Content Warnings:

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

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

Flashback

It was only your third time practicing sewing, and it still wasn't great. Yes, you had improved since your very first attempt, but you were still nowhere near seamstress level. Everything had started fine, you took your seat and got to work with the steps you remembered from the other day. Tamara was to help as little as she could to make sure you fully grasped the talent by yourself.

Thread knotted, fabric ready (unlike you were), you began sewing, but not for long. The dread started to build up when you felt her eyes burning through you. At any moment, she would find something to scrutinize you for. Tamara had never been the kindest when it came to teaching, neither did she have any sort of patience. Your entire time at the Girls Home was simply a disaster from the start. Any task was bound to end in tears. The littlest of things set her off and you would never hear the end of it. Of course, that was only in private. Never in front of the other "mothers" and their partners, being the girls.

You would have rather refused to do something than to think you did well, but be told otherwise. That way, at least, you were not doubting yourself. You were only preventing what could have been an outburst once it was just the two of you alone.

"Why won't you join the others and cross-stitch?" Tamara had asked- well, more like threatened, the next day. "I just don't want to today." Was all you offered her. You didn't feel the need to prove your case. With a heavy sigh, the woman pursed her lips tightly and scanned the empty room you accompanied. The others were all outside to take advantage of the sunny day after a week of rain. Your first mistake. When she deemed it clear of any possible witnesses, she lowered her tone, even though it was just you two. "Don't you see that you'll make me look bad? Are you purposely trying to do this to me?" She made a certain face, one you grew to recognize. Any time she narrowed her eyes like she was attempting to calmly reason with you- which really was just a manipulation tactic, you knew what she was up to. She needn't say any words, because you already knew what she was saying with that expression alone.

The second greatest mystery besides the existence of Titans was how could such a nasty woman have had such a sweet and caring daughter who was the complete opposite of her? You would never know the truth behind that, as bad as you felt for that girl and what she undoubtedly endured at home.

With the growing experience of socializing with Tamara, you learned to just stay quiet, not to fuel her arguments any further. However, this pissed her off even more. Your silence killed her inside. She wanted nothing more than to rile you up and quickly change moods to make you look crazy. She loved doing that to you and it took longer than you liked to admit to catch onto that pattern. You so badly wanted to shake her around and scream in her face about how horrible of a person she was, why she couldn't just be normal, but you knew you could never do that. It was all she wanted out of you. To make you look crazy.

The cornering and interrogating developed into noises of displeasure when others were around to witness. Any time you did something "wrong" or not in the way she liked, that little huff was an irk of yours. So much so, she knew it would trigger you. Tamara had officially succeeded in tormenting you once her words weren't the only thing that scared you. Body language, an expression, and now a subtle little noise that no one else would think twice about. She had gained all control of you. You became her puppet.

Flashback End

"I knew it!" A distant voice speaks from behind you. "Y/n!" "Hey!" A different voice joins in, mind slow to notice. Eyes peeling open, you're confused to find yourself sitting on the boxcar's roof, hands still holding on as best as you can. You swore that mere seconds ago you fell off the train. How are you back on the roof? Blinking away the slight blurriness of your vision, you look over your shoulder and spot your mother one boxcar away, about to jump onto the next. Behind her, you see Jean peeking through the trapdoor again.

But... the train derailed?

You question again, severely confused. Did none of that happen? Did you pass out and dream about falling off the train after it crashed? Whatever the hell the answer is, you need it now. As your mother jumps onto the roof you sit on, she approaches your side, holding out a hand to pull you back up. Steadying yourself once standing, you scan the horizon, attempting to recollect everything you can remember from that... dream? "You're exhausted... your captain was right about not sending you." Your mother explains, making you frown. "Huh?" Before you have time to ask a question, she continues, "it's been ten minutes since you left and we were getting worried. Go back down there and I'll tell the others about our plan, okay?"

She shouldn't have to.

"No, I'm okay. Promise. I may be tired, but I'm fine. I'm a soldier, mom." You were a soldier. With a sigh, your mother doesn't budge. It seems she's just as stubborn about duties as you are. "Go back. I got this." Your mother releases her grip while striding past you. "We only have so much time. Please." Your mother reiterates when she senses that you don't move. "I'm not leaving." You shake your head. "Y/n, please! I know about the train derailing, that's why I came up here!" She raises her voice, catching you off guard. First, about the volume, second... so... what you dreamt about was true? If that's the case-

That means...

Your mother is already running to jump across the last boxcar, but as soon as she's between them, gunfire sounds, your body immediately dropping low to the roof, arms covering your head. Heart pounding, you quickly spring back up, eyes wide as you look around for your mother, but she's nowhere to be seen. She should have made it to the other side. "Mom?!" You shout, voice being muted by the wind. "Mom!" You scream again, realizing she's gone. Your mind is far too fuzzy and tired to sense her, she was most likely shot out of the sky like a bird, landing on the ground or worse- under the train.

Dashing towards the edge, you fail to notice two sets of boots pounding behind you. "We heard the gun!" A male voice shouts before you feel a hand pull you back from the edge. You were inches/centimeters away from jumping across, your comrades in fear of you being shot at as well. "Let go! I've gotta find her!" You flail under Conny's strong grip, attempting to tug your arm away. "Shut up! We need a better plan!" Jean scolds, making you briefly shut up, but that doesn't silence your racing thoughts. You're terrified and should have known better. You were certain you were just seeing things due to your fatigue. Internally fighting with yourself on whether you should have insisted you go, or if you should have been honest and gave in.

No...

You should have stood your ground more firmly. This is all your fault, you should have known that was not just a silly dream. You had a vision and mistook it for sleep deprived nonsense. You had the chance to stop her, but you failed her. Like you fail everyone. Sasha. Your father. Tristan. Now your mother.

"Fucking let go of me and let me find my mom!" You growl, ripping your arm out from Conny's grasp. "Calm down and think! Can't you sense her?" Jean shouts, trying to be the rational one in the situation. "No! Don't you think I would have already done that?!" Anger takes over as you head for the edge of the boxcar again, the last place you saw your mother. Just before you reach it, a second gunshot fires from below, shooting up between the boxcars. Stumbling back to protect yourself, Jean and Conny rush to your side to drag you away again, not worth risking your lives. "Stop! We have to do something!" You shout, pissed off they keep getting in your way. "We're not gonna lose you either, dammit!" Conny yells, fear evident in his golden eyes. You want to keep fighting, but as you stare into his eyes, you eventually nod. He's right. Its not worth getting in an argument over. You lost Sasha. You won't be next.

