Chapter 14: Devote your Hearts

The next day carried the sounds of commotion and the heartbreaking screams of section commander Zoe Hange, mourning the deaths of the two captured Titans, Sawny and Beane.

Many soldiers were clueless as to what had happened. The two Titans had guards watching them 24/7, only changing shifts every four hours. And the time it takes to relieve someone from guard duty takes a few minutes at most.

Yet somehow, someone had managed to slay the Titans and escape without anyone noticing.

Michael, Lazarus and Eren were present at the scene of the crime, watching Hange down on her knee’s wallowing in despair. They just couldn’t understand how her mind works. Why would she mourn for these Titans as if they were her best friends or loved ones? It made no sense.

The three cadets started speculating on what happened. It was obvious to them that this was the work of a soldier, and they used ODM gear to slay the test subjects and escape.

“What the hell happened here?” Eren uttered.

“Someone killed Hange’s Titans.” Michael filled him in.

“You think this was a soldiers doing?” Lazarus asked.

“Yeah. But they haven’t pegged the one responsible yet.” Michael replied. “Judging by the rate of decay, I’d guess that they were killed before dawn, just as the guards changed shifts. By the time the new guards assumed their positions, the killer cleared out on ODM gear.”

“But how could they have known when the guards were about to change shifts? How did they know when to strike?” Eren asked.

“The killer must’ve had backup. Someone to keep watch and let them know when to make their move.” Michael theorised. “Whoever did this didn’t act alone… And I might just be grasping at straws here. But I think the culprit is whoever possesses one of the three Titan powers.”

Eren and Lazarus both turn to Michael in unison, then they quickly look around to make sure no one else heard that. As far as they know, nobody else knows about the possibility of there being more people like Eren hiding within the military. Erwin specifically told them to keep their theories to themselves until any proper evidence popped up.

Speaking of Erwin, he approaches the three cadets and whispers something between them.

“What is it you think you see? Who do you think the real enemy is here?” He pauses for a moment, realising that now wasn’t the time to ask such a question. “Ignore me, loaded question.”

He then leaves the crime scene with Levi, leaving the three cadets to be even more confused than ever.

Lazarus however felt as if Erwin might be onto him and his allies. He obviously knows that Annie was the one who killed Sawny and Beane and he was the backup Michael mentioned.

He put a lot of careful thought and planning into the assassination. Thanks to his involvement with the Scouts, he knew exactly when the guards shifts changes. Hopefully this knowledge doesn’t come back to haunt him in the future.

After the investigation behind the murder of Sawny and Beane had hit a dead end, the only thing left to do was examine the ODM gear of every soldier suspected of being the killer. Most of them comprised of the 104th cadets, including Michael and Lazarus. Eren was excluded as he was under the watch of Levi during the murder, automatically clearing him.

Even though Michael and Lazarus were honorary Scouts, both of them weren’t watched by the Scouts. So they too were forced to have their gear be inspected by the maintenance crew.

Lazarus was the first to be questioned due to him being the only one who’s gear stood out to everyone else’s.

“When did you last replace your shaft?” The inspector questioned the albino solider.

“After the mop up, sir. That was six days ago.” He answered honestly.

The MP woman makes a note of his answer and confirms he was truthful. The inspector then moves on to Michael and asks him the same question.

As the inspection continued, Lazarus telepathically communicates with Annie who was standing behind him next to Armin.

“Annie, do you have Marco’s ODM gear?”

“Yes. I should be cleared of any suspicions.” She responded.

When the inspector began to look over Annie’s gear, Armin couldn’t help but notice something was off about it. Apart from Lazarus, everyone’s ODM gear was the exact same model. But Annie’s gear carried some tiny, hard to spot, details that only he was able to recognise. He started to suspect some things. But like Michael, he didn’t have any choice but to keep them to himself.

Once Lazarus and Michael were cleared from the inspection, they were both free to leave. Lazarus takes one last look back at Annie, worried that something might go wrong. Marco’s ODM was taken so that nobody would suspect her of killing the Titan test subjects.

The easy part of his upcoming plan was over. But now the hard part begins.

“Don’t forget, Annie. We’re having one last emergency meeting before everyone chooses their regiment. If you’re joining the MP’s, it’ll be a while before I see you again. Meet us at the cave once you’re done here. Make sure you’re not followed.” He instructed her.

