Prologue
The ringing in her ears would not cease. The world around her had become a blur of rippling sound, Screaming, the crashing of enormous monstrous feet. If she survived like this, it would be beyond a miracle.
The operation was near-folly. Commander Erwin knew that many would be lost, he was always willing to make that sacrifice, and he always could inspire his soldiers to do the same. They could disregard their fear when given the chance, no one ever wanted to hold onto fear. It was always done as such in a vain effort to pursue what hope was left.
Hope…
Hope.
Her thoughts were muddled now, the pain becoming so severe that consciousness seemed too arduous…
She managed to give a dry sputtering chuckle.
"…Hope…" she spat, craning her neck up with a groan of pain. "I was right to have given up back then…" She cracked a broken, sardonic grin. "Because, just when I find a reason to hope again-" The pain in her side brought her crashing to the ground again, causing her to squint back at the fading figure.
"He betrayed us…"
"I'm sorry."
"Like hell you are." Her eyelids began to droop. It was all she could do to keep her eyes up. Titans were all around, the towering beasts. She could hear the screams of another scout member, she could name him by his scream, and let her thoughts stay with him as the screaming stopped.
Her only hope that there would be someone to remember her when they found her corpse.
"…dammit…Where's that…that idiot brother of mine."
If the last thing she remembered was him, that'd be okay. Her life would have come full circle.
But she only wished that it would have ended differently.
Maybe it was naïve, maybe I got everything wrong maybe…
Her final thoughts were of the past. Days full of scorching warmth; laughing over tankards of beer; friends lost in this endless fight.
The only thing left, was…