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Ch.20- "Spark"

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It took three weeks for the first Titans to be spotted by the sentries atop Wall Rose, three weeks for the rusted chains of the gates to scream as they came crashing down for the first time in decades, three weeks for the canal gates to be locked and welded shut, for no one knew if Titans could swim, but none would take that chance… Three weeks for any survivors left in Wall Maria to be abandoned. Every day for those three weeks, the population of Trost swelled exponentially, and every day, there would be a new crop of haunted faces Erwin hadn't seen the day before that he would ask the same question to.

Have you seen a young woman, about this tall...

Every day, the streets grew more and more crowded as the warehouses and shelters overflowed and people had no choice but to take refuge in the alleyways… until they too overflowed and soon, carriages could no longer drive unimpeded.

…with darkly tanned skin and dark, curly hair…?

The air became thick with the stench of human waste and smoke and sick, and the older MPs he passed said this was exactly what it was like when the plagues first started, the sweating sickness and the bloody flux…

…she has one leg…

Many were put to work by the mayor, mostly keeping the streets clean of not only horse shit but human as well, picking up the garbage that collected around the makeshift neighborhoods of flimsy tents and lean-tos, but they were paid a pittance and every day, the prices for the most basic of goods rose more and more. Children tugged at his pant legs and sleeves with grubby hands, their faces dirty save for where tears had cut tracks through the filth. To think, a single Maria coin used to be enough to buy bread to feed a family of four for the day.

…no? You're certain? I see… thank you for your time…

Most days, he returned to headquarters once the sun set with his pockets no less than ten Marias lighter. All days, he returned with his heart heavier. Nights that had once been relatively peaceful were now broken by near constant shouting and screaming and arguing and crying. Erwin moved his scant belongings into his new quarters shortly before what remained of his legion returned, many of them looking just as shaken as the refugees.

Those whose families had lived in Wall Maria and could not be located or were confirmed dead wept openly as those whose loved ones were safely behind Wall Rose whispered about the state of the world they had returned to upon entering the city. Horace's hands shook as he revealed that Krolva had closed their gates a week ago, a week before the official order came from the Crown. His grandparents lived in a small village several kilometers north of Quinta, and had not reached the second wall in time.

"Bastards…" he spat, his teeth gritted tightly as he blinked rapidly. Erwin sat a cup of tea on the table before him, but remained silent, letting him speak in his time. "It's the merchant's guild… everyone's blaming the MPs, but the guild owns them, and the eastern Garrison is made of nothing but cowards… There weren't even sightings that far north yet…!"

" 'That far north'…?" Cecile's voice was little more than a whisper. "But… there were sightings that far east?"

"Cecile, now isn't the time-"

"No, it is. We're Scouts; this is our duty." He sniffled, wiping his upper lip with his sleeve. His eyes were still damp as he looked up at Erwin, but his face was still. "This is all conjecture I heard from the refugees that actually made it into the district, but they say that Quinta was overrun within a week."

"What?!"

"How is that possible!? Quinta is further from Shiganshina than Trost!"

"There are mountains between Shiganshina and Trost. I haven't heard anything from Holst, but since the Titans would have to cross the Darkwater Rush and Eastfolk River to get there, they probably had more time. Who knows- maybe Titans sink like stones?"

"That's unlikely," Hange mused darkly. "Their mass is far less than a human's that size would be. If anything, they probably float. That might be knowledge we need to know one day…" They gave Erwin a pointed look, but he was saved from having to scold them by Cecile, who gave them a sharp slap to the ear.

"This isn't the time, Hange. Act like a normal person for once." They had the decency to look ashamed, bowing their head.

"Sorry, Horace. I know this is hard for you, and you probably don't want to hear-"

"Don't be sorry; I agree with you. So many of the people who didn't make it into Wall Rose in time… they're probably dead by now. They were probably eaten, just like our comrades… because we couldn't stop those things. Because we're ignorant, and weak… and if we stay ignorant and weak, people are going to keep dying. We have to do something!" He met Erwin's gaze, and the expectation in those dark eyes made him feel queasy.

