—ATTACK ON TITAN—

-Mikazuki rested for days, weeks, perhaps a month? Mikazuki didn't know. He wasn't good with time, and he never bothered to retain events. In that time, he had many more dreams... recollections. Though, unlike the first one, they were more vague. Like a smudged window, Mikazuki could barely pick out the various details of the memories. And, as well, he took the time to reminisce on the time back home.

To Mikazuki, the life-altering events back home were a mere phantom, something easily forgotten. But for Mikasa? His sister who rested attentively at his bedside? That day was never forgotten to Mikasa. It was only due to her that Mikazuki's retention of the events even remained — her infrequent bouts of hushed panic and her intermittent jostling in her sleep.

Mikazuki felt as if annoyance was a more appropriate reaction to come from him — despite how malignant such an action would be - but he couldn't really muster the effort to be angry, nor did he want to.

Mikazuki learned quickly how painful and unpleasant anger was for him in particular due to the various instances wherein he fumbled on the most minor of activities. Mikazuki wondered how Eren, the son of Dr. Jaeger, managed with the boiling rage when he infrequently came into conflict with his mother due to some other children whom he fought.

Mikazuki recalled the housewife shouting something about, "being careful" and "not to pick fights you can't win." Mikazuki at that time wasn't truly invested in the essence of their conversation, more the fact that there was something to stave the boring silence...

Oh, yes. The boredom. Cooped in the upstairs of a semi-wealthy household, Mikazuki was cared for by Mikasa twenty-four-seven. There was barely a time in which Mikazuki was granted the solace of isolation without Mikasa's looming. The times wherein Mikazuki was basked in engrossing solitude, he took for granted despite their rarity.

The sudden sounds of beatings wings coming from outside interrupted Mikazuki's thoughts, drawing his gaze toward the windowsill. The sounds of beating wings became nearer until a white dove with a grey beak and red eyes landed on the window frame.

It wasn't a type of bird Mikazuki had ever seen before in his life, and, to some, it would be almost pure and ardent. But Mikazuki saw the world as it was: neutral in tone. So he wasn't tricked.

Mikazuki silently eyed the white bird as it briefly gazed at his grey eyes with its opaque red orbs before spontaneously turning its back to him. Mikazuki tore his gaze from the avian to glance at his sister. She was fast asleep, turning around in turmoil, it allowed him the freedom to attempt to stand.

Mikasa's caution in regard to Mikazuki's condition rendered his freedom severely limited, so, despite his obvious wellness, she refused to allow him to stand by himself or allow him to stand whatsoever for a majority of the time. The other quarter of time being him walking around silently without her notice. He had been wobbly at first, unsteady, but he became more firm in gait as time passed. And it was those meager moments that he discovered that his steps made nary a sound.

Discreetly, Mikazuki uncovered the blanket from himself and silently swung his legs around onto the bedside. With nary a noise, Mikazuki stood up from his bed and snuck toward the windowsill.

Mikazuki approached the bird with soundless steps, which was odd to Mikazuki. He never recalled himself adept at furtiveness.

Mikazuki neared the windowsill until he was only a mere few centimeters apart from the bird, which, to Mikazuki's surprise, hadn't heard Mikazuki and remained perched on the window's frame. It twitched it's white-feathered head intermittently to look around.

Mikazuki silently loomed over the pure-white bird with unintended menace. Mikazuki slowly raised a hand toward the avian, unknowing of why and to what purpose he was reaching for the bird. Well... other than the obvious: ee was doing it out of boredom.

Mikazuki grabbed the bird with his bare hand. The size disparity was too great for the avian and the dove began squawking, flapping its wings, and biting into Mikazuki's hand. It pained him quite, but that wasn't the most prudent worry for Mikazuki, it was instead: Its squawking would wake Mikasa.

Mikazuki swiftly grabbed its neck and head with both hands and pulled. He felt the bird's neck stretch apart until its bones cracked with a pop.

Mikazuki turned toward Mikasa to see whether she heard the snap. Mikazuki saw her, still fast asleep, continuing to toil and writhe in her nightmares with a, firm as ever, grasp on his castaway blanket.

And so, with the certainty of Mikasa's slumber, Mikazuki began to toy with the carcass in a manner akin to a child tearing the legs off a spider... which upon further consideration actually just was the same. The sole difference was that one species was reviled by masses whilst the other was considered sacred and pure.

"What's the difference between killing a domesticated dog and a wild wolf? They're both just canines..." Mikazuki mused and it prompted a splurge of questions.

Why didn't he care? Why did he disregard morality so swiftly for an amoral equalizer? Normal folk would just say it's morally wrong and be done with it. Mikazuki knew to follow that mindset, as it was socially acceptable... but it felt wrong.

It wrapped back around to a constant question Mikazuki's had: what was happening to him?

The queries made Mikazuki flashback to an event he barely recalled back home. He, Mikasa, and his Mama and Papa were all inside the house due to a particularly heavy storm that day. Mikazuki had been staring out the window from his bed toward a windy lake nearby, with the rain smashing loudly against the glass. Mikazuki watched with meager interest, spectating a mother duck and her yellow chicks vacate the lake. Mikazuki had watched them waddle their ways away from the lake - straight into a mother wolf and her three cubs.

As to why a wolf and her cubs were outside in stormy weather was anybody's guess, but that was the least of the matter.

Mikazuki had watched with vapid interest as the mother wolf and her cubs mauled the mother duck and her chicks. It was a slaughter, though not a bloodbath like storybooks told. It was rather bloodless — more plucked feathers than red ichor.

And it was this memory that prompted revelation.

Mikazuki disregarded the loss of life with callous ease because he discerned no immediate value. He didn't care.

Spontaneously, Mikazuki felt ill from the phrase "he didn't care," as if a vice grip around his guts began to clench and contract with ruthless pressure. A multitude of incomprehensible sensations surged through him, like a dam assaulted by the devastating crash of a tsunami...

What was a tsunami—? A sudden, electric pang racked against his head. Mikazuki had become accustomed to the sudden bouts of cranial pain caused by questioning, but it never was familiar enough for him to simply ignore.

Mikazuki silently mulled over his own thoughts, becoming more and more convoluted and aimless, the rising internal turmoil and sudden pain causing Mikazuki to involuntarily crush the dead avian held in his hand. The force heightened in a blink, to the point a few of its slimy, blood-dyed organs popped out of its grey beak and an eye bulged out its socket from sheer pressure.

The sudden icky sensation of blood swayed Mikazuki's tumultuous mindscape to refocus upon the dead bird in his bloodied grasp. "I should use it to unwind," Mikazuki remarked quietly before he began to pluck the white feathers off the dead bird. It was a macabre comment – and a twisted moment – one any sane individual would find despicable without doubt.

Mikazuki was nonplussed by those thoughts of his for some reason, despite the near-constant anxiety of his demented mind possibly being discovered by either Mikasa or the Jaeger family, and the ramifications such a mistake would wrought.

