Content Warnings:

•Season 2 Spoilers
•Mentions of Death
•Strong Language
•Blood
•Injury

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Flashback

Everything was pitch black. You could only hear buzzing in your ears as you laid on a hard surface. You were unconscious but still trying to figure out what all had happened in the last few minutes before it happened. Something was approaching. Multiple things, it sounded like. What was it? Suddenly, you were lifted, feeling weightless. Like you were just a feather or on top of a cloud. You wanted to see what was going on, to get a better understanding but your eyes betrayed and stayed sealed.

There were voices but you could not tell who it was or what they were saying. Things had gone quiet for a bit but when you no longer felt weightless, the unintelligible voices returned. The ringing in your ears returned, much louder this time. You just wanted it to stop.

Then, something burned. Your skin was tingling and felt as if it were on fire. It was horrible. You felt nothing but antagonizing pain for the next couple of minutes, followed by stinging burns. You were still unable to wake up though. Was it hell?

It took hours for all of that pain to turn into numbness which was all you had wanted. You even questioned if you were alive at that point. There were multiple times when you had tried to open your eyes but they would not obey. You eventually had to give up and fall back asleep until time would allow you to regain consciousness.

Flashback End

Just as Annie's crystal is taken away, all attention shifts upward to the Wall. A Titan's skinless face, inside of the Wall. Fear strikes through everyone, followed by confusion. Your eyes follow the other's, absolutely speechless for what is in front of you. You never would have thought this would happen. First, Titans break through the Walls, now, they're inside of them. The day keeps getting weirder and weirder.

Section Commander Hange and Moblit run towards the gathering crowd, staring into the visible Titan's eye. "Section Commander, your orders?" Moblit asks. "Uh... well, I'm not sure." They respond, flabbergasted at the sight. Just then, an older man grabs Section Commander Hange's shoulder, panting. "Pastor Nick?" They look over their shoulder. "Listen to me... whatever else you do, don't let sunlight touch it!" He commands.
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Everyone had just returned from a rescue mission inside of Wall Rose. Titans had been spotted inside and while groups were sent to search for a hole in the Wall, they got trapped in an abandoned castle where Titans ambushed them. You were left to stay at the Wall and help assist the injured up to safety since you are still inexperienced at combat.

While a lift holding a tall, brunette girl with a missing arm, and leg is being pulled up, you glance to the side, and notice Eren helping a broad blonde with an injured arm up the Wall. The blonde male turns his head towards your direction, barely making eye contact during the quick interaction but it is enough to make you pause. Those eyes look familiar and something about them makes you feel hesitant. You shake the feeling off, focusing on the task at hand. You have to ignore your feelings in the Military, no matter how distracting they are. Your father would want you to pretend to be normal.

Another blonde scales the Wall, this time, a much older one, and from the Garrison. You join the group surrounding him, waiting for his message. "The Wall's perfectly fine." He says, causing everyone to make a face. "What?" Eren crouches down to help the man up. "We spent all night trying to find out where they're getting in but between Trost and Krolva Distract, there's nothing, no hole anywhere." The Garrison member replies. "That's impossible!" Section Commander Hange exclaims. "We ran into a search party from Krolva and we traced our steps. Not a single Titan on the way here, either." He explains some more.

What the hell is going on here? How could the Titans manage to get inside an interior Wall without a trace? None of it makes sense to you. Not to mention the fact that a Titan was uncovered inside Stohess's Wall. "If there's no breach, I guess we have to change tactics. We head back to Trost immediately." Section Commander Hange announces to the group, walking away. "You'd be smart to keep your guard up. We'll go on ahead of you." You hear the Garrison member say before taking off on his ODM Gear.

You begin to walk away with the blonde boy named Armin and two other girls, one of them being Mikasa. As you're following the Section Commander, you hear the injured blonde call out for Eren. Pausing, you turn around to look at Mikasa just as she does the same thing, and watches Eren. "What are you talking about?" You hear him ask, watching as an even taller brunette boy acts frantic. "Why are you telling him?" He asks the blonde.

