A/N: Hey, I'm back lol super late, but happy holidays! I've been busy with university lately and will, unfortunately, continue to be busy. So I'll tell you guys now that the next update will be coming some time mid-march at the earliest (if I manage to get things down early). I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I'm trying my best to update for y'all.

As always, thank you so much for reading. Each fav, follow, or review means the world to me. I hope I'll still see you guys again in March!

Act II

Chapter I: There's Nothing Worse than the Aftermath

Even though the battle had ended, there was no time to rest. The recon corps and the Garrison's engineers came rushing in after the signal of victory sounded. It took us all an entire day to get rid of all the remaining Titans left inside of Trost with the artilleries above the Wall. The high-explosive shells erased most of the Titans. The Survey Corps eliminated any leftover monsters.

And now, it was the third day after the end of the Trost District Battle.

The town was buzzing with soldiers, cadets, and higher-ups as we all hurried to assess the damage. There was no doubt that the battle would leave scars on all the survivors — perhaps an endless night of fighting invisible hands, large and inescapable, that clawed and dragged everyone down into the cloying dread and wailing darkness.

But the battle or trauma itself wasn't the worst of it all. The reality that we had to face was the biggest evil of them all. The aftermath was so much more gruesome than the battle, with never-ending trails of blood, tears, and corpses littering every corner of the streets.

At least we didn't need to worry about cleaning up the Titan carcasses, but it was part of our duty to gather up all the bodies of our dead comrades and give them a proper burial.

That was probably what hit the hardest: to see eye to eye with the death of loved ones or friends again.

Jean stood frozen stiff, eyes utterly devoid of emotion. They were so dark and blackened, a black hole of dread and insufferable despair, as they silently gazed upon Marco.

I treaded up next to him and placed a firm grip on his shoulder. I glanced at him with slightly dampened eyes. "Jean...we don't have time to waste—"

"I know." His voice was hoarse and dry, clearly dehydrated from exhaustion — but his sorrow was conveyed to me. "We can't let an epidemic rise. I know that, but still..." Jean trailed off and turned away from me, resisting the urge to sob.

My head dropped to the ground, and I clenched my fists hard from the anger, anguish, and regret that welled up deep inside of me.

Though humanity achieved its first victory against the Titans, far too many lives were paid in exchange. So far, we had discovered 207 soldiers, either dead or missing in action. The wounded count had already gone past 897.

I absentmindedly placed my hands on my ribs. Mikasa and Armin had immediately taken me to the medical area after dropping Eren off to the higher-ups. Although I had a high fever again the day after the battle, the doctor in charge allowed me to help with the clean-up on the third day.

Under normal circumstances, I would definitely still be bed-ridden, but we needed all the help available. Seeing the other wounded in the medical area made me realize that I had it far better than most.

"Did you tell the nurse in charge yet?" I asked.

He nodded in response before walking off in the opposite direction. I didn't blame him; it was probably hard to see the body of your friend all sawed in half like that. No one needed to experience this.

I gritted my teeth and turned away from Marco, walking off to my post with heavy steps, burning the image of his death in my mind as I moved forward, little by little.

Night-time came and the pyre started. The survivors gathered around the fire. Some huddled up against each other, sobbing or wailing in grief. Others didn't know what to do. Armin and Mikasa stood silently in front of the fire. Connie slumped down to the ground, holding his head down between his knees. Tears overflowed from his eyes, shining against the raging fire.

Krista and Ymir were sitting next to each other on the stairs, staring up at the dark and star-less sky.

The only sound echoing throughout the area was the crackling of the fire and the muffled sobbings from around us. Jean stepped up beside me and knelt down, grabbing something from the ground.

I peered over his shoulder and bit back a yelp. It was one of the charred bones that laid scattered around the fire. He caressed the bone in his hands and snorted, breaking off into a small fit of exasperated laughter.

"I don't even know which one is yours anymore...Marco..." He trailed off and I shut my eyes tight, turning away from it all.

I knew it wasn't right to leave, but I didn't want to be here at this moment. It was too much to bear. What hurt the most wasn't the fact that I was staring at the bones of my comrades, but the look of despair on all the survivors' faces.

I couldn't bear it anymore, this sullen mood. Everyone was probably regretting their choice to become a soldier. If we knew beforehand what a hellish place it was on the battlefield, none of us would be here at this moment...

Or was it our fate to be here in this moment, mourning after the death of our comrades? Did we have no other choice but to stew in silence and grief?

Eren would probably disagree. Being the strong-hearted man he was, he would never give up. Not now. Not ever. And I agreed with him. We couldn't give up now. We have to fight because it's our only choice to survive — but there were still times where I felt like my world had come crashing down.