"Then fucking help me take down that Marleyan soldier." You command the boys, earning nods from them. "Follow our lead then, you're not in a rational place to make decisions right now." Jean commands you this time, to which you nod back. You have to trust that they actually know what to do. You just hate the fact that you're not in control when your mother was in danger's way. You should be the one to take revenge. Just like the baby that was saved from the rumbling, you also had to lose your mother in the process. Unable to do a damn thing about it.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...

"I'm sorry for being an asshole." You sniff, nodding once more and submitting yourself to follow Jean and Conny's lead. You try your best to not let anger lead you, but instead determination to save the others before the train eventually derails. That's when you'll all be screwed. More lives will be lost then. Levi is still down there in that boxcar, depending on you when he doesn't know what's going on. You can't lose him either. Not after coming this far. "For my mom." You whisper, pulling yourself up.

For Levi too.

Jean devises a plan to distract the Marleyan soldier so you can get to the last boxcar in order to warn the others about abandoning ship before the train crashes. Jean will hang off the side of the boxcar and get the soldier's attention while Conny takes him out from above. Meanwhile, you'll jump the roof like originally planned and go from there. Still unsure about your mother's whereabouts, that part of the plan is still to be determined. As much as he hated it, Jean had to prepare you for ditching the train even if you can't find your mother. You really hope you don't have to leave without her, but chances are she's dead.

Not when I finally just met her...

"Ready?" Conny quietly asks, glancing between the two of you. "Ready." You and Jean both nod in response. Without weapons, this is going to be difficult. All you have is your ODM Gear in the boxcar, but that won't be helpful out here in a desert with nothing to grapple onto. So, you all will have to make do with your fists.

Jean slides down the left side of the boxcar, you being able to still see his hands holding onto the edge of the roof. He has to be super strong in order to keep himself up, especially with all the warped tracks that are only getting worse, shaking the cars as well. You just hope he doesn't fuck up and fall. Conny waits for Jean's signal, which is the sound of his boot tapping against the side of the car to get the soldier's attention. As soon as he does so, you hear another gunshot, sending chills down your spine. Quickly glancing Jean's way, you see his fingers still holding on tightly.

Good... he's okay.

Sighing in relief, you ready yourself to jump at the same time as Conny hops down between them. In perfect sync, you both jump, hearing each other make a thump from landing. Scrambling to the trapdoor of the car to kick the lock out of place, you half listen to Conny have a fist fight while balancing on couplers. Beyond stressed out over the situation, you have to keep focusing on the task at hand. You can't worry about the boys right now, they have it handled. You on the other hand, are responsible for saving the others' lives.

Throwing the trapdoor open, you hear gasps from within the dim boxcar, startled by your abrupt presence. They almost thought you were an enemy by your grand entrance. Hanging your upper half down through the trapdoor, you scan the interior until you spot everyone in a corner, hidden furthest from the sliding door in case someone saw them. They were so close to being found by that Marleyan, they really got lucky. Had he climbed inside their car, they'd probably be dead for siding with the Paradis Eldians.

"Y/n?" You hear Pieck as she lifts her head, surprised to see you. "What were those shots from? Are we under attack?" Falco's parents wonder nervously. Face darkening from hanging upside down, you make your statement quick, "we've gotta get out of here as soon as we can. My mother and I saw visions of the train derailing very soon... I don't know when exactly, but its already been shaking due to the damaged tracks, and it'll only get worse." You start, earning shocked expressions from the group. "Gather everything you need and jump. We'll meet up soon afterwards." You say, earning slow nods from half the group, the other half scared by your announcement. They were under the impression this was the safest thing to do, but not even the train is safe anymore. It's chugging straight into hell.

"What about Onyankopon and Yelena? They're injured!" Gabi asks, genuinely worried for them and how they'll manage jumping out of a full speed engine. Pursing your lips, you think for a moment. You hadn't thought about that at all. Not to mention Levi... his leg is in horrible condition. The jump will only make it worse... if not fatal if you're not careful. "Shit..." you curse to yourself, lifting yourself back up a little to let your blood flow regulate again before pooling in your head.

C'mon... think!

Sticking your head back through the exit, you give them a look of sympathy. "I don't know... I really don't know how they'll make the jump without hurting themselves even more." You tell them honestly. Then, a sudden idea comes to mind. "Unless..." you pause, second guessing yourself on if its even a good idea. You barely slept last night, this could be another sleep deprived thought. "Unless?" You hear Falco mumble, wanting to know what you have to say. "Unless... I slow down the train. Or stop it completely." You finish your sentence, staring at the floorboards of the boxcar, contemplating. "You think you can do that?" Annie speaks up. To others, it sounds like she's challenging you, but really, she's genuinely curious if you have the capability to do that.

Its the only other way.

"Even if you do that, it'll take miles/kilometers for an engine this heavy to come to a full stop." Onyankopon adds, worried that the train wouldn't stop in time before derailing. At this point, you're willing to give anything a try. Its all you have left. "If I can slow it down enough for you to jump off safely, I'll do it. Its not worth injuring yourself more to jump at this speed. Or... worth getting anyone else hurt, for that matter." You reply, realizing every second is ticking before the derailment. "That's a big risk..." the others murmur amongst themselves on the idea.

"Let me do it." Reiner eventually speaks up, causing his mother to gasp and immediately shut down the idea. "I owe it to you." The broad blonde ignores his mother's refusal, his eyes glued to yours. Face puffy from the amount of blood reaching your head from being upside down, you have to make a decision quickly before you get a throbbing headache. Or before the train crashes, whichever happens first. Simply shaking your head, you deny him. "I won't let you do that. Its my duty to make it right with your people." Is all you say before lifting yourself out of the trapdoor, taking a quick moment to let your blood settle again so you don't pass out from vertigo.

Standing back up straight, you glance over your shoulder towards the other boxcar where Jean and Conny are. You haven't heard a gunshot in awhile, so they should still be okay, plus you don't have any time to waste. You have to get to the front of the engine in order to stop this train. Every second counts.

A part of you feels like you're disobeying your captain's... right... he's not your captain anymore- Levi's orders for going against everything and everyone. Here you are, about to do whatever it takes to stop this train in order to save your comrades, your friends, and the people you've just met. You're willing to risk it all to help them, and you would do it a million times over. Your brother had done the same for you, so now its your turn.

