Chapter 10: Annie, The Cold Girl
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"What do you think?" Levi asked right after Keith Shadis left the office, his eyes analyzing Erwin, who was in deep thoughts; Hange was reading the old report of Grisha Yeager's death; the report gave great details of the night, how his body had been found, half of his body missing, which was strange, very strange.
Eren had said nothing about it, but they could easily dismiss it, the kid getting scared and afraid to say anything. Now, Keith told them he had seen a bright light at the place where Grisha had taken his son.
Erwin had asked even more questions about the doctor; whatever information he could get his hands on was important.
"You have known him?" Erwin asked thoughtfully, not giving away much emotion from his face.
"Indeed, I found him outside the walls," Shadis responded, immediately grabbing the attention of the present scouts.
"Outside the walls," Hange almost shouted in astonishment, her hands slamming on the desk in front of her, leaning closer to The constructor, getting a grimace from Levi in the process; understanding that she should control herself, she took a step back...
"No need, I was just as surprised as you when I found him, he was outside the walls, back then I was a soldier, I always thought it was a little strange, he said he remembered nothing, he didn't know how he had ended up outside only remembering his name and that he was a doctor," Keith explained with longing seeping into his tone, he always blamed himself for not spending more time with his best friend but instead ignoring and avoiding him, as if somehow it was his fault.
His eyes looked down almost in guilt, "He was in a cell for some time before getting out, later he became a famous doctor, saving people from a plague," Keith finished all he knew about the doctor who seemed to have a million secrets buried somewhere.
Levi narrowed his eyes; it was too convenient for him to forget everything; he didn't need to be a genius to know that Grisha had acted as if he remembered nothing; now the question was, who was he truly? Was he from outside the walls? Such a thought made him somehow wary; if there were people outside the walls, what were their purpose?
Erwin was thinking the exact same thing as Levi, thinking that Grisha perhaps had known the truth; if so, why not share it? Who not tell someone?
His son! Did he tell him the Truth? Erwin suddenly asked himself, his hand on his chin, thinking about everything. There was a high probability that perhaps Eren knew something, Shadis did tell him that Grisha was too pale when he took his son into the forest after the fall of Shiganshina, but that could easily be overlooked as grief for the loss of his wife.
"Thank you for the information, sir; you are free to go," Erwin spoke respectfully towards the former commander and saluted to him.
Standing up, Shadis wanted to point out that he was no longer a commander, but instead, he saluted with a nod of his head. "Have a good day, commander," he said before leaving the office.
Now Erwin thought of the message from the Titan; his writing was clear and made sense; how does he know how to write? It should be impossible, he thought, for any kind of Titan to understand their language; for a long time, they had thought that Titans were just brainless creatures who devoured people for no real reason, but the three new Titans had proven them wrong.
What are they? They have intelligence; what is their purpose, their goals? Is the Rogue Titan somehow against the other Titans and wants to help humanity? Erwin thought deeply, his blue eyes staring unmoving at his desk, his finger on his chin.
One thought had crossed his mind that he had yet to discuss with Levi, Hange, and Mike. A thought that sent shivers to his body.
Is it possible that there are Titans who can turn into Humans or... Humans with the power to turn into a Titan, he thought, sweat rolling down his cheek at the thought of such People or Titans existing; but it wasn't as crazy as one would think.
That theory would explain how they were able to disappear without leaving clues behind; the Colossal Titan shows up, destroys the gate, and disappears right after, not even trying to destroy the rest of the wall, only a hole big enough to let the other Titans in, same for the Armour and the Rogue Titan, all of them disappearing without any trace, he thought now fully convinced that there were either Titans able to turn into Humans, or Humans with the power of the Titans, he thought, not sure whenever or not to be happy with this thought, if it was the latter, that means there are people working for the Titans for some unknown reasons.
"Sir, did you think of anything?" Hange's voice made him escape his daze; Erwin leaned back against the chair, feeling his shoulders tense like never before.
Taking a deep breath, hoping that it would calm him somehow. Erwin cleared his throat, "Levi tell Mike to come here; I need to discuss something with you three," he ordered seriously.