Annie didn’t respond. But Lazarus could tell that she understood his explanation.

As the two boys walked through the streets, Lazarus addressed his friend.

“Hey Michael, who do you reckon will join the Scouts with us?”

“Well, Armin and Mikasa will be joining because they never leave Eren’s side. I remember Connie mentioning he would join before Trost was attacked, though he might change his mind after what went down. Sasha is a hunter, so being a Scout would be more fitting than the Garrison or the MP’s. And Jean’s dead set on joining the MP’s. As for Reiner, Bertolt and Annie. You know them better than I do, so what do you think?”

“Like me, Reiner is a fighter, and a strong one at that. So I think he’ll be joining the Scouts. Bertolt always sticks by Reiner and me so he’s in. And Annie, I think she’s gonna stick to her choice and join the MP’s. Which I think is the best decision.” He replied.

“Yeah. Because she’d be safe from Titans.” He leans in close to him, wearing a smug smile. “You really care about her, don’t you?”.

Lazarus quickly turns to face him with a look of embarrassment taking over as his cheeks blush red.

“I- I don’t know what your-

“Oh shut up and admit it already!” Michael interrupted. “It’s clear as day how the two of you feel about each other. I’ve seen those glances you give each other whenever you’re going your separate ways. You’re always thinking about her in the back of your mind whenever we’re on missions. And a part of you is hoping she joins the MP’s so that she’ll have a safe life.”

“Michael I-

Michael cover his mouth with his hand, cutting him off yet again.

“I’ve been letting you ignore this throughout training. But tonight we’re going to become official Scouts. There’s a chance you may never see her again once we venture into Titan territory. You have to let her know how you feel, or else you’ll die regretting not telling her, and she’ll live on doing the same thing… Tell her, Laz. Before it’s too late.”

Lazarus was in complete shock by Michaels wise words. He had not expected him to give him relationship advice when he himself hasn’t even experienced one.

He will agree that once Annie is sent to join the Military Police, he won’t be able to see her for a long time. Especially with all the new responsibilities he’d been given as a Scout.

Ever since they first entered the walls, the Warriors were nothing but focused on ensuring the success of their mission. He’d been so preoccupied with keeping his comrades alive since Marcels death, that he was slowly starting to forget the good memories they’ve had before being sent to Paradis. Though he can never die, Annie didn’t have that blessing. Something could go wrong during the upcoming mission that could put her life at risk.

“You’re right, Michael.” Lazarus finally responded. “Joining the Scouts comes with many risks, I knew this. If there’s a chance I do die during the upcoming expedition, I should at least let Annie know my feelings.”

“That’s the spirit.” Michael smiles as he pats him on the back. “Come on, let’s go grab a bite to eat. I’m starving.”

Nodding in agreement, Lazarus and Michael continue to walk off in the direction of the market square.

“You know.” Lazarus spoke up after a few minutes of silent walking. “Maybe you should take your own advice and do the same thing with Sasha.”

Now it was Michaels turn to get embarrassed and deny his claim.

“What?! There’s nothing going on between me and Sasha!”

“Sure there isn’t.” Lazarus responded with sarcasm.

“Shut up!”

Lazarus laughs the remainder of the way while Michael just got more annoyed. If this is what he gets for matchmaking then he would keep his comments to himself from now on.

The time for the 104th Cadets to choose which regiment they’ll be joining had come at last. Everyone had been gathered together in front of a stage area in the dark of the night, awaiting for the arrival of their superiors.

Lazarus and his Warriors have already discussed what their next move will be in the mission to capture Eren. They’ve all made their choice on which regiment to join. Annie alone will join the Military Police while the others will join the Scout Regiment.

Michael was standing at the front of the group with his friends, Sasha and Connie. Though he had already been made a Scout, he still wanted to make it official to the others.

After a couple minutes of waiting, Erwin Smith appears before them atop the stage and addresses the next generation of cadets who will soon become true soldiers. He doesn’t expect a lot of them to become Scouts, but he’ll always be happy with what he gets.

He looks down at his adopted son in the crowd and gives him a little smile before making his big speech.

