Content Warnings:
•Season 4 Part 3 Spoilers
•Mentions of Death
•Strong Language
•Violence
•Blood
•Panic
•Gore
•War
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Flashback
"Go away! We don't wanna be seen with a girl. No one even likes you, weirdo!" An older boy scrunched his nose in disgust. "She's always begging for attention." Another boy rolled his eyes before he turned away. "You better move along before you cause us more trouble." The first boy shooed you off, but you hesitated to comply. "Get outta here!" The second boy exclaimed, clearly out of patience with you.
You eventually ran off, mostly frustrated with yourself for once again failing to connect with other kids in your District. You only had one friend, Katsumi, but that was it. You didn't get to see each other everyday, plus you liked to hang out with boys, too. You jogged away to clear your head before sulking back home, no direct path set anyway. That was when you ran down a neighboring street and felt a presence within one of the houses.
"Is that you, Miss Y/n?" An older man's voice trailed from inside his home. You skidded to a stop in front of his open window to look up and see the old man lean out with a growing smile that lifted his nearly white mustache. "Hi, Mr. Roth." You half grinned and waved up at your neighbor. "Hello, Miss Y/n. What brings you here, today?" He asked, his smile never faded one bit. You looked back at the direction you came from, eyes void of emotion after you processed the interaction. You then turned back to the gentleman to confess. "I'm too weird for those kids." You shrugged and scuffed the heel of your shoe against the dirt path.
Mr. Roth rested his hand on the windowsill to ponder, when suddenly, he hatched an idea. "Ah, I know just the thing." He announced before he turned back to go deeper into his petite home. You waited in place with a bit of curiosity. Mr. Roth was your friendliest neighbor, yet, you never knew what to expect from him. He always did kind gestures, but he very rarely repeated the same one exactly.
The old man returned, but that time he opened his front door to step outside with you. In his hand, he held a beige pouch. Your eyes immediately landed on the pouch and wondered what the contents were. "I figured you'd be hungry after all that running, so here's a tasty snack for the walk back home." He beamed and opened the pouch to show you the inside of it. You took a step closer and gazed into the pouch to spot fresh blueberries. "Picked them from my little garden this morning, too." Mr. Roth's caramel eyes crinkled at the outer corners.
"Thanks, Mr. Roth." You looked back up with a little smile, your spirits had already lifted a tad. "Come back when you run out, I'll get you some more." He patted the top of your head, then closed the pouch and placed it in your hands. "Now, let me tell you something before you go. A little piece of wisdom I gained over my long years." He stretched his back out with a sigh. Your patient self remained quiet, anticipating what he would say. "Kids are gonna be mean and that's okay. As long as you're kind, that's all that matters. You know you're a good kid, so continue to be kind, Miss Y/n. Eventually, they'll do the same." He told you.
You thought about his words for a moment as they absorbed in your mind. Those kids didn't understand you and didn't feel pressured to. So, why should you force them to understand you if they don't want to?
He is right.
"You'll make very good friends when they see how good of a kid you are, Miss Y/n. Don't you worry about it." Mr. Roth looked up at the sky as birds happily flew overhead and chirped along the way. "See there?" He pointed them out, to which you looked up just in time to see them as well. "It'll happen. Just be patient and be yourself." The man hummed.
You thanked Mr. Roth again before you went on your way. He always made sure to say "hello" to you if you saw each other out and about. The old man had subconsciously paved your way to be okay with your differences. In a way, he felt like your own grandfather. Not everyone would understand you, but surely some would. You just had to be patient.
Munching on the blueberries on your way home, you looked down at the berries and realized how else you could make use of the leftovers. So, you quickened your pace and the excitement drove you faster. As you flung through the front door of your house and up the stairs, you clumsily dodged all the sharp corners towards your bedroom on the way as well.
