Hello there.

Thank you for the love and support you've given to this fanfiction. My Twitter and Facebook account will be up soon, so that way you can get updated on future chapters and videos. If I see those two accounts have a good number, I'll set up a discord server so everyone can interact.

More details of that will be at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 14: The Courage to face Death

When dawn broke, news came out about a unexpected incident. No, it had nothing to do with Breach. Levi, his team, Rex and Eren made sure to clean up the scene of the battle. Sure, it wasn't an easy task, and likely any visitor would notice the fallen trees and covered up craters. But Levi and Hanji wanted to keep the incident under wraps.

Levi's team understood. Though Gunther had insisted on telling the head of the three military branch, Levi and Hanji shot that down. The public, nor the military, couldn't afford to learn the truth about Breach – at least not yet.

Everyone was afraid of titans. If word about a mysterious being that could bring titans inside the walls at any second broke out, there would likely be mass panic. Levi made a mental note to inform Commander Erwin once he sees him again.

Don't get him wrong. He hated Breach very much. She put his entire team in danger and almost ruined everything for the Survey Corps. The fact that Hanji had lied to Breach that he would've been fine with her actions almost snapped him out of his usual composure.

Back to the new issue at hand, apparently, while Hanji and the others had been fighting for their lives against Breach, someone had killed two of her titan experiments. Of course, Hanji was shocked, and insisted on seeing their remains. However, Levi had ordered his team to keep her contained until her injuries had recovered.

Every trainee were ordered to have their maneuver gears inspected. Some of them found it odd considering their job were to kill titans. But a few such as Armin understood the reasons. The titans were actually beneficial to the Survey Corps' studies on the nature of titans. The fact those titans had been killed without authorization made it a crime.

Every trainee were ordered to stand at a individual tables with their maneuver gear on a table. A few commanding officers would come to them individually and ask a few questions. Mylius, Nack and Mina were also interrogated before the commanding officers left.

"Ha…that was intense." Nack said halfheartedly.

Mylius and Mina were standing at his left. When he made that joke, Mylius was almost quick to caution him.

"Watch what you joke about, Nack. This is very serious."

"I know that." Nack replied while looking away. "I just wanted to lighten the mood a little. For some reasons, they believe one of us trainees killed those titans. As if I would want to be around them so soon."

Mina looked past Mylius, and towards Nack. "You don't want to join the Survey Corps anymore?" she asked.

Nack's eyes widened. He realized that he unintentionally let his words out. Even though he couldn't see her, he could feel her eyes on her, waiting for his response. He sighed and confessed. "I'm not so sure anymore. Sure, we did okay over there. But the whole thing was worse than I expected. But right now I'm not sure if I want to be in the Survey Corps."

Mylius placed a hand on his shoulder. He understood his friend's emotions. Before the incident with the titans, he doubted humanity's chances of winning against the titans. But Eren had said some inspirational words, and after watching Rex fight against the odds, he felt more motivated than ever.

"Well just know that we won't hate you for any choice you made." Mylius said and removed his hand. "We've been given a second chance. If it weren't for Rex, we wouldn't even be standing here talking about this. From here on out, we should be careful with the choices we make, because we won't get another chance like this again."

Mina nodded uneasily and turned away. Truth be told, Mylius's words scared her even though she knew that he was right. She hadn't even recovered mentally from the incident with the titans. Once in a while she would get a flashback of that very moment the titan was about to eat her.

She didn't think she had formed PTSD, though. It wasn't like she was afraid of titans either. Having killed one successfully before it had gotten the young man (Rex) that saved her, she found some confidence and pride in that.

"What about you?" Mylius's question was directed her. It woke her out of her mood, just in time to turn and see him and Nack facing her. "Do you still want to join the Survey Corps?"

"Yes." She answered with a straight face. Then she smiled. "Rex's there, so I think I'll be alright."

Nack snickered and smiled. "There's also Eren, you know. But I guess it makes sense. Eren isn't tall enough to sweep you off your feet."

Mylius couldn't help cracking a smile at that remark. Meanwhile, Eren sneezed while walking about in a hoodie he had been given. For some reason, he felt a pit of annoyance despite no one around him bringing such emotion out.

"What are you talking about?" Mina was clueless, however. "Yeah, Eren's not tall, but he's a good guy too. You know he won't be happy if he heard you say that."

Both Mylius and Nack glanced at each other with a sneaky smile. One word echoed in their head before they looked away.

'Clueless.' They thought.

