𝔇𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 (𝔏𝔢𝔳𝔦 𝔵 ℜ𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯)

LXI - The Friends And The Foes

"Captain Miche is dead, sir."

***

Erwin's expression never faltered from the blank look. Not an ounce of sympathy decided to grace his features, in fact it nearly seemed like he didn't care. I eyed him carefully, reading the Commander was nearly as pointless as trying to read Levi. He blinked, eyes focusing on the patch in my palm before his own reached forward reluctantly, hovering over it in a skeptical manner.

Wind passed between my figure, Erwin's figure and Hange who was still laying on the stone ground. The news has her speechless, to the point I nearly forgot she was there. The brush of the Commander's fingers was felt lightly in my palm as the patch was pulled away from my grasp. The air was thick, so thick we all struggled to breathe.

There was the longest moment of silence between the three of us, even the wind seemed to have reduced just to add to the effect of time slowing down. I personally wasn't too close to Miche myself. But knowing that Erwin, Hange and even Levi had worked closer with him than I ever had, my heart aches for a friendship I had never experienced. Erwin cleared his throat abruptly, easing the mournful tension that seemed to taint the air.

"Thank you for informing us, L/N. It is very much appreciated." He said, indifference in his tone. My lips pursed at his voice, wondering if he actually did feel anything. Sometimes I felt as though his insensitivity was something he chose to have, considering how he has treated myself and others in the past. He seemed nearly inhuman, his lack of humanity was something many wondered about.

How he was able to effortlessly send numerous soldiers out on the battlefield, rows and rows of afraid people set on the front lines and watch them die without batting an eye, especially after the command being his own. The little regret he felt, or at least displayed, was an admirable feat the blonde held within him. The capability to hold that power made him much more powerful than people made him out to be.

An underestimated specimen, far more intellectual than one can even begin to comprehend.

"Y/N!" I hear someone shout, my instincts automatically taking over as I turn my head in the direction of the voice. Raquel jogs over in our direction, her eyes set on me in an expression of worry. She scooped me up from the ground, her arms wrapped around me tightly as she gave a sigh. "What are you doing here? Aren't you still healing?" She asked in the middle of the embrace.

"I'm okay, I assure you." I reply back, returning the hug. She pulled away, looking over my face carefully, trying to catch any visual wounds. I look at her, suddenly wondering what she was doing here asking hypocritical questions. "And you? Why are you here?" I ask.

"Commander Smith went to Commander Pyxis wanting soldiers to help with this mission. I didn't realize how big of a deal it was until about five minutes ago." She replies back. I turn my head and give Hange a nod, a temporary goodbye until we return from the mission. Raquel and I walked along the walls little, my hands fiddling with the gas canisters of my gear, tapping the metal to see where the gas levels were at.

None of my blades had been used on the way here, so there was no point in checking the number I had. Raquel proceeded to do the same, checking over her harness and gear. I observe our surroundings, the border between Rose and Maria. A barrier separating fields of cattle and towns of people from a barren titan wasteland. How two worlds can live so close together without a worry, unless of course the gates are breached, is beyond me. A fifteen meter thick wall separating the predator from the prey.

A moment had passed before a mechanical noise sounded from further along the wall, the elevator Erwin had brought along with him reached down into Wall Rose. The thick chains slowly extended to the ground, descending in altitude before the platform hit the grass with a soft thud. Scouts at the base of the wall gripped, mine, Zion and Reece's horses reins before leading them onto the platform, allowing them to ascend the wall.