As a lone figure slowly emerged from the mist, the soldiers of the Garrison Regiment flinched, panic flashing across their faces. They had loosened their grips on their rifles—but now, they scrambled to raise them once more.
"Stop right there!" the officer shrieked, his voice so high-pitched it almost cracked—startlingly close to a girl's.
Armin quickened his pace. He stepped into view with both hands raised high, a clear sign of surrender.
"Finally showing your true form, huh?! You monster!" the officer yelled, trembling uncontrollably. "I'll give the order! I'll order the cannons to fire!"
It was the only idea left in the man's head—attack. While some soldiers remained calm, their superior had descended into pure, irrational terror. And this was the one leading them?
"They're not enemies of humanity!" Armin shouted. "We're willing to share every piece of information we know with command!"
But of course, this officer wasn't going to let us go that easily. After all, fear of the unknown—fear of what one doesn't understand—is one of humanity's oldest instincts.
"I don't want to hear your begging! He transformed right in front of me! And the other one might follow at any second! Still trying to argue?! You want me to believe they're not threats? Prove it! No proof? Then they die!"
"We don't need proof!" Armin fired back. "That's not the issue here. The real question isn't whether they're dangerous—it's how we choose to see them!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" the officer snarled, acting as if we'd all personally wronged him. No logic could reach him anymore.
"I heard many people saw Eren Yeager with their own eyes," Armin continued, loud and clear. "They saw him fighting the Titans—not helping them. They saw Titans attacking him. Just like they saw Sandra Gant—fighting Titans right in front of fellow cadets. The Titans even tried to grab her! Which means… to the Titans, they're the same as us! They're prey!"
Armin's voice rang with conviction.
"No matter how confused or afraid we are—that fact is undeniable."
A hush settled over the line of Garrison soldiers.
"He's… right."
One by one, the soldiers began to lower their weapons, the edge of fear dulling slightly.
"I saw that girl too… She moved so fast I could barely follow, but she was killing Titans…"
"The Titans didn't treat them as allies…"
"This is insane…"
More than half the soldiers were beginning to calm. The truth was sinking in.
But the officer—watching his control slip away—was losing it.
"PREPARE TO FIRE!! Don't fall for that brat's fancy words!!"
He refused to listen, even when the truth stood inches from his face.
"Their tactics always exceed our imagination!" he screamed. "Who's to say they can't transform into humans and use our language to deceive us?! We mustn't let them run free any longer!!"
His hysteria sparked fresh fear. The soldiers who had just lowered their weapons began to tense again, gripping their blades and rifles.
The man had stopped thinking altogether. This wasn't leadership—it was raw panic.
Armin glanced back at us, helpless—but Eren didn't budge.
He looked straight at Armin, his gaze steady and unwavering. With a small nod, he told Armin: You're doing great.
Armin exhaled, gathering his strength. His brows furrowed.
"I! Am a soldier who swore to give my heart for the restoration of humanity!!"
He slammed his fist to his chest in a salute.
"If I must give my life for that ideal, I will die without regret! And if we rally our remaining forces with Eren Yeager's Titan power and Sandra Gant's half-human strength—then retaking this city isn't a dream. It's possible!"
The words carried like fire across the battlefield.
Many of the Garrison soldiers were from Trost District themselves.
The idea of reclaiming it… gave them hope.
"For the sake of humanity's honor," Armin shouted, "let me explain their strategic value—before I die for that belief!"
Even the officer's own subordinates began to waver.
"Captain Wilm… maybe we should at least consider his words…"
Even the soldier standing at the officer's side spoke up. Armin's speech had struck a chord.
But the officer—his reason already shattered—snapped.
"Shut up!!!"
And still… he raised his hand.
The signal.
The command to fire.
The hand lifted—hovered—ready to fall.
Until someone grabbed it.
Firm. Unyielding.
"Enough."
A voice, calm yet firm, echoed through the air.
A tall figure stood behind the officer, gripping his arm mid-motion.
"You really are the same as ever, Wilm. All muscle… but a heart delicate as a deer."
--------------
Access Advance Chapters on my Patreon : patreon .com / MPHFics