Eren's sudden transformation comes as a shock to both the Garrison and his fellow cadets. Armin decides to put his life on the line and argue for Eren's sake before the captain, but the man is unmoved. However, the confrontation is resolved with the arrival of Commander Pyxis, who desires to follow the plan which Armin has devised to seal the breach in Wall Rose.

My girlfriend sent me a letter and, honestly, paying for fucking postage is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.

A recap of the previous episode was shown, showing the moments before Eren transformed. The scene changed, showing what was going on behind the Wall at the time.

"Marco," Daz sniffled. "I'm—I'm done for! I can't fight the Titans anymore!"

"What's wrong?"

"That was good of you," said Jean.

"What?"

"That was good of you," Jean repeated. "Helping him, I mean. Most of us wouldn't have done it. No—most of us didn't do it. He was annoying as shit." Was. Jean frowned at his own wording. When did he automatically start assuming people were dead before he was certain they were alive?

"He was scared," said Marco. "We all were. I was just helping him."

"No," said Jean. "You were being good."

"I saw my friends devoured right before my eyes! I saw them get eaten alive, yet I felt no sorrow, no hatred. . . only overwhelming relief it wasn't me!"

Oluo flinched at the sight of the blubbering boy. Secondhand embarrassment, he could claim if anybody asked—which was true, partly, but not quite. It felt like eternities, but his own days as a trainee hadn't been that long ago, despite his boasts, and he could still remember being a greenhorn (not that he'd ever admit it). He remembered being a Daz, and it was the worst feeling in the world. Not so much the embarrassment, though that was bad (it wasn't helped by everyone else refusing to let him forget it).

He remembered his first Expedition—he was pretty sure all Scouts remembered theirs, too. He remembered shitting himself. He remembered why. He remembered sitting in the wagon as they returned home, too shaky to even stand up straight, let alone mount a horse, staring at the streaks of red he'd thought were stained into his hands.

He remembered being a Daz. He remembered why he'd hated it.

Sasha's lip trembled as she watched Daz's breakdown. "But it's going to be my turn next! Now I understand, the true nature of our jobs is we're going to fight Titans until we are bitten to death! If I'm going to be devoured, I might as well end my life right now!" He pulled his swords out with a pained cry.

"I remember that," muttered Connie. He wondered why nobody else had stepped in to stop him. Because they were too tired? Or was it because they agreed?

He didn't know why he hadn't helped. And he wasn't eager to figure out which category he fell into.

"Stop! Get a hold of yourself!" Marco yelled, grabbing Daz. "You're not the only one! We're all fighting our fears! Just look at Sasha! She remains a proud soldier, despite all she's been through!" Sasha cried out at his words, startling Marco.

Moblit looked at her. "Were you injured?" he asked.

"Er. . ." Sasha turned red. "Well, I—"

"Um, I have a really bad stomachache," she whimpered, holding her stomach. "Could I be considered one of the injured?" Marco and Daz were silent in shock for a few seconds, before Daz pulled out his sword again.

Connie allowed himself a small snicker at the situation. God, he thought, grin as forced and vapid as he wished the events on screen were. I'm horrible.

"It's all over!"

"Stop it!"

"Yeah, I can see why they had to put out that gag order," Jean said, watching the scene before him, "Just take a look at the situation they're in now. If they knew about Eren. . ."

"Lucky there weren't many of you there," Mike commented. "I doubt they'd have been able to make an entire platoon keep their mouths shut."

"I almost didn't," Connie confessed, cheeks flushing. "Almost!" he protested when a roomful of unimpressed gazes were turned in his direction. "I didn't!" Mostly 'cause I didn't think anyone would believe me, he thought when they turned away. I don't think I'd have believed it, if somebody else told me. I'd probably think they were nuts.

XXX

The screen lit up as images of Eren's memories flashed, before a bolt of lightning filled the screen, tinting it bright yellow.

Why lightning? Erwin wondered. Why the yellow? Did it have something to do with the transformation itself, or was it a side effect? Like calling power down from the heavens themselves, he thought. He'd read a report once, when he'd been younger, and fresh out of Cadets. He'd been cleaning the archives (terribly), and come across a file, so old it could have just as easily been a fairytale. It had been about an event, early into the history of the Survey Corps, when the public had still had hope, involving a group of cultists worshipping the Titans as gods.

Erwin wondered if, after seeing what they were capable of, other people within the Walls were inclined to agree.

Jean and the other's looked up in shock as the other soldiers screamed in fear.

"Cannon fire?"

"Why did they fire one shot?"

"Hey, look at the smoke!"

"It's inside the Wall!"

"What?"

"How come?"

"What the hell?"

"Did they breach the Inner Gate?"

"That's the sturdiest one of all! This can't be happening!

"I thought they just fired a bullet after having shut the Gate!"

"Still, what's with all that smoke?"

"Good heavens, is that Titan vapour?" Jean whispered as Reiner grit his teeth, running off in the direction of the smoke. "Hey!" Annie and the others followed suit as Jean watched in shock, before joining them.

They ran towards the smoke, thought Hange, tapping their pencil against their teeth. No—they were the first to run towards the smoke. They twisted their head around to peek in the trio at the back of the room (though, at this point, they'd snuck so many glances that they may as well just have forgone secrecy altogether). Curious? they wondered. Suspicious? Or just on guard?

The screen was lit up by fire and smoke, sizzling around the area. Shots of muscle were shown, clouded by the smoke. Armin looked up in fear, Mikasa's expression was blank. The soldiers all had their eyes wide open in fear and shock.

