"Damn, those trees are huge." It's been about fifteen minutes since Christa rescued Reiner, Jean, Arnin, and I. Now we ride adjacent to a large forest, apparently in the path of the formation. No orders have been given to enter the forest, so we decided to ride on the border. Along the way, we picked up two other recruits, though I didn't care for their names.

"Hey, what are we doing at this tourist spot? We're totally off from both our original destination and our return point."

"I don't know... I don't know, but the order came from Commander Erwin, after all. He must have a plan."

Jean scoffs. "What kind of plan? Are they planning to hold a welcome ceremony for us new recruits at a tourist spot?"

Armin shakes his head. "No, I don't think so."

"That was a joke. Anyway, that giant woman's following us. No matter his plan, we can't stay here. The only thing I can imagine is that we're passing through on our way to somewhere else..." Something tells me that Jean is wrong, that there is a plan, I just wish I knew what the Commander is thinking.

A scout rides up ahead of us, signaling us to stop. "Everyone, halt!" We stop in front of him as he begins to point to the forest. "All right. Listen up, recruits. We will now make preparations to launch a counterattack. Draw your blades, and wait above in the trees. If any Titans try to enter this forest, stop them at all costs!"

By this time, we had tied our horses to the trees and assembled in front of the Scout. However, I'm sure we all thought our new orders were strange. Jean is just brave enough to voice it. "U-Um, sir, what do you-"

"Shut up and follow orders!" The Scout turns and rises in the air to a large branch.

"Seriously? What's going on?"

I sigh. "Whatever it is, it's best if we just do as he says, see what happens next."


"This is insane... We've abandoned the original mission to cache supplies. And when we abandoned it, we should've turned tail and run... But instead, we're forging ahead to a tourist trap. And now, we're just standing here to stop any Titans that enter the woods?"

I sit on a branch close to Christa's position on our tree, between her and the pair of Armin and Jean on the adjacent large plant. Jean looks out to the fields, either talking to Armin or out loud to himself. I do agree with him. Just sitting here and waiting for the Titans doesn't sit well with me, even though I might understand the Commander's plan.

With the trees, we can use ODM gear, with the height, we can be safely out of reach of the largest normal-type Titans. Assuming the female has caught up with us, she'll go after Eren, now that I assume he's in the center ranks. Remove the Titans, lead the female to Eren...then kill her with the advantages of the forest.

I just hate being bait...again. I adjust my cloak and turn to Christa. "Reminds you of Trost, huh? Us being the bait while the real target enacts their plan."

Christa smiles. "I take it you're unhappy to not be with the elites?"

"A little, but I'm relieved that I was here to help you guys." I look down to the forest floor many meters below. Imagine if Daz fell right now and didn't have any ODM. One long drop, one big splatter. I shake my head, am I really thinking about that right now? I laugh, almost wanting to take back my intrusive thought. I turn to Christa, who looks at me with concern.

"You okay?"

"I thought about Daz falling from this tree. What do you think?"

"Jean spoke of killing the officer. You decide who's crazier."

I chuckle. "Fair enough."

"You know... Sasha told me about when you broke his nose. I want to hear it from you, what happened?"

I scowl. "The pissant left us to save himself, back in Trost. When Thomas... And Mina... Like I told Sasha, he's damn lucky I hit him only once."

"Oh..." Christa pulls her legs to her chest. "You really scared her that day too, you know?"

"Huh?"

"Sasha said she's never seen you that angry before. It really shook her."

I lower my head. "I didn't mean to hurt her, I was just so..."

Christa gives me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I know."

I stand, looking away from the blonde. I put my hands in my pockets, leaning against the trunk of the tree. Christa then giggles to herself. "What's so funny?"

She then smiles at me. "Oh, nothing... I mean, you're a cool guy, but you're not as calm as Reiner or driven as Eren, and you're not quite the leader Jean is. You're more like a male version of Mikasa."

I laugh. "Am I at least handsome?"

Christa points at me accusingly. "You're too sarcastic as well. No wonder you and Ymir don't get along well...except for today." She grows timid after bringing that up, to which I snicker and turn to the field. The officer calls out a five-meter Titan prancing fabulously in its approach to us. Part of me wants to just kill it already, yet as time passes, more Titans assemble, and it becomes clear we don't need to fight them. My assumption was correct, we're just drawing the Titans away from the center ranks. I think my other assumption is correct too, that Commander Erwin is aware of the Female Titan and plans to kill it...or capture it.

