𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

"Lada!" I screamed, reaching out to her. I looked around and realized I was in an unfamiliar room.

This is...a jail cell?

"Bad dream?" Armin guessed as he approached my cell. I shook my head in reply.

"I just felt like...I had a very long dream. No wait, those were Lada's memories." I mumbled, placing my hand on my head.

"Lada..." I whimpered, missing her warm embraces and soft kisses on my cheek and forehead.

"From the bottom of my heart...I love you."

Her last words echoed in my head. My heart ached as I realized that it wasn't the Titans who devoured her. It was me.

I still can't bring myself to believe it. I'm a Titan shifter like Eren. And the reason for my sister's death isn't because of a Titan, it was because of me.

No, don't think like that, Y/n. Lada gave you this power. She chose you to handle whatever this flying creature is.

"Y/n..." I heard the sound of keys shuffling. I looked up and saw Armin entering my cell.

"Armin?" I called out, staring at him questionably. I was suddenly wrapped in his arms, his chin resting at the crook of my neck.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, gently rubbing my arm.

Despite the heaviness in my stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of my body pressed against his.

I sunk into the warmth of Armin's side, appreciative of the simple but kind gesture.

His touch made the room warmer somehow, my future within the walls seeming a little less bleak.

"As much as possible, I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I don't want to let you go." Armin whispered.

"Armin, what are you saying?" I inquired, noticing how his grip around me was a little tighter, but he was careful enough to avoid hurting me.

"You had a long dream just like Eren, right? It was about the life of the previous owner of your Titan." he mentioned.

"Yeah..." I mumbled. No wonder why Commander Erwin and Captain Levi always looked at me in pain.

Deputy Commander Hanji would always give me a smile, but her eyes always looked sad and lonely.

"The Owl said it was called Ymir's Curse. Ymir herself died thirteen years after she acquired her powers." Eren spoke.

I heard him from the left, so I'm assuming he's in the jail cell to my left. Perhaps Mikasa is to my right?

"So I have thirteen years to live." Armin stated. Thirteen years?

"Eight years...not even that." Eren said.

"I was injected 5 years ago by Lada, the previous bearer of the Soaring Titan." I brought up.

"5 years ago? Doesn't that mean you only have 8 years to live as well?" Eren questioned in shock.

"No, apparently that curse doesn't apply to the Soaring Titan. That curse will apply once the bearer transforms for the first time." I retorted.

"Meaning, you only have thirteen years to live as well?" Armin finally let go of the hug, but he sat next to me.

"Yeah..." I nodded in reply.

"No. That information is wrong. It's not true." Mikasa refused to believe the undeniable fact.

If the three of us are Titan shifters, doesn't that mean we'll die earlier than Mikasa? If she doesn't die first, that is.

"If the bearers of the Ten Titans die without passing on their powers, that power awakens within a baby among the Subjects of Ymir." Eren stated.

"The only explanation is that all Subjects of Ymir must be connected in some unseen way." I continued.

Some with Titan powers spoke about seeing some kind of paths. The blood and bones that form the Titan, and sometimes the memories and will, can be transferred along those paths.

And all of those paths converge at a single coordinate. That coordinate is the Founding Titan.

"I'm not allowed to stay here with you, under Captain Levi's orders, so I'll just have to give you my jacket." Armin took off his jacket and handed it to me.

"Goodnight, Y/n." he whispered, giving me a heartwarming smile that made my stomach feel weird again.

"Goodnight, Armin." I replied as I held his jacket in my arms. I collapsed on the bed and snuggled into his jacket.

I sniffed in his scent and that immediately made me relax. All of my stresses and worries vanished.

Shutting my eyes slowly, I allowed myself to rest for the first time in a while, falling into a dreamless slumber.

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"Y/n, wake up." I felt my body being shaken gently. I fluttered my eyes open and saw Armin's face.

I barely could make out his face because of how blurry my vision was from waking up.

"Armin? What are you doing here? Shouldn't my sentence last for another ten days?" I inquired.

"Commander Hanji was the one who gave you a ten-day sentence." he reminded as I sat up.

