Content Warnings:

•Season 4 Part 3 Spoilers
•Mentions of Suicide
•Mentions of Death
•Strong Language
•Violence
•Blood
•Panic
•Guns
•Gore
•War

•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•

Flashback

In a matter of days, your father's world had completely shifted until it turned upside down, shaking the loose pieces free that were never promised to stay attached. At barely two days old, you had already lost a parent, one you would grow to never know or ever be aware of their absence. Your older brothers grieved hard even at their young ages, they understood death well enough since your grandfather had already passed.

Raising you should have been no different than your brothers, but truly, your father hadn't the slightest clue as how to take care of a little girl. Any father had anticipated it to be easy since their wife would be bonded to their little girl, but without his, it was all up to him. He had to fill in the role as both parents. Shopping was a nightmare since he was used to his sons' clothing. Little dresses were foreign and he always seemed to get the wrong size. That's when he scraped the idea and thanked his late wife for keeping all of the boys clothes they outgrew, handing it down to you instead.

He did his best to give you both worlds, however, his effort did not last long, as it did not work for him so well. He felt like he couldn't give you the full authentic experience of having a mother, so he decided to give up even trying. To stop lying to himself and you. The reality was you had no mother, just a sad and lonely father.

The widowed man stuck to his old ways, raising you the same as his boys, with the expected caution as you were the youngest and smallest. Tough love, pushing them to be their best, not allowing any of you to give up, even letting you roughhouse. It came to a point where you noticed he still tried to baby you, reminding your brothers to not be so rough and you did not like that. You saw yourself as one of them, just as tough and strong too. You wanted to be an equal, not fragile. So, your father bit back his tongue and stayed out of your playful brawls.

You absolutely loved being a part of their activities. It took a lot of persuasion, but eventually, your father let you join the workshop downstairs as well. You thrived in the environment, part of it being craving the inclusion, the other part of it being in your blood. You were born to toss tools around and get your hands dirty, full of splinters too. However, being in your brothers' shadows was another challenge. You struggled finding yourself at times, often falling back on the line of trying to please society and your father. Two very different things with different expectations.

Flashback End

A numbness overtakes your lower half, a chilling tingle scurrying up your spine until a ring echos in your ear. Thankfully you're properly secured to one of the Founder's protruding bones, otherwise you would have fallen from the sudden sensation. Grip tightening on your ODM controls, anxiety creeps around the corner. You haven't felt nervous to be so high up in years, why all the sudden? Deciding to lower yourself down to Eren's spine, you release from the bone you hung from moments before to drop the last few feet. Whatever that was, you'll keep it in mind.

"What's the plan now?" You ask yourself, staring down at the Armored Titan as he kneels on top of a crushed husk of the Beast. Nothing. The rumbling is still in motion. "Come on, think!" You're desperate to lend aid when you have the ability to. The population is counting on your small, misfit team to save the world, the pressure is definitely on.

"Armin!" "I know!" You hear Jean and Commander Armin shout at each other, attention turning towards them from your elevated position. "In one minute, I'm blasting this area away. Work with the Cart Titan to get clear! Eren knows this attack could be coming. I can't imagine this'll kill him! But... if I blow these bones apart, we might figure out where Eren or Zeke is!" The blue-eyed blonde commands.

"What about Y/n? She can help us first!" Jean suggests, his eyes flickering your way above them. Meeting his gaze, you gently nod your head, willing to try feeling either of them out again. "Let me help, Ar-" "Don't. We're not expensing her energy over a command we were already given. You saw what happened the last time, imagine the outcome now that the idiot's in their presence." You hear Captain Levi shut down Jean's idea, which also happened to be yours as well. You don't know whether to take his comment as him looking out for you or a straight up insult. Either way, you can't disobey orders from two superiors now.

Feeling all eyes linger to your partially stained bandaged cheek, you bite down on your lip, fingers squeezing on the controls of your ODM Gear, "yes, sirs." You bow your head before releasing your anchor to shoot them over towards the Cart Titan. "Be careful, Armin!" Conny shouts his way, meeting you at the Cart. "If you get into trouble, ignore us and just go full blast!" Jean encourages, riding on the Armored Titan's shoulder.