“Good evening, everyone. I am Erwin Smith. Commander of the Survey Corps, also known as the Scout Regiment. Today you will choose your regiment. I will cut to the chase here. The Scouts need you, we need all the warm bodies we can get. After the recent Titan attack, you now know first hand the horrors of which they’re capable. As well as the limit of your own skill. However, this battles aftermath gave humanity a new chance for victory. I refer to Eren Yeager.”

As Lazarus was paying attention to the commanders speech, he was slightly startled by someone taking hold of his hand. He didn’t need to see who it was, as he knew it was Annie.

He clenches her hand and holds it tight. No matter how things turn out, they both know that their next mission will come with a lot of risk now that the enemy knows so much.

The 57th Expedition will truly test his skills as a Warrior and a leader. He vowed to himself since Marcels death that he’d never let any more of his teammates die on his watch, not again.

“After selflessly risking life and limb, he has proven beyond a doubt his unwavering loyalty to our cause.” Erwin continued. “ Hope lives in him. Eren didn’t just help to deter the Titan invasion. He’s offered us a means to discover the truth of their origin.”

A lot of the cadets were shocked by this news and began to look amongst one another, whispering their thoughts on all this. But Erwin wasn’t finished yet.

“And thanks to the information provided by my son, Michael. We have gained vital information behind the three new species of Titan that were behind the fall of Wall Maria. Unfortunately, we still know very little to make said information public. However, intel suggests that the cellar of Yeager’s home in Shiganshina holds a vital secret regarding both those facts, as well as our enemy. We will form an expedition to find this secret. Find it, and use it to break free from the Titans tyrannical hundred year reign once and for all.”

The last part caused the Warriors to look amongst one another, instead of focusing entirely on Lazarus for his thoughts on the matter. After his raging outburst during their meeting before the last, they’ve decided to act as a democracy and provide their own opinions, rather then let Lazarus shoulder the burden alone. As their leader said, the only chance the Warriors have of removing the Coordinate and returning home, is to act as a united front.

The discovery of Grisha keeping secrets of the outside world had proven to be a problem for the Warriors. If the Scouts discover that basement, they’ll eventually learn about Marley and the other nations beyond their island shores.

If such a thing were to happen, it could lead to an all out war. Lazarus had gotten to know these people well enough to the point that this is what they would most likely do should the truth ever come out. And it would be a war they can’t win. It be them against the world.

“I won’t let it come to that.” He thought to himself. “I know now that these Eldians are not devils as Marley had taught us. They’re just innocent people who are suffering from the actions of their cowardly king! I can’t let them know the truth. Not until I can convince Marley that they’re not who they say they are. And with all my power, I’ll make them listen. No weapon can kill me! I’ll make them accept all Eldians, including them… For now, though. I should focus on capturing Eren. And finding my friend.”

Michael was glad to see that his father hadn’t gone public with his theories about the three Titans being human. But he was starting to question if it was a good idea to go public about Eren’s cellar. Why do this? Was it a ploy? A covert strategy?

He then thinks back as to what he said earlier when he asked them who he thought the real enemy is.

“Dad. Are you trying to say that the enemy is hiding among us? And you revealing this information as a form of bait to lure them out? Just what are you planning?” He wondered.

Erwin decides to wrap up his speech and hit the cadets hard with his next string of words.

“Before we can reach the aforementioned cellar in Shiganshina, another problem must be dealt with. We must first take Wall Maria. Of course that’s easier said than done.”

Miche and Petra then climb onto the stage and hold up a layout of the three walls. Trost district was crossed out, implying that the outer gate is no longer accessible. There was also an arrow coming from the east side of Wall Rose, pointing towards Shiganshina.

“Now that the gate at Trost has been rendered inaccessible, we’ll be forced to stage future operations from the Calaneth District further east. Thus the battalion route we’ve spent the last four years establishing is now completely useless to us. Over the course of those four years we’ve endured losses at an excess of 60%. 60% in four years. That’s a horrifying figure… One month from now, we will conduct a recon mission outside the walls. Recruits from among your ranks will be expected to take part. I estimate a third of them will die. After four years most will be dead. But those who endure will be amongst the most capable soldiers alive.”

