Attack on Titan and all assorted characters belong to Hajime Isayama, Kodansha and Wit Studio.

—()()()()— = Time skip/scene change/perspective change.

Italics = Emphasis.

'Character thought.'

Prologue

Age 842

The sky was a dull grey, no longer a canopy of twinkling lights, a layer of gloomy clouds prevented moonlight from reaching a man wandering in the woods. Armed with only a single oil lamp's glow to guide him, the man stumbled through the thick undergrowth.

It was one of the many pockets of trees that still existed within humanity's stronghold. Removing them would have done more harm than good. Still, this was not a situation that allowed him to admire the serene beauty that surrounded him.

"Damn it," he cursed. He was taller than what was considered the norm for the people of Shiganshina. Another unusual trait was his dark red hair, and steel colored irises.

"Damn it!" He shouted this time, as he almost let go of the lamp and kicked a dying tree trunk to pieces.

"Don't lose your head, Eric." A calmer voice implored, its master shining his own light through precariously parted bushes. This man had dark hair that blended perfectly with the shadows casted over his youthful face, with eyes a piercing shade of blue.

"My wife and child have been missing for days, Garren," Eric whispered, chuckling sardonically to himself. "What do you expect me to do? Celebrate?"

"I don't need your sarcasm right now, Klein." Garren turned his own lamp towards thinner shrubs that seemed to lead into a creek. "And neither does your family."

And as soon as his companion's footsteps faded away, Eric closed his eyes in taxing consternation. 'Get it together, Klein. No one needs your crap right now.' The man returned to his feet and retrieved his lamp, walking slowly towards his right.

Fate was so crooked. Just when he'd gotten a well-paid job, just when he'd given up drinking for the sake of his family and bought a large house, this happens.

"Hey, Eric!" A sudden shout from Garren startled him. "Have we checked the ridge?"

"Of course!" Eric harshly slapped his forehead. 'Idiot! The ridge was their favorite spot! That should have been the first place I looked!'

"Come on!" Forsaking his lamp, Eric sprinted into the darkness in his haste.

"Hey!" Garren shouted after him. "Don't fall on your face." He grunted, annoyance flickering across his elegant features, before swiftly following the younger man.

Eric's screams harshly cut through the silence of the night.

—()()()()—

One year later

Thunk!

He stirred at the noise.

"Wake up!"

The shout did the trick, he immediately sat upright with his eyes wide open.

His father loomed over him, his face as flush, as usual, his gray eyes drilling holes right into him. Eric threw something, and the boy flinched as it missed him by several feet, shattering into a million pieces on the floor behind him.

"Get the wood, boy."

As the man stumbled to the other room. Adler quickly stood up and grabbed the small crate that the man had left him. It had two leather straps that allowed it to be worn over his shoulders. He went over and war his coat, a wornout piece of blue fabric.

'He's as talkative as usual.' The boy mused, wearing the odd contraption designed for collecting firewood. 'Looks like he's already drowned himself in ale.' Eric had been doing that for over a year now. Ever since that day. The day his mother disappeared without a trace.

This day had started like every other since then. Adler was asked to bring home twigs for the fire from anywhere he could find it, which was common enough for the townspeople to tell their children to do. After he brought it home though, his father would take it and not utter any other word to him for the rest of the day. Often, he had to cook some leftovers for himself if he didn't want to starve. It had really freaked him out when it first happened. Over time, he learned to just accept it, like he had to accept that his mother was gone. 'Dad is still coping.' He would tell himself.

'For a year, now.' He wryly finished the thought, blinking the remnants of sleep out of his eyes, and leaving the large, dusty house which he called home.

The streets of Shiganahina were as busy as usual, people rushing to get to work, purchase some food or for any other mundane errand that might plague them. Though not suffocatingly populated, it was one of the larger districts of Wall Maria.

Something suddenly knocked into the boy, making him stumble back in surprise.

"Get your head out of the clouds!" The man he had apparently bumped into half-shouted.

"Sorry," Adler muttered, really just relieved that his all of his load was still intact. But as he began to walk away, the man suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey," He paused dazedly, "aren't you Klein's kid?"

"Yeah," the boy answered cautiously, turning fully towards the man. "Who're you?"

"I happen to work with him."

For the first time, Adler bothered to look him over. He had short blonde hair, gold irises, and a flushed face with high cheekbones and a very thin mustache. He donned a beige jacket with what Adler recognized as the Garrison regiment's emblem stitched into the shoulder.

