Complications Throughout Generations

Chapter 10

Eren's POV:

We had reached Shiganshina. Using my Titan form and the hardening skills I had been practicing, I was able to seal the breach in the outer gate. But that didn't stop the Beast Titan and his army from attacking. Along with Reiner facing me in his Armored Titan form. We fought and we fought hard. But then everything went black. After some time, I heard a voice. Armin. He had been trying to wake me up. Once I opened my eyes. He told me the plan.

"No matter what happens, stick to the plan, okay?" He shouted before taking off. He was going to create a diversion in order for me to harden my Titan form in front of the inner gate. I had fallen from the top of the wall to trick Bertolt into thinking I was unconscious.

When I looked up, the Colossal Titan was letting out an extreme amount of stem. That was my signal to leave my Titan form and take Bertolt from behind. I gathered my ODM gear and launched myself behind his nape.

"Gotcha!" I shouted and cut it wide open. I ripped out his limbless body with rage. He had put together that Armin was a diversion. I could tell from the look in his eyes. I had taken Armin's burnt body and what was left of Bertolt's with me to a roof. I looked over at another. There was another Titan that I had never seen before with a man with blonde hair on its back.

"Just try and come closer!" I had my blade up to Bertolt's neck. "Make one move to take him and I'll slit his throat!"

He must be the Beast Titan. There's no other explanation as to who he could be.

"You don't look a thing like your father." He had spoken. I gasped. How did he know my father? "The both of us are just victims of your father. I'm sorry." He looked up in fear. "Ahh, you're kidding." He groaned. I didn't look at what he was afraid of, keeping the blade at Bertolt's neck. "Eren, someday I'll come back and save you from this." Then the Titan and the man left. But less than a second later, a bloody Levi appeared next to me. It was a rough landing as he was frantically going through his pocket. We haven't spoken since the other night.

"Captain!" I shouted, laying Bertolt's body down. He can't ignore me forever. But then I heard choking behind me. Could it be possible? I turned around slowly. Armin was alive. "Hell yeah!" I cheered as Mikasa landed on the roof with tears in her eyes. "Armin's still breathing. I hear him!" I was laying on top of him. "Captain, get the syringe!" I looked back at him.

"Right." He said softly. He was about to hand me the syringe until there was another voice heard.

"Captain, I finally found you." We both looked over at him. Floch. "It's the commander." He cried with Commander Erwin tied to his back. "I thought that injection might be able to help him but what do you think?" Levi's eyes were wide open. The person he respected and trusted was close to death. Levi pulled his hand back from me, holding the syringe to his chest. Floch had laid him down and Levi hurried to his side.

"Erwin, you're alive." He was relieved. "You know what has to happen, Erwin gets the shot." I was furious. I had stood up to him but he put his hand up to my chest. Mikasa had taken her blade out and gripped it tightly. How could he do this? "The commander of the scouts and you're telling me to watch him die?"

"Tell me. Why didn't you give Armin the injection right away?" Levi swung his fist at me, knocking me off my feet.

Levi's POV:

After attacking Eren, Mikasa was quick to tackle me beneath her. But I didn't fight back. I knew she was upset but it needs to be done. She held her blade up to my neck with tears in her eyes.

"You're just being selfish," Floch said. "Erwin's our leader."

"No, shut up." Mikasa seethed through her teeth.

"There's not a single soldier left alive. The Beast Titan threw crushed boulders at everyone. When I realized the commander was still alive, I almost finished him off myself. I thought to myself that he ought to taste more of this hell." He stood from the ground with his fists raised. "If we want to stand any chance against the Titans, we need a devil. So get out of his way right now!" He shouted. Mikasa was ready to kill him.

"Don't do it!" I shouted.

But before I could stop her, Hange grabbed her from behind and pulled her screaming body away.

"I understand how you feel but most of us are dead!" Hange tried to explain. "We can't afford to lose our commander too." Mikasa seemed to have settled down. "But even so," Hange whispered with Mikasa still in her arms, "all of us just have to push forward." Mikasa took a breath and stopped fighting back.

There was a moment of silence until Eren somehow managed to crawl back over with tears in his eyes. It was almost convincing to give the syringe to Armin and not Erwin in that moment. Seeing him broken like that. After he had secretly built me up, how could I knock him down in return? But I couldn't think that way. We need to save Erwin. For humanity.

"Do you know about the sea?" Eren choked out. "He told me there's a sea beyond the walls. He said that we'd go there together." He was hysterical as Floch held him up. "And Armin's lost just as much as I have but he just isn't like me."

"Everyone get out of here right now!" I shouted. I can't think straight. "I don't want Erwin to eat one of you instead of Bertolt!" Floch left with Eren as he continued to cry. All that was left was me, Erwin, and Armin. I had the syringe up to one of Erwin's veins ready to inject him.

"Everyone," Erwin strained, "was a slave to something." Then he slapped my arm away.

I was in utter shock. "Did you just?" I couldn't even finish my sentence. He started to gasp for air. I looked over at Armin and then back at Erwin. "Goodbye, my friend." I whispered. I walked over to Armin's burnt body and injected him with the Titan serum. Remembering the look in Eren's eyes was the last pushed I needed. I really hope I'm making the right decision. Moments later, Armin appeared as a Titan and ate Bertolt. Hange came back next to me. "You can forgive him somebody?" I asked. "He became a devil because he had to. But I think it's time we let him rest."

Hange put her hands on the sides of his head. "He's...already dead."