The Special Operations Squad got farther in the forest as they were told. When the coast was clear, they tied their horses to the tree and got onto the branches, keeping themselves off the ground in case of any surrounding Titans. At that moment, Orabelle heard the faint sound of cannons being fired, and she looked towards the source with her brows furrowed.
'Something has happened, and I think I have got a good idea what it is.' she thought. 'They lured the Female Titan all the way out here in order to capture it. Well, more precisely, to capture the person inside of it.'
"So that was his plan from the start!" said Eren, who came to the same conclusion as her, though he voiced it out to the other soldiers. "That's it, right? I can see why he kept it a secret from us new recruits, but why he wouldn't tell you, when you've all been with the Survey Corps for so long?"
"Shut up!" snapped Oluo, who didn't take it nicely.
"Are you implying the Commander and the Captain don't trust us?" asked the angered Petra.
"B-But that's exactly what this means." defended Eren.
"Petra, rip out his teeth, then swap the incisors with the molars and shove 'em back in!" added Oluo, pointing his sword at him.
"No, Eren's right on the mark." intercepted Eren, catching him by surprise. "I think the Commander kept this from us for a reason."
"Like what?" asked Gunther.
"There's only one reason he wouldn't trust his fellow soldiers." he began. "A person who can become a Titan, or a spy working for such people, has infiltrated our ranks."
"A spy?" repeated Gunther questioningly. "You really think so?"
"At any rate, the Commander has suspicions of his own." said Eld. "I'd imagine the only soldiers who knew of the plan were those who survived with him from five years ago."
"I see." said the former. "So that's it."
"No doubt." scoffed Oluo. "Understand, Eren? That's how it is."
"If that's the case, then it does make sense." sighed Petra. She then looked at Eren and explained, "He's assuming that five years ago, when the first Wall fell, a spy managed to slip in amongst us. And he narrowed down the possibilities from there."
"Then, this spy killed Sawney and Bean?" guessed Eld.
Orabelle's eyes narrowed at this. 'So that was what the question was about.' she thought, recalling the sudden question he asked her and Eren at the scene when the two Titans' carcasses were discovered.
"If we could've answered him then, maybe we could've been there for him." he continued before placing a finger on his chin to ponder. "I doubt that anyone could've known back then, though."
"I knew." said Oluo proudly. "But I didn't say anything. Do you know why?" When Petra asked, he merely sighed. "What, can't you tell? Well, I guess I shouldn't expect much from the likes of you. You have yet to reach my level."
"Hey, are you trying to imitate Captain Levi again?" she questioned, clearly annoyed by his act. "The Captain would never say anything as dumb as that."
'If we succeed, I'll be that much closer to the truth of this world.' thought Eren. 'Even still... Regardless of our cause, too many people have died.'
"Do you think the Commander was wrong?" asked Eld while looking at him.
'I cannot say he was right.' thought Orabelle, keeping her answers to herself. 'If we had known there was a spy around in amongst us, we could have handled it differently. But then again, it is easy to look back in hindsight and say, "We could have done something else." However, no one knows how things will turn out. And yet, we still have to make a choice. It is inevitable. The lives of a hundred fellow soldiers, or the lives of everyone within the Walls; the Commander still made his choice. He chose to sacrifice those hundred. I haven not lived that long, but I am certain of one thing - If there is anyone who can bring about change, it will be someone willing to sacrifice everything they care for. It will be someone who can set aside even their humanity, in order to defeat the monsters. A person who cannot sacrifice everything will not be able to change anything!'
Moments later, a blue flare was fired to signal for retreat. "Looks like it's over." noted Gunther before turning to the rest. "Back to the horses! Prepare to retreat!"
"You heard the man." said Oluo while getting up. "Let's go see what the bastard inside that thing looks like.
"Will we really find out who it is?" asked Eren while checking his gas tank, ensuring that he would have enough gas on the way back.
"All thanks to you." praised Petra, which only confused him as he said he didn't do much. She then clarified, "You had faith in us. This is the result of our choice to believe in us back then. Making the right choice isn't easy."
"Hey, don't pamper him, Petra." scoffed Oluo, placing both hands on his waist. "What did he even do, anyway? He was pathetic. He just kept whining. Well, coming back alive from your first excursion is a pretty good start. But it doesn't count until the mission's over. Listen up, kiddo! The expedition lasts until you're at home in bed."
