Humanity's Last Stand

By: CaptainXep

Part 1, The Fall:

Long before recorded human history, there lived not dinosaurs, but giant human like beings that ate men and women alike. They were called Titans. Humanity, in resistance, had built great forts that seemingly reached the heavens. Thus they lived in peace for hundreds of years until one day... seemingly out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning struck down from the skies with a blistering crack. Smoke smeared out the sun until a giant Titan appeared, his head craning above the forts. Humanity received a grim reminder of how they lived in fear... how powerless they really were against such behemoths. However, those who wanted change joined the Army Corps, an organization that is trying to save humanity from extinction. Let me introduce you to Eren, 15 years old. He has a sister named Mikasa as well as two loving parents. Like most of the residents though, Eren did not know of the Titans. Until that tragic day...

A gust of wind flowed through the trees, "This is a beautiful day isn't it Sis?"

"Yea" whispered Mikasa, "We should go before they close the gates"

"I would personally lay down here and relax for the entire day, but you're right, it's getting late". The gates, 25 meters tall and reinforced with 15 layers of solid brick, were made to be Titan proof.

"OY EREN YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" shouted Armin who was waving at us.

"What do you want Armin? I need to go home".

"You'll love this Eren! Oh, hi Mikasa, you want to tag along?",

"Sure" said Mikasa.

"OK! Follow me!" Armin ran towards the garrison and thats where I saw it.

"Hey Armin! We shouldn't mess with the military's stuff!". An emblem with wings on each side was inscribed in the steel. The machine was beautiful, with blades sharp enough to slaughter humans and grappling hooks that seemed like it could latch on to anything.

"Isn't it cool?! Let's see what it does!" exclaimed Armin as he grabbed the contraption, a shadow enveloped us.

"Get away from that you twerps" commanded an older man. He wore the same emblem as the machine, wings on both sides.

"Oh uh well uh... SORRY! Eren, Mikasa I have to go. Bye" and off went Armin, sprinting like he was being chased by hounds.

"Sorry sir, we will be going now" replied Mikasa. With that, we went back home.

"Eren, Maria! You two are finally back." mom said in a calm manner. "Hey Grieger, take care of them would you, I need to buy some vegetables for supper". As mom walked out, Dad nodded, sipped some tea, and then started reading a book. Only a few minutes have passed until I heard a loud boom filled with shrieks of horror.

"What was that?!" I screamed as I ran out the door.

"EREN DON'T!", but the warning was too late. What I saw stretched my eyes wide out. It was huge... and it had mom...

"MOM!" I shrieked,

"EREN STAY BACK" shouted my dad as he grabbed my shirt collar. The Titan opened his disgustingly large mouth...the only thing I heard after that was a snap. Hot blood spilled over my face, "MOM!", the Titan turned to me. In a flash, he swiped his hand through my house like a stack of cards. With tears streaming down my cheeks I saw the same man that I saw earlier. To my right I saw another man carrying my sister.

"No...no, no, no" I whispered,

"Get these kids to safety Reiner!" shouted the man. I looked back...all I saw was smoke and debris everywhere. Suddenly I had a moment of realization...

"Where is dad?!", I turned to Mikasa and she whispered,

"Dead", she wasn't even crying.

How many days have past? One? Two? Maybe a week? Either way, I woke just to see my world destroyed and Titans roaming the city, a feeling of my parents went into thought. As I stepped outside the setting sun, I saw the beautiful hue of colors over the blood and bodies of the city. I gripped the railing until my knuckles turned pure white and as Mikasa took my hand I shouted my heart out, "TITANS! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! I...I...I WILL SLAUGHTER EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!". Tears streamed down me as my voice echoed into the darkening sky. I felt the presence of someone else behind me,

"Then I suggest you join the Army Corps", I turned to see a small man with a brown jacket, a buzzcut, and the emblem with the wings.

Part 2, Initiation:

"Welcome all trainees to the Army Corps Training!" shouted our instructor, Erwin Dietrich. "For the next three years you will be learning the basic and later advanced fundamentals in Titan killing, teamwork, and decision making. I shall now call attendance", as Erwin called attendance I examined the environment. A barren wasteland with a few large wooden houses. This place seemed so much more different than where I lived. I snapped back to attention as he called my sister.

"Mikasa Ackerman!",

"Here" she said in a melodramatic tone.

A few more names and then "Armin Arlert!",

"HERE!" shouted Armin.

Finally it got to me, "Eren Jeager!",

"HERE SIR!", I saw him make a mark on his sheet as he continued. The first day was basically an introduction. The cabins were going to be where we live for the next three years. Everyday would be like school;wake up, go to class, learn, eat, sleep, and repeat. Even though each day proved to be a challenge, I had one thing in my mind the whole time. Kill the Titans...every single one of them.

Eren, as well as the rest of the trainees, trained hard everyday for the next three years. The sweat accumulated from their hard work could fill up an entire Titan. Everybody had different motives but their goals were all the same. To save humanity from extinction. And so, three years have passed, the 87th Army Corps Trainees were mentally and physically ready to approach the real world. Now officially cadets, they had a final test in which they will be ranked based off of their abilities. The top five cadets of the 87th Army Corps Trainees are as follows:

5. Krisha Lenz - Can make fast decisions but has trouble with the maneuver gear.

4. Sasha Brunk - Quick to kill but has difficulty working with teammates.

3. Mark Diamant - Decent with the maneuver gear and has good skill in Titan killing.

2. Eren Jeager - Decent in all subjects and has more passion to kill compared to others.

1. Mikasa Ackerman - Excels in every subject and is easily one of our greatest cadets. A prodigy some might say.

Each cadet is given a 3D Maneuver Gear to fight against the Titans. The 3D Maneuver Gear includes 6 razor sharp blades attached to both sides of the body. Behind is the propulsion tank where compressed gas helps increase the users momentum in combat. Finally, two grappling hooks are located on both sides of the Gear and are strong enough to pull the user anywhere it lands.

