Trigger Warning: This chapter has graphic depictions of death featured within it. Reader discretion is advised.

In Shiganshina, Hunter and Levi were soaring through the city, taking down as many Titans as they could with the little resources that they had at their disposal. There had to be at least one dozen Titans in the city, with more pouring in with each passing second. Still, despite the odds being stacked against them, Hunter and Levi vowed to give as many people as they could a chance at survival.

"Levi, take the ones on the left while I take on the right!" Hunter ordered, "If either of us become overwhelmed, fall back immediately and fire a red flare! We'll regroup at the gate and wait for orders there! Understand?!"

"Yes, sir!" Levi called back, "Good luck, Hunter!"

Hunter nodded and then went his separate ways from Levi, hoping and praying he still had enough gas and blades left to take out at least a few Titans. Anything he did would help the people to escape from the hell they were currently in, as well as him. Still, he'd been trained for this and Hunter Stone wasn't about to back down from the challenge that had been presented to him.

Locking his hook into a nearby building, Hunter swung over towards one of the seven meter Titans and made easy work disposing of it. His blades sliced into the flesh of the nape with ease, slicing it off in mere seconds. With each hook and swing, he took down Titan after Titan, his skill and prowess showing with each kill he made. In a matter of minutes, at least ten Titans were on the ground, steaming as they slowly decayed in the streets.

Now on the roof of a nearby house, Hunter panted as he glanced up at the Titans, more still incoming despite the amount he had just slain. Sweat poured from his body in the setting sun, his exhaustion from the expedition earlier that day starting to catch up to him.

"I can't give up yet," Hunter muttered, standing tall once again, "Not now. My wife and daughter…they have to live on. And I..I need to do what I can to ensure the safety of the people. I REFUSE TO LET THIS BE MY DEATHBED!"

Launching his hook into the nearby tower of the government building, Hunter went in once again, ready to make another kill. However, before he could take the shot, a Titan managed to take a swing at him, breaking his wires with a resounding SNAP. As Hunter fell, all he could hear in that moment was silence. Silence from the absolute certainty that he was about to fall to his death. He scoffed, remembering what he had just said minutes prior. Talk about ironic karma.

From his position, Levi could only watch in horror as Hunter descended from the sky, his eyes wide and filled with fear. In spite of this, Levi raced over to Hunter, hoping and praying he would be able to make it to his mentor and commanding officer in time. A Titan tried to stop Levi in his tracks, but the young man swiftly killed the Titan and continued on his trajectory.

Unfortunately for Levi, his efforts had all been in vain, for Hunter bashed his head on the edge of the government building and slammed into a few more roofs before collapsing to the street below, motionless from the impacts he sustained. Levi was quick to make it to Hunter, whose head was now bleeding profusely on the cobblestones beneath him. Blood was also coming out of Hunter's nose and mouth, which was all Levi needed to know about the man in front of him. He was either dead or damn close to it.

Placing his hand in front of Hunter's mouth, Levi was shocked to feel the faint sensation of breath on his hand. Hunter was still alive! But Levi knew from the amount of blood around them that there was no possible way for Hunter to survive his injuries. Knowing what he had to do now, Levi hurriedly picked up Hunter and began heading back towards the inner gate, his heart beating a million miles a minute.

"Hold on, Hunter," Levi pleaded, "Just hold on until I can get you back to Ms. Sylvia. Don't you dare die on me before I do!"

"Everybody, please try to remain calm!" Sylvia urged as she directed the flock of fleeing refugees to the boats, "If you have any possessions, hand them to me, tell me your name, and they'll be returned to you in Trost! Remember, stay as calm as you possibly can!"

"And what about when the boats are filled?!" one crazed villager demanded, "What do we do then?!"

"Petra Ral of the Survey Corps is rounding up as many civilian carriages as she can so that we can continue the evacuation! She's being given assistance by the Garrison, so please, have some patience!"

"How can we be patient when those things are coming for us?! We're all going to die!"

Before Sylvia could respond to try and comfort the wailing citizens, a voice called out to her, "Sylvia, over here!"

She glanced up and saw Hannes waving at her, Eren and Mikasa in front of him with shell shocked expressions on their faces. Motioning to the citizens that she would be right back, Sylvia ran over to Hannes, her face becoming one of horror upon getting a better look at the three people in front of her.