"The hell's going on?" Reiner demanded.

A Titan was shown, half muscle and half skeleton. Mikasa gripped her sword, looking around. Pieces of the skeleton began to crumble.

"Why only half?" Armin wondered. "I didn't think to ask back then."

"If that were the first thing on your mind in that situation, I'd be seriously concerned," said Jean. "It is weird, though."

"I don't think we've ever seen an incomplete transformation," said Sasha, eyeing the Titan on screen warily. The ropes of muscles, gleaming red in the sunlight, and the steaming skull put in mind the Colossal Titan, and the similarities were a bit too close for comfort. "I didn't even know you could do an incomplete transformation."

"It's a bit like the spoon, isn't it?" said Eld thoughtfully.

"What spoon?" asked Reiner.

"When we were working on my Titan training," Eren answered. "It's how we found out that I need to have a goal to transform." He snorted. "It was a spoon, of all things. And it was just the arm, too."

"We," Petra grimaced, "reacted a bit harshly." She glanced down at the scar on her hand.

"It's alive. . ."

"Captain Woermann!"

"Wait and see how it goes! It's too dangerous to get any closer! Maintain formation and stand by! Stand by! Have the cannon squad load another round!"

"At least he didn't just start firing," said Ymir. "That would've sucked."

The Titan's eye began to twitch. Inside, Eren's eyes matched the twitching, eyes rolled back into his head so only the whites could be seen.

Krista was proud of herself when she didn't flinch. The unnerving imagery was beginning to be familiar, at least. Still, though, what did it say about her that she could watch this without even batting an eye?

She scrubbed a hand over her face. Historia, she thought, didn't particularly care. Not about this, anyways. Historia cared about surviving. If becoming as numb to her own horrors as an alley cat was to a dying man was the price she had to pay, then so be it.

Krista cared, though. Krista cared about everything. Maybe a little too much. And the carefully crafted mask of Krista Lenz is one that would gasp and shudder at Eren's spine-tinglingly creepy expression. So she did.

Eren awoke with a gasp, eyes wide. He took in his surroundings, beginning to panic in fear. He tugged his arm out from the tendons, pulling at the rest of his body until it tore out from the nape. He noticed his arm was still stuck, pulling it out. He looked over at the back of the half-made Titan body. What is this?

"Is it always like that?" Jean asked. "I mean, can't you shift without passing out?"

"I—" Eren glanced at Hange, who shrugged. "Not sure," he said. "We haven't managed it yet."

"Then what's the point?" Sasha asked.

"There is no point," said Levi. "Not yet."

Mikasa bristled. "He's trying his best," she bit out.

"Which isn't good enough," said Levi. "We don't know shit, Ackerman," he said, "and I know you've got your own weird priorities, but, personally, I'd prefer Eren get his feelings hurt to losing a squad to protect them."

"Mikasa!" Eren hissed, grabbing her arm before she could retaliate. Her jaw snapped shut. "He's right, you know?"

"That doesn't give him the right to talk to you like that," Mikasa hissed back.

"Actually, it kind of does," Eren snapped. Mikasa drew back, and Eren dropped her arm. "Look," he said. "Everything's weird right now, alright? I get that. But would you quit kicking up a fuss for me every three seconds? It's embarrassing." Mikasa flinched as if struck. Eren ignored her and turned back to the screen, crossing his arms.

Inside the ribcage, Mikasa and Armin sat in shock, the latter more than the former. "I remember hearing the cannon fire, but now we're inside a massive skeleton!" Armin whispered, voice shaking.

"Eren protected us," Mikasa said. "That's all you need to understand." Armin smiled in response, looking over to see indigo flowers blooming in the concrete.

Flowers? Just on the inside?

Eld leaned forwards, a small frown on his face. "Flowers? What's that about?"

"I don't know," said Armin. "It's just something I noticed."

"But it's drawing our attention," Moblit pointed out. "That means it's important, right?"

Gunther snapped his fingers. "They're like the ones from the beginning, aren't they?" he said. "When Eren was having that weird dream, with the windmill, and the bug on that dead guy's eye."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Oluo. "What would some random flowers in Rose have to do with a dream the kid had five years ago?"

Gunther elbowed him. "Well, genius," he said, "apparently, nothing is random. If we're noticing the flowers, that means they've gotta mean something, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but why the fucking dream?"

"'Cause we saw them before the dream, obviously!"

"Sometimes," said Petra to Eld, "I forget that we're supposed to be adults."

"Hey!" Eren yelled, walking around the Titan, "You guys all right?"

"Eren? What is this?"

"I don't know, but this thing is gonna evaporate, like a Titan's corpse! Let's get out of here! I don't know if they're gauging the situation or just frozen from shock, but the Garrison's not doing anything right now. However, they'll probably resume attacking soon enough. I don't have the confidence to negotiate with them after showing them this."

"We haven't really thought too much about the bodies themselves, have we?" Hange said thoughtfully. "I mean, Eren, where do they come from? Do they grow out of you? Like flowers?"

"More like bread," muttered Sasha, ripping off a chunk from the piece she held in her hand. "And the lightning cooks it."

"I'm not bread!" Eren said, looking affronted.

"Titan bread," Connie whispered. Sasha snorted, and took another bite.

"Imagine that," she said. "It's like an infinite source of stuff."

Jean gave each of them a smack on the back of the head. "I'm more curious about where they go. I mean, why do they evaporate, anyways?"

"Inquisitive!" said Hange. "I like it! Erwin, can I have him?"

