Content Warnings:

•Season 4 Part 2 Spoilers
•Mentions of Death
•Strong Language
•Narcissism
•Violence
•Fighting
•Blood
•Panic

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This chapter is inspired by Joe Hisaishi's "Waltz of Chihiro."

Flashback

Your least favorite activity: socializing with Tamara. You despised the thought of sharing a room with her. It was hard enough to share a Wall with her. The moment she arrived at your house, you gagged at the thought of her looking at you. To say the least, she thought the same about you, as well. Although, to her, you were a pawn to turning your family against you. She had to play nice with you sometimes.

One of your worst arguments with her started from something you could hardly remember but maybe that was your mind trying to forget about it to cope? Either way, it seemed to come out of nowhere, which caught you off guard. You were young and vulnerable. Back then, you did not know how to deal with such a stubborn person. Looking back in hindsight, there was so much you wish you knew. You could have handled situations so much better but there was nothing you could do about it. All those fights taught you, made you stronger.

"I did give you a chance!" You argued with the petite strawberry-blonde. She had just cried to your father about a lie she made up about you. She claimed you were always closed-off and cold with her but that was far from the truth. You only recently discovered her antics, which led to you distancing yourself from her. Unfortunately, it looked like he believed her, too. How he chose her over you all the time? It was baffling. Yet, it still stung like a fresh wound every time.

"She's always calling me wicked and evil! You know I would never hurt her! I see her as my own daughter!" Tamara pleaded her case to your father as you three stood in the living room of your home. Although, she was sort of right about that one accusation. However, you mostly cursed about her under your breath or inside your head. Rarely, you belittled her to her face, like she always did to you.

When your father turned to face you, you would never forget the look of disappoint on his face. It had said "I raised you better than that." Did you really upset him? No, that was impossible. There was no way he actually believed her... right?

"She never gives me a chance! I'm trying so damn hard to be a good mother to her but she refuses to let me in!" The older woman continued her tangent as you started to shrink under your father's cold glare. Without a doubt, he succumbed to her nonsense, and was on the route to being turned against you. Was her influence the start of his lying?

Flashback End

Reiner was hesitant to join your bandwagon at first but after realizing Annie, Gabi and Falco were being serious, he ultimately gave in. At the end of the day, he wants to save Marley from the rumbling invasion, so he does not particularly care who his allies are right now.

Riding in the carts, you keep an eye out while Reiner sits in Armin's cart near Annie. Every so often, you feel his eyes burning the back of your head, without having to face him, yourself. Neither of you have properly met, the first ever encounter being when he, along with Bertholdt, revealed himself to be a Titan shifter. The thought of the other male makes your stomach queasy, eyes trying to focus on the passing scenery, however, Bertholdt overtakes your mind.

The last time you saw him, he had you in a chokehold, and Mikasa was the only one able to stop him, simply by coming into the room. There is no doubt that even in the afterlife, he still holds a grudge, only able to get back by coming through you. How you got looped into the middle of it? You still wonder. As his pale-green eyes pierce your mind, you uncomfortably shift in your seat, accidentally earning attention.

"What's wrong, Y/n?" Lux carefully approaches you, minding the bumps from the uneven path. Sighing, you rub your head which begins to throb, a frequent occurrence when a spirit or demon overtakes your thoughts, wasting your energy. "Its nothing..." You mutter, shutting your eyes in hope of some relief in tension. Not believing you, the older woman looks at you sternly, your mind too busy to notice her glare. "Who is it?" She asks with a gentler tone than her face was showing, a bit concerned for your distressed state. Peeling your eyes open again, your brows furrow when your surroundings are not how you remember. Instead of seeing trees, you see the port that was constructed on your island.

Why am I seeing this?

In the distance, a large boat is docked with something in front of it. However, its covered in a large cloth, concealing it. Then, an uncomfortably familiar sensation presses against your temple. "Not again..." You mutter, pinching your eyes shut in frustration. Confused, your aunt exchanges a glance with Conny at the back of the cart, who shuffles forward. "Is it another vision?" The boy asks, nearing you both. Once the cool metal leaves your (color) skin, Bertholdt's presence returns, taking your energy. Groaning in pain by the headache its causing, Conny looks up at Lux again. "This has happened before... A few years ago when we found the sea, she had a vision. She sort of... acts strange during them." He explains to the woman in front of him.

