11:17 AM

"They're inside!"

"RUN!"

*JANGLE*

"PLEASE! NO! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

"AGHHHHH!"

*CRASH*

*THUD*

Floch's eyes snapped open, a violent thudding behind him bringing him back to consciousness. He sat up and crawled away from the source, all while engulfed in the darkness. His only source of light had been the slit underneath the door in front of him, fear momentarily gripped his heart at the sight of blood leaking underneath the door. He quickly stood up and made his way up the stairs, only stopping halfway through to clutch his throbbing head.

"Fuck..." He muttered from the pain under his breath.

Floch felt something wet on his fingers, he could only assume that it was his blood. He dropped to his knees and desperately attempted to soothe that splitting headache that ate at him. He had to... He had to go find the others-

"HELP! SOMEBODY! HEELLLLLPP!"

Floch looked over his shoulders down below, intensely gazing at the door. His face contorted with frustration at his predicament, the thudding of the titans roaming across the armory growing louder in his ears. He looked up at the door where he originally came from, a scowl forming on his face as he began to realize what had happened.

Without a second thought, the boy unsheathed his ODM swords and ran down the stairs, to his surprise the door had been unlocked. Floch took a second to scan his surroundings, eyes anchored on the half-eaten corpse and the set of keys that lay in front of the door. He quickly walked inside to find three titans, all between the heights of three and four meters. Behind them were a bunch of cornered members from the supply team, desperately swinging anything they could find laying around at them.

He took a deep breath. 'Let's see if you still got it, it's been three years.'

"OH, GOD!" One of them shrieked.

They gasped in disbelief when a set of ODM hooks attached to the ceiling, and to their absolute amazement a cadet jumped in and took out one of them in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, they were still focused on them, a woman cried out in terror when the four-meter titan grabbed her and began to stretch her limbs apart. Floch jumped down from the wooden beam above and attached his ODM hooks to the back of its neck, instantly killing it with his swords upon reach.

She fell to the ground and crawled away from them, her face stained with blood and tears, she hid between the gas tanks and watched the unfolding battle with a whirlwind of emotions.

'one left.'

Floch dangled off the ceiling, the remaining titan now focused on him, allowing the supply team to slip away. He scrunched his eyes, his face contorting in pain. He clutched his face, staring down at the titan between the gap in his fingers before detaching his hooks. The titan reach out for him to catch him, however, the boy maneuvered around It's fingers, he rolled on It's head and clutched it by the hair from the back, it tried to reach behind but he gathered all of his strength into slicing its neck open.

It thrashed around him throwing him off-balance, Floch tried to return up to one of the wooden beams but the headaches return once more and his hook line failed to attach properly. He fell to the ground with a grunt, his head heavy as if it were glued to an anvil. He tried his best to stand up but his movements were that of a lousy drunkard.

*THUD* *THUD*

His eyes widened in shock, he slowly looked up to see the last titan reach for him. Fear gripped his heart and everything came to a halt as he stared at its menacing figure. He could do nothing but watch helplessly when it wrapped its hand around his body, the bug-eyed titan curiously examined him for a moment before bringing him to its jaws.

'SHIT!"

In a last-ditch effort, he reached for one of the swords dangling from his hips and stabbed it into the roof of its mouth, preventing its jaw from shutting down on him. To his relief, the titan tried to bite down to no avail. Three of the supply team members rush to his rescue, hitting the titan in the back with empty canisters and stabbing at its heels. The titan is momentarily distracted and its grip on him lessens, An idea suddenly rushed to his aching mind.

He reached for his gas canister and slid it out of its holster, unscrewing the lid with both hands until it was loose enough for the gas to hiss out. His hand searched the inside of his jacket and pulled out a flintlock pistol. Floch kicked the titan in the side of its jaw causing it to focus its attention on him again. Without further hesitation, he threw the canister inside of its mouth and detached the handle from the blade. He aimed down the sights and with the pull of the trigger, the bullet shot towards the canister which slid down its throat.

