Day 29, Mitras.

Erwin sat in the center of the stagecoach, flanked by his men, all dressed in MP uniforms. Opposite to him sat a nervous MP captain, the same one dispatched to Ehrmich to apprehend him the day before. Feeling a mix of boredom and lingering tension, Erwin decided to find some amusement by messing with the man before him.

"You look nervous, Captain. Worry not, you are in good hands," Erwin said, his voice calm and steady.

The man sneered. "You're going to regret this, Smith. Whatever you're planning by bringing your men to the capital, it won't end well. You're all dead men walking."

Erwin couldn't help but crack a small smile. "That may be the case, but you are in quite the predicament yourself so I fear this doesn't bode well for you as well."

The captain frowned, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "Y-you think you can intimidate me?"

"Of course not, but remember," Erwin replied disarmingly, his gaze now chilling. "If you do not play your part well, we might deviate too far off script. And as you said, we're all dead men walking so we'll have nothing to lose. Consider the implications carefully, and make your decision."

The captain stiffened, apprehension clear in his eyes. Just then, the stagecoach came to a halt.

"Ah, we're finally here," Erwin remarked, glancing through the window to confirm they had arrived at the gates of the royal palace.

His men conducted final inspections of the ropes binding Erwin's arms together before readying themselves. They opened the door, assuming their roles as they escorted the two men out of the stagecoach. Erwin squinted against the sudden brightness, taking in the imposing sight of the palace. With steely determination, he was led into the interior, surrounded by a great number of armed men, the opulent hallways with it's high ceilings and ornate decorations echoing with their footsteps.

He was beyond wishful thinking now, he only expected guaranteed success from this operation and nothing else. It wouldn't be him hanging from the gallows by the end of the month, that much was certain as he played the part of a prisoner awaiting his sentence.

Stohess

A young boy dashed through the crowded thoroughfares, his satchel heavy with the day's newspapers slung over his shoulder. With a cap pulled low over his eyes to shield them from the harsh sun, he weaved between carriages and pedestrians, his voice ringing out above the din of the city.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Latest news from the capital!" He called out, his voice carrying through the clamor of the bustling streets.

"What in the hell?" An old man muttered as he read the paper, prompting others to huddle around him. More men bought papers for themselves and began to read, slowly becoming filled with shock and confusion, the word began to spread by mouth and ear. Many suspecting the headlines to have something to do with the raid on the MP barracks as well as the recently occupied Survey Corps offices the previous night.

On the front page, a rough sketch resembling the likeness of Rod Reiss was printed for all to see. Including reports about his involvement in the government and his real status as the alleged king of the walls. On the same front page, was a report detailing the involvement of the MP brigade in the breach on Trost, and their attempt to cover up the threat and failing to contain it before the gate had been destroyed by the colossal titan.

The men began to whisper amongst themselves. "T-This has to be some kind of joke right?"

"Is it? You know how the papers are, nothing gets put on there unless it's approved first." A middle-aged man chimed in.

"T-they acted like it was all fine back in Trost! They never told us about any of this!" A younger refugee called out angrily.

A short distance away Floch eavesdropped before taking his leave. Good, the seed was planted into the minds of the public, at least Trost and Stohess for now. Soon, the other major eleven districts will know the truth about what's been kept hidden from them, and that day was inching closer by the second.

The walk back to the MP barracks was torturous, his mind refusing to give him a break as he incessantly reflected on everything around him. There may have been some major setbacks so far, but still, nothing ventured nothing gained. Floch paused in the middle of a bridge connecting the eastern and western districts of the city, gazing down at the waters below and pondering.

Gordon was barely clinging to life. Sandra and Ruth were in rough shape, and Hannah was as unresponsive now as the day he found her in the armory. Not to mention, Moblit and Nifa were the last remnants of what made up the original fourth squad. Hange was dead, and he could do nothing about it but watch. He wasn't overly fond of what she became in his previous life, but that didn't mean he didn't care about his former commander. For all their faults, her, Jean, even Levi, all were there for him in his time of need after Shiganshina, the same couldn't be said about him now.

Floch's eyes narrowed, a small price to pay in the end, but he knew he had no right to feel this way, especially now.

Rod Reiss had Bertholdt and an additional vial of titan fluid at his disposal. That thought alone ought to be terrifying, because much like the Marleyan warriors, he wouldn't put it past the man and his collaborators to wipe the slate clean in every sense of the word just to maintain the status quo. It was up to Eren and Erwin to wrap things up on their end, if those two succeeded, then the rest would be relatively easy. The opposing force would crumble and it would only leave pockets of resistance in the form of the first interior squad.

