Stohess District

"So that's what happened to me," Sasha says as she tries holding herself up on a piece of wood while Historia walks with her to the nearest stable. Despite calling escaping Stohess 'suicide', Historia determined time is of the essence. Sasha managed to argue her way into joining the young blonde, saying that she would eventually find a way to leave, with or without her.

"Yeah. You somehow recovered, be it the grace of the heavens or your stubbornness to continue eating. But I'm glad you are back."

"...Did Elijah...really save that girl?" Historia nods. "But...why?"

The Queen shrugs. "Does it really surprise you?"

Sasha couldn't help but let out a small laugh, despite the slight pain from her wound. "No...it doesn't. But, will she be okay? Leaving her all alone?"

"Yes. I've ordered my personal guards to watch her at all times, in case any of those from the 'Jaegerist' faction decide to... Hold." Historia leans her back against the stable door, looking underneath her green hood inside. Beside her, Sasha's excellent sense of hearing picks up voices from inside.

"You're smarter than I thought, Hitch."

"Shut up. If you're saying you want to leave town, why should I say no to that? Most of all, it means no more shifts having to stare at your face down in the basement."

"Glad to hear. Finally, I get to stop having to listen to all your stupid complaints about men."

"Huh? Why do you know about… No, were you...conscious the whole time for over four years?"

"Four years… It was like a dim dream… Just hearing your voice and Armin's from afar...other than that, though, it was all the same. In darkness. So… I had a decent idea of what was going on outside, thanks to you two. And then, I suddenly found myself thrown back out as I heard Eren's voice… Was he serious when he said...he's going to destroy the world?"

"Annie," Historia says as she walks into the stable. Dropping her hood, she reveals herself to the somehow uncrystallized Annie Leonhart and her companion, Hitch Dreyse. Surprised, Annie holds her hand out, a ring with a very sharp point shining in the sunset. Historia, however, holds a hand up calmly. "No need to feel alarmed. We cannot fight you if we tried."

"We?"

"Hey, Annie." Sasha brings herself inside, waving to their classmate and former ally. "Had a feeling that was your voice. You look the same."

Annie bites her lip and lowers her guard. "You two haven't changed much. A queen with a new name and a dead girl walking."

Historia turns away and goes to prepare a horse for her and Sasha. "Hitch, is everything as bad as it looks?"

The Military Police officer scoffs. "Worse than how you meant it. But Your Majesty, what are you doing here? With the traitors about, you are supposed to be-"

"I was visiting Sasha and the Warrior girl. As for this Jaegerist faction, if they wanted to harm me, they would've. Eren knew where I was." Bringing the horse out, Historia helps Sasha up. "But that's no longer our concern. There was a battle in Shiganshina, which is where I last heard the Jaegerists and the military were held up. You're more than welcome to join us, Annie."

Annie looks up to the walking Wall Titans that still surround the town in amazement. "It's true. The Wall Titans…"

"You should look down at their wake, too." At Hitch's behest, the other three girls glance down at the city of Stohess along the path. Sasha and Historia weren't here four years ago, when Annie, Eren, and the Scouts had their showdown, but to Hitch and Annie, it is a vaguely familiar scene, but with more destruction. "The only meaningful job I've had as a soldier has been cleaning up corpses and rubble. In your aftermath, and now Eren's. So, will you tell me now? Now that you can see all the bodies trampled for the sake of your big, important plan? How do you feel?"

Annie sighs and looks to the ground. "Well… You asked me all those times, so… I thought about it, about how little we thought. We were praised for killing people. We were taught that once we were beyond our borders, we could kill combatants and civilians alike. We were atoning for our deeds as Eldians and on a mission to save the world, so anything was justified."

"Armin told me about your situation. Basically, you wanted to stop that, right? In other words, your pile of corpses were a necessary sacrifice?"

"No… I didn't care one bit about that 'saving the world' stuff."

"Annie," Historia says softly as Annie's face becomes one of inner turmoil..