'What is he try to achieve?' questioned Orabelle with a raised brow.
Once everyone was prepared, everyone used their vertical maneuvering equipment to return home, each with drawn swords. While in air, Eld turned around and shouted, "Oluo! Petra! You guys pissed your pants and cried on your first mission. You're all grown up now!"
Eren and Orabelle looked at him with wide eyes; and Petra let out a scream. "Don't say that!" she scolded, clearly embarrassed that he brought it up. "What if he and Orabelle stop respecting me, Eld?!"
"It really happened?" questioned the latter with surprise, looking at her over her shoulder.
"Sure did." replied the said man. "And for the record, I didn't."
"Idiot!" yelled Oluo. "I've killed more of them than you! I've got more skills, stupid!"
"Your kill count isn't what makes a soldier." countered Eld.
"Shut up, idiot!" scolded the embarrassed man.
"Petra." called Eren. "Does that mean you sprayed it everywhere in mid-air?"
'What kind of question is that?' questioned Orabelle with an impassive expression.
"Shut up!" yelled Gunther from the front. "Do you think you're on a picnic? We're outside the Walls! I didn't piss my pants either."
'What will he gain from that, though?' thought the girl.
The group then noticed a green signal flare coming from the right. "Oh, that must be the signal from Captain Levi." said Gunther. "We'll rendezvous with the Captain! Cut the chatter until we get back." He stopped on a tree branch to fire a green flare before heading towards that direction. All of a sudden, the group noticed a figure with their hood up flying alongside them. Gunther thought it was the Squad Captain, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't him. "Who are you?!"
The figure didn't say anything as they flew towards him and sliced him across the chest, cutting his wire as well. "G-Gunther!" yelled Eren, who was just as confused and shocked as the others.
"Eren!" called Orabelle. "Keep moving with the seniors! I will check on him!" With the group moving forward as the soldiers tried to keep him away from the culprit, she turned back around and went towards him. But it was too late. Gunther was left dangling by the single wire motionless. Orabelle narrowed her eyes before directing her glare towards where the killer had left. 'So it is not just Titans we would have to fight, huh?' she thought. Firing her wires, she rushed towards where the squad and the culprit had went.
'I knew I had a bad feeling about this.' she thought. The more she tried to put the pieces together, the more uneasy she felt about the current situation. 'Back then, even though the Titans managed to break through Trost's gate, they did not even try for the inner gate. And when Eren sealed the gate, they let him. It could mean that they now have a bigger concern; something more important to them than breaching the walls, something unexpected that happened - Eren's transformation into a Titan. That means someone was there when they saw Eren transform, and that person is the Titan.' Her glared intensified, for the answer was right in front of her eyes. 'I know who you are, Female Titan.'
When Levi heard the roar, he didn't have to second guess what happened. He quickly turned back around and went towards the source. But he wasn't prepared to come across a bloody sight. Gunther, Eld, Oluo, and Petra; they were all dead. He took one look at each of his fallen comrades before continuing to move forward, as a stoic expression settled on his face. Although he looked around as much as he could while following the path where he heard to roar, he wasn't able to find the purple doe-eyed girl. He couldn't even find a trace of her, or her corpse, at least. A part of him could only assume the worst, but another part of him wanted to believe that she might be alive. Regardless, he still had a mission in his hand, and he wasn't going to allow these thoughts cloud his mind.
Mikasa, too, heard the familiar roar from far and rushed to the scene. But she arrived just to see Eren getting devoured by the Female Titan. She was stunned by what she saw, then quickly recuperated and began chasing the Female Titan, repeatedly slashing all over its body while demanding it to give Eren back. The Female Titan kept running, all the while protecting its nape from her. But her final strike was futile, as the Female Titan hardened its nape, breaking her sword upon contact. The Female Titan quickly recovered and continued running.
"Wait!" yelled Mikasa. She was about to go after it but was suddenly caught by someone and pulled away from it. "Wh-What are you..."
"Fall back for now." ordered Levi. She glared at the retreating Titan and reluctantly followed. Once they were far enough, they continued the chase, all the while maintaining their distance from them.
"Captain!" called a voice from above. "Mikasa!"
