“Oi, what are we doing at this tourist spot? We're totally off from both our original destination and our return point" ,” said Jean.

  The group rode along the edge of a forest. Vivienne was between Armin and Jean. She couldn’t explain what this detour was about. Even Armin, usually the clever one, said, “I don't know, but the order came from Commander Erwin, after all. He must have a plan”

  “What kind of plan? Are they planning a to hold a welcome ceremony for us new recruits at a tourist spot?” Jean asked.

  “As nice as that would be, I doubt it,” Vivienne said, glancing up at the tall trees.

  Jean sighed. “That was a joke. Guess it’s true what they say — rich people have no sense of humour.”

  Her emerald-green eyes shifted towards him, slightly annoyed.

  Evening red.

  Her head snapped towards the forest, eyes wide. There it was again. She couldn’t look away. No — it was the opposite. Something deep in her gut stirred, an urge to ride into the trees growing stronger by the second. Her eyes were locked on the emptiness, the unknown.

  Vivienne.

  Her breath caught.

  “Hey, Princess, they told us to stop,” Jean said, tugging on the reins. Her horse skidded to a halt, and she had to steady herself not to fall.

  “Vivienne, are you all right?” Armin asked, concerned. She looked down at her hands. A creeping, cold sensation washed over her, and this time, she could name it.

  Fear.

  Fear that she wasn’t ready for any of this. Fear that the voices meant she didn’t belong here. Fear she was going mad.

  She exhaled. “I’m fine.”

  Armin looked like he wanted to press further, but a sharp voice rang out. “Right, listen up, recruits! We’re preparing for a counterattack. Draw your blades and wait in the trees above. If any Titans enter this forest — stop them. At all costs!”

  “Um… Sir, what do you—” Jean began, but the commander cut him off.

  “Shut up and follow orders!”

  With that, the officer shot up into the canopy using his ODM gear.

  Vivienne walked over to Holzbraun, stroking the horse’s head. She leaned in and whispered, “Don’t die on me. If a Titan shows up, just run.”

  One last glance — then she hoisted herself and her gear into the trees. Her eyes drifted to the forest behind her.

  She clenched her fist. She didn’t know how the others were coping, but she hoped Connie and Sasha were safe.

  Connie…

  He’d said they’d see each other again after this mission. Her chest tightened. Would they really? Or was it just another pep talk to make things feel less terrifying?

  They’d already seen how quickly everything could change — before even joining the Survey Corps.

  If Jean hadn’t taken her hand… would she even be standing here now?

  The image of the Female Titan’s eyes staring straight at her still haunted her. How was any of this possible? How could people turn into Titans, and no one had noticed?

  A shiver ran through her. She let out a heavy breath of relief when Armin spoke her name. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She met his blue eyes, glanced towards the forest, then looked back at him. “Do you think the others are okay?”

  A simple question.

  No simple answer.

  Armin didn’t answer right away.

  His eyes darted towards the tree line, jaw tight with unspoken worry. The wind carried distant rustling — not from leaves, but something heavier. Rhythmic. Pounding.

  Vivienne gripped a branch above her, trying to steady her breathing. Around them, the recruits clung to the trunks and limbs of the giant trees, blades drawn, eyes wide. The wait was stretching and some people, became impatient.

  “We have to believe they’re all right,” Armin finally said, though his voice lacked conviction.

  Vivienne nodded faintly, but didn’t speak.

  "This is insane..." said Jean, and the other two turned to look at him. "We've abandoned the original mission to cache supplies. And when we abandoned it, we should've turned tail and run... But instead, we're forging ahead to a touris trap. And now, we're just standing here, to stop any Titan that enter the woods?"

  Jean glanced over at the officer. “Damn him for giving a crazy order.”

  “He’ll hear you…!” Armin hissed under his breath.

  “Of course. I’m sure he’s got his own worries,” Jean added.

  Armin raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “A commander deemed useless in a critical moment often ends up the victim of some mysterious stab in the back,” Jean said. “I’m just saying — wouldn’t surprise me.”

  ___

  “Do you think Vivi and the others are all right?” Sasha knelt tensely on her tree trunk, staring down. The sight of even experienced members of the Survey Corps being wiped out had left something behind — something tight in her chest, something hollow.

  She had barely escaped with her life. If it hadn’t been for those brave soldiers, she wouldn’t be here now.

  Mikasa turned to her. “Why are you asking?”

