CHAPTER 3: Loop Two, I

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TWO

You want to get to the basement as soon as possible, exposing the Warriors.

You want to get to the basement as soon as possible, exposing the Warriors

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Your hands shook as you lifted your glass to your friends. It was graduation day, the epic milestone of a cadet's life that meant conclusions and continuations. But it was hard to feel happiness now that you were living it for the second time.

You graduated second behind Mikasa because you already knew everything. How to use ODM gear, the best course of action during drills, all the answers of questions discussed in boring lectures.

Eren was extremely impressed throughout the years. You never really seemed like the type to be well-versed in military tactics. In your first life, as a child, you had always been a bit more like Armin, quietly intelligent and soft-hearted. You were never the physical fighter.

But now there was a seriousness in your eyes that no one could understand. After all that you've been through in the first life, it was hard to not be a decent soldier. It was simply part of who you were now.

It hurt so much reliving every good memory you had with a boy who had been dead for years. Eren didn't seem to be aware of what was going to happen to him. Every smile, every laugh, and every snide comment—it was like walking through a dream you had forgotten at dawn.

And somehow, you still knew the right words to say. Conversations you'd long forgotten about—both deep talks and stupid ramblings—the words somehow repeated out of your mouth with ease.

You heard what the concept was called. Deja vu. A feeling of having already experienced the present situation.

"[Name], loosen up a bit, would ya? It's graduation day."

You choked on your drink as Reiner gave you a hard clap on the shoulder. Light laughter rang around the table as droplets spilled onto your lap.

You wiped your mouth and said, "Huh? But graduation is barely the start. We've got our whole lives ahead of us."

And eleven more, you wanted to add, but you knew your mouth wouldn't allow you. Every time you tried to tell someone you were stuck in a time loop, your mouth would clamp like it was glued shut. If you tried to write it on paper, the ink would disappear. Like you were being played for a joke.

You still didn't know exactly what you were supposed to do, but so far you had a plan to try: you would expose Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie from the get-go and let everyone know what was in the basement.

The plan would be enacted after the Battle of Trost.

Jean snorted at your words. "What are you so clammy for? You're in the Top Ten! The Interior is waiting for you."

"Jean, you don't have to go to the Interior," Eren sneered beside you. "Isn't the interior of your brain soft enough?"

"Are you calling me an idiot? Humanity doesn't stand a chance against the Titans!"

THIRTEEN • Eren JaegerWhere stories live. Discover now