I wrote this in a different POV just to test it out
"So... You're still here"
Riley looked back behind him. His eyes landed on his deceased friend
"Sean..."
He had this dream more than once, it ends the same. Sean yells at him for not saving him, Riley breaks down then later wakes up. It's practically routine at this point but, this time he wants to break the routine and try to make peace with himself. Try.
"Why didn't you sa-"
"Because I couldn't" Riley snapped back at the 'ghost'. He turned his whole body and faced Sean "You died because you were an idiot... You died because you didn't listen to me"
Sean didn't respond and began to fade, this had been the first time Riley had actually replied to the 'ghost' instead of breaking down. Now the plain of darkness became silent. Not a single sound played.
Riley turned around and began to walk, he didn't know where he was heading but he walked, suddenly after what felt like an eternity, a familiar sound began to fill the plains. The sound of heavy footsteps... The sounds of running. The sound of a titan.
Riley turned around, his eyes widened at the sight of the Beast titan. It was smiling down at him.
The same smile that he had on when he killed Sean, the fear that he had in him disappeared and was replaced by anger. RAW anger.
"YOU DID THIS!" He yelled at it. The Beast continued to run, Riley's hands clenched into fists
"RAAAOOOOOOO!" Suddenly another titan appeared, running towards the beast. This titan seemed familiar, it had an exoskeleton that looked like it had been made of bones, its black hair covered its glowing eyes.
With a swift punch, the titan knocked the beast down and like Sean, the beast disappeared. Riley stared in shock at the titan that had defeated the beast. It turned its head to the side and looked at him.
No fear nor shock ran across him, it had felt like he knew this titan or he had met it.
The titan began to walk towards him.
Riley didn't want to run in fear. He stood in place and watched as the titan knelt before him. It's big grey eyes looked at him, as if waiting for something.
Those eyes... They were his?
"Y-you're me"
The titan then began to fade like Sean and the beast... Soon his dream began to fade.
For the first time in two months, Riley had changed the outcome of his routine dream
"Hey... HEY RILEY WAKE UP!"
Riley sat up, sweating.
"Hey you alright man?"
He looked up to see the two guys who had been with Eren on the mess hall porch. Nodding, Riley felt his head.
"Yea... Just... A nightmare"
The two guys looked at each other skeptically. The one with brown hair looked at me with a smirk
"Well whatever you say then... I'm Jean Kirstein by the way. That's Marco Bodt" He said pointing his thumb to a boy with black hair and a freckled face "We already know who you are, Mr. Renegade. You're the biggest trouble maker in the camp, even more than that idiot, Eren"
Riley didn't respond not knowing what to say.
"You should join us in the mess hall today, we'll save you a seat" he nodded to them as they left the room. Riley laid back down looking at the top bunk, mind racing with thoughts about his dream
'That titan... Was me'
After a couple minutes more of pondering, Riley got up and put his uniform on. As he was buckling his gear on, he froze looking at his left arm with wide eyes.
'What the fuck' Then he looked down at his right leg noticing that too was working like nothing had happened, like they didn't break 'What is going on'
Shaking his head, Riley buckled his belt and put on his boots. Afterward he stepped out.
Smelling the morning air, Riley looked down at his hands in fear
'What if... What if I was that titan'
Closing his eyes shut he thought of any logical explanations.
'NO that's not possible... It never will BE possible'
He began to walk towards the mess hall
'But who was the exoskeletal Titan, I had never seen it in before in my life'
Shaking his head once more, Riley pushed the thoughts back and filled them with more positive ones.
'Finally... Today I can train with the others, I've caught up'
He smiled to himself, he opened the mess hall doors and stepped inside. He looked around at the other cadets who were eating breakfast.
"Hey! Mr. Renegade, over here!" Riley turned his attention towards Marco who was waving at him. As Riley began to walk towards them, he was stopped when somebody grabbed his sleeve.
He looked down and saw Annie.
"Annie?"
She pulled him down, making him sit next to her. Riley looked around the table and noticed it had been empty.
"Don't sit with anyone?"
Riley turned to her and noticed she was looking at his left arm.
"I thought it had been broken..."
He pulled my arm away and looked away from her "Yea... I thought so too"
"And your leg?"
"They're both healed I don't know how but they're both healed... If you were worr-"
"I wasn't worried" Annie brushed a golden lock from her face
Riley looked at her a smirk beginning to form on his face "Is that so? Well... I'm pretty sure you were pretty worried yesterday that you began to pull my pants off"
Her face grew a very feint tint of pink "I was trying to help you..."
"Sure... 'Help'"
Noticing she began to grow pissed, Riley's smirk widened "I'm just teasing..."
He looked towards Jean and Marco, who looked back at him with a questioning look.
"Hey Annie, let's go sit with Jean and Marco... They're pretty nice guys" He said beginning to stand up
"No thanks"
"Come ooonnnn, it's not like they bite" Riley grabbed her hand and pulled her.
"What are yo-"
"Trust me" Annie glared at him before sighing
"Fine"
Riley smiled in victory "Well you look at that, two wins for me zero for you"
He dragged Annie towards Jean and Marco
"Guys this-"
"Annie, we know... Jeez Riley you're introducing us to people as if were new" Riley sheepishly smiled and rubbed his head
"Oh.. Right, sorry!"
Reiner, who had been sitting with the two looked at me
"So, you ARE Annie's boyfriend"
Riley looked at him with confusion while Annie glared daggers at him "What are you talking about?"
Reiner smirked and motioned at their hands. Riley looked down and noticed he was still holding her had, he quickly released it and grew red.
