《 Three Years Ago; The Retake of Wall Maria 》

The pungent air carried the promise of unmet demise, the tall grey walls imprisoning us eternally in the belly of war. Wall Maria stared down at us, eagerly awaiting our arrival, hungry for the blood and bones of our men. The sun was a blade that plunged into the heart of the battlefield as the Scouts raced on horseback, each and every one of us nearing the forgotten town of Shiganshina.

I could feel my breathing stiffen as I clutched the reigns of my horse, eyes peeled for any threats that could potentially be hiding behind these rustic buildings. The hypnotic sound of the horses hooves booming below against the solid ground kept me steady, telling my brain and heart that this was it.

This was the battle we've all been waiting for...

I was prepared, and I was ready to fight for humanities guaranteed survival.

I ushered my horse forward, speeding up to meet the rear of the frontal formations. The blocky shadow of the Wall traversed through the lines of Scouts, cutting past the different sections.

Up ahead, I spotted the broad shoulders of the Commander; Commander Erwin Smith.

His thickly grown blonde hair was thrown back in the wind, his eyes locked on the gargantuan hole in the Wall up ahead. Then, he proceeded to pull his hazy green hood up over his head, shielding his identity from the naked eye.

"Be on the lookout, titans could be anywhere!" His low voice boomed over the hoards of soldiers, carried across the skies. "All troops, switch to ODM gear!"

At his command, everyone leapt up onto the saddles of their galloping steeds, balancing themselves without breaking a sweat. Then, the familiar sound of ODM wires shot through the barren land of abandoned buildings and reminents of the past, hundreds of Scouts pouring into the sky one-by-one.

Everyone had their cloaked hoods pulled up over their heads, including me.

All soldiers will commence the mission with their hoods over their heads to conceal their identity from the enemy. This way, Eren can make way to both holes in the Wall more efficiently.

That was the plan.

So I rose to my horses leather saddle, pulling out my blades from their sheathes, the sunlight reflecting off the forged metal. I pressed the pressurized triggers, the gas spurting and shooting me up into the openly vast sky. I spun around to efficiently change the trajectory of my direction, hooks latching into the large Wall and carrying me up to the flat surface. I landed smoothly, both my feet placed in proper positions to balance myself.

Commander Erwin was already directing squadrons to their designated locations, everyone diving off the sides of the Wall to get there faster.

I was a Section Commander.

And my squad was behind me.

Anastasia Langrove, Pildo Harriet, Ally Valentine, and William Fisher.

All of them were exceptional young soldiers.

I waved my arm to gesture them in, all of us turning toward Erwin. I delivered him with a curt nod, heavy and knowing.

We were to remain here on lookout.

"That kid better be able to pull this shit off," Pildo snarkily remarked behind clenched teeth, his nerves clearly shot.

"We wouldn't have made it this far if he wasn't," Ally was quick to execute his behavior. "Put some more faith in him, don't be a jackass."

Pildo rolled his eyes.

"Everyone, be quiet," I urged, eyes on a flare that shot up from nearby. I spotted Arlert below it, a flare gun propped in his hand. Erwin was quick to his side, both of them speaking about something I couldn't quite hear.

My squadron filed in behind me.

"What should we do, Section Commander?" Anastasia asked, fiddling with the button of her cloak.

I pulled her hand away from it. "First of all, don't mess with that, we don't want it to break," I told her firmly. "Secondly, we are to wait for Commander Erwin's orders. Be patient and put your faith in everyone out there right now."

I could see in their eyes that they itched to assist their comrades, but as far as we could tell, there were no threats anywhere nearby. There were no blockades in our way to stop the expedition... This was almost too simple.

There was a sour taste on my tongue.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, a bolt of lightning shot down from the crytal-like clouds, crashing into the opposite end of the Wall we stood upon. There were tremors in the surface.

"Look at that, Pildo," I nudged him. "He did it." I said, pointing his attention to the green flares across the lands.

Mission successful.

But it was too easy...

"All of you stay here," I began heading toward the Commander. "I'll be right back."

Erwin was speaking with another soldier, both of them staring down at Arlert, who was meters below. I could hardly see him scouring the area around him, and my curiosity began to bubble to the surface.

"Commander," I stepped up beside him, who now stood between me and the other soldier. "What's Arlert doing down there?"

Erwin didn't look at me when responding.