Eren Yeager
It had been months since his incident with Ymir, and after that day, everything has been going smoothly. Every now and then, they spend time together, often talking and getting to know each other better. Mikasa and Armin had been talking with Ymir and Krista more often. Ymir was still a little withdrawn sometimes, but she was fun to have around, except when she constantly teased him about their undying love bullshit, and sometimes even Mikasa despite getting cold glares from the latter.
Eren had to admit that Krista was probably the purest person he had ever known; the way she talked, laughed and tried to help people always brought a smile to his face. Yet he couldn't help but think that she was hiding something from them, and from the way how Ymir eyed her sometimes, she probably had the same doubts. He hadn't told Ymir yet about his Attack Titan ability, and neither that he had the Founding Titan; he still needed to understand how to use it; if he could learn what he needed to do, taking back Wall Maria would be very easy, and not to mention the many Colossal Titans inside the walls, he could easily use them to-
A sudden feeling of dread went through Eren every time he thought of them; he knew King Fritz had made them as a warning, that he would use them to literally flatten the world if they were attacked.
No, I will never do that, he thought with conviction; the world is full of innocent people, he thought with resolve; before throwing that train of thought entirely, he didn't need them; with the power of The Attack Titan, he could defend this island from Marley or anyone else.
In the last few months, he had gotten to know other cadets better as well, except Jean, that one would never change; despite living in the same place for months now, they still couldn't agree with anything, and their differences caused them to exchange words and sometimes even blows to each other. Usually, Mikasa would get between them, but Armin convinced her that Eren could take care of himself.
Connie Springer was someone he considered a friend; his easy-going attitude was a good break from the usual bleak atmosphere around the compound; the only thing he seriously disliked about Connie and probably everyone else did were his farts when he fell asleep, Eren had found out the hard way, one night he needed to share half of his bed with Connie, thankfully he wasn't really a big person, making it easier. The very same night, Eren had been thinking about Mikasa and Krista's- when a fart so loud escaped from Connie that it woke up every boy in their quarters.
Eren had smelled like rotten beans all day long, even after taking several showers the next day; Connie had been given a nickname since that day that he hated more than everything else.
Connie Fart Springer
Sasha was someone he had grown to like; her appetite and the way she thought of food had been unsettling at first, but he had grown to like her, especially when she talked about meat, sausages, steak, and all kinds of meat as if they were a gift from gods.
Marco was a cool dude, too optimistic, but perhaps that was better than looking at things seriously all the time. He was a trustworthy man; despite wanting to join the military police, Eren still thought he had a good head on his shoulders.
Reiner was kind of like the big brother of the group, always there to help cadets with a smile on his face; many looked up to him, believing he would be there to find a solution for any possible situation.
Amongst the cadets, Eren had gotten the reputation of the kid with more determination than everyone else, with speeches that would make everyone look up to him, something Eren both enjoyed and disliked; he really didn't like the attention, but ever since, he was able to keep balance with a broken gear, his reputation had gone through the roof within a single day.
Bertholdt was the tallest person amongst the cadets, yet the one who barely anyone ever paid attention to; he was very quiet and hardly ever talked, always listened to others without question. Eren had grown to be suspicious of him, he didn't look like the type of guy to be a soldier, yet his results in training were nothing to laugh at; everyone knew he was amongst the top 10 best, but the most important thing is that Eren remembered that he was one of the few people that the instructor had ignored that day.
According to him, he came from a village that Titans attacked; he and Reiner were the only ones left alive; that could explain why Shadis didn't question him, but there was something odd about him.
He had let Armin and Mikasa know about his doubts, telling his smart friend to keep an eye for anything unusual. Now they were training in hand-to-hand combat.
The bulky recruit groaned in pain as Reiner's body crashed into the rough ground.
From his position on the ground, he groaned, "That hurts!"
His partner in close combat sparring was none other but Eren, "I'm sorry, Reiner. I don't do a good job of controlling myself."
Reiner accepted the brown boy's offer of assistance after he extended his hand.
He handed him the wooden knife and pretended to be an attacker, saying, "Don't worry, nothing a soldier can't handle. Now it's your turn to Attack."
Eren regarded the knife with a puzzled expression before turning to face Reiner again.
