Between two worlds

by Angie296

Mizuki ends up inside the walls without remembering where she came from. All she knows is that she does not belong to that world, and that she wants to return home. To do so, she has no choice but to rely on the Survey Corps, and on her golden eyes capable of tinging the color of blood, inherited from her father, the last descendant of the Uchiha clan. Levi X OC

23. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: So stand in the rain, stand your ground, stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain, you won't drown. And one day what's lost can be found.

Stand in the rain - Superchick

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9:00 AM - First sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

Mike Zacharias is paralyzed with fear.

He's been on countless scouting missions since becoming a soldier.

He's witnessed countless horrors.

He's brushed death more times than he can count.

And yet, nothing compares to what he's feeling now.

And it's all because of that Titan covered in shaggy fur.

It's the focal point of the evil descending upon humanity.

It reeks of doom.

Its indifferent little black eyes, fixed on him, send painful shivers through his body.

They pin him to the ground.

Mike knows he's doomed.

One of his legs is shattered.

That hairy monster has taken his gear.

He's surrounded by Titans.

He's at the mercy of that beast.

He thinks of Nanaba.

His Nanaba.

He'll never see her again.

Never hold her in his arms again.

Never kiss her in a deserted hallway during a party again.

Mike knows it.

He's grateful for having met her in this life.

For having been able to love her.

And yet, his last words to her weren't words of love.

As a final gift, Mike gave her words of hope and resolve.

"No... Not yet. Humanity's first defeat will come only when we stop fighting. As long as we keep fighting, we haven't lost".

The thought of her pushes him not to give up.

Mike Zacharias grips his blade with courage.

He locks eyes with his enemy.

Those pitiful little eyes, black as misery, distracted.

At the human's act of defiance, they light up with a spark of amusement.

"Oh, right. You can move now."

That bored command is all it takes.

The Titans are on him in an instant.

"NOOOO! STOP!"

Mike Zacharias cries.

He's humanity's second strongest soldier.

And yet he cries as he's devoured alive.

.

1:29 PM - Four and a half hours since Titans were sighted inside Wall Rose.

Hell breaks loose in Stohess.

The plan to capture Annie Leonhart has failed.

The Female Titan and Eren begin to fight.

.

2:00 PM - Five hours since Titans were sighted inside Wall Rose.

The news of the invasion reaches the Yalkell District.

.

Sasha Blouse has never been particularly brave.

In fact, quite the opposite.

She's afraid of everything unfamiliar.

Until not long ago, "everything" was the entire world, except for the forest where her family lives.

Now her horizons have expanded, but Sasha is still a bit of a coward.

And she still hates the outsiders who invaded her home.

Which is why she can't explain how this has happened.

What is she doing, fighting nearly barehanded against a Titan?

And yet, there she is.

Bow drawn, taut, ready to release an arrow.

Her last arrow.

She has no choice but to hit the target.

If she doesn't blind the Titan, they're dead.

She and the child.

The hand holding the bow trembles.

What if she misses…

It's happened before, after all.

In the warehouse in Trost, during the attack.

And this time, there are no comrades ready to save her skin.

She's alone.

Alone with a child she must protect.

Sasha Blouse makes a snap decision.

She drops the bow and lunges at the monster.

She drives the arrowhead into its eye.

It's blind, now.

The Titan traps her in its crushing grip.

Sasha struggles.

She hasn't come this far to give up.

She writhes.

Fights.

Slips out of that deadly embrace.

Covered in Titan blood, Sasha starts running.

She heads for the forest.

Even though she's changed, that's still the place where she feels safest.

Home.

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5:00 PM - Eight hours since Titans were sighted inside Wall Rose.

The news of the invasion reaches the districts of Trost and Elmiha.

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6:00 PM - Nine hours since Titans were sighted inside Wall Rose.

Connie Springer keeps his eyes fixed ahead.

His team has finished inspecting the village.

His village.

Now they're leaving it behind.

Connie tries to focus on the mission.

He forces himself to keep his eyes locked on the sunset sky.

He has to, or he'll give in to the temptation.

All he wants to do is turn around.

Run back.

To the destroyed houses.

To the deafening silence in the dirt alleys.

To that Titan with the stiff limbs, that…

Connie swallows hard.

He thinks about the miles they have to cover.

Thinks about the breached Wall.

Thinks about how much longer they'll be able to survive.

Anything to avoid remembering how that Titan looked so much like…

And then a halting voice wheezes behind him.

"Welc…ome...home…"

Connie holds his breath.

He orders himself to ignore it, to keep going, to…

But his head is already turning over his shoulder.

Connie's uneasy eyes are already seeking the source of the sound.

They meet something alive, something conscious.

That thing has followed him with its gaze.

With those huge hazel eyes, just like his mother's.

Nausea overwhelms him.

Sweat beads on his forehead.

His breath catches in his throat.

A cold chill washes over him.

It can't be.

And yet…

And yet there's something painfully familiar about that Titan.

Something that draws him in.

Something that, against all logic, feels like home.

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9:00 PM - Twelve hours since Titans were sighted inside Wall Rose.

The news of the invasion reaches the Stohess District.

.

Humanity within the Walls plunged into its worst nightmare.

For the third time in five years, the inhabitants once again felt the suffocating sensation of being on the verge of losing everything. Their lives, above all else; their loved ones; their homes; the sky above their heads, the grass beneath their feet; the freedom to simply exist. Screams, shouts, sobs, and prayers flooded the streets of the cities, even those deep within the Walls. Collective hysteria seeped into the weary, terrified hearts of the people, driving them mad, frothing with an ancestral and incomprehensible fear.

The soldiers were in disarray. Many deserted, fleeing inwards with their families. In the first hours after the news broke, captains of the Garrison and Military Police gave orders to their decimated squads, but without conviction, as though they had already resigned themselves to the fact that humanity's grim fate was nearing its end. Only in Trost, where Commander Pixis was stationed, were the Garrison troops meticulously and methodically organized and sent to the Wall Rose territories to protect the population and locate the breach, alongside the soldiers of the Survey Corps.

The news poured in without pause, with constant updates contradicting earlier dispatches. Superiors blamed one another for supposed errors and unproven faults.

The only man who never lost his composure was Commander Erwin Smith.

Mizuki studied his sharp features - the high forehead, thick eyebrows, the austere bridge of his nose, the square jaw, the full lips - while he issued precise and relentless orders to the captains in a colorless tone.

She was the last one Erwin addressed. "Loki and Mizuki: you will remain with me and Lavinia in Stohess. We'll coordinate the squads from here."

"Yes, sir."

Standing behind the commander, Mizuki watched the squads gathered in the courtyard of the Gendarmerie Headquarters rushing off in every direction to carry out Erwin's instructions. The group formed by Levi Hange, Pastor Nick, Amado, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa had been ordered to head to Elmiha, where refugees from the inner Wall Rose territories would gather, and to await further orders and updates on the situation.

As she watched the captain's back recede into the distance, Mizuki felt a pang in her stomach.

She wanted to go with them, to face danger on the front lines; not stay in the rear, twiddling her thumbs. Especially considering her abilities - which she admitted, without false modesty, were above the average soldier's - she couldn't understand Erwin's decision to keep her there when her presence amidst the chaos of Titans and fleeing people could prove crucial for victory, or at least to minimize losses.

"Because he doesn't know what will happen next, Mizuki," Lavinia patiently explained when the two women managed to steal a moment alone.

"What do you mean, 'what will happen next'? There won't be a 'next' if we don't stop the Titans!"

Lavinia lifted her gaze from the map she was studying. With one finger, she traced the thick line representing Wall Rose. "Right now, chaos reigns. The only certainty we have is that Titans are rampaging inside the Walls, but we don't know where they entered from or how. In light of recent events, we can't rule out the possibility that a human orchestrated this disaster. And if that's the case, what's to say they couldn't do the same to Wall Sina? Maybe they already have. The Walls stretch for miles and miles, it's impossible to monitor all of them. If even a tiny breach has been opened, we're screwed."

A shiver ran down Mizuki's spine. Her mind instinctively leapt to Jacqueline and Theo, both in Karanese, where the severely wounded members of the Survey Corps and Clayton Tennison lay in hospital beds. She felt a wave of relief knowing they were, at least for now, relatively safe; it would have been much worse if they were in Trost or Elmiha, closer to the presumed location of the breach, which would soon spew thousands of desperate refugees.

Lavinia tapped her finger on the map, absorbed and tense, as if scolding a particularly unruly child.

"When you're stumbling in the dark like we are, the worst choice is to make a definitive decision. What would happen if Titans appeared inside Wall Sina and all the Survey Corps units were stationed outside? Let me stop you right there, Mizuki," she said, shrugging. "The Garrison might handle it, but the Military Police are completely useless against Titans. You know that as well as I do. Their presence here wouldn't make any difference. In an emergency, only we can intervene. That's why Erwin divided the forces. He sent someone like Hange, capable of making decisions in his place, towards Wall Rose, along with a portion of the recruits and lower-ranking soldiers, bolstering the veterans already stationed there. But he kept skilled individuals like you and Loki with him to prepare for the worst. He won't move the troops further from the inner territories until he has a comprehensive understanding of the situation inside Wall Rose. He'll only trust reports from his own men on the ground. People like Mike and Nanaba. No one else. It's an exemplary strategy, as always." Lavinia absentmindedly circled the presumed breach in Wall Rose on the map."Erwin really is a brilliant commander."

Mizuki frowned. Since when did Lavinia call Erwin by his first name, without the title of commander? Since when were those two on such familiar terms?

Only the gravity - or rather, the catastrophic nature - of the circumstances prevented her from digging deeper.

.

OOO

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1:00 a.m. – Sixteen hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

The streets of Elmiha had become the embodiment of horror.

Horror was everywhere.

It was in the faces of people pushing to move faster towards an illusory salvation.

It was in the abandoned houses with doors and windows flung wide open.

It was in the air, thick with sobs, harrowing screams, pleas, and prayers.

Pastor Nick stared wide-eyed at the desolate scene.

He took a step towards a lost child to help him…

A sharp kick struck his back.

Levi had used his injured leg to hit him.

A wave of pain coursed through him, reaching all the way to his head.

This was what he needed now.

Something to remind him why he had to stay in the rear while the world crumbled around him.

Even though the brat wouldn't approve.

"Ohi, what're you thinking?"

Pastor Nick turned his haunted gaze towards the captain.

"Is it a little different from the delusions you spread in your church? Those are the people you and your followers want to send to their deaths".

Two men, a pastor and a soldier.

Two men walking against the tide of the crowd.

Two men, both consumed by violent emotions.

Dismay in one; a smoldering rage in the other.

"Direct your pious gaze to the looks on the faces of these folks who've lost their homes. They may be gripped with fear and insecurity right now, but…"

Levi enunciated each word with razor-sharp precision.

He whispered them in a calm voice, so only the cursed pastor could hear.

He wanted him to see.

He wanted him to understand.

He wanted him to feel the same black despair as those people.

"If you people get what you want, and Titans pour through the Walls, this isn't what their faces will look like in the end. In the end, they'll all be the same".

Humanity was plummeting into free fall.

They were losing everything.

"They'll be inside a Titan's putrid mouth, experiencing the worst torture known to humanity as they die. And all of humanity will be one flock".

And him…

He was useless.

While humanity hurtled towards destruction, he could do nothing.

Nothing but keep an eye on a stubborn old man and wait.

Wait while everything fell apart.

Wait with only one desire.

To kiss her one last time before it was too late.

2:00 a.m. – Seventeen hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

After crossing the southern gate of Elmiha, Hange, Amado, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa galloped towards Utgard Castle; Levi and Pastor Nick, meanwhile, headed for Trost.

Before they moved beyond the walls, the results of the investigation into Reiner Braun and Berthold Hoover reached them. Hange spent long minutes in silent reflection, holding the papers in her hands. When she finally spoke, she instructed her subordinates on how to act should they encounter the two men.

As before, Eren expressed his skepticism about the possibility of two more traitors lurking among the ranks of the 104th Training Corps cadets, but he declared himself ready to do what was necessary.

He wouldn't even admit it to himself, but Mizuki's account of her conversations with Reiner unsettled him. Her words painted the portrait of a Reiner Braun different from the one he knew, unlike the strong, reliable, invincible Reiner he admired. No, the Reiner she described appeared torn, vulnerable, at the mercy of some secret worry.

And that disturbed Eren.

There was only one way to resolve his doubts, as he had learned from his experience with Annie.

Head south and confront him face-to-face.

3:00 a.m. – Eighteen hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

As Mizuki came to realize, Commander Erwin Smith had made the right decision to wait for developments.

Eighteen hours after the first Titan sighting, the results of the investigations into Reiner Braun and Berthold Hoover - requested by Erwin after returning from the 57th expedition - were delivered to him. In the meeting room grudgingly provided by the Military Police, the commander quickly skimmed the dossier, handed it to Lavinia, and asked the courier to confirm whether the same documents had been sent to Elmiha.

Along with the Reiner and Berthold investigation, a report arrived from a Garrison Corps captain, summarizing the fragmented information collected during the initial hours of patrols: reports of abandoned villages and fleeing civilians, accusations of desertions by soldiers and officers, contradictory orders from the higher ranks of the Military Police. In the confusion of information that filled the document, however, the most crucial one did not appear: that is, that the soldiers had managed to locate the point where the walls had been breached.

The report did, however, talk of the sighting of a Titan with a particularly bizarre appearance and behavior: a creature about seventeen meters tall, covered in fur from head to toe, resembling an ape more than a human. Additionally, the number of Titans encountered and defeated in the southern district was surprisingly low, an element that was difficult to justify in light of the current circumstances: after the breaches at Shiganshina and Trost, Titans had flooded into the bastions in droves. Why wasn't the same happening now?

"That's impossible! It's like they're implying Wall Rose hasn't fallen," Loki blurted out, leaning against the wall next to Mizuki after Lavinia finished reading the report aloud. "Those bastards got in somewhere. There has to be a breach. And what's this about a Beast Titan? Just what we need! Titans that look like animals!"

The news that most concerned Commander Erwin, however, was another. The report mentioned that patrol teams led by Mike and Nanaba had passed through a village devastated by the Titans. The villagers had vanished without a trace and their homes lay in ruins, yet there were no signs of blood or bodies. The only thing they found was a seemingly alive but immobile Titan lying collapsed on one of the houses.

After hearing this cascade of news, Erwin exchanged a penetrating glance with Lavinia, stood, and began pacing. For a full minute, the only sound in the room was the click of the commander's boots on the floor. Everyone held their breath, awaiting the verdict that might determine humanity's fate.

Finally, Erwin stopped. Before speaking, he turned again towards Lavinia, who gave him a barely perceptible nod.

"Nifa," the commander said. "Have these updates also reached Hange, in Elmiha?"