Eren held up the key wound around his neck. "But I started to remember one thing. The basement. My basement! My dad said I'd understand everything if I went back there. He's also the one responsible for what I've become. If I get to the basement, I might just find out the truth behind the Titans as well."

"Do you think they actually could?" Bertolt whispered.

Reiner shook his head definitively. "There's no way," he said. "It doesn't matter who Jaeger was. You can't summarize the Titans or their history into a neat little note packet for a bunch of people who haven't even figured out steam engines yet."

"Besides," said Annie. "It's not like there's even a possibility of him having known what the Titans really were." We don't even know what we really are.

He grit his teeth as memories of the Fall of Shiganshina played through his head. "Dammit!" He hit the skeleton of the Titan, pieces crumbling off the fragile body.

"Careful," muttered Gunther. A bit morbidly, he wondered what would have happened if the skeleton had collapsed right then and there. Would Eren have been able to heal himself? Or would humanity's hope have gone splat from the weight of his own body?

"Why'd he hide it, then? Wasn't that the information the Legion was looking for, even if it cost them thousands of lives? Wasn't that mankind's hope? And it was locked away in our basement all along?"

"And to think," said Mike, huffing mirthlessly. "We were marching right past it for all these years."

"And we still don't know what's down there," said Levi. He scowled. What's the point of all this? He crossed his arms. It's been hours, and we still know fuck all.

"I don't see why our lord and saviour over there—" he jerked his head in the direction of Omni, who was, once again, asleep, "—can't just show us what we need to know. None of this is relevant—the basement is."

"Matter of trust?" Hange shrugged. "I mean, imagine trying to tell Zackly about this. He'd laugh himself silly, then have us tossed in the nuthouse."

"You already belong in the nuthouse," said Levi.

"That's what they think about you, too," said Hange. They cocked their head, furrowing their brow thoughtfully. "Actually, if they already think we're mad, then maybe we could get away with them humouring us for long enough to prove it—"

"I think that's it," said Moblit. "Proving it, I mean. We can't just tell them things, we need to be able to prove why. Or, at least, know enough to fake some proof."

"Maybe," said Erwin. And maybe not. He glanced at Levi. Why would we be shown all of this? To help us bond as comrades? No—if anything, all this has done is sow conflict. He frowned. Story, he reminded himself. We're a story, and he'd be lying if that still didn't strike a little flicker of resentment in his stomach. And not a word wasted. That means there's a reason for all of this. He leaned forwards minutely. There's something else.

"What the hell was he thinking? For that matter, where the hell is he? He's left us on our own for five years now—"

"Eren." Mikasa said, snapping him out of his rambling, "We've got other matters to deal with now."

"Right."

She keeps him calm, thought Eld. In the moment. For the most part, he amended, glancing over at the trio. It's like she sees the world as a battle, he thought, or a chessboard, and he's the king. No, he shook his head, that's exactly how she sees things. Might be helpful to have her around in the future, to help cool him down. He thought back to what they'd seen so far—Mikasa's protectiveness, Eren's frustration and jealousy, and the sparks of conflict that Eren's hot head and Mikasa's desperation fanned into full-on flames—and titled his head with a small grimace. Or not.

"The smoke is clearing!"

"Attack as soon as you see them!"

"Let's attack them without wasting our time!"

"Hold fire!" Woermann ordered.

"Because he's starting to see reason?" Krista theorized. "Or because he wants to wait until the smoke clears?"

"'Cause he's a loser piece of shit who can't make up his mind, I'm guessing," said Ymir.

The Titan's head fell off, crumbling into pieces as it hit the ground, creating more smoke that only further shrouded the trio at the centre of it.

"Good thing it wasn't a full Titan," said Sasha. "Mikasa and Armin would've been smothered. And the smoke's giving them cover."

"Still gotta be shit though, breathing all that dust and Titan vapour in," said Jean.

"You don't think it's bad for us, do you?" Connie frowned, looking down at his hands as if expecting them to burst into boils before his very eyes. "I mean, we've been breathing it in."

"Do I look like a fucking doctor to you?" Jean scowled. "How do I know? I was just saying that it probably feel that great."

"I'm going to get out of here," Eren said, as he, Mikasa, and Armin all huddled around.

"Where are you going to go, and how?" Armin asked.

"To begin with, anywhere but here," Eren said. "Then I'll get over the Wall and head for the basement. After I transform into a Titan, that is."

"You're confident," said Oluo, "for someone who was unconscious just a minute ago."

"Can you even transform with that little time in between?" asked Sasha. "I mean, that can't be easy. Don't you need time to recover?"

"Well, it's not like I knew that, back then," said Eren.

"What do you know, so far?" Bertolt asked carefully. "I mean, how long does it take?"

Hange shrugged. "Still trying to figure that out," they said. "We haven't had that much time to practice."

"Can you do that?"

"I'm not exactly sure how I'm doing this myself. But I think I can. It's very hard to explain with a word how I move my arm. In that moment, all I thought about was protecting us from that cannonball. That explains the skeleton's decay, losing durability and other functions. I'll become a more powerful one this time! One that's fifteen meters tall, like when I beat the shit out of those Titans!"

"You're talking about it like you can pick and choose," said Ymir. "Like it's a shirt you can just take on and off."

"What if it were?" suggested Moblit. "Maybe it's like a collection of skinsuits? And he only has a limited number of them? You know," he said, "like how we only have a certain number of teeth?"

"If that were the case, how would we know how many of those skinsuits he has left?" asked Petra. "Could he run out? Hypothetically, I mean."

