Pretty Little Liar (Aruani Element Shifter AU) ✔️

Part Two: Forty Three

(Annie's POV)

I heard Eren scream, then, almost instinctively I turned around and shot flames at where the scream came from. I just missed the commander of the army, Erwin Smith, who sat on his horse holding a smoking gun. Behind him were a group of soldiers and the weird scientist in the glasses who always accompanied Levi everywhere. I knew there were more. Armin was lying on the floor, motionless, in front of him.  

Mike let go of Levi and was about to move over to help Armin when I stopped him. 

"Don't, Mike," I said, then shot another attack at Erwin. Eren ran over and made a covering over the hole so none of the soldiers could leave. He turned around and trembled at the sight of Armin. I didn't look, but stayed staring at Erwin. 

Erwin didn't say anything, just looked sadly at Levi on the floor, then at me. There was a certain interest in his eyes, an excitement at finally seeing a fire shifter. I smirked, then turned back to Mikasa, but she wasn't moving. She stood as still as a statue. I turned back to Erwin, who was moving closer. Reiner and Bertholdt had finished off the last of Levi's squad, and were standing ready to attack.  

"Well, well, look Hanji. The fire shifter."

The scientist he called Hanji was holding a remote. My hand was still lit in fire, and I debated throwing an attack right at her annoying, grinning face. Erwin looked at Reiner and Bertholdt and then at Mike with less anger and more interest. 

"Well, I didn't think I'd see so many of you in one place," he started. 

The horse of one of the soldiers behind him was about to step on Armin's body when I shot an attack at it and the horse and its rider fell to the ground. 

Erwin raised his eyebrow. "One for one, I guess that's fair."

That was all I needed. I turned around and shot flames straight at Mikasa, then jumped up and landed on a branch, then shot continuous flames at the soldiers. They spread out, then Hanji pressed her remote and Mikasa was started growling angrily again, looking around for me. 

"Mike," I said," landing next to him. "Get Armin. Don't leave though. Stay here."

"What? If I go back to mine-"

"No. Stay here," I said, then ran over to Reiner, who was punching boulders towards the soldiers and dodging bullet shots. I watched Mike emerge next to Armin and hold his body, then look at me before jumping onto a tall tree branch. Nobody could see him. 

"Eren," I heart Bertholdt say. "Come on, man."

Eren was shaking, staring at the soldiers. I moved around the whole area and lit the whole place up in flames, then emerged next to Eren. 

"He's going to be fine, Eren. Two o'clock," is all I said, then Eren shot an attack in that direction and knocked a soldier down. 

Armin was going to survive, because I knew exactly what I was going to do. I shot some more flames at the soldiers and at Mikasa, who tried chasing me. I enjoyed the game and I knew that was irritating Erwin. 

I stopped in front of Hanji, who looked both infatuated and terrified at me. She held a weapon I hadn't seen before, and aimed it at me, pulling the trigger and a shot of electricity came out of it. Ah. She was trying to capture me. 

Mikasa aimed a huge boulder at me and I jumped out of the way. The boulder then hit Hanji's horse and she fell off of it, dropping her remote. 

"I'll take that," I said, grabbing it. Erwin tried shooting at me, and I distracted him enough for Bertholdt to jump and cover his head in a dome of water. He started to choke, and tried shooting Bertholdt with his pistol. I quickly burnt his hand and his pistol fell to the floor. The dome then made him fall unconscious and he fell from his horse. Reiner and Eren were working together and in no time they had defeated the soldiers.

Mikasa threw herself onto me, and I lit my whole body on fire, which is a technique I hadn't used yet. Before he fell unconscious, Erwin stared, his eyes full of fear at me as I smirked evilly towards him. As Mikasa got off my body and screamed in pain, I looked down at the remote then felt a small ping on my body as Hanji shot me in the ankle. She looked absolutely terrified when she noticed the bullet hadn't effected me in any way. I turned the dial on the remote and Mikasa stopped again. 

I shook my head at Hanji, then took far too much pleasure in stepping on her head and hearing the final scream as I burnt her. 

I looked at Mikasa. She wasn't moving. 

"Sorry about this," I said to her, and knocked her out with a kick to the head.

Then, I looked up at my comrades with a proud grin. We had done it. 

Mike jumped down from the tree and looked around at the bloodbath around us. He was still holding Armin in his arms, then let Armin's lifeless body down on the floor. 

I looked down at him and felt a strong sense of sadness for the first time. Finally the forest was quiet and the quick, rash and hectic events had stopped. The flames around the forest had disappeared, emulating for the first time, my tiredness and sadness rather than my anger and impulsiveness. Everybody was standing a few feet away, giving us privacy. 

I closed my eyes. 

"This is the only way to save you, Armin," I said. I put my hand to his heart and I could feel it beating really weakly. Then I muttered the ancient phrases that would activate the Reverse Spell. 

"Wait, Annie-" I heard Mike say, as tall, powerful flames surrounded the two of us. My heart was pounding now as the spell started to work. I looked at Armin's emblem, which was lit up brightly, then closed my eyes again. 

"Goodbye, Armin," I whispered. I didn't notice the tears falling from my face as a powerful beam of light emerged on top of us, and then everything went black.