He frowned, those people had one of the weapons they had confiscated from those Marleyan soldiers, he dreaded what they'd do with it. Floch massaged his temples as he leaned against the balustrade, his face tightening with frustration.

Suddenly, a freckled face came to mind, and his features softened, in a few days he would be meeting her. He could hardly believe it; it felt like ages ago since he had last seen her on top of Wall Rose. That grim expression on her face before she had jumped away to help Eren fight Reiner was etched into his mind, he wondered what she'd look like once she realized he knew about her involvement with Reiner and Annie.

Floch's eyes remained distant, even as she spoke. "Do you always have that look in your eyes when you're lost in thought, drifting off to who knows where?"

He glanced down at her, noting the exhaustion etched on her freckled face as she caught her breath in the forest. Sweat trickled down her temple, and her hair was tousled from the intensity of their training. Scattered around them were the remnants of her third Titan transformation and the wreckage of practice dummies he had placed to help her master her shifting abilities. Floch's gaze lingered on her, a mixture of curiosity and impatience crossing his features.

"Not always," he replied, extending his hand to help her up. "Only on the bad days."

She ignored his hand, pushing herself to her feet with a defiant wobble. "And what's a bad day to you, anyway? Washing dishes day and night like a housewife?" She panted, trying to catch her breath.

Floch took a few steps back, watching her struggle to steady herself. "I've grown to enjoy that, actually. Shadis considered it punishment; I began to see it as an adequate distraction."

She let out a derisive snort, amusement gleaming in her eyes. "From what? That shitty hairstyle?"

She began to walk forward, and Floch stared at his hand for a moment before turning his gaze back to her. "Waking up to these walls for starters," he said, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "And dealing with stubborn idiots who are difficult to cooperate with. Like you, for example."

Just as he finished, she stumbled and nearly fell face-first onto the grass. Floch caught her just in time, steadying her. She shot him a dirty look, huffing in annoyance. "Tsk, I didn't ask for your help. This whole thing was your idea, so deal with it, dumbass. I wonder what my lovely Krista is doing right now. Too bad I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with you." She sighed dreamily as she thought about the petite blonde.

"I'm sure she's worried sick," Floch smirked. "Who's going to sniff her hair with you all the way out here?"

She scowled, flashing him an indignant look. "You're the last person to talk about hair. One of these days, I'm going to find some scissors and get rid of that nest on your head. Maybe then I might take you more seriously."

He cracked a furtive smile before heading towards their horses. His smile quickly faded, and his eyes darkened as he looked ahead. "You know, for your sake, I hope you take all of this to heart. You never know what the future holds."

Floch opened his eyes, wary and grave as he reflected on everything. He reached out with his left hand towards the rushing waters below, closing his fist around his reflection before sighing and letting go. He knew what he had to do, but he still hated it, especially knowing it was his fault to begin with.

What a mess. Maybe Historia was right. Maybe he was a walking disaster.

"I know what you've been up to, Ymir." He practiced the words, before his shoulders sagged in resignation.

He was sure nothing good would come of this, but it would be somewhat amusing at least. He grimaced as he mentally reprimanded himself. Pushing himself off the balustrade, he made his way back to HQ, his mind heavy with contemplation. He had a guest he needed to check up on after all.

Far away from a safe distance, Annie Leonhart watched him retreat out of sight before retreating into an alley.


"Remember what they did to Stohess District?" - Hitch Dreyse 850 AD, to Marlowe Freundenberg during the uprising.


The underground.

Minutes—that's all it took for Eren to grasp that this place was more than just hell on earth as he lumbered through it, wearing a civilian disguise. The realization brought with it an uncomfortable truth. A simple touch had thrust him into a new world, shattering his naive perspective on the workings of this life. Humans are fickle, he mused, walking through the packed, grimy streets of the underground, having spent the entire night outside, not that you could tell below ground.

And part of that is why this entire place stood as a monument against everything he championed, all these people packed into squalor, forced to live like rats. The thought of having to pay to breathe fresh air, to bask in the glow of the sun, to feel the cool wind rushing on one's skin? It was insane, a sick joke if anything, how could they bear living like this?

