Attack on Titan: A New Path

by The Court of Talons

Ozma and Salem have been at war for millennia. The fight has taken many lives and taken many years. The champion of the Brother of Light has failed countless times to complete his task. Now, more than ever, Remnant needs a new protector. It needs a man who knows the cruelty of life. A man who doesn't falter in doing the unthinkable. A dark guardian. Remnant needs... Eren Yeager.

43. Chapter 43

"Instead of clearing his own heart, the zealot tries to clear the world."

Joseph Campbell

Chapter 43: Zealous Justice

Despite summer almost ending, it was a rather nice day in Mistral. The sun shined above the grasslands, and there was a hint of coolness in the warm air. It was a perfect day for everyone to be up and about, which was what five young people were doing.

Ren found himself leading Nora, Emerald, Mercury, and Vernal in a training exercise beyond the walls of Kuroyuri. It would normally be Eren who would lead them in such an exercise, but he and Cinder were absent today. Recent events had left Eren and his friends with the need to be ready for anything, so Eren asked Ren to lead their friends in training.

And that was exactly what Ren was doing.

"Okay, everyone," said Ren. "This is it."

"Are you ready, Em?" Nora asked her friend.

"Ready," Emerald said as she finished a stretch.

"Vernal?" Mercury asked as he turned to the girl by his side. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, babe," Vernal said to her boyfriend.

When he saw that everybody was ready, Ren took his father's knife in hand and pressed it against his palm. Everyone had their own method of turning into Titans. Some were unique, while Nora had borrowed her method from Eren. Nevertheless, everyone was ready to practice with their Titans.

"Ready..." Ren said as he began to draw blood from his body. "Go!"

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

The once quiet land had been shook with four explosions and clouds of steam. When that steam disappeared, four Titans stood out in the open and observed each other closely.

The Predator, Electro, and Flashstep Titans all looked the same as they did back in the Land of Darkness. That was one of the last times everyone had used their Titans in a while, so this exercise would be getting back into the use of them. They would familiarize themselves with their powers and potentially see what else they could do.

The latter plan mostly applied to Emerald, since she had more to discover about herself. She hadn't used her Titan since her experiment with Summer, and promised to be much more careful with it. Today, she would not only keep her promise of being careful, but also see what untapped potential her Titan had.

Despite not having a Titan, this would be a training day for Vernal as well. Just like she said to Summer, Vernal had worked with Eren to control her transformation when she was in the presence of Grimm. Now that she was surrounded by four Titans, Vernal could focus on turning into a specific Grimm on command.

"Okay, let's try something big," Vernal thought to herself as she felt the strain within her body. "But not too big. They gotta help me if I can't control it. So let's try... an Ursa!"

Vernal concentrated on an Ursa as hard as she could. The pain in her body was making it difficult, as were the sounds of giant footsteps around her. But Vernal gave all her focus and willpower on changing into an Ursa and nothing else.

And that was exactly what she did.

*ROAR*

Ren and his friends could see that the spot where they left Vernal had been taken by a newly formed Ursa. "Alright, Vernal!" Mercury said within his Titan. "That's a big Ursa!" Of course, the Ursa was nowhere near the size of a Titan. But it was still an impressive feat.

Mercury had his eyes trained on Vernal while she was in Grimm-form. So when she began to run away, Mercury decided to use his new speed to keep up with her.

*WHOOSH*

Not only did the Flashstep Titan catch up to Vernal, but it had also surpassed her. Mercury prided himself in his speed, seeing that nothing had changed since the last time he used it. His plan for today was to see if he could run even faster, but Mercury would always keep Vernal in his sights.

While Mercury was doing this, Nora decided to focus on a specific part of her electric powers. Back when Salem had unleashed a powerful King Taijitu, Nora tried to use ropes of electric to hold it back. But her lassos weren't very strong, so Nora decided to see if she could make them stronger.

And when Ren pointed to Emerald, Nora knew the Electro Titan had the perfect target.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

Nora had created two rope-like beams of lightning in her hands, which she threw directly at Emerald's arms. She had no intention of hurting Emerald, but Nora was following Ren's lead. They had talked about helping unlock Emerald's remaining powers, in a way that would be a trial by fire. By being attacked, Emerald would have no choice to but defend herself while trying to find her remaining powers.

If there were any to begin with.

With her arms now in Nora's grasp, Emerald resorted to kicking when she saw the Predator Titan lunge towards her.

*BAM*

*CRASH*

Ren was knocked back by the blow and he hit a few trees. He wasn't seriously hurt, it was just a scratch on his Titan. After he shook off the blow, Ren took comfort in knowing that physical contact with Emerald hadn't led to being sucked into somebody's mind.

Emerald took comfort in this as well. She knew that she was in full control of herself, and that she wouldn't be causing any more trouble like she inadvertently did. Now, all she could focus on was getting stronger.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

When Emerald felt electric shocks on her arms, she focused back on Nora. The Electro Titan was able to send more electricity through the ropes it made, and Nora was pulling on them to bring Emerald closer to her. Unlike last time, the whips weren't breaking easily. It seemed that additional electricity had made them stronger.

Emerald resisted the force Nora was putting into her ropes, and she refused to budge. So, Nora decided to simply strike Emerald with lightning. After she retracted her ropes, Nora used the whips to strike at Emerald's arms and torso.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

Emerald could feel every jolt that struck her. Dodging the whips was difficult in her large stature, so Emerald settled on blocking the strikes with her arms. She could still feel the electricity, but Emerald was able to prevent the whips from hitting anywhere else.

But that didn't satisfy her.

"Come on, come on!" Emerald said as she looked at her arms. "There's gotta be something I can do with this thing!" Emerald hadn't discovered anything new during this trial by fire, which disappointed her. However, she soon realized that she hadn't really been trying to use her powers. She was afraid of causing more harm at first, but Emerald now understood that she couldn't wait for them to unlock.

And so, Emerald focused as if she was using her Semblance. The ability to create illusions came with concentration, so Emerald knew that she had to focus in the same manner. She also thought about the mind, since her powers affected Hazel and Summer. Though she wondered if it would hurt Nora, Emerald knew she wouldn't know anything if she didn't try.

And because she did, a miracle occurred.

*WHOOSH*

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

Emerald heard Nora's whips make contact like they struck her Titan, but that wasn't the case this time. Instead of her body, Nora's whips were hitting a red wall right in front of her. It wasn't like a brick wall, it was almost like a Hard-Light shield. Emerald could see through the barrier, and she could see that Nora's whips couldn't hit her. Nora could see this as well, which caused her to stare at the barrier in amazement.

"Whoa..." Emerald thought to herself as she stared at the wall. "I... I did it."

*WHOOSH*

The wall soon disappeared after Emerald and Nora stared at it. Emerald soon realized that she would have to concentrate once more, and Ren gave her this opportunity when his eyes sparked lasers moving towards her.

*ZAP*

*WHOOSH*

Emerald moved her hands when saw Ren's lasers, and she was able to create yet another wall. She was able to block Ren's lasers, which Nora watched in awe.

"Wow!" she thought to herself. "Eren and Cinder are totally missing out! What else can Emerald do?"

Emerald was wondering the same thing herself. She decided to move her arms forward to see how far her barrier could go. And when she did, Emerald could see that it could go very far.

*WHOOSH*

*BAM*

With the smallest movement of her hands, Emerald's shield had flown away from her. It traveled at the same speed Nora's whips were traveling, and the barrier collided directly into Ren.

*BAM*

Emerald almost didn't believe her eyes. But she knew that she had managed to create and move a barrier with her Titan, a power that she didn't even know she had. Though she was using her hands to do so, Emerald couldn't help but feel that it wasn't exactly her arms that made the barrier. But instead, she had used her mind to perform the feat.

The barrier was almost... psionic.

Once again, Ren wasn't hurt from Emerald's form of defense. But now, he had decided to emerge from his Titan to witness his friend's abilities with his own eyes. The panic barriers, ones that could move on Emerald's command, were unlike anything he had ever seen before. It seemed that the trial by fire had paid off, and Emerald's Titan was starting to evolve.

Ren was very proud of Emerald, and he was sure Eren and Cinder would say the same.

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

Ren looked to his pocket when he felt it vibrating. He would normally ignore such distractions when it came to training or his daily meditation exercises, but Ren had a good reason to look at his Scroll.

Once he read a text from his mother, Ren knew that he was wise to pause his training.

"Hey, everybody!" Ren called out to his friends. "We should start heading back!"

Everyone had turned to Ren when he announced that their exercise was over. While they felt their training had ended rather early, they also had a feeling why Ren wanted to go back.

"Is it time?" Nora asked excitedly after she emerged from her Titan. "Is it time?!"

"It's time," Ren replied with a smile. "Mother says they'll be starting in ten minutes."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emerald asked as she also emerged from her Titan. "Let's go!"

*VROOM*

*VROOM*

The trio turned towards the sound of a car engine. As they did, they all saw a large all-terrain vehicle moving towards them at high speed. But rather than run them over, the vehicle turned and stopped directly in front of them while blowing dust and dirt towards them.

The window of the car lowered to reveal Mercury and Vernal, who smiled at their friends and prided themselves on their entrance.

"Way ahead of you," Mercury said with a cocky grin.

"Right," said Emerald, who brushed dirt off herself with Ren and Nora. "Thanks for nothing, Merc."

The car Mercury was driving was the same method he and his friends used to leave Kuroyuri in the first place. He had acquired it under special circumstances, after he helped his friends and the Mistral Police Force on a special mission.

After their fight with the Wave and the other criminal syndicates causing trouble in Mistral's outskirts, Mercury found two vehicles the Wave was using to transport themselves across the continent. They were Atlesian cars, special ones that were used to transport soldiers across any terrain. After a few incidents with bandits, mainly the Branwen Tribe, some of the vehicles were lost before they were taken to more secure locations. The Wave was fortunate to find some for themselves, just as Mercury was fortunate to swipe them for himself before the gang could escape.

It took a lot of strings to pull, but Mercury was able to take the vehicles back home with him, which led to a rather personal project of his. After losing the Dark Wing to Darkness, Mercury had longed to create another vehicle that he and his friends could use whenever the time called for it. Because of this, he was able to reverse engineer the two cars and conjoin them together to make a new and improved Dark Wing. Not only was it more spacious on the inside, but it now held more weapons and a stronger flight system that could reach a higher altitude than the previous Dark Wing could.

Everyone was proud of this achievement, especially Nora. Not just because of its new systems and capabilities, but Mercury had fulfilled his promise of including a proper bathroom. Given that Nora refused to enter the vehicle without one, Mercury was left with little choice but to make it his priority.

And so, the new Dark Wing had taken Mercury and his friends home. Once they did, Mercury took everyone to the Yeager household, where Carla, Dina, and An were all waiting in the living room.

"Did we miss it?!" Nora asked. "Did we miss it?!"

"Not yet," An replied to calm her adoptive daughter. "We still have a few more minutes."

Everyone took whatever empty seat they could find and stared directly at the TV. In a few minutes, after the commercials were over, everyone in Carla's house was about to watch a very special program. Not everyone on Remnant would call the program "groundbreaking," but Ren and his friends were very excited to watch it. People in Kuroyuri would be watching it as well, along with a new guest.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Carla turned towards the front door when she heard three knocks. "Come in," she said as she realized the final member of their party had arrived.

The door opened to reveal Kuroyuri's newest resident, Summer Rose. "Hello, everyone," she said as she stepped inside.

"Hey, Summer," Nora replied with a small wave. She was so excited for the program that she didn't bother to look away from the TV.

"Oh, hey, Summer," said Mercury, who did the opposite of Nora. "Listen, I just got the final parts I needed for your order. I'll finish it up after this."

"Oh, no need to rush," Summer insisted. "I don't start work until the day after tomorrow."

After her trip to Vale, and her hard decision to let her family be, Summer hoped that she would be able to take up the offer Eren and his friends made to her. Just as they promised, there was an empty house waiting for someone to call home. And while she knew that it could never replace the home she made with her family, Summer's heart told her that she would have to make a home in Kuroyuri rather than seek out her old home.

The decision was a very difficult one to make, and everyone was sad to hear about the circumstances behind it. While they had their disagreements and concerns, Eren and his friends knew that the decision was Summer's to make. So, all they could do was welcome her to their home.

Because of her experience as a Huntress, Summer was able to find work at Kuroyuri's defense team at the walls. There, she would be able to rediscover her skills in killing Grimm and defending the people. But rather than the weapons the defense team had, Summer decided to recreate a weapon she had before. And when Mercury heard about it, he relished the challenge and promised to create it for her.

The change Summer was making was a drastic one, but not as difficult as she initially expected. Carla had heard about Summer from Eren, as well as the circumstances she found herself in. So, Carla led an effort with Dina and An to befriend Summer and make her feel welcome. And that was how she found herself to be at Ambrose Farms today.

"Am I late?" Summer wondered as she found herself in the living room.

"Not at all," said Carla.

"It should be starting right after these commercials," said Dina.

"Oh, good," Summer replied as she moved to the coffee table in the room. "These are for everyone, by the way." Summer placed a small plate on the coffee table, which had a particular food that caught everyone's attention.

It had even caught Nora's attention, who turned away from the TV with a drooling mouth.

"Do I smell cookies?" she asked with hunger.

"Oh, shit," said Mercury, who was looking at a plate full of cookies. "Those look good."

Summer smiled at the compliment and explained herself. "Well, I cooked these for my daughters all the time," she explained. "And you've all been so kind to me, I wanted to do something for you while I had the time."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," said Carla. "Thank you."

"Mercury's right, though," said An. "They do look good."

"Well, I hope I'm not too rusty with my cooking," Summer replied with a laugh. "Enjoy."

Like his company, Ren thought the baked treats looked and smelled good. He wasn't too hungry, but he helped himself to a cookie. But before he could eat it, Nora swiped the treat and took it for herself.

"Hold on, Ren!" she said. "Don't you think a connoisseur of sweets like myself should take the first taste? You know, just in case?"

Ren rolled his eyes and took another cookie from the plate. "I think I'll be okay, Nora," he replied.

"Hold up, Ren," Mercury insisted. "Nora's not wrong."

"Yeah," Emerald agreed. "Knock yourself out, Nora."

Ren rolled his eyes once again, since he knew better than to tempt Nora with sweets. However, he took pause and watched his girlfriend carefully look, smell, and rub her hand on the cookie almost like she was testing it. Eventually, she took a bite and chewed for a moment.

Suddenly, Nora's eyes widened with glee as the taste of the cookie reached fruition. She then gobbled the rest of the cookie as fast as she could, humming in delight and satisfaction.

"So... they're good then?" Emerald asked on behalf of everyone.

Nora took pause when she realized what she had done. Greed and gluttony began to take over as she planned her next move. "Um... they're okay," she lied. "But, uh... you guys probably won't like them." Nora began to move towards the plate and reached out slowly. "I'll just take them off your plate-"

"Hey!"

"No way, Nora!"

Emerald and Mercury took a cookie for themselves and enjoyed them with Ren. Summer couldn't help but giggle at the reaction and took pride in the fact that her baking skills were still good. Her new friends soon took a sweet for themselves, and enjoyed them as well.

"Oh, these are good," said Carla.

"I see why Nora was hoping for more," A said with a laugh.

"Can I have your recipe?" Dina asked politely.

"Of course!" Summer replied. "I have a few others if you're interested."

Dina was about to reply that she would like them, but a change on the TV immediately caught her attention. "Oh, it's starting!" she said. "Carla, turn up the volume."

Carla used the remote and turned up the volume, where she heard a man around her age talking.

"Our top story today comes from the Kingdom's outskirts," said the man. "Earlier this month, the Council of Mistral made the unanimous decision to permanently revive the Hunt Inquisitorius program. This program consists of a team of warriors answering only to the Council, who have worked primarily beyond the capital city. The decision and the group's presence has sparked controversy and protest Kingdom-wide."