"You guys, get a move on, we're heading out!" Armin shouts at them, waving his arm over his head. Eren begins to walk away, still facing the two tall boys. Although you can barely hear their conversation, the whole interaction does not feel right. The blonde removes the sling from his arm, revealing steam coming from his bite wound. Your eyes widen as you then get a flash of his eyes, changing into the eyes of a Titan's: the Armored Titan's.

"Eren!" You suddenly shout, running towards him as Mikasa follows, taking out her swords, and launching herself towards the blonde. You pull Eren away as Mikasa strikes the blonde then, cuts the brunette's neck in a fit of rage. "Get Eren out of here!" She screams as she stands on top of the brunette, holding her sword to his neck. The blonde kicks her off and over the edge of the Wall but thankfully, she catches herself with her ODM Gear.

Eren stares in shock at the two boys, unable to move. "Eren, come on!" You shout, shaking his shoulders but he does not respond. "Eren, run away!" Armin screams as two bolts of yellow lightning flash in front you. The strong force sends everyone to the floor or over the edge of the Wall, holding on for dear life. You and Eren desperately hang onto the stone, using a free hand to grab his arm. However, as the Armored Titan emerges, the gust of wind blows him out of your grip. "Eren!" You shout, looking back at him as the Armored Titan grabs him then, jumps over the edge to slide down the Wall. Before you know it, another flash of lightning strikes and Eren transforms into his Titan.

When the dust settles, you climb back to the top of the Wall just as the Colossal Titan raises its arm to swing it towards you. "Move, everyone!" Section Commander Hange shouts, jumping over the edge. You jump back down, using your anchors to secure yourself to the side of the Wall, watching as he grabs the injured girl, and another Scout, throwing them into his mouth. "Soldiers, prepare to attack! The Colossal Titan doesn't walk away from this, its a threat to all mankind! Swarm and terminate!" Section Commander Hange orders as they push off the Wall, flying back up towards the monster.

You follow everyone's lead, heading straight towards the Colossal Titan. Fear is on your mind but you have to ignore it as well, putting your duty first. You never thought you'd come face to face with the enemies before but here you are, in front of the culprits who interrupted humanity five years ago.

You all dodge another punch thrown by him, continuing towards his nape. Flying up, you head straight for the nape, ready to attack. Your heart pounds faster than it has ever before, filling your ears with the heavy pulse. Readying your swords, the Colossal roars and steam bursts from his form, blinding you completely. "Shit!" You curse, trying to cover your face from the hot steam. "All of you, fall back!" Section Commander Hange shouts.

You eventually stumble back onto the Wall, looking down at your reddened hands. It only took a split second for them to burn but you have to keep fighting, for it has only just started. Now, hanging off the side of the Wall, you watch as Eren battles the Armored Titan. He wraps his arms around the Armored Titan's neck, able to flip him onto his back and pin him down. Raising his fist, Eren is about to punch when the Armored Titan flips him over, becoming trapped between Eren's legs now. Using his knees, he squeezes, and attempts to crush his neck. He manages to tear one of his arms off, anger seething through him.

When the Armored Titan rises again, the two stand off. Armin convinces Eren to retreat to the Wall but he's hesitant to completely back down. Section Commander Hange lands on his shoulder and orders him to buy more time by knocking out one of the Armored Titan's knees. Suddenly, he charges for Eren, tackling him against the Wall. Eren kicks him down, taking a few steps back to distance himself. You stay close to Armin, staying as backup in case worse comes to worse.

