"So let me get this straight. Your reason for visiting this girl has something to do with your titan abilities" Hitch asked as she walked with you.

"Something like that, yeah." you replied.

"Apparently, I found out that I can sense the emotions even in people who are in a deep sleep. That's why I've been coming down here often."

"Hmm, if you weren't a girl, I would have thought it to be for another reason." you jolted at that response.

"Huh!? No! I'm not some kind of creep!"

"Woah, not calling you that. Just saying you're weird."

"Hmm..." you disliked that comment.

"But you understand why I have to be careful. Well, now knowing you had history with her." She opened the door to a room, revealing a crystal with a familiar woman inside. Annie.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to try and break her out or anything."

"Do me a favor, I kind of want to see how she reacts when you mention me."

"I'll see what I can do."

"And remember, don't cross that boundary." you nodded. Hitch turned to leave.

"I'll come get you when your time's up."

"Thank you, Hitch."

"What for? Letting you in? Don't think that's something to thank you for." Hitch closed the door and you were allowed with the trapped Annie. You sat down and made yourself comfortable. Opening your book and tapping your pen against it.

"Hi again, Annie."

—

A little bit of backstory, your visits with Annie started back from Marley. After everything that happened, it made you reminisce. That led to dreams of familiar voices calling to you. One day, you had a vivid dream. You were standing alone in the dark with something glowing from a distance.

You walked towards the glowing light, faintly making out a loud humming noise. There, you saw it. Annie's crystal standing a few feet away from you. Her crystal was emitting a glowing grey color. At that moment, it didn't feel like a dream. It felt real. Like she was right there within your reach as you went onto touch it.

"Annie..." you spoke.

"Who's there? Hello?" Your eyes widened. That was Annie's voice just now! Is she speaking through the crystal!?

"...What?"

"Is anyone there? Hello!?" You felt yourself get pushed back as you woke up in cold sweat. From that day forward, you begged Hitch to let you see her. She found it to be weird of course, but allowed you to do so.

It was intimidating at first, but you needed to prove something. You made sure Hitch was completely gone before you walked forward and touched Annie's crystal, just like how you did in your dream. Nothing seemed to happen, until a twinge of pain and ringing was felt in your head.

"...!?" you let out a gasp. Breathing heavily as you tried to slow down your beating heart. You backed away instinctively. Your hands on your chest as you looked at Annie again.

You felt it...her emotions.

—

"Oi! No touching the girl!" Hitch called out to Armin, catching him by surprise.

"H-hitch!? No, no, no! You got it all wrong! It's just that titan memory transfers work better with physical touch! I thought I could possibly learn something! I wasn't trying to–!" He stopped his embarrassed ramblings when his eyes met yours.

"Y/N!?" he shrieked, his face turning even more red.

"Hey..." you slowly said as your eyes shifted from him to Annie's crystal a few times. Already getting the sense of what was going on.

"Guess you were right, Hitch..." you told her as she walked past you.

"W-what are you doing here!?" Armin asked you.

"What are you doing here?" you asked back sarcastically. A question for a question.

"I-it's not what you think! I can explain!" Armin begged. Your brows furrowed a bit. Why was he acting like that?

"What? You think I might be feeling some type of way about this?" you asked. Your question was meant as a joke though.

"..." Armin remained quiet. His red cheeks stayed as he glanced away from you.

"Oh...you do." you spoke as you realized this might not be a joke. Well, this just became awkward.

"I wouldn't want you to..." he spoke softly.

"...EH!?" It was your turn to get embarrassed now. You glanced away while running your fingers through your hair.

"You think I would be mad about this!? In all honesty, I kind of don't care. It's not like we're–" both of you and Armin's cheeks were red before you can finish that sentence. You let out a sigh, wanting to change the subject.

"Besides, Hitch already told me you've been coming down here too. I could have come here earlier but I was interviewing some of the Yeagerists." you explained.

"Wait...you knew? Hitch told you!? Why didn't she tell me you were also coming down here!?" Armin exclaimed. You shrugged.

"Because she asked and I told her. And in all honesty, you're a guy, after all. I bet you want to learn all about Annie. At least you're considerate enough to let Y/N down easily." Hitch teased as she approached the crystal.

Armin gasped, he looked over at you, almost completely horrified. You were starting to get a little annoyed.

"Goodness' sake, Hitch. Give me a break..." you mumbled, about done with her nonsense. 

"HITCH!! I don't mean it like that!" Armin shouted.

"Y/N, she's lying! Please don't ban me from coming here!" he looked over from both of you to Hitch.