I left the pyre area and headed off towards one of the benches nearby. I slumped my back against the seat and stared up at the gloomy field of darkness above. Not a single star was in sight, and that only dampened the mood.

I laughed dryly. "Really? You can't even give us a speck of light? Screw you, nature."

"It's like there's no hope, huh?"

I blinked rapidly and lifted my head from the bench. Jean's footsteps echoed down the empty road. My eyes widened as I took in his presence. I opened my mouth to say something but ended up with nothing to say. He stared at my gobsmacked expression and snorted.

"What, is it that surprising to see me here?" Jean raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "U-Uh, no. I was just...you know...thinking that you probably wanted to spend the rest of the night at the pyre."

He scoffed at the thought. "Seriously? That's not a funny joke. Who'd want to sleep next to the remains of their dead comrades?"

I winced. "Okay, that came out weirder than I thought. Sorry, pal."

He rolled his eyes and plopped onto the bench next to me. Jean glanced up at the skies and sighed. "Heh. There really isn't a single speck up there. Even the world is laughing at our miseries."

"The world has always been an annoying place. Things never go your way in life."

"Yeah, who would've thought I'd be joining the Survey Corps after all this time."

It took a few moments before his words sank in, and I shot off the bench. I stared at him with disbelief as a stunned, comical expression made its way up onto my face. "WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" I screamed from the top of my lungs in shock.

Jean flinched, slamming his hands over his ears. "Jesus Christ, Rose! Buckle down a bit! My ears are going to start bleeding!"

"Oh no, you don't, mister!" I stomped over towards his bench, pointing my finger at him. "Start explaining. What's with this sudden change?" I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing him.

Jean just sighed loudly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's nothing...I just...thought I'd take his advice and, you know, change myself..."

I didn't need to ask him to know who he was talking about. I dropped my hand and frowned. "This isn't a joke, right?"

He glanced at me, and I saw the heavy, drooping bags underneath his eyes. "Would I joke about something like this?" His strained, pained voice only made my heart feel heavier.

The wind blew gently around our profiles as we lapsed in silence, staring into each other's eyes. There was no sign of hesitation in those orbs of his. There was a light, burning behind those brown orbs of his. It was clear that he had mulled over his decision and reached a conclusion.

He was resolved to face it until the very end.

"...I think Marco would be proud if he saw you right now," I blurted out.

Jean's eyes widened slightly before he broke off into a fit of laughter. The sound was like bells, chiming in my ears as I found my lips morphing into a huge grin. This was perhaps the most comfortable we've been since the end of the battle.

"Hey, Rose?"

"What?"

Jean stood up in front of me, and I took a small step back to leave some room between us. He reached his hand up and ruffled the red locks of hair on my head, smiling. "Thanks for everything."

I shifted my gaze up to meet his. "You're welcome. Glad to have you aboard the ride. Let's drop down to hell together," I joked, flashing a thumbs up.

He laughed out loud again, punching me in the shoulder.

"We don't have enough information," Erwin concluded.

Levi scoffed, crossing his legs on the table. "No shit, Erwin."

The two were sitting in one of the rooms in the headquarters prepared for them. Tomorrow would be the trial with Erwin and Levi, taking their stand to persuade the judges to leave Eren with them. The only issue was that they had nothing to rest their case.

It was obvious how everything would play out at this rate. Eren would be forcibly taken away by the police and he'd be most likely killed for the sake of peace. The thought made Levi internally gag. A peace that came from the fear of the unknown was nothing short of stupidity.

Erwin sighed, leaning against the chair. "It'll be hard to convince them to give us Eren."

"We could always use force," Levi suggested. Erwin shot him a warning glare, but Levi refused to back down. Levi slid his feet off the desk and stood in front of Erwin, glaring at him. "What's that look for? You can't be thinking of giving up and handing Eren to those police dogs, right?"

"Trust me, that wasn't my intention at all," Erwin replied calmly, completely unfazed by his partner's rudeness. It was the usual bantering between them, after all. "But using violence isn't always the best option. Especially if it's our first one."

Levi snorted, rolling his eyes. "You talk as if we ever had another choice."

Erwin's lips went tight. "Levi...I know what you're saying, but—"

"Erwin," Levi snapped. "We need Eren. That's a fact. And the only way we can get our hands on him tomorrow is by showing all those dumb chickens that we can take care of him if anything were to happen." He leaned in closer towards Erwin, eyes smoldering with confidence. "And I'll promise you this. I'll end him if he goes out of control without fail."

Erwin knew better than to argue against his friend when he was so heated up like this. With a resigned sigh, Erwin nodded. "Fine. I'll leave it to you then, Levi."

Levi nodded in response. "That's more like it. Now, let's just hope that brat can tolerate a bit of violence."