"..."

The TV changed from the image of a man at a desk to people holding different signs and shouting different things. Despite the man's disappearance, his voice spoke over the recordings of protestors.

"Opinions are vast, but are divided among two factions," the man said. "Many in the capital say that taking away work from the Huntsmen and Huntresses is unwise, and that recent funding for the Hunt Inquisitorius should be moved elsewhere. Others, primarily from the outskirts, say that the members of the Hunt Inquisitorius have given them the chance to be heard and critique the Huntsman system."

"In other news, water is wet," said Mercury.

"Shh," Emerald hushed. Despite agreeing with Mercury, Emerald didn't want to miss anything.

The TV changed back to the news anchor at his desk. "The decision to revive the Hunt Inquisitorius has been tied to the work of Cinder Fritz," he continued. "Ms. Fritz was previously unknown to the capital until she took the Kingdom by storm at a press conference held by the Mistral Police Force. Ms. Fritz and several of her friends make up the Hunt Inquisitorius, and new members have reportedly made an addition." The camera began to zoom out and reveal that the man wasn't alone at his desk. "I'm joined today by Ms. Fritz and another member of the Hunt Inquisitorius, Eren Yeager. Today, they will be sharing with us their opinions regarding the Hunt Inquisitorius and the current policies of Mistral."

"Woo-hoo!" Nora cheered as she saw her friends. "Kick their butts, guys!"

Everyone kept their eyes glued onto the TV as they watched with anticipation. Dina looked with the rest of her friends, but she was perhaps the most excited and anxious out of everyone. Nevertheless, she had faith in her daughter and what was going to happen next.

"Good luck, sweetheart," Dina said with pride.

---

Despite being where they were, Eren and Cinder still couldn't believe what was happening.

After the defeat of the Wave, the status of the Hunt Inquisitorius was made public. Now, the people of Mistral could draw their own conclusions regarding the program and its work. The Council had even allowed additional funding for new equipment, something akin to the funding Haven Academy was receiving. Points such as these drew some disagreement from the people, where support was met with opposition.

While some people saw this as a sign of trouble and change ahead, others saw opportunities to be made.

Many newspapers and news channels reported on the public opinion of the Hunt Inquisitorius, as well as the decisions of the Council. One such channel, the Anima Broadcasting Company, sent an agent to Kuroyuri to meet the Hunt Inquisitorius personally. Their goal wasn't to sow any seeds of dissent or cause any trouble, but to personally invite the new celebrities to an interview.

The channel was mostly familiar with Eren and Cinder, so their agent asked them both if they would like to be interviewed. They were aware such an interview would be controversial, but the company was determined to get the full story. In order to do that, they would have to go straight to the source.

That was why Eren and Cinder said "yes" as soon as they were given the offer.

Despite Cinder's anxiety about being interviewed, she didn't want to ruin a great opportunity. She didn't hold too much sway over Mistral as she liked, but Cinder knew that this was her best chance to share her story and ideas with the entire Kingdom. Eren knew this as well, and his defense at the hearing gave him the confidence to handle an interview on TV.

Days later, after enough preparation, Eren and Cinder found themselves in the capital. They had been welcomed into the news station and guided to a room with a large desk, overhead lights, and multiple cameras pointing at the desk. Eren and Cinder then became acquainted with the man who would be conducting the interview, Hickory Arbinger.

The interview began after Hickory recounted a few details about Mistral's political situation. And now, Eren and Cinder had their chance to set the record straight.

"Today, they will be sharing with us their opinions regarding the Hunt Inquisitorius and the current policies of Mistral," Hickory said before he turned to Eren and Cinder. "Mr. Yeager, Ms. Fritz, thank you for joining me today."

Eren and Cinder smiled as they took each other's hand beneath the desk. Together, they were ready to begin. "It's our pleasure," Eren replied politely.

"Thank you for having us," said Cinder.

Hickory cleared his throat before he spoke with mild authority. "I'd like to begin by asking a rather simple question. Despite our Kingdom having people and groups of authority prior to your work... why did you decide to revive such an outdated and controversial program?"

Eren and Cinder took note of the rather blunt and forward question, one that wasn't too different from General Ironwood's statements at the hearing. They were prepared for such things to happen, so they remained calm and answered the question.

"Well, we didn't revive it, per se," said Cinder. "But we decided to take part in it."

"You might be familiar with the circumstances leading up to the decision," said Eren. "All of that's been released to the public."

"You mean with the Grimm being controlled by instruments created in Atlas," Hickory replied. "Yes, I'm familiar."

"We found it after the Grimm was killed. Then we brought the evidence to Councilwoman Redwood and asked to find the reason behind it ourselves."

"Yet you didn't wish for the police or Huntsmen to do it themselves. You specifically wanted to carry out this task yourself. Is that correct?"

"...It is."

While Eren felt that he had been put on the spot, Cinder saw a chance to speak next. "I think what you just said might answer your question," she said. "With all due respect, you're talking about the police and the Huntsmen like they're one and the same. When, in reality, they're not."

Hickory took note of this response and built up on it. "Technically, no," he said. "But Mistral has seen Huntsmen work with the police before. It's a fairly common practice in the other Kingdoms."

"But they're not the same," Eren said to reinforce Cinder's point. "The Huntsmen aren't the police."

"..."

Hickory was aware that Eren and Cinder were saying the same thing now, and that his earlier assessment may have been incorrect. "Indeed," he began. "So your reasoning for going to Atlas yourselves was more about the Huntsmen than the police."

"Yes, it was," Eren replied.

"And does this reasoning impact your continued work with the Hunt Inquisitorius?"

"Yes, it does."

"I see." Hickory believed he had a better understanding of the way his present company was thinking. "So you believe the Hunt Inquisitorius is superior to the Huntsmen."

While Cinder could say that she liked the Hunt Inquisitorius better than the Huntsmen and Huntresses, she chose her words carefully. "I don't think 'superior' is the right word," she said. "There are definitely things about it that we think are better, but it's not a question of who's better."

"I think the question is who's doing what," said Eren.

"Meaning?" Hickory asked calmly.

"Most of our work is conducted outside the capital of Mistral. Where Huntsmen and Huntresses are rarely present." Eren saw Cinder nod in support, since she had the same idea.

"Ah, yes," said Hickory. "Ms. Fritz mentioned that a while back." The reporter picked up a piece of paper from his desk and read it aloud. "Your exact words were... 'We too had times where we needed to hand everything to Huntsmen and Huntresses, all with the promise of safety. But we weren't rewarded with fulfilled promises. Like other villages in the outskirts, the people of Kuroyuri had to suffer from scarce Huntsmen, ignorance in favor of the peace that Mistral thrives in.'" Hickory put down his paper and turned to Cinder. "You made that speech about three weeks ago, Ms. Fritz. Do you still stand by it?"

"I do," Cinder replied. "The work we do with the Hunt Inquisitorius involves handling trouble in the outskirts. Most recently, it's been with the Grimm invading villages. Something that Huntsmen and Huntresses should be working with, without expecting much in return from the people they defend." Cinder was referring to the fact that Huntsmen and Huntresses that did answer the call usually charged a large and unfair fee for their work.

Hickory accepted this point before he made one of his own. "On that note, you may be aware that many citizens in Mistral disagree with you there." Hickory picked up another piece of paper. "We actually had a caller from one of our talk shows say... 'Fritz has gone on record saying Huntsmen like ours aren't doing their job, but she's not proving it.'" Hickory put down his paper again. "I'm afraid their point is valid, Ms. Fritz. I think I speak for everyone when I say... where is your proof?"

"..."

Cinder was aware of the points of contention among the populace of Mistral. It had been all over the news for days now. It was this question that reminded her of her congestion with Lieutenant Infrigdando, who also disagreed with Cinder. However, there was a point she wanted to bring up that could refute this claim.

But Eren had a point to make first.

"I think the same could be asked of that person," Eren said. "Where's their proof?"

Hickory and Cinder were equally confused by this statement, though Hickory was more curious. "Their proof?" he asked. "How do you mean?"

"Whoever made that statement seems to think the opposite of what we're saying," Eren explained. "Yet they haven't done anything to prove us wrong." Eren leaned off his seat as he asked a question to Hickory. "I mean, have you seen Mistralian Huntsmen working beyond the capital? Or any kind of work they do?"

"I've reported on the work of Huntsmen in the Kingdom," Hickory confirmed. However this didn't answer Eren's question.

"But have you seen it?"

"..."

Cinder was looking at Hickory when Eren repeated his question. She could see the point her boyfriend was making, how it threw the argument out the window. Hickory was seeing where Eren was coming from, though he didn't draw the same conclusion as him. However, he remained unbiased and answered the question.

"Not firsthand, no," the reporter replied.

Cinder smiled and nodded at Eren before she shared the point she wished to make. "On the topic of proof, I do have some evidence about Huntsmen not doing their job," she said. "Or rather, not doing enough."

"..."

"About a week has passed since the first official mission of the newly reformed Hunt Inqusitorius," Cinder continued. "That mission consisted of dealing with gangs and criminals causing havoc across villages such as Maykr. The primary evidence suggested that these were new groups and new criminals looking to fill the void of the Branwen Tribe. Until we discovered what happened in the city of Kuchinashi."

"..."

Hickory wasn't familiar with the names of these places, but he didn't interrupt. Instead, he listened carefully as Cinder made her point.

"A while back, Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart sent a team of Huntsmen called 'Team SAFR' to Kucnhinashi. That was before his arrest."

"They were called to handle groups of organized crime within the city," Eren continued. "The groups were the Wave, the Hearth, and the Hana Guild. As well as a team of corrupt Huntsmen called 'Team SMMK.'"

"One that we had personal contact with after Team SAFR did their work in Kucnhianshi," said Cinder.

"After?" Hickory asked. "You mean they escaped Kuchinashi?"

"They didn't just escape," said Cinder. "Team SAFR treated all of those groups like they were Grimm. Instead of arresting all of them, they captured some and let the others run. Where they started raiding villages and catching our attention."

Hickory was taken aback by such a story, since this was the first time he heard it. "Really?" he asked. "That's... quite the claim."

"It's not a claim," Eren corrected. "It's the truth. There's a report from the Mistral Police Department with all the details. One that they made after they were involved in the proper arrests of the gangs."

"..."

Hickory felt that he was making great strides in this interview. New and old information had been reviewed, and honest opinions from Eren and Cinder had been made clear. This was everything Hickory's superiors were looking for, and something that would make news at their station.

However, Hickory knew he had to end the interview sometime. So, he opened the floor to his final question.

"This is all very interesting," he said. "I just have a couple of more questions for you. One of the main concerns of the people, to my knowledge, is that these criticisms of the Huntsmen system all aim to dissolve the system and the Huntsmen Academies. Would you say that's an accurate claim?"

Eren and Cinder looked at each other for a moment to think about the question. It was a rather good one; one that didn't challenge their work or challenge them in particular. Rather, it was an actual concern that people shared. Eren didn't have much of an opinion regarding the idea, so he let Cinder offer an answer.

"Are we trying to dissolve the Huntsmen Academies?" Cinder repeated to emphasize the question. "Well, given the amount of Grimm in the world, something that's the main concern of the Huntsmen, dissolution would be... difficult."

"..."

Cinder had to swallow a lot of her pride to answer this question. She hated how much power the Huntsmen had, both at their academies and in society as a whole. One such example was that the CCT towers were located at the Huntsmen Academies. She honestly believed that dissolution would make the world better.

But Cinder and her friends knew that not everyone agreed. So, she had a better idea.

"But reform?" Cinder continued. "Addressing issues that would lead to benefit for our Kingdoms? I like to think that's one of my goals in this line of work."

"I see," Hickory said before he turned to Eren. "And you agree, Mr. Yeager?"

"Absolutely," Eren replied. "If the Huntsman system didn't need to be reformed, my friends and I wouldn't have the problems we've seen affecting places like the outskirts. Where we and countless others try to live in peace."

Hickory accepted the answer before he made his final question. "And you believe this is a cause worth pursuing? Not everyone sees much of a problem with the Huntsmen Academies. Some of our audience believe there are other societal issues that require more attention. Things like Dust quantity, climate change, Faunus equality-"

"But none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives," Cinder said. "People are losing their lives and their homes because of neglecting villages like ours. I, for one, want to see that change."

"Me too," said Eren.

Hickory accepted the answer and decided to end the interview. "Well, then... thank you both for your time and words," he said as he turned to the cameras. "There you have it, everyone. Why we should have a closer look at the Huntsman system, according to Eren Yeager and Cinder Fritz. We'll be right back with the weather."

"..."

"And we're clear!" a cameraman said to the trio.

Eren and Cinder let out a sigh of satisfaction as they learned their interview was over. Though it felt shorter than either of them had wanted, the last points they brought up felt like they were strongest.

Fortunately, Hickory agreed.

"None of them are coming at the cost of lives, huh?" the commentator asked. "Not bad."

"Thank you," Cinder said as she stood up.

"No, no." Hickory stood up as well and extended his hand to Cinder. "Thank you."

Eren shook hands after Cinder finished shaking. "So that was all live, right?" he asked. "They were broadcasting everything?"

"That's right," said Hickory. "Everything was broadcast nation-wide. Well, everywhere that has a local tower."

"Oh, right," said Cinder. "I forgot to mention that today."

"That's alright," said Eren. "I think we covered a lot today." He and Cinder shared a smile as they relished in their accomplishment.

"You've certainly said a lot, that's true," said Hickory. "I hope my producers will be asking for another interview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for my next reports." Hickory pointed down the hall behind the cameras. "The exit's right down there, but we have a viewing room if you'd like to stay a little longer."

Eren and Cinder didn't see much of a reason to stay, since they had done what they set out to do. Instead, they decided to take their leave and make their way home. As he walked with Cinder, Eren took a look at his Scroll and saw that the video was already online.

"Hey, we're trending," Eren said as he looked at his Scroll. "We're at the third spot."

"The third spot?" Cinder asked as she looked at Eren's Scroll. "No way!"

"Yes way." Eren and Cinder laughed as Eren clicked on the video. "Yeah, we're almost to a hundred and fifty thousand views."

"That was fast. Are there comments?"

"Let me check."

Eren tapped on a part of his screen to look at the comments section of the video, where people could post their opinions and thoughts for everyone to see. Eren was no stranger to it anymore, even though the concept was once strange to him. But now, he readily accepted the idea of reading other people's thoughts.

"This one says 'I found the police report, it's real,'" Eren read. "Another one says 'Never been to the outskirts, and never will.'"

"Oh, yeah," Cinder said as she looked at the Scroll with Eren. She gently took the Scroll and looked at the other comments. She was mostly expecting bad or mixed reviews, but things didn't look too bad so far. In fact, there were a few that seemed positive.

And a few that were rather rude.

"Oh, my Gods," Cinder said in shock. "This one says 'Like her or hate her, Cinder looks banging in that dress."

"Wait, what?!" Eren said as he took his Scroll back. He knew what the word meant, and it wasn't very... polite.

Cinder was also displeased with the comment, but seeing her boyfriend's reaction made the idea seem more silly than anything. "Aw, look at you. Acting all jealous." Cinder playfully smiled as she hugged Eren's arm. "It's almost cute."

Eren could see where Cinder was coming from, though he didn't find it as funny as she did. However, another comment gave Eren the chance to turn the tide. "Oh, you like that?" he asked. "Well, someone else is saying my clothes make me look 'hunky.'"

Cinder jumped off Eren's arm and looked at his Scroll. "What?! Okay, now it's personal!"

Eren could see why Cinder laughed at his earlier reaction, since he let out a laugh. Along with that, Eren kissed Cinder's forehead.

