𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅
Year 850: The Colossal Titan reappeared and destroyed the wall, which allowed the Titans to invade.
Soldiers fell before the Titans, one after another. And then, Eren, was too, devoured.
But since I'm the narrator, we all know he didn't die, but deal with it. It's part of the story.
A mysterious Titan-killing Titan then appeared before the cornered Mikasa, leaving her in awe.
But since I'm the narrator again, we all know who the Titan is. But deal with it. It's part of the story.
The slap was as loud as a clap and stung his face. It had been an open-handed smack and it had left a red welt behind.
Jean staggered backward, holding his swollen cheek with his hand. His eyes widened at Y/n, who had slapped him.
"What are you all doing?" Y/n repeated, her voice was still soft. But her actions said so otherwise.
No one dared to answer. Not even the hot-headed Jean. He was too terrified to even utter out a word.
"What are you all doing?!" Y/n repeated once again, raising her voice. At this point, everyone was frozen in spot.
They couldn't explain it themselves.
Y/n wasn't that tall, her height wasn't even that frightening. She literally looked like a cub roaring at them.
And yet, it terrified them.
Even Annie, who's usually calm and collected, was shocked. Even she couldn't move.
"All of you are so darn worthless! You should all just become Titan food like the useless trash that you are!" Y/n yelled.
"Y-Y/n, calm down. I can give you a p-potato if you want." Sasha offered, trying to calm the furious, young lady.
"Shut up, you voracious animal." Y/n harshly smacked her hand away, ignoring her attempt to be nice.
"H-Hey, Y/n, I think we should all calm down. We're all frustrated." Reiner spoke up.
"Y-Yeah, there was no chance for them to be saved anyways. Even if we were to try and help, it would've been too late." Bertholdt joined in.
"No. It wasn't too late. All of you were just too scared to even move." Y/n retorted.
"Why? You had the chance, why..." she paused, gripping the sleeve of her jacket.
They had the chance. Y/n didn't. She couldn't even save her one and only sister.
They had the chance to jump down and try to save their comrades and yet, they didn't.
Y/n never had the chance. No matter what she did, the results would've remained the same.
And that frustrated her.
"Why? Why didn't you all fight?" Y/n whimpered, looking at the ground. She didn't want them to see her tears.
The walls, that she had built around her, have fallen, brick by brick. Inside of the fortress of walls was a torn Y/n.
Her biological parents abandoned her for some reason. Her only sister died in front of her. Her childhood friend got devoured.
Her only best friend, that happened to be of the same gender as her, is now lost and empty.
Her other best friend, the one who stuck with her almost every single day, felt like a burden, someone who isn't even worth the effort.
Everything around her was crumbling, their pieces and fragments that formed their shape were all cracked.
"Why?" her voice cracked. She hated seeing her like this. She needed to be strong to live.
"Y/n..." Annie mumbled, wanting to comfort her but Y/n had already sucked up her tears and walked away.
"Jean-Boy, you're the leader, aren't you? Don't tell me you're gonna be a coward and wait for your mom to beat you into your senses." Y/n gave him a thumbs down with a smirk.
She was back. In a snap, she turned back to her usual self. It was as if she had rebuilt her walls once again.
"Wh-Why you!" an irk mark formed on his forehead as he still held onto his swollen cheek.
He wanted to apologize. He thought that Y/n was just messing with him to make him feel bad.
"Now! Rush over to HQ now!" Jean ordered. The rest all looked at each other and sighed.
"I want Y/n to yell at me and slap me like that." Annie mumbled to herself, not expecting Reiner to hear that.
He just glanced at Annie and ran ahead. He decided that it was best to pretend he didn't hear that.
They all followed after their leader. Y/n just stared at them and wiped her remaining tears.
"This is no time to cry. Get used to it. You expected this when you joined. Just deal with it." Y/n told herself as she soared through the sky with her ODM gear.