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do at the moment. We lack the manpower. Commander Pixis informed me that a few dozen members of the Garrison have requested to be transferred to the Survey Corps, but even then, we won't have even a hundred soldiers."

"Guess you're gonna have to come up with a new formation, then," Horace muttered, and Erwin sighed deeply, resting his head in his hand.

"I suppose I will. Pitiful though they were in the past, there's a chance our numbers may never swell that high again. Better to prepare for the worst…"

"…and hope for the best, right?" Hange added tentatively. He gave them an unamused frown.

"I said what I said. This is not the time for false hope- we need to be realistic." A tense silence filled the room.

"Um…" Cecile picked at a spot on her sleeve. "I didn't think to ask; did you… find anything out about Thomasin?"

"No."

"Do you want help looking?" Hange offered at once, and the others both nodded.

"Mike's back now; maybe he can sniff her out."

"I doubt even Mike would be able to pinpoint anything around here these days, and even if he could, I don't see him doing so willingly. You haven't forgotten the Underground, Cecile?"

"Well, no, but-"

"What's more, I will not have my soldiers wasting time running my personal errands." They all shared a pained look.

" 'Wasting time'…?" Horace shook his head. "You don't mean that…"

"I do. We all have duties that must be done. You are no longer members of my squad, and will have to begin putting together squads of your own. I trust your discretion, as well as that of Greta and Dietrich, to know which soldiers you would best be able to lead directly. Hange-"

"I wanna be in Cecile's squad." They looked over at Horace with a slight wince. "Sorry, Horace. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"You're kind of-"

"-not suited to keep this moron on a tight enough leash," Cecile answered for him. "No one is- this basket case even throws Levi off guard, but I'm ready to rise to the occasion." She turned to face Hange themselves. "I'm not going to baby you like Erwin does." They gaped indignantly.

"When does Erwin ever 'baby' me?!"

"All the time, just like he does with Tiny." She shot the commander a look. "Don't think we don't see when you play favorites."

"Wait," Horace said with a frown, "didn't you say he almost let Mike drown Levi in a puddle of sewage?"

"Yeah. Almost."

"Very well. When you step out of line, I'll ensure Mike drowns you properly."

"You see? You see how he plays favorites? Tiny gets off with a mouthful of shit water, but with me it's all, 'Cecile, don't punch out the midget', 'Cecile, don't steal from Commander Shadis', 'Cecile, I'll have you executed for your next infraction'…"

Hange snorted before turning their half laugh into a cough, and even Horace cracked a tiny grin. Erwin was grateful to her for lightening the mood even a little bit, but he could not bring himself to feel even the faintest levity. The others quickly picked up on this, their own fleeting ease gone at once. Hange was the first to speak.

"Are you alright, Erwin?"

You look… troubled…

Swallowing, he pushed his thoughts and feelings down until they no longer had a chance to show on his face.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry to cut this gathering short, but I need to sort through this list of potential transfers." True though it was, it was a sorry excuse anyone could easily see through. Thankfully, they did not challenge him, their sad excuses for sympathetic grins more pitying than anything.

"Yeah, we, uh… better start moving our things into our new quarters."

"Who's the unlucky one who got your old room?"

"It'd better be Mike; he's the one who broke the lock in the first place."

"No one. We have enough rooms that one can remain unoccupied for now."

"We'll see you at dinner, right?" When he didn't answer, Hange leaned over his desk, all but forcing him to meet their gaze. "Right, Erwin? Gih!" They choked as Cecile pulled them back by the collar.

"See? Babying. He's the commander now, Hange; we've got to learn to show him a modicum of respect- you especially."

"It's fine. As long as we're in private, there's no need for any of you to treat me any differently." Everything he knew had been ripped away, everything safe and comforting burned to ash. It was pathetic, but he yearned to cling to something, anything familiar. He forced himself to look up, to look human, to smile if only to reassure them that he wasn't lying, he was fine, at least in this one moment. "I'll be down. Save a place for me- we can at least share one final meal as a squad." He didn't sound very convincing to his own ears, but Hange's eyes lit up so quickly that it must have come across as sincere. Good. He needed his soldiers to believe him.

