Today was the year 845, the very day Wall Maria fell to the Titans wrath.
On that day we received a grim reminder, of the terror of being at their mercy, of the humiliation of being trapped inside cage, We lived in fear of Titans, and were disgraced to live in these cages we called walls.
Beautiful purple flowers under the sun are presented and then blood splatters and taints. Open mouth is shown; a man’s body lays on the ground with blood on his face and is then lifted; a small house is shown in a sunlit plain; Titans appear around it; a in-house fireplace is shown; bloody face; a room filled with child’s toys; an eye with a bee around the sclera; more blood gushes; giant teeth are showed; giant hands picking up a body. Eren wakes up. Two birds fly in the air. Mikasa and Rain are kneeling down looking at him as his head rests on a tree in a plain.
“Huh? Mikasa…Rain?”
Mikasa said, “We should be getting back.”
“I agree” said Rain
Eren was confused, “What are we doing here…?”
Mikasa sighed and said, “You were that deep asleep that you’re still only half-awake?”
“No…It just feels like I had this really long dream or something... What was it about? I can’t remember.” Mikasa and Rain stood up with the wood carriers on their backs.
“Eren, why are you crying?” asked Rain
“Huh?” He was indeed crying.
A Wall Worshipper walked into the community and exclaimed, “Listen! It was by God’s great wisdom that these walls were built! These wall are His divine work. No one must be allowed to defile the walls!”
“What a load of baloney.” Muttered Rain as they walked through town.
“Don’t you two dare tell anyone I was crying.”
“I won’t. Still crying for no real reason. You should have your dad five you a checkup.” Said Mikasa
“Don’t be stupid! I can’t tell him!”
“I wouldn’t do that, it wouldn’t be cool.” Said Rain.
They travel down a tunnel when suddenly Hannes appeared, “What were you cryin’ about, Eren?”
Eren greeted him disdainfully, “Mr.Hannes”
Hannes just smiled and said, “Did Mikasa or Rain get on your case about somethin’?”
Eren was offended, “Huh?! What makes you think I was crying?! Whoa. You reek of alcohol!”
Someone said, “It’s like, come on, y’know?”
Eren wrinkled his nose, “Oh…You’re drinking again…”
Hannes asked, “You guys wanna join in?”
Rain said, nervously, “Uhm…Aren’t you on duty?”
Hannes grinned, “Yup! We’re guarding the gate today. We’re stuck here all day. So we end up getting hungry and thirsty. If some booze happens to get into our drinks, so what? It’s no big deal.”
Eren exclaimed, “What if something happens?! Can you fight like that?!”
Hannes looked confused, “--Whadya mean, if something happens?”
Eren said, “You know what I mean! I’m talking about if they break the walls and get into the city!”
Hannes rubbed his ears, “Oww. Geez. Eren. Don’t go yellin’ like that.”
One of the Garrison men stood up and walked over to their group, he laughed, “You’ve got spunk, doctor’s son! If they do bust down the wall, we’ll take care of business, don’t you worry. But that ain’t happened once in the last one hundred years.”
Eren looked furious, “Eren although I agree with you, you can’t just go at them, were at unequal levels of society.” Said Rain
“Shut up Rain! Still, my dad said there’s nothing more dangerous than being complacent like that!
Hannes said, “Dr. Jaeger, huh? Yeah, he’s got a point. He once saved this town from an epidemic. I can’t argue with him. Still they’re another story altogether. When you’re a soldier, you get to see those things roaming around outside while you’re on wall reinforcement duty and stuff. These walls are fifty meters tall, though. I can’t see ‘em getting through.”
Rain spoke up, although still hurt at what Eren said, “Then…you’re not actually prepared to fight them at all?”
Hannes simply answered, “Nope!”
“What?! Then drop the “Garrison Regiment” name for “Wall Construction Squad” instead!” Exclaimed Rain
“Not a bad idea. But you gotta understand Rain. If a soldier’s doing his job, things have seriously gone to hell. It’s better when everyone’s calling us useless freeloaders; it means peaceful times for us all."
“Sure, we can stay inside the walls our entire lives and do nothing but eat and sleep! But…that basically…That basically makes us cattle!” Exclaimed Rain, but prayed that the cattle king forgave her for these insults. The sitting men are laughing now.
Someone said, “Man, you’re one plucky kid, all right! For someone who’s totally helpless! Right Hannes?!”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
Mikasa, Eren and Rain start walking away from them, Hannes called out, “HEY EREN, RAIN!”