*SMECK*

"Don't worry. You know I'm all yours."

Cinder giggled at the display of affection and returned one to Eren's cheek.

*SMECK*

"And I'm always yours."

As Eren and Cinder continued their walk, they read more comments and reviews to their interview. Some were good, some were bad, there was definitely a mix between the two. One such comment, however, had struck a nerve with Cinder.

"If you love the outskirts so much, stay there and stay out of our way."

Thinking such as this was something Cinder wanted to change, to show everyone how the outskirts mattered just as much as the capital. Eren knew this and he knew how the comment hurt Cinder's feelings. To make her feel better, Eren decided to make his first response.

"Make us."

Cinder knew there was hardly a chance an Internet troll, a person hiding behind a computer screen while being cruel to people, could do anything to respond to Eren's challenge. The response made her feel better and happy that Eren had once again come to her aid.

And she felt even better when she saw her Scroll had an incoming call.

"It's Mom!" Cinder said with delight before she answered the call. She and Eren stopped their walk so they could find a private spot to turn on speaker phone. Once they did, Cinder answered the call. "Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, Cinder!" Dina said on the other end. "The interview looked like to went great!"

"It really did, yeah!"

"Did you see it all, Ms. Fritz?" Eren asked, hoping that not a second of the recording was missed.

"We sure did!" Dina replied with pride. "We saw it live, just like we said we would."

"Hey, guys!" said the voice of Mercury. "Great job out there!"

"Well done," said Ren.

"Yeah!" said Nora. "I bet everyone hating on you just for their butts kicked to the moon!"

Eren and Cinder laughed at the joke and continued to talk. "So, what did you think?" Cinder asked. "Did everything sound good?"

"Oh, absolutely," said Carla. "You two touched on a lot of good points."

"Yeah!" said Emerald. "I'm looking at some of the comments online, and some of them are saying the same thing."

"I especially like your idea of reform," said Summer. "I can see how different things are between Vale and Mistral."

Eren and Cinder were glad to see that they had a Huntress agreeing with them. Neither of them knew about the differences in the Vale and Mistral systems, but they took Summer's word for it.

"Thanks, everyone," Eren said into the Scroll. "We'll see you when we get back."

"Alright, Eren," Carla replied. "We'll see you soon."

---

By the time Eren and Cinder returned home, the interview had trended even more. People all across the outskirts, Kingdom, and the world had tuned in to see and hear what Eren and Cinder had said.

Naturally, everyone in Kuroyuri was glad to have Eren and Cinder be their voice. Like the other villages, the biggest problem Kuroyuri faced was a lack of Huntsmen and Huntresses. The defense team could handle most of the Grimm, but they still had trouble that would normally require a Huntsman. Sometimes nobody came, and others that came were asking more than a village could afford.

The only settlement that disagreed with Cinder was Kuchinashi, where many Huntsmen and Huntresses were staying. They were annoyed when the interview started, but hearing Team SAFR being directly called out made them very angry. The officials of Kuchinashi also disagreed with Eren and Cinder, and resolved to not be involved with Kuroyuri anymore.

The other settlements, however, gave the duo their full support.

Around the globe, many people were captivated by the interview. Hearing and seeing the evidence of negligence was shocking, and the fact that nobody could deny it was even more unsettling. Naturally, the Huntsmen and Huntresses that watched the interview made it known that they were against Eren and Cinder.

One such Huntsman, a man who previously watched Cinder's press conference in a tower, also watched the interview. But rather than make his opinion vocal, he began to lay down the foundations for a plan he wished to execute.

A plan that would hopefully resolve this crisis of faith.

Back in Kuroyuri, after the initial celebration, Dina found some time to talk with Cinder in private. Dina was very proud of her daughter, but hoped to give some advice for potential future interviews.

Cinder knew she should have expected this. As a teacher, Dina knew how to grade assignments and reports with a combination of praise and criticism. Students like Cinder eventually learned how this was fair, and Dina would occasionally let this habit come into her personal life. The last time she did this was when Cinder was studying Mistralian law for the hearing.

So Cinder decided to hear her mother out once more.

"You did a great job, sweetheart," said Dina. "All of your points with Eren were valid, and you did a great job presenting them."

"Thanks, Mom," Cinder replied. Despite the praise, she knew there was something Dina wanted to talk about. "But..."

Dina could see that Cinder knew her too well, so she made her point. "But maybe work on your ending a little bit."

"My ending? What, you think I could have said more?"

"I think you said what you said a little too quickly. That's all."

"Oh..." Cinder thought back to how she came off a bit too abrupt at the end. "You mean when I cut him off."

"Yes, but also with the other points." Dina put her hands and Cinder's shoulders as she spoke. "I know how passionate you are with this cause, but other people might share that passion about other issues. Ignoring the other points will make you sound stubborn and close-minded."

Cinder remembered the three points Hickory brought up, and how she was quick to dismiss them. She didn't mean to be rude, she just wanted to bring the topic back to the Huntsmen and Huntresses. Thinking back, Cinder could see here her mother was coming from.

"I guess you're right," Cinder relented. "I didn't mean to sound rude."

"It's not a big deal," Dina insisted. "Just be more open to what other people might think."

Dina was a very wise woman, and Cinder was always grateful for her advice. She took comfort not only in the hug she received, but also in the assurance that her mistake wasn't very big.

Unfortunately, Dina was wrong about that.

Along with Huntsmen, Huntresses, and some of the citizens, there was another group of people that found themselves to be angry with Eren and Cinder. They too resided in the outskirts of Mistral, but they didn't live in a village or city. Their home was more akin to a base, where resources such as weapons and Dust were found.

The people there had a tower that could pick up CCT transmissions. The quality wasn't perfect, but they could hear and see the interview as well. Given that it was popular, the people wanted to see it for themselves.

Unlike most, these people didn't care about the affairs of Huntsmen and Huntresses. They did, however, care about the very last part of the interview.

"Some of our audience believe there are other societal issues that require more attention. Things like Dust quantity, climate change, Faunus equality-"

"But none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

The people viewing the recording began to playback certain parts; parts that seemed made them angry.

"Things like Dust quantity, climate change, Faunus equality-"

"But none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

*BANG*

*CRASH*

The televised screen that was playing the interview was suddenly broken by a bullet. Everyone who was watching it turned around to see someone holding a pistol while standing next to a woman holding and twirling a chain.

"So... another human doesn't think we're giving our lives for the cause," the woman said as she turned to her companion. "I think she needs to learn a lesson."

"And I think I should teach it," said the companion, who was a man. "With your permission."

"...Granted."

---

Life went on normally for two days after the interview. Work was done, fun was had, nothing had really changed since then.

For better or worse.

Despite the time and treatment she was given, Midori was still feeling unwell. Her fever was fluctuating from low to high at this point, but the muscle pains in her body remained the same. Just as she described to her friends, Midori said that she felt like something within her was about to explode.

But for the life of her, Midori didn't know what it was.

Like the doctors in Kuroyuri, physicians who came from Mistral couldn't find the source of her illness. There was no sign of broken bones, internal bleeding, or even allergic reactions to the medicine the hospital was using. However, the last possibility seemed the most likely for the doctors, so they advised that Midori spend some time away from the hospital. She would still need rest, but Midori was advised to go outside and get some fresh air.

Today, Midori felt that she had enough strength to walk. Her Aura and Healing Wish helped with the pain, but Midori had made it all the way to Kuroyuri's wall. There, she met Summer Rose, who was talking to the leader of Kuroyuri's defense team: August Cedar.

"Welcome to your first day at the wall," August said as he shook Summer's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Summer replied confidently. "A little rusty, but I feel like I'm ready."

"Good to hear. And don't worry, I think today will knock some of that rust off." August noticed Midori by the wall and pointed upwards. "Going up, Midori?"

"Me?" Midori asked. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, I just remembered it was Summer's first day. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just wanted to-"

"It's okay, Midori," Summer insisted as she extended a hand. "Maybe having a friend will help with the first day jitters." Summer wasn't entirely nervous, but she heard how ill Midori had been for the past few days. She hoped to repay her caretaker, and Summer thought taking Midori for a walk at the highest point of the city would be good.

Midori didn't want to overextend herself, but she remembered the advice about getting some fresh air. And the highest point of Kuroyuri sounded like the air would be as fresh as it could possibly be. And Midori had never gone to the top of the wall before.

Midori's days of rest had left her with a sense for adventure, so she accepted the offer.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go."

August led Summer and Midori to a wide metal structure that looked like a cage. Once they entered, two doors closed behind them and August pressed a button on the side.

*WHIR*

The structure began to move upwards, which left Summer impressed. "Oh, you have elevators here!" she said. This was the first time she saw one in Kuroyuri, so she was easily impressed.

"Isn't it great?" August asked as he took in the sights of the city. "We used to have a wooden one with pulleys before this, but we were able to get that replaced with this elevator. It's usually used in mines, but we can use this one all the same."

Midori looked down on Kuroyuri when the elevator was high enough. It was a remarkable sight, one that would normally be seen through an airship window. The sight and the cool air made Midori forget about her muscle pains while Summer forgot about whatever feelings of nervousness she had.

August remembered the first time he looked upon the city from such a height. Kuroyuri had been so kind to him, and looking upon the city every day made August remember that he would protect it every day.

*BUZZ*

The trio turned around when they saw the other side of the elevator open. There, they walked upon a smooth brick surface that looked rather comfortable and alert at the same time.

"Welcome to the height of the wall," said August. "Nice view, huh?"

"You can say that again," said Summer.

August looked in front of him to see that some of the team members were close by. "Come on, I'll introduce you to your teammates."

Summer followed behind August, but Midori found a place to sit and rest. "I think I'll stay here for a bit," she said. "I'll let myself down later." Her arms and legs were acting up again, so Midori didn't want to overextend herself.

"Okay, just be careful." August pointed back to the elevator. "You just close the doors and push the red button to go down."

"Got it. Good luck, Summer."

Summer waved back to Midori and began to walk with August. She was looking forward to meeting new people, since she only knew August at the moment. She had been interviewed personally by him, and August had been impressed that Summer was a former Huntress like himself. That, and her personality, made August feel like Summer would make a good addition to the team.

And now, he was ready to see if he was right.

"Summer, this is Dom and June," August said as he stood before a slightly taller man and a woman of Summer's height.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Summer said as she began to shake hands.

"It's Dominic," the man said as he shook Summer's hand. "But everyone calls me 'Dom.'"

"About time we got another woman up here," June joked as she shook Summer's hand.

"Dom and June are our sharpshooters," August said to Summer. "You mentioned how you used guns before, so I thought being with them could show you the ropes."

"I can help with that," said June, who was looking forward to making a new friend. She moved towards a box on the side, which had multiple rifles and bullets inside. "We mostly use the weapons we craft here, but we have a few others like these. Take your pick."

Summer examined the rifles briefly before she reached for her side. "I hope you don't mind that I brought my own," she said as she reached into her cloak. After that, Summer pulled out a brand new weapon that her white cloak had been hiding.

And it was beyond unique.

Summer was holding a battle axe, one with a black handle that curved into a golden blade. Near the axe's blade was a trigger for the weapon, indicating that the other edge served as a rifle.

A rifle that impressed everyone.

"Whoa," said June, who was very impressed by the weapon of a Huntress.

"You don't see that every day," said Dom.

"Heh, heh," said August, who was also impressed with the weapon. "This has Mercury written all over it," he said.

"You guessed it," said Summer, who held the axe properly rather than showing it. "I designed it, but Mercury's the one who built it."

"Sounds about right," said Dom. "He's always been good with weapons."

"Damn right," said August. "Alright, I should go make my rounds. Dom and June can take it from here, but if you need me..." August pointed to a golden bell on the wall. "Just ring that bell. I can hear it from a mile away."

"Yeah, that's our emergency bell," said June. "Everyone can hear it and help at the drop of a hat."

"Understood," said Summer. "Thank you, August."

"Anytime. See you soon."

August left to perform the rest of his tasks at the wall. This left Summer to train with Dom and June, who were already warming up to her. June volunteered to show Summer the rest of their section while Dom stayed behind to remain vigilant.

With that, Summer began her first day on patrol.

"So, what do you think so far?" June asked Summer while keeping her eye on the forests below her.

"This is pretty good," Summer replied after she got a first impression. "This doesn't seem too different from a Perimeter Defense. That's one of-"

"One of the missions Huntsmen and Huntresses take, yeah. August told us about those when he became in charge."

"Oh, really? What did he say?"

"That they're the more easier ones. You know, less risky than the other missions. Is that right?"

"More or less." Summer remembered her career as a Huntress better as the days passed, so she knew about the kinds of missions that she would take. "I didn't usually take them, though. Not when more serious missions were on the board."

"Yeah, well, August said the same thing," said June. "He took what he learned about missions like those and applied them here. I know this must look like Perimeter Defense, but we do more than just keep watch."

"Oh, I'm sure." Summer tapped her hand against a large cannon mounted on the wall. "We never had things like these on the perimeters I worked on."

June chuckled as she looked at the cannon. "I'll bet. But I was talking more about down there." She pointed towards the woods. "If we don't see too much activity for a while, some of us go down and take a look into the woods. When we're not doing that, we have a few people walk on the path to see what's up."

"Oh, do you?" Summer took a moment and thought about how this method differed from what she remembered. "Sounds like it's keeping you pretty active."

"Well, there's that." June shared a laugh with Summer before she spoke again. "But as you can imagine, we have a chance to prepare for whatever, if anything, is out there waiting to attack."

"Like a Search and Destroy."

"Pretty much. August liked the idea of merging missions like those into one method. He brought that up with Cinder, actually."

"Oh, I almost forgot about her!" Summer looked across the wall, but didn't see Cinder or her friends among the other people she passed. "Where is she?"

"Probably at the school working with her mom. Or at the farm with the rest of her friends."

"Oh. Is today her day off?"

June stopped walking and gave Summer her full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm just wondering if she'll come to work today. I've heard she and her friends have a reputation here."

"Oh, they do. But none of them actually work here."

Now it was Summer's turn to be confused. "Wait, what?" she asked. "They don't?"

"No," June replied. "They help out when we need it, but they don't officially work with us."

"...Really?"

June couldn't help but laugh when she saw how surprised Summer was. "Yes, really," she said. "Why so surprised?"

"Well, it's just that I've heard so many things about them," Summer replied. "I saw Eren and Cinder's interview, but I heard that they've all gone above and beyond while defending Kuroyuri. I would have guessed that they do that by being part of the team."

"Fair enough. But no, they have their own jobs around town. Eren's mom owns the farm, you know."

"I heard, yes. But still, that's really weird they don't work here."

"Why weird?"

"Well, I've talked to just about everyone here when I got my new house. Literally everyone I talked to had something good to say about all of them. How'd they get such a reputation if they don't work here?"

"..."

As June listened to Summer's reasoning, she knew that she had made an unfortunate mistake. Like the rest of her fellow citizens, June was well aware of Eren's true nature about being a Titan. Some of his friends were also Titans, Grimm that were originally created by Salem. Word spread across town quickly, but everyone made sure to keep the truth to themselves. They knew the rest of the world could never understand what they understood.

While Summer was a citizen of Kuroyuri now, she was a new one. She had no idea that Eren was like a Grimm, one of the very monsters that she hunted for a living. If Summer learned that for herself, there was no telling what her reaction would be.

Given this idea, June decided to change the topic while wrapping up any ideas about Eren and his friends.

"Let's just say that when they do help... they do things big," June said, hoping that would be enough to explain things. "Okay, I think we should get back to it. Come on."

"..."

Summer took a moment to think about what "big things" her new acquaintance was referring to. She was a little surprised to see June pass it off rather quickly, given how talkative she was a few seconds ago. However, Summer put these questions at the back of her mind as she decided that enough time for talk had passed.