The others were surely worried sick searching for him, but he didn't care at the moment. Staying at the hideout and merely looking out the window seemed impossible when he was constantly tortured by these thoughts. The last thing he needed was to be confined within four walls, slowly being driven insane by his own mind.

He'd regret it later, but that's the thing about living in the present, you're not the one paying for your mistakes in the future.

His gaze softened as he thought back on recent events. He felt a twinge of remorse for being so cold and harsh with Historia. Yet, she needed to hear those words sooner or later; indecisiveness could be fatal now and it didn't help that they were walking around in circles surrounding the topic. Last he remembered, Captain Levi had returned with that man they had captured the day before and struck a deal with him.

A new future was unfolding before their eyes, and even knowing what Floch had said, it didn't ease his concerns at all. It felt like this new future was written in stone, as he had witnessed with Petra and the special operations squad. Many things were different now, but at the same time, it seemed like everything was unfolding according to the memories he's been receiving.

And so far? He's been helpless to prevent them. He remembered the words he told Historia days ago in the cabin, but recently he couldn't help but feel like it was inevitable, like they were simply trading one bad future for another. His features hardened as a thought occured, one with Armin laying lifelessly in Shiganshina.

If he were to believe Floch's words, then Ymir would be taken care of and her titan would fall back into their grasp. But if his visions were to be believed, then she'd be spared and if that were the case, then that confirms what he's fearing all along. They'd simply walk the same predestined steps they took in the past, robbed of volition. A part of him hoped he merely misunderstood, that what he saw because of Historia wasn't the full picture, he did.

Eren let out a soft exhale and decided to set the thought aside for now. It was about time he returned to the hideout. Just as he was about to turn back, a commotion in the distance caught his attention. He saw a group of men surrounding a little snivelling girl, holding a loaf of bread in her frail, dirtied hands. It took him all of his willpower to simply look the other way and ignore it, Captain Levi's words about not attracting the attention of the wrong crowds echoing in the back of his mind.

About half an hour later, Eren made it back to the hideout and climbed back in, convinced he had done so without raising any alarms. He carefully stepped through the window of the first floor, lowering it quietly until it clicked shut, and then a voice cut through the silence.

"Where were you, Eren?"

Eren jumped, his heart pounding as he turned to find Captain Levi seated in a shadowed corner of the room. Their eyes met, and a chill ran down Eren's spine. Levi's icy blue eyes were as piercing as ever, now holding a sharp edge of anger. Most wouldn't even notice it, mistaking it for his usual stern expression, but Eren knew better.

"I- I had to take a walk to clear my head, Captain. Sorry," Eren admitted, turning to face Levi fully.

Levi hummed, acknowledging his words with a slight nod. "Clear your head, you say? And that's why you left without telling anyone where you were going? I had to send people out to look for you when they could have been working elsewhere." Levi stood and moved closer, stopping inches from Eren. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, he continued, "You don't seem to grasp the situation. We're not allowed the liberty to do whatever we want. You're my responsibility, and any action you take reflects on all of us. I may have given you partial freedom, but you're still under our custody and by default still belong to the regiment. You don't get to make these choices."

Eren winced as Levi's grip tightened. "Lives are at stake. If we let you wander off at will, you risk endangering us all. Don't make me shorten your leash, Eren, because next time, I won't be as forgiving. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, Captain," Eren replied, his voice subdued.

Levi released his hold and turned to leave. "Good. You'll be helping the others scrub this entire place clean. It's been a long time coming, and you've forced my hand today."

Eren bit back a groan, knowing better than to express his frustration.

Levi paused at the door, glancing back. "Oh, and make sure your hands are clean first."

Eren looked down in surprise, noticing the dried blood on his knuckles. As the door clicked shut behind Captain Levi, he stood in stunned silence for a moment before quickly following after him to face the consequences of his actions. As soon as he came into sight within the living room, he was bombarded from all directions with questions from his worried friends. Their voices overlapped in a cacophony of concern and frustration as Connie, Sasha, Mikasa and Armin surrounded him.

Connie grabbed his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Eren, where the hell were you man? We were worried sick!"

Sasha looked equally frantic, her rifle slung behind her back. "Do ya have any idea how scared we were? Ya can't just disappear like that!"

Mikasa's usually calm demeanor was strained, her black eyes wide with worry as she spoke in an admonishing tone. "Please don't leave without telling us first, do you understand?"

Eren raised his hands in a placating gesture, trying to calm them down. "I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to worry you. I just needed some time to think."