Erwin slowly shut his eyes in exasperation and exhaustion. "...Take it easy on him."

Levi's brows shot up as he stared at Erwin in confusion. "You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not, Levi. I mean it. Hold back," Erwin opened his eyes again. "We still need him around, so don't scare him off too much."

"I'll do what I have to," Levi replied, much to Erwin's chagrin.

Three knocks on the door and Erwin turned his head towards the entrance. "Come in," he said in a loud voice.

The newcomer strode into the room, closing the door lightly behind them. "It's me," Mike announced as he walked over towards the commander. "I have some interesting news for you."

Levi turned to face Mike. "What happened?"

Mike sniffed his nose, taking in the dusty air. "This place has seen better days," he frowned.

Levi narrowed his eyes at Mike. "Don't remind me about it. It'll make me want to clean this whole shitty place up."

Erwin groaned, massaging the rising headache in his forehead with his fingers. "Mike, what happened?" He reiterated Levi's question, hoping to turn the conversation away from unpleasant topics.

Mike shifted his attention to Erwin. "They're summoning in two of Jaeger's friends as witnesses tomorrow."

Erwin's brows shot up in response. "His friends? Why?"

Mike shrugged. "Who knows what they're thinking? They probably just want to turn this into a witch hunt." Mike twirled his finger in the air. "You know how they do things. They probably want to take down his friends too, in case they revolt against the police later down the road."

Levi grunted. "Sounds like the Military Police alright. They do things dirty down there."

Erwin and Mike glanced at each other with a knowing look before turning to Levi. Erwin cleared his throat loudly and looked at Levi, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. "You're not one to talk, Levi."

Levi blinked and scowled, folding his arms across his chest. "Shut up."

Erwin just shook his head in exasperation. "Is that all that you've discovered?"

The corner of Mike's lips tugged up into a smirk. "You've got to be kidding. Of course, I got more information for you."

"Tell me everything."

"You asked for information about the events that led up to the Trost battle. Many cited the sudden appearance of the Colossal Titan. Other than that, orders were given by the Garrison, so we'll have to ask Commander Pixis for more details."

Mike paused. "But there's just one problem."

"What is it?" Erwin urged.

"No one can tell us what happened during the battle and how Eren's body was founded," Mike replied monotonically as if he were reporting about the weather. "The reason's obvious."

"The leaders died," Levi nailed down the coffin with his forthright words.

Erwin nodded. "I see. Then we'll need to gather more information from the cadets that survived."

"We can just ask those two friends of Eren's," Levi suggested. "I forgot their names."

"Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlert," Mike clarified. "That's what I thought at first, too. They were there when Eren emerged from the Titan. However, there's just one other problem."

Levi groaned in annoyance. "What now?"

Mike shot him a look. "It's you."

Levi blinked. "...What?"

"If you beat up their friend in front of them, do you think they'd be willing to give you information?" Mike explained.

Erwin mulled over the situation. "Hm, I see. That is quite unfortunate."

Levi glared at Erwin. "You can't be serious. Just bring those two in by force, and we can interrogate them thoroughly."

"If that's our last resort, then we'll have to do that," Erwin noted. Then, he turned towards Mike with a frown. "Although that's the least favorable option I want to take. Do we have other candidates?"

"I knew this was coming, so I sniffed around the cadets, asking for any particular names that would be willing to help us," Mike replied. "Two other names kept popping up."

"Who are they?" Erwin leaned in closer, narrowing his eyes. "We'll ask for them to report to us tomorrow after the trial."

Mike stared at Erwin and Levi. "Two cadets took charge during most of the Trost battle, at least before Commander Pixis was ready. Their names are Jean Kirschtein and Rose Scarlet."

"He's going to trial? But why?" I slammed my hands on the dining table. The sound of plates rattling against the table caught the attention of the other soldiers in the dining area, and the fray of chattering dissipated.

Armin yelped as he quickly held his bowl of soup steady. He sighed as he inspected the damage. "Calm down, Rose. These rations are precious. We can't waste a single spill."

I coughed once, feeling the heat rising onto my cheeks. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. More importantly, what the heck is this trial?" I repeated the question, this time turning my volume down a notch lower.

"The higher-ups need to decide what to do with Eren." Armin took a sip from his bowl. "He could be humanity's hope, but at the same time..." He trailed off and glanced towards Mikasa.

I blinked, turning towards Mikasa. There was a dark, black aura emanating from her as she stabbed the piece of bread on her plate with a knife. I winced, sliding a few inches down the bench away from her.

"...You mean they might also kill him if he ends up being a threat," I leaned across the table and whispered in a hushed voice to Armin, who nodded in response.

I slumped back in my seat. Clenching my fists, I bit back a harsh growl. "Those fucking bastards...all cowards, I swear..."