"Does that mean it would be a bad idea to keep doing tests?" Hange frowned. "I mean, I don't want to, and we'd be in the shit if a transformation ever went badly, but if the experiments mean we're wasting skinsuits. . . Still, it is all just hypothetical. . ."

Eren felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up and he stiffened, looking around. Then he berated himself. Why would there be a threat here? How would it even get in? He shook his head. Then why had—

He stilled, realizing what it was that had made him nervous. Could he run out? The idea bothered him more than he'd have liked to admit. He felt sick, then angry, then worried, then angry again. Get a hold of yourself, he scowled, clenching his fists tightly. It's just a theory. It's not like it's true—

But what if it is? a tiny, traitorous part of his mind that sounded suspiciously leery whispered. What if you're operating on borrowed time? What if, one day, you try to change, and you can't, and you're not special anymore?

He felt like ice water was being poured down his back. I don't, he snarled in his mind, feel special. That's not what this is about!

What is it about, then? the leery part of his mind asked. Eren knew, distantly, in another part of his mind that wasn't taking part in the argument, that this was ridiculous—he should be focusing, not having an argument with himself over something that probably wasn't even true.

I'm only special, Eren thought carefully (carefully, as if he had reason to hide his thoughts, as if he weren't the only one inside his head), because I'm unique. I'm different, and that automatically makes me special. If, he thought, with a vicious edge that didn't make sense for a conversation with himself, there were other people like me, then I wouldn't be special anymore. But I'm the only one, so I am, and there's nothing I can do about that.

The leery part of his mind was silent. Eren huffed and flopped back against the cushions, crossing his arms. Armin glanced at him, but he didn't say anything and, for that, Eren was grateful.

It probably should have bothered him more, he thought as he watched the show, how quickly he'd gotten used to his power—his specialness. It hadn't even been a month ago that saying that humans turning into Titans and back again would have gotten him laughed out of the military and into an asylum, but it still felt like an eternity. It probably should have bothered him even more that the thought of waking up one day and not being able to turn into the creature he most hated would frighten him more than the creature itself.

It didn't, and that bothered him too.

"Eren, your nose is bleeding," Mikasa said, worriedly. Eren wiped at his nose, looking down at his bloodstained hand.

"You're really pale and breathing heavily, too," Armin said, "That's going to be something abnormal with your body."

"You don't say," Oluo muttered.

"He's never had a nosebleed when he was practicing with us," Petra muttered. "Should we be worried?"

"I don't think so," Gunther whispered back. "I don't think we need to be worried until he does start bleeding."

"People have nosebleeds when they're stressed," said Eld. "When they're overheating, too. The inside of a Titan probably isn't the coolest place in the world."

"Probably just a sign that he's at his limit, and should stop," said Oluo.

"Think we can push that limit?" Gunther wondered.

"I think Hange definitely intends to try," said Petra.

Eren wiped the remaining blood from his nose away. "I don't care about my health right now," he said. "I've got two ideas. As long as you don't try to protect me, they'll let you two stay alive. I've caused you loads of problems already. So I think I'll do things on my own from here."

"Did you actually think you could make it all the way to Shinganshina by yourself?" asked Ymir, torn between disbelief and awe. "Damn, Suicidal Bastard, how stupid are you, really?"

"You were surrounded by soldiers," said Levi slowly, "armed to the teeth with weapons designed specifically to kill Titans—that's you, by the way—and big-ass cannons. You had just passed out. You're bleeding. And your big plan was to turn into a Titan—again, exactly what the drunk numbnuts were trained to kill—and run?"

"How were you planning to get over the Wall?" asked Gunther. "They probably would have blasted it to bits shooting you down."

"Like a fly," Oluo muttered.

"Maria's full of Titans," said Moblit, "and a huge group of them just cannibalized you. Even if you made it through Trost, they'd have torn you to bits before you even reached Agernon, let alone Shinganshina."

The tips of Eren's ears were red, and his cheeks were burning. "I didn't remember being cannibalized," he muttered. "And that's just 'cause it was a big group. I woulda been fine outside the Walls." He frowned. I was fine outside the Walls, he thought, and the voice in his head didn't sound like his own. I was heading for Maria back then, too. But. . . from the South? He blinked, and he saw a wall (but not the Wall), and Titans that he knew (but not like that), and a pair of familiar green eyes.

"Eren?" Armin asked tentatively, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You alright?"

"Huh?" Eren blinked his eyes open.

"Were you sleeping?" One of Armin's eyebrows was cocked slightly, lips pursed in bewilderment. "You just kind of closed your eyes and. . . sat there."

"I—no." Eren shook his head. "It's just—" he hesitated. "Memories," he said, and left it at that. He was almost certain that he was telling the truth.

"No kidding."

"Eren," Mikasa began, "I'll come with you."

"No way!"

"If I'm not able to keep up with you, feel free to leave me behind. But at the same time, I'm free to ignore your orders as well."

Orders. Erwin raised an eyebrow. What an oddly specific word to use.

"I'm telling you to cut that out! I'm not your little brother and I'm not some snot-nosed toddler!"

XXX

Information Available for Public Disclosure

Yeast, Part One

"Yeast?" Ymir stared at the screen. She rubbed her eyes, blinked a few times, then looked again. No, she hadn't read it wrong. "Yeast?"

Reiner and Annie exchanged bewildered looks. ". . . Because we were starving?" Bertolt suggested weakly.

"Yeast?" Ymir said again, voice pitching.

This special yeast is produced in Wall Sina. By placing this yeast in storage sheds and tents containing things like fodder, wheat and soybeans, spoilage is dramatically slowed.

"Yeast?!"

