Ken lied under a large tree in a large field. He had fallen asleep under it, and was just beginning a dream when he felt someone trying to wake him up. "Ken. Ken. Wake up Ken."

Ken slowly opened his eyes to see someone in front of him. This was the person who woke him up. "Get back home now. It's gonna get dark." He was still groggy, but he could make out who was in front of him.

"Veronica… Your hair… It's gotten longer, hasn't it?" This didn't make the person, Veronica, very happy. She gave him a look that made him wake up fully and turned away. "You were sleeping tight enough to spout that kind of nonsense upon waking up?"

Ken went to pick up his carrier. "Well… It's like I just had a mighty long dream, ya see…" He was too busy fixing his carrier to his back to notice Veronica had looked over at him. "But I can't seem to remember what it was about…" Veronica cut him off. "Ken? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Ken was taken aback from this. He put his hand up to his face and felt the tears coming down, flowing over his cheeks. "Uh…?" He said, confused as to why this was happening. He and Veronica just stood there for a while, while Ken wiped the tears away before the two of them went back into the safety of the walls.

These walls were the only thing that kept humanity safe. Safe from the beings that roamed the Earth. They weren't your normal walls, they were fifty feet high, and had canons on top, in case one of those beings got too close. There were also large gates, allowing, and disallowing people in and out.

Ken and Veronica walked through the busy village, Ken still wiping away the hint that he had been crying. "Not a word to anyone. They don't need to know I've been crying." "I won't." Veronica said, though a bit worried over her foster brother.

"Still, you had tears in your eyes for no good reason." She said, trying to sound calm. "Maybe you should let your dad have a look?" This made Ken mad. "Are you mad? Like hell I'd tell him about that."

There was suddenly someone standing next to Ken. "What have you been crying about, Ken?" Ken looked surprised. "Ha… Hanneth-San."

Hanneth gave him a smirk. "Did Veronica get mad at you for some reason?" Ken looked away from Hanneth. "Huh? What would I be crying for? I mean…" He quickly covered his face as the smell fully hit him. "You stink of booze."

Ken looked over and saw the Garrison guards were sitting around a small crate table, drinking. "You're still… You're still going at it…" Hanneth smiled. "Why don't you join us?" Ken thought about it. "Nah.. Erm… What about work?" Hanneth shrugged. "Oh! Today, we man the gates." Hanneth lend against the wall. "We're supposed to stay here all day, so it doesn't take long before we get hungry as well as thirsty. Alcohol happens to be part of the drinks sometimes, but that's nothing to write home about."

Ken looked at them. "And when the situation calls for it, you're supposed to fight how?" Hanneth looked over at his mates, then back at Ken. "The situation? What situation?" Ken was getting angry now. Can't believe I'm hearing this! It should be obvious! "When 'they' break the wall! And enter the city! That's when!"

Hanneth grabbed his head. "Hey, Ken, don't just shout out like that…" One of the other guards chuckled. "Good to be wholesome, eh, doctor's son!" He lend back in his chair. "Should 'they' ever break the wall, then we'll deal with it. But you see… That hasn't happened once in a hundred years."

Ken looked up. "B-But come on! We can't let our guards down like that. It's dangerous! My father told me so!" Hanneth seemed to think on that. "Well… Sure, you're probably right about that. I don't claim to know any better than Doctor Jaeger, the city's resident saviour… But well… Becoming a soldier might allow you a chance to see them prowling around while you're busy reinforcing the walls… But this wall is like, fifty meters high, and I fail to see how 'they'll work their way around that..."

This just seemed to make Ken angrier. "So you're not even ready to fight them in the first place?" Hanneth shook his head. "Nope." "What the hell! Quit calling yourselves the stationary troops, then. Wall-Building Squad would be more like it!" Hanneth laughed. "Yeah, sounds good. But ya see Ken… An active army's not a good thing at all. It means something's gone south… Whereas so long as we're derided as useless freeloaders, life is peaceful for everyone"

Ken just looked at them in disbelief. "What Hanneth said." Said one of the guards. "Dang, I just can't get these guys from the Scouting Legion going outside the walls and all that jazz… It's like they get a kick out of playing warfare or something!" Ken just looked at them. "Even if we can't get outside these walls, we got food and rest, and that's enough to stay alive… But… A life like that is no different than if we actually were cattle…"

And with that, Ken and Veronica left, leaving the Garrison guards they had just been speaking to in confusion.

