**Please read this before the story!**

This story begins between ch 51 and 52 and will inevitably deviate more and more from the canon story. I did my best to tie it into the events thus far in the series (55) without contradicting anything. I do recommend brushing up on those chapters, it will make it easier to follow along. If you aren't really feeling the first chapter, give the second one a shot because it represents the pacing and style of the story much better than the first. Enjoy!

'…Sleep…'

'Yeah…'

'Such a counter-productive duality… So obtrusive, yet necessary, inviting even.'

Eren stared at the grains and splinters lining the support beam above his cot. He missed sleeping amongst his friends, sleeping alone was new to him. Three years in the barracks brought him comfort in the symphony of snores and mutterings. All Eren had now was his thoughts and the occasional sounds emanating throughout the house. So very tired, but how could he sleep like this?

'Titans don't need it, why do I? Sleep is such a dire loss of precious time, let alone hiding out here. Sitting and waiting, in the middle of nowhere, while a war rages out there. What if Reiner, Berthold, and Ymir breach Wall Rose while we're out here hiding? They'd surely free Annie and get away before the news would even make it to us…

While his body was happy to assume an idle state, Eren's mind was thrilled to take advantage of the new found, albeit strange, serenity. For the proceeding hour he contemplated what happened on that field days ago. He replayed the events over and over, wondering what triggered this new control over the titans. All he remembered was how badly he wanted - intended - to destroy that bastard. To tear that grinning savage apart, piece by piece.

"Maybe it takes more than a desire."

Eren's eyes opened to meet nothing but darkness, yet it was somehow familiar...

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Maybe the trigger is something greater than determination; maybe lives have to be at stake."

The voice wasn't familiar, nor did it seem to come from any particular direction. Eren couldn't even describe it. It had no particular tone, accent, or even gender. He decided to stand up, but, he found himself already upright. It was as if he was on his feet as soon as he willed it.

"I'm dreaming." He concluded.

"Sure, why not? With that revelation out of the way, we can focus on this new ability."

"Dream or not, I don't know how I feel about having a conversation with… well, myself." Eren pondered aloud.

"Do you want to be in full control of yourself or not? Dreams don't last forever, you know..."

Eren decided that he was talking to his subconscious self. It didn't really matter why, after all, discovering new things about himself was becoming an ongoing theme. It couldn't hurt to see what this strange voice had to say.

"Alright, that seems like a reasonable theory, so what now?" Said Eren.

"Not much really, you already know which emotions swam through you at the time. I'm afraid that we're at a dead end until the next contact with titans. But what you can do is make the best of your opportunity while you're stuck out here."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Do they not plan to experiment on your titan form out here in the forest?"

"You mean monster." He replied in disgust.

"Whatever you decide to call it, the other titan shifters have obviously spent more time mastering their abilities. If you plan on taking them on, I'd say it would behoove you to learn what you can before that day comes."

"Since when have I thought so critically?"

"You?"

"Welcome back."

"Shit." Said Eren.

"Shit?"

"So I guess this is a thing now? You won't be going away?"

"I could leave you to your normal nightmares if you'd like. You may not remember them, but I do, and I really don't want to-"

Eren's sigh interrupted his mental passenger, "Alright, fine."

"I see you're getting better with your control while transformed."

"What are you talking about? I couldn't maintain coherence for more than an hour! Annie was able to maintain her form, consciousness, and stamina for the better portion of a whole day! She even transformed twice!"

Annie… Eren felt that familiar pain in his chest, he couldn't get her out of his head.

'I bet she holds the answers to a lot of this. I just want to know wh...'

Eren's wandering mind was dragged back on track with the reply:

"That will come with practice. Don't you want to put work into it and get stronger?"

"What makes you speak as if you know that?"

"What makes you doubt it? Haven't your doubts killed enough people you love? You've only ever been strong after you let situations escalate out of control! Don't you want to change that, Eren?"

Dizzy. Sure enough, thoughts he had buried over and over had come to haunt him yet again. All he could feel was dizziness. His eyes showed him the familiar dreamscape, the 'void', as he had taken to calling it. Yeah, it was all there, calm and still, yet violently spinning. If a person had said that to him, he'd be angry. But this was different, this was coming from his own mind. The one he never trusted was himself. Suddenly there was clarity: This voice, this... person, was his biggest enemy. It was himself.

Eren took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he needed to take control. He decided that nothing was spinning, and when he opened his eyes the sensation would vanish. Sure enough, he found himself still as his eyelids drew open. 'Easy enough.' The boy thought. He took a second breath and addressed the passenger:

"Alright asshole, lets figure this out."

"Good. No doubt, Hanji and the others will debrief you about the experiments when you wake up. Lets put our brain power to better use."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"That village. Something turned all of the people in that village into titans."

"That's what Hanji was saying, it matches her theory of all titans being former humans. What would make something like that happen?"

"Well, let's think about it. What are the biggest questions about everything that has happened the past 5 years?"

"Um… I guess, what could be worth causing the slaughter of so many people just to find me?" Eren concluded.

"Alright. So, we know that Berthold, Reiner, and Annie come from a place outside the walls."