"Sorry! I th- Well I- You-"
"It's fine" She said as she sat down. He looked at her before smiling and sitting down next to her.
"Hey buddy!" Eren suddenly plopped down next to him followed by Mikasa.
"WHAT THE?! IS THE ENTIRE IDIOT SQUAD SITTING HERE!" Jean yelled with a fist in the air
"HEY YOU DON'T OWN THIS TABLE, YOU HORSE FACE!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU SUICIDAL BASTARD!"
Armin smiled at the two as he sat down next to Marco.
While the two argued another person sat down on the table, she held a hand out to Riley
"Sasha Blaus! Nice to meet you, are you going to eat your food?"
"My food?" He looked down to see a tray of bread and water "Uh? That's not mine"
"OH REALLY FINDERS KEEPERS!"
"WAIT SASHA THAT'S MY FOOD!"
A small bald guy yelled at her as Sasha took bites out of the bread
"DAMN YOU POTATO GIRL!" He sat down on the table and looked at Riley "Oh hey, it's you. Mr. Renegade, I'm Connie... Connie Springer. Every need help with the ladies I'm the man to talk to"
"Got it" Riley said chuckling
"Riley!"
Turning he saw Krista and another girl sit down on the table.
Jean noticed and directed his attention from Eren "WHAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS, WHY IS EVERYONE SITTING HERE NOW!"
"HEY DON'T YOU YELL AT HER LIKE THAT, HORSE FACE!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"
"Ymir! Stop it!"
Riley watched in amusement as more and more cadets began to sit on the table, when there was no more space, they sat around it.
"look what you did" He turned and looked at Annie who had a small grin on her face
Riley smirked "Hey I got to meet more people because of this table than I would in a day"
"I guess that's good"
"ATTENTION!"
Shadis walked in and looked at the group "What the hell is going on here?"
Jean stood up and pointed at Eren "HE DID THIS SIR! THAT LITTLE BRAT HAS BEEN CAUSING TROUBLE ALL WEEK!"
As soon as Jean stood up the table shifted, causing a piece of wood to impale itself in Riley's finger 'Ow, damn it Jean'
Eren stood up "ME! I HAVEN'T BEEN THE ONE-"
"ENOUGH!" Shadis looked beyond pissed "Both of you! 20 Laps now!"
Jean and Eren both saluted before rushing out the cabin both muttering curses.
"The rest of you, combat training today... Get to it"
As soon as he left, everyone began to clear out talk among themselves as they did so. Riley stayed behind and looked at his hands once again. The cut he just had was gone and was replaced by steam... He looked at it mortified
'Oh my god...'
He closed his fists 'No... No must've been... Must've been the steam from the hot food... It had to... This is the dumbest excuse ever'
Standing up, he closed his fists 'I can't be Titan... I just be can't be one it doesn't make any sense'
He walked out and headed towards the courtyard
'Out of all the things I've learned about Titans, I never read of someone turning into one'
"Spar with me" Mikasa approached him and got into a fighting stance, not really aware Riley got into a stance also
'Wait, what about the old stories of the people called the shifters of something like that. Weren't they humans that turned into titans'
As Mikasa threw a punch, he reflexively blocked it and backed away
'No those were just fairy tales to make kids go to bed... But it everything so clear to the point'
Mikasa tried to kick him but he quickly dodge it by sidestepping
'Titans have rapid healing, I have rapid healing, Titans emit steam, I just emitted steam... Am I really I Titan?'
Mikasa threw dodge left and threw a left hook, it connected to Riley's nose. As he fell, there was a familiar crack sound.
"Ow! Holy shit Mikasa!"
Mikasa watched as he gripped my nose "Is there something on your mind? You seem distracted"
"No... Right now I can't even think, you just broke my nose!" She helped him up
"Sorry"
Riley groaned "It's fine... Watch, next time we spar I'll get you back"
Graduation came fast. Unfortunately Riley didn't made the top ten or as he thought, though he didn't really try. It wasn't as if he was going to join the Military Police anyway. He strolled the dark street, he missed the ceremony but it didn't matter he knew he graduated.
He was now heading towards the rented cavern where the the others had been celebrating.
Once he approached the cavern, he saw someone run out then followed by two other figures.
Riley watched as their silhouettes disappeared in the dark
'Who was that?'
Stepping in, he saw that everyone had pondering faces on. It wasn't as loud as he had expected but it wasn't quiet either.
"Yo! Jean!"
Said man looked up "Riley! Where the fuck have you been! You missed the ceremony man!"
Riley walked towards Jean with a small smirk "Me... I was just hanging around, why?"
Jean looked irritated he slammed his hand on the table as he stood "CAUSE YOU WERE SIXTH IN THE TOP TEN CADETS!"
Riley closed his mouth in thought. Jean continued to talk "I was lucky enough to get your spot but come on man. I thought you cared about being a soldier"
"Eh... It's not like I'm going to be joining the MP"
Jean sighed and sat down "So you're joining the scouts?"
"Yea"
"Just like Eren"
Riley looked around "Speaking of Eren... Where's he at. Don't tell me that he was the one that walked out earlier"
Jean nodded "Yea... He made another speech then walked out"
"Is that so? Well then, I'll go see how he is"
Jean nodded "Right..."
Not that far from the tavern, he saw the trio watching the night sky.
"Hey... Look who it is"
They turned around and saw Riley walking towards them.
"Riley? You missed the-"
"Yea I missed the ceremony, I get it Armin" He huffed as he sat down
Armin smiled and turned back to the night sky.
