Scream (1)

Mina's POV

Regret, guilt, hopelessness, and terror are emotions that were often displayed on everyone's faces back in my original world. As emptiness crept inside their souls, the hope of attaining peace in all nations vanished, leaving everyone with a chaotic, yet at the same time, dull heart. 

And yet his gaze continues to burn, one that forced the others to do the same, one that inspired me to continue my journey.

"Don't lose hope, Yeager." His amber-colored eyes filled my vision, forcing my whole senses to become unaware of what was happening on the battlefield. "As long as humanity is here, as long as we continue to fight-"

"Hope remains, don't you think?"

"Relieve me of this, Ymir," I growled as his smiling face overshadowed my seething soul. "This is low, even for you!"

And like how cruel she was, back in the second world, Ymir Fritz chuckled. "Have you forgotten what your father will learn from this scenario? Or did you purposely ignore it due to your newfound purpose in lessening the casualties from this mission?" 

"I can't allow you to target that titan. Eren and Mikasa must fall." 

Ymir, damn you!

"Mikasa is already hurt…" The images of my old teammates then flooded my vision as I blindly crawled on the ground. "There must be another way to make them encounter the titan that took his mother away. There must be!-"

"But there isn't." Ymir coldly states as something heavy pressed upon my figure. I instinctively realized that it must come from her spiritual prowess, something that isn't visible in this dimension. "Calm down, Yeager. You've already done enough. How greedy must you be to wish that no lives will be taken in this hour?"

"Humans… are greedy…" And just when I said those words, something blocked the air that was coming inside my nose, forcing me to gasp and change my position. His amber-colored eyes – Cyrus – still dominate my vision, alongside the stone that held the names of my parents, one that prevented me from learning how many lives had already been taken away. "Isn't… it normal… for me to act… like so?" 

So, please… Just when the exact moment of him being stomped by a titan entered my vision, I gritted my teeth and endured. Take this away from me!

And just like that, with a flick of a finger, Ymir finally removed those dreaded memories along with her prowess, one that instantly made me feel regretful and hopeless. 

I've lost my composure. Damn it!

"Mina! Oh, thank God!" While lifting my fallen body, the commander's voice spoke beside me, instantly making me pale upon realizing what words came out of my mouth. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?!"

"No, I'm," I continued, as my vision eventually became clearer. "I'm fine. I got a bit light-headed. Commander is everyone-"

But no words were needed.

It was pure chaos, one that I'd failed to prevent from happening.

"I've only allowed the Armored Titan to throw three titans before restoring your vision," Ymir says, one that made me feel conflicted. Should I be happy or not? "Now, do what you want."

While tightening both of my grips, which held different weapons, I complied. 

With pleasure!

"Commander!" A scout regiment soldier made his way toward us just when another titan fell a few meters west of us. The jaw titan was already behind the commander and me, forcing me to realize that a titan almost attacked us when I was unavailable. 

It seems that the commander got out of his horse to check up on me, an action that left me baffled. However, instead of mulling it over, I immediately raised my right arm – along with the time gun – and aimed at the titan that was about to eat that soldier's head. 

"Commander, cover your ears!" And with that, I finally pulled the trigger, leaving the titan headless. 

Once its body fell, the soldier immediately helped me in getting up, just when the commander stared at the titan's corpse. "Remarkable. Now I understand why Hange's so worked up about that."

I nodded my head in reply, eyes focused on the soldier's gas tank. He must have sensed my gaze since he instinctively shifted his whole body to remove it from my sight. 

The commander also noticed what I needed. Bless his intelligent mind! "It's all right. Just give it to her. More importantly, find Eren and retreat!"

"Yes, sir!"

After giving me what I needed, all the while using another bullet to behead a titan that was a few meters away from us, the soldier hopped on his horse and went off. 

But then again, in this kind of situation, instead of running off to try and save the younger version of my father, I couldn't stop myself from turning my whole body around to connect my gaze with the commander's intense stare.

Gone was the obedient and perfect façade that I portrayed. Depending on what his answer would be, whether it might break me or not, the truth of who I truly am must be kept a secret. No matter how much I respect and want his survival in this world, if Ymir deemed him as an obstacle, even I won't be able to stop the consequences we'll face.

"What have you heard, commander?" I asked him with a tone filled with uncertainty and fear. Noticing the grip I had on my left hand, which contained the steel blade, Commander Erwin simply stared right back, his features unmoving and fierce. 

"Nothing."

I chuckled. Liar. 

But instead of questioning him even further, I simply gave him a small smile and continued. "I see. I apologize for my rudeness." 

"Pay it no mind." He then lifted his right arm, a part that he lost back in the second world, and got his steel blades out. "You'll probably need this more than I do. Take it." 

"Ah…" Upon placing it on top of my palms, his gaze softened - something that I feared would lose its trust in me. It instead bore no doubt. It was enough for me to realize the ignorance he displayed just to keep our trust as soldiers intact. This man... 

Really must trust in my desire to save Eren and Mikasa.

"We'll get him back. I promise."

I opened my mouth to reply, lips trembling from being overwhelmed. "Yes, sir." 

After giving my head a soft pat, the commander finally got on top of his horse and joined the chaotic fray.

Commander… And yet, unbeknownst to him, I deeply bowed my head towards his figure. Thank you.

"He's a good man," Ymir whispered beside me just when I started transferring the soldier's remaining gas to my gas tank. "If he had answered incorrectly, I would have no choice but to end him."

As I narrowed my gaze from that statement, I instead forced myself to ignore her and focus on what was ahead.

