself.

Erwin narrowed his eyes at him and scanned him up and down. Before he could ask who he was, Marco answered. "Sir, my name is Marco Bodt. I was a graduate of the 104th but was turned into a titan in the battle of Trost." he said, omitting the part when Eren sent him down to protect Jean. "People called me the conscious titan. I think."

Erwin hummed. "Yes, I do remember your titan."

"Then please allow me to go to the continent with this boat." He said, pointing at the giant boat. "I want to- have to meet up with Jean as soon as possible."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "So that's why he was so protective of you..." he chuckled. "Alright then. You can go."

Marco smiled but something in the back of his head told him Erwin agreed far too early.

Marco didn't want to kick his luck. He thanked the commander. Erwin looked at the boat. "The people in this mission are mostly recruits anyway. Our veterans are currently very busy with cleanup and evacuation."

Marco nodded.

Erwin raised his hand to wave and a blond soldier ran to them. "Yes commander?"

Erwin pointed at him. "Cyrus. He is Marco Bodt. Take him to the continent with you along with Gabi Braun. He will return with Captain Kirstein."

It felt strange to hear Jean being so formally called "Captain Kirstein" but that made Marco smile knowingly.

The soldier nodded and Marco followed him inside the boat. It wasn't very spacious, nothing was. Since Marco had still to get used to the human size of things instead of their titan size.

Cyrus suddenly turned to him and stared at him dead in his eyes. "Sorry to ask but uhm... Are you the titan in the forest?" he asked out of the blue.

Marco laughed awkwardly. "Well yeah... What gave it away?" he asked curiously.

Cyrus smiled in triumph. "You are both very freckled and I think since Captain cared so much about that titan he almost died-" Cyrus shook his head. "Doesn't really matter! Welcome to the land of the humans!"

Marco kept his smile. "So... Did you know Jean?"

Cyrus went towards the back of the boat as they walked, towards the gas supply and small gas tanks that fell all around it. "Know him? Captain Kirstein trained us after the cadet days." Cyrus explained as he filled his gas tanks. "I wonder if he'll be satisfied with the results of our first mission..."

Marco blinked in surprise. "And what was that?"

Cyrus' hands halted in the air. "Nothing serious." he murmured, dismissively. "I just regret acting so oblivious in front of Captain Kirstein."

"Oh..."

"I talked too much about Eren Yeager. I was known for being his fanboy and now..." Cyrus swallowed hard. "I even let him out of prison. I feel... I feel weighed down. Captain Kirstein was the one who pulled me out of a cell... I just want to ask for guidance."

Marco put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Then you'll be fine," he said.

After all, Eren said if Marco fulfilled his mission. Jean will stay alive. Marco did fulfill his mission. So Jean was probably arguing with Eren as they spoke. Or maybe trying to keep Sasha and Connie from getting themselves killed.

Cyrus stood up to his feet. "Sorry, I have a lot to do. I guess I'll see you around!" he said as he rushed away, towards another crowd of recruits who were keeping their hands busy loading their supplies for the days-long vacation they were going to have across the ocean.

He didn't know what else he should have done, so he walked over to the tip of the ship and stared ahead, at the waves of the ocean, and the sun that was slowly rising to the skys.

Gabi and Falco were expecting the warriors to come and pick Gabi up...

But instead, another scout soldier told him of this ship that was going to go back to the continent.

Or what was left of it anyway.

When they got there, with the help of Falcos father, they could only stare at the ship that was about to leave. Gabi and Falco held each other's pinky fingers, afraid to let go.

They looked at eachother.

Gabi's eyes asked Falco to come with her back to their home.

Falco asked her to stay here.

But this was long overdue. They had no part in this decision, Colt had made it for them when he chose to side with Erwin smith.

(Something Falco didn't like to think about. Even now, the reminder made his heart ache to the point of stopping entirely.)

It's Falco who breaks the silence. "We will... Meet each other again, right?" he asked, stepping back. Their hands disconnect with that simple motion.

