A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to the next chapter! Enjoy!

edited on february 15th, 2022 @ 10:55am

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈-𝙴𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃,
𝓟𝙰𝙸𝙽.

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JOSIAH WAS WITH THE REST of the Levi Squad on their way to Eren when Sasha flew down next to Connie.

"Gunshots!" She exclaimed.

"Huh?" Connie questioned.

"From there!" Sasha said, pointing to where the gunshots came from. "I heard a bunch of shots!"

"You think something happened?" Jean asked.

"Most likely." Mikasa replied.

"The Captain had this message for us... From now on, we'll be fighting humans, too, and not just Titans." Josiah explained as everyone looked at him in shock.

"Huh? You mean...?" Jean trailed off as Mikasa took off with Josiah following her. "Hey!"

Josiah and the others were swinging from building to building when they spotted Eren and Historia knocked out.

"Hey! There goes Eren!" Connie informed as they spotted Levi following after it.

"Captain!" Armin exclaimed.

Josiah then spotted some guys in a different type of ODM gear that had guns installed on them.

"What the hell?!" Jean shouted.

Levi stabbed his wire on the man's chest before pulling the man towards him, slicing his body in half.

"Chase the wagon!" Levi ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Mikasa replied as they followed Levi to chase the wagon.

"Listen up! They're used to fighting other people! They already got three of ours. If we're gonna get those two back, you can't hesitate! If you get the chance, you kill! Got it?!" Levi informed.

"Roger!" Mikasa answered.

Levi hooks his ODM gear on the chest of one of the men and pulled him off the cart. Levi was about to kill another guy, but was chased by another.

"Armin, Jean! Secure the wagon! We'll cover for you!" Levi ordered.

"Sir!" Armin replied.

"Another dead..." Jean mumbled.

"Jean!" Armin shouted as both of them landed on the wagon.

The woman driving the wagon noticed the two and pointed a gun at them. She gets knocked off the wagon as Jean pointed his blade at her. The woman knocks his blade away before pointing the gun at him.

Josiah and Mikasa went towards the woman and got their blades out, but before they got there, a gunshot went off, showing that Armin was the one who shot the woman.

Three soldiers aiming their guns at the two. Levi headed to grab Jean while Sasha grabbed Armin, preventing the two from getting shot. The soldiers quickly jumped on the wagon and rode off with Eren and Historia.

Josiah was about to head for the retreating wagon until Levi stopped him. "Don't do it! Fall back!" Levi ordered, holding Josiah back.

"Eren!" Josiah shouted out.

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Josiah was sitting on a crate next to Armin as he frowned in disappointment that they had failed to get Eren and Historia back.

"What's wrong?" Levi spoke up, breaking the silence. "This grimy place kill your appetite?"

"No..." Armin replied. "Jean, there's something I don't understand..."

"What's that?" Jean questioned, looking up.

"When I shot that gun to save you... I honestly thought I didn't make it in time." Armin responded. "Sorry, but... why was I the one that shot first?"

Jean gritted his teeth at the thought, thinking back to when he almost got shot by that woman. "That's..." He started to say, but before he could give an answer, Levi did it for him.

"Because the other person hesitated. It's true." Levi replied as Jean widened his eyes.

"Armin, I'm sorry... I should've done what I had to do." Jean apologized.

"I know what it is..." Armin mumbled. "The person that I killed... I bet they were a nice person. Someone that was much more human than I am... I pulled the trigger so easily... I did... I'm..."

"Armin, you've got blood on your hands now. You can't go back to who you were." Levi informed.

"No offense, captain. But you suck at reassuring people." Josiah commented.

"Why would you say that?" Mikasa asked.

"Embrace the new you. Just think, if your hands were still clean... Jean wouldn't be here right now. I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger... Because your comrade was about to die. Armin... Thanks to you getting blood on your hands, nobody on our squad ended up dead. Thank you." Levi told him.

"Captain Levi, I..." Jean started to say. "I thought it was wrong to be fighting other humans... And wrong for you to order us to do it. I was afraid to be hurting other people. But... I'm the one who was wrong. Next time, I'll shoot."

"I never said anything about who was right or wrong.  I don't even know myself. Are you really the one in the wrong?" Levi questioned as Jean widened his eyes before standing up. "Now then... It's about time we hear what he has to say."

The group turned towards one of the kidnappers tied up a few feet away from them. Levi stood in front of the man as they saw him start to shake and tear up. Levi removed the gag from his mouth.

"Wait! I'm just an old man used for moving wagons around the—"

"I've met this man once before." Mikasa interrupted him. "In the city, people were calling him Boss."

"Yeah, I know. Dimo Reeves, right?" Levi questioned, causing the man to huff.

"We were just following orders the Military Police forced on us. And failed big time... They'll plunder the Reeves Company for all that it's worth. They won't stop with me and my dumb son. They'll make sure all my employees die in so-called accidents." Dimo explained.

"So you'll die without a fight?" Levi questioned as Dimo gave him a confused look as he continued.

"Trost should have collapsed by now, but it's preserved. That's because the Reeves Company brings people and work together. But if the company was gone for good, just how would few survive the winter?" Levi spoke up.

Dimo looked over at Levi in question. "Are you suggesting I team up with you?" He asked.

"We just need to know where Eren and Historia are. If you're supplying the Military Police, we can figure something out." Levi responded.

"But can you stop my city and employees from dying of starvation?" Dimo countered as Levi crouched down in front of him.

"I can't guarantee it. However, you can trust that we'll move towards the end." Levi answered.

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After convincing Reeves to work with them, the squad soon set up a trap for the Military Police which was a location they were sent to.

"Hey! Are Levi and them actually there?" Dannes, a Military Police soldier, asked.

"They are. I promised him I'd cooperate, so they let us go for some reason." Dimo replied.

The wagon suddenly stopped as Sannes stood up to look outside.

"Are we there?"

Suddenly, a rifle was pointed to his face. Before Sannes could say anything, Jean knocked him out, hitting his face with the end of his rifle.

"Reeves, you damn—!" Ralph didn't get to finish his sentence as he was knocked out by Josiah.

"Sorry about that, pals." Dimo said.

The rest of the Levi Squad could hear Sannes screams.

"It starts again..."

"I feel like the screams are louder than when the captain did it."

"Even though I know it's to save those two, it makes me sick." Connie commented.

"Let's face it... We're criminals now. The enemies that we're fighting... We're not killing them because they're trying to eat us. It's because their views are different... No, just the group they belong to. And for that, their lives..." Armin mumbled.

"Armin..." Mikasa trailed off.

"All of us... We're not good people anymore." Armin finished.

Later, Levi, Moblit, and Hange returned to the rest of Levi's squad. "The true royal successor... is Historia?" Armin questioned in disbelief.

"In other words, both Eren and Historia are likely wherever Rod Reiss is." Hange said, looking at Moblit as he nodded to them, showing them a sketch of an old man.

"That's him." Levi announced.

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A/N: Another chapter is done! Also, Josiah meets his father during the crystal cavern battle. Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 1436 words.