Episode 2: That Day/The Fall of Shiganshina Part 2
After a long while of crying and comforting one another, Voyager patiently waited for his guests to calm themselves. After a time, he sees that they have calmed down now.
"Have you all calm down now?" Voyager gently asks as they all slowly nodded.
Ruby sniffed as she wiped the tears on her face. "Sorry… it's just… it's just…"
"Not what all of you would expect?" Voyager finishes earning nods from them again.
"You did warn us that the universe we agreed to watch was not… pleasant." Weiss wiped her tears with her handkerchief. "None of us were ready for it."
"And yet this is the harsh reality that has happened and can happen to anyone." Voyager points out, making everyone think upon it. Especially the two survivors of Kuroyuri.
"Do you want to continue? We can continue this some other time." The young boy said, making the viewers think a bit.
"Let's continue." Ruby said as she took a deep breath. "We all agreed to watch this, so best to finish it."
"Yeah… no turning back at this point even though I know it's not going to get any prettier in the next viewing." Yang pointed, knowing that the chaos from the previous episode has only started.
"I also want to make sure that Eren and Mikasa could make it alright." Nora said as she held Ren's hand as they both remember the time, they desperately survived on their own.
"Alright. Let the next viewing start." He snapped his fingers, signaling the screen to start. Everyone nodded in agreement, making Voyager smile at their resolve.
The scene opens, showing Titans terrorizing and eating all the scared humans trying to run away.
"Over a hundred years ago, humanity suddenly found itself faced with a new predator." the narrator voiced over a slide of Titans eating people.
Everyone shuddered at the scene and description.
"Monsters…" Blake snapped as she narrowed her eyes.
The camera zoomed around to continue to show the Titans' reign of terror and humans who are running away and some who are trying to fight back.
"They were far more powerful than humans."
Titans were shown preying on a large number of humans in a canyon.
"Humanity was immediately pushed to the brink of extinction."
"I take it this is the time before the walls, and Omni-direction gear were made?" Ren asks.
"Yes. This was the time before the people who lived behind the walls lived." Voyager said while keeping essential secrets from them for the time being.
"I can't imagine what kind of life anyone would have to go through that…" Jaune shakes his head, scared of thinking about the possibility.
The camera zoomed, showing an army of Titans of various sizes and facial appearances marching towards their prey.
"Ugh… they look so horrifying…" Pyrrha muttered as she slightly trembled.
"Yeah… Grimm, Torchwick, the White Fang I'd rather face them than face these guys!" Yang admitted with all her strength and skills, and she doubts she can kill them that easily.
Then the scene changes showing the Titans outside the walls that humans have somehow made to protect them.
"The survivors built three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina. There, they enjoyed a century of peace. However…"
The scene now changes, showing an opening sequence.
Everyone blinks at the sudden change of the scene.
"What? What's this?" Ruby blinked, confused at what's going on.
Voyager smiled. "Well, I figured since you guys are down, I decided to bring up this opening sequence to help lift your spirits!"
"Opening sequence?" Blake questioned. "You mean… what we're made of fiction?!"
"Yes and no." The young deity simply said. "Remember what I said about the multiverse? Well, there are a few universes where some real worlds are made as fictions, so it wouldn't be strange if the world you're watching happens to be seen as fiction in another universe."
"Wait. Does that mean our universe is the same as another universe? A fictional world?" Weiss questioned.
"The theory is the same." Voyager nodded. "And don't you worry, you all are genuine, so don't think too hard about being some fictional character in another world."
This made everyone relieved at the explanation but are curious about what the opening is.
"What's the opening about?" Jaune curiously asks. Being familiar with watching cartoons with opening sequences on them, he couldn't help but think what this one would be like for the universe they are watching.
"Just watch and listen." Voyager simply smiles.
(Opening Theme: Guren no Yumiya by Linked Horizon)
The scene opens with flames, then quickly disappearing then showed the face of Wall Rose.
Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger!
(Are you the food? No, we are the hunter!)
Then suddenly, the wall burst open, showing the title of the series.
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Attack on Titan)
The screen showed chains, then the camera moves up towards the sky, then showing an older Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in their teens while wearing military uniforms.
Fumareta hana no namae mo shirazu ni Chi ni ochita tori wa kaze wo machiwabiru
(Not knowing the name of the trampled flower, the fallen bird yearns for the wind to come)
They stood in a field along with over members that are about their age as they had conflicted looks on their faces while being covered in dirt and blood while their weapons are scattered around the filed
Inotta tokoro de, nani mo kawaranai.
(No matter how much you pray.)
Then the screen changes, showing Titans walking around the streets, leaving destruction in their way.
Ima wo kaeru no wa tatakau kakugo da...
(Nothing will change, what changes this moment is the determination to fight…)
The screen now shows the young military trainees lining up, and they salute with their left hand in the back of their hand while their right hand is in the form of a fist as they held it up on their chest.
Eren is shown to be among them with a determined look on his face. Then the scene changes with a small group of soldiers jumping from the wall with their weapons ready to face the Titans.
Shikabane fumikoete susumu ishi wo warau buta yo.
(Pigs that sneer at the resolve to climb over corpses and advance.)
A slide show of the Titans appeared, including the Colossus Titan.
Kachiku no annei ...kyogi no han'ei ...shiseru garou "Jiyuu" wo!
(Have peace as livestock, live in false prosperity, and be as free as starved wolves!)
Then the scene changes showing Wall Rose being destroyed bit by bit, then in the air shows Eren, who is thrown in mid-air with a shocked look on his face before snapping out of it.
Torawareta kutsujoku wa hangeki no Koushi da jouheki no sono kanata emono wo hofuru Jäger!
(The humiliation of captivity is the beginning of the counterattack. Beyond the walls, the prey is slain by Jäger!)
The scene then changes, showing the young military trainees gliding through the air in the empty streets filled with Titans with their Omni-directional and along with their blades out as they showed their skills while Eren and Mikasa along with them.
Eren circles around a Titan. Seeing an opening, he used his blades and nipped the back of its neck, killing it.
Hotobashiru 《Shoudou》ni sono mi wo yakinagara tasogare ni hi wo ugatsu-
His body burned by an overflowing urge to kill, he will pierce the twilight with scarlet)
The scene then changes of the outside of the wall showing many Titans charging, but the Military on the top of the walls used their cannons to keep them at bay.