Armin stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. "You have to let us know next time, we thought... they got you behind our backs somehow. We can't afford to lose you, especially now."

Eren nodded, guilt washing over him. "I know, I know. It won't happen again."

Oluo crossed his arms, his expression stern but tinged with relief. "It better not, we can't keep bailing you out of trouble, brat."

Petra struck the man in the side with her elbow before she spoke up, her voice softer than usual. "Just... be careful, okay? You gave us quite the scare."

Eren looked around at his comrades, feeling the weight of their concern. His eyes briefly met with Historia's, he noticed a peculiar glint in her eyes as the blonde gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement, before he gave them a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry, I will be, I promise."

The tension in the room began to ease, and Eren felt a sense of relief as things died down. Not long after that, they all got to cleaning the house of all the dust and filth, as they all went to separate rooms. Levi sat in the living room, slowly sipping from his tea cup and watching with an unimpressed gaze as Connie and Sasha struggled to properly dust the place.

Upstairs, Eren worked on the attic by himself as an extra layer of punishment. After a while, he made his way to the steps to rest for a couple of minutes. His ears perked up as he heard someone walk upstairs. Growing apprehensive, he was about to quickly move back to continue cleaning, fearing that the Captain had come to inspect, only for Petra to come into view around the corner. The two paused, gazes locking with each other before he took notice of the cup of water in her hand.

"Oh, uh, hello."

Petra smiled softly. "Hey, Eren. I thought you might have gotten a little thirsty by now, so I brought you this." She handed over the cup, as he gave her an appreciative smile.

"Thank you," he replied, before downing all of it in a single gulp and releasing a content sigh afterward.

"Can I sit here?" She motioned to the empty spot on the staircase next to him.

"Sure."

Petra took her seat as Eren set the cup down beside him. An awkward silence quickly enveloped them as they sat quietly, both looking equally uncomfortable and unable to speak their minds. Eren frowned, thinking back on the day he had saved her in Dauper. Dark thoughts flooded his mind as a coldness seeped from his chest, and bad memories resurfaced. Petra noticed how his expression had darkened and frowned herself.

"Eren, look I—" "Miss Petra, I—"

They both paused, surprised they spoke at the same time. Petra steeled herself and took advantage to speak her mind first. "I wanted to apologize to you."

His head snapped in her direction, disbelief clear in his eyes. "What? Apologize? For what?"

She looked back at him with guilt in her amber eyes. "That's the thing, I... I am ashamed to admit this, but it needs to be said. Eren, you saved me. And for the last couple of days, I've intentionally been avoiding you. It ends now." Though she mustered up the courage to speak, she couldn't help but avert her gaze to the floor.

Eren furrowed his brow, confused by what she was trying to say. "But I hardly did anything... because of me, Eld and Gunther are—"

"No, that wasn't your fault, if anything I am the one to blame here. I didn't stick to formation, and you had to sacrifice yourself to protect me. Listen, Eren, the reason why I felt so ashamed, why I avoided you? It's because... at the time, I didn't think you were saving me. I... I thought you had lost control and had come to kill me. In that moment, I had discarded all that trust I had placed in you."

Eren froze, looking back at her in awe. "Gunther and Eld had to pay the price for that afterwards, and I felt too disgusted with myself to face you. I couldn't even properly say thank you for saving my life. I am just... the worst. I have no right to say this, but I just wanted to be swallowed by the ground and disappear, as selfish as that sounds."

"I'm sorry."

Eren looked pensive for a moment, thinking back on that day, before he closed his eyes and took a calming breath. "I think... We were too busy blaming ourselves that we overlooked the obvious, you have nothing to apologize for." He opened his eyes again, hatred burning in them. "But there is someone to blame, the enemies who attacked us first, the ones who took down our walls, turned our people to titans. We never asked for any of that, and yet they came to kill us regardless."

He met her shocked gaze, as he spoke with solemn determination. "I don't hold anything against you, and I never will, if I had to then I'd do it all over again, miss Petra. So you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. That said, I promise you that I'll avenge Eld and Gunther one way or another, count on it."

Her lip quivered slightly, her eyes welling up. "E-Eren..."

Her mouth curved into a smile as she wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. "You little idiot, don't call me 'Miss.'" She chuckled to herself before she reached over and hugged him tightly. Eren was momentarily taken aback before he eased into it and patted her on the back comfortingly. "Thank you, I really mean it." They separated as Petra kept a hand on his shoulder and searched his eyes. "You know, I've yet to tell you this, but something about you feels different nowadays."