Two hours went by with no result. After searching everyone, no one found out who the culprit was. The commanding officers had figured a trainee or two had done it, which makes sense. Many of them had a grudge against the titans, especially those who had survived thanks to Rex's intervention.

"But who did it, anyway?" Gunther asked.

He and Eid were at some kind of backstage. Eren was close by with the hood hiding his identity. It was needed so that any other officer outside those that were meant to watch him won't end up raising any problem.

"Beats me." Eid shrugged. "To be honest, I'm more concerned about today's recruit solicitation ceremony. I just wonder how many newbies are gonna join the Survey Corps on a whim."

"Many of them survived today, and that's saying something." Gunther commented. "I'd figure Rex saving them could get them to join. But the more I thought about it, I –" He cut himself short when he saw Eren. "Hey, Eren. Is there anyone from your training group who wants to join up?"

"There is." Eren answered, but then a thought came to him and he frowned. "I mean…there was. But…I don't know how they feel now."

Six was walking through a hallway with a small stack of papers in his left hand. Commander Erwin had been informed of the incident with Breach. But in order to keep it a secret, Six and the commander would have to work hard on that.

Six needed to get to his office, though. As he drew close, he noticed a familiar face standing by his office's door. He recognized him as someone from Levi's team. But what was he doing right there?

Six had two ideas. First thought had to do with Levi. But if that was the case, why would someone from his group be standing back. It wasn't like Levi needed the bodyguard.

And the second thought occurred to him. His facial expression slightly changed before he stood in front of his office's door. He could already hearing two voices from inside his office. One of them he could recognize very easily.

He didn't bother glancing at Olou before entering his office. He found out why he heard those two voices. Apparently, Rex was sitting on Six's office chair while Petra was telling him off about it.

"Relax, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Rex stated with a smile. With his hands behind his head, he was lying back.

"No, he wouldn't!" Petra retorted. "Captain Roku is known to be very strict and –"

Six cut them off by a fake cough. When he did that, the two individuals' attention turned to him, and Petra responded by an immediate salute. She was able to hid her embarrassment.

Six paid it little attention. He knew about his reputation among the lower ranks, thus he went past her with just a few words. "You may leave. Take your comrade with you. I'll watch over him."

"Yes, sir!" With that, she went out of the office and closed the door.

Now it was just Six and Rex that were alone. No one was outside the office to overhear them. Six was certain about it since he learnt his lesson from Commander Erwin. He made sure that would be the last time he'd let someone else listen in on any conversation inside his office.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable." Six plainly said.

"I know right. But…" Rex paused and tried to move the chair. "Between you and me, I miss the spinning chairs back in our world."

Six was silent to that response. Though Rex's words sounded casual, there was more to it than what it appeared. Without wearing his sunglasses, Rex was able to read Six a little better and stand up.

"So…it really is you, Six."

The former mercenary smirked a bit and pulled out his sunglasses from his breast pocket. Before he knew it, the young man rushed over to him and embraced him in a hug. It was kind of awkward and made Six hesitant. Rex noticed though, and pulled away.

"I…uh…sorry. It's just that I haven't seen anyone from our world except Breach and…you know how that went."

"I do." Six surprised him by patting on him on the head.

Rex was quick to push his hand off him. He was embarrassed by that. "Don't do that. I'm seventeen, you know."

"Oh that's right." Six replied and went over to sit on his office chair. "I guess you're still the same age as the time I last saw you."

Now that was a question that made Rex to raise an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling that you're about to drop some kind of bomb shell."

Six's smirk dropped and he gestured to the chair across his table. The EVO teen understood and sat on it without saying a word.

"You're not wrong, Rex. From what I've heard, you've only been in this world for barely a week. But I've been in this world for half a decade."

"Half a decade?!" Rex was shocked. He paused for a moment and glared at Six's face. "Huh. Now that I look closely, you do look kind of old."

Six's expression briefly changed to an annoyed snarl. Rex apologized and sat back. "I'm sorry. It's just that…it's just weird that you've been here way longer than I have. I know I saw you before I got teleported here. So what happened?"

"Your brother's machine happened." Six answered. "Once you left, the whole thing exploded and opened a dimensional rift. Titans came in and –"

"Titans are in our world?!" Rex shouted and sat up, quickly alarmed.

Six couldn't blame him for his reaction. He should've expected to be cut off by the teen so soon. Rex has seen the terror that the titans imposed. Sure, Providence had the weapons to win in the end, but not without heavy losses from foes that came directly beneath them.

"No. Our world is fine." Six assured him. He watched him sit back before continuing. "We were unaware of their weakness though. But everyone was able to make it out."