Someone said, “What weirdos!”
Hannes asked, “Wait…Don’t tell me they want to join the Scout Regiment?” The trio walk along an incline of houses on their right and a cliff on their left. Rain remained silent during Eren and Mikasa’s conversation, too caught up in that man said, “No, I’m here because it was prophesied and Princess Celestia and Luna sent me here, I’m not useless… am I?” The town bell rang and immediately snapped out of her trance. Usually she would excited to see the Scouting Regiment, but now she wanted to go home, but luck was not on her side.
“The Scout Regiment is back! They’re gonna open the front gate! Let’s go see the heroes return, Mikasa and Rain!” Eren exclaimed, he grabbed Mikasa’s and Rain’s arm and ran to the front gate. , “Damn, I can’t see.” The trio stand on top of boxes behind in the back so they can see over the citizens. A soldier looks at Eren, as Eren smiles in amazement, and forces his head down in shame while riding his horse. Eren is shocked at the response. Yet, even more shocked at when he sees how badly wounded most of the soldiers are.
Citizens started saying things like, “They’re the only ones who made it back?” or “Everyone else must’ve gotten eaten.” Or even, “This is what they get for going outside the walls.”
An old woman called out, “Moses! Moses!”She walks towards the commander, “I don’t see my son, Moses anywhere… Do you know where he is?”
The commander turned to a soldier, “This is Moses’ mother. Go get it.”
She is handed something wrapped up and bloody. She takes off some of the wrap to discover an arm. Closes it quickly and then begins to shiver and cry. “It’s all we could retrieve.” Said the commander, and he kneeled down to the grieving mother.
“But…my son…he was helpful, yes? Even if he didn’t achieve direct greatness…surely my son’s death helped humanity fight back, yes?!”
The commander said, “Of Course. No. On the latest scouting mission, we…No, just like all the other missions…we achieved nothing at all! My incompetence has done nothing but needlessly send soldiers to their deaths! We haven’t found anything out about them!”
Mikasa and Eren listened to two citizens talking about taxes, while Rain or Rainbow was pondering if the girls should use their powers sooner or wait until they were graduated soldiers. Suddenly, she snapped to attention we she heard Eren slapped a man with a fire stick. “What the hell…you little punk?!” Exclaimed the man, Rain was about to intervene, but Mikasa beat her to it.
“Hey! What are you doing Mikasa?!” Exclaimed Eren as he was being dragged away. Rain followed, then Mikasa threw Eren into a wall and broke his firewood carrier. “What’s the big idea?! Now the firewood’s all over the place!”
“Eren. Have you changed your mind about joining the Scout Regiment?” Eren shook his head ‘no’.
“Help me pick this up.”
“It’s not that bad of a mess.” They picked up firewood together while looking at Rain, they were worried, after their argument with Hannes she went quiet all of a sudden, not her usual cocky, high-tempered, athletic and loyal self.
*Le Timeskip*
“We’re home.” Said Eren
“Welcome back.” Said his mother Kalura
“Welcome back Rain.” Said the girls.
“Hey!” replied Rain, who began to put her firewood in a wooden chest with Eren, while Mikasa sets up the stove as his father sits at the table writing with the girls.
Kalura looked at Eren’s stack and said, “Wow, Eren! You actually worked hard.”
Eren said, guiltily, “ Y-Yeah…” Kalura then proceeds to pinch his cheeks, “What was that for?” asked Eren
Kalura replied, “Your ear’s red. That shows you were lying. You had Mikasa and Rain help you, did you?”
Eren, Mikasa, Rain, Twyla, Fawn, and Rari sit at the table and eat, while Grisha continues to read and Kalura washes the dishes.
“Oh? You’re leaving, Dad? Is it for work?” asked Eren
Grisha replied, “Yes. Some checkups in the interior. It’ll take a couple of days.”
Mikasa suddenly blurted out, “Eren says he wants to join the Scouting Regiment.”
Eren burst out, “Mikasa, I told you not to say anything!”
The girls were fully supportive of his plan, they didn’t complain, but Kalura not happy to hear that piece of news, “Eren! What are you thinking?! Do you have any idea how many people have died outside the walls?!”
“Yeah, I know!” replied Eren.
“Then…!”
“Eren. Why do you want to go out there?” asked Grisha, finishing Kalura’s sentence.
“I want to know what the outside world is like! I don’t want to live my entire life in ignorance inside the walls! Plus… if no one else is willing to take their place, then the lives all who’ve died will be for nothing!” said Eren
There was a long pause, and then Grisha said, “I see. My boats about to leave, I better get going.”
