---
The heavy dungeon door creaked open, a sound that seemed to echo with a chilling finality. A tall, imposing figure stepped out of the torchlit corridor and into the oppressive darkness of the cell, his presence alone a silent, undeniable force that pushed back against the despair.
The man with the thin mustache looked up from his grim work, his face a mask of annoyance at the interruption. The hulking guard froze, the crude iron pliers still clamped onto the bloody, mangled ruin of what had once been Akira's finger.
"Commander Erwin," the man said, his voice dripping with a false, sycophantic respect that failed to hide his irritation. "To what do we owe the pleasure? As you can see, we are in the middle of a... delicate interrogation."
Erwin's calm, blue eyes swept over the scene, taking in every detail with a cold, analytical gaze. He saw the tray of wicked instruments. He saw the blood on the floor. He saw Akira, chained and slumped against the wall, his face pale and beaded with sweat, his teeth clenched so hard a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. But his eyes, when they met Erwin's, were not broken. They were burning with a quiet, defiant fire.
"You're done here," Erwin stated, his voice not loud, but carrying an absolute authority that made the air in the small cell grow heavy.
The man with the mustache let out a short, incredulous laugh. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Commander. I have my orders from the highest authority. This... monster... is to be interrogated until he reveals his co-conspirators."
"And has he?" Erwin asked, taking a slow step into the cell. "Has he screamed? Has he begged? Has he given you a single name?"
The man's smile faltered. "He's a stubborn one. But he will break. They all do."
"No," Erwin said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "He won't. And you will not touch him again." He stopped directly in front of the interrogator, his height and sheer presence casting a formidable shadow. "Let me explain the situation to you in terms you can understand. This boy is currently the most valuable strategic asset within the walls. He is also, thanks to his little stunt at the garrison, a public figure. If he dies down here, in your custody, from your 'delicate interrogation,' before he can have his public trial, do you know what happens? The people will call him a martyr. They will riot. And the crown will need a scapegoat. They will look for someone to blame for the death of their 'Titan of Light.' And they will find you."
He leaned in closer, his voice a quiet, chilling whisper. "Your name will be on every tongue, from the nobles in their palaces to the beggars in the gutters. You will be the man who tortured a hero to death. And the same government that gave you your orders will be the first to sign your execution warrant to appease the mob. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"
The man's face had gone pale. The smug cruelty was gone, replaced by a dawning, naked fear. He looked from Erwin's cold, calculating eyes to the silent, bleeding boy chained to the wall, and he saw the truth of the Commander's words.
"Get your things," Erwin commanded, his voice returning to its normal, authoritative tone. "And get out. The prisoner is now in my custody."
The man didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing his tray of instruments and practically running from the cell, the hulking guard following close behind. The iron door slammed shut, leaving Erwin alone with his broken, defiant weapon.
---
For a long moment, there was only silence, broken by Akira's pained, ragged breathing. Erwin walked over to a small bucket of murky water in the corner of the cell, dipped a strip of clean cloth from his own uniform into it, and knelt before the chained boy.
He didn't speak as he began to gently, clinically, clean the blood from Akira's face and hands. His touch was detached, the action of a man maintaining his equipment, not comforting a friend.
"You're a fool, you know that," Erwin said finally, his voice a low murmur as he worked. "You have the power of a god, and you let them do this to you."
Akira finally spoke, his voice a raw, strained rasp. "My power... isn't for this."
"No," Erwin agreed, tying a makeshift bandage around Akira's mangled fingers. "It's for fighting monsters. And a new one has appeared." He finished his work and sat back on his heels, his blue eyes locking onto Akira's. "Wall Rose has been breached. We don't know how. Titans are inside, slaughtering the populace as we speak. And among them is a new threat. A Beast Titan. Intelligent, powerful, and unlike anything we've ever faced."
He let the horrifying words hang in the air, watching Akira's reaction. He saw the flicker of shock, the dawning horror, and then, the familiar, burning resolve that seemed to ignite in the boy's eyes whenever innocent lives were at stake.
"This is the situation," Erwin continued, his voice dropping, becoming the cool, sharp edge of a scalpel. "Humanity is on the brink of its second great extinction. The government is more concerned with its secrets than its people. And my greatest weapon is chained to a wall, branded a traitor." He leaned forward, his expression intense. "So I'm going to make you a bargain. A devil's bargain."