Then the scene changes showing a group of armed trainees with rifles on a giant lift inside a dark and enclosed palace filled with Titans as they shoot at them.
Then finally, the scene changes to Eren running on top of a wall then jumping off as he faces the Colossus Titan
Guren no yumiya!
(With the crimson bow and arrow!)
(Epic instrumental theme now plays)
The scene now fades to a flag representing the Survey Corps, then countless soldiers using their gears as they all jumped off the roofs and showed off their skills as they got ready to face the Titans.
Then there is a fast-paced slideshow of events that have and yet to happen.
The screen ends with Eren and his fellow trainees looking up towards the sky.
Everyone was in complete silence at the end of the opening, all of them stunned with their jaws dropped. Voyager held a chuckle as he enjoyed seeing their reactions and waited for them to speak.
Ruby was the first to break the silence. "That. Was. AWESOME!" She screamed with stars in her eyes.
Everyone else cheered and compliment the opening as if there was no tomorrow.
"HOLY SHIT! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Yang cried out as she realized her fist up in the air.
"That was… that was… I-I can't describe it at all!" Blake said with a grin on her face even she can't contain her excitement.
"My heart can't stop racing!" Weiss held her chest with her hand as she couldn't help but grin.
"That was so cool! Hearing this makes me feel that I can take on anything!" Jaune cheered as he trembled in excitement.
"I know! I have never heard anything so exciting and so inspirational!" Pyrrha made a huge smile on her face as she kept playing the song on her head.
"Renny! Renny! Everyone and everything in the opening was so cool and epic! I feel like I can take in the whole world!" Nora cheered as she hugs her partner and childhood friend.
"I know. That was amazing." Ren calmly says, but even he can't contain the smile on his face.
"I'm glad you all like it." Voyager laughed. "This helped you all get off your funk, now did it?"
"I certainly did!" Ruby cheered as she bounced in her seat. "I have never heard anything like it!"
"What the song called?" Weiss asks, wanting to know more about the song and who sang it.
"It's called 'Guren no Yumiya (The Crimson Bow and Arrow)' by Linked Horizon." The deity answers.
"That is such a cool name…" Yang mutters in awe.
"Which ones?" Blake asks while agreeing as well.
"Both!"
"You should listen to the other songs when as we continue with viewing, it gets you addicted." Voyager says.
Nora gaps. "You mean it gets even better?!"
Voyager just laughs. "Let's just continue with the viewing, ok?"
They all nodded and prepared themselves thankfully. The opening did help them, but they could help but be a bit scared of what's going to happen next.
That Day/The Fall of Shiganshina Part 2
"Alright…" Ruby takes a deep breath and ready herself. "Let's do this!"
The scene opens, showing a leg or perhaps a body came into view. A crow pecked at one bloody arm crushed under a boulder nearby. Looking up from its fresh meal, the black bird's caw echoed throughout the ruined city. Smoke and ashes rose out of the dilapidated buildings.
"Wow… way to start the viewing…" Blake grimaces at sight.
Ren grips his hands at the memory of his old home, but thankfully Nora held his hands to comfort him.
"Until that time a wretched soul and parted." A preacher yelled despite the danger around him. He waved around a broom in one hand and a book in the other.
"Wait, what?" Yang raised a brow incredulously at what the man is doing in the middle of the chaos. "What the heck is that guy doing?"
"I think he's a preacher." Ren answers and explains.
"Now, as you see, I am punished for it!" He continues despite the fear that was showing in his face.
"He looks terrified…" Pyrrha mutters.
Titans roamed around the ruins in the hope of finding prey. Inside one of the buildings, a mother held her child close as one of the giants passed by.
"They're everywhere…" Blake mutters in horror and sadness, feeling sad and scared for the people.
The preaching man ignored the people fleeing the opposite direction for safety. "What avarice does manifest here? In purgation of these souls converted, and no bitter pain the Mountain has."
A woman ran only to trap herself in a dead-end. She muffled her panting by covering her mouth, and tears were at the corner of her brown eyes. But that didn't help since a Titan spotted her.
Most of the audience screamed at the sight. "Run!" Nora screamed.
The woman didn't get a chance to run, helpless. All she could do was scream for help when the Titan picked her up by the head. "Stop! Let me go!" The last reminder of the woman was the shoe that fell amid her struggling.
"No…" Nora sunk in her seat.
"Best not to think about." Voyager says, trying to comfort her with words. "Just be glad that you don't need a visual of it."
What he said helped a bit, but they couldn't help but feel sad for the poor victims.
"What more, O Avarice, can you do to us, since my blood so to thyself hast drawn," He continued to shout. No one listened as they were too busy running for their lives. Titans snatched up many who didn't die from the debris. Their last sight most likely being shoved into its gigantic maw.
The preacher stopped his rambling at a bridge where a 15-meter Titan loomed over him.
"Oh shit! The preacher is next!" Yang cried out in horror.
"Oh, Avarice! What canst thou more, who hast–" He continued in the middle of the Titan's grip. His voice quivered as it brought him closer to its mouth. The book slipped out of his hand, its pages staining from the puddle of blood it landed in.
Most of the audience gagged at sight but were glad they didn't need to the poor guy being eaten alive.
"Wh-Why did he still continue talking?" Ruby questions, not understanding why the poor man still kept talking till the end.
"He kept doing what he believed till the end." Weiss simply said. "It's honestly admirable despite being killed in the end."
"Rest in peace." Jaune says as he lowers his head along with the others.
Hannes kept running with the two children in his arms in a significantly less chaotic part of the district.
"Oh shit, I almost forgot about them." Yang swore, seeing the familiar three again.
"I'm just glad that they are still alive." Pyrrha sighed, glad that they are still alive and well.
Supported by his shoulder, Eren's haunted face morphed into anger. Without saying a word, he punched the soldier's head.
"Eren, what are you doing?" Hannes shouted as he stopped running.
"We were so close to saving my mom... Why the hell did you do that?!" He slammed his elbow down on him as he accused him of leaving his mother behind.
"Oh… right… I forgot he did that…" Yang narrowed her eyes as they turned red.
