Attack on Titan: Wolfborn

Chapter XXVII: Underneath

The Female Titan's footsteps shook the earth like drumbeats, each impact resonating with increasing intensity. Anja's horse shifted nervously beneath her, ears flattening against its skull as the world seemed to slow, sounds becoming muffled as the Titan altered its course. Each movement carried an odd familiarity that made Anja's skin crawl.

"She can see you." Heinrik stood impossibly still amid the chaos, watching as though this moment had always been inevitable.

"Anja, move! Now!" Petra's voice cracked with urgency as she released the framework's control mechanism.

The release made her feel vulnerable, exposed. Her hands trembled as she drew her blades—her only pair. The Titan raced toward them, devouring the distance with horrifying speed. She yanked her horse's reins hard, but terror made the animal rear and buck against her commands.

Before she knew it the Female Titan was already there, its foot swinging forward. A shadow fell over her, and Anja caught a glimpse of crystalline patterns forming along its leg just before impact.

The strike caught the horse's hindquarters with enough force to send tthe animal reeling. Anja lurched from the saddle as her mount stumbled, the landscape blurring into a whirl of green and brown. Instinct took over—she fired her ODM gear, the anchors latching onto the Titan's thigh. She jerked to a halt midair, pain jolting through her limbs as she struggled to regain control.

Something was wrong. Her body wouldn't respond the way it should. Where was the rage? The strength? It was as if her own flesh had forgotten how to fight, how to surrender to that crimson haze.

In that split second Anja saw Petra attempting to maneuver for an attack. But the framework's connection between them turned against them as the Titan's movement yanked Petra from her saddle. Her scream cut off abruptly as she hit the ground.

"Something's different about this one," Heinrik's voice carried an edge of recognition. "Can't you feel it?"

The world spun as Anja engaged her gear, forcing herself to stabilize. No time to think—she had to strike now, while she still could. She ignored Heinrik's presence at the edge of her vision, focusing on the titan's red flesh. Her strike sliced a shallow gash across the titan's thigh before something tore her back with brutal force.

Her body twisted in torment as the Female Titan seized her cables, leaving her dangling like a marionette on strings. Her cloak slipped free, spiraling away as blood rushed to her head. The framework's pressure became a new kind of agony—pulled upward by the titan, backward by its connection to Petra.

The Titan remained unnaturally still, head canted at an angle that made Anja's skin crawl. Steam rose from the superficial cut she'd managed. But why wasn't it doing anything? Why just hold her there, suspended and helpless?

"She remembers us," Heinrik's voice had an otherworldly echo. "You have to kill her."

A metallic groan from the frame sent ice through Anja's veins. The attachment points were stressing, metal yielding to pressures it was never designed to withstand.

Then the titan's head shifted a fraction, and though Anja couldn't see its face from where she dangled, she felt its attention as a physical force. The steam reached around her suspended form, carrying an oddly familiar scent.

"Hold on!"

That voice... Reiner!

The thunder of hooves grew louder as he approached.

She saw the Titan's free hand rising in a swift line as Reiner launched himself from his horse. He made an attempt to change directions but he was snatched from the air.

"No!" Anja thrashed against her restraints. Helplessness and despair smothered her fury.

She couldn't save Reiner. She couldn't even save herself.

Without warning, the Titan released its grip on her. Anja plummeted, her swords slipping from nerveless fingers. She hit the ground hard, reflexes dulled by pain and exhaustion.

Behind her, the cable connecting her to Petra snapped taut. The broken framework constricted around Anja's chest, crushing the air from her lungs.

Through darkening vision, she saw Reiner twist free of the Titan's grasp, blades flashing as he carved his way out of the its fist. His movements were too smooth, too practiced. Had he done this before?

The Titan showed no reaction to its wounds. Its head slightly turned towards her still.

"So," Heinrik said calmly. "She's not after us." His tone made it sound like he'd known this all along.

Anja lay in the grass, each strangled gasp a battle. The framework's broken bands cut into her ribs.

Reiner landed hard beside her, steam rising from his face where titan blood evaporated. 

"The tank," Anja choked out. "I need the tank..."

Reiner's hands found the buckles, straining against the warped metal. "It won't budge! Is there a release on this thing?" He scanned the grass, spotting where the tank had fallen. "I'll be right back."

