She sipped loudly at the cup to avoid conversation. Keith reclined in his chair, boots propped on the desk, whilst Neal leaned against the bookshelf.
"An utter massacre," Neal announced, moreso to himself. "We played into their hands."
Since returning to Trost, Adria's suspicions were confirmed—they'd been baited at Hana. Somehow, all of the residents had been turned into Titans, or at least that was their current hypothesis. There was no answer as to how or why, but the proof was undeniable.
Neal's squad, along with Mike and Hanji exterminated the majority of the Titans which had fled the village in search of prey. One of them had been Susanne. Graham had also escaped the forest before the squad was crushed, he'd allowed the Titan form of his wife devour him. It seemed surreal to Adria; she'd seen them this morning—their mortality was harrowing.
"He's alive," Adria whispered, staring into the reflection of the teacup.
Keith rolled his neck, "Eh?"
"Viktor," she bit her lip at the mention of his name. She could feel her heart beat harder against her sternum at the thought of his red hair. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Adria," Keith guffawed. "Before your incident, you were the one parroting that he was killed. You denied the possibility and success of a search party even. You can't be serious."
She averted her eyes back to the tea.
"You were there when His Majesty revealed Viktor's identity. . .this all isn't a coincidence. Can't you see?"
Neal raised an eyebrow, "You're talking nonsense 'Ria."
Adria rested her head against the glass and sighed, "The man which posed as the fake King is Willy Tybur, Viktor's uncle. Yelts are Marlian. . .they served and protected the noble families of Marley who won majority of the Titan's from the Great War. I don't know if it was a memory. . .but I was told that my purpose is Marley and to serve Viktor. My father, Brant, seemed to break this mould and stole the Defence Titan from Marley. He also pissed off the Beast Titan, Zeke, which resulted in his death. It's simple really. . .Marley, whoever or whatever they are, seek my return now that they have Viktor. Next it will probably be a mission to reclaim the Defence Titan."
"A compelling theory, but there are holes," Keith tipped a shot of bourbon into his cup. "One, Viktor has been raised behind these walls all of his life and has had no passion to reclaim his birthright even after being told. Two, Brant completely abandoned Marley prior to becoming Commander. Three, why now? If you both were such commodities, why not take you as children?"
"Because you got to us first," Adria said "Perhaps they didn't have all the knowledge that they do now, or skill, who knows? But in the last few years we know that the Beast Titan is key. He murdered Brant, attempted to kill Viktor and orchestrated Willy Tybur's short rule in the palace."
"And what will Marley do? Surely a Titan is far more valuable than you. I mean as in their strength and ability as you are limited to a human form," Keith frowned.
"The Curse of Ymir," Neal looked at his shaking hands. "A Shifter is only good for thirteen years, whereas Adria can outlive most. Shifters also have to repeatedly change hands—Adria is an insurance policy; if she protects the Tybur's, Marley guarantee security of one of their Titans. This could then be transferred to whatever Shifters they have, reinforcing their strength. It makes sense actually. . .the Ackerman have practically died out, there are no rivals to Yelts. Even Jørgens are weak in comparison."
"Perhaps I should go to them, cripple them from the inside?" Adria mused.
"You're fucking joking, right?" Neal's ice-blue eyes shook.
"You know my loyalty is with the Walls," Adria's neck itched. It was like Zeke was still gripping her. "Brant abandoned his birthplace for a reason, he gave humanity a chance. I don't want to have to see another loved one die. . .a part of me wishes I was still in that meadow in Sheena."
"Bleeding out and heartbroken at the hands of Commander Smith?" Neal grunted. "You've got to be fucking joking."
"And what would you suggest, hm? If you had it your way you would've abandoned humanity years ago and taken me by force!" Adria snarled.
Keith lowered his cup with a sigh, "Children, enough bickering. We've suffered considerable losses and the Corps needs time to rebuild. The reality of our situation is becoming apparent on the daily, especially with the loss at Hanna. If we are to prepare an attack against Marley, we need more information and troops. A few scraps of paper and a journal will not suffice. We don't know where Marley is aside from that it's far away. I will speak with Hanji, there could be a promising expedition with the next round of recruits."
"Hopefully Hanji is able to find something useful in Zeke's DNA that could answer some of our questions," Adria rolled her eyes.
"You already figured out how to suppress Titan formation, perhaps you can now simulate one just as easily," Neal grunted. "Fucking Smith."
"For the record, I never agreed with what was done to you. In Erwin's absence I remain Acting Commander, and you have my word that you will not be subject to such treatment," Keith raised his cup to them. "We will discuss more later, but for the love of Maria, don't do anything stupid Yelts."
Adria downed the rest of her cup and gave a mock salute, "Commander."