"Yang… he didn't have a choice…" Weiss carefully said but understood Yang's growing rage.
"The hell he had a choice!" The blond snapped. "He's supposed to be one of the militaries! He has the equipment to fight them! But all he did was up and run the moment he took a good look at that Titan!"
"To be fair, Yang, we all got scared when we had a close look at that monster." Blake tried to reason with her partner.
"Even so…" Yang gritted her teeth and looked away.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Hannes snapped as he threw Eren to the ground.
"Eren!" Ruby gasps.
"What's his problem?!" Nora shouted.
"Eren!" Mikasa gasped as she squirmed her way out of his arms to run towards the boy.
"Eren…" Hannes began solemnly as he slowly approached him and kneeled with his head facing down. "The reason you couldn't save your mother is that you're weak."
"The HELL?!" Yang shouted in rage even the others got angry at his comment.
"Are you serious? Why the hell would you say that?! The poor kid just lost his mother!" Jaune shouted, also being angry.
Despite his loss mere moments ago, Eren flew into a rage and threw a punch at him. Only Hannes proved his point when he caught his fist and held it in place with ease while the boy struggled to hit him.
"The reason… The reason I didn't fight the Titan was that I lacked the courage!" He lifted his head to meet Eren straight in the eyes with tears in his eyes. This made Eren stop as he gasps in shock while tears came out of his eyes.
The moment he said those words, all the anger from the audience vanished as they widen their eyes at his confession.
"That's not fair…" Yang says as her eyes turned to back to lilac as her anger slowly turns into pity and sadness. "You can't just say that after what happens."
"But why? It sounds as if this was his first encounter." Ren questions.
"That's because it is." Voyager says much to everyone's shock. "Since because he is part of the Garrison, they never really leave the walls unless it's important."
"But aren't they trained to fight the Titans? They even have the equipment for it." Nora questioned.
"Yes, they are trained for it, but they have a choice. After their training, they decide which faction they get to decide to be part of." Voyager explains. "Most soldiers would choose to join the Garrison or the Military Police Brigade rather than joining the Survey Corps that directly faces the Titans."
"The Military Police Brigade?" Weiss echoed.
"Like the Garrison, they protect the people, their leaders, and maintain order within the walls, and they are mostly affiliated with the noble people and serve as the king's guards, which you can only find in the very center of the inside of the walls." Voyager explains.
"They sound arrogant." Blake frowned, seeing the pattern with a certain Kingdom in the sky with a high racism count. Weiss didn't say anything but knows what her friends are talking about and begrudgingly agrees with her.
"You have no idea." Voyager shakes his head and gestures them to keep watching.
Hannes closed his eyes and slowly stood up, took both Eren and Mikasa's hands, then they walked away, probably somewhere safe. "I'm sorry." Hannes said.
Eren could only silently cried, and Mikasa was quiet, but her eyes are filled with hurt.
Pyrrha sighs in sadness. "There really wasn't anything they could have done to save her, was there?"
Jaune shakes his head in sadness. "I can't think of anything that could possibly save her if only Aura and Semblances exists."
The girl placed her hand on her forehead then a sudden flashback of two dead people came to her mind, one woman and one man.
'Ah, it's happening again.' Mikasa looked back from where they came from with her hand on her forehead.
Ruby gasp at the sudden flashback. "W-What was that?"
"Did we just saw Mikasa's…" Weiss mutters in horror and sadness.
"Best not to think about it right now." Voyager says. "This will be explained in the future."
The three silently walked to one of the inner walls, where a large gate can be seen.
"Where are they heading…?" Nora asks.
"Probably somewhere safe deeper inside, hopefully." Ren answers.
A mob of people ran away from the approaching Titans, some being hurt or eaten. "Hurry!" A Garrison guard waved them over. "To the inner gate!"
"This is horrible…" Ruby mutters in sadness.
"At least the Garrison is doing their best, Ruby." Yang softly says, now calming down from her anger and comforts her baby sister.
"Use all ships at the pier for Shiganshina's evacuation! Hurry! They'll eat you!"
In the inner part of the walls that have no Titans in them, boats filled to the brim with survivors took off. The announcing voiceover explains a description of the situation.
"There are small areas that protrude, like Shiganshina, all around the Wall. Their purpose is to attract the Titans, thus reducing the cost and manpower of defending the Walls."
"That's smart but also cruel." Weiss comments.
"Yeah… it just sounds like they're sacrificing people seeing that innocent bystanders are living in it." Pyrrha adds.
"Who the heck designed all this?" Jaune questioned, seeing the flow of adding civilians in that area.
"After the people of Shiganshina had fulfilled their function by drawing the Titans to them, they were forced to evacuate by a single gate."
"Why a single gate? Why not more than just one?" Ruby questioned, not understanding why there can only be one entrance.
"That's all they can prepare for in these areas, plus this is the first time they've ever experienced this situation." Voyager explains.
"Don't bring anything aboard!" He tossed the bag full of belongings into a ditch. "We're taking as many people as we can!"
On the boat, Armin looked for his friends in the crowd.
"Yes! Armin is okay." Ruby cheered in relief.
"Thank goodness…" Weiss placed her hand on her chest in relief.
"Armin, please sit down," an elderly man ushered him.
"Who's that?" Yang asks.
"He must be Armin's grandfather." Ren guesses.
"But… Eren and Mikasa aren't here yet." Right as he said it, his friends and Hannes emerged from the crowd. "There they are!"
Too caught up in his relief at seeing them safe, Armin raised his arm to wave them over. A hopeful look on his face despite his surroundings. It was short-lived, however, once he saw their haunted expressions. "Eren…?"
"He looks so broken…" Blake gasps at the boy's appearance.
'Would I have been like that if I haven't unlocked my Semblance?' Ren looks down in thought with a pained look. If it wasn't for his Tranquilly that helped suppress his negative emotions, he and Nora survived when they were young. But unfortunately, it also prevented him from properly mourn for his losses.
"Just let him be for now." His grandfather looked down sadly. "Those poor souls… You can tell what happened by looking at them."
"Huh?" Armin turned to him, not understanding what he meant.
"Poor kid doesn't know what's happened to them…" Jaune says.
"at least Armin still has a family with him." Pyrrha adds. 'But where are his parents?'