Gabi steps back too. Her hands play with the hem of her brown dress. She swallowed hard as he shrugged. "I'll... I'll write!" she said in lieu of an answer.

But who will bring that letter? That was a question neither wanted to think about.

A soldier took her to the ship. Falco waited even after he could no longer see her inside it. His fathers hand on his shoulder felt extremely heavy.

When the ship started to take off, Falco saw her on board. She looked down and waved slowly for him.

Falco ran after the ship, waving goodbye back. He ran with his small feet until he reached the end of the port.

But the ship kept going.

Falco stared at it until it was a dot in the horizon.

Until even that dot couldn't be seen in the vast blue of the ocean.

The moment the ship stopped near Marleyan shores, Marco was on his feet. He ever got off the boat sooner than Gabi, who was overjoyed to see her parents.

A day and a half.

That was what it took them to reach here.

When he was still a titan, he vowed to never let one moment of his life slip from his hands if he turned back human. Now that promise seemed to hard to go by since he couldn't sit back and enjoy the view as the boat went towards fort slava. The ocean was indeed a nice place to see, but after a few hours, the silence carved in to worry.

The Marleyans had also noticed their approach. Not that they could do much about it. Marco. Hopped off the small boat that took them to the shores and took a moment to appreciate the beauty of fort slava.

A crowd was quickly gathering in front of the port. Marco looked each of them in the eye, looking for a familiar face. It took a few minutes for his eyes to meet someone familiar.

"Sasha!" he yelled as he jumped down the port and rushed towards Sasha. She was still wearing her dirty uniform and had a clouded look of shock on her brown eyes. The same look he'd seen after the Trost invasion.

Marco didn't care. He jumped and ran until he was standing in front of her. "Are you alright?" a feeling of dread washed over him when he saw the blood on her uniform.

Sasha blinked a few times, staring at Marco's eyes. "You're... You're human..." she murmured, stepping back from him. "And you've... You've aged..."

Marco titled his head. "Yeah well..." he laughed awkwardly. "I somehow aged in my titan," he said. Then, his eyes looked around, looking at every person around them in search of a familiar face. "Sasha... Where are Jean and Connie?" he asked. "Is he inside?"

Sasha's eyes fall down to the ground.

The same cold dread washed over him all over again. "Sa... Sasha..." he murmured. "Where is Jean? He is inside the fort, right?"

Sasha doesn't meet his eyes.

She wet her lips and shut her eyes. "He would have been so mad seeing you taller than him." was all she said.

would have been?

Marco suddenly held her by her shoulders, shaking her back and forth. "What do you mean?" he asked, panic rising in his voice. "Where is..."

Marco's voice died down.

He pulled back, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"Kirstein's Dead..."

Marco snapped his head to see a woman he only ever saw once tell him. A faint name crossed his mind. Pieck. And of course, the person next to him was a beaten and bloodied Reiner.

"You..." Marco murmured with a shaking breath.

Reiner opened his mouth to say something. But immediately shut it. He just pointed at a small building inside the fort and sighed. "He is inside the medical room..."

Marco didn't wait for Reiner to say anything else. Sasha yelled "Stop! Don't go there!" and ran after him.

Marco didn't know the layout of the fort, he just followed Reiners direction and stormed inside the firm room he saw with a red cross over. He pushed the door open just as Sasha caught up to him. "Marco Stop!"

Marco's breathing was eradicated. His dark eyes looked around for something to deny what he just heard but found a man inside who was writing something on his clipboard nonchalantly. "I said no more Eldians here." the middle aged man said, he looked at Marco with narrowed eyes. "Get out. Unless you know how to fix this one."

He pointed at a bed in a far corner, all Marco could see was Annie's blond head wrapped in bandages.

Marco ignored it. "Where is Jean! I mean Captain Kirstein?" he asked the doctor.

He chuckled. "Oh oh. Now you're asking it. The devil died over there if you're wondering." he said, pointing his pen at the bed next to Annie's.

"WHAT- what do you mean died?" he gasped.