~o0o~

Robberies and assaults had been on the rise for weeks, apparently in all the districts, but if the Military Police were to be believed, the worst crime was centralized in Trost. It made sense- Shiganshina was the most populated of Wall Maria's districts, and Trost was the most heavily populated of Wall Rose's. So many people in such cramped conditions, with the cost of living inflating to unsustainable numbers… Humanity's quaint little cage had suddenly grown far less comfortable…

Perhaps it wouldn't have come as nearly as much of a surprise if Erwin had been paying attention to the world outside the headquarters, outside his new office, even. Five weeks after the fall, and he finally stopped pacing up and down each street. When Mike asked why the sudden change, he recited what Levi had told him- Thomasin knew where he was; she could come to him more easily than he could find her- but as the taller man's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed, Erwin knew there were still some people his lies wouldn't fool. Not yet. Of course, he had no definitive way of knowing if Mike could somehow smell the dishonesty on him, or if, after nearly a decade, he just knew him too well. If nothing else, he knew Erwin well enough not to press the matter.

The truth was too pathetic to admit aloud. He had grown so weary, so sick to his soul, of his heart jolting in his chest every time he saw dark, frizzy hair from a distance, or a farmer whose sunburnt skin was tanned enough to be a familiar dusky shade. The disappointment chipped away at him, little by little, until he could no longer bear to look upon the huddled masses, the pity in his heart burned away by disdain.

He stayed in his proverbial tower, death certificates filed, condolence letters sent out- though who could say when, or even if, they would reach their intended recipients- the already small list of would-be Garrison transfers narrowed down even further to only those who actually had the physicality to face Titans in the field… In a way, his life had reverted back to his earliest days in the Corps; sitting at a desk well after everyone else had gone to sleep, reading through worm-eaten texts in hopes of gleaning something useful, devising strategies, tossing them aside and starting over again, the faint scratching of his pen on paper never enough to drown out those horrible thoughts that clawed at his mind.

Two months passed since the fall of Wall Maria, and not once did anyone inform him that there was a woman with thick curls and a crutch and his heart in her palm asking to see him. The walls had ears and eyes, and the rumors that spread through them were never the whole truth… It was entirely possible- probable, even- that Thomasin had heard how bad the casualties were after the last expedition and assumed that, because he didn't contact her- when would there have been time, except for all the time there had been?- he had been listed amongst the dead? But… no, she wouldn't be satisfied with not knowing for certain. She'd spent six months writing him dozens of letters, fully convinced he was dead. She would come to the base just to have Mike or one of his squad mates confirm his death, of course she would… but she didn't.

The Garrison soldiers he'd approved came, not the bright-eyed cadets who usually stood in the mess hall, waiting to be assigned to their squads, but military veterans, several older than Erwin himself. Some were fighting against the apprehension that threatened to show on their face, while others had the same dull, haunted look of those who had been present when the wall was breached. Either they'd lost someone- or many someones- they cared about, or else, they wanted to do all they could to ensure they didn't lose those special someones. Their reasons did not matter to Erwin- all that mattered was that they would dedicate their hearts to humanity, and that they had come to terms with the fact that they were very likely to die. As they collectively beat their fists to their hearts, the commander felt a pang of bitterness.

It must have been a very self-satisfying feeling, to offer up one's life to protect someone they held dear.

The first Titans had reached the outer gate of Trost, tiny things, most no more than five meters, but their arrival all but assured that any unlucky souls still left within Wall Maria, no matter how lucky they had been until now, were dead. Perhaps there were a few holdouts, living in rural villages deep within the moutains, but with no more access to civilization, it would only take one emergency to ruin them all the same.

Erwin still gazed down at the front courtyard from his office window from time to time, scanning the thin, unhappy faces gathered there, waiting to feel that jolt in his chest, holding his breath to see if one of them approached the MPs still stationed at the gate, or even tried to push past them.