"You bored yet?" Christa looks down at the assembled Titans below us, trying their best to reach up.

"Yeah. Something about standing still is not fun to me. Still, I'd rather be up here with you guys than down there with our new guests." I sit back against the tree again, watching the tallest Titan closest to me try to reach up. I look to Christa, her eyes still on the Titans below. She's nervous, which is usual for her, but she manages to hold it in better. I remember when I first met Christa Lenz, a shy, helpless girl whose only friend was the overprotective Ymir Fritz. Over time, she impressed me, she may not have been top ten in our class, but she still ranked right below Sasha. Now, I owe her my life. "You know, I didn't mean what I said earlier about leaving Ymir behind. Sure, I don't hate her, but she's cool. But I don't like how she gawks over you. I thought Mikasa was bad with Eren until I met her. It's strange."

"She can be overbearing at times, I will admit." Christa leans back against the tree. "She treats me like I'm royalty or something. A part of me is glad we were in separate places in the formation."

I chuckle "'Princess Christa.' Huh, it's got a nice sound to it."

"Don't you start." Despite her sharp tone, Christa smiles as she looks at me. "You don't want to give her ideas."

I nod. "Sure thing, Your-" A thundering beat of drums echoes from deeper in the forest. Some of us turned our heads, wondering what that explosive noise was. After a few seconds, the sounds cease, only to pick up again a minute later. I look to Christa. "What do you think's happening?"

"The Female Titan, probably."

"I don't remember us carrying artillery, but that sound definitely was some sort of heavy firepower... All that for one Titan, they're not trying to kill her. So, it must be some capturing device of some sort if my experience with heavy ordinance is to be accounted for."

"I think you might be right." Christa frowns, alarmed by something other than our conversation. She looks to our left, and my eyes follow. The Titans all around us, determined to feast, have begun climbing the trees. To be honest, I didn't see this coming. "Umm, the Titans are climbing the trees."

"Yeah." an older-looking female Scout nearby us replies. "If it gets this far, I'll move out of the way. But I don't think it will be long before they issue withdrawal orders."

"Does that have something to do with the explosions we've been hearing deep within the forest?"

"I don't know." While the ladies conversate, I watch as the Titan gets uncomfortably close to our position. I turn to Armin and Jean, the pair of them moving away from a Totan who successfully made the climb. I look to Christa, nodding in agreement to move to another tree in the woods. However, this time I separate from her, heading to the guys to see what they're talking about.

"Armin... Sounds like something is going on deeper in the forest. I think I have some idea what. They lured that Female Titan all the way here in order to capture it. More precisely... To capture whoever is inside of it. That was Commander Erwin's goal."

"The Titans that broke through the Walls are probably humans just like Eren, with the ability to transform. So the first priority has to be identifying who they are. If we can capture the female Titan, who's surely conspiring against them, we could finally learn the truth about what's going on in the world."

I zip down to the pair, nodding to Armin before speaking. "The Female Titan must've been captured."

Jean, trusting my experience with the Scouts, goes along with my hypothesis, and sighs. "So I was right. The noise we heard before was the Titan being trapped. The thing is, how did the Commander know that bringing Eren outside the Walls would make that thing show up?"

"When they attacked Trost." Armin reflects. "They gave up halfway through the battle. Even though their goal was to destroy the inner gate of Wall Rose. Something must've happened to stop them. Something more important than destroying the wall."

Armin is right. If the goal was to break through Wall Rose, the Titans admittedly had ample time to do so. Yet the Armored Titan was absent from the battle. If they gave up halfway through the battle, or a better wording, a change of plans, there's only one rational causation. "You speak of Eren."

"It can only be Eren's transformation and counterattack. That's the only thing that makes sense."

Jean scoffs. "What, you think there were spies or something around? Among the people who saw when Eren transformed? Well...that would explain why only a select few were in on this operation."

"All in the center ranks too."

"But it still doesn't really make sense. Surely some more manpower would have made all the difference here." We turn to the sound of the Titan that chased Armin and Jean falling down on its ass on the ground. I let a laughing smile grow, but it is instantly whisked away by Jean. "He wasn't in the right, I'll tell you that. If we'd actually been told that a Titan had inside info, we would've handled things differently. Your own squad members, Armin, for example."

I shake my head. "Given our situation, Jean, I have to disagree with you. It's better this way."

Jean turns to me, shocked.