The rest of the day was spent with Summer getting back in touch with her roots. The first chance she got was when a pack of Beowolves came scratching at the wall. Grimm like them were known to climb up towards their prey, so they had to be stopped. So Summer used her weapon, which she called "Sundered Rose," for target practice against the Grimm. Though it wasn't a sniper rifle, Sundered Rose's carbine mode was able to do a number on the Beowolves crawling on the wall.

Though it did take Summer a few shots to be accurate.

Later in the day, Summer volunteered to be among those going into the woods to search for more Grimm. And sure enough, a variety of creatures were hiding in the hopes of finding new prey. Their prey had found them, however, and soon became the hunters.

Summer relied on her axe for this close-ranged combat, though it wasn't as good as she remembered. Swinging her axe felt rather cumbersome, something that she hadn't felt since she went to Signal Academy. Just like her rifle, the axe needed a few good swings before it could kill one Grimm. Though Summer took hits as well, since she was having trouble.

Fortunately, the defense team was still a team. They helped Summer with the Grimm and made sure not to leave her side during the rest of the voyage. Summer was grateful for this assistance, but disappointed with her performance so far. She didn't remember having so much trouble with her weapons since she was a teenager, when she was training to be a Huntress.

The team didn't seem to mind, however. They remembered it was Summer's first day, and they had seen worse performances in the field. Whereas Summer was concerned, she was doing rather well. The former Huntress decided that inexperience was at fault here, and that she would have to build herself up from the ground, like she did years ago.

And so, Summer spent the day getting used to fighting Grimm once again. It was quite a challenge, but Summer didn't back down. She kept on working straight until the sun had set.

Once it did, that was when Summer's job became real.

August Cedar encountered Summer multiple times during the day, and he believed this would be the last one until tomorrow. When he found her swinging Sundered Rose over and over again, August announced that work was over for the day.

"Hey, Summer," he began to get her attention. "You're relieved."

Summer lowered her weapon and took heavy breaths as she relaxed. "Thanks," she said in between breaths. "I lost count... of how many times... I used this."

August chuckled as he looked at the large weapon. "Yeah, everyone was saying you knocked off a lot of that rust you were talking about."

"I know I had a little trouble." Summer looked at her weapon as she reflected on the day's events. "But I think I'm getting the feeling back."

"Good to hear. You know, you can always have Mercury check the weight on that thing. The blade looks pretty heavy."

Summer took the idea into consideration as she looked at the large blade. "Sure, I'll ask him when I have the chance."

"Alright, good night."

"Good night."

Summer walked along the top of the wall once again, feeling rather underwhelmed as she reflected on the day's events. She wasn't feeling as rusty as she was earlier, but a lot of improvement was needed in the future. Her aim with Sundered Rose was a little better, but the axe felt really off.

More than Summer remembered.

The idea was rather odd, but Summer accepted the possibility that the weight of the axe was heavier than her previous version. So she decided to send it back to Mercury in the morning and use a different rifle for the rest of the day. Right now, Summer was ready to press the button for the elevator and head back home.

This changed, however, when Summer felt a change in the air.

*WHOOSH*

A cool breeze pushed against Summer's cloak and through her hair. It wasn't uncomfortable or too cold, but the breeze seemed to have come from nowhere. It hadn't been a very windy day, even on top of the wall.

It was almost like something, or someone, had made it.

Summer turned around when the breeze disappeared, but she couldn't see what may have caused it. However, Summer noticed that the area behind her had grown much darker than it was a few seconds ago. The top of the wall had candlelit lanterns for light, since electric searchlights were saved for emergencies. But now, the lanterns close to Summer had been extinguished.

Summer's skills as a Huntress may have been diminished, but her instincts were as sharp as ever. Something was wrong.

Summer moved towards the edge of the wall to see what she could see. It was too dark to make out anything besides the top of the wall, but the darkness didn't prevent Summer from hearing something below.

*CRUNCH*

*CRUNCH*

The noise sounded like something was scratching against the surface of the stone wall. It was almost like something was digging into the wall. When Summer remembered that she had a Scroll with her, she used its flashlight to see what was making the noise.

There, she saw a black figure with a chalk-white face crawling up and reaching towards her.

"Ah!" Summer yelled as she jumped back. The presence gave her quite the scare, but her instincts kicked in after she collected herself. Believing that she had seen a Grimm crawling up the wall, Summer readied Sundered Rose into a rifle and took aim.

The figure jumped to the edge of the wall and looked down at Summer, giving off the same intimidation a Grimm normally would. But Summer had been killing Grimm all day, and she was ready to kill one more.

*BANG*

A bullet hit the figure in the chest, causing it to fall down towards to the ground. Summer took a few deep breaths after she stood up, glad to see that the crisis had been averted. This positive feeling soon faded away, however, given that Summer knew there was never just one Grimm.

Sure enough, two more figures crawled up the side of the wall and stared directly at Summer. She wasn't afraid as she once was, so Summer took aim and fired again.

*BANG*

*BANG*

The first figure fell to the ground with a groan after a bullet hit its chest once again, but the second figure only received a flesh wound. It then charged at Summer in anger, hoping to kill the former Huntress where she stood. But Summer took action by transforming Sundered Rose into its axe form and swung the blade.

*SWISH*

*SHICK*

It was still as heavy and cumbersome as she remembered, but Summer's efforts had led to the third intruder being killed. When she saw that she was alone once more, Summer took more deep breaths after she pulled her axe out of the body. Once she collected her thoughts again, Summer's first instinct was to warn her teammates that they were under attack.

But then, Summer realized that something else was wrong; she had killed the intruder, but its body wasn't dissolving to ash.

"..."

Summer took a close look at her blade to see red blood rather than black ash on it. Confused, Summer leaned down to the body for a closer look. There, she could see that the body was humanoid, that it wasn't like that of a Grimm's. It could easily be mistaken for a Grimm, since it was wearing black and white clothes with a white mask over its eyes.

Once Summer removed the mask, she could see that the figure was indeed a person.

"What in the world?" Summer asked with a gasp. Seeing that she needed answers, Summer turned to the path she walked on to see if anybody was with her. But rather than people, Summer could see that more lanterns were being put out. She couldn't tell if it was by the same breeze that she felt, but Summer now understood that they were being put out deliberately.

Her teammates would be taken by surprise, just like she was.

Rather than give these unknown assailants the upper hand, Summer raised her rifle and aimed it at the bell August had mentioned hours ago. She remembered what August said about hearing it from a mile away, as well as it being for emergencies.

Seeing that this was indeed an emergency, Summer raised her rifle and fired.

*BANG*

*DING*

*BANG*

*DING*

*BANG*

*DING*

Each shot hit the bell, but Summer was prevented from firing a fourth shot when she was tackled to the ground. She couldn't get out of the strong grasp, but Summer was able to turn and see that she had been attacked by another masked person in black and white clothes. Only this time, he was armed with a blood-red sword.

"Filthy human," the man said as he raised the sword above his head. Summer had lost her grip on Sundered Rose when she fell, and it was currently out of her reach. She knew that she wouldn't have enough time to grab it, so she grabbed the man's arms instead. She offered resistance, but the sword was moving close to her chest very slowly.

Fortunately for Summer, he was too slow.

*BANG*

"Guh!" the man groaned as he fell to the ground. A bullet had hit him in the chest, killing him instantly. Summer's savior had revealed herself to be June, who helped Summer off her feet while Don picked up Sundered Rose.

"Are you okay?" June quickly asked.

"Yeah," Summer replied as she caught her breath. "Thanks."

"We heard the bell," Dom said as he handed Summer back her weapon. He then looked down to the dead man by his feet. "I guess that explains it."

"He and a few others climbed the wall," Summer explained as she pointed to the lanterns. "They're taking out the lights to sneak in disguised as Grimm."

*BAM*

The trio turned around to see that another assailant had fallen. He had about to sneak up on the unsuspecting group, but August Cedar knocked him unconscious before he could do any harm.

"It's not just a disguise, Summer," the former Huntsman explained as he took off the Grimm mask. "It's the Fang."

June and Dom looked at the man's clothes and mask in surprise when they realized that August was right. "The White Fang?" Dom asked.

"This makes no sense," said June. "What are they doing here?"

Summer felt that she heard the name "White Fang" before, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Before she could ask any questions about the group, Summer felt a familiar breeze on her back.

*WHOOSH*

The breeze was much stronger this time, and it moved over her head as soon as it hit her back. When she looked up, Summer saw that the source was from a person. Unlike the people on the ground, the person in the air was flying with the help of wings on their back. Summer immediately understood that the person was a Faunus, and she could see that they had cleared the wall.

More Faunus soon scaled the wall and attacked the team. But rather than move in for the kill, the Faunus stabbed or shot the defense team as they moved down the wall and followed their alley. They had to jump over rooftops to do it, but they all followed in the same direction.

And didn't take long for Summer to recognize the direction.

"They're heading for Carla's farm!"

---

August and Summer were quick to warn Carla. Eren and his friends had heard the ringing of the bell Summer had shot, and they were prepared to go to the wall and help. But when August called Carla and warned her of the imminent danger, Eren and his friends stayed right where they were and prepared.

Carla and Dina barricaded themselves in the farm's storm cellar with a few farmhands, who were armed with tools and a couple of Mercury's weapons to defend themselves with. Some of the other farmhands chose to defend themselves on the ground, with whatever weapons they could find. Ren and Nora didn't have much time to retrieve their weapons from their house, so they borrowed Mercury's weapons in the meantime.

Nora was holding a rocket launcher that Mercury had removed from one of the Atlesian vehicles he took from the Wave. Ren was wielding a pair of pistols again, but with impressive modifications. Along with extended magazines, the blades at the end were held by a small and powerful magnet. The hooks would be able to shoot away from the gun and use the magnets to either bring the target closer or bring the user closer to the target. This was Atlesian technology, which the new budget of the Hunt Inquisitorius could afford.

Along with that, the budget allowed Eren and his friends to purchase equipment such as bodysuits and armor, which was what they were wearing now. Eren and Nora had large vests for armor and storing ammunition, as did Mercury and Emerald. Eren, Mercury, and Nora had gray suits while Emerald had a white one. Cinder, on the other hand, was wearing a red body suit that was bulletproof and flexible while she used Dancing Midnight.

Vernal was the only exception for not using upgraded material, but she knew her combat prowess would help in this fight.

The preparations had been made in plenty of time before the intruders arrived. And just like August said, they were indeed members of the White Fang. Eren wasn't sure how they had found him, but he was positive that their invasion was a mission for revenge after what happened in the Forever Fall. Midori was safe at the hospital, but Eren was sure he and Cinder would be the intended targets.

And based on what he heard, Eren believed he was right.

"That's her!" a Faunus yelled as he pointed to Cinder. "That's Fritz!"

"Get her!" another Faunus yelled.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Many of the Faunus had guns, which they fired in just about every direction. Most of them hit the side of the barn, while some of them hit the farmhands that tried to defend their home. Despite being hit, none of them appeared to have been dead. In fact, the ones that got close to the White Fang received flesh wounds from the swords the Faunus were carrying.

It seemed that their main targets were Eren and Cinder, and nobody else mattered. But Eren wasn't going to let that happen.

"Everyone spread out!" Eren ordered. "They're stronger when they're grouped together! Spread out and give them multiple targets!"

"And not all of them have Auras!" Cinder included. "So they should go down quickly!"

"Alright!" Mercury said as he sprinted forward. "Let's do it!"

Everyone charged towards the White Fang and spread themselves out. Rather than working in pairs, they worked separately and attracted subgroups of the mad Faunus. They would group together if need be, but they followed Eren's lead and kept themselves spread out.

Where the farmhands had fallen, Eren and his friends wouldn't fail.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

The White Fang fired upon each member of the Hunt Inquisitorius, but their bullets were useless. Everyone realized that their new suits worked like a charm, that the bullets simply bounced off without hurting them. Of course, Aura was needed to protect their faces. But Eren and his friends were well protected on the rest of their bodies.

Because of this, they were able to use their Auras to strike back hard.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Punches and kicks were delivered towards the White Fang, as well as attacks from the weapons they held. Nora took great pride in satisfaction when she fired a rocket and saw multiple enemies fly in the air.

*BOOM*

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

*THUD*

*THUD*

*THUD*

Nora couldn't help but laugh when she saw the White Fang fall to the ground. Some of them tried to get back up, but Nora swung her rocket launcher and struck them at their heads and torsos. The weapon wasn't Magnhild, but Nora got used to it quickly.

Ren found himself impressed with the new guns he had. The extended number of bullets served him well, and allowed him to hurt his Aura-less enemies. Though he didn't have an automatic fire-rate like before, Ren was able to utilize a semi-automatic feature Mercury included for the guns. The new blades he had also helped, since they shot out of the gun as fast as bullets and sunk into the Faunus with ease.

*SHICK*

*SHICK*

Once the hooks were in, Ren pressed a button to make his enemies come to him. But instead, he found himself flying towards his enemy.

*BAM*

Ren collided into his enemy hard, which made the Faunus fall to the ground in pain. Ren was also hurt, but his Aura helped him recover quickly. He could see that he would need to adjust to this change, that he would have to be careful in the future. But he put these thoughts aside when more White Fang members charged at him.

Mercury and Emerald found themselves fighting with relative ease. Not much had changed about their fighting styles, though the armor they were wearing slowed them down. Because of this, the White Fang was able to land a few good strikes with swords and blades that knocked the two down. But they quickly got back up and knocked the Faunus back. Like Cinder had said, a lot of them didn't have Auras. And the Auras Emerald and Mercury were using had more than enough strength to hurt the Faunus even more.

Vernal was able to hold her own as well. She couldn't turn into a Grimm since there were no other Grimm around, but her acrobatics and skill with her pistols served her well.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*SHICK*

Her bullets and blades met their target well, and Vernal soon found herself without much more enemies to fight. With her moment of reprieve, Vernal observed the rest of the fight before her. She mainly looked at Ren with his new pistols, as well as their new feature.

"Damn," Vernal said as she watched the new blades move. "I gotta see if Mercury can make me some of those."

While she was marveled by the weapons, Vernal had unfortunately left herself open to another Faunus that was slowly approaching behind her. She was holding a red sword like her comrades, and she prepared to stab Vernal right in the back.

*BAM*

Vernal turned around quickly when she heard something being hit behind her. The Faunus behind her had fallen to the ground, and Summer Rose was standing with Sundered Rose in her hands.

"Whoa, thanks," Vernal said as she realized what the Faunus almost did.

"Anytime," Summer promised. "You all need a hand?"

"The more, the merrier."

With the new addition, things seemed to be getting easier for Eren and his friends. Mercury had gotten adjusted to his armor at this point, and he was able to use the weapons on his feet with more ease than earlier.

"Get!"

*BAM*

"Out!"

*BAM*

"Of!"

*BAM*

"My!"

*BAM*

"House!"

*BAM*

Mercury was well aware he wasn't technically in a house, but he believed he made his point when multiple members of the White Fang were at his feet. "Yeah!" he said in triumph. "What else you got?!"

*BAM*

"Ugh!" Mercury groaned as he felt a strong kick to his back. He turned around fast to see another White Fang member, but this one was a little different. Rather than black and white clothes, this one was in all black. And based on the way he was standing, he was ready for a hand-to-hand duel.

"Oh, so that's how you wanna play it?" Mercury asked as he stood up. "Well, here you go!" Mercury swung both of his feet at the Faunus, but the warrior dodged them with ease. And before Mercury could put his second foot back on the ground, the Faunus hit him with ease.

*BAM*

Mercury fell to the ground with a groan, surprised by the Faunus' ability. "Man, I gotta keep my mouth shut," he said before he tried again.