"Only those regarding the recruits from the 104th, sir."

"Good. Hange will know what to do." Clearing his throat, Erwin announced, "As for the captains present, ready your men: we leave for Trost in one hour. Lavinia, with me. Let's go inform Nile Dok of these recent developments."

Mizuki cursed silently. She had wanted to interrogate Lavinia about the meaning of those silent glances exchanged with the commander and, above all, to ask her for clarification about this sudden order. If they were relocating to Trost, did that mean Erwin now had the full picture? And what exactly did this "full picture" entail? What was happening? What was Hange supposed to do with the information she'd received?

She had to settle for watching her friend being spirited away by the commander. In any case, she didn't have the time to wallow in the uncertainty she'd been left in: one of the captains scolded her for not springing into action immediately after the commander's orders, so Mizuki hurried outside.

A dark, starless night greeted her, and the warm early summer breeze lifted the dark green cloak draped over her shoulders. The chaos shaking humanity clashed almost absurdly with nature's tranquility.

With a whirlwind of questions tumbling through her mind, Mizuki followed Loki and the other soldiers towards the tents to prepare for departure.

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OOO

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5:00 AM – Twenty hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

For Reiner, time has frozen and rewound.

The door shudders under the blows of the Titan.

He is no longer a young, muscular, able-bodied man.

He is once again a timid, sniveling boy.

A helpless boy about to be devoured.

A hand breaks through the wood, splinters flying in all directions.

Is this where he'll die?

Is this the last place he'll see?

No, he doesn't want to die here.

Not after what Marcel did for him.

Marcel, who took his place.

Marcel, who sacrificed himself for him.

The strong, dependable Marcel.

Reiner steps away from the door just in time.

The Titan's arm thrashes, searching for its prey.

He can't trample over Marcel's sacrifice like that.

He won't die here.

He'll return home.

At any cost.

"Reiner!"

Loyal Berthold appears at his side, wielding a pitchfork.

The sharp tines pierce the Titan's eyes.

Reiner grabs the handle to help.

He pushes with all his strength.

"Reiner, are you okay?!"

Reiner senses his friend isn't just referring to the current moment.

Berthold has been worried about him and his mental state for a long time.

It's his duty to reassure him.

Even though Reiner knows Berthold's concerns are justified.

He's slowly losing his mind.

"Berthold."

He has to leave this den of demons as soon as possible.

Him, Berthold, and Annie.

They have to bury their guilt and sins on that golden-sand beach.

They have to escape.

Maybe then, they'll have a sliver of hope.

"We'll live through this and get home. I swear we're going home".

Maybe if they flee far enough, the nightmares will stop haunting them.

"Yeah… Yeah! We're going back!"

That hollow act is enough to breathe life back into Berthold.

It lets him see a glimpse of the Reiner he once knew.

The warrior Reiner.

But it's a lie.

The soldier has crept into his mind, taken root, grown bigger, insidious and silent.

Soldier or warrior…

Reiner hasn't known who he is for a long time.

For no apparent reason, his thoughts turn to Mizuki.

He wonders who she saw in him; which part of him she awakened.

The soldier, the warrior, or…

Simply the real Reiner?

The one who, as an adult, dreamed of becoming a cook, just like the father he so admired.

The one who, as a child, couldn't bring himself to kill even an ant.

The one who is now consumed by remorse, night after night.

The one he lost long ago, somewhere in the world.

Somehow, Reiner is certain that if he asked her, she'd know how to guide him back to himself.

.

The confirmation of his identity crisis comes moments after he utters that harmless lie.

Reiner risks his life to save Connie's.

Connie, a filthy island demon.

Connie, one of his comrades.

Connie, an innocent boy who's never harmed anyone.

Berthold's face darkens.

"I'm not so sure that I could risk my life like you just did, without even a second hesitation".

Connie furrows his brow and asks the wrong question.

"Hey, Berthold. Has Reiner always been like this?"

The tall, lanky boy turns slowly.

He answers Connie, but he's speaking to Reiner.

"No. Reiner used to be a warrior. He's different now".

For a moment, Reiner is confused.

"What? What do you mean, 'warrior'?"

Then the fog clears.

He remembers.

And he sinks into despair.

He's disappointed Berthold.

Yet again.

And by merely being here, he's betraying Connie and everyone else.

What should he do?

What can he do to make the guilt go away?

For a fleeting moment, he almost envies Marcel.

Yes, Marcel is dead.

But at least by ceasing to exist, he was spared this torment.

That day five years ago, who got the worse fate?

Marcel, who was devoured?

Or Reiner, who survived to become a murderer and live among his victims?

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6:00 AM - Twenty-one hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

The sun rises indifferently, as it does every morning.

But for the five recruits at the top of the tower, this is not a day like any other.

It is the day they will meet death.

The situation is desperate.

None of them have any doubts left.

Barricaded on the terrace, they are alone.

Alone with the corpses of their superiors.

Lynne and Henning, killed by a massive stone thrown by the most abnormal Titan of all.

Nanaba and Gelgar, on the other hand, were overwhelmed by the horde of monsters.

They fought strenuously, stubbornly, but it was all in vain.

The Titans tore them apart.

Before the recruits' wide eyes, they were reduced to shreds.

Yet, there is one who has not given up.

Ymir, with Connie's knife in her hand, faces Krista.

The delicate, petite figure of the girl is bathed in the golden light of dawn.

She appears beautiful in Ymir's eyes.

The object of every desire, every thought, every action, since they met.

She will not let them take her away.

Not now, after having been given a second chance to live, and finally finding something that gives meaning to her days.

It's the first time she admits it, even to herself.

"Krista, I have no right to tell you how to live. So this is just a wish of mine…"

The big, otherworldly blue eyes widen.

"Live... live your life with pride".

Ymir's lips barely curve into a smile.

As small as it is, she knows Krista will notice.

Then, she rushes towards the parapet.

She takes a running leap and throws herself into the void.

"YMIR!"

Krista's voice calling her name…

That might be the last sound she will hear in her life.

If it is, Ymir thinks she would die content.

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6:30 AM - Twenty-one and a half hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

The reinforcements led by Hange Zoe arrived at the Utgard Castle shortly after dawn. Their intervention prevented the death of five recruits from the 104th Training Corps. Two of them were suspected of treason; another had just transformed into a Titan in front of her unsuspecting comrades; a fourth had been identified as a potential key to unraveling the world's secrets.

Tension hung in the air like electricity before a storm.

Something was about to explode.

.

8:00 AM - Twenty-three hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

"I'm the Armored Titan, and he's the Colossal Titan."

Berthold still can't believe it.

He has cold sweat on his back.

He can't catch his breath.

He struggles not to cry.

Beside him, Reiner and Eren continue to hold their positions.

Reiner tries to convince Eren to follow them.

Eren tries to convince Reiner that he's delirious from exhaustion.

Berthold clings to that suggestion.

He tries to stop his friend.

In vain.

Even though he's at his limit, Reiner doesn't hesitate.

He moves forwards purely from inertia.

Still, Berthold can't come to terms with what's happening.

He still hopes, irrationally, that he can fix things.

Does he really want to act here?

With Mikasa Ackerman and all those soldiers trained to kill Titans around?

No…

"I don't know what's right anymore".

Reiner removes the bandage from his neck.

"But I do know that I have to face the consequences of my actions…"

White puffs of breath rise from his battered arm.

The wound is healing.

"… And carry out my duty as a warrior to the end".

Reiner clenches his fist.

He wears an expression both determined and desperate.

Berthold realizes that he has finally broken.

And he's serious.

"Reiner! Are we doing it?! Now?! Here?!"

The boy moves inexorably towards Eren.

"Yeah! We fight now! We decide this right here!"

His shout is one of liberation.

He can't take it anymore.

Berthold senses it.

Reiner couldn't bear the soldier's mantle any longer.

He took it off, tearing it, trampling it, insulting it.

It's all over now.

12:00 PM - Twenty-seven hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

When the contingent reached Trost, Erwin and Lavinia climbed the walls to assess the situation with Commander Pixis; the soldiers from the Survey Corps who had arrived with him dispersed among the tents set up inside Wall Sina, near the city gate still overflowing with streams of fleeing people, to discuss the situation with the fellow soldiers of the Garrison Corps and exchange sideways glances at the Military Police, whom the higher-ups had miraculously agreed to deploy at the front lines.

Mizuki wasted no time. As soon as she secured Ronnie to a fence, she began frantically scanning the faces of the people crowded in the narrow streets.

Their paths should have crossed in Trost with the captain, who had left Elmiha with Reverend Nick. Why couldn't she spot them? What if something had happened along the way? The commander seemed convinced that no breach had been opened in Wall Rose, but what if he was wrong? What if Levi had been attacked by a horde of Titans while injured, in civilian areas, without his gear? What if…

"There's an urgent message! Call Commander Smith! Immediately!"

The shout pulled Mizuki out of the frenzied spiral of pessimism she had fallen into. Following the other soldiers, she made her way towards the square in front of the gate, where a crowd of captains and curious onlookers had already gathered around Erwin, Pixis, and the panting messenger, who was reporting important and disturbing updates.

Mizuki listened with only one ear.

Utgard Castle. Conflict.

Her attention was drawn to the small figure approaching the group from the opposite side.

A recruit turned into a Titan. No, not Braun or Hoover. A certain Ymir.

The captain walked slowly, but – of course, stubbornly – without using the crutch.

The retreat on the walls. Then, the disaster.

Despite wearing his usual mask of impassivity and detachment, Levi fixed his steel-gray eyes on Mizuki, and they stayed there even as he addressed the commander. "Ohi, Erwin. This is a mess."

The Colossal. The Armored. Reiner, Berthold. The confrontation. Eren being kidnapped…

Mizuki's head snapped up, losing eye contact with the captain.

Eren had been kidnapped, and so had Ymir. Eren, that angry little boy, raised as humanity's hope. Ymir, a tall, thin girl with a sharp gaze, who once, in some long-lost era, had threatened her for reasons she couldn't even remember.

And the culprits…

"The Colossal and the Armored are currently fleeing in the territory of the titans, beyond Wall Rose," concluded Thoma, rubbing his hands together.

By now, they no longer saw them as human beings. They were Titans; enemies trying to rip humanity's salvation from its grasp, a salvation they had clung to with every ounce of their being.

Even then, Erwin Smith did not lose his composure. "How much of a lead do they have?"

"About three hours. The rescue operation is stalled. They can't pursue them until the pulleys for the horses are brought."

"I see." Erwin gave Pixis a fleeting glance. "How long will it take your men to prepare the pulleys?"

"Who do you think you're talking to, Erwin?" Pixis pinched his thick gray-streaked mustache. "Eight minutes will be enough!"

"Excellent." Erwin raised his voice, turning his back on the messenger and Pixis to face the rest of the soldiers. "You heard that? In eight minutes, we move."

"Where, Commander?" Loki whispered.

Erwin Smith's bright blue eyes, like the sky on a clear late summer day, slid over Loki, Lavinia, Nifa, Klaus, Keji, and landed on Mizuki. "To get Eren back".

It was then that Mizuki understood. And, like her, everyone else understood too.

Even though she didn't possess the sharp intellect of Hange or Lavinia; even though she didn't have the full picture of the situation like Erwin did; even though she was an incurable optimist, she understood: they were going to pursue the Colossal and the Armored, heading into the territory of the titans without a plan and without using the formation; they would bring Eren back; and more than half of them wouldn't make it back home.

At the cost of exterminating all the soldiers under his command, at the cost of being devoured himself, Erwin Smith was determined to reclaim humanity's hope, which had slipped through their fingers like a handkerchief stolen by the wind.

An unnatural calm descended on Mizuki. While the world around her was going crazy, while her comrades dashed in every direction to shorten preparation time, while the captain insistently searched for her with his eyes, she focused on her goal and shut out the rest.

She tailed Lavinia, busy with the last, unavoidable tasks that fell on the commander's loyal assistant, waiting for the right moment. It came when her friend, sitting on one of the wagons, was adjusting the equipment inside her backpack and offered her back. Mizuki approached her swiftly, like a mouse escaping from a cat, taking refuge in its den, and landed a sharp blow on the back of her neck.

What incredible irony. She had never noticed before, despite having taken down countless giants, but the back of the neck was also the weak spot of humans.

Lavinia flinched in surprise, and then, without a sound, collapsed into Mizuki's arms, ready to catch her.

Gently, she laid her unconscious friend down on the seat of the wagon, knelt beside her, and brushed the hair from her forehead.

Lavinia: her first friend, who had pulled her out of the deep despair caused by her mother's illness and death; her first confidante, who listened with a judging air and sharp comments but was always ready to support any of her initiatives or desires; the first precious life she had decided to save, sacrificing the life of others; the first person who made her understand how genuine affection could sometimes become dark, oppressive, taking away freedom and air.

.

"Until the day I die, my heart is yours".

.

Lavinia. Her curse. Her salvation.

How could opposites coexist in the same relationship?

She only realized how unhealthy their friendship was now, as her horizons paradoxically expanded through visiting places, having experiences, and crossing paths with strangers. Paradoxically, because she had only achieved this conquest after leaving her home, her identity, her name, and settling in a world where the flat horizon coincided with a fifty-meter-high wall. And yet, in that world where no one knew her, the Uchihas, her family's past, or what her ancestors had done, she felt free for the first time; truly free. As if, before then, no one, except for a few exceptions, had been able to see her for what she truly was, and not as Sasuke Uchiha's daughter. And in this world, with its constantly tense inhabitants, she had met a multitude of special people.

Theo, Jacqueline, Hange, Erwin, Petra. Levi…

She had the sense that the more her view of reality expanded, the tighter Lavinia's view felt. Her friend's insistence on maintaining an exclusive relationship, as if it were the two of them against the rest of humanity, on cutting off any other affections, on achieving absolute possession over each other, suffocated Mizuki.

And yet, she still loved her like the first day. Lavinia was Lavinia, irreplaceable and precious. She would never be able to do without her.

That was why she couldn't allow her to take part in that collective suicide.

Seated on the opposite side of the wagon, Reverend Nick - an involuntary witness to the attack on Lavinia - had bulging eyes, but refrained from making any comment on what had just happened.

Mizuki was the first to speak to him. "Reverend, can I ask you a question?"

"..."

"I imagine so, since you're in our custody; although, you'll probably refrain from answering." Mizuki gently caressed Lavinia's cheek, removed her cloak, and spread it over her friend. Then, she stood up. Even then, she didn't turn her face towards Father Nick, continuing to stubbornly fix her gaze on Lavinia. "You claim that… Well, you refuse to cooperate with us because you think this is the right decision."

"I don't just think it. This is the right decision," Reverend Nick growled, his eyes narrow slits that accepted the challenge.

