Glass shattered and crashed to the ground. Mikasa, Connie, and Armin climbed through the window. Jean called out Mikasa’s name, but Vivienne’s attention was fixed on the two boys.
"That was close... I'm all out," Connie said, tapping his ODM gear lightly. Vivienne ran over to them without a word.
"Connie! Armin!" said Vivienne
The boy with short grey hair slapped Armin on the back with a grin. "You did it, Armin! Your plan worked!"
"Plan?" she repeated.
Connie nodded and stood up, still smiling. "That Titan is an Aberrant—it kills other Titans! And it’s not interested in us... If we can use it, we can escape!"
Vivienne stared through the hole in the stone wall. A Titan killing other Titans. It sounded like a dream—a revolution almost too good to be true. They had learnt a lot about different Titans in their training. But they had never heard of anything like this.
Watch him.
Vivienne’s breath wavered, and her hand clenched into a fist.
No... Not now.
The last thing she needed was the voices in her head.
Uncertainty spread through her body. While the others discussed the best way to use the Titan to their advantage, something inside her grew increasingly tense. It felt like she was losing control of herself. The pull towards the hole in the wall. The need to see what was happening. It was growing inside her.
And she didn’t understand why. But her instincts were screaming at her.
"Vivi." Connie’s voice snapped her back to reality. "I know you’re nervous, but now’s not the time!"
Vivienne swallowed hard, forcing herself to focus. She couldn't afford to lose herself now.
"Right," she muttered, shaking her head as if that would silence the lingering unease.
Outside, the Titan roared—a deep, guttural sound that sent a shiver through her spine. She stepped closer to the hole in the wall despite herself, her breath catching at the sight beyond.
The Aberrant moved with terrifying speed, slamming its fist into another Titan’s skull. Bone shattered, steam rising as the defeated creature collapsed. It didn’t even hesitate before lunging at the next one, gripping its opponent’s jaw and wrenching it apart in a sickening crunch.
The others were talking that they could use the titan to their advantage.
But Vivienne barely heard them. Her heart pounded against her ribs, her fingers twitching at her sides.
The way that Titan fought—there was something disturbingly familiar about it.
The way it moved.
The way it attacked.
Like a person.
Like someone she knew.
Her stomach twisted. No. That’s impossible.
Yet the longer she watched, the more the feeling sank its claws into her.
She knew this Titan.
But how?
A hand on her shoulder jolted her back. Sasha. Her expression was a little worried. “Vivienne. We have to go.”
She forced herself to nod, stepping back from the hole. But as they turned to leave, she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was happening out there—was to change everything she ever believed in.
They entered the building. The cadets were sitting on the floor. Vivienne's mind was still racing. She found it hard to concentrate, but she managed to pull herself out of her thoughts as Jean and a few others carried in wooden crates.
"This is Military Police stuff... It was covered in dust."
They took rifles from the crates.
"Are scatter shots really enough?" Jean asked. "Can these actually do anything against Titans?"
"I think they’re a lot better than nothing," Armin said. A blueprint of the building lay on the floor in front of him. Vivienne stood beside Marco and looked down.
"If there are only seven 3- to 4-metre-class Titans left in the supply room, even that might be enough firepower to blind them all at once," Armin explained. A large number of cadets would use the lift to reach the central ceiling, firing in unison into the Titans' faces to blind them. Then, seven cadets, hidden among the ceiling beams, would ambush the blinded Titans in a coordinated attack.
If this plan worked, no one would die. They would all live.
Vivienne exhaled. They had already lost so many people that she couldn't count them on her hands. If this meant they all got out of here breathing, then she would do it.
Vivienne was not one of the top seven who needed to kill a Titan. Shame washed over her—for on the one hand, she was relieved. But she still worried about her friends. She closed her eyes. Had this really become her life?
The lift descended slowly. Vivienne’s grip on her gun tightened, and her expression grew more serious. When they arrived, they saw that the number had not changed. Fortunately, none more had appeared. She was standing between Marco and Armin. They all had their weapons pointed at the Titans.
A Titan with a broad grin turned in their direction, and one of the cadets inhaled sharply, anxious.
