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"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken." Fyodor Dostoyevsky
As my eyes fluttered open, the room slowly came into focus, dimly lit with shadows stretching across the walls. I noticed reiner sitting beside the bed, looking utterly exhausted. dark circles framed his tired eyes, and his face was lined with worry, making it clear he hadn't slept in days.
"reiner...?" My voice was barely a whisper, rough and strained.
His head shot up, and in a heartbeat, he leaned closer. Relief softened his face, though the worry in his eyes remained. "Sweetheart," he murmured, his deep voice warm but edged with tension. "You're awake."
I tried to sit up, but a dull ache throbbed in my head, forcing a low groan. Before I could move any further, Reiner's hand was on my shoulder, his touch both steadying and gentle.
"Easy," he urged, his brow creasing. "You've been out for three days." His voice was calm, but there was a tension he couldn't hide. "You collapsed from your head injury. You had me worried."
"Three days?" I repeated, my mind struggling to piece together fragments of the battle. Images of titans and chaos flickered in my memory. and then, eren. My heart clenched painfully.
"reiner... where's eren?" My voice was barely a whisper, trembling with fear.
Reiner's expression darkened, a heavy, unreadable look in his eyes. After a pause, he spoke quietly, almost reluctantly. "They've taken him to the prison beneath the courthouse. He's being held there... until his trial."
"Prison?" The word felt like a punch to the gut. "Trial?" Panic surged through me, twisting my insides. "Why? What happened?"
"They still don't know what to make of him," Reiner said, his voice steady but grim. "The trial will decide Eren's fate."
Eren sealed the wall, proved his powers could be used for humanity, showed he wasn't a threat, and yet, despite everything, they're still afraid of him, a cold dread settling over me.
The instant I flung the covers aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my knees buckled, weak from days of stillness. before i could hit the ground, reiner's arms were around me, his hands firm yet gentle against my waist, steadying me. His brow furrowed with worry as he looked down at me.
"penny, wait," he urged, his voice a blend of concern and firmness. "You've barely recovered. Don't rush this."
"I don't care," I muttered stubbornly, my attention fixed on my folded pile of clothes in the corner. Time was slipping through my fingers, and I couldn't afford to lose another second. I needed to see eren.