"Huh? How can you say that? Do you know how many soldiers have needlessly died? Armin?"

"I have to agree with Elijah."

"What?"

"Jean, in hindsight, it's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out. Yet, at some point, you have to make a choice. The lives of a hundred comrades or the lives of everyone inside the Walls. The Commander chose. He chose to throw away the lives of a hundred comrades. I don't have much life experience yet, but I do know one thing. If there's anyone who can bring about change, it's someone capable of giving up what matters most. In particular, people who are capable of abandoning their humanity when forced to rise above monsters. Those who can't abandon anything can't change anything."

I nod. "Remember Trost? Commander Pyxis threw us in a suicide mission betting on Eren's power. Captain Ian further that when we escorted Eren to the Wall. Our entire fight against the Titans is a risk, but how we win depends on how much we are willing to take that chance. Death is what we signed up for when joining the Scouts...it's just how long it will take before our penance is due."

"HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH! HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH! HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!"

We look to the forest interior as a large, unnatural scream echoes throughout. While Armin looks a little shaken and Jean grits his teeth, I frown while the gears in my head churn. That was, without a doubt, the Female Titan, but... Why did she scream? Was she in pain? But she never screamed during those explosions. So she must be fighting back, much like Eren's roar is his way of threatening the enemy. However, the pith in that scream, the tone, it sounded desperate, like someone...calling for help.

"If you underestimate the forest, you'll die."

"Remember this kind of cry, Elijah. It's the cry of a cornered animal that has nothing to lose. Always exercise greater caution once a hunt draws to a close."

Those words by Sasha and my Mother ring through my head. A cornered animal...is as dangerous as a wounded one. "Shit..."

"What the...?! What's up with them?! Why are they just ignoring us?!"

"It doesn't matter, Jean. We have to cut them down, now." Finally brandishing my swords, I forgot to call arms and begin my chase against the Titans.


They weren't just ignoring us when they started running. Even as I kill some of them, not once have they tried defending themselves. I continue my pursuit, easily hacking down as many Titans as I can, but it does nothing against the numbers. There are just too many, it seems the numbers are endless. Regardless, if they're heading for the Scouts that captured the Female Titan, I have to kill as many as possible.

I feel my gas tank begin to wheeze, a sign that I've been carelessly expending gas. "God Damnit!" I attach myself to one of the Titan's heads, using it as transportation. Any minute now, I'll be wherever this horde is rushing to.

Once I arrived on the Titan I was carried on, I finally witnessed the pandemonium. Scouts were falling from the trees, eviscerating the Titan horde that congregates around a single target. Slicing the nape of my Titan, I reel myself up to a branch and watch the carnage unfold, seeing a greater surprise in the middle of it all. What...the hell? The Female Titan...they're...cannibalizing her... Steam collects around the Titans, lowering visibility, but from my perch, I could make out one Scout in particular: Commander Erwin, and he looks...terrified.

"Retreat, men!" Wait, what? I watch as the Scouts withdraw from the Titans at Erwin's command. "Back into formation! Return to Karanes!" That's it, the retreat order everyone's been longing for, but right now, it feels like...an actual loss. I'm not close enough to ask anyone the question, but from the looks of things, the answer's obvious. We failed to capture the Female Titan. We were outsmarted in the end.

Yet there's something that doesn't seem right about this. For once, I try to be like Armin for a moment. The steam is impairing visibility, so the human inside isn't completely suicidal, only the Titan's body is being eaten. So...the human is still alive. They wouldn't have gone too far, though, I remember Eren being unable to stand when he came out of his Titan. So the enemy is still nearby. No equipment, no energy, but quick enough to get away. Fuck...

Next thing I know, I land Beside Commander Erwin and Captain Levi. "Commander."

Levi turns to me, sighing. "Oh, It's you. What are you doing here anyway?"

I ignore the Captain for the time being. "Sir, I believe our enemy is still nearby. If anything, she doesn't have the energy to keep moving. I want to look for her."

"Levi, refill your gas and blades." Erwin loos away to the onslaught of Titans still consuming what remains of the Female Titan's body but gestures me to come closer. "Why is that?"

"I along with Jean and Armin first engaged her in the fields, we figured she was after Eren as she ignored soldiers in the right flank unless provoked. However, some recent developments made me believe that her identity is more realized than we think."

"You think you know who this was?"

