The sun rose over the horizon, encasing the canopy with its light and signaling the start of a new day. Waking to the rays of sunlight that hit their nests birds began to sing their beautiful melodies and fly over the land , foxes crawled out of their dens and began their hunt, and squirrels scurried up the tall trees hoping to escape the predators that would surely come after them. However deeper into the forest, in one of the ancient redwood trees a figure lay resting, his eyes hidden beneath closed eyelids and on his face a serene expression that was rare in the cruel reality humans were part of.
All of a sudden the ground shook violently as giant footsteps made an appearance like every morning, breaking the peace. Causing a pair of emerald eyes to rapidly open, all traces of sleep disappearing, and instead carefully surveying the area for any signs of danger. Silently he grabbed his pack and efficiently inspected and attached his 3DM gear, taking a few seconds to put on his black cloak and raise the hood to shield his face before jumping off his temporary resting place and shooting across the land to perform his usual routine.
Nearing the ten meter titan the young man accomplished a series of complex maneuvers in record timing, successfully slaying the beast. He continued to slay the monsters mercilessly, steadily bringing them down. For hours the carcasses of titans littered the forest floor and vapor rose to the skies.
Only when the sun began to set, painting the sky in various shades of pink, orange and purple did the teenager finally swing himself to a high branch and sluggishly disengaged himself from the gear and prepared himself for his slumber. As he securely laid in the tree's branches he looked up at the night sky, admiring the beauty of the twinkling stars and the bright moon. He thought back to his home in Shiganshina, his mother whose death he witnessed at the tender age of five, watching in horror as she was lifted into the air by one of those monstrosities and consumed, leaving him to fend for himself in a cruel world he wasn't ready for.
And that was the day he realized one of the world's terrible truths 'If you win, you'll live. If you lose, you'll die.' It was also the day he swore an oath upon the memory of his mother, that he would never become one of those monsters. So as his eyes began to shut in exhaustion he never noticed the tears that left his eyes and ran down his cheeks.
The Scouts HQ had a tense atmosphere surrounding it as soldiers made their last preparations for the upcoming expedition, knowing that some of their comrades wouldn't be returning home. The veterans packed in silence already feeling the anxiety that always came around with the new expeditions, but beneath all the fear in their eyes a gleam of determination was visible, showing the sacrifices they were willing to make for humanities survival. However most of the new trainees shook in fear, the dread was piling up in their hearts the weight of it almost unbearable. They prayed to the heavens for a safe return home for their comrades and for themselves.
The 104th trainee squad stuck together relishing in the familiar presence of those around them and hoping for the survival of their friends. Sasha's normally immense appetite was practically nonexistent, the fear of what they would be losing was nauseating. Krista's normally happy expression was replaced by hopelessness and tears that cascaded down her cheeks while Ymir held her face emotionless but if someone looked closely they would see the slight tremble of her hands. Jean's face held a look of desperation and loss, he was lost in memories his eyes glazed over as he thought back to the dead body of his best friend in the streets of Trost. Reiner and Bertolt had a completely stoic look on their faces not revealing any of their emotions or thoughts.
Connie thought back to his family and deeply wished for a safe return, so he could be able to go home and make his parents proud, while the train of thought continued he didn't notice the tears that were making their way down his cheeks. Away from their friends Mikasa and Armin sat close to each other each fighting their inner demons but unlike everyone else they had a spark of hope and determination. Tired of the depressing atmosphere Mikasa stood up and walked to their little group who sat by the flames of the bon fire.
The normally silent girl suddenly spoke up cutting the silence with a soft whisper and causing her friends attention to shift towards her. " Only the victors are allowed to live. This world is merciless like that. The only thing you can do is fight to make sure you don't perish and live for the things you hold dear." With those words she returned to her spot lighting a fire in the eyes of her comrades and renewing their hope. As each of the trainees left to their bunks to rest before the expedition they swore they would fight and live for everything precious they possessed.
The Special Operations Squad sat in the tables each of them holding an air of solemnity around them as they finished off their dinner. They thought about their fates and deeply prayed for the safe return of their comrades, even though they knew deep down that the possibility that they wouldn't be returning home was a very grand possibility. As they retreated to their rooms for some sleep before the expedition they bid each other goodnight and prayed once more that the expedition would be a cause of meaningless deaths.
As Captain Levi finished off the last of the paperwork before the expedition into the abandoned territory of Wall Maria he felt that something big was going to take place tomorrow, something that could either bring the end of humanity or could be humanity's last hope. As the Captain settled down to sleep a few measly hours he spoke, "Let's hope that what's coming doesn't bring our shitty end." As the moon and stars shined in the darkness the Scouts HQ settled down and rested before a difficult mission that unknowingly would change the tide of the war.
Waving in between the tall trees in the forest at impossible speeds the young man continued to slay the beasts like he has done for nearly eight years, blood and carnage rained down, casting a fascinating but sickening display. As he prepared to take down another seven meter titan, a sickening sweet smell assaulted him making him change course.
Human Blood.
As he raced through the canopy once more he made sure his hood was completely covering his face, he wasn't going to let anymore titans kill his people. He had made a promise.
Their Deaths Were Assured.