You're not too far away when you feel uncomfortable, your head subconsciously turning over your shoulder towards Commander Armin's way. "Something's not right..." You mumble mostly to yourself, however your comrades all overhear, facing the same way now. "Armin!" You hear Mikasa gasp just as a lingering beast of some sort grabs the blonde, dragging him away. Suddenly, you're surrounded by Titans made of bone, glaring down at your squad.

Charging for the Armored, your body travels faster than your mind, immediately jumping into action to protect your friends. Tossing Thunder Spears as you zip past the Titans, you can't help but wonder why some look familiar. "What do we do? We'll run out of Thunder Spears! More importantly, is Armin alive?" Conny shouts fearfully. Now's your chance to feel useful since you got shot down before. Eyes slipping shut to concentrate, you feel a different heartbeat, rhythm faster than your own, beating in your ears.

Armin.

"He's alive!" You shout, earning a wave of relief from the others, however the relief they feel doesn't make a dent to the situation. "The slightest injury, and he would've transformed. Which means he was captured without a scratch. But he was whisked off towards Eren's ass with countless Titans blocking our path." Captain Levi replies, narrow steel eye glaring right back at the Titans. "Even in perfect condition, I wouldn't choose to leap into that mess. So keep cool. Mikasa, don't charge off. I'll act as bait and draw the bulk of them away first." You hear him tell the other raven behind him. "That won't work, Captain. I've figured out what we're dealing with. They're... the past generations of the Nine Titans. Who knows if their minds are still in there, though. I would bet the Founding Titan's power can resurrect an unlimited number of them... These past Titan soldiers created only to fight." Pieck's Titan voice sends a shiver through your body as you listen.

How... How are we going to take them on?

You cannot control the self doubting thoughts at this time, everything is starting to eat you up. You've come this far and now is not the time to give up, but you're fearing of losing hope. Just as you're on the verge of spiraling in your head, you feel a whoosh of air whip past you, eyes landing on the Cart Titan as she sprints towards the Titans direction. "Pieck!" Conny cries after her, his eyes wide with terror. "Wait!" Mikasa exclaims, following after her as she wraps dynamite around Eren's bony neck, pulling herself out from her Titan's body, yelling, "begone, nightmare!" then reaching to push the lever of the detonator. Before she has the chance, a pitchfork penetrates through the back of her torso, being wielded by the War Hammer Titan.

Why is it that your thoughts are clouded and you didn't see that coming? You should have saw it a mile ago, why didn't you speak up to warn Pieck?! "What the hell is wrong with me?" You mutter to yourself, hands shaking in frustration. You need to get your head back in the game from wherever it had wandered off to, you cannot make a mistake now.

Out of the corner of your eye, the previous Jaw Titan appears, eyes glued to Reiner like a predator to its prey. From above, Jean hangs onto a piece of bone, Thunder Spears at the ready, "keep him still!" He shouts, pushing off the bone to dive into the air, however another Titan leaps towards Jean at the same time, mouth wide open. Feeling your breath hitch, heart skipping a beat, a flash of light darts across, slamming into another piece of bone. "Captain!" Jean exclaims when he realizes the older soldier had saved him. "Hurry. We're getting Armin back." The Captain's voice strains as he weakly pushes himself up. "That's our only path through this. Otherwise, we'll all die here for nothing!"

"Come on Reiner!" Conny yells, throwing a Thunder Spear at a Titan's nape he's trying to ward off. Captain Levi joins in the battle again, using his swords to slice at the napes as well, perfectly dodging their swipes and snaps. "Hurry!" You hear him as he continues forth. "Y/n, follow me!" Mikasa shouts as the Armored Titan heads back for Eren's head, being chased by several Titans. Immediately on her tail, you split sides, taking the left, to fire a few more Thunder Spears to guard him. Along the way, you feel a presence watching, but you don't have time to think about it. You don't have time to think about anything at all besides making it out alive to stop the rumbling.

Suddenly, a different type of rumbling noise sounds from behind you, causing your head to whip around anyway, not listening to your mind. "Bertho-" Your voice catches in your throat, (color) eyes wider than ever when you realize the Colossal Titan has been summoned, now reaching out for Reiner. All those times that guy taunted and haunted you, the debilitating migraines and nearly choking you to death, the grudge is still there, right after the fear.