Your heart raced as you attempted to catch your breath, pouch hung loosely in your grasp. You let out a breath as you approached the small wooden desk in front of your window to sit on the chair. You had pulled over a sheet of paper from the corner of your desk to sit directly in front of you. You then looked inside the pouch once more before you reached in to pull out a single berry to briefly inspect it. Squishing the blueberry between your left/right thumb and index fingers, your eyes flinched to avoid it squirting in them.
When it was flat, you fully opened your eyes again to throw the berry back into the pouch which started to stain it, then poked your finger on the paper. Your eyes widened even more when you saw the paper had started to absorb light purplish juice. With the newly discovered source of pigment, you wiped your fingers all over the paper to create an image you could not get out of your head.
After many minutes and many squished blueberries, you sat back to hold up the paper in front of the window, almost able to see straight through where you rubbed blueberries on. It was still slightly wet, so holding up the paper caused some of the juice to slide and stain other areas, but you did not mind. You had set the paper down again to grab a stub of charcoal and rubbed it next to the purplish area you had finished prior.
More minutes passed and finally you were done. You felt proud of the picture, considering you did/n't like drawing. Your eyes darted across the whole page to take it all in. Maybe then, you could show people what they didn't understand about you. Your father would finally understand you.
Your grandfather had visited you again a few weeks ago, but your father still didn't believe you. You just "saw" things or "mixed it up" with a dream. However, you knew it was real life. You were really able to talk to and see your late grandfather. So, that's what you drew with blueberries and charcoal. You used the juice to represent his spirit, you made a silhouette of him to the best of your ability and memory. Even though he appeared baby blue, you had to make do with the light purple. Then, you used the charcoal to draw a portrait of yourself next to his silhouette. His spirit. To show that you were different looking than him. He was transparent like the juice soaked through the paper, and you were a physical human.
You were so excited to show your father the picture, you genuinely looked forward to the approval and understanding from him. However, his reaction was more reserved and on edge when you presented it to him that night. Your father would not even hold the paper, he quietly stared down at it in your hands. He was nervous, words unable to leave his mouth until finally, he spoke after a few minutes. "Put it away, please." He mumbled. You lowered the paper from in front of your face, a confused expression on it. "Why?" You asked with a tilted head. "Just..." His voice trailed off momentarily. "Do you get it now, daddy? That's grandpa! That's what he looks like to me, but he's blue instead of purple-"
"Just do as I say! Throw that damn piece of paper in the trash before someone sees it! Hell... we might have to burn it!" Your father quickly interrupted which startled you. "But-" Your smaller voice squeaked, (color) eyes saddened at his hurtful response to the drawing you worked hard on. "No one can ever see this, 'ya understand me?!" He crouched to your level to grab your arms, your eyes then shot up into his (opposite color) ones. "Do 'ya understand, Y/n? No one sees this picture and 'ya cant tell anybody about it. Got it?" His voice was much quieter then, but it still had an edge to it laced with fear.
You yourself were afraid to nod your head and accept the terms, so when you parted your lips to speak, he had already stood back up and yanked the page out of your hands, but you heard a tear from the force he used. "Daddy, no!" You gasped when you spotted the bottom of it had ripped halfway. Silently, your father had disposed of the inappropriate drawing. When he came back, he didn't hesitate to kneel down and embrace you tightly, that feeling of nerves still followed him. "I'm sorry, Y/n. 'Ya just can't talk about that. Its not normal." He whispered as he held you. Your sad eyes stared over his shoulder but you hugged him back, nonetheless.
You had no idea where it had gone, even to your present day self. It was either hidden very well or he did in fact burn it. You only wished he wasn't so frightened or secretive about the subject. It even rubbed off on you and made you think you were unacceptable in society. So, you grew up with the only friend you had and went from there.
After that day, you were immediately whisked away to visit a doctor in another Wall, another District. You did not know what to expect, except be honest. Since then, you lost some trust with your father, but you still convinced yourself it was out of love. He always swore to protect you. You only hoped he wouldn't try to change you.