The doctor rolled his eyes. "What? You expected me to waste my precious resources on an island devil? Be glad I'm even looking at that bitchs direction. Let alone tending to her."

"What did you do to him!"

Sasha grabbed his hand but Marco didn't stop pouring the screams out of his heart. "What did you do to him!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. You should be grateful I just let him die." he put his pen over his breast pocket. "You can't expect me to tend to one of you devils! It's against the law." the doctor said. "Be grateful I gave him a suitable place to pass away in peace."

Reiner and Pieck had rushed into the medical center. Pieck carrying an injured Annie and Reiner an unconscious Jean in his arms. The soldiers of the fort allowed them inside when they realized they were the ones who stopped the rumbling.

They had seen it. They had seen so called island devils defeat their own devil. They let Jean in and lead them to the infirmary. But the doctor itself, upon seeing the warriors and an Eldian storm inside his quarters.

The doctor had clicked his tongue and screamed that this place and his rotten mind had the capability of holding only one Eldian at a time and he would be kind enough to treat a former warrior. No matter how much Reiner shouted that no one else was in the infirmary, the man laughed and said he was more than ok than letting both of them die.

In the end, Pieck had pushed Reiner back and told him this was their only chance at letting Annie come out of this alive. "Forget it." she told him. "He's dead anyway- look!"

She pointed at Jean at the bed next to where Annie was being treated, albeit with chuckles and curses. She pointed at the bleeding wound on Jean's abdomen and his face that no longer held any color. He was unconscious.

"Our priority... Must be Annie... Unless you want her to die too." she said with a heavy heart.

Reiner fisted his hands and shook his head.

It was Jean's quiet voice that snapped him out of his anger. He leaned down closer to hear what Jean was saying. The pale man's lips barely moved when he called Reiners name. "Rei... Ner..."

"Yeah... That's me, what's wrong..." he murmured.

Jean's hazel eyes stared at the ceiling without focusing on anything. A small trail of blood ran down his lips. "If you ever... Saw my mom... Tell her I was sorry..."

Reiner shut his eyes. He remembered Jean's mother from that time she visited when they were in Trost. "Yeah- but uh-"

Jean didn't let him speak. "Did... Did all titans turn back... Back human?" he asked.

Reiner swallowed hard as he nodded.

A faint smile appeared on Jean's lips. "Then... Then it's a success..." he murmured the words out with his last breath.

Jean's breath went silent.

His eyes stared at the ceiling. His last smile stayed on his face and the sparkle in his eyes slowly died out.

Reiner let his head fall.

Pieck put a hand on his shoulder. She walked over and quickly took Jean's pendant from around his neck. Reiner opened his mouth to ask but Pieck hushed him immediately. "It was precious to him, you don't want him taking it away, do you?" Pieck murmured, nodding her head towards the doctor.

Reiner pressed his mouth to a thin line.

They had to leave the room after putting the cover over Jean's face.

Sasha looked up at Marco, her own emotions conflicted and wrong. She slowly shook her head. "He is tending to Annie." Sasha whispered. "If we make him angry then she'll probably..." she trailed off and said nothing else.

Marco's eyes followed her gaze and stared at Annie, whose chest barely raised or fell.

The doctor clicked his tongue. "Well, I can't take so many Eldian breaths around here," he spat. "I'll return from my lunch break soon, be gone by then." and with that, he left the room just as Reiner entered. He didn't do anything, just stayed back and watched.

Marco ignored his existence, or the unbelievable panic that rose in his heart whenever he thought of Annie and Reiner. He walked over to the only occupied bed.

His hand was shaking when he reached for the covers to take them away from the body underneath it.

He fisted his hand above the covers and slowly pulled them away from his face.

Marco fought the urge to drop the cover right back on Jean's face.

His heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the face whose dead eyes were fixed above, his mouth was parted and he looked like he was already getting decomposed.

Marco swallowed the lump in his throat.

This wasn't...

This wasn't what Eren promised.