As Eren has the Armored Titan pinned down again, Mikasa dives and is able to cut behind his knee so he can't move as easily. Now, he attempts to break his neck to beat him. Watching the scene unfold, a sharp pain pins your head, another vision flashing in front of your eyes. You see the Colossal Titan falling. As soon as the vision disappears, you notice the Armored Titan crawling towards the Colossal, roaring loudly. "Shit-!" You gasp, causing the others to look your way. Looking up, you see the Colossal unhinging himself from the Wall to fall on top of Eren and the Armored. "Above you! Look out!" Someone from on top of the Wall screams. The last thing you see is a large dust cloud, followed by debris flying up everywhere.
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Your eyes slowly flutter open, meeting the brightness of the sun and the blue sky. Pushing yourself up, you check your surroundings, spotting the others laying down on top of the Wall. "What happened?" You whisper to yourself, body feeling sore. Just then, the memory of the Colossal falling off the Wall and onto Eren takes over your mind, reminding you of the battle. "Dammit..." You mutter, putting a hand on your head. You definitely hit your head a few times after the Colossal's fall from the strong force it caused.

Footsteps clicking on the stone catches your attention, eyes landing on someone's boots before trailing up to see Armin's face. "Hey, are you all right?" He asks gently, crouching down next to you. "I think so." You nod, dropping your hand. "That's good. You're the new girl, right? Sorry we never got to properly meet yet. I'm Armin Arlert." He introduces himself, holding a hand out. You glance at his hand, hesitating. "Oh, right, my bad. You're burned pretty bad." Armin awkwardly chuckles, moving his hand back to his side. "Its okay. I'm Y/n (Last name), nice to meet you, too." You gently smile back at him, grateful for his kindness. "This isn't a typical first day in the Scouts, so I hope you're not too overwhelmed." He mentions. "I guess its good to fully dive in, though, so I know what to expect." You shrug, earning a small grin from him. "Yeah, I suppose you're correct." Armin stands back up after. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. I'm going to check on my friends in the meantime but you can come to me if you need anything." He adds. You grin at the blonde boy, nodding. "Thank you, Armin."

You look back down at your burnt hands, the pain from earlier had subsided but they're still a bit tender to the touch. Your face had also been burnt but its not so bad. The pain is not immediate and it will probably be worse later. Your mind begins to wander, thinking about it, you haven't had the ability to see the future, its all been the past, filled with death. Being able to see the Armored Titan before he transformed frightened you but maybe your powers are evolving. Now that its happened three times, there is no doubt about it. What does this mean for the future? Will you be able to see much farther ahead rather than mere seconds or hours? You just want to know why your head hurt each time it happened.

While you're in your thoughts, a large group of galloping horses head your way. Looking up, you spot Commander Erwin with more Scouts and Military Police. Standing up, you await their arrival. "Good to see you, Commander Erwin, glad you're here." Moblit greets the Commander once he dismounts from his horse. "Is the situation still the same?" Commander Erwin asks with a serious look on his face. "Yes." Moblit answers. "Good. Right, deploy the lifts." The Commander instructs the Scouts behind him. You look down and see Section Commander Hange crawling towards Moblit, grabbing his leg. "Eh- Hange?!" He exclaims, looking down at them. "Don't just stand there, give me a map." They say.

When the Scouts ready the lifts and Section Commander Hange gets their map, they look it over. "Its a gamble but the trees in this forest are massive. I say we ride straight for it. See, even if they had a way to cover the Armored Titan's footprints, this is almost definitely where we would find them." Section Commander Hange points to a drawing of large trees on the map. "Why is that?" Commander Erwin questions as you all crouch around Section Commander Hange to view the map. "They need to recoup, they have the power to assume Titan form but other Titans on that side of the Wall still pose a threat, especially after putting up such a fight. Yes, Eren was the worst for it but they've got to be spent. Remember when Annie went out cold? Let's suppose they're headed somewhere outside Wall Maria, that's not a simple hike. They'll need all the rest they can get before covering that kind of distance. They're in no shape to make it in a single push and if so, they'll want to catch their breath somewhere other Titans can't get to them. Odds are they'll hold out till it gets dark." They explain in great detail.