Neal's footsteps echoed after her down the corridor. Along the boardwalk, Adria watched two carts screeched into the assembly area. Bodies were bound in cloth or discarded capes in preparation for the pyre. A few Corps members lit the area with torches while others carried logs.
"'Ria!" Neal called out.
Adria didn't turn around but stood rigid.
Neal stood behind her and his arms captured her shoulders in an embrace. She didn't flinch in repulsion at his touch, but her shoulders pricked in anticipation. Neal rested his chin on the crown of her head and exhaled a long breath. Adria bit her lip and ignored a group of Corps members which scuttled past in a flurry of hushed whispers.
"Say the word and we'll go," Neal's breath ruffled her hair. "I have four years left. They can't be spent in Marley."
"You're a coward," Adria's eyes shifted to the courtyard.
A hooded Corps member, taller than the rest, had paused their movements to stare in Adria's direction. There were no distinguishable features from the darkness, but it caused her cheeks to flush in embarrassment at the public display.
Neal turned her body to him, and he dropped onto one knee.
Adria attempted to step back in disgust, but Neal's arms captured the back of her thighs and brushed the curve of her rear. He stared up at her as if it were just them, "One night with you, that's all I ask. That in itself would make my last four years' worth living. Please. Look at you, you fucking tease."
She quickly glanced down at herself. She hadn't changed out of her white pants or boots. Her harness fit snuggly against her thighs and accentuated the curvature of her hips. Her white blouse was untucked, and the first two undone buttons were haphazardly pulled together with the tie of Brant's pin. There was no obvious affiliation to the Survey Corps or the government, she could almost pass as a civilian.
Adria was unsure if he anticipated her movements, but he remained sturdy when she raised her leg and kicked him across the face.
Neal's head snapped to the side and he spat out a wad of blood. Immediately, his mouth steamed.
Adria backed away, "You're lucky I remain in your life at all. Now excuse me while I mourn my comrades."
* * *
Adria knelt in the glow of the first pyre. Leo's body, at least what she assumed was his, sat atop of the smouldering stack. She watched the flames devour his cape and what was left of him. She tried to remember his smile, the sound of his laugh but it all seemed foreign. She couldn't place the specifics and even the memories of their card games grew fuzzy around the edges.
Her hands rested palm side up on her knees. A few stray ashes landed on the tips of her fingers. She watched them flake away as the fire continue to burn. Nobody else had come to mourn, only a few Trost guards watched in pity as she contemplated.
"I hope it's fun up there, wherever you end up," Adria chuckled to herself. "I hope you're giving Graham a fair run at go fish and I hope Susanne steals your dessert. Even Burchard. . .he. . .he would play cards too," her lips pressed together, and her laughter turned into a choked sob, "I should have been there, I'm sorry."
A mixture of charcoal and ashes crunched behind her. Adria's head cocked to the side, but she didn't move her eyes from the pyre. Perhaps the second had burnt itself out.
"You're too nice Yeltsie."
No. . .
Adria seized up when a hand slid across the fabric of her back. Not only did her body feel the heat from the pyre, but a secondary source also warmed her side. Her eyes shook in their sockets. The voice, the musk, the feeling. . .
Adria had lost her voice, her lips parted to no avail.
The cloaked hand pressed a bloody Ace of Spades in her palm.
Yelts belong to Marley. The Tybur's are your end goal. For Marley!
"Oi, it's okay."
Adria didn't even realise she was in his arms until she felt his pulse against her cheek. Viktor was now on his arse, arms raised almost in surrender. Adria straddled his lap and buried her face into his neck, inhaling his scent. He was real. He was alive. He was there.
She gripped the card tight in one hand as her arms attempted to reach around his broad chest.
"Hey. . ."
His voice was so soft it caused Adria's legs to clench around his waist. Viktor noticed, he smirked into her shoulder, returning the embrace.
"How many times did I tell you that nothing could separate humanity's strongest duo?"
Adria shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes widened when she looked up at him.
His almond eyes blinked back at her, alert and shining. Nothing had changed besides the muscle mass, he dwarfed her completely. Still the same maroon hair tied back in a haphazard duck tail, pouty lips, sun kissed skin and strong legs. He wore half of his uniform but was free from any affiliation, just like her. All Adria could do was stare in awe.
She froze completely when he kissed her forehead. Viktor's lips were supple and warm, they were everything she imagined if not more. Such a gentle touch awakened a new emotion in her gut, something that had been bursting to be let out for years. Though, as he closed his eyes, orange sparks flickered around the crown of her head.
As she stared into his chest, enthralled by his warmth, images played in slow motion in front of her.