Riley sighed "Moments like these, I just want to treasure. Then you realize, you're living in a world where we live in fear, a world where we never get promised tomorrow"
Eren closed his fists "Not for long..."
Riley looked at him as he continued "I'm going to get rid of all the Titans, so we can all rest easy... So we don't live in fear"
Laughing Riley patted Eren on the back "Not alone you're not. Remember the Shiganshina quartet"
Eren smiled "Yea... I have you guys"
" As practiced, you will now split into your squads and perform resupply, message relay, and Titan-clearing duties under the command of the Garrison Regiment! The Garrison Regiment's intercept squad will take the vanguard! "Vanguard" "Vanguard" "Middle Guard" The Cadets, led by the support squad, will take the middle guard! "Vanguard" "Middle Guard" "Vanguard" "Middle Guard" "Rearguard" And the Garrison Regiment's elite squads will take the rearguard! "Vanguard" "Middle Guard" "Rearguard" Additionally, I've received word that the advance team has been wiped out! The outer gate has been breached, and the Titans have been allowed inside! In other words, the Armored Titan could very well appear again and demolish the inner gate at any time!"
Riley looked around at the mortified faces of the cadets around him. The Colossal Titan reappeared again and kicked down the gates of Trost, the military fought back but it wasn't enough, titans began to pour in. All hell broke loose and everybody is on the verge of panicking.
"Quiet!"
"The vanguard is currently engaged with the enemy! This defense operation has but one objective: to defend Wall Rose until the citizens have finished evacuating! Also, as I'm sure you're well aware, desertion is punishable by death! Be prepared to lay down your lives! Dismissed!"
The cadets saluted "SIR!"
As soon as the speech was finished, everyone ran in panic to their assigned locations.
Riley walked towards Eren who got into an argument with Jean.
"Are you kidding me?" He yelled towards the both of them catching their attention "There are people dying out there trying to protect this city and you are both arguing! Jean we've spent 3 years training to defeat titans! Get a hold of yourself and do your duty, if you're not up for it, you should've never signed up for the military! Eren, you're with me. Get your shit and well meet up with the others"
Jean walked off while Eren and Mikasa followed Riley.
"Eren, we're in different squads!" I turned and watched as Mikasa started an argument with Eren. I rubbed my temples 'What the fuck is wrong with everyone today'
"If everything falls apart, call for me! I'll protect you!"
Eren got irritated "Who the hell do you thin-"
"Ackerman" Riley turned to see a squad leader approaching Eren and her "You're with me. You've been assigned to the rear guard"
"Sir! I'm only a cadet, I'll only slow everyone down"
"Were not looking for a self evaluation, we need all the elite soldiers we can get"
"Sir, with al-"
"HEY!"
Riley's eyes slightly widened, Eren headbutted Mikasa
"Were on the verge of extinction here, stop worrying about your selfish needs and pull yourself together!"
Mikasa looked down "You're right i'm sorry"
"Eren, wrap this up. Our squad's waiting"
As Eren started to walk, Mikasa grabbed his sleeve "Promise me... One thing. Please, whatever happens don't get yourself killed"
Eren looked at her in disbelief, he yanked his arm from her grip and began to walk towards Riley.
"Riley!" He turned towards Mikasa "Please.. Keep him safe!'
Riley looked at Eren who began to grow agitated then turned towards Mikasa "As his squad leader, I'll protect him along with the others, but as an individual it's Eren's duty to protect himself"
Eren gave Riley a thankful nod. Mikasa didn't respond and nodded.
Riley turned back towards Eren and began walking "We're behind schedule Eren, you should've dropped those arguments, every seconds counts in this situation"
"Right... I'm sorry"
Sighing, Riley deployed his ODM gear "Let's just get to the squad"
"Armin!" Eren shouted out as he landed on the roof with the rest of the squad, Riley landed behind him.
"Hey! You guys are late! Squad 21 had to take over for us"
Riley cursed silently.
Eren and Armin watched the city both nervous "Hey look at it this way, we get this done we'll rise through the ranks in no time"
"Now, now boys don't forget were here too"
"Yeah, don't think we're going to let you take all the credit"
"Yea are you kidding!"
"SQUAD 34! YOUR UP! THE VANGUARD NEEDS SUPPORT!"
They all turned to Riley
"Alright, no stupid actions and listen to every order! MOVE OUT!"
"Yes sir!"
The sound of ODM gear being deployed was heard throughout the air.
Riley scanned the are around him to make sure there wasn't any hidden titans the others didn't see
"ABNORMAL!"
Riley's eyes widened "HOLD!"
He landed on a roof soon followed by the others.
"Where's Thomas" Riley looked up to see half of Thomas's body in a titan's mouth.
Then it bit down.
Eren froze in shock, anger slowly filled him "YOU BASTARD"
He began to chase the titan. Riley cursed, "Wait Eren!"
It was too late, Eran was too angry "Damn it! After him and stay together!"
"Sir!"
They deployed their hooks and chased after Eren. They got close to but suddenly another abnormal appeared, bit his leg
"MAN DOWN!"
"EREN!"
"Oh god no!"
"CLEAR THE STREET ON THE ROOFS NOW!"
Armin and Riley both landed on a roof but Mina's line was tugged by a titan causing her to fall and slam against a wall
"Mina!"
Riley cursed and descended down, he quickly grabbed Mina then ascended back to the roof.
"Mina take your gear off, you're still connected to that hook"
"Yes sir" she said still in shock
"PLEASE NO! PLEASE NO!"