And of course, he reeked of alcohol.

'He definitely works with dad.' Adler thought sardonically. 'Is getting hammered part of being a Garrison soldier, or something?' Something told him he really didn't want to know.

"The name's Hannes. Do you mind getting him a message from me?"

Adler answered, "Sure, what is it?"

"Tell him that he's been slacking, again," Hannes said while crossing his arms in annoyance, almost comically emphasized through his drunkenness. "Look, I understand that he's dealing with your mother's loss, but it's been over a year now. I can't let myself be easy on him. Not anymore."

"I understand. I'll let him know." The boy nodded, starting to walk away. It slightly bemused him why Hannes wouldn't just go and ask Eric himself.

"Hey, aren't you going to tell me your name?" Hannes muttered.

"It's Adler."

—()()()()—

The sky was a wild orange by the time Adler's crate was full. One couldn't find firewood in many places near the main town but had to venture to near the edge of the district. One of the few places was a small forest which Adler remembered going to often with his mother, until just over a year ago. After she disappeared, he had not really returned there. The most peculiar thing was that his father seemed utterly terrified of it, which was partly the reason he told his son to go collect twigs for the fire instead of going himself.

Observing the serene atmosphere, from the rustling of the leaves to the tranquil silence, Adler tried to think about anything that could be frightening about the large mass of trees.

He gave up after a few minutes.

Soon, he was back at the main pathway. He quickly noticed that people were gathering near the major street that led in from the gate. The bustle became loud enough to pique his interest, so he decided to check it out.

Being a kid, he could not hope to see through the thick wall of people, so he climbed on top of some storage boxes to the side.

Men and women in strange uniforms were entering the town with their horses and carriages in tow. Their uniforms were almost identical to the ones worn by Hannes and the rest of the Garrison regiment, except with the addition of emerald green cloaks and a different insignia boldly on the back.

"Looks like the Survey Corps is back." Adler glanced at the young woman who had made the conspicuous analysis. She stood just a few feet away, some clothing hanging on her arm, and had the face of a typical housewife.

"They aren't much fewer in number," a burly blond man next to her commented. "Looks like they didn't fail as badly as last time."

"Oh come on," she said, lightly. "You give them too much of a hard time. If they're somewhat successful, why not acknowledge it?"

The mountain of a man grunted back, "Acknowledging it would simply bolster their confidence, and their pathetic record would just get worse."

Adler listened as the man continued his inflammatory remarks with a vague interest. His mother had always kept him away from the Scouts, saying that they were 'a bad company to be around.'

He couldn't deny that he'd always been interested in them, just like he was curious about every military regiment. From what little he knew, they left the walls to regain territory beyond with very little success, yet they continued as if it made no difference. What exactly was so special about the Outside that these people would risk it all with just the slightest chance of success?

"Shut up!"

Adler jumped a little at the very abrupt shout, glancing at its source.

A child around his age was glaring at the man who had made those remarks. He had dark hair arranged in rough bangs and big, emotive torquise irises that looked positively enraged.

The man was speechless for a moment, disillusioned that a little boy would dare to reprimand him so harshly, given his intimidating stature.

Then his lips curled into a sneer. "What's wrong, kid? Can't handle the truth?"

Adler swore he saw something snap in those eyes.

The boy took a fearless step forward as if the man in front of him was not seven times his size, and many times his age.

"If that's the truth, then why don't you try to change it, you fat bastard? Instead of running your jowls at people who are actually trying to, while you're hiding behind this big dumb wall like the damned coward you are!?"

That certainly got the crowd's attention, and some of the Scouts even stopped to glance at the exchange, some shaking their heads in exasperation, while others actually smiled.

The awkward silence broke when someone laughed, who Adler realized was the same woman from earlier. Everyone nearby followed her with their own chuckles, some shaking their heads while walking away.

"Idiot."

"Made a big fool of himself with that look on his face."

The man silently listened to the remarks with his mouth wide open in shock and beady eyes that were impossibly wide, in what Adler acknowledged was a pretty dumb look. Then, he gritted his teeth and took a threatening step toward the young brunette, who yet still didn't back down.

"You'll pay for that, you little-"

Just as the man raised his fist, a blond boy with a long bowl cut and a softer face quickly stepped in front of the brunette.

"Now, sir, you'll have to excuse my friend, he often says things without thinking straight," He slowly articulated, ignoring the sharp glare he received from his friend.

