God & Demon XVII (Patreon)

Hey guys, I'll update another chapter of God & Demon before going back to the Green Dragon, enjoy reading ;)

Chapter XIV: A look into the Past before moving towards the Future.

"Father? Where are we going?"

Arthur Hannibal looked up from his book to look at his little eight-year-old boy with all his paternal tenderness.

Father and son were currently traveling in a Hannibal family stagecoach, escorted by a dozen mounted central brigadiers armed to the teeth. Unlike the Special Brigades, they wore a black bat on their uniform instead of a green unicorn.

“We’re going to visit one of your cousins, a girl."He informed him, smiling.

"Really?"Young Amos said excitedly before tilting his head to the side. "But why didn't I meet her sooner?"

Arthur grimaced, and took a sip of wine.

"Because she’s a bastard, but a very precious bastard."

“Oh."the little boy said, a little surprised, “but then why did Grandfather keep her?"

Arthur gritted his yellow teeth, and ran his hand through his brown hair.

"That… I can’t tell you."

Amos was visibly very upset by his father's refusal to comply, before tilting his head to the side in question.

"Wait a minute, you said it was my cousin. But you don't have a brother."

Is she…?"

“She’s a Hannibal."Arthur assured him, drinking another gulp of wine.

In this case there was only one possible solution, the little boy's angelic face took on a furious expression.

"This harpy had a bastard?"

“Yes."Arthur admitted, holding back laughter.

“What a female dog."The little boy growled.

"We agree."

Amos frowned after hearing this, he had always hated his aunt for being such a stupid, arrogant and contemptuous woman.

He began to clear his mind by looking out the window of their carriage, and eventually saw a small house in the middle of the countryside, and a little blonde girl raking dead leaves under a tree.

"Is that her?"He asked, trying to get a better look at her.

His father leaned out of the window to answer his question.

"Yes, it's her."He confirmed before she received a stone in the head.

"Bastard bitch!"Shouted the voice of a child.

"Dirty rich seed!"

"No one loves you! Go away!"

Hearing this, Arthur tried in vain to catch his son by the arm, but the latter had already thrown himself out of the carriage without it having stopped, and was rushing at full speed towards the group of little commoners, raising a thin cloud of dust in its wake. The Nps observed the scene with amazement.

When Amos kneed the nearest kid in the head, a smile of pride appeared on the face of the man sitting next to the jack.

“Good lad."Kenny Ackerman chuckled.

Hannibal did not stop there, and unleashed an avalanche of perfectly aimed blows on the other two bullies who collapsed in pain, half-conscious. All under the very astonished gaze of the little girl who was wiping the blood from her forehead without understanding what was happening.

"Amos!"Arthur shouted from the window of his carriage. "Stop this at once!"

The young boy froze just as he was about to crush of one of the bullies’ knee, and glared at them all with such a murderous look that they immediately wet their pants.

“If you ever hurt that girl again."He growled in a guttural voice, pointing at the little blonde, “I will rip each of your heads off. Got it?"

The commoners nodded frantically, and ran away in tears and blood.

Satisfied, the eight-year-old jumped over the fence surrounding the house and approached the little blonde who was observing him without saying a word.

He took a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from her forehead, she was so surprised that her eyes widened and she froze in place.

"Why didn’t you defend yourself?"He asked after he finished.

"No one ever scolded them."She breathed in shock. "You are the first. I always believed that they were doing nothing wrong, that they were right to do that."

Amos flicked her on the forehead.

"Wolves like us don't care about the opinions of sheep."He said, imitating his grandfather, "don't listen to them, they're stupid."

"But... we are not wolves."The young girl remarked, not understanding his wolves.

“For sheep like them, we are."The noble boy said with conviction. “I am a Hannibal, therefore I must do everything to rise to the top of the food chain. You too are a Hannibal, you have our name, the same blood flows in your veins."

The girl was amazed by his words, a crazy hope took possession of her being.

"So... we are from the same family?"

"Yes, we are cousins."

I have never met anyone from my family, she whispered with tears in her eyes, my governess does not speak to me.

“It doesn’t matter."the boy smiled, taking her hands. "I will be your family."

The little girl couldn't hold it any longer, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

Her benefactor gladly returned her embrace, to her greatest happiness.

She had read in a book that members of the same family showed their love through gestures of tenderness like this one.

“He really is my family. "

“My name is Amos."He said, tightening his grip.

“Historia."She gasped, doing the same for fear that he would disappear.

Arthur Hannibal observed the two children from the entrance to the property, a smile full of pride lit up his face.

“Stop."Ordered a sixteen-year-old Amos dressed in his usual aristocratic clothes.

The noble scout stopped for a moment to contemplate his father's face, worn out by alcohol, before returning to his seven-year-old little sister. He placed one knee on the ground to observe her angelic face transported with happiness.

“I should not have tried to teach you how to think like a noble lady."He sighed. “You did well not to take these lessons literally. "

He paused for a moment, before continuing:

“Historia, you are by far the dearest person to my heart, and I am so proud to be your big brother. I will always be by your side…”

The decor changed, memories followed one another, Amos spent some time observing Historia's training. We saw the latter, aged nine, dressed in sports clothing, trying to hit her elder cousin's head. She ended up giving him a nasty kick to the shin before hitting him with all her weight, they rolled in the grass laughing before the young nobleman subjugated her by tickling her.