Before you get away, Reiner squeezes through the trapdoor, probably in another effort to stop you. "Wait!" He calls, making you pause in place. "Let me help in any way that I can." He offers himself, to which you can't refuse. You can always use the assistance. Nodding, you agree. "Jean and Conny might need help back there. Tell them the new plan too." Is all you say before dashing towards the front of the engine. Reiner pulls himself all the way through before hurrying to the edge of the boxcar to follow your orders, sending a wave of relief your way. You were worried about them, but you have other things you must do. So many people are counting on you.

Racing across rooftops, you realize just how far away you are, still having plenty of cars to jump over since you rode near the end of the train. Along the exhausting way, you wonder if any other soldiers are stationed waiting for you to show up. Still, you wonder why they would want you. You're no better than your mother- in fact, your mother is so much better at all of this. Not to mention, you turned them down. Twice. When will they get the message?

After hopping over four more cars, you still have six more to go, making you want to collapse and give up, but you can't. You have to keep going, even if your legs feel like jelly under you. Being tired and trying to balance on a shaky train does not help your case. As you're about to muster up the strength to lunge across the next boxcar, you hear another gunshot from behind, startling you. You absolutely hate not being able to sense right now, but its far too much for your weak state to handle. You'd be lucky to guess the next time you blink. Desperately wanting to call out to Jean and Conny to check on them, you know that you can't in order to protect them. That is what's painful. Knowing the only way you can be helpful to them is by not interfering. By staying silent.

I hate this... I hate this...

Forcing yourself to ignore them, you take a deep breath before leaping over the next car, and the next car, and the next car... Near the brink of collapsing, you steady yourself, you don't know if you want to laugh or cry at the fact that there's still three more boxcars before you reach the engine. Pure hysteria is right around the corner. Softly giggling for a second, it turns into a long whine as reality settles in. "Come on..." you whisper to yourself as if you're trying to encourage a lazy dog to walk. However, you absolutely feel like the lazy dog right now.

I'm so close though...

Sighing exaggeratedly, you ready yourself for the next jump. Just as you're perfectly between the cars, beginning to arch downwards with gravity, a tug on your right leg pulls you down faster, mind slow to catch up. When your upper body slams into the edge and knocks the wind out of you, your fingers quickly claw at the roof to hold on, eyes wide with realization. You panic, kicking and scrambling to hang on. However, your strength is incredibly weak, losing to the attacker.

Falling between the boxcars, you're about to land on top of the couplers, but you're caught before that happens. About to scream, your body is pressed against the car you were pulled from, fear eating you up. The breath left in your lungs trembles out of your system, body looking for air to circulate. "Shh!" You get told, body stiffening up. Attempting to turn your head a bit more to see the possible Marleyan, your expression nearly pales when you see their face, "m-... mom?!" You wheeze, as if you had seen a ghost. If that really is her, she didn't need to be so rough pulling you down. From the corner of your eye, she leans a bit closer, still holding onto you as the train speeds along. "What are you doing?" Your mother quietly asks, but loud enough to hear over all the noise.

What am I doing?

Wiggling to turn around, you about knock your mother off the coupler where she balances on with you. Quickly grabbing onto her arms, you pull her back up straight, the shock on your face still very much evident. "Y-You... but... you-" words struggle to make sense in your head and out your mouth, searching for the right thing to say. She was dead? Wasn't she? That soldier had shot her down. She fell! "W-What are you doing?!" You finally manage to say something comprehensible. "I'm stopping the train. I can't let all those people die." Your mother responds, somehow making your eyes even larger. "T-That's what I'm doing! But- you... you were shot?! How are you here?!" None of it is making sense to you, you wonder if she really is a witch. "Did you really underestimate me that much?" Your mother quirks a brow. You can only grin at her question because she's too much like you.

No... I'm too much like her.

Shaking your head, you reply, "you just scared me." You then tightly hug her while still holding onto the boxcar. Your mother feels bad for worrying you, but what other choice did she have? The clock is ticking and it still is ticking. "Let me stop the train. Go back to help everyone off." You hear her mumble in your ear. Pulling back, you stare into her matching eyes, not wanting to let her go again. Not after last time.
"I'm already here, let me help. Let me do it." You suggest, determined to finish the job. "I can't let you do that. The Secretary knows me. If you go in there, they'll most likely kidnap you for their own benefit. Please. Listen to me!" Your mother argues, her tone very serious. "Why do they want me? I'm nothing compared to you... I'm not as powerful as you!" You counter with. "Y/n. I'm not nearly as valuable as you are. Do you realize how powerful you are? You're worth so much... so please... don't go in there." She begs. Pursing your lips, you're at a crossroads. You don't want to let her down, but... you don't want to let yourself or your squad down.

Let me do it.

"I'm your mother. Let me protect you." She adds with a gentle expression, cupping your left cheek. You know she's trying to rush you as time is running out, but you so desperately want to stop her and go in her place instead. Like you were supposed to. No matter what, she will not listen to you though. Neither will you. "If the train doesn't slow down within the next six minutes, leave without me. Get the others to safety." She asks of you which is ridiculous. Why would you leave your mother on a train that's about to crash? "Don't say such nonsense, I'm not leaving!" You stand your ground, earning a sigh from your mother. You understand you're pissing her off, but you'd rather do that than abandon her.

"I'm going to the engine." You give your final say, swiftly drawing away to climb back up the side of the boxcar. "Y/n!" Your mother shouts after you, but she should have saw it coming. Maybe she did and still tried to change the outcome, maybe alter the timeline. However, you have to do what is right for you. Scurrying across the roof, you jump across the final boxcars, hearing your mother catch up behind you. As you land on top of the last roof, you pivot slightly to see your mother jumping across the next one. Panting, you call for her to hear over the wind and the engine, "i-if you're going to chase me, at least help me!" "That's what I'm doing," she starts once she crosses the final roof, "you stop the engine. I'm going to evacuate the Secretary and his men." She glances down at the roof you stand atop, making you purse your lips. "Okay." You finally agree.

After all we've been through, we hate to see more lives get taken.

Your mother unlatches the trapdoor, leading to the Secretary, while you tiredly head for the edge again. Now, smoke fills your lungs of coal from the exhaust, coughing and attempting to fan away as much smoke as you can. You just started to catch your breath. Then, you nearly slip off the side of the roof, hitting a bump in the tracks. Quickly steadying yourself, you throw a glance towards your mother who jumps down into the boxcar, disappearing from your sight. You hate the feeling in your stomach once she's out of view, worried for her. She'll be fine, though. She always has been. You just have to remind yourself that. There's no time to waste being distracted now.