He continued de-feathering the dove – an almost therapeutic activity – until he abruptly decided to break a wing bone, just because; to which, Mikazuki heard a small satisfying snap emit from the dead bird before going back to plucking its, now more bloodied, feathers.

Mikazuki continued fiddling with the bird corpse for minutes, extracting its organs betwixt his finger and thumb from its mouth before twisting its head off in order to feed it to ants that were crawling up the windowsill. It was captivating to Mikazuki. He intently gazed upon the ant swarm rapidly devouring the dove's head. It was disgusting too, but fascinating. The background, the foreground - everything disappeared from his periphery as he focused on the ants swarming into the beak of the dead bird and exit through the optic nerve of its bulged eye. The ants treaded all across the dove's feathered head in organized lines, having chewed off chunks of flesh before returning to their burrow in organized paths. The organized nature of the ants, their sense of purpose... their absolute aim... Mikazuki would have stated himself to be jealous, but jealousy indicated emotion. He wasn't jealous. But he wished he was... Could he even wish—?

"Why do I question everything? It'll only lead me to thoughts undesirable..." Mikazuki errantly mused before it was engulfed in more rampant introspection.

—Wishes were tied to desire, and desire was tied to emotion. To desire was to emote, to experience feeling and want an object or person earnestly. Then that meant Mikazuki couldn't desire, because he never desired for anything in earnest, with emotion. He desired on occasions, but it was elusive and insipid, feeble and flimsy. He could easily go on without it. Then what about his sadness? He felt it on occasion, too, but it always went away and he never remembered it. So it wasn't true sadness? Then that meant he hadn't ever been truly sad, right? He hadn't ever suffered? He inferred the conclusion from his anger. Anger was temporary while hatred was everlasting, so was sadness not in a manner much the same as anger?

"What are you doing?" Mikazuki's rampant introspection was then abruptly cut short by the sudden appearance of Dr. Jaeger's son, who spoke up from behind Mikazuki.

The spontaneous entrance of Dr. Jaeger's son caused Mikazuki to jump slightly before he, in a split second, dropped the dead bird out the window, hoping that the boy wouldn't notice the action.

Not turning around – because Mikazuki wasn't confident he had a decent poker face – he remained at the windowsill, leaning on his arms placed against the frame, "I'm looking outside. I've been cooped in this homey residence far too much for my hunter habits."

—ATTACK ON TITAN—

Eren was sat down at the dining table with his Dad, who was reading a newspaper and drinking his usual tea while Mom prepared food. It was a soup with those soft, easily chewed meat on bones that he liked. Eren heard clacking of plates behind him, but it was faint to him because he was more interested in looking outside the window. And while looking outside, Eren soon saw a flock of birds fly by. He watched longingly as they flew above and beyond the fifty meter walls of Shiganshina.

It reminded him of what he used to do. It reminded Eren of when he would sit outside, looking at the sky as birds flew away with absolute freedom. Unchained from the restrictive ground below.

Freedom... Eren wished he had wings like those birds, so that he could fly free, so that he could see those flaming waters, frozen lands, and snow fields of sand that Armin showed him through that book and talked about.

Eren, stuck in his own thoughts, was then suddenly brought out of them by the sudden sounds of frantic beating of wings.

Eren wondered for a short bit whether it was because a bird had landed or crashed, but he knew it came from upstairs. Eren briefly glanced at his Mom and Dad. They hadn't noticed.

Then, Eren heard a small squawk, which his Mom and Dad did hear. Eren's Dad was the first to talk about it, saying, "Carla, did you hear that noise from upstairs?"

"I did, Dear," his Mom nodded before turning to him to ask, "Eren, did you hear that too?"

"Yeah," Eren nodded back.

"Could you check on Mikazuki and Mikasa upstairs, Eren?" his Mom asked him, having stopped chopping away at a carrot.

"Okay," Eren then promptly got up from his chair and walked over to the staircase, being shortly after interrupted by his Dad.

"Eren, if its anything serious, call out to us, okay?" Dad told Eren, having placed the newspaper and cup of tea onto the table to focus on him.

"I will," Eren replied before he walked up the stairs.

The steps creaked a little. It worried Eren, but his Mom and Dad didn't worry about it too much, but that still hadn't helped soothe his worries.

As Eren made his way up, the sounds beating wings intensified until they were suddenly cut short, accompanied by a pop that sounded similar to when his Dad once popped a man's shoulder back into place.

Eren peeked around the room to see Mikazu-his name was too long for Eren, so he would just call him Mika. It was similar to Mikasa and he was her younger brother, so it fit.

Eren peeked around the room until he saw Mika stood near the window, holding something in his hands. He was tearing something from the object and throwing it out the window without care. It looked white and like feathers.

Mika swayed slowly, allowing Eren to catch glimpses of white... and a bit of red. On the window was some small object that Eren couldn't fully see.

Walking onto the floorboards, Eren abruptly asked Mika, "What are you doing?" who, startled, sneakily dropped whatever was in his hand out the window before placing his elbows on the window frame with his arms crossed, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"I'm looking outside. I've been cooped in this homey residence far too much for my hunter habits," Mika said, which confused Eren.

"Why's he so wordy? He's kinda like Armin in that way, but not really. Maybe they would get along?" Eren mused.

He looked toward the bed and saw Mikasa sleeping near it on a stool. He saw her flinching and turning with a tight grip on the blanket. Eren turned to Mika, who was indifferent to Mikasa's suffering – judging by his relaxed posture – and it angered Eren.

"Why did you leave her like that?" Eren asked Mika with heat in his voice, but Mika refused to turn away from the window.

Mikasa was having a nightmare, Mika should have woken her up. It was the right thing to do. It made Eren angrily step toward Mika before Mika then belatedly responded.

"She'd force me back onto the bed," Mika belatedly said with a shrug. "I understand that she cares greatly for me, but I simply refuse to stay stuck on a bed for months on end due to her overprotectiveness, despite having nearly fully healed."

Eren knew it was an excuse, it was painfully obvious by his even tone that lacked any guilt or care. "But that doesn't mean you should leave her like that," Eren retorted.

"True. I made a conscious decision to disregard the pain my sister is currently experiencing for the sake of meager freedom," Mika said with no change in his voice, "I shall rectify this at present and in the foreseeable future," Mika finished before walking over to Mikasa.

Eren barely saw Mika wiping something off in his pocket – but it was definitely red – before grabbing Mikasa's shoulder. He shook her from the side to side in a casual way; he didn't put much effort in it.

"Mikasa, wake up," Mika said with tired eyes, shaking Mikasa more. Though she didn't wake up, again. Mika then turned to Eren, "You may have to procure a wet towel or a cup of water."

"I'll get on it," Eren said before turning around, catching a glimpse of... something with black dots crawling all over it. "Is that...?"

—ATTACK ON TITAN—

Mikasa was dreaming... no... It wasn't a dream. A dream was pleasant, or weird. This was a nightmare, something haunting and terrible. It was a lucid nightmare that Mikasa had every time she slept. It made her not want to fall asleep, but she couldn't stop herself from succumbing to fatigue. She could never stop it. Never prevent it...