"There's nothing we can do," Armin resigned himself. "We can only hope for the best."

Mikasa whipped her head around to face us and glared at Armin. "I'm saving Eren no matter what."

"How? Are you going to make an enemy out of the entire military?" Armin protested, shaking his head vigorously. "We can't do anything, Mikasa. Even if we want to, we have nowhere to escape to inside these walls..."

"Even so, I'll do it." Mikasa stood up from her seat and started marching outside.

I stood up in a hurry after her and grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place. "Wait, Mikasa. I know how you feel, but we don't know what they plan to do yet. Let's wait until the trial ends, okay?"

She whirled around to face me, eyes overflowing with fury. "I can't, Rose. I can't wait. If anything were to happen to him again, I'd—"

The door slammed open, and a couple of soldiers strode inside the cafeteria. All heads turned towards them. The head of their group peered down from the top of the stairs and scanned the premise. Their eyes landed on Mikasa and Armin.

"Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlert, are you here?" The head barked out.

"Y-Yes, sir!" Armin stood up from his seat.

"I'm here," Mikasa replied stoically.

"You have been ordered to appear at the trial this afternoon as witnesses!" The leader announced before he left with his fellow troopmates behind him.

Mikasa and Armin glanced at each other in confusion. I sighed and ruffled the back of my head in exhaustion. "Well, guess you guys can go see for yourselves what happens. Tell me later about it, okay?"

I didn't hear about the conclusion of the trial until much later on that day. That was no surprise since there was so much to debate about. But what was unexpected was where I heard the results from — and it wasn't from Armin or Mikasa.

"What's going to happen to us from now on?" Sasha spoke up between large mouthfuls of her lunch.

Connie glanced over at Mikasa and Armin, who were heading out the cafeteria. He shrugged, twirling his spoon around in the empty bowl. "Who knows? If the stupid Titans didn't attack us, I'd be safe by now inside the inner wall..." He trailed off and went silent.

Sasha continued to devour her plate hungrily, completely oblivious to the brewing storm inside of Connie's head as he mulled over the events of the past few days. Sometimes, Connie wished he was as carefree as she was, nonchalantly able to continue with her daily life even after a huge tragedy. He was an idiot — he knew that more than anyone — but even an idiot knew when to be serious.

What exactly is going to happen to us from now on...? He pondered to himself.

If the Trost Battle never happened, he would've been able to select which military division to join freely without any hesitance. After all, he had a family to take care of back in the village. He needed to earn money from the Military Police's high salary. Even now, his goal had not changed. He still needed to do his job for his family back home.

But what about those that he lost during the battle?

Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would end up being reluctant to join the Police, especially not after facing the horror of the Titans first-handed. But then that goddamn, horse-face bastard just had to proclaim that he would be joining the Survey Corps last night at the pyre.

Why? Just, why? Why would you do that to yourself?

No matter how much he mulled over it, he still had no explanation for Jean's illogical actions. Maybe because he was an idiot, he couldn't even understand one of his closest friends from the 104th Cadet group...

Or maybe because he was an idiot, he chose to ignore the truth when he really knew it all along.

A dry laugh spilled out of Connie's lips as he started to shake uncontrollably. Sasha stared at him with confusion in her eyes. "What's wrong, Connie? You cold or something?" Sasha innocently asked.

Connie didn't reply to her and merely shook his head. He mumbled to himself in guilt. "Stupid, spineless coward..."

Sasha wasn't stupid. She may be an oblivious fool most of the time but in the rarest moments, she showed a high level of emotional intelligence. She just chose to ignore it, that's all. Sometimes, offering people comfort or help when they're deliberating over something wasn't the best decision.

It wasn't because she was unempathetic or anything. She just believed that everyone would come to a satisfying decision on their own if given enough time to reflect. Sasha was a master at playing the Pierrot, joker, fool — whatever you call it.

Jean had decided on his own, and she didn't need to worry about him. That was Rose's job, not hers.

Connie was currently mumbling to himself, calling himself ugly names. Even so, she wasn't concerned about him either. He would resolve himself soon enough.

Mikasa and Armin were far beyond her reach. They had a world of their own, along with Eren. She wouldn't dare to barge into the trio.

Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt were even more unreachable. She hadn't seen them since the battle ended. Perhaps they were dealing with the aftermath in their own way.

Christa and Ymir were comforting each other at the opposite end of the cafeteria. Those two had a relationship far closer than any other pairing or trio that she knew of in the 104th Cadet Group.

To conclude her daily report of observing her dearest friends, she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Sasha hid a smile behind the piece of bread in front of her mouth and wolfed down her meal at tremendous speed.

Everything will be okay in the end, I'm sure of it.