He had promised Marco he would be fine if he saw through his mission. He stayed a titan for four years to make sure Jean would come out of this alive and-

Marco shut his eyes tightly.

This was Eren. Eren who started the rumbling to kill countless Marleyans in cold blood. He would've gone for the whole world if the squad and the warrior unit hadn't stopped him.

He looked down at Jean.

Marco's warm hands covered Jean's cold eyes. With a deep breath that his lungs were unable to hold, he gently closed Jean's eyes.

"Did he have... Any last words." Marco asked Reiner, looking at him from the corner of his eyes.

Reiner took a deep breath. "He told me to tell his parents he was sorry for leaving like this... Then He asked if all the titans had returned to humans." Reiner murmured. "When I said yes. He just smiled."

Marco slowly closed his eyes. "Oh Jean..." he sighed.

What Jean meant by "success" was probably him being a human again. Marco's heart ached. So the ulterior motive for Jean going on this risky mission was finding a way to turn Marco back to being human?

Marco unknowingly clutched the fabric above his heart. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Marco-"

His senses were on overdrive when Reiner took one more step in his direction.

"Don't."

Reiner froze.

"I still haven't forgotten the last time." Marco murmured, dangerously low tone.

Marco missed Sasha's hushed: "last time?"

Other than that, it was a painful silence between the two. And after their last memory of them tossing Marco into a titans mouth, it was justifiable.

We haven't talked this over yet!

Marco took a deep breath. Yes. Those were his supposed last words. Now that obstacle was well out of the way. Mostly.

The fact that almost every soldier has let him in without a second doubt, talks volumes of the Marleyans shift of perspective.

Marco turned his back to Reiner and pulled the covers over Jean's body."He isn't treating other eldians well, is he?" Marco asked out loud, looking at the opposite window.

Reiner nodded, Marco saw it in the reflection. He sighed. "Then I think... I think I know what best to do..."

Reiner raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean...?"

Marco looked at the covers over Jean. "Banish him." he said and turned to face Reiner. "Banish him from this port and let him be on his own like he did with us and every Eldian here."

Marco titled his head. "I'm sure Commander Erwin will send a doctor if you ask," he murmured. "I bet Sasha will vouch for you guys... If you leave this doctor who did nothing but damage. If you let him stay. He'll hurt even more people. This guy isn't going to be a doctor to you."

"I'm not saying to kill him. No he's too naive and not worth it to be killed by Eldians..." Marco reminded him, looking down at Jean's covered face. "But save everyone here. For your own good."

Marco didn't wait for Reiners answer. He did what he had to do. There wasn't much he could have done without escalating what Jean died to make. "Shall we go home, Sasha?" he asked.

He picked up Jean's body bridal style from the bed before she could answer. Jean's body felt heavy, but it weighed down his hands less than it weighed down his soul.

The walk back to the ship, pulled Marco down with every step. Sasha followed behind him, Marco looked at her once and saw a crushed uniform covered in bloodstains, the hooded look on her brown eyes did explain all he needed to know about Connie's absence.

The scout Recruits who were waiting by the ship started humming between each other.

"Who might that be?"

"Of course, just like Captain used to say, you must expect casualties but don't bet on it."

Onyankopon stood next to the door, holding his injured wrist to his side. He took a deep breath and looked away at the

Marco pulled Jean's body under the covers closer to his chest. It was the wrong thing to do, or maybe the right thing depending on perspective, because the covers fell and the recruits saw who he was carrying.

Cyrus almost jumped back at the sight.

No one said a word, but Marco knew all their eyes were on him. He was carrying the dead body of their instructor after all.

Marco pulled him closer, Sasha did the same with Connie's ODM, as if they were trying to hide it. Trying to refuse the fact the world has shoved on their faces.

Cyrus was the first to move. He hit his fist against his hand, his mouth silent.

Others followed suit.

Marco went inside without paying much attention. He put Jean's body on a trolley. This journey would be hunting him forever. He just knew it.

Sasha turned to the soldiers. "We're going back home!" she told them. They sprung into action without question.