In a mere instant, the canister inside the titan's mouth lit on fire and began to release blue flames. At that moment the titan paused and looked down at him. An explosion rang out within the supply room and the titan dropped to its stomach. Floch howled in pain at the fire that burned his face, the others came to his aid while one of them ran to kill the titan while it was down.

"AGHHH!" He cried out, clutching his face.

"COME ON! GET UP! MORE OF THEM ARE COMING!" The woman shouted at him.

Floch stood up at her command and with a bit of their help, they rushed him to the elevator. Barely managing to flee at the last second before a pair of three-meter titans entered the armory. The last six remaining members of the supply team breathed a sigh of relief around him as they lifted safely. Floch's eyes had been closed shut from the pain at this point, though he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned in their direction. "Thank you so much, we all owe you our lives." The woman said.

"...What happened?"

"You don't know?"

A man spoke up next to them. "The colossal titan appeared while they were preparing for the MP parade, it knocked down the wall and killed a bunch of people with the debris, then those bastards came rushing in. All of our contingencies failed, this is Shiganshina all over again."

"They're still fighting out in the streets, but it's really bad. Our evacuation nearly failed, the frontal assault team fell, the vanguard either died or fled the carnage and it's now just your friends at the cadet corps and what's left of the supply team out there. That coward Kitz and his goons alongside all of the Military Police officials have abandoned us to die in this castle." The woman added growing more agitated with each new piece of information.

"And the rear guard?" Floch asked.

There was a long silence.

The woman helped him stand when the lift arrived at the top. "Let's get your face patched up, it's the least we can do for you."


11:38 AM

Floch stood next to the window of the infirmary overlooking the chaos unfolding, parts of the city had been lit on fire as several fifteen-meter class Titans could be seen roaming around. He took his eyes off of Trost and momentarily scanned his reflection, a bandage now wrapping around his head and top half of his face. He covered the windows with the curtains before turning to the other six occupants of the room.

"You have any plans?" He asked.

The woman who helped him, Elise, spoke. "Nothing, all six of us are pretty much stuck here. You're the only one who can move around and you're missing a canister." She said, pointing at his ODM gear.

"I'll scavenge for another canister outside, are the canons in this castle functional?"

"Should be, what do you have in mind?" A blond man asked.

"Good, then I'll need you to get them prepped."

"Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you suggesting?!"

"You guys are useless without your gear, and I don't fancy the idea of leaving you behind, I also can't leave my friends out there to die while the green coats watch from the comfort of the walls. So here's what's going to happen, I'll rally all the remaining troops downtown for a full retreat to the castle and while you provide support from above we'll handle the titans in the armory below, they resupply, you get geared up, we leave. Simple."

"We can't! It's suicide to get out there, the titans have climbed up the castle!" A cadet from his year shouted.

Floch looked at him from the corner of his eye. "I'll clear out the big ones."

"Y-you can do that? While half empty on gas?"

Floch's gaze remained stoic and unflinching, the boy frowned seeing the sheer confidence he exuded.

The supply team exchanged uneasy looks with each other before nodding, Elise stood up from her chair and spoke. "Okay... but, how can we be sure you won't leave like Kitz and the others?"

"You're asking the guy who saved your ass from getting torn apart a few minutes ago?"

"Touché... If you pull it off without becoming titan food, then... then yeah sure, we'll do it!" Elise said.

"Very well."

"By the way, I don't know what use you'd still have for this but you dropped it down there." The blond man said, handing him his used flintlock pistol.

"Thanks, would have been more helpful to have picked up a canister," Floch replied before pocketing it.

The man went red in the face and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Floch unsheathed his ODM swords once more and made his way out of the room as everyone closely followed him to the halls, he grabbed a vase decoration and looked back at the gathered supply team.

"Go wait somewhere safer, this will attract their attention. Once I've taken care of them you make your move. If more come after I'm gone, hide, don't engage them until we're back." He ordered.

