AoT: The red thread of fate: A new world

Chapter 14: A soul worth saving

After a few days of training, the group was ready to go on a scouting mission. But just for today, Mikasa, Eren, Cody, and Ed were all asked to stay behind as Armin and Chaz went to go scout around the border of the mountains, before heading off.

Their training sessions were split into two groups, Chaz took Ed, and Cody to go train with their Titans, balder, the Jaws Titan belonging to Ed. And Apollo, the Cart Titan belonging to Cody, to be able to control them. While with the other session he took the trio so they could work on their odm skills.

Despite only training for a few days, Mikasa excelled in less than a few hours while Eren still struggled to get a hold of the momentum. Armin was about average in that setting but preferred only to use it sparingly.

"So what are we doing Chaz?" Armin asked as he was walking with him through the thick green forest. "Just checking if anyone has been snooping around the area. Y'know, any homeless people, any freaks having parties or even drug dealers." Chaz said as they went by some bushes and went up the high ground.

Armin for the last few days was thinking about Annie, the girl who turned into Aura, something about her seemed strange to him. Every day and night he thought about how she sounded when she first confronted him and the other two. She sounded like she wanted to die or give up. She didn't even want to fight.

"Hey, Chaz?" "Yeah?" "I know that Eren Yeager said we shouldn't feel for the enemy... but that girl Annie man... she sounded like she didn't even want to capture us at all." Armin said as Chaz stopped walking.

"Armin... she's doing that to lure you in, I wouldn't buy it. And hell if she isn't faking that shit, why is she still with the government?" Armin looked down with half lifted eyes, as he pondered about this. But then he thought back to when the orphanage staff yelled at Ed and Cody, and that their place was shut down on the day of her showing up to abduct them.

"That orphanage... they have to be connected with the government somehow!" "What do you mean?" Chaz inquired, confused about what Armin was getting at. "Think about it, why would the orphanage be closed right when Annie came to abduct us? And why would the staff be so aggressive with Ed and Cody when they tried to escape?" When Chaz heard this he put his hand to his chin and then thought about it, and then put the two together.

"Hmm, I guess you've got a point, you're intelligent for a sixteen-year-old." Chaz smiled nudging him, as Armin smiled a little too. "Alright well this is far as I'm going, I'm gonna go back and check on the others, think you can finish the rest?" "Yeah I'll be alright, you and Krios go get some rest." Armin said as Chaz flew away back to base as Armin admired the flowers for a bit.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the forest, Annie was prancing around on her own under Aura's supervision. Annie had special permission from hades, but he preferred to call it a punishment for failing to capture the trio. 'Hades will be disappointed by your actions little one.' Aura said as Annie was kicking sticks about.

"You think I care at this point? I'd rather die than follow that monkey for all I care." Annie sulked, as she then winced falling to the ground, clutching her head. 'You forget we are both one, I could easily kill you if you do not do as you're told.' Aura threatened as she stopped hurting Annie as she exhaled out of breath.

"Y'know, what made you side with that monkey anyway, were you coerced to do his bidding?" When Annie asked this, Aura remembered to when Hades was plotting to take over their people and overthrow Hera. At the time she was easily threatened into killing her own people, taking the lives of men, women, even children.

'I-I-I don't wish to give my view on the matter.' "It's because you regret what you did isn't it? Now that you've gotten blood on your hands, you can't easily turn back from it and walk away." Annie said, as Aura starting to contradict herself, as she just stayed silent for now.