"Out of my way, kid," The man moved to push him out of the way, but the blond quietly said, "You want to save face, right? You wouldn't want to do something to unflatter yourself, would you?"

The man paused at that, finally noticing the dozens of Scouts who were still trickling in, some of them were staring directly at him. While the Scouts were not the Military Police and did not share nearly the same level of authority, they still had the right to make arrests. And as much as the man hated to admit it, harming this hellspawn of a child was a felony.

With great reluctance, he let go of the boy's shoulder. After glaring at the duo, he hastily lumbered away, muttering, "Don't expect to be this lucky often, kid."

—()()()()—

As soon as the brute disappeared into the crowd, Armin let out a sigh of relief.

"You didn't have to do that, Armin." Eren indignantly pointed out, "I had that jerk handled!"

The blond turned towards his friend with barely concealed exasperation. "I understand that you don't agree with his opinion, Eren. But he's long made up his mind about it and shouting at him won't change it. It will just make him listen to his lacking brain and beat you up."

Eren scowled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his maroon coat. "I get it, Armin. I just can't handle idiots like him."

"Well, you'll have to," the blond said bluntly. "There are a lot of them."

"What's so great about the Scouts?"

It took a moment for Eren to fully process the random question, and about a second for Armin to mentally cringe.

Eren turned around and met a boy around his age, with a strange shade of gray irises,a haphazard dark red hair that didn't quite look unkept. 'Is he even from around here?' His features indicated quite the contrary.

To Armin's surprise, his friend didn't immediately explode at the newcomer. He figured that Eren must have caught on that it was a genuine question, and not just designed for malicious intent.

"What kind of a question is that?" The brunette asked with slight shock. "They go outside the walls." He added, as if it was that was the most self-explanatory thing in the world.

"I know that," the boy replied back almost patronizingly, "But what's so great about the outside? I always assumed it's just trees and hills. Basically, what's inside but without all the people, and with all those giant things."

Eren stared at him in disbelief, "Are you for real?" He finally asked.

The boy blinked. "Of course I am. Don't worry, you aren't seeing things."

Sensing that his friend's patience was wearing thin, Armin quickly interjected before Eren could escalate things, "Hey! I didn't catch your name."

After a brief moment of realization, the boy flushed, "Eh, sorry. I'm Adler."

"I'm Armin." He gestured towards the brunette, "That's Eren."

Before Armin could continue, Eren carelessly interjected, "We don't have time for this moron. Armin, just show him your book, and get it over with."

"Eren, you aren't supposed to talk about it so openly!" The blond chastised him much more quietly.

"You have a book?" Adler asked in bewilderment. The majority of people in Shiganshina did not know how to read or write, so the issue of anyone owning an actual book hardly ever arose.

After giving his friend a pointed look, Armin sighed briefly, "Promise me you won't tell anyone, Adler."

Slightly caught off guard by the seriousness in the blonde's blue eyes, the other boy soon nodded, "Okay. I promise."

Quickly making sure no one was within earshot, the blond continued, "Yes, I do have a book, well it's actually my grandfather's, and it's about the outside world."

Immediately recognizing the vaguely conflicted look on Adler's face, Armin swiftly added, "It has pictures, so you don't need to know how to read. We could show you if you want."

With barely-there reluctance, the boy agreed.

—()()()()—

The book amazed him, alright. The three had retreated to a more obscure part of town to read it since apparently, the Royal Government had banned the publication of any book that dealt with the outside world, or so Armin had told him.

When he thought the blond was out of earshot, Adler had quietly asked Eren,

"How does he know all this stuff?"

The other boy just shrugged, saying, "He's Armin."

The pages were full of colored illustrations of what was presumably outside the walls. As he couldn't read like most of the townspeople, Armin would offer the description, while Eren just seemed happy to get an excuse to look at the book.

Systematically, Armin described mountains of sand, an enormous body of salt water, mountains leagues above anything he'd ever heard of and lands made up entirely of ice.

"How is that even possible?" Adler asked incredulously, the last part seeming to be the most unrealistic to him.

Armin looked uncertain. "Well, I don't really understand it myself, but I guess certain places outside the walls are so perpetually cold that they can just sustain that much ice."

By the time the sun was setting, they had barely gone through a quarter of the book.

"It's getting late," Armin said as he closed the book.

"Yeah." Eren acknowledged, "We should get going before the folks notice we're still out."

'Oh.' Adler mentally slapped his forehead. 'The firewood! Dad's going to be–'

"Hey, Adler." Armin's address made him compose himself a little. "Nice meeting you."

