AUTHOR'S POV:
Rain came down and thick gray clouds moved in the sky.
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Ripped red flags danced in the wind atop the Wall.
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Scouts kept watch, using a spyglass.
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Christa and Nifa knelt, looking down the Wall, Moblit and Petra standing nearby.
"Slowly! Bring it up slowly!" A Scout yelled.
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Two soldiers were hanging off the Wall, escorting Ymir being pulled up the stretched.
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"Raise it carefully now!" Moblit told them.
Steam rose from the unconscious Ymir.
Christa eyed her worriedly.
"How's Ymir?" Eren asked, kneeling on the edge of Wall, a small distance away from Christa, Marco and Nifa. "What sort of shape is she in?"
"Her right arm and leg were bitten off." Keiji responded, checking his gear. "And her insides are beaten like scrambled eggs. If she was normal, she'd be dead for sure."
'If she was normal, huh?' Eren thought. Hearing grunts, he followed it to the source.
Reiner was attempted to pull himself up with one arm, sitting in a lift.
"Reiner! Grab on!" Eren said, holding out an arm.
"Right!" Reiner said and took his hand.
Eren pulled him up.
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"Please, believe me!" Christa said, standing before Hange. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir transformed into a Titan to fight off the other Titans and save us! She did so with no regard for her own life, which proves her loyalty to us, her comrades!"
Hange listened to her silently, expression neutral.
"It's true that her judgment until now is unforgivable. After all, she may know things useful to humanity and yet she kept quiet about it!" Christa said. "I imagine she didn't say anything in order to protect herself. But... now she's a changed person! Ymir is an ally of humanity! I know Ymir better than anybody. She's a much simpler person than she looks!"
"I see." Hange said. "Obviously, I hope we can build a trusting relationship with her." She watched two of her subordinates carry the stretcher holding Ymir. "Her judgment aside, the information she holds is a treasure for humanity. I hope we get along." She started walking, Christa following. "But you know, even if she is a simple person, this world becomes more of a confusing mess with every passing day."
Christa didn't reply.
Hange looked at her from her shoulder. "You said... your real name was Historia Reiss?"
"Yes." Historia replied. "That's right."
"Reiss, as in that noble family?" Hange asked, a bit surprised.
Christa stopped, eyes downcast. "Yes."
"I see." Hange said and stepped toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We are counting on you, Historia."
Historia looked up at her. "Yeah..."
Hange walked over to Ymir and stopped before them.
Christa ran to kneel by the stretcher.
"She's still in a coma." Moblit said. "Her bleeding has stopped and we think steam is coming out of her wounds."
Christa brushed some of the hair out of Ymir's face, stroking her hair gently.
Hange looked at Nifa. "For now, take her back to Trost so she can get some proper medical care. She's in your hands."
"Understood." Nifa replied, looking to her squad leader.
"Now then..." Hange said and walked away from them, Moblit following after her. "Our original mission... was to seal this Wall."
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Reiner sat on the ground, rubbing his injured arm. "Damn, it hurts."
"You alright, Reiner?" Eren asked, crouching by the Wall's edge.
"Not by a long shot." Reiner replied. "A Titan nearly gnawed off my arm. That was... pathetic. I thought I was done for."
Eren kept quiet, eyes shifting down.
Armin reached the top of the Wall and Eren grabbed his arm, helping him come over.
"Even someone as strong as you gets this way sometimes." Eren said.
"What are you talking about?" Reiner asked strongly.
Behind him, Bertolt listened carefully.
"This is the second time for me!" Reiner said and looked at Armin. "Tell him, Armin."
"Huh?" Armin said with confusion, looking at Reiner.
"Remember the time I almost got crushed in that Titan's hand?" Reiner said.
"Oh..." Armin said. "Back then..."
"That makes twice I've nearly died." Reiner said and brought his fist to his face, distressed. "At this rate, I'll be dead before I know it. I picked this path on my own, but being a soldier is rough."