"Y/n, you should lay down, and rest." Lux carefully pulls your wrist, hand falling from the side of your head. "But it hurts... I can't even think straight." You mumble with foggy, almost sickly, eyes. "Lay down, it'll be over soon." She guides you to the floor of the cart where you finally lay down, staring at the golden sky as the sun begins to set. All is calm for a single moment before Bertholdt makes a comeback, making your head feel like its being squished. "You'll pay for this destruction." He growls darkly. The headache is far worse than before, making any sort of relaxation a living hell.

"I can't... I can't...!" You whisper, rolling onto your left/right side, eyes shutting out the world. With your knees to your chest and an arm over your eyes, you try your best to distract yourself but the male continues his taunting. "Listen to me, island devil!" He shouts, making you flinch. "Stop..." Your voice is tired, hardly audible to Conny or Lux. "You deserve to suffer and rot for all of this!" You want to fight him off but his demonic spirit is thirsting on your energy, stealing it all away.

"B-Bertholdt... go... away...!" You groan out of desperation, curling into a tight ball to shrink yourself. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do besides succumb to his overriding force, dominating over you. The mention of his name catches Conny off guard, not expecting it at all. "Bertholdt...?" The boy mumbles, eyes trailing up from your weak form to meet Lux's (color) irises. "That there was not a vision, a spirit must be visiting her." Lux replies, understanding a bit of your situation from what she does know about it.

Overhearing the conversation, Reiner stares at your cart, heart pounding in his chest. You would have noticed this but the visit ultimately claimed your consciousness, drifting into a deep sleep. Had you known sooner that being around Annie and Reiner would strengthen Bertholdt's presence, you would have tried to avoid getting too close to them from the beginning.
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A gentle nudge to your shoulder alerts your unconscious, dreamless mind. Your brain does not seem to recognize the real, physical touch, mistaking it for being made up in your subconscious. When the nudge becomes a shake, your eyes pop open, vision blurry as they adjust to the dark surroundings of the real world. "Y/n?" A voice asks, being followed by another shake to your shoulder. "H... Hm?" You quietly hum, stiffly looking over your shoulder to see Lux kneeled behind you. "We're here. Your Commander is here, too." She mentions, sitting back. Carefully nodding, you push yourself up off the cart's floorboards, scanning the area.

"Is he gone?" Her sudden question confuses you. "What?" You furrow your brows, turning to face her again. "Bertholdt." She keeps her voice low. The dots connect as you recall the awful headache you endured because of it, which, thankfully, has passed. "Oh, yeah. Finally." You nod, stretching your sore neck from hardly moving. "That's good. Now, let's get going. We should eat." Lux softly smiles as she helps you stand up.

After hopping off the back of the cart, you follow a few feet behind Lux as she heads over to the group, surrounding a campfire that had just been built. Mind temporarily wandering off, it snaps back to reality when you bump into someone. "Oh, sorry." You look up/down/over at the buff blonde beside you. His hazel eyes narrow for a second before softening at the edges. He must have remembered you're no longer an "enemy" to him. "We never properly met, have we?" You break the short silence, earning a shake of his head. "No, we haven't." He replies. "Y/n (Last name)." You hold out your hand, being taken by his, briefly. "I already know who you are." Reiner says, catching you off guard. "You do?" You tilt your head slightly.

You already know him, is it possible for him to know you, too?

Still in shock and before you have the chance to question his knowledge about you, a different voice pipes in. "Huh, so this is where you've been hiding again, Zeina? Did you bring us the girl too?" A man's voice from behind Reiner questions, causing you to pause in place.

What?

Utterly confused, your body continues forth again, standing next to Lux. Looking up at the group in front of you, you see a man with short, charcoal hair, and cedar-brown eyes, which are directly on Lux. Then, they shift your direction. "Well, this must be our future girl that our Warriors failed to obtain." The same man smirks, eyes not leaving yours. Rapidly blinking, you have no idea what to think in this situation. What is he even talking about?

"Theo, now is not the time." Lux mutters sternly to the man, hearing a grit in her voice. Your eyes leave the man's, now, staring at the side of your aunt's head. "What's he talking about...?" You whisper with a dazed-like expression, somewhat thinking you're in a dream. Whipping around, Lux looks frantic, her (color) eyes wide with nervousness. "Y/n, we'll talk later. For now, we should-" Her rapid voice is cut off by the same man. "How come you left with them, Zeina?" He now stands beside you, eyeing the woman in front of you. Pursing her lips, she is hesitant to tear her eyes away from yours.

