"I always wondered why we were living like this, like complacent livestock, when we should be fighting to take back what is ours. It was only when THEY came that I realized: we were SCARED of THEM. It was only after he had saved me, my mother, my sister, and my best friend that I made a vow to create a world where every man, woman, and child are able to spread their wings and fly, in honor of my savior. Some might call this naive, silly, or even idiotic. But I don't care. I WILL make my dream a reality. Why? Because I BELIEVE."
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The fact that the great scientist believed in flying machines was the one thing that encouraged us to begin our studies. - Wilbur Wright
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"There they are! 10'o clock!" Yelled the Commander. A dozen pairs of eyes looked at what their captain was pointing and saw THEM wandering aimlessly in the forest. "Hange, how many?!" Ordered one of the soldiers. "10...no, 15, Levi!" The bifocaled woman answered. "All right, split into two groups, standard pincer formation!" Barked the Commander. "Yes Sir!" As everyone got into position, the Commander ordered them to "Activate your Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, now!" As if on cue, Grappling hooks had shot out the squadron's Black Boxes that was fasted to their hips, and latched on to nearby trees, lifting the soldiers off their horses and high into the air. As everyone was swinging from tree to tree like Spider Men, the Commander yelled out, "The first kill's all yours, Levi!" "Damn right it is, Commander Smith!" Replied Levi. As he unsheathed his blades ready to strike, he roared out, "Let's show these WALKING DEAD BASTARDS JUST HOW STRONG WE HUMANS REALLY ARE!"
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"Eren."
"Eren, Wake up!"
"Ah!" A young and groggy boy was startled out if his sleep by his sister. "Mikasa...Hey." He groggily answered. "We should get back, Eren." She flatly stated. "Yeah." As Mikasa was slinging the backpack of wood over her shoulders, she looked over at Eren and said, "Eren, are you crying?" "I am?" He checked his cheeks to see if they were wet and they indeed were. "Oh, it must have been that dream I had." He said, as he wiped his eyes and got his things. "What was it about?" Inquired Mikasa. "It was about our mom...getting eaten."
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Year 845
Shiganshina District
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"Our mom getting….eaten?" Mikasa questioned. "Yeah, I have no idea why." Eren answered, shocked he would dream something like that . "Well, don't worry about it, It was only just a dream." Mikasa comforted. "Yeah." Replied Eren, as he shook his head and wipe his face, trying to get the last bit sleep out of his system. "Hey, what's up you kids." Said a drunken voice. "Oh, hey Mr. Hannes." Eren said to the obviously drunk man in military uniform. "What up, Eren? You look down. What, you got on Mikasa's bad side?" Hannes teased, grinning." "No!" *Sniff* "Ewwww, you smell like a tavern!" Eren exclaimed, holding his nose in disgust. Hannes just laughed. "Me and the boys here were just enjoying a little break." Hannes said, looking at his buddies, enjoying themselves. "Of course." Eren flatly said. "Yep, thirsty work, playing sentry. Listening to the daily gossip can only chase away the boredom for so long. A little nip now and then helps keeps us sane."
"How do you expect to fight if you're so loose on your feet?!" Eren angrily yelled. "Huh? Now why on earth do I need to fight?" "What do you think?! What if THEY broke though the walls?! We'll all be sitting ducks on your watch!" "Woah...Eren...kid, use your inside voice." Hannes asked, taken aback by Eren's outburst. "Ha! The doc's kid got some fire in him." One of the drunken soldiers said as he walked towards the three. "Listen kid, the only thing THEY have done to the wall in the past century is scratch it. I have a feeling that if THEY ever wised up, we be more then ready." "A feeling?! What have you guys actually done to get ready?! Dad says you need to stay sharp!" "Ah yes, Good doctor Yeager." Hannes nostalgically said, reminiscencing on all the good he had done. "Can't argue with a man who single handedly saved us from the plague. Thing is, he's talking about his scalpel, what we do isn't even half as important. Listen, no disrespect to your father but a soldier's time outside the wall tends to put the issue into a different perspective. You see THEM roaming around out there, mindless...dead eyed…" "Wait, you're making THEM seem like THEY aren't all that dangerous…" "I don't know kid, maybe I am." "Oh great, then at least have the decency to stop calling yourselves a Garrison, people might get the wrong idea!"