"Is there a problem?" He asked when Reiner observed his partner's apparent reluctance.
Eren picked up the knife, frowning before saying, "I just don't see the point in this training. Why should we practice combat with others? We must prepare to battle the Titans. Additionally, only a fool would confront a person brandishing a weapon while unarmed,"
Eren glanced at the phony knife, and a flash went through his mind. He had a dim memory of himself standing on an adult's dead body. At that, he scowled even more. He didn't feel bad about what he did. He believes he has eradicated the human-skinned animal from this planet.
Reiner's stern voice jolted him out of his reverie, "It's reckless of you to think that way. We serve as soldiers. We are powerless to run away, no matter how dire the situation. We are unsure of our potential adversaries. For this reason, they instruct us on how to handle knives and rifles. And how to combat them without a weapon. We need to be able to fight even without weapons."
Eren nodded his head; hearing his words was quite eye-opening. Reiner was undoubtedly the person he was paying attention to. One of the few recruits he truly respected was him. To reclaim the house he had lost to the Titans almost three years prior, Reiner desired to enlist in the military. Eren could almost come to think of him as the older brother he never had because of how well he could understand him.
Pointing at one of the recruits wandering the training area, "Look at that, anyway." Reiner said, a young woman with backswept blonde hair and lifeless eyes.
"Annie, I see," Eren said. "Once more, she skips class without the instructor noticing."
"Alright, Eren. Give that slothful girl a lesson, please. We'll demonstrate to her how a proper soldier should act."
"Huh?!" Eren yelled and moved away. "Do you want to have broken bones and wind up in the hospital? You have witnessed what Annie has done to her trainees." He said, personally, he had yet to fight her, but he doubted he would be able to win against her.
Annie had no mercy for anyone if there was one thing Eren knew for sure about her. During the times they trained together in close combat, no one received any sort of consideration from her. Barely anyone ever talked to her; even when eating, she would sit away from the others.
Reiner grinned; an idea grew on his head. "Get going, Eren. If you're too scared to confront a girl who is several inches lower than you, how can you defeat the titans?"
Reiner then turned to face Annie, leaving Eren behind, who let out a resigned sigh and followed the taller blonde.
Annie was moving through the training area while checking to ensure no instructors were nearby when she came across Reiner's bulky body, which impeded her progress.
"Do you want to wash bathrooms for a whole month or what?" Reiner questioned with a snide smile. "Remember why you joined in the first place, and take this seriously if you don't want to shrink any more than you already have."
"Hey, why are you saying that?" Eren interjected, fully convinced that Reiner had a few screws loose.
He took a step back when he turned to face the blonde girl after being startled by her murderous expression.
She is furious. He swallowed loudly; he understood a bit why not that many talked with her.
Reiner grabbed Eren by the shoulders and pushed him in Annie's direction before saying, "Okay, it's your turn, Eren. Give her a lesson, please!"
"Huh?! Why me?!" Eren enquired while concealing his growing dread. "You wanted to teach her how to act as a soldier; why are you hiding behind me now?" Eren questioned, seeing that Reiner was pushing him forward while standing behind him, making it a funny picture; a man taller and more muscular than him was using him as a shield.
What irony, thought Annie. "You fervently cheer that we together can kill all the Titans, but you are afraid to face me. What a coward you are," she mocked him.
Because of her words, Eren froze in place. He gripped his fists tightly while glaring at Annie.
"I have come to understand that some people are even scarier than the Titans," Eren commented; Annie barely reacted to his comment but thinking how right he actually was, she personally knew several dangerous people without being giant humanoid creatures.
"Will you fight, or are we going to talk until we are bored to death?" Annie questioned with a bored look on her face.
Eren scowled as he firmly grasped his wooden knife. Being taken for granted was something he really detested.
He growled, "Don't expect me to hold back. Here I go,"
Annie didn't panic and didn't even hesitate when she kicked Eren hard in the shin, causing him to stumble back, holding his shin with his hand while clenching his teeth.
"Damn! Oh, that hurts." While clutching his hurt leg. "What in the world was that?" He questioned her.
"A low kick. Did you not anticipate it?" Annie said, looking at him over her shoulder,
"Quite a sneaky ploy," he remarked, actually intrigued by her fighting style.