Part 3, The Army Corps:

"Cadets of the 87th Army Corps! You are humanity's savior and will assist the senior cadets on missions outside the forts. I happily introduce you to our leader, Levi Shongeki!", as Erwin stepped down we could see a streak of tears down his face.

"ATTENTION!", we all went into a salute. "Cadets of the 87th Army Corps, you will be assigned into sections and then into groups.", Levi started reading a list. My fellow cadets walked up as their names were being called.

I was assigned to section C and group A with Armin. My sister was assigned to be in section A and group A. That was where the best of the senior cadets were. Our mission was simple, venture out the gates, get into formation, and head north to retake the land we lost to the Titans. We were each given a horse specifically bred to outrun Titans for an extended period. I named my horse Kalura, after my deceased mother. We were to rest today and carry out our mission the next day.

"Cadets! Form!" shouted Levi, everybody scrambled to get their horse as they lined up towards the north gate. As we moved out I saw people to my left and right cheering for us, smiling at us. I thought to myself "I will keep these people smiling. I will keep these people from witnessing the horror I witnessed. By killing all of the Titans". Some people in the front exchanged a few words. A man started turning the handle. The gates rumbled, then it slowly opened, showing a beautiful plain with trees and mountains across the horizon. "Nothing can stop me" I whispered as I rubbed the emblem with the wings. "Cadets!" Levi raised his hand, then dropped it "Move out!". I shouted with passion along with everybody else as we charged toward the beautiful horizon.

Part 4, The Titan:

The outside world was beautiful. Green, lush grass across the fields with mountains that go as far as the naked eye can see. As we went further north, I could see trees that touched the clouds. Everything seemed so calm for nobody has spotted a single Titan yet. "Black smoke!" yelled my group leader, looks like someone finally found one. "Thomas! Lets go after it!" I shouted,

"No, group C will handle it" replied Thomas. Just as he said it, a messenger from my section came galloping in a full sprint.

"Sir! Group C has been completely wiped out! Levi has ordered us to change course towards the forest!". My heart raced as I heard the tragic news...dead...just like my parents...

"HEY EREN! Keep up the pace!" commanded Thomas as we veered towards the forest. As the entrance to the forest came into view, I saw group B from the right joining us. The forest was extremely dense with trees well above the Titans. We saw another round of black smoke being fired fairly close to us. As I ventured further into the forest I heard thundering footsteps to the left.

"EREN! WATCH IT!" I was stunned for a second until I realized. I ran my horse into a ditch in the ground. With a jerk I flew off my horse...I suddenly remembered what my dad had told me before..."EREN STAY BACK", I remembered him tugging my shirt collar...it was me that killed him...and now I will repay...without killing a single Titan. When I turned around, the monster was only a few meters away. Two boots were in front of me. Armin came into view with shaking blades in both hands, "Eren, get your horse and join the rest! GO!". My eyes widened as he spoke,

"I...I...no...I can't leave you to die!". Armin started speaking softly as the Titan approached, "Eren, you have better talents than me. You will be a greater asset in the Army Corps. As a soldier, I swore to devote my heart to the resurrection of mankind! There is no greater glory than dying for that belief! GO BEFORE WE BOTH DIE!". I could barely see because of the tears streaming down my face. I got up and ran...I never looked back...and I never saw Armin...ever again.

"Arghh, where is my group." My mind raced as I went deeper into the forest. The whole mission seemed hopeless...how can we ever hope to take down the Titans? How can we possibly face such monsters? In front of me was a giant clearing in the woods. As I was getting closer, steam was flowing outwards from the center of the field. The ground rumbled as my breathing became shallower and shallower.

"Eren! Thank goodness I found you!" shouted a familiar voice. The ground bursted and a loud roar came from above. In front of me was the largest Titan I have ever seen.

"Finally, the Titan leader. Our mission is to defeat it" said another voice. When I looked around myself, Levi and Mikasa were by my side. This is my chance to avenge my parents and Armin. I will succeed in this mission. I jumped up and propelled myself at the Titan, the two behind me followed up. Levi sped past me and sliced the Titans legs faster than imaginable. In quick succession, Mikasa threw two blades into the Titans eyes. To follow up, I grappled around the back and sliced with all my might. Blood gushed out of its legs as the Titan started fighting back. Levi and Mikasa jumped to make a finishing blow, but the Titan moved faster than anticipated. I looked in horror as they flew past me. My heart pounded and my body tensed. Mikasa looked straight into my eyes and spoke, "Eren...listen to me... If you lose, you die. If you win, you live...IF YOU DON'T FIGHT YOU CAN'T WIN!" The monster approached and that's when I lost it. Shooting my grappling hooks at the neck of the Titan, I propelled myself to the left. Turning one blade around, I slashed in a circular motion. "Its weak point is its heart" I thought to myself. My blade aimed straight towards its heart. However, the Titan got one final blow on me as my blade pierced through the flesh. Everything went black.

"Eren!" cried Mikasa, she was holding my hand. I asked what happened but instead there were people around me, smiling, cheering for me. "Eren, you killed the Titan leader...you saved humanity!" said Mikasa, she was still holding my hand. To my right was Levi, his body was heavily injured. He was holding a crumpled sheet of paper. Levi grimaced, tore the paper up, and grimly stated, "Not yet, there appears to be more than one Titan leader".