Armin added that it was cleared by Premier Dhalis Zachary and Depu...Commander Hanji said it would send a bad message if they jailed the heroes who defeated the Armored and Colossal Titans.

"Mikasa, you lost some weight." I pointed out once I left my jail cell and saw Mikasa's slimmer figure.

"You should've had enough to eat." Eren remarked.

"Do you feel all right, Y/n, Eren?" Mikasa asked, ignoring our comments from earlier.

"I'm fine." Eren reassured. I just shrugged, not even sure if I'm fine or not after everything that's happened.

"Time to go. Hurry and grab your things." Captain Levi ordered. Where are we headed to now?

"Where are we going?" Eren inquired. I would like to know the answer to that question as well.

"The queen herself has requested an audience with you. In Trost." Captain Levi answered. Historia?

In Trost District, Captain Levi, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and I are shown into the room, where Historia should be in.

Once we had entered the room, we bowed before her and called her, 'majesty', which seemed to have embarrassed her.

"You've really been through a lot, haven't you? Meanwhile, I've just been sitting inside the walls, staring out at the southern sky." she sighed.

"You're filling an important role just by staying alive." Armin argued. The rest of us agreed.

"I'm glad that you four are the same as you've always been." Historia sighed in relief. I think that's just because everything hasn't sunk in for us yet.

"Y/n, you look livelier than before. You seem...happier compared to the last time I saw you." Historia mentioned.

"Oh, is that so?" I uttered out a reply. I have, haven't I? That makes me...glad.

The military hearing began as the senior officers go over the revelations discovered in Grisha Jaeger's journals.

Commander Hanji summarized the mission to Shiganshina District and that we can no longer consider Titans as our only enemies.

Unfortunately, we must consider another civilization, possibly the world, as our true enemy.

Marley, must be our true enemy. And that's where Zeke Jaeger came from and where my older sister was originally born in.

Apparently, we are a special race that can turn into Titans and there is a belief outside the Walls that we may try to rule the world again.

This belief made others wish to eradicate us. This must be the reason as to why we're known as, 'devils', to many.

Commander Hanji discussed Mr. Jaeger's mission and how he ultimately achieved it, handing the Founding Titan over to his son, Eren.

Only someone who is of royal blood can fully utilize the Founding Titan.

However if such a person possesses the Founding Titan, they are enslaved by the King's ideals and are unable to act against them.

Honestly, what's the point?

The King of the Walls erased his people's memories and told them that humanity outside the walls had perished.

He thinks that this tiny land filled with ignorant people is what's considered a, 'paradise'.

A king who doesn't protect his people is no king at all.

Since Eren was able to command normal Titans once, Commander Hanji suspected that it's possible for someone not of royal blood to use the Founding Titan's power.

"That's it!" Eren suddenly shouted in the middle of the hearing, startling everyone in the room, including me.

"You scared me. What's gotten into you?" Commander Hanji asked, turning around to face Eren.

He said it's nothing and sat back down. We passed it off as Eren going through a phase, as Captain Levi and Armin had mentioned.

"If you think you look so cool suddenly shouting and posing like that, let me break it to you, it's weird." I whispered.

"Shut it before I start a fight in the middle of this." an irk mark formed on Eren's forehead.

"I don't want my dear friend, who is going through his phase, to get embarrassed, so I'll just shut my mouth." I provoked.

The military discussed the facts revealed in Grisha Jaeger's journals and what they should do about it.

The Military Police Brigade is largely against sharing their contents with the general population of the Walls.

However, Commander Pyxis pointed out that doing so would make us the same as the previous Kings, ensuring that the population stayed docile and ignorant.

"Let's release the information. The memories that King Reiss took from his subjects a hundred years ago are now simply being returned to the people." Queen Historia finally spoke.

"All of us here in the walls share the same destiny. And in order to move forward, we must be united towards a common cause." she continued.

"Now, would you like to explain yourself about our recent discovery, Y/n Voland?" Premier Zachary spoke up.