"Sure, sure. Ignoring the information that you, on the other hand, know, I cannot judge your position. You and all of you from the Church of the Walls have chosen silence. You chose silence, even in the face of the suffering of those who lost their homes five years ago, and of us poor souls who are devoured by the Titans during every expedition." A gust of wind hit Mizuki; at the same moment, a thick gray cloud, heavy with rain, obscured the sun, plunging the Trost district into a puddle of sudden darkness, as if it had just been submerged by a wave. "I don't believe... I can't believe that all the followers of the Church of the Walls are devoid of humanity. If you keep silent, it's because you have a reason for it."

Reverend Nick couldn't see the face of the soldier who, after just taking one of his companions out of action, had addressed him with such an impertinent tone. The long, curly hair, stirred by a gust of air, cold despite it being late June, had wound around her face like an octopus, hiding her features from his gaze.

"You know, some time ago, I happened to read a little book by an unknown author. A work in two acts. I found the plot very interesting: it was about a Village so perfect that it could be called a paradise."

Reverend Nick's shoulders flinched imperceptibly, but he quickly regained control of himself. He told himself that the brief moment of surprise he had experienced had been so minimal that it had surely gone unnoticed, especially since his interlocutor kept her face stubbornly turned towards the sky.

He was wrong: even though Mizuki wasn't looking at him, her eyes saw everything.

"The inhabitants of this Village led a quiet and happy life... Of course, there's a catch, as in all stories worth telling. Actually, two. The first: the elders of the Village kept a terrible secret on which the survival of that little paradise depended. The second: the Village was perched on a mountain and surrounded by a deep ravine, impossible to cross, which protected the inhabitants from potential enemies and cut it off from the rest of the world. Well, the author doesn't expressly admit it, he only mentions that the ravine served as protection for the Village, but it's logical, right? A phenomenon so extraordinary, so... imposing, like our ravine, can very easily turn into a prison. Right? What keeps things out also keeps things in. Usually, that's how it works. Gorges, iron bars, walls... In the end, even though a different tool is used, the result is always the same. Even if they are walls full of fifty-meter-tall Titans." A bitter, sarcastic, cutting laugh followed the last remark.

Reverend Nick was trembling. When had those loose cannons from the Survey Corps gotten hold of such information? How? Who had betrayed them in such a way? He had, in the end, cooperated by directing them to the girl connected to the Reiss family, but what this soldier with curly hair had just shoved in his face, with unmistakable delight at his bewilderment, went beyond anything he could imagine. She knew... Thanks to someone's help and the reading of that damned book, she had somehow come to know one of the most sordid and controversial details of the history of humanity within the walls.

Reverend Nick decided that a groundless indignation would be the best strategy to repel insinuations that were dangerously brushing against the truth. "How dare you? How dare you insult our sacred walls? You, little..."

"Oh, I'm not insulting them. Quite the opposite. I'm saying they're damn good at their job, just like you're good at yours: they keep us locked in here like animals in cages. Every time we think we've made a step forward, that we've discovered something important, that we've found a solution..." Mizuki spread her arms in a gesture of impotence and anger, and the laugh turned into a sinister growl. "Every damn time we're forced to face the truth: that we're always back at square one. However, in part, you're right. In fact, I think the walls don't do their job fully when it comes to the opposite: they keep us in, but they're not so useful at keeping the rest out. The Titans, for example. But not just them."

"I don't understand..." Nick's voice sounded like the groan of a beast cornered. "The walls are sacred, and..."

"You don't understand? Really? Let me give you an example."

Finally, Mizuki turned around and faced Reverend Nick, who, just a few months ago - though it felt like an eternity had passed - had incited the crowd against her. Despite the afternoon hour, Reverend Nick felt as though he had lost his way in a sinister forest, in the heart of the night, and that a couple of crimson flames had just appeared in front of him, an ominous omen that announced death, misfortune, the end of all hope.

Eyes of an unnatural crimson color. Cruel eyes, the eyes of a predator.

"I, for example, got this far".

"Those eyes..."

Reverend Nick never finished the sentence. The trumpet announcing the assembly jolted Mizuki out of her thoughts. Without saying another word, as if nothing had happened, the girl turned her back on him and got off the wagon. At the same moment, the cloud that had obscured the sun was pushed away by the wind, and the golden light flooded the plain again.

The man hadn't even realized that he had jumped to his feet. Shaken by chills, he watched the frail figure of the soldier walk away with a determined, unwavering step.

How was this possible? What was a member of that cursed lineage doing here?

An Uchiha.

Reverend Nick couldn't make sense of it.

Yet, they were never supposed to return to the island.

He had never met one before, but among the Church members, there was a story passed down about Uri Reiss' encounter with one of them, who, at the time, had predicted he would be the last of his lineage to come to the island.

Itachi Uchiha.

It had been him, shirking the duty imposed by his blood and his eyes, the dwelling place of a devastating power, who first cracked the fragile balance of the world.

And now, that girl. A common, insignificant soldier, who had eyes that could turn the color of blood and claimed to come from there.

From beyond the walls.

But if she belonged to the Uchiha clan, why didn't she know about the secret of the world?

Something was happening: a series of disturbing coincidences that were strung together one after the other, seemingly randomly; yet, slowly, as if obeying a silent order, the circumstances followed each other, piling up, heading in a very specific direction.

Reverend Nick had a sudden and horrific realization, and his legs gave way.

Something was being prepared.

Something extraordinary, something unstoppable, something that would change the fate of humanity.

.

Unaware that she had been recognized by Reverend Nick, whom she had deliberately provoked in the hope of spurring his spirit of cooperation, just after having considered with relief that no one there knew the Uchiha, Mizuki walked away from the wagon.

Levi, finally free of Erwin and Pixis, was approaching her. The captain was dressed in a black suit, with matching trousers, perfectly polished leather shoes, an immaculate white shirt, and the ever-present handkerchief around the neck.

It was unusual for him to wear such formal attire, given that he was almost always in uniform or in simple, practical clothing. When Mizuki had caught a glimpse of him dressed like this, just before their departure for Stohess, his outfit had driven her crazy: she thought the refined style suited him well, blending effortlessly with his elegant and commanding demeanor. But at that moment, she didn't even notice; it was the least of her concerns.

The captain realized that, despite seeing him, Mizuki showed no intention of slowing her stride. "Ohi, wait a second," he muttered, resisting the urge to grab the brat by the arm to stop her.

Mizuki didn't respond. She passed him by, her gaze distant and serious, fixed straight ahead. She kept walking for a few more steps, putting a slight distance between them, but not too much. Only then did she stop and turn to face him.

"Captain, I'm entrusting Lavinia to you," Mizuki said through tight lips, her expression marked by a faint, sorrowful smile.

"Ohi…" Levi clenched his hands into fists, then released them. Once again, its irrefutable uselessness overwhelmed him, knocking the air from his lungs as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. The brat and the others were about to dive headlong into a suicide mission - chasing after two dangerous enemies with unknown powers, deep in Titan territory . and he wouldn't be by her… by their side.

They locked eyes for a long moment. In the pools of molten gold in which he longed to drown, Levi saw a longing, a regret for all that had remained unsaid, undone, incomplete between them. Within them, an image began to form, it was impossible to tell whether she had conjured it or if it was merely a reflection of what stirred in Levi's own face: the brat running towards him, burying herself in his embrace, clinging to him as she had last time, in that abandoned room.

But now, it was too late to make up for months of silence and hesitation.

"No bullshit." He couldn't find any other words to say, only that pathetic recommendation that he invariably addressed her before an expedition and which contained within itself the silent request for a promise: that she would survive this time, too. After all, there were no words capable of expressing the questions that gnawed at him, or at least none he could muster.

Would he still see her like this, standing before him as she was now, as she had so many times before, as he had wished for months?

He waited for her to shake her head, laugh disarmingly, and promise him she would survive. Instead, she whispered in a breath: "I'm sorry, Captain. I can't do it this time."

That was all he got, because after that confession, Mizuki fled.

.

The plain was strewn with the ruins of Utgard Castle: broken stones from the collapse or the Titans' violence dotted the grass like flowers of the wrong color, heaps of beams and cornices cast ominous shadows over Mizuki and Loki's horses as they grazed on grass buried beneath a shroud of dust and splinters, and the skeleton of the collapsed tower loomed like a skeletal tree stretching its barren branches towards the sky.

While Erwin's contingent rode along Wall Rose towards the site of Eren's clash with the enemies, the commander had ordered Loki and Mizuki to descend from the walls and take a detour to inspect the situation at the castle.

At their feet, lying side by side like cards laid out for a game of solitaire, were motionless bodies covered with black shrouds. The shapes beneath them were varied: only two corpses - those of Lynne and Henning - had been recovered intact; of the others, there was nothing left but an arm, a leg, a hand, or a jacket bearing a name tag.

Loki held up the edge of one black shroud, under which Lynne's rigid, bluish face was visible, a streak of dried blood running down her temple.

She looked as though she were sleeping.

Lynne. Kind, empathetic Lynne, always ready to listen.

Next to her were the remains of Gelgar and Nanaba, a leg torn from a torso and a jacket soaked in blood and entrails.

Gelgar, who called her "kitty," challenged her to endless bets, and always had breath that smelled of mint liqueur.

Nanaba, austere yet capable of making you feel welcomed and loved like an older sister.

Captain Mike's remains, however, had not been found.

Mike, strong and imposing Mike, with his ever-wrinkled nose always immersed in the scents of life.

Behind Loki, Mizuki closed her eyes.

The memory of an evening in a tavern in Trost exploded within her. An image she had sought to capture like a butterfly, clutching it by the wings, trapping it in a net for the darker days ahead. Standing at the bar, a temporary observer of moments of life in which she didn't belong, she had looked at the table where her comrades sat; her companions; her friends; her family within the walls.

Dita, Moblit, Hange, Amado, Loki, Nifa, Gunther, Oluo, Gelgar, Eld, Lavinia, Erwin, Lynne, Nanaba, Klaus, Keiji, Petra.

And now, in just four days, half of those people had ceased to exist.

She had clung tightly to that memory, preparing herself for the inevitable.

She thought she was ready.

She was wrong.

Oh, how wrong she was.

Now, she felt nothing. Her heart had withered under the blows dealt by the enemy; it had turned gangrenous, with portions of its cells going mad and dying with each comrade lost; with every loss, it collapsed, shrank a little more, dried out. It had become a black hole dripping with bile, consuming anything that wasn't hatred or a thirst for revenge.

How much desolation there was in that heart, once shaped to love, to beat to the warm rhythm of happiness.

Loki lowered the shroud.

He was crying.

A silent cry, without sobs or gasps.

A cry belonging to someone who had had the misfortune of confronting death and losing.

Without exchanging a single word, they returned to their horses.

In Mizuki's palms, her nails had dug so deep that they had exposed raw flesh.

.

OOO

.

3:00 PM – Thirty hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

On top of Wall Rose, the massive figure of Commander Erwin Smith stood out against the horizon, veiled by the misty haze typical of extremely hot summer days.

The man exuded a sense of strength, stability, and determination. This was conveyed by the lines of his muscular arms, his square jaw, his focused profile, and his legs planted firmly on the ground.

Yet his eyes were restless. Thoughts, hypotheses, denials, and strategies chased one another within them. Questions, above all questions; and the hope that the faint chance to realize a long-secret dream, after years of waiting and sacrifices, would not slip through his fingers.

Around the commander, the sounds of soldiers pushing horses onto the lifts echoed. The hard iron hooves clattered against the wooden platforms of the carts, marking the seconds racing by in a frenzy.

Soon, they would be ready, and then the desperate chase would begin.

Mizuki shook herself from the contemplation of the commander, which she had indulged in undisturbed until that moment, and silently stepped up beside him.

Erwin did not react. He kept gazing at the horizon, as if the meeting of trees and sky with the earth revealed the outlines of a design invisible to anyone but him.

Mizuki's mind wandered back to the conversation between her, the commander, and the captain on Wall Sina, right after her improbable and astounding encounter with Wilinski in the Garrison library.

Even then, Erwin Smith had only half-listened to Levi and Mizuki's suppositions; his attention had been elsewhere, drawn to the myriad possibilities evoked by his subordinate's account. Even then, the commander had fixed his gaze on some indeterminate point in the sky. Even then, he had been chasing something that neither she nor Levi could have imagined.

Erwin Smith had the instincts of a bloodhound: when he caught the stench or the perfume of truth, when a fragment of the world's secret streaked before him, everything else disappeared, leaving only the trail that would lead him to his goal.

Right after that association, another memory surfaced. Mizuki recalled the conversation between her and the commander on the day they had met, while riding towards the former Headquarters.

.

"What about you?"

"About me?"

"Yes. No offense, you know, but sometimes when you look at people you seem a little crazy."

"I didn't mean to scare you..."

"You didn't scare me, in fact. I'm just naturally curious."

"You're the first person to make such a remark to me, though, so I really don't know how to respond."

"It was not my intention to put you on the spot. You don't have to answer me now. I can wait as long as necessary."

"I thank you. Not all answers, however, are pleasant to hear."

"Yeah. But from what little I've seen of life, though, I've convinced myself that the truth is always better than a good lie."

"You think so? Even if it's hard to accept?"

"I will decide that once you have answered me."

.

Though they hadn't revisited the topic since, after nearly two years under Erwin Smith's command, even someone like Mizuki had understood that his desire was directed towards an object somewhere beyond the walls. The outside world. The truth about the Titans. This - appropriating the truth to satisfy his curiosity - was the sole reason Erwin had assumed the role of Commander of the Survey Corps. Not for humanity's sake or lofty ideals of freedom and justice, as Levi, Hange, and most of the other soldiers did. Humanity's salvation was merely a potential and entirely secondary consequence of his objective.

Did she despise him for this?

No. Despite not fully understanding or approving of his value system, Mizuki couldn't bring herself to dislike him. She actually liked Erwin Smith.

"Looks like I've been left without my deputy," Erwin remarked suddenly, a sign he had noticed Mizuki's arrival.

She offered a bitter smile. "Lavinia took a day off."

"Willingly, I assume."

"That depends on whose will we're talking about." Mizuki tucked a stray curl escaping from the chignon behind her ear. "Anyway, since I took the liberty of giving one of your squad members some rest, I solemnly pledge to go above and beyond to bring Eren back."

Erwin's hands, clasped behind his back, twitched slightly. "It won't be easy. You've heard Hange's report, haven't you?"

Mizuki lifted her chin to cast him a suspicious glance. Had Erwin already guessed why she had approached him and was steering the conversation in that direction? Or was his comment purely coincidental? Clearing her throat with a light cough, she replied: "Yes. Our blades don't even scratch the Armored's skin."