The world narrowed to the desperate need for air. Every second stretched into an eternity. Dimly, Anja noticed the Female Titan kneeling in the distance, studying its regenerating hand.

It hadn't pursued them. Why?

"Anja..." Heinrik's voice pulled at her fading thoughts. "We need to go. Now."

Reiner slid to his knees beside her, damaged tank in hand. "This should do it." He slotted the tank back into place. The pressure released with a hiss, framework loosening.

Anja gulped air, tears streaming down her face. Reiner watched her with a concern that somehow didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Easy there." His voice held an edge she'd never noticed before. "That contraption... Scout Regiment's new toy?"

Before Anja could find the breath to answer, the Female Titan rose to its feet. But instead of attacking, it turned and sprinted away, each stride oddly purposeful.

"What's it doing?" Anja's voice came out raspy, raw.

Reiner frowned, as he looked towards the titan's retreating form. "She's leaving. I think I scared the bitch off."

"Anja!" Armin's shout preceded the sound of hoofbeats.

Anja turned to see him supporting a grimacing Petra, their horses trailing behind. The sight of Armin, battered but alive, made Anja's chest tighten with an emotion she couldn't name.

"You're alive..." Wonder and confusion warred in Armin's wide blue eyes. "Where have you been all this time?"

His arms encircled Anja. She leaned into him, suddenly exhausted. When was the last time someone had held her like this? "I'm sorry," She murmured into his cloak. "I wanted to tell you. I just...couldn't."

Armin pulled back, searching her face. His fingers brushed the edges of her eyepatch, questions crowding behind his eyes. "Your eye...Anja, what happened to you?"

Anja touched the rough fabric, a pang of unease twisting in her stomach. "I...it was a training accident."

"They told us you were on a special assignment. That no one was allowed to see you. What-"

A hiss of pain cut him off. Petra slumped against her chestnut horse , face pale and posture rigid. The framework's controls hung off her in a tangle, struts bent and connection points mangled.

"The framework needs repairs," Petra's voice was tight as she braced herself, then with a sharp exhale, wrenched her arm back into place. A shudder ran through her. "And we need to report this encounter. That Titan... it's heading straight for the center of the formation."

"We can't let it get there. If we don't warn them—"

"It's because of Eren, right?" Armin's eyes narrowed. "He's there, isn't he?"

"How would you know that?" Petra demanded.

"It's the safest place in the formation," Armin replied, mind clearly racing. "But that Titan came straight from the right wing... I wonder... We saw the distress signals, but it reached us before we could do anything..."

"We just came from there, the right wing was destroyed by that thing," Anja added. "It wasn't alone - there were other titans following it too, but they stayed behind."

"Then the difference is clear - it acts with purpose, unlike a normal titan, it doesn't show mindless hunger. Its behavior is intelligent." Armin's tactical mind was already working. "When it killed our team leader, it didn't try to eat anyone. It was looking for something. The way it examined you just now..."

"Like it recognized her," Petra finished, her tone oddly flat.

A cold wind swept across the grass, carrying the distant sound of hoofbeats and something else - the soft beating of wings. Ravens had begun gathering in the trees around them, their black forms stark against the pale sky.

"It's a human," Armin's voice dropped lower. "Just like Eren, the Colossal, the Armored Titan… It has to be after him!"

Near Anja's dead horse in the distance, Heinrik stood watching. "We have to keep going, Anja. Home." His arm rose, pointing in the opposite direction from the formation's path.

"We can't waste any more time," Petra managed, steading herself against her mount, wincing as she successfully mounted it. "Armin, give her your horse, double up with Reiner."

"The formation will be changing course again by the looks of it," she nodded toward the horizon where green smoke signals were already rising. "We'll need to catch up quickly, tell everyone we find."

As Armin helped Anja up, she felt his eyes on the semi broken gear strapped to her chest.

"What happened to you?" He asked quietly.

Anja slumped forward slightly in the saddle, suddenly bone-tired. "I don't know," she answered honestly, feeling the weight of Heinrik's gaze on her. "I don't know anything anymore."

Overhead, a raven's wings beat a steady rhythm against the cloudless sky, black eyes fixed on the path ahead.

***

Team Leader Darius wiped sweat from his brow as he surveyed the abandoned village one last time. The midday sun beat down on the weathered buildings where his team now crouched in wait. Eleven of them remained, down two from this morning's losses. The aberrant that had broken through their flank still needed to be dealt with before it reached the main formation.