  Sasha’s gaze grew a little distant, tinged with sadness, then flickered with concern. “Because I’d like to play cards with her, Armin, and Connie tonight.”

  The usually stoic girl blinked, thrown for a moment. Mikasa gave her a puzzled look. But as she glanced down, something shifted in her expression — slowly, she understood.

  Right.

  There was nothing she’d want more than to see Armin and Eren again after this mission. As if they were nothing more than three normal childhood friends.

  Connie pulled a face, remembering her words.

  Don’t die on me.

  You’re the one who shouldn’t die on me, he thought.

  “She’ll be fine. Besides, she’s with Jean. The two of them argue so stubbornly, even Titans wouldn’t stand a chance — they’d run off just to avoid the shouting,” Connie said with a grin in Sasha’s direction. “So don’t worry.”

  The potato girl’s eyes widened slightly — then a small smile tugged at her lips. “You’re probably right.”

  ___

  “Shut it, Jean, or I’ll make sure you experience an attack from behind,” Vivienne muttered, eyes narrowing.

  Armin’s eyes widened.

  Who would’ve thought that one comment from Jean would be enough to snap her out of her thoughts?

  “The truth is… we’ve no idea what’s going on,” she said quietly. “And it’s so damn quiet. That’s what’s really making everyone nervous. You included.”

  Jean gave her a side glance, lips twitching as if holding back a smirk. “Careful, Princess. Threatening to stab your teammates? Sounds like someone’s cracking under pressure. I wasn't the one who froze in front of a Titan just a moment ago”

  Vivienne didn’t even look at him. “Says the guy who just threatened to stab our commander. You’d know all about cracking under pressure, wouldn’t you?”

  “Ouch,” Jean said, hand to his chest like she’d physically wounded him. “Is this how you treat the guy who helped haul your ass out of that ravine during our training at the Academy?”

  She finally turned her head, one brow raised. “I seem to remember doing the hard part myself. You were mostly screaming and flailing.”

  Armin, caught in the middle, blinked slowly. “I think you’re both remembering completely different versions of that event.”

  “Mine’s the correct one,” Jean and Vivienne said at the same time, then both paused, surprised, and annoyed, that they’d said it in sync.

  Vivienne clicked her tongue, gaze drifting back to the woods. But she didn’t look quite as tense anymore. Just wary.

  The silence returned, creeping between the branches like fog.

  A low, hammering sound shook the ground. It grew louder with each passing second.

  “Five-metre class incoming!” the commander shouted. Vivienne’s grip on her blades tightened. “There’s your Titan. Happy now?” she asked Jean.

  But when she looked at his face, all she saw was horror and disbelief.

  “Viv, Armin,” Jean said. “Our orders were to keep the Titans out of the forest, right?”

  They looked down — a horde of Titans swarmed below, trying to reach them. It felt like they were nothing more than prey, hiding in the trees while predators circled beneath.

  “In other words… there’s no point fighting anymore… right?”

  The question lingered in the air. Vivienne’s breath came heavy. Her blades felt heavy too. The Titans kept lunging for them, clinging to the trunks, snarling and reaching, but none of them managed to climb.

  Or rather… they couldn’t.

  Of course.

  That was why they built the walls so high — to keep the enemy out.

  Again and again, the Titans scrabbled against the bark. Vivienne’s grip on her swords tightened.

  BOOM

  Her breath caught. Her head snapped back. Was that… an explosion? Birds shot up into the sky above her, startled. She couldn’t stop staring into the trees.

  Then, just for a moment, a flash that vanished as quickly as it came — she saw the eyes of the Female Titan.

  Her grip loosened slightly.

  No… that couldn’t be. Could it?

  She…

  She felt it.

  An attraction. A whisper. A blurred image tugging at the edge of her mind.

  The explosions continued. She was sure Armin had said her name, but she couldn’t focus — only the sounds of the forest reached her.

  “We’re shifting position, Armin, Vivienne,” Jean’s voice snapped her back. She turned in time to see a Titan managing to climb the trees. Horrified, she pressed her triggers and flew off with the two boys.

  “They’re starting to get the hang of it,” Jean said, annoyed, though there was a nervous edge to his voice. “They’re getting better at climbing.”

  Vivienne stared at the Titan as it dragged itself upwards — unsteady, but definitely climbing. “I never thought that was even possible,” she admitted.