Riley and Armin turned to see both Mylius and Nac get devoured
"NO!" Riley yelled "Armin! GET EREN NOW!"
But Armin didn't move "ARMIN! NOW!"
He still didn't move. Mina and Armin were both too shocked, they couldn't move. Riley deployed his ODM gear to get Eren but was grabbed out of the air by a bearded titan. It placed Riley in its mouth, fighting to get out, It bit down on his blades rendering him defenseless.
"ARMIN! GET EREN!" Riley yelled as began slipping down into the titan's mouth.
"NO!" Riley's eyes grew wide in shock at Eren who had stopped the Titan from closing its mouth. Eren grabbed his hand and threw him out onto a nearby roof.
"Eren what the fuck are you doing!"
"RILEY!...PLEASE TAKE CARE... OF ARMIN AND MIKASA" Then his gaze fell on Armin "AND ARMIN... I PROMISE... I'LL SEE... I'LL SEE ALL THOSE THING IN THE OUTSIDE! I'll-"
The titan bit down.
"NOOOO OHH GOD NOOO AGHH NOO!" Riley recovered from shock and grabbed Armin then Mina.
Connie sat down on the roof "I can't believe this is happening... The Headquarters got overrunned. We've got no way to resupply"
"Where's Riley's Squad? They should've retreated by now" Krista says as she looked around.
"They might've gotten eaten... I didn't see them in the front" Reiner said
"HEY DON'T SAY THAT!" Jean yelled "They have to be okay... I mean they have two of our greatest cadets"
"MIKASA! WEREN'T YOU WITH THE REAR GUARD!"
They watched Mikasa land "Annie! I know this sounds selfish but have you seen Riley's squad?"
"I don't know... Some squads ma-"
"IT'S RILEY!" They all turned and saw Riley carrying two of his teammates.
He dropped onto the roof and dropped Armin and Mina, he stared at them with cold eyes
"Riley... Were's Eren?!"
Riley's face grew dark "Armin, Mina. I want you guys to stay here, I'm goin-"
"RILEY! WHERE'S EREN!" Mikasa grabbed him by the collar.
"he's dead"
Everyone grew quiet...
Riley pushed Mikasa back softly and took a breath "Armin... I want you and Mina to stay here, I'm going to take HQ back"
Riley looked at the others "I'm looking for any able soldiers to join me. I'm going to take that tower back"
"ARE YOU CRAZY! YOU'LL GET KILLED THERE'S TOO MANY!"
"Then I'll go with him... You're all cowards... ALL OF YOU! WHILE EVERYONE FIGHTS FOR THE CITY YOU'RE ALL HERE CRYING WHEN YOU COULD BE HELPING! YOU'VE SPENT THREE YEARS TRAINING FOR THIS! DON'T WASTE IT NOW!"
"But you'll die!"
"If I die, I die but if I win, i'll live and the only way to win is to fight!"
Riley looked at Annie and stretched out his hand "We could always use another skilled fighter"
She turned and looked at his eyes. Grief, Sadness, Anger, Guilt. All these emotions were boiling up. And she knew why.
"No..."
Riley put his hand down and turned "I understand... Mikasa"
She nodded to him, then they both deployed their hooks.
Riley watched as Mikasa passed him
'What the?' He looked at her back and noticed a massive amount of gas being exerted out of her gear 'Idiot...'
"HEY GUYS!" Jean caught up to the two "BACK UP IS HERE!"
Riley's eyes widened when he saw everyone trailing behind Jean. Annie caught up to him and glided next to him. He looked at her then looked back
"What happened to no?"
"I had a change of heart"
Riley looked back at her "Do you do that often?"
She closed her eyes "No"
Riley cracked a small smile then it quickly faded "Annie... If I die today, can yo-"
"Stop... I'm not going to do that and I don't want to be involved it that, you WILL survive" Riley looked at her surprised while she kept her gaze locked forward.
"MIKASA!"
Riley's attention snapped back to see the ebony haired girl fall
"NO ARMIN! I'VE GOT HER! EVERYONE KEEP GOING TO HQ!"
Riley separated with the group and moved towards his fallen comrade.
He landed next to her and saw the tears fall out of her eyes.
To make matters worse a 15 meter titan slowly approached them.
"Mikasa... Let's go" He tried to grab her but she refused accepting death. He watched as the 15 meter got closer
'Think Riley... Think' He closed his eye and breathed deep
"If I win, you live, If I lose, you die but if you don't fight you can't win!"
Riley lazily looked at his childhood friend "Eren what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about my resolve! My quote!"
Rolling his eyes Riley turned back and watched the cloud.
"That's not pretty bad Jaeger... Maybe I'll live with it too"
Eren smirked "Thanks Jaegar!"
"Mikasa... get up" Riley looked at his friend. He stood her up, it seemed like she wasn't paying attention and accepted death. Sighing he knelt down and began to replace Mikasa's tanks with his.
"Mikasa... I'm disappointed, you're breaking Eren's promise"
This caught her attention as she looked at him
"You promised him you'd fight, till the very end... Here you are wallowing in your own sorrow"
She looked at him in shock. Riley grabbed her by the shoulders
"Wake up Mikasa! You're still alive, you've got to keep fighting! For Armin, For me... FOR EREN!"
She rubbed her eyes "You're right"
Riley smiled "great, hey listen I replaced one of your tanks with mine. Head to the HQ I'll be right behind you... I gotta take care of this guy"
She nodded "Okay... You'd better come back"
Riley smirked "Are you serious?"