Her broken ribs when Viktor kicked her. Disarming the abnormal Titan. Willy Tybur and Zeke. Anastasia's execution. Her 'transformation'. Erwin and Keith conspiring. Erwin's inauguration. Adria having sex. Adria crying. Plucking flowers in the meadow. Another 'transformation'. Falling from the wall. Turning everything into crystal. . .
Viktor pulled her closer, so their chests were together. He lowered his head, so their foreheads and noses were now touching. However, this gathered unwanted attention.
One of the Trost guards pushed his cape to the side and rested his hand on his gear in warning, "What's this then?"
Viktor grunted.
Adria's eyes widened as crystal stocks formulated out of thin air and encapsulated the guard.
"Shit, we don't have much time," Viktor rubbed his nose against hers. "Do you trust me?"
Adria nodded dumbly, pressing the card to her chest.
He pulled her to her feet, and she watched in horror. The surrounding barracks of Trost were surrounded by armed Survey Corps members. A few MPs cocked their rifles at the pair in warning. On the roof, Mike's leg dangled over the gutter as he poised his elbow on his knee. He gripped a flare gun tight and was fully armed.
Three Corps members restrained Neal who struggled on the walkway. One had stuffed a gag into Neal's mouth whilst the other two restrained his arms behind him.
Keith and Hanji had joined, blades drawn. Had they anticipated this?
"Told ya I smelt one," Mike ran his tongue across his top teeth. "Heya Haus. . ."
The arcs of light grew around Viktor and Adria. He held her to him like a shield.
Steam curled off her features as if trying to fight off a transformation. Her legs shook, she didn't understand what was going on. Her brain could barely process Viktor's survival let alone his actions. She slipped the card into her bra and turned to Viktor, squeezing his hands.
"Don't do this," she gasped. "Please. You're home."
Viktor's scowl lessened as he mulled over her statement, though it hardened again within an instant, "I saw what they did to you. The lies they told to you about me, about everything."
"I–I don't understand?" Adria tried to step back but his left arm curled around her waist, keeping them together. "Viktor. . .don't."
"I should've come back earlier and saved you from this Hell," Viktor bared his teeth. "Entrusting your safety in Eldia was my mistake."
It all seemed to happen in slow motion.
The MPs which fired their rifles were met with a crystalised wall. It shattered on their reload, but it was a preventative measure that gave Viktor time to transform. He bit savagely on his palm, blinding Adria from the force of Ymir's lightening.
Unlike his other transformations, this was different. Viktor's Titan assembled from the nape. While the base form of his Titan remained the same, Adria watched as a shell of crystalised skin crept up its legs, fusing the skeletal outline of his body with a hardened sleeve-like armour. Its red hair flailed wildly in the wind, shielding the Titan's new crystalised face plate.
Mike shot a red flare, alerting the district.
Viktor's Titan opened its palm and a crystalised weapon materialised, a hammer.
Adria jumped to reach the hilt but was too short. She felt powerless without her gear, naked almost.
He looked down at her, perplexed but said nothing. His free hand scooped her up, and to Adria's horror, tossed her into the air. Adria braced herself, anticipating being thrown, but instead, she descended into his open mouth.
"ADRIA?!" the collective screamed.
Viktor's jaws snapped shut and expelled a furl of steam through the gaps in the face plate. The hammer disintegrated and he turned to leave Trost.
Keith watched Viktor's Titan jump over Trost's fortifications and into the city, making a B-line to the outer wall. He nodded at Hanji to advance. Their worst fear was realised, their hope for humanity had been compromised.
His lips flattened in dismay as each Scout attempted to strike the nape and joints of Viktor's Titan. Their blades snapped instantly due to the hardening. There was evident wear from impact, but it was only enough to cause a hairline crack at most—if they were to incapacitate Viktor, they would need something to perforate his armour.
Hanji tossed a capsule to Keith, "We could try it against his body, but it would be more effective if ingested."
"Looks like we'll have to get him to say ah," Keith vaulted from a chimney towards Viktor's shoulder. He indented the cap with his thumb, threw it directly at Viktor's jaw and shot in front to see his reaction.
Viktor's Titan's eyes narrowed as he accelerated towards the wall but reached to touch his face when the canister shattered. A small patch of liquid mottled his cheek whilst the left side of his face was surrounded by gas. Keith watched intently as the armour began to crystalise and flake away from his jaw and fingers.
Mike pulled the pin on the secondary grenade and hurled it at Viktor's nape, scoring a direct hit.
It didn't deter Viktor; he dug his toes into the ground and increased his speed towards the wall as his nape's defence weakened. Keith watched in awe as he created a crystal pole and vaulted over Wall Maria.
"Viktor. . ." he whispered,staring up at the particles of shattered crystal above. Keith shook his headand found his resolved, "Get the horses! We must track them down!"