The Guardian's Tale (AOT fanfiction)

-Midnight Sun pt.2-

"You two..." The Captain spoke up. "Do you have even the faintest of clue...what you're doing ?! It's Erwin. The Commander of the Scouts and you're telling me to watch him die ! There's no time for this. Just get out of my way."

Suddenly, Eren grabbed onto the injection in Levi's hand and asked him why he didn't just use the serum on Armin right away. After a bit of silence, the Captain admitted that he was considering the possibility of Erwin still being alive and that now that he was here, he was going to receive the injection. Suddenly, Eren tightened his grip on the injection, causing the Captain to strike Eren with his fist, sending him flying and knocking out several of his teeth.

Before I had time to react, Mikasa lunged at the Captain and put her blade to his throat. She must've seen that he was too weak to resist.

"MIKASA ENOUGH !" I yelled as I slammed my hand on the roof, causing crystals to form.

"You know just a well as I do, without Erwin's leadership, humanity can't beat the Titans." Levi said calmly.

Floch agreed with Levi, saying that there was too much at stake but we both shot him a dark look, making him shut up. Eren then spoke up and said that Armin was just as important. Armin was the one who discovered Annie to be the Female Titan, he was the one who came up with a plan to save Trost and thought of moving soldiers at night and it was thanks to Armin that we'd found Reiner and defeated Bertholdt. According to him, Armin was the one who was going to save humanity. Mikasa kept trying to take the injection from Levi as Floch tried standing up to her, saying that Erwin was our leader but she told him to shut up.

"Do you think you're the only ones who suffered through all this ?!" Floch yelled. "Not that you asked but...on the other side of that Wall there's not a single soldier left alive. The Beast Titan threw crushed boulders at everyone . That field is soaked with the blood of my comrades. Commander Erwin was the only survivor I could find. He came up with a plan, found a way for us to strike back at the Beast Titan and so we did. My comrades were smashed to bits just as he planned. I'm sure the last thing they felt...was fear. When I realized the Commander was still alive...I almost finished him off myself." He said, causing me to clench my fists. "But then...I recognized that would be a mercy. I thought to myself...that he ought to taste more of this hell. If we wanna stand any chance against the Titans...we need a devil !"

"YOU IGNORANT BASTARD !" I yelled before lunging at him and pinning him to the ground. "You want a Devil ?" I formed flames around my right hand and grinned darkly. "Then please...let me show you one."

As I was about to burn his face off, Hange came up from behind me and grabbed me along with Mikasa, freeing Captain Levi and Floch. I looked at Floch with a murderous glare in my eyes before kneeling next to the Commander. The Captain then opened the injection case, preparing to inject Erwin and I grabbed the Commander's hand. Is this...what he would want ? Would he want to become the monster he'd always hated ? Mikasa screamed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Hange, still holding her still, reminded her of how much they needed Erwin and that we all knew what it was like to lose people. She was only here now because Moblit had died, pushing her into a well to escape Bertholdt's transformation blast. She added that there were many people that she would bring back if she could but there came a time we had to let go of everyone we've ever met and that we had no choice but to keep moving forward.

Haring this must have calmed Mikasa down because she finally relented and let the Captain prepare the injection. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered how much I'd been around Armin and how much I looked to him as family. He was like a brother to me...he made me laugh...he kept me optimistic and never looked to me as a monster, even when my abilities came to light.

As the Captain was about to inject Commander Erwin, Eren grabbed his ankle and asked him if he knew about the sea. He told him about Armin's dream to look at the sea and admitted that although he was only driven by his hatred of Titans, Armin wasn't like him, that he had dreams of his own.

"Everyone get out of here right now." Levi ordered, holding Bertholdt by the collar of his shirt. "I don't want Erwin to eat one of you instead of Bertholdt."

I looked at Armin as Levi dragged Bertholdt into position, then I looked back at Levi. He walked back towards Erwin and was about to inject him when I grabbed his wrist.

"Captain..." I said with a strangled voice. "You've heard everything the Commander's been called and I...I know it takes a toll on him. I'd walk past his office and...I'd hear him cry and beg our fallen companions for forgiveness...do you really want to put him through this nightmare again ?" I let my head fall onto the Commander's chest. "I...I think..." More tears started streaming down my cheeks. "I think we should let him rest now."

A shocked and horrified look painted on his face when suddenly, the Commander lifted his arm up as if to ask a question. I lifted my head up from his chest and looked at him. Did he just...

"Excuse me...but how can we be sure...that there aren't other humans...living somewhere far away from the Walls ?" He asked, his voice resembling a whisper as he opened his eyes.

The Captain walked over to Armin and I placed a hand over my mouth as my eyes turned back to their original golden color and more tears flowed down my cheeks. He then grabbed the Commander and I and brought us to meet the others.

"F-Father....Father wake up...you promised...remember ?" I managed to say as I placed the Commander's hand on my cheek. "Please...you promised you'd come back alive...you remember that right ? Don't leave me...please..."

"He's...already dead." Hange said after examining him.

"Oh..." The Captain simply said as he hugged me tightly.

"Why...he promised..." I buried my face in the Captain's chest. "He said he wouldn't leave."

I tilted my head towards the sky and screamed, letting out all of my pain, my sadness and my grief as the Captain held me tighter. This was it...I'd lost my father all over again and those marks under my eyes would forever be a reminder of this day.

TO BE CONTINUED !