C h a p t e r   2 4 :  S h i f t e r s

Annie was certain that Erwin already knew.

Based on the lack of surprise on his face, or the absence of a sharp intake of breath, Annie figured that Erwin already knew the truth behind what she had said, or he was extremely good at hiding his emotions...which he was. But Annie sensed more than that- Erwin was more dangerous than she had previously pegged him to be, and underestimating him did not sound like a good idea. She wondered how he knew- had it slipped out from her mouth? She knew that wasn't it, after all the debate she'd had whether or not to expose the truth about Reiner and Bertolt that it hasn't been herself. Perhaps he'd had an inkling of suspect and Annie's words had just confirmed his suspicions.

But somehow, Annie had a feeling that Erwin had known fully before she'd even opened her mouth.

Perhaps he hadn't, however. Annie had to keep in mind that her suspicion could be false. But to be honest, Reiner's 'death' was convenient as suddenly the Titan dubbed "The Armored Titan" began showing up more and on the outside of the walls, while The Colossal Titan only showed up from the inside of the scouts. Not to mention Reiner's resemblance to the Armored Titan, the muscular build along with the blonde hair was easily matched with him. Bertolt's height gave him away as the Colossal Titan. But perhaps...

"Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover," Erwin spoke, his voice bringing Annie back to attention. "Reiner was pronounced dead, but no body was recovered. The best thing we can do now is corner Bertolt."

"He won't head underground," Annie reminded him of her own capture, where she had refused to go underground, realizing it was a trap. "You'll have to think of something else."

"...very well," Erwin quite obviously did not want to spill any precious information with Annie, who he didn't know if he could trust for obvious reasons. She respected that, she was glad that their leader wasn't stupid enough to reveal plans to her. "Annie, you're dismissed. Levi, get Hange."

<><><>

At Nanitorakin Village, there was an uproar. Long freed from her bonds, the redhead known as Kaira stood with a black cloak around her and her katana at her side. She breathed deeply as she thought of the Scout Regiment, Scarlet, Owen, and how they were willing to let her die.

Or perhaps, she just hadn't given them the time. Kaira had never thought about being unable to move from fear, or hallucinating, and she never would because the stubborn girl couldn't see anything from another person's point of view.

"Annie has been captured again," Reiner's cold voice interrupted Kaira's thoughts, bringing the redhead to look at him. "I'm aware that it's part of her plan, but..."

"Saiko has her suspicions with that!" A blue haired girl said sharply, crossing her pale arms. A birthmark of a raindrop was on her forehead. Her name was Saiko Paath, who like Kaira, wasn't a shifter, but had incredible skill with a scythe. "Couldn't she be playing us?"

"Trust me, I've kept that in mind," Reiner grumbled. Those two didn't get along so well- since Saiko was rather ignorant of the world around her, Reiner couldn't put up with her innocent questions or her slightly uptight attitude. "But what does she have that's worth fighting for on their side?"

Kaira kept quiet, shutting her eyes. She knew the reasons behind Annie's point of view, and her refusal to share them with the rest of the village basically implied that she herself was fighting for humanity.

That wasn't true. Kaira had killed many humans and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. But... she couldn't betray Annie. Out of Reiner, Bertolt, and even Saiko, she couldn't bring herself to betray Annie because Annie had saved her so many times. They'd had a bond that the others didn't- when they were weak, they pulled each other up and covered each other's slack, they shared secrets that couldn't be shared with the others, simply because Kaira had come from the Scout Regiment and was fueled with fury. Simply, it was a change- because all of the others? They were all tied to the Shifter's side because of each other. None of them would abandon their family.

Well, Annie was the exception.

The others? Reiner, Bertolt, herself, Saiko especially- they were all bonded together. Unless they all left, they'd all be staying together.

Saiko hadn't been exposed to the outside world like the rest of them. She was still so innocent in her beliefs of the Shifters being purely correct and Humanity being wrong. But the line between black and white wasn't so clear...

Kaira knew one thing- that if Annie didn't somehow convince everyone-including Kaira herself- to join her on Humanity's side, Humanity would be on the losing side.

With or without Annie.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait. My inspiration for this book is to read OTHER people's AOT books, ahha.

What do you want to see next chapter?

Thanks for reading!