Stohess District, The Night After

After the battle of Stohess had concluded and you were done being questioned, all that was left for you to do was wait around until you received new orders on the next mission. You fixed yourself back into your uniform and walked around the base mindlessly as soldiers were still rushing around to aid in the recovery mission for the district. After wandering around for a while, you found yourself at the end of a hallway that split into two paths. To your left was a small path that led to three different rooms at the end of that path, and when you turned to your right, there was only a staircase with the dim lights of torches coming from its darkness. You stared at the dimly lit staircase for sometime before finally turning towards it and walking towards its entrance. Step by step, you descended down the flight of stairs that winded down to one of the basements of the base, and at the bottom of the staircase, you found a closed door and reached for its handle before pulling it open. You were met with a somewhat large room and turning your head to the center, there was only one thing in the room to look at. In the center of the basement, was Annie in her crystalized state, and you eyes that almost looked soulless. Walking down the small set of stairs in the room to be on the same ground level of her crystal, you walked in front of her before leaning back against the stone steps behind you and slumping down to the ground. 

"Can you hear me...?" You spoke to Annie in an attempt to see if anything would happen, but there was no reaction. "...well, not like you'd wanna answer anyway. To everyone you seemed to be someone who would keep everything to yourself, but to me...I bet you're just too embarrassed over what happened, huh?" You spoke as a weak smile appeared on your face. "I was the only one to ever really see you in a different way, huh? What a lucky guy I am..." You said as you lowered your head and silence filled the room. "Annie...why did it have to be like this?" You asked while not knowing Annie could in fact hear you.

"I'm sorry, Y/N..." Annie thought as all she could do was faintly hear you and only see darkness. 

"I wanted to hate you..." Your voice faintly echoed in her ears.

"I deserve it..." Annie thought.

"But...I can't..." You said as Annie's heart churned and her head began to ache. 

"Why...Why can't you hate me? After everything I've done you all...to you..." Annie thought as she hated the conflict she caused inside of you.

"Did you really want to destroy humanity?" You asked as your mind flashed back to the night you and Annie spent together. "You once said to me that you wanted to just be free...that you didn't want to do something..." You said as Annie remembered the words she spoke that night.

"Please..." Annie remembered crying to you. "...I didn't want to...I just want...I want...!" She sniffled and cried quietly as the urge to comfort her and help her overflowed in your heart. "I just want to be free...for just even one night...I don't wanna look at this cruel world anymore..." She remembered the horrible things she had done during the Titan invasion in Trost, and also remembered attacking and nearly killing you.

"Annie...are you really an enemy to humanity...?" You asked while reaching out towards her with one hand. "What made you want to destroy the walls and capture Eren? What's out there beyond the walls?" You asked as Annie remembered the world outside of the walls, and how terrible Eldians were treated among the world.

"Y/N...I hope that you never have to live through what the rest of us Eldians had to live through..." Annie thought as she remembered the internment camps and how Eldians were used as cannon fodder for wars.

"One day..." You said as you stood up to your feet and walked over to her crystal as you placed a hand against it. "...I'm going to figure out why you did all this, Annie. When I do, hopefully we can talk about it..." You said before the sound of the door to the room creaked behind you and walked in your sister.

"Y/N, we need to gear up. Hurry and--." Sarah cut herself off when she saw you staring at Annie through the crystal with your hand on it. "What are you doing?" She asked in confusion.

"...Nothing. Let's go." You said as you pulled your hand away and walked back towards Sarah. "What happened? Why are the scouts gearing up again so soon?" You asked as you closed the door behind you and Sarah as you two walked up the stairs.

"We had an emergency report come in. Titans have been spotted within Wall Rose." Sarah said as you were wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Are you serious? Have they broken the wall again?" You asked in worry.

"No one has reported any damage to the gates, and no one's checked on the rest of the perimeter of Wall Rose. All we know is that there are Titans inside Wall Rose." Sarah said as the two of you reached the end of the staircase and walked out of the building you were in. "I have to go get ready, I'll be riding up ahead with the Commander. Your gear is just over there. Take care." Sarah said before walking off to prepare herself.

After heading back top side with your sister, you looked around to see all the scouts rushing supplies into wagons and performing final checks for the mission. When you walked outside, you looked to see Eren and Mikasa loading gear into a wagon they were going to be riding in. You walked off to the side so you could check your gear out for the mission and after grabbing your equipment, you walked back over towards Eren and Mikasa as Eren lugged his ODM gear to the back of the wagon they were in. 

"What the hell does all this mean? Damn it!" Eren huffed out in frustration as he plopped down on his seat next to Mikasa.