"In a fight, there is no such thing as that. If your life is on the line, winning is winning, no matter how you do it." She turned to face Reiner. "Is that sufficient for you?" She asked, bored of this kid game.
He shook his head with a smirk on his face, "Not yet. Training isn't over until you disarm him,"
Annie sighed in frustration before looking at Eren. She almost appeared to feel bad for her victim. Almost.
"Annie, wait!" Eren protested, backing away as some fear crept into his voice. "There is a proper way to carry out this."
Eren's complaints went unheard as Annie grabbed him by the chin and swept his legs with a stern expression on her face. The boy tripped and fell hard to his back, letting out a painful groan as his legs crossed over his face in the position Annie often left her adversaries in when they dared to confront her, whether foolishly or bravely, as she had done with each of them.
When Annie threw the wooden knife at Eren, Reiner jumped out of his reverie as he watched his fallen friend.
Tucking a hair behind her ear, "Here. You now have the opportunity to attack me." She said.
Reiner attempted to justify himself by saying, "N-No," but his voice was trembling.
From the floor, Eren commanded, "Do it, Reiner." He was still standing with his legs crossed over his face, looking at the person who was responsible for him being in that position with disturbed eyes. "Wasn't she going to learn what a soldier should do from you?"
Annie seemed to be anticipating Reiner's response as he turned to look at her. He sighed.
"Yes, there are instances in which a soldier is unable to flee," On his face, a determined expression appeared. "Just now!"
After five seconds, that is how long it took Reiner to get to where Eren was.
"It's a really amazing technique," his voice filled with wonder. "Who taught you how to fight that way?"
"My father," that's all she said with a sudden disgust in her tone.
"Did he invent this method or what?" He asked, intrigued to know more about her, especially her way of fighting.
"It doesn't matter. It's incomprehensible. such as this." Annie interjected with a grimace on her face.
"You mean this training?" Eren enquired, appearing both perplexed and intrigued by Annie's reply.
She observed the other recruits' drills with disinterest. As Annie took note of her training partners, her eyes grew slightly more enquisitive.
"Training in hand-to-hand combat has no bearing on our final grades. Nobody takes them seriously," she said, sounding bored. "Only the top ten students in our class get the chance to join the Military Police and live inside the walls. What about the remainder? They are given the option of either dying protecting the walls or embarking on a suicide mission to try to reclaim territory that was lost three years earlier. Only serious idiots like you take this training seriously."
As she watched Sasha and Connie make a clumsy attempt at hand-to-hand combat, she added that final sentence. With Connie striking an equally ridiculous pose while holding the knife in his mouth, Sasha was striking an extravagant and absurd fighting pose.
"That might be true, but I never said I would be able to do this alone; the one in charge clearly doesn't care to take back Wall Maria; all they care about is eating and lazing around every day like pigs. I might be an idiot, but at least I won't rot like them," Eren spoke with passion, caughting her by surprise, she had thought he would be a simple-minded fool, but it seemed he had seen it as well, how the one in charge make sure that the best go as far away from the Titans as possible.
"Why do you think they put that system?" She questioned, intrigued by him.
Eren stood silent for a second before answering with a cold tone. "Simple, they want us to live inside the walls forever; they don't care to take back the lost land. All they want is to live like pigs with clothes," Annie nodded in agreement.
"That might be true, but they are the ones in charge; we can't do anything from our position," Annie spoke with a tiny hint of anger in her voice, remembering the way her father taught her by kicking and hitting her nonstop, until one day she returned everything he did to her for years, she remembered all the idiot Marleyans who decided that it was a wise idea to send four kids in an unknown territory full of Pure Titans, it was a miracle they were even able to go so far.
Eren noticed the sudden anger in her voice; he wondered what made her suddenly angry. "That might be true, but I don't plan to listen to them; only a fool follows their leaders blindly," Eren commented, not noticing the sudden flinch from Annie, who thought back at all the Eldians who blindly believe everything a Marley tells them despite being abused their whole life by the very same people.
"See you later, Eren," She said before walking away, briefly noticing that Eren's eyes were on her swaying ass.
Weekly Power Status
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