Cinder also found herself in a similar position as Mercury. She had been able to hold her ground rather well, utilizing Dancing Midnight to block swords and fire arrows at unsuspecting Faunus. But eventually, she found herself against a Faunus in a black suit that seemed better trained than his comrades. Not only did he block all of Cinder's strikes, but he moved with impressive speed that no more Cinder to the ground before she could use Dancing Midnight to catch herself.

*BAM*

*CRASH*

Cinder fell to the ground and used her Aura to heal herself. "I don't remember the White Fang being this fast," she thought as she looked at the Faunus in black. "Or this powerful." Cinder now knew that she would have to watch her back as she locked blades with the Faunus once more.

The last one to discover the different kind of White Fang members was Eren, who was in a similar position as his friends. Like them, he was able to hold his own with his swords and pistols, which had much more ammo he could use in his vest. Shooting and striking the Faunus was rather easy, since a majority of them didn't have any Aura.

But when Eren met several black suited Faunus who put up a fight, Eren was forced to change strategies. They had caught him by surprise, but he was able to use Soaring Freedom to get away from them.

As he flew, Eren could see that all of his friends had met the same Faunus in black. He began to have a very bad feeling, since the last time he met a Faunus in black was the one named Adam. Adam had put up a very good fight in the Forever Fall, which made Eren believe that he had to be stronger to defeat people like him. Back then, Eren had to use his Titan to beat Adam, and now he believed that he had to do the same thing again.

And so, Eren looked at his hand and prepared to bite down. The Founding Titan and Grimm would no doubt take care of these intruders, so Eren didn't want to waste time. However, he didn't notice that a Faunus had ejected webbing from their arm that hit Eren in the air.

Because of this, Eren couldn't bite his hand and he couldn't stop himself from falling.

*BAM*

When Eren fell to the ground, he found himself being pinned by several enemies. Two Faunus held him by the arms while another pushed on his legs to make him kneel. Eren wasn't able to bite himself to turn into a Titan, but he knew his Semblance could give him the strength to throw these people off him.

Unfortunately, the barrel of a pistol in his face prevented Eren from acting in time.

Eren was now in the presence of four Faunus, four members of the White Fang. However, there was something different about this one. Along with a pair of fox ears on his head, the Faunus was in a black uniform rather than the typical white clothes the other White Fang wore. And based on what Eren's captors said, it appeared that he was their leader.

"We have him, sir!" said the Faunus behind Eren.

"This is the one, isn't it?" the second Faunus asked. "Fritz's friend?"

"Forget him!" said the third Faunus. "Let's find Fritz and teach her a lesson!"

Upon hearing Cinder's name, Eren struggled harder in the grip of the White Fang. Their grip loosened from the struggle, but they were able to regain it. Once they did, the leader kneeled down to Eren's face and examined it carefully.

Eren could hardly see beneath the mask the man was wearing, but a small gasp and a brief statement revealed an unexpected emotion.

Surprise.

"My God," the Faunus said as he used the pistol to move a strand of Eren's hair. "It is you."

"What?" Eren asked. He didn't get an answer from the man, since the Faunus behind him spoke loudly.

"What are you waiting for?!" one Faunus asked.

"Shoot him!" another demanded.

"Punish the human!" the third said. "That's why we're here!"

The leader stood up straight and pulled the back of his gun until the hammer clicked. "You're right," he said as he pointed the gun at Eren's head. "It's time for punishment."

Rather than close his eyes or back away, Eren engaged his Aura to protect him from the bullet that would make contact with his skull. He began to ready his Semblance as well, hoping that he would have enough time to use it.

But the Faunus didn't waste any time in pulling his trigger.

*BANG*

*THUD*

*REEEEE*

Eren couldn't help but close his eyes from pain. But rather than physical pain, Eren's ears were ringing from the sound of the gunshot that was dangerously close. However, he didn't feel any pain anywhere else. He wasn't bleeding, and he had been released from the grasp of the Faunus.

Eren hadn't been shot.

"Oh, my God!" said one of the Faunus that let go of Eren. He and his ally both released their prisoner when they saw that their third partner was lying on the ground, dead as a doornail. A single bullet hole was in his skull, which had cause the mask to break and reveal a look of death on the man's face.

Their leader had just shot the Faunus.

"What are you-?!"

*BANG*

*BANG*

"..."

The Faunus in the black uniform examined his handiwork without hesitation or remorse. Despite the fact that he was looking at three dead Faunus, which he killed personally, the man could only feel pride as he saw that Eren was unharmed and in his presence.

"We're saved," he said with a smile. "We're finally saved."

"..."

Eren couldn't hear the man since his ears were still ringing, but he could see the dead bodies before him. He could also see the Faunus leader staring at him, smiling as he pulled out a small object from his belt. Without a word, the Faunus stabbed Eren in the neck before he could activate his Aura again.

*SHICK*

"Ah!" Eren groaned as he felt the pain on his neck. It was a rather brief one, since the man took his hand away from Eren's neck. Once he did, Eren could see that the Faunus was holding a needle instead of a knife.

That was the last thing Eren could see before his vision became blurry. He tried to get up and find out what was going on, but Eren soon lost consciousness and became at the mercy of the White Fang.

The member in question, surprisingly, was quite merciful.

"I have him," the man said as he pressed on a radio in his human ear. "Rendezvous immediately."

"What about Fritz?" a man's voice asked.

"Forget her. If we need to come back for her, we'll have another chance." The Faunus looked into the sky and spoke into his radio again. "Angel, the package is ready for pickup. Everyone else, move out."

The rest of the invading Faunus heard the order and began to run back the way they came. Those who were injured and those who had the upper hand all took off running, hoping to avoid the same fate of their comrades.

"They're pulling back!" said Ren, who observed the last Faunus disappear.

"Woo-hoo!" said Nora. "We did it!"

"Yeah, you guys better run!" said Mercury.

"Wow," said Emerald. "We didn't even have to use our Titans."

Suddenly, the group of teenagers was joined by Summer and Vernal. They too had defended herself against the White Fang, though Summer still had questions about them. "Is everyone alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine," said Mercury.

"Thanks to you," said Nora. "If you hadn't called, we'd be dead."

"Did they come through the wall?" Ren asked.

"Through it and over it," said Summer. "One of them was a Faunus that could fly."

"Damn," said Vernal. "Don't see that every day."

"Was anyone hurt?" Emerald asked.

"A few of us," Summer replied. "But they're getting help. I think we're-"

"Guys!"

*WHOOSH*

Everyone saw that Cinder had joined them via Dancing Midnight. She was happy to see that they were alright, that none of them had been injured.

But her joy disappeared when she saw that something was wrong.

"Where's Eren?"

---

Cinder's question was one that was shared by Eren as well.

As he woke up, all Eren could see was darkness. He woke up slowly, and he could feel that his face was rather hot. As he breathed, Eren could feel the warmth of his breath gently hitting his face. He could also feel something against his mouth as he breathed, something coarse and thick.

He could also hear voices all around him.

"He's waking up!"

"Take the bag off."

"But sir, he shouldn't see-"

"I said take it off!"

"..."

The darkness around Eren vanished quickly. As the voices said, he had been wearing a bag over his head, which was obscuring his vision. Now that he was awake, it was starting to come back to him. The sedative he had been injected with was wearing off, and things began to become less blurry by the second.

Before his vision was clear, however, a voice in Eren's head said one thing.

"Be at ease, Eren," said the God of Darkness. "You're among friends."

"Wh... What?" Eren asked as he became fully awake.

"..."

When Eren didn't get a response from Darkness, he relied on observing his surroundings to get an answer. He could see that he was in the woods, where a fire and the moon served as his only sources of light. He could also see that he wasn't alone, that three masked people were standing above him.

Eren didn't recognize the other two, but the one in the middle was the one who stabbed him in the neck.

"Leave us," he said to the others. "I'll tell you if he's ready."

"Right," said one of the Faunus. "We'll get the others."

With that, the duo left their leader to look down on Eren once again. Eren tried to stand as he remembered what the Faunus did to him, but he found himself tied to the tree that he had been resting on.

"No need to struggle, sir," the Faunus said to calm Eren down. "We'll free you in a minute."

Eren was angry that he had been captured and tied to a tree. He was even angrier when he realized that his captors were the White Fang, and that he had failed to prevent his own capture.

He was still angry, but confusion became the more dominant emotion when he heard one word.

"Sir?" Eren repeated. "What?"

The Faunus could see that Eren was confused, which was something that he had expected. In order to change this, the Faunus pulled back the hood he was wearing and removed his mask to show his face.

"Eren Yeager," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"..."

Eren's captor was wise to reveal his face. Now, Eren was looking at a man with red hair and brown eyes. The man's hair had thick bangs which were swept to the right side, and his face was known to Eren.

Under normal circumstances, Eren would say that this was impossible. That he wasn't looking at who he believed he was looking at. But given everything that happened to him, and given that this wasn't the first time he had a meeting like this, Eren knew there wasn't any sense in doubting what he saw.

Or in this case, who he saw.

The Faunus wasn't a stranger, far from it. It was an ally of Eren's, someone who Eren trusted to a degree. Many years had passed since they last met, but Eren knew his name was a name he could never forget.

"...Floch?" Eren uttered. "Floch Forster?"

The Faunus was indeed Floch Forster, Eren's lieutenant during the war for Paradis. Back then, Floch had not only chosen to follow Eren's plan of unleashing the Rumbling, but he also formed a team of rebels within Paradis' military with the goal of making Eren the leader of the island.

After he escaped from the brig, Eren learned that the military used the term "Yeagerist" to describe the rebels that followed him. Back then, Floch was Eren's first and most loyal Yeagerist. And now, judging by the smile he wore, Floch still considered himself a Yeagerist.

"Yes!" Floch said with glee. "I knew you still remembered!" Floch not only demonstrated his pride through a smile, but also by standing at attention and saluting Eren. It wasn't the salute of Remnant, where people would raise their hand to their eyebrow. But rather, Floch formed a fist and brought it to his heart while moving his left arm behind him.

Floch demonstrated that he was dedicating his heart to Eren.

Eren was surprised by all of this, since it had come at a great shock. He was still processing it all, and he hoped to do it while standing up. However, the rope around him prevented Eren from standing. Fortunately, Floch saw reason to release Eren, just like he promised.

"Sorry about this," Floch said as he undid the knots that kept Eren bound. "We had to take precautions in case you didn't remember us."

"Us?" Eren asked as he felt the ropes loosen and fall off him.

"Yes, us." Floch walked back to Eren and extended a hand. "Come with me."

"..."

Despite having questions about his capture, his whereabouts, and Floch's presence on Remnant, Eren had no choice but to trust Floch like he did before. And so, Eren accepted the hand and moved off the ground. He had to walk slowly since the sedative had knocked him out, but Floch helped him move towards a campfire that was serving as light in the dark forest. While he walked, Eren tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Is... Is this a dream, Floch?" Eren asked as he walked.

"I know it must feel that way," Floch said in understanding. "This whole thing caught us off guard too. But this isn't a dream."

"..."

Before Eren could ask anything else, Floch stopped in front of the campfire and spoke. "He's here, everyone!" he said. "And he remembers!"

Suddenly, a large group of people dressed in the same clothes Floch had on moved from where they were sitting and standing to see Floch and their guest. Once they did, everyone got a good look at Eren and shared their thoughts and opinions at once.

"Holy shit! It is him!"

"It's really him!"

"Eren Yeager!"

"We're gonna be alright!"

"We'll win this for sure!"

"Yeah!"

Eren was bombarded by the presence and voices of the Faunus, which left him even more confused. The first idea that came to mind was that maybe Floch had told them all about him.

Or...

"Take off your masks," Floch ordered. He could see that Eren was still confused, that he had no idea who anyone here was. In order to change that, Floch knew he had to show Eren the truth. "It's okay, everyone. Show him who we are."

One by one, all of the Faunus began to take off their white masks and reveal their faces. Different animal features were revealed beneath the masks and hoods, while others were still hidden beneath their clothes. Regardless, Eren looked upon all their faces and experienced déjà vu once more.

The first time he did this was when a man with gray eyes, brown hair, and dog ears moved forward to greet him. This man didn't salute Eren like Floch did, but he believed he had a good reason for that.

"If you remember Floch, you remember your friends," he said. "Don't you, Eren?"

Eren leaned closer to look at the man. Not only did he appear to be the same age as Eren, but he was right when he said that Eren would remember him.

"Samuel?" Eren asked confidently.

The Faunus smiled and chuckled as he accepted the answer. "In the flesh." Samuel was right when he said that he and Eren were friends. Not only was he also a Yeagerist, but Samuel and Eren trained together as a part of the 104th Training Corps. They had known each other for a very long time.

When they heard Eren confirm the man's identity, more of the Faunus moved closer to identify themselves.

"You might remember me, Eren. I'm Wim."

"I'm Holger."

"And I'm Oliver."

One by one, more and more Faunus stepped forward and introduced themselves. Eren couldn't remember every face and name, since Floch had amassed a rather large group of rebels. But Eren knew that not only were they Eldians like him, but they were all Yeagerists as well.

They were all soldiers that were loyal to Eren.

If he was being honest, Eren was happy to see some of the Yeagerists. Like Samuel said, some of the young Faunus were friends that joined his cause. Ever since he reunited with Ymir, Eren wondered if there were any other Eldians that had somehow found themselves on Remnant. When he met Rod Reiss, however, Eren believed that some mysteries were better left unsolved.

And so, Eren was happy to see that not every reborn Eldian was an enemy. However, this idea was called into question when he remembered what recently happened.

"Hey, wait a minute," he said. "Wait a minute!"

"..."

Where there was once chatter and praise, there was only the sound of wood cracking in the campfire. Eren could see that he had everyone's attention now, and he used this to his advantage.

"What's going on here?" he asked. "What is all this?"

"All this?" Floch asked as he moved forward. When he was in front of Eren again, Floch spread his arm to gesture towards his fellow Yeagerists. "This is a celebration! We found you, didn't we?"

Laughter filled the camp, but Eren didn't join in the laughter. "Found me?" As Eren reflected on their method of "finding" him, his anger returned immediately. "No, you attacked me! You attacked my home! You were all there, I saw you!"

All of the Eldians turned to Floch, who attempted to calm Eren down. "Eren, wait a minute," he said. "I can explain."

"Explain?! There's nothing to explain, Floch! I know what happened!" Eren picked up a mask one of the Faunus had dropped. "I know what this is! You're with the White Fang, aren't you?! They set this up, didn't they-?!"

*WHOOSH*

*BAM*

Eren was suddenly struck from behind after he felt a gust of wind. From what he could feel, Eren had been kicked in the back by someone, and that kick had forced him to the ground.

Eren didn't like being hit when he least expected it, but there was something strange about this attack. Namely, that he didn't hear anyone running towards him or sneaking up behind him. But when Eren turned around, he could see why.

Standing right above him was another Faunus, and a unique one at that. The Faunus was a pale woman with a pair of large wings on her back. Her face was decorated with gold eyes, a scar on her cheek, and upper-back length platinum hair. She was donned in a dark red and black skintight suit, one with a dark gray corset-style leather breastplate with shoulder and knee pads. She was standing on Eren's chest with boots that sported metal heels and toes, and she was pointing a sharp spear right in his face.

Whoever she was, there was one thing that Eren easily noticed. She wasn't happy.

"You let him loose?!" she asked as she drew the spear closer. "And let him see us?!"

"..."

Along with her anger, Eren noticed that this woman wasn't familiar to him. He concentrated on her face, but no Eldian or member of the military came to mind when he looked upon her. Nevertheless, Eren took the threat to his life seriously and planned accordingly. If he needed to, he could turn into a Titan by cutting his face with the spear.

But the other Faunus had another idea.

"Angel, no!" said Samuel. "Don't hurt him!"

"He's the one!" said Wim. "We need him!"

