It was the final night before the operation. It was clear that nerves were in place as everyone showed signs of anxiety. Nobody was able to remain still as everyone was moving around and completing any last minute tasks.

It was in this moment that it has become evident that those who were away from home for a long time were eager to get back. Keith's squad had been gone for a few years and they were all excited to go back and see their loved ones again. It was the moment that they had all been waiting for. Although the moment was coming in an unfortunate way they were all still very grateful to make their return.

Cecil and Clyde were looking forwards to view Paradis for themselves. To them it was like a history book. A way for them to see what had become of the old kingdom. Clyde was more excited than Cecil claiming that the ways of Paradis were almost primitive in comparison to Rhea.

He wasn't wrong to claim that. The rulers of Paradis had sealed off the island from many things. These things included technological advances. Without interactions with other nations, Paradis was unable to grow and develop in the same way as the others.

Eleanora and her two children were eager to see Paradis as well. Eleanora of all people wanted to learn and see what became of the Sidonia Circus. Keith had Lucas had explained to her of those who were no longer living with them and the renaming and shaping of the circus. The grand Odyssey Circus was still something to hold close to the heart as it was the next generation of Sidonia.

Lucas and Lana had approached Keith as he was packing up some of the remaining items.

"Hey for old time sake, let's gather up for a photo," Lucas chimed with a smile.

Keith was bewildered by the request. It never came across his mind. He had grown so used to not taking or being in photos that it never really occurred to him to take a photo as a reminder of their time on Marley.

Sure enough Andy had set up an old stand up camera as everyone had gathered around. Keith looked around. What he saw were soldiers from two different nations, mercenaries and thieves, circus freaks, royals, and titans. They were a group of misfits, something Keith was not a stranger to, but to him, they were his friends. When he looked back at the smiling faces he felt warm and happy inside. It was moments like this that he wanted to cherish forever. He wasn't just a captain to most of them he was their comrade.

Keith, Lucas, and Lana decided to have the remainder of the night to themselves. They decided to head out to the local bar and have a few drinks. As they sat around the table they reminisced about the good old days. They're days from their childhood that they considered to be memorable and dear to their hearts.

"I remember you and I going off in secret to teach me how to properly throw knives," Lana said after taking a gulp of her drink.

"Yeah and you still suck at it," Keith said with a smile.

"Oh come on now, I am way better than I used to be and you know it."

"Alright, alright, but do you remember the time that you were practicing on the stage and Lucas had to help you with the lift but he missed the cue and you launched into nothing."

Everyone at the table laughed at the memory of Lana falling on the stage.

"Hey you seem to be holding your alcohol a little better," Lucas commented. He took a drink and continued, "I remember not that long ago you had your first drink at the bar and almost blew your cover."

Lana winced at the memory with smile.

"Yeah at that moment, you were doing somethings that made me question who you were," Keith added.

"Well, let's just say that I am a totally different person now," she replied raising her glass up in a toast like manner.

"We all are aren't we," Keith stated.

The table fell silent for a brief moment.

"We have been through hell and back. Everything you can imagine we have gone through it. It's crazy to think that this moment right here and now is the outcome of all of that," Keith continued.

"The last twenty years truly has been some kind of bumpy ride," Lana chimed.

"But hey, at least we got to go through the ride together," Lucas replied. He raised his glass, "There may have been darker moments, but it's moments like this that make me glad that I'm alive. Because if going through what he had to go through in order to get here meant being here with you guys. Then hell, I'd do it all over again."

"To us," Keith raised his glass and met Lucas'.

"To us," Lana joined.

The evening continued with memories and laughter. It had become true that over the last several years they had grown and changed into different people. Lucas was the castaway but was now the stable rock of their friendships. Lana was a timid emotional girl who had been traumatized drastically by her past, but now she is letting her emotions drive her and make her stronger. Keith, was the lone wolf who trusted no one, but now he was a father and loving friend. Each one of them had their moments of despair but it lead to these bitter sweet times.

It was the morning of the mission. Everyone was still wearing their sleepwear aside from Emilee as they gathered to review the mission that was at hand.

"Look at Miss Lieutenant! Do you even sleep?" Luca chimed jokingly.

She glared at him without a word which sparked him to laugh hysterically.

"Luca, be quiet and listen. This is a serious matter and you need to focus," Oscar stated sternly.