"Say, Ymir," Upon shifting my hold on the steel blade while making sure that it was facing backward, I whispered. "Can I… go wild?"

"Huh? Ah," She breathlessly laughed before continuing. "Do your worst."

Yes, ma'am.

And just like that, with her permission, I took a deep breath and relaxed my whole body, forcing my senses to overpower my emotions. As screams of horror dominated the land, the humid and dry air ironically felt refreshing to breathe in. It felt so nostalgic, one that almost made it feel as if it was home. And yet, it wasn't. This battlefield is nothing but pure misery, one that I'll gladly tear apart.

"Here I go."

After taking a few steps forward and analyzing every situation encountered by each soldier that was currently visible to my point of view, I instantly raised the time gun and shot the two incoming Titans that the Armored Titan threw. Only five bullets remain. Fucking Reiner and his sadistic actions. 

"Observe every part of the battlefield." Cyrus would always tell me, aware of how reckless I can be. "Follow your instincts. Let the wind be your guide."

"Just make sure to survive up until the end, you understand?"

Yeah.

Just hearing those words from you… "Is enough."

Slice after slice, continuously aiming and firing, it took everything within me to ensure that no Titans were spared from the onslaught I'd decided to bombard them with. A few soldiers were almost eaten or almost got their limbs torn apart, but thanks to Ymir's assistance, I was able to make sure to lessen any casualties.

But of course, even after experiencing thousands of fights and hundreds of wars, there are simply a few obstacles that even I had trouble evading. Because of how chaotic this battlefield is, my vision eventually began to moisten as dirt continuously tried to obstruct my sight. 

"Fucking dirt and smoke," I mumble to myself just after slicing a titan's nape. The soldier beneath us immediately scrambled away as he incessantly wailed and panicked. Hearing his voice in addition to this damned hindrance was enough to make me glare at the said soldier. 

"You're wasting energy, young Yeager." Ymir abruptly states, forcing me to move toward my next target. "I sound like a broken record at this point, but you've done enough. Just prioritize saving Eren and Mikasa."

"And that's exactly what I'm doing!"

Gritting my teeth after noticing how blunt my blade had become, I immediately threw it on the ground and replaced it with a sharper one. Noticing my annoyance, Ymir simply sighed. "Stubborn child."

"…"

There's no way I can deny that statement.

After realizing that I'd almost killed every titan near me, I lifted the time gun and checked the number of bullets that remained.

"Only two… huh." How unlucky.

And besides… It's about time for that to happen, isn't it?

Eren… Mikasa… I lifted my head and surveyed my surroundings. Where are you?!

At this hour… no… at this moment, now that I've done my job in lessening the number of titans that the Armored Titan had thrown, I'm positive that the commander had already led most soldiers away from this land. His action of giving his blades was enough to signify his trust in my capabilities. Unlike the previous world where tens – if not hundreds – of soldiers' lives were taken in this hour, deep inside, I'm sure… that most have survived.

The only problem now is that we're up against the titan that ate Eren's mother. Whomever that person was inside that titan became the catalyst in awakening Eren's true power – the coordinate that Reiner and Bertolt were risking their lives to bring back.

I blindly jogged in a certain direction, waiting for Ymir's disapproval. However, when she didn't, I simply took it as a sign that I must be moving in the right path. I increased my pace, all the while placing the time gun back in its container. 

The sound of titans still being thrown was heard at a distance, but I paid it no mind. The commander is unhurt and physically well. Seeing it earlier was enough to keep my anxiety in check. He will lead the other soldiers to safety. It's ironic… now that I think about it, since he led all of us to hell earlier.

A second was all it took for me to witness the situation that the younger version of my father and mother were currently facing. Hannes was already in the hand of the very titan that started Eren Yeager's journey. His wire has been cut off, and his legs were dangling in retaliation for what he may have experienced. I may not have seen this exact scene back in the second world, but Ymir has shown me what would come next after Hannes's body has been cut in half. 

His fear, his feeling of worthlessness, and his scream that shook my whole being were not something that I ever wanted to hear again. But unfortunately, I still have my limits. Ymir specifically stated that Hannes needs to die because his death would spark the level of madness that Eren-san would need for the world to change its pace and path – something that the devil would want to achieve.

And here we are, helping that exact demon to achieve it. 

It's preposterous, really, but it's something that needs to be done for us to accomplish the ending we all desire.

"What will you do now, young Yeager?" Ymir whispers beside me as I continue to jog my way toward the hellish scene. "If you stop his death, then we'll witness a future we've not encountered. As selfish as I truly am, I still desire my freedom. So, I won't hesitate to stop you… even if it means that you'll hate me for the rest of your life."

Ahaha… I visibly chuckled, all the while smiling in amusement. Really… even in this crucial moment, humans are so selfish, huh? "You're so honest, you horrendous being. Don't worry…"

"I just came up with a ridiculous idea. Don't stop me from getting eaten, okay?"

And there I sprinted, ignoring whatever Ymir was trying to say. I simply ran up ahead, charging with all my might, as I continued to ignore the warnings that were thrown at me. Just when Hannes's foot touched the mouth of the smiling titan, I placed all of my remaining strength into my legs and jumped, all the while attaching my wires inside the titan's mouth. 

"MINA!" Eren-san's voice didn't even register in my head. The focus that I had on slicing the titan's fingers just to pull Hannes-san with me inside its mouth was simply too great, an act filled with indifference toward my safety. 

The last thing that I saw before that titan closed its mouth was the look of horror that was displayed on both Eren and Mikasa's faces. And when it did, blood entered my vision. 

***