Large hand swiping him off of Eren's back, you feel powerless, only able to ogle, nearly paralyzed in disbelief. "He's... back..." You whisper, an unexpected heat warms around your neck, reminding you of his once ghostly arm hooked around your shoulder, locked against his transparent chest as he pinned you, attempting to kill you in your own dormitory. Sinking into panic, Jean's voice ultimately snaps you back into reality, no longer allowed to relive the waking nightmares Bertholdt has caused you, "Reiner!" Jean screams out, unfortunately making it too late. The Colossal snaps the Armored Titan's head off with his teeth.

"Are you kidding me?" Conny whispers to himself, only able to stare up at the scene unfolding as the Colossal swings his arm back down, slamming Reiner's Titan body back onto Eren's spine. You're instantly blinded by dust and debris, mind and body out of sync. You barely had time to react, or maybe you chose not to react? When you reopen your eyes, you find yourself quietly staring up at the protruding bones of the Founder, air still full of dust. It looks as if the sun began to set by how cloudy it got.

"Get up, (nickname)!"

Quincy would tell you after wrestling with him. In order to not get in trouble for being too rough with you, the older boy would bribe you to act fine, even if you were on the verge of tears a handful of those times. So, what did you do? You took the bribes anyway. Not because you wanted to, but because you also wanted to appear strong for your father. You had to in order to survive in this world. So... get up, (nickname)!

"Get up, (nickname)..." You whisper, pushing yourself up to instantly spot Conny dangling in the air from his ODM Gear, face bloodied and eyes nearly rolling back into his head. "Co-... Conny..." Your voice shakes, unable to concentrate enough to feel or hear his heartbeat. You never saw his spirit leave- unless you were too busy daydreaming to even notice. What kind of friend are you? A terrible, horrible one.

Stop! Stop it! Why won't you shut up?!

You have to beg your mind to quit taunting you like demons have in the past, but you are your worst demon at the end of the day. "He's alive... he's okay..." Your inner thoughts slip past your chapped lips, mind eventually understanding that Conny is still breathing. Somehow you were able to feel his soul still intact when you thought you couldn't concentrate enough. "Wait-!" A Titan from your peripheral vision leaps towards him, body still too slow to react.

Fortunately, Mikasa zips by, taking it down just in time. "Wake up, Conny! Captain!" She shouts, looking for the older soldier. That's right, where are the others at and what happened to them after all that debris flew? A tickle in your head causes you to turn to your left, spotting the Captain on his stomach, spitting out blood, looking even weaker than before. If only you weren't in your head so much, you could have protected your friends better. You're a solider first before everything, but you can't even do that.

As Mikasa fights off another Titan, your eyes are glued to Captain Levi, a strange feeling enveloping your body, specifically your leg. That feeling again from before... A million thoughts were already racing your mind today, but now a million more seem to have entered, creating all kinds of chaos. What does this mean? What's about to- "Conny!" "Captain!" You wail just after Mikasa, witnessing a snake-like Titan snap its jaws around Captain Levi's left leg. "No!" You scream as blood spurts in the air, the Titan finally releasing his leg. "Captain!" Conny comes to his senses in time to catch the man from falling all that way down.

This can't be the end...

Tears build at the edges of your (color) eyes, reddening the whites of them. Captain Levi looks half dead, limp in Conny's arms, blood dripping from his agape mouth. Your stupid self should have known. Had you numbed yourself to all thoughts and emotions like a proper soldier, you could have saved him. Saved him from getting injured, saved him from getting blown up by Zeke.

You should have been there for him like he was for you. When he was disguised in the crowd while you were nearly burned at the stake, when he caught you before drowning at the sea, when you lost your mind over your dead brother and he convinced Commander Nile that you were a worthy soldier after his murder, or when one of Kenny's soldiers-turned-demon choked you in your sleep. He was there every time to save you... but you weren't there to save him. Humanity's Strongest Soldier is on the brink of collapse. All because of you. Damn you, selfish fool.

Paralyzed in your body, the wind gets knocked out of your lungs when someone grabs the back of your harness, pulling you up onto something. Slow to comprehend, you eventually realize within a few seconds that you're in the air, but you don't hear any whizzing of ODM Gear. "Huh...?" You scan your surroundings, noticing Annie and Gabi in front of you- where are you?