The village center created a natural choke point. Darius had positioned his soldiers carefully to maximize the advantage. With the right timing, they could bring down their target quickly.

A raven cawed, drawing his attention to the rooftops, many were perched there, their unnatural stillness setting his teeth on edge.

"Everyone's in place, sir." Jurgen's voice remained steady despite the rigid set of his shoulders. "Ready on your signal."

Motion flickered in Darius's peripheral vision. He turned to see a figure adjusting their gear near the town's crumbling bell tower. "Rader, get back in position before-"

"Sir?" The confusion in the real Rader's voice snapped Darius's head around. The boy stood exactly where he was supposed to be, blades in hand.

A cold knot formed in Darius's gut. He looked back up at the tower, but the figure had vanished. Unease prickled up his spine. He knew everyone under his command, knew their faces, their tics... Maybe it was a surviving soldier form the right wing. 

"Listen up," He pushed down his disquiet and forced his voice to remain level. "We're dealing with an abnormal, and a dangerous one at that. Stay sharp. Our usual tactics won't be enough. We move as a unit, watch each other's backs. No one plays the hero, understood? We go in together, we come out together."

In the distance, a shout rang out. "Contact! From the north!"

Darius raised his hand, eyes fixed on the path leading into the village square. This is it. The ground trembled, the vibrations intensifying with each passing second.

Through gaps in the buildings, he caught glimpses of a sprinting figure, its movements they were too precise. Too human.

"Hold positions," he ordered, muscles tensing. "Wait for my signal."

The rhythmic impacts, grew louder and louder. The titan was nearly upon them. Even the birds had gone deathly silent, beady eyes all turned to witness what came next.

A massive shape burst into the square, seeming to unfold from the spaces between one blink and the next. This titan had the distinct shape of a woman, she straightened to her full height, pale hair swaying slightly as she turned her head, icy blue eyes sweeping the plaza.

"Now!" Darius barked, as he closed his hand into a fist.

His soldiers struck in perfect unison, ODM hooks flying from every direction. This was what they trained for. He watched as Ivan aimed straight for the nape, blades flashing in the sun.

A diamond-hard shell encased the Titan's neck an instant before Ivan's strike connected. The sound of shattering steel rang out like a death knell.

"What?! The nape's protected!" Darius's warning came too late.

The Female Titan moved with deadly grace, every gesture purposeful and swift. Her fingers closed around Ivan's cables and yanked. Darius had time to see the boy's eyes bulge in terror before he smashed through the crumbling belltower, his body practically splitting on impact.

Two more soldiers died in the space between heartbeats. The first landing in her hardened palm with a sickening crunch, blood spurting between her fingers as she squeezed. The second disappeared beneath a calculated stomp, the wet cracking of bone and the squelch of pulverized flesh drowned out by the thunderous blow. Those who remained scattered, falling back on drilled formations that now felt pathetically inadequate.

Jurgen rallied them, directing hooks to wrap around the Titan's legs, aiming to hobble it. Synchronized and flawless, a dance they'd performed a hundred times before.

The Female Titan dropped low, muscles coiling. Darius had a fraction of a second to realize what was about to happen before it launched itself skyward with a jump, hooks trailing from its body like spider silk. The soldiers anchored to it jerked violently, their screams cut off with horrific abruptness as the force tore them apart.

Darius drew his flare gun, one shell already loaded, motioning to Rader as he took aim. If he could blind it, he could buy them a precious few seconds. He raised the barrel, finger tensed on the trigger.

Movement flickered in a darkened window. Darius's gaze snapped to it instinctively. That man from before, he stood motionless in the shadows, face obscured. Something about the wrongness of its stillness made his blood run cold.

He wrenched his focus back to the Titan just as it turned its head, icy blue eyes fixing on the flare gun. It twisted just as he fired, the hissing charge streaking past its jaw, leaving behind a green smoke trail.

"Rader, go!" He shouted.

The kid leaped, blades flashing as he hurtled toward the Titan's exposed neck. Two more soldiers flanked him, faces set in fierce determination. He was certain she couldn't protect her nape and limbs at once.