Most of the cadets began to tremble with fear at the thought of so many of them being killed within four years of being a Scout. Erwin held nothing back in his speech. Hitting them hard with the harsh reality of what it means to be a Scout.

Michael could tell that many cadets were having second thoughts of joining now after hearing that. But he was not affected by it. After everything he’s been through, nothing could be more terrifying than being beaten by the Titans and losing all hope for a future.

He held his resolve as he continued to listen to his father’s speech.

“Now having heard this dismissal state of affairs, whoever still wishes to put their life on the line and join us, remain here. But first ask yourself. Can you give your heart? Can you give everything for humanity?!” He takes a deep breath after talking almost nonstop for a while before wrapping it up. “That is all. Those wanting to join other regiments are dismissed.”

All the cadets stood frozen with fear. Many of the Scout higher ups think that Erwin had overly intimidated the recruits. And as a result, none of them would stick around to join.

And to their expected surprise, many of the cadets began to leave the area. This inspired many others to turn tail and leave as well until almost everyone had left.

Annie gives Lazarus one last glance before letting go of his and and leaving herself. Lazarus looks back and watches her leave until she was out of sight.

“Good luck, Annie.” He calmly thought.

“Same to you.” She responded mentally before disappearing from his sight.

Bertolt was also looking back at Annie. He was hesitant on whether he should follow her and join the Military Police, or stick with Reiner and Lazarus and join the Scouts. The fact that he had no time at all to make a decision really frustrated him.

He wasn’t alone. Jean, Sasha and Connie were also struggling with this. Even though Jean made it clear he wanted a luxurious life in the interior, he felt it was his duty to prove himself to be a great leader as Marco had called him. He owed it to him after he’d been unfairly taken out of his life.

Sasha and Connie think back to their training days in the Cadet Corps, and remember the times they’ve spent with Lazarus, Michael and Marco as a team. At the time they were known as the underdogs of all the teams. But through great teamwork and completely trusting one another, they were able to win the final challenge.

These thoughts is what kept from walking away with the others. Because they believed that, even though they lost Marco, that as long as they have Lazarus, Michael and the others by their side, they can do anything.

In the end, only a few cadets decided to stay and become members of the Scouts. Among them were Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Christa, Ymir, Reiner, Bertolt, and of course Lazarus and Michael.

All though Erwin knew most of the cadets would be forced to walk away out of fear, he knew it was necessary for him to determine the bravest, loyal, and most skilled among them to come forth. And he was pleased with the turnout, despite the numbers.

“I ask you.” He slowly spoke again. “If you were ordered to die could you do it?”

“We don’t wanna die, sir!” Michael spoke out in devotion.

Erwin smiled in response to his son’s heartfelt words. He couldn’t be any more proud of him.

“Of course. Let us hope that you don’t then.” He looks over all the other cadets, accepting each and every one of them as new members of the Scout family. “You who stayed. You are now one of us. Allow me to welcome you to the Scout Regiment. This is a genuine salute, soldiers. Together we give our hearts!”

All the cadets, now turned Scouts, salute their commander with respect and devotion.

Lazarus and Michael were pleasantly surprised to see so many of their closest friends joining the Scouts alongside them. But they could tell that some of them were still frightened by what’s to come in the future. But at the end of the day, they’re only human.

“Those of you standing here have worked through your fear. You have proven yourselves courageous. Each one of you has earned my respect… Especially you, my son.” He addresses Michael directly.

Everyone – apart from Lazarus – were all shocked at the reveal of Erwin being Michaels dad, forcing all eyes to fall on him.

“WHAT?!” They all cried out in unison. Whilst Lazarus and Erwin were chuckling to themselves, and enjoying the show.

After the ceremony had ended, all of the new members of the Scout Regiment have retired to their beds. First thing tomorrow, they’ll be studying and training hard for the upcoming expedition. The Survey Corps has no time for slackers.

A few of the cadets were still awake and currently were hanging out in the town for a last attempt at fun before they take on their new responsibilities.

Among them were Michael, Sasha, Connie, Christa and Ymir. They were all walking through the streets enjoying themselves, and bombarding questions to Michael about how he came to be adopted by Erwin.

Michael of course didn’t feel like getting into it at the moment as it was a very long and personal story to share.

As they walked, he noticed Lazarus in the distance walking through the forest.