Mikasa sent him a small smile "Alright, I'll see you then"
When he saw that Mikasa was gone, Riley dropped his smile.
The truth was, he only had that one tank. Now he was left with a 15 meter.
"Come on ugly... End this"
It bent down to eye level with Riley, who began to charge with it with a his blades out
"this... THIS IS FOR EREN" Riley pushed the blade inside its mouth.
The titan remain still then suddenly felt the pain of his left arm being bit down. Then he felt nothing. He felt half his body inside the titans mouth.
Time slowed down as Riley closed his eyes.
'This is it...'
Then an image of Sean and his father popped up in his mind... Then the beast titan.
His eyes snapped open
"NO! NO! SEAN, EREN! I'LL FIGHT"
Lightning struck
"AND I'LL WIN!"
"Mikasa!" Armin yelled out as he watched his friend bust through the window "I'm glad you're safe! Where's Riley?"
Mikasa sat down, tired "He said he would be right behind me"
Armin looked at her tanks "Wait... I thought your ran out of gas?"
She looked at her gear "Yea.. Riley gave me a tank, he should still have one left"
Color from Armin's face drained, Jean watched as Armin's eyes began to form tears.
"Armin... What's wrong?"
Mina looked at Mikasa in shock and horror "Mikasa... Riley used up one of his tanks to get us to safety... He gave you his last one"
The room grew quiet. Jean hit the table "NO! THAT IDIOT! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE A HERO!" Marco placed his hand on his shoulder to comfort him
Reiner looked at Annie who was looking out the window.
"Annie...You didn't get close to him did you?"
She kept her gaze fixed on the world outside the building. Reiner looked down "I see... He died as a hero"
Suddenly a loud high pitched was heard, Reiner stood up "HIT THE DECK!"
The side wall of the building burst open, blowing away Jean. As the dust cleared his eyes widened. Two titans gazed at him in bloodlust.
They all watched as a fist suddenly knocked away both titans from view.
"What the!"
A titan, 15 meters tall with long black hair and tanned skin appeared. It roared at the titans, then suddenly another titan, a 17 meter with medium length hair, and exoskeleton armor appeared by its side.
They both began slaughtering the titans around them.
Riley growled at the titans around him
"Keep going Eren!" He roared once more before punching one nearing him, electricity danced around his arm as he retracted it. Then Eren came up from behind and punched a titan that had been trying to sneak up on Riley
Eren roared as more and more titans surrounded them
Riley growled with him as he began to run at them "I'm not going down.. Not YET! THIS IS FOR SEAN!"
Electricity crackled around his arm as he charged a punch, he punched the titan in the chest, penetrating it. He pulled out his arm and kicked down the titan then stomped on its nape.
Riley noticed that the cadets were on the roof watching the destruction. He saw a 15 meter approaching them, they must've not noticed/
He growled
His arm was once again engulfed with electricity as he charged his arm for another punch, the cadets looked at him shocked as he punched through the titans neck and ripped its head off. Another titan, 15 meter mounted the roof and reached...
"ANNIE! WATCH OUT!"
He hear Armin yell, Riley's eyes laid on the 15 meter and roared at it
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"
He grabbed the 15 meter off the roof then slammed it against the building. He began to repeatedly punch the titan until he had hit its nape. He turned his gaze up to Annie who had watched him in shock.
'She probably thinks I'm a monster' Riley let out a low grunt and looked back to Eren who was getting overwhelmed as more titans began to eat him, before he could move, his body had began to shut down.
"NO! I'M... I'M NOT DONE! EREN!"
He collapsed onto the floor.
Eren looked at Riley's fallen form and roared. Then he saw Him. Thomas's killer.
He roared, knocking off all the titans that were on him, he ran for the titan, with no arms he used his mouth and bit on its nape. He lifted it up into the air the slammed it against the last remaining titans.
He roared in victory then collapsed.
Steam from both the Rogue Titan and The Exo Titan started to form, Mikasa narrowed her eyes at the Rogue titan.
"No... It can't be"
Armin's eyes widened "It's... Eren and... Riley?"
They all looked down at the fallen titans and saw both Riley and Eren emerge from their respective titans. Mikasa stood up,
"Armin, get Riley, I'll get Eren"
Armin nodded and descended down on top of Riley's titan.
"I thought you were dead" He grabbed Riley, he struggled to lift him and was about to ask for help when Annie dropped down near him "Annie, I could use your help"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around Riley's chest. She felt his heart beat.
"Let's go" She deployed onto the roof and knelt on the ground still holding Riley. Armin dropped next to her and looked at Eren.
"How... How is this possible" He turned his gaze to Riley who Annie held tightly.
Reiner and Bertolt looked at each other then at Annie.
"So"
They turned to Jean who looked back at the carnage behind them
"Eren and Riley did all this?"
"You're all gonna die"
...Was that Eren?
Riley's eyes snapped open as he began to cough.
"Riley!" Jean ran up to him "Are you alright?"
"Get off me" Riley pushed Jean off
"Take it easy! He's just worried" Marco said helping his Jean
Events that happened began to play back in Riley's mind, he killed them all... He killed the titans. With Eren. The two people that wanted to kill all the titans were actually titans.
He began to laugh "ha...HA...AHA...HAHAHAHAHA"
Jean looked at Riley in horror. They all did.
"Riley?"
Riley looked at Krista with a crazed smile "Krista... CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS HAHAHAHA"
"ME... A TITAN! HAHAHA EREN AND ME ARE TITANS HAHAHAHAHAA"
Tears began to flow out of his eyes "Oh my god... MY SQUAD IS DEAD!"