"Hannes!" she cried out, halting just in front of the trio, "Are you all alright? Where's Carla?! Is she okay?!"

"We're fine," Hannes reassured, his voice shaking and tears falling from his eyes, "Carla…well, I…"

"A boulder fell on our house and crushed her legs," Eren meekly explained, his voice monotone, "We had to leave her behind."

Tears soon started to fall from Sylvia's eyes, which prompted her to pull Eren and Mikasa to her in a vain attempt to comfort them. While the children didn't respond to her embrace, Sylvia could feel that they were slightly more relaxed than they were seconds earlier. Once she pulled out of the hug, Sylvia's attention returned to Hannes, her eyes now full of determination.

"Get them on the boat as fast as you can," she ordered, "You have to make sure they survive this day, Hannes. Do you understand me?"

"Of course," Hannes replied, then glanced around for a second, "Where's Hunter? And Maria?"

"There's no time to answer that. Hurry!"

With one last nod, Hannes bagan leading Eren and Mikasa to the dock so they could board the boat that would take them to Trost. Sylvia watched them as they slowly grew smaller in view, pain clutching deep in her chest. Moments later, her feet acted freely and ran towards the docks, hoping to catch Eren and Mikasa before they got on the boat.

"Hannes, wait!" she called, hoping her cries would catch the man's attention.

Luckily for her, Hannes managed to hear her just as he was talking to another member of the Garrison to get Eren and Mikasa on board. He watched as Sylvia caught up to them and knelt in front of Eren and Mikasa, her hands on each of their shoulders.

"Eren, Mikasa, I need you to listen very carefully," she instructed, "Once we all get to Trost, either I'll find you or you two wait for me. When we've all been reunited, I'm taking you into my home, along with Armin and his family. I don't care what the circumstances are, we'll make them work. Do you understand me?"

All Eren could do was nod robotically while Mikasa inquired, "What about Maria?"

Sylvia's grip on the childrens' shoulders tightened as she answered, "I don't know. Hunter sent her off a while ago to make it to Trost before us. But we'll worry about that when the time comes, okay?"

Mikasa nodded, then was gently urged onto the boat with Eren, Sylvia standing up as they did. Sylvia then started to walk away to return to her post, but Hannes grabbed her arm instead. When she turned to face him, Sylvia could see that Hannes' eyes were filled with despair and searching for answers.

"Where's Hunter?" Hannes demanded.

Pulling Hannes' hand away, Sylvia responded, "He's back in Shiganshina with Levi trying to fend off some of the Titans. And, like I told the children, Maria was sent off right as everything started to fall apart. I don't even know if she's going to make it to Trost in time. All I do know is that I'm losing either my husband or my daughter today. Maybe I'll lose both of them."

Hannes grabbed Sylvia's shoulders and shouted, "Don't talk like that! Maria's going to be just fine and Hunter's gonna come back to you! Just wait and see!"

"Ms. Sylvia!" Levi's cry echoed, earning the two's attention.

Sylvia and Hannes' eyes widened in horror as they spotted Levi running towards them with Hunter on his back. Hunter's head and uniform was covered in blood, the man now as pale as death and unmoving.

"Hunter!" Sylvia screamed, rushing over to Levi as quickly as she could, Hannes following suit.

Petra, having heard Sylvia's cries, turned around and was equally as horrified to see Hunter's current state. As much as she wanted to go over to him and check up on him, she had a job to do and that would come first.

As if they could sense what Petra was thinking, the Garrison soldier with Petra said as they loaded people into the civilian carriages, "Go and check on Lieutenant Stone. We'll handle things here."

Smiling gratefully, Petra hurried over to Levi, Sylvia, and Hannes, watching as Sylvia helped Levi set Hunter down on the ground.

"Hunter, stay with me!" Sylvia pleaded, "Please, darling!"

"That looks like a nasty head wound," Hannes observed, "If the amount of blood isn't an indicator that he's done for, I don't know what is."

Petra came to a stop next to Levi and knelt down, grabbing onto his arm as a means to try and console him. She watched as Hunter struggled to breathe, his breaths shallow and swift. Hannes was right…it was almost a guarantee that Hunter was going to die.

Moments later, Hunter managed to open his eyes, his pupils dilated more than they normally would be. He glanced around at the people surrounding him, trying to make out the shapes from his continuously blurring vision.