"Grab on!" You hear, Mikasa now joining. Your entire squad is together again, all looking just as confused as you are. Before you have time to ask, Annie answers everyone's question, "listen, I didn't think he'd really be able to fly, either... But then he actually did it, so what choice did I have but to come? Still, I'm glad I did." That's when you make the connection. Falco transformed into his Titan.

"Gabi, why did you come here, too?" Reiner questions in an irritated tone, but only because he's being protective. "Because you left us behind, Reiner! I can fight, too, you know!" The young girl responds, tightly holding onto the net stretched across the Jaw Titan's back. "Annie!" Reiner grits his teeth, demanding an answer for why his little cousin is in the line of fire again. Brows furrowing, Annie faces ahead, "the Azumabito ship sank. It couldn't withstand Falco's Titan transformation. Even though we had no definite proof he could fly, Kiyomi agreed to try it." she answers.

But... what about...

"Where's my mother?" Your voice is weak and quiet against the wind, but your fear is strong. Fortunately, Annie hears, glancing over her shoulder, "I convinced Ms. Zeina to stay behind with Yelena and Kiyomi. I figured you wouldn't want her involved in this mess." Feeling a wave of relief, you can relax a bit easier, however the grip you have on the net is still tight. "Thank you..." You sigh out, appreciative of Annie's thoughtfulness to protect your mother.

"So where's Arm- I mean, Pieck?" Annie wonders, looking down at Mikasa as she holds onto the reigns. "Armin was captured, and his life is in danger," Annie gasps at the response. "The Titan that took him should be back by the tailbone. Annie, we need your help." The ravenette responds. "Your childhood friends are always getting captured, aren't they? We'll get him back. Count on it." The blonde girl is determined, much more than you are right now.

"What about Pieck?" Gabi wonders, fearful for her friend. "She's by the skull. She tried to blow up the nape. But the War Hammer Titan is blocking her." Reiner answers. "Blow it up?!" Gabi's expression changes to shock. "We'll launch simultaneous operations." Captain Levi speaks up from your right, in between Conny and Mikasa. "One group rescues Armin. We need the Colossal's explosion. The other group goes after Eren and attacks the nape. We'll split into two teams and strike simultaneously. We no longer have the luxury of worrying about Eren at this point. No, we never had it to begin with." He orders.

"Captain... But-" Mikasa starts, but gets interrupted. "But what? Falco being able to fly was a miracle. Without that, we'd already be dead!" Conny tries to reason with her. "Yeah, and never have accomplished anything." Jean adds. "I had a long list of shit to tell that idiot off about... Fuck!" Captain Levi curses to himself. "I don't wanna give up on Eren, either! But the Captain can't fight anymore because of me, and even if he could, we're up against the Founding Titan! How can we win if we're still holding back?" Conny wonders tearfully.

"Mikasa... let's... Let's... kill Eren." Jean struggles to get the words out. "Mikasa. Mikasa! You just concentrate on rescuing Armin." Annie attempts to pull the ravenette out of her senses, absolute disbelief and denial painted across her pale face, tears beginning to well up. "You don't have to think about anything else." "Okay." Mikasa eventually nods her head once, unblinking.

Soaring over Fort Salta, Falco swoops around to head back towards the Founding Titan, but gunshots echo in your ears just as you turn away. Flinching at the sound, your comrades turn around in confusion, "what was that?" Conny wonders. "People are still trying to kill each other?!" Jean's brows are furrowed in disbelief. "Falco! Watch out for projectiles!" Reiner warns, spotting Titan archers, ready and aimed for you all. "Incoming!" Bone arrows fire your direction, causing Falco to swiftly evade being struck. Determined, the boy dives towards the Founder, Reiner hopping off to transform again right above Eren. "Don't get killed!" Conny tells him.

Taking on multiple Titans, you and Jean hop off of Falco to assist in the operation. Holding on tightly to your controls which wield you swords, your team is being conservative on using Thunder Spears, holding out on them until absolutely necessary. However, it appears that even more Titans are present this time. Then, a puff of steam billows from the Cart Titan's neck, Pieck's much smaller body emerging from the nape as she scurries down the War Hammer Titan's pitchfork, legs going faster than she can control before transforming again. Just as she turns back into a Titan, you hear a crash down below, spotting Jean hit the spine and roll a few times. "Jean!" You exclaim, quickly maneuvering his way, landing behind him. Before you get the chance to check on him, his attention is already on the Cart Titan, "Pieck! Don't! Get outta there!" He warns just as a Titan smashes her head clean off.