A month didn't used to seem like so long when he had something to look forward to- a letter not in the hand of Commander Pixis or the Premier; a home-cooked meal; a warm, sincere smile; a chance to be content with the world… It felt as it did after his father died. Time had stopped for him. The days still passed, the sun rose and set, all apart from him, leaving no impact on his life.

His days were a blur, making rounds through the barracks, keeping a finger on the pulse of his soldiers to ensure that no one was close to snapping from the stress just yet (that would come after they set out beyond the gate), making rounds through the sick bay to determine who could be rehabilitated and who would have to be discharged. His jaw tightened as Scouts with missing limbs and eyes and cracked skulls and spines bit back tears, and sometimes didn't. Some lived in Wall Maria and had no idea if their families were still alive. Some lived in Wall Rose and still had nowhere to return to- Erwin had never realized how many people joined the military simply because they had nowhere else to go. Many of the soldiers tensed when they saw him, asking if he was there to tell them to leave.

Unbidden, words floated to the top of his consciousness, words Thomasin had said to him… what felt like a lifetime ago… If anyone's a little bird, it's you, Erwin… You and the rest of the Survey Corps… You're stupid little things that don't realize how frail you are… Their cage had been broken open, and so many of their wings had been clipped. He was supposed to report ineligible soldiers to the Premier so they would be discharged and their service terminated… so they could be cast out into the streets and paid a pension that wouldn't have been enough to get by on before all the merchants and shops began gouging their prices to the point that even the coarsest bread had become a luxury.

"Do you have anywhere to go? Any family or friends you can stay with…?"

A fair few answered yes, even if they weren't sure how happy those family or friends would be to see them in their current state. Far more answered "no"- that was one of the reasons they came here. Erwin answered them all the same- if they wanted to leave, they could, and if they didn't… well, they already had rooms in the barracks, and those rooms weren't going to be filled by anyone else any time soon. Those who had already been teary eyed often wept harder, and those who hadn't still sometimes covered their face if an arm remained to them, to hide that small moment of weakness from him.

Perhaps Keith Shadis wanted to keep his injured Scouts on for as long as possible, too, and couldn't because back then, there had been more soldiers. Or perhaps a man whose expeditions hinged on throwing as many able-bodied men and women as possible at the enemy stopped caring about his canon fodder when it was no longer useful. Erwin hadn't asked and didn't care. The Survey Corps that had been handed to him was a fragile, weakly thing that barely fluttered with life. And as easy as it would have been to just wash his hands clean of all these problems and let it die, to do so would be to throw away the past twelve years. Even if there was nothing for him within the walls anymore, there was still something outside them to spur him down this tedious road.

~o0o~

Two more weeks passed before his thoughts were forcibly brought back within the walls. Erwin had no idea how late it was- late enough that even he had been asleep. For a while, he'd thought the crash that awoke him had been in his dream; he often had dreams where things broke loudly, the walls of his childhood home, the Walls themselves… No amount of blinking acclimatized his eyes to the darkness of his new room, but through the closed curtains, there had been a faint light, a warm glow that looked uncannily like the sunset. Surely he hadn't slept through a whole day? As his groggy mind cleared, he grew aware of the noises that were coming from outside, muffled by the stone walls.

Frowning, he cast the covers back, the air of early autumn not exactly chilly but cool enough that the wood under his bare feet woke him further. Stumbling to the window, Erwin threw the curtains open and felt his heart drop to his stomach. That glow wasn't the sun- it was fire. Torches- dozens, maybe hundreds of them, illuminating the courtyard below for the crowd ransacking their supplies. 'Why us? We have less than the- oh…'

His indignant thoughts were cut short as he cast his gaze higher, over the city where the streets were all aglow with the light of even more fires, an especially large blaze coming from the direction of the Military Police headquarters. If it were just food rations in those crates, he almost would have considered leaving them to their pillaging and going back to sleep, but several of those torches were heading deeper into the belly of the base, back towards the stables and wagons. There was no time to dress. He threw on his boots and a coat over his pajamas and rushed out of the room, nearly running into Horace.

