AN: Here is the next chapter! As compensation for the previous chapter that was short, I decided to make this thing long as hell. Thank you so much to those who reviewed. I didn't know I still had it in me. I hope y'all enjoy this!
CHAPTER III:
TITAN ATTACK AND A TRIBUNAL
Hours later, Cassandra woke up with the weirdest and most painful headache she has ever experienced. Not even the headaches that came whenever she crashed came close to this one. She realized she was in a soft bed somewhere but she had no idea where she was. The only thing that illuminated the room was a torch. Cassandra painfully sat up with a groan.
"Oh God. If I ever got myself in a situation akin to Corpse Party, I'm shooting myself." She decided. That game must've been 12 years before her time (that was only the remake, the original was released 26 years ago in her time), but she has a thing for vintage games (1). Cassandra perked up as she heard someone opening the door. She turned the face of her watch three times and pointed it at the door. When the door opened, a tall man with blonde hair entered. He seemed safe enough so Cassandra put her arm down.
"Good to see you're awake." He said but Cassandra stayed silent.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm Commander Irvin Smith of the Scouting Legion." The blonde man said.
"Where I come from, the other person usually introduces herself." The Commander quipped.
"Oh, I'm Cassandra Knight." She answered emotionlessly as she touched the bandage on her head. Irvin frowned at the girl; it was bad enough that the girl looked like Petra but for her to be talking like Levi? Hell is going to break loose if what he's suspecting is right. Not that he didn't want them reunited, but at how Levi would take it.
"Tell me then, Cassandra, do you know where you are? Or even how you got here?" He asked her.
"I-I do remember a portal. Black. Took me in all of a sudden."
"I see. Well, you're in the former Scouting Legion HQ in Wall Rose. The year is 866."
866? Did Cassandra hear him right? Or did she get a really bad head trauma that affected her hearing?
"I'm sorry but 866?" She asked and he nodded.
"Eight hundred-fucking-sixty-six? Son of a bitch, that thing took me back to the past!" She yelled.
'And she curses like Levi, too (2). Joy.' Irvin thought. Regardless, he cannot let the others know of his suspicions, but something tells him they're suspecting something too.
"Wait, past? What year are you from?" He asked.
"I'm from the year 2024! That's 2000 years from now." Cassandra answered. His face was enough to let her know that he didn't believe her.
"You don't believe me. Look at this, then." She said and Cassandra threw the phone that she had with her.
"Check the year stamp." Cassandra suggested. After a few minutes, Irvin walked past her.
"Come with me." He ordered. Cassandra followed him to the stables and they rode towards Trost. Erwin took the newcomer to the top of Wall Rose.
"Walk with me, Knight. So, how did you come by the portal?" The Commander asked her as they walked. Cassandra walked behind him with her arms crossed. It was almost 2 PM so it was very hot.
"Well, I left home."
"Why?"
She hesitated before answering.
"I was adopted. Parents died a couple of months back. I left the family, not because they treated me bad, it was actually the opposite. I left to find my real parents. Don't know why. Just felt like I had to. To get some answers; like why did they leave me or something? Anything." She answered. Irvin stopped and looked at her.
"You're adopted?"
"Yeah? Why? Is that so…weird?" She asked him. Irvin shook his head and continued walking.
"In your time, what's become of humanity? The Titans and the Walls?" Commander Irvin asked her. Cassandra had no idea what the Titans were but decided to indulge him.
"Humanity is…prosperous in my time. We don't have these things in my time. Or Titans, whatever they are in this time." Cassandra answered. The only titans she knew are from Mythology.
"It's strange, to be honest. That after 15 years, something like that would happen again." He said as he stopped walking. They both observed the people of Trost go about their daily activities.
"You mean…that wasn't the first time?" She asked him.
"No. 15 years ago, it happened. It took the daughter of one of my trusted men. Needless to say, he took it hard." He answered.
"That must've been painful." Cassandra said, suddenly remembering her parents. They continued walking until she spoke up.
"Excuse me, Commander, sir, but really; where are we? What is this place? I've never read about a place like this before."
"You're at The Walls."