Amos felt a smile of sincere joy appear on his lips, Goddesses, he missed old times.

Then other memories took place, memories that went back to the period following his disappearance for a year. And now that he was taking his time to compare his behaviors, he noticed how cold and paranoid he had become, even with Historia.

He grimaced when his memory took him to the moment when he had introduced his sister to omni-dimensional maneuvers, it was worse when he equipped her with anti-personnel equipment to take her hunting with him in the Yarckell district.

“Let’s be honest."He continued, swallowing a groan of frustration. “I don’t really regret introducing her to survival and war. I only regret the angle I took to teach her and... and not giving her enough support. "

Then came the memories of their time spent in the 104th, and the smile returned to his face.

“Who would have thought that this period would end up being as beneficial for her as it was for me? I… "

He stopped suddenly, and frowned. It was during these three years that he finally came out of his traumatic and psychotic spiral. What the hell had happened to him that caused him to finally emerge? What event was the trigger?

He looked through dozens of memories, before settling on the one that wasn't the one he was looking for, but was nonetheless one of the ones he wanted to view.

“The time I started to accept Ymir…."He sighed, smiling with amusement. “Can’t say I made it easy for her. "

(-)(-)(-)

Amos was sitting in the refectory, eating dinner and doing his accounts in his blue leather notebook, when Ymir came and placed his tray at his table without warning.

“Hope I’m not bothering you."She said lightly.

“Actually, you are."Nox replied without looking up from his notes. "If it's really important I imagine that waiting a couple of minutes won't cause you any problems."

The freckled girl grimaced, but ended up waiting for the tall blonde to finish his work.

"So?"He asked, letting out a resigned sigh before grabbing his glass of water. "What brings you here?"

"Christa is sad."

The Advisor immediately took on a more serious expression and leaned forward.

"How so?"

“You've been brooding alone in your corner for several weeks."Ymir pointed out, swallowing a spoonful of her bad soup. "You've been working too much lately, so you seem less happy than usual and she's worried."

Amos frowned, ‘less happy?’ When the hell had he looked happy lately?

He took two seconds to determine what had changed, before simply shaking his head.

"It's nothing at all."He said, "Mikasa and Reiner have worked extra hard with the end of year tests which are approaching. And since I don't intend to let myself be overtaken, I do the same. I'm just focused on my success, it will be back to normal when it's over."

Ymir gritted her teeth slightly, which was not lost on Nox.

"Yeah, well you could make some effort to reassure her before she takes the tests herself."

"I'll go talk to her."

"Nah, that won't be enough."the tall girl countered immediately, "actions before words, handsome. She wants to see you happy, not hear you tell her that you are happy."

This time it was Amos' turn to grind his teeth, he didn't understand how his sister could have seen him happy lately, especially after the survival exercise.

"And what do you suggest?"He asked politely, taking a sip of his drink.

“I thought you needed to get laid."She said with a mocking smile.

At this, Amos choked on his water and coughed violently under the amused gaze of the tall girl.

"What the hell are you talking about?"He jabbered, wiping his mouth.

Ymir's smile widened, to the displeasure of the tall blond.

“Oh come on."She said teasingly, leaning forward. "I saw the passion with which you swirled the tongue of brave Mina. How did you feel when you sucked her glottis?"

“Disgust."He replied in a voice as cold as death, glaring at her with predation.

Ymir stopped in her tracks, and stopped smiling.

"Eh?"

“I only felt disgust."He repeated, calming his animal impulses.

Noting that it was necessary to say more before the big girl drew the wrong conclusions, he added:

"It had nothing to do with Mina though, she’s a nice girl. The problem...is me."

Ymir frowned.

"You gay?"

Amos looked up at the ceiling.

"No, and please don’t dwell on my problem."

The tall girl bit her tongue, now that she was intrigued she wanted to dig deeper. But she took Nox's warning seriously.

It was then that a new question arose in his mind.

"And Christa?"She murmured, glancing to right and left. "Which side is she on?"

The tall blond shook himself with weariness and raised a dismayed eyebrow.

"Don’t you think you should have found that out before trying to seduce her?"

The tall girl let out an embarrassed smile, but impatiently awaited her interlocutor's response.

The latter let out a resigned sigh.

"She's bisexual."He finally admitted in a low voice. "She likes boys AND girls."

Ymir widened her eyes and opened her mouth, half smug, half excited.

"Seriously?"She asked a little too loudly.

A kick to the shin called her to order while some of their comrades turned their heads in their direction.

"Watch your tongue."The tall blond reprimanded, "And yes seriously."

Ymir bit her lower lip, before gulping down her soup in one gulp and licking her lips.

“Oh damn, that’s great."She said, smiling broadly.

"Really?"the young man said, a little surprised. "I don't see how that's so great, your competition has just doubled."

The tall girl brushed this remark aside with a wave of her hand.

"Pff, let them come, it’s not like they’re going to stop me."

Amos raised an eyebrow and raised his goblet to his lips.

"You know, it’s not a battle you will win if you continue like this, information is the sinews of war, Ymir."

“And what do you think I’m doing?"She asked as she kept on smiling.

“Something you should have done at least six months ago."Nox replied unimpressed, “don’t expect congratulations from me. The simple fact that I let you hang out with her knowing your intentions should have alerted you."