On the other side of the gate, Garrison soldiers manned the cannons and made sure any stragglers got to the boats.
"Finally, they are fighting back!" Yang exclaims as she raises her arms.
"But why cannons? Couldn't they just use their gear?" Ruby questioned.
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry the hell up!" One of the guards ordered the others frantically. "Where are those cannon shells?!" Not too far from them, a Titan crashed through a stone arch. It didn't look bothered whatsoever with the destruction it created. The structure only slowed it down for a second.
"There's one now!" Jaune shouted.
"Get those cannons loaded! Hurry! They're closing in on us!"
"Still don't understand why they won't face it directly!" Ruby said in annoyance.
"The Garrison are scared to face them." Voyager answers.
"Are you serious!?" Yang angrily shouts.
"It would be different if the Survey Corps were here."
"Where are they anyway?" Jaune questions.
"Back to their headquarters even if they returned, it would take too long, and they're still recovering from their return from the outside." Voyager answers making all the questions stop as they begrudgingly agree to the logic.
Hannes watched, panting, at the rows of cannons being lined up. He took off running a second later.
"Looks like he's finally doing something." Yang narrowed her eyes at the man.
"Yang…" Ruby says.
"He may have saved Eren and Mikasa, but I still hate him for just running away like that." Yang crossed her arms, still giving a heated glare at Hannes.
Back to one of the boats, Eren and Mikasa sat with the survivors, most scared and worried as they whispered and murmured.
"This can't be happening..."
"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God..."
"Hey?!" They jumped and looked up to see the Garrison remove the bridge leading to the ship. A measly three guards acted as a barrier holding back the crowd.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"It's at full capacity! It has to leave!"
"No! Please! At least let our children on!"
"I'm sorry, but we can't!" The soldier yelled to the people then to turns to the ship, "Go!"
"Everything has gone chaotic…" Wiess mutters sadly. "I wonder if this is what it was like at Mt Glenn…"
"These are something we should never forget and learn from." Ren points out.
"Just like what Doctor Oobleck said…" Ruby mutters as she remembers what he said to her during their recon mission before the Breach.
One man ran past the soldiers, who were miraculously holding almost everyone back, and leaped towards the boat. Others soon joined him and latched on to the side. Some plummeted to the water below.
"They're all desperate…" Nora sadly says.
"They just don't want to die." Ren simply said.
The abandoned crowd looked back in the direction of the gate where cannon fire rang out.
"So they're finally fighting back." Yang comments.
"More like holding them back." Blake comments.
A Titan walked towards the group of Garrison guards from before. Multiple cannonballs were fired, but each ended up hitting buildings next to it.
"You idiot! What are you aiming at?!"
"Hey! Don't blame him for having cannons with poor accuracy!" Ruby pouts.
"You can tell from here?" Jaune questions.
"Oh yeah, Rubes is that good at looking at weapons even from a distance." Yang chuckled.
"B-But, sir, this thing doesn't have that kind of accuracy!" he shouted as another Titan approached them.
"I don't give a shit! Get 'em reloaded at once!"
"I can't!"
"Such poor cooperation." Weiss shakes her head in disapproval.
"Goes to show that they weren't trained to face Titans." Pyrrha shakes her head at how the other military branches neglect their training.
Behind them, the gate began to lower. The soldiers turn behind them, surprised to see it happen soon, which would effectively seal out both the soldiers and Titans.
Ruby gaps. "They're closing the gates."
"They don't have a choice. If they don't close it, the Titans will get in." Ren points out.
"The gate's closing! They're… We're gonna get left behind!" Soldiers began to abandon their stations.
"Hey!" Their superior shouted after them trying to stop them, but they didn't listen.
"If Winter were here, she would court-martial them for abandoning their posts." Weiss huffed in disapproval.
"I'm rooting more and more to the Survey Corps." Nora comments, seeing how useless the Garrison is right now.
Inside of the gate controls, Hannes was seen arguing with another soldier. "Don't shut it yet! Hold on a little longer! There are still lots of people in there!"
"Hannes?!" Ruby gasps but quickly smiles. "He's giving more time for the civilians."
"At least he's doing something now." Yang huffs, still not liking him but is glad that he's doing something now.
"If the Titans get through, the city being overrun will be the least of our worries! Humanity will be forced to withdraw behind the next Wall!"
"He has a point." Blake begrudgingly agrees. "If one of those things get through, there's no telling how many people will die."
"But that doesn't mean we can let these people die!" Hannes said, trying to convince them not to.
"He's right! Just give them more time!" Jaune pleadingly shouts.
Two soldiers ran to where they stood. "Close the gate now!"
"The Titans are coming!"
The Garrison he was arguing with didn't waste a second, "Get that gate shut at once!" As soon as he gave the order, the gate started to lower faster.
"Welp, that there goes giving them time." Nora sighed sadly that there closing the gate now.
"Stop!" Hannes stepped forward, but the two soldiers restrained him.
The struggle ended instantly when heavy footsteps thundered in the distance.
The audience jumped then quickly gown silent the moment they heard the heavy footsteps.
"W-What…?" Ruby mutters as she felt a sense of dread in her spine.
This made Hannes and the soldiers wonder what that noise was. Even Eren and Mikasa could hear it.
The footsteps grew louder and closer until finally, the very thing making that noise appeared from where the guards are stationed from.
It was a Titan, but unlike the common ones, this one is different. This Titan is 15 meters tall and has white plates that look like armor covering its entire body except for the muscles tissues behind its knees, elbows, and feet. White, organic lenses cover its eyes, and it has short blond hair.
The audience shuddered when they saw the new Titan the same way they first saw that gigantic Titan.
"Is… is that a Titan?" Jaune stuttered, frightened at the new Titan.
"It looks like it's wearing armor." Pyrrha muttered in horror.
"Indeed, it is." Voyager answers. "For classification's sake, let's call it the Armored Titan while the gigantic Titan from the previous episode is called the Colossus Titan."
"The Armored Titan and Colossus Titan…" Ruby muttered.
The Garrison took a step back at the intimidating Titan.
Only taking a moment to get into position, the Armored Titan charged head-on towards the gate. Shock waves sent cracks through buildings and kicked up vast pieces of the ground.