Levi thought he was hallucinating when he heard that familiar voice. He couldn't believe it at first, when when he saw those purple orbs, he felt a huge weight had been lifted off from his chest. He thought he had lost her, or that the Female Titan had critically injured her. He had seen the corpses of his squad members, and he wasn't planning on seeing hers.
"Belle!" responded the latter, who was surprised to see her.
"Orabelle, huh?" he greeted as the said girl moved alongside them. "Maintain this distance. It may be tired. It does not appear to be going very fast."
"Where is Eren?" she asked.
"It seems like he was bitten right out along with the neck." he replied before his gaze fixated on the enraged girl. "Is Eren dead?"
"He's alive." she said, maintaining her glare on the Titan. "Our target seems highly intelligent, and capturing Eren is apparently her primary goal. If she wanted him dead, she could've crushed him in her jaws. Instead, she's carefully holding Eren inside her mouth while fighting to escape."
"Eating Eren may also have been her goal." he pointed out. "If so, he would've ended up in her stomach. It makes sense to assume he's dead."
But Mikasa was persistent. "He's alive!"
The Squad Captain merely looked at her and said, "I hope you're right."
"If only you'd protected Eren, this never would've happened!" she growled.
But Levi was unfazed by this. Instead, he turned around to have a closer look at her as he recognised her. "Now I see." he said. "It was you back then. You're Eren's close friend."
"Captain." called Orabelle, grabbing both his and Mikasa's attention. "I would suggest we forget about killing the Female Titan."
"But Belle, she killed so many of our comrades!" said Mikasa otherwise, trying to persuade her to rethink her decision.
"No, she's right." agreed Levi. "As long as she can crystallise her skin, there's no way we can kill her. We'll keep hoping that Eren is still alive, and attempt to rescue him before she leaves the forest. Orabelle and I will hack her up. You draw her attention!"
And so, they carried out the plan. Mikasa maneuvered in front of the Female Titan as a distraction. While Orabelle kept her distance, Levi moved closer to the target, eying her movements closely while backhandedly held his right sword. The Titan knew what they were up to, even thought Mikasa was in front of her. A few moments later, she abruptly spun around and attempted to swing her fist at him, only to have him slice up its entire arm and plunge both his swords into its eyes. Flying up, he equipped a new pair of swords and sliced down from its spine to the ankles. As it started to fall, he spun around rapidly and gashed the back of her head, further weakening it.
Once it landed, Levi quickly retreated and yelled "Go!"
With both swords in her hands, Orabelle flew towards the Titan from above, running her blade all around the Titan's torso before leaving a deep gash in the right arm. She then moved to the other side and left two large gashes. The girl moved all over the place and left no parts spared. The arms, legs, and torso; the next thing Mikasa knew, the Titan was covered in deep cuts. She was already in awe at Levi's speed, but watching Orabelle in action was another story, despite knowing her for three years since their days in the Training Corps. She wasn't the only one who was impressed by Orabelle, as Levi watched with both disbelief and surprise written all over his face.
The Female Titan's right arm was severely damaged and dropped to its side, revealing the nape of its neck. 'We can go for the neck!' thought Mikasa. 'She's tired! I bet she can't move! I can kill her!' She wedged her wire into the Titan's shoulder blade and began moving towards it.
But Orabelle knew that this wouldn't go as smoothly as she thought. "Wait, Mikasa!" she yelled.
The said girl was already heading straight for the Titan, but as soon as it raised its left hand to catch her, Levi quickly moved Mikasa out of the way, twisting his ankle painfully in the process. He lunged at the Female Titan once more and cut through its mouth, revealing an unconscious Eren covered in saliva. He quickly grabbed the boy and moved away from the Titan, landing on a tree with Mikasa and Orabelle near him.
"We need to get out of here!" he said. His gaze then went to Eren and, mainly to assure Mikasa, said, "I think he's okay. He's alive! Filthy, though. Don't worry about anything else. We're pulling back. don't lose sigh of your primary objective. Is it more important to get the revenge you desire? Isn't he a dear friend of yours?" He looked at Orabelle, signaling her to make a move, and began moving to outside of the forest where the rest of the soldiers might be waiting. The girl looked back at the Titan and let out a soft gasp, not expecting to see tears rolling down from its eyes.