CHAPTER THREE

The sight of a stampeding army of titans filled my veins with ice, each step I took felt shaky and unbalanced. My heart drummed wildly in my chest, filling my ears with an almost painful drone.

That, coupled with the sounds of hundreds of giant feet flattening the earth served to only elevate my distress. The air was filled with a constant drone of groaning and moaning, calls for the inevitable feast ahead. Yet, I continued to sprint at almost full tilt, weaving through the crowd of titans as I scrambled to make it towards the gate.

Every titan I brushed past left me with a feeling of revulsion wherever I'd touched them, causing me to contort in a mixture of disgust and fear as I tried to make my way through the horde.

Some deeper, rational part of me screamed at me to turn tail and run, to wait for the flood of titans to die out - for this was far too dangerous for me to risk my life for. Yet the same current that had led me into this world, that had urged me on that night after killing my first titan, pulled me along like a leash to a dog.

I felt no will to resist, despite the terror that filled every cell of my being the deeper I got into the ocean of steaming bodies. I'd like to think of myself as an altruistic person, but not to the point that I'd dive into a crowd of man-eating titans.

Yet, a sense of urgency pushed me on, as the crowd became so dense I found myself physically shoving other titans to the ground in order to get through. I looked up, noticing that I had grown closer to the walls, as it was only about a hundred metres away.

Gritting my teeth, I began charging through the sea of bodies, bodily knocking down anything in my path. I built my momentum, using both my insane strength and forward inertia to barrel through the titan, until to my horror I felt two hands firmly grip my left leg.

I turned my head to find that a smaller titan, that only came up to my rib cage, was grabbing at my knee. Behind him, the titans I had shoved in order to carve my way through had begun to get up from the ground, fixing me with a ravenous stare.

I opened my mouth, releasing a garbled scream of utter horror as I fought desperately to make it through the gate.

【 E】

A brown haired boy charged against the current of fleeing bodies, weaving through the frantic masses as he dashed through the alleyways. His arms pumped back and forward, his heartbeat frantic within his small chest. Behind him, a black haired girl wearing a maroon scarf kept with his pace easily, her narrow eyes hardened as she followed after the boy.

His eyes were shot wide, face covered in a sheen of sweat as he bounded through the cobble stone pathways that crisscrossed throughout his hometown. 'Nothing hit my house! I'll turn this corner, and it'll be there, just fine!'

And then, he rounded the corner with his half-sister at his heels, before releasing a painful scream of despair at the sight of a massive boulder on top of his childhood home. "Mom!" The boy yelled, sprinting towards his ruined home he noticed the idle form of his mother trapped underneath the rubble.

The mother rose her head from her place underneath the pile of rubble, eyes glassy as she took in the sight of her two children with both relief and fear. "Eren! Mikasa!" She gasped, her voice coming out winded. The girl behind Eren froze in place upon taking in the scene, a haunted look crossing her face.

"Mikasa quick! Grab the other side, we need to lift this!" Eren raced to his mother, placing his shoulder underneath the wooden beam that kept her trapped as he tried to straighten out his body, crying out in exertion. "Mikasa!" He called, snapping the oriental girl out of her haze as she hurried to take position across from him.

"The titans, they're here, aren't they?" Eren's mother murmured, beads of sweat travelling from her forehead and down her face. Eren raised his head momentarily, freezing in horror as he saw gigantic heads moving beyond the row of houses. He released a whimper, before increasing his efforts to free his mother. Carla raised her head, gazing at Mikasa with a frantic look. "Mikasa! Take Eren and get out of here!".

Mikasa didn't respond, her lips set in a firm line as she pushed hopelessly against the wooden beam with all her strength. "I- Want… To run! So hurry- up and get out!" Eren growled in between breaths. He repositioned himself, trying harder to lift the beam, only for the rubble to shift and his mother to gasp in pain as something from within the wrecked home had pressed onto her legs.

"My legs are crushed by the rubble. Even if you got me out, I wouldn't be able to run." Carla choked, her eyes staring out into the street as she avoided the gaze of her son. "I'll carry you!" Eren yelled, his voice cracking terribly as tears began to blur the edges of his vision. "Mikasa, push harder!"

"I'm trying!" Mikasa wailed, her normally apathetic voice cracked with despair. The girl gripped the wood with such strength that it began to warp under her fingers, yet not even she could lift the tonnes of rock on top of their house.