"Syl…via?" he muttered before coughing up some blood.

"Don't talk, darling," Sylvia said, her voice cracking by the second, "We'll get you on a cart and take you back to Trost. You're going to be alright, Hunter."

"No, I won't." Coughing again, Hunter turned to Levi and resumed, "Levi,…please,...take care of Maria. She'll…need you now…more than ever."

Fighting back his own tears, Levi nodded and replied, "I'll protect her until the day I die, sir."

Hunter smiled weakly, his eyes moving to look at Petra, who was now crying, "And Petra…look after Levi. Like Maria…he's going to…need you."

Petra nodded as she sobbed, "I promise."

"Oh, Hunter, please stop talking!" Sylvia pleaded, "You need to save your strength!"

"My strength…is spent, dear," Hunter croaked, "This…is it…for me."

"Hunter, shut up, please!"

"You must…keep on living,...my love. Thank you…for all these years…of happiness. I only hope…you'll be able to…find happiness…after me."

Sylvia shook her head and cried, "Hunter, don't say goodbye! Please, don't say goodbye now! Not after all we've been through together!"

Using all the strength he could muster, Hunter raised his right hand to his chest and saluted the group, whispering, "Good luck…everyone. Shinzou wo…sasa…ge…yo."

With one last exhale, Hunter closed his eyes, his head falling to the left and his hand slipping down to rest on his torso. Petra immediately knew what this meant and embraced Levi, sobbing into his shoulder. Levi returned her gesture tightly, his own tears finally falling as he grabbed her jacket with an iron grip.

Sylvia rested her head on Hunter's chest and allowed her sorrow to flow from within her as she mourned her husband. Clutching his shirt, she let out wail after wail, unable to accept that she had lost Hunter in a matter of hours.

Hannes clutched his hands and looked away, shutting his eyes tightly as he, too, cried for Hunter's loss. The only thing he could think of at that moment was how Eren and Mikasa were going to take learning of his death, especially since they had just seen him hours earlier.

Well, the two children were as shocked as everyone else who witnessed the fall of the man everyone called "Humanity's Strongest Soldier". Eren could feel more tears falling as he watched the group cry and mourn Hunter's death from his place on the boat.

"Mr. Hunter?" he squeaked out, his voice ready to give at a moment's notice.

"Is he…really dead?" Mikasa asked, just as shocked as Eren.

"No, he can't be. He can't be!"

"He is, dear boy," Mr. Arlert said, walking over to them with Armin, "Humanity's lost a fine soldier today. No one will forget his final act to try and save us."

Eren shook his head, unable to even think of believing he had just lost both his mother and a dear friend he loved as an uncle. He had just been with him earlier that day. There was no way Hunter was dead! It just couldn't be true!

Mr. Arlert pulled Eren to him and held the boy close, Eren finally breaking and clinging to the older man as he sobbed into his torso. Armin and Mikasa also cried at the sight, both of them still trying to grasp all they had just witnessed in the last hour or two. Before long, the three friends were crying together as they held Armin's grandfather, Mr. Arlert doing all that he could to comfort them in their unimaginable grief.

Back with Sylvia and the others, Erwin had just arrived and spotted them, halting his horse a few feet from them and dismounting. As he approached, he could make out the sounds of Petra and Sylvia's cries, his heart falling at what he was now fearing. Except he was more scared to be proven right than wrong with every slow and painful step he took. When he finally made it to them, Erwin gleaned over to Hannes, hoping he could give him the answer he needed even though the sight of Sylvia crying on Hunter was all he really needed.

"We lost Lieutenant Stone," Hannes confirmed, more tears falling from his eyes.

Erwin's eyes soon filled with tears of his own, now mildly regretting wanting the confirmation he'd just received. Kneeling down on the right of Hunter's head, Erwin placed a hand over Hunter's eyes, allowing his grief to show through for just a moment. Yes, he'd mourned comrades before time and time again, but this time was different. Erwin had just lost a mentor and friend, like Levi did, and the pain was almost too much for him to bear.

"Goodbye, my friend," he said, feeling his tears slipping down his face.

After remaining in that position for a few seconds, Erwin stood up, not bothering to wipe his tears away. This earned Levi's attention, along with Petra and Sylvia's, who all looked up at him with puffy red eyes.

"We'll put Lieutenant Stone on a cart and bring him back to Trost," Erwin explained, "Once we're there, he'll be properly buried."