She spotted her other two best friends and another, almost bald, cadet. She assumed it to be Mikasa, Armin, and Connie.
"What are you all doing here?" Y/n questioned, landing gracefully on the roof of the building they were standing on.
"Y/n! Where were you? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Armin bombarded her with multiple questions.
"I'm fine. I was just...settling with something over there." Y/n explained. She didn't want them to know what she did.
Of course, she felt guilty. She didn't mean to slap Jean. She didn't mean to insult Sasha and call all of them useless.
The words just came out of her mouth. Does that personality ring a bell? Yes, she became hot-headed like Eren.
"Oh, yeah, what's up with that Titan? Why's he attacking his own kind?" Y/n pointed to the Titan behind her.
The Titan she was currently talking about was stomping on another Titan's face.
"How can you be so calm in a situation like that?! Shouldn't you be like...like...shocked?" Connie gawked.
"Well, it's interesting and we have to use what we can, right? We're in a desperate situation, so we have to do something." Y/n shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Mikasa questioned. Y/n noticed the sparkle in her eyes. Mikasa was back. Y/n wasn't.
"Knowing Armin, he probably came up with a ridiculous plan to use that Titan to attack the Titans at the HQ." Y/n scoffed.
"Aren't I right, Armin?" Y/n smirked. Oh, how he loved that confident smirk.
"Yeah, what do you think of it?" Armin lightly blushed, averting his eyes from her.
"I'm down. It's your plan, so I trust you. Plus, we have no choice." Y/n sighed, jumping off of the building.
She was immediately caught in the hands of a Titan. Her eyes widened as she stared at its face.
It was the Titan-killing Titan they were talking about earlier.
"Y/n!" the three of them yelled. The Titan gently pinched her jacket and lifted her up.
The Titan placed her back on the roof where Mikasa, Armin, and Connie were standing on.
"Wh-What the?" Y/n stared at it in disbelief. The Titan literally grabbed her, just to put her back on top of the roof.
It shook its head as if telling her that what she did right now was wrong. They stared at it questionably and watched it run away to attack more Titans.
"Did...did it just tell me not to jump off of a building?" Y/n was shocked to the core. The three nervously agreed.
"That's so cool!" Y/n exclaimed, standing back up. How fascinating was that?
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𝙰𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅
We, the Cadets, commandeer the lift to reach the gas supply room on the ground floor.
Reiner questioned Connie on what they know about this Titan, but Connie said they can talk after they escape, to which Reiner agrees.
Jean brought in some old firearms and I lay out our plan of action to take out the seven 3-4 meter Titans currently infesting the supply room.
By using the guns to blind the Titans, the most physically capable soldiers can leap down from the rafters and dispatch all the Titans simultaneously.
"Once again, I apologize for burdening you guys with that responsibility." I apologized. I feel like I'm just taking advantage of their skill.
Although I harbor doubts about the plan, everyone agrees that it is the best thing available and Mikasa further reassures me by telling me that his plans have saved her and Eren's lives before.
But that makes no sense. What? When? How did I...
The lift is ready and everyone gets into position on the lift or in the rafters.
First, we'll lower a crowd of people, armed with shotguns, from the center part of the roof using the lift.
Then, we'll all fire the faces of the Titans at the same time to rob them of their sight.
The Titans began to close in on the human concentrated lift and when they are closest, are exposed to the devastating volley of gunfire to their eyes.
The seven people hiding atop the rafters will match the timing of gunfire and slash at the Titans' vitals.
At that moment, Mikasa, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Jean, Connie, and Sasha leap from the rafters and kill their designated Titan.
However, Sasha and Connie miss the vital part of the Titan, which is their napes.
Usually, I would be freaking out and saying that we're all dead, but this time, I didn't.
Why you may ask?
Because if anything goes wrong, she'll come and rescue all of us with her grace.
Y/n dodged the bodies and stepped on a collapsing Titan's head. She front flipped and sliced the Titan's nape.