"I didn't care...about any of it. I...was abandoned by my parents not long after I was born. They say my blood test showed my mother had been having an affair with an Eldian or something. So I was taken into the internment zone by a man of Eldian blood who'd come from another country. Apparently, they put him there for a similar reason. His goal was to train me into a Marleyan warrior so that he could make his own life better. For as long as I can remember, he was always beating the martial arts techniques of his motherland into me. The only value I had to him was in whether or not I could become a warrior. Time passed...and I grew strong, just like he wanted. So I paid him back for all the pain he'd shown me until that point. I made it so he'd never be able to walk straight again...but he was happy. 'Now you can kill your enemies, even unarmed,' he said."

Hitch groans. "What is this, your life story?"

"I had to hear you talk for four years straight, the least you could do is hear me out for a little while… And so, it all stopped mattering to me. Who people were, where they came from, whether they lived or died. I couldn't find any value in life, including my own. Yes, until then, that is. It was...the morning we were to head off to the island for the plan to retake the Founder. The man...dropped to his knees and apologized to me. He told me...that everything he had taught me had been wrong. He cried and pleaded. He wanted me to come back… My status as a warrior, our title as honorary Marleyans, he said that none of it mattered, so long as I returned. That man...was my father. He saw me...as his own daughter. I...have a father waiting for me. And others...have people just as important to them, too. I used to not care about anything, but it's different now. I think I've committed irredeemable sins, but...if it meant returning to my father, I'd do it all over again."

Hitch bows her head. "I see. Thank you for telling me that. But… Even if you do return to him… I think you'll find nothing but rubble and corpses."

"Yeah… So, do I call you Christa or Historia?"

Historia lets a smile flash at the mention of her old name. "Preferably Historia."

Annie nods. "Armin says you killed your father after he became a Titan. Can't say I saw you ever becoming someone not attached to Ymir's side like the annoying do-gooder you were."

"And I never thought you were intelligent enough to speak more than three words in a day, but here we are."

Sasha, leaning on Historia's back, doesn't get that her former classmates are teasing each other. "Hey, guys, don't fight."

"What's that, Potato Girl? Not used to hearing you say anything without something stuffed in your mouth." Annie smirks slightly as Sasha sighs at the long-lasting nickname for her.

"...I liked you better when you were crystallized...and speaking of such, when do we eat?"

Elijah...Shiganshina District...

"Elijah, wait!" Mikasa says as I prepare myself for travel. "You and Armin can't catch up to Connie if you set off for Ragako now. And, even if you did, then what? Would you tell him to give up on turning his mom back into a human?"

"Maybe I should." I immediately hate how I said that instantly. "This is why I'm bringing Armin with me, he's way better with putting words together than me. But I need to go too. Gabi...needs to trust me. With Pieck still in hiding and Reiner recovering where he is, she is the difference between us and them getting along and not fighting. For nine years...I've been pissed off. For four, I thought he'd kill himself already... But I can't continue this meaningless rage with him and myself. Two thousand years of war between our people and the world has to come to an end. So we'll tell Connie that it's better that his mom remains a Titan that can't move...or I'll kill her myself." I stand up and turn my back to Mikasa. "Let's go, Armin."

"Elijah," Mikasa softly calls, "...What should I do?"

"...Help Jean. Think for yourself for once, Mikasa."

"What about Eren?"

Growling, I pivot my heel and turn to her. "I don't know, Mikasa! What the hell are we supposed to do?! Hange and Levi could be dead for all we know! Floch and his sheep could point their guns at us at any moment! Sasha and Historia, hell, even Annie and that other Warrior candidate could be in danger right now! The Volunteers and the Azumabito are in danger! The chain of command is in chaos! And I'm a nineteen-year-old kid who's supposed to lead us right now! Eren is the least of my fucking worries, Mikasa! Do you understand that?!"

Taken aback by my outburst, Mikasa drops her head. "...I'm sorry."

Seeing that I unintentionally hurt her, I reach out and take her in my arms. "No...I'm sorry." I run my hand through her short hair, missing the longer length, she really was much prettier with it. But I don't regret what I said, only how I said it. It's true, there's so much to think about that somehow the end of the outside world is the least of it.

"If Commander Erwin was here, he wouldn't have snapped at you like that." Letting go of Mikasa, I see Armin with his head now low. "I know the answer now. I was the wrong person to bring back to life."

