The Devil is Watching You

•38•

"Stop children from being born?" Armin clarifies her statement.

"Correct," her chilling bland voice answers. "That's Zeke's euthanization plan. All suffering brought about by Titans with disappear from the world. Gradually. Peacefully."

"Wait. How is that peaceful?" Jean questions. "If Subjects of a Ymir slowly die out, we'll only have geezers to defend in the end. How do we protect ourselves? You think they'll leave us alone?"

"The rumbling can serve as a deterrent as long as the Founding Titan and the royal bloodline are preserved. Fortunately, Queen Historia was blessed with an heir. As long as Subjects of Ymir inherit the Founder until her child passes away..."

"You talk like this is a sure thing," Jean mutters.

"Sure things... Certainties... no nation can claim to have them. Each one has its own share of problems. But there is one certainty, and that's the threat of Titans. Their history of tears and bloodshed will be out to an end... by Zeke and Eren. I don't know how long humanity will last, but it's hard to think that a greater fear will ever come to pass."

Yelena begins smiling nostalgically as she continues. The tears pricking her eye brings you to anger. Angry that she is just wholeheartedly giving into this plan without thinking of anything else. Of anyone else.

"People will speak of the brothers as legends for millennia to come. Like the gods of the past. Even after their deaths, they'll be seen as saviors who shone over humanity—"

Armin brings his face into his palms and begins to cry. Surprised, you pull your fingers away from his shirt and lean away, trying to understand his sudden tears.

"Armin..." you hesitantly reach out and grab his shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Yelena looks at the sobbing Armin.

"No... But to think your cause was so noble..." he lifts his head up and you catch sight of the tears running down his face. "It touched my heart."

"That's wonderful," yelena smiles softly at him with her own watery eyes as Armin goes back to crying into his arm, all of us looking at him with confused expressions. "I'm glad to know you understand."

You pull your hand away from Armins shoulder, now realizing he's just playing with her. The tears are fake, as are his words. This manipulative side of Armin is showing itself again, but you now understand. He's doing it to help us. He's smart and it's scary.

"Yelena!"  A man runs down the steps towards the girl sitting in her seat. "Come quick! Invaders!"

Yelena stands up suddenly and runs away, probably to see what's going on. You however get up and head over to Falco who's just staring longingly at the bars.

"Do you think that's Marley?" He points absentmindedly at the cells gate.

"I hope so..." you pat his head gently, knowing his head must hurt still.

However, you also fear Zeke's plan. You fear that he has the ability to turn everyone who ingested his soianl fluid into mindless Titans. You might not care much about the military police that much, but Falco is one of those who had the wine.

He'd be turned with the rest of them...

"Y/n..." Armin calls to you and you turn to look at him, his sad façade gone. "I need to talk to you."

You walk over to him as he stands from the table and brings you to the edge of the cell, away from everyone else.

He takes your forearm and pulls you closer to him, close enough to feel his soft breath on your skin. To see the small light blue flecks in his sapphire eyes.