As Ken and Veronica walked down the path, Ken was still mad about the conversation he just had. "Ken?" Veronica spoke up. "You better forget about the Scouting Legion…" Ken was shocked at this. "What's this… You're gonna make fun of them too?" Veronica just looked at him. "It's not so much about making fun of them or anyth…" But before she could finish, loud bells started to ring, signally the return of the Scouting Legion.

A crowd had formed quickly, and by the time Ken and Veronica reached the path, they couldn't see a thing. Ken climbed up on some boxes and waited to see the legion walk pass.

The sight was not a friendly one. Many of them were injured, with limbs or other body parts missing. And the ones that were still in one piece, their faces looked dead. Ken could hardly believe it. "So few of them are returning… There were over a hundred of them when they departed… They aren't even twenty… Did everyone else get devoured?"

As they moved onward, a women started calling out for someone. "Brown! Brown! Excuse me… My son… I can't see my son Brown…" The Scouting Legion got something and handed it to the women. Ken couldn't see it that clearly from a distant, but whatever it was brought the women to tears.

She cried over the object, and seemed to be speaking to the leader, but Ken couldn't hear her until she started to shout. "It doesn't have to be anything outstanding! He contributed! His death contributed towards humankind's retaliation, did it not?"

Ken couldn't take his eyes off the women. He had never seen a scene like this before, at least, not that he could remember. It wasn't until Ken heard the yelling again was he brought back to the scene. "It was all for naught! We didn't make any progress at all! I've been nothing but an incompetent…! Toying around with the lives of our soldiers…! We couldn't find out where they come from…! We didn't discover the first thing about them!

The crowd just stood there in shook. No one had expected to hear this, least of all from the Scouting Legion. That's when a few men in front of Ken started to speak. "This is horrible." "To think they could have lived out peaceful lives inside the walls. They would've been fine. Out taxes could be better spent tan on them soldiers, what a waste." Ken was starting to get angry again, and Veronica saw this. "So true." "As it is, our taxes essentially serve to fatten 'them' up by sending out our men as free meals.

This got to Ken the most. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled out a branch from his carrier and hit the guy over the head with it. Veronica quickly grabbed him and ran for it.

She ran for a bit before throwing Ken up against a wall, his branches falling everywhere. "What's the big idea? The firewood's all scattered now!" Veronica walked over. "Ken. You were planning on entering the Scouting Legion… You haven't changed your mind, have you…?"

Ken and Veronica just stared at each other for a while before Ken bent down. "Help me pick these up."

It was getting late when Ken and Veronica finally got home. "We're home." "Welcome back." Said Doctor Jaeger, who was sitting at the table. "You're late, children." Said their mother, who was washing dishes. Ken dumped his wood and sat next to his father. "Yeah… Well… It's a long story…"

She nodded and moved from the sink to the table and started to clean that. "Dad is about to leave." He nodded. "Yep. I'm off to town for a couple of examinations." "Ken said…" Veronica spoke up suddenly. "He wanted to enter the Scouting Legion…" Ken and his mother were both in shook, but for two different reasons. "V-Veronica! I told you to keep that quiet!" "Ken!" His mother said. "What are you thinking? Of all the people who got outside the walls, do you have any idea how many died?" Ken just looked at her. "Ye-Yes, I do!" Doctor Jaeger sat there quietly before turning to Ken. "Ken, why do you want to go outside?" Ken looked up. "I wanna know what's going on out there. I'd hate to live my entire life as an ignorant!" His father just looked at him. "And… If no one here wants to pick up where they left off, all the people who laid down their lives so far did so in vain." Ken just looked at his family, clearly determined. "I see…" Said Doctor Jaeger as he stood up. "The ship will be there soon. I'll be on my way now."