The Armored…

The word tasted bitter on her tongue, a substitute for the name Reiner, the awkwardly kind young man she used to train with. But for the soldiers of the Survey Corps, Reiner had ceased to be human and she had to conform. He was now the enemy; a Titan. The Armored Titan.

"Indeed."

Mizuki narrowed her eyes, savoring that brief pause in their conversation. "Perhaps blades can't, but I have an idea. Something that might work."

"Yes?"

"Yes." Erwin pretended indifference, but Mizuki was now certain he had already considered the possibility. "Do you remember what I did at Tiburtina?"

The lightning. The ball of blue light erupting from the hand of a petite girl. The aura of raw power emanating from a storm controlled by a human.

"Hard to forget," Erwin remarked, the faintest hint of a smile curving his lips.

"It's a technique my father taught me. Chidori. Maybe…" Mizuki faltered, searching for the right words to push past the fear of taking an irreversible step.

What would happen if she revealed her true identity? Now that the inhabitants of the walls were aware of external enemies threatening them, how would they react to her? Would they ostracize her? Persecute her? Imprison and condemn her? Would she lose the place she had painstakingly carved for herself in this world? Would she have to relinquish the home she had chosen, partly out of necessity and partly from genuine affection?

Crossing that threshold, nothing would ever be the same again, and that terrified her. But perhaps the change had already taken place: the world within the walls had shifted, and even if Mizuki stayed still, with her head buried in her knees to block out sight and sound, denying reality, history would relentlessly move forward towards its destination.

That had been her fear from the beginning, after all, ever since her first expedition outside the walls. That her process of adapting to the world within the walls, to the humanity residing there, was one-sided. That, once the truth emerged and it was revealed she was different, a stranger in disguise, this world would reject her, this humanity within the walls would cast her out with scorn.

Different? Was she truly different?

Who had claimed otherwise?

.

"I don't remember teaching you ... to climb a giant like that. Another one of your crazy moves, huh? The blades must be chipped off for sure... And those eyes too... I thought I'd gone crazy yesterday morning. But they're really red."

"I'm sorry, captain."

"Damn ... you. You're right to apologize. You're a shitty soldier, Mizuki."

"I... I am not like you. I'm sorry."

"You're not ... like us? This is bullshit. We are... all men. Men against those monsters. No, I think you... that you're just a little weird. But you're not… No, you are not. You are no different from us."

.

Captain Finnian, in his final moments, had denied their supposed difference. He had recognized her as one of them.

And she… Even she, who at first had genuinely felt different and distant from them, no longer thought the same way.

They weren't different. They weren't distant.

They were all human beings, struggling side by side, each trying to live as best they could and to grasp some measure of happiness.

Her, the soldiers, the citizens, Reiner…

Yes, Reiner. The Armored Titan. Better to focus on immediate, tangible problems rather than lose herself in catastrophic speculation. They had to figure out a way to neutralize him.

"Chidori. Maybe with that…" Mizuki whispered. With the tip of her boot, she scuffed the stone of Wall Rose. The thought flitted through her mind that, beneath them, there likely rested a fifty-meter-tall Titan, lying in wait for… Who knew what.

Erwin took a deep breath, and for an instant, he seemed even taller, even more imposing. "I'm not going to give you any orders, Mizuki. The situation is desperate, and no decision you make could possibly make it worse. However, there's something important I want you to understand. If they discover… If they discover who you are, where you come from…"

"If they discover, in other words, that I don't belong to this world," Mizuki interjected with a grimace, "That I'm not like you."

"… I'm not sure I could guarantee your safety. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Mizuki raised her hands in front of her chest, palms up. "The problem is all here: since in the Survey Corps, lives have an order of importance, whose life matters more? Mine…" She lifted her right hand slightly. "…or Eren Jaeger's?" she finished, raising her left hand to match the other.

Finally, Erwin turned to her. A deep, sharp furrow of irritation and weariness cut across his forehead, as marked as a canyon between two mountains. "What is this? Payback for last time?"

.

"There is one thing you must learn if you want to stay here, Mizuki. I know you didn't choose to join the Corps, but that doesn't change the fact that that's how things work around here. When a superior gives an order, especially if it's me, it's because he or she has weighed the advantages and disadvantages of every foreseeable scenario on a scale, including possible losses. In the Survey Corps, lives have an order of importance."

"For example?"

"For example, the life of a cripple is worth less than that of four soldiers who are still healthy. For example, the life of a cripple is worth less than yours."

"All this just because I am..."

"You are what you are, and there's no point in discussing that now. Do you think you understood what I just said?"

"I understand it. But I don't agree with it."

.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mizuki replied with feigned innocence, intertwining her hands behind her back, even as the echo of their previous argument after returning from the first expedition reverberated in her mind. "In any case, if we really had to make a ranking, I'd dare say that within the walls, at the moment, there's no life more important than Eren Jaeger's."

Erwin barely shook his head. That girl had a gift - one that no one else in the world possessed - for testing even his limits, he who was calm and calculated to a fault. It wasn't something tangible, like a conscious gesture or bold defiance in her words, but rather something that danced on the tip of her tongue, something that shone in her intelligent, inquisitive eyes, something that emanated from her heart and drove her actions.

She, who, like every other human being, nurtured dreams and ambitions but never pursued them at all costs, who refused to sacrifice those beside her in the name of her goals, and who, even in the rare instances she indulged in selfish whims, had the courage to admit it openly and take responsibility for it.

Mizuki got on his nerves. That was the truth. She irritated him because she was his exact opposite, because she could take a step back for someone else's sake, because she lived with and through others, not just for herself. Just like Levi. But unlike Levi, Mizuki did all of this with a disarming simplicity and naturalness, without ever losing her individuality or ceasing for a moment to assert her claims as a human being, the satisfaction of which she had only postponed to a date yet to be determined, when she no longer had to strive to help and bring joy to others.

And the very traits in her - in them - hat exasperated him were also the main reason why, deep down, he liked Mizuki.

"Do as you wish, Mizuki," Erwin said with a tone of exhaustion, like that of a man who, after an endless day, finally returns to the warmth of his home.

"I won't let you down." Mizuki touched her chest, over her heart. She didn't salute because the commander hadn't given her an order, but she still wanted to demonstrate the seriousness of her commitment. "I'll do whatever it takes to bring Eren back, as I promised."

"On that note…" Erwin's eyes narrowed, once again sharp and alert. "We've suffered heavy losses, both in the field and due to the recent disorders."

Mizuki's stomach twisted. She rubbed her thumb over the grooves in her palms, scars left by her nails during the sortie at Utgard Castle, where they had dug into her flesh. "Yes, I'm aware."

"We're short on officers right now." Erwin turned back towards the void, as if drawn by an irresistible, mesmerizing force. "I'm appointing you vice-captain of the Special Operations Squad, Mizuki. Take Amado, Loki, and anyone else you need to accomplish the mission."

Mizuki instinctively straightened her back, as if physically feeling the weight of the investiture and the responsibilities that came with it.

Once again, she who did not want to decide the fates of others was entrusted by a superior with just such a role: leading human beings into the chaos of battle, through dust, smoke, blood, and screams, towards death.

This time, Mizuki clenched her fist over her chest before slipping away, leaving Erwin Smith alone, teetering on the edge of the abyss.

Quickly, she reached Amado and Loki, who were whispering to each other beside the horses already positioned on the lift, their eyes fixed on the horizon. It seemed no one could stop staring in the direction where the Colossal and Armored Titans had fled.

Amado, who had been with Hange during the discovery of the betrayal and had participated in the fight, had come out deeply shaken. What had unsettled him, as he had revealed to Mizuki and Loki, wasn't so much the Armored Titan but the Colossal one. "It was… enormous, just enormous. No, enormous doesn't even come close to describing it. And to think it only transformed from the torso up… It was missing its lower half, and yet it was still the biggest damn Titan I've ever seen," he had stammered, confused, when Mizuki and Loki had pressed him for details. "I don't know… I don't think humans can beat it. Not as we are now, not with the tools we have. It's just… too enormous."

Mizuki rested a hand on Ronnie's muzzle, perhaps for the last time, offering the horse one final, tender caress. Amado and Loki watched her expectantly, waiting for her to share the contents of her conversation with the commander.

She didn't dare turn in their direction.

"Guys," she murmured in a barely perceptible whisper, summoning her courage. "As the captain of Squad 7, it's my duty to warn you: the imperative of this mission is to bring Eren Jaeger back. If we lose him, our hope of returning home can go to hell. We'll spend the rest of our lives here, within these walls, and we'll die devoured by Titans. I can't accept that, not now, when a real chance at salvation has been dangled so tantalizingly before us. That's why Commander Erwin has authorized me to do whatever it takes to bring him back, even if… Even if, to do so, I have to reveal our secret to everyone. Assuming we even make it back alive, things might get a bit complicated for us. So, if you want to back out, now's the time."

Loki huffed impatiently; Amado, resignedly. "There she goes again.", "You just never learn, do you?" they both burst out at the same time.

Then, her comrades' arms enveloped her - Loki wrapped her waist, Amado her shoulders - and crushed her in a suffocating embrace. Mizuki closed her eyes and let herself sink into the warmth of their closeness.

Loki pressed his forehead against Mizuki's shoulder, his hair tickling her ear. "We're grateful you didn't just try to save Lavinia's ass, you know? For my whole life, I feared you loved her more than me and my cross-eyed. There's no way we're letting you go alone."

"We're a team." Amado exhaled the affirmation against her neck. "If you go, we go too."

Mizuki's hands searched for her friends', found them, and squeezed tightly.

Even though her life was about to end, she felt grateful.

Despite being an Uchiha, she'd managed to find friends who loved and accepted her.

She wasn't alone anymore.

"Um… Excuse me, but did you call for us?"

Caught off guard by the question, Mizuki quickly disentangled herself from the embrace. At a safe distance, the group of recruits she had asked a soldier to gather stood watching her with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirschstein, Connie Springer.

Eren's friends. He had spoken of them to her countless times, during the nights when Mizuki descended into the basement of the former Headquarters, where he slept, to ease his loneliness. In those moments, Eren would tell her about his life before the fall of Wall Maria, about the years of training, about his burning plan to take revenge on the Titans. Little by little, Mizuki had come to know Eren's childhood and training companions, assigning distinct personalities to the blurry faces that haunted her memories.

After speaking with the commander, Mizuki had concluded that if they were truly determined to bring Eren back, they would need to rely on people who shared a strong emotional bond with him and who, at the same time, had a personal interest in tracking down Reiner and Berthold.

"Yes, I called for you. I've just been appointed vice-captain of the Special Operations Squad. From now on, you four, along with Amado and Loki, will be part of it. Captain Levi isn't here, so as his deputy, I'm assuming command of the mission," Mizuki announced. Loki and Amado started in surprise; the recruits, on the other hand, exchanged stunned glances. "Commander Erwin himself has entrusted us with the task of retrieving Eren Jaeger. And we will see it through, no matter the cost. Am I clear?"

Only Mikasa reacted to the question from the woman who was now their superior: her hand snapped to her chest, her lips forming a resolute "yes, ma'am." The men, meanwhile, stared at her in shock, mouths agape.

"I've devised a plan that could deal serious damage to the Armored Titan. Amado, Loki, and I will handle its execution. Once we've opened a breach in its defenses, it'll be your turn: retrieve Eren and return to the walls as quickly as possible. Understood?"

"Damn you." Loki ran a nervous hand through his sweat-slicked hair. "And you're calling that a plan? We've really hit the jackpot with this superior! I've thought that ever since sensei died."

Mizuki let out a nervous chuckle and made a sharp gesture with her hand, ignoring the recruits' perplexed expressions as they wondered who they were talking about.

"We're on the same page," she said.

The sound of the horn signaling assembly suddenly shattered the stillness of their anticipation.

"Anything else?" Amado asked hastily.

Anything else?

Mizuki clenched her fists.

How could she know?

What was a superior supposed to do before sending their men into a suicide mission? Motivate them? Reassure them? Threaten them? Persuade them?

She thought of Erwin's speeches, given before every new expedition outside the walls, but quickly realized he wasn't the model she wanted to emulate. He wasn't the one she sought to draw inspiration from.

Instead…

What would the captain have done in her place? If he were here, what would he have said?

She pictured it with ease, having observed him so much, having come to know him so well.

"Yes." Mizuki's gaze met that of each of her five new subordinates in turn. She knew what she had to say; the order that, had he been there, the captain would have undoubtedly given his men, demanding it be followed with arrogant resolve despite the daunting odds. "Don't die. For any reason."

This time, her words were met with five pairs of hands that darted to their respective hearts.

Mizuki climbed onto Ronnie with a light heart.

At the agreed-upon signal, the lifts creaked into motion with their load of soldiers and horses, heading straight into the path of hell.

Soon it would all be over.

.

OOO

.

5:00 PM - Thirty-two hours since the sighting of Titans inside Wall Rose.

The unlucky gendarmes selected for the recovery mission - mostly young recruits, soldiers who had crossed the wrong higher-ups, or worn-out veterans who hadn't managed to hide well enough in the corners of bureaucracy during their careers - were the first to fall.

They didn't even fight back.

At the sight of a Titan barreling towards them, they froze like children caught in a game of statues.

One by one, they died.

Mizuki could hear their cries for help clinging to her ears, her clothes, her very soul. And yet, she pretended not to notice; she rode on, galloping forward with the other temporary survivors.

The soldiers of the Garrison Corps fared slightly better. Most of them had encountered Titans before, so they weren't completely overtaken by a wave terror. However, they lacked technique and composure, two deficiencies that allowed the Titans to cut them down in droves.

They screamed as well, their voices raw with agony as the Titans' teeth shredded and ripped chunks of flesh from their bones, the meat peeling off as easily as the skin of a ripe peach. Unlike the gendarmes, however, they didn't beg their comrades for rescue, since they knew all too well that no help was coming. Their cries were instead visceral, the purest form of torment, awakened by unimaginable pain, a sound that sent chills down Mizuki's spine.

The only ones to stand out amidst the carnage were the members of the Survey Corps. Even the recruits demonstrated reflexes, presence of mind, and skills far beyond the other soldiers.

Mizuki rode at the front, just behind the commander, hearing his relentless orders and hypocritical exhortations not to give up as they were carried by the wind. She and Loki, along with Amado, took down at least six Titans that threatened to block the contingent's path. She moved with precision, grace, and ruthless efficiency. She wasted no gas, chipped no blades, and never exposed herself to unnecessary danger.

Her new subordinates - the recruits of the 104th Training Corps - watched her in awe, a mixture of fear and reluctant fascination at her lethal prowess, which reminded Mikasa Ackerman of the absent Captain Levi.