They scattered at his words, he wasted no time and broke the window sending the vase crashing to the street below. Floch ran like hell and flew out of the window into the outside, a titan that had climbed up into the castle lunged at him but he dodged it, leaving it to crash down below into the neighboring buildings. He launched his ODM hooks to the top of the tower as he scanned the area.

'Five spare blades left, just enough gas to deal with these guys and get to the others. Three big ones climbed over the walls of the castle, three medium below, five tiny ones near the entrance to the armory...' Floch thought to himself just as he looked behind him to come face to face with a titan that was peeking at him from the edge of the castle roof.

Floch jumped away, doing a front flip in the air before attaching his hook to the side of the castle, he flew near one of the climbing titans before setting on another easy kill. He swung by like a speeding bullet and sunk his blades deep into the nape before detaching his hook and twisting his body in the air to avoid the swatting hand of another one.

Elise and the rest of the supply team listened with bated breaths, a newfound drive igniting inside of them watching a mere cadet clearing the way for victory. All of them suddenly received a punch in the gut when Floch flew by the windows and got caught by one of the few remaining Titans on the street below. However, to their absolute relief, he managed to slice its fingers to free himself from captivity.

"Oh thank god!" Johann shouted next to her.

"Who is this kid?!" Ida asked in disbelief.

The cadet spoke in awe. "We graduated together, his name is Floch Forster, he's ranked second in our class."

The five Garrison soldiers looked to the cadet then shifted their gaze back to the outside to see Floch kill the last big Titan remaining in the area, he landed on the roof of one of the buildings before waving at the castle. The few last remaining titans now focused on him, all of them ignored the castle as they ran after the boy.

"Come on you oversized assholes! This way!" Floch shouted at the group of titans as he led them as far away from the castle as possible.

"Alright! All the big ones are gone! You saw him, it's time for us to do our part! Get the canons ready!" Elisa shouted at the top of her lungs

She gave him one final look, watching him fly out into the middle of the city before turning around to help the others.

'You better not die, Forster.'


11:52 AM

To say that Floch Forster was in a bad mood would be a hell of an understatement, he hid behind a chimney watching as the group of titans he led away dispersed inside town before moving out. The more he sailed across the streets of Trost the more that his emotions ran wild. He composed himself with great effort, and carefully made his way toward the frontline. He would deal with the emotions and consequences later, for now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

He suddenly came to a halt, looking down to observe several bodies scattered on the street below. The majority of them were soldiers, mostly from the cadet corps. His heartbeats quickened, some of the corpses were unrecognizable, and his friends could very well be among them down there. His brows knit into a frown when he descended to look for spare gas.

His ears perked up at an incoming sound, and Floch's eyes widened in shock at an incoming aberrant, he retracted his wires at the last possible second and shot forwards. The Titan flew past him and crashed into the building behind him, he landed on top of a bell tower and observed it. This was another Eldian coming after him, a mindless creature now. He narrowed his eyes at it, he couldn't allow it to live, it could pose a problem for the others during their retreat.

Floch shot his hooks over its head and lunged at it, the titan watched him approach and readied itself to jump again. Just as it launched itself the redhead detached his wires and corrected his trajectory. He sliced its nape at an angle while mid-air before landing on a nearby roof, Floch didn't bother to check the steaming corpse and made his way down to the deceased soldiers.

"HEY! YOU! SOLDIER OVER THERE! WE'RE OVER HERE!"

Floch nearly tripped upon hearing the voice, he searched for the source only to find a man leaning out of a window in the building opposed to him, frantically waving at him. He wasted no time, immediately jumping towards him and entering as the man shut the window behind him.

"Oh thank god! I thought there would be some soldiers around if those jumpers are acting up! You have to help us!" The man spoke to him, a massive weight now off his shoulders.

Floch stood up from the ground and scanned the room, there were only three people in it, two men and a woman. And the other man looked to be old, that wasn't good.

"Is this everyone?"

The three exchanged looks between each other, an unsettling atmosphere descended upon them, and they turned back to him.

"Come with us downstairs." The man spoke grimly.