"Wha–! Did it just sprint?!" Weiss shouted in disbelief.
"Is it… is going to charge through the gate?!" Blake shouts in horrific realization.
"What... Is that thing..." The superior gaps in horror, not believing what he is seeing.
"Fire!" The Garrison soldier shouted once he came to his senses. All of the cannons they had gone off. Cannonballs whistled through the air, and only one managed to hit its target. With a metallic pang, it shattered the moment it made contact with the armor.
"No way!" Jaune shouts in disbelief.
"Cannons have no effect?!" Nora shouts with her eyes shot open.
"My Oum, it's picking up speed!" Ren's eyes shot open.
"No effect?!"
"Shit! Run!"
"It's coming! Retreat!" The soldiers screamed and ran towards the gate. Even the civilians inside ran away from the entrance.
Time slowed to a crawl as the hulking Titan headed straight at them as steam came out from its faceplate as if it was breathing in and out as it runs. "The Titan's coming! It's going to ram the Wall! Close the gate!"
The Armored Titan steamrolled everything in its path. Bracing for impact, it crashed through the gate and sent everything in the way flying. Rocks and soldiers were blown back like ragdolls by sheer force.
The Armored Titan slid to a stop up leaving another giant hole.
Everyone could only watch in sheer horror and disbelieving silence, seeing what the Armored Titan has just committed.
"It… it broke down another wall…" Pyrrha whispers in horror as she covers her mouth with her hands.
"No… and this time, it's connected to the deeper parts of the settlement…" Weiss mutters in horror.
"The gate..." Hannes gawked. Those who remained watched as the armored beast's faceplate opens showing its mouth, then hissed a jet of steam.
In the boat, all the civilians, including Eren and Mikasa, could only watch in horror and disbelief.
Slowly it straightened itself in front of the hole where the gate once was.
Ren narrowed his eyes towards the Titan. "This Titan…"
"What's wrong, Ren." Nora asks in concern.
"It's… nothing, don't worry, Nora." Nora didn't look convinced but nodded regardless. 'Is it just my imagination?'
Currently Disclosed Information:
A Rough Diagram of the Human Activity Zone (1)
This diagram provides a more intuitive idea of how large the area left to humanity is. What lies beyond Wall Maria is a mystery.
A Rough Diagram of the Human Activity Zone (2)
The elevation increases as you approach the center of humanity's activity zone. This area is also rich in natural resources such as water, ore, and natural gas.
Nobody spoke or commented on the information since they were overthinking what happened, but Weiss was able to take note of the new information.
"Within a few hours after Wall Maria had fallen in the southern district of Shiganshina, the news of it spread through the human territories like wildfire."
"At least they're being warned of the crisis now." Ruby whispered sadly.
In the Trost District of Wall Rose, a group of men sat around a table.
"Is it true the Titans invaded Shiganshina? Unbelievable." A finely dressed man said. "How could the Wall fall after lasting an entire century?"
"Who are these guys?" Yang questioned.
"Just a few councilmen." Voyager answers.
Another man turned back to him. "The truth is out there. A ship carrying refugees is already here!"
"It is reported to have over five hundred people on board." A bearded man said to the group.
"The question is whether Shiganshina was all we lost." Another bearded man questioned.
"Oh, it's lost, alright…" Jaune sadly answers.
"But there is no way they could invade Wall Maria…" Another said, his tone full of disbelief. A silence fell over them.
"Unfortunately, the impossible has now become possible thanks to the Armored and Colossus Titans." Blake narrowed her eyes at the two monsters responsible for it all.
"Anyway, let's contact the Royal Government and wait for orders." He leaned forward in his seat. "We can't handle such an emergency by ourselves." The first man nodded at him.
"Pretty much too late for that now." Nora comments.
Suddenly, a soldier slammed open the door. "Excuse me! We just received word!" He gestured to the land outside. "Wall Maria has fallen, and the Titans have invaded the area beyond!"
The man could only gaps in horror that their recently talked topic has now come to pass.
"And the situation just got worst." Ruby sadly comments.
A wounded Hannes stood on the top of a building, staring at the horde of Titans ahead. "This is the end...?"
"At least Hannes is still alive." Nora comments.
"Wait. What happened to the Armored Titan?" Pyrrha questioned as she tried to find it.
"It's gone… just like what happened with the Colossal Titan…" Weiss said as she recalled how the gigantic Titan appeared and just disappeared in an instant.
On the ship where the three friends were. "It's over... The Titans will eat us all." one man whimpered.
"It really does look hopeless…" Jaune mutters.
'It's over? I'll never be able to go home again.' Eren thought back to his family.
He thought back to his last conversation with his mother. 'Why was I so immature and argued until the very end?'
"Whoa! Don't blame yourself, kid none of you would expect this to happen." Yang said, feeling sadder for Eren.
'Mom is gone... She's gone... Why?' the screen flickered back and forth between Carla's death and peaceful moments.
"Because you're weak," Hannes' words came back to him. "I... We humans are weak. It's because we're weak.'
"Ugh… why did it have to remind us that." Nora said, wincing at the sad memory.
Tears rolled down from his shut eyes and fell onto his hand. 'Is crying the only thing the weak can do?!' He was balling his bruised hand as if to crush the weakness in him.
The audience flinched at the sudden action as they began to realize what's happening to him.
Eren stood and marched to the edge of the ship. "I'll erase their existence from this world..."
"Eren…" Ruby mutters, growing more concern for the boy.
Mikasa watched the boy from where she stood. "Eren…"
"What's gotten into you, Eren?" Armin walked up to him and grabbed his arm. The boy didn't turn back as he shoved him off. "Eren?"
Blake gulped and slightly trembled, seeing what the boy is slowly becoming something she was familiar with. "He's growing vengeful…"
He slammed his hands onto the railing. "I'll kill them all!" Armin gasps, seeing how his friend's face twisted in rage.
"Holy shit… I never thought I could see a kid making such a face like that…" Yang admitted even she couldn't make an angry expression as Eren can.
"Not even a single one will be left!" Hatred and determination filled his voice.
"Eren…" Armin could only mutter in fear and concern.
"And so this is the day when his innocence is completely dead." Pyrrha comments grimly, now seeing that the horror and tragedy will change not only Eren but everyone's fate on that day.
