AUTHOR'S POV:
"I'll ask one more time! Just what are you really?!" Weilman screamed.
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"I'm human!" Eren yelled back.
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"I see." Weilman's arm began to rise. "Don't take this personally."
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On the other side of the Wall, things were different.
"Marco, I can't do this anymore. I can't fight Titans anymore!" Daz cried.
"What's gotten into you?" Marco questioned.
"My friends got eaten right in front of me! My friends got killed, yet I didn't feel any sadness or hate at all!"
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A few feet over, Sasha was just listening to him without eating.
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"Deep down, I just felt glad it wasn't me!" Daz said. "But it's my turn next." Daz clutched his head. "I've realized what our job is! It's basically fighting and fighting until we eventually get eaten!"
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A cart with five injured and mutilated soldiers was passing by on the street.
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"Well, screw that!" He reached for his blade. "I'd rather end things-"
"Stop!" Marco said and grabbed him. "Pull yourself together! You aren't the only one, you know! We're all fighting back fear! Just look at Sasha! Even after what she went through, she's still an upstanding soldier!"
Sasha cried out suddenly. "Um, my stomach hurts. Could you please consider me one of the wounded?"
Daz tried to pull out his sword again. "I can't go on!"
"Stop! Stop it!"
Jean, Reiner, Bert, and Annie were silent.
"That gag order is definitely warranted." Jean said. "With the way things are if they found out about Eren..."
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An explosive sound came from the other side of Wall Rose, startling the soldiers.
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"Cannon fire?" Jean said, looking around. "Why only one shot?!"
"Look over there! Smoke! It's inside the Wall!" A soldier said, pointing towards the smoke.
"Hey! What's happening?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Did they break through the water gate?!"
"Impossible! That's the sturdiest place of all!"
"They must've just set off a shell by accident!"
"Still, why's there so much smoke?!"
'No way. Is it Titan steam?' Jean wondered.
Reiner was shocked and horrified. He took out his blades.
Then he immediately took off on his 3D gear and went towards the smoke, followed by Annie and Bert.
Jean went after them.
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Steam was emitting from Eren's partial titan body, covering everything.
Armin shook while Mikasa was looking at her surroundings.
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The Garrisons were watching the scene with horrified look on their faces.
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Jean, Annie, Reiner, and Bert gapsed at the scene from a rooftop in the distance.
"What the hell's going on here?" Reiner said.
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Mikasa quickly got out of her trance and gripped her blade.
The sound of cracking bones finally snapped Armin out of his trance.
He looked up, seeing the massive head swaying through the ribcage.
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"It's alive!" One soilder shouted.
"Captain Weilman!" Rico said, walking up to him.
Weilman whimpered, seeing the Titan's face and stepping back. "We're on standby! We can't risk getting near it! Stay on alert, everyone! Remain on standby! Artillerymen, reload the cannon!"
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The Titan's eye twitched. Inside, Eren began to wake.
He gasped, noticing the muscles and the bones. He struggled to break free.
After a few attempts, he got out of his Titan's nape.
'What is this?' He stared at the back of the giant red head.
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"I-I remember hearing the cannon go off." Armin said, standing up. "After that came a tremendous crash, shock, and heat! And now we're inside a giant skeleton-"
"Eren protected us." Mikasa said calmly. "That's all we need to understand for now."
Eren then ran towards them. He was surprised too. "Hey! You guys okay?"
"Eren, what is this?" Armin asked, looking at Eren.
"I don't know! But it's already starting to vaporize, just like a Titan's corpse! Let's get away from it!" Eren said.
The three of them moved a bit far from the titan corpse. They were hidden by the steam.
"Whether they're watching and waiting or if they're in a daze, the Garrisons aren't showing any signs of activity for now." Eren said and shifted to where the cannons were mounted on the wall. Then he turned to his friends. "But I'm sure they'll start attacking again soon enough. I doubt there's any chance of reasoning with them now, after seeing this." He grabbed the key around his neck and showed it to his friends. "But there is one thing I remember now. The basement. The basement of our house."
"That key..." Mikasa said. "When did Uncle Grisha give that to you?"