"No, sir. Not exactly. But we've considered two things: One, if she knows about Eren, she specifically knows what he looks like. The Titan investigated each of us to see if we were him. Two, most importantly, when we fought her, Armin didn't say his name, but instead used a term Jean would call him, specifically, a 'suicidal maniac.' The Titan hesitated when she heard that." I look to the corpse, crossing my arms. "They must've known everything since Trost, including that this expedition would occur. The traitor is a part of the military, either of the Garrison or the Military Police."

"Why not suspect the Scouts."

"I thought about it, sir, but that's when I put my last piece of information into effect. If a Scout was the traitor, they would've attacked the side they were told Eren would be on. The attack came from outside the right flank, not within. It would be a better tactic to sneak up on horseback before transforming and catch the Levi Squad off-guard. Like a wolf sneaking on a fawn guarded by its mother."

"Hmm. You have a point." The commander turns to me, nodding his approval. "You really are Moses' son."

My eyes widen and my blood runs cold... That name...I haven't heard it since I was a child. "...What was that...sir?"

"Resupply yourself and join up with the Levi Squad ASAP. I have a different theory in mind about our enemy's whereabouts, but I do want answers. Once we return to Calaneth, we'll discuss our theories...if we don't end it here."


I joined up with the Levi Squad somehow before the Captain did. After explaining the Commander's orders to join them while also leaving out our entire conversation, and how he just said my father's name, Gunther explained that they just changed course due to a smoke signal from the Captain. I do recall seeing two signals before I met up with the Levi Squad, so I think the second one came from them. The Commander's words to me before I left haunt me as well. How in the hell does he know my father's name? I'll have to ask him after we get out of this. Plus, my theory sticks to me stubbornly.

I nod to Eren as I position myself beside him. I'm glad to be with one of my best friends, and I'm sure he's feeling the same way. Especially after being with the Levi Squad all day. "So, you didn't transform when you saw her?"

"No," he says, looking to the others. "I decided to trust in everyone else."

Of course they talked him out of it. Even after the spoon bullshit, they still don't trust him. Eren could've saved more lives if he transformed, but that's my opinion. As Armin says, "'It's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out.'"

SHING!

"GAH!" I Hear the sounds of someone gasping in pain. To my right, a streak of green passes me, but I ignore it for the fallen Gunther.

"Gunther!" He hangs upside down, bleeding like a hanging deer caught by a hunter, with no signs of responding to Eren's calls. I look up, trying to seek the one who passed me. No...it can't be! That's impossible! But it's the reality. The enemy, who I thought would be too weak to continue the hunt, is back.

"Eren, don't stop!" Ouro swoops down and grabs Eren, throwing him forward. I follow along, keeping myself close to Eren. "The to of you, onward!"

"Protect Eren!"

"Damn it, what do we do? Eld, where should we go?"

"There isn't time to reach the horses! Head for HQ, as fast as you can!" We continue forward, though we watch our backs for the female shifter. How could I be so stupid to think she'd be exhausted like Eren? She could have years of experience for all we know, meaning her fatigue could be nonexistent. Which means, that if she really wanted to... Oh no...

CRACK!

"I knew it... It's coming! The Female Titan!"

SHIT! The Titan charges toward us, faster than I've ever seen her run today. Apparently, that's the consensus, as the rest of the Levi Squad is appalled by her speed. Gritting my teeth, I look to Eren. There's no way a human, not even as skilled as the Levi Squad, can kill her. "Eren, now!"

Eren gets my message as he turns around. "Damn it... How could you? This time, I will defeat it!"

"No!" Eld orders. "The three of us will kill the Female Titan. Both of you will continue to head straight for HQ at top speed!"

"I'll fight too!"

"NO! This is the best move... Your power is too risky!"

I shake my head, gritting my teeth even harder. "Fuck that! Eren is the only one that stands a chance against that thing!"

"WHAT?!" I turn to Ouro, who looks quite disrespected. "Do you doubt us?"

"Do you, Eren? Do you find it that hard to trust us?" Petra looks at Eren pleadingly, which is the final nail in his reasoning's coffin. I look at him as well, hoping he won't fall victim to their words, but I can see it in his eyes. He'll trust them.

Sighing, he lowers his arm and turns around. "I believe my squad will be victorious. Good luck! Let's go, Elijah!"