I hold his shoulder firmly, but I don't look him in the eye. "...I really wish you'd stop saying that."

"Even though it's for his mother, I reckon Connie will hesitate and think twice about sacrificing a kid's life. You'll make it in time."

"Thank you, Mr. Braus."

"I'll be staying with the Brauses for now."

I nod as I turn to Nicolo. "Thank you. You all need to hurry and leave this place."

"Right...what about Sasha? Do you think..."

I turn my head to the Braus family, seeing Gabi and Kaya hug each other as they drop the animosity between them. I climb aboard my horse, knowing that the old boy is tired of lugging me around for the past four years. "I hope she's alright. Knowing her, she's probably dreaming of an endless feast of meat and potatoes while the world ends." I turn my attention to the fort, not at all comfortable leaving that motherfucker Floch here, but I trust Jean and Mikasa to keep that son of a bitch in line. "Mikasa."

She looks to me...worryingly with the look in my eye. "Yes?"

"...If push comes to shove, you know what to do."

"What do you...? ...Oh."

I nod, knowing my order is messed up, but it might have to be done. "Gabi, let's go." She lets go of Kaya and hops on my horse. With a nod to the Braus family, Gabi, Armin, and I rush off.

Jean

"Stop, Floch! Don't shoot him!"

Floch turns away from the Volunteer with a newly missing finger to Jean, shrugging his shoulders. "Relax, Jean. I'm helping him understand. He couldn't grasp the situation, but I think he does now. Now everyone knows what happens if you decide to mouth off."

Jean grits his teeth. This bastard... "Hey! Who elected you to act like king of this place?!"

"I'm glad you asked, Jean. Listen up, everyone! Ten months ago, Eren told me his plan: His plan to use Zeke and gain control of the Founder! I gathered comrades, aided Eren, and today, his plan was fulfilled! You Volunteers lost both your leader and the military who had your backs! And soon, you'll lose your homelands! They'll be reduced to giant footprints! You lost the reason you came here, the dream of reviving your homelands! Even so, if there are any among you who will aid our Eldian Empire, speak up! We will welcome you as fellow Eldians!"

"Screw you asshole! I'll be dead before I bow-"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Pay your respects!" Jean watched helplessly as the injured man was shot in the head. Acting like he just didn't murder a man in cold blood, Floch continues speaking. "His pride as a Volunteer wouldn't let him live in submission. But is pride worth dying for? What's so wrong with submission? Isn't it much better than dying like this?" He stares at the silent Volunteers and shrugs. "Take some time to think. Lock 'em up."

"What the...? Jean, what happened here?!"

On his knees, Jean looks up to the newly arrived and horrified Mikasa, he doesn't have an answer for her, for anything that Floch is doing.

"To answer your question," Floch says as he turns his attention to her, "I act on Eren's behalf. If Eren is solving the problems outside the island, I'll wipe out the resentment within it. Anyway, after surviving through that hell four years ago, it's finally in our grasp. Do you know what it is?"

"..."

"..."

"Freedom. You don't have to fight anymore. You can live as you please. Jean, didn't you want a comfy life in the interior as an MP? Go live it. You're one of our heroes."

Jean stares at the hand on his shoulder. "Is it...over?"

"It's over, so go back to being the old Jean: That annoying, irresponsible, cheeky bastard."

"...What did you just call me?"

"Floch," Mikasa speaks up, her fists slightly shaking. "what happened to Captain Levi and Commander Hange?"

"Ah..." Floch stands up and sighs. "Unfortunately, they were killed by Zeke."

Pieck and Magath

"Judging by their course and speed, those airships are heading back to Marley. They probably saw the Rumbling and left the rest of us for dead."

"No," Magath says. "it's the right call. They'll be able to inform our motherland faster. It's better than waiting to get crushed."

"But still..." Pieck, partially attached to her Cart Titan, speaks hopelessly, "At this rate, there's nothing we can do. Is there any way to stop it now?"