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Eren added.

"Thank you, guys," Adler replied, smiling a little. Despite having a very bad feeling about how his father would react to him being two hours late, he couldn't help but feel that this was a truly triumphant occasion.

—()()()()—

Slowly, but surely, the three became close friends. There weren't many kids their age and the few who were picked on Armin for having an uncanny interest in the Outside. Adler and Eren would occasionally catch them in the act and would have to fend them off.

Adler was surprisingly good at street fighting, considering he was a little younger than both Eren and Armin. His speed was his most remarkable trait. He soon developed a reputation by chasing off groups of much bigger boys with moderate effort. They began calling him 'the Red Death', which he found very amusing, mostly because of the reason he was so good at street fighting.

On the day he'd met Eren and Armin, as expected, Eric Klein hadn't taken very kindly to his son arriving so late. After . . . 'lecturing' him, he'd thrown him out of the house for the night for the first of many times.

After certain experiences both with his father and during these occasions, Adler became quite adept at defending himself. After all, there was a reason his speed was his most impressive trait.

To his own surprise, Adler soon learned how to read and write(albeit, a work in progress). Eren's father was Grisha Yeager, the famous doctor that had once singlehandedly saved the entire population of Shiganshina from a plague. So, it would only be natural that he would have been made literate. Armin's grandfather was a retired journalist who resigned when the government's press control became too restrictive for him, whenever that might have been.

Armin's parents had actually attempted to explore outside the walls a few years ago, but they had never returned and were long presumed dead. Armin seemed to have moved on, which made Adler secretly look up to him even more, considering their somewhat similar circumstances.

The three often met at one of the many public fountains that dotted the main market area. They served as a water source, as well as an aesthetic feature. Though the number of times Adler could join them was very limited, as he still looked after the needs of his father who seemed to be spiraling deeper into whatever hole he'd dug himself into, it was only inevitable that Hannes would dismiss him for being absent from work for so long, and Adler would have to pay the consequences.

A year went by before any of them knew it. One day, when Adler finally got away from Eric long enough to see his friends, he was surprised to see that there was someone else with them. A girl, about the same age and height of the others. She had long dark hair, but her irises were as dark as her pupils. A red scarf was wrapped around her neck. Specifically, Eren's red scarf.

"This is Mikasa," Eren answered the unasked question.

"Nice to meet you." The timid girl greeted him, half of her elegant face hidden behind the garment.

Adler awkwardly returned her greeting, then sent a questioning glance to Armin, who silently replied that he would fill him in later.

Just like that, the trio became the quartet.

—()()()()—

Age 845

"Hey!"

He felt a sudden, smashing pain in his right arm, making him awaken with a startled yelp.

"Wake up!"

He felt it again, on his leg, this time a little harder. Glancing up, he saw Eric looming over him. The burgundy man had really let himself go. No longer was he the strong, sometimes intimidating figure Adler vividly remembered. Now, he just looked ill, with his reddened face and defined cheekbones jutting out of sharp, gaunt cheeks.

Adler saw the man's leg tense again, and rolled back before just Eric could kick him for a third time.

"Get to work." His father said succinctly, then stumbled out of the room. The boy watched him leave, sweat trailing a down the side of his face. He exhaled slowly, trying to calm down.

Ever since Eric had been fired from working at the Garrison regiment, he made his son do odd jobs around the neighborhood for a few sickles so they could have something to eat, kind of. Eric often just spent it on alcoholic beverages for himself and would leave Adler to organize nutrition for himself.

The boy sighed, before quickly getting ready and wearing his coat, departing from the dusty house which was one of the larger ones in the district. He always felt better when he left it.

Adler glanced around, blinking through the sunlight. The streets were busier than usual, which meant that it was still relatively early. 'All of the neighbors are probably at work. I could probably meet with the others and still have time.'

After a moment of contemplation, and the sharp twinge of his bruising flesh starkly reminding him, he decided against it. 'Better to just get it over with.'

By the time the redhead returned home, Eric was thankfully passed out on an old chair. So, Adler just left the money he had collected on the table next to him. Then, the boy quietly departed the house again.

—()()()()—

"Why can't they just let us dream?" Eren asked in frustration. Armin and Mikasa were seated next to him, the former of whom had just been picked on by the neighbourhood bullies again.

"It's because they're afraid, Eren," the blond quietly said, "These aren't just walls to them, it's a way of life, as feeble as it may be. The notion that they can be broken down is just unacceptable to them."