All eyes in the rooms turned towards me, expecting me to stand up and explain about something. I have no idea what's going on.

"How long have you known about this Titan power of yours? Why have you been keeping this a secret?" he questioned. Oh, that.

"I have not been keeping this a secret. I've only discovered this the moment I transformed." I replied.

"And according to this report, you have devoured your sister, Lada Voland, to gain this Titan power, am I wrong?" he asked. Why did you have to remind me? Was that really necessary?

"No, sir. You are correct. My Titan has the ability to fly, although they come with conditions." I mentioned.

"Conditions? Would you mind telling me what are these conditions, you speak of?" he requested.

"In order to use this Titan, you must love someone. If they do not love you back, your wings will be useless. If you only like them a little, you will be able to fly for 1 hour a day. If they love you back, you will be able to fly and harden your wings. Your wings will be your most powerful weapon if the person you love loves you back." I explained.

"It takes 5 years for it to adjust to your body. Symptoms will also occur during those 5 years." I added.

"And what could those symptoms be?" he inquired, resting his chin on top of his palm. He's asking quite a lot of questions, but I don't blame him.

"Being cold-hearted is one of them. This occurs, so that the hardening ability will be able to manifest." I started.

"Flexibility for agile flying once you are able to use your wings. Bruises on the back for your wings to form inside of your body. Eagle Vision, this is the ability to see from above using a bird." I rambled.

"Your right wing will represent a desire of yours. Mine is blue, therefore, I desire freedom. The left wing will remain white, for some reason." I continued.

"Also, your eyes will change once the person you love tells you they feel the same way. I've never seen it, though." I added.

"Interesting. Inheriting the Soaring Titan seems very complicated. Do you know any information about Lada Voland that might be beneficial to us?" he questioned.

"Lada used to be a warrior for our enemies, but she escaped. She wanted to know if we truly were bad Eldians." I answered.

"How much do you know about the people, or rather, our enemies outside the Walls?" he inquired. So many questions, I hate the attention.

"Plenty. First of all, the Marleyans, our main enemy, are recruiting children who are Subjects of Ymir to inherit one of the Ten Titans. They have control over 6 Titans, since we have the Female Titan captured underground." I started.

"Second of all, the person who is controlling the Beast Titan is Zeke Jaeger." I continued, hearing gasps all around the room.

"Lastly, the Beast Titan only has 5 years to live until his last term. The Armored Titan only has 6 years." I concluded.

"Interesting..." Queen Historia mumbled, rubbing her chin, deep in thought.

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Right now, we are having a military ceremony, or rather, a funeral to honor the deaths of those who have sacrificed during our last mission.

I'm wearing some kind of long-sleeved, green trench coat with the 'Wings of Freedom' stitched at the back of the coat.

"What's up, heroes of the walls?" Hitch greeted, approaching the nine of us, but Captain Levi wasn't paying attention.

Jean tried to tell her a few comforting words about Marlo, saying that he was a hero up until the very end.

He encouraged Floch to corroborate, but even though Floch acknowledged that Marlo was an inspiration in his final moments, he suspected that Marlo must have regretted his choices in the end.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to laugh at you if you mess up at the ceremony." Hitch stammered, walking away.

"Why did you have to say that last part?" I inquired, leaning against a white pillar as Armin stood next to me.

Eren and Mikasa were little bit farther from the two of us, conversing with one another.

"Because someone has to tell the truth about what happened." Floch then turned to Armin.

"And who are you to assume the feelings of another?" I stood up and was about to argue with him until Armin decided to take the peaceful route by talking.

"I know you tried your hardest to keep Commander Erwin alive." Armin acknowledged, frowning a little.

"That's right. I wanted the Commander back, not you. And I'm not the only one. It's everyone." he claimed.

"Everyone who read the report asked the same question; Why not Erwin?" he said. That's when I noticed everyone's odd stares at Armin.

Eren tried to defend Armin, asking Floch what he knows about him. He doesn't know Armin and he isn't Armin's childhood friend. He would never understand.

