Life did survive. In fact, life had it pretty well off. Wall Maria was down, but the interior walls were fine. It couldn't sustain everyone, sadly, but for now it would work.

Within a few months, Operation Retake Maria happened. Most people who had fled inside were sent out on the suicide mission. Angel was not. His father was not. But his father still vanished.

Well, that's not quite true. His father, Harrison Blase returned to Angel after being gone for three days after the walls fell. The explanation he offered to the boy was that important business had called him away. Harrison said he was going away again, but that he had talked to an old friend of his for Angel to stay with. James Vikariot had lived in Wall Rose for all his life, in the Trost district. Angel was going to go live with him.

Harrison and James had met a few years back, due to some lucky circumstances. The two had become instant friends over a shared interest in boxing. James's father had been a semi famous boxer, and he was the man who inspired Harrison to really pursue his dreams. Harrison often trained with Mr. Vikariot, for Mr. Vikariot had studied underneath one the most famous boxer of the walls. Many techniques had been passed down to Mr. Vikariot, which were also passed down to Harrison. When Harrison was climbing through the ranks of the boxing league, he often managed to easily bring down most opponents due to his teaching.

If Harrison hadn't quit, the skills would've taken him all the way to the top. But, Harrison did quit. And so, now many of the skills had been passed onto Angel.

They were skills that Angel never saw much practical use in, but Harrison insisted one day he might need them. And Angel, loving his father and his odd antics, indulged him by learning. Harrison loved boxing. It was what had made up his life at one point, and often he hoped to pass on the thrill of the fight to his son.

Regardless, Harrison now entrusted his son's well being into the hands of James Vikariot. A few days after helping Angel get settled in, Harrison simply left one day. He gave no goodbye, nor no farewells. Angel was not upset at it. Although some days something would trouble him when he thought of his father, but he could never quite figure out what it was that bothered him.

And so that was how the boy came into the care of James Vikariot, and how Angel came to be introduced to a man who would influence him for the rest of his life. James was a peculiar person. He was very much like Angel's father, although a little lazier and not quite as successful when it came to romance. James was not married, in fact James had never had a relationship before with a girl or a man. Not that James really carried. His love was already placed in boxing.

And so, from the start, he liked Angel. The boy was not a boxer by heart but Harrison had instilled into him some of the old boxer values. And more importantly, Harrison had taught him very well. James never reached the same level of success Harrison did. He didn't have the same natural skill Harrison had wielded, and he did not master his father's techniques nearly as fast as Harrison did. For all of James's early adult life, he'd walked in the shadow of Harrison, yet with not hatred towards him. The man had amazed James, and James was beyond proud to be able to call Harrison not just a friend, but his best friend.

When Harrison had dropped boxing to marry, James had been outraged.

"How can you do this?" He yelled at Harrison when he heard the news, "You have the potential to surpass anyone and yet you're throwing it all away?"

Harrison shook his head, "I can't go on like this. Every day I walk away bruised and battered. I don't want to die early. And I don't want to leave her without a husband. We have a child on the way. What can of father would I be like I am now, James?"

Over the year, James had forgiven his friend for giving up boxing. When Harrison moved away to Shiganshina, which was not long after he married his girlfriend, James kept in touch early on. When either of the two were in the other's area, they'd stop by. Over time, they stopped talking due to distance and time constraints. When Harrison visited after Maria fell, it had been five years since they last saw each other.

James didn't care. He was just happy to have his friend around, and he was very happy to help Harrison by taking care of his son.

So James took care of Angel for some time. The two continued Harrison's training, although James was not much of a teacher, and from James Angel learned a number of lessons. He learned of dedication to what you choose to be. He learned that an iron resolve would make you a strong, and a weak one would ruin you. He learned that to be man meant standing up for yourself, and that the world often tried to push you down.

James became a hero in Angel's eyes. He was a good man, an honest man who was known by many and liked. He wasn't the best at anything, but James was certainly not the worst either and he worked harder than many.

And in Angel, James found somebody he thought had even more potential than Harrison. Even at an early age, the boy showed some natural talent and skill at the game, and so James hoped to groom the boy to become a force of nature that would certainly prove the greatest boxer of all time. He was ecstatic at the thought. Harrison had left his mission, but into James's hands he had delivered somebody who was even stronger, even better. It was like the stars had aligned and fortune smiled upon James.

Angel didn't make many friends during his days in Trost. His life became consumed by James's desire to push him to become something great. His mind, his being, his world was slowly turned to be entirely focused upon this goal which James had set him for him. Like his father before him, the thrill of battle exhilarated him. There was something about exercising his power which satisfied him to a great extent. Angel came to enjoy the vigorous training, but in due time he lost focus like his father before him. Another thought, another path, crept into his mind, and Angel began to stray from the wishes of James.

At 14 and a half, Angel was a very skilled fighter. He had defeated some adults in boxing matches, but in general most of them had been able to bring him down due to sheer strength in comparison. But the type of vicious combat that boxing involved contrasted strongly with the sense of honour Harrison had instilled into Angel during his early years. The loss of Maria, and the death and absence of his family began to turn him. Angel wanted to do something about that. His desire for personal glory, which James had tried to make his motivation, paled when placed against his desire to prevent others from having to live through the horrors he had.

Rage was an emotion his father had worked with him to overcome. It was a lesson the two had undertook when the boy was nine. Harrison had spent many hours imparting upon Angel total control of his emotions, through long training of refusing to feel them. But some anger would sneak through here and there. Angel's anger would combine with other emotions to turn to passion, and in due time some anger mixed with empathy, and so was born his wish to see the titans would never again do what they had done to him.

"Never again." He whispered on the eve of his 15th birthday. "Never again will they take another boy's family. Never again will they ruin another life like mine. Never again will they take from me those I care about."

And in the next morning, when him and James met for breakfast, although James tried to talk of mundane things to make conversation, Angel was silent, trying to find the moment to tell him. After a while, James decided he wanted to know what was going on, and he asked, "Ok, is something wrong today? You're awfully quiet."

Angel sighed, "I'm sorry, James, but..." James titled his head, inquiring. Angel took a deep breath, "I'm enlisting in the military."

James was quiet for a minute as well, closing his eyes and nodding. When he opened them again, he looked at Angel and smiled, "You really are your father, aren't you? Always gotta break my heart."