Mikasa looked around, her eyes again drenched from crying. It was her home. It was the same nightmare every night, though each had different starts, they all ended the same.

She could see Mama, Papa, Mika, and herself sat around the table, a steaming duck in the middle on a plate with vegetables around and under it. More plates, different foods. She remembered it, it was Mika's birthday.

Mikasa walked around in the nightmare, looking at the home she and Mika used to live in... Used to live in... Mikasa felt her chest tighten all of a sudden. It caused her to automatically grip the fabric of her shirt as she then fell onto her knees from the pain.

It hailed on her like pellets of rain: The grief. The sight of her Mama, bleeding from the neck, haunted her every night. And whenever she saw Mrs. Jaeger, she couldn't help but think of her own Mama, and it hurt her more. The guilt. And whenever she saw Dr. Jaeger with Eren... she couldn't help but think of her Papa, who she last remembered dead against the table with which they celebrated Mikasa's and Mika's birthdays.

Mikasa curled into a ball, hugging her knees as the nightmare's climax began.

A triage of knocks came from the door. Everyone, including herself from the nightmare, looked toward it. Papa got up and walked toward the door. He opened it. He died. The same nightmare, over and over again.

Mikasa felt cold...

"W...u..."

Mikasa barely heard... something. She didn't know what it was, but it made her sit up and scour the house with her eyes.

"Mi...wa...up..."

She heard it again, clearer than before but not definable enough to make out whether it was words or simply sound, though it sounded like... Mika?

"Wake up, Mikasa," Mikasa heard her younger brother's voice and then felt a splash of water hit her face, forcing her to wake up from the nightmare with a frantic gasp. "I was not expecting such a panicked rousing, Mikasa. Or rather, one of this magnitude."

Mika's appearance made Mikasa's eyes well up. Him being alive made her happy, made her want to embrace him tight and never let go, but she knew she didn't deserve that. She was a bad sister; she couldn't protect him.

And his appearance, it made her sad as well, because, in the weeks following the source of Mikasa's nightmares, Mika had changed drastically, and it wasn't just his demeanor. His black hair was longer and messier, barely reaching his neck. Strands were splayed in wide yet vaguely uniform arcs – like blades of grass – that draped over his eyes, and speaking of his eyes: Bags had formed under them and his eyelids were perpetually lowered, making him looked constantly tired. He also had an expression of... anger? Disappointment? It wasn't a pleasant expression, and it was a far cry from his usual look. Or rather, the one she preferred.

"You are crying," Mika abruptly said, causing Mikasa to stumble out of her deep thinking and touch her cheek. She was crying again — Mikasa swiftly wiped the tears from her face. She shouldn't be crying in front of her younger brother. Mikasa had to be strong for him.

"I'm fine," Mikasa mumbled out with bite in her voice, feeling the wetness of her tears on her right sleeve.

Mika's face didn't change. His eyes blinked, his face crinkled, but there never was a twitch of concern or emotion. It made Mikasa depressed to see her younger brother so... different... so distant... And she had no idea on how to rekindle that spark of joy he once showed her.

Mikasa could feel sadness the creeping its way up as her chest tightened — until it was swept away by a realization as her eyes scanned Mika.

"Mika...?" Mika was standing on his own, when he should have been on the bed... "What are you doing out of the bed?!" Mikasa exclaimed, slightly breaking her stony expression as worry overtook the previous sadness consuming her.

"Mikasa, please restrain your overprotectiveness," Mikasa then tried to rebuke him with words of her own, but he spoke over her, "I am no fawn in need of its mother, Mikasa. I'm a hunter. I won't disappear that easily."

"But what if—!" Mikasa tried to make another retort, but it too was interrupted by Mika, who raised a hand in front of Mikasa.

"Your care would be touching, Mikasa," he began, which confused Mikasa, what did he mean by that? "And indeed, I will certainly get hurt. But that's when I approach you for help. You can't stop people from getting hurt, Mikasa, but you can mend their wounds when they do."

His words... they reminded Mikasa slightly of her Papa. They weren't the exact same but they were similar. It was when he was tending to Mika's scrapes and scratches that he spoke similar words.

Mikasa shied her eyes away in thought, the painful memories of her Mama and Papa coming to the forefront.

"I understand your fear of letting Mikazuki wander beyond your vision, Mikasa," suddenly, Dr. Jaeger appeared from the staircase and spoke, "But, as Mikazuki said himself, he isn't a fragile animal that needs to be kept under constant watch."

Dr. Jaeger came up the stairs with the regular bowl of soup – though with bits of meat – and loafs of bread on trays, dressed in his usual white shirt and black pants. He walked toward Mikasa, Mikazuki, and Eren, with the floorboards creaking slightly with each step from the wear of house occupants.

"Dr. Jaeger... but what if he gets hurt and can't come back?" Mikasa asked pleadingly.

"Then go to him," Dr. Jaeger replied like it was so simple, "You cannot contain human curiosity, Mikasa; you can't restrain mankind's wanderlust."

Mikasa's eyes were then downcast, which Dr. Jaeger quickly noticed. "But you can go with him, can you not?" he then asked, making Mikasa turn toward Mika who was gazing out the window before Dr. Jaeger placing down the trays on the nearby cabinet.

Mikasa mulled on the Dr. Jaeger's words, but she couldn't fully come to a decision from them. She still adamantly believed it best if Mika remained by her side so that she could best protect him.

Dr. Jaeger then abruptly spoke, "Come on you three, we'll be eating downstairs."

Mikasa raised an eye in confusion, "Huh, why?" she asked.

"In celebration of Mikazuki's miraculous recovery, of course," he smiled kindly.

Dr. Jaeger then showed them to the stairs before picking up the trays on the cabinet behind them. It must've been a spur-of-the-moment decision from Dr. Jaeger to have Mika and her dine at the table downstairs, seeing as he had to carry the trays back down.

Walking down the steps, Mikasa suddenly bumped into Eren, who she had been too engulfed in thought to notice.

"You must have been thinking deeply if you didn't see me," Eren commented.

"He's angry... did I do that?" Mikasa mused. She vehemently desired not to sour whatever connection she has with Eren, the boy who gave her this scarf and saved her. Because of that, Mikasa timidly apologized, "Sorry..."

Eren cocked a brow at her quiet apology and asked, "What're you apologizing for?" with the most confused expression he had.

It made Mikasa blink twice as heat flushed her cheeks in embarrassment. To save herself more embarrassment, Mikasa avoided his question and asked back, "Why do you look so angry?"

Eren crossed his arms and furrowed his brows before answering, "Mikazu-Mika—agh. His name's too long. Is it okay with you if I just call him Mika, Mikasa?" Mikasa nodded in affirmation, "Okay. Mika didn't want to wake you up, even though he knew you were having a nightmare. That's what's got me so angry right now."

Mika just left her to suffer the nightmare? "Oh..." Mika must hate her for binding him to the bed for so long; she must be a terrible older sister if he left her to suffer those nightmares... "Eren?"