He held up a hand, laying out his terms. "I will get you out of this cell. I will use the full political power of the Scout Regiment to have the charges of treason against you dropped. I will give you your freedom." He paused, his gaze unwavering. "In return... your power becomes mine. You will no longer be an unpredictable wild card. You will be the sword of the Scout Regiment. When I tell you to fight, you will fight. When I tell you to stand down, you will stand down. You will follow my orders without question, without hesitation. Your life, your power, your very being, will be sworn to me, for the good of humanity. Do you accept my terms?"
It was a deal with the devil. A gilded cage in exchange for a stone one. He would be free, but he would be a weapon, aimed and fired by Erwin's hand. He would have to trust that Erwin's definition of "the good of humanity" aligned with his own.
Akira looked at the Commander, at the cold, brilliant strategist who was willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for victory. He thought of the people dying inside Wall Rose. He thought of Mikasa, of Erin, of Armin, and of all the others who were about to be thrown into that meat grinder. He had no other choice.
"...On one condition," Akira rasped, his voice gaining a sliver of its old strength. "My objective... is to save everyone. Not just the people of Paradis. Everyone. If your orders conflict with that mission... I will not follow them."
Erwin considered this for a long moment, a silent battle of wills passing between them. He saw the unshakeable conviction in the boy's eyes. He was not just a weapon. He was a force with his own will, his own purpose. Erwin knew he couldn't break that. But he could aim it.
"An acceptable amendment," Erwin conceded with a slight nod. He stood up, the deal sealed. "Then it's time to go to work, soldier."
---
The chaos within Wall Rose was a symphony of terror. Smoke choked the sky, the screams of the dying were a constant, horrifying chorus, and the ground trembled with the thudding footsteps of the smiling, mindless giants.
Caught in the middle of this nightmare, Reiner and Bertholdt tried desperately to maintain their cover as loyal soldiers of the 104th. They fought with a grim efficiency, cutting down the smaller Titans, but inside, they were a whirlwind of pure panic.
"Where is he?!" Reiner hissed to Bertholdt as they landed on a rooftop, the sounds of a nearby slaughter echoing in their ears. "Zeke was supposed to wait for our signal! What is he doing here?! He's ruining everything!"
"I don't know!" Bertholdt replied, his face pale, his eyes wide with fear. "He's gone completely off-mission! And what about Annie? We have to find her! And the Founder!"
Their plan, so carefully constructed over years of infiltration, was crumbling into dust. Their leader had gone rogue, their comrade was missing, and their primary target, Erin, was now under the protection of the one variable they could never have predicted: Akira.
"Forget Annie for now!" Reiner grunted, his mind racing. "If Zeke is here, it means the entire plan has changed. Our new priority is survival, and figuring out what the hell our War Chief is thinking." He looked out at the chaos, at the distant, horrifying figure of the Beast Titan, and a cold dread washed over him. They were no longer in control. They were just pawns in a much larger, much more terrifying game.
---
The heavy iron door of the dungeon creaked open, and this time, it was not to bring pain, but a fragile, desperate hope. Akira, leaning heavily on Commander Erwin, stumbled out into the torchlit corridor, his eyes blinking against the sudden light.
Waiting for them, their faces a mixture of frantic worry and overwhelming relief, were Mikasa, Erin, and Armin.
"Akira!" Erin cried out, rushing forward, only to be stopped by a firm hand from Levi, who appeared from the shadows, his face an unreadable mask.
Their relief curdled into horror as they got a clear look at him. His face was a canvas of angry purple and black bruises. His uniform was torn and stained with his own blood. But it was his hands that made their hearts stop. They were wrapped in thick, crude bandages, but they couldn't hide the dark, crimson stains that were already seeping through, or the unnatural way he held his fingers.
Mikasa's breath hitched, a small, wounded sound in the quiet corridor. Her eyes, wide with agony, locked onto his bandaged hands, and she could feel his pain as if it were her own. Tears welled, silent and hot, but she didn't let them fall. Her grief was instantly forged into a cold, hard rage, directed not at Akira, but at the world that had done this to him.
Erin was less restrained. A choked sob escaped her lips, her hands flying to her mouth as she saw the brutal evidence of his "interrogation."
Akira met their gaze, his own blue eyes full of a weary sadness. He offered them a small, pained smile, a silent reassurance that he was still there, still fighting.
He was no longer a prisoner. He was an uncaged weapon.
Erwin placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's time," the Commander said, his voice ringing with a grim purpose. He looked out a high, barred window, towards the distant, smoke-filled skies of the south. "It's time to go to work."
---
•To Be Continue•
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