"Keep calm! Draw them in!" Marco said, trying to steady them.
The trigger pressed into Vivienne’s finger, and she felt a sharp pain. The guns were old—maybe the spring needed adjusting.
No... No. It wasn’t that.
Her finger hurt because she was holding it against the trigger with all her strength, tense.
She was nervous.
Like everyone else here.
The Titan walked towards them. Its footsteps echoed through the room.
"Wait," Marco whispered. More and more Titans were coming. Most of them closed their eyes. Deep down, they were all preparing for the worst.
The grinning Titan loomed over them.
At that moment, time slowed.
Their hearts pounded in their chests.
"Ready..." Marco's rifle was inches from the Titan's eye.
"FIRE!" he shouted, and they all pulled the triggers.
Moments later, the seven cadets leapt down from above, aiming for the Titans' necks.
Vivienne's heart stopped when she saw that Connie and Sasha had both failed to kill their Titans. It got worse when Sasha fell to the ground.
But before anyone could intervene, Mikasa and Annie cut them down.
Again.
Again, she had almost lost someone close to her.
And she wondered—would she ever get used to this feeling?
The feeling that everyone - everything - around her was temporary?
"We’ve got them all!" Jean shouted from below. "Start resupplying!"
A broad smile spread across everyone’s face. Marco almost fainted with relief.
The potato girl had tears in her eyes. "I accepted defeat in front of the Titans..." Sasha clutched her head. "I’m so ashamed!"
"I’ll despise you all you want later! Let’s get out of here!" Connie said.
Vivienne, sitting on the ground not far from them, filled her gas canisters. She stared thoughtfully at the silver coffin. She really wondered if there was a way to stop the ODM gear from using so much gas.
"The only way at the moment... not to use so much gas is to be precise about when you use it. That means you shouldn’t keep pressing your triggers unnecessarily..."
Because every time the triggers were pressed, gas escaped.
But there was no time to think further about that. At least for now.
After rearming, they left HQ. The hiss of the ODM gear filled the air.
They all had one goal.
To get to the wall.
Vivienne’s cables shot forward, and she swung through the air, close behind the others. She moved ahead with focus.
Then, suddenly, everything around her faded.
Her eyelids drooped.
Nothing.
She couldn't hear anything.
Silence.
She thought of nothing.
It was as if something had taken her over.
It was as if the world itself was pulling at her.
Vivienne landed on her feet. The swords in her hands felt strangely light.
Her eyes dropped to the ground. Her hands began to tremble as she realised—she wasn't on the rooftops.
She was on the ground.
Vivienne's head snapped up.
"We haven't even tried to talk this out yet!"
Her eyes widened. Everything was happening too fast.
"MARCO!"
The cadet was trapped in a Titan’s grip, just metres away from her.
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Vivienne's breath caught in her throat. She whipped her head around, searching for help.
Then she saw them.
Annie. Bertholdt. Reiner.
Three of the most experienced fighters. But... none of them moved.
They were just watching.
Why weren’t they doing anything?
Vivienne took a step forward.
And then—
Evening red.
Her breath hitched.
No. No, no!
They were back.
No... they had never left.
The voices—
CrystalcaveWallBirdBrokenpromisesFreedomTraitorRagePityCrueltyTheworldBurningAgirlwithholloweyesFateAdestroyedcityPainSomuchpainIsolationHerhomeDestroyedBrokenCrushedDarknessLossAllGoneRumblin.
A stabbing sensation split through her skull.
Vivienne screamed.
It felt like her head was going to burst.
The pain was indescribable.
"STOP IT!"
She clutched her head. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
LoveBetrayalMurderDeathGriefwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatchingwatching
Vivienne squeezed her eyes shut.
For a moment—
Stillness.
Her entire body trembled. Slowly, cautiously, she opened her eyes.
Smoke curled into the sky. Buildings lay in ruins. Fire crackled, sending waves of heat rolling through the air.
This wasn’t Trost.
This was somewhere else.
Somewhere she didn’t recognise.
She looked down—
And her heart stopped.
Her arms. Her hands. They were—massive.