When, pressed by a horde of Titans, they finally reached the forest of giant trees, Mizuki caught a fleeting, blinding glimmer between the dark silhouettes of the trunks and the branches heavy with leaves. Relief swept through her. Thank heavens, Erwin's calculations had been correct once again: they had reached their quarry, who had waited until sunset to resume their march, just as the commander had predicted.

Only a handful of soldiers entered the forest. Most, following Erwin's instructions, circled the perimeter from both sides and headed towards the southern edge of the woods to cut off any escape routes for the enemies.

Unfortunately, Reiner and Bertholdt were faster.

Before the squad led by the commander, a sudden light blazed. The Armored Titan materialized in mid-air, slamming down with an earth-shaking crash that made the ground tremble violently beneath the horses' hooves. For the brief moments she had to observe him before he charged past them, Mizuki recognized in that squared beast the unmistakable features of Reiner: the broad back, the oversized head, the short, thick neck, the tendency to keep his rigid arms glued to his torso, the powerful legs.

It was him. It was really him.

And hanging from his shoulders were Bertholdt, Eren, and a small Titan with a hooked nose, long brown hair, and sharp, feral teeth protruding from its curled lips.

Erwin raised his sword to the sky to draw the troops' attention. "All teams! I don't care if you've got Titans tailing you! Follow me!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Then, as he galloped forward, he glanced at Mizuki and called out to her in a strangely calm tone: "Mizuki! I'll corner them from the front! You do what you must! I'll give you one chance, Mizuki. Just one. Make it count!"

Her heart leapt to her throat. She swallowed dryly, her mouth parched from the biting wind and the tension. What in the world was Erwin Smith planning? Only one answer came to mind: using the soldiers under his command as juicy bait for the Titans chasing them, luring them towards the Armored Titan to restrict its movements.

The very thought made her stomach churn.

Yet, clutching the leather reins in her hands and digging her boots into Ronnie's sides, Mizuki raised her head and gave the only clear answer she could afford: "Sir, yes, sir!"

.

Crushed between Reiner's hand and chest, Bertholdt clutches his head in his hands.

An unbearable chaos surrounds him.

The metallic clatter of breaking blades.

Wires snapping, coiling, latching on, and then severed.

Growls, screams, wails of pain.

The thunderous crash of the Armored Titan's footsteps pounding the earth.

Eren stubbornly kicking at Reiner's fingers.

And then, the most intolerable sound of all:

The insults his former comrades hurl at him.

Because they are his comrades, despite everything.

Reiner has gone mad, that much is obvious, but he isn't the only one who has suffered.

Bertholdt, too, has endured his share of torment, sleepless nights, and dark reflections.

He wants to sink into nothingness, to think of nothing, hear nothing.

To feel nothing.

He is tired. So very tired.

He tries to ignore them, but fails.

His friends' accusations plunge into him like a knife into butter.

Bertholdt closes his eyes and bites his lips.

"Do you think that anyone wants to kill people?!"

He's had enough of being painted as a cold-blooded murderer.

"What kind of person would do this for fun?! Who would want to do this?!"

They can hate him.

They can try to kill him.

They can judge him.

But at least…

"It's true that we deceived you, but it wasn't all lies! We really did think of you as friends!"

Let them believe the words he is screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I know we don't have the right to apologize… But someone…"

Let them try to understand him, even for just a moment.

"Please, someone… I'm begging you, someone…"

Let them consider the guilt that has settled inside him, aging and deepening like wine in a barrel.

"…find us…"

Let them save them.

Salty, useless tears streak down his face.

Mikasa has no time for pitiful cries.

"Bertholdt. Give Eren back."

Why do they refuse to understand?

"I can't do that."

Do they think he enjoys this?

That he takes pleasure in his actions?

"Someone has to do this. Someone… has to get this blood on their hands".

It is too late now.

Every line of communication with these people is severed forever.

From now on, it will be war.

A ruthless, bloody war with no holds barred…

This is what happens when dialogue becomes impossible.

And the demons within the walls are already preparing to strike the first blow.

Erwin Smith is advancing towards the Armored Titan at the head of a horde of Titans.

.

The scene unfolding before Mizuki's eyes took her breath away.

It was terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time to watch their natural enemies devour each other.

The Titans surrounded the Armored Titan, climbing over him, tearing chunks of flesh from his bones.

Yet Reiner resisted: with a single arm, he pushed forward with difficulty, shoving his enemies aside, striking them savagely with his head and legs; the hand holding Eren remained firmly in place.

Mizuki tightened her grip on the handles of her ODM gear.

Those fingers of his… she had to pry them open at any cost before the soldiers who had withdrawn to allow the Titans' charge surrounded the Armored Titan again.

She, Amado, and Loki had been waiting for the opportunity Erwin had promised, staying at the edges of the fight. And now, here it was: Reiner was too occupied defending himself to notice or counter their attack.

"Guys! Let's go!"

They charged forward; Loki and Mizuki hung back while Amado pulled ahead.

At the edge of her vision, Mizuki saw a crawling Titan seize the commander by the arm; its teeth sank into the flesh, severing muscles and bones. A gush of black blood spurted from the wound, raining down on the horrified soldiers. Yet, gritting his teeth against the pain, Erwin roared: "ADVANCE! ADVANCE!"

Damn it. We can't lose him. We need that man to win and return to the walls, Mizuki thought in anguish. Then she shouted: "Loki! Go, get the commander!"

"But…" Loki stammered.

Mizuki yanked the reins, halting Ronnie's wild gallop, and leapt to the ground. "That's an order! We don't need you here!"

She heard him curse, then the sound of hooves retreating.

Mizuki brought her hands together in front of her chest, her eyes fixed on the cluster of Titans about five hundred meters away.

She stood still, inhaling deeply.

A secret current, dormant for months but never entirely extinguished, reignited within her, it sent crackling energy coursing through her limbs, her stomach, her head, making her feel as light as when she drank one too many glasses of wine; then it stopped, leaving her empty but strangely calm, before surging again. The tips of her joined fingers tingled pleasantly as the wave swept over her in bursts, alternating between moments where Mizuki felt like a geyser ready to erupt with boiling water and steam, and others where she gained the stillness of ancient stone.

She had missed this.

As much as she had resigned herself to hiding her identity as a ninja, she had missed the feeling of chakra flowing through her body. Only in the moments when her hands recreated the seals engraved in her memory since childhood, and the technique built itself inside her, did she feel truly whole.

Mizuki's hands moved with astonishing speed.

The target was enormous. She couldn't miss.

Reiner…

No.

The Armored Titan.

The enemy standing between her and the mission's fulfillment. Between her and returning home.

As the sounds of battle grew louder and louder, Mizuki began to run.

.

Later, a certain story began to circulate. Some survivors of the recovery mission claimed that, at the climax of the battle, a blue flash suddenly lit up the rose-tinted sky, striking the figure of Special Operations Squad Vice-Captain Mizuki Onizuka and wrapping around her like a scarf of transparent silk.

It was nothing more than a legend, repeated by bored tavern-goers and sung by exhausted mothers to their children under blankets to lull them to sleep. Yet, there was something magical, surreal about it that fascinated and unsettled people at the same time.

.

At a very short distance from the heart of the battle, Amado brought his hands together as well.

.

Jean Kirschstein did not see a blue flash tear through the air.

However, from his position, amidst legs of titans, soldiers moving in every direction, clouds of dust, and horses, he clearly saw the ground cracking in several places. From those ragged wounds, light-colored wooden trunks oozed out like festering pus. They crawled, twisting like tentacles around the legs and bodies of some of the titans. They seemed to follow a path; or rather, they seemed to be trying to create a path, a safe trail that would not be crossed by giants and that, from the Armored Titan, stretched all the way to…

.

Connie Springer, on the other hand, saw the flashes.

Not the famous lightning that split the sky, which the survivors spoke of, turning it into a legend wrapped in mystery.

No.

This was more like… a kind of transparent blue sphere, inside whose walls an entire storm frothed, concentrated in the hand of their vice-captain; the one that, one day, Instructor Shadis had foolishly tried to headbutt.

Connie had wondered where Mizuki had gone and whether she had died in the fray.

But no, there she was, running along the path clear of titans, accompanied by a glowing ball of energy.

.

Once their superior was seen rushing towards the enemy, Mikasa Ackerman did not take her eyes off her for a single moment. She had realized that the tentacles that had suddenly appeared from the ground, like springtime sprouts, were connected to the execution of the plan to save Eren and, as ordered, she waited for the promised opportunity, continuing to circle around the Armored Titan, besieged by giants.

She was the first to notice the branch that tore through the sandy ground, at the center of the road cleared of titans, and darted - dancing, suspended in mid-air - in Reiner's direction. Vice-Captain Onizuka reached its base and, without slowing down, jumped on it, continuing her rapid and bizarre gallop. It was impossible to say how, but she did not lose her balance despite the momentum and the constant movement of the branch, which continued to writhe as though a living creature dwelled inside it. In her hand, the sphere of light and energy had grown to the size of a head and crackled, flooding the surrounding atmosphere with electricity.

.

Loki Shindo advanced with difficulty, forced to zigzag between the legs of the titans and to avoid their clumsy but deadly attempts to grab him while also supporting the weight of Commander Erwin Smith. From the stump, despite the tourniquet, a gush of blood sprayed, staining the horse's white mane and the boy's pants.

Loki didn't even notice. His eyes were fixed on the branch in front of him, on which Mizuki was gliding as though the surface were made of ice rather than rough wood and she were wearing sharp-bladed skates.

On the opposite side of the trunk from Loki, Amado - veins standing out on his taut skin, teeth gritted in an inhuman grimace, sweat pouring from his forehead - trembled with the effort of maintaining the technique. He was so focused that he completely overlooked his surroundings. That's why he didn't realize the danger.

Loki let out a guttural groan.

Behind Amado…

"AMADO! WATCH OUT!"

.

"AMADO! WATCH OUT!"

Hearing Loki's shout, Mizuki whipped her head around. She located her teammate and, behind him, the giant that, leaping to assault the Armored Titan, was about to crush him.

"A…" she began to say, ready to abandon the operation and rush to his aid.

But then Amado smiled.

A tired, resigned smile, not without a certain relief.

He had finally realized what was about to happen and had given up trying to resist.

It was too late.

Instead of fleeing to safety, instead of dodging death, Amado Kizuki gave Mizuki one last smile, one last look, one last coded message, silently thanking her.

For the years of working side by side, as ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village and as soldiers of the Survey Corps within the walls. For the long, peaceful hours spent on either side of a table, each immersed in reading a book. For the promise to bring them home, for making them believe in the impossible, for trying to protect them. For supporting the bond between him and Moblit, for being moved by joy at the news, for becoming a confidant of his romantic torments. For being, before anything else, his friend.

"GO, MIZUKI!"

.

Those were Amado Kizuki's last words before the giant's foot crushed him.

.

Amado exploded like an overripe blackberry squashed between two distracted fingers.

Blood, organs, and scraps of skin scattered across the ground.

Nothing remained of him.

.

As the ground beneath her feet gave way and her heart shattered into a thousand pieces in her chest, Mizuki leapt.

Her arm, charged with energy, shot forward.

.

Regarding the events leading up to the attack, the survivors' accounts were conflicting: some saw a blue flash in the sky at sunset, others saw the ball of energy contained in a girl's hand, still others saw the branches sprouting from the ground.

Yet, all witnessed the outcome of that extraordinary offensive action, which had begun with a simple run. They all unanimously agreed that its most captivating moment was precisely that: when Mizuki Onizuka, newly appointed vice-captain of the Special Operations Squad, took off from the trunk dissolving beneath her.

She flew, Mizuki. Her legs gathered beneath her, her body tense, a cry of war and of suffering trapped in her throat.

And silver and blue lightning coiled around her, forming a shape that resembled a majestic pair of wings.

The Wings of Freedom unfolded and guided her charge against the enemies of humanity.

.

Hearing Amado's call, Reiner turned his massive neck.

He had just enough time to glimpse a familiar figure, with shining wings, descending upon him.

Then his left arm exploded.

.

Struggling to hold back his tears, Loki Shindo drove the foaming horse into the fray, despite the poor visibility caused by Mizuki's attack. The Armored Titan's left arm had shattered, its fragments crashing to the ground, scattering soldiers, horses, and titans beneath them, raising a cloud of dust.

Loki moved more freely now that Commander Smith had activated the device, hooking the grappling hooks onto the Armored Titan's back and lifting himself into the air.

Damn him! That man is insane!

Mizuki had been thrown off by the force of the impact.

Loki saw her struggling to get back on her feet, one hand pressed to her head. She must have hit it in the fall.

Once again, he was the first to sense the danger.

A titan was greedily reaching out its flaccid arms toward his dazed teammate; a yellowish, slimy drool dripped from its gaping mouth.

"MIZUKI! Get away from there!"

.

Mizuki's vision was blurred. Her ears rang, as if a bothersome fly had gotten trapped inside, buzzing incessantly from wall to wall, creating an infernal racket. Her head throbbed painfully, swaying forward, pulling her towards the sandy ground.

How she longed to give in to that impulse, to lie down and sink into a peaceful sleep.

Where was she?

What was happening?

Why was the world trembling beneath her feet?

Everything was so confusing; everything around her was spinning, preventing her from focusing on anything.

"MIZUKI! Get away from there!"

Yet, when she lifted her chin in response to Loki's desperate call, she instinctively recognized the outline of the titan leaning towards her.

.

He wouldn't make it in time.

Loki Shindo was too much of a realist to think otherwise.

Nonetheless, he drove his boots into the horse's bleeding sides, urging it to gallop faster.

"No, please, no… Not her. Anyone but her..."

The titan was about to grab her.

Its dirty, jagged fingernails were already brushing against Mizuki, ready to crush and kill her.

Then, the unimaginable happened.

.

With a single powerful blow from its remaining arm, the Armored Titan swept away the titan looming over Mizuki.

With the greatest immediate threat gone, Mizuki turned her gaze towards the opponent whose arm she had just disintegrated.

.

Reiner and Mizuki locked eyes.

The world around them seemed to hold its breath.

.

He hadn't planned to save her. He had simply done it.

It had been stronger than him.

It wasn't the soldier Reiner nor the warrior Reiner fighting for control of his mind that acted.

It had been Reiner. The real Reiner: neither warrior nor soldier, just Reiner.

That lost Reiner, who timidly emerged whenever she was around.

Those golden eyes were relentless. Relentless and violent. They stripped him of any indecision, any remorse, any defense.

Naked before her, at the mercy of her whims, Reiner read his name on Mizuki's soft lips.

.

"Reiner…"

.

Mizuki hadn't planned to call his name. She simply did.

Despite the confusion and dizziness, despite his transformation into a titan, she spoke to him as if he were human, because that's how he appeared to her. That's how she perceived him.

The Armored Titan was merely his exterior form. But inside, curled up within, was the awkward young man who had brought her a bottle of water while she hid from Shadis on a summer day.