"We have until sundown, if we can reach the forest by then, we might just have a chance to save them." Section Commander Hange announces as you get on horses inside Wall Maria. "Let's move!" Commander Erwin shouts as you all head out to save Eren and the girl named Ymir.

Riding inside Wall Maria, you see countless transparent figures. The closer you get to the forest, the more your mind begins to wander. Your whole body feels off, a heavy weight on your chest with each gallop your horse takes. First, your neck burns, then your waist, after that, your back feels as if it had just been crushed flat. Gripping your horse's reins tighter, ignoring the stinging pain from your burnt palms, you have to pinch your eyes shut, trying so hard to bear the other pain. You almost can't take it, not noticing Armin's look of concern towards you as you silently suffer on horseback. The pain gets worse and worse with each inch closer to the forest, you wonder if it will ever end. When you open your eyes and see the large trees, her face appears in your mind, bright and cheerful. "O-Oh shit..." You whisper, barely able to get it out between your lips. Finally, the pain goes away after the vision. Armin continues to watch, eventually turning his head to face forward again before you charge for Eren.

A small herd of Titans appear in your path, causing a detour. "We're out of time! Soldiers, disperse!" Commander Erwin shouts, the group splitting into two sections. "The enemy has assumed Titan form! Find Eren and get him out of there!" He adds. You follow the sandy-brunette boy and another boy with buzzed hair, witnessing a Military Police officer get grabbed by one of the Titans. His screams scare you, bringing the worst thoughts to your mind. You thank any higher power for it not being Tristan. Your stomach would have been churning had he been on this mission with you. When you get past the forest, that's when you see the Armored Titan again, running away with a smaller Titan on his back. They had managed to capture another one of your comrades. When will this all end?

While riding in your group led by the Garrison member named Hannes, you see Commander Erwin's group in the distance. Except, a whole herd of Titans is chasing after them. What the hell is he doing coming straight for you with Titans? They're bound to kill you all off! Maybe his plan is to, hopefully, distract the Armored Titan and get Eren back. "Jump, damn you! Get the hell out of there!" Hannes shouts at the small group of Scouts who had hopped onto the Armored Titan to pry Eren out from under his hands. Thankfully, they listen, jumping off the Armored Titan, and returning to their horses before any of the other Titans can grab them.

"Squadrons, break! Make the Titans scatter!" Commander Erwin shouts as both groups intersect. As you dodge oncoming horses, you catch a glimpse of the Armored Titan and Ymir's Titan bracing for impact upon the herd of Titans. "How are we going to get him back?" You mutter in frustration, coming to a halt beside Armin, Mikasa, and a few others. The Armored Titan had fallen to his knees, swarmed by the other Titans now. "What's going on? Is this hell?" The sandy-brunette asks. "Not yet but it will be. All soldiers, charge!" Commander Erwin comments as he charges past you. "We've come to the moment of truth! Mankind's fate is decided now! There is no future in which we reclaim these lands without Eren and there never will be! Go! Recover Eren from the Armored Titan and retreat! Your heart and soul to the cause!" He shouts, raising his sword to the sky.

Mikasa immediately snaps her reins, charging for the Armored Titan again, determined to get Eren back. You follow her lead, ready for this all to end, and to do your part as a soldier of the Walls. "Its working, his hands are down!" The sandy-brunette boy exclaims. "Now's our chance!" Mikasa replies between gritted teeth. "Mikasa, you can see those Titans, right?" He asks her. "I mean I get it, you're strong but that's one hell of a mess. Slipping through isn't gonna be easy." He adds after. You glance their direction before focusing on the task at hand again, mentally preparing yourself for the fight.

"Advance!" You hear Commander Erwin shout from beside you, raising his right sword again. Just then, a Titan clamps its jaws down on his raised arm, lifting him off his horse. Your eyes widen, heart seemingly stopping for a split second. While everyone is in shock, he shouts again. "I said advance, goddammit! Eren's right in front of you, do not falter!" You all charge for the Titans again, hands tightly gripping your reins as you look ahead. Many more of your comrades get grabbed by the Titans, screaming throughout the process but you have to ignore it and keep pushing forward.