"Fine, fine."

"Everyone has eaten right? We shouldn't be preparing anything unless everyone has eaten."

Keith groaned, "Mia, everyone has eaten we are fine. Now can we get to the matters that are at hand?"

Everyone fell silent.

"Know what we are about to face is unlike anything we have faced before. Normally we are used to dealing with various criminals and outlaws. But today, this is a different outcome. We are facing soldiers. The very same type of people that are following direct orders just like we are. They probably have families that they would like to go home to as well. Don't let anything like that get to you. We understand what we must do in order to succeed."

"Death is bitter sweet. It can come in agonizing pain and suffering, or it can be swift and painless. One moment you will be there and the next you will be gone," Lana solemnly proclaimed. "As someone who has been at death's doorstep more than once, I can assure you that if I were to die. I would want it to be quick and simple. I don't think I can go through what I've gone through again."

The time had finally come and the stage was set for the final bow. Night had fallen as everyone was in their designated positions. Lana and Samuel were within the audience acting under their fake orders. There were foreign ambassadors that the two were supposed to guard. However, those ambassadors were ready for the moment just as much as everyone else in the battle.

News had begun to spread about the existence of Paradis which prompted very few allies to join. This moment was a moment of trust to fully solidify the relationship.

Cecil, Clyde, Eleonora and her children were stationed near the exit. Here they were prepared with various medical supplies to treat anybody's wounds. They would act as the military medical staff for the time being. This would allow Cecil and Clyde to use their abilities to protect the others as well as to be a final wall for any attackers. Lucas and Mia were part of a squad with Lana. They were seated not far behind her on the edge of their seats. Once everything was started the three of them would head along one side of the extraction route and ensure that it would be safe passage. The second squad on the opposite side would be made up of Luca, Emilee, and Keith within a building awaiting for the moment. In theory each group was designed to have at least one shifter among them for extra strength. With the two groups they would take down any soldiers that got in the way to allow the Survey Corps to safely maneuver with Eren in their midst. For now the Survey Corps remained scattered on the rooftops.

Keith lit a cigarette as they patiently waited for their signal. It was believed that Eren would literally burst out into the open and that was their time to make a move.

"Do you think it will work Captain?" Emilee asked.

Keith made a sound questioning her thoughts.

"Everything. Do you think that we will be successful?"

Luca began to laugh, "Is the big bad lieutenant beginning to have doubts?"

Emilee sharply turned and snarled at Luca.

"That's enough you too, let's focus," Keith proclaimed gazing out the window and readying the vertical maneuvering equipment strapped to him. "Besides, for the sake of our home, we will win."

Keith couldn't wait for everything to be over. He had a family to go back to and that was what he wanted more than anything. Once this mission was over he wanted to take a long break from everything. However, this was also the very moment where a war would be initiated.

He wondered if there would be another moment of peace in his near future. There was only hope for it. He needed to get through this in order to achieve that. It made him smile as it was something to look forward to. He wanted to make up for the time he had spent away from his family. The birthdays, the holidays, the good and the bad. He wanted to be a part of everything.

Keith turned to face the others and new that it wasn't just him.

Emilee was the eldest sister of three. Her youngest sister died during the event on Trost as did her father trying to protect the people as a Garrison soldier. After their deaths, she was determined more than ever to keep pursuing as a soldier and to be the best damn soldier she could possibly be. It was her family that made her stronger and focused. She was the best soldier that Keith could have ever asked for and worked with. He was glad to have someone like her by his side.

Oscar was a man of very few words. However, with what words he did say they were honest and true. He was like a father figure for most of them. His harsh exterior had proven to be a stern outlook. He was the one who managed to help Keith keep everyone in check along with Emilee. However, under the scars was a man with deep compassion for his friends in arms. He did not marry or have children so the squad essentially was his family. They were the ones that kept him going all these years.

Luca was the youngest out of all of them. He saw the action in Trost up close. He was the newest Garrison soldier and one of the few sent in that came back alive. He grew from that event. He didn't want to see anyone else die and to do that he wanted to become stronger. Every day he looked for a way to do that. He may be the most carefree out of all of them but his actions are true. He lifted everyone's spirits and kept them going.