Four times—no, more—the size of a human’s.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps.
Then she saw the reflection in a shattered window.
A Titan.
She was in a Titan’s body.
Vivienne’s mind reeled.
The Titan’s head turned.
"Is there really no other way?" a voice asked. It was her voice—no, his voice. This body’s voice.
Vivienne could feel the hesitation. The reluctance.
"It must be done," said another voice.
Silence.
Then—
The Titan moved forward.
At first, Vivienne didn’t understand.
Did this Titan have a conscience?
Could it think? Could it feel?
Her thoughts shattered when she realised what the Titan was doing.
Its arm swung back.
Then—
CRASH!
Its fist slammed into a building.
Vivienne’s chest tightened.
"NO!" she screamed. "DON’T DO IT!"
But he didn’t hear her.
He carried on.
"STOP IT!"
The Titan’s foot came down. People—screaming, running, crying—were crushed beneath him.
Vivienne could only watch.
"MAKE IT STOP!"
But there was nothing she could do.
Nothing at all.
"MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!”
Vivienne clawed at her head, as if she could rip herself out of this nightmare. Her body—this Titan’s body—was not her own. She had no control.
But she could feel everything.
The heat of the fires licking at the air. The blood—warm, thick, human—splattering against her skin.
The distant sound of a child screaming.
Vivienne's breath hitched.
No. No, no, no.
The Titan’s head turned.
A girl—a child no older than six—stood in the middle of the street, her knees buckling. Tears streaked down her soot-covered face. Her tiny hands clutched at the remains of a woman’s dress. A dress that had once been a soft shade of blue—now shredded, soaked in red.
The child was trying to wake her mother.
But her mother’s body lay twisted—broken, empty, lifeless.
Vivienne’s chest tightened.
The Titan—this body—stepped forward.
The child looked up.
Vivienne felt something cold coil around her heart.
She had no control.
No. Please. Not her.
"STOP!" she screamed, but the Titan’s body did not obey.
This was not hers.
The little girl stumbled backwards, her tiny frame trembling, her sobs lost in the chaos.
She had no control.
"Run," Vivienne pleaded, though no one could hear her. "Run! Please! Just run!"
But the girl didn’t move.
She was frozen—paralysed by fear.
The Titan’s hand reached out.
No—no, no, NO!
Vivienne’s soul shattered as the fingers closed around the child’s body.
A scream tore through her throat—a scream that no one could hear.
She felt it.
The small body—so fragile, so light—struggled against the Titan’s grip.
Vivienne thrashed inside her own mind. "STOP! LET HER GO!"
The Titan did not listen.
The pressure increased.
Vivienne felt bones snap.
The girl’s voice rose in a shriek of agony—high-pitched, terrified, helpless.
And then—
Silence.
The little girl’s head lolled to the side.
Her arms dangled.
Her body went limp.
Vivienne’s vision blurred.
She could feel the warmth leaving the child’s body.
Her stomach twisted.
Her knees buckled.
She wanted to vomit—to scream—to tear this monster apart from the inside.
But she was powerless.
She was nothing.
Her body—this body—this thing—moved on.
The Titan threw the girl’s body aside.
Like trash.
Vivienne crumbled.
The world spun. The fire, the blood, the screams—they swallowed her whole.
She felt herself breaking.
This wasn’t just death.
This was cruelty.
This was evil.
Her hands curled into fists.
She wanted to die.
If this was the truth—if this was what they were—what she was—she didn’t want to exist.
The Titan took another step forward.
Vivienne sobbed.
"MAKE IT STOP!
JUST MAKE IT STOP!
PLEASE!”
But it didn’t.
And she realised—
It never would.
Her eyes closed. Her chest tightened, and Vivienne had never felt such pain before. The echoes of people screaming, of buildings collapsing under the pressure of the Titans, rang in her ears.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Hot tears streamed down her face.
A shadow fell over her. Her emerald gaze lifted, and she saw him—Reiner.
He stood before her, swords in hand. His grip trembled around the hilts, his expression torn, as if he were fighting something deep inside himself.
As if he were hesitating.
Reality caught up with her.