This time the big girl grimaced and bit into her bread. She searched for something to respond but ultimately resigned herself to changing the subject.

"Now back to you…"

"Oh bloody hell…"

“So poor Mina doesn’t have a chance."She said, leaning forward, “so who would you like to try your luck with?”

Amos narrowed his eyes menacingly, but Ymir remained unfazed.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than talk to me about girls?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about."the teenager replied with a smile. "We're just chatting to keep Christa happy in preparation for the tests. Don't you think it will warm her heart to see us getting along?"

Nox looked up at the ceiling before letting out a long, deep sigh.

“Well done."He grumbled, annoyed at having been tricked like that. "But don't you want to talk about anything else?"

"Hmm…."She thought aloud with sarcasm. "Pass up the opportunity to know the tastes and crushes of the most popular guy around? Pff, in your dreams."

She took a second kick to the shin, but didn't stop smiling.

"Ymir, this doesn't amuse me at all."He warned.  "And I have no "chosen one".

“Okay, okay."She grumbled, rubbing her ankle, “so what do you think of Sasha?

Amos couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you eve listening to what I’m telling you or are you doing it on purpose?"

"Oh come on!"She grumbled falsely. "I’m not asking you to know who you want to fuck, I'm just asking you what you think of Sasha."

Nox was about to politely send him to fuck off, before putting the pieces of the puzzle into place and narrowing his eyes.

"Why Sasha in particular?"He questioned suspiciously.

"What ? Would you rather we talk about Annie?"She asked impassively.

“No, I just find it suspicious that you're bringing Sasha to the table knowing that you like her more than you'd like to admit."

Ymir raised an eyebrow, but was careful not to show her concern.

"I don t appreciate…"

"And… !"Nox continued, ignoring her. "While having noticed how much our dear potato girl devours me with her eyes."

This time, the tall girl tensed in surprise and worry.

"Ouch…"

“As you say."He confirmed, finishing his water. "It’s nice what you’re trying to do, Ymir, but it’ll never work."

He slightly accentuated the word "never", which was enough to shatter the last hopes of his interlocutor.

"But hey…."He continued in a more measured voice, "since you asked me what I thought of Sasha, and you did it for a good reason, I will answer…"

Ymir raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Sasha is pretty, cute, very kind and even a good person. But she's not my type, and I can't stand the way she eats... she makes me want to murder her every time I see her. And… there is the fact that she stares at my ass two to four times a day… which makes me very uncomfortable."

"Really?"She wondered. "You should be flattered though, it's a piece of meat that she dreams of sinking her teeth into."

Predation immediately took hold of the tall blond's gaze, Ymir almost flinched.

"I am… in no way… flattered."

Realizing immediately that she was venturing onto very slippery ground, the tall girl raised her hands in resignation.

"Okay, okay…sorry."

“It’s nothing."Amos said as he finished his piece of bread.

Understanding that they were going to part on this bad note, Ymir quickly thought of ways to resume the conversation on a better footing.

"Why don't you tell her if it bothers you so much?"She suddenly realized. "You're not the type to stick your tongue in your pocket."

Nox raised his head, then sighed as his gaze softened.

"Sasha has had enough lately."He explained calmly. "Her village has lost a large part of its territories and she can no longer hunt, she can no longer eat her fill, she... she has lost hope. And the only reason she's here is to join the Military Police and be able to eat as much as she wants again. It's her only hope right now... That and... the hope of going out with me one day. And as I don't want her to lose more, I leave her this hope until she finds something else."

Ymir raised her eyebrows in surprise, a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"How cute are you?"

"Shut up."

"Nah, I insist, you’re really cute."

"Got it."

"Who knew you could be so CUTE."

"Ymir, shut up or I'll beat you up."

The tall girl threw her head back and burst out laughing.

"The hope of the potato by the buttocks of the handsome blond."She continued in a low and solemn voice. "What a high-sounding title."

“For God’s sake, shut up."replied the handsome blond, hinting at a smirk.

Satisfied by this reaction, the big girl took the opportunity to dig deeper.

"Ok."She continued, leaning forward again, "so... Who do you think is the prettiest girl in the class?"

There, however, Amos stopped smiling.

"You're annoying me, why do you want to know that?"

“Out of curiosity."She replied simply, “and you’re lucky enough to have a future sister-in-law like me. You can have all the information you want, remember I share the showers with everyone else."

Nox rolled his eyes and snorted in disgust.

“I’m not a pervert, Ymir."He growled outraged, “and if that’s your strategy for getting into my good graces, you’re screwing up…"

He stopped suddenly as he realized what the tall girl's proposal implied. Predation immediately returned to his emerald green eyes, and stared at the young woman with cold anger.

Ymir was so surprised that she took a step back.

"Um…"She said, feeling a trickle of sweat running down her back. "What did I say?"

Amos took a very long breath through his nose, and bent his leg to place his hand on his dagger.

"Say."He murmured in a guttural voice. "Did you take advantage of the shared bathroom to watch my little sister when she washes, by any chance?"

The expression on the tall girl's face was immediately distorted by terror, a most eloquent response in the eyes of the young man.

“Run."He advised her, drawing his dagger.

And that's what she did.