Eren raised an eye, "Yeah?"

Mikasa exhaled a deep breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding. Asking the very question she was about to say physically hurt her. She asked Eren, "Am I a bad sister?" it was the only answer; the sole conclusion she could come to: She was a bad sister.

"I think you're a good sister, Mikasa," Eren's words, despite the mundanity of them, cut through her inner voice like a knife through string, "Though I think Mika's a bad little brother." It made Mikasa happy. Because, even if she didn't believe in herself, Eren would believe in her.

But his comment about Mika would not go unpunished; Mikasa wouldn't tolerate any badmouthing of her younger brother.

"Why's your face all red?" Eren suddenly asked, which caught Mikasa off guard and caused her to quickly cover her face with the scarf.

"It... it's nothing," Mikasa stuttered out embarrassingly, to which she silently cursed herself for.

"You sure? You're turning redder right now," Eren said before placing a hand on her forehead, "You're heating up, Mikasa. I think you've caught a fever."

"I'm fine..." Mikasa insisted, gently moving Eren's hand from her head with her own.

"Okay then..." and the conversation ended there. Mikasa swore she could hear him mumbling out the word "weird" to himself next to her.

Mikasa turned away from Eren to see Mrs. Jaeger just about finished with cooking. The kind mother turned to Mikasa, Eren, and Mika, jovially saying, "Good morning, Mikasa, Mikazuki!" as they made way toward the table. It made Mikasa put up a fake smile for the woman.

Mikasa was certain the kind woman saw through the smile, as her expression appeared a tinge more sympathetic. Whether it was due to Mikasa's rather haggard appearance or Mrs. Jaeger's inherent skill at deciphering expression was up to interpretation.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jaeger," Mikasa responded to the Mrs. greeting.

"How do you fare, Mrs. Jaeger?" Mika answered in his own formal way.

"Didn't I tell you two that you can call me Carla?" the woman then took on a softer expression than the one she wore usually, "But to answer your question, Mikazuki, I'm doing quite good. There's going to be a gathering for wives around Shiganshina this weekend, so I'll be reuniting with old friends and workmates soon."

It was then that Dr. Jaeger spoke up with surprise in his voice, "Oh? Why haven't I heard of this before?"

"It's a recent thing, Dear. It formed only a weekend ago," Mrs. Jaeger answered, placing hee cooking utensil onto the kitchen counter before scooping up some of the meaty soup from a pot into a bowl of her own.

"I see. I hope you have fun meeting your old friends again, Carla," Dr. Jaeger replied with a smile before placing the trays down on the table, moving the bowls off the steel trays and onto the wooden table. He then turned to Mika and Mikasa, "Come now, sit down and eat."

Mikasa and Mika complied with Dr. Jaeger's request, with Eren already having seated himself at the table. Mikasa and Mika took bowls and wooden spoons of their own from the trays before digging into the soup with bits of meat. Meat that, to her surprise, was soft and tore away easily from the bone they were attached to. It tasted good... like her Mama's cooking. Mikasa turned to Mika to see his reaction. He didn't have one. He ate with neither a dour change in his expression nor a hurry to scarf it down with delight. It was like he wasn't there at all, as if his attention was invested more in... something other than the food and people around him. Mikasa, Mika, Dr. Jaeger, and Mrs. Jaeger all ate in silence – Eren had already eaten, Mikasa assumed – with the only noise filling the house being the clattering of plates, the clack of wooden utensils, and the sparse conversations around the table. It was familiar... and it made Mikasa sad, though she kept that sadness to herself the best she could through a stone-faced expression.

Minutes went by until Dr. Jaeger was the first to finish eating. He got up from his seat and said, "Well, I'll be going now, Carla," before walking toward the door. He grabbed his brown coat, hat, and bag and then turned around toward Eren, "Eren, could you show Mikasa and Mikazuki around Shiganshina? Help familiarize them with the district."

"Alright, Dad!" Eren excitedly responded. Mikasa wondered what he wanted to show Mika and her for him to be so energetic about showing them the district.

—ATTACK ON TITAN—

Shiganshina was crowded. Mikasa could hear the bustle all around as she followed Eren through the streets of the district, lined with vendors toward. Mikasa had no clue on where Eren was leading her and Mika to, he merely said that he wanted to introduce her and Mika to his friend, Armin, who was a decent walk away from the Jaeger household.

Mikasa scanned her surroundings. If she wished to better protect Mika, it was necessary that she remained wary whenever outside. Strangers could... strangers were dangerous and that was it. Though...

Mikasa eyed the stands to her left and right — she saw folk on their regular commute, talking with the attendants behind the stands, either haggling price or merely conversing. One stand in particular caught Mikasa's eyes: Behind the stand were two children, an older sister and younger brother. The two played with a red ball made of some yarn and leather, laughing.

Mikasa turned toward Mika: He was eyeing the various food stands lining the sides of the streets, even though he had already eaten a few hours ago. The sight of Mika's childish want made Mikasa smile faintly, replacing the previously oncoming gloom with a sisterly joy.

Back at the Jaeger household, Mika had remained aloof, refraining from voicing any of his desires. And, even though he wasn't voicing them, he was displaying his desires bare at this moment.

"Mika, do you want anything?" Mikasa softly asked, which startled Mika.

Despite his dour change in countenance and severely bedraggled appearance, he remained so easily frightened like he was before. It made Mikasa happy that that part of him remained too — but the thought also made Mikasa feel conflicted, for she was wishing him to be weaker instead of stronger.

"No." Mikasa couldn't wallow in her despair any further.

Deterring her dark thoughts, Mikasa reached a hand for a brown bag hung to her side. Mikasa had been given a small leather purse of coins by Mrs. Jaeger to buy whatever either Mika, herself, or Eren needed, such as food for the trip around Shiganshina to familiarize Mika and her to it.

Mika pursed his lips in embarrassment at having been noticed and made various disgruntled noises before silently directing a finger toward a stand emitting huge puffs of smoke from a grill laden with skewered meats. Mikasa checked the purse. The coins in it were heavy and golden... did doctors get paid that well? Mikasa barely remembered Dr. Jaeger mentioning serving wealthy nobles within Sina.

Mikasa turned toward Eren and called out to him, "Eren."

He turned around with a confused expression, "What, Mikasa?"

"Mika wants skewered meat, can we have a few minutes?" she asked him.

"Uh, sure?" he replied. "Though I'm not hungry, so you don't have to get some for me."

Mikasa was going to buy him some skewers anyway. It was the least she could do for Eren with the money given to her.

"Mika," she called for her younger brother, who then turned to her, "Come on."

Mikasa could see the embarrassment rising in Mika as he soon followed her quietly, discreetly gripping the hem of his brown shirt with pursed lips and furrowed brows. Mikasa turned toward the stand, where there was a small line that – fortunately – soon dissipated as people bought their skewers and promptly departed, allowing Mikasa and Mika to step up to the stand unobstructed.

"Hm?" operating the stand was a kindly-looking old man with a balding pate and greying hair, dressed in a butcher's outfit. "Whaddya want, lassy?" the asked with an accent, placing his forearm on the stand's table near the grill.