"Damn it, why don't you ever just listen to me?!" Carla cried, her face contorting in both pain and grief as her shoulders shook. "At least listen to me just this one time! Mikasa!" She called, attempting to persuade the stronger child to pull Eren away.

Mikasa stopped her pushing for a moment, a heart breaking expression of grief on her face, before Eren shouted "If you don't go, none of us go! All three of us are getting out!" Reinvigorated, she continued to struggle against the beam, as fruitless as it was.

Carla glanced at them with horror, as she felt reverberations through the ground. Heavy footsteps began to echo through the street, and although she couldn't see it, Carla could imagine the bloodthirsty giant that had now set its sights upon her kids.

Then, she caught a glimpse of a Garrison soldier running down the cobblestone road, and her heart filled with relief as she saw the familiar form of Hannes coming towards them. "Hannes! Please! Take the children and run!"

Hannes came close to the group, giving the situation and the titan ahead a once over before unsheathing both his swords. "No can do Carla. I'll kill that titan, and bring you all to safety, just wait here!" with a war cry, he took off down the street, determined to defend Carla and her kids. He heard Carla call after him, but he ignored it in favour of paying off his debts to the Jaeger family.

His determination died within a few seconds of charging toward the titan. He met its eyes, and noticed its eldritch smile grow even wider as it took another thundering step towards him. He only thought of how long it'd take to die after being sheared in two by those massive incisors, and without a word, Hannes sheathed his swords before taking off towards the kids, damning Carla to that same fate.

Eren was taken by surprise, as Hannes threw the boy under his armpit and carried Mikasa over his shoulder in his other arm. "H-hey, hey! What are you doing!? Wait! We can't just leave her!" Eren flailed his grip as Mikasa reacted with a quiet gasp. "I'm sorry Carla!" Hannes called pathetically, unable to turn his head to meet her gaze.

Eren made eye contact with his mother, repeatedly driving his elbow into Hannes' back in an attempt to get free. He stared at her with hot tears gathering in his eyes, looking at her hand that remained outstretched towards them.

"I love you! You hear me!?" Carla screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks as her facade broke. He reached out his own hands, hopelessly, wanting desperately to be within the warm embrace of his mother again. "Stay alive!" Her voice called out, cracking in strain.

"HANNES! STOP!" Eren screamed, "MY MOTHER'S STILL BACK THERE! WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" But despite his pleas, the blonde-haired soldier continued to run up the path, leaving his mother behind. Eren's mouth dried as he watched the smiling titan finally reach his home, leaning down to grab his mother.

He could only watch as the giant dug through the rubble, picking out his mother and bringing her up into the air. Eren watched his mother kick at the hand of the titan - revealing that her legs weren't crushed after all - as not even she could resist the overwhelming, instinctual urge to survive.

He was so fixated on watching his mother being brought up into the air, eclipsing the sun which surrounded her in a cruelly stunning halo of light as if the scene were a masterfully crafted painting, that he didn't notice the heavy shaking of the earth. "STOP IT! NO!" Eren screamed, clawing at the air as if he could sway the titan to leave his mother.

As if the situation weren't bad enough, Eren looked beyond the Smiling Titan's shoulder and to see the source of the immense shaking. A titan, cloaked in so much steam that he could hardly make an estimate for their size, charged down the road, its crazed footsteps launching pieces of stone and concrete into the air and destroying the cobblestone path.

Between the wisps of steam and fire that covered its body, he saw obscene amounts of blood soaking it from head to toe, as if it had dipped itself into a lake of blood, and a singular eye of lightning blue that blazed against the shadow of its face. Eren, bewildered, yelled out for his mother one last time, hot tears streaking down his face.

The mass of steam and blood collided with the Smiling Titan, resulting in a shockwave reverberating down the street, as Hannes turned a corner and Eren lost sight of his mother.

As Hannes ran through the alleyways, panting with the exertion of carrying two children, Eren continued to wail in anguish. His hands reached out towards nothing, his face contorted in both grief and rage.

With nothing else to direct his anger to, Eren began slamming his elbow into the back of Hannes' head, screaming unintelligibly as Mikasa remained dead silent underneath the soldier's other arm.

Eren slammed his small fist into the side of Hannes' head, prompting the soldier to finally react to his barrage. "Damn it kid, stop that!"

Eren paid no mind, continuing to rain his fists down upon Hannes as he screamed hoarsely, his throat raw, "You son of a bitch! We could've saved her! Why did you come, why!?".