This shocked everyone. "Wait, honey… Talk some sense into Ken." "Carla, when somebody's on a quest, there's no such thing as talking them down." This shocked Ken "Ken, when I get back… There's that room in the basement which I've always kept secret. Well, I'll show it to you." Ken looked at his father excitedly. "Fo-For real?"

Doctor Jaeger leaves and wave bye to his family. They stand there watching him leave. It was a while before anyone spoke. "Ken…" "What?" He said, still upset over the argument that had just taken place. "I insist. It's not happening. Only a fool would consider join the Scouting Legion." This seemed to upset Ken more. "Huh? A fool you say…? As far as I'm concerned, those who would buy their own safety at the living cooped up like cattle are ten times sillier!" Ken yelled as he ran off.

Ken wasn't paying much attention to where he was run, he just ran. Soon, he found his friend Armin being bullied by some punks. "Stop that!" He yelled, running towards them. The bullies started to laugh at seeing Ken run towards them, thinking it was funny. It wasn't until they saw Veronica over his shoulder did they run for it.

Ken ran over to Armin and grinned. "Oh, look at them. The mere sight of me and they scurry away like rats." Armin shook his head. "N-Not quite…" He said. "They ran away when they saw Veronica more like." Armin tried to get up, but groaned out in pain. Ken looked over. "Hey! You okay, Armin?" Ken held out his hand to help Armin stand, but he just frowned and stood up on his own. "I… I don't need help to stand." "Hm? You sure?" Ken asked, watching his friend.

The three of them walked down to the river bank, Armin telling them about what had happened. "And then I told them that humankind would need to go outside someday. That's when they hit me, calling me a heretic." Ken frowned. "Damnit, how come you get looked down upon just for mentioning you'd like to get out?" Armin looked at his hands. "Well… That's because for the one hundred years we've spent inside the walls, life has always been peaceful. People are wary of screwing up and inviting 'them' in. The royal government has declared that manifesting any interest in the outside world would be taboo." Ken scoffed. "The king is just chickening out, end of story."

Armin thought about it. "You're right. But is it the only reason?" Ken frowned. "It's our own life we risk. That's own business." Veronica looked over at them. "I don't think so. Forget it. Not happening." Ken looked over at her, angry again. "Which reminds me, what possessed you to tell on me to our parents?" Veronica shrugged. "I never said I'd cooperate." Armin looked at Ken. "So… How did it go…?" "Well," Ken started, "It wasn't exactly cheers and applause." Armin nodded. "I can imagine that…"

Ken looked at him. "Wh-What? Are you going to join the chorus and tell me to stop?" Armin looked over as well. "Well… It's dangerous. But I do see where you're coming from." Armin turned back to the water. "But I'm also curious about the people who do believe that staying within the walls will actually protect us forever. The wall may not have broken in a hundred years. But there's no guarantee that it won't happen today, and still…"

But before Armin could finish his train of thought, the ground shook violently, knocking the three over. When they got up, they looked around. "Wh-What the…?" "Was than an earthquake or something?" They looked at the direction everyone else was looking. "Let's go have a look."

They ran through the city, trying to see if they could find out what had caused the quake. Armin had run on ahead of them, but had stopped, looking at the wall. Ken and Veronica reached him and just looked confused. "Armin, what on god's green earth is…?" But Armin didn't seem to hear them. "He-Hello… Can you see something? What is it?" Ken and Veronica ran into the street beside him and came to a stop.

On the other side of the wall was a large cloud of smoke, wide, and rising higher than the wall. But that's not what scared them. It was the hand that was resting on the wall, like it was using the wall to help itself up. "It's can't be!" The being slow rose up. "That… That wall is fifty meters tall… Fifty meters…" Ken could hear people around him started to freak out, but he couldn't take his eyes off the being. "It's one of 'them'. A crowbar."

On that day, humanity remembered. The dread that was life under their rule. The humiliation of being caged like birds.