Eren gritted his teeth, "That's no excuse and you know it."

Armin shrugged. "I know it isn't, but I can understand their reasoning, at least. Even though I don't come close to agreeing with it."

They heard footsteps, and noticed someone approaching,

"Hey Adler," Mikasa greeted. Over the years, her timidness had almost completely vanished.

"Hey Mikasa." Adler nodded at her and took a seat on the space next to Eren. He soon noticed the bruise on Armin's face and sympathetically asked, "They didn't rough you up too bad, did they?"

"I'm fine." Armin assured him, "Truth be told, we were wondering where you were. You aren't usually this late."

"That's only if he shows up in the first place." Eren grumbled, staring at his reflection in the water.

"Oh," The redhead was slightly surprised at that. He hadn't expected them to notice his growing tardiness.

He rubbed his short bangs down as the wind picked them up, saying, "You know, running the occasional errands for my old man."

Armin hummed in acknowledgment, though the others could tell he was thinking about something.

"I can't believe you sold me out." Eren muttered to the girl next to him.

"I never promised you anything." Mikasa asserted smoothly, not showing an ounce of regret or guilt

"Wait," Adler intoned, " 'sold you out'? About what?"

Eren tossed a pebble into the water. "She told mom and dad that I wanted to join the Scouts!"

"Oh." Adler said dumbly, almost sighing in relief, unconsciously flexing his still aching arm. The Yeager's wrath was the least of his fears. "I take it, they're unhappy?" He asked idly.

"That's an understatement," Eren muttered. He suddenly glanced at the younger boy, his eyes showing mild concern, "Hey are you okay? You're moving a little oddly."

"I am?"

"Now that you mention it," Armin added, "You normally have longer strides when you walk."

"Well, it's been a long day." The redhead pointed out, leaning back a little, "Maybe I'm just tired."

He tried not to be fazed by their doubtful looks. It hadn't been easy to keep his domestic life a secret from them. They were all very perceptive, especially Armin. Telling them would just worry them and wouldn't change a thing. It wasn't like they could have done anything. Besides, he could deal with it.

Luckily for Adler, or perhaps unluckily, his friends never got the chance to question him.

An enormous, orange lightning bolt nearly blinded them as it struck the ground somewhere outside the wall, causing the earth beneath their feet to throw them into the air. Adler heard a splash before he painfully collided against the cobblestone himself. Groaning as he returned to his feet, he groggily looked around as he slowly blinked the stars out of his eyes.

"What happened!?" Eren questioned. He'd fallen into the fountain next to them and was soaked from the waist down.

"An explosion!"

The people around them weren't much calmer, and many of them desperately flocked in a certain direction.

"Let's see where they're going." Adler suggested and they followed the crowd until it halted at a place that offered them a vantage point to look at Wall Maria's gate which lead into the district from the outside.

The sight before them forever branded itself into their young minds. A skinless, skeletal hand the size of a small house was gripping the top of Wall Maria. A nightmarish head soon followed it. Like the hand, it was skinless and its bones gleamed underneath the sun as did its massive teeth, which were visible in a perpetual snarl. Its boulder sized eyes stared down at them.

"It's a Titan!" Armin exclaimed in disbelief, "But the wall's fifty meters high!"

The giant creature seemed to lean forward, then the ground shook for a second time, a mighty gust of wind accompanying it and threatening to throw them all off balance.

"It kicked a hole into the wall!"

Someone exclaimed as Adler's eyes swerved to the gate of Wall Maria, he realized with a flare that the Wall had indeed been breached and tall humanoid yet completely inhuman creatures were stepping in through the breach and stomped into the district with wide, bloodthirsty grins.

The crowd quickly dissolved as everyone ran in every possible direction, trying futilely to escape the titan scourge that had befallen them.

"Eren!"

Adler was broken out of his stupor as Armin called out Eren's name. He and Mikasa had suddenly ran in the direction of their house, which was enough for him to figure out their intentions.

Trying to ignore his own instincts, he grabbed his friend's arm, "Come on, Armin! We have to get to the boats, we have to trust them to come back!"

After a moment, Armin seemed to compose himself to some extent and nodded. Together, they quickly navigated through the chaos around them, trying to ignore the screams of people crying out in terror or pleading for their lives, they tried to ignore the earth continuously shaking under the strain of giants roaming over it. Still being children, the two found it much easier to maneuver themselves through the stampede of people than any adult could have.