The irate woman looked at her fellow Faunus in disbelief. "Need him?!" she asked. "He's a human! There are thousands just like him!"

"No," said Floch, who spoke in a serious authoritative tone. "Not like him."

"..."

"Angel, you have to let him go."

"Why?" the woman asked. "Floch, I've played along with this long enough, I'm not-"

"I know you have. But I need you to trust me." Floch's brow furrowed as he refused to break eye contact with the woman. "Let him go."

"..."

"..."

The woman finally moved her foot off Eren, but made her displeasure known with a growl. Rather than join her apparent friends, she moved against a tree and studied Eren carefully. She also studied Floch helping Eren off the ground once more, which made her all the more displeased.

But she remained silent as Floch spoke.

"I'm sorry, Eren," Floch began. "Angel's with us, but she doesn't know you. Not like we do."

Eren took note that the Faunus was apparently named "Angel," but he didn't care about that. "Floch, this is the second time I've been attacked tonight," Eren said with a firm glare. "If you don't want me to attack back, then you're going to tell me what's going on. Right now."

Floch knew what Eren was like when he felt threatened, so he took the warning very seriously. And so, Floch finally gave Eren the explanation he was looking for.

"That was actually the first time you were attacked," he countered. "What happened before didn't put you or anyone back there in danger."

"You're lucky we were holding back," Angel spat.

"Holding back?" Eren asked. "What?"

"What happened at Kuroyuri wasn't an invasion," said Floch. "As you can see, the men and women under my command were ordered to take you alive. All attacks were intended to wound, all shots were designed to intimidate. Believe me when I say our raid on your village was calculated, choreographed, and designed to apprehend you."

Eren took note that he was indeed alive, but he still didn't understand everything. "So you planned all this? You planned an attack just to get to me?"

"It was necessary. The White Fang's been keeping an eye on you and your friends. The rest of the Hunt Inquisitorius. When we found out you were there, we were sent to make an example of them. But instead, we made the attack look real while we looked for you. And here we are."

"..."

After Eren heard and listened to everything Floch said, he tried to make sense of it all. He still had questions, mainly as to why he had been taken away from Kuroyuri. But given that he didn't see anyone on the farm die, Eren took a risk by imagining the possibility that Floch was telling the truth.

As for why the White Fang of all people were keeping an eye on him, the first thought that came to mind was the incident in Vale. If someone had survived and identified him as the instigator of the battle in the Forever Fall, it made sense that the rest of the White Fang wanted him dead.

And yet, Floch and his friends had taken him alive. So, for argument's sake, Eren decided to take Floch's word as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Okay... let me get this straight," Eren began. "You infiltrated the White Fang and heard about me. When you had all the information you needed from them, you launched a fake attack to come find me? To bring me here rather than have them kill me?"

There were a few whispers and murmurs from the Yeagerists, which Eren couldn't make sense of. Floch however, was able to answer for them. "We did all of this to find you, that's true," he said. "And we don't want to hurt you, that's also true. But we didn't infiltrate the White Fang; we are the White Fang."

Eren was mildly surprised to hear this. He had been wrong about things before, but there was something about this group, save for Angel, that didn't seem to resonate with the White Fang.

"You are?" Eren asked the crowd. "You're all members?"

Nods and words of confirmation were heard across the area. "Why so surprised?" asked Angel, who was still doubtful about Eren.

"Well... you don't look like them." Eren picked up the mask he had dropped after being kicked. "I mean, except this. I've seen the White Fang on the news, and you look a little... different." Eren was referring to the black clothes they were wearing. "What's that supposed to be for? A different rank?"

"A different branch, actually," said Floch. "We're not just White Fang, Eren. We're the White Fang's Justice Division."

"Justice Division?"

"That's right." Floch took out a Scroll and typed on it as he moved towards Eren. "Like the Hunt Inquisitorius, we're a group of Faunus that answer to the High Leader. She and other members of the White Fang across the world share names of people that we... handle."

Floch handed Eren his Scroll, which was displaying a list of names for Eren to see. Eren moved his finger across the screen to see that the list was long, and that many names had been... crossed off.

"The White Fang acts for the Faunus who can't speak up for themselves," Floch explained. "Or are too afraid to act. But these people are left for us to handle."

"...Who are they?" Eren asked as he examined the list.

"Traitors. Deserters. Anyone who's acted against the High Leader and the White Fang. We track them down and carry out their sentence. We bring them to justice."

"..."

Eren noticed that Floch was looking at his pistol when he said this. Given this detail and Eren's own experience with the White Fang and Floch, Eren had a feeling what this "justice" entailed.

It seemed that Floch hadn't changed since Paradis.

"Traitors..." Eren repeated. "Like those Faunus you shot?"

All eyes turned to Floch when everyone heard this, but Floch wasn't nervous. "The ones who grabbed you?" he confidently assumed. "Yes, they were traitors. Angel was the one who told me."

"I overheard them talking about leaving," said the winged Faunus. "That they were going to join the Vale branch of the White Fang after this."

"The Vale branch?" Eren asked.

"..."

Angel didn't dignify that with a response, since she still didn't trust Eren. So Eren turned to Floch once more, who had an answer.

"Recent intelligence says that the Vale branch of the White Fang went rogue," Floch explained. "They haven't been following orders from our leader for a while. We were sent to investigate the cause, but they must have moved their base somewhere else. All we found were bodies and Grimm at their camp."

"..."

Eren knew exactly what happened with the bodies and Grimm, but he kept this information to himself. Instead, he realized that his capture by Floch wasn't involved with that attack. He had made no mention of Eren and his friends being there. This left Eren more confused than ever, until he saw a specific name on Floch's list of targets.

"Hey, wait a minute," he said. "Cinder's name is on this list!"

Floch looked where Eren was looking and saw the same thing. "Yes, that's right," he said. "Cinder Fritz. She's a friend of yours, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is! Why is she on your list?!"

"Get a clue, human," said Angel. "She's our target. Or rather..." Angel turned to Floch. "She was supposed to be."

Floch took note of Angel's disdain for Eren, but it was easy for him to ignore it. What he couldn't ignore, however, was Eren's reaction to this news.

"What do you mean she's your target?!" he asked angrily. Eren was more than willing to defend Cinder, even if it meant challenging Floch. "Why do you want her dead?! She's not a Faunus!"

"We've done more than hunt traitors," Floch calmly explained as he showed his Scroll again. "As you can see, humans are on our list too. We've punished Huntsmen, Huntresses, politicians who've acted against the Faunus-"

"Even SDC board members," Oliver said proudly.

Floch gestured to Oliver and nodded. "Even them. The White Fang chooses who goes on this list. And we bring them to justice."

The way Floch was speaking was similar to how he spoke back on Paradis. How he was proud to be a Yeagerist, how he supported the Rumbling through and through. Back then, Floch thought, spoke, and acted like a pure zealot.

And he was doing so now.

"But what about her?!" Eren angrily asked. "She's never done anything to you!"

"That's not what the High Leader thinks," said Angel. "Don't play dumb, you were there when she did it."

Eren was still angry when he heard this, but his confusion and need for answers softened his rage. "...When?"

"Two days ago. On TV."

"Two days-?" Eren looked back to Floch when he heard this. "Wait, the interview? That's what all this is about? You didn't like what we said about the Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"That was actually the one thing we agreed on," said Floch. "But the High Leader didn't like Fritz's view on the Faunus."

"What are you talking about? Cinder never said anything about the Faunus!"

Floch used his Scroll to show Eren a recording he had of Cinder with Hickory Arbinger. "Yes, she did." Floch made the video play, which showed a loop of two parts.

"Things like Dust quantity, climate change, Faunus equality-"

"But none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

"Faunus equality-"

"-none of them are actually coming at the cost of lives."

After a few seconds, Floch stopped the video and looked to Eren. Seeing that he was still not understanding it all, Floch explained his reasoning. "We all saw it. Your friend doesn't even know what we're doing for the Faunus. She dismissed it without a second thought."

Between the video and Floch's explanation, Eren could see that a big misunderstanding had been made. "No," he said while shaking his head. "No, that's not what meant! We were just-!"

"Eren," Samuel said to get his friend's attention. "The writing's practically on the wall."

"We've seen this too many times," said Holger. "A human either calling out the Faunus or dismissing them altogether."

"And Mistral's the second-worst place that it's been happening," said Wim. "We're not going to let it happen again."

"We've done this plenty of times before," said Oliver. "Stopping people like them before things got out of hand."

Floch looked upon his people with pride and agreement before he turned back to Eren. "They're right," he said. "All of our work, all our reasons for acting against the humans who stand in our way... it's all been possible because of you." Floch smiled wider as he explained himself. "You showed us the way, Eren. As soon as we all saw you on the news, with the police and the other human, we all remembered what you showed us. What you did that made our goals a reality."

"..."

"We could keep moving forward because of you. That we could move against our enemies, the people who want to see us destroyed. This is it. This... is freedom."

"..."

Eren was speechless.

Eren knew that he could prove Floch and his Faunus wrong, that Cinder held no prejudice or ill will towards the Faunus. He could explain that their enemies were actually shared, if what they said about punishing Huntsmen and Huntresses was true.

But Eren couldn't deny his role in Floch's way of thinking.

Death hadn't changed Floch or the other Yeagerists. Despite being on a new world, their zealous nature and their desire to wipe away their enemies hadn't changed. And just like before, this way of thinking had come from Eren's thoughts, deeds, and actions.

Eren had made Floch into what he was on Paradis. And now, Eren made Floch do the same thing. The attack, the list... Eren knew it was all because of him.

This was his fault.

"Floch... I-"

"Enough of this," said Angel, who stopped leaning against the tree. "Believe whatever you want, Floch, but I'm not just going to stand around and praise a human."

"..."

Just like Eren suspected, Angel wasn't an Eldian. She had no idea what Floch or the rest of the Justice Division was talking about, but she played along since Floch hadn't steered her wrong before. Tonight, however, was testing the limits of her loyalty. She could never see a human being praised like this; in fact, it was making her sick.

So if Floch didn't get to the point, Angel made sure that she would carry out the mission the Justice Division had been given. Fortunately, Floch understood this and cut to the chase.

"Eren, there's a reason we brought you here," Floch began. "There's something we want to do. Something we haven't done since this team was made." Floch looked back towards his fellow Faunus and saw them nod. Once they did, Floch turned to Eren and made a proposal. "We want to make a trade."

"A... A trade?" Eren asked after he found his voice.

"Yes. You for Fritz."

"..."

Floch held his Scroll again and swiped the screen to show the list again. "I know the two of you are friends. And like you did before, I know you want to protect your friends. Your kin." Floch tapped Cinder's name for emphasis. "I can take her name off this list. Any grudge held by the White Fang will be forgotten... if you come with us."

"..."

Floch put a hand on Eren's shoulder. "Not as our prisoner. But as our comrade."

"..."

Eren didn't believe what he was hearing. Under different circumstances, he would have fought with the Yeagerists just like he did on Paradis. Together, they would have marched towards freedom through any means necessary. But now, Eren didn't know how such a partnership could be possible.

Or if it should be possible.

"You... You want me to join the White Fang?" Eren asked. "But... I'm human."

Angel grunted as she listened to Eren. "You'd be smart to remember that," she said.

Floch turned to Angel and gestured for her to be silent. Even though he was testing her patience, Floch knew the reward from tonight's encounter would be rich.

"As much as we hoped you would be a Faunus, that doesn't matter," Floch said. "The point is... we need your help."

"With what?" Eren asked.

Floch began to pace around the area as he explained more. "Like I said, this isn't the first time we've done something like this. But the truth is, Eren, we've been at this for too long. Whatever your friend might think, the White Fang has been fighting for years. We've made progress, that's true, but not enough. No matter what we do, the humans find a way around it. We need to turn the tide. We need to be stronger." Floch stopped walking and looked to Eren. "We need what we had all those years ago. We need the devil."

"..."

Eren now understood what Floch wanted. He wanted Remnant to be like the way it was back home, but successful. He wanted all of his enemies destroyed in one fell swoop.

And he wanted Eren to do it.

"No."

"..."

Floch stopped smiling when he heard this answer. He almost didn't what he heard, but Eren's determined face served to confirm the fact that Eren had denied the offer.

"No?" Floch repeated in disbelief.

"I knew it," said Angel, who took her weapon in hand and grabbed Eren's shoulder. "I told you this was a waste of time. If you had listened to me-"

Eren grabbed the woman's hand and turned around fast. And the last thing she saw before blacking out was a yellow glow, Eren's angry face, and a fist flying towards her.

*BAM*

Rather than be attacked once again, Eren stood his ground and knocked the Faunus unconscious. He wasn't going to be taking any chances with his safety anymore, which was why he triggered his Semblance. He would use his Titan if he had to, but Eren had no intention of being here any longer.

Not until he had his say.

Eren saw that he not only had the attention of his former Yeagerists, but he also had them in a state of alarm from knocking out Angel. Some of them were reaching for their weapons and some had taken a step back. But when Eren looked at them, the Faunus all waited to see what Eren did next.

"Floch, I'm sorry," Eren began, hoping to calm everyone down after his refusal and self-defense. "I'm sorry that we made you think we're against the Faunus. But if you're looking to start a war with the world, I can't help you."

The Faunus were all sad to hear this, even Floch. But Floch stuck to his gut and did everything he could to change Eren's mind.

"You don't get it," Floch began. "We can't start a war. Because the war already began."

"How?" Eren asked. "The Kingdoms are at peace."

"We're not talking about the Kingdoms! We're talking about the humans that attack the Faunus every day! Humanity has always been at our throats! Just like they were at Paradis!"

Eren had heard a similar argument before, before and after he left the Forever Fall. And back then, Eren felt that things were different.

"Are humans using Faunus to make Titans?" Eren asked. "Are they trying to keep you confined to an island? Are they trying to keep coming at you until there isn't a single Faunus left in the world?" Despite not knowing where he was, Eren pointed towards the direction he believed Kuroyuri was in. "The place you just attacked had humans and Faunus living in peace. It's been like that for years, Floch. Nobody's trapped, nobody is trying to kill each other. Remnant isn't like Paradis, Floch. It's not."

"..."

Eren believed that with all his heart. Living at Kuroyuri with humans and Faunus alike told him that there was no conflict. He was well aware of the work the White Fang was doing, but Eren couldn't agree with it. Just like he said, he couldn't see the same kind of conflict he saw back home. He heard stories of discrimination, but the stories didn't line up with what he saw on Paradis and Marley.

But that didn't mean the Yeagerists didn't have their reasons for fighting.

"Eren..." Samuel began as he moved forward. "It may not be exactly like Paradis... but not everything has been good for us." Before Eren could protest, Samuel made another point. "With all due respect, you're human. You don't know what we've had to go through. Can we just agree on that?"

Eren took a moment to think about the request, and soon found it to be reasonable. "...Okay," he said. "But I heard about the Faunus War. The Faunus all earned their freedom after they won."

Samuel couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. "You know your history. And the Faunus aren't slaves, you're right. But we're not free. Not how you might think."

Eren became confused once more, but he decided to hear everyone out before drawing any conclusions.

"Samuel's right," said Floch. "Have you ever heard of poaching, Eren? There are humans, even Huntsmen, beyond the Kingdoms who hunt and kill Faunus for just being who they are. Like the Eldians."

Eren hadn't seen "poaching" for himself, but the activity sounded very similar to the Eldian abuse on Marley. It even sounded like what happened to Grisha's sister, Faye.

"And they practically drive us out of the Kingdoms," said Holger. "You ever see those 'No Faunus' signs? They use that to kick us out of places and refuse entry. Even apartment buildings won't accept Faunus! I had to sleep out in the streets before I joined the White Fang!"