"I kinda get that, but what are they in general? And what are the Titans?" She asked as she donned her aviator glasses. Cassandra was smart, yes, but she never really read too much books. She preferred to be playing her vintage games, going to Virtual Reality with her cousins or racing. Since she didn't read much, she obviously has no idea if this even existed or if she even read about it.
"Titans are these giant beings that eat humans for no apparent reason. They don't eat because of hunger. Just pointless eating. The Walls were made to keep them out. There are three of them; the one we're at is Wall Rose. There are several districts to each Wall. The Wall over there; past all those lands, is Wall Maria. It was breached by Titans 20 years ago, so some people here come from Wall Maria. Beyond Wall Rose is Wall Sina. We're working on retaking Wall Maria but progress has not been good."
"Let me guess; heavy casualties? Forced retreat? Too many men getting eaten by those Titans?"
"Yes, yes and yes." Irvin answered her. "You know, I can sense a lot of fighting spirit in you, kid. You could be an asset to us if you want."
"I don't even know how you fight those things and you think I can be an asset already." She said stoically. Just then, she saw a blonde haired girl running towards them. Cassandra immediately took the glasses off to get a better look at her.
"Whoa." She muttered, enchanted by the girl's beauty. Hell, she was willing to bet even girls go lesbian for her.
"She's a fucking Goddess." Cassandra muttered.
"Private Reiss (3), what is it?" Commander Irvin asked her.
"Sir, the Military Police are calling for a tribunal. Something to do with the anomaly." She answered. Cassandra was looking over the wall beside the blonde girl when she saw a weird crawling giant thing.
'This better not be a fucking spider.' She thought. It looked up at her and saw a human face.
"It's worse." She decided. "Uh…Commander, there's something down there."
All of a sudden, it looked at her and jump. Good thing for her reflexes, she was able to dodge it and accidentally pushed the girl down.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" She yelled.
"Get out of here, now!" The Commander told them. When they were able to stand up, the thing jumped again, entering the town. Other people were starting approach them.
"Wait, where's the blonde girl?" Cassandra asked herself. When she heard a yell, she saw the girl dangling over the side of the wall.
"My gear's jammed! Help!" She yelled. And she slipped. Cassandra turned her watch face two times. Praying it would work, she was able to summon ice. She was able to create a slide. All she would have to do is keep her focus and beat her to the ground. She slid down like she was snowboarding and when she saw the girl, she held her arms out. Cassandra caught the girl when she felt a spike of pain on her arms.
"How are you doing this?" She asked as they stopped.
"With great difficulty." Cassandra answered. They saw a bunch of people taking down the titan. She felt dizzy from the amount of ice she forced herself to summon.
"What is that?" She asked the girl.
"An Aberrant Titan. I'm Historia Reiss. Thanks for saving me." The blonde girl said.
"Cassandra Knight. You're welcome."
"How did you do that? With Magic?" The girl, Historia, asked her.
"Science. But I guess it's a little bit of both." Cassandra answered as she sat down on the ground, rubbing her eyes. She was starting to get sleepy. Her head wound wasn't helping either. Commander Irvin swooped down in front of them all of a sudden.
"Private Reiss, what does the Military Police know about the Anomaly?" Irvin asked her.
"They suspect she came from it, sir. They saw that metallic thing. A few Military Police members also saw Mikasa taking her back to the former Scouting Legion HQ, sir. They-they want her, sir, chained and bound. Just like Eren before her. And I doubt that thing wouldn't help her, sir. The Tribune would start in 2 hours, sir." Historia answered.
"Then we ride to Wall Sina, then." Irvin decided. "Cassandra, come with me."
They both went back to the horses they took from the stables and they rode to Wall Sina. They arrived there just in time for the tribune (4).
"Whatever you do, do not fight back. This would decide what the court would do to you. You could be killed by the Military Police if you do something unpleasant." Irvin told her. She nodded and two people from the Military Police took her. They cuffed her up and took her to the courtroom. Cassandra was surprised by how big the room is. They took her to the middle of the room.
"Kneel there."