Mikasa turned toward her younger brother and asked, "How many skewers do you want, Mika?"

He remained silent for a few seconds before meekly replying, "Three," with a veiled expression and tone tone of apprehension.

Mikasa was bewildered by Mika's tone, but kept her thoughts to herself as she returned to face the old man behind the stand, "Three sticks of skewered meat, Sir." Her Papa told her to refer to stranger's as either "Sir" or "Ma'am" whenever conversing.

"Alrighty, lass," the old man went over to the grill, grabbed the lid and opened, causing a huge puff of smoke to escape as the fire crackled and roared. The man took a pair of tongs from behind his stall and scooped six sticks of skewered meat into a brown paper bag that soaked in the juicy fats of the sticks. "Here ya go, lass, six skewers. It'll cost ya about forty coppers."

Mikasa shoved her hand inside the purse and rifled through it, feeling the amount of coins within it. She opened the purse wider to see, "Not enough copper coins..." she mumbled before she remembered: the gold coins. "Will these do?" Mikasa asked, displaying a single golden coin for the old man to see.

The old man raised a brow and began furrowing them, he then spontaneously turned toward Eren before turning back to face Mikasa, "Ya with the boy?" the old man abruptly inquired.

"Huh?"

"I asked ya: ya with the boy?" he shrugged his head toward Eren, which ramped up Mikasa's caution toward the man.

"Why is the old man asking about Eren?" Mikasa pondered before apprehensively answering, "Yes..." with a severe expression which replaced her stony one.

"Well why didn't ya say so?" he perked up and exclaimed, flabbergasted, "Ya gimme the golden coin and scurry on with the boy now. No extra costs, unlike my other customers. Hehehe," he smiled cheerfully, which caught Mikasa off guard; stupefying her.

Mikasa was even more confused now. How was Eren related to the old man, and what did he mean about "extra costs"? Did... did he charge more than what the skewers were truly worth?

"I see that look a confusion on ya, lass," he remarked with a grin before inching himself closer to Mikasa from behind the stand, "Ya see, lass, that boy over there – as you probably know if yer walkin' with 'im – is the son of Dr. Jaeger. Man saved Shiganshina from a plague a few years back — saved me daughter too. So, whenever I can, I like ta give discounts to whoever's friends with Dr. Jaeger's boy or his wife, Carla – who's friends with me wife – as a way of repaying the good doc."

"A plague in Shiganshina?" Mikasa asked.

"A tale for another time, lass. You best be goin' now, a line's formin' soon," the old man shooed her away with a lazy motion of his hand.

Mikasa, confused, turned around and returned to Mika, who bore an impassive expression on his change throughout the entire event, as far as she could tell. Mikasa handed Mika the brown paper bag. Mikasa could see his brows twitch slightly and his mouth erratically quiver barely apart like he wished to say something but refrained from it.

With not so much as a say of gratitude – Mikasa didn't really care about earning his verbal gratitude, helping him was enough – Mika walked toward Eren unhurriedly, with Mikasa following him in suit.

Eren was sat against a wall, staring absently into the sky as birds flew over. Mikasa opened her palm to the sky as a single white feather floated down onto it. Having noticed Mikasa and Mika, Eren perked up and asked, "Are you two done?" before standing straight and brushing himself off haphazardly.

Mikasa dropped the feather without so much as a glance before answering, "We're done, Eren. I also got you some skewers."

Eren made an annoyed expression, which made Mikasa distressed. She racked her mind to think quickly of a way to placate Eren, of a way to atone for her mistake...

"Ugh," he groaned, "It's fine. I guess we'll just give the other skewers to Armin."

"Eh?" had she shown her distress? Mikasa felt her face with her hands: she had.

The rest of the walk to the house of Eren's friend, Armin, was silent, with the intermittent ruffling of a paper bag as Mikasa mulled over her actions. She contemplated on her decision to buy Eren some skewers, and the brief anger it prompted from him. It made her feel terrible to see him angry at her... Mikasa felt a gnawing sensation inside as she continued to ponder in tumultuous silence.

Eventually, Mikasa, Mika, and Eren came to an unusual sight across the descending walkway, one that caused Eren to flare up in anger and abruptly charge.

"Eren!?" Mikasa exclaimed as Eren sprinted off toward a trio of kids – a tall blond with jutting hair, a fat one with short brown hair, and the last with slick-back grey hair – looming over one blond... boy? Or were they a girl? The trio loomed over the blond with their back against the wall. Mikasa turned to Mika, who was unperturbed by the events and chewing on his last skewer, before telling him, "Stay here," and sprinting off to Eren.

Mikasa watched with unusual clarity as Eren suddenly tackled the fat one to the ground, with his other friends surprised by Eren's presence. They turned to Eren, startled with eyes wide open.

"What!? When'd he get here!?" the blond boy exclaimed in anger before throwing a fist at Eren.

Eren took the hit to his jaw but remained undaunted as he began and continued to pummel the boy he had tackled. The grey-haired one went to grab Eren, and that was when Mikasa made her move. She kicked the gray-haired boy in the back of the head, sending him rolling across the dry dirt path.

"You-you!" the blond tried to formulate some manner of insult to hurl at Mikasa, but he was cut short by Eren abruptly grabbing his collar before throwing him onto the ground with a loud thud. "Agh!"

"Stay down, bastard!" Eren shouted before he was grabbed from behind by the fat one he had been pummeling prior. "Let go, bastard!" Eren shouted as he kicked his legs wildly.

Mikasa went to dash to Eren's aid, but was stopped when the blonde gripped her wrist tight and screamed at her, "You bitch!" Mikasa, calm as ever, briefly wondered what the word meant and in what manner it was insulting, before catching the boy's wild fist and returning with her own, which cracked his noise into a painful angle. "Gyah!" he screamed as he cupped his bleeding nose before Mikasa kicked him away into an alley.

Now unoccupied, Mikasa attempted to aid Eren again, but was again stopped, though this time by the gray-haired one, who gripped his dirty hands on her black hair and pulled. It caused Mikasa to yelp in pain and kick her legs back at the boy. She felt a hit connect, but the grip on her hair tightened further in response. She repeatedly kicked until the boy then decided to hit her on the back of her head. It hurt, a lot, and dazed her too. Mikasa's eyes blinked rapidly before she fell onto the ground on her back.

"You're gonna pay for breaking his nose, girly!" he went to punch Mikasa, dazed on the ground, but was stopped by a hand pulling back at his jaw and another holding his fist by the wrist.

It was Mika, donned with a his usual scowl, though greater in its intensity. "I told him to stay..." Mika hurled the gray-haired boy aside effortlessly into a wall before throwing his entire body into a punch against the gray-haired boy's stomach, which caused them to vomit whatever food they had previously dined on before collapsing onto the ground unconscious.

Mika turned to her before he extended an arm to Mikasa, as his expression returned to a tired, neutral stare. "Come on," he said while giving Mikasa his open hand, which she feebly took before he pulled her up.