"Snap out of it!"
Riley fell to the floor as the sound of a slap resonated.
Jean looked at Annie who stood over Riley.
Said man began to rub his head... "Where... Where am I?... WHERE'S EREN!"
Suddenly the sound of a cannon going off filled their ears
Reiner stood up and looked at the sky "What the hell? Was that cannon fire?"
Riley's eyes "Oh no"
He stood up quickly and deployed his hooks to the roof
"Wait damn it!" Jean yelled coming after him
Riley walked across the roof and saw the incomplete carcass of a titan. Jean landed next to him, followed by Reiner, Bertolt and Annie.
"I've got to help them" Riley jumped down and began to run towards the carcass
Many Garrison soldiers tried to stop him but he kept running,
"WAIT HOLD YOUR FIRE! THEIR FRIENDLY THEY ARE NOT THE ENEMY!" Riley stopped in front of the Garrison captain
"Sir, you need to call your troops off, they're friendly sir! Please!"
"FOOL! CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S IN A TITAN! HE IS THE ENEMY" He raised his arm in the air.
"You bastard" Riley ran towards Eren and raised his hand to his mouth.
"FIRE"
"NO!"
A sound of a canon erupted once again. Another carcass formed this time bones protruding from the titan protected them
Riley grunted as he slipped out of the titan
"Riley!" Armin ran up and helped him out. Mikasa and Eren both ran to them.
"I just bought more time... I hope you guys thought of something" Riley collapsed onto the ground exhausted. Eren looked at him in thanks.
"Yea we did... Armin's going to try and convince them, he's the smartest out of all of us"
Riley looked at Armin "Armin... As your squad leader I order you to save our assess"
He nodded and began to walk towards the exit of the steam.
"HALT!"
Riley fell back trying to stand. Eren kept him down,
"I know transforming took a lot out of you so rest up.." Eren looked down then returned his gaze "Riley... How long have you been a titan?"
Before he could answer, Armin's yelling was heard throughout the smoke
"They are not enemies of humanity! We're willing to disclose everything we've learned!" Armin said pleading
"Begging for your lives won't help you! They've revealed his true form for all to see! What more is there to say?! If you insist they're not our enemy, then show me proof! If you can't, then we'll simply eliminate the threat they pose!" The captain yelled back
"There's no need for proof! That's right There is no need! In fact, this isn't about what we perceive them to be! What?! I hear that countless people saw them! In which case, they surely saw them fighting Titans as well! And they must've seen the Titans swarming around them too! In other words, the Titans saw them as prey-just like they see us! That's an irrefutable fact, however hard you look at it"
Riley smirked "Hey... He's doing it"
"But they're still not convinced" Mikasa says. The steam were now gone. Their only cover gone and now all the hostile soldiers could see them.
"D-Damn it" Riley tried to stand only to fall back to his knees. He heard the clicks of the guns. "Armin... We're counting on you... Please just think of something"
The captain raised his hands. Riley stood up with fists clenched
"S-STOP!" He yelled but his cries fell to dead ears
Armin saluted and with all his voice, yelled his final cries
"AS A SOLDIER, I HAVE LONG SWORN TO GIVE MY HEART FOR THE RESTORATION OF HUMANKIND! NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME HAPPIER THAN TO DIE FOR THAT CAUSE! IF WE COMBINE BOTH OF THEIR TITAN ABILITIES WITH OUR OWN REMAINING MANPOWER, WE CAN RETAKE THIS CITY! FOR HUMANITY'S GLORY, IN WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE LEFT TO LIVE, I WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE THEIR STRATEGIC VALUE!"
Time stood still as the captain pondered.
"t-they have to believe us" Eren said
Riley looked at the captain with a scowl "If he can't see the benefit of having two titans in their side, then they're stupid"
The captain looked back at them and raised his hand.
"d-damn it all!" Riley raised his hand to his mouth ready to bite down.
"ENOUGH!"
The captain turned around "Commander Pyxis"
Pyxis walked past the captain
"Can you not see that soldier's splendid salute? I've only just arrived, but I've been filled in on the situation. You're in charge of the reinforcements now. Something tells me we ought to hear these people out"
Armin fell to the ground in relief. Riley did the same and fell to his knees
'That was too close'
"So visiting this cellar should clear everything up?"
"yes sir... I think so sir"
Pyxis turned around to face them "For the moment there is no way to validate your claims you've made. For now I'll just catalog them in here" He tapped his head then began walking towards the quartet "With that said, I can usually tell the difference between the sincere and those who aren't. Which is why i'll personally guarantee your safety"
They all breathed as sigh of relief. Then Pyxis's eyes fell onto Armin.
"You're cadet Armin Arlert, is that correct?"
Armin saluted "Yes, sir"
"You mentioned a planned to harness this so called titan ability, and utilize both of your friends power to seal that hole and retake the city. Do you think it could work or were you just grasping at straws to try and save your hides"
"Well" Armin gave the Commander a look of determination "Both Commander. I was going to suggest that Eren, using the strength of his titan could lift the boulder, if Eren fails then Riley could take over the job, both can't be near each other though. It'll attract too much titans. That was the best idea I could come up with to try and convince people that Eren and Riley aren't enemies... Granted I was also trying to survive"
Pyxis walked and knelt in front of Eren
"What do you say, Cadet Yeager? Can you both plug that hole up?"
