A/N: Hello, everyone! Happy New Year to you all, I wish you guys the best :D So, new year means new story and this time the Maze Runner characters go to the Attack on Titan universe, let's see how they'll deal with this mess. There are two OCs in it, those who have read my Maze Runner story "My life-line" will remember one of them, Eve (the other one, Leo, will appear in "My life-line" in a couple of chapters).

This story is dedicated to Oblivion16, thanks to whom I became obsessed with Attack on Titan and who was a great help in the creation of this crossover, providing ideas and telling me his opinion about my own ideas...I really hope you will enjoy the story, my friend :)

The title of this fanfic is taken from the song "War of Change" by Thousand Foot Krutch.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Attack on Titan or the Maze Runner universe

To you, in 2000 years

You think you know a story. But you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.

One hundred years ago, mankind was almost driven to extinction because of giant, humanoid creatures that devoured people and eliminated a huge percentage of the human race.

The Titans.

Those who survived from this unprecedented attack found shelter behind three walls; large creations that reached such a height, that it was sure that the Titans wouldn't be able to breach them and destroy humanity for one more time. Walls Maria, Rose and Sina, together with the districts, villages and towns they hosted, acted as hideout, a safe place where the next generations could be raised without the threat that lingered outside.

Three walls, considered sacred and god-sent by some and cages by others.

No matter the opinions on the walls, though, and with the passing of time, the knowledge of life in the outside world was slowly forgotten and most people didn't even imagine the possibility of living outside again. They thought it was lost territory, forever taken by Titans, and the definite death of those who would dare make a step out of the gates.

Key word here is 'most'.

For the habitants' further protection, the Military was formed, split into three different branches, each of which had its own responsibilities and missions.

The Military Police, residing inside the innermost wall, Wall Sina, protecting the King, not caring about what was going on in other places and, eventually, getting involved in black market and other conspiracies; conspiracies that, of course, weren't getting punished.

The Garrisons, staying inside the two other walls, protecting the people and dealing with any sort of problems, from the simplest to the most complicated ones. The largest part of the military trainees joined them, either because they were disqualified from the Military Police—since said regiment only accepted the top ten—or because they preferred simple district problems to what they called 'suicide missions'.

And the Survey Corps, which dealt with the abovementioned 'suicide missions' and whose members were either admired or despised as 'fools who had a death wish'. This regiment was planning monthly expeditions outside the walls, in an attempt to find more about the Titans and to win lost land. Despite the difficulty of the conditions and despite the huge losses they suffered, they weren't giving up, continuing valiantly their fight for humanity, determined to offer up their hearts and lives for the sake of freedom and a life without the shade of giants who were eating them for pleasure.

Everyone had their own opinion about matters of the military, the walls and the life inside them. Most, though, were content, complacent even; saying that there was no way the walls would ever be destroyed by the Titans.

Oh the naivety of the human mind.

And so, one hundred and seven years after the first great attack of the Titans, a bunch of children would face these creatures themselves.

From children who joined the military and merely played war, they were thrown right into the fire; a fire that forced them to grow up, to become soldiers, to forget the hopes and dreams of a cheerful childhood.

To forget everything they had known until that moment.

"You can't catch me!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can!"

The sidewalk next to the river that crossed Shiganshina District echoed from the cheerful laughter coming from two ten-year-olds, a boy and a girl that chased each other all around under the amused glances of their four friends and the people that passed by. It was noon and they had decided to enjoy the bright sun, the busy streets of their hometown and each other's company as if weeks had passed from the last time they had seen each other. Their parents, knowing that they would be together, allowed them to be outside on their own as long as they didn't do anything reckless—condition that none of them obeyed to, anyway. With a tendency for exploration and learning new stuff that was so characteristic for children in their age, they always had an eagerness for small adventures, some more than the rest.

While three of the children still seated watched the other two running around, the boy determined to catch the girl, the youngest of the group, an eight-year-old boy, stared absentmindedly towards the direction of the huge wall that loomed at the horizon, preventing him from seeing what lay outside of it. In the few years of his life he had already heard numerous times about how Wall Maria was there to protect all of them and how evil the outside world was, taken over by Titans that were looking for a chance to destroy them. Still, the little boy couldn't get rid of the wish to explore the world behind this wall; a world without boundaries and with so many places to visit.

