PROLOGUE

**Warning: Takes place after the Battle of Shiganshina so if you have not read to that point in the manga or if you are an anime exclusive fan, proceed no further unless you want to read heavy spoilers. You have been warned!

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"Is it finally over?"

The question hung in the air indefinitely, though nobody within the closed group had any fortitude to answer. The scene of their recent endeavor lay sprawled out before them in a gory mess. Their Corps had been decimated with only the few atop the wall the survivors. Seven in total, and perhaps the most drastic blow to their numbers that they had ever experienced. Among the deceased was their fearless commander, who had truly "offered up his heart" for their mission. The mission that they had fought tirelessly for, and now had within their grasp.

Nobody dared believe it. How could they? All the time they had used…..energy they had spent….tears they had expelled…..the loss they had endured…..and it seemed that it was nearing an end. Their adversaries, in just as bad of shape as they were, had fled. Nothing remained but them and the bodies.

"Forget about that. Focus on the task at hand." Finally a voice rung out, audibly shaken but stern. The small group of survivors turned to a smaller man with a face frozen in a neutral sneer. He had jumped down from a nearby chimney. He re-sheathed his swords and brushed off his hands, however futile the effort was with the state he was in. His cloak, uniform, and skin still spattered with blood and still visibly releasing steam.

The younger soldiers wordlessly obeyed. Scaling down the length of the towering wall separating civilization and the great unknown, they set to work on tallying up the bodies and trying their best to identify them.

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"We cannot remain here for much longer. The more time we spend out here, the more chance it gives the Beast and Armored Titans to return without fail." A bespectacled young woman insisted to her equal. The shorter man crossed his arms, his scowl deepening as he watched their subordinates file through the field of death below.

"I agree, but we have to get an accurate count. You know we do." A pause, then an addition. "We have to know the cost of this." He shot back. The setting sunlight glinted off the woman's glasses as she lowered her gaze to her feet, closing her eyes and releasing a much-needed sigh.

"Captain, Commander Erwin was a huge cost all by himself." She stated reluctantly.

"You are Commander now, Hanji. Erwin said so even before he knew what his fate would be." The Captain replied with an edge to his tone. Hanji did not reply, but once again shifted her gaze in a different direction, into the rays of the amber sun that crept slowly down the dome of their world. The wind began to pick up and started to billow their cloaks in rhythm with every gust. The two superiors stood silent for several moments as their thoughts took them in a million different directions. Hanji sighed once more.

"How did it ever come to this, Levi?" came her simple but heavy inquiry. Another few moments of silence and she heard the air release of his 3-D maneuvering gear. His small but agile form soon followed, with him only shooting her a sideways glance as he passed her to join the remaining members of the Survey Corps on the ground. She was not offended. Levi rarely offered up any true consolation in times like these. He was hardwired as such.

She couldn't help but stand there, alone atop the very walls they had hidden behind for generations. Scaling every inch with her gaze and replaying everything that they had learned thus far. If these walls were truly the only thing keeping the remains of humanity from going extinct, she barely had any hope left to give for them. They had lost so much and today was a particularly nasty blow. Erwin had been the life of the Scouts, the very heart and blood that gave it the strength to endure. That life had been extinguished, and for the first time in a very long time, Hanji Zoe had no idea how to go on. She was picking up the weight of something dreadful, something far grander in scale than anyone could even possi-

No.

There was no time to think in such personal ways. From this moment onward, she had to consider the welfare of the Survey Corps and all within it, regardless of how it affected her as leader. That is how Erwin had served, and it is how she would serve. Or die trying.

Without another ensnaring thought, she engaged her own 3DMG and scaled the height of Wall Maria to join her comrades, who without a doubt needed her more than ever.

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The Battle of Shiganshina proved to be a massive turning point in the never-ending war between humans and Titans. They ventured to the long-awaited basement of Eren Yeager's childhood home and learned the secrets beyond the walls and why they had come to be where they were. In doing so, it not only sparked outrage but determination to bring the offenders of their past to justice, starting with the traitor Reiner Braun and his superior by the name of Zeke Yeager. Though their missions were passionate and thoughtful in nature, no such interaction was made and the Titans had seemingly vanished from sight. Suspicious, the Survey Corps, Stationary Brigade, and Military Police remained vigilant within the safety of the walls, planning and anticipating the next Titan attack.

Though they remained steadfast, news of the apparent vanishing of humanity's greatest enemy soon reached every corner within all three walls. Citizens from all districts and villages promptly celebrated the victory and the following months beget an increased abundance in food, supplies, and territory gains. The birth rate escalated incredibly as many people began to marry and settle down in their newfound comfort and assurance of safety. Mission after mission came back with reports of no Titan sightings or encounters for days, weeks, months, a year. Then a second year. A third year following that. With each passing day the fear of Titans dissolved into a distant memory, and the people of Paradis entered into what they had dubbed the Age of Peace.

The Battle of Shiganshina had proven to be devastating for the hearty Survey Corps, but the undeniable gain for humanity within the walls. Among the many souls of those lost their deaths became irrefutably meaningful and worth the sacrifice. They had won the war. These are the days that followed.

And so begins my venture into a story I have been wanting to write for ages. If you so desire, please leave a review below. I must remind everyone that I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin and all characters are Hajime Isayama's. The only thing I own in the creative storyline I have set for these wonderfully complex characters. Be forewarned that this will be a multiple-chapter story and will take some time to finish.

I thank you for giving my story a chance. The synopsis doesn't give me much room to detail what my story will be about, but trust that it will be much more interesting than the 384 word synopsis lets on!

I hope you enjoy every moment of it as much as I enjoy writing it! Farewell for now :)

Signed,

Heartforhumanity845