Bertolt stood silently behind him, a little nervous.
"It's like a soldier's spirit breaks down before their body." Reiner said. "Though, until we plug up this Wall, there's no time to waste whining about it."
"Yeah." Eren said and moved away from Armin, looking at Reiner from the corner of his eyes. "You two have been driven far enough away from your hometown, haven't you?"
Reiner's breathing shuttered at his words.
"I'm thinking this is where we gotta draw the line." Eren said. "And end it all together."
"He's right, Reiner!" Bertolt said and smiled, talking loudly. "Our hometown! Let's return! Isn't it about time to go back?" He knelt before Reiner. "Compared to all the trouble we've been through, what's left to do is nothing!"
"That's right." Reiner replied. A desperate hope appeared on his face. "We're so close, it's just another few steps till the end."
Eren turned to them. "Huh? What are you guys talking about?"
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A few yards down from them, Connie held up his arm, grunting as he came to the top of the Wall.
Mikasa released his hand, crouching before him.
"Thanks, Mikasa." Connie said.
"Are you hurt?" Mikasa asked with Sasha, Marco and Faye standing behind her.
"I'm fine, but... Reiner got his arm bit and Ymir is as you can see." Connie replied.
The four of them looked over to where Christa and Nifa watched over Ymir.
"Who would've thought Ymir was a Titan, too? Does that-" Sasha said.
"Sasha." Faye said, interrupting Shasa, standing in front of her.
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"Is everyone clear?" Hange asked, approaching them. "We'll deal with Ymir later." She stopped before them and looked at Connie. "And Connie... I'll arrange for a Scout squad to investigate your village later. For the time being, I want you to focus on the mission to fix the wall. Got it?" She placed her hand on Connie's shoulder.
"Got it!" Connie replied.
"Still..." Hange said and went to stand over the edge of the Wall. "I expected this place to be swarming with Titans." Hearing horses, she looked down.
"Hannes-san?" Faye said, noticing Hannes and two other soldiers riding by.
"It's the Garrison's advance squad." Hange said with a surprised expression. "They came to tell us where the hole is."
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"There's no hole anywhere!" Hannes informed them as soon as he brought his head and shoulders over the Wall.
Everyone had gathered around behind him.
"We spent all night looking for it but... at least between Trost and Krolva District, there's nothing wrong with the Wall." Hannes said.
"Are you sure?" Hange asked.
Hannes stood before them. "We bumped into soldiers from Krolva and retraced our steps. We haven't seen any Titans the whole way here."
"But... We know for sure there's Titans on this side of the Wall." Armin said.
"Did you actually look?" Eren asked. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"I didn't drink!" Hannes said heatedly. "Wait, why are all of you here anyways?"
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The wind picked up speed.
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After a moment, Hange turned around. "If there's no hole in the Wall, so be it."
The scouts began to move away.
"For now, we're falling back to Trost District!" Hange said.
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Mikasa, Faye, Eren, and Armin were the only ones still with Hannes.
"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down." Hannes said. "We're going back ahead of you." Jumping off the Wall, he flew away.
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"There's nothing wrong with the Wall?" Eren said.
"What could this mean?" Armin asked, walking away, chin in hand. "There's been nothing like this in five years." Mikasa, Faye and Sasha followed him. "Why is it all happening now? This world is getting more and more out of hand."
"Eren." Reiner called out.
Eren stopped.
"Have a minute? We need to talk." Reiner said.
Eren turned to them. "What about?"
"Five years ago, we demolished the Wall and began our attack on humanity." Reiner told him nonchalantly.
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"Oh no... What if there's a Titan that dug a hole underneath the Wall?" Hange theorized, looking up.
"The hole will be hard to find in that case." Moblit said.
"We aren't even aware... what's going on..." Hange said, gasping.
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"I'm the Armored Titan and he's the Colossal Titan." Reiner said and jerked his thumb over to Bertolt.