"Theo, please, not now." Her voice is hushed from you, sounding a bit irritated. All you can do is blink, trying to solve the mystery by yourself. Completely lost, you don't know what to think. Zeina was your mother's name, not your aunt's. Is there a chance he got confused and called her the wrong name? That has to be the reason. Like your father and Lux said, your mother died after you were born. There is no possible way that she's alive.

"I would have preferred she'd be over Marleyan borders but this will have to do." The man, known as Theo, comments, making your eyes flicker up/down/straight over to his. "W-... What?" You furrow your brows, still confused about everything. "You're not my aunt...?" Your voice is small as your eyes dart between the two. "General Magath, that is my cadet." Commander Hange's voice interrupts the conversation as they hold a large pot of water. Slightly bowing his head, General Magath speaks up again. "Of course. My apologies." He mumbles for only you to hear, retreating back to the group.

As your eyes follow him, Lux is the first one to talk between you. "Y/n, let me explain later, okay-?" She begins but you stop her short. "No." You gently shake your head, finally meeting her gaze. "We should talk now and get it over with. While we have time." You answer with zero emotion behind your words. Swallowing a small lump, Lux nods, agreeing to your statement. "Okay." She whispers, following you back to the carts.

Pushing yourself up, you sit on the edge of the cart, feet dangling above/flat on the ground, staring at your boots. When Lux sits beside you, she briefly goes over her thoughts before starting. "I didn't mean for you to find out this way but I'm glad he ripped the bandage off for me." Lux... Zeina begins, keeping the situation light. Not very amused, you keep your head low, picking at the skin on your fingers. "Why'd you lie, though?" You stoically ask, feelings numb at this point. You do not even know what you should be feeling.

There's a long pause in silence as she ponders the question. Does she not know the answer, herself? "I had to in order to protect you, Y/n." Her answer comes out through a sigh. Keeping quiet to let her continue, she speaks again. "If I kept my identity, others would find out. Then, I wouldn't be able to protect you. I had to go by Lux. I wish I never had to but I was willing to make any sacrifice if it meant your life was spared." Her voice is gentle as she speaks. "Why do the Marleyans want me? What was that guy talking about?" You eventually ask, not facing her.

Now, there seems to be an even longer pause. What answer is so hard to tell that it takes this long to get out? Finally, after a painful minute, her lips part. "We were sent here by the Military-" She begins but you cut her off. "I want the truth." You look up to face her with a serious expression. "It is the truth, Y/n. Instead of being banished, we were recruited for intel on the Attack and Founding Titan." Her voice is kept low, almost afraid to reveal the truth. Frozen in shock, you do not know what to think.

Is she the enemy?

Without much time to process, Zeina has more to share. "I never wanted anything to do with Marley after they killed my parents. It is true that they were murdered when they found out about my powers but they gave us two options: join their Military or be executed along with my parents. After we were recruited, we were sent here to find out where the Attack Titan had went, as well as the Founding but... we got a little sidetracked, making lives of our own here." A slight grin grows on her face towards the end but gradually fades again. "When I returned to Marley after failing the mission, they offered me a chance to redeem myself: by offering you." She purses her lips.

"But... why? What do they want me for?" You finally lift your gaze to look at her, brows furrowed. "They wanted your powers. I was interrogated in confessing about my time in Paradis or else they'd execute me. I knew you would one day come looking for me, so I had to fight to live in order to meet you. I had to tell them. With our combined powers, we could eradicate Paradis but I never wanted that... I did everything I could to keep them away from you. That's why I decided to leave with you when you raided Liberio." Her explanation almost makes your head hurt again. Everything you knew was a lie, yet again.

After taking in the information for a few moments, you take in a deep breath before releasing it. "So, my real aunt Lux took your place when Krolva found out you were a "witch?" You ask, fidgeting with your hands. Releasing her own breath, Zeina nods in confirmation. "It was a spontaneous decision made by her. The second I arrived to warn her, she shoved me aside, and marched back to Krolva to save me. I could never fully repay her or even thank her for such a selfless act." Zeina whispers sadly.

"And... back in Shiganshina, you had the vision about Annie as well?" You add, everything beginning to make sense. "I did, along with your Captain, too." The older woman sighs, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry I kept this from you, Y/n. I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how to. Are you mad at me?" Her (color) eyes trail to the side of your face as you stare forward, at nothing in particular. "I don't know... I just need some time to process this." You mumble, pushing yourself off the cart to return to your squad.

When you approach the group, everyone is separated by sides: Marleyans and Eldians from Paradis. Standing beside Conny, you keep your gaze away as Zeina follows behind, sitting down near Reiner. The news was still like an open wound, you just had to wait for it to heal before you could accept it. Quietly keeping to yourself, you watch as Commander Hange slices potatoes into the boiling pot they prepared over a campfire. Your own Captain resting on a cart behind them.