The other one was making their way towards Sasha who was frantically panicking and screaming.
Y/n grabbed a rusty pipe that had been abandoned on the floor. She threw it and it rolled in front of the Titan.
The Titan slipped on it and lost its balance, making it fall, face flat on the ground. Sasha immediately stood up and ran away from the Titan.
Y/n approached the Titan and stabbed her two, broken swords into both of its knees. The Titan let out a pained roar.
The Cadets, who were all watching, including me, winced as if we were the Titan being tortured by Y/n.
Y/n took out a new pair of swords as she stepped on the Titan's head to make sure it didn't move.
The Titan tried to fight back by moving its head and trying to bite Y/n's foot as a way of revenge.
But every time it did, Y/n would kick its eye, making it roar in pain. Y/n just simply ignored its screams of agony and continued fixing herself up.
She grabbed her new pair of swords and finally sliced the nape of the Titan, ending its misery and escaping the young lady's wrath.
"Y/n! Thank you so much! I'll give you half of my dinner!" Sasha cried out, wrapping her arms around Y/n.
"It's no problem. Also, sorry..." Y/n muttered an apology. Why is she saying sorry?
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Sasha questioned, releasing herself from the hug.
"Sorry for calling you something horrible earlier. I didn't mean it. I...I really am sorry." Y/n apologized even more.
"Oh, that's okay!" Sasha grinned at her.
"Thanks for saving my butt back there, Y/n." Connie bashfully thanked her.
"No problem, really." she responded. Reiner comments that he is happy that all of us were not hurt in the short but stressful battle.
"Shouldn't we all thank Armin for his quick thinking? It's all thanks to him that we made it all out alive." Y/n gestured to me.
"H-Huh? But all of you did the work. I was just in the way-" I got cut off when Y/n gently grabbed my face with both of her hands.
"What are you talking about? Even though everyone was panicking, you managed to come up with a plan that saved all of us." Y/n reminded.
Her face was so close to mine! I could hear the loud thumping in my chest. I swear, if she was a bit closer, she would be able to hear it!
"Anywho, this place is clear now. Let's not waste time. We should all start refilling." Y/n suggested, backing away from me.
I took a few steps back and inhaled a bunch of oxygen. I also tried fanning my face with my hand to get rid of my blushing face.
The cadets, although shaken, are elated as the supply room is cleared and they begin refueling their gas tanks, under the orders of Jean.
𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅
"I surrendered to a Titan. I'm too ashamed to look anyone in the eyes!" Sasha cried.
"We'll all scorn you for it later! Right now, we need to leave!" Connie reminded.
When the cadets finish refueling, they all leave the HQ and begin heading for the safety of the Wall.
However, Mikasa is watching the mysterious Titan as it has been pinned down by multiple other Titans.
She believes this anomaly could help unravel some of the mystery surrounding the Titans and contemplates aiding it.
Reiner agrees to say that if the rogue died, they will have learned nothing. Annie and Bertholdt stare at him, speechless.
When Jean argues that it is still a Titan, Annie replies that it could be a potential ally.
At that moment, Armin spots the Abnormal that killed Thomas Wagner. They all turn towards it.
The mysterious Titan angrily bounds toward, losing both arms in the process, and slays the abnormal by biting fiercely into its neck.
The Titan then lifts the Titan's corpse-turned-weapon, and crush the Titans pursuing it, before sending the body and another Titan flying into a house.
Grimly, Jean asks which Titan needed help, but then the mysterious Titan lets out one final roar before falling to the ground.
"Watch the Titan be Eren." Y/n scoffed.
"Eren's dead. What do you mean by that? If you think that's a joke, then it's not very funny." Reiner commented.
"No, I have a feeling that...nevermind." Y/n paused. How did Y/n know that it was Eren? We'll talk about that later.
Jean remarked that it probably ran out of strength, and turns to leave, but the others look speechlessly at the Titan's corpse as a figure removes itself from the nape of the neck.