"But..." Eren and Mikasa's attention were caught when Armin strolled up to them. "Would Titans break walls with Titans in them?" Armin asked a confusing question.

"Huh? Titans in the walls? You mean like...inside the actual walls?" You asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we discovered a Titan due to the debris falling off the wall where Annie tried climbing. It hasn't reacted and has been covered up with a cloth until we can seal it back up." Armin said as you dropped your gear into the back of the wagon.

"Things are getting too weird for me to even keep up." You sighed as you climbed into the wagon and sat next to Mikasa.

"It's happened before. They busted the wall into our city." Eren answered Armin's question.

"That was a gate." Armin said as Eren couldn't follow along completely with what Armin was trying to break down.

"Armin? What are you saying?" Mikasa asked also in confusion.

"The thing about the walls...There's no crevices between the rocks or any signs of cracking. We can't really tell how they're made." Armin said as he paused to ponder in this thoughts before look at you all. "So what if they're made of hardened Titan skin?" He laid out the suggestion as this unnerved you four. "It must be pretty versatile if Annie can encase herself." Armin said as the memory of Annie encasing herself in the crystal flashed in your mind.

"Titans...in the wall..." Eren muttered while taking in this reality as you all fell silent to ponder the surroundings around you, mainly the walls. 

After waiting for the rest of the scouts to finish their final preparations, the Survey Corps rallied once more at the gate to set off on an emergency scouting mission. You sat with a stern look on your face as your gaze was no where else but ahead as everyone in the wagon with you sat patiently waiting for Hange and Levi.

"Eren. Wear it right. It's cold at night." Mikasa said while adjusting his cloak better around him.

"Sorry to keep ya!" You heard as the four of you turned around to see Hange and Levi, who was in civilian clothing due to injury, walk over towards your wagon, but with a surprising guest.

"You're kidding me...Why is he here?" You muttered in an annoyed tone when you saw the priest of the walls from Eren's trial, climb into the wagon.

"Um...Isn't this a priest from the Order of the Walls?" Armin asked to be sure he knew who was sitting across from him.

"Yeah. Nick and I are best buddies." Hange said while leaning back in her seat and wrapping an arm roughly around the pastor. "Right? Don't let him bother you." She said playfully before turning back to you four. "The whole makeup of this squad doesn't make any sense. Does it, Levi?" Hange said while looking pass Nick to Levi.

"No, I think it might. Erwin picked them out for a reason." Levi said while staring at you and your friends.

"Open the gate!" You heard someone shout from ahead and turned to see the gate rising as Commander Erwin turned around on his horse to face everyone.

"The situation within Wall Rose is unclear. But everything up until Ehrmich is safe. We'll save time going through there. Move out!" Erwin yelled as his horse neighed and he led the charge once more.

"Take us out." Levi ordered as Moblit cracked the reins and you were pulled off to head back to Wall Maria.

It was the middle of the night and you were rocking back and forth slightly from not getting enough sleep recently. Your vision was a bit blurred and your eyes were slowly closing, but while trying to stay awake, a hand reached around your shoulders and gently pulled you down onto a shoulder. You glanced over to see Mikasa had pulled you down so that you could lean on her.

"You can use my shoulder." Mikasa said in a soothing tone.

"Sorry. I'll close my eyes for just a bit." You said as you just closed your eyelids to get some rest while Mikasa unwrapped her arm around you and returned to the conversation that was going on between you all in the carriage.

"After chatting with Nick for sometime and having to reach our own conclusions through his elusiveness, we know now that he's known about the Titans inside the walls." Hange informed you all as this put a shocked look on Mikasa, Eren, and Armin's face.

"Huh? He knew? There's Titans inside the walls and he's known about it?" Eren asked in complete disbelief of the silence by the Order of the Walls.

"Yes, though...he's kept his mouth shut this entire time. But now he's coming with us to witness the harsh reality. Will his beliefs be strong enough for him to stay silent? Or will seeing it with his own eyes make him question himself?" Hange spoke to test Nick's resolve, but Eren wasn't having any of it.

"No, no, no, no! This is all backwards!" Eren stood up from his seat and slammed his hands on the wooden table in the middle of the carriage as he glared at Nick. "If there's something you know, tell us about it! Nothing's more important than keeping humans from going extinct--Ngh!" Eren began to feel strain on his head as his hand shot up to cover his face as the pain pounded his brain.

"Eren, settle down. You're still not fully healed." Mikasa said as Armin sat him back down in his seat.

"There's more than one way to get answers." Levi said as he pointed a pistol towards Nick through his jacket. "I may be injured and useless right now, but it doesn't take much to watch one man. I'm hoping we can settle this without blasting a hole in anyone. Aren't you?" Levi threatened the pastor as Hange chimed in.