"And don't get me started on the kinds of jobs we have to work!" said Oliver. "Humans throw us in the most dangerous kinds of places to either die or get paid scraps! My brother lost his leg because he had no way to protect or help himself!"

"..."

The more he listened, the more Eren pitied his former allies. They had gone through so much, in situations that sounded just as bad as the situation with the Huntsmen. It only got worse, however, when Eren turned to a determined but saddened Floch.

"You... lost someone too, Floch?" Eren asked.

"...I lost everyone," the fox-eared Faunus replied.

"..."

Eren was sure that Floch mentioned "poaching" for a reason. And now, he sympathized will all his friends and allies. Their cause for liberation was just, especially since corrupt Huntsmen were once again involved.

"I'm sorry," Eren sincerely said. When he said it to Floch, Eren turned to the other Faunus before him. "I'm sorry this happened to all of you. I know you lived through one Hell before. None of you should have to live through another."

"..."

Eren's sympathies were a start for everyone, but not exactly what they were looking for. And neither was Eren's next statement.

"But Cinder wants change too," Eren explained. "It Huntsmen are a part of this, she can change that. She can-"

"We don't want her, Eren," Floch insisted. "We want you. You and your Titan."

Eren gasped when he heard this. It was surprising enough that his old comrades were here, but hearing their apparent knowledge about his Titan was the last thing he expected.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Eren denied.

"Yes, you do," Floch insisted. "You remember. Years ago, up in Atlas. A Titan that looked just like yours destroying the city, bringing our kind of justice to the people there." Floch pointed directly at Eren. "And here you are."

"..."

"I don't know how any of us got from Paradis to Remnant, Eren. But there's no such thing as coincidence."

"..."

Between Floch's facts and Eren's silence, the cat was officially out of the bag. There was no point in denying it anymore, since someone with experience could tell that the Titans Eren possessed were the same.

"Don't worry," Floch insisted. "Your secret's safe with us. But that still doesn't clear our debt."

"...Debt?" Eren asked.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Eren. But I have to remind you that you owe us." Floch gestured to everyone behind him. "Like I said, I don't know how we got here. But I know we all died for you. We gave our hearts and lives to help you keep moving forward."

"..."

"It was Mikasa who killed me, you know. She stabbed right in the heart because I tried to stop her from getting to you. Did she kill you too?"

"..."

Floch held great resentment towards Mikasa for killing him and Eren, but that rage was put aside for now. "But that doesn't matter now. What matters is we're both here. Ready to dedicate our hearts again."

"..."

"Join us, Eren."

"..."

Eren couldn't remember the last time he felt so conflicted. He still didn't want to start a war that could destroy the world he loved so much... but he knew that Floch was right.

Eren thought about his friend and allies nearly every day since he was on Remnant. He knew everyone who died for him and because of him, which still haunted him with guilt. People like Carla and Cinder helped with this, but the thoughts still remained.

However, Eren never knew that there would be a day where he could pay back such a debt. That one day, his Yeagerists would come to him for help against a cause they deemed similar to Paradis' war.

Eren knew that Floch was right about the debt, but he didn't want to leave behind the friends and family he found. He didn't want to put them in danger to fight in a war that they held no allegiance in. If anything, their human nature might make them an enemy in the eyes of the rest of the White Fang.

Despite this uncertainty, Eren was able to make a choice to save himself.

"Let me think about it."

"..."

This answer was more or less a cop-out, but Eren didn't know what else to do. He knew he couldn't say "Yes" or "No," so he hoped that more time to think and plan would be given.

"Think about it?" Floch asked. "What is there to think about?"

Eren expected this, and he was able to think of answer quickly. "You all want me to work with you again," Eren explained. "If I'm going to do that, I need to know that I can trust you. That you won't attack me or anyone in Kuroyuri again."

"..."

Eren pointed to the unconscious Angel. "And I need to know that you can convince Faunus like her to work with me too. I don't know how you convinced her to help you with this, but I need you to do it again."

"..."

Floch had reservations about waiting, but he knew that Angel wasn't fully convinced. Eren didn't know it, but Floch had told the woman his story and the story of all his fellow Yeagerists. It was this shared belief that convinced her to play along in the first place. But like Eren said, not everyone would be as easy to convince.

Eren needed proof before he could join.

"I want to trust you, Floch," Eren said. "I will trust you." Eren turned to the other Yeagerists. "All of you. But first, I need to know if the White Fang will keep their word. That they won't come after my friends again."

"..."

Floch turned to the former Yeagerists once more, who seemed more at ease than they were earlier. They too didn't like waiting, but they were reasonable enough to know that Eren needed to trust them again.

And just like Eren said, being attacked and kidnapped had shaken that trust.

Floch was reluctant to wait, but he knew there was no hope for a Faunus victory without Eren. It was a risk, but Floch knew he had to grant this request.

After all, Floch wanted the devil by his side, not against him.

"One day," Floch agreed. "We'll give you one day to make up your mind."

Eren offered a hand to Floch, to show that he would accept this deal. Floch shook it quickly, and accepted it as a small victory.

Suddenly, Samuel stepped forward and handed Eren a piece of paper. "Here," he said. Eren took the paper and saw that it was a marked map. "That's where we are now. We'll meet you here in one day."

"Your weapon is over there," Floch said as he pointed towards another tree. "Modified vertical maneuvering equipment. I'm impressed."

"...Yeah," Eren said. "Me too." Eren began to walk towards the gear, understanding that he would be going home alone.

"I left something on it for you," said Floch. "I hope it'll be enough to convince you."

"..."

Under normal circumstances, the idea would sound like Floch had left Eren a gift. But now, Eren understood the threat behind the words. And so, Eren moved towards his gear without a word and moved quickly to put it on.

As he did, Eren found the thing Floch had given him. On the side, there were scratches that looked like someone had tampered with it.

"ᛞᛖᛞᛁᚲᚨᛏᛖ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚺᛖᚱᛏᛊ"

As he looked upon the scratches, Eren understood what Floch had done. It wasn't a sign of tampering, it was actually something that Eren hadn't seen in years. He had almost forgotten how it looked, but Eren understood that the scratches was actually Eldian writing.

The writing in question had a very clear and powerful meaning.

"Dedicate your heart," Eren read before he left the area.

---

It took forever, but Eren had found his way home. Kuroyuri had been in an uproar while looking for him, so everyone was happy to see that he had returned. The official story was that Eren managed to escape, but Eren told the real story to his friends and family.

When she heard why the White Fang had done this, Cinder felt horrible. It wasn't her intention to insult the White Fang, and it certainly wasn't her intention to have Eren be kidnapped by them. She was going to do whatever she could to correct her mistake, to make sure that the White Fang wouldn't attack them again.

Eren was glad to hear this, but he needed to think everything through first. He warned the Mayor and the defense team that the White Fang may come back, and then he spent the rest of the night in solitude.

Darkness spoke to Eren again, with "advice" to accept Floch's offer. But Eren didn't pay attention to Darkness this time; not since he figured out what all this was.

Eren remembered how Darkness claimed bringing people like Dina and Ymir back was an experiment, to fine-tune the arrival of Eren without alerting his brother. But Eren knew the same idea couldn't be applied to Floch and the Yeagerists. He knew that Darkness had planned this all along.

It all made sense when Darkness said Eren was among friends. Back when he was possessed, Eren knew that Darkness planned to use his body to rule the world. In order to do that, Darkness would need reinforcements. The Grimm would serve their purpose, but bringing back Yeagerists as Faunus? People who were looked down upon by humans?

Eren knew Darkness could use that hatred. Eren knew that Darkness could raise an army within the White Fang, use the Yeagerists to aid him in conquest. After all, Floch made it clear that he viewed the White Fang as an instrument of war. He believed that war had already started, so Eren knew Darkness would stoke this fire and bring chaos.

Only now, the one who was expected to stoke the fire was Eren.

Eren didn't want to fight in a war again, but all of the arguments from last night came back to him. Floch and the other Yeagerists believed they were fighting for survival, just like they believed Eren owed them his loyalty for dying once already.

As morning came, Eren was no closer to an answer than he was before. He knew he needed help to make

"So that's where I am right now," Eren said to his present company. "Just about every rebel from Paradis is a part of the White Fang."

"..."

"I could go into all kinds of detail about how Darkness did this and why, but I think that's besides the point. That point being... Floch and the others want me to join them. To lead them."

"..."

"I know this all sounds crazy, but I felt that your history with something like this could help me. After all, you were a rebel once."

"..."

Rather than his friends or his mother, Eren was talking to Dina Fritz. Dina was a very wise person, wise in ideas and matters that Eren never had a complete understanding of. He had received her advice before, which was one reason he was asking for it now. In hindsight, Eren knew it would be strange going to Dina for advice on such a matter, but he never forgot about her background. Fortunately for him, neither did she.

"Oh," Dina said in understanding. "You mean with the Restorationists."

"Right," Eren replied. "I know your past isn't something you like to talk about, but I just... I didn't think this would make sense to anyone else."

Dina never liked talking about her past, especially when she was once a Titan. And she was glad that Eren understood that, even though he had invited her to this conversation.

"Thank you for respecting that, Eren," she said. "I have to admit, though... this is all rather strange."

"I know," said Eren. "I don't expect you to understand where Floch and the others are coming from."

"Actually, Eren, that's the strange part. I do understand."

A quiet gasp escaped Eren's mouth when it opened in surprise. That was the last thing he expected to hear, and it was almost hard to believe. "You do?"

"Yes. And I think I know where you're coming from too."

"..."

Dina began to reflect on all her experiences with the Eldian Restorationists, which were mostly shared with Eren's father. Most of the experiences were bad, but some of them were also good. But it was all of them that led Dina to make a proper assessment about Eren and the White Fang.

"When I see the state of the world now, I can easily see we're at peace," Dina began as she looked out the window. "There's the Grimm, of course, but the whole world is at peace. There's no war, no armed conflict on a global scale... people like you and me see the peace and can't find a reason to have war."

"..."

Dina slowly turned away from the window and back to Eren. "But the problem is... peace doesn't always make people happy."

"..."

"Back when I lived in Marley, peace for the Marleyans involved persecuting and hurting any and all Eldians they saw. Peace for them included throwing the Eldians in the internment zones. But most of all... peace included sending all Eldian criminals to Paradis."

"..."

Dina couldn't help but flinch at the last idea, since that was what happened to her. Eren understood it well, and sympathized with her greatly. But more than that, he remembered all the comfy it he had with the Titans, and how Marley was responsible.

That was when he understood something. It was something he had almost forgotten since being on Remnant, but this conversation helped him remember it. Dina also remembered it, and had just brought it into the light.

"Marley did all of that in the name of peace... but it made them obvious to the conflict every Eldian saw," Dina finished. "At least, Eldians like me and your father."

"..."

Eren remembered and agreed with the idea, since he had to fight every day on Paradis. "All of this happened before," he said. "And now it's happening again. With the White Fang."

Dina nodded. "I only know what you told me... but I believe that's the case," she said. "I actually said that Grisha would have joined the White Fang, if he was here. And, well... a Faunus."

Eren had no memory of this, but he couldn't agree more. However, an idea such as this didn't help with his situation. "The only difference is... I'm the one who caused it. I lit the fire that Floch and the Yeagersits are feeding. If I were like them, I have no doubt I'd be doing the same thing. But because I'm not-"

"You never had to endure what they did. You never suffered like they did. So you don't know if you should be fighting like they are."

"..."

Eren sighed as he once again agreed with Dina. He was just like Floch and the others on Paradis, he had to endure and suffer like they did. But things were different now, and the only conflict Eren knew was the one within his mind.

"So... what should I do?" Eren asked.

"..."

Eren was right to ask, but an answer wasn't going to come very easily.

Dina didn't envy the position Eren was in. To be reminded of the flames of rebellion he started years ago while having a better life in Kuroyuri was very unfortunate for him, and it left him in a very fragile situation. Dina didn't think that Eren owed Floch and his fellow Faunus everything, but she understood why Eren knew he couldn't ignore the role he played in their lives.

Eren always fought for freedom, whether it was on Remnant or back on Paradis. He was happy to have that freedom now, but knowing that his former brothers in arms were still fighting for it wasn't sitting well with him. The conversation with Dina helped Eren understand where Floch was coming from, why he was continuing to fight. But Eren was still no closer to making the decision that was asked of him.

Was he supposed to stay in Kuroyuri and stay away from the White Fang?

Or was he supposed to help them secure the freedom they desired?

"Well, if you ask me... I think you might have an opportunity with this."

Eren put his choice aside when Dina mentioned the idea of an opportunity. It was hard to see what Eren could benefit out of all this, but he knew Dina wouldn't lie or make jokes about something like this. If she was being serious, then Eren knew he had to hear what else Dina had to say.

"What do you mean?" Eren asked.

"This group of the White Fang," Dina began. "You said you know all of them, right?"

"Well, yeah. I guess you could say Floch was my second in command."

"And the others?"

"I knew them. Some of them were friends from my training days. Does it matter?"

"It might, actually. I think the White Fang, or at least this 'Justice Division' are looking for the thing the Eldian Restorationists never had."

Eren couldn't help but think of one thing that he had that the White Fang could use for themselves. And he didn't like it one bit. "You mean the Founding Titan?" Eren asked. He was referring to the plan Grisha made with Dina, to take the Founding Titan from Paradis and use it against Marley.

"Oh, no!" Dina quickly denied. "Well... I mean, yes." She too remembered Grisha's plan, but also remembered the consequences it brought. "But I was actually referring to you, Eren. A friend on the outside."

Eren forgot about his Titan when he realized that Dina had no interest in it. However, his understanding of her wisdom was still incomplete. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, the Eldian Restorationists were exactly what they sounded like," Dina explained. "Eldian. We stood alone against the entire world; a world that hated Eldians. I'm... sure you know all about that."

"..."

Eren did.

"Standing alone like we did was hard. Almost impossible, even. So, I can understand how Floch and his friends came to you, Eren. It's not that they want you to join. They need you."

"..."

"In fact, it sounds like they need you more than you need them."

Dina's emphasis on the importance of allies made Eren remember people like Yelena and Kiyomi Azumabito. Foreigners to Paradis had assisted the island greatly, mainly with bringing new resources and ideas for modernizing the island. Yelena may have been working for Zeke, but her assistance to the island was invaluable.

And just like Dina said, Paradis needed people like Yelena and Kiyomi Azumabito more than they needed the Eldians. That put the island at a great disadvantage, one that the Survey Corps discussed once upon a time.

But now, the tables had turned. Floch and his Faunus needed Eren more than he needed them. While they still knew his identity as a Titan, the concept of need gave Eren an advantage over them. One that Dina believed Eren could use.

"You're right," Eren said. "They need me more than I need them."

"That's how it sounds, yes," Dina agreed. "If you feel the need to, I'd suggest you use that to your advantage."

"To what end?"

"Whatever you think is right."

Most people would say that Dina's answer was a vague one, but that wasn't the intention. Rather, Dina was expressing the amount of trust she had in Eren. He had saved her life before, as well as the lives of the people in Kuroyuri. His methods were in a morally gray area, but Dina couldn't deny that she was still alive.

Because of that, Dina trusted Eren to do the right thing. She trusted him to use the advantage she helped Eren uncover, to use it for what was right. It was up to him to decide that, so Dina left him with that choice.

But not before she made a request.

"All I ask is that you use it to protect Cinder," Dina requested. "If these people are as dangerous as you say, and if they put a target on her back... I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."

Eren not only understood Dina's sentiments, but he shared them as well. He may have been indecisive for the most part, but Eren was determined to protect the woman he loved.

"They won't lay a finger on her," Eren promised with firm resolve. "You have my word."

Dina smiled fondly at Eren as she accepted the promise. "Thank you."

"Thank you, too."