The figure who emerges is Eren, unconscious but alive. While the others are in shock, Mikasa quickly goes to check on Eren.
"Oh look, it's actually Eren." Y/n sighed, making her way over to Mikasa and Eren.
Mikasa is in shock, but embraces him before listening for a heartbeat, and cries as soon as she finds it.
The scene shifts to Stationary Guard spotter monitoring the situation in Trost before turning back to the top of the supply HQ.
Armin notices Eren has regenerated his missing limbs, but questions arise, as he saw Eren get eaten.
He grips Eren's hand and breaks down into tears as well. Jean, one of the speechless spectators, realizes something and turns around.
He observes the disintegrating corpses of the Titans and realizes that Eren was the cause of it all.
"How?" Annie's voice caught Y/n's attention as she stares at Mikasa and Armin both crying.
"Hm?" Y/n turns to her.
"How did you know? That it was Eren inside of that Titan?" Annie questioned.
"Oh, that. I tried to jump off of a building, then it grabbed me and put me back. Eren always warns me not to jump off of things." Y/n shrugged.
It was true. Ever since they were young, Eren acted as an older brother to Y/n.
Every time Y/n were to do something dangerous or something that could cause potential injury, he would scold Y/n.
Y/n tried to get on a roof once but Eren stopped her from doing so before she could get hurt.
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𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅
The absence of the elite Survey Corps was one of the reasons for the substantial casualties sustained in Trost District during the Titan assault.
Just earlier that morning, the Survey Corps had departed for an expedition beyond the Walls.
To survey the lands outside and secure a base of operations beyond the Walls.
As the epitome of human skill and intellect, the members of the Survey Corps were given this mission.
Their survival rates were higher than ever due to their resourcefulness, but whenever troops were dispatched into Titan territory, more than 30% of them never made it back.
The gap in strength between Titans and humans was simply that great.
"I'll kill you all." Eren said with a disturbing grin.
"Eren?" Armin called out to him with a frightened look.
I heard a shocked gasp behind me as he had finally realized the annoying situation we're in.
"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed, relieved to see him alive and well.
"You're finally awake, sleepyhead. Can you move?" I questioned, gripping my swords.
Right now, we're being surrounded by Garrison soldiers, who want to kill Eren, as they believe that he is a Titan who wants to devour them all.
"Eren, are you back to yourself now? Tell us everything that happened! I'm sure they'll understand!" Armin shook Eren's body.
"Did you hear him?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it. He wants to devour us all."
"Recruit Jaeger, as well as Recruits Ackerman, Arlert, and Voland! Your present actions are treason!" Captain Woermann pointed out.
"What do you have to say in your defense?!" he yelled.
"Any attempts to mislead or escape will be met with a bombardment of high-explosive shells! This is no bluff!" he threatened.
"Let me be frank! What are you? A human or a Titan?" he questioned. Everyone is glaring at us as if we're people who are protecting a monster.
This is tough. Eren is being given a difficult situation. We're all trying to avoid the worst possible outcome.
If he says something the captain considers deceitful or move even an inch, a cannon is ready to shoot him anytime.
"I do not understand that question!" Eren responds back.
Losing patience, the captain states that numerous witnesses saw him coming out of the Titan, which in effect, makes him the enemy.
Not wanting to risk any more soldiers, a soldier suggests that they kill him while he is still in human form.
"My strength lies in slicing off flesh. If I'm forced to demonstrate, I'll show no hesitation. If any of you wish to experience this personally, please feel free to approach me." Mikasa threatens.
"Don't even try it. That terrified look on your face says differently from what you're saying, Captain Woermann." I pointed out, staring at his face full of terror.
"Hey, Mikasa, Y/n, Armin! What's going on?" Eren inquired.
"Mikasa, Y/n, what's the point in fighting with them? Where can we escape to within the confines of these walls?" Armin stood up.
"Regardless of who it might be, I won't let anyone kill Eren. That's reason enough." Mikasa gave her reason.