"Damn it, I told you to stop!" Hannes clenched his jaw, before throwing Eren over his shoulder and into the ground. "Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed, snapping out of her stupor.

"Look…" Hannes began, his brow casting a shadow over his eyes, "There's nothing you could've done for her, understand? You're a kid - you're weak."

Eren only sputtered, a look of disbelief flashing across his face before Hannes planted his hands on Eren's shoulders. "I'm worse." Hannes continued, his voice cracked with guilt. "When push came to shove, I was too frightened to hold my ground. Your mother died because I'm a damn coward!"

Hannes then lowered his head, shoulders shaking as he stammered useless apologies brokenly. Eren could only stare at him with a dead expression, remaining silent even as Hannes escorted him and Mikasa to the evacuation boats.

Eren remained silent, even as panicked civilians attempted to leap across the gap between the piers and the boats, falling to their watery doom below. He vaguely noticed his friend Armin on the boats, guiltily enough he couldn't find it in himself to be relieved.

In fact; he felt it impossible to feel anything. He could only dully stare at the passing visage of his home town, watching the horde of giants tear apart the home of his childhood.

He could only dully stare at the sight of a titan, shielded entirely by armoured plates, which charged through the gate of Shiganshina, rendering the whole of Wall Maria as lost.

All around him, Eren heard the cries of torn families, a drone of hopeless wailing as multiple lives were torn asunder in a matter of hours. He suddenly stood from his seat without warning, a fierce flame eating at him from the inside, pushing his way to the railing with purpose before grabbing the boat's railing with a white knuckled grip.

"I'll put a stop to this…" Eren began with an animalistic snarl. He looked up, his face morphed in righteous fury as he recalled the titans that had presumably fought over eating his mother. Images of Carla played in his head, rage filling his mind as his eyes of jade shimmered with wrath. "I'll kill off all the titans! Down to the last one!".

【 , 】

I could only see red. At some point, the feeling of countless hands gripping and tearing at my flesh, clawing and ripping away what felt like my own soul, had eviscerated what little sanity was left of me after charging through the horde.

I was only faintly aware of the same current, the force that guided me forward and coaxed my muscles to move even after they'd been reduced to smithereens by the greedy mouths and hands of the bloodthirsty beasts.

I heard a constant, ear piercing shriek, and it took me ages to realise I was the source of it. Despite the ripping, tearing, crushing, biting, the horrific squelches and wet noises of bloody carnage that filled my senses, I was surely aware of one thing.

My body continued to move; subconsciously almost. I'd taken a back seat in controlling my body, as my mind became paralysed by the hellish agony of being torn apart and eaten alive, something else forced me to keep moving.

I tasted blood on my tongue. Metallic and tangy, in quantities that made me wretch and gag. I felt flayed skin and muscle hanging off my fingers, which had gone completely numb; either from being flayed themselves - or I hadn't any fingers at all.

Somewhere along my lapse of sanity, I noticed that I was no longer within the horde of giants. My entire body was slick with gore, I'd lost feeling to all my extremities and I was beginning to think that my lack of feeling for my left arm was due to a lack thereof.

One feeling I didn't lack, was that of temperature. I could most definitely still feel the overwhelming heat that surged from within me, pushing against my flesh and exiting my regenerating wounds in a constant exhaust of steam. My body felt aflame, and each breath I released was of such high temperature that it felt like I was ejecting plasma from my mouth.

Even as I pondered with myself mentally, my body sprinted through the streets like an animal chasing down its prey, spurred by an unknown force. I could still feel the current leading me on, which at this point seemed almost tangible rather than a subtle pull in the back of my mind.

Perhaps if I were in a more stable frame of mind, I'd infer that this could be a result of my meddling in the paths. But my mind was the furthest from stable at the current time.

My mouth opened up to release a guttural exclamation of power, before my massive frame collided with another titan similar to my size. As my skin impacted that of the titan, a shock ran through my entire body, and I was suddenly released from my agony-induced stupor.

The first thing I noticed was that I had knocked over THE Smiling Titan, otherwise known as Dina Fritz, which I'd recognized almost immediately. The second thing I'd noticed was the screaming woman still held firmly within its right hand.

I blanked for a moment, processing the sensory overload, before instinct kicked in and I locked arms with the dazed titan which had been knocked into a row of houses. I gripped the wrist which held Carla, pinning it to the roof as I forced its hand open with my iron grip.