"...Fine." We dash forward as Petra, Oruo, and Eld engage the Titan. We watch in hope and dread as the trio begins their attack. Eld pulls off an evasive maneuver that initially distracts the Titan from Petra and Oruo attaching their hooks, allowing the pair to aim for the eyes and blind the Titan. Eyesight gone, the Titan falls back against the tree, using it and her hands to protect her nape. They'll only have a minute before both eyes regenerate, so they need to act fast.

My train of thought takes a dark turn as I look at the Titan's position, her arms raised behind her, her weight leaning on her left side. Besides the behavior she's been giving us all day, I hate to say that Reiner has a point, the Titan does look hot. A part of me hopes that the shifter is hot too, before we kill her, that is.

They attack the arms, or rather, they sever the muscles underneath the armpit and around the shoulders and upper arms that allow her to raise them. I look to Eren, seeing a smile on his face as he looks forward. The Levi Squad might actually be able to pull this off, but my gut still has a bad feeling about this.

Eren surprisingly gasps and then turns around. Alarmed, I do too, just in time to see Eld snatched up by the Female Titan's mouth. She also has another surprise; in the half-minute it has been since her eyes were cut she focused all her power just to her right eye.

"Elijah, no matter where life takes you, no matter what you choose to do with your own, you have to promise me you'll always do what's right. Not only for yourself but for everyone who may meet in your life. I want you to promise me, Elijah."

My Mother's words ring through my head as I turn around, advancing back to the Female Titan. "To hell with our orders! Eren, come on!"

I waste most of my gas desperately trying to get to the remaining two, and I eject my blades just in case if I need to get close to them since my main priority right now is to save them. I know I can't kill the Female Titan, but if I must, I'll die trying, or die saving the others. Either way, it's something I must do. The Female Titan goes after Petra first as she was the first to retreat, chasing after her at full speed. I must get to her now!

I swoop down and grab her just before the Female Titan's foot crushes Petra against a tree, with me along with her. I don't even bother to see if the bitch is trying to follow us, or think of the horrific scene if I didn't reach Petra in time, I don't even know how the plant remained intact after such force. I just got us high enough to wear the Female Titan couldn't reach us. Thank God she can't climb...for now.

We land on the branch, Petra looks at me terrified, most likely from her near-death experience. "E-Elijah?"

"Shut it." I reload my blades. "We're not done yet." I look down to see Ouro, attempting to go for the still Titan's nape but failing as his blades break against the hardened nape. In his shock, he falls victim to the Titan's sudden agility as she unleashes a spin kick. His blood paints the sides of several trees.

As she lands, Eren is above her. I sense his hesitation. "KILL HER, EREN! DO IT NOW! KILL THAT BITCH WHERE SHE STANDS!" I scream out, hoping it can finally break through, he won't lose control, he has a clear goal, he must transform, now.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" A blast of yellow light and a vengeful roar later, I see Eren's Titan running towards the female Titan. I ready myself to move in at any moment, meanwhile, Petra leans back against the tree. Eren unleashes a punch, which the agile Female dodges and kicks Eren back. This only pisses him off, so he tries again, making the Female Titan stumble back against a tree.

Steam erupts from her unhealed wounds sustained from the Levi Squad, which explains why the Female isn't fighting back yet. Instead, she continues to dodge Eren's punches, however, this forces her to retreat to create space. I jump from the branch and begin to chase after her with Eren in front, he punches as fast and hard as he can, she dodges until she can't anymore. Falling on her back as Eren straddles her.

She took out the entire right flank, most likely my friends too. She almost killed Jean, Armin, Reiner, and I. She killed so many Scouts and almost the entire Levi Squad in this forest. She knows who we are, ever since tost. She has to be with the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan, even if she's human, she's an enemy of humanity. Her crimes are unforgivable. Kill her, Eren. KILL HER!

His two punches to her face missing, Eren rises up to look down upon her before roaring angrily in her face. As he rises back up, something goes wrong as Eren's Titan starts to spasm out in the face. This opening is all the Female needs as her left eye opens and her arms grip Eren's, punching him off her. However, the fight is not over. Even with her arms working, Eren continues to manage to keep the Female grounded and on the defensive where she stands.

At least, until she sidesteps, hardens her hand, and uppercuts Eren. "Eren!" I start to dread, but it's misplaced as Eren uses his intact upper jaw to grind along the hardened arm and punches the female in the gut. She lands on her ass, slumping against the tree. She barely gets on her feet and dodges Eren's knee. Eren, tired, catches his breath against the tree while the Female takes a few steps away. They turn to face each other, Eren still against the tree, but able to raise his arms.