Eren couldn't help but give a small smile. "Is that so?"

"Eren,"

The two jumped in their skin with Petra removing her hand off his shoulder as if she had been burned, and the two glanced down as Mikasa peeked her head around the corner. Eren's eyes went round at being caught in such a position but to his surprise, Mikasa casually walked up two steps and handed him a sandwich without any reaction. "I thought you might have been hungry so I made you something to eat, you should hurry and finish it quickly. A few people from captain Mike's squad have just arrived and we'll be called in soon from the looks of things."

"I- I see. Thanks Mikasa."

The girl nodded, before she walked back down and out of earshot. Petra stood up as well, dusting herself off before she followed her with one final look over her shoulder. "I'm going to check what's that about, thanks again, Eren. I'll see you downstairs."

And with that, he was left alone to eat his food, a million thoughts racing through his head as he chewed, wondering when it would be time for them to act. After finishing, he regrouped with his friends and found them all huddled up at the top of the staircase overlooking a door below where the meeting was taking place.

Eren joined Armin, and Connie and strained to hear the discussion taking place below them. Behind them, Mikasa, Historia, and Sasha sat casually, watching the boys' futile attempts to eavesdrop, or at least Mikasa was, while Sasha was too busy inspecting her rifle and Historia stared off into empty space. The muffled outbursts from Petra and Oluo indicated that whatever Squad Mike and Levi were discussing was definitely important.

"It's no use," Connie sighed, falling back from his crouch and sitting down with a defeated expression. "Captain Levi will surely flay us if we try to sneak down there."

Armin nodded in agreement, backing down from the staircase. "You're right. We might as well wait it out."

Eren looked back at them over his shoulder, frustration evident in his eyes.

Connie turned to look at Sasha, who was too engrossed with her rifle to pay attention. "Oi, Sasha. Ever since they gave you that damn thing, you've been glued to it. Put it down already; you literally walk around everywhere with it."

He reached forward to take the rifle, but immediately had to pull his hand back as Sasha lashed out, unexpectedly biting at him. He held his hand against his chest in shock, staring at her wild expression. "D-did you just try to bite me?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Don't touch my baby! I've been entrusted with her and no one else!" Sasha glared, clutching the rifle protectively. "I'll never give ya away, don't worry my little sunshine. Connie won't taint ya with his grubby hands."

"I don't remember raising her to act like this," Mikasa commented dryly, before giving Sasha a light chop on the head. "Bad Sasha, no biting."

"Ow," Sasha pouted, rubbing her head.

Armin grimaced at their antics, but his attention was soon drawn back to Eren. "Hey, Armin, what do you think?"

Armin sighed, deep in thought. "Given the urgency and the tone, worst case scenario is that the Stohess takeover either failed or we suffered casualties or both." Everyone tensed at that, as the blonde continued. "That or we're simply overthinking this entire thing and we're moving onto the next phase of the plan."

Connie nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Hopefully that's the case, you should have seen it when those two people from squad Mike walked in. I have a feeling whatever it is, it's going to change everything."

Mikasa shifted slightly, her gaze steady on Eren. "We'll find out soon enough. We just need to be ready for anything."

Historia, watched on silently, her indifferent gaze also lingering on Eren's back.

Eren glanced below at the door, imagining the heated discussions taking place beyond it. Just then, footsteps echoed up the stairs, signaling the end of the meeting. The group quickly composed themselves, anticipation and tension rising. As the door creaked open, Captain Levi's stern face came into view, his eyes scanning the group above. Eren, Armin and Connie quickly pulled away from view but the Captain had already caught a glimpse of them.

"Get down here immediately, all of you."


Floch made his way through the MP district HQ and descended into the holding cells. The heavy door creaked open, and he was immediately met with the weary faces of his squadmates, Moblit, as well as Rico. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows that danced on the cold, stone walls. His eyes wandered to the side near the entrance to one of the cells, where Moblit sat, hunched over, wearing a bloodied apron.

Nanaba turned to Floch. "You're back, what's the situation outside?"

Floch straightened, his expression resolute. "The papers have been successfully disseminated throughout the public. There have been mixed reactions so far, but it's all going as expected. Crowds are forming as we speak; all there is to do now is to address them publicly."