From then on, you made an effort to hide any and every drawing away from him to prevent that ever happening again. From drawings of your grandfather to guessing what your mother would have looked like. You did not want to hurt your father anymore, so into the shadows they went. Along with yourself.
Flashback End
The ride on the flying boat has been quiet since the loss of the former Commander. You've been feeling a few glances your direction for the past hour, the most coming from Captain Levi. You obviously know the reason why, he was wondering if you knew that they were okay, but words were never exchanged. You wanted to tell him, but the timing wasn't right, nor did you want to upset him. If he isn't openly asking, you don't want to be the one bringing it up to him.
High above the clouds, possibly near their spirit, your ears pop with the high altitude. You've never felt such a weird pressure before, considering no one has been up this high. You still hope that Hange is okay and doesn't hold a grudge with you since you knew the outcome of their decision. Your self-doubt is getting the better of you and you know they would never be mad at you in the first place. You're just being silly. Hange was the one who defended you and your actions when Commander Nile accused you of being a witch. You never got to properly thank them for that and its been eating away at you.
Sitting on the left side of the flying boat, across from Captain Levi, you release a small sigh, eyes glued to your boots. The crying in the cabin had stopped awhile ago but the feelings are still lingering. Reiner gets up to turn around, leaning forward to look out the window that was behind him. You can see the colors of the sky reflecting inside the cabin, shifting against the walls and floor as the large craft flies through the clouds. You wish you had your journal right now to document the beautiful scenery from this height. However, it was lost somewhere back on Paradis after the rumbling started. That journal had all kinds of stories waiting for Katsumi to read.
Its been ages... I hope she's doing all right.
As Armin exits the cockpit after checking on the fuel and Onyankopon, you along with the others turn your attention towards him. Somehow, you did not expect to see him as the next Commander, but its suiting. Nothing else makes more sense than for him to take on such a lead with great honor. "Now, then... let's hammer out our plan." Commander Armin picks up a piece of chalk lying around before crouching to the floor. The blonde ponders for a moment before starting to sketch. Your curious eyes watch every stroke he makes, waiting for the final product.
"Pieck, Captain Levi, is this roughly the shape of the Founding Titan?" He asks once finishing a sketch of Eren's form. "Yes, though I didn't get a good look at it." The onyx-haired girl confirms as she sits beside the Captain. "Basically, its a humongous bundle of bones that moves like an insect." The Captain adds. "If its like a normal Titan, Eren would be in the neck near the head." Pieck says. "Given the War Hammer's abilities, that's not guaranteed." Levi brings up. You remember how Lara Tybur, the former War Hammer inheritor, was encapsulated underground when in her Titan form.
"In other words, we don't know which part Eren is in." Commander Armin's gaze stays fixated on the drawing. "Even if we don't know where he is, we can blast the whole thing away. The same way you annihilated Liberio's port... with the Colossal Titan." Pieck theorizes. Commander Armin's eyes shift slightly, reminiscing the destruction he had caused that night. "That certainly would be the most effective method. But we'll leave that for after we've exhausted our chance to talk. If there's no way to stop Eren, that's our last resort." Commander Armin meets Mikasa's gaze, the raven girl's eyes wide but she accepts the plan.
"Its great to have a last resort and all, but isn't Eren controlling the Founder through Zeke? Won't the rumbling stop if we kill Zeke first?" Captain Levi brings up. "True. That might work!" Commander Armin responds. "There's no definite proof, but Hange thought it would." Captain Levi says. "But if we don't know Zeke's location either..." Pieck trails off. "We'll just have to find that shithead, the Beast, in those bones." The Captain finishes for her.
The cabin falls silent as your squad takes in the information regarding the "plan" you have so far. That is until Captain Levi parts his scarred lips, still full of stitches. "I'll take Zeke out. Help me do it." The raven looks up to face you all. "Captain..."Jean speaks up, the uncertainty running through everyone at first. "Of course. We killed many friends and comrades to get this thing in the sky. We can't allow that slaughter to have been for nothing. Everything is to stop the rumbling. I'll do whatever it takes." Your closest comrade takes the Captain's offer.