Then he gasps. Since my attention is on Eren, I arc my head to the Female Titan as she takes a step closer to Eren. My jaw slackens, my eyes grow wide, and my legs nearly give out. No... There's no way... It can't be-

The Female kicks high, slashing Eren's face in half. I watch helplessly and in shock as Eren's body collapses and the Female Titan kneels down, nearly dislocating her jaw just to rip away the flesh around Eren. He pops up, dazed. "EREN!" That voice... I turn, seeing Mikasa zip to the area, but she pauses in shock as the Female Titan gobbles Eren up alive and intact. Her mission complete, she wipes her mouth and proceeds to run off.

"W-Wait... Eren... Don't go..." I turn to a Distraught Mikasa, and she spots me. I look away to the retreating Titan, my surprise scorched by anger. You... How could you...? YOU TRAITOR!

"Mikasa." No other words need to be said. In our different furies, we unite in our chase of the Female Titan. It didn't take long for us to catch up and the Titan notices, protecting her nape with her hand, It didn't phase us.

"Give..."

"Traitor..."

"Give..."

"How dare you!?"

"Give Eren back!" Mikasa spins and swings for the Titan's cheeks, hoping to release Eren that way. I follow along, concentrating on the arms. We managed to knock her down by jointly severing her leg muscles, in which Mikasa headed for the nape afterward. It proved futile as the hardening ability on the Female's arms broke her blades. Shocked, she retreats beside me. "Why won't my blades penetrate?"

I grit my teeth as the Titan faces us. "She can harden her muscles to protect herself. It's been a real pain in the ass for us."

"I know that he's alive..." Mikasa reequips her blades, her mind set on a second attempt. "I know that Eren's alive! No matter where she goes, I'll kill her, rip her apart, and get you out of that filth."

"I'm with you, Mikasa."

"I'm sorry, Eren... Just wait a little longer."

"Watch out!" The Titan stands up and punches our tree, nearly getting us as well. Her leg healed, she takes off. I curse myself, letting precious time go to waste to let the Titan heal. "GET BACK HERE!"

"Wait!" Before we begin our pursuit again, we're picked up by some mysterious force, Looking at our supposed rescuer, it turns out to be the Captain himself.

"Fall back for now." He releases us, and we quietly follow in his direction. Levi in the lead, we continue chasing the Female Titan, though not as hurried as Mikasa and I were earlier. "Maintain this distance. It may be tired. It doesn't appear to be going very fast. He seems to have been bit right out of the neck. Is Eren dead?"

"He's alive." With Levi's attention on her, Mikasa further explains. "The target appears intelligent, and its goal seems to be capturing Eren. If it wanted him dead, it would've crushed him. The target is fighting to escape after going through the trouble of putting him in its mouth."

"Its goal may have been to eat Eren. Levi states. "If that's the case, he's in its stomach. It's more reasonable to assume that he's dead."

"Eren's alive." I say with a drop of calmness in my venomous tone. "I have engaged with this Titan for most of the day. Not once has she eaten her targets, she had many opportunities to do so, myself included. If she wanted Eren dead, she would've killed him back there, along with Eld and Ouro. This Titan's goal, for the past hours, is to capture him. He's alive."

Levi looks at me with that damn bored expression that pisses me off indirectly. "I hope you're right."

Mikasa scoffs. "If you'd only protected Eren, this wouldn't have happened!"

Levi grunts and swings directly ahead of Mikasa, getting a good look at her. "Oh, I see... You're the one from back then. Eren's close friend. Just like Four Eye's new puppet." I shoot the Captain a glare, but he ignores it. "We'll limit ourselves to a single goal. First, give up on killing the Female Titan."

"Why?! If we kill her, we save Eren!"

"It's killed many of our comrades!"

Levi sighs. "As long as it can harden its skin, we can't kill it. Do as I say. We'll pin our hoes on Eren still being alive, and rescue him before it leaves the forest. I will tear away at it... You two draw its attention!"

I look to Mikasa, relenting to Levi's plan. He's a good killer, I know that personally. If he believes his plan will work, then despite all I have to hate the idea of not killing the Female Titan now, I'll follow along. "Let's go!" We push ahead, swinging around to the front of the Female. She notices us and our lack of an attack, humanity's strongest soldier proves his title by spinning vertically like a wheel upon the Titan's arm before leaping off and stabbing her eyes. I can't even perceive what he does next as he moves so fast it's like he's a particle of light. So fast that the Titan can't even harden her skin, instead, she's using the tree like earlier to try and protect her neck.