Finally, they reached the main docking site of the escape boats. The boats were designed to run along a large moat that lead into the interior of Wall Maria. Though there was a gate, it was much too reckless to let people escape Shiganshina through it.

"We made it." Armin breathed out, stopping in front of the moat.

"Get on the boat Armin!" Adler urged him, quickly spotting someone, "I see your grandfather!"

Armin followed his gaze and his eyes brightened as much as they could in the situation. "Yeah!"

Gray eyes glanced around. Seeing his chance, the redhead quickly departed from the main docking area ignoring his friend for him. Armin was safe, now he had to make sure the other two didn't get themselves killed. As much as he hated to admit it, he also needed to check on his father. No doubt, the man was too drunk to walk out of the house, let alone get to the boats.

He veered to the side to avoid crashing into a woman and had to dodge again as a man threatened to flatten him. He sprinted when the crowd thinned, but then reached a deadend. Cursing, he took a separate route to avoid the mountains of rubble. Luckily for him, he hadn't encountered a single titan yet-

Something snagged his foot and he couldn't react fast enough, falling face-first into the dirt, tasting blood. His head spun, his eyes glazed over as he tried to blink the white out of his eyes.

"You aren't going anywhere, you bastard."

The voice startled him, but he still dared to look at its source, and recoiled as he saw his own father's wild ash eyes stare back at him with baleful maliciousness. The man was trapped in rubble shoulder down, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"D-Dad?" He faltered, struggling to get his leg free, ignoring the hot pain that resulted from his already bruised flesh rubbing against the debris-filled ground. "Let go!"

"No!" Eric spat back at him, "You're going to die, you monster!"

Adler stared at him in shock, still not ceasing to futily struggle against the man's grip. "What are you-"

"I hate you, you hear me!" The former Garrison soldier shouted, spit landing on his startled captive, oblivious to the turmoil around them. "I won't let you escape, you'll die here!"

The boy was caught completely off-guard by the level of enmity that emitted from the man in front of him. It almost seemed to suffocate him with its bloodlust, and he stopped struggling until Eric tried to pull him closer.

A deeper voice than his own suddenly cut through the anarchy around them, "Let him go, Eric!"

The face of a familiar blonde man came into sight.

'Hannes?' The soldier tried to wrench his father's persistent grip off of him.

"Let go, you sick bastard!" Hannes yelled out in frustration when the man's grip hadn't wavered a centimeter.

"No! I need to kill him!" The man stuck in the ground hollered back, his cloudy eyes, so much like his son's, nearly bugging out with desperation.

'Why is he so fixated on killing me!?' Adler wordlessly deplored, tears forming in his eyes. But then, someone harshly shook his shoulders enough to make him cry out in surprise.

"Snap out of it, you idiot!" Familiar torquise eyes drilled into his own. "Don't give up! Don't let this bastard win! Fight him, Adler!" Eren shouted at him. He looked just as traumatized as everyone else by the nightmarish situation, but his friend still retained that angry fire of his that had always defined him. After a moment, Adler nodded, renewing his struggles with all his vigour, not hesitating to slam his boot into the man's face, breaking his nose in a spray of crimson.

Yet, Eric just wouldn't let go.

"That's it!" Hannes shouted, drawing his blades and summarily cut through his former colleague's arm.

More hot blood splashed onto the boy's ankle as the man screamed, but the grip finally loosened and Adler managed to pull his leg free.

"Come on!" Hannes beckoned, throwing Eren over his shoulder without warning and pulling Adler along with them by his hand. The boy was stumbling, and his father's maddened, pained shouts ringing behind them weren't helping anyone. It was truly a miracle that no titan had found them yet.

'What the hell happened to you, Eric?'

Once he saw that the boy was reasonably attentive again, Hannes loosened his grip on his arm to facilitate his grip on Eren. "Keep close, Mikasa!" He said to the girl, who was thankfully still with them. He had failed Carla, but he would be damned if he failed them too!

"We're almost there, kids!" Oblivious to him, the younger boy's hand had slipped through his own icy one.

Adler lagged behind, struggling not to favour his leg. He needed to catch his breath, his surroundings were becoming unfocused, maybe he had hit his head when he fell-

Someone called out his name, but before he could even look to see who it was, he felt something large and solid ram into his body with so much force that he blacked out. H

He felt odd, almost like he was weightless, then coldness embraced him, before the darkness overtook him.

A/N: Constructive criticism would be priceless.