I Love You... In Every Universe (AOT Alternative Universe)

53. The Town Where Everything Began (Part 2 First Chapter)

AUTHOR'S POV:

The scouts moved through the forest in the middle of the night, holding flashlights. Hoods up, they continued in silence.
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Levi glanced back when a soldier behind him cried out in surprise.

"Whoa!" The soldier cried out, trying to calm his horse as his flashlight went rolling on the ground.

"Hey! You've gotta light up the ground!" Levi scolded him.

"S-Sorry." The scout replied quickly.

"We're not at the foot yet?" Levi asked to Dirk. "It's almost dawn."

"Once we're over this mountain, Shiganshina's right there." Dirk responded, shining his light on the small folded map in his hand.
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"Sorry you're stuck with my horse." Eren and Faye said in unison as Mikasa and Armin were guiding their horses.

"You two are supposed to be saving your energy." Mikasa responded in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, we know." Eren replied.

"She's right." Connie spoke up from behind them. "Rest up, Eren, Faye."

"Don't say their name, idiot" Jean chided him.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Connie replied.

"Assume this place is swarming with enemies." Jean said then noticed something and his expression twisted in surprised horror. "Titan on the left!" He said loudly. "Everyone halt!"

"Light up the area!" A scout said.

Three beams of light hit the silent Titan, who sat against a small pile of earth, not moving a muscle. The sound of blades being unsheathed cut through the air.

"It's alright." Hange said. "He's fast asleep. This lad must not be one of those new types that move at night." She let out a low chuckle. "That's too bad. Let him be."
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Eren stared at the Titan as they walked past it. "I can't believe we didn't see it until we were so close to it."

"Yeah, I'm with you there. This moonless night must be protecting us." Hange theorized. "Light from the moon is reflected sunlight. The new type of Titan... We think they use that minuscule amount of reflected light to move. Using the new moon was the right move." She looked ahead. "There's no guarantee we won't have a repeat of before. That lad may be one of those 'Moonlight Titans' for all we know." Light reflected off her glasses and she smiled, her tone pitching as she said dreamily. "Hope we capture one someday!"
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Behind her, Eren stared at the grass in front of him. His hand, which gripped the flashlight, trembled.

'I'm shaking? Why? What am I so scared of? Shit...' Darkness surrounded Eren completely as he began to descend into uncertainty. 'If I screw up retaking Wall Maria because I'm like this, what then?! How many people will lose hope forever?' There won't be a chance like this ever again! Am I not cut out for it after all? Doubt filled his inner voice. 'Someone like me? How can I save humanity? Someone like me? How?' His left hand gripped the wrist of his right arm, which kept shaking.

"Eren..." Mikasa said with wide eyes.

"What are you shaking for?" Armin asked, leaning in. "Are you scared?"

"Huh?! I'm not scared!" Eren said defensively, brows furrowed.

"Look at your hand, Eren." Faye said.

"This is... It's cold!" Eren said. "My hand's freezing!"

Mikasa watched them without a word.

"Really? My whole body's been shaking this whole time." Armin said, holding up his trembling hand for display. "See?" Eren and Faye looked at him. "Eren, have you ever been afraid of Titans? Normally, everyone's terrified of them. Like me... The first time I faced a Titan, I couldn't move a muscle. But... there I was... And you pulled me right out of a Titan's mouth." He remembered Eren gripping his wrist to keep him from sliding further into the Titan's mouth. "How were you able to do something like that?"