"Apparently."

"And there seems to be something out there that can turn people into titans."

"It seems that way, yes." He agreed.

"Maybe they need your ability to control titans to protect themselves."

"Bullshit."

"...Elaborate?"

"How could anyone justify wiping out twenty percent of the human race in hopes of finding me? What if Hannes didn't show up that day? What would it have gotten them if I had died? There is no way they could have known for sure that I would survive!"

Eren suddenly felt intense heat and moisture, and the smell of standard military rations filled his nose. He had aggravated himself awake.

"Eren! Keep up!" Mikasa said sternly under her breath.

Briefly, he snapped out of his thoughts and closed the distance between him and his friends. If he had to guess, there was still an hour of walking left before him and Historia were to detach from the group at the cabin just outside of Trost.

"Sorry." He replied, upon rejoining the formation.

"We've been worried about you lately, more than usual at least..." Mikasa quipped, in her usual demeanor, to the point and borderline scolding. He liked to imagine her reading out a sentence to a criminal when she spoke.

"Yeah, Eren, it's like your mind has been elsewhere lately." Added Armin.

'Was it so obvious? I've been keeping up on everything...' He thought. 'Maybe two mysteries are too much for me to handle.'

'Maybe you just need to control your anger so we can finish our discussions...'

'That voice… Shit, It's not just my dreams anymore. I'm really fucking crazy!' He thought.

'Perhaps. But I'd call it an advantage, two minds are better than one, you know.'

'Talking to the voices in my head doesn't grant me two brains to think wi...'

"Eren! Are you hearing us?!" Mikasa said, jabbing him in the side.

"I… I'm sorry. I guess all these new developments have weighed heavy lately. I couldn't make my titan form harden and I've been trying to think of other options ever since. It feels like politics are the least effective route, given what's at stake."

"I know," Said Armin. "It seems like a waste of time, but that wall cult and the royal family are keeping things from everyone. Information that could help us gain the upper hand in this fight."

"Yeah," Eren conceded with a sigh. "I guess I just feel useless right now. For some reason I have this ability that can help humanity. Yet, all it's good for right now is the potential for my third kidnapping."

"I think you're just pissed that you can't solve humanity's problems by putting yourself and others in danger, for once." Chimed Jean.

Jean... that asshole. Eren was ready to retort, but as usual, Jean had a point, shitty social notwithstanding. The Scout Regiment's moves have been relatively straightforward until now. This political approach didn't exactly utilize any of Eren's strengths. The biggest role he was to play in this plan was being the bait. He learned the hard way that he needed to take matters into his own hands to spare the lives of people he cared about. But that wasn't an option this time, this made him uneasy.

'Awww, a plan that doesn't revolve around you. What will you do with yourself?' The voice teased.

'Oh Fuck off.'

"...I guess you seem normal, now. Like a stupidly honest, regular person." Eren finished.

With that, Historia's lips twitched out a half smile before returning to a frown, she turned to the window. Eren briefly pondered what she could be thinking about, before he withdrew and laid his head on the table. The only thing for them to do was wait and see if Armin and Jean were taken as bait.

'Seems like a good time for us to pick up where we left off.'

'I miss having my head all to myself' He thought.

'Nonsense, plenty of room in here... So, before you jolted yourself awake before, we were discussing motives. Luckily, that won't be a problem now, you're already awake.'

'I don't have any ideas, and I'll tell you why: There is no cause that makes genocide justifiable.'

'Do you really believe that? That those three shifters inserted themselves undercover for years just to exterminate people who keep away from the outside world? Think! Use some logic for once, consider circumstances that aren't drawn from your own experiences!'

'Think about what!? Who's fucking side are you on? I'm done with this game, it doesn't matter what the enemy's motives are. It's not like we can find common ground with murderers! I'm tired of you clouding my head with things that don't help anyone! You can't explain evil, I'm done listening to you. I GIVE UP!'

'I don't need you to give up, I need you to learn!'

'...A… Annie...'

Silence.

'No. NO!' Eren screamed. 'How are you doing this?! You don't get to reveal yourself and disappear! ANNIE!'

"Eren… What the…" Historia began, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Lost in his anger, the boy had completely forgotten about the girl in the room with him. It took every ounce of willpower for Eren to keep calm as he answered her:

"What?" He asked, clearly annoyed but civilized nonetheless.

"Your... your eyes. They're glowing…" The girl replied fearfully.

His eyes, indeed, emitted a red glow, faint traces of steam billowed from them as they seemed to burn like hot coals. But Eren could only offer her a confused expression, he couldn't feel any of it. As confusion supplanted his anger, Historia watched his eyes return to a normal state.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, reaching for her forehead with the back of his hand. But the girl scrambled back before any contact was made. "Whoa, hey… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to do that… But, I think you should lie down, you don't look so good."

"Y-Yeah…" She shakily replied. "I must be ill… Sorry Eren."

As he watched the girl make her way to the bed at the corner of the room, Eren couldn't help but wonder what was going on with her. The whole exchange was enough to briefly take his mind off his own mental state… Briefly.