Exclamations of triumph and shrieks returned him to reality and he realized that his friend had finally achieved his goal, as he was holding the black-haired girl in a strong grip, tickling her mercilessly and ignoring her (fake) protests and attempts to escape.

"Let me go, Tom! Let me go or I swear I will bite your hand!" the girl threatened him, but the only result was the boy she addressed as 'Tom' bursting into even louder laughter and tickling her harder, making it impossible for her to speak.

"Bite me if you dare!" he challenged her and she threw him such a deathly glare that, if looks could kill, he would be already dead. "C'mon, Teresa, show us your strength!"

"Leave her alone, Thomas," the other girl of the six friends scolded him as she tucked a dark brown lock behind her ear and shook her head. "It's evil!"

"You only say that because you're ticklish yourself, Eve; I still remember when Leo—"

"Slim it, Newt!" the brunette interrupted the one who spoke, who right now was high-fiving Leo, her eight-year-old brother.

"Yeah, slim it," Minho, the last but not least of their small group, spoke for the first time. "Or do you want me to splash you with water again?"

"It's so warm I could use a cold shower," Teresa giggled and sat down next to Eve, bouncing her legs and locking her blue eyes on the river. "If only we could swim in the river…"

"You know, I read somewhere that outside of the walls there are seas; something like huge lakes with salty water and so large that they meet the sky!" Leo told them with excitement in his voice; despite his young age, he was considered their genius and always came up with a new piece of information about the outside world. "Just imagine it, guys…It must be amazing!"

"Well, you better make sure that the military doesn't find out that you're reading forbidden books, because that won't be amazing at all!" Minho commented. After all, all of them were going through permanent warnings from their parents about how they should never do something that would irritate the police or the government, because the consequences would be very harsh for them.

Leo nodded and sighed worriedly, knowing too well what going against the higher-ups meant. Still, it was over his strength; he wanted to know as much as he could and he couldn't understand why the books about what laid outside had been forbidden. Before he or anyone else could say anything about this, though, the sound of the bell that marked the opening of the wall gate was heard, followed immediately by the crowd rushing towards the main street of the district. Thomas and Minho jumped on their feet within seconds, identical smiles filled with enthusiasm on their faces.

"The Scouts! The Scouts are back!" Thomas yelled and pulled Newt's sleeve to make him stand up. "Come on, come on, we have to see them!"

"Alright, alright, calm down; you're acting like it's the end of the world." Eve sighed.

"Come, Eve, Thomas is right, we have to see all of them!" her brother started pushing her towards where the rest of the habitants were heading, some of them curious and some others with an annoyed expression on their faces, as if they didn't think that the Scouts' arrival in Shiganshina was something to look forward to.

A large number of people were already gathered on the two sides of the road when the six friends arrived there and tried to get to the front to see better; they could faintly hear a boy struggling for a good view as well, despite the fact that the others didn't allow them much space to watch properly. It wasn't a strange sight for them; they were only kids, but seeing the Scout Regiment riding across Shiganshina in order to reach their headquarters was something familiar—and still intimidating, despite the many times they had seen it. In their eyes, the Scouts were those who risked their own lives to defeat the Titans once and for all and make the world outside the walls safe for humanity again, just like it was before the first attack of these monsters a century ago. The soldiers walking or riding past them wearing their uniform and gear inspired them to join the military when they would reach the proper age; not to mention their green cloaks with the blue and white pair of wings on the back: the Wings of Freedom, the emblem of this branch. For some of them, like Thomas, Minho and little Leo, it was the embodiment of their own wish: to join the Scouts and assist in the fight against the Titans; but even Newt, Eve and Teresa, who rather aimed at the Garrisons and protecting people inside the walls, recognized their brave mission and noble goal.

