This chapter has been rewritten/revised for improvement purposes. Story has been written unbeta'd. All mistakes are my OWN.
All credit to Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin goes to Hajime Isayama. I only OWN Alice Arlet (OC).
Those three years were worth remembering.
I somehow bonded with the cadets and grew closer with the kids. All three of them managed to be part of the Top 10 ranking within the 104th Cadet Corps of the Southern Division. I'm very proud of them.
"Congratulations to all of you." I said with pride. "Today is the last day as a cadet. You all worked hard to get this far. I'm very proud of you all." Keith didn't say anything. He just stood there and nodded his head in agreement.
Each of the cadets saluted towards the two of us.
"In a few days, you will all choose your desired branch to work under. You could either join the Scout Regiment, Garrison Regiment or Military Police, based on your ranking." Keith spoke up.
"It's all up to you. I thank you all for allowing me be your instructor. The real world starts now. Now is the time for all of you to make your decisions. Now is the time to be adults."
They all cheered in joy.
"You are all to be assigned to a squad and will work on responsibilities given. You are all dismissed to your work." Keith said with one final salute.
All the cadets parted ways as I happily approached the kids. I'm very proud of them. They've grown up to be soldiers now.
"We did it!" Armin shouted in joy. Hugging him was the first thing I did.
"Finally, these three years has passed by so fast" Eren said with his fist in the air.
"Yeah. I learned a lot from you Alice." Mikasa added.
"I'm very proud of you three." I said as I jumped and hugged Mikasa and Eren.
"I can't believe we're going to graduate as official soldiers of the military now." Armin said in disbelief.
I nodded my head in agreement and let out a cheesy smile. "Time sure passed by fast. You should all head to the military post and get your assignments.
"What about you?" Mikasa asked. "What are you going to do Alice?"
"I'm going back to the Survey headquarters. I got to go back to my job." I said with a smile.
"Does that mean you'll be going on those expeditions again?" Armin asked with a slight frown.
"Indeed I will." I frowned back. "I mentally prepared myself for when this time come. We're most likely going to go separate ways. We may not be able to see each other a lot either. Now it's time for you three to be adults."
"Don't worry Alice. We're soldiers remember? We're here to win!" Eren said with his usual confidence.
I couldn't help but to let out a wide grin. "That's my boy." I said, pulling the three of them into a group hug. "Don't do anything crazy alright? Be safe!"
With that, I left the group and headed towards Survey headquarters and went straight to Erwin's office. I knocked on the door and it was Captain Hange that answered.
"Oi! Alice! Good to see you!" Hange exclaimed in joy.
"Hi Hange!" I greeted her back with much enthusiasm.
"Oh? Alice is here." Erwin said, seemingly glad to see me.
"Yes Commander. The academy is officially over. I'm back at your services." I said with a smile.
"Very well. I assume you know about our upcoming expedition?" Erwin asked.
I nodded my head. "I was informed from Captain Levi sir."
"We will be leaving in an hour." Erwin said. "Our expedition today will be-"
"It'll be an expedition for my research!" Hange said, cutting off Commander Erwin with her excitement as she clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to study them! Oh I'm so intrigued to learn more about them!"
"O-Oh.."
I was startled from Hange's shouting. "Shall I ready myself Commander?"
"Yes you should Alice." He responded. "Gather your equipment and report to Levi immediately."
"Yes sir!"
It's been three years since I last went on an expedition. I am ready to get back out there and risk my life for the sake of humanity. I am ready to help reclaim Wall Maria and eliminate those titans!
"Alice! Are you ready yet!?" I heard Bozado yelling and knocking on my door.
"Coming!" I yelled as I put on my boots and opened the door to see my squad. Even Levi was there, leaning against the wall.
"Alice!" Petra squealed as she hugged me.
"Yeah. I'm ready for our next expedition." I said with confidence. I'm glad to be reunited with the gang. I'm ready go venture out as an Elite soldier once again.
Eld looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Be extra careful Alice. It's been a while since you went on an expedition. I wouldn't want you to die on my watch."
"Don't worry about her." Gunther spoke as he patted my shoulder. "Alice is a tough soldier. She is one of the strongest right?" He flashed me a grin while I smiled back.
My smile then turned to a frown. My chest suddenly felt tight, something feels weird. "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling in my chest."
"Hn." Levi grunted, leaning off against the wall and walked towards me. "Don't worry yourself too much. If anything happens, I'll be there."