Floch believed that Armin was only saved because Eren, Mikasa, Captain Levi, and I allowed our feelings to get in the way.

Eren began to escalate the situation, telling Floch to shut his mouth, but Floch refused to back down.

He accused Eren of thinking that he is always in the right, and that is why he never gave up.

When Mikasa tried to calm Eren down, Floch praised Mikasa for acting more like an adult compared to Eren.

Apparently, Mikasa backed down in the end; this statement and realization shocked Mikasa and caused her to stop.

"Hey, listen up, bird's nest. You better shut your mouth. You don't know a thing or two about Armin's capabilities and contributions." I poked my finger at his chest.

"Especially you." he sent a death glare my way. Jean shoved the two of us apart before our confrontation could go any further.

"Remember this, bird's nest. This is a ceremony to honor our fallen soldiers. What's done is done and we have no choice other than to move forward." I went back to Armin.

"Exactly. Why are you even dragging up the past right now?" Connie questioned, stepping up.

Floch isn't done and pointed out that while Jean and Connie may not have acted against their superiors, they made no effort to actually stop us; all they did was watch.

He asked why we're getting medals and who this funeral is truly for. Floch wanted us to tell the truth before more recruits like him are enlisted.

"What are we supposed to do without Commander Erwin? I know full well that I'm nothing but an unskilled, disposable weakling. But even someone like me is entitled to his opinion!" he yelled.

Usually, I would've been kind enough to ignore him and end the argument, but he questioned Armin's existence and there is no way I'm letting that go.

"Since you know very well that you're an unskilled, disposable weakling, know your place and keep your mouth shut for goodness's sakes. If we have no commander, then we'll get a replacement! That's the purpose of Deputy commanders, no? Can't you get that in your head, or is your hair occupying your head's mental capacity?" I yelled back, grabbing his collar and lifting him up from the ground.

"Y-Y/n!" Sasha exclaimed as I glared at the young man. He glared at me as well.

"You don't know a darn thing about Armin, nor do you know what he's done for all of us. If it weren't for him, we would all be annihilated!" I shouted.

I was about to throw him on the ground until someone grabbed my arm.

Quickly turning around to teach this person a lesson, I stopped when I saw Armin's sad expression. His face was filled with regret.

"Armin..." I mumbled, slowly placing Floch back down and turning my body to him completely.

"That's enough, Y/n. Floch is right. Commander Erwin is the one we should have saved. I'm not capable of fixing the situation we're in." Armin agreed with Floch.

"How can you be so sure? I'm not sure about anything. I can't tell what the right choice is. Nobody can see the future like that." Eren comforted.

"Armin, you haven't seen it, right? The outside world? Have you seen what's out there?" I questioned, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"The ocean." Armin replied, looking back at me.

"Right, the ocean! We still haven't seen it yet. We still don't know anything." I stated.

"The fiery water, the lands of ice, the snowy deserts. There are infinite possibilities out there!" I exclaimed.

"We made a promise, right?" I recalled.

"Hey, you brats. It's time. Get in line." Captain Levi reminded.

The ten surviving Scouts kneel before Queen Historia, who presented each of us with a medal.

I hid the pendant that Armin gifted me, so that it wouldn't break during missions. It's too precious to me.

After Historia placed Eren's medal around his neck, he kissed her hand, and just stared at nothing.

Historia and the rest of us noticed that something was wrong when he doesn't let go of Historia's hand.

I was standing behind Eren, so I tapped his back, which seemed to have brought him back to reality.

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It is evident that the world perceives us as a 'race of devils.' The people of our world wish to eradicate us, 'Subjects of Ymir.'

However, we must not simply wait for our extermination to come about. As long as we live, we must strive to ensure our survival and our efforts to prevail must never cease.

However, is a display of power enough to frighten the world our only method of doing so?

Is there no other option than flaunting the very power we possess, the Power of the Titans, that makes the world believe we are devils?

Is it delusional to think we could all sit around the same table and talk?

I want to think it's possible.

I believe coming up with a better way is my duty, and so I must never turn away from thinking about it.

I'm sure that's what Lada would want.

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