"Do you have anybody in mind for the new squad?" Mike asked casually as he stood across from Levi in the storage room.

Levi nodded. "I do. I'm thinking of Eld and Gunther. I've got Petra and Oruo in mind, too."

"Ah, those two are interesting," Mike mused to himself. "They're childhood friends, aren't they? They'd make a good attack team."

"That's not why I chose them," Levi rolled his eyes. "Their skills are top-notch regardless of their relationship with one another. Those four have racked up a few solo and team kills, and most importantly, they want to live to see this through..." He trailed off. His eyes darkened as he stared out the window, lost in thought about a faraway dream, way back in the unreachable past.

Mike stared at his comrade, eyes softening. "We never know how things will end, Levi."

"...I know. You don't have to tell me twice," Levi scoffed, brushing off Mike's attempt at consoling him.

"Hm?" Mike suddenly froze, narrowing his eyes.

Levi turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. "What? Caught the smell of trouble or something?"

"I'm picking up an unfamiliar scent— no wait, I think I've smelled it once before," Mike sniffed loudly. He stalked off closer towards the door.

Levi's eyes lazily trailed after him. Although he never said it out loud, Levi always thought Mike was like a dog with his god-like nose. Mike placed his hand onto the doorknob. Before he could react, the door opened slightly. Mike shifted a few steps back and let the newcomer into the room.

Armin walked into the storage room and bowed. "Hello, sir. I'm Armin Arlert, a recent graduate. I have something to talk to you about, Captain Levi and—" Armin yelped in surprise as Mike suddenly circled him, sniffing him all over. He sweatdropped as the older man continued to dissect him apart with his nose and vision.

Levi rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Don't mind him. That's Section Commander Mike. He tends to sniff down anybody he doesn't know. Think of it as his way of saying hello."

Is he a stray hound or something...? Armin thought in his head.

"So, what do you want?" Levi asked, although he already had a hunch what the cadet wanted to talk about. He recognized the boy from the tribunal that ended earlier. From what Eren said, he was one of Eren's childhood friends.

"I was wondering...how has Eren, uh, Cadet Eren been doing since then?" Armin stumbled over his words and winced.

"He's settled down," Levi replied without a bat of an eye. "He was a bit beat up, but you can hardly tell now."

"Even his teeth grew back already," Mike added as he stepped away from Armin's personal space. "The guy's regenerative abilities are amazing. As expected of a Titan."

Armin frowned at Mike's words, but he chose to ignore the rising urge to correct the Section Commander. It wasn't his place, after all. Witnessing humanity's greatest soldier's violence first-handed at the tribunal made him realize the disparity between their strength. He wouldn't dare to anger his future leaders.

"So, what? Are you here to dish out some payback to him or something?" Levi asked, narrowing his eyes.

Armin blinked, then shook his head lightly. "No, sir, not at all. I understand that what you did was to keep him alive. Leaving him in the hands of the Military Police would hardly have been good news."

Levi's eyes widened slowly, though no one noticed it. That wasn't the answer Levi was expecting from a boy Armin's age. Compared to Eren's rashness and the other girl's raging emotions, this boy was much calmer. "You're pretty quick on the pickup, kid."

Mike's eyes flickered towards Levi in surprise. It was a rare compliment from the man who was renowned for being the most heartless and cruelest soldier the Scouting Legion ever had.

"So, what's going to happen to Eren now?" Armin asked.

"I said all there was to say at the tribunal," Levi crossed his arms. "He's in my hands now, and if anything dangerous happens, I'll end him." The words that came out of his mouth were acerbic and forthright, but he knew Armin didn't want a wishy-washy answer.

Armin's head drooped a little as he sighed. "I-I see..."

"If there's something you want to say, you'd better say it now," Mike interjected. "We'll be busy from now on, so it'll be hard to complain later, kid."

"No, that was clear enough. I...understand," Armin nodded with a small smile.

"That's good, then." Mike nodded.

Levi was boring holes into Armin with his scrutinizing gaze. "I seem to remember there being another cadet with you at the tribunal. A girl with eyes devoid of any understanding, eyes that stared at me with murderous intent."

Armin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, that's my friend, Mikasa Ackermann. She wanted to come here with me, but she didn't have a clear head, so I left her with Rose in the cafeteria to calm down."

Mike and Levi's eyes flickered with recognition after hearing a specific name. "So, I assume the four of you have known each other since you entered the Cadet Group?" Mike casually asked though it was clear to Levi he was probing for information in his own way.

Armin cocked his head to the side. "Four...? Oh, you mean Rose. Eren and Mikasa are my childhood friends. I've known them since we were all kids. We met Rose later on the ships after the Shiganshina District collapsed."