I let out a soft smile from Levi's response. How caring of him. Looking at Petra, I see her winking at me from afar and a blush crept up my face. "T-Thank you Captain..."
"I'm sure that horse of yours miss you." Bozado said, trying not to bite his tongue.
"Artemis is going to be happy when she sees me." I smiled at the thought of seeing my horse. It's been so long since I took her out on an adventure. Let alone a dangerous adventure.
"It's time to go." Levi said as he leaned off the wall and started walking ahead.
We all responded in unison and made our way to the stables. As I predicted, Artemis was really happy to see me as the same on my end. "Time to save humanity Artemis."
"Before we head out, we will be leaving through Trost District, our offense squad will attack any titans that gets in the way and outside of Wall Rose. As always, we do this for the sake of humanity. Our lives are risked to ensure victory."
We all nodded our heads and saluted towards our Commander.
"Gather your horses. We leave now!" Erwin yelled.
Everyone hopped on their horses and we all awaited at our positions. Sitting on Artemis, I was alongside Petra while the others were ahead of us. Levi all the way in front of course.
"So Alice." Petra said my name deviously. I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. She pointed at Levi and then sent me a flirty wink. "Have you decided to tell him yet?"
I couldn't help but to blush in embarrassment. "N-No Petra!" I stuttered. "I mentioned that I didn't want to tell him!"
"Oh come on!" She pouted. "I really want to see the two of you get together. Even the guys think so."
I looked ahead and noticed the three men whistling to themselves, pretending not to hear our conversation. "The four of your are ridiculous." I said, shaking my head."
As soon as I finished speaking, the inner gates of Wall Rose opened. "MOVE OUT!" Erwin screamed as our horses neighed and we ride out.
"Yahhoooo!" Hange screamed as we officially made it out of Wall Rose and out into the open field.
"Oi! Hange." Levi called her name in annoyance. "You screaming like that will get us all killed."
"Sorry but I just love it that we're continuing on my research! I can't wait to see more titans" She said with a wide smile. I was shaking my head from Hange's craziness but then let out a light laugh.
From afar, Erwin raised his left arm and held them out. That was the signal to move into formation. We followed suit and immediately parted ways. I was placed in a three man squad with two soldiers, Hanz and Amira, who were new members of the Survey Corps. Based on the information I was given, they transferred to our unit from the Garrison. We are currently in the open field outside the walls so using our maneuvering devices was rendered useless.
"Let's go!" I shouted. Both of my squad mates responded in unison as we guide our horses across the grassy area.
As we ride through the open field, the only noise I heard were the galloping sounds of our horses. I could feel a nervous sweat rolling down the side of my cheek. Something doesn't feel right. Although we are in an open field outside of Wall Rose, there should've been titans around. Yet, they're absent.
Up ahead, there was a small village, abandoned since the fall of Maria. I pulled on Atermis's harness leash to slow her pace. Hanz and Amira followed suit as we eyed the area.
Even though this village was abandoned, my gut was twisting and turning. I could feel my chest tighten and hands getting cold. I don't like this feeling. Something seriously seems off.
"Something wrong?" Hanz asked, as if he knew that my mind was bothered.
"Yeah. Something doesn't seem right here." I answered with a low tone in my voice. "It's just a bit...off."
"What do you mean by that?" Amira asked.
I tapped my leg on Artemis and she stopped moving. I turned around and faced my two teammates. "I find it weird that our journey so far has been quiet. We were at an open field before and not a titan was in sight." I placed a finger to my chin and began to ponder. "If I think this is weird, I'm positive Commander Erwin is thinking the same."
Hanz and Amira exchanged looks and then stared at me with confused expressions. "What do you think this means?" They asked in unison.
"I don't really know. But we should be extra cautious. Be on the look out for anything suspicious."
With that, we moved on and continued our investigation. Some of these houses were in ruins while others were left untouched. I jumped out of Artemis and used my maneuver device to a rooftop. Let's see why some of these houses were left undamaged.
I entered some of these homes and didn't find anything worth investigating. If titans showed up around this village there should've been a gruesome scene. We would've seen blood...guts...dismembered body parts...but there's nothing.
After house hopping, I regrouped with Hanz and Amira. The two shook their heads, indicating that they had no luck as well.
"You're right Alice." Hanz spoke first. "Something does seem off. Everything in these houses seem untouched. Nothing is out of place."