"You'll see soon enough."

Then, as if summoned, Armin swung up to the top of the Wall, face riddled with questions. He looked just as confused as I was.

"Someone was camping up here, most definitely, " Armin filled in. "I found cups and a pot near where I spotted those ashes. They were drinking something- Like black tea."

This piqued my interest.

"What's more is that there were three cups, and they all had the same black liquid in the bottom," Armin's face now contorted into pure contemplation. "There were three people here, at least."

Erwin and the other Scout grew tense at this news, me included.

"Was the pot completely cold to the touch?" Erwin questioned, to which Armin nodded strongly. "Yes."

"I see, that's troubling." Erwin put in, staring down at the vast expanse of hills from where we'd just came from.
He then began to speak, his voice low and ruly.

"We charged here at full speed on horseback, then switched to ODM half way..." His eyes flashed. "If they'd noticed our approach by sight, or perhaps, by sound, they couldn't have more than two minutes to react."

I felt my blood boil.

"So you mean..."

"Yes," Erwin replied. "They knew we were coming. A pot couldn't have cooled in that short amount of time... They had to have known we were coming in advance- for five minutes or more."

His blue eyes grew cold.

"Which tells me they've had plenty of time to prepare for our arrival."

I knew it. So this wasn't as easy as it seemed... They're waiting for us to fall into their trap.

"What!? How'd they know?" The other soldier that stood by his side bellowed, his voice echoing down the sides of the large Wall.

Armin looked the man in the eye. "It's possible they had a scout in addition to the three on the wall. We should assume we have many enemies that could be anywhere..."

This kid...

"I trust that mind of yours," Erwin told him. "You've saved us with it countless times. Now I expect that you do it again. We are in dire need of your help."

He then threw his arm up in a calling gesture, my squadron plus a few additional Scouts falling in beside us immediately.

"You can take as many soldiers as you need. If the enemy is hiding near the inner gate, find them."

Armin blinked, almost stunned. Soon, we were surrounded by everyone stationed on the inner gate, Armin's eyes wide and fearful, as if he had no intention of leading a squadron.

"As of now, you will obey Armin Arlert's commands. He will tell you how to proceed," Erwin's voice stretched across the wide platform, everyone's eyes clouding with disbelief and reluctancy. I felt bad for the kid. These people had such little faith in him, not to mention their own Commander's orders.

But they obeyed regardless.

"What are your instructions Arlert?" One stepped in closer, demanding of him to speak his orders.

And he did. Though awkward and far from steadily spoken, he managed to get his point across. My squadron along with the others dashed off the Wall and headed where their responsibility called them. I remained behind incase needed for something bigger than a scouting party, eyeing Erwin across from me, who spoke with that same scout again.

"Should we call off the mission until the enemies are spotted?"

Erwin narrowed his eyes as he gazed across the dusked horizon, the sunlight flitting over his irises.

"No."

The air thinned.

"We continue."

●●●

《 Chapter 19 》• The Throat Of The Lamb

●●●

...
Just... What the hell have we gotten ourselves into...?

Was there really any point to this? Was there really any benefit?

My muscles ached, my head ringing and pounding with veritable hysteria.

Blood speckled my cheek, a large boulder slamming into the aged building across from me, rubble and rocks darting out and skimming my vacant expression, ripping apart my skin. Blood trickled down my cheek, my hand slipping up my cheek to wipe it away.
Blood of my comrades had already dried under my nails, my eyes blurring as I bit down on my tongue to keep myself mentally awake.

I stepped on something pillowy, my gaze dropping alongside the ruined heart in my chest. Below my blood soaked boot, the body of a soldier lay sprawled out below in the dusted remains of a collapsed building...

As I stood here in my blank, absent-minded posture, another flurry of rocks took across the sky and landed in the spaces that didn't have any protection to block them from the unstoppable rain of death. Screams of unfortunate Scouts resounded through the gut stained clouds, the potent scent of marred flesh crawling up my nose.

Behind me, a thundering footstep reverberated through the ground and traveled up my legs. I grimly reached for the handles of my blades, sliding them out of their ample sheathes and shooting my sight over my shoulder, locking onto a twelve meter target that shuffled through the aisles of empty houses.

I hooked onto the left ankle of the enormous titan behind me, propelling myself through the dirt instead of the sky, careful to stay out of range of the showering rocks. My blades kissed the tendon that was encased under the flesh in the back of the foot, plunging through moments later and shaving it apart.