The four of them walked down the three-story building until they reached the basement below, Floch walked down behind him and entered, the middle-aged man gently pushed the door to not disturb the occupants. Floch's eyes widened in shock at seeing the number of people holed up inside, men, women, and children. All of them brightened up considerably at seeing a soldier enter, naively thinking that the military had come to rescue them.

"The military!"

"They're here!"

"He's just a cadet..."

"How many are in here?" Floch asked.

"With the three of us included, seventeen."

Floch hummed. "Why were you not evacuated?"

The man looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. "We were setting up for that stupid MP parade, and everyone had begun to gather around. When the Titans attacked the town square was in chaos, thanks to the incompetency of your fellow soldiers and the stampede, not all of us could evacuate safely."

'This wasn't how it turned out the first time around...' Floch thought to himself, his eyes suddenly catching the sight of someone familiar.

His eyes widened seeing a blonde girl crying in the corner of the basement with her knees hugged against her chest, he walked between the people sitting around him until he made his way to her. He kneeled in front of the girl and introduced himself, he had to confirm his suspicion.

"Hello there, what's your name?"

The crying girl tilted her head back from her knees and stared up at him. "I-I'm L-Louise." She sobbed with a hiccup.

His face lit up in surprise. "Hello, Louise. My name's Floch, It's nice to meet you, what's wrong?"

Her face scrunched with grief, her cries intensifying. "Mama... She- She's..."

Floch's eyes softened, he pulled the young girl into a hug and patted her back as she bawled her eyes out.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'm gonna get you out of here safely. All of you."

He let go and ruffled her hair a little bit, before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her face clean. Admittedly it was strange seeing the contrast between this Louise and the one that had been part of his Yeagerist movement. He always appreciated the energy she brought to their ranks, and her devotion to their cause was a great bonus as well. But seeing that she had lost her mother in this new world, worried him immensely.

"Keep this handkerchief and take this," Floch said, pulling out the empty flintlock pistol. "It'll keep you safe from the Titans."

She sniffled and inspected the gun in her hands. "H-How is this going to keep me safe from them?" She asked in evident confusion.

"Dumb question, they'll take a good look at it and they'll realize you're under my protection, should be enough to make them second guess themselves." He grinned.

She blew air out of her nose and a weak smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Okay.."

"Good, I want you to stay strong for me, okay?"

The eleven-year-old nodded her head up and down in response.

He patted her on the head one last time before he stood up, turning to the rest of the people in the room. "Alright!"

He walked back up the stairs so that everyone could see him.

"Right now, I won't be able to help you evacuate to wall Rose." Protests suddenly filled the room. "However! I need to get further south to regroup with my comrades! They're currently fighting as we speak and they'll surely run out of supplies soon! I need you all to wait here until we can reorganize and come rescue you. Rest assured, unlike the rest of the military, I will not allow you to be left behind! All I ask is that you lay low and stay safe until help arrives!" He explained in a tone of authority that the people inside had no choice but to go along.

"Sir, what's your name?" Floch asked the man who brought him.

"Kurt, How can I help?"

"I'm Floch. Listen, our HQ is overrun with Titans from the inside, we'll have to regroup and retreat to deal with them first before we can come to help you."

"How much time will it take?"

"All in all, somewhere between one to two hours," Floch explained quietly.

"I see... do your best then." Kurt somberly spoke.

"Thanks, stay put. Keep the door shut and don't let anyone out of here until we come back."

With that settled, Floch left. Sending one last look over his shoulders towards the people who counted on him before the door closed. He made his way out into the streets and began to search for supplies scattered in the sea of corpses.


"I Led Us All To This Point. I Kept Moving Forward, Even If It Meant Killing So Many Of My Comrades. It's Time I Take Responsibility For That." - Hange Zoe 854 AD, during the rumbling.