"Except you."

"And Agent Jones."

"What? She's here too?!"

Six paused and placed his hand at his chin. "I'm not certain. We were taken away, I'm sure. But for the past few years, I haven't heard from her since. Initially, I was hesistant on joining the Survey Corps. But once I heard they ventured out of the walls, I decided being a part of them would be useful in finding her."

"Well…did you?" Rex asked. The former mercenary could hear the concern in his voice.

"No…" Six answered with mild disappointment in his voice. "But I think it's possible that she's yet to arrive."

Rex sighed and flung his arms to his chair's sides. "So…it's just you, me and Breach right now huh." Then a thought came to him. "Wait a minute! Did you know Breach was here all this time?!"

"I did. But, unfortunately, I acted poorly towards her."

Rex could hear the slight regret in his tone. But it made him kind of angry at his mentor. "What did you do, Six?"

The former mercenary couldn't blame him for his tone. "Breach has been around for over a year now. However, I refused to believe her whenever she came to me."

"What?! Why?!"

"Van Kleiss." Six answered. "I believed that he had something to do with our presence here. The last we heard about Breach in our world, she was working with Van Kleiss. So I kept my guard, believing that he'll show himself at some point."

"But he didn't!" Rex's anger got the better of him. He stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "Dammit, Six! No offense, but you messed up royally! Maybe if you had trusted her a bit, we could've gotten back home, called in Providence and got them to come with their best weapons to blow the whole titans sky high!

Six blinked and brought his elbows on top of the table. With a firm look, he held his hands together and brought his chin close. "You're right about one thing, Rex. I shouldn't have acted poorly towards her. I learnt that after being a part of the incident concerning her. However, there's no way we could've gone back home and called in Providence to assist."

"What?" Now Rex was confused. He sat back on his chair, and asked. "What do you mean, Six?"

"Breach can't open a portal to our world." Six revealed. "During one of the times we met, she admitted that she has tried countlessly to return back home. She even tried opening a portal to Abysus and failed."

"Then how did she get here?"

"She told me a replica of her attacked her. Next thing she knew, she was waking up in the forest where she then met Ilse Langnar."

"A replica?" Rex questioned. He gave it a thought and asked. "Hey, you don't suppose that the replica she met was a parallel universe version of her?"

Six gave it a thought. "You might be right. We did meet that young man named Ben Tennyson. His existence in our world confirmed the multiverse actually exist."

"Oh yeah, I just remembered. I…met a friend of his on my first day in this world. He mentioned a Multiverse War, so I think that might explain why evil Breach is in our world. He did say that it's the reason I'm in this world."

"And also why Breach, Agent Jones and I are also here. Interesting…Tell me everything he told you, Rex."

The EVO teen did as he was told, and explained everything Professor Paradox had told him. Six was fascinated to hear that the man was a time-traveler. But he made no word about it as Rex continued explaining. When he finished, that's when he spoke.

"So…Caesar's machine was actually meant to work. I don't know what's more disturbing..The fact that there might be an evil version of Breach in our world or...these people aren't the last of humanity like they believe." Six commented and stood up. He was deep in thought as he spoke. "I did suspect in the beginning that they might be so secluded that they were unaware of the possibility that other humans exist. But I couldn't ask questions without drawing some suspicion."

"Yeah" Rex said. "I have a feeling Breach also knew this, but refused to share it. Maybe that's why she left the walls. She must've gone to one of those kingdoms."

"I think so too." Six stood up straight. "At least we know what we have to do. But you can't tell anyone about this. The only person who knows that we're from another world is Commander Erwin, and even he knows little about it."

"Okay. I'm not even going to ask how he knows. But I guess that's why he seemed so interested in meeting me…unlike you."

"I'm deeply sorry, Rex. But I couldn't show anyone that I know you. I've done a lot to cover any suspicion about me. I only ask that you forgive me and play along. Once we find out why we were brought here, we can get back home and get Providence's support."

"Sounds like a plan." Rex agreed while standing up. "I'm just glad that he told everyone that we're okay. I'm just a bit surprised Paradox didn't tell me you guys were here too."

"He said you'll meet with him again, correct? Ask him about Agent Jones' whereabouts if the time comes. Hopefully, she's yet to arrive in this world."

"I will." With that, he pushed his open hand forward and said. "I have to get going. It'll be suspicious if I stay here longer."

"So, you've gotten smarter since the last time I saw you." Six remarked.

Rex smirked. "Was that a joke, I heard? You actually have a sense of humor in this world."

Six said nothing back. He grabbed his hand, and together the both of them shook on it.