Wow. It was Eren's mother. She was really pretty. Was that why I was led here? To find Carla Jaeger?

Dina locked eyes with me, as her hand was forced to release Carla. Her - or its - mouth began to open, presumably to take a bite out of me as I pinned her to the building. With my body wracked with adrenaline, body numb to the point that I felt pins and needles in every point in my body, I shot my head forward, feeling her teeth and jaw cave underneath the force of my headbutt.

I tried to cry out in defiance - but all that came out was a hoarse whistle - as I spun around, throwing Dina over my body entirely and into the next row of houses. I took a moment of reprieve, opening my mouth to release a jet of steam as I noticed my body had heated to the point of combustion, small tendrils of flame rising from my form. I pondered on whether I should go finish the job, but after a quick mull over her importance, I decided not to kill the Smiling Titan.

I then lowered my right eye to Carla, my other covered by my hair which stuck to my face with a mixture of blood and filth. It took me a second of staring, in which I marvelled at just how small humans were, before my current situation dawned in on me.

Carla Jaeger, the mother of Eren Jaeger. I'd always wondered, would Eren have gone through with the rumbling if his mother were there to stop him? Perhaps not; but by saving his mother here, I could certainly- maybe- win his good graces, and open up interaction in the future.

I chose to shove down the recollection of all that occurred from within the titan horde, in favour of acting before that horde was fully funnelled into the district. Carla remained in her place, frozen in what I'd imagine to be terror.

I couldn't hold her in my hands to avoid burning her against my skin with veins like lava heating up my flesh to the point of combustion, which had just begun to cool down. So, I leant over, before driving my fingers into the sides of the roof she was prone on.

I watched her for a moment, careful not to jostle her in case she had sustained any injuries, before lifting with a portion of my strength. The roof easily separated from the foundation of the building's walls, and Carla shook a little bit but ultimately retained her balance.

I tried to give her a grunt in assurance, aware of the language barrier between us as I had no idea what she was whimpering under her breath. I turned my head to see multiple ten and fifteen metre titans beginning to walk in our direction, before taking off towards the inner gate.

Offhandedly I realised there was nothing I could do against the armoured titan. In no way did I possess the strength or capability to inflict any sort of damage, and trying to stop Reiner from destroying the gates would just compromise Carla's safety.

A quick look over the buildings - which were dizzyingly small, the entire city for me felt like a children's playground - told me that the evacuation boats had already begun to leave, full to the brim with frantic evacuees. I bit my lip as I tried to ponder a course of action.

Would I wait for Reiner to smash the gates? With the knowledge I have, could I possibly warn the Garrison? No, it was impossible. I had no way of communicating with them, and they'd sooner blast me to smithereens before trying to understand anything I tried to articulate.

My footsteps halted as I picked up the cries of a child, somewhere within the carnage that had consumed the city. I suddenly stopped, unintentionally causing Carla to gasp in surprise, as I looked towards a child running through an alleyway - being chased by a three metre or so titan which hardly made it to my shin.

The child stared up at me, momentarily halted by my intimidating form, before taking one look behind him and continuing to bolt towards my direction. Looking at the three metre, I could see why.

Even despite its size relative to mine, its visage was hideous, with an oversized head fitted with bulging, fish-like eyes and an underdeveloped jaw with a crooked overbite. It would've reminded me of the iconic small titan in season two, if not for its long and greasy hair that looked slicked back with oil.

I suppose even as a young child, likely not much younger than the main cast, he found small merit in dying a quick death. Luckily for him, he would not die today.

I shifted my hold over the tiled rooftop, balancing it carefully with one arm before kneeling down to a knee. I lowered the platform, setting it in front of the alleyway where the child's pace seemed to increase double-fold upon seeing Carla crouched on the end, her arms outstretched.

The boy shot out from the alley, diving into the embrace of Carla Jaeger as I immediately rose the platform off the ground. The three metre collided with my leg, its greedy hands digging into my calf as it flailed for its stolen bounty.

As I sent it sailing through the air with a snap of my leg, I glanced down to the platform before beginning to move again. There was no need for me to do nothing in the time it took for Reiner to breach the gate.

Utilising my hearing, I could single out and find survivors in order to save as many as I could - In hindsight, this could definitely paint a target on my back if word got out about my existence, but it could also work in my favour if I were to play my cards right with the Survey Corps.

I wish I had more time. Events were moving far faster than I'd expected them to, and I was never much of an extensive planner. I had little to work with, but hopefully my efforts here would allow for me to build good karma; as well as prevent whatever death possible.