"Erwin, did you see-?!"

"Yes, I saw it. Where are the other officers?"

"Mike's already heading down there, and I think Levi's with him. The others are getting dressed."

"There's no time to get dressed. Tell them to put their boots on and grab the rifles from storage." Dark as it was, he couldn't see if the other man's eyes widened or if his face paled, but from the way he sputtered, it was safe to assume his jaw had fallen slack.

"Rif- Erwin, we're not going to shoot these people, are we?"

"Hopefully not." That was the Military Police's job. "But we may need to make them believe we will if they don't leave." The commotion had woken up most of the rest of the barracks, and they all questioned him as he walked past them. Erwin ordered them to return to their barracks and remain there until he gave them the all-clear to leave; the last thing they needed now was for more of their number to risk getting injured. Stepping outside for the first time in weeks, the commander recoiled slightly, not just from the overwhelming din, but from the smell.

Smoke was heavy in the air from the torches and fires; that much was to be expected, but the thick metallic tang of blood was not. He spotted Mike quickly, his considerable size making him an easy target. He was trying to push a portion of the crowd back, but all his strength could not make up for the sheer numbers disadvantage. Behind Erwin, the doors squealed open, several people panting as they ran out. Horace was at his side first, a rifle in his hands.

"Is it loaded?"

"I-"

"Yes or no?"

"Y-yeah, but-" Without waiting for the other man to finish talking, Erwin grabbed the gun from him, climbing atop one of the few stacks of crates and barrels that hadn't yet been broken into. Aiming the rifle skyward, he preemptively winced as he pulled the trigger, the recoil nearly causing him to slip. As though a being with a singular mind, the mob froze as the shot rang through the courtyard. Eyes, glassy and feral in the glow of the torches, all turned up to him. He lowered the gun, but did not step down.

"All of you! Desist and leave the premises at once! You are not want to find food out here, and you are damaging very expensive equipment!" The crowd remained silent for a moment, but that moment passed quickly.

"Good!"

"Who gives a fuck!?"

"All this garbage was bought with our taxes- we can do what we want with it!"

"You should've used this shit to kill the Titans all these years; none of this would've happened if you weren't all worthless freeloaders!" Frowning, Erwin stepped off the crates and approached the crowd. Though the shot was spent, he still held the gun at the ready and those at the front of the crowd wisely kept their distance. Most probably didn't realize these kinds of rifles only held one shot- guns were far too costly for most civilians to have even seen one up close.

"I will not warn you all again. This is a military base- you have no business here. Leave."

"And what if we don't?" An older, heavily built man sneered at him.

"Then we will have no choice but to remove you by force. Do not make us do that."

"There's more of us than you. Everyone knows almost all the Scouts were killed the last time you went outside the walls." A younger man, probably no older than twenty stepped forward, a manic gleam in his eyes. "All you military bastards do is suck up our money… I bet there's tons of food inside there! We can just kill the rest of you and take it!"

Erwin couldn't imagine what was driving this young man- or any of these people- to such reckless lengths. Hunger, loss, desperation, a lack of hope… They were deserving of his pity, truly, but unfortunately, their foolishness was threatening to put the lives of his Scouts in danger, and no amount of pity would allow him to abide such a thing. The headstrong young man made the mistake of lunging at him.

A rifle was longer and heavier than an ODM blade, but there was no strain on the rest of his body, no wires to be cognizant of, no giant fingers or teeth threatening to end his life before he realized what was happening. Readjusting his grip so he held the barrel, Erwin struck the man once, twice, driving the butt into his stomach hard enough to stop him in his tracks before striking him across the shoulders to send him crumpling to the stone below. There was a veritable sizzle in the air- the angry shouting would come in seconds, and he raised his voice to preempt it.

"We are trained soldiers. We are armed. We will hold no quarter if you attempt to enter the base." Whatever had driven the people to begin looting in the first place was strong, strong enough that even the threat of maiming or death didn't immediately send them packing. In the distance, more gunshots rang out, a growing cacophony of bangs followed by screaming. "The Military Police are on their way, and they will not hold their fire for as long as we have. Leave now, and you will not face criminal charges."