Behind Mika, Mikasa saw Eren do much the same for the blond against the wall. "You alright, Armin?" Eren asked the blond who refused his hand and stood on their own.

"I-I'm fine, Eren," the blond, Armin, spoke with an effeminate voice and soft demeanor befitting their appearance.

"You're not fine, Armin! You were bullied by them again!" Eren retorted, pointing toward the trio on the ground.

"I'm fine, really, Eren! Besides, they would have left by themselves after they've had their fun... You just got yourself in more trouble by intercepting them; breaking one of their noses will get your parents in more trouble than it's worth!" Eren's friend, Armin, shouted back.

"So what!? I'm meant to stand by and do nothing!? If I do that, then that'll mean I'm no different from all the other folk who are content with living like cattle!" Eren retorted with greater heat and pure fervor.

Armin tried to retort but simply cast his head down in sullen silence. Seeing Armin's reaction, Eren's anger swiftly dissipated, replaced by a face of confliction as he then scratched his ear.

"Uh, sorry about that, Armin," Eren apologized meekly, "Really. Sorry about that."

Armin turned their head up to face Eren and smiled weakly, "It's fine, Eren, I get how passionate you are about this."

Eren reached a hand out for Armin, which Armin accepted. "Come on, I want to introduce you to Mikasa and Mika." Eren and Armin then turned to her and Mika. "Mikasa, Mika, this is Armin, my best friend. He may be a weakling—"

"I'm not that weak," Armin interrupted with a pouting expression.

"—But he's the smartest guy I know, besides my Dad," Eren finished with a small grin while patting Armin on the back.

"They're a boy?" Mika abruptly asked, which – for some reason – got a silent chortle from Mikasa due to the sheer bewilderment in his tone.

"I'm... I'm not that girly," Armin meekly rebuked before turning to Eren for affirmation, "Right, Eren?"

Eren had a comedic expression of conflict, his mouth turning up and down as he was deciding on whether he should agree with Armin or not. It caused a faint smile to creep onto Mikasa's face.

Mikasa briefly turned to glance at Mika: he was stone-faced. Mikasa turned back to the debacle of Armin's feminine appearance.

"Right... Eren?" Armin asked, pleadingly.

Eren opened his mouth, "Eeeehhh... you are kinda girly, Armin. I'm not gonna lie," was Eren's belated answer.

In shock, Armin replied with his effeminate voice in playful anger, "Traitor!" and began to feebly punch at Eren's side, which caused Eren to laugh and grin.

The first expression she saw from Eren was anger and then worry while he was saving her, to see him so happy and laughing was a stark contrast to the Eren that had saved her.

"Excuse me," Mika interrupted Armin and Eren's friendly spat, "But should we not move to a more appropriate location? I find the unconscious forms of bullies surrounding us not befitting your current activity. And I would rather we not be caught by guards in this precarious locale."

It was then that Eren and Armin regained perception of the three bullies on the ground unconscious, with one unconscious inside an alleyway and bleeding from their broken nose. Eren sheepishly scratched his ear and turned to Armin, "Yeah, we probably should," he concurred before facing Mika, "Come on, I have a spot near the boats that Armin and I usually hang out at."

—ATTACK ON TITAN—

—WARFRAME—

Beyond the walls of Maria, beyond its outer districts, on the untamed lands were Titans roamed, two individuals rode on horseback through a loud, terrible storm that blotted out the sun with its hail of rain. The gallop of their horses splashed the forming pools water and hurled the wetting soil around.

"Shit, where's the recruit, Adele!?" a man dark-haired with a kempt beard, dressed in a brown uniform and a green cloak embroidered with an emblem of two wings, shouted to his compatriot of similar uniform – though sporting slick-back blond hair – his voice barely overpowering the loud rattling of his gear and the galloping of his horse.

"I don't know, Adalbert!" his compatriot, Adele, shouted with a rough and vaguely feminine voice. "I think they got lost in the storm!" Adele furthered, glancing back to see nothing as mist began to build.

"Shit! I promised Deputy Commander Smith to keep them close, Walls damnit!" Adalbert cursed before pounding the bottom of his fist against his right sheath.

"No time to wallow, Adalbert! Focus on getting back in formation, we'll get left behind the walls otherwise!" Adele returned, attempting to placate Adalbert's failure to keep a promise toward his commander and friend. "Besides, I don't think Deputy Commander Smith would be too miffed about losing just one recruit! You know how stoic he is!"

"Yeah! You're right! It's best we focus on getting back!" and so, Adalbert and Adele continued their blind gallop beyond the walls.

Their eyes darted around in search of any wandering Titans — the storm made them unable to fully tell whether it was day or night, but they presumed it day, though remained caution if it wasn't.

"Can't see crap!" Adalbert exclaimed as a heavy splash of water struck him and his horse, "Never been in a storm this intense before!"

"Stick with me, Adalbert! Follow my voice!" Adele loudly advised.

Adalbert shifted his eyes around rapidly as the faint trembling of earth creeped up his horse and onto his legs. Adalbert's eyes widened in shock before he shouted to Adele, "Titan!"

Adele turned to him, flabbergasted, before her face turned stern and she shouted back, "We can't fight it in this weather! Go to the giant trees to our left, we'll wait it out till night!"

"But we'll get left behind!" he retorted. Adalbert had heard stories of what occurred to Scouts left behind in Titan lands from friends and fellow Scouts whilst in the mess hall — of how they never returned and not even a scrap of their uniform could be retrieved.

"Deal with it, soldier!" his commanding officer barked back — his sister from another mother. She bore a conflicted expression due to having shouted at him, "I get you don't want that, Adalbert! To be left behind, again! But it's the best way to survive with what little supplies we have! So please, just follow me!"

Adalbert furrowed his brows. His gut told him that this would be his last day in the world before he would be slipping down the throat of a Titan or torn to pieces. So, with grit teeth, Adalbert replied angrily, "Fine! I'll follow you, Adele!"

"Good! Now come on!" and with that, Adele, with Adalbert following close behind, galloped toward the giant trees.

They could hear the rumbling steps of the Titan behind them inch closer and closer. It made Adalbert's guts twist and turn as they neared closer, but he steeled his nerves with trembling fury as he pressed his horse, Salieri, on.

"Adalbert, leave your horse and grapple onto one of the branches, quick!" Adele shouted. She swiftly dismounted her steed and leaped into the air before then activating the grapple hooks on her waist that shot out a loose set of metal wire, which then turned taut and brought her up with a loud whirr.

Adalbert rapidly followed suit, shooting the hooks of his maneuvering gear toward the gigantic branches before quickly ascending, just as when the Titan charged at him. "HEEEE!" Adalbert uttered a screech through bared teeth upon the Titan leaping toward him. Its face struck the tree bark and unfortunately crushed his horse, causing his prior fear to transform into grief, "Salieri!"

"Adalbert, don't!" Adele grabbed his shoulder as he attempted to charge back down and forcefully brought him up as the Titan slowly stood, the soil and blood of his horse dribbling and dropping off its gigantic mass. "Sorry about Salieri. He was, by far, the most loyal stallion I've ever met."