"Jean..." Reiner looks down at the sandy-brunette before shifting towards Conny who sits beside him as he speaks up next. "I shot Samuel and Daz and sliced up other people I knew. I got called a traitor as I did so, all the while telling myself it was to save the world." Conny stares at the floor before lifting his head up to face the blonde standing beside him. "Tell me, Reiner. It was agonizing for you, Bertholdt, and Annie, too, wasn't it?" He asks. "I can't even make up for the sins I committed anymore. Even if we save what remains of humanity. I doubt I'll ever forgive myself." Reiner answers, leaning down closer to Conny who has tears brimming the edges of his eyes. "So... Well, let's at least save what remains of humanity." The blonde suggests. "You're right, Reiner. Even if we can't make up for it, we still gotta do what we can." Conny grins, placing a hand over his.
"That's right. We're the same, Reiner." Jean speaks, causing the blonde to stand back up straight with a slightly surprised expression. "I never had any right to judge you. I became a murderer to save others." Jean says softly. "You know..." Reiner sighs. "On the night of the raid on Liberio, Eren said the same thing to me. I feel like I understand some of what's going on in Eren's head. Could it be... Eren wants us to stop him?" Reiner wonders. The thought is something not totally unbelievable. It almost makes sense.
"What do you mean?" Mikasa asks. "I mean, its just a thought that occurred to me." Reiner explains. "Something's been bothering me this whole time. Eren has the power to affect all Titans and Eldians. And yet the ability to use only our Titan powers remains unchanged." Armin mentions. "You mean Eren is purposely giving us free rein?" Pieck's eyes widen. "Exactly. He's letting us act freely. As if to test how we respond to what he's doing." Armin confirms. "Why? We we might succeed in stopping the rumbling." Mikasa looks down at the blonde.
"It has to be agonizing for him, too. Committing mass murder... that's not a burden you can just bear. If it was me, I'd be desperate to leave the Founder's power with someone else. And if that wasn't possible, I'd want it to end... For someone to end it." Reiner's voice shakes as he looks up to face out the front windows.
"Y/n, can you hear Eren at all?" Conny shifts his gaze to face you. That's when all eyes are on you now. Pursing your lips, you tap deep into your mind, searching for any sign of Eren. Your squad is counting on you to help but the longer you concentrate, the more quickly you exhaust yourself. Its totally silent, void of anything. "No... I can't. I'm sorry." You mumble, disappointed.
Before anyone can respond, you're all suddenly transported back to that strange place full of sandy hills and a large bright light at the center that resembles a tree. "What?" "Again?!" "This is..." Gasps spread throughout the group as your eyes wander around the starry-lit sky. "What, was he listening in?" Captain Levi wonders, scanning the environment.
"Eren! Please hear me out! This is already enough! I'm sure that no one will be able to attack the island for hundreds of years! The terror and destruction have been just that extreme! If you stop now, we can end all this by agreeing to a non-aggression treaty! You don't have to kill any more people! The island will be okay now!" Commander Armin shouts out, expecting him to answer. "I'm sorry, Eren! We were the ones who drove you this far!" The blonde tries one more time.
"Eren..." Jean steps forward. "Eren! We'll figure out the rest! You don't have to keep committing genocide for our sake!" He then shouts as well. "That's right. Eren! I hated you after what happened to Sasha, but in truth, you were hurting, too, weren't you?! And yet, I didn't even try to see things from your perspective at all!" Conny joins in tearfully.
"Eren... I... I want to shoulder your sins with you. The sins you've committed... We're guilty of them, too. So please, don't push us away anymore. Please, Eren, come back to us!" Mikasa's expression shows nothing but sadness and hope for him to return. "You heard 'em, Eren. Do it now, and I'll let you off with just a swift kick in the ass. Well? Ain't it about time you said something?" Captain Levi stays quiet after to wait for his response, but only silence follows.