She was back in her body.
"When...?" she sobbed, her tear-streaked face tilting up to him. Her voice was barely a whisper. "When will this ever end?"
Reiner’s breath hitched.
Loud footsteps—ones she would recognise in her sleep—came towards her.
A heat rose inside her. The Titan was close.
No hesitation.
Vivienne shot her cables into the air, the force of her ODM pulling her onto the nearest rooftop. The Titan hadn’t noticed her yet—its eyes were locked on Reiner, who stood frozen.
Vivienne leapt forward, gripping her blades tightly.
The Titan’s head snapped towards her. Its massive hand reached out, aiming to grab her.
Vivienne’s fingers clenched around her triggers, and she shot sideways. Steel flashed in the firelight. Her blades tore through flesh.
The Titan’s arm hit the ground with a sickening crash.
It landed on a rooftop across the street, sending shattered tiles flying. Vivienne landed, her boots skidding against the surface before she launched herself forward again.
The Titan roared. It was in pain.
But she couldn’t stop now.
Before it had time to react, her heels locked onto its back.
Vivienne’s eyes burned. Her pulse pounded in her ears. The cables of her ODM pulled her upwards, and for a fleeting moment, a thought struck her.
Was this her fate?
Were they doomed to watch their cities burn?
Were they cursed to see innocent children crushed by fate?
No.
It couldn’t be.
Vivienne shot downwards.
A desperate cry tore from her lips. Her swords sang.
Steel met flesh.
The hiss of slicing muscle filled the air as her blades tore through the Titan’s nape.
It collapsed.
Vivienne landed before Reiner, her shoulders rising and falling with every breath.
Silence.
Reiner stared at her, wide-eyed. Annie and Bertholdt watched from the rooftop. None of them spoke.
Vivienne’s gaze fell to her hands. Her fingers trembled.
Tears still streaked her face, though she hadn’t even noticed them falling.
"We have to go," she whispered, her voice raw. "Before more Titans come."
Reiner’s eyes widened. A pause. Then his expression hardened, and he nodded.
"Let’s go."
They fired their cables into the air, the hiss of ODM gear piercing through the night.
But as they soared above the ruined city, the horror remained.
The pain the - screams, the burning, the blood - clawed deep inside her.
And even now, she couldn’t tell if it had truly happened—
Or if it had always been her fate.
Together with the others, they had caught up with Mikasa, Jean, and Armin. The six of them were discussing whether they should rescue the Titan that was fighting the others and keep him alive. Jean was completely against it, which didn’t surprise her.
Vivienne stood a little outside the group. She didn’t join in the discussion. Her eyes were fixed on the Titan. She still felt as though she knew him.
Her eyes burned, and exhaustion spread through her. Vivienne's thoughts returned to the moment when she had been able to see through the eyes of a Titan.
Could it really be…?
Before she could think any further, the impossible had already happened.
Vivienne’s breathing was ragged, her body trembling from exhaustion. The Titan’s severed body lay motionless beneath her, steam rising from its nape. For a moment, all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart, the distant roars of other Titans in the city.
She took a step back, her grip loosening on her blades. It was over. At least, this one was. But the unease in her chest didn’t fade. Something still wasn’t right.
Then, suddenly, the Titan’s body twitched.
Vivienne tensed, instinctively raising her swords again—but the movement wasn’t an attack. Instead, the flesh of the nape began to peel away, steaming more aggressively than before. Her breath caught as something—someone—emerged from the steaming wound.
A figure.
A human.
Her heart skipped a beat as she finally saw his face.
Eren.
Vivienne’s eyes widened, and her grip on her swords tightened again.
Mikasa was the first to run to Eren, scooping him up in her arms. The usually icy girl burst into tears and held him tightly. She led him up to the tower.
Vivienne stood with the others around them, her swords still in hand.
Jean noticed and looked at her. “I think it’s all right. It’s just Eren.”
“No,” she said, and he looked at her, a little surprised.
Jean didn’t realise it, but Vivienne was starting to understand.
It was then that she fully grasped what she had seen in the Titan’s eyes.
“This is a monster.”