A few minutes before their ship takes off, Pieck walks inside and knocks on their door. Marco and Sasha are surprised to find her walking in but don't mention it.

She goes straight to the point. "Sasha..." she murmured as she walked over to her. Pieck put her hand in her hand in her pocket. "I'm not here to chat. But... There's something you need to get back home." she said. Pieck slowly held up Jean's red pendant, the sign of his status. She didn't wait for Sasha's reaction and just put it in her fist before closing it.

Sasha and Marco stared at her with wide eyes. "What- why did you take it from him?" She asked.

"Because I figured this pendant was special to your captain." Pieck said, a little softly.

"I took it so it wouldn't get lost."

She took Sasha's hand and put it in her palm before closing it. She said nothing else as she went out, only sparing a look back at them once.

Sasha's eyes were glued on the pendant.

She wet her lips before swallowing the lump in her throat.

Sasha looked down at the pendant, cold hands of dread squeezed her heart.

it's your fault.

it's your fault.

If only you'd only told Jean what you heard.

it was his job to plan ahead not yours!

"Hey... Hey, don't work yourself up over it."

Marco's hands on her shoulders pulled her back to reality. Sasha looked up and saw Marco smiling sadly. "It's alright. It's over now." he told her.

No...

No... It's all just started...

"It's my fault." Sasha whispered, hollow.

Marco blinked in surprise. "It's not your fault."

"Jean and Connie- They... They died Because Founder Ymir was triggered by Mikasa and Porco and I-"

Sasha buried her face in her hands. The cold pendant hit her head and she didn't care. "I can't do it-" she screamed, sobbing. "I can't see Connie's mom- or Jean's family. I can't- I can't when I'm the reason they lost their son."

Marco gently led her to sit on a chair. She slumped down without taking her head out of her hands.

your fault...

you knew Mikasa was going to attack Porco...

But you-

"Hey... Sasha..."

Marco squeezed Sasha's shoulder.

"Sasha, look at me..."

Sasha wiped the lone tear of her eyes with her thumb. Then she looked up at Marco's equally conflicted dark eyes.

"Do you blame the girl that shot you?" Marco whispered.

Sasha narrowed her eyes, wiping a lone tear with the back of her hand. "What- No?"

"Why?"

"I- I know she did it too-to protect her home and got carried away by the heat of battle." she murmured. "And just-"

Marco put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Then be that kind to yourself too." Marco murmured, squeezing her shoulder. "Sasha, you made the choice that you thought was right to protect your friends. You got carried away by the heat of battle too, give it to yourself."

He murmured it so surely of himself, as if he hadn't lost Jean because of Sasha's pathetic excuse of a choice.

Sasha buried her head in her hands again and just shook her head.

Marco held her until the ship started moving.

They were going back home.

Sasha stared at the ocean.

When Paradise's shores became visible, so did the obvious fact that there are people probably waiting for him on the port.

Sasha dreaded the moment the doors opened and he saw a crowd waiting at the port, not all of them were her family

On the port, there is a woman that painfully resembles Connie. She's standing with her eyes glued to the ship.

Behind her, there is a man and a woman. She recognised the woman. She visited their training corps. And Sasha had eaten her omelet recipe thanks to Jean multiple times.

Sasha was frozen. Her thoughts were on hold, enough that she didn't see Kaya run up the stairs. She ran and threw her hands up. Sasha saw her when tackled her in a hug. "Big sister!" she cheered. "You're back."

Sasha's hands slowly fell around Kayas shoulder. She took a shaking breath as she turned to Marco. "Marco... I can't... I can't tell them I'm the only survivor." she whispered.

"It's not your responsibility." Marco assured her. "The soldiers will tell them. Don't worry."

"Then... Then I'll stay up here until they do..." she murmured.

Marco stayed up with her.

He left when they came to take Jean's body.

That's when he had to leave.

Sasha stayed up on the ship and held Kayas hand with an iron tight grip. She watched Marco follow Jean's body down to his family. She saw how his parents broke down at the sight of their son.