Sitting up, Sylvia asked, "Where's Commander Shadis? Shouldn't he be the one giving orders right now?"

Erwin's face steeled, "Shadis made me the new Commander of the Survey Corps."

Levi's eyes shot open, "What?"

"I know, Levi. Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are about this. For now, we need to work together and get as many people as we can to safety."

Turning to Petra, Erwin continued, "Petra, go and get a cart so we can take Lieutenant Stone home. Sylvia will ride with him, as well as any other casualties or injured we happen to find along the return route."

Seconds later, the sound of cannon fire alerted the group, prompting Hannes to go and see what the commotion was about. Erwin knew they didn't have much time, so he turned back to Petra and urged her on.

"Go, now!"

Petra nodded and got up to run and get a cart to them as quickly as possible. As she hurried to complete her task, Erwin took off his cloak and placed it over Hunter's body, hoping to shield it from any potential damage. Sylvia lent a helping hand while Levi went to go and help Petra, leaving Erwin alone with the now grieving widow.

"Will you be alright, Sylvia?" Erwin asked, genuinely concerned.

Sniffling, Sylvia answered, "In due time, Erwin. Telling Maria's going to be really hard."

"I think I saw her on the way back here. Did she have on Hunter's cloak?"

"Yes! Did you really see her?!"

"Then I did. I didn't have time to stop her, but she was heading towards Trost when I spotted her. Hopefully, she makes it back in one piece."

"I hope she does." Sitting on her legs, Sylvia tearfully added, "I don't think I could bear it if I lost my husband and only child on the same day."

Erwin reached out to place a comforting hand on Sylvia's shoulder, but halted at the last moment. No, this wasn't right. She had just lost her husband and here he was unintentionally trying to make a move on her. He really could be despicable when it came to his own heart, couldn't he?

Noticing Erwin's good intentions, Sylvia placed her hand on Erwin's shoulder, a solemn smile on her face. Seeing how thankful she was for his kindness eased Erwin's worries, allowing him to smile back.

"Hunter was one of the best men I ever knew," he said, glancing down at his deceased friend as Sylvia pulled her hand away, "Should Maria be allowed to join the Survey Corps, I know she'll keep his legacy alive tenfold."

"Well, once everything's settled down, I'll let her join the Training Corps," Sylvia announced, shocking Erwin, "Hunter gave his blessing before returning to Shiganshina."

Before Erwin could respond, a horse neighing gathered their attention and made them look behind Erwin. Sure enough, there were Petra and Levi with a cart, ready to load Hunter's body onto the stretcher inside. Erwin sighed and stood up, not looking forward to what he had to do next.

"Come on, Sylvia," he said, "Let's get Hunter on here, then we…"

Erwin couldn't finish his sentence, for the earth started shaking once again, which meant that Titans were fast approaching. But this time seemed different to him. It seemed like the thunder was consistent. Like the Titan was…running!

Wasting no time, Erwin picked up Hunter's body and placed him onto the cart, shouting to Levi and Petra, "We have to go NOW! Something's coming!"

Mere moments later, a Titan blew through Wall Maria's outer gate, sending more boulders flying into the air. Garrison soldiers went flying meters into the air, unable to begin comprehending what had just happened to them. Anyone who saw this Titan couldn't believe what they were seeing. Over the red muscles was thick, gold hardened skin that covered the majority of its body. From its face to its torso all the way down to its feet, the hardened skin covered all of it, save for the joints. Its piercing, glowing eyes added to the menace that was this Titan, further horrifying anyone who was unfortunate enough to get a glimpse of it.

From the now sailing boat, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Mr. Arlert couldn't believe what they had just bore witness to. Wall Maria had been broken through completely, which meant one thing and one thing only: Wall Maria had well and truly fallen to the power of the Titans.

Erwin, Levi, Petra, and Sylvia only stared in horror at the sight of the new Titan, Sylvia shaking her head in even more disbelief than she was able to process at that moment.

"Not the Armored Titan," she whispered, earning Erwin's clandestine attention, "How many of them have made it here?"

Despite the numerous questions he had for Sylvia, Erwin thought it best to put those questions aside and help Sylvia stand up. She did so with great reluctance and allowed herself to be hoisted onto the cart next to Hunter's body. Levi and Petra knelt next to her, doing all that they could to try and comfort her.