"Right, you guys are all from Shiganshina," Mike said, then paused. "So, this Rose cadet joined you guys later?"

"We got closer after we landed in the refugee camps. Later on, Eren convinced her to join the Cadet Group with us," Armin explained. "Maybe she was moved by Eren's passion, but she's been with us ever since. Eren might not admit it, but even though they fight a lot, he considers her one of his best friends."

"I see," Mike gave a curt reply.

Sensing that the conversation was over, Armin took a small bow. "Sorry to take up your time. Please look after Eren...if you can..."

"He's not a cadet anymore. He's a soldier, just like us," Mike replied.

"I'm aware of that, sir." Armin bowed again before he headed off towards the door.

"Wait," Levi's commanding voice echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down Armin's spine. He immediately turned back to face his future leader. "Tell me..." Levi started as he strode across the room with confident steps. "What regiment are you planning on joining?"

Armin jolted in surprise at the question. "Me? I'm...hoping to join the Scout Regiment. I believe it's the same for the other three."

"Really, now? Well, you better steel yourself for it. To see your childhood friends die before your eyes, to understand why, and to try and come to grips with it," Levi stopped in front of Armin and stared right into the boy's eyes.

Armin didn't flinch this time. He simply stared back into the commander's eyes. "Thank you for your advice, sir. I'll keep that in mind."

"ARGHHHHHHHH! HANGE-SAN, YOU'LL JUST CHIP MY TOOTH— OH, HOLY SHIT!"

Armin yelped as a loud scream echoed down the hallways. He frantically turned towards Levi with an alarmed expression on his face. "S-Sir was that Eren's voice?! I-Is he okay?!"

A single scream from his best friend was all it took to destroy the boy's composure, but he let it slide just this once. Levi sighed as Mike stifled a laugh in the corner of the room. "Just forget you heard anything. There are some things in this world you will never understand." He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, massaging the headache that was rising up at the thought of Hange and her crazy experiments. "You can leave now."

"O-Okay. Thank you for your time, sir!" Armin saluted once before he scrambled out of the room with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

"Hange has great timing as always, huh?" Mike snorted.

Levi groaned. "That shitty four-eyed bastard..."

"Wait, what are you doing here?"

"How am I supposed to know? What about you? You got called too?"

I walked down the hallways alongside Jean, who I met loitering outside the headquarters. He was pacing back and forth in a circle, mustering up the courage to walk in when I slapped him on the back, waking him up from his dazed state.

"I was in the cafeteria with Mikasa when the same soldier from this morning came in and called for me," I shrugged. "No idea what the Commander of the Survey Corps wants with us, though."

Jean groaned as he buried his head into his hands. "Did we do something wrong during the clean-up?"

I rolled my eyes. "If we did, why would we have to report to the Survey Corps of all people? They're busy enough with Eren."

"Oh yeah, so what happened to Eren in the end?"

"Apparently, that bastard Levi beat him up on the spot as a show of authority to the higher-ups, just so that they'd relent Eren to the Scouts."

Jean winced, absentmindedly rubbing his arms. "Shit, it must've hurt."

I blankly stared at him. "Yeah, no shit."

Our bantering came to an end when we made it to the front of Commander Erwin's room. Jean took a deep breath before he knocked three times. "Sir, it's Jean Kirschtein and Rose Scarlet."

"Come in," Erwin's distinct voice was heard from behind the closed doors.

I glanced at Jean and nodded. He gripped the knob and turned it, walking into the room. I strolled along right behind him and closed the door quietly. I spun around to face Commander Erwin and stood beside Jean with my arms behind my back. A quick glance around the room, and I recognized him immediately — the infuriating shorty I met after the Trost Battle. My eyes narrowed slightly as I spotted him beside Erwin.

His eyes met mine, and he scowled out loud. "So, it's you, brat."

"I see you're doing well, sir. I heard about the show you put on at the tribunal grounds. I wish I were there to see it." A sarcastic comment flew out of my mouth before I could stop it, much to Jean's chagrin.

Jean sputtered, coughing violently before he lightly smacked me in the head. "W-What are you, drunk or what?"

Erwin's brows shot up to the roof in amusement as he turned his head towards his friend. "Is she an acquaintance of yours, Levi?

"No, it's nothing," Levi ignored Erwin's suggestive remarks and turned his attention out the window. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Mike stifle another laugh. He shot a warning glare at the said man.

"I see," Erwin decided to drop the question and turned his attention towards more pressing matters. "Are you aware why we have called you two to meet us here?"

Jean shook his head. "N-No, sir." He was shaking like a newborn calf, and I mentally facepalmed.

Nudging him with my elbows, I whispered harshly. "Man the fuck up."

He glared furiously at me. "Yeah, and butcher my reputation as you did just now? Hell, no."