"Wanna stop glaring at each other and lend me a hand?" Commander Hange asks, sounding a tad annoyed. "Sharing a meal with enemies of war, huh?" General Magath huffs. "I'm curious: what changed your mind? If you let Eren succeed, you'll get your ideal world- a paradise for island devils. We would've stopped Eren and Zeke from coming into contact had you guys not helped them." He continues. "I already explained, General. We don't wish for genocide. Otherwise, we wouldn't be hiding in the forest making stew." Commander Hange responds.

"Finally found a sense of justice, huh?" General Magath hums, a bottle of some kind in his hand. "Justice? You wanna talk to us about justice? You think we're devils fighting off the Titans that you sent?! Listen, we fought our asses off 'cuz we didn't wanna get eaten alive! Does that sound like devils to you, buddy?!" Jean raises his voice at the older man, gaining your attention. Watching him carefully, you do not even care if Jean is making a mistake. You almost hope that Marleyan guy gets his ass beat.

"Yeah, you sound like devils to me. The threat of Paradis came true and now the world's in danger. This is where all your fighting got you. Am I wrong?" General Magath replies calmly, taking a swig from his bottle. "If not for the Wall falling and Eren having to see his mother get eaten alive, he wouldn't have done this! You made him use the rumbling!" Jean shouts, frustrated. "You wanna talk history, do you? You know that Marley was tyrannized and devastated by Eldia first, right?" General Magath narrows his eyes on your comrade which ticks him off even more.

"Still playing the victim after 2,000 years?" Jean grumbles. "Its like I'm talking to children. The island's suffering is a joke compared to 2,000 years of tragic history." The other man mutters. "Excuse me?" Jean's own hazel eyes narrow on the man. "C'mon, that's enough. Its silly to talk about the past when none of us were there. Jean, the General has trouble understanding us. We're weird devils who would give up our paradise to help the very world that wants to exterminate us. For a few months, we lived in the outside world. We can't go back to being ignorant island devils." Commander Hange reasons while the two men continue their staring contest.

"So, can you kill him?" Annie suddenly speaks up, turning around to face your comrades. "Can you kill Eren?" She asks again, standing in front of you all now. "There're other ways to stop him." Mikasa replies with a stoic expression. "I figured you'd say that. What, then? Talk him out of it? You think you can change the mind of someone slaughtering humanity?" Annie questions her position. "We won't know unless we talk to him." Armin tries to reason, always being the balance in tough situations.

"Let's say you can't convince him and he won't stop the rumbling. What then? Can't answer 'cuz you can't think of him as an enemy?" Annie quirks a brow. When no one responds, she releases a short sigh. "I knew it. If the rest of us from Marley try to kill Eren, you guys will end up fighting to protect him, guaranteed. Isn't that right, Mikasa? You can't even imagine anything being more important to you than Eren." Annie smirks a bit, causing Mikasa to jump, ready to grab her swords.

"So you wanna get rid of me?!" Mikasa's demeanor turns dangerous, her eyes sharp and narrow on the blue-eyed blonde as she shows off a ring with a hook, threatening to transform. "Leonhart!" General Magath warns the girl from doing anything to which she slowly drops her hand, raising the other to hold out in front of her. "I understand that feeling. I wanna stop Eren for one reason: so my father in Marley doesn't die. That's why I need your help. If you can change Eren's mind, all the better. But until you try, we shouldn't be fighting." Annie drops her arm again as Mikasa turns around, no longer ready to attack. "Fine." She mutters.

Commander Hange breaks the following silence by tapping a ladle on the boiling pot, earning everyone's attention. "All right, all right! The stew's ready, so let's eat!" They call, wanting to let go of the tension in the air. After passing around bowls, you quietly stare down into the hot stew. With so many thoughts on your mind, your appetite is slim but you know better. Carefully lifting the spoon, you ignore the burning sensation as it travels down your esophagus. Chatter fills the background but you mostly ignore it, becoming a white noise to you.

You don't pay attention until Yelena mentions a name you know will cause a scene. "What was the name of your friend that you mentioned to me before? Oh, right... Marco." The tall blonde deadpans across at Jean. Glancing up, you look at the sandy-brunette who has a nervous expression. "You said that Annie was somehow involved in this right, right? Have you asked Annie about the truth behind his death?" Yelena asks stoically.