"We need to retreat as soon as possible," Erwin ordered, "However many people we've got on the carts is all we can save right now."

"But, all those people…" Petra stuttered, stupefied at Erwin's order.

"Trust me, Petra, I wish things were different. But Titans will be coming through that hole at any moment. The quicker we get everyone out of here, the better our chances of survival."

As much as Petra hated to admit it, Erwin was right. They had to get the survivors out of there before everyone got devoured by the impending influx of Titans. With a nod, she stood up and hopped back into the driver's seat of the cart, ready to leave at Erwin's command.

Erwin mounted his horse and said to Levi, "Stay in the back with Sylvia in case something goes awry."

Levi nodded, then heard the familiar snapping sound of the horse's reins. Seconds later, the cart jostled to life as it and the other carts full of survivors began the long, arduous journey back to Trost. His mood was solemn, as was everyone else's. His mentor was gone and his little sister was somewhere out there by herself, either dead or alive. All Levi could do was scoff at his luck. Life really was a bitch when it wanted to be, wasn't it?

As the sun set beyond the horizon, Maria continued to ride on, now currently in the Forest of Giant Trees. A once popular tourist site that she was sure would become overrun with Titans in the coming days. Her eyes scanned either side of the path, looking for the home her father had mentioned before he sent her off from Shiganshina. Maria then recalled her father talking about this place several years prior, during the same expedition that he lost his leg on.

"If you ever need to take shelter there, find the small dirt path in the middle of the woods," he'd explained, "Finding it will be easy from here. It may appear as a humble abandoned house, but I made an underground hideout that will protect anyone in case the Titans break through. It should have enough dried food there to keep someone alive for about a year. After that,...well…they'll have to make the ultimate choice to live or die."

Sure enough, Maria spotted the path of dirt her father had mentioned, the grass gone most likely from many walks along the trail to lead any future inhabitants of the home. Steering the horse down the path, Maria weaved through the abundance of trees and slowed the steed so that she could get a better look at the house she was about to encroach on. It was as dilapidated as one could expect, with dust and vegetation surrounding the place. Mortar was cracked in multiple places, revealing the brick underlayers beneath it. The roof was starting to fall apart, but was mostly intact and would hold up for the duration of Maria's stay.

Dismounting the horse, Maria led it to the house where she found a stable behind the structure. Tying the horse up, Maria patted its snout before heading inside to see if she could find some water and food to reward it with. Upon opening the door, she was met with a curtain of dust kicking up into her face, causing her to sneeze. Levi would've had a field day cleaning this place if he ever made it here, that was for sure.

Looking around the first room, it appeared to be a drawing room of some type and held many books, a writing desk, tables, couches, and peeling wallpaper. Maria paid this room no mind and went into the next, which was a kitchen type of room. Glancing at the multiple cupboards, she began opening them in search of some food for her horse. There were multiple bowls, plates, and glasses for her to use, which she was thankful for, but her eyes soon turned to the water pump that served as a faucet for a sink. Taking two of the bowls, she walked over to the faucet and began pumping to see if any water would come out of the fixture. After several minutes, brown water began to appear, giving Maria a little bit of hope. One more minute of pumping later and the water finally cleared up, which meant it was now drinkable for herself and the horse.

Maria rinsed out one of the bowls before filling it with water and setting it aside, still hoping to find some food for the horse. She entered a third and final room, which was a living room of sorts with only two couches on either side and a few knick knacks on some bookshelves. A hefty rug sat in the middle of the room, but Maria noticed a small ring of it was a little higher than the rest of the rug, piquing her curiosity. Pulling the rug up, she found a basement door underneath it, similar to the one in the Jaeger household.

"Maybe this is what Dad was talking about," Maria muttered to no one in particular.

Turning the handle a half rotation to the right, the door unlocked and opened, revealing a dark stairway underground. Maria cautiously entered it, noticing a lantern and a pack of matches on a small table at the base of the stairwell. She took one of the matches out and struck it, lighting the candle inside the lantern before shutting the small door to the device. Once the candle illuminated the room, Maria got a better look at her new underground sanctuary. It was made of walls of brick and mortar, shelves along said walls filled with a variety of things, from spare ODM parts and blades to books and pre-made meals. A small desk sat parallel to one of the walls, a quill and inkwell in the upper right corner and a central drawer just below the main writing area. A couple of chests sat up against another wall, which Maria assumed contained the spare ODM gear Hunter had mentioned.