While dodging Titans' opened hands, you hear Mikasa yell. The sandy-brunette riding next to you hears her as well, sitting up to jump off his horse. "Mikasa!" He shouts. "You piece of shit, get your hands off her!" He then maneuvers up to Mikasa to stab the Titan's eyes and release her. Too busy making sure Mikasa is okay, a Titan picks you up off your horse, lifting you up. Your eyes widen as you turn your head to face it, breath hitching. "No... no, no, no!" You shout, wiggling in its grip to get a sword out. Unfortunately, its grip is too tight to unsheathe a sword and free yourself, now, you just have to hope you don't get eaten. Before that does happen, you hear a boy yell as he zips past you, cutting its nape clean off. You watch him as you fall to the ground, pulling your triggers to safely anchor yourself back to your horse without having to look.

Dropping on your horse's saddle, the boy returns to his, snapping his reins to ride alongside you. "You okay?" He asks, looking towards you. You look to your left, nodding. "Yes, thank you." You sigh, still in shock. "You're new here. Remind me to introduce myself if we make it back alive." He says before riding away. You watch as the boy with buzzed hair leaves until he is no longer in view, turning to face forward again. That's when you notice Mikasa grab Eren, returning to her horse with him. "All soldiers, retreat!" Commander Erwin shouts, thankfully okay.

As you all head back towards Wall Rose, a Titan flies overhead, landing in front of you in the distance and causing a large cloud of dust to form. After recovering from the flying debris, you ride along with Armin and the sandy-brunette boy, whose name you still have yet to know, just barely dodging another Titan thrown your way. The three of you then see a different Titan heading towards Eren and Mikasa, changing your direction to help them. Luckily, Hannes is there to distract it and hopefully take it down.

"He needs backup!" The sandy-brunette shouts. Two more Titans get thrown your direction, barely missing you again. "Reiner? Doesn't he care if Eren gets eaten?" Armin stares towards the Armored Titan in the distance. "Move it or lose it, asshole! I'm tired of your shit!" The other male grumbles, charging towards Eren's direction again. Three Titans stand in the way, the three of you drawing out your swords. You all manage to maneuver between their legs, tangling them up without getting caught. However, just after you get past them, another one is thrown above your heads. "Jean, Y/n!" Armin shouts with wide eyes. Your head snaps back at the blonde before looking forward to see a Titan land in front of the other male, its foot knocking him off his horse. You collide with his horse, falling off as well. "No!" Armin gasps, hoping off his horse to come to your sides. You quickly sit up, rushing over to the unconscious boy by you. "Oh God, stay with me, Jean!" Armin pleads, lifting him up. Your pupils dilate as you see the trail of blood leaking from his nose. "He hit his head pretty badly. Quickly, get him away!" You order, pulling out your swords to defend them from an approaching Titan.

Armin is able to back up to a tree with Jean in his arms but the Titan follows you all there. His cries of distress keep you from backing down from the fight, however. Pulling the triggers on your ODM Gear to take it down, you hear an oh-so-familiar clicking from your gear, though, realizing the fall had crushed one of your barrels, and the anchor is stuck inside. "Dammit!" You curse, forgetting the ODM and holding your sword up to the Titan. "Armin, how is he?" You shout, dodging a swipe from the Titan, cutting its skin. "He's still out!" He replies, looking down at Jean.

You feel like your life is about to end and this battle is a losing game. Maybe joining the Scouts was a mistake and you should have listened to your father. He was right all along, you are not cut out for the Military at all. Anything that could go wrong is going wrong. Titans are everywhere, your comrades are hurt and you've witnessed so many deaths so far as it is. Is this all really worth it? Being used to seeing dead people made you think you could handle this but witnessing people's lives being stolen in the moment struck you deeply. Who is next?

