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At the other side of the refugee camp, Reiner Braun wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, straining with a log to remove the stump of an old tree where there were several more. Beside him, Bertholdt Hoover assisted using another log to dislodge the stump.
Around them, other refugees were doing work. Some shuffled past with buckets of water, others doing the same work as the duo, while a few had actually set up small stalls selling scraps of cloth and dented tin cups. It was the same as every day.
Except it wasn't.
A cluster of men had gathered near the communal water pump; whispering and shouting among themselves. Reiner didn't pay them much attention at first—arguments were common here, as common as when the next fight would break out. But then a word caught his ear. Then another.
"—didn't believe it at first either, but it's right there in the paper—"
"—the Crystal Titan? The same one from Wall Maria?"
"—Obsidian fought off the Armored Titan then. Now it just saved a bunch of cadets—"
Reiner's hands stopped moving, making the log he was holding hovered in midair.
"—nearly two hundred dead by bandits?! That can't be right. We're talking about a military ground; everyone knows that's horseshit—"
"—I heard it was some old knights? Or was it men in armor or something—"
Bertholdt noticed his friend's change immediately. His eyes flickered to Reiner, then to the group of men, then back. "Reiner?" he said quietly. "What is it?"
Reiner didn't answer. He set the log down with exaggerated care, then signaled at Bertholdt to the crowd ahead.
The voices of the men continued, unaware of the two children standing nearby eavesdropping. Not like they really cared in the first place.
"That Demon Dog terrorist was there too. The papers confirm it. It attacked the training ground before the Crystal Titan stopped it—"
"—stopped it? I heard that monster took a child. Carried some poor kid off into the forest. They haven't found him yet."
"Let's forget about all that for a second, let's talk about the Crystal Titan. That's the real story. A Titan that fights other Titans AND saves people. What in the Walls is going on?"
Reiner felt the world tilt just enough to make him feel like the ground beneath his feet had shifted.
The Crystal Titan. Obsidian. At the 103rd.
He remembered Shiganshina. He also didn't need to be reminded of the crystalline juggernaut that had intercepted his charge and nearly jeopardized the entire wall Maria operation single-handedly.
And now it had appeared again. Or rather, HE. At a training ground. Fighting some ongoing rumor and causing more trouble.
What the hell is that Yeager boy doing?
Reiner's jaw tightened. His hands that were hanging at his sides curled into fists.
'He's been busy. While we've been sitting here, pretending to be refugees, he's been out there, using that device to cause chaos. And we didn't know. We didn't know anything. What if that thing released the dog monster in the first place like that Ghost abomination?!'
Bertholdt moved closer, his voice a low murmur. "Reiner. People are starting to notice."
Reiner blinked. He looked around, and sure enough, a few heads had turned in their direction. He forced himself to relax. It took more effort than it should have. He bent down to pick up his log and resumed pushing the tree stomp as if nothing had happened.
"Fine," The blonde stated out flatly. "I'm fine."
Bertholdt didn't look convinced, but he didn't press either and resumed his own work. Which Reiner was silently grateful for.
But even as he was working, he couldn't help but replay what those men had said.
Obsidian. The Crystal Titan. At the 103rd.
If that little bastard keeps on getting himself into more activities, it would be harder for them to get close to him.
A few weeks have gone by, trying to figure out a way to get closer to Eren Yeager ever since…that incident. If they could just understand his powers, or even just one weakness, they can find a way to get hold of him and get away from his forsaken cursed island!
…But however, the closest way they could get to him was deliberately refuting to do so…AGAIN.
Frustration was a bitter pill. Reiner was a warrior. He had trained his entire life for combat and serving Marley to atone for his blood's sins. He had thought this mission would have proven to make his mother proud…and be a hero to the world. But by the time he got here, things…just weren't how he had planned them to be, Marcel revealing the truth of how he became a warrior, losing their only competent leader making him fill the shoes, no single sign of the Jaws titan nor lead on the original mission of the Coordinate in the first place. And there was Eren.
A ten-year-old boy who has powers that defied comprehension. Nearly rendered his armor useless and God knows what else he can turn to. Not to mention that device releasing monstrosities. At this rate, he could prove to be more dangerous than the founder if they don't deal with him sooner. They had halted their mission all because of the boy, and yet they haven't found any clues on him.
'What else don't we know? What else has he done that we haven't heard about?'
The questions churned in his mind relentlessly. He finished removing the stump before he turned to Bertholdt.
"Where's Annie?"
"Uh, inside the tent skipping work?"
"We need to talk," Reiner narrowed his eyes. "Now."
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