Unable to eat any more of the stew, you gently set it down beside you, already sensing a memory of Marco's death to play in your mind. "I took Marco's ODM Gear away from him. That's why a Titan ate-" Annie begins to explain but Reiner cuts her off. "She was just following my orders." The blonde male explains. "Marco overheard a secret conversation between Bertholdt and me. Fearing he knew my identity, I figured the best way to keep Marco quiet was for a Titan to eat him. So after I knocked him onto a roof and held him down, I had Annie remove his ODM Gear. Since Marco couldn't go anywhere, he was eaten." Reiner's voice is quiet as he tells the story.

"Did Marco... say anything at the end?" Jean eventually questions, his hazel eyes fixated on the ground. "We haven't even talked this through." Reiner repeats his final words as you mouth the same words to yourself, seeing his fearful eyes full of tears. "Yeah... That's right. We've barely tried to talk. That's why we're still trying to put each other in the ground." Jean mumbles. "Its not too late to start. Here we are talking to each other, when before, we would've been at each other's throats. Could anyone have imagined we'd be eating together around a fire?" Commander Hange ponders.

"As I watched it happen, I wondered why Marco was being eaten by a Titan. Overcome by anger, I thought, "How dare you eat Marco," and killed it." Reiner's eyes almost seem distant, like he is not even inside his own body. "Enough." Jean interferes, no longer wanting to hear it. "The guilt messed with your head." The sandy-brunette looks down to the side. "Don't forgive me. I'm... truly worthless." Reiner mumbles with quivering brows, resembling those of someone about to break down. "That's enough!" Jean raises his voice, officially done.

Silence follows after but only for a short time when Reiner can't let it go. "I'm sorry." The broad blonde stares at the ground, eyes snapping up when he meets Jean's furious one's as he charges toward him. In utter shock, the group can only gape at the attack as Reiner is punched back, blood spraying from his nostrils. Dropping himself on Reiner's torso, Jean grips the blonde's collar while the knuckles of his right hand repeatedly smash into his face. Body flinching with every punch, you fumble in your spot to stand up, mind slow to react to the situation but your body is already in fight mode.

Quickly rounding the two males, you stand over Reiner's head to be face-to-face with Jean while Armin and Conny approach. "Hey! Jean!" Conny shouts, taking his left side while Armin takes the right. "Quit it!" The smaller blonde reaches for his wrist. Seemingly deaf to the commotion outside of his angry thoughts, Jean fails to notice your presence, fist swinging down just as Armin reaches for it. Armin's fingers slide down Jean's arm as he just misses grasping him, air catching in his throat as Jean's fist collides with the left side of your face. As Jean suddenly retracts his arm, Armin roughly grabs it, pulling the much taller male back with Conny's assistance.

You were so close to avoiding his punch, the blow hitting the angle of the mandible, the part of your jaw that curves to meet the lobule of your ear. Even you were too distracted to see it coming before it happened, granted you knew the risk it was to get in his line of attack. You don't blame him for the punch, you chose to get caught in the middle. This is nothing compared to the shit that's going on right now. Recovering from the hit as you watch the boys pull Jean away, you stretch your jaw open ever so slightly to feel a slight tenderness but nothing too bad.

I've dealt much worse.

Gently touching the spot, you retract your index and middle finger to stare down at Reiner's blood stained on your flesh from Jean's fist. "Cut it out!" Conny warns as Jean pants in frustration and fatigue. "Jean!" Armin yells one last time as Jean begins to swing his leg back, ready to kick. Your eyes suddenly flicker to the right, spotting Gabi as she charges toward you all, willing to interfere. Then, your (color) eyes widen when you feel a pain in your gut, you already know what's to come. "Gabi!" Your voice gets lost as you dive for her, unable to pull her out of the way as Jean's boot meets her stomach.

Falling to the ground along with Gabi, you push yourself up to look over at the girl as her friend, Falco, rushes over. "Gabi!" He drops to his knees, holding her shoulders as she sits up a bit. "I'm sorry." She whispers with a trembling form. "We... wanted to wipe out... everyone living on Paradis Island. In hopes that the world would forgive us, we wanted this island... the devils... to be wiped out. And now, my mom, dad and everyone in Liberio will be wiped out. I'm sorry." The brunette girl whispers through tears, shifting so she can bow before your comrades. "I know its absurdly shameless of me to ask... but we need your help! Please! I'm begging you to help us!" She now stares up into Jean's narrowed eyes.