Thankfully, Pieck escapes in time, flying out in a tucked position. Quickly transforming again to bite off the other Titan's nape, she repeats this action of transforming and ejecting herself over and over again to take down the incoming Titans.

Returning your focus to your comrade, you crouch beside him, holding out a hand, "are you okay?" You pull the taller/shorter/same sized male up, checking him over like a worried mother. "I'm fine, let's go!" He nods, grateful for your concern and help. "Got it!" You reply, following his lead again. Splitting up parallel to him, a Titan growls as it swings its arm towards you. Eyes narrowing, you feel a rush of adrenaline pump through your veins, body taking control over your mind as you release your anchors to drop below the Titan. Shooting your anchors out again, you swiftly glide between its legs, catapulting yourself upwards behind it in time to cut the nape before it has the chance to realize you were there. Blood raining down, you whisk away to continue forward before getting covered.

Just as you're about to cut off the nape of another incoming Titan, a youthful wail catches your attention. "Huh-...?" You mumble, quickly searching for the source of the cry as it grows louder and louder. Realizing its the cry of a baby, your heart pounds against your chest, desperate to find it in time, completely distracted by it. Then, you hear the screams of countless people, more than you've ever heard before. Vision going blind, it's replaced by a cliff, standing on the very edge as you stare down at the rough water below, striking against the rock. In the background, you hear a familiar voice, but it's drowned out by the terrified screams currently surrounding you. "Y/n! Watch out!" The muffled shout doesn't make it anywhere near you, your attention elsewhere. "The baby!" You gasp, turning around to face the sea of people desperate to escape the horrors of the approaching rumbling.

What have I done...? I've done nothing to stop it from getting this far!

Breath quickening pace to keep up with your rapid heart, the bodies push closer together until finally, your footing slips from the edge, arms frantically reaching out for something to grab onto. A final cry from the baby you were searching for fills your ears as you watch the people on the cliff get smaller and smaller, a few other bodies falling after you. "Y/n!" Another shout echoes in the distance, causing you to blink. A quick Look back into reality reveals a Titan leaping head-first for you, teeth barred and ready to snap. Before it can get to you, something collides into your side, sending you back to Eren's spine. Roughly slamming into the bone, the world goes dark again. Eyes slowly opening, wind rushes against your back before you plummet into the sea below, all air deprived from your lungs after the slap.

All of them...

Desperate to resurface, your body is too frail and weak to even try, moving in slow motion, multiple feet below the surface. The water is dark and cold, foreign limbs bumping into you underwater of the previously deceased. The edges of your vision creep with a blackness, gradually claiming you as well.

I failed all of them!

"Why..." A raspy voice breaks out, being followed by a quickening heartbeat. "Why... did you pick me...?" You recognize it as your own broken voice as your vision returns, but only in small amounts. Hardly realizing tears are streaming from your eyes, body frozen stiff on the ground, you cannot do a thing besides look off to the side, experiencing the pain of all those thousands of people jumping or being shoved off the edge of that cliff. "Why did you p-pick me?!" Your voice falls apart when your splotchy vision catches sight of baby blue boots approaching your broken body. Hearing the figure crouch beside you, his face becomes more visible through your restricted vision. "You were born to be a soldier, Y/n." A deep voice echoes, bright blue eyes somewhat visible to you.

C-Com...

"Commander... E-Erwin... why... why?" You plead for an answer, severely unsure of having the ability to come back from this. Shutting his eyes momentarily, he refocuses his gaze on you, somehow more gentle than before. "I c-couldn't save the baby... those people... all of t-hem... g-gone!" You weakly whisper, nearly giving up on staying conscious. "How am... I g-good enough?" Your words begin to lose structure, finding it difficult to speak.