Suddenly, Commander Armin gasps, whipping his head around. "Eren!" He shouts. "The rumbling will not stop. Nor will I leave Paradis Island's future to chance. I will keep moving forward." Eren's voice echoes from the mysterious realm, shocking you all.
Captain Levi shifts in place, eventually spotting something in the distance to which he raises his left arm, pointing at what he sees. "There." He simply states. Following his gaze, your eyes also land on a small silhouette near the beam of light. Focusing on it, your body reacts by twitching slightly because you recognize the figure.
Eren!
Mikasa rushes past everyone, dashing towards Eren without hesitation. This prompts Commander Armin, Jean, and Conny to follow after her, desperate to catch him. You, too, decide to follow, quickly running after them as the sense in your body is pulling you closer. "Eren!" She shouts after him. "Huh?! Ain't that... a kid?!" Jean asks, puzzled, the closer you all get. "Yeah, but that's Eren!" Commander Armin replies. "Eren!" Mikasa pants heavily.
"Why refuse, Eren? You think you can't rely on us?" Jean calls out. "Why did you leave us able to use our Titan powers? We can talk for as long as we want here, right? Talk to us! We've always been together! Please don't go any farther away! Eren!" Commander Armin's tone is desperate. "Listen to us, dammit!" You finally shout in frustration, wishing he would have some sense in him to stop ignoring his longtime friends.
"In order to obtain freedom, I will take freedom from the world. But I will not take anything from any of you. You all have freedom." Eren's chilling voice pauses for a moment while you reach the top of a sandy hill. You're so close to reaching him when you realize that you've somehow ended up back in the place you started.
How did we go in a circle?!
"You are free to protect he world's freedom. And I am free to keep moving forward. As long as we each hold unbending convictions, a clash is inevitable. There is but one thing for us to do. Fight." Eren's voice fades away again. You are left staring at the younger version of Eren as well as a blonde girl standing beside him. Your eyes are locked on the figures, realizing the little girl is Ymir. The girl who discovered the power of the Titans.
"But... Then why...? Why did you call us here?" Commander Armin questions. "To discuss the fact that there's no need to have a discussion. If you wish to stop me, make me draw my last breath. You have freedom." Eren responds.
Abruptly, you all fall back into reality, instinctively gripping onto the seat you were once sitting on so you don't lose balance. You're still bewildered on how its possible to travel between these dimensions. "My head..." You whisper to yourself, realizing the incoming headache that's forming like a band around your skull. You try gently rubbing at your temples, but already know that that won't make it budge.
"What was that? Is everyone okay?" Onyankopon asks frantically, looking over the back of his seat. "It looks like I was right." Reiner admits in a fearful way. "So there's really no way to work this out?" Jean groans with a hand over the top half of his face.
"Looks like we aren't gonna solve this by talking. What now... Commander?" Captain Levi puts the young blonde on the spot, looking for any sort of direction. Talking didn't work, so his last resort may be the only way to go about this now.
"Let's first try to figure out where Zeke is. Maybe that will help us determine our next move?" Jean ponders, his gaze landing on your form next to him. Feeling his eyes burn into your person, you lift your head up to meet them, swallowing awkwardly. You already failed to hear Eren through your thoughts, how are you going to find Zeke through the same way?
"I can try again." You nod, accepting the task anyway since you're a soldier and do as you're told. "I may need a moment or two to concentrate." You glance around, hoping your request is not too much to ask for, but you're met with nods from the others. Taking a breath, you allow your eyes to flutter shut, head gently tilting back as you enter a state of meditation, searching for answers. First, you focus on your breathing, getting to a place where your heart is slower and much calmer. Then, you're able to hold it steady, as well as your gentle breaths.
The midnight shade behind your eyelids develops into porcelain, a bit blinding, causing you to pinch your eyes a bit. Your squad observes your change in expression soundlessly, mesmerized and enthralled. You proceed to dig for answers in Zeke's location, completely patient with the process, knowing you can't force or rush it. It has to come to you.