Focusing on not falling off the train again, you strategize what you'll do after getting inside the engine. Inching yourself back up, your hands squeak in a painful pitch against the-... sounds and feels like iron to you. Now is also not the time to "ooh and aah" over materials. You cannot be tempted by these fascinating machines, as hard as it is.

I guess Commander Hange is channeling themself through me.

Shaking your tired head back to reality, you realize you're sliding again so you hurry up and drag yourself back onto the roof. That's when you notice a ladder leading down into the engine. Hurtling over to the engine, you land on the narrow edge of roof provided before the ladder, but a bump in the tracks causes you to fall down inside the engine instead. That's when your eyes immediately meet the driver's wide ones. "Freeze!" The older man shouts, turned around in his seat. Following his command, you stay put on your stomach, palms of your hands pressed flat on the floor as well.

Not for long though...

Pushing yourself up off the floor, you lunge for the brake of the train, about to grip it when the Marleyan soldier rises from his seat to throw a quick punch your way, landing on your left cheek. An odd sound leaves your mouth from the impact, body tilting off course and losing balance. Slamming into the right side of the engine, you barely catch yourself after tripping over your feet, flickering your eyes back to his deep brown ones. "L-Listen to-" you cut yourself short to roll out of the way when the man aims for another swing, but his fist collides with the wall behind you instead. "Gah!" He cries out in pain, holding the wrist of his scraped knuckles. However, that does not hinder him from continuing after you. Recovering enough to whip around and ready his other fist, you're backed into the front right corner of the engine. You're so close to the brake... you just have to leap for it.

"Listen to me!" You finally speak, ducking when his fist flies over you. Head between your knees, you lift it back up when you hear the man reset his stance, about to attempt another throw. "Listen!" At this point you scream over the engine, ignoring the throb in your jaw at this point. You're so grateful it wasn't your other cheek he punched. You don't want to imagine the pain if that happened, but it is the same side Jean and that Yeagerist had previously punched. You can never seem to fully heal after that incident. How strange.

The Marleyan soldier squints his beady eyes, snarling down at you. You're a repulsive Eldian to him. No matter what happened back then and now doesn't matter. Your people still did terrible things. Even if you stopped it. "I'm not listening to you, scum." He spits in your face, whipping a gun from his belt you had failed to notice. Aim centered on your glabella, you swallow hard as a sweat breaks out beneath your clothes, fabric suddenly feeling heavier as your eyes cross from staring straight down the barrel.

"P-Please! I don't w-want to die!"

An echo of your brother's voice fills your head, seizing your physical control. Terrified to move, you feel like a vulnerable being in the path of a Titan. What is it with trying to do good things that ends your family up in the line of fire? Apparently, no good deed really doesn't go unpunished. This soldier has no idea you came to save his and multiple other's lives. If only he would just listen.

"Fight."

Is all you need to hear before launching yourself at the soldier. Left hand gripping his wrist, you point his shooting arm away from you. Then stepping forward to put your body next to his, you raise your same arm to sandwich his between your arm and your body, gun upside down and still pointed away. This gives you the opportunity to rip the gun from his hand in a downward motion, tossing it to the other side of the engine. In shock, the soldier had no time to react to your swift movements, barely processing that you tackle him to the ground to restrain him. Waiting for him to surrender.

I'm fighting just for you, Tristan.

"Let go of me!" The man finally snaps when he comes to his senses, realizing that he's pinned beneath you. "Just listen to me!" You snap right back in anger, in frustration that he won't shut up to understand what's happening. "Don't you feel the engine? The tracks?" You quiet yourself afterwards, allowing him to listen. The engine is rattling louder on the warped tracks, minutes away from derailing. The farther you travel, the worse the tracks become. Not wanting to admit anything, you continue when he's had long enough to comprehend. "Where we're headed isn't safe, its been trampled by the rumbling. If we keep going, this whole train is going to roll right off the tracks and we'll be dead! Understand?" You have to grit your teeth when you feel the soldier trying to wiggle out from under your body. "Why would I believe you?!" The soldier's frown deepens. You look dead on into his dark eyes, unmoving, hints of himself revealing to you.

Right into my trap...

"Because you wouldn't want to be another number on the death list." You start, pausing just to mess with him. "And what would your poor wife think of you? She's on this train... right?" You lift your head up, searching around the engine like she's in this very space. The longer your eyes scan, the more nervous the soldier beneath you becomes, allowing himself to become transparent with you. Just like you want. Although you're exhausted, you have just enough energy to grasp bits of his past, hear some of his thoughts, becoming the perfect victim if you so choose him to be. However, you aren't like that. He's still resisting to stop the train, but you plan on changing that.

"And... your children too. What would they say?" You quickly add when you see their faces, although fuzzy, in your mind, projecting into the real world, on the wall in front of you. "What are their names? Oh! Its-" the words roll off your tongue, unsettling the soldier enough to cut you off. To stop you before a witch dares to speak their names. How is it that you would possibly know? Only if... "y-you..." his words halt as his mouth runs dry in anxiousness, not wanting to believe it. "The witch?" You answer for him, earning nothing but silence in return, indicating a "yes" from him. Snapping back to your senses, your original panic returns and takes over again, completely forgetting about the eerie, cockiness you just displayed to mess with him. To make him- "just listen to me! This train is bound to fly off the tracks any minute now! I saw it happen in a vision! So if you and your family want to live, you better stop this damn train now!" You yell, finally startling him enough to follow your command.

The soldier thrashes beneath your weight, to which you roll off as he scrambles for the brake, more afraid of what you could do to him- or his family- with your witch powers, rather than the train potentially crashing. Nearly slamming into the large lever, he jerks it back towards the floor, however it gets caught halfway. Brows creasing, you watch expectantly for it to budge, to feel the train begin to slow, but neither happens. "Its stuck!" The soldier grits his teeth, using all his strength to pull on the broken lever.

Just my luck...

Pushing yourself up, you race to the brake and attempt to pull it the rest of the way down, but you're only met with the same problem. "Dammit!" You curse, trying to wiggle it free, but nothing changes. "You should have known this, witch!" The soldier is irritated, pacing the engine before getting an idea. Just before you can get a word out, the man dashes for the ladder, grabbing the gun from the floor, then hurriedly climbing out of the engine.

Whipping your head back towards the front windows of the engine, you quickly press your face against it to see how much longer you have before the undamaged tracks run out- which isn't long. The train is slowing ever so slightly, but not enough to make a difference. Still in a panic, you fiddle with the brake again, trying to come up with any ideas to fix it in time, but that time is running short. Your hands are red and sore from pulling tirelessly on the lever, about to form blisters. Everyone's life is depending on you this time. Why are you always sucked into the middle and put under such pressure?