"When the expedition begins, I'm counting on you out there, Rex." Six said.

"I know. Just be sure to watch my back if I need it." Rex replied.

Sometime passed before the trainees were called to the courtyard. It was almost time for the recruit solicitation ceremony, with some of the trainees discussing with friends or colleagues about their respective choices.

Among them was Jean, who was heading towards some familiar faces. As he walked, he noticed the large number of trainees around. Likely, they were this much of them because of Rex's involvement in the battle with the titans. Many of them had been saved by the EVO teen whether directly or indirectly. But whether the second chance they had would go to the Survey Corps was left to be seen.

"Jean." Sasha called.

She was with the others, such as Armin, Conny, Annie, Mylius, Nack and Mina. When the young man approached them, Conny looked away. Just a few hours ago, he had talked about Jean wanting to join the Survey Corps. Of course, Sasha wanted to find out the reason behind it.

"Jean, what made you suddenly decide to join the Survey Corps?" She asked with a reason. "I mean…I thought you were scared."

"What? Of course, I don't like it." Jean replied with a mild disgust face. "The corps, I mean."

Now Conny was curious, before he looked at him. "Hm?...Then why are you –"

Jean interrupted him. "I may've joined the Survey Corps, but it's not because I'm not afraid of titans. And I'm not going to say something like 'Skilled soldiers have a duty to join the corps.'" He then made himself clearer. "Listen, seriously. I'm not in a hurry to die like Eren, nor am I trying to throw my life on the line like Rex. Don't lump me with them."

Just then, a commanding officer came and shouted. "Trainees, fall in line! Face the stage!"

"And…" Jean continued. "Nobody convinced me to put my life on the line. This isn't the kind of job you can do without really choosing it yourself."

Few minutes past, and every trainee were standing in front of the stage as ordered. Commander Erwin came on top of the stage and presented himself to them. His reason was to invite them to join the Survey Corps, and as well as to warn them.

He was being honest, which surprised the trainees and those standing by at the stage like Eren.

"While it's true we suffered some losses in this attack, the human race has advanced towards victory like never before." Commander Erwin stated. "By now everyone is aware of the existence of Eren Yeager and Rex Salazar. I was told that some of you here were personally saved by the latter of the two young men. Through their actions and all of yours, the titan incursion was halted and we have obtained a path to understanding the true nature of the titans."

Now here's the part where he revealed something that should've remained confidential.

"I'm not at liberty to tell you much here regarding the two of them, but believe me. They've proven themselves as allies who's willing to lay his life in the line. Also, we know that in the basement of Eren's old house in Shiganshina District there are answers about the titans that even he doesn't have."

Every trainee were surprised at the revelation. None of them said a word, thus Commander Erwin continued.

"If we can just get to that basement, I believe we'll find clues that may free us from a century of domination by the titans."

"His basement?" Reiner questioned.

Armin was perplexed at Erwin's action. True, the Survey Corps needed recruits badly, however the information that he was revealing were obviously meant to remain confidential. He could already hear a few trainees feeling relieved by the news. But once he looked at the commander again, he suspected that he had an agenda. The commander was staring at somewhere for some reason.

"Just what is he looking at?" He wondered, and got Mikasa's attention.

Commander Erwin went into detail. Apparently, in order to get to the basement, they'll need to take back Wall Maria, which doesn't change their aim anyway. However, the concealment of the gate in Trost District has made them to reconsider taking a long way around Eatern Karanes District.

Then came another bomb shell. When they had made a path to get to the outside walls, they had lost ninety percent of their men in just four years.

"Even in the best case, sending another battalion to Wall Maria would mean five times the casualties and twenty years of work. Those aren't realistic numbers." The commander added.

Obviously, this news stiffened a lot of the trainees. Erwin expected such and continued. "The Survey Corps is always looking for talented people. Since many are killed every time we go out, we suffer from chronic shortage of personnel. I won't hide it. Those of you who join the Survey Corps will participate in an expedition beyond the wall in one month from now. A supply route needs to be put in place as soon as possible."

He then explained a few other details about it. Once he was certain he got things clear, he went for a closing of his speech.

"Now you know the Dismal State of Affairs. Those of you who are still willing to put your lives on the line can remain here. Let me reiterate…The majority of the people who stay here and enter the Survey Corps will likely die. Ask yourselves if you really have it in you to sacrifice your life for humanity."

With that, some of the trainees began to leave the courtyard. Some of them didn't seem to be hesitant about leaving the chance to be part of the Survey Corps. Mina, Mylius and Nack stood their ground though. But that didn't stop the terrible feeling in their stomachs.