“Hey guys. Thanks for inviting me out, but I should probably get going. We’ve got a full day of training tomorrow, and I want to be at my best.”

“Not because you wanna impress daddy?” Ymir mocked him.

“Ha, I’ve already done that a long time ago. How’re your attempts at impressing Christa coming along?” He shot back.

This caused Ymir and Christa to blush slightly, and Sasha and Connie to burst out laughing.

“Why you-

But by the time Ymir could get even, Michael was already gone.

Lazarus was sitting alone at the top of the cliff side he brought Michael, Eren and Armin to. Since the ceremony seemed to take place in the area close to the training grounds, he figured he should get one last look at the beautiful view standing before him.

He heard a faint rustling sound behind him. He doesn’t turn around to address who it was, as he had a gut feeling of who it is.

“I was wondering when you’d show up here again, Michael.” He says without looking back.

“How’d you know it was me?” He asked.

“I saw you following me up here. Kinda sloppy if you were actually trying to be stealthy about it.”

“You’re one to talk. With that hat on, you are easy to spot.”

The two friends laugh as Lazarus invites Michael to sit down beside him on the edge of the cliff. Their feet dangling bellow the lake. But neither of them were afraid of the height. With all the flying around they’ve done on their ODM gear, a fear of heights would soon become a distant memory.

“What you doing out here?” Michael asked.

“I thought I’d get one last look at this magnificent view, before getting shipped off to the Survey Corps headquarters with everyone else… You?”

“Same.” Michael admitted. “Ever since you showed me this place, I’ve been coming here whenever I needed some time alone or to have some quiet time… This place reminds me that the world, despite being cruel, can also be beautiful. It inspires me to protect it, and one day reclaim it from the Titans. So that we can all venture outside these walls and see it for what it truly is.”

“Yeah, I hear you.” Lazarus responded. He had wanted the same thing when he was enlisted into the Marleyan military. He already knew what the outside world was like. And despite it’s differences, as well as how they view Eldians, he still thought it was worth protecting.

The two of them sit in silence, appreciating the view as much as possible before heading back to their barracks. Until Lazarus decided to ask him a question that he’d been wanting to ask him ever since they’ve first joined the Scouts.

“Hey Michael… How did you end up becoming the adopted son of Commander Erwin?”

Michael glances over at his friend. He’d just been asked that same question earlier from Ymir and the others. He didn’t feel like sharing something so personal with them, despite being their friends. Apart from Connie and Sasha, he didn’t know Ymir and Christa well enough to open up about his past like that.

But Lazarus was someone he’d known very well throughout the three years of training. The two of them were always by each other’s side through even the toughest of moments. He’d grown to trust Lazarus more than anyone else. He helped him through the rough years of training and managed to keep their team together and win the final challenge. He owed him an honest answer.

“He found me during a scouting mission outside the walls. I was all alone in the dark and the rain, with no hope of survival. Then one day, I was found by members of the Survey Corps. Erwin was among them. He was just an ordinary soldier at the time. He found me in the mud and rescued me. He volunteered to take me back to the safety of the walls while the others continued on. He asked around if anyone knew me, but I didn’t know what my last name was. Only my first. When no orphanage would take me in, he decided to raise me himself.”

“Why though? He doesn’t seem like the type of man to take in a strange kid, no offence, and raise him as his own.” Lazarus interrupted momentarily.

“It’s because at the time, I didn’t know anything about the world we lived in.”

Lazarus turns his attention away from the view to Michael. “What do you mean?”

“Before he found me, I was lost. Both literally and mentally. I had no memory of my life before I was taken in by him. No parents. No friends. Nothing. All I had was my first name.” He reaches down his shirt collar and pulls out some kind of necklace. “…And this.”

He opens up the palm of his hand and reveals it to Lazarus. Around his neck was a crystal pendent that looked like a round shield.

Lazarus was consumed with shock as he looked down on it. Suddenly, another vision appears in his mind as he continued to gaze at it. The sounds of Michael talking and the wind blowing were fading out as he succumbed to his blackout.

The vision that played out before in his mind. It was the same one he saw back in Marley during his final moment with Lucia before her death. It was a vision of himself when he was seven years old, back when he still lived in Odiha. He was sitting atop a rooftop with a young boy. The friend he’d lost all those years ago. The friend that he vowed to find on Paradis and bring home along with the Founding Titan.