"The moment I first saw you using ODM Gear, I always knew you would be of value to me, Y/n. I needed you. I still do." He replies gently, remaining left arm shifting out from under his Scouts cloak. "W-Wha...?" You pant, confused more than ever, partially from being so out of it, "when...?" you whisper, eyes blinking as rapidly as they can. The Commander does not answer this time, allowing your own imagination to fill in the blank. Through dark and watery vision, his gentle expression enlightens your mind. "You... you saw m-me..." You whisper quieter than before, nearly mouthing the words. One short nod form him is all you need to know. All those years ago, illegally practicing ODM Gear in your district with Quincy landed you in the Survey Corps. Suddenly realizing all those times without being caught makes sense, (color) brows furrowing (disregard if you don't have or show your eyebrows), "th-that's why... I never got in trouble..." your eyes find the Commander's again.

He knew all this time... yet never had me arrested.

"You remind me too much of Levi." Commander Erwin hums in amusement, catching you off guard. "But I'm just a m-mechanic from Krol... Krolva... and a witch on top of th-at..." You begin struggling to get the words out again, body tensing up. "I'm not... Hu-Humanity's Strongest... not even... close..." You bite down on your lip, a new pain developing below your chest. Shaking his head, the previous Commander lays his transparent hand atop your forehead, the touch softer than a baby bird's feather. "A title doesn't make a soldier. A will and sense of humility does," he smooths his hand back over your head, "you didn't come this far, discovering Eren's basement, finding the sea, and traveling the outside world to give up now. You still have time to save the world. Not just for those citizens, do it for him as well." His eyes rise from your figure, looking across from you.

Who...?

Your head slowly turns to the left, a few more tears rolling across your face as you shift. Eventually, you spot another pair of baby-blue boots, identical to Commander Erwin's. The closer this spirit becomes in your lack of clear vision, the stronger the pain in your lower body becomes. (Color) eyes widening each passing second, the wave of emotions grow stronger, hands balling into fists, arms restricted to the ground.

"Do it for him, Y/n." Commander Erwin reminds you as his voice fades away, the feeling of his hand on your head disappearing as well. The small amount of comfort he provided you in those short seconds sends another strike of pain through your being, however your eyes cannot tear off of the spirit kneeling beside you now. "T-Tristan!" You manage to gasp, wanting to reach out to hug him, but you're trapped in your prison of a body, only able to move your head and eyes. The older man grins pitifully down at you, expression just as gentle as it was when he was living. "You can't give up, little sis," he whispers, but you can hardly hear him through your panting. "you're near the end, (nickname). Don't stop fighting because I can't."

I... I can't!

Head rolling back to face the sky, you heave for air as it feels like nothing is penetrating your lungs, depriving it of all oxygen. You can't focus on anything, not even Tristan, as an unbelievable amount of pain tears your body apart. "(Nickname)," the fading of his voice gets lost in the wind, a different cry overlapping his and stealing your focus. "C-Comm-... ander! I can't!" You grit your teeth, pinching your teary eyes shut. "I love you." Your brother's voice suddenly echos in your running thoughts, realizing he couldn't get through to you on the outside. "Breathe!" A woman's voice replaces his, repeating every few seconds, driving you mad.

"Breathe!"

"Breathe!"

"Y/n!"

"Breathe!"

"Fight for me."

"Breathe!"

"You are a soldier."

"Breathe!"

"Y/n! Are you there?!"

"Historia!" You suddenly wail as your body begins to curl up, vision returning back to normal despite the slowly drying tears from your irritated eyes. Quickly glancing around, you realize you've returned to reality. Shit... you've been unconscious when you could have been helping your comrades. You useles piece of- "Historia...?" Conny mumbles from beside you, reaching out to help sit you up. Flinching as you anticipated to feel torn apart again, you're surprised to find that no trace of that excruciating pain is present anymore. "She's..." You trail off, spotting Commander Erwin's spirit looming in the distance. Staring at each other, any last ounce of guilt you've been feeling is washed away. You are a soldier. You're his soldier.

Promise you'll go to him.

"I promise."

Gaze averting ahead, you see the Colossal Titan swiping away the Titans after you, totally forgetting about the vision you had of the Queen. Even the other previous Nine Titans assist in taking out the other Titans, recognizing Ymir's Jaw Titan as she rips off a nape. "Did he... Did B-Bertholdt save us?" Conny wonders in disbelief. "I don't understand it. But... I won't let this chance slip away!" Mikasa exclaims, running to take off on her ODM Gear to chase after the pig-like Titan that captured Commander Armin. However before she gets the chance to strike, a bullet rips through its skull, straight into the right eye, causing it to hit a bone and fall.