The crowd remained silent, save for heavy breathing and the crackle and pop of the torches, but slowly, some of the people began heading for the gates, slowly, slowly, then quicker, until most were running. Some, perhaps those with even less to lose, remained where they were, their faces defiant. Erwin's grip on the gun tightened, but before he could step forward or even open his mouth, a horrible sound cut through the night air like a knife, coming from the stables. Inhaling sharply, he took a step back.

"Soldiers! Forward!" Boots scuffed across the stone as his officers rushed forward. "Take aim!" They hesitated for the span of a heartbeat, but ultimately raised their guns. A good few more of the remaining crowd fled at the sight of a dozen barrels trained on them. "If these people do not leave the premises in thirty seconds, open fire! Mike, you're in charge here!" He did not wait to see if his directions had been heard, much less heeded, backing away and not turning his back until he was behind the line of armed soldier.

As soon as he was, he turned, taking off for the back of the base. There was shouting, panicked whickering, two- three people fled past him, stumbling as they knocked into him but still running. The stench of blood grew even stronger the closer to the stables he got. He nearly barreled over Levi, the shorter man standing in the entrance of the walkway leading to and from this back courtyard. He held a pair of ODM blades in his hands, but no gear, the hilts disconnected from any hoses. Several torches lay sputtering on the ground, several bloody men amongst them, all groaning and curled up tightly. The horses had been worked into a lather, jumping and snorting wildly as they attempted to escape their stalls. Sidling past the dark-haired man, Erwin took note that both blades were smeared with fresh blood.

"Levi, what happened here? Did you-"

"I didn't kill anyone, if that's what you're about to ask. I should've. If they'd just been stealing our rations, I'd probably have let them go if they could outrun me, but no; apparently canned goods and hardtack isn't good enough for these connoisseurs…" Levi approached the closest one, kicking him in the stomach. As he cried out and grabbed at the injured flesh, Erwin could see that his arms had been cut to ribbons. "They were butchering the horses. Three of them got away while I was cleaning up here, and their arms were full of meat."

A wave of nausea washed over him. While there were certainly some who would think of a horse as no different from a cow or pig, the Survey Corps' steeds were different. Not just their rarity or cost, no; these creatures were as much soldiers as the Scouts they carried into battle. When they died, they were honored, just as their riders were. A shot rang out, it and the screams that followed disturbingly close by. The rhythmic beat of boots on stone was coming closer, closer, but the people were too out of breath to be Scouts. Glancing back, he noticed four MPs, three of them carrying guns while the last carried a lantern. Their faces were unfamiliar, all of them fairly young. They weren't the MPs who had been guarding the base all this time… or maybe they were- Erwin hadn't been out to keep track of the changing shifts as of late.

"Are you Commander Smith?" one of the armed ones asked, swallowing hard as she tried to catch her breath. "Your soldiers said there was a commotion back here." Straightening, he nodded.

"Yes. These people were killing our horses." A boy with shaggy hair and a face so youthful he barely looked old enough to be out of the Training Corps stepped past the Scouts, his lip curling into a sneer.

"Destruction of military property isn't looked upon kindly. Don't worry, sir-" he turned to face the commander with an expression he must have thought made him look very serious and mature, but only made Erwin think of a little boy playing soldier. "-we'll deal with these miscreants. They'll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." 'Perhaps not the fullest- these people are just hungry…' But there was no point in wasting his words on a fresh recruit who had no more say in the judicial process than he did. He simply nodded, laying a hand on Levi's shoulder to pull him back gently.

"Very well. We'll leave them to you. Come, Levi." Tossing his blades to the ground carelessly enough to make Erwin wince, the shorter man pushed past the police, stalking back to the entrance of the base as the commander followed closely behind. They walked in silence for several meters, before Levi spoke up.

"Well? Aren't you going to bitch at me about how I'm supposed to protect humanity and not beat the shit out of them?"