"Hey now, I'm just as curious. Can't blame him anyways since I've been coming down here to do the same thing."

"You have? For what?" Armin asked.

"To get answers. It's hard to explain but I think I might have accidentally made an emotional link with Annie. Like with Eren.".

—

"Huh? You're not telling me?" Armin asked. He was curious as to why you were visiting Annie, but you weren't going to elaborate more.

"You have your business, I have mine."

"Does it feel weird, seeing her like that?"

"...sort of. I really didn't know her all that well when I was back in Marley. I kind of found her weird." you explained.

"She seems to care about you." he mentioned.

"Really? How would you know?" you asked.

"Back then when we found out she was the Female Titan and we tried to lure her in. She talked about you a bit, wanting to know how you were doing. I think what she meant was genuine."

"...Huh." you said nothing else.

The three of you however stopped when you heard loud rants coming from the gates. A lot of the civilians were not happy that Eren was jailed due to his actions. Hitch ran up to go help, complaining that there was more work added to her plate.

"Armin! Y/N!" you both turned around to find Mikasa running towards you.

"Mikasa!" you both said, you gave out a sigh of relief.

"You managed to make it here." Armin said.

"Yes, but we don't have much time. Let's go." you three made a plan earlier to get permission to meet with Eren. Get him to talk about his actions and why he did them.

"We can't let you talk to Eren."

Your request to meet with Eren was denied. Apparently, he was involved in a secret meeting before the attack on Marley. They were currently investigating who else was involved and haven't said a word since.

"We believe Eren might be manipulated by Zeke." Commander-in-Chief Zachary looked at you when he said that, an expectant look. You only glanced at him for a bit before looking away.

Mikasa noticed the exchange in looks but didn't question it. Armin tried arguing if there was anything else you all could do. The commander-in-chief only dismissed you three out.

"If there's no harm in talking, why can't we!?" Mikasa argued.

"It looks like they've already given up on Eren." Armin added. As you three walked down the hall, you saw three other scouts walking towards the office.

"It looks like they have a plan to find a new holder for the Founding Titan." Armin spoke.

"I'll listen in!" Mikasa began to make her way to the door, and Armin grabbed onto her arm.

"Are you crazy!? You can't!" you whispered.

"I won't get caught!" she replied.

"But we can't risk that!"

"We gotta figure out what their plan is!"

"There's no point! What if he's right?"

"You don't know that!"

"I do! I talked to Eren myself!" you confessed. Mikasa and Armin both stared at you in surprise.

"What? When!?"

"I was only allowed one visit, with my job as the chronicler and all. I thought maybe he'll share something with me, anything! But...I couldn't get anything out of him." you lied at the last part.

Flashes of the encounter replayed in your brain as you spoke. You approach Eren's cell, Eren coming near the bars and speaking to you. Your horrified eyes staring into his almost empty ones at his words.

"...is that why the commander-in-chief looked at you? Because you knew as well!?"

"Yes...I should have said something sooner. But even if I did, you guys still would have tried anyway. And I thought that maybe, there would still be some hope."

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something else.

BOOM

You screamed as you felt Mikasa wrap her arms around you and Armin. You three fell to the ground as the impact of the explosion threw you guys back. Your ears ringed as you slowly got up. You couldn't see anything in the smoke and began to panic.

"Mikasa!? Armin!?" you called out. You heard Armin coughing.

"Y/n! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine! What about you two!?"

"I'm okay..." Armin replied. You three wasted no time running out of the building. Your body was running on adrenaline, you were trying to find out what happened. The office exploded! But what set it off!?

"You guys okay!?" Hitch called out to you three.

"What was that!?" Mikasa asked.

"The premier's room! It just–!"

"Where is he?"

Your hand covered your mouth as you pointed in a certain direction. Your eyes landed on the premier's corpse. The civilians however, seemed grateful that the whole ordeal happened.

"Give your hearts!!" they all began to chant. 

"We live in a sick world..." you thought. 

—

You three were later brought in for questioning about what just happened. It can't be a coincidence. The recruits you three saw in the hall entered the premier's room, moments later the explosion happened.

"They were scout recruits." Armin described. The room went quiet. Apparently, there were a few scouts who leaked information about Eren. Then it was no doubt, those recruits had something to do with the premier's death. To make matters worse, the doors slammed open.

"This is an emergency!! Eren Jeager has escaped!!"

While everyone else was horrified at the news, your head was beginning to spin. No way this was happening too fast. It was then you remembered the words Eren said to you.

"Next will come the rise of the Jeagerists." 

Looks like things are starting to align.