As hope draws out, you forget the broken lever and make a dash for the ladder, ready to climb out and warn the others that their only hope is to jump. Steadying yourself, you grip onto the sides to lift a foot up onto one of the steps, hoisting yourself up. Reaching for the top of the roof, you begin to pull yourself out of the engine when you see a pair of boots beside you. Eyes trailing up, you realize it's the soldier, pointing the gun at you again. You thought this nonsense was over with already.

Just before he can get a word- or bullet- out, a different voice across from you catches your attention, "drop your weapon!" The voice shouts, causing the soldier in front of you to dart his eyes over to her. Arm twitching, as if ready to throw the gun her direction, he stops himself, holding it steady on you still. "Why should I?" He throws back, not seeing a reason to. There's a look on his face of familiarity, yet he doesn't seem to act upon it. "Because that's my daughter, soldier. Your Secretary just gave us the go ahead to stop this train." Your mother responds, fast approaching. Before she jumps over onto the engine, the soldier's eyes widen only a small fraction, like the last piece to the puzzle has been found. Its all making sense to him now.

"You're really..."

You faintly hear his voice in your head, to which you subtly nod, startling him. Just then, a loud, sharp noise fills the air, screeching in your ears uncomfortably. That's when you all realize time has run out and the next few seconds are going to feel like an eternity. As you meet your mother's eyes again, she rushes towards you, extending her arms to grip your hands and pull you up onto the roof, but what good will that do? To climb to the top only to be thrown off a few seconds later?

Off in the distance, you hear Conny, Jean, and Reiner's boots stomping across boxcar roofs, nearing closer and closer. They can't come any further, for they will get the worst of the impact. The farther they are, the better. Pulling yourself out of your mother's grasp, you wave your arms over your head as you shake it, trying to warn them not to continue forward. Time seems to slow, every millisecond counting, your hand reaching back again to grab your mother's arm to pull her along. With what remaining time you have left, you have to make every part of it count, even if that means only getting a few feet/meters further from the engine. Still, any distance will help.

Running as fast as you can over the slippery boxcar roofs, you begin to hear the sliding doors beneath you open, people already starting to jump. "Did you tell them?" You quickly ask your mother, keeping your head straight. "I told them to jump no matter what, I had a feeling this would happen." She replies, jumping over to the next boxcar with you. Just as the first two boxcars evacuate, that's when the engine hits a bad track, its wheels sliding out of place and nearly turning the engine completely sideways. The fear on your face when you look over your shoulder is nowhere close to your mother's expression. She looks far calmer than you. Right, she's more experienced in the military so she's seen all kinds of things.

People are screaming and shouting as they jump from the boxcars, rolling in the dirt and scrambling to get as far away as they can before the train possibly rolls over. You're only a few cars away when the engine has now turned backwards, the first boxcar following suit. Its a matter of seconds before the boxcars pile up on each other. "We have to jump!" Your mother shouts loud enough to be heard over the deafening screeches of the wheels derailing. You don't want to, not yet. You still want to get further away and maybe get closer to your squad's boxcar. That's still a great distance though, but you feel determined. "Y/n!" Your mother shouts again, pulling your arm back, causing you to stop. "We have to jump!" She repeats, her (color) hair blowing forward, strands covering her face which tries to stay neutral, but the façade is starting to crack. She's scared. Jumping from the top of the boxcars is going to be a real treat, risk for more injuries. You either jump from here or risk wasting time to shinny down between the cars to be at a safer height. By that time, you may be crushed between the cars when they collide into the derailed ones.

"Okay." You eventually give in, realizing there's no good way out of this mess. You'll have to jump either way, whether that's now or a few cars later. Your mother looks relieved when you accept, quickly leading you to the edge. Now is when she hesitates, confusing you. She was the one who wanted to get off so badly, but now she's afraid to. You're frustrated, but for so many different reasons, not just this. "Come on!" You usher her, glancing to the right to see how much time you have left before you're the next car to crash. Three. You have three cars between you. At least ten seconds. "Mom!" You shake her arm, gaining her attention. "R-Right. Sorry..." She mumbles, turning her head back towards the ground... which is so far away from where you both stand.

Another bump in the tracks and a new screech signals the next car has crashed, boxcars piling up against the engine. Two cars left. Less than ten seconds. The only good news is that you realize the train is slowing down even more with every derailing car. You hate that that is good news though. The train crashing shouldn't be a positive thing.

You're about to jump when your mother's grasp on your hand holds you back. Whipping your head around, you stare at her confused, why is she waiting even longer? The next car is about to derail. She meets your eyes again, not saying a word, expression unchanging.

What are you...?

That's when you realize what she's up to. Her little plan. You should have known she'd do something like this, dragging it out until the very last second. As the boxcar to your immediate right crashes into the one before it, the screech is so dreadful you swear you feel warm liquid leak from your ears. Pinching your eyes shut for a moment, you quickly open them again when you feel your arm being lifted forward, spotting your mother at the edge of the roof, already leaping. Your feet slide forward and that's when you realize your boxcar is already colliding, derailing, and about to turnover. Your mother's plan all makes sense now. She was riding it out to wait for the crash to jump. When it would be a little safer to reach the ground. How much safer is it really though?

By the time you fall to the ground, you only have a second to get out of the way. Landing hard on your side, you feel your mother pulling you back up, limping away as fast as you can before the boxcars fall on top of you. Only feet/meters away, you turn around and drop on your bottom to catch your breath, staring at the spot you were just at moments ago, now covered by the boxcar pileup.

She's more of a risk taker than me!

When you collect your breath again, your eyes dart to the end of the train, spotting all kinds of people fleeing from their cars to jump out onto the ground, then running away from it. That's when you think of him. How unsafe it is for him to jump at this speed. The train is still slowing down with each boxcar crashing, but its still not enough. Not enough to completely stop it so he doesn't get any more hurt. "I have to go." Is all you mutter over the commotion, not waiting to notice if your mother even heard you.

It does not take long for the train to completely derail and crash, only the very last two cars barely being harmed. It appears that only the second to last boxcar's front wheels came off the tracks and that's it. This is why you were so persistent on getting as far away from the engine before jumping, the impact was far less compared to the front end.