Jean, Conny, and the others that were familiar to Eren and Rex were having moments of doubts. Their bodies trembled with sweat visibly on their faces as they watched their only chance pass by. Though they lived to fight for another day, their minds constantly recalled the deaths that couldn't be prevented and the titan encounters they failed.

But they stood their ground, nonetheless. In the end only 35 trainees stood in the courtyard and stood in the respected salute stance. Annie had left to join the Military Police.

Commander Erwin saluted them. "Very well! I welcome the newest members of the Survey Corps! This is my real saltute! Devote your lives to the cause!"

A month went by, and the day of the expedition arrived. Rows of horses and carriages containing various supplies were moved to the gate, where on top of that gate were some soldiers.

"Commander! Almost ready!" One of the officers stationed there shouted. "We led the nearest titans some distance away! Thirty seconds to gate opening!"

"This is it!" shouted one soldier amongst the many on the ground. "Now the human race takes another step forward! Show them what you've learned!"

Most of the soldiers roared with an adrenaline rush. They were pumped up and ready to face what was waiting for them. As such, when the gates were open, every soldier, including Rex, who was riding on a horse, rushed through with the others.

The EVO teen had been instructed to not intervene unless ordered to do so. Also, to make sure he doesn't use his builds, Levi's team had taught him how to ride a horse.

Rex was fine with it. There was some fun in riding a horse. However, now that he was good at it, he wasn't feeling that nice breeze on his face. There was a lot of tension in the start of the expedition. When a titan had come across them, two soldiers had intervened. Sadly, one of them was knocked away by the titan.

'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' Rex thought with regret. He had to keep his face straight and his eyes open to keep moving forward. Just how did Six bear with all of this was a mystery to the EVO teen.

The expedition continued, nonetheless, and soon they'll be outside the walls. Rex could recall the last time he had been outside the walls. It was when he woke up after being teleported to this crazy world. Now, he was going back outside, just to face a reality he hadn't known back then.

'Let's just hope nothing worst happens.' He thought and groaned in mild anger. 'Who am I kidding?! Something worst is going to happen! I just have to be able to lessen the blow and deal with it!'

And so, the expedition continued uninterrupted.

Unknown to Rex and the others, however. As they left the walls, they were being watched a small group of people standing at the top of a wall.

"Should we follow them?" asked one with a female voice.

A deep male voice sounded excited. "Come on. I want to test out my new power against the titans, and maybe with that EVO kid named Rex."

Black Knight sighed and stood up straight from the edge. She let her black cape blissfully moved against the wind before responding.

"Our mission is to observe and intervene if possible. Though I gave you god-like powers, I am quick to take it away if you abuse it. Besides, you should tread lightly if you ever get the chance to fight young Salazar. He's not one to underestimate so easily."

With that, she turned back and smirked at her new team. "Let's go, my new Consortium."

"Yes, Major General." Black Knight's new team responded by standing at attention.

Soon enough, Black Knight and her four surbodinates jumped off from the wall with no regard for the danger that would await any normal man. With the powers they possessed, they're a team that shouldn't be dealt with lightly.

Black Knight's on the move now. Just what is she up to with a new Consortium? You're gonna have to wait and find out.

I answered a whole bunch of questions in a special Q&A that I set up (now deleted). If you didn't get your chance to see it, then sadly I can't repeat myself. But there is just one review that I want to respond to. It's by a guest reviewer called…eugene.

Firstly, I'm not a perverted author. Just because I thought about a yuri pairing doesn't make me a pervert. Secondly, Rex has shown to be able to fight a near army of titans. It's just that it exhausts him due to the nature of the titans. Besides, in the battle with Breach, he had to try and backup Levi's team while dealing with titans that randomly appear and disappear. And lastly, your English is the worst thing I've ever read. Please, don't bring your shitty criticism to my reviews again.

Now that I've gotten that out of our system, here is the link to my YouTube channel. I realized that the link I pasted on the Q&A had an incomplete link. So here you go

Youtube: watch?v=tEXoncEYCeI&t=13s

I plan on announcing the twitter and facebook accounts when I get them active. This will be stated in the next video I'm working. So if you want to be up to date with me, then please go and subscribe to the channel.

Thank you for reading this chapter. I know this chapter is shorter than the usual ones. Since we're now getting to the Female Titan arc, I figured that I should get this one out there so I can focus on planning the arc itself.

Please be sure to review, favorite and follow this fanfiction!

See you guys in the next update!