"Please! Let's stop the rumbling together!" Falco begs, holding Gabi. "Please!" "Please!" "Please!" "Please!" The two of them chant in hopes of ending this nightmare. Jean eventually settles down, his eyes much softer along with his complexion. "Let go." The sandy-brunette mumbles to Armin and Conny. When the two drop their arms, Jean turns around, and heads for the trees, wandering deeper into the woods. "Where are you going?" Conny asks as he watches the male depart. "Jean! What about your seconds?" Commander Hange calls after him, holding up a bowl.

"Its no use... He left..." You hear Gabi mumble as she stares at the ground, a tear rolling down her face to her lips. "Gabi..." General Magath reaches for her but drops his arm in despair. Wiping off your jaw with the back of you hand, your eyes scan the group until they land on your previously sleeping Captain. "So damn noisy." He mutters beneath his bandaged face. In another situation, you would be surprised to see him awake but right now, you can only acknowledge it without an emotion.

Later that night as everyone calms down, or even a little, you begin settling for bed without any sign of Jean again. Before you lay down in your claimed patch of dirt, Mikasa glances your way, from your left. "Are you okay, Y/n?" She whispers with concern, propped up on her right elbow. You notice her charcoal-like irises falling to your bruised jaw, which you have yet to see for yourself. You won't lie, Jean did hit you pretty good but again, you won't blame him nor anticipate an apology. He was probably blinded by anger to even notice you got in the way and for that, you don't want to bring it up to him. He's been through enough and this would be one more thing to make him feel guilty.

Gently nodding, you give the younger female a reassuring grin. "Yeah, I'm okay. Promise." You genuinely respond. Hesitant to leave it at such, Mikasa purses her lips. "You sure? I can go find him right now to kick his ass for that. I'm behind on giving him what he deserves, I've lost count." Mikasa mutters towards the end, making you chuckle. "Its okay, Mika. He needs a break." You shake your head, continuing to chuckle at the thought of him getting his ass handed to him.

Before you can get some needed rest, another question catches your attention, this time from your right side. "Where even is he?" You recognize it as Conny. Glancing over your shoulder to confirm the owner's voice, you roll to your other shoulder to support yourself, not even caring if the position caused a temporary double chin. "He's not too far, Conny." You answer, able to sense his presence from a small distance. "Oh." The shaven boy looks down momentarily. "Should we go get him?" He looks back up after a second. Thinking for only a moment, you shake your head. "No, he should be alone. I feel bad for the guy, let him have a moment to sort out his feelings. He just got the truth about Marco's death," You pause to purse your lips at the resurfacing memory.

"Right, sorry." Conny shakes his head, remembering what happened earlier, a hand on his face. You can hear Jean's internal thoughts bugging him to help. Although he may not come across that way, he's always willing to put others first. He'll come around eventually. "When he's ready, he'll come back. Now, go to sleep." You grin a little, shaking away the sad thoughts. "You too. That applies to Mikasa as well." Conny shoots you both a smirk before rolling over to have his back face you. Air blows through your nose in an almost inaudible laugh as you look over your shoulder to the noir-haired female. "You heard him." You sigh, laying on your back afterward.

Silent minutes go by very slowly, the only sound being nocturnal forest animals, and insects as they prowl. Unable to find sleep, you continue staring towards the dark sky, vision filled of trees and stars, twinkling through patchy branches flourished with leaves. You can't help but let your mind wander back to Lux- Zeina. It'll take some time getting used to the new name. Part of you wants to be happy she's finally in your life after all this time searching for her but... you also can't help another feeling. You haven't spoken to her since she broke the news and you asked for space. You sort of expected she would deny your request and fight to talk to you and explain more but she respected your boundaries. You almost wish she wouldn't.

Is that a bad thing?

Sighing to yourself, you rub your face, biting your right cheek from a sting to your jawline. It was still nothing compared to previous injuries, although, it has been awhile since you last sustained any. Dragging your hands down to peek through the spacing of your stubby/slender fingers, you eventually close them, listening to your inner thoughts, instead.

I always expected I would be happy but... I can't help the feeling of anger.

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Words: 5,589

05/12/22
Hello, readers! Apologies its almost been a month since I updated! I just finished my finals for the semester so now I have a few weeks off before I start my summer classes. I'll probably be busy this summer and fall again but this is all in the name of graduating soon to move on to the next stage in my life!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've been waiting for this grand reveal because it changes the whole plot hehe... This was my big scheme and has been waiting in my notes since I first started planning this book <3

Thank you for reading and see you all in the next chapter!

~AlpineBreadStick