Eren looked down "Maybe I can. Maybe I can't. I don't know. I don't feel I can risk giving an irresponsible answer"
"Ah, yes. My apologies I asked the wrong question" Pyxis looked at both Riley and Eren
"Are you willing to... Cadet Yeager?"
Eren looked at the land behind him. Riley did the same.
'We don't have much land left... If we don't take back Trost, then the titans will take Wall Rose' Riley grunted at the predicament
"I'll do it... I don't know If I can but I'll do it"
Pyxis then turned to Riley "And you?"
"I'll do it"
"Excellently said, you both have hearts of lions" He stood up and leaned over the walls "STAFF OFFICERS GET UP HERE WE HAVE A PLAN TO FLESH OUT!"
Riley looked at Trost and the titans roaming around it
"Titans aren't our only foe"
"Yea... He's right"
Armin looked at them curiously "What are you guys talking about?"
"Look alive soldiers"
They looked at Pyxis with his staff behind him "The fate of humanity rests on your hands"
"You two, follow me" He said pointing at Riley and Eren "You two, these are my two officers, discuss the plan with them"
"SIR!"
As the commander began to walk along the walls towards he glanced towards Riley
"Are you always this quiet?"
Eren turned to Riley "Yea, you've been awfully quiet. Is something on your mind?"
Riley closed his eyes "No... I'm fine"
Pyxis looked forward as well did Eren.
"I've seen that look before Cadet, trust me. Losing your squad is the hardest of all things to cope with especially because they were under your command and you feel responsible. I know how you feel, you blame yourself for their deaths"
Riley clenched his fists while Eren looked down "It was my fault... If I hadn't reacted the way I had, they would still be alive"
Riley sighed "Mina's still alive... We lost Mylius and Nac...You already know about Thomas"
Eren looked at Riley then back at the ground
"ATTENTION!"
The street filled with soldiers turned quiet.
"I will now explain to you the details of the Trost Recovery Operation! The objective of this operation is to seal the hole in the demolished gate! As for how we'll accomplish this, let me start by introducing this fellow! This is Eren Jaeger, a member of the Cadets!"
Eren steps up and salutes
"He is the successful result of our top-secret Titan transformation experiments! He is able to fabricate a Titan's body and control it at will! In Titan form, he will lift that giant rock near the front gate, carry it to the wrecked gate, and seal the hole! As for you, you're to defend him from the other Titans while he carries the rock!"
Pyxis then motioned at Riley "For Eren's back up, we have here another Cadet! Riley Jaegar! If Eren should fall, he will also assume Titan form and continue Eren's mission. Having two Titans close to each other will only attract other titans, so unfortunately we cannot deploy them both at once!"
As the information sunk in with the crowd, many began to doubt and revolt.
"By my order all who leave now are absolved of their crime! Those who've succumbed to the Titans' terror once before can never face them again! Anyone who has already experienced their horror may leave! And, those who want their family and loved ones to experience that same horror may leave as well!"
The soldiers who had previously wanted to leave began to turn around.
"Let me tell you why this wall cannot fall! Let's discuss four years ago! Namely, the operation to retake Wall Maria! I'm sure none of this needs saying! Calling it a "recovery operation" gave it a nice ring, but it was essentially a way to dispose of the unemployed masses that the government couldn't support! The reason no one has spoken out about it is because sending them outside is what has allowed us to survive inside these cramped walls! All of humanity-myself included-is guilty! Conflict never arose simply because Wall Maria's citizens were in the minority! But what about now?! If Wall Rose falls, humanity will lose much more than 20% of its population! Wall Sina wouldn't be able to support even half of the people still alive! If we humans go extinct, it won't be because we were eaten by Titans! It'll be because we killed ourselves off! We cannot afford to die any further inside. I kindly ask of you! Please die here! Please die so others can live!"
Riley's eyes went wide
'Armin's grandfather... Was killed because the government couldn't support them?'
After the short briefing, Pyxis approached Riley
"I have another mission for you"
Riley saluted
"I need you to lead a squad"
Riley froze "Sir..."
"This is an easy task... Like Eren's escorts, I'm going to need you to form a squad of 5. You'll be above the wall with the decoy squad but when the time does come for when Eren needs help, you'll be sent out"
Riley sighed "Understandable sir! I'll form my squad right now!"
Pyxis nodded as Riley ran off over the edge of the wall and jumped. He shot his hook, allowing him to slide down the wall. The metal began to spark up as he grinded down the wall
Eren watched him and smirked "Always gotta be badass huh Riley?".
Riley slowed his descent until he reached the ground. He began walking towards the center to see if he could find anyone from the training corps. Once reached the center he saw everyone from his training corps gathered. Then he saw one of his squad mates.
"Mina.." They turned to him
"RILEY! What's this mission all about do yo-"
Riley held up his hand at Connie "Shut the fuck up for one second" He turned his attention back towards Mina.
"Listen, I'm forming a squad of 5, I'm thinking Armin will join me so I only need 3 more members, 2 if you join"
Without any hesitation she nodded her head "Yes. Of course sir!"
Riley smiled "Thank you" then he looked up at the others. "Marco, I could use your enthusiasm wanna join?"
"Sure! I'll be glad to be of any help" Riley nodded
"Great. I just need one more member? Anyone willing?"
Jean stepped up "I'll go"
Riley raised a brow "I'll be leading Jean, I don't know if you can not-not be a leader"
Jean chuckled "Don't worry, I'll follow your orders"
Riley smiled "Hey If I die then you-"
"That's not funny..."
Riley chuckled awkwardly "Right... Anyway let's go"
They all deployed their hooks and made their way towards the top of the wall.