"Just as I thought." I said, placing a finger to my chin once again. "Let's head back and report this to Commander Erwin."
As soon as I turned my back towards my two comrades, my eyes suddenly darted towards one of the homes in the far distance. My body froze at what I'm seeing.
There, I see a giant head with eyes just peeking at our direction.
TITAN!?
A titan can clearly be seen at the distance. It's head just sticking out, hiding behind one of the houses. It's eyes were blank but showed a hint of interest in us.
I could distinctly hear my two comrades gasping. They must've realized what it was I was staring at. This is bad. Really. REALLY bad.
Gripping onto Artemis's lead rope, I anxiously waited for the titan's next move. Maybe it'll continue to stay hidden which can give us a chance to escape the area and regroup with the others. If not, the only thing I could think of is to try and kill it since Hanz and Amira are inexperienced in facing titans.
"Alice!"
Amira shouted my name and my train of thought was interrupted at the sight of the titan suddenly running towards us. It's mouth open wide and drool escaping the corner of it's lips.
"SHIT! RUN!"
Using the rope, I lightly kicked Artemis and the three of us started running away with our horses. I could hear the titan letting out a groan and it's footsteps coming closer to us.
"What do we do Alice!?" Hanz shouted as we continued to run away from the terrifying titan.
I could feel my heart racing and my mind clouded with millions of thoughts. "We...We kill it!" Steering Artemis to the right, Hanz and Amira followed behind and we ran behind some houses to give us a little hiding spot away from the titan. I immediately whipped out my flare gun and fired a red signal to notify any nearby comrades.
We quickly hopped off our horses and stood against the cold wooden house. I took out my blades to prepare myself. Hearing the titan's footsteps getting lighter, I strongly believe it has lost sight of us.
I took a peek at my comrades and could see the fear in their eyes. I nodded my head towards them, reassuring them that everything will be alright.
Just then, I hear the footsteps approaching the very house we were hiding behind from. I slightly tilted my head to observe the titan. Through my observation, this titan is 10 meters with a jaw that looks like it'll break you in half in a split second.
A nervous sweat rolled down the side of my face as I held a strong grip on my blade. The only way we can get out of this village safely is if we kill it. Looking back at my comrades they were holding onto their blades as well, but their hands were shaking. Placing a finger to my lips, I used my other hand to direct them on how we were going to kill the titan. Once they understood my direction, I hopped off the wall and used my 3D mobility gear to stand on the rooftop.
"Hey ugly!" I shouted at it.
The titan turned and stared at me with hungry eyes. It's jaw opened wide and made a loud snap, eager to eat me. It then proceed to flash a creepy grin that made me shiver. "I will not let you eat any one of us today!"
As it reached it's hand towards me, I dodged out of the way and ran up along it's arm. The titan's other hand tried to grab onto me but I shot a hook on it's cheek and reeled myself in before it can grab me. I kicked off from the titan's cheek and landed onto it's shoulder. There, I could see Hanz and Amira running back to their horses.
Taking in a deep breath, I took a leap of faith and glided my blades across the nape of the titan's neck. The titan then fell to the ground as I used my 3D gear and made my way to a safe location away from the fallen titan. Some of the titan's blood was on my hands and face as I smeared off some of it. "Told you I'm not letting you eat anyone today."
Just then, a faint cry was heard and I frantically searched for the sound. When I finally caught sight of my comrades, I was terrified at what I'm witnessing. Hanz and Amira were in the hands of two new titans!
Where did they come from!?
"HELP US!" Hanz cried out. "ALICE HELP US!"
"AAHHHHHH! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Amira shouted as the titan holding onto her broke her in half, thus killing her instantly.
"ALIIIIIICEE!" Hanz shouted my name once more as his torso was placed inside the titan's mouth and was bitten. Blood splattered all over the titan's body as I stood there in shock and horror.
"No..." I let go of my blades and dropped to my knees. Panic started swarming through my mind and I could feel myself hyperventilating.
I couldn't save them. I just stood here and watched them die. Now I'm all alone. I'm going to die now.
I am going to die...
With my shaking, trembling hands, I used my flare gun once again and fired a purple signal.
Once the two titans finished eating Hanz and Amira, they then made their way towards me. My body felt numb. I couldn't move at all. As the two titans stopped their movement, they both stood in front of me, same creepy smile as the jaw titan.
With my body still feeling numb, all I could do was look up and stare back at the titans. "Well. This is it Alice." I began whispering to myself. "This is the end."