"Threatening him doesn't work, Levi. Believe me, I've tried. It seems to me that this priest is capable of sound judgement. That's why I wonder..." Hange trailed off as she stared closely at the pastor. "What if the reason he doesn't talk is because he knows something more important than the fate of humanity?" Hange purposed the topic as none of you had anything to immediately say at the moment.

 While you sat with your eyes closed, you still weren't asleep and listened to the entire conversation they had as you all continued to ride towards Ehrmich District to ready yourselves for the emergency mission to find the hole in the wall and plug it. While continuing the journey, all of you in the wagon were silent as Hange just stared at a shin reflective rock in her hands.

"Hange." Levi called as Hange didn't respond and continued to stare at the crystal. "Hey, four-eyes. Are your hobbies so boring that playing with rocks is somehow fun for you?" Levi said while leaning forward to look back to her.

"Yeah. That's right. But this is no ordinary rock. It's a hardened fragment of skin left behind by the Female Titan." Hange revealed the identification of the crystal in her hand.

"Huh? It didn't disappear?" Armin asked in shock as you opened an eye slightly to stare at the piece of rock.

"Right! Annie reverted from a Titan, but it's still intact even though it broke off her body. It didn't evaporate. It didn't disappear. So I thought, 'What if?' When I compared it to a piece of the wall, its pattern and composition were practically identical. In other words, the wall is a barricade of humongous Titans. And if I'm right, the surface is constructed with hardened Titan skin." Hange said as she looked to see Nick close his eyes from reaction of hearing her figure it out.

"That's exactly what Armin was saying..." Mikasa said with surprise of how similar Armin and Hange's deductions were.

"Th-Then--!" Armin's mouth was silenced when Hange leaned over with an excited look and covered his mouth.

"Let me finish, Armin." Hange said as Armin mumbled into the palm of her hand with shock. "As it stands, we'll be hard pressed to fill the hole in Wall Rose. That is, unless we can find the perfect boulder to plug it. But if...But if Eren, in his transformed state, could use the Titan's hardeningg ability to seal the hole in the wall..." Hange explained the entire situation they had as she sat back down and everyone turned towards Eren.

"Use me...to seal the wall?" Eren asked as he couldn't believe what was being laid out before him.

"It should be made of the same material. And seeing how the hardened section won't evaporate, even after you revert from a Titan...it's possible..." Hange gave them the possibility to accomplish huge successions for mankind.

"I think it's well worth the risk to try. And assuming it really does work, reclaiming Wall Maria is feasible, too. Up until now, we've had to transport a large quantity of materials and supplies. That's why the need for outposts past the wall limited our progress. But if we don't have to accommodate supply wagons...we could quickly make our way to Shiganshina. What if we carried out the plan at night?" Armin purposed the time to execute the plan to retake Wall Maria.

"At night?" Hange asked in confusion.

"Yes. During the night, when Titans can't move." Armin confirmed.

"I see...If the group was small enough, you could sneak all the way to Wall Maria. The current situation is as bad as it gets, but...we still have a glimmer of hope." Hange said while staring down at the rock in her hand.

"Yes, but remember...it all depends on whether Eren can seal the hole or not." Armin said as he turned towards Eren and he began to feel nervous from the pressure that was handed onto him.

"I realize asking this hardly seems fair, but...Think you can do it?" Hange asked as everyone stared closely at Eren as he pondered his thoughts for a few moments and was about to speak.

"It doesn't matter what you think." Eren turned when he heard Levi speaking. "You have to. There's no other choice. We're out of options. Our forces are struggling so desperately, there's nothing else they can do. You have to succeed." Levi turned his choice into an ultimatum as Eren reaffirmed himself.

"I will! I'll do whatever it takes to seal the wall! Whatever it takes..." Eren said as he remembered the hole in Shiganshina and remembered his house as he took out the key to his basement from under his shirt. "The basement...My dad's basement...If what my dad said was true, we'll find the answers to everything there." He said as Hange looked ahead of the formation and saw the next district up ahead.

"It's Ehrmich District." Hange pointed out as you opened your eyes and sat back up to turn and see the gate up ahead.

After riding into the District and making it to the base stationed there, you scouts began to swap out or make final changes in the gear that everyone would be taking on the mission. You were with your sister finishing up equipping your ODM gear as you loaded your blades into their slots while she put her ODM gear controls away at her sides. While finishing up and tying your boot a bit tighter, you noticed Hange walk in with Eren.