The deeper your mind goes you feel slightly cold, arms subconsciously drawing nearer to your body for warmth. You wonder why that is, though. Is he somewhere with a cooler climate? There's too many questions you can't put an answer to. The previous calmness to your breathing falters, catching the attention of Jean as he's the closest one to you. Out of reassurance, he places a supporting hand on your shoulder to remind you that you're not by yourself, your whole squad is here for support.
Losing touch with your subconscious, it senses outside influences, getting in the way of your answer-searching. You feel eyes on you, an even sharper one being directly across from you. Its distracting. Being overly aware of the staring, you're about to come out of your meditation when a sudden force swipes across the right side of your face, nearly knocking you into the wall on your left. Gasps sound throughout the cabin causing a stir, that one eye on you much stronger now that you've been thrown out of your mind, returning to reality.
With your own wide eyes, you can't comprehend what had just happened, only feeling a strong set of hands pull you back to sit up straight again. Only when you regain physical composure, the stares in the small space shifts to gawking. "Jean! What the hell?!" "What did you do to her?! Did you just slap Y/n?!" "What happened back there?" Accusations fly around faster than you can listen to even one word, your left hand reaching up to cautiously brush your cheek as your right arm is still trapped beneath a firm grasp.
Drawing your jittery hand back, your exaggerated (color) eyes stare down at the droplets of blood slightly smudged against the tips of your fingers. Your heart picks up even more speed, head dragging up to face the shocked, worried, and angry faces of your comrades as they all seem to corner and invade you. Noticing the obvious gash on your cheek, they immediately stop their rowdiness, realizing that their volume is not only distracting Onyankopon, but frightening you as well. They had witnessed what happened and even though you were the one to feel the effects, you had no idea what it was in the first place. Even Pieck looks stunned. "So... she was right." You faintly hear her voice in the background of your busy mind.
Crouching in front of you, Mikasa looks up at your anxious and dazed expression, being the only calm one, besides the Captain, to help you. "Y/n, can you hear me?" The raven gently asks, patiently waiting for you to communicate. Consciously nodding once, the younger girl releases a subtle sigh. "Did Jean hit you?" Even though she did not believe he did, she still had to ask to see if even you are aware. Your eyes hardly meet hers, too busy traveling the cabin as the others try talking to you as well for some answers. Then, you shake your head "no."
Your squad erupts in more questions, forgetting to keep their volume and energy low and calm. You can't really blame them, though. You would also be surprised if this happened in front of you instead of to you. Lifting a hand to place on your knee, Mikasa continues. "Do you remember what you saw? Were you able to find Zeke?" She wonders, shifting direction of the conversation.
Zeke...
"Z-Zeke..." You whisper through chapped lips, finally swallowing after getting that out. Mikasa's brows stitch together, giving you an extra second to add onto that. "Zeke..." You repeat instead, slowly pulling your right arm out of Jean's protective grasp to cup the side of your cheek where the stinging gash sits. That's when Mikasa makes the connection, understanding what you mean. "Zeke did that?" She asks for clarification, earning another small nod from you.
Hearing this, Captain Levi's good eye widens a bit again, turning to face your squad instead of you now. "Find a medical kit, now!" He barks, waiting for anyone to take the order from him. Commander Armin hops up from the floor to search for one while Mikasa stays put in front of you, waiting for him.
"I told you it wasn't me! I barely even touched her!" Jean defends himself, clearly pissed off that his own comrades blamed him for something he didn't do or would never do. "You're right... Sorry, Jean..." Conny mumbles, ashamed in himself for being too jumpy. "I'm sorry, too." Reiner pipes in. He was just getting reacquainted with his old squad, he can't break their trust again.