That moment, an idea settled in her mind.

There was no going back from it.

Years later.

Sasha woke up with surprising energy.

Sounds were coming from the kitchen and that was enough to make her mouth water. She jumped down from the bed and wrapped her blanket around herself to be protected from the soft cold of the morning as she ran to the kitchen of their house above "Sasha and Nicholo"s restaurant.

Sasha threw her hands over Nicolos shoulder and looked down at what's cooking on the stove. "What're you cooking!" she asked loudly.

Nicolo smiled to himself. "Just some good old pancakes." He said. "Oh I'm waiting for a guest..." he sang.

Sasha hummed to herself. "Are mom and dad coming here again? Oh I know! Mrs Springle!"

Nicolo slowly shook his head. "Marco's coming." he said. "He also said something about... The anniversary of the rumbling?"

Sasha's smile instantly fell. "Oh... That again..." she untangled her hands from around Nicolo and stepped back. "Just as I thought-"

Someone knocked at the door of their house. Sasha went to answer it and it was one of the waiters. "There is a Military Police officer waiting for you, Ms Blouse," he said.

Sasha knew very well who this officer was at this point. And he was too polite to just come inside their home so there would be no point in telling him to come up.

Sasha told the waiter to tell Marco she'd come down soon. She changed clothes and waved at Nicolo before she went downstairs to invite Marco up for breakfast.

Marco was waiting in one of their restaurant areas. The unicorn of the Military police was plastered on the back of his coat.

"Marco! Come in, Come in! I wasn't expecting you today!" Sasha said with a smile. She waved her hand from left to right to get the Military policeman's attention. "Oi, Oi, Marco!"

Marco finally saw her. He waved back and walked to her table. "Good morning! I wasn't expecting you to be awake." he said truthfully.

Sasha shrugged. "Let's go upstairs. Nicolo is making breakfast and I'm sure you're hungry." she said.

Marco pointed his finger at the Unicon sign on his chest pocket. "Sasha, I'm a soldier. I ate my breakfast hours ago. Have you forgotten all your soldier habits?"

"I don't know, why are you asking?" Sasha asked with a smirk. "You know I quit being an active soldier after the rumbling. They just want me to train some snipers every now and then." she added with a shrug.

Marco smiled fondly. "No one can say anything to one of the heroes of the Rumbling." Marco recalled. "... Or blame you for trying to get away from this mess."

"Forget about me! How have you been? Is serving the monarch as good as you thought it was?" she asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Well I never thought this monarch would be Krista- I mean, Queen Historia! But yes, it is interesting." Marco said truthfully. "I had a supervisor, private Hitch. She liked to overwork me. Thankfully, I recently got moved to the palace security... It's not as stressful."

Sasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh it looks like you don't want to come into our house." she said, narrowing her eyes.

"No... I took time off from the Queen for a few hours just to... You know... Check up on you." he said, sincerely.

"Check up on me... Why?"

Marco sighed loudly. "You know how the reporters get when it's the anniversary of the rumbling. I just wanted to make sure they are not causing you any trouble again." he said. Slowly, he took out a newspaper from his pocket.

Sasha immediately held up her hands in defeat. "Oh oh, keep the newspapers away from me." Sasha said, shaking her head. "I don't wanna be reminded of Jean and Connie, nope this was a good day!"

Marco hummed thoughtfully. "Sometimes... Sometimes I wonder why you aren't as emotional about Mikasa's death too..." he asked out loud. "I mean... I remember you guys were pretty close during the cadet days!"

Sasha slowly hugged herself and looked away. "You know why! I talked all about why She caused Connie's death last time you were here!" she said, looking up at Marco's eyes again. "Honestly... I don't like to think about it." Sasha murmured. "I don't hate her. No. In the end, Mikasa made her choice."

Marco's eyes softened. "I know. She chose the right one and went down in history as a hero..." he said. "Although. I'm pretty sure she would have preferred saving Eren."

Sasha fisted her hands and turned around. "And a price was paid." she growled. "Whatever! You of all people know why I don't like talking about the Rumbling!"