"Hah! Good point! Look at it this way, if the Garrison actually doing what people thought it oughta, we're up a creek. Personally, I take great stock in being called a freeloader, means things are good. It's how I can measure peace of mind." Hannes explained, looking back at the town and seeing how peaceful it is. Eren, however, was infuriated at what Hannes said. "How...Could...We live in a cage...All we do is eat and sleep...That's it, end of story. We have the mindset of cattle." Hannes was disturbed by what Eren said, that they were living like cattle. Hannes friends, however, just laughed it off. "You weren't joking when you said that the kid had fire." "Careful not to cry it out." As Eren and Mikasa silently walked past them, Hannes just watch them with a wide eyed expression on his face." Yo, you coming back to play or what?" "Uh, yeah." "Don't worry, Kids like him don't appreciate what they have." "Yeah, he tends to dream bigger than life wants him to." Hannes said to himself.
As Eren and Mikasa were walking, Mikasa asked, "Eren, are you thinking about joining the Survey Corps?" Eren was a bit taken back by her question. "W-what makes you think that?" Eren stammered. "Well, you were so adamant in the argument back then that I can't help but wonder…" "Well, to be honest, I-" He was cut off by bells ringing in the distance. "Oh, perfect timing! They're back! Come on, I want to get a good view this time!" Eren excited exclaimed, grabbing Mikasa by her arm and dragging her along.
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"Man, I can't see squat." Eren said as he was trying to get a good view but was too short to see over everyone's shoulders. That's when he saw a box and got on top of it and told Mikasa to do the same. That's when he saw the Survey Corps as they came back from a expedition. From what he saw, they were highly successful in their expedition and had few injuries and were in high spirits, talking and joking about what they had just done like it was nothing special. "Moses! Moses, where are you?!" An elderly woman cried out as she came out of the crowd and on to the street. "Mom? Mom! I'm here!" A young man's voice responded. "Moses!" The old woman ran towards the voice and saw her son lying down in a wagon with his right leg wrapped up in bandages. "Moses, your leg!" "Don't worry, Ma, it's just a flesh wound- Argh!" The man grunted in pain. "Moses!" "Don't worry Ma'am, I'm sure your son will be fine." The Commander of the squadron said to her reassuringly. "Tell me, has my son contributed to your cause in any way, has he help push THEM back?" The elderly woman asked. The Commander just smiled warmly. "Ma'am, I guarantee you that if not for your son, me and my squadron wouldn't even be here." "See ma, guess I'm not just a lazy good for nothing any more, huh?" The man painfully grinned. "Oh Moses..."
Mikasa only watched the Survey Corps and wondered how they can be so successful against THEM. "I don't get it. Why are we paying our taxes towards these idiots?" A random bystander said to himself. "I mean, we haven't actually expanded beyond the walls. If you ask me, they're a waste of our good, hard earned mon-" Bonk! "OW! Who the hell hit me?!" As he looked around, he had lock eyes with a infuriated Eren, hold a stick. "You little punk!" Before Eren was able to swing his stick a second, he was being dragged away by Mikasa. "Ow! What are you doing?!" "Yeah! You little bastards better run!"
"Alright! I get it already! Get off me!" Slam! Mikasa had threw Eren against the wall, causing his firewood to spill everywhere. "Ah great! Firewood everywhere!" Eren anguished, picking up the wood and putting it in his backpack. "Tell me, are you determined to join the Survey Corps?" Mikasa questioned. Eren justed stared at Mikasa, flabbergasted at her question. "I...do, actually. I just don't know how Mom and Dad will react." Eren answered, nervous on how his parents would react. "Well, you won't know until you try." Eren just stared at Mikasa, trying to reassure him. Then he smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
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"Mom, Dad, we're home." Eren said as he and Mikasa walked through the front door. "Welcome back you two." Kalura Yeager cheerfully said as she cooked dinner, while Grisha Yeager just smiled at them from the table as he went back to his work. "Wow, somebody worked hard to keep us warm for the next couple of days." Kalura said, impressed by how much firewood Eren collected as he put the wood in the storage box. "Whatever." He nonchalantly replied. Kalura playfully tugged at her son's ear. "Ow. What was that for?" Eren asked, annoyed. "Your earlobes are red, which means you have something to hide. Mikasa helped you again, didn't she?" She teasingly asked. Eren just rolled his eyes.
