The thin wall separating the boys' and girls' dorms in the Scout Regiment barracks vibrated with a series of faint taps in the dead of night.
**Annie:**
'-... .-. . .- -.-. .... / .-- .- ... / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... ..-. ..- .-..'
**Reiner:**
'-... . .-. - / .- -. -.. / .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .--- --- .. -. / ... -.-. --- ..- - ...'
**Annie:**
'.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ...- --- .-.. ..- -. - . . .-. / - --- / .--- --- .. -. / -- .. .-.. .. - .- .-. -.-- / .--. --- .-.. .. -.-. .'
**Bert:**
'.-.. .- -. / .. ... / .-. .. ... -.- -.--'
**Reiner:**
'-. --- - .... .. -. --. / -.-. .... .- -. --. . ...'
**Annie:**
'.-.. . ...- .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .--. .-. --- -... .-.. . --'
**Reiner:**
'--.. . -.- . / -.-. .- -. .----. - / .-.. --- ... .'
The next day, the 154 surviving cadets who hadn't sustained serious injuries during the battle at Trost stood in formation. Commander Erwin faced them, his gaze serious yet holding a spark of the unwavering determination that defined him.
"Cadets," Erwin began, his voice carrying clearly across the hushed gathering. "First, for those who don't know me well, I am Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps. You have all shown remarkable courage to reach this point. But the path we walk in the Scouts is one paved with sacrifice. I have to be honest with you about the risks."
He continued, his expression unwavering. "Statistically, approximately thirty per cent of you who choose to join us will not survive your first three years. And with every expedition beyond these walls, we lose, on average, at least twenty per cent of our comrades."
A collective gasp rippled through the small group.
"Thirty per cent?" a young man whispered.
"Twenty per cent... every time?" a girl replied, her voice barely audible.
Erwin watched them. "Knowing these truths... I ask you now. Are there still those among you willing to dedicate your lives to the Survey Corps?"
Annie stepped forward towards the Military Police. "I will serve where I am most needed."
Reiner, exchanging a look with Bertolt, declared, "For humanity!" and joined the Scouts. Bertolt followed hesitantly. Mikasa and Armin stood firm with the Scouts. Sasha looked worried, while Jean tried to appear brave. Krista stood beside Ymir, both their expressions serious as they chose the Scouts. Three other recruits also stepped forward.
Later, as the nine new Scout recruits – Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Bertolt, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Krista, and Ymir – huddled together in the dimly lit barracks, the atmosphere was heavy. The excitement of their decision to join the Scouts had already been eroded by what they'd heard from the two cadets who had brough them together. The silence among them wasn't just nerves—it was dread.
Armin sat on the edge of his bunk, fingers laced together, eyes distant. "It wasn't just fast," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "It was... impossible. I've never seen anything move like that. Not even the Female Titan."
Mikasa was beside him, her right wrist tightly wrapped in bandages. Her eyes were distant too, haunted. "It snapped my wrist without even trying," she muttered. "Like I was nothing."
"Wait—Levi couldn't stop it?" Connie asked, incredulous. "Captain Levi? You're joking, right? Isn't he supposed to be stronger than five fifteen-meter abnormals combined !?"
"No joke," Armin replied quietly. "He barely saw it coming. It was like... it wasn't even playing by the same rules we follow when killing titans."
"That's insane." Connie shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Levi's a damn legend. If he can't do anything, what the hell did we just sign up for?"
Sasha clutched the edges of her coat, eyes wide. "Are we sure it wasn't just a Titan we've never seen before? You guys were bleeding from the head when we found you. Maybe you were just hallucinating."
"No," Mikasa said, sharp and firm. "It wasn't a Titan. It looked human."
Jean exhaled, long and slow. "So, something that looks like us... and makes Levi look slow? And just walks off with Eren like he's a sack of flour? Great." Out of habit, his hands had already covered his ears.
As the murmurs continued, Reiner sat stiffly on his bed, eyes fixed on the wooden floor. Bertolt, beside him, didn't say a word. His fingers trembled slightly as he picked at a loose thread on his blanket.
Their eyes met briefly—just a second—and that single glance said more than words ever could.
This wasn't part of the plan.
What are we dealing with?
Neither of them spoke, but their jaws were tight, and their silence hung heavier than the others' fear. Annie hadn't joined them in the room—and that was the only thing going according to plan. She wasn't with them now, so she didn't even know what they were hearing. As soon as they heard of him and his feats, they knew Levi Ackermann was going to be a problem, one they could only trust their real commander to deal with
Krista looked between everyone, then at Ymir, who simply rested her hand protectively on Krista's shoulder. "You still think this was just a freak event?" Ymir asked, voice low. "'Cause I think something's coming. Something big. And we just joined the front lines."
Meanwhile, in Erwin's office, Levi stood before the Commander, Hange Zoe, leaning forward with intense curiosity.
"Erwin," Levi began, his voice clipped and unusually tense, "after we sealed the wall, something... unbelievable happened. A humanoid. It moved faster than any Titan, any soldier I've ever seen."
Erwin's gaze was sharp, his hands clasped on his desk. "A humanoid? Describe it, Levi. Everything you saw."
"Cloaked," Levi repeated, his jaw tight. "Couldn't make out any features. It just... appeared. And it went straight for the brat, the one that turns into a titan."
Hange's eyes widened, their usual excitement tinged with genuine alarm. "Eren? It took Eren? Alive?"
Apparently, but not surprisingly, Erwin and Hange were the only ones in the room who bothered to know the boy's name.
Levi nodded grimly. "Yeah. Just grabbed him like he was nothing. Two kids tried to interfere... it broke the girl's wrist like it was a twig. Knocked the blonde out cold. Even I... I couldn't react fast enough." A rare flash of anger crossed Levi's face. "It used some kind of... marking on him. Black lines spread all over his skin, and the titan brat's body went limp. Just like that"
"Markings?" Erwin leaned forward, his brow furrowed deeply. "Did it say anything about those markings?"
"Just that it would seal his power," Levi said, his voice low and dangerous. "And that without it, the brat's gonna die. Then... it just vanished. In the blink of an eye. Gone."
Erwin was silent for a long moment, his mind racing. "Eren Jaeger has been kidnapped by an entity unlike anything we've encountered. Its speed, its strength... and this 'seal' it used... Hange, I want you to delve into every record, every myth, every legend we have. We need to understand what just happened. Levi, your priority is to find any trace of this creature, any clue as to where they might have taken Eren. This changes everything."
The fragile victory at Trost was now overshadowed by a chilling and terrifying unknown. And Erwin knew they were now on the front lines.