Still, reality was much crueler than the imagination of children, as they had to find out. Instead of the proud soldiers beaming at the crowd and assuring them that they had come closer to their purpose, they were met with the sight of soldiers covered in blood-stained bandages, some being more injured than others, while some soldiers were grim and seemed disappointed in themselves. They noticed a tall blond Scout who looked almost haunted by what he had lived out there, as if he was responsible for his comrades' deaths, for he had slightly lowered his head and was staring blankly in front of him; just like Commander Keith Shadis, who was leading the group and looked lost in his thoughts, wondering if he could prevent the deaths and injuries that had hit them.

"Well, another mission failed, as it seems," a man who was standing in front of Minho commented to his friend. "Why do they keep going outside if the only thing they manage is losing comrades, getting injured and wasting our taxes?"

"That's what happens if you are so arrogant to believe you can actually defeat the Titans," the other man agreed and nodded. "Why don't they give up?"

Because they're not cowards like you and they'll never give up! Thomas thought, feeling anger boiling inside him and opening his mouth to disagree with them, but Teresa's hand gently grabbing his wrist prevented him from doing so. His dark brown eyes met her bright blue ones and he felt calmer at once, giving her a small smile of gratitude; they had known each other for four years already and she always had this influence on him.

"Moses! Moses!" a female voice was heard, breaking the solemn silence that lingered in the street and an old woman stepped forward, approaching the group and addressing the Commander, making the rest of the Scouts stop walking as well. "Beg your pardon, where is my son? He should be with you; oh…oh, please tell me he made it!" she begged, grabbing Shadis's cloak in desperation.

Everyone, including the six friends, stared between the woman and the soldier in agony, awaiting his reply. Despite hoping that he would assure her that her son was safe or that Moses himself would hug his mother to comfort her and tell her that he was alright, the man's guilty look didn't leave much room for misinterpretation. Eve sighed and bit her lower lip, realizing what would come next and sharing a sad look with Newt, their thoughts being reflected in their eyes. They were only ten and after hearing so many tales about the Scout Regiment and watching them cross Shiganshina District once every month, every time with new losses, they couldn't help but think: how could they cope with all this grief and the qualms? And how would Thomas, Minho and Leo deal with the pressure of being a Scout if they followed their wish and joined this branch? At that moment, though, the leader of the Survey Corps started speaking and they focused on him.

"I wish I had better news," he said before turning to a comrade at his left, whose forehead and right eye was bandaged. "Give it to her."

The other man sighed loudly and gave the woman something wrapped up with a bloodied cloth. Her eyes widened in fear as she unfolded it, dreading what she would see, and breaking down in loud sobs when she saw an arm covered in blood; the only thing that remained from her son. The soldier who had handed it to her quickly looked away, as did a rider on the Commander's right side, ashamed due to the fact that they couldn't have done anything to save Moses. At the same time, Teresa placed a hand on her mouth to prevent herself from screaming horrified, eyes now filled with tears, while Eve quickly pulled Leo in her hug, placing his head on her shoulder to protect him from this heartbreaking sight; he knew what was going on, but was still way too young to witness this. Even Thomas and Minho, who were the first ones to say they wanted to join the Scouts, had to muster all their composure to stay calm, having the feeling that they were suddenly much older.

"I'm sorry. It's all that was left of him." Shadis quietly apologized to the distraught mother and the genuine sadness and regret was clear in his deep voice.

Of course, no words could give her at least a bit comfort; in fact, words seemed to make everything only worse, for the woman fell on her knees, clutching her son's hand and lowering her head as her shoulders shook violently from the crying. The children couldn't handle this, but it was as if they had been petrified; they couldn't move, they were stuck in their places. They only thing they could do was cling on each other: Teresa placed her arm around Thomas's one and he leaned his head against hers, silent and serious and not at all his usual adventurous and cheerful self; Newt put his hand on Eve's shoulder, knowing that she needed some assurance, and rubbed the back of his neck with the other, a frown marking his childish face; Eve hugged her brother even tighter and tried to fight the fit of panic that threatened to overwhelm her in order to stay brave for the others; and Minho crossed his arms in front of his chest, hiding his distress and nausea behind a façade that would protect him from showing any sort of emotion.

Apparently, though, the grown-ups weren't in a better situation than the kids; even the Scouts, who had witnessed so many terrors, weren't used to the broken relatives of those who had fallen bravely. Keith Shadis knelt in front of the still sobbing lady, with a blank expression that didn't convince anyone; it was obvious that he was deeply affected by all this.