The vision showed his friend holding out his hands. In each palm sat a crystal necklace. One was the crystal sword that he possessed, and the other was the shield that Michael had.

“My grandfather made me these necklaces when I was born. He told me to keep one for myself, and to give the other one to a very special person… he says that they’re a symbol of friendship and brotherhood. And whomever I give this to, will be my friend forever… No matter how far apart we are, or if something were to happen to one of us. These crystals will guide us back to each other. Please keep it safe. It means everything to me.”

Lazarus soon snaps back into reality just as quickly he went under. Michael hadn’t noticed his blackout as he was still in the middle of explaining his backstory to him.

“…And that was how I ended up in the care of my caretakers in Shiganshina whenever he was out on missions.” He looks up at Lazarus who was still staring at the crystal shield in his hand. “Lazarus?”

“Where did you get that necklace?” He asked seriously.

“This? I’ve always had this, all my life as far back as I can remember. As I mentioned earlier, all I can remember was being left abandoned in the forests with only this necklace. I don’t remember how I got it.”

Lazarus then reaches down his own shirt collar and pulls out his crystal sword necklace, showing it to Michael.

“Do you recognise this?” He asked.

Michael took a good long look at the sword necklace before looking back down at his own shield necklace. As he stared at it, he could feel his head ache in response. He couldn’t understand why he was getting a headache just from looking at a necklace. What was so special about it?

“I… No, sorry, I don’t.” He slowly responded. “It’s cool and all. But why would I recognise it when this is the first time you’ve ever shown it to me?”

Lazarus couldn’t find the correct response to give. His mind was just filling up with thoughts and ideas. Thoughts that were starting to overwhelm his psyche. His instincts were screaming at him to get away as quickly as possible, even though there was no danger.

“Does it matter?” Micheal asked, confused and slightly worried by his current expression.

“No.” Lazarus quickly shook his head while tucking his necklace back into his shirt. “It’s nothing… Anyway, It’s getting late and we have a long day tomorrow, so I’m gonna head off to the barracks.”

Lazarus then starts racing back through the forest and down the hill. “See you tomorrow!” He shouted back to him as he disappeared into the wilderness.

Michael continued to sit there, dumbfounded by how their conversation ended. It was going so well until he brought up the necklace. He couldn’t figure out what it was about it that caused this change in behaviour. He’d never seen Lazarus act like that before. It was actually disturbing seeing him like that from his perspective.

He continued to sit in silence alone. Instead of focusing on the view, he kept his eyes locked on his shield necklace.

“Why did Lazarus act like that? It’s not like him to tremble in fear, especially with this old heirloom. Just what is it about my necklace that got to him?” He thought to himself. Until another theory popped into his head. “Does he know what it is? Where I got it? And where I came from?”

“Michael.”

Michael quickly turns around in response to the strange voice that called his name. But there was nobody around him.

“Remember.”

He then stood up and did a complete 360 turn to locate the source of the voice. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find anyone. He was all alone.

“Who’s there?” He called out. But there was no response. “That voice. It couldn’t be Lazarus. It was too deep and gravelly. And yet… it sounded very familiar somehow.”

Deep within the forest, Lazarus was running, pushing branches aside, desperately trying to find a place for him to process all this information in silent solitude.

He kept running for a while until he came across what appeared to be the old cabin he, Michael, Marco, Connie and Sasha stayed in. It looked abandoned once again.

Without checking to see if it was occupied or not, Lazarus raced through the door and closed it behind him. The cabin was cold, dark and dirty, with the corners covered with spiderwebs. The cabin was dead quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside whistling through the trees.

Lazarus backs himself up against the door and slowly slides down to the floor. The solitude helped him clear his mind on what transpired and piece together what this discovery means.

He then thinks back on his final moments with Lucia once more, remembering her final words to him before passing the Female Titan on to Annie.

“Once you arrive on Paradis, taking back the Founder won’t be your only goal. Your friend, the one who gave you that necklace, is hiding somewhere on that island. You will know for certain who he is if you find the other half of the necklace… I know you’ll find him. And I know that you will save us all, Lazarus.”