She had tried to convince herself otherwise, to stop at the surface, in order to make fulfilling her duty a little simpler, a little more bearable, but it had all been useless.

The golden eyes, relentless and violent, forced her to dig deeper, to look beyond, to not settle for a lie she so desperately wished to believe.

"Go home…"

.

Taking advantage of the Armored Titan's distraction and the fact that Bertholdt's attention was captured by Armin Arlet, Erwin Smith cut the rope that bound Eren to Bertholdt.

.

Mikasa Ackerman caught him mid-air as he fell.

At the same moment, Loki Shindo galloped alongside the Armored Titan and, with a grunt, hoisted Mizuki onto the saddle, breaking the silent exchange of glances between her and Reiner.

.

Watching Mikasa retreat with her precious cargo, Erwin rejoiced inwardly. The mission had been successfully completed. "All units! Retreat!" he bellowed, landing on the ground with his maneuver gear and leaping onto a riderless horse.

The commander didn't need to give the order twice. The soldiers, overcome by a mad sense of relief, hurried to turn their horses and put as much distance as possible between themselves and the joyous gathering of titans.

However, they had been too optimistic in believing that Reiner would so easily accept defeat or that the titans, drawn to the scent of tender human flesh, would simply let their prey escape.

Soon, titans began flying through the air, ruthlessly hurled by the Armored Titan. The ones not used as projectiles still hindered the retreat, ferociously attacking the bleeding and shell-shocked soldiers.

The contingent was quickly thrown into chaos: horses panicked, bucking their riders; soldiers scattered, each desperately trying to evade death for just a little longer; blood flowed in torrents once more.

Mizuki, having shaken off the fogginess caused by the blow to her head, had just mounted Ronnie, who had come to her promptly at her whistle. One quick, despairing glance was enough for her to assess the gravity of the situation. Wasting no time, she turned to Loki, whose arms she had just slipped free from. "Loki," she said, nodding towards Erwin Smith, who had been thrown from his horse. "Take care of the commander; I'll handle those two."

"Again?!" Loki blurted out, but refrained from further protests. It was pointless to argue with her, and Mizuki was already darting away, diving headfirst into rescuing some poor soul.

'Those two' were two of Mizuki's new subordinates, who were in grave danger of being devoured: Armin Arlert, holding an unconscious Jean Kirschstein, was flailing his sword desperately and quite ineffectively, trying to fend off a small titan that had its sights set on them.

The monster kept advancing relentlessly until a jet of fire struck it, forcing it to retreat with a roar of pain.

Armin Arlert was one of the few witnesses to the second bizarre event of the day involving his superior, Vice-Captain Mizuki Onizuka. Before his wide, disbelieving eyes, the flames which, defying every scientific law and rule of experience he knew, were emerging from her mouth gradually extinguished.

Mizuki activated her maneuver gear and, with a precise strike, slashed the nape of the titan.

"Armin! Get back to the horses! Quickly!"

"Vice-Captain!" Somehow overcoming his shock, Armin pointed his sword to the left. "Don't worry about us! Eren…"

.

Eren was about to be attacked by a titan.

Specifically, the same titan that had massacred his mother, though Mizuki would only learn that irrelevant detail later.

Eren's fist barely brushed the monster's palm… and it happened.

It wasn't clear what or why, but something did happen.

All the titans in the vicinity froze simultaneously, as though someone had flipped a switch and turned them off. Then, without the slightest warning, they snapped back into motion and swarmed the titan standing in front of Eren. To Mizuki, the scene was reminiscent of a childhood game she used to play with her sisters: the person designated as the "witch" would call out a color, and all the players, upon hearing the command, had to touch an object of that color before being caught. Typically, the naïve and still-innocent players would rush en masse towards a single object, the one that stood out the most, shining brightly with the announced color.

At one more cry from Eren, the Titans abandoned the carcass of their victim and charged at the Armored Titan.

The unexpected retreat of their natural enemies became the most extraordinary event of the day, which everyone witnessed in amazement and which eclipsed, in the soldiers' eyes, all of Mizuki's weird actions.

"Don't waste this chance! Retreat!"

Once again, Erwin Smith's command did not fall on deaf ears.

The humans gladly left behind the carnage of a loathsome, hated monster.

They had won, but the walls were still countless miles away, and the price they'd paid had been steep.

Mizuki Onizuka and Loki Shindo would carry the scars of that day for the rest of their lives.

.

Levi stared intently at his hands, limp and dangling between his legs. His fingers, pale with perfectly trimmed nails, tingled unpleasantly, but he made no move to shift position.

He had remained frozen like that, like a statue of salt, ever since she had left.

He waited, even though he utterly despised this state of forced passivity.

What else was there for him to do?

Around him, the gendarmes left behind in Trost chatted and laughed as if all of this were some kind of sick joke, pretending to regret that they hadn't faced a titan that day either.

He wanted so badly to punch those idiots square in the jaw. Just one hit for each of them would suffice: once they found themselves with dislocated jaws, they'd stop spewing nonsense and laughing like fools.

But despite his annoyance, he didn't move.

For some reason, he - who wasn't superstitious; who didn't believe in God, the supernatural, magic, or anything except blind chance - had convinced himself that if he moved, if he even stretched a single muscle, the fragile balance of the world would shatter and everything would go to hell. She wouldn't come back.

So, he stayed motionless, staring at his hands clasped between his aching knees.

After all, he wasn't asking for much. Just for them not to take her away from him.

It was enough if Mizuki came back to him. He didn't care about anything else anymore.

He would accept any future: even one where they lost Eren, along with the chance to reclaim Wall Maria within a reasonable time, or where humanity was forced to burrow underground like moles to survive.

Or perhaps… instead of the underground city, the two of them could settle, completely alone, atop the walls. Together, they had the skills to do it. As the hours dragged on, heavy and endless, Levi, who has always been devoid of any imagination, nonetheless fantasized with surprising precision and realism about what their life together might look like up there, clinging to the walls, with a world that no longer belonged to humans sprawled beneath them: they would fall asleep naked, holding each other and counting the stars in the sky, the only part of the universe still free of titans; they would hunt birds and animals that wandered into their reach to sustain themselves; they would build a makeshift cabin from the ruins of Trost to shelter them during the rain and snow; they would bask under the blazing summer sun and expose their bodies to the pleasant, invigorating spring wind.

Whatever happened, he would be content and happy.

Any place would do, as long as she was there. Because Mizuki had become his home.

I am a wretched creature.

And yet, that's how he felt. He couldn't, and wouldn't, deny his feelings; not anymore.

Bring her back. Don't take her away from me. Anyone… anyone but her.

He had no idea who those prayers were meant for, yet he kept repeating them endlessly, he who believed in nothing that couldn't be touched. He repeated them to himself, incessantly, obsessively. Inside him, vented the agitation that for some reason Levi's body refused to show externally.

Lavinia was his complete opposite.

After regaining consciousness, she had been wandering the camp like a madwoman, clutching her hair and pulling at it, shrieking and crying. She accosted every soldier she crossed paths with, demanding information about the mission's outcome, information that, of course, none of the poor souls knew, just like everyone else; and for every negative response, she unleashed a torrent of insults and curses. More than once, she had half-equipped herself, only to be stopped by a veteran of the Survey Corps with a bandaged arm, who had convinced her to abandon her reckless plan with a mix of threats and appeals to reason.

Now, for the third time, taking advantage of her guardian's absence, Lavinia was gearing up to leave for who-knows-where, her body wracked by angry sobs. She was on the cart where Mizuki had knocked her out; across from her sat Father Nick, equally thoughtful and downcast, and the motionless Captain Levi.

"Ohi." The captain suddenly broke the silence he'd been maintaining since he had uttered the words "no bullshit" without receiving the response he expected and desired. His voice was hoarse from prolonged silence, but he didn't care. "Cut it out with the theatrics. You're not going anywhere, unless you want me to break your legs."

With a wild cry that only worsened her sobbing fit, Lavinia hurled one of her gear buckles against the wooden floor of the cart. The object bounced violently, clanging ominously, before rolling to a stop at Father Nick's feet. "And what am I supposed to do, then?!" she hissed venomously. "Just sit here and wait while she dies without doing anything, like you?! You must care so much about her, judging by how calm you are…!"

Lavinia realized far too late that she'd just said the wrong thing.

For the first time in six hours, part of Levi's body moved.

His eyes lifted from his clasped hands to look at her.

"Do you really think that?"

Lavinia had never been afraid of Levi. Not because she believed in his supposed kindness of heart, so often praised and admired by Mizuki, but because she was sure that, despite his gruff and abrasive nature, the captain would never dare mistreat her for fear of upsetting Mizuki.

Now, however, the simple look he gave her terrified Lavinia to the point that she feared for her life and, for a moment, even forgot the agitation and fear for her friend on the mission.

With trembling legs, Lavinia collapsed onto the bench.

She had a chilling sense that if she dared utter a word, Levi would kill her.

Lavinia stayed silent, and yet Levi hissed, as though she'd answered 'No': "Then stop bothering me". He lowered his gaze back to the hands dangling between his legs, resuming the pose her outburst had disturbed.

Lavinia's interruption had cleared his mind. Now he knew exactly who to address his obsessive prayers to.

Not to god. Not to the universe. Not to chance.

There was only one person to whom, motionless and waiting, he could entrust his fate.

Don't you dare die, brat. I'm serious. Don't even think about dying and leaving me here alone. I wouldn't forgive you, you hear me? I won't let you leave, not after you've become my home.

.

I'm cold. So, so cold.

Mizuki couldn't think about anything except the freezing cold that had seeped into her bones the moment she'd stepped onto the lift. As the pulley creaked, carrying her back home, she clung to Ronnie's neck, seeking warmth and support. She longed to hold onto Loki instead, but her friend looked so fragile, so lost, so incredibly close to collapsing that she didn't even dare consider touching him.

I'm cold.

Ronnie sniffed at the back of his mistress and snorted, spraying slobber into her hair, which had come undone from its chignon at some indeterminate point during the fight and now hung messily over her shoulders.

She and her horse had returned to the walls, both miraculously alive and relatively unscathed. It was more than she had dared to hope for.

Amado, on the other hand, was gone.

It's so cold. Too cold. I'm going to freeze to death.

Mizuki half-closed her eyes and buried her nose in Ronnie's mane.

She just wanted to disappear.

She had the unsettling sensation of walking barefoot on a thin sheet of ice, riddled with delicate, branching cracks spreading in every direction. The soles of her feet absorbed the cold, so intense it felt like fire, coursing through her body like venom, reaching every extremity, and overpowering her capacity to endure it. The idea of stamping her heel onto the ice, breaking through, and letting the dark, freezing waters beneath swallow her was tempting. She wanted to feel nothing anymore, even if it meant succumbing to the cold. For those brief moments of surrender, she would be reunited with Petra, Amado, Gelgar, Mike, Nanaba, and all the others who had vanished, pounding their fists beneath the ice as if beckoning her to join them...

"Commander?! Can you hear me, Commander?! Damn it, he's about to pass out!"

Mizuki was wrenched back and catapulted into harsh, bitter reality.

"Pick him up! Now!"

A group of soldiers bustled around Erwin, pale and more corpse-like than alive. Despite the urgency of their words, none of them took the initiative to move the commander's limp body; they simply laid him carefully on the ground.

Around Mizuki, voices filled with desperation and anguish reverberated in every direction: everyone screamed, some expressing their anguish over a wound or the loss of a friend, some begging for help from a doctor, a deity or their mother, some venting their shock so as not to go mad. Everyone seemed caught up in tasks of utmost importance, running here and there, only to freeze abruptly, as if more pressing thoughts - memories of the horrors just endured, or the resurfacing voices of loved ones they'd feared they'd never hear again - had obscured what they were doing. Even the officers, who were trying to maintain a semblance of composure and efficiency, appeared lost, like children thrust into an unfamiliar world. Blood was everywhere, despite the pitifully small number of soldiers left on the walls, less than half of those who had set out; and if they continued acting so disorganized, there would be even fewer soon.

Mizuki pulled away from Ronnie, who gazed at her with his gentle, understanding eyes. She half-closed her lids, clenched her lips, which were trembling from the cold, and took one last moment for herself and her grief. She asked forgiveness for what she considered a selfish impulse, though no one else but her would have called it that.

She gazed down at that silvery lake, polished with ice, where her dead floated.

Dead who were heroes that no one, except a few, would remember. Heroes, brave and loyal, who had met a brutal death, devoid of any dignity, anything but heroic.

Forgive me, Amado. Forgive me, all of you. I'll come to see you soon enough... I'll sink into those black waters, lose myself in memories, let myself fall apart... But for now, there's someone here who needs me. Someone I can still help.

The moment passed, burned out.

Mizuki turned her back on that grave she would carry within her forever.

"HEY! You lot around the commander!" she barked, hands buried in her hair that she was trying in vain to tame and imprison inside a ponytail. "Get him onto one of the front lifts and boil a pot of water. I'll be there soon! Get ready to head to Trost!"

The soldiers she addressed were from the Garrison Regiment and had no idea who Mizuki was, nor did she bother introducing herself by rank, but something in the way she addressed them, something that had the flavour of the brusque and hasty orders given by Captain Levi, compelled them to obey without question.

"You three…" Mizuki's sharp gaze shifted to the trio of kids - Eren, humanity's hope; Mikasa; Armin - who had just arrived at the walls. If she remembered correctly, the smart one was the blond. "Armin. Loki. Form a team and start categorizing the wounded by severity, on a scale of one to four. I'll begin with the most critical cases."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Armin snapped to attention after a brief hesitation.

Loki, on the other hand, didn't respond. He simply lifted his hollow, exhausted eyes to Mizuki and gave a faint shrug.

"You other two…"

"Mikasa's injured…" Eren cut in with a pleading look, interrupting her. "A titan crushed her, and…"

"I know, I saw it, nut unless her lungs are punctured, Mikasa's a level three. I'll probably tend to her once we're in Trost. For now, stay with her, Eren, and take care of her." Mizuki waved her hand distractedly, as if swatting a fly. She headed without delay towards the makeshift operating room the Garrison soldiers were setting up in the front wagons, and nearly collided with a recruit smaller than her in stature, with long blond hair. She instantly recognized her as the girl swallowed by the Ymir-titan in the forest and who had stood up for her during the chaos of battle.

Krista grabbed Mizuki by the collar of her jacket and, with wild eyes, stammered, "Let's hurry to the other side of the wall… We have to get Ymir back! If we don't soon, she's going to go far away!"