  “That means, as scary as it sounds… they can learn,” Armin said grimly. “Some more than others, I’d guess.”

  Vivienne clicked her tongue. As if their size wasn’t bad enough — now they had to be clever too? There was nothing worse than an enemy that wasn’t just deadly… but smart.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Sounds like something’s going on deeper in the forest,” Jean said. Armin and Vivienne looked at him.

  “I think I know what it is.”

  Jean turned and looked properly at them for the first time. “They lured the Female Titan here. The whole thing… it’s a trap. They’re trying to capture her.”

  Vivienne’s eyes widened. “More specifically… to capture whoever’s inside. That’s what Commander Erwin was really after…”

  Could that be true? But if it was… “Commander Erwin must have known. That there were more like Eren.”

  “I think so too,” Armin said, his expression darkening.

  “But why?” Vivienne asked. “Why keep something like that from us? I thought it was bad enough when Eren turned into a Titan in front of us — that was shocking enough on its own. But this…?”

  That would mean there was a spy in their ranks — a traitor. And if there were more people like Eren, why hadn’t they helped to get rid of the Titans? Why couldn’t they bring peace, finally?

  But then the memory returned.

  She had seen through the eyes of a Titan. They had destroyed a city — one that definitely wasn’t inside the walls. Did that mean they’d always existed? Beyond everything they knew?

  A loud thud shook the ground, and the three of them watched as the Titan who had managed to climb the tree came crashing down.

  "I can't say he was right," Jean muttered, "if we'd known there was a Titan with knowledge of our operations, we would have handled this differently. Your team leader and the others would've done the same"

  Vivienne bit her lip and kept her eyes on the fallen Titan, now struggling to get back up. Jean had a point. If she’d known all this sooner, she would’ve acted differently. Made different decisions.

  But would that really have been the right thing to do? Was any of it the right decision?

  She didn’t know. After four years of training, of preparing to fight this exact enemy — she still couldn’t say for certain if this was how it was supposed to be. If all those lost lives, all those sacrifices, were truly necessary.

  Looking at some gear, she noticed things that were off. A loose screw. A nut tightened too much.

  But this?

  “No. It wasn’t wrong,” Armin said. Jean and Vivienne both turned to him, surprised.

  “What are you on about? How many people died for nothing?” Jean snapped.

  “Jean,” Armin said quietly. "It’s easy to say we should’ve done something else after the fact. But no one ever knows how things will turn out. And even so — you still have to make a choice. You have to. The lives of a hundred comrades… or the lives of everyone inside the walls. The Commander made his choice. He chose to let those hundred die.”

  Vivienne stared at him, horrified, then lowered her gaze. “Shit,” she muttered, jaw clenched.

  It was all starting to make sense. Erwin’s voice came back to her, cutting through the noise in her mind: “Can you die if you're ordered to?”

  The bitter truth spread through her like wildfire.

  “I haven’t lived that long,” Armin continued, voice steady, “but I’m sure of one thing. If anyone’s going to bring real change, it’ll be someone who can sacrifice the things they care about. It’ll be someone who can throw away their humanity to defeat monsters. Because someone who can’t sacrifice anything… can’t ever change anything.”

  She hated it.

  Vivienne hated that he was right. She wasn’t blind to the truth, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. You couldn’t save everyone. Even if they managed to destroy every last Titan one day — it would never come without sacrifice.

  Blue smoke curled into the air.

  “What? It’s over already?” Jean asked, surprised.

  Had they done it? Had they actually captured the person inside the Female Titan?

  They were ordered to fall back and return to their horses. Vivienne didn’t need to be told twice. She swung from tree to tree with her ODM gear, landing near the edge of the forest—just a short dash from where the horses were tethered.

  “Holzbraun!” she said, relief flooding her voice as she threw her arms around her horse’s head. She had never been so glad to see him again. The stallion gave a soft whinny in return, and she felt, somehow, that he was just as glad to see her.

  The troop mounted up and rode along the tree line.

  “If we’re retreating, does that mean the mission was a success?” Jean asked.

  “I hope so,” Vivienne replied, her thoughts drifting to the people who had lost their lives today for the sake of this plan.

  “If it was, then maybe we already know who was inside the Female Titan,” said Armin.

  “I’d like to see who it is,” Jean muttered.

  “Me too,” Vivienne added, her voice harder now. “I think I might have a few choice words for them.”

