Girl from Mitras ★ A. Arlert

Chapter 52 - How to heal a broken heart

Y/N stood on deck until Paradis disappeared over the horizon. She was sad, as if something important had ended in her life, and nothing would be the same as before. Thoughts raced through her mind, one after the other. She couldn't understand what they would do next. How can they stop Eren? Is it possible? And if they stop him, what will happen next? Will he survive or not? The Rumbling will already have time to destroy many lands, how will they cope with the consequences of this? And the titans... there's nowhere to go... They, the Eldians, will still be hated and feared. «Why is everything so... difficult... Why... can't people just... live in peace?»

She sighed, reassuring herself, and headed inside to join the others. «I should talk to Hange, but... now is probably not the best time, considering that they are the only one issuing orders now, since the Marley general remained on Paradis... Probably, Levi needs to be bandaged, otherwise he'll self-medicate» She went to cabins, but heard a noise. Turning towards the noise, she saw Reiner in the hallway and Pieck, sitting next to Gabi, looking through the open door leading to the captain's bridge. As she got closer, she stood slightly behind Reiner, seeing Hange, Kiyomi Azumobito, and Annie in front of her, being held by Mikasa and Jean.

- «Magath and I decided to sail to Odiha, although, in general, there was little choice», Hange explained the situation. «We couldn't save your native Liberio in any way»

- «Then... I... have nothing more to fight for...», falling to her knees, Annie said. «I'm leaving»

- Even if the Rumbling were stopped right now, Liberio and Marley couldn't be saved from destruction. Even Magath understood this. And yet, he gave his life to help us get away. He did this not for the sake of Liberio and Marley, but for us to save as many people as possible, even... completely strangers to us.

Annie, Reiner, Pieck and Gabi all looked broken. Y/N felt sorry for them, she understood them. She knew how hard it was to lose loved ones, but... Thoughts also raced through her mind about how many people had lost their homes, their families because of their actions. But they were only children who... made the wrong decisions, succumbing to the influence of adults who think only about their own goals. She walked over to Reiner and... put her hand on his shoulder. She sincerely wanted to support him. She heard what he said then, in the forest... He was very confused in himself. The hell was probably going on in his head, he was the worst at coping with the consequences of becoming one of the nine titans.

At the unexpected touch, Reiner flinched and looked up. Y/N looked at him, in her eyes there was sincere sympathy and understanding. He suddenly realized that he almost killed her four years ago, and she... still supports him, after so many years. She doesn't see him as the monster he thinks he is. He even... tried to kill himself, only to it all ended... but... he didn't dare, and the nightmare that was happening around didn't stop. Her warm sympathetic look brought him to his senses. He saw her in a completely different way than four years ago. He used to think of her as a pushy nerd who didn't belong on the battlefield, but she always wanted to be there anyway. Now he saw in her an inner strength that many would envy. Her look is so clear and simple, but at the same time... complex and multifaceted. Looking at the others, she stood out... she was a source of calm. He didn't see in her not a drop of panic that covered each of them. And yet... she became a beautiful girl. He liked her slightly rebellious image, which she supported. It made her stand out from the crowd.

- Hmm...

Reiner looked away as he saw Connie and Armin approaching them, still recovering from his wounds. They all looked back at Hange and Annie.

- «Then... I return to the previous question... can you kill Eren?» Annie continued in a tired voice, «If I... try to kill him... can you just watch this silently, Mikasa? I... I don't want... I don't want to fight anymore... I don't want to... kill... any of you... None... Not even Eren...»