She kneeled and they felt them put a bar behind her. The trial started and she barely paid any attention to the proceedings. She thought about the fact that she could be killed.
'This is why I hate politics. They see something they don't like, they immediately do something to silence them.' She thought.
"I would like to ask the person in question for her age." The old man, Dallis Zacklay, asked her.
"15, sir." Cassandra answered.
"15 or not, this girl could be a danger. She came from the anomaly didn't she?" The head of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, as she heard his name was, said. Something snapped in Cassandra when he said that.
"Enlighten me. I've only been here for – what – 6 hours? What the hell did I do that says I'm a danger? Fucking enlighten me then." Cassandra said.
"She summoned ice (5) from nowhere. I saw it with my own eyes!" Another man said. He didn't seem to have come from the Military Police but rather just a normal citizen.
"I'd like to weigh in on that. While it is true that Cassandra Knight summoned ice spontaneously, she did so to save a member of the Scouting Legion, Historia Reiss. Otherwise known as Christa Renz." Commander Irvin said. That caused uproar in the courtroom. Zacklay started banging on the table.
"Is Historia Reiss here?"
"Yes."
"Is it true that the girl saved you using ice?" Zacklay asked her.
"Yes, she did." Historia answered. Another uproar happened.
"Kill her! She came from that anomaly, right? Kill her now before she endangers us all!" Someone yelled.
"Sir, with all due respect! The girl could be an asset to the Scouting Legion! Put her in the training program and when she's done, let her come with us!" Commander Irvin said.
"Kill her now!" Another one yelled. Cassandra closed her ice and used her ice to make a sculpture of the Scouting Legion emblem. Everyone stood in awe.
"Still think I'm a danger, you fucking prick?" She asked Nile. He gave the order to point a rifle at her. She glared at the gun and a block of ice blocked the exit hole of the gun. When she was done, she felt a fist hit her.
'Jesus H. Christ. What the hell?' She questioned but she felt another hit in her face. A kick to her stomach and her face. She was forced back to the pole and she was punched again and again and again. She saw a black haired short guy hitting her. Cassandra spat out blood from her mouth. Her head was throbbing. She already had a head wound and now she's getting more. She just cannot catch a break, can she?
"Don't tell me? He's showing that only the Legion can control her? Just like what he did to Jaeger?" Cassandra heard someone say. Levi hit her again and again. The moment he saw the girl, he hated her. He hated how she looked like his wife. Hated the fact that she could possibly the daughter he failed to protect. Hated that the resemblance showed not only in her looks but the way she talked as well.
"Captain, stop! You'll kill her!" Levi heard Eren yell. When Levi stepped aside, Cassandra's control of her ice waned and the ice sculpture and the ice blocking the gun melted.
"Let the Legion have her. We can control her. It seems that that thing she's doing is heightened by her anger. But if we pacify her, she won't be a danger to anyone. But what she does; it could aid us in defeating the titans and maybe she could help us retake Wall Maria." Commander Irvin said. Zackley contemplated this for a while and he nodded.
"Very well. Cassandra Knight will go through the training program for three years. And then, immediately after that, she goes to the Scouting Legion. To the Spec Ops Squad, to be specific." Zackley decided. Cassandra passed out after that. But there was also a question she asked herself…
How did a mission to find her real parents brought her to a situation like this?
AN: You can see that the effort went away towards the end. I hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter. Like I promised it's long. It's 2 AM here in the Philippines. Going to bed but before that, here's what those numbers mean.
1 – Yes, Cassandra has a thing for vintage games. Super Mario, the first Final Fantasy games, Legend of Zelda and all that jazz. You name it, Cassandra Knight owns it and finished it.
2 – Alright, while Cassandra looks like a green eyed Petra (we should all know she's their daughter by then and I have no idea what Levi's eye colour is but I think it's green), she acts and talks like Levi sometimes. She has Petra's social graces but when she cusses, she cusses like Levi.
3 – At this point, let's just say that Christa was already saved from Ymir and now goes by her real name.
4 – I have no idea how long it would take to ride from Wall Rose to Wall Sina.
5 – I have no idea if they've seen ice before but they have snow don't they?
Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter I served.