The Female Titan's hand moved in a blur, crystallizing from fingertip to elbow as it shielded its weak point. Rader's blades shattered like glass against the hardened flesh. Before even taking any damnge from the others, she spun around, a single kick reduced a soldier to a red smear against the wall. The titan caught the remaining cables attached to her, whirling them around. It used their own momentum like a slingshot, hurling them through the air with devastating force. Rader... He hit the ground beside Darius in a tangle of shattered limbs, his eyes wide and staring vacantly.

Darius whistled for his horse, refusing to give in to the dread. He had to warn the Commander. Had to reach the formation. He threw himself into the saddle, leaning low over his mount's neck as he spurred it forward, desperately seeking to escape the town.

Twenty meters to the village edge. Fifteen. Ten-

The blow came without warning. A massive foot swept through his field of vision, catching both him and his mount. The world spun, ground and sky trading places. He couldn't tell if the scream he heard was his own or his horse's. Then came the bone-shattering collision with stone and earth.

Pain. Brutal, absolute, all-consuming. Darius tried to move, to crawl, but his legs were shattered, jagged bone protruding through torn flesh. He watched helplessly as the titan continued her advance. Their deaths hadn't even qualified as an inconvenience.

A raven landed beside him, its head twisting slowly towards him. More descended, their wings casting shifting shadows across his broken form. Bare feet stepped into view - human yet wrong, stained with dirt and dried blood.

The first raven's beak plunged into his eye. The pain should have been unbearable, but it felt like ice spreading through his veins. More followed, each strike sending waves of cold deeper into his flesh. He tried to scream, to pray, but his mouth filled with a tarry liquid, heavy, piercing his lungs, his skin.

This isn't death, he realized with mounting horror. This was-

***

Ancient trees stretched toward the sky, their massive forms reaching so high they looked as if they could pierce the clouds, their weathered trunks casting long shadows across the expedition's path. Commander Erwin tracked the steady march of black smoke signals converging toward the formation's center, each one likely marking another unit lost. The messenger's horse wheezed beside him, its flanks trembling from the desperate sprint.

"Commander, the target is advancing faster than anticipated," the messenger reported, his youthful face tight with worry beneath a mop of sandy hair. "Squad Darius' signals have ceased. There...there are no survivors, sir."

Erwin's fingers tightened on the reins, his expression carved from stone. Behind him, wooden wagons rumbled into the forest depths, following the lone path that cut through it, their contents concealed beneath heavy canvas. The distinctive smell of lamp oil wafted from beneath the covers, mixing with the forest's natural scents.

The ground trembled with approaching hoofbeats from the rear. Hange drew alongside him, her brow furrowed with distress.

"My team is ready," Hange reported, adjusting her glasses. "Any word from Petra and Anja? They were due to check in by now but remain unaccounted for."

"No signals from their last three checkpoints." The words settled like lead as Hange's expression darkened. A muscle worked in her jaw, but before she could speak, Erwin turned to the waiting messenger. "Send the orders: only the center column enters the forest. All other units are ordered to circle arround it and maintain titan control."

"Sir!" The messenger vanished into the fading haze, his figure quickly swallowed by the distance.

Hange adjusted her glasses, studying the web of flare trails. Her gaze shifted to the wagons passing nearby, Miche riding guard. "Petra would never miss a signal. The vanguard, have you-"

"She isn't there," Erwin cut in. "I already sent someone to verify."

Erwin signaled to Miche, the tall section leader guiding his horse closer. Miche's nose wrinkled as he tested the wind. "Something's off, Erwin. Too many foreign scents on the wind. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but that forest is crawling with titans."

"Erwin, the framework wasn't tested for extended combat," Hange murmured. "If it failed-"

"The forward scouts would have found evidence." Erwin met her gaze. "We proceed as planned. This is our only chance."

"But Anja," Hange pressed, fingers tightening around her reins. "You said she was an asset."

"She is, but, unlike Eren, she is not essential to humanity's survival. Our entire mission depends on him. Our resources are already stretched thin." His eyes never left the forest. "Petra is capable. You know why I picked her for this task. We have to trust she can handle it."

Erwin signaled to Miche again, his voice steady and resolute. "Take your unit to the front. Clear the main route and secure the site."

Miche nodded, blond hair whipping about his rugged face as he broke formation, his squad falling into step behind him as they disappeared into the towering trunks before them.