That doesn't stop Levi.

Much like his comrades, he manages to force the arm protecting her nape to fall. No eyes, legs and arms impaired, Mikasa and I watch in astonishment as Levi single-handedly brings the Titan to his mercy. I have to hold myself back from taking advantage of the moment. Mikasa, however, doesn't, foolishly darting towards the nape as it hardens and the Titan raises her not-so-impaired left arm up. Levi manages to push Mikasa away, but his face contorts in pain as he lands on the Titan's arm. It matter not to him as he jumps medially to the Titan's face, cutting her mouth open.

I cringe at the sight of a drool-covered Eren. I am so not letting this one go.

Hanging by Mikasa, we watch as Levi scoops Eren up and lands on a nearby branch.

"Captain!" My head turns to the familiar voice of a woman, belonging to Petra. She's finally caught up with us. "What's going on?"

"No time to explain. We're getting out of here!"

"Eren..."

"How is he?"

"I think he's okay... He's alive! But filthy." Man, this must be hell for Levi too. I forgot he's such a clean freak. I let a smile stretch on my face. This is absolute gold.

My smile drops as I turn to the Female Titan. "What about her?"

"Forget about it... We'll retreat. Don't lose sight of the core objective. Is it more important to get what you want? Isn't he an important friend?" Levi takes off, leaving Mikasa, Petra, and I alone.

"No, I..."

"Mikasa," She looks up to me, my eyes set on the Titan. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. We have to protect Eren."

Petra nods. "Eren is safe, now we must retreat." We set off, following Levi out of the forest, but before we get too far, I turn around to our adversary. A small gasp escapes my lips because either I'm seeing things...

...Or the Female Titan is crying.


The trip back did nothing for my mood. Two incompetent soldiers were trying to recover their dead friend, so Mikasa and I were forced to save their asses. The one who nearly got eaten had gotten slobber all over him, so I took some humor in the situation.

An Abnormal Titan, who ignored Mikasa and me, rushed up to the carts. As quickly as I could, I rode up to cut it down before the Scouts decided to dump the bodies. Levi, who possibly ordered the dumping, looked at me with that face of his before turning away. Once we were safe, we made a stop to confirm our position and correct our course before we headed back to Calaneth.

As a child, I watched many returns of the Scout Regiment back in Shiganshina, all of them in failure. At the time, joining the military was not on my mind, not yet at least, I once told my father I wanted to be just like him. Just like Eren, I thought the Scouts were awesome, I thought my father was awesome too. Yet now... I am on the other side of the curtain. I'm not the kid looking at the failures, I am the failure.

Kneeling in a cart with Mikasa, looking over an injured but conscious Eren, I try my hardest to not look at the civilians. Now I understand their worries, their insults. As a child, I thought the adults were wrong, but as a soldier, now I know how much in the right they are to say such things. Eren, however, tries to find the strength to rise up and speak back, but I hold him back. "Eren," Mikasa says. "Just bear with it." Eren endures his pain, however, and manages to rise to his waist. But whatever words he is going to say is lost on him as he sees a kid smiling at us.

"So Cool! The Scouts are so awesome! They got the crap kicked out of them, and they still fight!" Eren sits down, his face mixed between pain and sorrow. I pat his shoulder, trying my best to hold my own emotions. That kid...he's just like I once was. A fool... Hopeful, but a fool.

I look up again, gasping as I see a woman with black hair split into pigtails and serene grey eyes looking at the procession. For a moment, I thought I saw her, but as I stared longer, I saw that it was not in fact Mina Carolina. Most likely, it was her mother, as Mina was from Calaneth. I look back down, my eyes catching the carving Mina made for me, and that's when I can't hold it back anymore. Unlike Eren, who bawls his eyes out as he lays on his back, a tear falls...or two...or three...or ten. Mikasa, the only one composed, or rather manages to hide her sadness under her hair, takes Eren's hand in her left, while she takes mine in her right.

Later, we learn that support for the Scout Regiment, due to the costs and casualties incurred by the expedition, was dealt a heavy blow. Commander Erwin and the others in charge were summoned to the capital, Mitres, within Wall Sina, and ordered to relinquish Eren. To get there, we'll have to go through Stohess, on the eastern side of the interior wall...