  She understood that sacrifices were sometimes necessary—but this? None of it had needed to happen. People turning into Titans, fighting alongside Titans… It made her head spin and left her deeply unsettled.

  How many more were out there?

  How many more like Eren?

  “But why was the Commander so sure the enemy would go after Eren the moment he left the walls?” Jean asked.

  “I think it’s because they suddenly halted their attack last time,” Armin replied, thoughtful. “Even after breaking through Trost’s gate, they didn’t press on towards the inner gate. And when Eren sealed it, they just let him. That suggests they had… other priorities.”

  “Other priorities?” Jean echoed.

  “Something more important than breaching the walls,” Armin said. “Something unexpected.”

  Vivienne’s eyes widened. “Wait… You mean—?”

  “Eren’s transformation into a Titan,” Jean finished for her.

  Armin nodded. “That has to be it. Someone who was there that day, someone who saw it happen… they’re the Female Titan.”

  Vivienne’s breath caught.

  The answer had been right in front of her. Because she had seen it too.

  No.

  No, it couldn’t be.

  She didn’t want to believe it.

  It couldn’t be…

  She gasped, her thoughts spiralling. What did it mean? For her? For humanity? That someone had decided they weren’t worthy to survive?

  That this—all of this—had been caused by humans?

  And why?

  How?

  What was so wrong with them that people like Eren—people like her—were considered unworthy of life?

  “Then who?” she asked, voice trembling.

  Jean and Armin stared at her, taken aback. Vivienne fought back the sting in her eyes, but the tears came anyway. She could feel them gathering, despite herself.

  “Who is the enemy?” she whispered. “What… or who… are we even fighting?”

  No one had an answer.

  They rode the rest of the way in silence.

  Eventually, they reached a clearing to regroup. Some rode out again—to search for the missing.

  Their names were still fresh in everyone’s minds.

  And slowly, one by one, they returned with the lifeless bodies of their comrades.

  Again.

  Once more, they were forced to stack and store the remains of the people they’d spoken to just that morning.

  Vivienne stared, numb.

  No matter how often it happened, she knew one thing for certain.

  She would never get used to this feeling.

  Her heart felt heavier and heavier in her chest. The silence was suffocating.

  “Vivienne!”

  She turned sharply. Connie was sprinting towards her, with Sasha close behind.

  “Connie! Sasha!”

  Vivienne stepped forward, and when they came face to face, a small smile crept onto her lips—but it vanished just as quickly.

  How many more times would they meet like this? How many more times would they say goodbye, not knowing if it would be the last?

  When would it be her turn?

  When would she die?

  How much longer did she really have?

  Would the day come sooner than she thought?

  And when it did, what would she leave behind?

  Would she ever get used to this?

  The moment worsened when Sasha, quiet and sombre, told her that Ness hadn’t made it.

  Vivienne stared at her in disbelief.

  Was she just a fool for getting attached so easily?

  She hadn’t known Ness as well as she knew Armin and the others, but still...

  It still hurt.

  She took a small step back. The flicker of joy she'd felt at seeing her friends alive faded from her face.

  Connie and Sasha turned to their horses, brushing them down and checking their gear for the journey back.

  Vivienne didn’t move.

  She stood there, staring at the rows of bodies laid out before her, side by side, wrapped in white sheets.

  How many of them had she passed in the hallway?

  Shared a laugh with?

  Exchanged a quiet “good morning” before heading out to train?

  How many of them had families waiting—praying—that they’d come back?

  “I’m sorry,” Vivienne whispered, barely audible, her eyes fixed on the still forms in front of her.

  The wind tugged gently at the edges of the white sheets.

  Vivienne’s fingers were curled into tight fists at her sides as she stood among the fallen. The silence clung to her skin like damp cloth.

  A faint crunch of boots against the dry forest floor cut through the quiet.

  She didn’t turn at first. She felt the presence long before she heard him.

  Steady, silent. Watching.

  “Not many hang around after the clean-up,” came a low, flat voice.

  She turned then, and froze.

  Captain Levi.

  It was the first time she’d seen him up close. Until now, he had only been a distant figure at briefings, or a name whispered in awe. Her uncle had written about him in his letters. Short, precise lines about the most efficient soldier he'd ever met. "Sharp as broken glass," he’d once written, "and just as kind."

  Now here he stood, arms crossed, face unreadable.

  “Captain Levi…” she managed. “I… I needed a moment.”