Gabi!

"Give Armin... back!" She cries, cutting the side of its mouth open to release Commander Armin. As he falls, the Titan's tongue slithers out to penetrate Commander Armin's leg, pulling him back, but the blonde shifts his weight, throwing a Thunder Spear at it. Taking off, Conny zips by to cut the tongue in half, releasing Commander Armin once again, calling for Annie to catch him in her Titan form. More Titans come up from behind, but a few others from before return to help, smashing and ripping them apart.

Why are those certain ones helping us?

Jumping out of the way, you shoot your anchors to avoid the mess, meeting Mikasa and Conny again atop a protruding bone. "What's going on here?" The shaven boy questions. "It's all thanks to Zeke." Armin answers, keeping his gaze forward. "To Zeke?!" Mikasa gasps, you just as surprised. Fingers reaching up to brush the bandage on your right cheek, that's thanks to Zeke. Why would he be helping you now?

"He awakened our comrades in the Paths, where there's no life or death. All Eldians are connected via the Paths. That's because, most likely... the Founder Ymir is seeking connection. She's searching for something from us." Armin explains further.

No life or death... could that mean...

"Don't stop fighting because I can't." Tristan's distant voice echoes in your ear. "I will. I will keep fighting." You whisper back to him, tightening your grip on your controllers. Head whipping around, you just catch your Captain zipping by a body fused to one of the protruding bones above you. Zeke. A few seconds later, his spirit departs his body, rising until he is one with the wind. Just then, everything goes still. Except Eren's still moving forward.

In the distance, you see Jean flying towards Eren's neck, swiftly evading Titans with the help of Pieck. Grabbing onto the detonator, he pushes the lever down, being thrown back by the forceful explosion. The ground shakes as Eren's head hits the ground, a worm-like creature squiggling out of the Founder to reunite with him. Scrunching your nose in disgust, you hear Falco swoop around, realizing you have to go. Jumping at the same time as shooting your anchors, you lunge yourself back onto his Titan, being taken away.

"Jean! Pieck! We're getting out of here! Armin's gonna blow all of this up!" Conny shouts as Falco swoops towards the sandy-brunette. "Wait! Reiner's down there!" Jean replies, not wanting to leave him behind. "The Armored Titan should be able to withstand the Colossal's explosion. Regardless, to pass up this chance would be to trample on Reiner's resolve." Pieck speaks up as she emerges from her Titan, convincing him to rejoin you.

Riding on Falco's back, you turn around to watch for Commander Armin's transformation. Within seconds, an enormous explosion tears through the sky, deafening all other sounds. Covering your head with one arm while the other clings to the net stretched across Falco's back, you wait for it to all be over. The force of it all falters Falco's path, nearly flipping over, nothing to be heard from you or your comrades over the noise.

Crash landing at Fort Salta, you slowly rise from Falco's back, hesitant to release your painful grip on the net. Reminding yourself you're okay, you eventually let go, coughing a bit to clear your lungs of the dusty air. "Look! The bones... Does that mean... Eren's dead?" Jean points out, staring back at the spot of the explosion.

He can't be.

Noticing Gabi slid off and ran towards a couple, your attention follows to see the scared citizens surrounding the Fort. Their families. Their families made it here. Following your comrades, you each slide down Falco's wing, Jean and Conny assisting Captain Levi down. Meeting near the edge of the elevated Fort, you watch as the dust and smoke continues to fill the sky, no end in near sight.

"I can't say I don't have regrets. Still, what we did was right, wasn't it? We did stop the rumbling." Conny holds onto the Captain as he stares ahead. "I'm sorry I wasn't more useful, guys." You whisper, ashamed of not being in the right headspace during the battle. "You still helped, Y/n. Don't think that you didn't." Jean replies, hearing you. "A will and sense of humility." Commander Erwin's words repeat in your mind. He's right. "Thank you. All of you." You whisper, eyes glued straight ahead like your comrades, spotting a long, muscly limb reaching out from a hole.

