𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐑 | j. kirstein

𝐱𝐢 | warrior, soldier

After what felt eternity, Reiner stops. Raises his head. Breaks into a choir of powerful roars, confusing everyone.

There it is. The signal.

A abrupt roar perks everyone's ears, echoing and pounding. From the wall, Jean squints his eyes at a swift movement beyond the Colossal's clouds of steam that was beginning to fade slowly, clearing up his sight.

Then, the steam stops. Jean gasps.

A Titan stood before his very own eyes. Somehow, his breath was nowhere to be found. It was not like any other Titan he has ever seen. He should be feeling scared. Cautious. Yet, he is mesmerized.

The Titan seemed to be around 17 meters tall. It's toned and muscular body holding an aura full of power. Certain parts of its body seems to be made of hardened skin, such as the front of its calves and knees, its abdomen, that connects to the chest and shoulders, unlike the Armored that has almost all of his body covered in it.

The crystal-like hard skin have the Titan a sort of glow under the sun, which anyone could think of as ethereal, if it were not a deadly creature.

It had claws too, sharp and slim. Short, dark hair, grazing at its neck. Long, pointy ears that had the same crystal skin at the tips, and elongated, glowing green eyes, in a way resembling an animal to Jean's view.

As he stares into its eyes, Jean couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity in them.

For the rest, time had stopped. All sets of eyes set on the new Titan, waiting for its move, yet startled by its appearance.

"What is that?" Mikasa asks, glaring at it from below the wall.

"I don't know," Armin says, admiring the Titan, "I think it was hiding behind all that steam. I've never seen it before."

To their side, Hanji says, "It must be that girl Iris. If it wasn't, she would've been blasted from the transformation. Do not engage. We don't know enough to go against it."

Mikasa's gaze softens for a split second at the her friend's mention, except she isn't her friend anymore, instead, her enemy. The root of all her pain.

She takes a deep breath and reminds herself of her priorities, and grips her swords tighter, awaiting for any attack.

"If it is, I won't hesitate to kill her."

Armin could only stare at her with shock, fearing how determined she is to annihilate the girl she once considered a great friend. It made him reflect.

Is he also able to make such decision? Will his friendship with Iris stop him from saving humanity? Can he become a killer and still be at ease?

"Look! Someone is coming out!" a soldier yells.

They all turn their heads to the Titan. Its head lowers and steam comes out of its nape. A figure emerges from the inside. Jean's heart shatters when he recognizes them.

Iris is the one looking down at him. Her face had strange red marks on it, starting from her ears and spreading across her cheekbones and down her neck, as if they were veins. Her black waves moved gracefully with the wind.