"He…He did good, yes! He was b-brave," she stuttered and the Scout gasped, taken back by her words and not knowing how exactly to respond. "Tell me my son stood his ground to the bitter end! That his death meant something!" she cried out. Now the Commander was giving the impression to be as shocked and distraught as the woman herself; probably because not even he could know if Moses's death meant something or would mean something in the future. "Tell me his sacrifice gave us a better chance!"

A soft breeze of air started blowing, making dust dance all around and drying the tears that had made their way down Teresa's cheeks. Seeing this unknown woman in so much pain for her son's demise returned her memories to her own mother; her sweet and gentle mother who was always there for her, who loved to sing, who would braid her hair and laugh with her and comfort her when she had nightmares…and Teresa couldn't help but remember that horrible day four years ago, the day that still haunted her despite the fact that she had mostly gotten over it thanks to her aunt, Thomas and her friends.

"He was brave!" Shadis stated and his voice was loud, steady and strong, as if he was holding a speech; only to turn resigned and guilty again right at the next second. "But…his sacrifice meant nothing…so with all our losses…It's ever the same…" he mumbled clenching his teeth together and closing his eyes temporarily, unable to deal with the burden and the qualms of being Commander. "The day was lost! We have…nothing! Your son died because of me! I sent him to his death! I sent all of them to their deaths! And we haven't found out anything about them!" he yelled, tears running down his face.

A death silence followed his desperate outbursts, interrupted only by the soft sobs Moses's mother still left and a few sighs here and there from the dumbfounded crowd, who had never experienced something like that again; the Commander of the Survey Corps himself breaking down like that and admitting that the missions outside the walls hadn't brought them closer to defeating the Titans. Right now he wasn't the strong man who was fighting for humanity; he looked more human, afraid and desperate.

"Commander?" a Scout stepped forward, the same blond man from before, who was as affected by the tragedies as his superior. "I'm sorry, sir, but we need to go on; we have a long way before us and the injured need medical care as fast as possible."

At first Shadis didn't react, as if he hadn't heard him or as if he was too exhausted, both physically and mentally, to follow his advice. He managed to pick up the small amounts of courage he had still left, though, because he nodded courtly, placed his hand on the grieving mother's shoulder for a few seconds and stood up. Taking his horse's reins in the hand, he made a tired gesture towards the rest of the Scouts and they started their walk again, in silence, thinking about what they could have done to prevent so many soldiers from dying and taking care that the injured would not be disturbed, leaving the people of Shiganshina murmuring behind.

The six friends formed a small circle, Leo lifting his head from Eve's shoulder, and were about to comment what they had seen, had angered voices coming from the other side of the road not interrupted them. Throwing a curious glance at the direction of the noise, they heard a boy hitting someone with a stick, a man responding furiously, a sound as if someone was dragging something and the boy protesting. Unable to jump to any conclusions, they looked at each other again, their grim faces identical.

"I think I'll throw up." Thomas commented and his eyes travelled towards the end of the road, where the Scout Regiment had disappeared. "And I don't know what made me feel worse; seeing the Commander like that, this woman crying or everyone saying that the only thing the Scouts do is getting killed and wasting taxes?"

"Well, if that makes you feel better, remember that they're actually doing something. They risk their lives out there more than these people and much more than the stupid and useless Military Police!" Minho exclaimed, referring to the guards of the inner wall, who didn't care about anything that was occurring.

"Shhh, not so loud, Minho." Newt hissed and looked around worried. "If anyone hears you talking like that, they're gonna call you a heretic or something," he warned his friend, although Minho's gaze told him that this was the last thing he cared about.

"We…We're not in the mood for much right now. S-should we leave to calm down a bit and meet again in the evening and go to the meadow or something?" Eve suggested, taking deep breaths to calm down and inclining her head towards Leo, who was still lost in restless thoughts.

"Yeah, sure, I want to go home and play with Chuckie a bit." Thomas agreed; at least his six-year-old brother Chuck was still carefree and happy, without the fear of what was happening in the outside world and how many losses the Scouts suffered. "And you, guys?"