Mizuki sighed, forcing herself to stay calm. She placed a hand on the recruit's shoulder and stretched her other arm towards the horizon. "I understand how you feel. Your friend stayed out there. However, from what I saw, she did it of her own free will. So… you're free to go after her if you think it's the right thing to do. You know the way. But don't even think for a second that my men will follow you. Right now, what we need to do is care for the wounded and try to save as many lives as we can. Am I clear?"

After those words, Mizuki gently but firmly freed herself from the girl's grasp. However, Krista didn't relent and stubbornly clung to her clothes.

"But… Ymir too…"

"We can't help everyone. You can only save those who want to be saved." Since Krista still showed no intention of moving, Mizuki pushed her aside, still tactfully but with firm resolve. "Get out of my way, brat. I don't want to hear another word about this. Get to work! All of you!"

With that, she brushed past Krista and continued in the direction of the wagons without looking back.

No one dared to disobey her order, not even Historia Reiss.

In the minds of every single soldier who witnessed the scene, one belief solidified: it had become impossible to distinguish between Captain Levi and his second-in-command.

Death and circumstance had shaped them, hardened them, destroyed them.

They had become far too alike.

.

He knew she was alive even before seeing her.

It only took meeting Lavinia to realize it.

When the sound of the bells announced the tumultuous return of the expedition, Levi threw himself into a frantic search for her. If she was alive - a fact he refused to doubt - there were two places where he might find her: among the wounded, lying on a cot or tending to the soldiers, or, as was her custom after every return, in the medical supply storeroom, gathering clean bandages, gloves, medicines, and necessary tools.

After checking the first location in vain, Levi headed to the storeroom, forcing himself to keep the rising anxiety at bay and ignoring anyone who tried to approach him.

Near the door, he came across Lavinia, leaning against the wall with her face buried in her hands, streaked with tears of relief. She was so overcome that, despite her usual animosity towards Levi, she gave him a small nod in the direction of the storeroom, signaling him to go inside.

He caught her as she strained to lift a heavy crate filled with bandages and vials, letting out a soft groan under the weight. As soon as she noticed his presence, though, Mizuki set the crate back down on the table.

She looked awful. A swollen, purple bump protruded from her forehead; her disheveled hair was tied back hastily; her uniform, torn in several places, was caked with dust and other unidentifiable, slimy substances.

And yet, to him, these details were irrelevant. Even the dirt faded into insignificance compared to a far more important fact: Mizuki was there. She was alive.

They locked eyes for a long moment, neither of them saying a word.

At the same time, they stepped towards each other.

Mizuki's hands clutched the lapels of Levi's jacket. His hands, instead, intertwined behind her back.

The kiss tasted strange, anything but romantic. Her lips, dry and chapped, carried the flavor of dirt, blood, and tears; his lips had a bitter aftertaste, reminiscent of the coffee she missed so much, born from the negative thoughts that had plagued him for hours.

And yet, it was right. It was overwhelmingly right; so right that everything in her trembled: the veins in her wrists, her fingers, her very soul, leaving her breathless; so right that she could hardly believe it was real.

It was as if all the confusion, all the pain, all the uncertainties and fears suddenly fell silent, and everything out of place shifted exactly where it was meant to be.

Her lips against his, her hands cradling his face, their bodies pressed together.

That kiss, sweet and bitter, overflowing with an urgent necessity, with a tenderness that tore her apart.

Through it, with her fervent lips, she conveyed everything she hadn't been able to tell him, everything she might never be able to say, because words couldn't express the absolute and all-encompassing intensity of what she felt: how much she had missed him; how deeply she needed him; that she had no regrets, not even for a single moment, and that she would do it all over again, a thousand times; that she was ready to embrace the feelings surging inside her; that she wanted him, wanted him desperately; that she had been terrified she would never see him again, that she would die without kissing him again, without hearing his rough voice call her 'brat'.

The chill of death left her. She greedily inhaled Levi's breath, which grew shallower as their kiss deepened.

But when Mizuki felt Levi's tongue graze her teeth, as if asking permission to enter her, she abruptly pulled away. Since Levi wasn't holding her tightly, not expecting her retreat, she slipped from his grasp and quickly stepped back. She picked up the crate she had abandoned earlier, clutching it to her chest as though trying to create a barrier between her body and the captain's.

Levi's expression was both irritated and forlorn, like a puppy just rejected by the master it adored. He didn't seem to take kindly to her inexplicable withdrawal. "Ohi. Get back here. Now."

Mizuki took another step back, steeling herself. "If I did, I wouldn't be able to leave again."

Levi clicked his tongue. "That's for sure."

That implicit, provocative threat sent a shiver down her spine. Mizuki bit her lower lip, which still carried the warmth of the kiss and a few droplets of Levi's saliva. "Exactly. Which is why I can't… not now. I have duties to attend to. I have to care for the wounded. But I promise you this, once everything's settled, we'll… pick up the conversation," she mumbled, trying to sound convincing and suppress the ravenous urge to kiss him again. As she spoke, she crossed the room and headed for the storeroom's side door, the one opposite the entrance Levi had come through. No matter how dutiful she was, she knew that if she passed close to him at that moment, she wouldn't resist throwing herself into his arms.

"I don't want to pick up the conversation," Levi growled brusquely.

Oh, now he's mad. That's unusual for him, he's always the first to jump to attention when duty is mentioned. He must be in a really foul mood… Maybe he's already regretting it. Who knows what goes on in his head?

Mizuki cracked the door open, ready to retreat, but before she could slip out, it slammed shut with a thud.

Levi's hand had planted itself against the wood, barely an inch from her cheek.

"I don't want to talk. There's nothing to say. We'll pick up where we left off, period."

Levi's body was so close to hers that she could feel its warmth even through their clothes. "You had to become responsible now?"

Mizuki tried, unsuccessfully, to stop herself from trembling. "Mph. So rude. I'm always responsible."

"Don't make me laugh."

Mizuki heard him sigh in frustration; then she felt his lips press a chaste kiss against the nape of her neck, where her hair left the skin exposed. He kept his lips there for a moment, holding his breath to avoid smelling the stench of her dirty hair, his touch tickling her.

Since Levi showed no sign of moving away, Mizuki cleared her throat. "You, rather. Are you serious? I look like hell. Normally, you wouldn't even come near me."

"Yeah, you stink like hell."

"Hey…"

Another kiss, this time on the side of her neck, made her shudder; again, the captain lingered with his hot lips on her smooth, soft skin.

"Thank you for surviving," he murmured in a low voice, indistinct but thunderous in her ears and chest, as if a bolt of lightning had struck a meter away.

Levi pulled back, and she started breathing again.

"Get someone to check out that bump on your head; it's swollen and looks bad. And take a shower as soon as you can. You look like shit."

"Charming as always." Unable to hold back a giggle, Mizuki tightened her grip on the doorknob to stop herself from grabbing Levi's sleeve and pulling him back towards her.

With immense effort, she flung the door open and dove into her work with renewed vigor, as though she had just awoken from a long, restful sleep.

.

OOO

.

Three Days Later – Karanes

After closing the office door behind him, Nile Dok unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and shrugged off his uniform jacket, hoping it might help him bear the oppressive heat.

The windows behind his desk were wide open, yet an unnatural silence reigned. From the streets of Karanes, usually brimming with music, chatter, and laughter, not a single sound rose. The cities within Wall Rose were still deserted: their inhabitants had retreated underground, as outlined in the emergency plan, and there they were waiting anxiously for instructions from the authorities.

No riots had broken out yet, but Nile harbored no illusions, it was only a matter of time before food began to run low, and humans started fighting each other over a crust of bread. Declaring the safety of the walls took absolute priority over everything else, even over interrogating that sly subordinate of Erwin's he had been itching to grill. He had never liked her, not since the very first moment he'd crossed paths with her a year and a half ago, and the recent news about her hadn't done anything to improve his opinion.

Nile sank into the padded chair with a weary sigh. That's when he noticed the note, neatly folded and placed in the center of his desk. On the yellowed paper, the words stood out clearly: "For Commander Nile Dok. Information on the Tennison case".

Nile weighed the note between his fingers for a moment, doubtful, then brought it close to his face, having misplaced his reading glasses in the general chaos, and skimmed the contents.

"!"

The commander jumped to his feet in excitement, crushing the paper in his hand without mercy.

"I knew it! I knew those two were in cahoots!"

In a rush, Nile Dok slipped his uniform jacket back on and stormed out of the room.

.

One Week Later – Stohess

Even though the hospital room's windows were wide open, the heat inside was suffocating. The humid air was laden with pungent odors - medicine, blood, human sweat - the typical smells of hospitals and the sick, which were inevitably associated with death and caused an unpleasant sensation in anyone who had to endure them.

Not the most welcoming place to wake up in, Erwin thought. Especially since, in addition to the inherent hostility of the setting, he was burdened with the constant pain in his stump, unbearable even with the copious drugs the doctors had given him, and Levi, who - despite the commander's precarious condition - seemed unwilling to go easy on him.

"Your arm was eaten and you're physically and emotionally exhausted. I feel bad for you, so I went ahed and made some decisions. That includes the new members of my squad. Though, in truth, both you and the brat helped out with that," the captain announced, intertwining his fingers and shifting in his chair to make himself more comfortable.

"Ah! This time you've really outdone yourself, Erwin!" Hange's mouth twisted in a disapproving grimace. "I don't think I'll forgive you anytime soon for what you've done to me! Removing her from my squad! What were you thinking?!"

Dot Pixis threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. "Ah, I can see why! That girl has some enviable qualities! From what I hear, after the soldiers returned to the walls and you passed out, she took command of the operations. She whipped everyone into shape and gave instructions for treating the wounded, keeping her cool while many other captains were losing their heads. She even chewed out a couple of recruits who were acting up. Not one of them dared to disobey her! She saved a lot of lives, including yours, Erwin. She's the one who stitched up the gash left by the Titan's bite."

Erwin squinted, feeling the impulse to move his missing arm as though it were still there, to run his hand over his swollen, burning eyelids for some relief. "I'll have to thank her properly when I see her, then."

"Oh, yes. You really should. Aside from that…" Commander Pixis licked his lips and shot a teasing glance at the three soldiers from the Survey Corps. "A girl who spits fire from her mouth and channels lightning into her hands, who comes from the outside world and claims to be… What's the word again?"

"A ninja, sir," his assistant chimed in, with the resigned air of someone convinced that alcohol had wiped out a good portion of her superior's brain cells.

"Ah, yes. Thank you very much. A ninja. I always thought that little group you picked up from who knows where was interesting, but I never expected anything like this!"

Hange coughed awkwardly. "We told him everything, Erwin. Too many of his soldiers saw Mizuki in action out there."

The commander nodded. "You did the right thing. I figured it would be inevitable. Who else has been informed?"

"So far, no one else, although Nile has been hounding us for explanations. Apparently, some Military Police soldiers survived the massacre and haven't kept quiet. The atmosphere within the walls is rather tense. For now, investigations into Mizuki and her potential summons to Mitras have been postponed, but now that things are slowly returning to normal…" Hange left the sentence unfinished, certain that Erwin would grasp its conclusion without help. "That's also why we decided to hide Mizuki and Loki, along with Eren and Historia. They left less than twelve hours after returning. Oh, and Jacqueline Tennison went with them."

Erwin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Miss Tennison?"

"The spies we've planted in the Military Police informed me that, for some unknown reason, Nile thinks she's responsible for the fire at Tennison Mansion and the duke's murder," Dot Pixis explained, swatting at a fly buzzing around his shiny bald head.

The name Jacqueline Tennison triggered Levi's memory of his conversation with the brat, which had taken place just before her departure for the mountains.

.

Mizuki and Levi were speaking near the wall of the military warehouse in Trost, in the thin strip of shadow cast by the overhang. The merciless midday sun blazed above their heads, scorching the air, the buildings, and the sandy ground.

Despite the promise they'd made when they parted ways, they hadn't pick up anything at all. Over the last twelve hours, they'd both been so busy that they had barely seen each other. And now, she was about to leave again.

The decision to send Eren and the ninja away from Headquarters had been made by Hange and Levi, given the unpredictability of what might happen next, except for the fact that it wouldn't be anything pleasant. Once things calmed down within Wall Rose, the central government would undoubtedly move to seize control of the titan boy, so making him disappear seemed the only viable course of action. The same went for Mizuki, Loki, and Lavinia. Moreover, as a precaution, it was better to station trustworthy soldiers with combat experience against humans alongside the recruits of the 104th Cadet Corps, since Levi and Hange would be tied up managing the Survey Corps until Erwin recovered.

"I'm entrusting the recruits to you," Levi said. He kept his arms crossed against his chest to stop himself from reaching out to her. Even though the street was nearly deserted, and the few passersby, all soldiers, paid them no attention, they were still in a public place.

Mizuki tapped her fist against her chest. "Leave it to me! Modesty aside, entertaining recruits is my specialty!"

"You're not supposed to entertain them. You're supposed to keep them in line."

"Same thing, isn't it?"

"Tsk. The real problem is who's going to keep you in line."

Mizuki tilted her head mockingly. "Oh, I thought you'd figured it out by now! You're the only one who hasn't given up hope of teaching me some discipline." She shrugged, and her ash-blonde curls slid over her chest. "I guess I'll just wait for you to show up to be educated… and to pick up where we left off."

Levi's fingers, tucked under his elbow, twitched. "You're as brazen as ever," he muttered, but there was a note of tenderness in his voice that contradicted the words.

"Speaking of which…" Mizuki turned her head towards the street, squinting against the glare of the sun reflecting off a white-plastered wall. "Since I'm so brazen, there's a favor I'd like to ask you. I'd take care of it myself if I could, but…"

"Alright, I'll do it."

Her golden eyes darted towards him, stunned. "But you don't even know what it is…" she stammered in surprise.

"It doesn't matter." Levi shook his head, unfolded his arms, and leaned a shoulder against the wall. "I'll do it."

Who knows if she caught the hidden meaning behind those words: that he would fulfill any request of hers, no matter what it was or whether it respected military regulations. That he would do anything to make her happy.

In any case, knowing her, it was never going to be a selfish or improper request.

"So?"

"Um…" Still a bit startled, Mizuki bit her lower lip. "I'd like you to make sure Jackie and Theo are safe. They were in Karanes when all the chaos in Wall Rose broke out. I'd left them in the care of Doctor Trevis, the one who treated Clayton Tennison's burns. He's a good man. I'm sure they're fine, but I want to make sure…"

Of course. He'd known the request would be something like that. "Leave it to me."

"Thanks." Mizuki flashed her mischievous smile, and a glint of satisfaction lit up her eyes. Gently, she extended an arm and intertwined her index and middle fingers with those of Levi's hand, which rested against the wall.

Touching each other in public was risky. That fleeting contact was the most they could allow themselves, but it was enough to bring a pink tint to her cheeks and to make the captain's lips press together.

Suddenly, for both of them, the June air became even hotter, their breaths shorter, and their clothes oppressively heavy.