"In this case, I'd say your actions were justified. By your own admission, you'd have let them go if they hadn't turned their attention to our horses. You showed a considerable amount of restraint."

"Only 'cuz I know you'd probably have me doing paperwork or some shit if I actually killed one of them." He shot a glance at the man now walking in step beside him, or rather, at what he held in his hands. "Don't tell me you actually shot one of those fuckers?"

"Only a warning shot. I did beat one of them, though." He sighed, quietly and not enough to ease the pressure in his chest. Little over a year ago, he had sworn up and down that he would never be capable of doing such a thing, silently judging Nile for being so quick to react with violence. 'They're just people,' he'd thought to himself, 'They're unarmed. What is wrong with you…?' He wondered if there were riots in Wall Sina tonight, if the Military Police headquarters in Stohess was being overrun with angry, starving refugees as well?

Suddenly, he wondered if Thomasin somewhere in one of those mobs. Surely not- a few herbs slipped into the pocket here and there wasn't the same as destroying shops and military equipment. Another round of gunshots cracked like lightning, more screams and more wails filling the air. It all blended together, and he forced himself not to close his eyes lest a deeply unpleasant mental picture be painted across his lids.

~o0o~

The next day, the streets were quiet. As quiet as such a large, heavily populated city could be. Armed Military Police patrolled in pairs, their guns held at the ready. In the distance, occasional shots rang out, followed by screams that were generally cut short soon after.

Blood collected in the mortar between the paving stones, but the bodies had long since been dragged away. Gallows were erected in front of the central building, the condemned left swaying in the wind for no less than a day before they were cut down, only to be replaced with fresh bodies the following morning. A warning, to those who would dare disturb what tenuous grasp on peace remained, but hunger was a far more potent driving factor than fear, and the break-ins and riots and shootings and hanging continued until an edict came from the royal government.

Settlements were being set up in the north, the outlying territory near Utopia district, in an attempt to cultivate more farmland. The land closest to the mountains was said to be grim, perpetually cold and non-arable, and yet in the following weeks, the population within Trost dwindled until it was nearly back to what it had been before the fall. It was hard to imagine so many people willingly chose a life of hard labor, but it provided something of a silver lining. The government, in the same edict, lowered the mandatory minimum age of enlistment from fifteen to twelve, and all four branches of the Training Corps were immediately swarmed with hundreds of young recruits, all undoubtedly hoping to claw their way into the Interior, away from the hell they found themselves mired in.

The Premier had been right- the Survey Corps was kept alive by the blood of children too foolish to understand the mistake they were making… and now, Erwin would have to feed lies and false hopes to even younger, more foolish children if they were to have any hope of surviving. It was a sickening thought.

You don't have to do this, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Thomasin reminded him. You don't have to do any of this. It doesn't have to be your problem. Just retire; you've served longer than most Scouts have even stayed alive…

Those words repeated themselves every morning as he dressed and mentally prepared himself for crushing reality of their dire straits.

Every morning as he slid the emerald cabochon along its waxed leather cords until the gold casing bit into his throat, he remembered his father slipping a similar tie over his head when he was young, Always present yourself well to the world, Erwin; people will always judge you by their first impression of you...He'd left that tie in some random drawer when he left home to head to the Training Corps base north of Krolva, and hadn't even bothered looking for it when he returned home for the final time to gather his few belongings.

The first impression people would have of him from that point on was a Scout, he reasoned.

But… how can we be sure thatthere aren't other humans living somewhere far away from the walls…?

Every morning, he loosened the bolo until he could breathe again, breathing deeply and standing straight and staring at his reflection until he no longer recognized the man staring back at him. This was who he would be now; a man who led children to their deaths and paved the road to freedom with their corpses.

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A/N- Part of me feels like I'm leaning too much into this civil unrest… and the other part of me remembers that, if we're leaning into "gritty realism", shit like this is historically much worse… I feel like, in a non- battle shonen story, this period wouldn't have been glossed over, and probably would have had a lot more rampant crime… and cannibalism, since they keep talking about how there's no food (even though that's never a consequence that's felt narratively).