Erwin paid no attention to our argument and continued forward. "We lack information about what happened in the Trost Battle. That's why we've called upon you two, in case you have additional information that we don't."

Jean blinked and opened his mouth to respond, though I cut him off.

"Why us two?" I asked bluntly.

Mike stood up from his seat in the corner of the room and sniffed loudly. "I've been sniffing around the soldiers, looking for someone who can help us, and your names came up. That's all."

"...I see," I replied. "Before I answer your questions, may I ask something, Commander Erwin?"

"Go ahead," Erwin raised his hand to stop Levi, who wanted to protest.

"I just wanted to ask how Eren is doing," I asked. "Information doesn't reach down the lines to the new graduates, so we're left unaware of what happened during the proceedings earlier."

"And yet you knew I beat Eren up?" Levi scoffed.

"I heard that from Mikasa Ackermann later on," I immediately replied without batting an eye in his direction. "She's still very worked up now and wanted to come along with me, though I refused her for your own sake."

His rage was simmering beneath the surface, but he managed to hold back from giving back a snarky remark. "I see."

Jean was staring back and forth between us like a deer in the headlights. Erwin smiled while Mike started guffawing. He turned to face me and grinned. "Kid, I don't know how you know our friend here, but it's been a while since I've seen someone get under his skin so easily."

"Enough." That single word from Levi, not even snapped or shouted, was loaded with finality and a warning that could only be described as dire. "Have you forgotten why they're here?"

Erwin cleared his throat once and clasped his hands on top of his desk. "I would like to hear from you two how the Battle of Trost went down, from beginning to end. It may give us a clue as to how this attack came to be."

Jean took a step forward, hoping to dissipate the tension between Levi and me. "Have you heard about the Colossal Titan?"

Erwin nodded, signaling Jean to carry forward.

"Us cadets were moving artillery up on the Wall when the Colossal Titan suddenly appeared. It shattered the entrance of the Wall, and soon after, the other Titans barged into the city," Jean explained. "After that, we simply followed the orders of our temporary squad leaders and separated into groups."

"And Eren?" Levi butted in mid-explanation.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what happened," Jean answered politely. "I wasn't in the same group as Eren. Rose was also in a different group. If you know him, Armin Arlert was in the same group of Eren."

"Yes, we've heard from him that a Titan devoured Eren," Erwin nodded, confirming his suspicions. "So only Armin Arlert witnessed the moment of Eren's presumed death?"

"I believe so," Jean nodded.

"I see. That isn't different from all the other sources we have," Erwin glanced at Mike, who hummed in agreement. "And you say you discovered Eren coming out of a Titan's body near the old headquarters?"

Jean nodded. "Yes. Before we ran out of gas, the rest of the survivors headed towards the old headquarters to fill our tanks. Eren, in his Titan form, was seen to be battling the other Titans near that area. Later on, when we successfully filled our tanks, we witnessed Eren coming out of a Titan's back and retrieved him."

"I see," Erwin frowned. "In the end, it's a mystery how he appeared to have survived his death."

"I don't think anyone can answer that question, sir," I interjected. "No matter how much information you gather, this is an unprecedented phenomenon. It'll be hard to determine the reason for his transformation."

There was a small moment of silence as Erwin mulled over my words. His brows scrunched up as he frowned from disappointment. Jean, realizing the sullen mood in the room, stiffened and started fidgeting with his fingers behind his back in nervosity.

"...You sound too confident for someone who doesn't really know what's going on."

My attention immediately turned towards Levi, who was glaring right into my eyes. Without lowering his gaze, he crowded over towards my direction, barely even a few a steps closer, but his overwhelming presence suppressed any thoughts of retaliation inside my head.

Nevertheless, I stood my ground, unwavering.

"Is there something that you're hiding from us?" Levi came to a stop in front of me.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Jean sweating buckets as he stared off into the distance, away from the tension and confrontation going on beside him. I mentally sighed in annoyance before I replied. "If I did, you would find out sooner or later anyways from my companion here." I motioned towards Jean with my head. "He's smart, but his lips tend to get loose under pressure most of the time."

"You're not answering the question." Levi crept even closer, the distance between us less than a foot now. I flinched imperceptibly at the sudden proximity, though battled for composure to appear undisturbed.

"My guess is as good as yours," I started. "After all, I wasn't even there to see Eren come out of the Titan's body. If you want to know more about that, you should ask my friend instead."

At such proximity, I could see the flecks of ebony in those steely irises. His eyes slightly narrowed, an unknown emotion flickering through his eyes, though it was way too brief for me to analyze what it was. He took a step back and scowled in contempt. "Mike, this brat says she wasn't there to see the Titan Eren came out from. Why'd you call her here?"

