Chapter 4: Awakening

The fluorescent lights above my bed hummed softly, casting an eerie glow over the sterile white walls of the hospital room. I blinked slowly, my eyes adjusting to the brightness as I tried to process my surroundings. Hanji's hand was still clasped around mine, her fingers intertwined with my own in a gentle grasp. As I looked up at her, I saw the toll that my ordeal had taken on her. Dark circles under her eyes, a faint smudge of exhaustion that lined her cheeks. Her usual sharp jawline was softened, her features drawn and weary. "How long?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. Hanji's gaze locked onto mine, her eyes filled with a deep concern. "You've been out for a few days," she said softly. "The Titan's roar... it triggered a regression. You were in a bad state, physically and mentally." I remembered the pain, the seizures, the feeling of my body fragmenting into a thousand different pieces. My mind shuddered at the memory, but Hanji's hand was warm and reassuring, a steady presence in the midst of chaos. "What happened?" I asked, my voice growing stronger with each passing moment. Hanji took a deep breath, her eyes clouding over with a mixture of fear and determination. "The Scout Regiment found a way to stabilize you, to bring you back from the edge. But... there's something else you need to know." Her voice trailed off, and I felt a sense of trepidation growing inside me. What could be worse than the pain and the regression? "What is it?" I pressed, my heart beating faster with anticipation. Hanji's gaze locked onto mine, her eyes burning with an inner fire. "The Titans are moving," she said, her voice low and urgent. "They're gathering, congregating in a massive horde. We're not sure what they're planning, but... we think it might be connected to you." My heart skipped a beat as I processed her words. The Titans, those monstrous creatures that had driven humanity to the brink of extinction, were gathering in a massive horde? And they might be connected to me? A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a sense of foreboding growing inside me. What did they want from me? And what would happen if they got it? Hanji's hand tightened around mine, her grip a reassuring presence in the midst of uncertainty. "We'll protect you," she said, her voice firm. "We'll do everything we can to keep you safe." But as I looked up at her, I knew that I wasn't sure if it would be enough. The Titans were coming, and I was at the center of their attention. I could feel it, a sense of destiny that I couldn't shake, a sense that my fate was inextricably linked to the monstrous creatures that haunted our world. As I lay there, surrounded by the sterile white walls of the hospital room, I knew that I had a choice to make. I could let fear consume me, or I could face whatever was coming my way, head-on. The question was, what would I choose?