Nanaba nodded, relief softening her features. "That's good to hear, Brzenska, have some of your guys officially address to the public with what we've discussed." Rico nodded in return, "At least something is going right for a change." She sighed, casting a side glance towards Moblit. "Our captive has remained tight-lipped so far. I doubt we'll get anything out of him."

Moblit's head snapped up, rage simmering beneath his calm demeanor. "Just give me more time. I'll rip it out of him eventually. It's only been a few hours. They break, they always do."

A flicker of hatred flashed in Moblit's eyes as he thought of Bertholdt's blindfolded face.

Nanaba shook her head, her expression firm. "No, I can't risk you killing him, I'm calling this and we'll be cutting our losses. We need to push up to Mitras regardless of the setbacks."

"Bullshit!" Moblit stood up furiously, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I can make him talk. You're making a mistake!"

Floch narrowed his eyes as the rest looked on, Henning, Lynne, and Gelgar looked conflicted but remained quiet, while Mina and Mylius stood in the background awkwardly. He shared a brief look with Rico, who shook her head. It seemed Moblit was using Sannes as a means to relieve his stress and cope with the loss of Hange. From the looks of things, Moblit had given the MP genuine hell, and yet it seemed like it wasn't enough. Floch scanned the room, spotting a coil of rope lying atop a crate in the corner.

Rico looked on curiously as Floch walked next to her over to the crate and picked up the rope. Moblit stopped arguing back with Nanaba in confusion as everyone suddenly took notice of him heading for the entrance of the cell. To everyone's surprise, he locked the door behind him. Nanaba and Moblit rushed over and banged on it, her voice sharp with alarm. "Forster, what the hell are you doing? Open the door!" She pounded a couple more times, but Floch ignored her.

The room fell silent, and they faintly heard the sound of the cell gate opening. A nervous Mina glanced between Mylius and the door. "What is he doing?"

"I don't know. Just stay quiet so I can hear," Mylius replied dismissively.

"You're rude today, you know that?" she pouted, but kept silent.

Floch walked over to Sannes, and without as much as a word, untied the man's hands from the chair and bound them together with his rope instead. Sannes was too weak to fight back so he watched helplessly, as Floch took the other end of the rope and threw it over a support beam, before he looked down at the terribly wounded man and forced him into an awkward sitting position.

"Just to give you a last minute warning. I've been shot and stabbed in the past, what you're about to go through feels much worse."

For a few tense minutes, nothing seemed to happen. The occupants of the room grew more anxious by the second. Then, the wails began.

Sannes' voice started as a low, guttural moan, slowly building into a grotesque and visceral scream. It hit them like a shockwave, the room growing colder as they were consumed by the sheer agony of what was happening behind that door. The sound burrowed into their bone marrow, festering deep within.

Mina scrunched her eyes shut, struggling to get a hold of herself. Mylius was equally as uncomfortable, but stayed out of morbid curiosity. The more experienced scouts of Mike squad managed to bear it, while Rico and Moblit remained unfazed. Moblit for his part couldn't help but wonder what Floch could be doing with merely a rope to elicit such a reaction. He almost felt jealous it wasn't him inflicting that suffering on the MP for what his people had done to Hange.

The scream erupted from Sannes' throat like a jagged, burning shard of glass tearing through velvet silence. It sliced through the air, a raw, visceral wail that echoed off the walls and into their ears. His voice spiraled upward, each note a searing whip lashing against the two inexperienced scouts.

"Stop! Hnnnghh! No, no more, p-put me down! S-stop it! Ah ahhh! AGHHHHH!"

Eventually, Mina couldn't handle it anymore and rushed out of the room. Mylius watched her retreating back worriedly before following after her.

Rico kept track of the time. Three minutes passed, and Sannes' voice stopped. The room fell into an eerie silence for at least ten minutes before the screaming resumed. This pattern continued three more times until the screams ceased for good. The tension was palpable as they heard Floch walk back up the steps. The lock clicked, and the door creaked open.

He stepped out, closing the door behind him, and took note of the stunned looks he received, apprehension, bewilderment, hints of fear. Moblit immediately noticed that the rope coiled around Floch's shoulder wasn't stained with even a drop of blood. Floch casually removed it and tossed it back onto the crate next to Rico, as Moblit immediately rushed down to inspect the prisoner.

"W-what the hell did you do?" Lynne broke the silence, voicing what everyone had been thinking.

"Made him talk, that's all," Floch replied coolly, as her eyes widened.

Shock rippled through the group. Nanaba was the first to speak. "What did he say?!"