"I don't remember that but he said it'd all make sense if I go there!" Eren replied and clutched the key, staring at it intently. "He's also the reason this has happened to me. If I go to the basement, I might figure out what the Titans are too!"He then remembered Grisha injecting him with something. "Damn it!" He punched a bone of the skeleton in frustration, causing more cracks. "Why did he keep it a secret?! Thousands of Scouts have died trying to get that information! It's the only hope humanity has! And he just kept it tucked away in our basement all this time?! What the hell was he thinking?! And where the hell has he been these last five years?"
Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder, calming his down. "Eren, we have other things to attend to right now."
"Yeah... You are right." Eren replied, looking down.
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"The smoke's clearing!" A soldier said.
Weilman looked around, listening to them.
"Attack on sight!"
"Let's finish it off quick!"
"Hold your positions!" Weilman yelled.
They all flinched when the Titan's body fell apart. Bones shattered and turned to dust as they hit they ground.
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Inside the cover, the three of them were kneeling on the ground.
"We have to somehow reach to the basement..." Eren said. "I know I can't do it alone so we need to convince the Survey Corps to help us..."
"But to make the plan succeed, we have to get out of here first." Mikasa said and wiped Eren's bloodied nose with her palm.
"You look really pale." Armin said. "And your breathing is rough. It's taking a toll on your body."
"May be his transformation is affecting his health..." Mikasa said.
"My health doesn't matter right now." Eren said. "I have one idea in mind. Armin, I will leave the decision to you."
Armin's eyes widened.
"I know how unrealistic this plan is," Eren admitted. "The best option would be to use this Titan ability in a systematic way, under the military's direction. I know this sounds crazy, but if you think you can convince the Garrison that I'm not a threat, I'll trust in you and go with this plan. If you don't think you can do it, then I will plan something else."
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Atop the Wall, the soldiers began readying the cannons.
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"Decide in fifteen seconds," Eren said. "Can you do it or not? I'll respect your opinion, whichever it is."
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The soldier signalled that he was ready.
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"Eren, why are you entrusting such an important decision to me?" Armin said, staring in disbelief.
"Even when things get ugly, you always make the right call, y'know? I figure that's worth relying on." Eren answered with a tense smile.
"When did I ever do that ?" Armin asked, surprised.
"All the time. Like that time five years ago." Eren said. "You had gotten Hannes for us. Even though it wasn't needed."
Behind Armin, the last of the body fell apart and the realization hit him. 'It was all in my head. I convinced myself that's how I was. I convinced myself I was helpless and a burden. Eren and Mikasa didn't have a hint of doubt in their expressions. But they never felt that way at all!'
"Armin, we're out of time!" Eren said, breaking him out of his trance.
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The soldier nodded, wire in hand. His companion held up her arm to signal the others on the ground.
"They've finished reloading, sir!" Rico reported. "We can fire at any time!"
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'My friends are willing to place their lives in my hands...' Armin thought, filled with determination. 'What more convincing do I need than that?'
He then stood up with determination. "I will persuade them, without fail. I'll need you to act as nonaggressive as possible."
The two of them nodded.
Armin marched forward confidently. 'Something's been bugging me ever since Eren started fighting as a Titan. I haven't collected my thoughts yet, but I'll do this! I'll have to think as I talk!'
He ditched his gear and ran out.
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The noise startled some of the soldiers.
"Halt!" Weilman yelled and held his arms out ahead of him.
One of the soldiers pointed a gun at Armin.
Armin slid to a stop and held up his arms.
"You've finally revealed your true form, monster! I'll do it! I'll give the signal to fire!" Weilman yelled.
"He is not an enemy of humanity! We're willing to disclose everything we've learned!" Armin yelled.
"Begging for your lives won't help you! He's revealed his true form for all to see! What more is there to say?" Weilman said. "If you insist he's not our enemy, then show me proof! If you can't, then we'll simply eliminate the threat he poses!"
"There's no need for proof!" Armin said. "In fact, this isn't about what we perceive him to be!"
"What?! I hear that countless people saw him!" Weilman yelled.
"In which case, they surely saw him fighting Titans as well!" Armin said and looked at the soldiers, surprising them. "And they must've seen the Titans swarming around him, too!"
All the Garrison soilders remembered the attacking Titan charging at the other Titans.