"We need to convince them! Y/n, you understand that, right?" Armin grabbed my wrist.
"None of them understand the situation, so they're being controlled by fear!" Armin informed.
"As much as I want to listen to you, Armin, but look at them." I told him, he followed my gaze and stared at their faces.
"Their faces...do they look like they will listen? No. That's why we have to prepare for the worse." I whispered.
"I'll ask you once again! Just what are you?! Are you a human or a Titan?!" Captain Woermann repeated.
In any case, Eren can't afford to answer wrong. It's not only his life that's on the line.
That's right. He's always been the same as us.
"I'm human!" Eren yelled out. The wind gently brushed my hair back as I stared at the Garrison soldiers.
Eren answers that he is human, but the captain does not buy it, and orders the cannons to fire on his command.
"Eren, Armin, we're going up! Y/n, let's go!" Mikasa grabs my hand and prevents me from attacking the soldiers.
"Fine." I muttered. Mikasa grabs Eren while I grab Armin. I saw Eren just staring at the ground with shock until he struggles against Mikasa.
"Eren?!" Mikasa and I exclaimed as he pulled the two of us, Armin included since I am carrying him, into his arms and bit down his hand.
When the smoke partially clears, it's shown that Eren has partially transformed into a Titan thus terrifying everyone within range.
I observed the rib cage of the Titan. Mikasa remains silent as she quietly looked around while Armin glances at everything in shock.
No. Eren is not the enemy of mankind.
Protected by the skeleton of Eren's partial Titan transformation, we silently watch as the Titan attempts to move.
"He must be so terrified." I sadistically giggled.
"What?" Armin's voice quavered as he turned to me.
"Captain Woermann, I mean. He must be paranoid right now. You can tell with the panicked screams." I dropped my smile.
"I remember up to the cannon fire. Then there was a tremendous crash, impact, and heat. We're inside a Titan's skeleton, right-" Armin got interrupted.
"Eren protected us. That's all that matters right now." Mikasa concluded, not wanting Armin to get the wrong idea of Eren.
"Isn't it quite fascinating, Armin?" I turned to him. His face was filled with nothing but shock. He must be traumatized. How cute.
"Hey, you guys okay?!" Eren's voice grabbed our attention. He seems to have been at the back of the Titan since he came to us from that direction.
"Eren, what is this?" Armin inquired, wanting answers from the person who caused this Titan skeleton to appear out of nowhere.
"No idea. But it's evaporating already. Just like a Titan's corpse. Let's back away for a bit." Eren instructed.
Right now, we are crouched down on the ground, coming up with a plan to deal with this situation.
Surrounding us is smoke. Surrounding us is the smoke that came from Eren's partial transformation.
Eren also theorizes that his form was incomplete because he was only focused on stopping the cannonball.
He states that he now has two plans to escape. He explains his first plan, to become a fully-formed Titan and return to Wall Maria.
He tells us that the basement of his house is an answer to everything and states that from now on, he must work alone, but Mikasa takes offense to this.
While they quarrel, it seems like Armin is pondering about their predicament.
"Armin, what's on your mind?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, i-it's nothing." he mumbled, averting his gaze from me. He's avoiding me now, huh?
"Armin." I called out to him once more. This time, my face was stern and my expression was serious.
"I-It's just that...you all saved me countless times already. But I've yet to return the favor even once." he mumbled.
I could tell a lot was going on in his mind and I'm sure there are things he didn't want to speak of, so I chose to remain silent and leave him be.
Eren then reveals the second plan. If Armin thinks he will be able to persuade the Garrison soldiers that he is mankind's ally, Eren will stay.
If Armin can't think of a plan to convince the Garrison soldiers within 15 seconds, Eren will have to resort to the first plan.
Armin is confused as to why Eren would rely on him. He still thinks of himself as a coward. I'm not surprised that he's confused.
"The worse a situation is, the better your decisions are. Thanks to that, we're all alive." I spoke up.