"Commander," a mud-splattered messenger approached. "Captain Levi requests backup."

Erwin weighed the stakes. The reserve units were meant for Miche's operation, but Levi's defense was vital. One misstep would unravel everything. "Send the reserves to his location immediately."

As the messenger saluted and galloped off, a flock of ravens took flight from the canopy, their dark wings stark against the sky.

Erwin turned to Hange. "Your squad and Miche's will need to secure the site on your own. The reserve forces will buy you the time you need to set everything up."

"It's the right call," Hange said quietly, watching another wagon vanish into the shadows. "That titan knows our formation. Our tactics."

"Yes." Erwin's eyes hardened to blue steel as he surveyed his forces, taking in the grim faces, the hands white-knuckled upon reins and blades. The ancient forest rising before them. "Let's move out, we can't let this sacrifice be in vain. Once we complete our task, it's all in Levi's hands."

Erwin urged his white horse forward, Hange riding close behind as the formation trailed them into the forest of giant trees. The darkness embraced them, broken only by thin shafts of light that managed to pierce the dense canopy above. A heaviness hung in the air, an unspoken acknowledgment of the blood that had already been spilled - and the certainty of more to come.

There was no turning back now. Everything depended on this moment, on this single throw of the dice. And he would see it through to the bitter end, no matter the cost.

***

Anja winced as the framework's plates dug into her ribs with every step the horse took. Broken joints had shifted together, metal bands constricting abruptly and making her gasp shallowly. Petra turned back, her face concerned at the sight of Anja's pain.

"We're getting closer," Petra said, holding her wounded arm tight against her. "The tracks look fresher here."

Armin's words cut through the stillness. "Wait. Those titans ahead. they're not moving."

At the center of the clearing was a cluster of titans that stood stock still, their empty eyes fixed in space. They stood frozen in place, not a muscle twitching in their entire body.

"They're waiting," Heinrik's warning sent dread coursing through Anja's body. "We have to go, now."

Another spasm wracked through Anja's body as the framework constricted, forcing her to clench her teeth against the pain. Her horse stumbled beneath her wavering balance.

Reiner and Armin rode up beside her, the wind tugging at Armin's hair as he studied her with sharp, worried eyes. "Anja, are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she managed, but the words sounded hollow even to her own ears. Heinrik's ghostly form had crystallized before her, his presence carrying an intensity that made her skin crawl.

"They're coming, Anja. Can't you feel it?" Heinrik's words scraped against her consciousness.

Above them, a flock of birds wheeled in formation, their movements unnaturally synchronized. Anja felt moisture trickle down her cheek from her patch. Her fingers came away stained with that dark liquid. Her breath caught. She blinked, rubbing her fingers together—but in the next instant, it was gone.

"This whole situation has me on edge," she admitted, trying but failing to steady her voice.

They gave the still titans a wide berth, venturing into the forest of giant trees. The ancient trunks soared into the sky, their canopy so dense that it cast the ground in perpetual twilight. As they crested a rise, Anja spotted a dead horse near the treeline, its rider nowhere to be found, an ODM gear scattered across blood-stained grass. The device sputtered weakly, residual gas hissing from its damaged tanks.

Reiner got off to take a look, his expression serious. "The blood's not dry yet. We just missed them."

Anja gripped the reins tighter as more of the framework's connections failed, each pop making her stomach lurch.

A rhythmic dripping caught her attention, drawing her gaze upward. Her heart seized as she spotted a body suspended in the branches above, blood falling from it in steady drops.

"There's someone up there," she breathed.

Reiner followed her gaze, his jaw tightening. "Poor bastard..."

The distant hiss of flares cut through the air, red smoke trailing through the branches.

"That's close from here," Armin murmured, his eyes scanning the canopy.

"We cannot stay," Heinrik warned, his image flickering. "Turn back."

But the footprints led deeper into the forest, leaving clear impressions in the soil.

Petra's next words trembled with fury. "Damn it... We'll never catch it now. All those lives, and they didn't even slow it down."

Reiner exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You're really thinking about going after it? Look, I don't like backing down either, but that's suicide."

"What else can we do?" Petra shot back. Her fists clenched at her sides before her tone softened. "If I could just reach Captain Levi..."

Armin's eyes widened. Anja knew that look.

"There must be a reason why the commander led us here. We can't catch up to the Female Titan. So let's regroup with the others—I'm sure there's a plan."