12:09 PM

Jean sat in defeat on the rooftop, surrounded by the other trainees. He leaned back on his arms and observed the sky above, finding it fittingly compatible for the weather to be as awful as their current situation. He observed the masses around him and couldn't help but grit his teeth at his luck, his MP initiation ceremony would have been held in a few hours, had the colossal waited some more he'd have been out of this hell hole by now.

He frowned and leaned forward, his arms perched on his knees with his head hung low. Connie approached him from behind and walked in front of him.

"Jean! What the hell do we do now?"

"Absolutely nothing, they issued the retreat order but it's too late for us. Without much gas left... Yeah, good luck climbing the walls."

He brought his palm up to his head, eyes shaking with terror. "Nearly ran out of fuel just as they issued the retreat order too, our deaths are on those damn cowards in the supply team."

Connie frowned. "What happened to them?!"

"They're too terrified to move I guess, with all the Titans that are surrounding the place they're held up inside scared shitless. And the armory must be chock full of the little ones so even if we somehow deal with the ones on the outside we still can't get gas."

Connie's temper flared at his acceptance of their defeat. "Then we take a chance and fight them! It's all the same if we sit here and do nothing, and if we run we waste gas! Without our ODM gear, we are useless!" He spoke, tapping his nearly empty canisters by the end of his talk.

Jean's eyes rolled upwards to him, his mouth turned grim. "Look at you Connie, all fired up and determined, it's good to see you're no longer a blockhead. Take a look around, you think any of these people have it in them to throw their lives away like that?"

Connie's shoulder sagged, and his face fell. "So we're done for." He stated as fact.

Jean sighed and leaned back again. "What a stupid life this is."

"Hey! Someone's coming!" One of the cadets yelled.

The two of them turned to see a figure in the distance, soon enough they were able to recognize Floch from the hair. The redheaded boy descended onto the roof and observed his surroundings, finding that his classmates were worse for wear. He frowned as he walked past his demoralized comrades, from the distance, Annie, Reiner, and Betholdt were surprised to see that he survived the attack on the castle.

"What's the situation here?!" He shouted at them, but none replied.

"Dammit! Anyone answer!" He grits his teeth in anger.

Marco walked up to him. "It's bad, we're all nearly empty on gas. Our commanding officers have either fled or died, so we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, nobody knows what to do right now."

Floch nodded. "Alright, thanks, Marco."

"Do you have something planned?"

"Yes, help me get everyone's attention we need to get off these roofs." Floch answered, his face liting up with relief upon seeing his friends.

"Floch!" Gordon Shouted for him with Sandra, Hannah, and Franz in tow.

"Gordon, Sandra!" Floch said.

Gordon and Sandra immediately wrapped him in a hug as the boy pulled them closer to him, he waved and smiled at Hannah and Franz from behind their shoulders before they separated. His eyes wandered between them all and noticed someone missing, his brows knitted in a frown.

"Always getting your face messed up huh?" Gordon laughed.

"Something like that."

"We were worried about you so much..." Sandra muttered.

"Likewise, I'm glad you're all okay. Where's Ruth anyway?"

None had answered, Floch froze in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry, Floch." She cried next to him.

Floch's lips momentarily quivered as his eyes moistened, but he took control of himself before his emotions could get the best of him. He gave a weak nod of acknowledgement before letting go of Sandra's hand, now was not a good time to grieve. He slowly walked passed all of them and made his way further ahead after spotting Armin as they all quietly followed, he still had many responsibilities so he couldn't allow this crushing weight on his shoulders to bring him down to his knees.

He stopped dead in his tracks upon noticing Mylius and Armin sitting a few feet away from each other, both drowning in depression.

"Hey, Armin."

Armin jerked his head up, Floch's voice pulled him out of his trance. "F-Floch!"

"Where's Eren?"

Something in the boy malfunctioned at the drop of Eren's name, he clutched his head and frantically yelled at the top of his lungs. Rocking back and forth in his spot while mumbling incoherently.

"He's dead, because of me."

Floch turned to look at Mylius, his patience running thin.

"What the fuck do you mean he's dead," Floch asked in denial, raising the boy by his collar.