As the dust settles, your sore body carries you to the end of the train, eyes frantically scanning the crowd of people already evacuated, and the doors that are still sliding open to let off more. Counting in your head, you try to remember which car you were in exactly to find your squad. Did they already make it out? Maybe they jumped out onto the other side? Where are they? The further you travel, the more nervous you become, worried they haven't made it off the train yet. No. You need to stop thinking like this. They certainly made it. Why would they wait? Right... because of your- "Captain!" You gasp when you faintly sense him nearby. Quickening your pace, you push through the crowd that's still collecting themselves, following your senses to find the man. Squeezing past a slightly dazed soldier, your eyes fall on the captain- just Levi, Armin crouching beside him. "Are you all okay?" You ask, reaching your hand out to help Armin up, knowing Levi cannot stand on his own anyway. "Yeah, we're fine," Armin nods, gratefully taking your hand, "I jumped with Levi on my back to soften the impact... he should be okay though." The blonde looks over his shoulder at the older male, feeling bad for the situation.

If only I could have stopped the damn train...

"Sir?" You turn your attention to the raven, waiting to hear his response. He glances down at his left knee, which is stained red through the current bandage. "Shit..." You mutter to yourself when you notice his injury is even worse now. The stitches seem to have come undone, letting the wound bleed again. This is not what he needs right now. He needs proper medical attention before circumstances are worse: like losing his leg entirely. "I'm so sorry I couldn't stop the train." Is all you say to them both, not knowing what else you could say in this situation. "Its okay, Y/n. Stopping a train isn't easy work." Armin reassures you, but you feel like it should be far easier, "says the ones who stopped the rumbling." You quietly sigh, still feeling like you could have done more. Should have done more.

"Where's Jean and Conny?" You then ask, whipping your head around to somehow spot them in the large crowd. "I haven't seen them yet. I thought they were with you?" Armin responds, following your gaze. "I sent Reiner to help them earlier, then I saw them all together, but told them to get as far away as they could." You answer, trying to sense them, but it's difficult when there are so many other bodies around, plus you're worn out. You were lucky to find Armin and Levi in this mess. Pursing your lips, you start to feel worried that they didn't make it far enough and got caught up in the crash, but they know better. They're trained soldiers and would make it out of this. After everything you've all been through, this should be a piece of cake in comparison. Survive three Titan invasions: check. Raid a foreign city and destroy it: check. Stop the rumbling: check. Jump off of a fast moving train: unknown. Those two always worry you, just like your own brothers. Except they both act like Quincy: obnoxious.

"I saw the others make it off though, they're okay. Onyankopon and Yelena seem to be fine too." Armin speaks up, which does relieve you. You wondered how they would be with their injuries as well. "That's good." You mumble, still scanning the area for any familiar mullets or nearly shaven heads. Hell, even Reiner's scruffy face. You've had too many close calls with them, this can't be the time that its true. That they didn't make it.

What about our big ol' cabin?

"Y/n," a voice pulls you out of your thoughts, however you are still very much worried over your friends. When you glance over your shoulder, you find Levi staring up at you from the ground with his one good eye, which is significantly narrowed, much more than usual. Are you in trouble? He hasn't given you that look in awhile. "Go look for them, we're fine." He orders, but you feel hesitant. Still programmed to follow his lead, you don't like making your own choices, even when you have the ability to now. It feels wrong though and will take a lot of getting used to. "But, sir, I-" you begin to sputter, getting cut off by him, "I'm fine." He says much quieter, reassuring you. Over the background noise of people chattering, panicking, or both, you still somehow manage to hear him. Focused only on him now. "Sir..." you whisper, but he hardens his gaze, making you shut up. There is no debating with him, you will never win. "Yes, sir." You finally nod your head, giving in to his order.

"Get the Captain away from the train and make sure his leg is tied up better, please." You tell Armin before going, "I'll be back soon." The blonde nods and crouches back down to help Levi up, which he is a bit insistent on getting up himself, however, there is no way for him to in the state he's in. Not without a little assistance. "Let's get you somewhere else, sir." You hear Armin inform Levi before you're totally out of earshot, now surrounded by the buzzing crowd as they gawk at the derailed train.

The worry you felt a minute ago returns the second you leave Armin and Levi's presence, now only thinking about your other friends. As you push your way through the crowd, mind only focused on finding the boys, a firm hand falls on your shoulder, nearly startling the soul out of your body. The second you jerk your head around, you meet Reiner looking up/down/straight at you with a bit of relief. Lifting his other hand, he points over his shoulder with his thumb, unable to get a word out before you speak up, already knowing, "thank you. Thank you for helping them." You breathe out, brushing past him. Your pace quickens when you finally spot the two boys crouched low to the ground in the mess of people, your distracted mind too busy to notice you had completely missed them before. As you grow closer, Conny looks up and notices you, nudging Jean with his elbow to gain his attention as well. A grin cracks on your face as you jog over, relief filling you and warding off all the previous anxiety from the unknown.

"I was getting so worried!" You say, tiredly dropping to your knees beside them. "I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier too..." you mention before either can speak up, only earning a head shake from them. "Hey, you saved our asses. And their asses too." Jean quirks a brow up, referring to the dozens of people surrounding the derailed train. "Just barely." You sigh, glancing down at your dirty hands, stained with many shades of black and gray, surely from the engine's exhaust. "Shit- you're hurt!" You exclaim once noticing a blood stain on the side of Conny's head. "Ah, I'm all right," he shrugs it off. Its nothing compared to the others. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in all of this." You sigh again, forever being in Conny's debt. "That's what we signed up for seven years ago." Jean slightly shrugs, you nodding in return. He has a point. This is what you all came here to do.

"Levi's in worse shape too," you finally bring up, still unsure of how to help. "We're nowhere near an untouched city or a medic. Dammit." You mutter, wishing Commander Hange were still here. So much could have gone differently with their presence and command. Hell, they could have stitched Levi back up too. Actually- there wouldn't be a need to because they probably wouldn't have led you onto that train to begin with. Or be smart enough to stop it. Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, your eyes glaze over the boys again when you notice they're looking past you. Shifting on the ground, you look over your shoulder to see your mother approaching with something in her hands. Squinting to see from the distance, you realize its a first aid kit, feeling relieved she had found one. Hopefully there's more because it'll take hours to pass it amongst all the passengers.

"Look what I got!" Your mother announces, stopping once she reaches your group, holding it out to show off. "Where'd you find it?" Conny looks down at the kit, then up at your mother curiously. "The Secretary, actually," she chuckles slightly, sensing an awkwardness from her which makes you curious as well. "He had a few stashed in the train so we went back to fish them out from the rubble. So, is anyone hurt?" She scans you three, immediately noticing the blood on Conny before he can say anything. "Ah! I'll start with you!" Your mother chirps, sounding unusually upbeat after everything that's happened. Maybe this is just her way of dealing with stress, distracting herself and being helpful. She has every good quality it seems.