"...No. But either way, we'll fight to the bitter end-"

"Um...!" Pieck and Magath turn around and immediately use the Cart Titan and a pistol to threaten an approaching woman with reddish-brown hair, an eyepatch, and a green cloak who throws her hands up. "Hold up! Could you not eat me just yet? I'm completely unarmed. Oh? That guy over there? Don't worry. He's just a harmless fellow who refuses to die."

Falco and Connie

"Connie... I appreciate you helping me, but aren't we still going north?" The boy points to the setting sun. "See? Sunset is that way."

"It's fine. Puts us further from danger down south. I'm taking you to a hospital for your amnesia. I found you collapsed all by yourself, it's true. I'm a soldier, so it's natural to help out this much."

"That's right. I became a soldier."

"Connie! Become a splendid soldier who protects everyone!"

"Dad...Sunny...and Martin won't be coming back, but I can still bring back my Mom! just wait a little longer, Mom. I became a soldier, and now-"

"Thank you, Connie. You've really gone out of your way for me."

"...It's nothing." The boy continues riding forward to his home village.

"Thank goodness Connie's a nice person, but I really need to get back south. I remember up until meeting Colt and Gabi, but what happened after that? Plus..." Falco glances back at Connie as he rides in front. "I feel like I've seen Connie somewhere before. But if he doesn't recognize me, maybe I haven't."

Hange...Right Before the Rumbling

Careful not to stitch Levi's right eyelids together, Hange slowly sews the Lieutenant's wounds up. "Everyone got turned into Titans and only you survived. Probably for the same reason you're not dead yet, because you're an Ackerman. If this hadn't killed you, I know damn well she will when she sees you like this." Done with the stitches, Hange places the first-aid equipment away and sits on the blanket the unconscious Levi lays on with her hands on her head. So much has gone on...and so much more she doesn't have a clue about since.

"But what to do now? We can't stop Zeke anymore, so it's up to Elijah, Armin, or Commander Pyxis. Even supposing that Eren does betray Zeke, if the Jaegerists control the island with spinal fluid, we'll be fugitives for the rest of our lives. I don't even think they'll be safe either... Looks like my turn has come... Even if I thought I did the right thing. Times change and you end up in a cell. What do you say we live out here forever? Huh...Levi?"

"The Wall Titans...shall trample all surface of the land outside of this island."

"Until all lives existing there..."

"...have been exterminated from this world."

As the world returns to normal, Hange is frozen in place, shaken with fear and surprise. "That was...! No way...! Eren's gonna...?!"

"The Beast..."

Hange turns around, surprised to see Levi awake. "Levi!"

"Where did that shithead go?"

"Lie back down," Hange states as she lays Levi back down. "It's been half a day since Zeke and the Jaegerists left for Shiganshina... What happened?"

"I bitched it. He was fully prepared to die...and I didn't see it." Levi raises his right hand, looking at the fact that his index and middle finger are gone. "He got away again."

Hange lowers her head. "That's unfortunate...but for now-"

"If we run and hide, what will be left?"

"Wha-? I guess you overheard me talking to myself."

Levi turns his head in the direction he found Hange initially. "What...are you building? You gonna pull me on that...with a horse?" Levi sighs as he faces Hange again. "There's no way in hell you can stay out of action."

She chuckles halfheartedly, but he's right. "Yeah, you're right...I can't."

Present

"My goal...is to kill Zeke. Looks like our interests align, Theo Magath...Pieck Finger."

Magath raised his pistol up, the barrel directed to the sky. "Levi Ackermann. It seems you can stand up to one of the Nine, but... How do you plan on dodging a bullet like that?"

"I can't dodge a bullet, but I've come before you in this sad state. Whether you shoot or listen is up to you."

"..." Magath lowers the gun. "Then I'll ask this first: You say you'll kill Zeke, but where is he now?"

Hange shrugs. "Zeke's probably being held by Eren to make use of his royal blood. No, by the Founding Titan."

"It seems the Titan expert Hange knows everything," Pieck comments. "even more than Marley. Have you seen the Founding Titan?"

"I know it's so humongous that it seems like nothing can be done, so... We've got no other choice. We've got to put our powers together."