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"Right now." Hange said. "We need to focus on getting Ymir back safely."
"Even with our horses, we still have to worry about Titans." Moblit said.
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"Huh?" Eren said.
"Why are you telling him, Reiner?" Bertolt said and grabbed his bicep, voice quivering.
"Our primary goal was to ensure all of humanity was wiped out." Reiner said.
Mikasa and Faye stopped and listened behind them.
"But now there's no need for that." Reiner said.
Eren remained silent with a straight face.
"Eren. If you agree to come with us, we won't have to destroy any more of the Walls." Reiner said. "Understand?"
"To where?" Eren asked.
"I can't say that yet. But... Well, it's something like our hometown." Reiner said.
"Liberio, Marley?" Eren asked.
Reiner and Bertolt gasped.
"How did you..." Reiner trailed off.
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[12 Hours Earlier - Ehrmich District]
Scouts were loading supplies in to a cart in a courtyard.
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"Eren?" Hange called out.
"What is it, Squad Leader?" Eren asked.
"Oh, well... I was finally able to get my hands on the background report for Annie Leonhart." Hange said, holding up the papers.
"Annie's?" Eren asked.
"Yeah." Hange replied. "It's taken so long to get it because managing these reports is such a mess right now. According to this, there were two others belonging to the 104th Cadet Corps who came from the same area as her. And those two are... Reiner Braun... and Bertoltolt Hoover."
Sasha, Faye, and Armin reacted visibly while Eren and Mikasa still had a straight face.
Levi watched without an expression.
"Thanks to the chaos five years ago, pretty much all of their family records are spotty or missing. However..." Hange said and placed the documents on the table. "During the long-range scouting formation, their unit was given false information. They were among those purposely told that Eren was in the right wing."
"The Female Titan attacked from the right wing!" Armin said.
"Huh?" Sasha said, turning to Armin. "What does that mean?"
"Then it's possible..." Armin's voice slowed and trailed off at the end. "...they passed on that information to Annie..."
"Why? Why would they tell Annie?" Sasha asked.
"By itself, that's not enough to prove anything." Hange said. "So, just in case, I'd like to hear from you how these three interacted during training. Know anything?"
"I knew Reiner and Bertoltolt were from the same place, but... they didn't seem close to Annie." Armin replied.
"When we ate, Annie would always sit alone and munch on food by herself. Oh!" Sasha said and slapped her fist into her hand. "I've got something! I heard a rumor she liked sweets, even though she looks so grouchy!"
"I... don't remember." Mikasa said slowly.
Eren looked down. "They are definitely the traitors."
All of their eyes widened.
"Do you have any evidence, Eren?" Faye asked.
Eren looked up at them. "When I ate Annie back the-"
Sasha gasped. "What? You ate Annie? Why?"
Faye put her hand on Sasha's shoulder. "That's a long story. But, for starters, she was the Female titan."
Sasha gasped. "Huh?"
"You continue, Eren." Hange said.
"Back then, when I ate Annie, I not only inherited the powers of Female titan, but also, Annie's memories."
Sasha looked at her with a confused expression.
"Her memories you say." Hange said, surprised.
"Yeah." Eren said. "In her memories, I saw Reiner, Bertolt talking about breaching Wall Rose to smoke out the Founding Titan."
Armin gasped. "Really?"
"Yeah. Reiner said we're not his friends but devils." Eren said with furrowed eyebrows. "But gaining our trust can't hurt."
Faye gritted her teeth while Sasha and Armin looked hurt.
Hange let out a sigh. "Now, I am confirmed that you have the Founding Titan, Eren."
"I guess so." Eren said.
Hange looked at the other scouts. "Everyone, listen up!"
The soldiers around the table straightened.
"Supposing that we find Reiner or Bertolt, act in such a way as to not reveal any suspicions." Hange said. "Of course, do not make any mention of Annie Leonhart either. Regardless if they're Annie's accomplices or not, we need to lead them deep underground and confine them." She placed her hands on the table. "Does everyone understand?"