Marco pressed his mouth to a thin line. "This will follow you forever." he said the truth without sugarcoating it. "Forever. I can help you hide from it. Stop the media from bothering you. But one day, they'll get to you."

Sasha sighed loudly and ran a hand through her face. "I know."

"Do you want to get angry every time someone asks something from you?"

Marco's question hits hard.

"No..." Sasha murmured with a soft exhale.

Marco smiled at her. A gentle, comforting smile. "Nicolo will be there at every step. So will I be there in the shadows." Marco assured her. "Do you remember the deal? The moment a reporter starts bothering you, you reach out to me... I'll deal with it."

Marco cleared his throat with a cough.

"I don't want to pressure you." Marco assured her gently. "But remember, some of them act like animals when they want to get a quote. The anniversary of the rumbling is coming up... So fair warning..."

Sasha crossed her hands over her chest. "Your warning was taken into consideration!"

Marco laughed breathily as he slowly waved. "Ok then." he murmured. "I'll have to go back to work. The queen will fire me if I'm late."

Marco waved goodbye as he turned around to leave. His hand was right above the door handle when he heard Sasha's question. "By the way... Marco... what happened to that doctor who killed Jean?" Sasha murmured. "I never thought about it..."

Marco's smile freezed. His face quickly turned serious.

He pulled his hand back. "Oh, him!" he said, shaking his head. "He's... Well..."

Marco looked at Sasha from the corner of his eyes. "I don't know. He can't be a doctor anymore, that's for sure." Marco told Sasha dismissively. "That man is a nobody. Don't think too hard about it."

Marco smiled at her before he turned his back to leave. "It was nice talking to you..."

"Yup! Go get to Historia before she fires you!" she joked.

Marco waved goodbye as he waved his hand and opened the door. The door closes behind him with a very small sound.

And yet again, Sasha was left alone.

Sasha walked the small distance to the windows and looked down. A few minutes later, Marco walked out of the restaurant and hopped on his horse. Sasha stared at the Military Police unicorn badge on the back of his coat until he disappeared in the horizon.

It's been years.

Years since she allowed Eren and Mikasa to escape. Years since she has been playing along with the fact that Mikasa was also a martyr in this war.

"Mikasa..." Sasha murmured as she stared out of the window. "I hope this was worth it..."

The wind blew past her face from the open window.

Sasha will never know.

Eren Yeager was dead to the world.

Or so, the person that was reading through the newspaper was no longer Eren Yeager. The person who was sitting inside his home in the mountains. With his wife and children as they played outside.

No, he wasn't Eren Yeager.

When Eren's hands touched the newspaper and read the word "Rumbling" he had to go look in their bedroom and until he peeked inside and saw Mikasa sewing their daughters school uniform, his heart didn't calm down.

He sat on the kitchen table. He looked outside from the mirror, he could see the shadow of their three children in the yard. Two girls and a boy.

Carla...

Zoe...

And Armin...

And then, Eren's heart started to beat in relief again. He flipped the newspaper and skipped the news about the rumbling. He didn't need to hear even more about this mess. In the end of the article, however, he saw a picture of Erwin Smith and had to stop.

Erwin had grown old. His hair was turning white and gray one by one.

Eren hummed to himself when he remembered the rumors around how picky Erwin is about picking a heir.

And the rumors about how Erwin Smith will most likely ruin the scout regiment because of old age than he ever finds a suitable replacement.

Eren sighed loudly.

These were not his problems. Well, not anymore.

"Dad!"

He was snapped out of these thoughts when his five year old daughter Carla came running to him in tears. She climbed up to Eren's lab and hugged him from around his neck.

Eren blinked in surprise. "What... What happened to Carla?" he asked, gently looking at her daughter who looked almost identical to Mikasa, other than her jade green eyes.

She stopped hiccuping and pointed at the door. "Armin!" She cried. "He- he pulls pranks at me allllll the time!"

Eren sighed loudly. "What did he do?"