Elijah

As night falls, Armin, Gabi, and I continue our pursuit. With Ragako Village between Wall Rose and Wall Sina...well, what used to be those walls, we take a detour along the western side of Trost and head directly for the wild. Thankfully, there's a gap between Sina and Rose's wall Titans, but unfortunately, their footsteps can be heard even out of sight. It's not as loud as it was in Shiganshina, so the three of us can get some sleep.

if I know Connie, he's not going to ride through the night and exhaust himself. There's a good chance Falco has woken up by now, considering it only took a few hours for Armin and Eren to wake themselves up when they first came out of their Titans. So we call it a night in the plains, tying our horses to the nearby trees and making camp. I think an hour or so has passed since we've done all that and eaten, so I close my eyes to the sound of unnatural footsteps of angry, vengeful Titans. How they stood up for a hundred or so years...I'll never know.

"...Elijah?"

Opening my eyes, I look in Gabi's direction, the girl curled up in my Scout cloak. "What?" I answer, mostly wanting to hear something other than the Rumbling.

"...Back then...Eren said that...Reiner did something to you... What was it?"

"..." I knew this would eventually come. Looking away from her to the fire, I decided that the best answer was the complete one. After all we've been through for the last day or more, she deserves the truth. "...Nine years ago, your cousin, Bertholdt, and Annie broke through Wall Maria, it was the Armored Titan that broke through the inner gate. I was inside the walls when it all started, that's because I was the one who ran to our local markets for my family. I lived outside the walls, that's how I got to my parents while running for my life. But...a large piece of the wall from Reiner demolishing the inner gate...killed my parents... That day, I swore to join the military and eventually the Scout Regiment and kill the Armored Titan. But I had no idea it was Reiner at the time."

Gabi lowers her head. "Oh... So there was a time you were...friends?"

I nod. "I considered him my brother, not like the sleeping blonde over there, but close enough. For three years, we trained together. When I first met him, he and Bertholdt took me, Armin, and Eren out into the woods at night, and we learned what each of us wanted to do. Eren, believe it or not, just wanted to kill every last Titan, Armin wanted to see the sea, but those two...they just wanted to return to their hometown. I thought it was the village they said they were from, southeast of Wall Maria in the mountains, but... Anyway, I always thought of him as a dependable guy, an inspiration to all of us training at the time. He even ranked number two in our class, right under Mikasa."

"...Where did you rank?"

"Does it matter?"

"...No, but what was it?"

"...I was number seven. Even though I was in the top ten, I hadn't come into who I am, but apparently, my instructor saw my potential, even if I didn't. That didn't happen until...The Battle of Trost... Bertholdt broke the city's gate and the Titans flooded in. Some of us cadets were already on top of the wall, so we did what we could until the main forces were mobilized. But...skipping all of that, those who survived, only a few of us joined the Scouts. Everyone in my inner group besides Annie, including Reiner and Bertholdt."

Gabi sees my sorrowful expression. "What...happened in Trost?"

"...Everything. Eren first transformed into the Attack Titan...we beat the Titans for the first time in our history...my best friend was eaten alive by an Abnormal...the girl I cared about...died in my arms after I cut her out of the stomach of a Titan. It all really started that day."

"...You weren't with Sasha?"

"...No. I never saw my real feelings for her until after we captured Annie in Stohess. In the aftermath of our battle with her, we saw a Wall Titan for the first time. That's also when Zeke turned the people of Ragako Village into Titans, but since we didn't know of Zeke or his spinal fluid at the time, be believed the Titans somehow breached Wall Rose again but outside of Trost. Sasha and I were helping evacuate villagers. While I evacuated nearby villages, she went to her own. That's where she saved Kaya, and I saved her. While I escorted her and her father outside the village, that's when I realized how much...I needed her. After that...that's when Reiner and Bertholdt revealed themselves. They kidnapped Eren and the former Jaw Titan who was...well, I thought of her as my friend. We managed to get Eren back, but Ymir, who was said friend, she went with your cousin and Bertholdt willingly...that was the last time I ever saw her... I almost died that day, too."

"...How?"