Petra hesitated, torn between the dying flare and the depths of the forest.

"The old route will take you to her," Heinrik murmured, pressing closer. "Through the ravine, past the spring. The way remains beneath the growth."

The words spilled from Anja's mouth before she could stop them. "I know a shortcut. This area was once a tourist destination. There's an old trail that cuts through here. We might still have a chance."

"A tourist trail? Here?" Petra's brow furrowed. "This forest has been abandoned since Wall Maria fell. Those routes would be long gone."

"The stone steps remain," Anja insisted, unsure if the memories were her own or Heinrik's whispers, but she felt so certain. "If she's following the main trail, we can get ahead of her." 

Armin's eyes were narrowed to slits. "Anja, how could you possibly know that? There's no way to be certain where—"

"I used to come here with my family when I was little. I know this place like the back of my hand." The words tasted like ash in her mouth, but she couldn't seem to stop herself, she knew she was telling the truth, somehow. She could feel Armin's questioning gaze boring into her.

Petra glanced between the tracks and the flare, then made her decision. "Armin, Reiner, follow the flares and rejoin the main group. Stay in the trees if you run into any titans. Anja, you're with me. Lead the way."

***

They pressed onward, Anja following half-remembered routes with unsettling certainty. Weather-worn steps emerged from the undergrowth, smooth from countless forgotten footfalls. Her body moved with an assurance her mind rejected, each landmark pulling at her like fragments of a fever dream.

The framework seized again, stealing her breath. She forced herself forward, urging her horse deeper into the gloom.

"Are we still on track?" Petra called from behind, her horse struggling through the thick underbrush. Shadows crept closer, blurring the boundaries of their surroundings.

"I'm sure," Anja replied, despite her growing unease. The memories felt artificial, as if they'd been grafted onto her consciousness. Yet each fork appeared before her with haunting familiarity.

"This place is not for you," Heinrik's presence wavered, his form splitting and reforming. "The way ahead is wrong."

"Continue," another aspect of him commanded, anticipation threading through the words. "She awaits."

The trees towered above them, the twisted trunks curving inwards like reaching fingers. Anja saw something move at the periphery of her vision, the leaves rustling and whispering secrets that she couldn't quite catch.

"There's something out there," she breathed, the words barely louder than the pounding of her own heart.

Petra's reply carried the edge of steel. "Stay alert. I think I hear something ahead. We're not far from the main trail, right?"

Anja heard it too—but what? The forest pressed down upon them, suffocating in its vastness. For a moment, she could have sworn she heard something slithering just beneath the earth's surface.

"Underneath." Heinrik's voices spoke in unison.

Suddenly, the air was torn by a thunderous crash, the earth trembling beneath the pounding hooves of their steeds. Anja's head snapped up just in time to see white-hot jets of steam erupting through gaps in the canopy, curling into the sky.

Petra's eyes grew wide. "Was that a cannon? Out here?"

The explosions repeated, each blast sending shockwaves through the ancient forest. A sharp, acrid scent drifted through the thick air—gunpowder, heavy and clinging, mingling with the steam. It burned at Anja's nostrils.

They pressed on, drawn toward the source of the disturbance—yet with every step, a deep, gnawing wrongness settled in Anja's chest. Something else was out there. Watching. Waiting.

"Run," one aspect of Heinrik begged. 

"Stay," The other ordered, just a second later, expectation heavy in his tone.

Their voices merged, resonating at frequencies that set her teeth on edge. "You are close... Find them."

They rode toward the chaos, following the echoes of battle until the trees parted before them. The forest path stretched wide, cutting through the dense woodland like a scar. At its center, the Female Titan knelt, ensnared in a web of hooks and cables, crystallized hands shielding her nape. Captain Levi stood atop her pale blonde hair, his small frame stark against her towering form.

"They did it," Petra breathed, awe slipping through her tension.

Through the haze, Anja caught a glimpse of riders vanishing into the forest depths. One of them looked back—Eren. Relief surged through her, sharp and fleeting. It lasted only heartbeats.

A sound like the world splitting open shattered the air.

The ground erupted twenty meters to their right. Anja's horse reared as pale, twisted flesh burst from the soil. A titan emerged – its form a grotesque aberration. Its skin gleamed with an unnatural whiteness, dark veins pulsing beneath like living serpents. The stench of rot rolled over them in a wave.

