Souls Of Sorrow || 𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑋 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Chapter 43 - You (nsfw)

When I open the door into the usually reserved dining space, all eyes turn to me.

Mikasa and Armin look concerned and a little frightened about the whole situation they're stuck in, as do the Marleyan children. Eren sits tall at the head of the table, a cut across his palm to show a threat of his possible transformation.

He's already said something to them, and I can imagine what.

"Thank God." Armin breathes out. "Y/n, please talk some sense into him. Tell him he can't do this."

Paying him no attention, I walk towards the table, taking a seat across from the young Marleyans.

"Your arm.." Mikasa murmurs, her eyes drifting from the thin line of blood on my forearm to my face. Her expression immediately shifts as realization dawns on her. "Don't tell me you're in agreement with him. You know what he wants."

I rest my arms on the table in front of me, tilting my head to meet her eyes. "He wants what I want."

Both her an Armin take a long moment to process my words, exchanging an uneasy glance.

Armin swallows thickly, shaking his head. "Please. I know you love him, but-"

"Love?" I cut him off with a sharp breath of what could be mistaken as amusement. "This has nothing to do with something as stupid as love. I want revenge. I want to see Marley turned to ash."

At my words, surprising even Eren, the Marleyan girl snaps to attention. She yells, lunging at me over the table. I arch my brows, catching her fist and twisting her arm, throwing her down on the table.

"Gabi!" The boy next to her shouts, glaring at me. He tries to look angry, but his face makes it look like a little pout. He tries to defend the girl, aiming a second punch it me. Grabbing his wrist, I toss him across the room. He lands in a rack of wine, the bottles shattering upon impact.

He slumps to the ground and the girl in my grip yells. "Falco! Let go of me, you devil!" She glares heavily at me.

"Gladly," I grunt, throwing her from the table to join him on the ground.

"Y/n, stop!" Mikasa shouts, grabbing my shoulder. I swivel in place, gripping her wrist in my hand almost instinctively. Her eyes are widened, nervous, frightened. She's so rarely so, it almost makes me pause.

"Sit down." Eren’s firm voice says from behind me. "Hands on the table."

Mikasa looks at me, then to the girl now trying to wake the boy on the floor. Reluctantly, she slides back into the chair next to Armin after I let her go, hesitantly placing her hands on the table. The way her fingers clench on the tablecloth tells me the only thing holding her back from punching sense into Eren is what he has to say, and that I'll step in if she tries.

It's been a while, but I'm still confident in my fighting abilities. I take my seat again, crossing my arms over my chest.

Armin takes a shallow breath, composing his thoughts. "What were doing when you decided to attack Marley on your own?" he asks lowly. "Why do all this? Did Zeke and Yelena really win you over to their side?"

The clock in the room ticks to every silent second, back and forth.

"I'm free, Armin." Eren replies simply. "Every single thing I've done, I decided to do. My actions are governed by nothing but my own free will."

"So even though you secretly met with Yelena, you’re saying this was all you?" Armin murmurs.

Eren stays perfectly still, though his eyes drift downwards. I glance at the injury to his hand, the blood soaking through the tablecloth. "Yes," he answers.