"That year, the Royal Government decided to withdraw all human activity inside Wall Rose. Titans ate an estimated ten thousand people during this time."
In the forest below, Eren's father hurried on his carriage. 'Eren, Carla, Mikasa, please be safe!' The father said in his head as tears fell from his eyes.
"Thank goodness the father is still alive!" Ruby cheered happily that Eren still has a father even the others felt the same.
A fire flickered in the darkness.
"Oh, what now!" Yang groaned, feeling annoyed while feeling a bit of dread at this particular scene.
"I wonder what kind of nightmare is in store for us now?" Nora sarcastically said but was also a bit afraid.
"Eren! Eren!" Grisha's voice called out.
"Grisha?" Pyrrha muttered in shock, hearing the father's voice.
"Why is he calling out for Eren?" Weiss said, not liking the father's tone. It wasn't like her father's style when he's angry or upset. Grisha's voice sounded desperate, but it was the tone that frightened her.
"Dad! Please, stop, Dad!" Eren screamed out in fear.
He held a syringe in his hand. Its barrel is full of an off-yellow fluid.
The young audience gasped in horror at what they are witnessing right now.
"What's happening?!" Ruby cried out in horror.
"What is he doing?!" Blake screamed with her eyes shot open.
A disheveled Grisha appeared for a frame. "What are you trying to do?!"
"My gods, his face…" Pyrrha covered her mouth with her hands as she watches in horror.
"He looks like he's lost it…" Jaune trembled at the sight of Eren's father becoming what he is.
The flame and darkness came again.
"Just give me your hand!"
"No! Mom's death made you go crazy!"
"He's gone crazy, hasn't he?" Yang mutters in horror, not liking what is happening.
The flamed morphed into the cellar key, twirling in the darkness.
"Eren!" Grisha called out.
"Let go, Dad!"
"It's for your own sake!"
"His own sake?! What could that syringe possibly have to make say that?!" Weiss shrieked as she trembled on her seat.
Eren dug his fingers into the dirt, his body convulsing. "What do you mean?!"
"Listen to me! Don't forget the key!" A slideshow of the serum, Grisha, and Eren rushed through the scene. "You must reach it! Until you learn the truth someday!"
"The key?! Why would he bring that up?" Ren questioned but was also frightened by the scene.
"I don't care! Just make it stop!" Nora cried as she held her partner close.
The key rattled against the stone it landed on.
Eren gasps as he opens his eyes.
The moment Eren opened his eyes, the tension from all the viewers slowly faded away, but it also brought confusion.
"Wh-wh-what?" Ruby muttered in disbelief. "It was all… just a dream?"
"Oh, thank goodness…" Jaune sighed in relief as she leaned back on her seat.
"That was one heck of a nightmare… just like the last one…" Nora nervously chuckled but gulped.
"Seriously, what is up with this kid hand having such realistic nightmares…" Yang comments while also nervously chuckles.
'Realistic nightmares…' Weiss mentally narrowed her eyes, finding the nightmares suspicious but decided not to question but keep it to herself for now.
"Eren, are you okay? You were crying in your sleep," Mikasa said to him.
The two are in one empty storehouse. In the background, bells can be heard.
"Glad to know that they are somewhere safe now." Pyrrha sadly smiled at the kids.
Eren sat up. "I felt like I just saw Dad."
"No, you were dreaming."
"More like a nightmare." Nora shuddered.
"But whatever happened to Grisha? Did he make it back?" Ruby asked, concerned for the father.
"I see…" Eren stared at the bronze key before tucking it under his shirt.
Everyone gasped in shock and disbelief the moment Eren pulled out the key for all to see.
"That's the same key that Grisha had before…" Ren mutters in shock.
"But… but how? How did Eren get it?" Nora questioned, not understanding how that happened.
"Does that mean that nightmare was…?" Jaune drifted off, too scared to finish his sentence.
"Best not to think about it right now." Voyager cuts in.
"What do you mean by that?! We all just saw Grisha assaulting his son!" Yang practically screamed, angry at why she and her others can't get the answer for this particular scene.
"All the questions will be answered soon. Just know that this is the starting point when everything changes." Voyager simply said not affected by Yang's outburst. "All I ask is that you should be patient."
Yang just glared at the young deity but turned her head back on the screen as she huffed and crossed her arms. She didn't like it, but she'll have to wait for the answer. Everyone else did the same.
"Let's go," Mikasa said and stood up. "They're handing out rations." The two walked outside to join the mass of people. "Apparently, this was their food storehouse. They've gathered all the ship refugees here."
"They had to clear out their food storehouse for the survivors to stay in." Blake said.
"I guess they had no choice at such a crisis, huh?" Jaune comments.
Eren looks out, seeing lots of people lining up as they receive food from the military.
One blond-haired girl went to get a single loaf of bread.
"Hey! Get in line, will ya?!"
"Shut the hell up! I ain't eaten anything since last night!"
Two men shouted as they began to argue with one another.
"Why are they fighting?" Ruby questioned.
"It's a struggle to survive." Nora answered, surprising everyone except Ren that the answer came from her. "You can't blame after what's happened to them."
Ren understood why she said it and held her hand to comfort her since he knows that Nora was a homeless girl during her childhood.
"We will still struggle for survival." Mikasa said, watching the two men start fighting.
"Eren! Mikasa!" Armin ran up to them. Three stale loaves in his arms.
"Armin!" Ruby happily said, seeing that he's also okay.
"And looks like he was able to get food for them." Yang smiled.
"Armin..." Eren said.
"Here!" He gave them each one loaf. "Just in time! My grandpa got us some saying it was for children." Mikasa thanked him.
Behind him, a Garrison soldier made a face before walking away.
"The heck was his problem?" Yang narrowed her eyes at the Garrison soldier. The overs just shrugged.
"You can't blame him. There's probably not enough food to go around." Armin explained. "This is an entire day's worth."
"What? That's all they can offer?" Blake says in surprise, then turned into sadness.
"It really is a struggle even though they are safe now." Weiss sadly says.
"There are just too many refugees." Armin said as his friend stared down at the bread. "There was already a food shortage going on, plus the people here aren't treated as well as citizens on the outer wall."