(-)(-)(-)

Quietly installed behind HQ while smoking his cigarette, Amos smiled when he extricated himself from the memory of this meal shared with Ymir.

"I can't believe that I ended up accepting such a pervert into the family."He chuckled while puffing on his cigarette. "To be honest... I did so many incredible things during my classes... And after my classes."

He grimaced before stubbing out his cigarette butt in his portable ashtray, observed the sunrise behind the trees, and returned to the castle grounds.

Today was the fateful day, the day of the ambush in the Stohess district, the day of his revenge against Annie.

If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he had brooded over his defeat against the Female Titan with anger. Annie Leonhart had never managed to beat him in their classes, the fact that she had managed to inflict such a defeat on the battlefield... pissed him off. And he was not the man to hide behind unpredictable facts. The traitor had survived against all odds in the Forest of Giant Trees. It was because of this that they were at the foot of the Wall, barely hours away from ending up in the clutches of Lord Peter.

“You won't escape from me this time, I'll tear you off your titan's neck and I'll have fun... for as long as necessary. "

Armin's tearful face flashed in his mind, he lowered his head. But his decision had already been made.

“It would be better if Armin didn’t find out what I’m going to do to Annie, his reaction would be totally unpredictable. And although he is strong, he could still give way. I regret having come to this, but there are no other solutions. This fucking bitch absolutely needs to spill the beans. "

Amos looked at his watch, and realized it was almost breakfast time. As usual, he got up well before everyone else. And it was his turn to prepare the meal today.

While entering the kitchen, he remembered Eren's reaction when they exposed the identity of the Female Titan.

He gritted his teeth before taking the cans of porridge and eggs out of the cupboard, before grabbing the spices he had brought from the kitchens of Hannibal Manor. Then he put the water to boil for tea.

“I regret letting Armin handle his case, I should have handled it myself, but…"

The image of Mikasa and him talking alone in his room made him shiver, he heaved a deep sigh remembering the oriental girl's expression.

“I didn’t have the strength to… well, I needed to sleep. "

Even if technically he only had to prepare meals for Levi and Eren, he couldn't see himself leaving Armin and Mikasa to fend for themselves. So he made five small omelettes and five portions of porridge.

He set the table perfectly as he liked it, folded the napkins and placed equal portions on each plate. It was only when the last plate was being served that Mikasa entered the dining room, noticed him and pulled her scarf up over her nose.

Not knowing how to take the gesture, he simply greeted her with a nod which she returned. Hannibal then focused on serving tea, while Ackerman sat to the left of Eren's place, opposite to Amos' place.

"Do you want something in your tea or do you take it plain?"the latter asked, handing her the last plate.

“A bit of sugar, please."She replied in an impassive voice.

The tall blond man burned with the urge to turn around to analyze the features of her face, but he chose not to do anything about it.

“There isn’t any."He sighed, knowing that Levi never put any in his. “But I have honey."

Mikasa looked up in surprise.

"Honey? Where did you find it?"

"I stole it from the kitchens of the Manor."Amos replied, taking the pot out of the cupboard with a small spoon. "I'll let you measure it to your liking."

The oriental girl remained speechless in front of the said pot... she had not eaten honey since her childhood. Since her last birthday with her parents...and her mother's cake.

She shyly grabbed the sweet treat, poured a spoonful into her tea, stirred calmly and brought the beverage to her lips. The delicious taste of the syrupy substance invaded her palate and she let out a small smile.

However... it wasn't exactly the taste she remembered, she ran her finger over her spoon to taste the plain honey... still not...

"Is there something wrong? Amos asked, curious about her behaviour.

Mikasa let out a small sigh and went back to drinking her tea.

“It’s nothing."She replied in an absent-minded voice.

She was dying to ask him if he had heard of such a cake, but that wouldn't be right... She had to ask something else first:

"Amos?"

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

The noble paused for a moment while serving tea for the other scouts, he hesitated to raise his head, before finally letting out a small sigh.

"Well…."He began, filling Captain Levi's cup. "I don't really know. I... I think talking about it did me a little good, but... I don't know if it really changed much."

Mikasa seemed slightly sad to hear this, but she was careful not to show it.

Amos let out a polite groan, and went to put the teapot down.

"Let's say…."He continued after a moment."…let’s say that I regret the way I was able to think for years, I used to be a twat. However, I will not change my methods, and probably never will."

He sighed sadly and turned towards the oriental woman.

"I know that deep down I'm the worst kind of bastard you can find, I'm ready to do anything, to commit the most abominable acts if they prove necessary, to succeed whatever the cost to pay. This...this will never change."

The oriental felt her heart bleed when she heard it, Amos had always been one of the strongest people she had known. Seeing him like this… it hurt her. But he seemed to be in less pain, he no longer covered his face when he spoke to her.

"You are very far…."She began quietly before speaking with more conviction. "…very far from being the worst bastard, as you say."

Amos didn't answer, he just didn't believe her. The latter noticed this, and took a deep breath.

“I think you’re a great person."She said sincerely.

The tall blond widened his eyes, he tried to answer but the words died on his lips. He then felt a slight blush color his cheeks, he turned his head and scratched his right temple with his left hand to hide.

“I need a scarf."He admitted, hiding a small smile.