With that, Eren left to make his next move. It wasn't hard to think about what was right, at least for himself and his friends. Kuroyuri had to be protected once more, and Eren was going to answer the call.

However, the status of the Faunus was a different matter. Eren wasn't lying when he offered his sympathies to Floch and the others. He had been so focused on the Huntsmen and Huntresses that he had no idea how bad the Faunus situation was. Eren didn't want to abandon his former comrades.

And despite what his friends said... Eren felt that he owed the Yeagerists for following him into death.

So, Eren spent the day thinking of how he could help everyone. The answer was hard to determine at first, but Eren eventually came to a conclusion. He would need the help of his friends once again, but Eren knew what he wanted to do.

If Floch and the Yeagerists wanted a devil... Eren would give them one.

---

During the hours they spent waiting for the day to be over, the former Yeagerists passed the time by doing what they did best: delivering "justice" to their enemies.

And there was nobody better at it than Floch Forster.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

"Aaaahhhh!"

"Oh, God!"

"Please! Please, no more!"

"..."

Floch gave in to the request, but only because he had to reload.

Like Eren had said, Floch killed three members of the Whote Fang who accompanied him to Kuroyuri. Floch had labeled them as traitors to the White Fang's High Leader, given that they wished to join the rogue Vale branch of the organization. Floch had yet to find the leader and remaining members of the Vale branch, given that they had all disappeared, but he hoped to do so right now.

Floch and the Yeagerists had managed to apprehend three more traitors, which was unknown to Eren. They had been uncovered as spies for the Vale branch, who were now prisoners. And now, with his trusty pistol, Floch was hoping to gather information before inflicting what he perceived to be justice.

"There," Floch said as he examined the three unmasked and bleeding Faunus. "Do I have your attention?"

"Yes!" said one of the Faunus. "Yes, okay, yes!"

"Okay, okay!" said another Faunus. "We're sorry!"

Floch had put a new magazine into his gun and looked at the Faunus again. "You apologized before," he said. "But you didn't answer my question: where is Adam?"

One of the scared Faunus opened his mouth to speak, but the third Faunus stopped him. "Don't say anything!" he said, despite the pain he was in. "Keep your mouth shut or I'll kill you my-!"

*BANG*

*THUD*

The more determined Faunus had been shot dead, and his blood had been sprayed all over his comrades. They both screamed at the sight, since they were relatively new members. So unlike Floch, they hadn't witnessed much violence firsthand.

"Admirable," said Floch, who respected the man's determination to resist. "But hopeless." He then turned to the two scared Faunus. "Is there really anything wrong with just submitting?"

"..."

Floch remembered saying similar things in Paradis, when he convinced other Yeagerists and prisoners that they were free because of Eren. He had tried to convince Jean as well, but he failed that time.

He almost hoped he wouldn't fail with the prisoners before him.

"Or do you want to join him?" Floch asked as he pointed the gun again.

"No, no, wait!" said the first Faunus. "We'll talk! We'll talk!"

"...Go on."

The first Faunus took a second to collect his thoughts before he answered the question. "Adam... He's in Vale," he said.

Floch rolled his eyes at the comment and moved his gun closer. "Where in Vale?"

The scared Faunus moved back from the gun in fear. "In Vale! He's in the city! He moved there after his camp in the Forever Fall was attacked by Grimm or something! I don't know anything more!" He then pointed to his friend. "But he does!"

"What?!" the second Faunus asked. "I don't know anything!"

"Yes, you do! I saw you talking to him with that woman! Just tell him the truth, tell him-!"

*BANG*

*THUD*

Floch fired his gun again and punished the traitor. The third Faunus couldn't help but scream again, between his pain and seeing his ally fall to the ground. He couldn't understand why Floch would kill him, since he had given Floch what he wanted. But that didn't matter now, since the barrel of the gun was in his face now.

"Go on," Floch demanded.

Despite being afraid, the Faunus couldn't find it within himself to answer the question. One way or another, he knew that this would be his final day on Remnant.

"No..." he said.

*BANG*

"Ah!"

Floch didn't shoot the Faunus in the head, but in his leg once again. His patience was wearing thin, despite the fact that he knew where his target was. But his curiosity was captivated by this woman Adam was apparently working with.

"What woman?" Floch asked. "A human?"

The mention of a human helped the Faunus find his courage. He was aware of Floch's exploits, and hoped to use them to his advantage. "You... You're one to talk, Floch!" he said. "So what if Adam's working with a human?! We knew about the human you were talking to last night! What's so special about him, huh?! What's so different about you and Adam?! At least he thinks we can end this war! He'll be the one to lead the White Fang to the top! People like you can't do anything!"

"..."

Floch passed to think about the argument he just heard. He heard a similar argument from Angel, when he first told her about Eren. Working with humans went against just about everything the White Fang believed in, Floch knew that was true. However, the one thing he could use to pardon himself with was his loyalty. His loyalty to the Faunus, the White Fang, and the High Leader herself.

Something that his prisoner was obviously against.

"That's where you're wrong," Floch said calmly. "The war won't be over until the High Leader says so." He then kneeled to the Faunus and looked him in the eye. "Adam thinks he can end it, that's true. I'm well aware of his reputation. Just like I'm aware how it led him astray."

"..."

"We can have zealots and fanatics in our organization, we'll take anyone. But the moment they put their desires above our own... they'll be lost to them. Hence, here we are." Floch waved his gun around the area to remind the prisoner where he was. "Oh, and I don't know who Adam's human is supposed to be, but she's not what I'm going to give the High Leader. Nothing compares to him."

"...What do you mean?" the prisoner asked.

Floch sighed as he stood up. "I would say you would live long enough to see, but... I'm not that good of an actor." He raised the gun once again and took aim. "Farewell."

"No, please-!"

*BANG*

"..."

After he wiped blood off his face, Floch took his leave from the tent he was in. There, he was met by Samuel, Eren's old friend from training. "Did you get what we needed?" he asked.

"Not everything," Floch said. "But it's a start. I'll need them taken care of." Floch watched Samuel enter the tent and begin to take care of the bodies, something the two of them were quite used to at this point.

Just three more names off their list.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your mind."

Floch turned to see that he had been joined by Angel, who was sharpening her weapon. "I mean, not completely," she said bluntly.

Floch was aware that Angel was referring to Eren. Last night had left a bad impression for her, despite her justified reasons for not trusting him. Floch understood that well, and hoped the hunt and execution they performed would lead to reconciliation between him and his partner.

So far, it seemed to be working.

"How's the jaw?" Floch asked as he looked at a bruise on Angel's face.

Angel rubbed her jaw and reflected on the surprise punch Eren gave her. "It only hurts when I chew," she said. "It's nothing."

"I thought so. Still... I warned you not to make him mad."

Angel grunted as she lowered her hand. "It was a lucky shot. But... he can throw a good punch. I'll give him that much."

"Angel, trust me. He'll give us a lot more when we see him again."

"If we see him. I came here to tell you that his time's almost up."

Floch looked at the time on his Scroll to see that the twenty-four hours he gave Eren were almost up. But there was still enough time for him to come. In case he didn't, however, Floch had a backup plan.

"Then we do things your way," he promised. "Take out Fritz like it's a normal mission."

Angel smiled in satisfaction and relief. Namely, she was relieved that the Floch Forster she knew wasn't gone. "Good," she said sincerely. "Like I said, you haven't lost your mind." Content with her leader's promise, Angel prepared to leave Floch to his own devices.

"But there's something you should know."

"..."

Angel turned back slowly to Floch, unsure what she should expect to hear. Angel knew that one way or another, she was going to see the mission that the High Leader gave her. She wasn't going to let anything Floch say stop her.

But rather than stop her, Floch gave her a warning.

"After you were knocked out, we found out something about Eren," Floch explained.

Once again, Angel's patience was being tried. "You already told me that you met him in another life," she said. "I don't know why you're still on that story, like everyone else is."

Floch knew he took a risk by telling Angel the truth about his nature, but he hadn't met someone more loyal and dedicated to him since Paradis. He refused to conduct his mission without Angel, so he told her everything. And there was something else that he wanted to tell her now.

"I found the proof that you asked for," Floch explained. "He was the one who attacked Atlas years ago."

"..."

Angel couldn't help but widen her eyes when she heard this. Like the rest of the world, Angel knew what happened in Atlas roughly seven years ago. But she had a hard time believing that Eren of all people was responsible for such a tremendous attack.

She still had a hard time believing Floch's story, which was why she wanted proof. Angel didn't expect Floch to be able to find said proof, but being proved wrong made her feel... uneasy.

"You're... sure about this?" she asked.

"I'm positive," Floch replied honestly. "When I confronted him, he confessed. Ask anyone else."

After recollecting her thoughts, Angel took a breath before she made a decision. "I'm going to have to hear it for myself."

Suddenly, one of Floch's ears twitched as a sound came into being. Human ears wouldn't be able to pick up certain noises, but Floch's extra pair of ears made him pick up a noise that wasn't too far from his position.

"It looks like you'll get your chance," he said. "Someone's coming."

Angel looked in the direction that Floch was looking in. She couldn't see anything, but she knew the enhanced hearing he had was never wrong before. She signaled to nearby Faunus that someone was coming, so they all readied themselves for a potential confrontation.

But this idea came to a halt when Wim saw who was coming.

"It's Eren!" Wim whispered to Floch.

After a few seconds of waiting, Eren came into view. He had followed Samuel's map to the letter and used Soaring Freedom to travel to the camp as soon as he could. When he landed on the ground with his hands extended, Floch took this as a sign of cooperation.

"Hold your fire," he ordered the Faunus. Their weapons were still aimed at Eren, but the White Fang followed the order. When he saw this, Floch turned around and greeted the camp's visitor. "Welcome back, Eren. We missed you."

"Yeah," Eren said as he stopped walking. "Trust me, the feeling was mutual. I kept my word."

"So did I." Floch walked over towards Eren and gestured to the side. "I mean, Angel's still with me."

Eren took note of the woman's presence, and he was mildly surprised to see that she was still with Floch. He would have thought his story and punching her would have made Angel back off, but she was still here. Eren took this as a sign that Floch convinced her to stay, so he focused on his priority.

"What about Cinder?" Eren asked. "Is she still a target?"

"She won't be," Floch promised. "And we kept away from your village. Are you alone?"

"You won't find anyone else with me."

"..."

Floch turned to the Yeagerists and nodded. One by one, save for Angel, they lowered their weapons and welcomed Eren's presence. Predictably, Angel remained on her guard and prepared to strike at a moment's notice.

"I take it you thought it over?" Floch asked Eren.

"I did," Eren replied as he lowered his hands. "And I want to help you. All of you." Floch smiled when he heard this, seeing that the man he knew on Paradis was on his side once again. "I just had to think of the best way to do it."

Floch chuckled as he swelled with pride. "Believe me, I've been doing the same thing. I even have a few strategies laid out for you to see."

"I will. But my plan might be a little simpler. It just needs one thing from you, Floch."

"What's that?"

Eren could see that his plan was working well, so far. He was being honest when he said that he thought everything over. He wasn't exactly sure if everyone would like what he thought, but Eren took Dina's advice to heart. Whatever happened next, Eren knew exactly what he was doing.

He was doing what he believed was right.

"At the risk of sounding cliche..." Eren said as he extended his hands to Floch. "Take me to your leader."

"..."

---

Eren's return and demand had given Floch much to think about. However, his previous interrogation of the three traitors had left his mind quite recently.

This was rather fortunate for Adam Taurus, the leader of the White Fang in Vale. Because of this, Adam could continue his work uninterrupted.

True to the word of the dead spy, Adam had managed to relocate himself in the city of Vale after his camp was attacked. He never forgot what happened and what he saw, even though it was a secret he kept to himself. His body needed time to heal, and that healing was finished. Now, he could focus on his role as leader once again.

Now, his mind turned to reestablishing control.

Despite his defeat in the Forever Fall, the survivors of the attack didn't dispute Adam's role as leader of the branch. However, Adam found himself facing a challenge to his plans. In order to handle this challenge, he would unfortunately have to barter with a newfound ally. Just as Floch had learned, this ally was a human woman.

One that Adam, to his reluctance, owed his life.

It wasn't hard for Adam to find the woman within Vale, but it was hard to see her face. Between her back being turned and the darkness of the room, all Adam could do was hear her speak. This was enough, however, since Adam was given the chance to talk.

"What is it you want?" the woman asked.

"I have a... situation," said Adam. "And when I have a situation, that means we have a situation. Isn't that right?"

"..."

The woman knew Adam was referring to the deal they made together. From now on, one's business became both of their business. The woman knew this well, and knew that Adam was right to assume what he assumed.

Things were delicate for them. There couldn't be any room for error.

"Go on," the woman calmly ordered.

"My spies in Mistral," Adam explained. "They've missed three of our scheduled check-ins. It's not... like them to be silent."

"You believe they may have been discovered? Captured?"

"It's very likely. Blake may have sold them out."

"...And how much do they know about us?"

"Nothing about our plans. But I know one of them saw you talking to me."

"..."

The woman took note of this potential threat. She knew that anybody could be quiet for so long. And the last thing she needed was anyone divulging her role in Adam's team to anyone.

Something had to be done about this.

"What do you propose, Adam?" the woman asked.

"That I send reinforcements to Mistral," said Adam. "Find out who said anything and kill anyone they may have spoken to."

"Even your High Leader?"

"We've accelerated plans before."

The woman took note of this and accepted Adam's logic. "A decent plan," she said. "Take your team and go. Be quick about it."

Adam was surprised by the order, despite the approval he received for the plan. "Me?" he asked. "I'm not going."

"...Are you afraid to get your hands dirty, Adam?" the woman asked impatiently.

"Of course not. But I'm needed here, among my people."

"You have your lieutenant. And me. We can manage in your absence."

Adam became angry with the second idea. "That wasn't our deal. I'm in charge of the White Fang, not you."

"You want to be a leader? Act like one."

"..."

The woman turned around her chair, but Adam still couldn't see her face. But just like before, his associate didn't need to be seen in order to be heard.

"My father was a leader once, Adam," she said. "Like you, he wanted to take his time. He always believed that being slow and steady would win the race. Do you know where my father is now, Adam?"

"..."

"He's dead."

"..."

This was the first time Adam's partner had given him personal information like this. But she wasn't looking to bond with Adam, who had also lost his parents. Instead, the woman hoped this story would serve as inspiration.

"He died because he didn't act fast enough," she said. "Just as things were right in his grasp, he crashed and burned. We cannot afford to make the same mistake. You have your plan, and everything you need: now carry it out."

"...Understood," Adam agreed.

---

Author's notes: hey everyone, hope you're doing well. Sorry this chapter took a while, things are as busy as ever. Thank you for your patience, we hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Yes, Floch Forster and many of Eren's Yeagerists are back. And just like before, they're looking for blood. We're sure you have many questions about them, as well as our latest OC, Angel. Rest assured, all of your questions will be answered as the story continues.

As promised, we will have two more chapters for you before our next arc begins. We can't say too much, but this arc will take us into some familiar territory. We're sure you're gonna like it.

As for this chapter, AT and I have a couple of things to mention. First off, the "Dedicate Your Heart" message was AT's idea. We couldn't exactly use the Eldian language or find it anywhere, so AT decided to use old Nordic writing instead (since Attack on Titan has a lot of elements from Nordic mythology). Also, the armor and Ren's different guns were ideas from predator1701. AT and I wanted to use the artwork predator1701 shared with us on DeviantArt, you can all see it too. Atreides1225 also had an idea for a bodysuit for Cinder, which can also be found on DeviantArt. So thank you predator1701 and Atreides1225, special shoutout for both of you.

Seriously, everyone. Go check out their artwork. It's all very impressive.

We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review on your way out, tell us what you liked and didn't like. Reading your thoughts helps AT and I more than you might think.