"I gave my friends time to escape from the Titan horde that was coming for us. After using most of my gas and blades, one Titan grabbed a hold of me...but I used my sword to cut its hand and fell into its mouth whole. I was in there for...I don't even know how long. So with the blades I had left in my scabbard, I started to cut through the Titan's nape from the inside, eventually having to resort to using my hands to claw my way out."

"...That's...amazing," Gabi says sincerely, but her face soon turns back into worry. "Eren called you...a 'monster'...what did he mean?"

"..." Of all questions... "...After I recovered, the Scouts were being detained for holding Eren. It all was some convoluted scheme for the true royal family to get their hands on the Founder again. Eren and Historia, who all of us knew as Christa at the time, were kidnapped. After finding their hideout, we engaged with the Interior Police who were responsible for the kidnapping." I look back down at the fire. "...That's when...my superior officer got really hurt, I thought she was dead for a moment. So...I killed the one who was responsible."

"...You were just avenging your hurt comrade, that's not-"

"It's not what I did...it's how I killed her. I pierced her neck and chest with my blades and splattered her blood all over the ground...and it managed to get all over my face. That's not even what killed her, she... She choked on her own blood...and I watched the light fade from her eyes."

When I look back up, Gabi...doesn't look at me with horror, but with confusion. "If you killed that woman over that, then... Then...why didn't you...kill Reiner?"

"...I've been asking myself that same damn question for the last four years. That day...I had him at the end of my blade, and I was ready to end his life after learning what he truly stole from me." Seeing the girl's confusion, I continue. "It turns out that my mother was pregnant with her unborn child at the time of her death. I learned it from a letter my father sent to our Commander before the wall was destroyed. That...angered me more than ever."

"..."

"...But I couldn't do it. The last time I saw him, I told him that everything that he's done would slowly eat him alive...until he kills himself. I hated him for so long...and I wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt me."

"...But...if that's the case, why...did you spare him? Why...save me? Even after...I nearly killed Sasha."

"...Because of that 'worthless promise' Eren mentioned before. A long time ago, my Mom took me on our first hunting day together. That was the day I promised my Mother that I would always do what's right no matter where I go and what I do with my life. Not for myself, but for the people I meet." I look back to the fire. "I wanted Reiner dead for so long...and I wanted you dead after you shot Sasha. When I saw her seemingly lifeless body...I was reminded of the sorrow and grief I experienced in Trost and my hometown. My Mom...Dad...Thomas...Mina...and at that moment...Sasha. but after I heard her heartbeat...I was given that glimmer of hope. So as soon as we returned to Paradis, I took her and your friend to the best doctor I knew in Stohess. He called me crazy for bringing Sasha, but he heard her faint heartbeat too. Sasha's...'death', as I told everyone, put a lot of things in perspective for me. That grief...that pain...that suffering...that horror...it's exactly what you must've felt when we attacked your home, right?"

"..." Gabi nods, but I can tell that deep down she wants to cry, but...like me, she stays strong.

"...That's when I finally understood. I couldn't kill you because I already put you through the same pain I once felt. And I mostly blamed Eren and myself for what happened to her. I...hate the person this war is turning me into. I'm becoming the very thing I swore to destroy...but the thing I swore to destroy is only protecting their home from what they believed to be the spawn of hell. I'm...tired of war...tired of fighting...tired of revenge."

"...Oh."

"...But I don't blame you anymore for shooting Sasha. If I was in your shoes, I probably would've done the same. You saved Kaya's life, someone who I consider my...little sister. You made amends with Sasha's family, Mr. Braus has forgiven you...and so do I...even when you didn't need my forgiveness. And I'm sure she'll forgive you too." I chuckle at the thought that pops into my head.

"What is it?"

"...You kinda remind me of her. You're stubborn...but determined. Ruthless when you need to be...but you have a good heart. How's your appetite?"

Gabi looks at me, confused. "...I ate a lot of food before the attack on Liberio, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Hahaha... Damn, you even got an appetite." I look up to the night sky, sighing at the sound of the Rumbling. "I never wanted it to come to this. Yeah, we talked about killing our enemies...but...the entire world? There's no way in hell I'm accepting that."

"...Do you think...we can even stop him, Eren?"

I look back to the girl...not knowing the answer myself. "At this point...I don't know if he can stop himself..."