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"Hey Dad, where you off to?" Eren asked, as he was finishing his dinner. "To see a patient." He answered. "A patient?" "Yes, seems like a blacksmith in a neighboring town has come down with a flu. I should be back in a week or so." As he was finishing his dinner, Eren thought about asking his parents about joining the Survey Corps, and figured now was a good time as any. "Um, Mom, Dad, I was thinking about joining the Survey Corps." He blurted out. Kalura stopped washing the dishes and looked at her son with absolute shock in her eyes while Grisha just froze. "Get that ridiculous thought out of your head, young man! No son of mine will not become fodder, do I make myself clear!?" Kalura yelled. "Stop yelling at me!" "Don't you dare-" "Do you really wish that, Eren?" Grisha cut his wife off. "To go outside the walls?" "Well, yeah. I mean, I ask myself, why are we living like cattle, when we should be taking back what's ours. I mean, I know that sometimes some soldiers don't come back, but still, if we don't try, if we just keep staying ignorant, then one day, THEY will break down the walls and we will truly become like cattle!" Grisha was taken back from his son's rant. "I see...excuse me, I'll be late for the ferry…" He picked himself up, grabbed his things and walked to the door. "Darling, wait! Scold him, for heavens sake!" "Scold him? Dear, mere words won't hold back the boy's curiosity. Eren, behave while I'm gone and I'll show what I have been doing in the cellar. Deal?" As he said this, Grisha show Eren a key he was wearing around his neck. Eren's whole face lit up. "Yes sir!" He excitedly replied.
"Have a good trip!" Eren waved good bye to his dad as he walked away from his house. "I mean what I said." "What was that Mom?" "About you joining the Corps. The whole idea is so irresponsible." "Oh, so living behind a wall in fear isn't?!" "Eren, you don't understand-" "No, I DO understand! Mom, I had a nightmare today about you getting eaten and I couldn't do anything to save you! If that actually happened to you and I could have done something to stop it, I'll never be able to look myself in the face again!" Eren then jetted off. "Eren, wait! Mikasa…" Kalura grabbed Mikasa by the shoulders. "The boy needs to be to be protected from himself. Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll protect him." She pleaded. Mikasa just nodded.
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"Ugh!" Cried a blond haired boy being pushed back against the wall. "Where's the blasphemy now, huh!? Or does your philosophy say it's wrong to fight back too?!" Taunted a bully who was backed up by his two lackeys. "As a matter of fact, it does. I rather take a few lumps then brawl like a beast!" "Oh, so now I'm a beast?!" "Take a good hard look at yourself and tell me you're not acting like one. You resort to violence because your brain's the size of a walnut. So plummet me all you want, I already won." The bully was a bit taken back by him. "Oh, yeah? Then I'm a sore los-" "Back off!" The three bullies turned in the direction of the voice and saw a very angry Eren running towards them. "It's Eren! So you back for more?" "You think he would have learned his lesson." "Leave me to me. Wait…" The bully squinted his eyes and saw, "Holy crap, Mikasa's right behind him!" The three had suddenly became very scared. "Oh crap! Run! Just run!" All three had run away from Eren. "Hah! That's all it takes, one look. I'm just that scary." Eren proudly remarked. "Well, one of you is...agrh!" The boy tried to pick himself up but was in too much pain. "You ok, Armin?" Asked a concerned Eren as he offer an outstretched hand. Armin look at his friend's hand and gladly accepted his help.
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"I just said that mankind's future laid beyond the walls. I doubt they understood half of it, but-" "Idiots!" Eren angrily said, as he threw a rock into the river. "Why does things have to be this way, Armin? Why won't they let us dream?" "The walls are a powerful idea. We have survived for 100 years because of them. No one wishes to tempt fate. I may not agree with that sentiment, but I can see where they are coming from." "That was until 50 years ago, when that caravan came beyond the walls." Mikasa stated. "And that's when the Survey Corps was founded, to see if their really is life outside the walls." "But I don't get it. Even though the Corps are successful time and again, people still won't go outside the walls." Eren said to himself. "People fear the unknown. They always have and they always will." Armin explained. "Well, I don't. I will make outside the walls one way or another." "Wait, you told your folks about the Survey Corps?" "Yeah, and they aren't too pleased." Armin sighed. "Yeah, big shock. It's sad, What people are willing to settle for for a fleeting sense of security. And make no mistake, it is fleeting. The walls can't hold forever. It's only a matter of time."
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BOOM!
"Woah! What was that!?" Eren exclaimed, wondering what was that loud boom that rocked the ground. "I don't know!" Armin said. He then saw some adults running towards the scene and decided to follow. "Armin, wait! Come on, Mikasa!" As Eren and Mikasa catched up to Armin, they noticed he was stareing at something with absolute horror on his face. "What was it, Armin!? Some kind of explosion or-" He stopped and froze when looked at what Armin was stareing.
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In the past 100 years, THEY have done nothing to the walls. This has humanity to become complacent, lazy and forgot what it's like to face THEM. For they believe that as long as the walls exist, they will always be safe, no matter what.