  He glanced at her, then back at the bodies. “Everyone needs a moment. Some are just better at hiding it.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. It didn’t sound like comfort, but it wasn’t cold either. Just… a fact. Like saying the sky was blue.

  Her gaze dropped. “Some of them were only just out of training…”

  “And they’re dead now,” Levi said bluntly.

  Vivienne flinched at the words.

  “But that’s the job. You know that, don’t you?”

  She nodded slowly. “Yes, sir.”

  For a while, neither of them spoke. The wind swirled around them, lifting the edge of a sheet and letting it fall again.

  “You’re Vivienne, right?” he asked eventually, voice a little quieter now.

  She looked up at him, surprised. “Yes. How did you—?”

  “Eyes like that are hard to forget,” Levi said simply, something almost reflective passing behind his expression.

  Vivienne blinked. “My… eyes?”

  “They don’t match the rest of your face.”

  She frowned slightly. “Sorry?”

  He didn’t clarify. He just looked back at the body nearest them, his gaze unreadable.

  “They don’t care about apologies,” he said. “But it’s good that you said it anyway.”

  Vivienne opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her chest felt tight. “I just thought… someone should.”

  Levi’s eyes flicked back to her. He nodded once, barely perceptible.

  “Keep doing that,” he said. “It means you’re still human.”

  And with that, he turned and walked away without another word.

  Then Vivienne turned and ran to her horse. She held out a bucket of water to Holzbraun and still found herself wondering—was this really the world they lived in?

  Sasha walked over and offered her an apple. Vivienne blinked, surprised, but gave her a grateful nod. She held the apple out to Holzbraun, who gobbled it up with a cheerful whinny. Both girls smiled for a brief moment.

  "I'm glad you're alive," Sasha said suddenly.

  Vivienne’s emerald eyes flicked to hers. “I’m glad you are too.”

  They exchanged another quiet smile as Holzbraun crunched happily through the apple.

  They were alive.

  For now.

  And for now, that was enough.

  Once everyone was ready, they mounted up, and the Survey Corps began the long ride back to the city. Vivienne held the reins loosely in her hands. The only sound was the rhythmic pounding of hooves on dirt.

  This time, she welcomed the silence.

  It didn’t last long.

  “Titans!” someone shouted.

  Again?

  Could they really never catch a break?

  She twisted in the saddle to see two Scouts racing ahead of two Titans, desperate to outrun them. Red smoke burst into the air behind them.

  “Onward full speed!” Erwin called out.

  Vivienne’s grip tightened, and she gave Holzbraun a gentle nudge. “Come on, Holzbraun. I swear I’ll get you a whole bucket of apples when we’re back.”

  They had no choice now but to run. The open field offered no cover. No trees. No ruins. Nothing they could use.

  The Titans were gaining.

  One of them, an Aberrant, was moving faster than the rest, closing the distance at an alarming rate. At this pace, they’d be caught.

  Were they going to have to fight again?

  Their options were running out. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, more Titans were appearing on the horizon. They were surrounded. Just as they were bracing to dismount and engage, Levi galloped ahead.

  Vivienne couldn’t hear what he was shouting, she was too far forward, but then she saw the wagon crews throwing down the bodies of the dead.

  With wide, horrified eyes, she watched.

  Even in death, they were still protecting them. Giving them one last chance to live. One last ride home.

  And it worked.

  It bought them just enough time to pull ahead, to escape without another battle.

  Vivienne drew in a sharp breath as the towering wall came into view. She never thought she’d be glad to see it—but today, she was. They passed the outer ruins in silence and rode through the open gate.

  Crowds had already started to gather.

  Whispers broke out.

  Eyes stared.

  Judgement clung to every glance.

  “Aren’t there fewer of them than this morning?” someone murmured nearby.

  Their faces were heavy with misery. Some bloodied, some dazed.

  “Another bloody disaster,” said another local.

  Vivienne looked down at her hands.

  “Left with all that noise this morning, now they’re back already?”

  “What was the point?”

  “Who knows. Judging by those miserable faces, all they’ve done is waste more of our taxes.”

  Vivienne clenched her jaw. She had to fight the urge to jump off her horse and confront the man right there in the street.

  Who would’ve thought...?

  People were all the same. No matter which side of the wall they lived on.

  Shouts followed them.

  Insults.

  Mockery.

  Humiliation.

  They were blind.

  All of them.