Riley sat on the edge of the wall, bored.
His squad was behind him conversing with the decoy squad.
He turned his head and looked at Armin conversing with someone then glanced at Jean and Marco who were arguing about something then at Mina who chatted with Annie. Riley turned back looking down at the city
'This time... This time no one will die'
"Hey, squad lead! Take it easy!"
Riley turned his head looking at Marco
"Marco, when you have the lives of 4 other people on your hands you get really focused and determined not to get them kill" Riley stood up and ran a hand through his hair.
Armin looked at him with a sad smile "Come on... You saved me and Mina that counts for something. And Eren isn't dead."
"Don't forget Mikasa!" Mina chimed in "I heard from Annie you gave her your last gas tank, I never thought you'd risk your life for someone else"
Riley scoffed "I compared myself to her and simply made a decision. She's more skilled and controlled than me"
Jean shook his head "Every life matters, skill doesn't have anything to do with it"
"Yea... If we were offered two of the worlds greatest warriors to replace you, we'd pick you over them" Marco said
"PLUS YOU'RE A FREAKING TITAN! I MEAN HOW COOL IS THAT!" Mina yelled
"It's more of a curse..." Riley said looking at his hands
Pyxis looked over at Riley, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a his canteen "Cadet...Need a drink?"
Riley looked over and sighed. He walked towards the commander and took the canteen. He took a small swig before recapping the canteen and handing it back to Pyxis.
"Thank you, sir"
Pyxis turned his gaze towards the city as did Riley.
"What is taking them so damn long"
"Patience cadet... If I didn't know better you want to go down there and fight"
Riley grunted "I do... I want to get this mission over and done with"
Pyxis glanced at Riley then back at the city "I have a question for you, Cadet"
"Go ahead, sir"
"If you were ordered to die, would you do it?"
Riley scoffed "It depends, what am I dying for?"
"That's a very good question, Cadet. Most soldiers here ask themselves that"
"Well... I'm not most soldiers am I, sir"
Pyxis chuckled "no you are not"
Then suddenly a bolt of electricity flashed across the sky and the roar of a titan could be heard
"Squad 25! Get ready, Eren has transformed!" Riley yelled then turned to Pyxis "Sir, if you don't mind. I'm going to join my squad"
"Go ahead, Cadet"
Riley walked over towards the others.
"You guys alright?"
"Yes sir!" They said in unison
"Are YOU alright sir?" Marco said. Riley took a seat next to him and sighed
"No... No I am not. Right now I wish I was back in our trainee days running my 200 laps"
Jean chuckled "You never finished those actually. Shadis just let you train with us even after you broke Annie's ribs"
Riley chuckled nervously "You guys heard of that?"
"Are you kidding? That was the talk of the camp, how you beat Annie up and injured her" Armin said way to cheerily that it was weird.
"I could've easily beat him into submission if I wanted"
He looked over and saw Annie sit near him. Riley looked at her curiously "What do you mean?! You did beat me to submission! Multiple times actually!"
Annie let a small smile fall on her face "Oh yeah"
Jean watched the interaction a gaping mouth while Mina giggled
Suddenly their fun was cut short when a red flare was shot into the air
"That's the signal" Quickly standing up Riley looked at his team "SQUAD 25 GEAR CHECK!"
"SIR!" They got into a line and check each others gear
"Position yourself and we'll deploy shortly, if you've got final goodbyes to say, say it now"
"SIR!"
Riley stood over the edge and looked at the mass of titans beginning to enter the city
"You should follow your own orders" He turned around and saw Annie looking down the city below
"What do you mean?" She sighed in annoyance
"Never mind"
Riley nodded awkwardly not really knowing what to say. He heard Mina groan in the back,
"You're so dense! She means for you to say goodbye to her!"
Riley looked at her then at Annie who avoided his gaze then down at the city
"No... I'm not saying goodbye" Then he turned and looked at Annie "I'm not saying goodbye because, I'll see you again soon. As cheesy as that sounds but it's the truth"
She looked at him for a few seconds before softly smiling.
"Holy shit... There's so many" He heard someone, he turned and saw that more and more titans began to enter the city
Riley looked over at his squad seeing their nervousness on their expression even if they did try to hide.
"25! LISTEN UP!"
It got their attention and some soldiers from the decoy squad
"We lost a lot of good people in Trost. Right now were at a battle that none of us were expecting but we were prepared! It's up to us to make sure those who have fallen and sacrificed themselves for humanity did not die in vain. It's our job to make sure this day does not mean nothing. Today we make this day known as humanity's first victory! Right now that red flare means, Eren failed. It means that the MISSION has failed. TO US IT MEANS GO! I CAN'T PROMISE YOU'LL MAKE IT OUT OF THIS ALIVE BUT I WILL TRY! I WILL TRY TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND I WILL TRY TO FIGHT WITH ALL I'VE GOT!"
Riley looked at each other faces, confidence slowly growing
"Now... Can I ask you to give me all YOU'VE got!"
"SIR! YES! SIR!"
"Outstanding. WE DEPLOY IN 10"
"10"
"9"
"KICKASS 25!"
"8"
"KICK SOME TITAN ASS"
"7"
"good luck soldiers"
"6"
"drinks on me when you guys get home!"
"5"
"4"
Annie looked over at Riley
"3"
"Come back safe"
"2"
"I will"
"1"
"I promise"
Riley pulled the trigger of his controller and propelled forward. So four more ODM gear sounded as the rest of his squad joined him.
'This is it... It's time to take back Trost'