I could feel my body being lifted in the air as one of the titan slowly brought me closer to its' face. It's blank, dead expression locked with my look of fear and helplessness.
My body began to squirm from the titan's tight grip as my lungs felt like they were getting crushed. Breathing became difficult suddenly as my eyes continue to lock onto the titan's face.
It's smile widened once again.
Slowly, my body was brought close to the titan's mouth. Feelings of fear continued to swarm through my mind and I kept hitting the titan's hand and tried to free myself.
"LET GO OF ME!" I shouted, knowing that no one was going to hear me. "NO! NO!" Tears began streaming down my face.
The titan's mouth opened wide and my body was halfway in.
"Goodbye cruel, beautiful world." I said my final words and waited for my demise.
-SWASH-
Sounds of blades slicing the nape of a titans neck can be heard and the titan's grip around me suddenly felt loose.
Once the grip was completely loose, I took a leap of faith and was falling towards the ground. My attention was suddenly caught by the sight of someone flying towards the other titan.
Before hitting the ground, I was swooped into someone's arms and brought to a safer area. I looked up to see who it was and it was none other than Commander Erwin Smith. "Erwin!?" I was really surprised to see him.
He gently placed me to the ground as I placed a hand to my chest to slow my breathing. I must look like a mess right now. I looked at my Commander once more and he placed his hands on my shoulders suddenly.
"Are you alright Alice!?"
I was startled by the concern in his voice. It wasn't like his usual stoic expression. "Y-Yes sir..." He then gripped onto my shoulders tighter, causing me to tense a bit more, and pulled me into a hug. This caused me to gasp in surprise and eyes to widen. "E-Erwin?"
"I'm so glad you're okay Alice."
"Is everything okay Commander?" I asked, still feeling confused about his sudden behavior.
After a long minute of silence and hugging, which I started feeling awkward about, Commander Erwin finally sighed in relief and let go of me. "My apologies for my behavior." Erwin finally spoke. "I'm not sure what got to me when I saw you in the hands of that titan."
A warm smiled crept up my face. How kind of Erwin to care for his friend. "No need to apologize Erwin. I'm just glad someone came to save me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
Erwin oddly returned the smile and I couldn't help but to chuckle at it. "I'm serious. I'm thankful Erwin."
"It's no problem. I'd do anything for you."
His response surprised me. It's something I would never hear Erwin say. It sort of gives me a vibe that Erwin may have special feelings for me.
Does Erwin have feelings for me? Or am I just being crazy since I had a near death experience?
My train of thought was interrupted with Artemis running back towards the two of us. She neighed in a frightened way. A reaction I would never see from her.
"Artemis!" I called out to my horse. "What's wrong girl? Don't worry. I'm here." I slowly walked up to her and stroked her nose. This got her to calm down slightly as she rubbed her head against mine, indicating that she was glad to see me. "I'm glad to see you too girl."
"I found her running around." Erwin spoke. "That was how I was able to save you on time."
"Good girl." I said to Artemis. I'm glad I trained her well to seek help whenever I'm in danger. "You'll get a good meal when we get back."
After stroking her nose one last time, I turned around and faced Erwin. There was something wrong. "Something wrong Commander?"
"We need to go back."
"Go back?"
"Yes."
"Why sir? Is our expedition completed?"
"No. There is a change of plan."
"Did something happen Commander?"
Erwin didn't respond immediately. Instead, he was silent and closed his eyes to brainstorm. "I believe something is happening back at Wall Rose."
My eyes widened at this. "Sir. I'm sure you see this too but...I found it strange during our expedition on the lack of titan sightings. I had this off feeling for a while."
Erwin nodded his head in agreement. "I had this feeling too Alice. I came to the conclusion that something is happening to Wall Rose. My gut instinct is telling me that we may be under attack and us leaving was the perfect opportunity for this attack."
"W-What? We must go Erwin!"
With that, the two of us hopped onto our horses and I followed Erwin to regroup with the others. Soon, I was with my comrades and Levi.
"Erwin." Levi spoke first as soon as we all regrouped together. "I heard reports of Wall Rose being under attack. Trost District."
That cold feeling I had earlier returned. My gut started twisting knots again and cold sweat rolled down my cheek. Bad feeling. BAD FEELING.
"We must head back immediately." Erwin commanded.
"YES SIR!" We all shouted in unison.