Her last words still ring in my ears.
"Kismet," she said, her voice a deadly whisper. "Promise me one thing." I was simply staring at her, lying on the ground bent out of shape, too frightened to move. A small grunt was all I could manage. Her right arm was missing, and her soft, blonde hair was burnt coarse black. "Promise... me..."
I slowly knelt beside her on the grimy cobblestone, gradually coming to my senses. Taking her remaining hand, I stuttered a garbled "yes?"
"Promise me..." She coughed, spluttering out blood. "... you'll... live... my... efforts... don't... go in vain..."
"Of course not... You have my sincerest word, Arya. Trust me."
"Goodbye..." She rasped, clutching my hand tightly. "...baby sister. Always remember..."
With this, the fiery light burning within her eyes slowly dimmed, and within the next few seconds, my dear sister's hand was nothing more than dead weight.
Arya Perie. My only sister. My only family. Dead.
A single tear rolled down my cheek, which I hastily wiped away. Deep inside, as I had looked upon her corpse, I felt that something had clicked into place. This was life. Life meant death. Some experience it sooner than others, yet it was all the same. That same feeling of anguish that could drive one mad, if it struck them deeply enough.
Now, I thought as I fired my grappling hook towards the nearest wall and propelled myself into the air, it all depends upon whether you're weak enough to let it overcome you.
Suddenly, a huge fist came smashing through the house I was hanging from and I was somehow able to leap off just in time. Spraying debris everywhere, one giant eye loomed over me as I crashed onto the hard stone floor below. An excruciating pain shot up my left leg, rendering me unable to stand.
Talk about good timing. The thing rose to its full size.
And there it was, my messenger of death. A Titan, at least 10 metres tall.
Fear seized me, and for a moment, I just stood there, staring at the huge man-eating hombre that would probably be the reason behind the entirety of the Perie family disappearing off the charts. I didn't know what else to do — I wasn't ready — so I desperately tried to turn, thankfully in success and I unsheathed my double blades, now prepared to fight.
Wait. I remember now. This was the Titan who ate Arya's right arm.
This fucking son-of-a-bitch ate my poor sister's arm.
Arya…
WHY?!
I fired my hook again, this time with rage coursing though my veins instead of blood. It hit the monster's temple and I launched myself upwards, unfortunately landing on my bad leg, causing my knees to buckle.
You killed my only family…
As a last attempt to save myself as I slipped, I jabbed one of my blades as far as it could go into the Titan's side, spurting blood everywhere. It was a long shot, because I knew that I might slip and fall again, but I managed to heave myself up onto the sword and used it as a foothold in order to grab hold of its shoulder.
My happiness, or whatever emotion was struggling to surface from my ocean of wrath, was short lived, as that was when it grabbed me, and slowly tightened its fist. I felt too helpless to even struggle, for once in my life.
Was this the end? It brought me closer to its slimy mouth, jaws wide open. All I could do was watch, frozen in shock.
Was this how I would die, a brainless Titan's fodder?
But no. It couldn't be. I gave Arya my word. My dead sister was counting on me. I will not just die and let her down this easily.
Using my last blade, I stabbed it in its closest eye, blinding it instantly.
I knew what to do.
With my grapping hook still tightly holding on to its temple, I used it to pull myself out of its grasp, thanks to the slippery blood still in its hand. I swung as hard as I could, pulling my sword out of its eye, and when I reached its neck, I saw it.
A clean shot.
Needless to say I went for it without even thinking twice, slashing through its weak point, the nape of its neck, with whatever strength I had left in me.
With one last thunderous roar of pain, the Titan collapsed along with me, my landing cushioned by its back.
Darkness slowly swallowed me, leaving my senses open just to hear my name being frantically called.
I will avenge you, Arya...
~~x~~
Voices. Those were... voices.
"…deserves to be in your squad, Levi."
"Are you crazy?" Sounded like a guy. "Have you seen how reckless she's been? She could've gotten herself killed! Heck, she even could've gotten someone else killed, all because of her stupidity!"
Who the hell did that guy think he was?
He continued. "Levi-Heichou, the only thing that is completely impossible is doubting in your capabilities, but she is—"
"Enough." I heard the sound of wood creaking, possibly some chair being drawn back. Footsteps, steady, accurate. "Where is your respect? She's an elite. Any one of you cowardly rookies would've been scared shitless, so don't even try to flatter me."
That voice... I recognised it.
The legendary Captain Levi, humanity's strongest soldier.
But why was he discussing me, of all people?
"She may be obstinate enough to defy orders," he added, "but is still brave enough to carry out her stupidity. You all would've been eaten within two seconds."
"Levi," said a voice.
Was that... Hange? Commander Hange? My old squad leader...?
"Hmm," the Corporal purred. All I could see was black, but I could hear Levi's footsteps gradually coming closer. "It is your decision after all, Hange."
"Then it is best we decide, once and for all. We can't just leave Kismet in her current condition."
I didn't quite catch anything after that...
A soft bed... lying down, dead tired, was all I remember... The sheets smelt like washed linen and soap.
Somehow, that reminded me of how Arya used to wrap my clean sheets around herself and stumble about like a monster, pretending to chase me around and then try to eat me.
If only you knew, Arya, that you had trained me for this day.
She was like my mother; she was all I had. I never knew my real parents, but she did. She would tell me that they had gone to live in a magical place, outside these Walls we humans lived in. There were oceans, she said. Forests, deserts, open blue skies, birds and animals roaming free.
Of course, I knew they were most probably dead. But I listened anyway, just to keep her talking.
Levi was right about one thing, though. I was obstinate. Instead of just shutting up, I would keep on asking: "Can't we go visit, Arya? Why do we live in these Walls anyway?"
She never answered that. Twisting that silver ring she always wore on her finger, all she would reply— "There are monsters out there, Kismet." One shiny teardrop would slowly make its way down her glossy cheek. "They were very brave, our parents..."
That's why we joined the Survey Corps. To start over, to fight those monsters.
It was the Commander, and my old squad leader, Hange Zoë, who told me what my name meant.
Kismet. Destiny.
I was destined to kill...
I will avenge you, Arya...
But somewhere, a thought nagged at the poor excuse of a heart I had in me.
Maybe I was just destined to walk alone...