"How many times did Dad come back to this place?" Maria pondered to herself, "It must've taken him years to make this."

Maria then spotted a note on the desk and walked over to the desk and opened it. The contents of the note were as follows:

To whoever finds this note,

I wish you the best of luck in surviving out here. There should be plenty for you to thrive on and some ODM gear for you to learn to use. Should you have a horse, there's some hay in the storehouse right next to the small stable at the back of the house. Remember, only you can decide whether to live or die.

Tears flooded Maria's eyes as the day's events came rushing back into her mind, clutching the note to her heart. Seconds later, she collapsed onto the floor, her tears falling and her voice crying out in anguish for her father, mother, and friends. Would she ever see them again? Was she going to die out here in the wilderness alone? Only time was going to tell for young Maria Stone.

It was a couple hours away from dawn when Erwin led the survivors of Shiganshina into Trost District, his face still as solemn as it was hours prior. His heart was aching now more than ever, because he and the others never once spotted Maria on the way to Trost, which made him fear the worst.

Turning back to glance at the carts behind him, he noticed Levi had taken over driving the cart with Sylvia, Petra, and Hunter's body. The former two were now asleep, both physically and mentally exhausted from the previous day's events. Glancing around, the same could be said for the dozens of survivors that had managed to secure their place on one of the three civilian carriages. They may have been packed in there like mackerels in a barrel, but at least they made it out of Shiganshina with their lives.

"Erwin!" a voice called out to him, earning his attention.

Right in front of him were Shadis and Nile Dok, the Commander of the Military Police regiment. Both men had a look of concern on their faces, coupled with some slight relief upon seeing Erwin's return. Bags were under their eyes as well, meaning they haven't gotten that much sleep in the past ten or so hours since Shiganshina fell. If Erwin were being honest, he could use a break himself, but that would have to wait for the time being.

Stopping his horse, Erwin dismounted it and walked over to his former commander and friend, asking, "Nile, what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were bringing survivors to Trost, so I wanted to make sure you arrived safely," Nile explained, embracing Erwin in a rare show of emotions, "That and I heard Hunter Stone had died. I need to see his body for myself to believe that."

Erwin pointed behind him to the cart where Levi was currently waking up Sylvia and Petra, "He's right there in that cart. My cloak is over him because Hunter gave his own to Maria. He sent her off before he passed away."

Nile's eyes widened even more, "Maria's missing?! Erwin, she's probably dead if she's still out there!"

"We don't have confirmation, Nile. I saw her alive before I made it to Shiganshina. She's probably in the Forest of Giant Trees taking shelter."

"That doesn't guarantee her survival, Erwin."

"Let's hurry and get Hunter's body to the mortuary," Shadis said, "He's probably already going through rigor mortis at this point."

"Yes, that would be best," Erwin agreed, then walked back to the cart where Hunter's body was.

At the cart itself, Sylvia was just waking up thanks to Levi, the latter currently picking Petra up because she was so tired that she wasn't waking up. Just as Levi stepped off of the cart with Petra, Erwin began to approach him.

"Levi, can you help me move Hunter's body to the mortuary?" Erwin requested, "He needs to be prepared for burial as soon as possible."

"I'll do it," Sylvia spoke up, surprising the two men, "He's my husband. Let me do this one last thing for him."

Even though Erwin was hesitant to agree, he eventually gave a nod of approval, relieving Sylvia. Levi watched as the two worked in tandem to take Hunter's body off of the cart, his own heart filled with despair over the events of the last ten hours.

Hunter had been Levi's mentor since he was brought up from the Underground the previous year. After his friends, Farlan Church and Isabel Magnolia, tragically died on their first and only expedition saving Maria, Hunter had taken it upon himself to continue training Levi. It was no secret they had become like brothers during that time, inseparable yet respectful towards one another. Levi had also heard the rumors that Hunter was going to retire (which the latter confirmed privately) and was going to name Levi as his successor. Regardless of if the latter bit of information was actually true, Levi soon felt a spark ignite within his heart and mind at the thought.

"Don't worry, Hunter," Levi silently vowed, "I'll carry on your legacy from hereon in. You always trained me for the day when you'd be killed and everything would be left in my hands. Well, now it's time to see if that training's paid off."