The darling Mia was the softest one of them all. She grew up with her older brother on a small farm. When Wall Maria came down during her time as a fresh M.P they were the first ones handing out the food on their homestead. Mia had always come to learn that. She wanted to help as many people as she could. She wanted to do whatever she could to make sure of that. It meant making sure that her squad was healthy and never went hungry.

The squad was one Keith never really talked about often. Although they weren't mentioned to others, they meant the world to him. He picked them strictly based off of their stats provided by the Military Police Brigade, Garrison, and even Survey Corps. However, what he initially thought was going to be strictly a group of elite soldiers eventually became a part of Keith's life. He wanted nothing to happen to these guys and wanted to protect them as much as he could. They meant everything him. The best part was that he knew that the feeling was mutual.

Minutes ticked by as the show was going to come to a close. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Keith turned back for a brief moment to see the dark shadow that was looming behind him. Everyone was on their feet at the ready. There was pure anger in all of their eyes as they were determined to see through this mission.

A loud explosion could be heard as the glass from the window shattered due to the gust of wind. Without any command, everyone was already on the move. Their goal was to clear a path and to make sure that there was a safe retrieval. As they ran through the scared crowd, Keith slightly turned to see the titan. However it wasn't just the Attack Titan of Eren Yeager but another. The titan was unfamiliar to Keith but he concluded that this had to be the War Hammer titan.

Keith continued to run until he was capable of using the vertical maneuvering device. The second that he was in the air, he saw dark figures pass him. One of the figures he was able to catch a glimpse of. It was none other than Levi himself. A slight smile came over his face at the thought of the sheer force that Marley was about to deal with.

It wasn't long before they came in contact with the soldiers of Marley.

"We have company!" Luca shouted diving right into the action. He flew in with such force cutting the head off of the unsuspecting soldier. The soldiers proved to be little threat as the squad was able to take care of them without any trouble. However, the further they went down the route, the more aggressive the soldiers seemed to be.

It was one after another, they kept appearing. It was almost as if they were expecting them to be there. Bullets were flying through the air, but Keith was confident in their abilities. Their goal was to eradicate enemies and to establish a safe passageway. He knew that as of right now the secondary team must not have anyone in their path. As much as he regretted it he called out to Oscar.

"Oscar the flare!" he called out.

In that instance there was a high pitched whistle. A large explosive was fired striking Emilee who was ahead of everyone. Her body was lit up in bright flames as she crashed down below.

"EMILEE!" Keith shouted going after her.

It wasn't long before he was next. A bullet had hit a gas canister causing it to explode. He crashed down hard into the ground rolling a few feet in the process. The pain was severe but it was gradually softened with his healing. Steam had risen from his body as he forced himself up from the ground to brace himself for what was to come. Keith turned to see Oscar crashing not far from him. Thankfully he was still breathing.

Keith didn't hesitate for a moment to try and save him and made a dash for him. However, a bullet struck his leg and again in his back. Keith cried out in pain falling to his knees. He bore his teeth at his attacker who held the gun firmly in their hands. He turned back to see another soldier shooting their gun directly into Oscar's head.

Emilee was dead in the matter of seconds, Oscar was gone in the matter of seconds, and Luca was currently nowhere to be found. Keith essentially watched his entire squad die before his eyes. The very people he handpicked and had grown very fond of. A moment of dread came over him as he began to feel the black hole in his heart once more.

Blood was all that came to his mind. Their blood. Their blood was on his hands. They trusted him to protect them and he couldn't. They were dead, gone, no longer a part of this world. It was all because Keith had failed.

He tried to shake the thought out of his head and bring himself back to the battle at hand. Keith wondered why a bullet wasn't fired at him already. It was at this point that everyone around him had come to the realization that Keith was a shifter and therefore a valuable asset. There was a vast amount of steam emitting from his body as his wounds healed. This was not a good thing for Keith. Right now his biggest concern was to get out and to regroup with the others. His best chance was to grab one of the flare guns and hopefully make contact with them.

"Do whatever it takes to bring the shifter down!" he shouted making the order for all soldiers who were ready. "Save what you can!"

Bullets rained from the sky as Keith did all he could to protect himself. Each direct hit slowed his healing process as bits of his body were left exposed due to the lack of energy to bring forth a bone armor. Keith tried to shift the best that he could but was unable to due to the hits he had already received. This was like the time that he had fought Nicholas. Keith couldn't risk it anymore. He swiftly made a move and began to strike down as many people as he could get his hands on. He relied heavily on his titan abilities that heightened his eyesight as he could no longer rely on his regular vision without glasses.