XXX

Yeast, Part Two

Establishing multiple storage plants that utilise this yeast has been humanity's supply strategy for retaking Wall Maria.

"Bullshit!" Jean exploded. "We did not take Trost back using yeast."

"Yeast!" Ymir screeched. Krista winced away, rubbing her ear.

"But these have all been so informational!" Moblit babbled, flapping his hands. "Yeast—have we been missing something? What does yeast have to do with this?"

"Yeast." Ymir looked like she was about to cry. Krista patted her on the hand and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"He's right," said Mike. "These info cards aren't just here for no reason. That means yeast means something."

Hange had been suspiciously silent for the past minute, hands folded carefully underneath their chin. Their eyes were narrowed to thin slits, and their lips pursed so tightly that the skin around them had turned white. "Yeast," they said, so low they may as well not have said anything at all. "Yeast. What do we use yeast for? Beer, labs, and. . . and. . . bread!" They sat up straight as if shocked, throwing their arms out. "Bread! We use yeast in bread!"

"So?" asked Oluo.

"Sasha's bread analogy!" Hange looked positively giddy. "Sasha, my dear, you might just be onto something!"

"Thank you!" Sasha gave Jean a pointed look. He rolled his eyes, and Marco snorted.

"What does yeast do in bread?" Hange barreled on, jumping to their feet. "It makes it bigger! It makes it go poof!" They threw their arms out, nearly smacking Mike in the face. "And it doesn't weigh a thing! Like Titans!"

"Bread?" Bertolt looked nervously down at his hands, eyes wide.

"You—" Levi blinked. "You're right."

"I'm sure of it!" Hange nodded enthusiastically. "Well, not sure sure—like, 28 percent sure. Which is still pretty sure!" They let out a delighted squeak, clapping happily. "Oh, this is great! I'll still have to run some tests, and this doesn't rule out our other theories, but it's entirely possible that—" They devolved into noises that could have just as easily been scientific terms and nonsense babble, eyes glazing over as they began speaking faster and faster. Mike, a grin on his face, leaned over and pushed them back onto their rear. "—sequences—ow!"

XXX

"Captain Woermann," Rico said. "The cannon is almost ready. We're ready sir, what are your next orders?"

"All troops will await my signal!"

"Yes, sir."

"I met her," Petra told Eren, "once. At the military summit, in Mitras."

"She seem like the kind of person to want to shoot a group of kids?" Eren asked drily.

"No," said Petra honestly. "A bit tough, super strict. I don't think she would have wanted to do it. But she'd also never disobeyed an order. I don't think she'd have been eager to start then."

The Garrison have yet to show any signs that they intend to attack us through the smoke. If they were, Mikasa would have reacted faster than a stray cat, Armin thought. Assuming they reload the cannon in the shortest possible time. I guess it'd take them about twenty seconds. Eren will most likely spring into action and be long gone before that happens.

"It's still so weird hearing you think," said Jean. "No offense, I mean," he said. "But the narrator's got the same voice, and. . ." He shrugged, as if to say, "you know."

Armin chuckled faintly. "Imagine it from my end," he said. "I'm hearing my voice say things I've never said before. It's unnerving."

"And we still don't know why it is your voice," said Sasha, handing Connie a pretzel before tossing her own into her mouth. "I mean," she said as she chewed, "does it have something to do with the future?"

"The first episode was called To You, in 2000 Years," said Gunther. "Maybe you're telling a story to someone."

Armin had gone a pale shade of green. "I'm going to be two thousand years old?" he squeaked. He looked down at his hands, arms shaking, as though expecting them to be wizened and withered and draped in wrinkly grey skin. Petra smacked Gunther on the shoulder.

"Hey," said Jean, "look on the bright side. At least, if that were true, that means we live."

"Not all of us," Sasha pointed out. "Just Armin."

Jean thumped her on the head. "I was trying to be optimistic, spudhead."

Memories of Eren and Mikasa beating up Armin's bullies flashed through his head. Why am I thinking of such a thing at a time like this? Could it be because these are our last moments together? His younger self was shown, cowering beside a crate, tears in his eyes. When it's all said and done, at the moment of truth, I was a coward. Same as right now. I can't count the number of times they have come to my rescue. But I was always so weak, I couldn't reciprocate the favour.

"Armin—" Eren began.

"It's in the past," said Armin.

"Armin—" Eren tried again.

"Eren," said Armin. "I know what you think, okay? But I—"
"It's not what I think, Armin," said Eren. "It's what I know."

I still haven't earned the right to think of myself as their equal. I can't afford to try and repay their kindness by going with them.Flashes of memories of the trio went through Armin's head. I'd only slow them down. Armin sat down, looking at the ground with sad eyes. I'm afraid this might be the last time the three of us will ever be together.

Mike had watched an execution once, when he was young, before he'd even joined the Cadets. He didn't remember watching the man die—his father had grabbed his shoulders and turned him around before it had happened, and he'd never quite figured out whether he'd been grateful or resentful of that act—but he remembered the man. Drawn and pale from weeks in the dungeons, away from the sun, face pinched and eyes heavy with bags. He'd had a beard, Mike remembered, hanging from his chin like a curtain of moss caked in dry mud, and he'd had no hair on his head. He had been muscular—Mike remembered telling his mother he would have muscles just like him, one day. He didn't remember what crime the man had committed (though, if he had to put his money on a guess, he would say crimes against the government—not very specific, but neither were the officials), but he remembered the look in his eyes. A paper-thin mask of steely determination, and a hollow cavern in which he could scream until he died.