Such foolishness must be punished.
So when IT came, humanity finally remembered what it was like to be terrorized by THEM for THEY are hungry, and they are meat. And when that word was shouted, humanity knew that life will never be the same...and that the FEAST has begun.
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"TIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
"How is this possible?" Eren asked, with absolute horror on his face. "That wall's 50 meters tall!" Crash! The Colossal Titan had kicked open a hole in the wall humanity thought would protect them. Pandemonium has now occurred, with the citizens now fleeing from the absolute terror the Titans pouring in were causing. "We have to go.." Armin started but Eren started to run towards the direction where the titans are. "Eren, wait!" "My house is in that direction. Mom's all alone." Eren then bolted toward his house, with Mikasa following suit. "Mikasa!" Armin tried to stop them, but his hand started to shake in fear. "This...this is the end. They're inside. Everyone...is going to devoured. Everyone…" Armin then remembered all the times Eren and Mikasa had help saved him from bullies. "No...those two would NEVER let anyone be devoured, so why am I heistaning?" With new found resolve, Armin ran after his friends.
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As they saw chaos around them, Eren and Mikasa jetted towards their house, while Eren thought to himself, "Our house will be fine! Our house will be fine! Our house will be fine! OUR HOUSE WILL BE FINE!" As he turned the corner, he saw the one thing he feared most. "MMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!" Their mom's lower body was crushed under the rubble of their destroyed house. "Eren? Mikasa?" Kalura weakly called out. "Mikasa, help me dig!" "Okay." As he digged, Eren looked at the horrific scene around him, of people getting eaten by titans. He said to himself this might happen, but still, this was too much. "Eren!" "Armin?" Eren turned his head and saw his friend running towards him. " …" Armin saw Kalura's state, horrified. "Armin! Dig!" "Uhhh...yeah." Soon, they were able to dig to the wooden beam that was holding Kalura down. Try as they might, they couldn't be able to life it off her. "Eren, listen. I want you to take Mikasa and Armin and run." "I want too, more than anything Mom, but i'm not leaving without you!" "Sweetheart, listen...my legs have been crushed. Even if you can get me out, I can't run. There's no time…" "I don't care!" "Will you just listen to me for once in your life, goddamn it! I'm asking you for one thing! ONE THING!" "Mom, I told you before that if something were to happen to you and I could have stopped it, I'll never be able to look myself in the face again, so I'm going to get you out of here, NO MATTER WHAT!"
"Eren!" Eren looked behind him and saw Hannes running towards them. "Hannes! Take the children and run!" Kalura pleaded. Hannes, however, looked at the landscape before him and saw what he feared most. "But if I run, I'll be labeled as a coward, and all those years of training would be wasted." He looked down at the four before him and knew what he needed to do. "Eren, Mikasa, Armin! On my go, we lift together!" Hannes ordered, as he bended down to get his fingers under the wooden beam. "Mr. Hannes?" Eren saided, flabbergasted. "What's wrong?! Don't you want to save your mom!?" Eren saw the resolve in Hannes's eyes and knew he was ready to save his mom. "Yeah!" He cried, ready to save his mother. As everyone got into position, Hannes barked out, "1, 2, 3, LIFT!" As they lifted, the beam started to move away from them and off Kalura. Soon, the beam was off her. "Mom, your legs…" Mikasa said, as she saw her legs were completely crushed. "Eren, Mikasa, put her on your backs!" Armin said. "Right!" As the two put her on back, Kalura cried out in pain. "Mom!" "It's her legs! Be more gentle!" Unfortunately, Kalura's scream attracted a titan and had started towards them. Oh, no...They're coming…" Arimin said, in horror. "C'mon, we can make it if we run! Hurry Mr. Hannes!" But Hannes would not budge and just stared at the titan. "Mr. Hannes!"
"Eren, Listen…" Hannes started, as he unsheathed his blades. "I was like you when I was younger, I believe that mankind should take back what was stolen from us. But years of peace had dulled myself from this purpose. Eren, I want you to run. Run and survive. So that when you are older, you can take back what was ours. Take back what was stolen. Take back humanity's freedom." Eren saw the steely resolve in Hannes eyes, and knew that this will be the last time he will see him. "I will…" he said, wiping away the tears. As the four escaped, he Hannes turned around and stared the titan down. "Hey, you ugly son of a bitch!" He taunted, as he pulled out a bottle of alcohol, uncork it, and down it in one gulp. "I think it's high time someone send you back to HELL!"
