Attack On Titan: Hope

"Reiner's the Armored Titan?!" One of the cadets shouted, his voice raw with disbelief. The air around the cadets felt thick, suffocating, as if the weight of reality itself had grown unbearable.

"No… It's not possible…" Connie muttered, his knees buckling as he bent down, eyes locked onto Reiner's slumped form. He was shaking, hands clenched into trembling fists. "It's Reiner, guys… Right? He's like our older brother. There's no way he can be… a monster?"

But then his gaze drifted—toward the steam rising from Reiner's body. His breath hitched.

No.

Reiner just sat there, silent, his head bowed, not even trying to deny it.

A heavy thud snapped everyone's attention upward.

Eren landed on top of the wall, his body covered in blood—Titan blood, steaming as it evaporated off his skin.

Jean followed just behind, breath ragged, and in the next moment, the Levi Squad touched down alongside them blades drawn, their movements swift and precise.

High-ranking officers from the Garrison Regiment followed suit, their expressions grim. And long before all the cadets were surrounded by a crowd of soldiers of every single regiment.

They had all seen it.

They had witnessed everything.

Eren's transformation. His overwhelming power. The way he had torn Reiner down like it was nothing.

Jean swallowed hard, barely able to process the sheer insanity of the day. His hands trembled as he steadied himself beside Eren, his voice hoarse.

"Trost… is safe now…" He exhaled shakily, as if saying it out loud would make it real. "The gate is sealed…"

Silence. Wide eyes turned to him in shock.

"Eren… he turned into that Titan… and then his body—" Jean's voice wavered as he recounted the impossible. "It started forming crystals… and then he went limp under the gate. It's hardening, he said…"

No one could respond. No one could even breathe.

But Eren wasn't looking at Jean. He wasn't looking at anyone. His cold, unwavering gaze was fixed on Reiner before it briefly swept over the rest of the cadets, unreadable.

"Eren… What the hell is happening?!"

Connie's voice cracked as he grabbed Eren's collar, his entire body trembling, tears spilling down his face. His grip was tight, desperate, as if shaking Eren hard enough would force him to give an answer that made sense.

But Eren didn't react.

His expression remained as cold as ever, and something about the sheer detachment in his gaze made Connie's grip falter.

Eren turned his head slightly.

His eyes landed on Mikasa—still unconscious, her breathing steady but weak. Armin sat beside her, his brows furrowed in deep thought, his mind undoubtedly running in frantic circles.

And then another voice cut through the stillness.

"Oi, Reiner… You owe us an explanation."

Porco crouched beside Reiner, his jaw clenched as he turned his head slightly, side-eyeing Eren.

"Just what the actual fuck are you two?"

Eren's gaze lingered on Porco for a moment, blank and unreadable, before shifting slowly from one cadet to the next—Pieck, Bertholdt, Marcel, Porco, and finally, Annie. His expression never wavered, cold and detached, as if memorizing each of their faces in silence.

Then, without warning—

Cough!

Mikasa jolted upright, coughing violently, one hand pressed against her mouth. While the other clutched her abdomen. She winced, still dazed, her breath uneven as she tried to reorient herself.

Eren sighed mist escaping his mouth as his icy eyes softened just a moment. His legs taking him to her form that seemed fragile to him. Her half-lidded eyes flickered toward Eren, who was sitting right beside her.

Her lips parted slightly, searching for words—but before she could speak, his hand behind her head, pulling her close, pressing her face against his chest in a quiet, grounding embrace.

"Injured?"

She shook her head in disagreement, and he pulled away slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes. A faint smile—so small it was almost imperceptible—curved at the corners of his lips as he patted her hair.

"Idiot... I was worried..."

She blinked, wide-eyed, stunned by his words. And instead of crying—like she always did when it came to him—she let out a quiet giggle before throwing herself into his arms, hugging him tight.

Eren exhaled softly, wrapping his arms around her in return, his grip firm yet careful. For a fleeting moment, nothing else mattered.

But beside them, Christa's expression darkened. Rage boiled beneath her surface, her fists clenched, but Mikasa didn't care. She didn't even spare her a glance.

After a while, Eren gently pulled away, his eyes meeting hers one last time before shifting toward the gathered soldiers—the Garrison, the Scouts, all of them watching in silence.

And then, with a resigned sigh, he stood up.

The moment he did—

A soldier from the Garrison slammed the hilt of his sword against the back of Eren's neck. His vision blurred—not because the strike was strong, but because he let it happen. His body swayed, and in the next second, he collapsed right there on the rooftop.

"Eren!!"

Mikasa's scream tore through the air as she shot to her feet, wide eyed unable to understand what just happened, but Armin grabbed her arm before she could move.

Levi barely reacted, his expression as unreadable as ever. One of the higher-ups stepped forward, voice cold and impassive.

"Eren Lenz... will be taken as a captive by the government." The officer's sharp gaze swept over the cadets. "Titan or human—we don't know. Whether he lives or dies is up to them. Stay out of this. The Levi Squad will take it from here."

Mikasa's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"

She struggled against Armin's grip, her breath frantic, but it was too late. The soldiers had already taken Eren. His body disappeared into the dust, swallowed by the chaos.

And for the first time—Mikasa couldn't do anything but watch.