The great beast toppled over, unable to hold its weight and cascading down overtop the dead bodies of fallen soldiers. I zipped up onto the nape, carving it clean open with little effort, all my attention on staying low and hidden. I ran down its evaporating limb, steam wafting up to the clouds and enveloping another group of sharp rocks. I put my back up against a wall, shielding myself from the foreboding rain.

I gripped my shirt, drinking in an impossible breath.

It was silent...

The rocks had halted...

"Guys!"

I froze up.

That voice!

I didn't think I'd ever be so happy to hear that voice.

"Levi!"

I screamed out in response, praying to any potential being overlooking us that he heard me. I begged that he did, desperate for his company in this shithole. Maybe that was selfish of me, but being alone now was a death sentence. Dodging these rocks was a grueling task. I needed to know if Levi had any intell from Erwin. I had no idea what the hell I was doing.

And, my prayers had been answered.

"[Y/n]!" Levi landed next to me, his wires zipping back up into their reels. He sheathed his swords, running up to me without time to spare.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, just as troubled as I was by the sight that befell us.

What a drastic turn of events this was...

"No," I answered, then remembered the cuts that peppered my face. "Not really. This is nothing," I then peeked around the corner of the house, spotting the hairy abnormal in the distance, its lanky hands clasped around a boulder. I quickly ducked back behind the wall, gesturing for Levi to do the same.

He did.

"He's about to throw again," I explained, gritting my teeth.

"That damned beast..." Levi cursed under his breath, both of us seeking shelter behind this puny wall. The atmosphere was dim... We were anticipating the screams again... Just how long until the scent of irony blood ran through our senses again?

The sound of rocks was piercing through the sky and whistling down into the dirt, the ground below us quaking under the heavy blow of merciless manslaughter. I held back my need to scream in a fit of rage, tucking my head into shoulder and awaiting the gruesome pleas of soldiers to fill my ears once again.

"I'm going back out there," Levi pulled his blades out once he ensured the rocks had subsided. "Go toward the Wall. Everyone's stationed with the horses."

"Are you insane?!" I shot back. "You can't! You'll be squashed like a damn bug!"

Levi scowled, eyes on the Beast Titan as he stepped around the corner. 

"If that's what it takes to keep people alive, so be it."

I snatched his forearm, yanking him back behind the safety of the aged wall that likely wouldn't hold up much longer if the rocks continued their ceaseless rain.

"You won't put a scratch on the enemy with those rocks plunging through the air every ten seconds, no matter how strong you are!" My grip was unabating on the course sleeve of his military jacket. The sewn in seams of the Wings of Freedom symbol was tainted with blood that didn't dissipate; the crimson blood of our deceased comrades.

"Let go!" Levi hissed with urgency, tugging his arm away from my clamped hold. My heart raced relentlessly in the confines of my body. If I let him go now, there was no saying what would become of him. So I only reinforced my grip with the other hand, eager to keep him by my side in the heart of all this chaos unfolding at our soiled feet.

When he noticed my tenacity, his expression softened. He placed his free hand reassuringly atop my stiffened knuckles that clasped around his arm, his voice delicate yet thick with determination.

"I can't loose you." He told me. "I have to keep you and the others safe."

I shook my head defiantly.

"So you expect me to just let you go in good conscience? I can't loose you either! Don't be selfish, Levi. There's nothing you can do-" I tried to dissuade him, but the moment his arm escaped my grasp, he dipped his pale face away.

"I'll make it back alive." Levi swore, as if it were an oathe.

And so, he took off in the blink of an eye, leaving me stranded yet again. My fingers wrapped around my blade handles, feeling the gridded surface under my palms.

I tried to block out my fear. I should head to the Wall and wait for him there.

If he didn't make it back...

No, forget it.

...
When I arrived, the horses and Scouts were cram-packed into one area, sheltered behind a mass of houses, all of their eyes sunk with grief and anguish. The despondency that clung to the faces of the soldiers here made me feel sick, everyone loosing the heart that they swore to dedicate.

Nothing but pure misery was evident here with soldiers faces caked in blood that wasn't dissipating, people breaking down in terror and panic, and the Commander standing in the midst of it all without a single word spared.