"He threw a cockroach into my dress!" she screamed, another round of tears followed after it.

Mikasa walked in, her eyes widened at the sight of her daughter crying her eyes out. "Oh Eren! What happened." she asked.

Eren shook his head.

She shut again. "Armin again?" she asked.

Eren gently untangled Carla's hands from around his neck and smiled at her. "I'll go bring your brother. He needs to apologize." he told her.

Mikasa gently picked up Carla. "Tell him lunch is ready too!"

Eren went outside their cabin. The mountains around them and the village was perfect to hide two people on the run. However, the forests around were a perfect hiding place for a certain hot headed boy who liked to do whatever he wanted.

Eren was sure Armin was sent by his mother in heaven to punish him for being such a reckless child.

Eren walked inside the green forest. "Armin!"

Eren shouted as he walked through the forest. "Armin!" he could hear the sound of soft giggling coming from above the trees, he turned upward and shouted again. "Armin! I swear if you're hiding in the trees again."

A boyish giggle echoed over the branches.

"Armin! Get down here! Don't prank your sisters!"

"Noooo!"

"Dinner is ready!"

That immediately got the boy's attention. He lifted his head from between the branches and met Eren's eyes. "Really, dad?" he asked. "You aren't joking?"

"Really." Eren assured him. "Now come down!" he held his hands up, getting ready to catch Armin if he jumped down into his arms.

Which is exactly what he did.

The boy jumped over right into Eren's arms with a shout of triumph. However, Eren didn't let him down when he caught him. He threw the troublesome boy over his shoulder and walked back home. "We should have named him 'trouble maker' or something. You're the polar opposite of Armin'' Eren said loudly, hounching the boy over his shoulder. "Your namesakes ghost is in anguish right now."

Armin laughed. "If he's as open minded as you claim- then he's probably ok with it!"

Eren rolled his eyes as they walked back home. They walked into the kitchen and saw Mikasa and Carla setting the table.

Mikasa shook her head and laughed under her breath. "Put him down, Eren." she told him. Eren did so.

Armin ran and sat down behind the table on his usual spot, sending Carla a mischievous grin.

Eren helped little Zoe climb up to her chair and put the plates in front of her. Mikasa brought their food, which was chicken stew today and the kids started eating.

Carla was the first one to start a conversation at the table. She cleared around her mouth with a tissue and then looked at her parents. "Mom! Dad! We had so much fun today at school!"

"Only you can have fun at school." Armin commented, rolling his eyes.

Eren ignored his son's comment. "Oh, really? What did you learn at school today?" Eren asked playfully.

"We learned about the West lands! Somewhere beyond the ruins is named paradise island!" Carla said with big round eyes. "Our teacher said the eldians live there. He said that they are a branch of humans that can turn into these big creatures called titans... And then Zoofia raised her hand and said she was Eldian."

Little Zoe blinked in surprise. She looked at her parents and took out her spoon from her mouth. "Mom... Dad... What's an Eldian?" she asked out loud.

"It's a race of humans. You'll learn more in school, sweetheart." Eren told them. "And now, don't you have homeworks?"

Armin and Carla immediately whine. Eren didn't see the point in seeing children as young as them to school, but it was mandatory and he didn't want to gather the locals attention.

The three kids scattered around.

That left Eren and Mikasa cleaning in the kitchen. She immediately read Eren's mind. "Eren..." she asked, Eren looked up at her. "Is something wrong?"

Eren slowly shook his head. "No. No, it's ok. We promised to enjoy the moment... After all." he reminded himself. He took a deep breath. "I was just... Thinking about why I had to be grateful..."

She moved around and took her in a hug, kissing her forehead. "... Looking back at this... I relaise even more why Zekes plan was just a suicide mission." Eren murmured quietly, holding her tighter.

Mikasa met his eyes, a little concerned. "Eren, is everything ok?"

"No... No... Honey... In fact." Eren took a deep breath as he smiled at her again.

"Everything is as it should be..."

~~~~~THE END~~~~~