"What? Why would they do that? That's not fair!" Jaune questioned such logic and was angry about it.
Blake clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Typical upper-class people. No offense Weiss." She turned her head to Weiss and apologized but said girl shook her head.
"None taken." Wiess answered but also narrowed her eyes in disgust at how the people are treating the refugees.
The two men fighting had turned into a struggle between four. Watching from a distance, two guards did nothing to stop them.
"Why are they just standing there?" Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, disgusted at how these Garrison soldiers are not doing their job.
"Why should we have to give our food to some lousy outsiders?" He said loud and clearly. "If the Titans got through the Wall, they could've at least eaten some people, if you ask me."
"WHAT?!" Almost all of the audience shouted in rage and shock.
"THOSE BASTARDS! I'LL–" Before Yang could shout, even more, Armin shouted.
"Eren!" Armin called out when he started to make his way towards the soldier.
"Huh?" Yang's rage disappeared, and she blinked as she and the others watched what Eren was about to do.
"This is just gonna make the food shortage even worse." The soldier didn't stop complaining until Eren came up and kicked him in the shin. "Ow! What the fuck?!"
"You damn brat!" He and the other guard struck Eren down.
"Hey!" Blake shouted rage.
"Bastards!" Nora narrowed her eyes in rage.
But Eren looks up to them with a defiant look as tears fell. "You don't know what it's like! You've never even seen it happen with your own eyes! You've never seen what the Titans do to people!"
"You tell them, Eren!" Jaune cheered at the boy's courage.
"Tell them wats what!" Ruby cheered.
The soldier was surprised by this. Then his surprise quickly morphed into anger. "Shut up!"
Armin stepped in between the two. "We're sorry! He's just ticked off because he's hungry. That's why he's acting like a brat. We're really sorry!"
"What?! Don't go apologizing to them!" Yang shouted in rage.
"Yang, calm down! Eren might not survive being beaten up by him, but this is better." Blake said, gaining a look from everyone.
"What do you mean?" Weiss raised a brow, confused at what the Faunus meant.
"Just watch."
The chatter grew as a crowd formed around them, now watching the scene unfold. The Garrison soldier noticed this. "Whatever... You would've been dead without us!" He turned to leave the three. "You kids ought to show us some gratitude!"
"Of course!"
"See." Blake grinned, seeing that the soldier's action brought a lot of negatives thoughts from the refugees.
"Ha! Serves him right." Yang laughs that despite Eren being hurt, he could humiliate the soldier in front of the refugees.
"Damn it." Eren scowled, making his friends turn to him. "I'd rather die than leech off people like him..."
"I feel ya, Eren." Yang huffed.
"Yang…" Ruby said softly.
"No, Ruby, as much as it's important, there's no way I'm accepting charity from a guy who forsakes life!" Yang says, not changing her mind. The other agreed with her but are also sad that Eren and the others don't have a choice in the matter.
After that short confrontation, the three were tother inside the warehouse.
"I'll be back inside Wall Maria and kill all of the Titans." He continued to fume.
"Yup… he's all vengeful." Blake mutters sadly.
"Just like me…" Ren whispers, only he can hear as he recalls a certain Grimm that destroyed his home and life.
"Eren, you're not serious, right?" Armin asked with a slight smile on his face hoping that he was just joking.
"Sorry to say Armin, but he's serious." Jaune said.
"I've never been more serious!" Eren shouted as he stood up. "I'm not like those guys who only act tough inside the Walls."
"Fat lot did they do." Yang snarked.
He took one look at his bread and threw it. "I don't need this crap!"
Armin fumbled to catch it. "Eren! You'll starve to death!"
"Better not waste food, kid." Nora comments, understanding what Eren is saying, but it's not good to waste food.
"Doesn't it piss you off?!" Eren shouted. "It's because we take everyone's charity that we can't beat the Titans!"
"It's impossible!" Armin yelled back. "There is no beating them! All we can do is live inside the Walls! If we try anything, we'll die! Just like my mom and dad!"
Ruby gasps. "Is that what happened to his family?" Was that why he was so against the idea of fighting the Titans.
"So you're just gonna grovel to them then?! That's not shameful to you?!"
"There's nothing we can do for now!"
"Okay, Eren stopping it right now before you say something you'll end up regretting." Jaune said as he recalled the argument he had with his partner because of his stupid pride.
"That's just an excuse! If you wanna live like livestock forever, go ahead! You worthless coward!" Eren shouted, making Armins gasps at what Eren said to him.
Even the young audience gasps at the insults, but before anyone could say anything, they were stunned, silent at the unexpected thing from Mikasa.
Mikasa stepped forward and punched Eren square in the face, knocking him down.
"Mikasa?" Armin asked. He looked down at Eren on the ground.
"Dang girl! She has mean punch!" Yang says, impressed at the young girl's strength.
"Probably should have done that…" Pyrrha muttered to herself.
"Did you say something, Pyrr?" Jaune asked, hearing her partners muttering.
"Nothing! It's nothing." Pyrrha quickly says with a nervous chuckle.
"If Armin's a wimp, then so are we." Mikasa said as Eren just stayed on the ground. "Whether it was running from the Titans or fleeing town, we didn't manage anything on our own."
"We even had help finding food today. There's no way such powerless people can defeat even a single Titan…" Mikasa continued as Eren sat up but turned away, gritting his teeth.
Everyone blinked in surprise and was impressed by Mikasa's inspiring yet straightforward words.
"It looks like Mikasa knows a thing or two about speeches." Blake says, impressed by Mikasa.
"It's not as good as Eren's previous speech, but it's good nonetheless." Weiss smiled.
"But looks like Eren still doesn't look convinced." Ruby pouted, not liking Eren's attitude.
She realized he wouldn't admit he was wrong, she continues. "Staying alive is what matters most. Just like your mother told us." She said before taking the bread from Armin and shoving it in his stubborn mouth.
"Mikasa!" Armin gasped.
"Hahaha! Nice one!" Yang laughs.
"But seriously, Mikasa has a point Erne's mother would want them all to live." Ruby says, making Yang stop laughing and thinks a bit.
Yang sighs. "Okay… I guess that is a good enough reason to accept charity. Even if it's from those jerks." Yang huffed.