I balled my hand into a fist, but refrained from taking my anger out on him. I was well aware he was just a human, as we all are. He did not hold all the answers no matter how intelligently intellect he was, and he was currently unable to provide us with the comfort we so desired as of now.

He was just as stumped as the rest of us.

I turned and marched toward the horses, eyes scanning the young soldiers who shivered with nauseating fear. Deep down, I was just as scared as they were, but I wouldn't show it. We trained for this. We volunteered for this.

We had to see it through.

"Section Commander!"

I shifted around at the voice, flooding with relief when I saw Pildo run up with the rest of my squad. Ally was supporting William, who could barely stand on his own feet. His arm was wrapped in bandages that were sopping wet with blood, his arm completely hacked off. The relief turned to sick horror as I saw him slip out of Ally's grasp and collapse to the ground with a heavy thud. A small dust cloud parted from where he landed, Ally bending down immediately to prop him up, worry burning in her gem green eyes.

Anastasia's red hair was blow to the side in the wind, covering the freckles that scattered across her pale ghost-white cheeks. She stared down at William with a barely stifled sob.

"Section Commander, he's not going to make it at this rate..." Anastasia weeped, placing a comforting hand on Ally's shoulder as she spoke to me. Ally and William had always had a romantic connection, the two of them inseparable even when threatened by the hands of war.

If his arm wasn't tended to soon, he would bleed out... And that bond would be stripped away from Ally.

Pildo stepped forward, anger rolling off his tongue.

"The Commander isn't saying anything. We're all sitting ducks here! We're all going to die if he doesn't do something!"

"Pildo, keep your voice down," I warned him. The other soldiers near the horses were growing weary in response to his zealous words. "You need to keep a level head."

"Keep a level head?!" He spat back, thrusting his arm out and gripping my shoulder. "How can anyone keep a level head right now?! Do you see this place? Look around you, Section Commander!"

I pried his hand off of me. "I see it very well, Pildo."

I threw his hand down, staring him strongly in the eye.

"Do you see it?"

Pildo glared. "What?"

"Do you see the way these soldiers shrink under your words? The way they watch those rocks crush their comrades so impudently? Do you see how frail and timid they look?" Pildo was looking around now, letting my words soak in. "Right now, what these soldiers need isn't something to feed their despair," I told him gravely, eyes swapping between Anastasia and Ally as well.

"They need a wake up call."

Pildo's face was plastered with confusion.

"A wake up call?"

"Yes," I said, then pointed at the Commander. "A wake up call."

As soon as those words swept past my lips, I saw the Captain swoop down into the clearing, landing beside Erwin. Even from this distance, I saw the splashes of fury swimming in his eyes as he stepped up to the Commander, the wind carrying the short strands of his raven colored hair behind his head as another shower of rocks crashed down into the Wall behind us.

The Beast Titan was increasing his range.

And then, the loud boom of Eren's titan landing on the top of the Wall rang through the already mournful skies, sending strikes of shock through all of us.
Anastasia ripped off her jacket and handed it to Ally, ignoring the startling event, and Ally tied it around William's arm while applying pressure to prevent bleeding.

Pildo's jaw was tightly shut as he closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of agonized screams. Blood erupted from spaced between houses, a geyser of red liquid.

"Then he'd better hurry it the hell up," Pildo wailed, his voice raspy. "I don't know how much more of this we can take."

"I'll-"

"You let the horse get away! Watching it was your job!" Another soldier yowled, interrupting me. The soldier whom he held by the arm screamed out.

"Shut up! Like it matters!"

"What?!"

"All those soldiers were insanely strong but died instantly! You know as well as I do!" I recognized this soldier, his brown-red hair bouncing in reaction to his abrupt movement as he tried to pull away.

Floch.

"What good is protecting the horses... If there's no one left to ride them home?!"

Everyone went silent...

The rest of his words were a blur in my mind, my fingertips going numb.

The Commander and the Captain were still speaking lengths away from us, and I took it upon myself to intervene. Erwin was sitting on an old, battered box, Levi knelt before him. I was in range now to hear them, but they didn't seem to acknowledge my approach.

Levi's blue-grey eye imitated the swords he currently held in his sheathes, a hand on his knee as he directed those sharp eyes up to Erwin.

"I'm making the choice for you," He spoke.

...

"Give up on your dream and die."

The world stopped spinning.

"Lead the soldiers straight to hell."