Anja's hand flew to her hip instinctively, grasping at empty air where her blades should have been.

"Contact!" A scout's warning pierced the air. "Multiple hos-"

The earth shattered beneath his tree. Another titan surged upward, elongated fingers closing around the scout's torso. A wet crunch silenced his scream. ODM gear clattered to the ground, harness straps still attached to—

Anja's horse bolted. The sudden movement saved her life as pale fingers grasped at empty air where she'd been heartbeats before. Petra's blade flashed, biting deep into the Titan's wrist. The strike wasn't enough to sever it completely, but the force sent the massive hand lurching back. Viscous dark liquid sprayed from the wound, and as the Titan recoiled, its quickly dissolving fingers crumbled into the earth, the corrupted essence seeping into the soil.

"Move!" Petra's words cracked with desperation, her left arm held close to her body as she maneuvered. More titans erupted from the ground – five, eight, a dozen pale forms emerging like corpses clawing free of a mass grave. Their movements betrayed an unnatural intelligence.

A group of scouts dove for the nearest titan's nape. Their blades struck true, but the flesh merely rippled.

"Impossible!" A woman's voice cracked with horror as the Titan's head lolled at a grotesque angle, its neck half-severed. But dark veins pulsed, knitting the wound back together. The head remained twisted, unnaturally bent, even as the scouts' momentum carried them forward straight into the grasp of waiting pale hands.

Screams rang out, mixing with the deep rumble of shifting earth as more Titans clawed their way to the surface. Anja's horse reared, hooves skidding on loose soil, as another Titan erupted from the ground ahead. They were everywhere, emerging from the depths like a nest of pale spiders.

"Attacks are useless!" The warning came too late. Three scouts struck their targets, only for their blades to sink in and hold fast, trapped in the shifting flesh.

Realizing the futility, they disengaged, abandoning their weapons as they pulled back.

"The napes just regenerate!" One of them shouted as they maneuvered toward the Female Titan. The pale titans followed, their eerie, unbroken pursuit tightening the noose around the retreating scouts.

Anja's breath caught. This was it. They were being herded—pushed toward certain slaughter.

And then—

"All units, fire!" Commander Erwin's voice cut through the chaos.

Flames erupted from the treetops. Hidden scouts emerged, wielding modified gas tanks fitted with pilot lights. Fire caught the pale titans mid-stride, their writhing forms hardening into dark crystal wherever the flames touched.

But they kept rising, the same titans reforming again and again. The acrid stench of burning flesh mixed with an oily scent clinging to the air. Anja's horse spun in desperate circles, trapped between the emerging horrors. Their black eyes fixed on her. Two lunged forward, only to be driven back by streams of fire, while others circled, methodically cutting off escape routes.

Panic seized her as she tumbled from her horse, an inexplicable terror clawing at her mind. The greasy smoke stung her throat. Petra's shouts became distant, meaningless through the roaring in her ears. She tried to run, but the damaged framework groaned, its mechanisms locking her in place, was she stopping her? A half-crystallized titan, reeling from the flames, crashed onto the cable connecting her to Petra. The framework's tether snapped.

The safety mechanism triggered instantly, metal bands crushing against her ribs, stealing her breath. She couldn't move, couldn't think through the pain as the titan's fingers reached for her. The titan's grip found the framework itself, pulling – metal screamed, joints popped, and suddenly the pressure vanished. The mechanism fell away in pieces as Petra's blade flashed between them, her movements precise but unbalanced by her twisted arm, severing the titan's fingers before they could close around Anja's now-unrestrained form.

"Anja—the framework—" Petra's eyes widened at the broken mechanism, but another Titan's emergence cut her assessment short. "Come on!" She grabbed Anja's arm, noting with grim relief that, despite the wreckage, her ODM gear remained intact. "Get to higher ground!"

Steel cables hissed as they fired their anchors, propelling themselves onto a thick tree branch. Below, the pale titans thrashed against the bark, clawing and snapping as they struggled to follow.

Fire raged across the battlefield, the blistering heat clawing at her skin as flames, steam, and dense smoke consumed the landscape. Anja averted her gaze from the climbing inferno, forcing her trembling body to steady, each breath deliberate. Strange, how light she felt without the framework's constant pressure—yet the absence brought no relief in this nightmare.