Lazarus reached down his shirt once again to hold his sword necklace in the palm of his hand.

“That necklace. It’s the exact same one Lucia said belonged to my missing friend. All this time I had thought that it might’ve been Eren, but-

He then thinks back on all the moments he’d shared with Michael ever since he first joined the 104th Cadet Corps. He never realised it until now, but in every interaction he had with him, he felt this familiarity. A feeling that he was always his friend even before they met. He opened up to Michael much faster than he had done with Reiner, Bertolt and Annie. And he did the same to him.

For so long he wondered what it was about Michael that made him feel open and trusting. But now it was all coming together.

“Michael is the friend that I’ve been searching for… He said that our necklaces would guide us back together, and they have!” He starts to smile as a tear runs down his left cheek. “I finally found him. I knew he was still alive! I knew it! You were right, Lucia. I was able to find him, but-

He cuts himself off as he starts to remember his last interaction with Michael. His smiled faded away upon remembering how Michael didn’t even recognise the necklace he’d given him when they were kids. He once again drops to the floor and leans against the back of the wall.

“But what good is it if he doesn’t even remember me? He must’ve been trapped here for years. But how could he forget me? No matter how much time passes, you can’t forget the people you care about… unless.”

His head shot upwards as a realisation struck him like a bolt of lighting to the head. Recalling what Michael told him earlier, he said that he’d been found outside the walls by Erwin with a serious case of amnesia, only remembering his first name and that the necklace he wore belonged to him.

It didn’t take long for Lazarus to piece together the puzzle behind this mystery. His anger begins to flare up as he clenches his fists and stood up off of the ground.

“This is the Founders doing!” He snarled. “The royal family captured him, wiped his memory with the power of the Founding Titan, and then dumped him outside the walls for the Titans to devour! He could’ve died had Erwin not saved him.”

As his anger grew, arcs of electricity began to spark out of his clenched fists, and his eyes started to glow bright red.

“I don’t know why they did this. But the descendants of King Fritz have steeped to a new low if they’re going to do this to a child from beyond their island. Bastards! They’ll suffer greatly for this! I will find them, steal the Founding Titan, and kill them all! They don’t care about their own subjects. They’re willing to let their walls be breached and let them get eaten just to keep the Founder’s power hidden. They’re the real devils of Paradis! Not their people.”

Lazarus then decides to scream in order to burn off all the rage that was building up inside him. Unfortunately, his outburst was burned off in a literal sense.

His chest glowed for a moment before he lets out his scream, unleashing a huge blast of fire out of his mouth and blasting it inside the cabin, setting it on fire.

He was quickly snapped out of his rage upon realising what he’d just done. Panicked, he rushed outside and grabbed a bucket of water from the well to put it out. But the flames spread out throughout the cabin in a matter of moments until it completely consumed it. There was no way he would be able to put it out with a bucket of water.

Worried that someone might notice the huge cloud of smoke floating into the air, Lazarus decided to run as faraway from the area as possible. Luckily there was a massive open clearing of field between the cabin and the forest, so it was highly unlikely it would spread out any further.

It was also around this time that Michael had decided to head back to the barracks, only to stop as he spotted an ominous glow in the distance.

As he got closer to the source of it, he was shocked to see that it was coming from a massive fire that was devouring the old cabin he and his friends stayed in.

“Oh shit!” He said out loud. He then started running towards the town area and cried out for help, gaining the attention of the citizens and some soldiers that were roaming the streets.

“HELP, FIRE! THERE’S A FIRE IN THE FOREST!”

The soldiers quickly notice the rising smoke and called for backup. Soon, practically the whole town gathered together with buckets of water and other essentials to help put it out.

As the townspeople rushed into the woods, Lazarus was hiding behind a house next to the woods. He takes a couple deep breaths in order to calm himself down as he watched the people enter the woods with Michael.

This was all his doing, and he couldn’t feel any more responsible then when he led the attack on the Walls. Only this time nobody got hurt, which he will admit is the lesser crime compared to the others.

He then decided to call it a night and slip back into his barracks and act like nothing happened. There was no doubt in his mind that people will be talking about this in the morning, and the Scouts will most likely be informed by Michael. But as long as nobody discovered his involvement in it, he should be in the clear.

To Be Continued