Mikasa chuckled softly and pulled her own scarf up over her nose.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Levi's dull voice immediately put an end to the oriental's amusement, she returned to her neutral expression and ate her breakfast without saying a word. The officer ignored her to look at the table, Amos took the lead:

"Morning, Captain, breakfast served at six thirty as you requested."

"Fuck you, Hannibal, why did you already pour the tea? It must be cold."

Said Hannibal raised an eyebrow, before taking one of the cups by the saucer and handing it to his superior. Levi raised an eyebrow in turn, grabbed the cup and brought it to his lips. He frowned both brows this time and looked the noble straight in the eyes.

"How did you keep it warm?"He asked with a serious tone.

"By heating the cups with boiling water before serving the tea."The noble man replied simply.

Levi noted this tip in the back of his mind, then he patted the young man on the back.

“Not bad."He said before noticing that the latter hadn’t moved.

The captain stopped abruptly and glared at the tall blond.

"What have you dost yourself with again?"

At these words, Mikasa raised her head.

"Dost?! What is he talking about?”

"A secret concoction made from cat hair."Hannibal replied nonchalantly."Cut with some detergent."

Levi's eyes took on a murderous glint.

"Methadone."The young man finally admitted. "The survival of Humanity could very well be at stake today, so I have to be at 100% of my abilities."

His superior takes a deep breath to calm down, before grumbling and going to sit down.

“As soon as this is over, Hannibal, I will teach you the lesson you deserve.

“I believe you."Amos replied sitting down in turn. “Yeah, like that will ever happen. "

It was at this moment that Eren and Armin chose to enter the room, they greeted their superior and took their places in front of their respective plates. Neither seemed to have slept well given their dark circles.

The meal took place in heavy silence, everyone thought about the day's mission: the capture of Annie Leonhart, the Female Titan.

Once finished, Mikasa and Armin were assigned to do the dishes while Amos and Eren went to get ready, and Levi poured himself another cup of tea.

"Armin?"She asked while wiping a plate."Have you ever heard of the Dark Witch of Orvund?"

The Captain of the Scouts froze in place when he heard the name.

The little blond raised his eyebrows in surprise, then he took a moment to think.

"Vaguely."He replied after a moment of hesitation. "I heard merchants talking about her a year after Maria. They said she was burned alive... but she had sworn to come back."

Mikasa watched her friend shudder, as he didn't add anything, she didn't ask any further questions. They finished their chore and were about to leave the room when Levi spoke:

"Ackerman? Stay for a moment."

She had no desire to stay in the company of the man who had beaten Eren and who was torturing Amos. Nevertheless, she complied with her superior's order while her friend left, giving them a worried look.

“The Dark Witch of Orvund"the scout said slowly, looking up from his cup, “where did you hear that name?"

“That doesn’t concern you, sir."She replied uncompromisingly.

Levi raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

“You and Hannibal must get along wonderfully."He remarked, much to the young girl’s annoyance.

He paused to sip his tea and went on with a serious tone:

"The noblish would not pronounce this name lightly, it is important that I know in what context he pronounced it."

"Why?"She asked, suppressing her growing worry.

But Levi read it without problem.

"Because there's only one kid who survived that bitch."He replied in a dull voice. "Just make the connection with Hannibal's scars. Am I clearer or do you want me to draw you the situation?"

Mikasa seriously started to get angry, she took a deep breath to calm down.

"Captain, can you tell me more please?"

Said Captain looked at her out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow, which had the effect of accentuating the oriental's annoyance.

"The Dark Witch of Orvund was, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst bitch in Humanity’s History. This degenerate whore claimed that she had experienced dark forces, she practiced rituals aimed at sacrificing children and virgins to increase her ‘powers’."

Mikasa's eyes widened in horror.

"She had a whole cult to worship her like a goddess."He added, drinking a sip of tea. "That's why it was so difficult to catch her, she had connections everywhere. She raged for years, and judging by Hannibal's scars, he must have crossed her path."

"How so?"

"She tortured her victims."Levi clarified as he finished his drink. "A way for her to ‘feed on their life force’ before sacrificing their lives."

Mikasa remained speechless, her breathing hitched, her muscles tense, her body trembling with hatred.

“She ended up burned alive."The captain finished, getting up to wash his cup, “End of the story."

"I see, thank you."Replied in the orientak as she started to leave.

She stopped however, because a question had just arisen in her mind.

"How do you know all that?"

Only experience had prevented Levi from tensing up, he continued cleaning his cup as if nothing had happened.

"I tracked her down once, for personal reasons."He replied in a dull and impassive tone while inspecting the cleanliness of his cup. "I found her, she won."

Mikasa was genuinely shocked to hear it, she had seen the Captain tear the Female Titan to pieces in just a few seconds. That he was once beaten by a simple human was very difficult to believe.

“Who was this… monster? And what had she done to Amos? "

Levi raised his head, met the girl's gaze, and sighed.

"The story is over, you will go and get some explanations out of Hannibal later. For now, focus on today's mission, and remember that if we lose Eren, Humanity is screwed."

Mikasa was abruptly brought back to reality, she kept her questions in the back of her mind before shielding her mind. One thing at a time, today Annie will bite the dust, and pay for all her crimes.

Satisfied by what he saw, Levi dismissed her with a nod, and discreetly let out his frustration once alone.