"I'm going home too to eat something…And my mom's started telling me that maybe I am too young to watch the Scouts returning all covered in blood, so I want her to see that I'm fine." Minho said rolling his dark eyes, like he wanted to say that his mother was overreacting.

"And while your mother is worried about you watching the Scouts, my own parents want to make sure that I'm home before they go to their watch, so I'm leaving too." Newt stated; both his parents were members of the Garrison Squad and, while they encouraged him to join whichever regiment he wanted, he was thinking that protecting people inside the walls was something he would really like to do.

"What about you, Teresa? Will you go home too?" Eve asked her, seeing her distracted from some thoughts she probably didn't want to share.

"Hm? Oh, no, my aunt said she'll come to find me here and we'll go to the market," she explained. "But I'm in for the evening…we could meet at the river and walk to the meadow together."

"Sure!"

"Good that!"

"See you later, then!"

"And, hey, about that scene today…don't get discouraged, guys, I'm sure we're gonna make it one day."

"Let's hope so. See you in a few hours!"

Teresa smiled and waved towards them, watching them as they went in their separate ways. They were like a true family for her, the family she had lost four years ago, filling the void and closing her emotional wounds; just like she was always there for them, in their happy and their sad moments. Whether it was Thomas complaining about how everyone was telling him to stop dreaming about the Scouts or Eve's anger towards her indifferent parents or Leo discovering some new exciting information about the outside world, they were all sticking together like a fist.

"Teresa?" Aunt Mary's voice snapped her back to reality and the little girl offered her a genuine smile. The older woman caressed the top of her niece's head, noticing, for one more time, how much Teresa looked like her late mother. "Are you alright, dear? Did the Survey Corps pass by?"

"Yes, they left a few minutes ago," she answered, but didn't elaborate on what she had seen, to not worry her aunt. "The others went home, but we'll go to the meadow in the evening."

"Great idea, it's beautiful and the weather is still warm! Now, let's go for our walk!"

"Okay."

Newt stretched his hands as he wore his shoes, ready to go and meet his friends by the river as they had arranged. His parents had left for their watch a couple of hours ago, his father telling him to have a good time and his mother kissing him on the forehead and pleading him to be careful. The blond ten-year-old smirked as he thought about his parents' job and his father's constant comments that the majority of the Garrisons were simply relaxing and drinking instead of guarding the walls or solving problems of the district. He couldn't wait to see how it was being the military and taking care of the residents of Shiganshina, while the Scout Regiment tried to solve the mystery behind this threat for humanity that lingered out of the walls.

Well, out of the walls they might be, but everyone could sense the Titans' presence as they lived their lives in this fragile peace the walls offered them. If there was one thing he could agree with Thomas and Minho, it was that the Scout Regiment should be respected and admired for risking their own lives for the sake of humanity; not to mention that one day, thanks to their mission, they could live outside the walls again and see all these places Leo was describing them instead of the same dull roads and the river of the place they lived.

Newt took a deep breath and threw a look at the sky. The sun had already started to set, painting it in orange colors, while two birds were crossing it. It was silent all around, so silent and peaceful, that somehow he remembered a phrase his mother used.

The calm before the storm.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder echoed through the entire district, followed by such a violent explosion, that the ground started shaking, making Newt lose his balance and land on the stone, scraping his knee. Trying to ignore the sharp pain and the pounding in his head, he stood up and climbed on a small rock nearby to watch better, curious and nervous about what could have caused such an explosion, as people were running towards the source of the noise. What he saw, though, was something he thought he would never see…he only knew it from the stories he had been told…and it would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

A monstrous head was looking over Wall Maria, over the structure that had protected humanity from the Titans for a hundred years now. It didn't have skin at all, made entirely by muscles, and two small eyes that stared down at Shiganshina as if it was looking at its future dinner.

"This is some bloody joke." Newt hissed, as steam rose from the giant's body.

At that moment he and his friends would realize that peace was forever lost.

Nothing and no one would ever be the same again.

A/N: Alright, everyone, the first chapter has come to an end :) I really hope you liked it and don't forget to R&R, it gives me courage to continue :) The next chapter will be up as soon as possible, until then, stay tuned :D