The Queen of Pain - Levi Ackerman

Chapter 14

Dedicated Chapter Song: Not Today - BTS

All the underdogs in the world, a day may come when we lose. But it is not today. Today we fight!
(Anna)

Anna had refused to tell anyone of the ghostly sight she'd seen earlier that day. Erwin...alive... it was impossible. She figured that once the meeting was over, she'd refer herself to a doctor just to make sure she was still sane. In the meantime, she was stuck in a conference that she didn't particularly care much about. However, it was necessary. Luckily she had time to change out of her uncomfortable corset and into a long flowing dress with a long Scouting Legion trenchcoat to cover it. Even though she was still posing as the Queen, she was still loyal to the Survey Corps- and her husband, who was still the captain of it.

"Annalise," Darius Zackley snapped his fingers, bringing her back to their world for a moment. "Hm? Sorry, I got distracted." Anna blinked, straightening up. "I see," he raised his head. "It is impressive to see you in this position. Just two years ago you were at my mercy in deciding your fate." Anna just barely smiled. "Well, I thank you for not executing me then." she turned to glance at the other side of the room where all her friends sat, each looking as nervous as her. Eren seemed to be the most nervous and Anna guessed it had to do with carrying the heavy burden of her lie.

"As it seems," Anna quickly transitioned into a more appropriate figure. "Hysteria is in possession of a Titan we no longer have control of," she spoke with a calm and eloquent voice. "I have reason to believe she is working with my brother- who I did mention in my trial a year ago was conceived but never born. Apparently, this was not true." She glanced down to a stack of papers and notes in her hands. Most of them were reports from the other day that Anna did not want to read since they were filled with lies she'd told them. "Hysteria Fritz is a dangerous and manipulative being. As of right now, she is our main enemy. Given that most of my abilities came from her during the time our minds and bodies were fused, I have reason to suspect she has the abilities as follows," she took a glance at the Scouts, even giving her husband a slightly worried glance  down at her own notes, scribbled in her own cursive-like handwriting. "I believe Hysteria is capable of controlling Titans with her Hysteric Titan's laugh, as I could briefly gather a following of Titans at one point during training. On top of that, I no longer possess the ability to heal myself or my allies, therefore leading me to believe that is Hysteria's gift. Which brings me to the frightening theory that..." her heterochromia eyes flickered to Levi for a split second. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. It was the only explanation as to why Erwin was alive- and not a hallucination.

"Hysteria can bring those she chooses back from the dead."

The room suddenly filled with gasps and murmurs, each member expressing their own concerns. "Silence," Zackley thundered. "Annalise," Nile Dawk finally spoke up. "What evidence do you have to support this inane hypothesis?" Anna straightened up, exhaling a breath she wasn't even aware that she'd been holding in. "During the first confrontation with the Beast Titan, there was a point in time where Levi died for a moment. Something within me awakened and I was able to not only regain my memories and strength, but I was able to bring him back to life- something that is not possible for normal humans- otherwise, our casualties would be far fewer." She contemplated telling them about Erwin being alive, but ultimately decided she would not. Not yet.

"Then as of this moment, our top priority should be stopping Hysteria!" Ruby suddenly blurted out, slamming her hands on the table in front of her. "Who cares about the reclamation of Wall Maria when someone as deadly as Hysteria is still a threat to us?!" Anna, as much as she appreciated Ruby's argument, acted like the queen she was pretending to be and spoke reasonably. "Yes, your argument is valid, Rubianne, but we cannot rush into a war with a being we know next to nothing about. Think about the civilian casualties we could suffer if we just attacked her the moment we found her. On top of this, Hysteria could be anywhere in the world at this moment. She has been outside the Walls before and there's no one to stop her from going out again. Wall Maria is our biggest goal to strive for right now. If we're lucky, we can lure her and Reiner and Bertolt all in the same place."

The Scouts exchanged glances, almost like they'd forgotten about the threat of Reiner and Bertolt. "I agree with Annalise," Levi spoke up. "We cannot suffer any more casualties against a force we're unprepared for. The reclaiming of Wall Maria will follow its schedule for three days from now." Ruby seemed upset by the decision, but said nothing more and took her seat again. "As well," Anna spoke, taking a glance at Eren. "We will make it to Eren Jaeger's basement. Come hell or high water, we'll stop at nothing to retrieve the information locked inside." she declared proudly. "Agreed." Hanji stood up. "The glowing crystals we've managed to obtain from the crystal cavern have allowed us to work through the night on recreating a trail to Shinganshina. If we go during the night, we can avoid a majority of Titans and make it by sunrise."

Anna blanked out on the rest of the conversation, just hearing that Nile was trying to argue with them while the others fought against what was a priority and what wasn't. Staring down at her notes, Anna realized she was frightened if it were true as to what Hysteria could potentially do. Then a thought came back to her. Was it...a memory? Ever since that day in the crystal cavern, many lost memories of hers came swimming back. It was overwhelming. That's when it hit her. That day that Boss decided she was the perfect candidate for his strongest experiment...he'd erased everyone's memories of Hysteria. That was all because-

"If it comes down to it, I can turn into a Titan and eat Hysteria!" Eren fulminated with his usual angry tone of voice. "Do you really think you can handle that kind of power, Eren?" Levi eyed him, a disapproving look on his own face. "That's enough!" Anna stood from her seat, gathering everyone's attention. "When it comes down to the thin wire..." she quieted her voice just a bit. "I have to be the one to kill Hysteria. It doesn't matter how hard you fight against her. I am the only person she can't read when fighting against." Her eyes seemed dull as she came to another terrifying conclusion. "But that doesn't mean I'm immune to her. If I can at least harm her enough to weaken her, the rest of you can move in to attack and finish her off. However, this is a dangerous and risky plan. Someone will end up dead- or at least fatally injured. But, that is a price I'm willing to pay. Now, I ask you all," her eyes flashed at them all. "Are you willing to pay the same?"