"Thomas... He got caught by one of them, and Eren ran after it to kill it! I did as you told me years ago, I didn't want to risk the lives of everyone else, I let him go by himself and he died too, it's all my fault, it's my fault!" Mylius wailed.

Floch grimly stared at their pitiful states, ice filling veins as realization dawned on him. It was already over, Eren was gone. His gaze shifted towards the breached wall, what would be the point in fighting? The war was lost before it has even begun. Who knew where his Titan was now? He drowned out all of their noises and sunk deep into the pits of his mind, as he too fell into the clutches of despair.

"I realized that the hatred I felt wasn't really towards you, but at myself, you were everything I wanted to be, dependable, courageous, and generally someone who looks out for others."

"I'm gonna get you out of here safely. All of you."

"Armin, Mylius, get up, both of you."

The two boys were pulled out of their stupor and gazed up at him, he pulled Mylius all the way up before offering a hand to Armin. Floch turned around and saw that Mikasa was staring at them, her face buried deep in her scarf. It was clear enough that she overheard them from how lifeless her eyes looked. He looked around and took note of the few of the trainees who were following his every move.

"It'll be fine, snap out of it. Now's not the time, okay?" He said as he squeezed Armin's shoulder.

The shorter boy frantically nodded his head up and down though he didn't look entirely convinced. Floch climbed up to the top of the highest roof above where Armin stood as the rest of them watched with intrigue, once he gained a vantage point over the surrounding area he spoke to the gathered cadets.

"Alright! That's enough moping around! This area will be full of Titans soon!"

Those who haven't been paying attention now turned towards his direction, his voice echoing out to the neighboring rooftops.

"Seeing that our chain of command has been broken, I will be taking charge of the situation! I count thirty-seven of you here, myself included! Check your gas levels, we will be split into seven squads of five according to how much you have left in your tank, each squad should ideally have a balanced distribution of gas so that way, should someone run out, their squadmates will be able to help! Once we have that sorted we will retreat to HQ immediately!" He hollered

"That's suicide! That place is teeming with titans!"

"What the hell are we even fighting for?!"

More and more of them began to protest against him, each with their special excuse. He grits his teeth in frustration, visibly scowling at them, cowards all of them. Those who had been vocal about their concerns suddenly went silent, somewhat intimidated by the mix of his expressions and the bandages on his face. Floch calmed himself and relaxed his muscles, sighing along the way.

"I understand... Believe me, I do. You're all scared, and I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't as well. Our town's been breached, our people have been slaughtered right in front of us, it's all too much to bear. Our superiors have essentially tricked us into buying them time to escape and due to their incompetence there are still pockets of civilians trapped inside the city, to say that this situation is dire would be putting it lightly."

His gaze shifted from one person to the next as they began to listen to him intently, some of their faces twisted in despair at his last few words.

"T-then it's pointless... We're all going to die!" Nack cried out from the crowd, for a moment Floch imagined himself back at Shiganshina with Erwin and the rest.

"You're right, it's all pointless. No matter what you've dreamt of, no matter what you worked hard for or what kind of life you lead, all of it will mean nothing when you're out there being eaten by Titans, someway, somehow, all of us die."

The image of Erwin smith flashed in his mind, Floch clenched his fists as he spoke.

"But that doesn't make it pointless to fight! Why should we lay our weapons down and accept thing for what they are?! What would those devoured by the titans think? Have they given their lives for nought in this struggle, do you think their their deaths were pointless too?" He clenched his fist against his heart as he spoke.

Nack didn't know how to answer, Floch sliced the air in front of him with his hand and extended it to his side.

"They were not! No matter how terrified they were, they fought and gave their lives protecting our people! It is up to us the living to honor the memories of the fallen and act on their sacrifices! We push through impossible odds to find meaning in their deaths! We keep moving forward in the hopes that those who come after us do the same for us! That is the only way in which we can reject the cruelty of this world!"