Then he got up walked to the door. Kalura tried to stop him, “Hold on, dear! Talk some sense into Eren!”
“Kalura. Words can’t hold back human curiosity. Eren. When I get back, I’ll show you the basement that I’ve kept secret all this time.”
Eren looked ecstatic, “Really?!” Eren said
But Kalura wasn’t giving up, “Girls?!”
“Sorry Kalura, but me and others fully supports Eren’s decision.” Said Rari, while sipping a cup of thai tea.
“In fact we’ll be joining the Scout Regiment with him.” Said Rain cockily.
“What?!” Kalura exclaimed.
They soon watched the father of the family leave. Eren called out, “TAKE CARE!”
“Forget it. Joining the Scout Regiment is a stupid idea!” exclaimed Kalura.
“Huh?! Stupid? People who don’t mind living like livestock are the stupid ones, if you ask me!” And he runs away from the house.
“Eren!”
Kalura suddenly takes hold of Mikasa, “Mikasa. He gets himself in trouble so easily. If anything ever happens you need to be there for each other!” She said
“Mm.” was Mikasa’s answer and she ran after him.
“Come on girls, let follow them.” Twyla said and the others responded with a nod leaving the house and Kalura alone.
*Timeskip brought to you by Eren’s Titan powers!*
There are 2 boys bullying Armin in an alleyway, one of them says something to Armin, “What’s the matter, heretic?!” He throws Armin up against the wall and presses him on it with on hand, “Why if you don’t like it, let’s see you hit back!”
Armin says, “Y-Yeah, right? That would be stooping to your level!”
The boy looked confused, “Say what?!”
“You know I’m right! That’s why you have to resort to violence because you can’t argue back! Which means you concede defeat to me, does it not?!”
The boy growls, “Shut up, smart-ass!” And he raises his fist.
Eren yells, “STOP!” while running toward the boys.
One boy starts laughing, “It’s Eren! That idiots back for more?! Does he want his ass kicked?! We’ll tear you a new one!”
One boy gets surprised, “M-Mikasa a-and t-the o-other g-girls-s are with him! Screw this! Let’s get outta here!” And they ran off.
Eren fist pumps the air and said, “One look at me and they ran off!”
Armin tried to correct him, “No, it was the girls they saw… “he tries to stand up but falls down, “Oww.”
Twyla lifted an arm out for him to grab, “Here grab my hand.” He grabbed it and she pulled him up, gazing into each other’s eyes for a second before letting go and looking away from each other.
*To the river(god)*
The gang all sit near a river, Armin talks about his beat up today while Twyla is tending to his wounds and Eren and Rain have a stone-skipping contest. “I said humanity needs to venture into the outside world at some point…and then they beat me up and called me a heretic.”
“Damn...”skips rock ten times, “Why does everyone look down on people just for wanting to go outside?! And beat that Dashing!”
“You’re on Jaeger.” She skips rock in perfect line with fifty skips, “Think you can beat that?!” “Grrr, fine I admit defeat. Any way what were you saying?”
“Well, because we’ve had a hundred years of peace by staying inside the walls. They’re worried that going outside carelessly will invite them inside the walls. The royal government’s policies have made having any interest in the outside world a taboo.
“It’s our lives! We can risk ‘em if we want!”
“Absolutely not. Forget about it.” Said Mikasa
“Which reminds me, I can’t believe you told my parents!”
Armin is confused, “Huh?”
“I never agreed to help.”
“So, what did they say?”
“They’re...less than pleased.”
“It figures. Indeed, I think people are crazy if they think we’ll be safe inside these walls forever.” (by the way, did I forget to mention that the mane four had their bags on them?)
Rain sneaks her to Eren and surprises him a tackle hug yelling, “CHHHAAAAAAAAAA” “What the- Rain?! What are you doing?!” “I tackled you into a hug to make you feel better silly.” Said Rain as she kissed his cheek, which caused him to blush furiously.
Then Armin smirked and said, “Just because the walls haven’t fallen for a hundred years doesn’t guarantee they won’t fall today...And yet…”
Explosion goes off and a minor but strong earthquake occurs, “What the- an explosion?!”
Citizens were yelling, “That way! Did something fall?! I’m not really sure...” “Hey guys!” the gang walks to the same place as the citizens.