"Oh, yeah, just a little scratch. Nothing too bad." Conny smirks like he's some tough guy. You can't help but grin, shaking your head at him as Jean rolls his eyes. While your mother cleans up the wound, you glance inside the first aid kit, wondering what all is packed away in there. Scanning, scanning, and scanning, your eyes eventually land on a curved needle. Interesting. You've never seen real suture supplies before. Back in Paradis, you just found a regular sewing needle to stitch your arm with that one night, although Commander Hange had to take over and properly help you.

This would help Ca- I need to stop calling him captain.

You subtly shake your head to rid yourself of the thought, going back to business. Staring down at the suturing supplies, you realize you can't stitch skin really well. You're good/bad at sewing fabric, but/and bad at sewing skin back together. So what are you to do? You're going to have to rely on your mother's help again. You also realize how bad of a soldier you are to not know basic medical care. These skills could have been so useful during the war. Too late now.

When the boys are patched up, you ask your mother to help Levi, which she's happy to do. Returning to the raven, your mother looks him over, you peering over her shoulder like a curious child to study. Then, she calls over the boys after assessing the visible damage. That's when you realize why she recruited Jean and Conny. Cheeks darkening, you quickly excuse yourself a few feet/meters away, hearing them hoist the older male into an unaffected boxcar for privacy. There was no way in hell you would stand there while they removed his pants to properly stitch his leg. Nuh-uh. After a few moments, you hear the boys leave, walking your direction while they chat, "oh, your mom might need help, Y/n." Conny says as they near you. Turning around, you nod without a word, taking your time to walk back to the boxcar.

"You needed me?" You ask once climbing inside, not looking in Levi's direction at all, instead finding more interest on the ceiling-

What material is that again? Just how did someone invent such a thing? I would love to build one of these-

"Just need some assistance," your mother interrupts your daydreaming about handy things, her focus solely on Levi's leg. That's when you pick up a strange sense, a bit of hesitance and uneasiness. You realize Levi is on edge under your mother's unfamiliar hands, immediately understanding his attitude. He doesn't know her nor is he used to her. "Could you hand me another cloth?" Your mother asks and you quickly crouch down next to the first aid kit, fishing out a fresh cloth for her. You finally catch sight of Levi's injury, seeing just how bad it really is. There was no reason to let it come to this point, but what choice did you have? Circumstances aren't right just yet, what else could you have done? You feel so awful for him, knowing there was something different you could have done to change his unfortunate fate.

"Watch me," your mother's voice drags your attention back to the real world, somehow always pulling you out of your own head. Trailing your eyes back to the gash, you quietly zone in on only that area of Levi's leg, not daring to flicker elsewhere. You just barely see a patch of white fabric draped over his waist, guessing a towel or blanket had been provided for him.

Good.

Is all you can think while studying your mother's slow movements. Even then, you still sense a guard up from Levi. Hell, the only reason you know he's guarded right now is because you could sense more feelings from him prior to this accident, especially this moment right now. So the lack of trust right now leads you to the answer of: he's back to his old ways when you first met him.

"See how I'm poking the needle back out at the same distance I put it in?" Your mother asks as she demonstrates on the fourth suture, which you nod. "Now pull it through, leaving a little tail, enough to knot with." She wraps the longer end of the thread around the forceps two times before grabbing the tail to pull through and knot. This takes you back to the Girls Home and watching Tamara sew a straight line on a scrap of fabric to teach you the basics. She had been normal then, but of course you know that it was because she had an audience. She would never be kind to you because she wanted to. Only when it benefited her.

"Can you cut here?" Your mother holds up the forceps for you to carefully cut the thread so she can make another suture, however, she doesn't do so. Now, she's looking directly at you. Nervous and confused, you give her an odd look, wondering why she stopped. "Now what?" You eventually ask when she doesn't say anything. "Now its your turn." Your mother responds, catching you off guard. "W-Wha... me?" You crease your brows (disregard if you don't have or show your eyebrows).

Not saying a word, you realize she's not kidding. Your mother was serious about you trying to stitch up your captain- he's just Levi. Right. Is it, though? "Um..." you quietly hesitate to grab the equipment from her open hand, trying your best not to act extremely nervous, but how can you not when there's this much pressure on you? You're not at all certified or trained to do this stuff- and especially to your former superior. Inhaling, you line up the curved needle, trying your best to not shake, flickering between the needle and your mother's sutures to copy her work. By the time you mock up the courage to poke it through his skin, you realize you're slightly off, still holding your breath at this point. Hearing Levi's breathing subtly change and your mother about to speak, you flinch in response, accidentally causing the needle to be pulled through too fast.

Shit! I'm done for!

"I'm sorry- sorry! I'm sorry!" You stammer, keeping your head down in shame, not wanting to face their scowls or insults. Instead, you're only met with your mother's gentle hands holding yours, guiding you to complete the suture. As for Levi, he hasn't said a word, surprising you. You were ready to be yelled at, cursed at, even thrown out.

Is he... not mad at me?

"There," your mother whispers to not distract you too much. "Its okay. Take your time." She... reassures you. Frozen still even after she lets go, your eyes remain glued to the suture she helped you with. Its obviously not as neat as hers, but for your first ever assisted attempt, its not terrible. The start of it is what throws you off, being the slightest bit uneven from the row, but your mother hasn't complained. Neither has Levi. For a moment there, you forgot where you really were. You felt transported back to your childhood, sitting in the big craft room at the Girls Home, under the intense eyes of Tamara.

"What kind of child could possibly wear that garment? Maybe one a Titan didn't eat."

"I think... I think I should be done. Sorry..." you mumble, loosening your tight grip on the forceps to allow your mother to retrieve them. Expecting to be pressured into staying and doing the rest yourself, your mother only nods, carefully taking back the equipment. "Okay," she says, leaning down a bit to catch sight of your lowered gaze, "good work, Y/n." She whispers with a grin. Lifting up your head slightly, you glance her way and give a subtle nod before pushing off the ground to slightly scurry out of the boxcar, and away enough to be out of sight. Finally releasing your breath, you think over everything that just happened in the last few minutes.

Scraping your boot across the rough sand, you nearly fail to notice the approaching figure on your right. The crunch of earth beneath their own boots alert you only when its right next to you, "you did great in there." Your mother's voice pulls your head up to meet hers, "I figured you'd need the training in case this happens to him again." You sputter on air at her last statement, shaking your head in disbelief. Did you just hear her right? "I'm sorry-?" Your forehead creases in misunderstanding, but the slow lift of the corner of her mouth says it all. There was no misunderstanding and she does not need to say anything.