Passion burned in his heart as he spoke, his eyes steeled with determination and features fierce with rage. Sandra and Gordon gaped at him in awe, inspiration rising by the second. A fire steadily burned in all of their chests as they clung to his every word, a light descended upon them in their darkest hour. Those who have protested before absorbed his speech like sponges, a sliver of courage working its way inside them as they gained a momentary respite from this bleak battle.

"We stand together offering our hearts and souls in this struggle and as we push forward through that hell, we do everything in our power to protect those who depend on us! Who else but us will stand up for the weak and the innocent? We shoulder this burden so that humanity may continue to prosper! And from the ashes of our sacrifice, the next generation follows to carry that mantle!"

Floch unsheathed his sword with his left hand and extended his right palm invitingly towards the masses.

"Because we in the one hundred and fourth will keep moving forward and fulfill our duty where the others have fled! So I'll ask you, Will you stand up and fight for what you believe in and put an end to this nightmare, or are you content in allowing this world to bend you to its will?!"

Floch was nearly out of breath by the time he concluded his speech, his intense gaze raked the unnervingly silent crowd of cadets, watching with a bated breath as tension mounted. He felt a rush of pride fill his chest as Sandra, Gordon, Hannah, and Franz were among those who stepped forward first, Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Marco followed right after, eventually, everyone on the roof was motivated to continue.

"We'll fight!" They shouted in unison.

Floch grinned down at them, he jumped down and walked forward until he was at the other end of the rooftop, he turned to all of them and spoke.

"Very well! Cadets of the one hundred and fourth, Dedicate your hearts!"

"Our hearts and souls to the cause!"

He turned around and looked back at the castle, a million thoughts rushing through his mind. His eyes wandered towards the warrior trio standing on an adjacent roof, all of them now focused on him. He removed his gaze and turned his attention to the others.

"Do as I've said earlier, organize yourselves and get ready to move out soon! Our first mission begins now!"

Eldia may have lost a devil, but unfortunately for them, there were no shortages of those on this island.

'Eren, you might be gone now. But I promise I'll stop at nothing to carry on your will.'

Mikasa stared out into the distance, lost in thought. Her heart ached for the loss of someone precious, life around her turning dull and meaningless. Black eyes reflect hints of sadness and grief. Eren was gone, the most precious person she had left in this world was gone and nothing could change that fact. What did she have left worth living for? Soon enough, she'll have nothing except a scarf that no longer held warmth in it. She frowned, one day his face will slip away from her memory.

She registered the footsteps coming up behind her, looking out of the corner of her eye to see the newcomer.

"Hey there, Mikasa." Floch said.

She didn't bother to reply, He stood by her side as his keen gaze scanned the breached gate.

"I can't tell you that I know what you're feeling, but I've gone through similar losses today. I considered Eren a great friend, I had nothing but respect for him so to see him gone like this is difficult for me too."

She studied his features from the side, before retracing her gaze back to the horizon. Seemingly uninterested in the nonsense he told to the rest.

"Though I am not nearly as blinded by grief as you are, I recognize that look in your eyes."

"Shut up, leave me alone." She replied coldly.

"No, I won't. I won't pretend that I know much about you but I do know that Eren loved you, more than anyone else here except for Armin." He said, her face lit up in surprise. "I also know that he worked hard to achieve his dream, and more importantly prove himself to you."

He tore his gaze away from the wall and turned to her grim-faced.

"You're good at controlling your emotions Mikasa, but you're not as subtle as you think. You're set on dying out there aren't you?"

Mikasa hadn't reacted, she continued to stare away into the distance expressionless though her eyes looked troubled.

"I won't speak for Eren on how stupid that would be, but I do know for a fact that he'll never forgive you for it. You're strong Mikasa, you might just be stronger than all of us here combined, if there's anyone who's capable of carrying on Eren's goals and dreams it would be you."

Mikasa frowned, wishing him to vanish.

"I know it's tough but we all have responsibilities now, these people's lives are in my hands as well as yours. Many depend on us, including Armin. For Eren's sake and theirs, please, do not give up just yet."