Adalbert sullenly replied, "Yeah..." as he gazed upon the Titan, which stared back at him with its eerie, disgusting, toothy grin, "I remember Salieri managing to trip a five meter by toppling a nearby tree..."

Adele donned a faint smirk as the rain pelted against her slick-back blond hair, "I remember that," she said as she patted her twin on the back, "I still don't get how he found out that that tree was about to topple, but he did..."

Adalbert chortled, "Saved Ness and Charrette from being Titan chump," he supplied further. With the death of his stallion, Salieri, Adalbert's memories of his companion resurfaced with unerring clarity.

Adalbert and Adele continued talking about all sorts of random trivia and past events. It was the only thing the could do to pass the time until night arrived. They talked about their encounter with Captain Levi, how Adalbert came to know Erwin Smith personally, and their friends in the Scout Regiment. The good, the bad, and the terrible, with bitter smile donned on their faces as they heard the Titan below them dig its crooked nails into the bark of their tree. Eventually, night came to pass, and the Titan fell asleep, the top of its head pressed against the tree.

Adalbert looked down, he could barely see anything. He turned to Adele, "Adele, wake up," he urged before placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her awake. "Adele!"

"I'm up... I'm up, Father..." Adele groggily responded before clarity set in. Adalbert briefly wondered what dream she had been through to respond with that. "Is it night?" she asked before turning to the sky. "No need to answer."

"Come on. I managed scrape off a pair of decent-sized bark off the tree to make a torch," he said before handing Adele a wide sheet of tree bark wrapped in white cloth. He then laid his torch on the ground before procuring a flint and stone. "I told you these would come in handy, Adele," he beamed with pride at his thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, yeah. Shove it up your ass," she bantered with a veiled smirk.

With a spark, the torch was set ablaze. He grabbed the wide handle and brought the torch to touch Adele's. The two were now cast in the fire's orange hue, and the darkness of night then truly set in.

"Let's get down," Adele said with a severe tone of voice. "If it isn't the Titans, then it'll be the wild animals, so be careful."

Adalbert nodded before grappling onto the gigantic branch. Slowly, he rappelled down, his breath bated and shallow as he tuned his ears to perceive whatever lurked within the darkness. He heard his breath, felt the cold breeze, and heard the chorus of chirping insects. The rustle of leaves, the blow of grass, and the snap of a twig— "Mm!?" he turned around rapidly, casting his torch in the general direction of the noise. He waved the flame around consistently, the ground colored orange in its hue. Suddenly, Adalbert felt something place a palm on his arm, startling him. He darted his head to whatever had grabbed him— it was Adele

"Adalbert, calm down," she whispered, "It's just a rabbit," she said and pointed toward a small ball of grey fur.

"Oh..." he exhaled anxiously before letting out a small chuckle, "Walls, that rabbit nearly gave me a heart attack," he wheezed.

"Stop worrying, Adalbert. The Titans are asleep at night. And, even if we did encounter some wolves or some other predator, we still have flares to scare them away and blades capable of cutting Titan skin," Adele placated, "We also have each other," she finished, raising her forearm to Adalbert.

"Yeah... you're right," he nodded before bumping his forearm against hers. "Adele and Adalbert against the Titan world, aye?"

"Aye," she nodded, smiling fondly before her face turned stern. "I'm gonna call out for Sitri now, be on alert."

Adalbert nodded and began to whistle for her steed, Sitri. Adalbert cast his torch around to see whether predator or mare approached. His ears soon heard the rustling of shrubs and lax steps. It wasn't Sitri.

"Something's coming our way, Adele," he intoned with narrowed brows, "And it isn't Sitri," he finished, slowly extracting his blade from its sheath. Following him, Adele unsheathed her ultrahard steel blade and directed it toward the source of the rustling.

Adele and Adalbert narrowed their eyes and focused their ears to the rhythmic dripping coming from behind the bushes. Sweat trickles down their foreheads as the rustling came closer. Eventually, a vaguely humanoid leg sprouted from the brush leisurely. Golden shimmered off the foreleg before the full, muscular and over two-meters tall figure slowly emerged from the bushes, glinting and glimmering golden with thin films of blue... something coming off it, accompanied by manic whispers and soft squealing. It was missing an arm and bore nine malevolent red lights. One on the forehead, two around the eyes, and six on the cheeks and faceplate. It was vaguely human, though noticeable not. It emitted steam from its back and the stump of its arm that dangled with veiled tendrils abruptly turned taut and reached out toward Adalbert and Adele with vigor, causing them to direct the tips of their blades at the figure.

"Adele..." he whispered, "Do you think we can take it...?"

Adele took in a shallow, fearful breath and quietly replied, "No..."

A pregnant silence consumed the air, rendering Adele and Adalbert still in terror as they eyed the stoic figure. Adalbert took in a large gulp as his grip quivered.

The figure then spontaneously moved an inch, causing Adele and Adalbert to take a reactionary step back. Then... "Rregre... am U?" it spoke. It spoke with a growly, male voice, deep in trill and methodical in speech.

"W... What?" Adele gawked as Adalbert remained silent in shock. It had spoken rather than make animalistic noises. This... "thing" had spoken an unknown language. Adele briefly glanced at Adalbert before turning back to face the... "thing."

It tilted its head before speaking again, though in the language Adele and Adalbert spoke, "Where... am I?"

Hesitantly, "We're outside the walls of Maria, Karanes District," Adele answered before anxiously gulping.

It turned its head up sideways, as if curiosity had visually struck it, "I see..." it spoke slowly and menacingly. "Karanes... my next destination."

It was then that Adele and Adalbert's eyes widened and a sense of duty overtook their fear. Their grips ceased to tremble as they directed the tips of their blades at the "thing."

"What are your intentions toward mankind?!" Adalbert shouted. Even though his sense of duty had overtaken his previous fear, he still slightly quaked. But he didn't sign up to be a Scout without being willing to give up his heart!

"Do you intend to slaughter mankind?!" Adele exclaimed after him.

The "thing" emitted a low chuckle, its body slightly shifting up and down in unison to it. Then, it took a heavy step forward, its spiked, toe-less foot digging slightly into the dirt. It then nodded, prompting Adele to charge at it with her blade, but the "thing" swatted her aside like nothing with the back of its golden left hand.

Adele was hurled into a tree, colliding harsh with the bark that it caused her to drop both her blade and the torch, which swiftly set the surrounding foliage ablaze. "Adele!" Adalbert called out to his bond-sister as she slowly got up from trembling feet, supported by her quaking arms. Adalbert then turned back to the "thing," only to see it a mere meter apart from him. "It's that fast!? I only glanced away for a second!"

"I advise you focus on yourself," it said before shooting its arm forward to grab Adalbert's neck, which he couldn't dodge.