He yelled out a question across the room to Mike, who was staring absentmindedly out the window. Mike shrugged as if it wasn't his problem. "Don't ask me. The other cadets named her and that boy there as our best sources."

Erwin sighed from his table. "Levi, don't be impatient. There's a timing for everything."

"I'm not impatient." Levi retorted, turning his head back slightly to face his Commander. "There's something fishy going on, and I know it."

"One of your radars gone off?" Mike raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Levi shot him a knowing look. "My instincts have never been wrong."

Jean was glancing back and forth between all the other occupants in the room. He had never felt so lost in his whole life before. The tension inside the room was escalating like no tomorrow, and he didn't think he could last any longer. He took a large gulp before he meekly raised his hand. "U-Uh, sir? If there's nothing else you want from us, may we excuse ourselves? We still need to clean-up the pyre."

Erwin nodded. "Yes, you are dismissed—"

"Wait." My eyes widened in surprise as Mike suddenly spoke up. I expected Levi to protest, not the man who was silently staring out the window. Mike crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall before he slowly spoke. "There's something else I've wanted to ask you about. This is something I haven't told the others yet since I wasn't sure what it had to do with this case, but since Levi's instincts are flaring, perhaps I should."

Levi turned to face the said man. "What's wrong?"

Mike's eyes lazily traveled towards Jean and me. "There was something...peculiar that I heard about your attempt to take back the old headquarters. You and a few others managed to take down a few Titans without the use of 3D maneuver gears, huh?"

"That's correct, sir." Jean nodded in response, though his eyes flickered towards me immediately.

Although no one else caught the subtle reaction, Levi recognized it immediately. His eyes twitched slightly as his lips curve up into a lazy smirk. "Hey, you. Jean Kirschtein, was it?"

Jean straightened his back immediately. "Y-Yes, sir! That's right."

"Did something peculiar happen, as Mike said?" He asked.

Immediately, Jean's face went slightly ashen. I blanched as an alarming train of thought entered my head. While Levi was focused on Jean, I quickly whirled my head towards Mike with my eyes wide.

He...he can't be talking about that time I killed those Titans uncontrollably in that cellar...right?

"I-I'm not sure what you mean," Jean attempted to sound confident but failed epically with the way his voice quivered.

"What he means is..." Mike slowly trailed off as his eyes met my bewildered ones. "Has your friend here done something worth informing us about?"

Less than a few days after the Trost Battle and Jean was already facing one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his life. He knew what they wanted to hear or, more precisely, what some of the cadets had been gossipping about earlier, which he promptly ignored.

He turned towards me with a helpless look. "She...saved us all when our plan initially failed. That's all, sir."

Levi glared at him. "Are you sure that's all?"

Jean nodded stiffly. "Yes...that's all, sir."

"He's not lying," Mike exhaled briefly. "According to most of the other cadets, they also said they were saved by Rose Scarlet here. But there was something else that they told me."

The tension in the spiked to its maximum, yet as Mike slowly phrased his next sentence, staring right into my eyes as he did so.

"...There are rumors that Rose Scarlet is also another Titan in disguise."

Jean's jaws dropped in sheer horror and shock. Erwin stiffened his back and immediately leaned over the table, staring at me. I felt my stomach plummet as the accusation sank into my mind, a wave of sheer anxiety, but also hurt rushing through me.

T-They think I'm a Titan?!

"B-But that's crazy!" I immediately blurted out, my voice cracking at the end. "It's baseless conjecture! Nothing but accusations!"

"...Hah." I immediately snapped my mouth shut as Levi's shoulders starting to shake lightly. He turned around to face me, and I froze.

I was rendered mute by the alarming change in his demeanor. Although he was always acting hostile towards me ever since I stepped inside the room, it was nothing compared to this — this ruthless and lethal, powerful aura that swarmed over him. I had only sensed glimpses of the menacing charisma this man held so far, and I realized now that I was faced with his potent darkness fully unsheathed.

Heart in my mouth, ice in my veins, I stared horror-stricken as he crept closer again. He pressed closer, our chests hitting. My stomach strained as I tried to lean away, but his gaze kept my feet from moving.

The slightest curve of his lips and in a heartbeat, his presence morphed from pure menace to scintillating blood-lust that left me in thrall.

"It appears...we're not done with you yet," Levi baritone register left me shuddering uncontrollably as his warm breath flickered across my skin, but it wasn't butterflies that fluttered in my stomach: only pure dread. "Mark my words. If you end up being a beast...I will end you one day."

My golden orbs widened at the dark promise, and I unconsciously took a step back. I glanced towards Jean, internally screaming for help, but he cast a meaningful look downwards, his expression tight.

The meaning wasn't lost on either of us.

I knew that I was screwed.