"When did I ever...no, I don't get it. When was there a time that I-" I cut him off.
"Lots and lots of times. I know you called Mr. Hannes to get Mikasa and Eren 5 years ago. You also came to my house to rescue me." I recalled.
Armin was just convincing himself. He was always convincing himself that he was powerless and a burden.
Well, that thought never crossed our minds.
"Just know that we trust you, Armin. No matter what, we accept the decision you make. Right, guys?" I turned to the two.
The two of them glanced at each other before turning back to Armin and me. They gave us a firm nod.
"No matter what." I mumbled, holding his hand in mine. He gave me one final glance before standing up.
"I'll convince them, no matter what. Do anything you guys can to show you're not a threat." Armin ordered. The three of us nodded.
"You can do it, Armin." I whispered. He seemed to have heard it since he turned around and gave me a confident look before walking away from us.
Something had always been on his mind ever since we saw Eren fighting as a Titan. His mind always seemed to be preoccupied.
I'm sure he still hasn't figured it out, but he can pull this off. He'll even think while talking if he had to.
Armin walks out of the smoke and faces Captain Woermann and the rest of the soldiers.
He tries to convince them that Eren is not an enemy of mankind.
He argued that back then, all soldiers could see Eren fighting the Titans and that the Titans viewed Eren as a prey.
However, Captain Woermann, overwhelmed with fear, refuses to believe this and orders the soldiers to be ready for an attack.
Armin staggers back a little. He then turns to the three of us, who gave him a nod, to signal that it was fine.
Refusing to give in, Armin saluted, and, for one last time, asked for permission to explain Eren's strategic importance, as we may even be able to recapture Trost with Eren's powers.
Armin...you're incredible, you know that?
Without realizing it, without even noticing that little ache in my heart, I hadn't realized that during that day...when he gave his speech...I had immediately fallen for him.
Some soldier told Captain Woermann that Armin's plan should be considered, but Captain Woermann refused to listen.
He then attempted to give a signal for the cannon. I grabbed my swords and tried to make my way to Armin.
Mikasa was also ready to fight while Eren got ready to bite his hand to transform into a Titan.
My actions halted when the attack, signaled by Captain Woermann, was stopped by Commander Pyxis.
Commander Pyxis orders them to stand down, saying that he would like to listen to what we have to say.
He then orders Captain Woermann to organize the reinforcements while he handles the situation.
"Armin!" I exclaimed, catching him before he collapses out of stress.
According to the Survey Corps' reports, the Titans were predicted to approach from the South.
Specifically, Shiganshina, the Southernmost district of Wall Maria, or rather, my hometown, was attacked.
Therefore, the town that was most likely to be attacked next was The Southernmost district of Wall Rose, Trost.
Commander Pyxis. The chief executive in charge of all the Southern territories, including Trost District.
He is also the man given full authority over the defense of mankind's most important districts.
And he's also known as a natural eccentric. Apparently, Commander Pyxis's thoughts are beyond the comprehension of average people.
On top of the Wall, he listens to us, asking Armin if he genuinely meant what he said or if it was just to save his life.
"It's both, aren't I right, Armin?" I turned to him. He gave me a nod and turned back to Commander Pyxis.
He explains about the boulder in the middle of the city and that if Eren can carry the boulder over to the gate and seal the breach, the Titan advance will be halted.
Commander Pyxis asks Eren whether he will agree on using his powers to move the boulder and block the hole in the gate.
Looking behind himself, Eren witnessed the area that would be lost if the gate were to fall and ultimately agrees with the plan.
Commander Pyxis smiles after hearing Eren's answer, declaring him to be a real man.
Afterward, he calls for a meeting to draw up a plan.
Even though Armin believes that his plan is overly optimistic, Eren reassured him, saying that Commander Pyxis knows the situation and will plan accordingly.
We'll just have to see for ourselves, I guess.
I wonder if everything will turn out right.
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