Eren asks, “What is it?! What do you see?!”All the citizens stare in amazement at the top of the wall, above the gate at a giant hand grasping the wall tightly.“It can’t be. Th-That wall…is fifty meters high!” “It’s one of them…”
A huge shadow hovers over the city. The giant Titan's face appears with steam projecting mainly from the left side. The rest of his un-fleshed body is shown from behind. He lifts up his right foot while gripping the wall. He kicks in the gate so fiercely that a current of wind blows anyone and anything close away within a hundred yards. The top of a tower flies off. Debris from the stone gate falls viciously on various houses throughout the town. One boulder crushes a man as the town people run. Behind the giant titan, a flood of smaller Titans are show heading towards the new opening in the gate. The huge titan disappears.
“I-It…opened a hole in the wall…” muttered Armin.
A Titan walks through, “The Titans have gotten inside!” Screamed the citizen
Rain exclaimed, “You just to jinx it Armin!”
“We need to run too! Eren!”
Eren walks in the opposite direction of the people running. “My house is in that direction! Mom…”
“I’m going to help the citizens!” Rain called out seeing she was all ready running at the speed of sound through the streets.
“What th - how is she running that fast!” Exclaimed Eren and Mikasa runs toward him
“Mikasa!” Armin stretches his hand out and realizes how badly it’s shaking. He has to hold it with his other arm, “It’s all over…Countless Titans…are going to overrun the city!” He screamed.
“Armin! The girls and I are going to save as many people as we can, don’t wait for us. OK!” Screamed Twyla and then ran off with the girls to help the citizens.
“Twyl-a” stuttered Armin.
*With Eren and Mikasa*
Mikasa and Eren run through the town towards their house while witnessing all the tragedy, “It couldn’t have hit our home! Just around this corner…our house is standing there, like always! Mom! Mom!”
The house is dismantled and Eren’s mom is trapped under the roof. “Eren!”
“Mikasa! Grab that end!” Eren and Mikasa try to lift the roof of his mother.They hear the loud footsteps; turn to their left and see Titans walking.
One is coming towards them.“Hurry, Mikasa!”
“I know!”
“The Titans have gotten inside, haven’t they? Eren! Take Mikasa and run away! Hurry!”
“I want to! So hurry and get out of here!”
“The debris has crushed my legs…Even if I could get out, I wouldn’t be able to run. You understand what that means.”
“I’ll carry you, then!” Eren screamed
Kalura begin to cry and yell, “Why don’t you ever listen to your mother?! You can at least do this one last thing!”
Mikasa begins to cry.
“Mikasa!”
“No…No…!”
“If you don’t go, all three of us will…”
Hannes reaches them, in using his mobility gear.“Hannes! Take the children and get out of here!
”“Don’t go underestimatin’ me, Kalura. I’m gonna slaughter these Titans and save all three of ya!”
So he runs towards the incoming Titan while pulling his swords out. “Wait! Don’t fight them!”
“Yeah, I could save those two for sure. But now…I’m finally going to repay the favor I owe!”
Hannes stops in his tracks. He’s scared out of his mind as he stands only yards away from the Titan. He shakes in terror as it looks down at him but he kept on going. He tried to slice it nape but it just grabbed him and brought him to its mouth. Hannes accepted his death and closed his eyes…
“Electric Feathers, Lightning Kunai!”(Sorry couldn’t of anything else ;C) And a barrage of electrocuted knife looking feathers embedded themselves in the Titan’s nape and killed it. The caster quickly sliced the hand of it using a scythe, freeing Hannes and used their wings to fly them to safety.
“W-Who a-are y-y-you?” Eren asked the winged stranger, nervously.
“For now my name is Loyalty and I’m gonna get you and your mom to safety. He/She grabbed Kalura, grabbed the kids and Hannes and flew to the docks.
“Here’s your ride, take care of her alright.”
Eren nodded, and asked, “Are there any others like you?”
He/She smirked and called out, “You guys can come out now.”
One by one they came out of the shadows. “The one with the wand is Magic, she can cast spells. The one with the Morningstar is Kindness and can control nature. The one with a rapier is Generosity, and can control the earth. You guys already know my name and can control weather and if you’ll ever see us again, yes you will."
Kindness spoke up, “Get to the ship and treat your mother’s wounds, your friends are on broad and be careful. Goodbye.” Then she and the three other girls disappeared to the shadows.
Humanity was suddenly reminded that day….of the terror of being at their mercy…of the humiliation of being trapped inside a cage…
But on that day, 4 people appeared what could have been humanity’s hope of freedom.