They held their fingers entwined for a few moments, then, by mutual agreement, let them go.

"See you, then."

"Yes. See you soon."

.

Levi had kept his promise: between meetings and inspections of Wall Rose, he had tracked down Jacqueline and Theo, finding them in excellent shape, aside from their worry over Mizuki's fate. After Pixis's tip, the former duchess had been sent into the mountains with Eren, Mizuki, and the others. As for the boy, Levi had insisted on a personal meeting with Dr. Trevis, during which he had asked and received the doctor's commitment to care for Theo until the situation stabilized. He knew Mizuki would appreciate it.

Erwin absorbed the updates with his eyes half-closed, wearing an expression of deep concentration. "I see. And what about Amado and Lavinia?"

A heavy, uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

"Amado Kizuki died in battle," Levi declared curtly, taking on the unpleasant role of the bearer of bad news.

"A real shame, I'd say. From what I've been told, his skills were also rather extraordinary." Dot Pixis delicately pinched the tip of his mustache, then, without losing the good-hearted tone he'd maintained throughout the conversation, asked, "Do you trust the three who are left?"

Levi shot him a fiery glare. The taut skin on his hands, rigid from tension and anger, revealed the outline of his knuckles. "Are you seriously asking that, you old drunkard?"

Commander Pixis, however, remained unfazed. Like many others, he seemed to take Levi's tough-guy demeanor lightly. "Well, it seems like a reasonable question, considering the recent revelations. Those four… or rather, those three, come from outside the walls, don't they?"

"Amado died bringing Eren home, and the other two came this close to meeting the same fate. And you're asking if they can be trusted?"

A mix of irritation, rage, and disgust spread from Levi like a cloud, creating a palpable tension between the two men.

The only result was to amuse Dot Pixis. "Oh, have I hit a personal nerve?"

Before Erwin could intervene to prevent a fight, Hange beat him to it. "Commander Pixis," she began, her words laced with icy firmness, "I understand your perspective, but you need to try to understand ours. We've fought alongside those people for two years. We've risked our lives with them. We've lived with them. I would bet my life on their loyalty. And that includes Amado, because I won't tolerate anyone questioning his loyalty now that he's no longer with us. I hope my reassurance is enough to dispel any doubts. If not, you are free to take whatever measures you see fit to verify them, Commander, but be aware that I will become your staunch opponent in that case."

Levi straightened his back and cast a challenging glance at the old man, who continued to smile serenely. "Tsk. Well said, four-eyes."

Dot Pixis, far from being intimidated by Hange's stern words, burst into full-blown laughter. "Don't worry: I believe you, and I have no intention of taking any hostile action against our guests. I'm fully aware of what they've done, both in combating the mysterious organization and in getting Eren back. And besides…" His mischievous little eyes darted quickly between Levi and Erwin. "… I must admit, I also like Miss Onizuka and Miss Williams quite a bit. I find them both delightful young women."

"Dirty old man," Levi grumbled as soon as Hange, Pixis, and his assistant left the room, leaving him alone with Erwin.

"Just a little, but you can't deny he has a sharp eye." The commander's pallid face twisted into a grimace, a mix of pain, amusement, and exhaustion. "Putting that aside… Since you claim to feel sorry for me, I was hoping you'd finally let me rest, but your staying means you have something else to discuss."

"I'll be brief and get out of your way." Still seated on the uncomfortable chair meant for visitors, Levi rested his elbows on his knees and hunched forward. "What the hell were you thinking, appointing her as my second-in-command? Are you sure you're okay with it?"

Despite the fatigue and the daze brought on by medication, Erwin was still lucid enough to predict that would be the topic of conversation. After all, few things in the world had the power to unsettle Levi or prompt him to complain, and Mizuki was always a safe bet.

The realization that he had been right yet again brought a faint smile to Erwin's lips. "And why not? I'll admit, at the time, it was a gamble, born of sudden inspiration. I hoped she'd matured enough to understand how the Survey Corps operates, but I wasn't entirely sure. The situation, however, was desperate, so I took a chance. It paid off: it seems she's finally decided to grow up and take on some responsibility. And thank goodness for that." Erwin let his head fall back against the bed's headboard. His energy drained all at once, leaving him feeling tired and hollow, as though he'd just crossed the finish line after a long and grueling race. "I've always thought that, aside from her bad habit of doing whatever she wants, she has the qualities needed for an officer's role: she's capable, dependable, and keeps her cool under pressure. The soldiers respect and follow her without hesitation because they believe in her abilities. Just like they do with you."

Levi shrugged. He, too, had noticed the subtle but significant changes in the brat. Unlike Erwin, however, he wasn't pleased to see Mizuki walking the path of growth, transitioning from a child to an adult, a rite of passage that threatened to dim her light and her faith in the world. Because Levi knew what triggered that process of maturation, the sacrifices it demanded, and the loss of innocence that was its inevitable destination. "That's not what I was referring to, anyway."

"Then what, Levi?" Erwin asked, with a hint of exasperation.

"Are you really okay with us working closely together despite… the rest?"

.

"I will not punish you Levi; I have no interest in doing so. No, what I want is for you to find a solution to the problem. How are you going to do it? I don't know. Do I care? No. Fuck her, marry her, get her pregnant, break all relations with her, get with her best friend. I don't care how, as long as it never happens again that you disobey one of my orders to save her. Never again, do I make myself clear?"

.

"Ah, that." The commander let out an impatient sigh. Really, with everything that had happened and everything that was bound to happen, Levi had stuck around to discuss that? He must have lost his bearings even more than the last time they'd broached the subject. "I don't think I'm in a position to judge you, considering I'm involved with my subordinate as well."

Levi arched an eyebrow, surprised by the revelation. "Williams?"

"Mmm."

"Not bad. She's no pushover. Got quite a temper."

"You're in a much worse spot than I am. Mizuki is unmanageable for a normal person." Erwin allowed himself a small smile and gave Levi a conspiratorial wink. After all, talking about women was a good way to distract himself from the burning sensation of his stump, the phantom feeling of still having his right arm, and the reflex to push his hair back with a hand that no longer existed. "Besides, if you keep her busy, you'll be doing me a big favor."

"Good to know." Levi got up from the chair, slid his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers, and took a few steps towards the door.

"Oh, so you've finally decided to find a solution to the problem?" Erwin teased, intrigued by the spark he'd noticed on his captain's face.

Levi's fingers closed around the door handle, lingering there for a moment. "Looks like it," he finally admitted. "Just to be clear, though: to me, Mizuki isn't a problem to solve."

Erwin's expression darkened ever so slightly. It was the first time he had heard Levi speak Mizuki's name aloud. Since they had met two years earlier, he had always referred to her with unkind nicknames like "brat," "that one," or similar terms. A detail that had immediately caught Erwin's attention, leading him to suspect that behind Levi's word choices lay an attempt to keep his distance from her. "And that means?"

"It means I'll keep doing my duty; but, as much as possible, I'll have her back, and that will come before anything else." Before slipping into the dimly lit hallway, Levi met Erwin's gaze again, as if to ensure the commander fully understood the significance of his words.

Erwin did understand, as evidenced by his furrowed brow and the thin line of his mouth.

Levi was telling him, not even subtly, that things wouldn't go the same way with her as they had with his squad or as they had so many times before. Levi would never allow her to be sacrificed.

Fantastic. One finally decides to grow up, and the other regresses. So much patience, with these two.

Satisfied by the reaction he had provoked in the commander, Levi turned to someone waiting in the hallway. "You've got five minutes, then we're leaving. Not a second more. It's already generous of us to have let you stay here this long." Then, as he pushed the door open to let his mysterious interlocutor enter, he added, "Now I understand why you insisted on staying with me and Hange in Stohess."

Lavinia entered the room, rolling her eyes in annoyance at Levi's comment. Once the door closed behind her with a thud and they were alone, she approached the bed and settled into the chair Dot Pixis had occupied earlier, still warm.

"Lavinia…"

The young woman offered a tight, slightly ironic smile. "Before I go into hiding with the others, I wanted to…" She fell silent and reached for Erwin's one remaining hand, buried beneath the sheets. "It may not seem like it, but I still have a heart," she said, as if those words were a sufficient explanation.

To Erwin, they were.

Until he had awoken from his long coma induced by medication, exhaustion, and injury, Lavinia had been obstinate: she had categorically refused to leave Stohess and had fiercely defended her stance through a series of heated arguments with Levi.

"Thank you for visiting," Erwin said, squeezing her and. "I'm sorry you had to stay here for an old man missing an arm."

Lavinia let out an impatient huff, lowered her long lashes onto her pronounced cheekbones, and leaned in to give him the faintest kiss on the cheek. "I thought you were smarter than this, Commander. I've never been particularly attracted by your arm."

Erwin laughed heartily. If he had been in better shape, he might have kissed her passionately and, why not, taken advantage of being confined to a bed.

For now, though, he contented himself with her tempered effusions, silently thanking the heavens that he had been able to love her at least once when he still had both arms to hold her close.

.

After taking a deep breath, Mizuki began to climb the thick trunk of the tree. She moved with elegance, like a cat prowling sinuously along a narrow wall. When she spotted the base of a branch that she deemed sturdy enough, she ventured onto it and started walking along it upside down.

On the grassy ground at the foot of the tree, a group of teenagers and Jacqueline watched the spectacle, captivated and holding their breath. When Mizuki shifted to the branch, moving with light, confident steps along its underside as if it were the most natural thing in the world, they could no longer suppress their gasps of amazement and admiration.

Even though it wasn't the first time Mizuki had given them a demonstration of ninja techniques, they were always left in awe.

"Incredible, Miss Mizuki!" Sasha squealed excitedly.

"I always knew you were special!" Eren declared proudly.

"Oh, shut up, you lunatic. There's definitely a trick to it," Jean grumbled, though he himself had no idea how to explain the magic act she was performing.

"Mizuki, how do you do it?" Jackie was wringing her skirt in a frenzy of excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you there's no trick and no illusion!" Mizuki spread her arms wide, inviting and welcoming the applause of her audience. "I'm just that amazing, aren't I?"

Spurred on by the flood of compliments, she released the chakra anchoring her feet to the wood, performed a somersault through the air, and landed on the branch below. She quickly positioned her hands and, from her parted lips, unleashed a flame, kept small enough not to set the tree's leaves on fire. The fire cast a reddish glow across the clearing in front of the wooden cabin where they had been holed up for a week and warmed the crisp mountain air.

The fiery display won the praise from even her more reserved observers.

"That could come in handy in battle. I need to ask her how to use it," Mikasa muttered.

The timid Armin, who had actually been following Mizuki's every move as if spellbound from the very beginning, nodded in agreement.

"She's amazing," Historia admitted, harboring a peculiar mix of respect, admiration, and reverence towards Mizuki.

"Ohi. What the hell's going on here?"

The festive atmosphere shifted instantly: the kids' applause and cheers died down, and all heads turned towards Captain Levi, who had just emerged from the woods with Lavinia and Connie in tow.

"What do you think you're doing, brat?"

Mizuki, the only one unfazed by the captain's sudden appearance, crouched on the trunk. "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm entertaining the kids!"

Levi dismounted his horse in a fury. "I thought I made it clear that this wasn't your job. You're here to maintain order."

Mizuki shrugged. "Maybe so. But I don't remember agreeing to it."

At the base of the tree, the captain shot her one of his infamous glares, the kind that could make a Titan's blood run cold. Sure enough, the recruits around him stiffened, barely resisting the urge to snap to attention. "Get down from there. Now."

In response, Mizuki simply sat down on the trunk, letting her legs dangle over the void. "Why should I? I'm perfectly fine up here."

"Don't make me come up and get you."

Mizuki's playful expression, however, seemed to promise that if she absolutely had to come down, it would take Levi's intervention to make it happen. "Come on, sunshine, is that any way to talk to your deputy?"

"Ah, there they go again," sighed Jacqueline with a laugh, grabbing Jean by the elbow to stop him from sneaking off. "Don't slink away, kids! Stick around; this is going to get good!"

After observing the scene, Lavinia dismounted and headed towards the cabin, leaving behind Jacqueline's giggles, Mizuki's lively voice, and the captain's scolding.

Leaning against the raised platform that served as a guard post, Loki greeted her absently, lifting the cup of spiked tea he was holding.

"I really don't understand why Mizuki insists on playing the circus freak," Lavinia grumbled, stopping beside him.

"You say that, but you know her as well as I do," Loki replied, his eyes glassy and unfocused, his words slightly slurred.

He's drunk. What is this, do we have a new Gelgar? Lavinia thought, irritated by the journey and exhaustion, though she immediately regretted the thought. It wasn't fair to him. She hadn't been part of that suicide mission, hadn't stood by helplessly as Amado was crushed and shattered like a glass ball stomped on by an overexcited child.

"Mizuki doesn't cry; not in front of others, at least. Her way of coming to terms with what happened is to make herself useful to others: to take care of those in need, to cheer them up." Loki sighed, a white puff of vapor forming in front of his face and obscuring his features. Evening was falling over the mountain, and the temperature had dropped a few degrees. "Even if that means acting like a fool or a circus freak."

Lavinia didn't reply and resumed her walk towards the house. Deep down, she knew Loki was right.

.

The room reeked of acrid cigars and the nauseating stench of liquor. Heavy dark red brocade curtains were drawn, so that not even a ray of the setting sun penetrated inside, immersed in thick darkness. Scattered across the floor and furniture were empty bottles, cigarette butts, overflowing ashtrays, hastily piled clothes, stacks of yellowed papers, and thick layers of dust.

The ideal setting for night creatures like Kenny Ackerman.

The Central Government had finally approved the extermination of the Survey Corps. They must have really screwed up this time if those fools had stopped dithering and finally made up their minds.

Perhaps the anonymous letter delivered to one of the First Squad officers of the Military Police had played a significant role in the government's change of stance.

Slumped in his comfortable leather armchair, with his mud-caked boots propped on the desk, heedless of the documents he was dirtying, Kenny glanced again at the incriminating scrap of paper he held in his fingers. Then he crumpled it and tossed it into the brazier.

"I can't stand it anymore. I've been wanting to face you for a long time, Levi," he muttered, drawing a knife from the sheath at his belt. He turned the blade in his fingers slowly, studying the reflections of the dying fire in the fireplace. "And, of course, to meet your little girl."

Without aiming, he hurled the knife, which landed with a hiss, dead center in the Survey Corps insignia hanging on the wall.

"Oh, and according to our anonymous friend, besides Eren Jaeger and Historia Reiss, you've picked up another rather interesting individual."

Kenny Ackerman stood and tipped his hat over his forehead.

"Lavinia Williams, huh?"

His blood simmered pleasantly in his veins.

It was time to begin the hunt.