Floch sighed, his eyes narrowing. "Nothing we didn't already know about, unfortunately, but he did mention something interesting."

They could hear Moblit racing back up the steps. He burst through the door, eyes wide with disbelief. "He's still the same as I left him, what did you do?!"

The others exchanged surprised glances, noting Floch's suspiciously clean appearance. Floch just shrugged nonchalantly. "Inflicting pain on others can be more than just skin deep, let's leave it at that."

Floch almost seemed bored as he regarded the rest, "In any case, we at least know where Reiss could be. He has a hideout somewhere in Orvud District and a chapel northeast of the city, near the great lake." He informed them, before casually walking away.

For a few seconds, the room was engulfed in silence.

"It's always one surprise after the other with that boy..." Henning muttered to himself.

Nanaba sighed, closing her eyes in resignation as she muttered. "I don't know if I should be damn worried or impressed..." Then, her expression faded and she snapped to attention, her voice firm. "Regardless, you heard him. Gelgar, Lynne, send word out to Mike. Brzenska, I want you to gather your men and have them handle the civilians as previously mentioned."

She looked over her shoulders towards Moblit "Wrap it up back there and take him back with the rest."

Moblit nodded, before he went back inside and closed the door behind him. With that, they all went off to their respective assignments. Floch stepped out into the courtyard, where he found Mylius tending to a sick looking Mina who was sitting on a bench beneath the arches. Next to them stood Jean, Marco, Marlowe and Hitch who had only recently arrived.

"Mina!" Marco called out, crouching down beside her. "Are you alright?"

Mina nodded, though her face was still pale. "I'm fine, It's nothing..." She shared a look with Mylius, who nodded back at her reluctantly. "It's just, it's Floch, he- ...Back there he was- he's..."

Jean knitted his brows with a questioning look. "He's what?"

Mina averted her gaze to the ground. "Ever since we captured Ehrmich, he's been... How should I put it? Intense."

Hitch looked at Marlowe with an 'I told you so' look as she nudged his side with her elbow, but he simply brushed her off as he focused on the two scouts. "What happened exactly?"

"I don't think we can talk about it, sorry." Mylius replied, before he froze, noticing Floch standing in the distance.

They all followed his line and sight and found the redhead gazing back at them blankly, moments later they saw Rico catch up to him and the two began to speak as they walked away together. Jean couldn't help but frown at this as he briefly met the crouched Marco's gaze.

What he hell was that about?


And scene!

Hello, long time no see, I am alive and well! My contract at my previous company was randomly terminated (because they can do that!) so I had to lock the fuck in and find a new job otherwise risk going homeless in a foreign country! I sure do love the current state of the job market tech bros! So yeah, that's why it has been a slow couple of months, hope you understand! I'm better now, secured a new (and slightly better) contract with a new company! The ending to this chapter might have felt rushed but that's only because I wanted to quickly put out something for you (the reader) who's been waiting without any updates!

I don't know if this is a sign from the universe but everytime I see Ymir and Floch randomly together in merch or a tweet/reddit post, they're always somehow right next to each other. That one AOT card deck, Ymir was like the 7 of spades and Floch was 8, I saw some art where they were also next to each other in a large group etc. Curious, very curious.

Anyway, It's been a lot of fun writing Eren recently, I've been preparing a few titan fights for him for a while now. Currently, he's trying to make sense of his thoughts, and differentiate between fact and delusion. Maybe he's wrong, maybe there's some misinterpretations here and there, but the fun lies in figuring it out for himself. It doesn't help that the pieces are falling into place right infront of him though.

Oh and him and the new SOS members are also about to get slapped in the face with the news about Hange, should be fun! Though I guess this time around, only Eren has really grown close to Hange compared to the others.

Historia's been awfully quiet but that's fine, nothing major is happening inside her head at all so no need to worry about it. As for Floch, a few tidbits have been sprinkled here and there. And what do you know, with Hange passing away the mask is sort of slipping away and the scouts are starting to get a better glimpse of what's actually behind it.

Annie spotted Floch and is likely going to inform Reiner (and Ymir), I wonder if that will have any sort of consequences later down the line. Anyway, action is coming for the next chapter and definitely the Floch&Ymir reunion, (I promise, I wouldn't lie to you like last time.)

Oh and I'll leave Floch's torture method as a secret, think of it as this story's version of Zeke's special wiping technique.

Thanks for reading, see you soon!