Through the smell of gunpowder, he tried to lose himself and let his instincts take over. It was difficult for him to do be he had no other choice. With great pain he was capable of fending off his attackers. He was able to bring forth bone spikes and severed the dual swords from the vertical unit. With swift movements he brought down many of the soldiers. However, with each successful kill came more injuries. The more he tried to complete the mission, the more blood poured from his body. Thankfully with each approach of a solider the less likely Keith was to get hit with bullets. That meant that if Keith were to keep fighting with his swords he could initially avoid getting hit with guns.

Keith was in an extreme amount of pain but he tried to fight through it. It got the point where he was face to face with one soldier. Everyone else seemed to back down and allowed the two of them to confront each other. Keith was badly injured as his movements became more and more sluggish. It appeared that the soldier before him had to be some kind of elite soldier the way everyone had backed away.

Overall, Keith had successfully killed five and left three others injured. The downside was that there had to have been approximately twenty people left that surrounded him.

It was during this fight that Keith couldn't help but to feel that moment of dread. Thoughts of his family came to his mind. Lana, Robin, Sebastian. Everyone that he held so close and dear. He didn't want to let any of that go. A new feeling had come over him, it was one he hadn't felt in a very long time. This was the feeling of fear. He was scared of what the outcome of everything would be and that was what his drive to fight became.

As the fight continued a flare was fired. Keith as well as the attackers watched the flare for a brief moment. Keith was confused as Oscar was in charge of the flares for the squad. By Oscar's body was Luca with fear stricken across his face. Blood dripped from his head as he tried to fight back the tears. It was clear that he had also been struck down but managed to survive the initial fall. Bullets had begun to be aimed at Luca as he tried to duck in cover. Keith rammed his swords into his attacker and made a dash for Luca. Luca was the last one, the only one out of his squad still alive and Keith was determined to protect him.

As Luca crawled into alleyway Keith was met with another barrage of bullets. Another soldier had approached prompting Keith to unsheathe the daggers he kept in his sleeves. He fought off the new attacker with as much force and strength as he possible could. Blood got in his eyes preventing him from seeing even less than he already was able to. He could feel several bones in his body broken as blood spilled from various wounds. The ground in the area was covered with his blood as he continued to swing and fight. It was almost as if his own bone spikes did nothing to help him. They shattered and cracked with each hit. Keith essentially was growing weaker and weaker at each second as bullets continued to be fired at him.

Keith decided to resort to the gun he had and take out any of the gunman. He was able to swiftly dodge his attacker and fired. He continued to fire and landed three shots killing three more soldiers. The remaining bullets missed which scared Keith even more. He even lost faith in his ability the throw knives as he watched one leave his hand and miss.

He had to turn back to the soldier who charged at him with no weapons prompting Keith to pull out his third and last blade. Keith fought him off for as long as he could, trying hard not to pass out from blood loss and exhaustion. At this point he was just trying to stall for time until someone arrived.

It wasn't long before the attacker disarmed Keith and the bullets that were shot here and there stopped. One blade went flying off to the side as the second was in the hands of his enemy. Keith was trying his hardest to fight off the attacker with every last bit of strength that he had. He grabbed onto the blade causing it to tear into his skin but preventing it from going into his chest.

This was the moment that Keith knew. He couldn't help but to remember Robin's smiling face and Sebastian's laugh. The gentle memories of his family and friends were the only things that were on his mind.

He finally felt it. That sharp pain. That moment of true despair. The moment of the end. It felt like time had stopped. He could feel his bloodied hands still holding onto the blade, but they were brought right up to his chest, right where the pain was. In that moment Keith knew he had truly lost.

Something was able to catch his eye. He turned to see Lana with all of the color drained from her face. With the last bit of his strength he tried to make out one thing to say to her. It was one thing he had never told her before.

"I love you," he mumbled only audible to himself. The last thing he wanted was for her to end up in the same fate. He hoped that at least one of them would prevail and live to see Paradis break beyond the walls.

He felt a force being ripped away from him as the soldier removed the dagger from his chest. Every part of him was going limp and cold as he fell to the ground. For him this was it, this was the end.