Mike remembered not understanding what had happened for years. He remembered having his back turned to the stage, and being confused at the mix of gasps and cheers and the strange, choking, gurgling noise. He remembered when he'd finally figured it out, almost four years later, and fallen to his knees and hurled.

Mike had always known that people could kill each other—you didn't live within Wall Sina and not hear horror stories of the Underground—but it had never felt real to him. After all, weren't the military united in their battle against the real monsters lurking just beyond the Walls? Why would they kill people when they could slay Titans, instead?

It took him a few more years to realize that the unity was about as strong as a worm trying to hold together a dam. It only took a few minutes after that to acknowledge that fear was a much more vicious motivator.

"Listen, Eren—"

"Just wait a second would you?" Eren interrupted Mikasa. "If you recall, I said I have two ideas. Armin, I trust you to make the right decision."

"Huh?"

"Now hear me out—and I'm well aware of how unrealistic this plan is. The best-case scenario? I try to use my Titan ability strategically, under military direction. This might sound crazy, but if you could convince the Garrison right now that I present no threat, then we'll take that option. If you don't think you can get it done, we'll go with the first idea. I trust you to make the decision."

"That's a lot of pressure to pin on someone," said Connie.

"But I think he's right," said Marco. "Haven't you noticed? Armin never works better than when there's a ticking clock."

"You've got fifteen seconds to decide," said Eren. "I'll trust whatever you choose."

He puts so much trust in him, thought Moblit. It's almost scary. It's like if Armin told him to take off his clothes and take a running leap off the Wall without his gear, he'd do it in a heartbeat. I never seen someone trust another person that— He stopped. But that's not true, is it? He glanced around. Because I see it every day.

"Eren," Armin began, "why would you leave such a major decision up to me?"
"Because you keep a level head," Eren answered, a small smile on his face, despite the fear in his eyes. "You always choose well, no matter how ugly things get. I trust in that."

"When have I done that. . ?"

"Fifteen seconds," Ymir muttered, snapping her fingers. "Less gooey, more go-y!"

"Come on, you do it all the time. Take five years ago, if you hadn't gone to Mr. Hannes for help, Mikasa and I would have been eaten by the Titans."

The skeleton began to crack, a large piece falling off and landing behind Armin, crumbling into pieces.

That's how you see me? You don't think I'm a poor excuse for a friend? I had convinced myself that I was a burden to all of you. But. . . you never thought of me that way at all!

Armin flushed, ducking his head. Fritz, this is embarrassing. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the barrage of encouragement and cheers he knew he wouldn't be allow to deflect. His eyes flew open in surprise when no one said a word and, instead of shouting, Eren simply threw his arm over his shoulders. Mikasa took his head and nodded. He stared at her for a moment, then nodded back.

"Armin, our time's up!" Eren said, as the soldiers prepared the cannon once more.

"Artillery crew has reloaded, Captain!" Rico announced.

"It's so hard to remember that all of this has already happened," muttered Jean. I know they're fine, but I'm still on the edge of my seat like a goddamn idiot. Is this why the people on the Homepage like this stuff? he wondered. 'Cause it makes them feel like this? Nervous? Excited? Are they seriously that lacking for adrenaline?

Mikasa and Eren have enough faith in me to put their lives in my hands and I have complete trust in the two of them. More than anyone else in this world. And that fact alone is all the convincing I need! Armin stood up, eyes shadowed. "I'll persuade them, trust me," he said. "You two just act as non-aggressively as you can, alright?" Mikasa and Eren nodded, smiling slightly. Armin swiveled on his heel, walking with determination.

It's a complete 180, thought Eld. He's not scared, he's not shaking—he's just determined. It's like he's turned into a completely different person. On some level, he thought, that could be worrying. He banished the thought with a metaphorical flick of the finger. He's level-headed in a crisis, he thought, and that's not a bad thing. Not everything has to turn out to be a tragedy.

When Eren first transformed and fought as a Titan, something has been gnawing at the back of my mind. I haven't had a chance to collect my thoughts, but I can do this! I'll just have to think as I talk!He let go of his gear, letting it tumble onto the ground.

"Go forth defenseless, and let your words be their guide," Erwin said. "Clever." Most people wouldn't even have thought of that. And, if they had, I doubt they would have acted on it.

"Halt! Halt!" Woermann squealed as Armin appeared from the smoke, a soldier aiming their gun at him. Armin raised his hands in the air, staring ahead. "Is this your true form, monster? I don't buy it! I'll give the signal to fire! I mean it!"

"He knows that's not Eren, right?" said Connie.

"Wouldn't put it past him to not have even noticed," said Ymir with a disdainful curl of her lip. "All he'd have seen is the monster. Wouldn't have given a shit about the person behind it."

"Eren is not an enemy of mankind! We are willing to cooperate with Military Command, and we'll share everything we've learned about his powers!"

"Which is nothing," said Gunther. "But, of course, they won't know that."

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears! He revealed his true form and is a threat, because of that he cannot leave here alive! If you insist he's not an enemy of ours, show us the proof! Otherwise, we'll blast him into whatever nightmare he crawled out of!"

"What proof could they show him?" Petra threw her hands into the air. "He hasn't given them time to even get up off the ground, let alone put a presentation together for him."
"You don't need any proof!" Armin yelled back. "That's right, there's no need at all!" The screen was tinted green for a few moments as Armin's thoughts echoed. "The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter what we perceive him to be!"

"What?"