"Yes!" All of them replied in unison.
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"I guess it wasn't that hard for you guys to win our trust." Eren said and furrowed his eyebrows. "Did you guys feel satisfied after breaching my home town?"
Bertolt started sweating while Reiner remained surprised.
Eren looked away. "Ofcourse you guys didn't." He looked at Reiner. "When you were breaking Wall Maria gate, I was there in the boat, escaping from you. Never would have thought we'll cross path one day."
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The wind pushed the dark gray clouds fiercely.
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Mikasa and Faye had yet to move as Armin and the others kept moving.
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"Who throught I'd be betrayed by someone I used to admire." Eren said.
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Suddenly, the wind picked up speed.
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The flagpole broke and noisily fell down the Wall, hitting it and shattering the silence.
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Sunlight broke through the thick clouds in several places.
Mikasa and Faye's hand clutched the handle of her sword, still sheathed, but ready to strike.
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"Yeah. That's it. I've been here too long for my own good." Reiner said. "It's been three long years... surrounded by nothing but idiots. We were just kids... We didn't know anything. If only I never knew that there were people like this... I... wouldn't have become... such a half-assed piece of shit" Tears were gathered in his eyes.
Eren's eyes were focused on Reiner's hurt arm.
"It's too late now..." Reiner said and removed the sling. "I don't know what's right anymore. But the only choice for me now... is to face the consequences of my actions..."
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Hange and Moblit turned to them in surprise, hearing the hissing of steam.
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"...and as a warrior... fulfill my duty to the bitter end!" Reiner finished and held up his arm.
The wound was healing rapidly. Little flecks of embers flew as it closed completely.
"It's about to go down now?!" Bertolt asked.
Eren kept his straight face.
"Reiner! Are we doing it?!" Bertolt asked, panicked. "Now?! Right here?!"
"Yeah. We settle this... right here." Reiner said as he went for Eren. "Right now!" He screamed as he charged.
Just then, Mikasa and Faye appeared from behind Eren.
Mikasa swung at Reiner, cutting his arm and part of his throat but he caught with his other hand.
Faye jumped at Bertolt and with a swift motion, severed his legs.
Mikasa spinned and severed Reiner's hand. "Eren!"
Faye pinned Bertolt under her boot as he gurgled, clutching his neck. She pointed her sword straight down, ready to run him through with it.
Reiner shoved Mikasa off the Wall with his shoulder but she quickly deployed her 3D gear.
"Run, Eren!" Faye shouted.
Reiner ran towards her but Faye threw a punch on his face, sending him rolling to the ground.
Mikasa grabbed Faye and jumped off the Wall as yellow electricity started to crackle around Bertolt and Reiner.
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"Eren!" Armin yelled, running for them with Hange, Sasha, Moblit, and the others on his heels. "Get out of there!"
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Yellow lightning erupted and the force of the gales threw them off their feet.
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Christa was sent rolling and she tried to clutch the Wall for support.
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Bones began to form, digging into the sides of the Wall.
Eren held himself at the edge of the Wall but was swept off.
With furrowed eyebrows, he watched the Armored and Colossal Titans appear among the steam.
Armored Titan grabbed him, pulling him close.
The Colossal Titan reached out with his long arm and Armin and the others under it braced themselves.
The Colossal Titan caught the stretcher Ymir was in as it flew through the air.
"Ymir!" Christa screamed, still holding on.
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The Armored Titan jumped, sliding down the Wall.
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"Eren!" Armin yelled.
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Tears appeared in the corner of Eren's eyes. 'Bertolt... Reiner...' Tears flew from Eren's eyes. He glared angrily, biting his hand.
Yellow lightning struck and the Attacking Titan formed.
Roaring furiously, he threw his hand back and harden it before throwing a powerful punch at the Armoured Titan's face, breaking the Armoured titan's armours.
"You damn traitors!"
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