Light moaning brought Levi out of his thoughts, his attention now on an awakening Petra. Her eyes were opening slightly, the amber in them illuminating in the nearby torch's light, along with her porcelain skin. If Levi were being honest with himself, she was a rather cute girl. He'd thought that from the moment they met, but forced himself to keep those thoughts out of his mind. Petra was nine years younger than him, practically to the day. She'd be much better off with someone her own age, like that guy she was in the Training Corps with whose name he could never remember.

When Petra's eyes fully opened, she glanced up at Levi, confused as to why she suddenly felt weightless. It only took a couple of seconds before she realized Levi was holding her bridal style and blushed immediately.

"You can…put me down now," Petra stuttered, embarrassed by their current situation.

"Right," Levi said, setting Petra back down on her feet.

"Are we back in Trost?"

"Yeah. We just arrived a few minutes ago."

"Oh." Glancing around, Petra inquired, "Any sign of Maria?"

Levi shook his head, which prompted more tears to form in Petra's eyes. He knew she was beginning to fear the worst, so he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to gain her attention.

"Just because Maria isn't here doesn't automatically mean she's dead," Levi consoled, "Erwin's not ready to throw in that towel yet and neither should we."

Smiling an exhausted smile, Petra nodded, grateful for Levi's presence at that moment. Deep down, something told her that Levi wasn't going to be okay for some time, but it wasn't going to stop her from keeping her promise to Hunter.

"Don't worry, Levi," Petra thought to herself, "I'm going to stay by your side, even if you try and push me away. You're not going to go through this alone."

"Levi!" a woman's voice suddenly called out, gaining the pair's attention.

Petra and Levi walked around the cart to see who was calling out to Levi, Levi's eyes widening at who was fast approaching them. It was a woman who was in her mid forties with the same raven hair and blue-gray eyes as Levi, except her hair was in a well kept braid. Her navy blue dress appeared black in the pre-dawn light, but Levi was able to make out who this woman was immediately despite that.

"Mother," he called out, opening his arms out so his mother could embrace him, which he returned tightly.

Petra could only smile at the sight of Levi and his mother reuniting, but also felt a pang of jealousy in her heart. Her own mother passed away almost a decade ago, so she couldn't hug her like this whenever she returned home. Still, she was determined to be happy for Levi at this moment and nothing would change that.

When Levi's mother pulled away, she spotted Petra in her peripheral and turned to her, saying, "Levi, who's this?"

Clearing his throat, Levi answered, "Mother, this is my friend and comrade, Petra Ral. Petra, this is my mother, Kuchel Ackerman."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ackerman," Petra replied, holding her hand out for Kuchel to shake.

"Just Ms. Kuchel, please," Kuchel lightly corrected as she shook Petra's hand, "Using my surname makes me sound so old."

"You are getting up there in age, Mother," Levi mildly jested.

With a light smack to Levi's shoulder, Kuchel retorted, "Quiet, Levi, or you're not getting any danishes for a month."

Levi couldn't help but smile a little at his mother's "threat", but was still rather pleased with himself and his comment. It was here that Petra noticed Kuchel had multiple pieces of paper in her left hand, slightly crumpled up.

"Ms. Kuchel, what's that in your hand?" she questioned, pointing to the papers.

Kuchel then remembered the reason she had sought out Levi and held them out so Levi could take them from her and glance over its contents.

"The Military Police released a casualty list for Shiganshina," she explained, "I took one and was horrified to see Hunter's name on it. He was such a good man. Saved my life down there all those years ago."

Petra walked over to Levi, standing next to him as they read the list of the thousands that had perished in the Fall of Shiganshina. They spotted the names of a few soldiers from the Garrison that didn't make it, but none from the Survey Corps, which relieved them. Well, save for one. Because there, at the bottom of the second page, was written plain as day for all to read:

Hunter Stone, 37, Trost District. Status: Deceased

Maria Stone, 12, Trost District. Status: Missing/Unknown

Here's the second chapter! This went through a major re-write compared to what the original was and I'm very happy with how it's turned out. And yes, Kuchel Ackerman survived in this universe. That will be explained at a later time in the story, either in this season or in a later one. Hope everyone likes my take on her character.

Constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

"Attack on Titan" is owned by Hajime Isayama. The Stone family characters are my creations.