Sparing a look downward, I noticed Carla wrapping the young boy in an embrace, muttering reassurances into his ear and the poor kid broke down into broken sobs. She looked up for a moment to meet my gaze, and I hoped I was able to communicate my intentions with an empathetic nod.

My steady walk filled with purpose, I zeroed in on the next source of screaming close by.

【 LINE BREAK】

And so, I travelled throughout the district, dodging titans and plucking unfortunate civilians from their untimely deaths and safely depositing them on the roof -turned rescue boat. The platform was a bit longer than the length of my forearm, but had a slight hollow as I'd taken a section where two gables met, giving my passengers a secure area without much danger of falling off.

I carefully manoeuvred my way throughout the city, mindful of my cargo as I either deterred small titans with my legs or avoided the larger ones entirely. Surprisingly enough, the civilians I'd all come across had no hesitation when it came to choosing to join the others - understandably so as the alternative was usually certain death.

But, there was no shortage of people that needed saving, as a shortage of room on the roof began to become apparent. The small community on the platform seemed to take notice of this, and when I'd come across a small family trapped within their home by the hands of an eight metre titan - quickly disposed of - I frowned, pondering how the lack of room would be compensated with.

Enough people were now on the platform that I could not risk carrying two at once, as I couldn't ensure that I'd be able to balance them perfectly with numerous people on board. To my grateful surprise, upon bringing the roof to the ground, many passengers actually hopped off the platform, prioritising women and children.

I thought of what those on the ground would do now, but I found the grounded group staring right up at me, shouting out words I could not decipher. But I understood the message. "Lead the way."

Letting a cloud of steam escape my nose, I nodded, before beginning to walk with a slower pace, watching my steps around the group of men below me. Occasionally, a group of titans would block our path and I'd be forced to lower the platform in order to properly defend our rag tag group.

Eventually; we had melted into an organised process. I would carry the disabled, young or frail on the roof - Carla included, as it would seem she had indeed sustained some sort of injury - while the physically capable followed on foot.

The amount of trust this community had so suddenly placed on me was astounding. I suppose that as this was the first time any had seen a titan, the possibilities of what could come through the gates was not yet cemented into their minds.

I suppose the idea of a benevolent titan, when no one had seen the world outside the gates in a century except the Survey Corps, was not entirely outside the realm of possibility for these people. Especially when they'd just seen a titan sixty metres tall destroy the impregnable wall that protected their home.

That, in addition to the accumulated rescues, had led to them placing a great amount of trust in me. It was… Unexpectedly heartwarming, and a sense of righteous responsibility drove me forward to protect these people.

Then, as I dove my hands into a pile of rubble to retrieve the source of someone's calls for help, I heard it. An enormous boom followed by the familiar sound of falling debris and the carnage that followed. I safely cleared the debris from the home, before allowing the group of healthy men and women to enter the ruins to retrieve whoever was trapped beneath.

The family of three exited the rubble, all lightly scratched up and reasonably shaken at the sight of my imposing figure crouched above their home. But my focus was upward, as I stared towards the breach now in the Wall of Maria. Distant screaming filled my ears as I realised I needed to act now.

I wished I could've saved more, but if this group remained within the city any longer I feared I would not be able to stop a horde of titans from killing everyone. I rose to my feet, mindful of those perched upon the rooftop-turned emergency carrier, before clearing my throat.

I pointed towards the gate as everyone within the group turned their heads towards me, trying to convey urgency with my eyes. It seemed they got the memo, as they began shouting and breaking into a run toward the wall - not out of panic, they moved in an organised group and assisted anyone who had trouble walking.

The sight only served to make my heart feel heavier.

I threw my knee forward to intercept the seven metre titan that had surprised us by popping out of the corner, catching it in the jaw and sending it sprawling to the ground. I spared not a second in reducing its neck to a blood smear with repeated stomps, limited in their power by my caution in handling my passengers. That brought my tally to nineteen.

I looked up to see the hole in Wall Maria right up ahead, all we had to do was make it down the road past five fifteen metre titans.

I heard harsh murmurs below, the group of humans likely cursing at the sight of the titans. I turned to look behind us, releasing a curse of my own as I saw titans flooding the forked roadways of which we came from. This would be the first time I'd engaged with such a number of titans larger than I - lucidly at least.