"The reports say hundreds of soldiers saw him! And those who were there say they saw him fighting other Titans! And that means they saw him get swarmed by Titans too! The Titans recognized him the same way they see human beings! As their prey! It doesn't matter how else you look at it, that's an irrefutable fact!" His words boomed throughout the space, leaving a deafening silence.

Good points, clearly listed, simple and to the point. Mike grinned, elbowing Erwin. "Careful, Commander," he said. "Slip up, and this kid'll end up replacing you before we know it."

"Kid's got a point. . ." One soldier murmured.

"The Titan is on our side?"

"It can't be. . ."

"I know we've said it before," said Sasha with a small wince, "but I can't really blame them for being scared. The only going really over the top here is Woermann." But, if I didn't know Eren. . . well, I think I might just have been a part of that crowd.

Woermann looked around at the whispering soldiers, his eyes clouded with fear as sweat dripped down his face. He looked up, flying into a rage.

"Prepare to attack! Don't let yourself be swayed by his cunning lies! The Titan's behaviour has always been beyond our comprehension! I wouldn't put it past them to assume human form! He's speaking our language in an attempt to deceive us! I refuse to let them continue this behaviour unchecked!" The soldiers got into position, forgetting the impact of Armin's previous words, fear washing over them and taking over their minds.

Bertolt twitched so violently that the couch squeaked, and his teacup clattered against the saucer. Reiner snatched it from him and shoved it back onto the coffee table before anyone could look their way.

"Oh, for god's sake," Annie muttered.

Reiner grit his teeth, holding back a snort of laughter. And they never would have guessed that he was right. He drew his lips back in a mockery of a grin, teeth bared. They just got the enemy a bit wrong.

It's hopeless, Armin thought, mouth agape in horror. He let logic give way to hysteria! Too frightened to think it through! Eren! Mikasa! Armin turned around to look at them. Eren smiled slowly, nodding at Armin. Armin stared for a few seconds, before making up his mind. He grit his teeth, flying into a salute.

You really can't get one without the others, can you? thought Mike. Put them together, and they're an unstoppable force. Take them apart, and, suddenly, they've hit an unmovable wall. It's like codependency to an extreme. He shook their head, letting out a small snort of amusement. I'd shudder to think about what happened it they turned against each other, if I thought that there was a possibility of that ever happening.

"I am a soldier!" yelled Armin, "and I have dedicated my heart to humanity, sir! Nothing could make me prouder than dying for such a noble cause! If we were to use his Titan ability and combine it with the manpower we have left, I believe we can do it! We can retake this city! For humanity's glory, in what little time I have left to live, I will advocate for his strategic value!" Everyone went silent, the music playing in the background, giving more emotion to the situation. Everyone stared at Armin in shock.

"Captain Woermann, his words are worth considering, sir. Maybe we should—"

"Quiet!" Woermann yelled at him, turning away. "Don't let their words sway you. They're all traitors!" He began to raise his hand, Armin staring in shock. Mikasa reached for her sword, and Eren reached up to bite his hand.

Eld swore.

"I swore an oath as an officer, I will crush all insubordination!"

Hange frowned. Is that really what the oath was? They couldn't remember, not clearly, at least. They'd been too excited at the extra perks officers got—private rooms, offices, leeway—and had rattled off the words as quickly as they were fed them. Crush all insubordination. They furrowed their brow. Is that really what we swore to do?

He brought his hand down with a loud noise, as all went silent. A hand gripped Woermann's arm as he stared in shock.

"That's enough. You should really do something about your nervous deposition, Captain Woermann," Pixis spoke calmly, revealing himself.

"It's the crazy hoot!" Connie laughed.

"That crazy hoot," said Eld, stern despite the small grin pulling at his lips, "is the only reason you guys are alive to joke about him today."

"C—Commander Pixis?"

"Can you not see this soldier's heartfelt salute?" Pixis asked, walking towards them, "I've only just arrived, but I was informed of the situation along the way. You go take command of your reinforcements. I think we could at least hear these young soldiers out." Armin dropped to his knees, face damp with sweat and a smile of relief plastered on it.

"Thank the goddesses the old nut was always mad enough to be a Corpsman," said Mike.

"He really could have been," Erwin agreed. I doubt High Command would have looked twice at Keith if Pixis had been a Scout. He pursed his lips. But, then, where would I have been?

XXX

The scene changed to show a diagram of the walls, in the form of a compass. According to reports from the Scout Regiment it was anticipated that Titans would come from the south. These reports were proved correct during the Fall of Shinganshina, which is located on the south of Wall Maria. Therefore, it was presumed their next most likely target would be Trost, on the southern side of Wall Rose.

"Not-Armin's right," said Moblit. "I don't think the North's ever had a Titan attack."

"The northern branch of the Survey Corps have a fatality rate of one percent," Hange chimed in. "And that was just because someone fell off their horse and got run over by the wagon. They're really popular up there."

"Why, though?" asked Connie. "Why is it always the south?"

"Does that mean the Titans come from the south?" Armin wondered.

"Maybe there's a big nest up there!" Sasha enthused. "And they hatch like chickens!"

"Does that mean there's a big mama Titan, too?" asked Connie.

Eren inhaled sharply, spine bending nearly in half as he curled forwards, grabbing his forehead. He was expecting it though, this time (expecting was the wrong word—on guard was better, he thought, and now all he could see were guards), and passed it off as a loud, hacking cough.