"You have to eat and stay alive." Mikasa said as she continued to force the bread in his mouth. "I won't let you starve to death."
"That's new force-feeding a stubborn idiot to live." Jaune chuckled.
Eren relented and began to eat the bread while he cries.
"That's right, kid… eat. Eat and live." Nora dramatically said, making the others laughed, making this scene a bit light-hearted now.
"Several days later, the refugees were all sent to cultivate the wastelands and secure food." The announcer said asthe trio and Armin's grandfather worked in the fields alongside others.
"So, in the end, they had to work for their food." Blake said.
"That will take too long." Ren points out. "With the number of refugees and the amount of time it takes to grow food, there will still be a shortage of food supply."
"However, a food shortage was unavoidable. In the following year of 846, the Royal Government sent many refugees on a mission to retake Wall Maria."
"Wait. What?!" Weiss shouted in disbelief. "They're going to send the refugees back in the Titan-infested areas?!"
"Why would they do that?!" Ruby cries, not believing that they would sacrifice the refuges.
"It's as the announcer said it's their only way to save food shortage." Blake said but was also disgusted by what the Royal Government declared. "And I don't think they have a choice at all."
"They're not just going to send refugees, right? I mean, the military will also be with them, right?" Nora asked, hoping for that to be true.
Countless refugees all marched out while Armin's grandfather handed him his hat before joining them.
"250,000 were sent… Nearly a fifth of the population."
"Fifth…?" Pyrrha mutters in horror.
The gates of a wall began to open. The Survey Corps raised their weapons as they prepared to battle, and all the refugees held spears and lances as their weapons, but with hollow eyes, the thousands of refugees followed the Survey Corps on foot.
"Not even 200 survived."
Swords littered the desolate battlefield. The only ones standing were the Titans.
"Although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population."
"No…" Nora whispers as she covers her mouth with her hands.
"This wasn't a battle… it was a massacre…" Ren whispers in horror and sadness.
"Wait… what about Armin's grandfather?" Ruby questioned, hoping that Armin's only family survived.
Armin sat against a wall, clutching his grandfather's hat close as he wept. His two friends stood close by.
"No…" Ruby quietly sobs, seeing that the elderly did not survive. Yang held her sister as she tried to calm her down.
"It's all the Titans' fault. If we could just subdue them, our place in the world could be ours again, Armin." Eren sat next to him. "I'm going to apply for the military next year." Mikasa sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm going to gain the strength to fight the Titans!"
"It's the same with the Grimm." Pyrrha points out. "Even though there are Huntsmen and Huntress like us, we aren't focused on dealing with the situation at all."
"When we get back, we need to become full-fledged Hunters, so we have to deal with that problem." Ruby says with determination. After calming down, the other entirely agrees with her.
"Me, too." Armin said as he looked down.
"What?!" Everyone says, not expecting the timid boy to say that.
"Armin?!" Eren turns to him in surprise.
"I'll join you, too." Armin shouted with a determined look on his face.
"Huh… looks like Armin can be determined." Yang says, smiling that Armin is finally growing a pair.
"I'll go, as well." This time Mikasa said, making Eren turn to her.
"Not surprising that she'll join." Nora chuckled.
"Mikasa, you don't need to! You said it yourself staying alive is what's important!"
"Oh yeah, she did say that." Jaune said.
"That's why I'm doing it. So you won't die," Mikasa said flatly.
The audience chuckled at her logic.
"Now that's good logic." Ren lightly chuckles.
Eren looks down in thought then he stood up. "Alright. The three of us, then."
"Alright! It looks like all three of them are in it together as a team!" Ruby cheered, getting a cheer from the others.
At that moment, the three made the declaration to grow strong.
Change of scene. We found ourselves in a training area where many young men and women were gathering to become cadets. These are the Training Corps.
"Where's that?" Yang questioned.
"I think it's a training camp." Blake answers.
"You are now officially members of the 104th Training Corps." A bald man with a goatee wearing a military uniform with an emblem of two swords crossing shows the military trainees' symbol but shows that this man is their superior boomed over the cadets.
"Just as the man said, this is the Training Corps." Voyagers explain. "It's where all the trainees start in the military."
Ruby gasps. "Are Eren, Mikasa and Armin there now?"
"Unfortunately for you, I, Keith Shadis, will be your commandant!"
"I do not welcome you warmly! In your current state, you'd be nothing but food for the Titans! You're mere livestock!"
The faces of young teenage cadets with their hands behind their back quietly listen in attendance.
"You're less than livestock! Over the next three years, we're going to train you worthless nothings and teach you how to fight Titans!"
Some of the cadets looked nervous but held their stoic faces.
"Three years from now, when you come face-to-face with the Titans, will you still be fodder for them?!"
Among the faces was a slighter older Armin, among them now wearing his cadet uniform.
Nora gasps. "It's Armin! And wow, he looks like a teenager now!"
"This is four years after the Fall of Shiganshina." Voyager explains.
"A four-year time skip? Understandable seeing that you need to be at a certain age to join the military." Weiss said.
"Will you serve as an honorable barrier that protects the king?!"
"Or will you be a glorious soldier for humanity that drives the Titans out! It's up to you to decide!"
Then an older Mikasa with slightly shorter hair was shown.
"There's Mikasa too!" Ruby says.
'Yeah, don't worry.' A slightly older Eren was revealed next as he sent the camera a hard stare. 'I'll kill every last one of them.'
"All three of them are here now." Jaune comments.
"Looks like things are about to get tenser now." Yang says as they watched the scene turn black.
To be continued…
"Welp! I think this is a good time for all of you to have a break." Voyager says as he stood up from his seat. "Don't worry. I know a good place for you all to relax."
"Aww… do we have to?" Ruby pouted as she and the other stood up.
"Yes. I think it's good for everyone if they have some time to relax before the next viewing." Voyager says as he snaps his finger, making a flash of light surround them, then the moment it disappears, they were gone.
To be continued…
A/N: Another fic is done! I hope you like this new chapter.
Just letting you all know that I will be having a break. I recently got vaccinated, and I want to recover, and I want to sort things out after my fics were taken down. I don't know how long, but I hope to come back soon.
I hope you all understand and see you all next time!
Next Update: Unknown