I knelt down, gently placing the platform to the ground as I looked down upon the people I had saved. I locked eyes with a young child, no older than five, being held by an elderly man.

The group stared up at me as if I held the answers. The truth was; I had no idea what I was doing. I could only hope that I could buy them enough time, as I rose up to my full height with the rooftop still on the ground.

I squared my shoulders, taking a few steps around the group as the fifteen metres ahead began to approach us. Hot steam escaped my mouth, heating up the sides of my face as I fixed a cold focus upon the oncoming threat.

I gave one last look behind me, before waving my arm in a gesture of 'follow me'. The crowd stood silent a moment, before quickly rushing to help those aboard the roof to the ground. I waited a moment for them to prepare, and once everyone was on their feet, I charged.

A thunderous roar tore its way out my throat, and I could hear those behind me give out their own cries as they broke down the street. The first titan came into range seconds after the charge, ignoring me entirely in favour of getting to the humans behind me.

Using my momentum, I threw my shoulder into its stomach and wrapped my arms around its waist, lifting it off the ground entirely as I released a war cry, continuing my charge before using the larger titan to bludgeon the next into the road.

The two bodies tangled together and tumbled through the cobbled road. They knocked over the third titan, alongside a belltower which trapped them under a layer of debris that provided momentary reprieve.

I didn't waste a second, continuing my run as the fourth titan met me with a charge of its own. This time, I swung my right elbow in an arc directly into its eye socket, causing an explosion of gore to erupt from the left side of its face.

It was violently thrown aside from the impact, but I couldn't allow it to move past me. I hooked its leg with my own, causing it to fall to the ground in a faux kneel. I straightened my left hand, before swinging my arm with every ounce of strength I had, into the back of its neck, decapitating it with such force that its head shot into the air, falling behind another row of houses.

I had no time to celebrate before the fifth titan barreled into me, trapping me in a bear hug. I let out an involuntary scream of surprise, as the larger titan began to squeeze my smaller frame with enough force to crack my ribs.

My eyes became hot with tears, but I clenched my teeth and forced myself to grip both sides of the titan's rib cage. A gurgled scream tore its way out of my throat as I began to push it back, carving large trenches into the road as I forced it backward.

A sense of impending doom caused me to look up towards its jaws, open wide and coming directly toward my face. A fit of primal, unadulterated instinct drove me to shoot forward, locking my jaws upon the titan's jugular.

Immediately, the taste of rank, metallic blood filled my mouth, but the suffocating pressure on my ribs only made me bite down harder. The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears like a drum, as a haze of bloodlust wrapped a film of red over my vision.

My teeth met each other with a clang like metal, as I violently tore away half of the titan's neck from its body. A cascade of gore painted its chest, falling to the street below like a waterfall. Somewhere within my bloodthirst, I saw the glint of white against the blood and flesh, and I shot forward to grab it with my left hand.

I planted my other hand on its bloodsoaked chest, and with a powerful twist, the titan's spinal column was separated from the rest of its body, its decapitated head held in my hand. Its body fell to my feet, and I dully realised that I had gripped its sides hard enough to tear open its leathery flank, exposing the crushed remains of its ribcage.

Movement caught my vision, as I saw the three incapacitated titans from earlier begin to rise from the dust. I rushed towards them without a second thought, my hair whipping behind me as if I were a wild animal as I leapt at the dazed titan that had just regenerated its crushed head.

I clubbed its skull with the head of the decapitated titan with such force that both heads erupted in a shower of bone and brain matter. The titan fell to the ground, and I stared at it with disgust as I raised my foot, before reducing its neck to a bloody smear on the cobblestones. Wall Maria was only a few houses away now.

I turned back to the group, seeing that they'd fallen behind somewhere during my slaughter. They all stared at me with a mixture of horror and disbelief. An involuntary growl escaped my throat, as I urged them to hurry through. Another shift of the rubble showed that the two titans had finally regenerated from my prior assault, both of them beginning to rise from the debris.

One of them didn't even get to make it onto both legs, before I reduced its right knee to a pulp with a brutalising kick. My right arm shot forward, grabbing onto the back of its neck.

I fixed my grip with both hands, before driving my fingers deep into its flesh, my face contorted in animalistic snarl as I slowly began to tear its spine from its body. 'Die!' A crunch of bone accompanied my feral tearing. 'All of you!'

The ache in my ribs only served to greaten my manic lust for blood. I watched with glee as at last, the nape of the titan was torn free of its neck, a heap of spinal column gripped tightly within my two hands.