Big mama Titan. He squeezed his eyes shut, still coughing dramatically as Mikasa rubbed his back, chasing the thread of thought like his life depended on it (and, judging by the way things had been going, it might as well have been). He felt like he was running down a mountain of sand, slipping and sliding and stumbling as the planes of his mind shifted beneath him, the tail of the memory (he was sure it was a memory, this time, or associated with one, at the very least) darting away from him like a firefly in the night. He reached for it, fingers outstretched, and willed it back, and—

Ymir. His eyes widened, and he whirled around. The dark-haired girl was curled up around Krista, eyeing the TV with an expression that was almost boredom.

Ymir?

And, suddenly, he could see her—a little girl with hair the colour of straw and heavy, woven clogs too big for small, unsteady feet.

Daughter?

No. Mother.

Like she'd sensed him, Ymir stiffened and turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and he held contact for another moment before looking away.

Titans clawed at the Gate. Pixis sat atop the Wall, observing the beasts below. He took a slow sip from his flask, gaze never faltering. Dot Pixis, the commanding officer responsible for the southern territory. The man in charge of the defense of Trost district. Pixis took a slow sip from his flask, watching the remains of the city that had been intact just a few hours ago. The man given full authority over preserving humanity's most vital remaining territory.

Mikasa, Armin and Eren, the latter looking sluggish, watched as Pixis sauntered over to the edge of the wall, looking down at the Titans below.

"Nope, not any of you. Being eaten by a Titan wouldn't be so bad, if it was a sexy lady one," he mused.

Annie leaned back into the couch, skin prickling as the room was suddenly filled with loud, raucous laughter. "God, if only," Jean snorted.

The man is also notorious for being genuinely eccentric.

"What the hell is going through the Commander's head?" Woermann grumbled. "Going up there with those freaks and not bringing any bodyguards!"

"One freak," Oluo muttered. Petra elbowed him.

Two. Annie kept her gaze fixed on the back of Mikasa's head, cool and unwavering.

"He probably thought bodyguards would just fuck up the conversation even more," said Connie sagely.

"Besides," added Sasha. "If he really thought Eren was a threat, he could just throw him off the side of the Wall."

"Really feeling the love here, guys," said Eren sardonically.

"Well, sir," Rico said, "that's the Commander. He's known for taking a less traditional approach."
"Captain Woermann," Mitabi said. "We have finished assembling the troops, sir".

"Ah, well done." Woermann looked over at the troops, who's eyes were downcast with fear.

"That's that," Pixis said, "So, visiting this basement should clear everything up?"

"Yes, sir," Eren answered, voice breathy with fatigue. "Well, at least I think so."

Suddenly, Eren realized how stupid he sounded. The basement. He shook his head in disbelief. I can't believe that the court actually let that fly. He wouldn't have, if he were in their shoes. A hundred thousand soldiers' lives, and a couple million more inside the Walls, all riding on a basement that, for all they knew, could have been full of nothing but dust and cobwebs. I can't believe that they believed me.

"For the moment there is no way to validate all of the claims you've made. For now, I'll just catalogue them in my head. But I can usually tell the difference between the unctuous and the sincere, which is why I personally guarantee your safety." The trio's shoulders slumped in relief at the Commander's words. "You're Cadet Armin Arlert, correct?"

"Yes, sir."
"You mentioned a plan to harness this so-called Titan ability and then use your friend's power to retake the city? Do you believe it could work? Or were you grasping at straws to try and save your hides?"

"Uh, well. . ." Armin began, "It's both, Commander. I was going to suggest that Eren, using his strength as a Titan, could lift that boulder and use it to block the wrecked gate. That was the best idea I could come up with on the spot. I—I just wanted to make everyone see how Eren's ability might provide a solution to the problem we all face." Pixis turned around, staring back at the city. "Granted, I was pretty desperate to survive."

"Imagine if we could replicate the Titan power," said Hange to Moblit in an undertone, "or build machines with it! We could have a whole team of Titans working around the clock! Think of the progress, Moblit!" They grabbed his arm, shaking him back and forth. "That'd be amazing! Progress like we've never dreamed before!"

"Desperate to survive, huh?" Pixis mused. "That's as credible a reason as any, son." He took a long swig from his flask. He walked towards Eren, kneeling down to face him. "What do you say, Cadet Jaeger?"

"Say, sir?"

"That hole. Do you think you can plug it up, son?"

"What if the boulder weren't big enough?" asked Jean. "Or too big?"

"It would have been disastrous, either way," said Armin with a nonchalant shrug. "But it was the best I could come up with in the moment. It was a gamble."

Yes, Erwin thought, yes it was. He looked at the screen and smiled. And it paid off.

"Well. . . I—I don't know," Eren answered. "It's possible. But at the moment, I don't understand my power any more than you do. It's just, I feel sort of irresponsible giving you an answer. Because I don't really know."

"Ah, yes, of course, my apologies," Pixis chuckled. "I asked you the wrong question." His smile dropped, voice turning more serious. "Are you willing to, Cadet Jaeger, or not?"

Eren's eyes widened, Pixis's golden eyes stared at him with such intensity. Pixis glanced over behind him, at the war-torn city. The boulder was shown, along with the hole in the gate.

Still temporary, thought Jean. Wouldn't take much for the armoured asshole to push it aside, or the giant red dude to kick it away. He frowned. How the hell do they plan to open the Gate now?

"I'll do it! I'll do it! I don't know if I can, but I'll do it!" Eren answered, brows furrowed in determination.

Jean is a Karen send tweet.

I've been working on a lot of original stuff lately (music, short stories, poems, and novels), and I'm wondering a) whether you guys would like to see it (this is not optional, by the way), and b) whether or not to make a website for my obscure niche shit. So if anybody knows of any free website builders that aren't too hard to figure out, that'd be great.