Through the chaos, her gaze locked onto the Female Titan. Something about its trapped form struck a deep chord, a resonance she couldn't place. A pale titan broke through the curtain of flames, its white almost translucent hand, reaching for the Female Titan's leg.

Captain Levi moved to intercept, but before he could strike, the Female Titan's mouth opened. The scream that followed shook the forest itself, vibrating in Anja's bones and setting her teeth on edge.

The sound slammed into her like a physical force – the same roar that had drawn the titans out of Trost, now burning itself into her mind anew.

Through smoke and shadow, hundreds of heavy footsteps approached. More titans, drawn by that terrible cry, began flooding into the clearing from all directions. The trap had become a killing ground.

The defensive formation shattered as the titans' bodies tore through cables and equipment, all converging on their captured prey. Steam billowed as the horde descended, creating a wall of writhing flesh.

While normal titans surged forward in a mindless frenzy toward the Female Titan's cry, the pale ones withdrew with calculated precision, their crystallized limbs shattering as they slipped into the shadows. Two forces moving with opposing intents.

She saw as Levi's blades claimed three titans in rapid succession before the mass of bodies became too overwhelming even for him to handle. More titans pressed forward, climbing over each other to reach their target, cutting and pulling on the web of cables and hooks.

"Disengage!" Commander Erwin's orders pierced the din. "All units, to the trees!"

Scouts scattered to the higher branches as titans flooded the space beneath. Anja found her perch, watching the horror unfold through curtains of steam. The titans tore at the Female Titan's restraints, ripping into her flesh with savage intensity. Something in Anja's chest constricted at the sight, an inexplicable ache she couldn't name.

"What are they doing?" Petra whispered, her question hanging in the steam.

But Anja understood. Armin's words echoed in her mind as she watched the frenzied titans tear at their prey – just like they had in Trost with Eren, they were desperate to devour the human within. 

She saw as the remaining pale figures slipped away from the feast, their white forms vanishing down the main path.

A flash of movement caught Anja's eye - stillness amid chaos. At first glance, another scout taking position, but... something was terribly amiss. The figure stood like a puppet on strings, its posture unnatural. She glimpsed blonde hair, bare feet, and tattered clothing half-hidden in shadow.

"Anja," Heinrik materialized beside her, his voice urgent. "Don't look. You're free now. We need to leave."

The figure vanished when she blinked, gliding through the canopy with an impossible speed. Retreating?

"They're going after him." Heinrik's words cut through the steam.

Anja's heart skipped a beat. "What?" She stammered, a knot of worry tightening in her chest.

Dark blood trickled down Anja's eyepatch, as she wiped it away this time it didn't vanish, the cold sensation lingered at the tip of her fingers.

"Don't follow." Heinrik's voice wavered with concern.

"He'll die if you do nothing. He can't fight them alone." The words carried darker undertones. "She can't stop you now. Go."

Below, a dead scout lay sprawled across fallen branches, his unused blades still secured in his scabbard.

Anja's resolve hardened. She had to go—she couldn't let Eren die.

"Anja?" Petra's voice rang out with confusion as Anja began moving down. "What are you doing?"

As she retrieved the blades, the framework's final pieces still clinging to her torso fell away, leaving her truly unrestrained, the sensation felt foreign.

Through the chaos, that wrong figure moved with terrible purpose along the path. Each step they took pulled at something deep inside her, like a half-forgotten melody struggling to surface.

"Please—" Heinrik's hand reached for her.

"Chase them—" The darkness in his tone promised violence

Anja's gaze darted between Petra and her retreating target. Something shifted in her expression.

"Wait!" Petra's cry rang with sudden urgency. "Stop!"

She paid no heed to her orders, Anja fired her ODM gear, weaving between towering trunks with uncanny familiarity. Behind her, Petra's cables sang as she gave chase, but Anja knew these paths, these branches, these hidden angles between the colossal trees. Her body remembered what her mind could not, each turn taking her further from Petra's desperate calls.

She followed the pale titans as they raced through the canopy, her gear straining with each burst of gas. Yet deep in her bones, she knew exactly where they were heading. An instinct older than memory drove her forward, faster and faster through the shadows.

Then she heard it – Eren's scream echoing through the forest, and her heart stopped.