“Hannibal and I are going to have a little chat as soon as this fucking operation is over. "

The image of a young woman with red hair dressed in a scout uniform stood out in the Captain's mind, he clenched his fists. Before focusing on the mission of the day and leaving the dining room, ignoring his old and violent emotions.

“How did this kid manage to escape this damn witch? "

(-)(-)(-)

Stohess was, as usual and like all the cities of Wall Sina, a radiant city. Its inhabitants being galvanized by the security offered to them by the Interior, they were all happy to live a life of peace without having to worry about anything other than their daily routine. However, regulars would have noticed that many businesses had closed without warning in the middle of the week. And someone very attentive would have made the connection with the multiple carts that had crossed the gate that connected the District to the Capital during the night.

But Annie Leonhart didn't care about any of that, she just greeted the convoy led by Commander Niles Dawk alongside the other young recruits. The convoy that brought Eren Jaeger before Court so that his case could be definitively dealt with.

Annie felt sorry for him. All he wanted was to help Humanity, but now Humanity was going to execute him. The irony was not lost to her.

Once the last stagecoach had passed, Leonhart began to follow the rest of the young recruits responsible for the escort, and passed in front of an alley where a small figure was hidden.

"Annie?"A familiar voice whispered.

She froze, waited for everyone to leave, and entered the alley in search of the person who had called her out. This person was none other than Armin, dressed in a large green raincoat.

“Hello."He greeted with a smile.

“Armin."She replied, sincerely surprised to see him. "What’s with the outfit?"

"I hide my omni-dimensional equipment under my raincoat."

With these words, he lifted the garment to reveal his weapon.

Annie looked quite worried when she discovered him.

"What does it mean?"

"Annie… Do you want to help Eren escape?"

This time she looked skeptical.

"And to go where, pray tell? He has nowhere to run to right now, and the government will hunt him down relentlessly."

"He will hide until Amos manages to convince his grandfather to give him a second chance. We are not planning to rebel head-on against the government, rest assured. Amos plans to mollify the Prime Minister by agreeing to get engaged, then he…"

Armin bit his tongue, his interlocutor easily guessed that the next detail bothered the little blond.

"...then he... will have him assassinated... and take control of the Government."

Annie's eyes widened in surprise, was such a thing possible?"

"Wait... Can we hope for such a thing? How will Amos do it?"

"Apparently it's a move he's been planning for years."Armin explained, trying to slow down his heartbeat. "He would have liked to wait a little longer, but the failure of our last expedition and the pressure from Lord Peter forced his hand."

The MP raised an eyebrow, Hannibal had always seemed more dangerous than he let on, but to attempt such a move...

"Why do you need my help?"She asked suspiciously. "If Amos is so influential, what can I do that he can't do?"

“There was a problem with our original plan."Armin replied, almost too hastily. "We were originally supposed to escape before reaching Sina, but the Hannibal Brigades monitored us so closely that we only had a tiny window of action to replace Eren with Jean. Now we can no longer count on Amos, he was transported to the Capital yesterday after returning injured from the Expedition. We need the help of an MP to get through the Military Police checkpoints... I'm sorry, I don't want to put you in such a position... Amos will make sure you don't have any problems…"

"And if I refuse?"

The question was cold and dreary, typical of the terror of the 104th.

Armin looked at her in disbelief before lowering his head.

"If you refuse... Eren will probably be killed before Amos can do anything. It's still his grandfather who's calling the shots and he absolutely wants to see him disappear. I... I don't know what to tell you to convince you, except that I need you."

Leonhart raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Why me? What makes you think I'm a good person to do something like this?"

Armin swallowed, and met her steel-blue gaze, blushing slightly.

"A good person? Personally I don't like this expression very much, because it's what we say to people when it suits us. And I know from experience that it only takes one bad decision to become bad in someone's eyes. But if you want to know everything Annie… from my point of view, you have always been a good person. And that won't change no matter what you decide."

Leonhart was touched and surprised to hear these words with such sincerity, she then felt a heavy feeling weighing against her chest.

“I think so."Armin continued, “because I know that whatever you decide, you won't do it because you have bad intentions, but because you... think it's the best thing to do. Which doesn't mean that you won't feel remorse if you don't help me. And that's what makes me think you're a good person."

Annie remained silent, hesitant, and slightly disoriented. She had appreciated those words, Armin understood her so well... he helped her feel better.

“Okay."She finally said, putting down her rifle.

Then she discreetly put on a silver ring before adding:

"I’ll help you."

(-)(-)(-)

Annie and Armin met Mikasa and Eren a little further away, both covered by their raincoats. The four former 104th cadets took to the back roads to avoid the soldiers, and so far it seemed to be working.

“It worked."Eren commented softly. "I can't believe it was so easy."

“Shh."Mikasa chided.

Eren brought up a very good point without knowing it, it was too easy.

"The Military Police works hard. He said ironically. "It makes you wonder why they bother to put on their uniforms."

"Stop looking to the right and left."Mikasa urged. "The Hannibal Brigades could very well be watching us."

“I hope they haven't noticed my decoy yet."He continued, ignoring her. "He will be toast as soon as he gets out of the carriage. Jean and I don't look alike at all."

“Here we go again."Annie thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Some things just never changed.

"It's going to be okay."Armin assured. "You both have the look of a brute and the face of a bandit."

“I don't have his horse-face."Eren protested.