Eventually, Commander Armin retrieves a medical kit, bringing it over to Mikasa. The two open the box and help dress your wound while you sit there, still mentally spaced out by all that's happened in the last few minutes. Without a mirror, you have no clue just how deep the gash really is. The others are concerned just by the looks of it, seeing nothing but pink and red flesh, covered in reflective blood. It is far from a little scratch, you're missing a big chunk of skin, like something large had struck you in the face. Noticing the shape of your wound before it gets completely covered by a bandage, Pieck steps forward.
"Wherever he is, he must have thrown something. That's not a scratch from a hand." The onyx-haired female suggests, catching the others off guard. "Zeke's... defending Eren somewhere." Commander Armin looks up at Pieck with wide, sky-blue eyes. Nodding, she thinks some more. "Y/n, what else happened? Were you able to see him?" She looks down at you but your face stays forward, not even aware that your eyes are on the Captain. "White... Cold..." You mouth, unflinching when Mikasa wets a cloth with water to lightly press against your cheek.
Captain Levi furrows his brows at your vague answer. There's still more you need to find out about his location. However, you have to be careful, otherwise, your body and mind won't be in sync with energy levels, exhausting you to the point of not being able to fight.
As Mikasa secures the bandage to your cheek, you whisper an apology to Jean for letting him get the heat on harming you at first. Jean, on the other hand, brushes it off his shoulder, more concerned that you're okay. "Take it easy, Y/n. We're each other's punching bags." He whispers back with a little sigh.
Eyes still facing ahead, straight into the Captain's, the raven man speaks up. "No more questions. Let her rest before we move forward with our new plan." He orders your squad, to which they obey.
I can't keep letting them down...
Your eyelids find their way back to shutting, the world before you slipping away to allow you a bit of rest. You manage to fall into a light sleep, your head tilting towards the wall on your left, avoiding the right side of your face. The whole time you rest, Captain Levi keeps a studious and protective eye on you, wishing there was some other way for you to handle seeing without physical consequences. Never before had he witnessed something so paranormal, it lit a miniature flame inside him. He still tries convincing himself that it isn't possible for his own sake, much like your father had, but its absolutely true. You're capable of wonderful things, however, they come with a price to pay.
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"That-" "can't keep-" "risky-" "Dammit!" A quiet, incoherent voice echoed in the back of your mind, causing your conscious to flicker back on. A jerk of the flying boat fully wakes you back up, body quickly reacting as you've forgotten what's happened. The voice is gone the second you open your eyes. As you sit up straight, trailing your eyes around the cabin, you notice Captain Levi quickly shift his good eye away. Removing your gaze from him, you stretch your neck by rolling your head around in different directions. That's when you feel the bandage on your cheek tighten from the movement, immediately remembering what happened prior to you falling asleep.
Right... I was searching for Zeke.
"Captain... I'm ready to try again." You speak up over the engine, regaining his attention. The man shoots his focus back onto you, a bit too quickly. "No need, Y/n. Just tell us what you remember about it." He waves you off, making you furrow your brows. "Its okay, Captain. I'm okay. I can try again and get more answers." You insist but the raven won't give it the time of day. "You're not okay. You got hurt last time. We can't afford you to spend all your energy on potentially getting nowhere near his location. The last thing we need is for him to knock your head off through telekinesis." Captain Levi argues his point, making you stay quiet. He is right. You don't want to have your energy drained by trying to sense Zeke. Or losing your head. You hate being useless and a burden.
"Understood, sir." You eventually nod, giving in to his orders. As your comrades circle around you again, the rest of your memories flood back in. "I couldn't see much besides a really bright white color. I don't know what that means, though. I also started feeling cold. Could it have been representing snow? Or..." Your voice trails off as your eyes wander to the side. "Could it have been Eren...?" You mumble, eyes narrowing on the chalk portrait of the Founder. "White... Cold... Bones...?" Your left/right index finger draws on your left/right thigh, some of your squad members watching it.