Face warm and mind racing, you fidget with your limbs and spin halfway the other direction attempting to ignore her comment, "or for anyone in need of stitches." You clear your throat- and hopefully your head, too. Dropping the teasing, your mother releases a gentle sigh, not one of stress, but rather one of catching her breath after all the shit you've been through. "The boys are helping him again," she changes subjects, staring out at the distant crowd of people as they figure out this situation, "I like putting those two to work." She hums in satisfaction, your eyes meeting her profile once more. "Yeah," you quietly agree, "they're great comrades."

"Listen," her chin droops and your body matches your gaze, pivoting to fully face her again. "I hate to tell you this, but-" you notice the boys climbing out of the boxcar, saying something to Levi from behind your mother, but try not to focus too much on them. Your mother's tone is fairly serious, a touch uncertain. Regretful. "-I have to go away again, Y/n." You narrowly catch the words when your attention fully returns to her.

Go away? Again?

"What do you mean? Where is there to go here? Everything is destroyed, mom..." Your voice trails off in confusion, not grasping the situation, whatsoever. Her hands find yours, firmly clasping them in her warm grip. Watching intently, you wait for her to continue, unsure of what is to come from this. "I couldn't just stop the train," she starts, your eyes unmoving from your bound hands, "I had to make a deal. I'm going back with the Secretary. With the Marleyans."

What...?

"You're going back?" Is the first thing you can muster, "Back with those monsters?" You spit out once able to start wrapping your head around this predicament. "I know... I'm sorry. It was the only way to convince him." Her voice falters ever so slightly, you hardly notice it from the thoughts buzzing in your overflowing brain.

Stop.

You have to tell yourself before getting in too over your head. The cycle of hate needs to stop, you remind yourself. Yes, they treated your mother and aunt horribly along with everyone else, but so have Eldians. They burned your aunt alive and they tried the same with you. They killed your brother. You are all at fault. Taking a moment, you somewhat come back to your senses, enough to discuss this revelation more calmly. "So you traded yourself in for our sake?" You mumble, hands unable to keep still, so you pick at your skin subconsciously. She doesn't need to confirm with her words, her body language alone is enough. "You could say that." Your mother responds with a small sigh. Just when you thought you lost her (again) and got her back, she's leaving... again. "They wouldn't just let you stop the train? You had to offer them something in return?" You decide to ask, baffled they would still be concerned about strategy. Its done. There is no more war, no more fighting, no more sides. Why are they still acting like there's something to gain?

We won the battle, not the war.

"I know how the Secretary thinks, unfortunately. I knew what I was getting myself into- am getting myself into," your mother continues, "and he knows me. I'll manage just fine." She attempts to reassure you, but its not working. "What could they possibly need you for? What else is there to do without their major threat being a problem anymore?" You are nothing but confused. "Anything," she offers with a slight shrug, "just because the Titans were eradicated doesn't mean we're out of the woods. Any other threat could arise at any given moment and they still want power and control before that happens. In a way, I understand why they're not immediately disbanding and sending their soldiers home to retire. We all signed up to serve and I'm still on duty." You don't want to accept her reason, no matter how much sense it makes. You are in the same boat as well, except there is no more need for the Survey Corps. What else would you need ODM Gear for? A simple robbery? That was already the Military Polices' job. "I suppose." Is all you have left to say, knowing whatever you could think of to make her refuse wouldn't work. Stubborn just like you.

"What about learning how to stitch a wound, though? Don't I need more practice since 'I may be doing this often'?" You paraphrase, cocking an eyebrow (disregard if you don't have or show your eyebrows). Your mother's lips quirk in a half smirk, shaking her head, "right." She thinks momentarily. Then, something flashes across her eyes you notice, "I want you to go back to Liberio. There are some things for you there." Is all she says. "Liberio?" You wonder, thinking back to how flattened the city was. What could possibly be left there besides giant footprints and corpses? Hell, you don't even want to think about the monsoon of spirits lingering. "Why...?" You repeat slowly, almost wanting to check her pupils for a concussion. "Outside of the city was a forest. I want you to find this one location... well, what remains of it. You'll know." "And what about Levi? I can't drag him all the way back there, there's nothing left!" You exclaim, worried for his physical state. You need to prioritize finding a real doctor before anything else. "I can take him with us. We'll find one of the bases where we have surgeons." Your mother's idea worries you. There is no way in hell Levi would go with them. Even if it meant helping him. The man would get up and walk away before he'd ever voluntarily go with the Marleyans. You just know him.

"I'll go." The words come out faster than you even thought about the idea. Before your mother has time to process your response and protest, you beat her to it, "he'll never leave with you, mom. I'll go with the Secretary. If it means finding him and the others a doctor, I'll do it. They insisted I join them anyway, so... let me do it. You can finally be free. Free from their torment and free to be yourself without being used for your powers." You really try to sell the idea, hoping she'll accept it, but if she really is anything like you, she'll fight it 'til the end. "Y/n-" You brush past your mother, cutting her off, "Your own warriors came to find me how many years ago? Let me give them what they've been wanting all along." You continue your way towards the Secretary in the middle of the swarm. Levi won't like the idea either, but it's the best one you've got for this situation.

He'll just have to manage.

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

Words: 11,547

01/13/25
Heyy... 13 months later...

I am so sorry it took me so long to touch this chapter. I fear I experienced the stereotypical Wattpad author curse where my life was hell for all of 2024 :) Besides the point, it is still crazy and that's just how life is. It'll never not be a whirlwind.

This had been a draft and it wasn't that I didn't have anything to write, it was such a lengthy chapter (9k words), I just didn't know what direction I wanted to go afterwards. Finally, I told myself I need to stop worrying over the direction of the next chapter and the one after that, etc.

Now, I can't promise when the next chapter will be out since I have a lot going on day to day, but this is a good first step in getting back into writing because I really love doing this and hope I can continue doing this. With time, I promise I will update more, the frequency will just be reduced compared to how it was 2+ years ago. I grew up and I'm still growing up and that comes with all sorts of fun things haha... ha... ah... :)

To close off this chapter, thank you to anyone- if anyone is even there and reading this... thank you for coming back and I'm so, so sorry this took forever to happen. I wish I could have done it sooner. I won't make you wait this long again for another update. You deserve this lengthy chapter.

~AlpineBreadStick