"Hey."Annie interrupted, already fed up by their noise. "If I had refused to help you, what was your plan B?"

“The sewers."Armin replied. “But it was so huge that I was afraid we would get lost and end up in the middle of the capital."

Annie raised an eyebrow, before saying in a cold voice:

"I see, it's a very good plan."

Mikasa immediately tilted and discreetly gritted her teeth, the hilts of her swords itched terribly.

"Say Armin."Annie said. "You told me that Amos was injured. How bad is it?"

The small blonde boy automatically tensed up, before lowering his head.

"It was hideous, he took drugs to appear unharmed in front of the people... But it will take him time before he can be fit for combat again."

“I see."Annie replied, trying to appear impassive.

But Armin thought he detected disappointment in her voice. Was she disappointed she didn't kill him?

He did not have time to think further, because the small group had just arrived to their destination.

“Here it is."He announced.

The three followed Armin to a staircase that led underground, a place a shapeshifter could not transform into even if he or she needed to.

"Here?"Annie asked, disturbed.

“Yes."Arlet confirmed, going down the stairs with Eren and Mikasa close behind. "We'll go through there. It's what's left of an underground city they planned to build a long time ago. And if I'm right, that should take us to the vicinity of the outer gate."

“Nice work, Armin."Eren complimented. "It's awesome."

The three suddenly stopped when they realized that Annie was still at the top of the stairs, motionless, her gaze cold as death.

"What's the matter?"Eren asked, confused. "You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

"And if I were?"Annie replied in an outraged tone. "I don't expect a brave suicidal person like you to understand me. You don't know what it's like to be a fragile girl paralyzed by fear."

Armin grimaced, he knew she knew.

Lying on his back against the roof twenty-five meters behind the Female Titan, Amos let out a discreet rattle of smoke without removing his cigarette from his mouth. The scouts around him gave him intense reproachful looks due to the stress they were feeling, but the noble didn't care.

“Predictable."He thought, taking another drag. “Let’s see how Armin does. "

"There's nothing fragile about a girl who can knock down a grown man."Eren remarked before sinking underground. "Stop your bullshit and let's move on."

“No, I refuse."She stated firmly. "I'll help if we stay on the surface, otherwise I’m out."

There was a long pause which increased the tension, no one was fooled anymore.

"Stop being stubborn, dammit!"Jaeger suddenly shouted. "Get down there you stupid bitch! Otherwise we will be…"

“You stupid bitch."Amos recited, suppressing his burst of laughter.

“Stop shouting."Mikasa scolded. "Someone will hear you."

“It’s okay, Mikasa."Annie said. "It seems that for some reason there is no one around."

She gave Armin a disappointed look, but was surprised by the way the little blond looked at her in return.

He looked so sad, so sorry. Why did he look sorry?

“Don’t look at me like that, Armin."She asked, swallowing her pleading tone. “It hurts me. It really hurts me."

The latter held a hidden pistol in his hand, he blew through his nose before facing her completely.

"Annie… why did you have Marco’s omni-dimensional equipment during the inspection? I recognized it at first glance... What... What did Marco hear to... to end like this?"

The little blonde's eyes widened ever so slightly, she sighed just as slightly.

“I don't really know."She admitted evasively. “But the task had to be done."

He swallows.

“It was you who killed the two captured Titans."He continued as a tear ran down his cheek, much to the horror of his interlocutor.

“Maybe."She replied in a very annoying monotone. "But if you've been suspecting it since last month, why did you wait so long to say anything?"

"I didn't want to believe it."Armin admitted simply "I refused to believe it and it cost me. Just like it cost you to spare me twice."

A dead silence fell over those present, as the wind picked up speed.

"You're right."Annie sighed. "We're here because I let you live. Of course, I never thought you would end up cornering me like that."

She suddenly started talking to herself.

"Why? Why didn't I kill you?"

For his part, Eren had heard enough, he was about to speak to beg his comrade, but Armin beat him to it with a declaration that paralyzed him along with everyone else:

"I love you."

Mikasa and Eren looked at their friend as if he had grown a second head, but no one was more shocked than Annie herself. The little blonde girl suddenly had a hyperventilation attack, her eyes instantly clouded over.

“Damn it Armin! "Amos thought, biting his bifter in frustration. “Eren will lose his shit if you stay stuff like that! "

“I remember that night."Armin added, swallowing and ignoring Leonhart's open mouth, “I remember everything and I will never forget it. I will cherish it forever! That's why I didn't say anything!"

Annie stammered unintelligible words and blinked multiple times, she felt like she had been struck by lightning.

The little blond climbed two steps before continuing:

"Annie... I... I know you're not a monster."He said in a voice choked with sobs. "You were ten years old when Wall Maria fell. What kind of ten year old does something like that on their own will?! You had orders, you could only follow them because that's what you've always known, right?!"

Annie took a step back, the expression on her face was as horrified as it was relieved.

"Annie! I beg you! You had no choice until then! But now… now you have one! Please! Join us! Tell us, tell us what we don't know! I beg you!"

Leonhart looked at him with tearful eyes, and considered his proposition for a moment that seemed to last an eternity.

"How daring of you, Armin... damn... for her sake, I hope it works, otherwise I'll cut her to pieces. "

"No one will forgive me."She said as her tears kept on flowing to flow, everyone will hate me... Just like they have always done."