"Pieck already determined he didn't scratch you with his nails, he had to throw something at you." Commander Armin brings up, you remember her mentioning that earlier as well. "Right. I'm pretty sure I was getting closer to the answer but he stopped me. Was it intentional? That I don't know. It could have been he knew I was probing, or... it was simply a coincidence. Like when I feel the death of spirits, they share the pain they dealt with so I can also feel it. Maybe I was only being shown what he was doing in the moment." You suggest, reaching up to carefully brush your fingertips over the bandage. "There's always only questions without answers." You quietly add.
"I guess we should assume that he's with Eren. It makes the most sense." Jean says, getting validation from the others. "I agree. He has to be with Eren. Where else would he be?" Conny speaks up. Nodding at their statements, you lean back in your seat. "So, what's the plan now, Commander?" You grin a bit as you look down at the hopeful and determined blonde in front of you.
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"Dammit! We're running on fumes!" Onyankopon grits his teeth, trying his best to properly steer through the thunderous clouds. "I see him! Get ready to jump!" He warns. "Onyankopon, you get over here, too!" Jean shouts over the exterior commotion. "Not yet! I'll keep going till we're over the Founder! Afterwards, I'll make an emergency landing! So make sure you land on the Founding Titan! Got that?" The man steering the flying boat shouts back.
"Onyankopon!" Mikasa yells for his attention as debris is thrown past the flying boat, nearly striking it down. However, part of the right wing gets hit, causing it to tilt to the left. Sliding against the wall, Pieck falls into you, sending the both of you to the floor. "Sorry!" She yells over the propellers and engine. "Don't worry about it!" You reply, not too bothered by the accident.
Wait... That thing... That must have been what hit me! Zeke's with Eren!
"That bastard's down there. That damned Beast!" Captain Levi growls in irritation. "That saves us the trouble of finding him! Target the Beast Titan! Put all your power into taking him out! Let's stop the rumbling!" Commander Armin announces as the flying boat levels out again. Onyankopon successfully dodges more incoming debris from the Beast, skillfully flying through the air with a tensed expression.
"Now!" The pilot gives his signal for Commander Armin to open the door, bracing against the strong wind. "Eren!" He cries, being the first to dive out followed by the rest of you and your squad. As the wind whips against you, the adrenaline rush pushes you to keep moving forward, nostalgia hitting you all at once as well. All those times of playing free-falling with Quincy paid off, seeing as you're immune to the lack of control when it comes to letting gravity win until the very last second.
You continue to dodge incoming debris from the Beast, the swiftness of your movements not at all difficult. Its just as easy as breathing. "Damn it! I can't land!" You hear Conny shout from ahead of you. Reiner swings his way forward, letting out a battle cry before biting down on his right hand, transforming into his Titan through the thick steam. The brute blonde tackles the Beast loose from the bones holding him onto the Founder, landing somewhere closer to the neck.
"Reiner!" Jean calls after your comrade in fear of this being a bad move. Then, Pieck transforms behind you, sliding down one of the Founder's protruding bones with explosives strapped around her Titan's body. Hanging onto a bone yourself by an anchor, you whip your head around to spot Onyankopon fighting to keep the flying boat above the Founder without crashing. Just making it past, the propellers eventually give out, ultimately running out of fuel.
"Eren." Commander Armin stands up from a crouch, brows furrowed with determination. "I have another question to ask you... once I drag you out of there... "In what way are you free?" The blonde stares at the back of the Founder's head, Captain Levi and Mikasa standing right there behind him.
Now is your last chance, Eren...
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Words: 6,575
03/10/23
Hello again, readers! This is unfortunately the last update for awhile until we get the very last episode later this year since I'm following the anime rather than the manga. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I can't wait for it to pick up again!
I also still have many plans for this book, so without spoiling too much, the story won't end after the last anime episode, it will continue on from the canon ending.
In the meantime, I will be working on finishing one shot requests for my other book, so if you're interested, maybe give it a look! (It's also a Levi x Reader).
I'm sad we have to wait so long for the final final episode but also relived as it buys us more time to grieve the end to an amazing series. I'm really gonna miss it. :')
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day/night and thank you for reading!
~AlpineBreadStick