I took a split second to stare at my two hands with wonder, glistening with a coat of crimson as flesh began to steam away and evaporate from the palm of my hand. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that I was never a particularly violent person in my old life, and that this overwhelming urge to kill was ultimately foreign to me.

My thoughts were halted as I felt a large hand grip my forearm, before I violently swung both my arms into the body of the remaining fifteen metre sending it hurtling down the street. I abandoned all thought, as every muscle in my body felt as if it were aflame, I could feel every nerve ending, every fractured bone, the slickness of my hide stained with blood, along with my knuckles that were reduced to a dislocated mess.

Oddly enough, despite the maddening pain of it all, I'd never felt so alive.

I took slow, purposeful steps towards the last titan. Both my hands were drenched in blood, alive with steam as if I were holding two burning coals. A coat of blood painted the lower half of my face, along with my chest and upper body.

My hair felt heavy against my face, laden with unevaporated blood and airborne dust from the carnage around me. Despite the filth that covered my body, I could only linger on the addicting high of victory, as I stared down the titan that had yet to regenerate from its severe head trauma.

I fell to my knees upon reaching the titan, straddling it as my arms hung limpy for just a moment. I took a moment to stare directly into its eyes, finding that it stared back at me with no hint of emotion - except hunger.

Its arms twitched, as I brought both my hands to its neck. Gripping its frail neck with both my hands, I began to increase the pressure of my hold, causing veins to bulge out along its neck and face as I crushed muscle with the force of my grip.

I pushed it into the ground, causing the road to cave inward as I continually applied force and pressure to the titan's neck. Blood began surging up from its mouth, and gushing from its nose as the pressure behind its face made the titan's face flush a deep red.

For a moment, I thought that maybe I caught a glimpse of emotion in those dull brown eyes, a frantic desperation as the titan grabbed at my arms helplessly. I only increased the strength of my hold, crushing flesh as I began to hear the crunch of bone under my relentless grip.

The titan opened its maw, another wave of blood shooting out from the back of its throat as it released a broken groan. My hands finally came together, crushing the stringy remains of the titan's neck and reducing its nape to a bloody pudding. Twenty one.

I leant my head back to announce my victory, releasing a roar of built rage and triumph as I raised my broken hands to the sky.

With a jolt of realisation, I remembered why I had torn myself to shreds in battle against these titans, staring to my side to find that the group was right next to me, hurriedly moving towards the gate.

I blinked, before raising an arm towards them, trying to steady myself in order to follow. A young girl among the crowd took a glance towards me and shrieked, causing the group to notice my awareness and quicken their pace. I watched heartbrokenly as the group of survivors hurried to escape from Shiganshina, from the titans, from me.

"Wuh..W-wait…" I gasped, my voice coming out in raspy breaths. "Wait.. For m-me!" I called out - despite the fact that they could not understand me -, fighting against the stutter that plagued my voice from the overwhelming adrenaline.

I moved from my position on all fours, stumbling as I tried to catch up towards the group. The jitter extended to my limbs as well, every movement I made felt incredibly shaky as I followed after the survivors.

My hand caught on a boulder, lodged into the road as a result of my battle prior. As a result, I fell forward, my head smashing into the ground below. I clamped a hand over my face, feeling blood begin to run down from a gash above my brow.

I wiped away at it furiously, as the blood seeped down my face and caused my eyes to grow irritated and blind. The steam that clouded in front of my head only served to even further block my vision, causing me to cry out in frustration as I took fistfulls of my hair.

I scrambled to my feet, seeing the group had just passed through the hole and had entered the territory of Wall Maria. I couldn't let my rage blind me here, I had to ensure that everyone reached Wall Rose safely.

I fought to remain steady, walking towards the breach as I took one more glance at the fallen district of Shiganshina behind me. Titan heads littered every road I could see, in every direction I looked, I saw a pair of beady, hungry eyes staring back at me. The closest titans were only a row of houses away.

I swallowed my doubts and ducked through the hole, gazing upon the refreshing scenery of grasslands instead of bloodsoaked stone and brick. Many titans had exited the district and filled the grasslands, but the great stretch of land provided a much more breathable space compared to the compact alleys of Shiganshina.

A glance in front of me showed that the survivors had run into a large wooden of some sort, possibly an Inn? I took a step forward, confused why they'd choose to hide in a building when it was obvious that they should cover as much ground as possible, before the bulk of the horde makes it through the gates.