This last revelation made Amos raise his eyebrow, he lit another cigarette with the embers of the first.

“I won’t."Armin said after wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. “I never held it against you. If you ever make this choice, I want you to know that I will always be by your side! Whatever happens!"

Annie widened her eyes until her retinas exploded one last time. Armin... Armin would always be by her side? This simple thought is enough to call everything into question from the young girl's point of view.

What to do? Abandon everything she had fought for so far in favor of an ephemeral future? Or c…

Annie stopped thinking after this first hypothesis, an ephemeral future? Filled with pain and regret for a stupid teenage love? A future condemned to extinction no matter what? Reducing all her atrocities, crimes and sacrifices to nothing...Forcing her to watch Armin die? No... She couldn't do that... Not when her father was waiting for her at home and would continue to give her life meaning long after his death. It was too high of a price for a small reward... ultimately the choice was very logical. Even though it was incredibly painful.

"Armin…."She said in a voice possessed by tears. "I am so happy... so happy to have heard you say these words... I want you to know... that I love you too... and that I am so happy to have met you... Unfortunately... neither you nor I will have what we want."

This was enough to crush the last hopes of the little blond who felt for the second time in two days his heart being crushed by the merciless hand of destiny. His teeth clenched to the point of almost exploding.

"It's over, Armin."Annie continued regretfully, casting a vague glance at Eren and Mikasa. "You have to do what you have to do, I will do what I have to do."

“Duty is the death of love."The voice of Amos resonated in Arlet’s head, who lowered it.

The choice was made, there was no going back.

Eren had heard enough, and then tried a desperate maneuver:

"Annie!"He yelled in a completely panicked voice. "You took that joke too far! Just tell us it was a horrible prank! It is not too late ! Come on! Come down and let’s talk! You can prove to us that we're wrong going down these stairs! Prove that the accusation against you is wrong!

Amos hit his forehead and groaned in frustration.

"Fuck…! Why didn’t… didn’t I prepare you for this kind of situation? "

"That's enough!"Mikasa roared, dropping her hood. "I've heard enough!"

With these words the oriental drew one of her blades, displaying a murderous look in the direction of the little blonde.

"I'm going to butcher you a second time, FEMALE TITAN!"

Annie almost burst out laughing after this statement, before meeting the half blood's gaze. She stopped in mid-swing, then frowned.

"Wow…."She said, impressed. "I've never seen you so angry, Mikasa."

The latter managed to accentuate her fury… surprisingly.

"Let me guess…" The blonde sighed. "It's because I made Armin suffer? Or because I tried to kidnap Eren?"

Mikasa did not move an inch, which deepened the mystery in the eyes of the traitor.

"No? Well then why…?"

A flash of realization crossed the MP's silver-blue gaze, and this time, she let out a genuine burst of laughter that was as terrifying as it was sincere. The three natives of Shiganshina watched her laugh with frightened looks while the noble of Mitras just frowned behind his roof.

"Ah I see."Annie spoke again after calming down. "You’re mad at me for what I did to Amos."

This time, Mikasa gave a slight shudder which escaped no one.

"It's not my fault you know, what kind of idiot sacrifices himself for an imbecile like you?"

The oriental felt an infernal fury rumbling within her guts, for his part, Hannibal let the predation occupy his thoughts.

“You act like a bitch you get treated like a bitch, Annie. I no longer answer for my actions from now on. Armin's feelings won't save you. "

"I should have known that psychopaths were your type."Leonhart continued giving the halfblooded woman a mocking look. "You have no idea in what kind of shit you’re getting yourself into, and you jump into it head first. I did the same stupid thing with an asshole like him if you want to know everything…"

Hannibal raised a curious eyebrow, as Mikasa felt her blood boil to a delirious temperature, she set her enemy on fire with the deadliest glow her jet-black eyes had ever conjured.

But at this point, Annie Leonhart no longer cared, she returned to her little blond, her cheeks wet and her smile sad.

"Armin... I'm so happy to have meant so much to you... It really, really makes me happy you know...? It looks like you’ve won your bet."

The traitor's lips widened until they reached her ears, the little blond gritted his teeth in terror.

"Let’s see if I win mine."

At these words, she brought her index finger to her mouth in order to bite it.

Armin reacted quickly, he raised his smoke gun and pulled the trigger, ignoring all the feelings that were twisting his insides.

At his signal, several soldiers in civilian clothes appeared out of and behind the buildings to rush at full speed towards Annie. Amos took advantage of this to do the exact opposite; move away from the area. The shot fired by the little blond disoriented the fake MP enough for her to be caught and gagged to prevent a transformation. However, she did not fight despite the assault. She just clashed her cold gaze with the one that belonged to the boy she loved, before drawing a blade hidden in her ring. Mikasa realized the danger before her friends and dragged them into the depths of the earth before it was too late.

"What are you…?"Armin protested.

"It's too late!"

Annie cut her finger with the blade of her ring.

Although he was a block away, Amos observed his prey using a portable telescope which he folded up when he noted the predictable outcome of the negotiations.

“Here we go."He grinned as a bolt of lightning came from the sky to strike Stohess.

The shock wave swept through her blond hair.

"A decisive battle settled with a simple winning round."Amos said, licking his lips. "And no running away this time."