"In other words, the Titans saw him as prey-just like they see us! That's an irrefutable fact, however hard you look at it!" Armin continued without stopping.
Then the whispers began.
"He has a point."
"A Titan, on our side?"
"That's crazy."
The soldiers had lowered their weapons.
Weilman looked around in a panic. "Prepare to attack!" He threw his arm out. "Don't be taken in by their clever ruses! Their behavior has always been beyond our understanding! It's entirely possible they'd take on human form and use human language to deceive us all!"
Armin gasped.
"We can't let them have their way anymore!" Weilman yelled.
The soldiers were once again ready to attack, glaring.
'It's no use.' Armin stood completely stunned. 'He's abandoned all logic. He's afraid to think...'
Armin looked over his shoulder at his friends.
The two of them were still looking at him with conviction.
Eren nodded.
Gritting his teeth, Armin brought his fist forward and saluted, screaming with determination. "As a soldier, I have long sworn to give my heart for the restoration of humankind! Nothing would make me happier than to die for that cause!"
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Eren Mikasa kept quiet and looked at him.
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"If we combine his Titan ability with our own remaining manpower, we can retake this city!" Armin said.
All the soilders were impacted by his speech.
"Captain Weilman, I believe his words are worth consid-" Ian said.
"Silence!" Weilman yelled at him. 'However much they beg for their lives, they're still traitors.'
His arm began to rise.
Armin's eyes widened.
'To dispose of those who violate the rules, that is the duty of a soldier!' Weilman thought.
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Eren brought his hand toward his mouth while Mikasa sat still.
When Weilman was about to bring his arm down, someone gripped his arm.
"That's enough." Pixis said. "I see you're still as delicate as a young deer despite your size."
"Commander Pixis?" Weilman gasped, looking at him.
"Can you not see that soldier's splendid salute?" Pixis said and walked forward.
Armin had his eyes closed, face scrunched up.
"I've only just arrived, but I've been filled in on the situation. You're in charge of the reinforcements now. I think it'd be best to hear what they have to say." Pixis said.
Armin dropped to the ground in relief, tearful.
His friends sighed in relief.
Then the three of them went with Pixis to discuss.
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"What is the commander thinking?" Weilman said. "Taking those freaks up there without a single bodyguard!"
"Well, the commander's thoughts are beyond the comprehension of average people." Rico answered.
"Captain, we've finished reassembling the troops," Ian said.
"Right. Good work." Weilman replied.
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"I see." Pixis said, looking at the destruction before him. "And visiting this basement will make everything clear?"
"Yes. Do you believe me?" Eren asked.
"Seeing as you yourself are unable to provide validation, for now, I'm simply keeping it all in mind." Pixis replied and turned and tapped his forehead. "But I do believe I can tell when someone is being sincere or not. I will personally guarantee your safety."
The two of them again sighed in relief.
"Trainee Arlert, was it?" Pixis asked, looking at Armin.
"Sir!" Armin said.
"Earlier, you mentioned that with this so-called 'Titan ability' it would be possible to retake this city." Pixis said. "Do you truly believe that? Or was that just a desperate plea for your life?"
"It was... both," Armin answered honestly. "I was going to suggest that Eren, in Titan form, could take that giant rock and use it to block the wrecked entrance." He continued. "It was just an idea I came up with on the spot. I just wanted them to see the possibilities of Eren's ability and how it could help solve the situation we're in. Of course, I was desperate to survive, too!"
"'Desperate to survive'" Pixis repeated, smiling. "There's nothing more credible than those words." He then pulled out the flask and took a swig.
The three of them waited in silence.
Pixis walked over to Eren and knelt in front of him sitting on the ground. "What do you say, Trainee Yeager?"
"Sir?" Eren said.
"Can you seal that gate?" Pixis asked casually.
"I... Well... I'm not sure. Right now, I don't really understand any more than the rest of you." Eren admitted. "Maybe I can. Maybe I can't. I don't know. I don't feel I can risk giving an irresponsible answer."
"Ah, yes. My apologies," Pixis said. "I asked the wrong question." His smile dropped and his tone became more authoritative. "Will you do it or not?"
Silence fell upon them.
Eren furrowed his eyebrows.
"I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know if I can plug the hole or not but I'll do it!"
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