Then I was surprised, as a large gate on the side of the building was thrown open and the survivors were riding on horses. On each horse would be two or three riders, often with one capable rider housing two passengers. That was… Certainly convenient.

I scanned over the retreating group, relief washing over me as I spotted the golden eyes of Carla Jaeger glancing back towards me, as she rode with another young woman. I fought to stop the incessant shaking of my hands, as I began to jog after the group.

I needed to make sure they made it to Wall Rose safely.

Thus, I forced my body to trudge forward after the group, exhaustion settling in as the adrenaline began to wear off. I noted offhandedly, that despite the sun having a few more hours left on the horizon, I felt extremely exhausted - as if I were running in the dead of night.

I supposed it had something to do with how much abuse my body had suffered today, as I still had no idea what kind of damage I sustained making it through Shiganshina's first gates. I faintly recalled the madness that clouded my mind, the bloodthirsty haze that returned upon my battle with the fifteen metres.

Just thinking about it made a sick feeling writhe and twist inside my stomach, and I stopped a moment as I suddenly wretched to the side. A string of bloody bile ejected from my mouth, splattering against the grass as I dry heaved at the memory of feeling flesh being torn and crushed underneath my teeth.

I wiped at my mouth, looking at my hand that was now completely clean of blood and injury, as if I hadn't just broken my own hands pummelling several giants to death.

The longer I spent thinking of what I'd done, the further I could feel myself spiral into a pit of disgust and self-loathing. Just where had such barbaric impulses come from? I was certain I had never been so brutal and violent in my old life. I chose to shove everything down, and focus on catching up with the group of survivors.

I could worry about the mental ramifications of my actions later. There were more important matters at hand. I spared a look at the water canal that ran from the district, all the way to Trost. The last evacuation boats were completely out of sight, and I thought for a moment if the gates would even open to let in the group of survivors.

A quick head count proved that I had managed to save a total of forty three civilians. I had to safeguard these civilians, over a hundred and fifty or so kilometres of land, against hundreds of bloodthirsty giants, and they may end up not even being allowed entry in Trost.

In such a case, I was certain that I'd be able to figure… something out.

I fought against the bone deep exhaustion that weighed my every step, making me feel as if I were dragging a boulder behind me. I couldn't afford to just collapse now. I could rest once I was certain that Carla and the others were safely beyond the walls.

【 LINE BREAK】

I fell into a haze, as the terrain blended all together throughout our journey across Maria. Our group only ran into the titans twice, and each time it was by a smaller titan below the ten metre class. Nonetheless, they were easily disposed of, bringing my tally to twenty three.

The exhaustion was overbearing, as the sun had begun to dip behind the horizon now. I could no longer see Wall Maria, and I could only hope that soon we would reach Rose as I was on the verge of falling unconscious any moment now.

I was snapped out of my musings by some cries from the group, whipping my head up as I readied myself for battle. But then, I saw it. A thin white line on the horizon. Wall Rose.

Between us and the wall was a stretch of plains, with a few abandoned farm properties in between. I almost fell over just then out of relief. There was whooping and cheering from the riders, as the survivors urged their horses to hurry towards the walls.

I couldn't see any titans ahead, as our group moved quicker than the horde evidently. We arrived at Trost first. I slowed down my trot, noticing that my entire frame was wreathed in steam as if to convey my immense exhaustion.

Carla turned over her shoulder, noticing I'd stopped. I met her eyes, curling my lips into a tired smile as I offered her a small wave. Her eyes were full of unexplainable emotion, as I watched them gallop towards the gates. My lips curled up further when I spotted her giving me a, albeit hesitant, wave back.

My legs finally gave out from under me, but I managed to hold myself on all fours long enough to watch them finally cross the fields, and remain at the entrance of Trost. For a moment, I thought that maybe they would have not been let in. That all the fighting, running and pain had been for nothing.

I let out a laugh of sheer joy and relief as the gates began to open, the group spilling into the city, before promptly falling face first into the grass below.

Sorry this chapter took awhile! Had to deal with exams, while packing up for vacation. Speaking of which, I probably won't be updating much in the next two months since I won't have my laptop with me.

KaiHiwatari84, we'll just have to wait and see. I have a lot of plans regarding the paths; the show didn't shed much light on the massive potential of a supernatural web of time-space connections, and I hope to make full use of it!

Guest, thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoy the story, I hope you stick around!