"Armin!" Mikasa gasps, realizing Commander Armin's Titan is crawling back out. "Do you see Reiner?" Conny asks, his eyes scanning the large area to find him. Making yourself useful, you still yourself, listening for him. "He's nearby. He's okay." You reply, head turning ever so slightly to the exact spot you sense him at. Then, you see the ground move as his Titan pushes himself up from being buried by rubble. "Reiner!" "He's okay!" They all gasp, attention soon being stolen by the creepy worm thing. "Hey! Look over there!" Conny shouts, the worm wiggling its way up the side of the mountain.

"It's still alive, even after taking that blast?!" He adds. "What on earth is it?" Jean's brows furrow. "Beats me. But I do know we can't let it live." Just as the Captain finishes, another large explosion blasts in the distance, just as big as Commander Armin's transformation. "Eren!" You exclaim, knowing you subconsciously felt his presence. "Well, that figures. I didn't think that'd be enough to kill you." Jean mutters disappointingly. "Yeah... But what do we do?" Conny wonders, sounding defeated. Eren's new Titan body, a Colossal with long hair, approaches Commander Armin's as he turns around, heading back for him. The chilling rumbles and tremors of his movements make you shiver in fear, but you know you have to keep fighting.

"This is bad! If the glowing thing and Eren come into contact, the rumbling might start again!" Gabi exclaims. "Yeah. We gotta kill it." Conny replies a bit more confidently. "How're we gonna kill something that survived a blast like that? The one we should target is Eren." Captain Levi brings you all back to the reality of it all. "You've caught on, right? This nightmare won't end until we take him down."

So this is it... This is the end.

Out of nowhere, a gas fills the air like a mist, catching yours and the others attention. Letting out a cough, you scrunch your nose again, unsure of what this is. "This vapor is coming from the glowing thing!" "Did it die?" Mikasa covers her mouth. "No... It doesn't smell like when Titan's die." Conny gasps as soon as he finishes, something coming to mind. "Could it be... What if it's like the stuff that was used on Ragako Village?" Fear strikes his face.

Catching the Captain's attention, the man's eyes narrow, "Mikasa! Pieck! Y/n! Get on Falco! We're getting out of here!" He snaps. "Wait..." You shake your head, realizing what they mean. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Pieck gives him a funny look. "Ackermans and Titan wielders are immune, remember? You know better than anyone what we've gotta do!" Captain Levi responds. "But that... No... Its too much..." Pieck mumbles with wide eyes. "Right now! Go!" The raven male shouts his order, not wasting time.

"No!" You gasp, turning towards Jean and Conny as they stand beside each other, understanding their duty. "We can't leave you! Let me stay behind!" You plead with your Captain, only earning a sharp look. "Get on! I'm not negotiating!" He snaps, hurting your heart. Turning back towards your friends, your lip quivers in denial. "You... You have to come..." You whisper, body leading you towards them, running into their arms. "Go save humanity for us, future girl." Jean mumbles into your shoulder as the three of you hold on to each other. "Not without you!" You shake your head, tightening your grasp on them. "We'll be okay. Make sure the others are safe." Conny responds, the corner of his lips pulling to the side in a half grin. "I..." At a loss for words, you shake your head, looking up/down/straight at the two boys you've grown to love like an extended part of your family. The two non-blood brothers you spent the last four years with. Losing your non-blood sister along the way. "I can't lose you two either..." You finally whisper.

"Y/n! Let's go! We need you!" Captain Levi barks, dragging you away from your friends. Tears stinging your tired eyes, you never break contact with them as they each wrap an arm around the other's shoulder, gently waving "bye" to you. "G-Goodbye... brothers..." You sniffle, not noticing the guilt your Captain feels for pulling you away from their grasp.

Fight for them.

•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•

Words: 6,678

11/06/23
Wow! Its been forever since I last posted a chapter to this book, but rest assured updates are back! I wanted to wait for the final episode of the show to air so I could follow along while writing this chapter, to give me a better idea on visuals and how I wanted to write them.

There's still plenty of chapters and plots to uncover, so don't worry, this book is nowhere near the end yet! I can't wait to write the next chapter and it should come out fairly soon considering I covered two parts of the final episode in this one chapter. So, one more canon episode/part to go before the rest is all headcanon content!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for your patience waiting for an update. I promise I won't make you wait this long again. See you in the next chapter! <3

~AlpineBreadStick