The sheer force that came with being grabbed by its golden hand caused him to expel all air in his lungs and gasp loudly. With the orange hue of flames around him, Adalbert could see the mouthless, still faceplate of the "thing" before him. It held him in its grasp as he tried to struggle out of it. He wacked it with the edge of his blade, and a blue sheen appeared each time he struck the "thing," which was entirely unaffected by his strikes.

"Hm... impressive. You managed to rid eighty points of my shielding out of five hundred and fifty-five. Your weapon is primitive in forging from the faults my auditory senses can perceive, but the quality of material shall not go unpraised," it remarked, entirely ignoring Adalbert's attempts to break from from its vice grip that remained as tight as when it had gripped him. Then, abruptly, it reached for his weapon.

Thinking quickly, Adalbert replied, "If you like it so much, then have it!" before jamming the blade at its supposed eye. It remained unperturbed as the blade broke against its face instantaneously upon collision.

"Your inner flames... You two shall be sufficient material for Lohk," it spoke before throwing Adalbert's back against the ground, causing all air in him to abruptly exit. Its golden hand then coalesced with some blue light as the wisps of blue around it intensified.

"Get away from him!" Adele suddenly shouted from behind it as she came running before lunging into the air to strike.

Forcefully inhaling whatever air he could, Adalbert voiced out, "Adele, no! Run!" but he was too late, as the "thing's" sidestepped Adele grabbed her by the leg before slamming her down against the ground. Soon, Adalbert saw red begin to pool around her head.

It tilted its head in confusion, "Did I inadvertently kill her?" it asked itself, waiting for a few seconds as the pool of blood greatened in volume. It sighed before shrugging its shoulders, "Dead or alive, you still become pawns to Lohk."

"Adele..." distraught and stunned, he quaked as he watched his bond-sister, dead, get grabbed by the face by the "thing." Adalbert tried to stand but quickly fell, the air in his lungs having been twice forced out, but he kept on trying. He kept trying until he got onto his shaky knees — just in time to see his bond-sister's corpse be turned into something monstrous. "What... have you done to her!?"

It turned to him, "Oh? You remain able to stand...? No... you quake great and are soon to topple. A last stand of a dead man. Admirable," it remarked without mocking. Whether it was impressed by Adalbert's last stand was up in the air, for, despite its joyous tone, he could discern nothing from it. It was an utter void of emotion.

Adalbert gazed down at the monstrous thing that once was his bond-sister's carcass: it was lanky and metallic, in the vague shape of a bony wolf, with the surface pattern and sheen shifting unnaturally at frequent, intermittent intervals. The same blue wisps emitting from the "thing" flowed from the metallic wolf, which had a hollow head in the vague shape of a human's.

The "thing" hummed to itself before speaking, "I am presently feeling charitable, so I shall permit you thirty seconds to limp your way from here before she begins her first hunt," the "she" that it referred to was the transformed carcass of his bond-sister, which he stroked the head of.

Fear began to rise back up within him as he pondered his options... then, he made his decision. Adalbert turned his back to the "thing" and began to limp away in his haggard state, cursing his own cowardice as he tried with all his might to get at least a few meters away from it. Adalbert briefly turned to glance at the "thing" as it was stroking the monster's head. It had only been ten seconds.

The "thing" turned to Adalbert and – even though it possessed no facial features – smirked before it said, "Fetch," while pointing a golden finger at Adalbert.

The monster growled and echoed an unnatural howl before it began to charge toward Adalbert, hurling the dirt behind it with each powerful stomp forward.

Adalbert bared his teeth in fear as he hastened his limp, "HEEE!" he screeched in terror as the monster neared closer. "No, please! You promised me thirty seconds!"

It chortled, "I lied."

The monster lunged at Adalbert and began to dig its ghostly claws into his back, scooping out his flesh before beginning to gnaw on his spine. Adalbert screamed and howled as he attempted to remove the monster from his back, but it merely tore is arm off with its powerful jaw, causing Adalbert to scream even louder in pain. He felt it excavate his organs, intentionally avoiding the vital ones as it rapidly deconstructed him into nothing more than strips of flesh and gnawed bones. Adalbert gasped for air with his intact lungs, exposed to the environment.

"Ggu... ju...kill... me..." he begged with his weak voice as cold air touched his open flesh.

Adalbert looked toward the "thing" with barely lucid vision as he slowly and agonizingly died. It reached a hand, encased in blue light, toward him. And all that Adalbert could think before blackness came to him was, "I don't... want to... die."

—WARFRAME—

MAKYR: Been a while? I did a lot of things while writing this: I completed "Whispers In The Wall," which I found to be disappointing. My first thought after completion was "Saya's Vigil 1.5" due to how unimpressive it is and the fact that it's a glorified Faction introduction quest — like Saya's Vigil. I also tried the 60 Eyes Fragmented One and I don't like it. Ability Nullification? Damage Attenuation on the level of old Archons? Having to spend ten minutes harvesting 60 Eyes? No, no, and no. The Fragmented One isn't even as impressive as people make it out to be, it's a glorified Lich with different animations. Or an Archon without Invincibility spam — cough, Boreal, cough. Second thing I did was get Qorvex, base Hildryn for mastery and Helminth, Wisp Prime, Nautilus, Phantasma Prime, and a whole slew of Arcanes from dissolving my Acolyte Arcanes. I also managed to migrate from my PS4 to my PC — I hate the controls. It's entirely bias, but I find it difficult to get used to PC, but I'll continue trying, no matter how much it makes me want to punch a hole through my monitor.

MAKYR: Now, onto my thoughts about this chapter: I don't like this chapter. Its bloated, its directionless, and the writing is choppy. I don't like the intro with Mikazuki. It's too edgy. I tried to make something disturbing but it just comes out as edgy, like the last bit. I kinda like the interactions between Eren and Mikasa and Armin and Eren. I tried hard to portray their relationships accurately, which I believe I did. The stair scene with Mikasa and Eren was magnificent, the first ever bout of genuine skill from me. I had some trouble with the market stand scene, because nowhere is the currency of Paradis mentioned. I also had trouble with the last scene were they mention Erwin. I have no idea what his rank was prior to being commander, so I just looked up the Wiki and made him a Deputy Commander, which is just below Commander.

MAKYR: Should I timeskip to the fall or no? I can make my ideas Pre-fall Interludes and Side-Stories.

MAKYR: I'll probably edit this chapter later for any mistakes. And someday, I may rewrite this entire Fanfic, because I know I can do better than what garbage I'm putting out. Anyway, I'm gonna go grind Steel Path Fragmented One for Arcanes.

MAKYR: By the way, I intend on purchasing a Warframe pack, since its cheaper on PC compared to PS4 — 15 Regal Aya costs like 2700 Baht on PS4, compared to PC were its 1049 Baht. Everything's cheaper on PC. Should I buy the Zenith Heirloom Pack before its gone, or should I buy the 15 Regal Aya? Because, with Regal Aya, I get more Warframes, which means more characters for fics, but with Zenith Heirloom, I get two Warframe skins that I can transform into "Grandmaster" type recurring characters for different fics. I'll probably choose 15 Regal Aya, but I'd like to hear what you've got to say.