"Once we leave Ehrmich, we'll be in Titan territory." Hange said as you stood back straight and walked over to them as Moblit came to their side as well.

"Eren? Think you can ride a horse?" Moblit asked as Eren nodded confidently.

"Yes. I feel fully recovered now." Eren said with certainty.

"Yours is ready at the west lift. Let's hurry." Moblit said as they were about to leave, but stopped when Hange didn't move when she saw Levi and Pastor Nick come in.

"Section Commander. We should hurry." Moblit suggested for his superior to get a move on.

"Give me a minute, Moblit." Hange said before walking towards Nick who seemed to be in some sort of mental unease. "Have you had a change of heart yet?" Hange asked as she knew he would see the refugees that were uprooted from their homes, yet Nick remained silent even though there was a painful and regretful look on his face as she began to get annoyed. "We don't have time for this! You know, don't you!? Will you talk, or won't you!? Make up your mind already!" Hange demanded from the priest.

"I cannot say anything. The other believes are the same as I, and that will never change." Nick spoke in a low and almost shameful tone.

"Well thanks for nothing! We're so grateful for all the help you've been!" Hange said in anger as she turned to leave, but he spoke once more and stopped her.

"It's too great a decision for a single person to make." Nick said as you looked at him and listened closely to try and understand what he was trying to say to you all. "The Order of the Walls must always adhere to the sacred will we're bound to obey." Nick said as Hange turned back.

"Whose will? God or something?" Hange asked.

"I cannot say anything. However, I can inform you of a name, who under their sacred will, we were instructed to monitor." Nick said as this confused everyone.

"Monitor?" You spoke in a completely lost state.

"That person joined the Scout Regiment as of this year." Nick said as this shocked you when you realized that this person would have had to have been part of the 104th Cadet Corps. "Their name is..." Once he said the name, you were beyond shocked to find out who he spoke of, as just then, the door burst open behind you all.

"Excuse me! 104th Cadet Corps! Sasha Braus!" Sasha had come into the depot and announced herself, but you were all still frozen in shock.

"You can't be serious..." You muttered in surprise.

"Her?" Eren said in disbelief.

"Who's that?" Hange asked in confusion as Sasha didn't know how to approach the situation and stepped forward so everyone could possibly hear her better.

"Um, this is for you, Section Commander." Sasha came up behind your group, but you all still didn't notice her.

"You must find her at once. Only she...She may know the truths which even we cannot perceive. That is all the information I can share." Nick said as he took a breath of relief. "The rest I leave in your hands." Nick said as Hange came to a realization.

"If she's in the 104th, then she's deep in the front lines right now." Hange spoke in nervousness as you turned around in haste.

"Let's get a move on! We've got a rescue mission on our hands--huh?" You were about to pass through your friends, but stopped when you noticed Sasha behind you all. "Sasha!? What are you doing here?" You asked as everyone finally noticed her.

"Y/N? Umm..." Sasha was surprised when you turned around to reveal yourself to her, but remembered why she was there and held up a rolled bunch of papers. "Ah! Upon my arrival, I have my report to the Commander! Afterwards, I was entrusted to deliver this message to the Section Commander!" Sasha said as she held out the report and you took it from her.

"This is from the Commander?" You said while handing the report over to Hange.

"Message? Thank you. Good work." Hange said as she took the report and gave you something to hand off to Sasha as the rest of your allies rushed off to get battle ready.

"Um, this if from the Section Commander. Good work." You said as you handed Sasha a steamed potato and she could help but smile in happiness over seeing the piece of food. "Sasha..." You muttered as she looked up at you in confusion before gasping in surprise when you wrapped your arms around her tightly and pulled her close. "I'm happy...you're okay..." You said as Sasha grew a red hue on her face couldn't help but sink into the hug.

"I'm happy to see you, too..." Sasha said as she returned the hug and there was silence between the two of you before you heard small bits of something hit the ground behind you.

"Hey...you're eating the potato right now, huh?" You asked while still holding her.

"Shorry..." Sasha spoke with a full mouth as you couldn't help but smile.

"Y/N! Stop flirting with her and lets get a move on!" Hange yelled at you as the two of you broke away mortified by what she said.

"We weren't flirting!" You both exclaimed as Sasha just continued to gorge on the potato while you returned to your serious attitude. "Let's go. We just learned something important and have to get ready as soon as possible." You said while walking off towards your friends as there was now one person in mind you didn't think would be wrapped up in such a complicated situation. "Just what were you apart of before all of this..." You though in confusion as an image of Christa flashed in your mind. "...Christa..." You rushed off as there was a new mission you had to accomplish, rescuing Christa Lenz from the front lines.