Unfortunately, Hannes lost the battle against the Titan. As Eren and an injured Mikasa sit on the ground in tears, he begins to laugh which turns into choked screaming. Your head turns their direction, arm shaking as you hold your sword straight out at the Titan's face. As the approaching Titan comes closer to them, revealing it's devilish, wide smile, you see a woman walk up behind Eren. As the brunette boy screams out his feelings, the transparent woman from before, crouches down, draping herself over his shaking form.

Armin's screams, Eren's sobbing, all other commotion becomes mute. It is peaceful for a moment, tears brimming your own (color) irises as you watch the beautiful scene unfold. You may not know these kids but you do know how significant this woman is to Eren. Her death plays before your eyes, taking over your view of the horizon. You saw them... their house... the boulder that crushed it along with his mother. You've seen multiple memories of death but this is the most emotional one you have ever seen. The dark-haired woman struggled to reach her only free arm towards the children. Tears streamed out of everyone's eyes, knowing what had to be done. She had to be left for dead. You can sense he regrets his actions, wishing there was something he could have done in order to save her all those years ago. You can also sense he feels hatred for himself after the incident, assuming his mother was disappointed in him for not being strong enough. All of those feelings are wrong.

Her legs were never broken, Eren.

At that moment, the memory fades and when you come back to reality, his transparent mother is gone. Now, Eren has his fist against the smiling Titan's. That is when everything changes. The other Titans go after it instead of soldiers. Every second grows stranger and stranger. This world has more secrets than you originally thought. You fall back and drop your sword, then, turn to face Armin and an unconscious Jean. Are you actually going to make it?
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"How the hell did we survive?" You utter once back in Wall Rose after your first mission in the Survey Corps. "We sure got lucky." Armin replies, hearing your comment. "You've got that right." You swing your leg around to dismount your horse. "Let me help." You reach your arms up to assist Armin by pulling Jean down from the horse. "Thanks. Can you help me get him inside the infirmary?" Armin asks once he's on the ground. "Of course, mind helping me get him up?" You ask first, nodding towards the still unconscious Jean. "Are you sure about that? Your hands are burnt and he's pretty-" Armin's mouth gapes open when you manage to hoist the male up onto your back with ease. "You coming?" You call, already walking away. "How can you..." Armin mumbles, jogging after you. "Practice." You hum.

The two of you make it to the infirmary and hand over Jean to the nurses to take care of him after laying him on a bed. Others had heard of Jean's condition so they come into the waiting room, crowding you and Armin. "How is he doing?" A brunette girl with bangs asks, glancing between you two. "They just started, I think it may be a concussion." Armin states, looking up at the girl. "Hey, you're the new member!" She exclaims, dropping to her knees in front of your chair. "That's me." You nod, looking down into her chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm Sasha." She smiles gently, earning one back from you. "Y/n." You nod, glancing over at a boy behind her. "Hey, I was supposed to remind you to introduce yourself to me." You say, gaining his attention. "Oh, you're right. I'm Conny." He waves. "Thanks again for saving me back there." You sigh, making him smirk. "That's what I'm here for, saving all the ladies." Both you and Sasha roll your eyes at the comeback.

"We better head back. We'll see you two later?" Sasha pushes herself up. "Yeah, we'll catch up later when we get an update about Jean." Armin confirms, waving "bye" to the two as they leave. Your eyes trail back to the cold, damp cloths on your hands the nurses had given you for the burns, thankful. The room is silent again for a few minutes until Armin speaks up. "Y/n... can I ask you something?" The blonde boy asks quietly. You blink once, turning to face him. "You already did but of course." You nod. Armin stifles a laugh, continuing. "Back in Stohess and in Wall Maria, when we got to the forest, I noticed you... um..." He searches for the right words. "You saw something... didn't you?" He asks with his gaze low.

He caught my vision.

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Words: 4,894

09/10/21
Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed the second official chapter! I had fun writing this one and exploring.

See you in the next chapter!

~AlpineBreadStick