Mikasa looked down at her feet pensively, Floch left her with some parting words. "We move out soon, do what's right, Mikasa."

The girl turned around and watched him retreat to the grouped trainees at the center of the roof, she anchored her gaze on Armin who was still curled up against the wall. Her eyes softened upon seeing him in that state, with Floch's words fresh in her mind she made her way towards him.

"Armin."

The blonde boy flinched, slowly rolling his fretful eyes up to meet hers. Tears pricked his canthus' at the sight of her, his heartbeats quickening with anxiety, he was nowhere near ready to have this conversation with Mikasa. How did he even bring himself to look her in the face?

"M-Mikasa I'm so sorry... E-Eren was- It's all my fault If I could have been just fast eno-" He cried out.

Mikasa cut him off, kneeling down and firmly squeezing his shoulder, she gave him a reassuring smile, albeit a weak one. The two of them gazed deeply into each other's eyes, Armin's breath now caught in his throat.

"It's alright Armin, I don't blame you for what happened. It wasn't your fault, all I care about now is to make sure you're safe." She said.

The boy gaped at her, tears openly streaming down his face. "M-Mikasa!"

The girl pulled him into a hug and patted his back, he did his best to not sob on her shoulders but his emotions got the best of him. By the time he released all of his pent-up emotions Floch began to rally everyone around to move, the two separated and focused their attention on the newly appointed leader.

"Alright! Those of you who are still not in a squad hurry and find your team! Mikasa come over here, Armin too!"

Marco waved at them from next to Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie. "Mikasa, Armin. Our squad is one man short, join us!"

Armin nodded and stood by his side with Mikasa as everyone Now gathered in front of Floch and lined up shoulder to shoulder.

"Now that we're all set up, our current objective is simple! Squads one to five will be moving in a wedge formation with Mikasa spearheading the charge, The remaining two squads and I will guard the rear. Remember your training, only engage if you have to, and never do it by yourself! Conserve your fuel, no flashy moves, no heroics, your only goal is to survive! The rear squads will make sure to cover for anyone who runs out of gas along the way! Any questions?"

Jean stepped forward. "Yeah, what the hell do we do about the titans at HQ?"

Floch turned to him. "I've taken care of most of the titan surrounding HQ before arriving here, that gave the supply team a window to fortify the castle with canons, though the armory is full of them. I am unsure of how many are there now but there shouldn't be much resistance outside, if they deem it safe enough then expect canon support once we reach the castle." He said leaving most surprised at the information.

"You cleared HQ all by yourself?" Gordon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Irrelevant, anyone else?"

"You told us earlier that there were pockets of civilians left behind, are we doing anything about that?" Mina said.

Floch hummed. "Let's worry about that when we're at the castle first. Now, be ready to move! Mikasa, on your go!"

Mikasa nodded, she held Armin's hand and squeezed it one last time, before she set off for HQ. Armin watched her jump away and steeled his emotions, hardening his resolve for the upcoming battle as he mentally prepared himself.

"Squads one to five, GO!" He barked as they started following after the Ackerman.

Mylius, Gordon, Hannah, Nack, Mina, Sandra, Franz, and the three other remaining cadets watched the squads leave with bated breaths, waiting for Floch's order. A few shared looks with each other, while some closed their eyes to pray.

Eren, Ruth, Louise's mother, all the soldiers and civilians, their blood was on his hands. When this was all done, he would stop at nothing to make sure those three get what was coming their way. With Eren gone, all he could hope for now was for the Survey corps to arrive in time, with the help of the corporal and Mikasa they would still have a chance at taking on the warriors.

With that thought in mind, his voice echoed out once more.

"Squad six and seven, MOVE OUT!"

They'll all be avenged.


A few more titans entered through the hole in the gate and made their way into the town, slowly taking over the entirety of Trost as they searched for hosts to consume.

From underneath the debris of a nearby wreck next to the gate, a bloodied hand momentarily twitched.


Hello, you're at the finish line thanks for reading!