"I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know whether I can seal the hole... But I'll do it!"
"Ahem... ATTENTION!" I'm impressed by Commander Pyxis' lung capacity to shout not only fifty meters in the air but also to make his voice loud enough for the crowd of soldiers below to be able to hear him. They must do, for he doesn't call the command again. "I shall now explain the plan to retake Trost. For this mission, our objective is to seal the hole where the gate was destroyed. Let me introduce you to the one who will seal the hole for us... From the Trainee Corps, Eren Jaeger." Eren steps forward to the Commander's side, saluting to the masses below. For some of our friends and other cadets, they're probably confused, but Reiner, Jean, Bertholdt, and Annie, hey know why Eren is up there before Pyxis says so. "He is the result of a top-secret project to turn humans into Titans. He can create and control a Titan's body."
Excellent lie, Commander. Though the truth is a lot harder to explain...we don't even know it ourselves.
"He will become a Titan, pick up the giant boulder by the shattered gate, carry it over, and seal the hole. Your job will be to protect him from Titans while he moves the boulder!"
"We don't have to fight the Titans?" One of the two officers standing with Armin, Mikasa, and I, ask the blonde boy.
"E-Excuse me." Armin replies. "I don't mean any disrespect by speaking up to a ranking officer..."
"No, continue."
"Y-Yes sir. Titans are typically drawn to pursue the largest number of people. If we can take advantage of that to lure them along the walls, we can draw most of them away from Eren without engaging them in direct combat. And by using cannons against those lured away, we'll minimize our own losses. But since we can't leave Eren undefended, a small elite force should protect him. And we can't avoid engaging the Titans that come through the wall. he skills of the elite force will be critical."
"All right, understood. We'll take that into account and revise our plans."
"But this will only work if Eren can carry that boulder and seal the hole. We are proceeding with the operation without certain proof that he can. I cannot help but feel doubt."
"Indeed, given the uncertainty of a crucial element, I do not relish sending many men to their deaths. But I do understand what Commander Pyxis is thinking."
"Yes..." The other senior officer says. "The first issue is one of time. Even as we speak, Titans continue to enter the town. The greater their numbers in Trost, the worse our odds of success in retaking it."
"And the higher the chance of Wall Rose falling..."
"And one more thing. There's a limit to how much one can be motivated by terror." The woman's words fall flat to me because I know that to be true. Mikasa and I, admittedly the calmest of our group, each broke down in the previous fight, though our fears were either expressed as foolish rage or overwhelming admittance of defeat. But this time, we'll have to hold it in just long enough to win.
Looking up from my journal the late Thomas Wagner gave me, I turn to Mikasa, both of us standing away from the planning trio but close enough to hear them. "Hey, do you believe this plan can actually work?"
She turns to me, nodding. "I believe in Eren and Armin."
I look down, continuing my logging of today's events. "That's good enough for me then."
"Here is my decision! I shall pardon anyone who deserts now." Returning my attention to Pyxis' speech, I am not surprised to know some soldiers plan to desert. Our plan, at best, is not guaranteed to work as Armin plans it. There will be some hiccups. At worst… Not even the first step comes to fruition. And the previous battle had its horrors...I wear the gift of one death, along with another from five years ago, and the other gift in my hand. "Once you succumb to the Titan's fear, you can never fight them again. Those who have learned that fear should leave. And anyone wishing their parents, siblings, and loved ones to feel that fear should also leave!"
I look up from my journal, appalled by the Commander's words just as I am so every soldier, deserting or not, about Pyxis using the soldiers' families and loved ones as a way to keep them fighting makes me like the man even more. I'm sure it has the desired effect Pyxis wanted.
"Let me tell you what happened four years ago. About our attempt to retake Wall Maria. As I'm sure you're all aware, that operation was no more than the government's way of dealing with its inability to feed all the unemployed. It was a culling. The reason no one speaks of it is because by sending them outside these cramped walls, we were able to survive within them. All of humanity, including myself, bears the weight of that sin! Because so few escaped Wall Maria, there was never any open rebellion. But what about now? If Wall Rose falls, the sacrifice will be more than just twenty percent. The territory within Wall Sina won't support even half the remaining population. If humanity falls, it won't be because we were devoured by the Titans. It will be because we killed each other. We must die even deeper within the walls. I beg of you to die right here!"
I'm not going to die today, not because I don't want to, but because I can't. For Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and the others, for my parents, for you and Thomas. I stop writing, close my journal, and place it in my pocket. I hold my necklace in my hand, placing a small kiss on the carving and the jewel before standing. I turn to Mikasa, nodding to her as she nods back.
It's time to retake Trost from these sons of bitches. Eren, you can't fail. We can't fail. This is the only way we'll ever get back home.
Not once has mankind ever risen above the Titans. As the Titans move forward, humanity keeps retreating. We've continuously lost territory. But when our strategy succeeds, the land taken by our greatest enemy will be reclaimed! It will be the first time humanity has been victorious over the Titans. In comparison to what we've lost, it may seem small. However, this small step is a giant step for mankind.
"Eren, I'm sorry... I ended up making you responsible for everything."
"It's like I said before. You have the ability to find the right answer. I believe in that."
"Eren, I'm going to-"
Eren quickly cuts Mikasa off. "Don't tell me you're going to come with me. You've been assigned to the decoy team."
Mikasa is taken aback by Eren's denial of her. "But I can't leave you alone... if you're alone, you'll..."
"Enough!" Eren, frustrated by Mikasa's insistence to come with him for the third or fourth time today alone, lashes out at her. "I'm not your little brother or a child... I told you that!"
"Ackerman!" Ian, apparently the leader of the squadron backing up Eren, calls to her. "I want you on the squad that'll be providing Yeager with backup. We'll need your skill." Mikasa is as happy as a bunny being given a carrot. "Let's go. Execute the strategy!"
We nod to the squadron leader. Unable to rid himself of Mikasa, Eren turns to Armin and me. "Bye, Armin and Elijah. Don't die."
"Yeah. You, neither."
"I have enough trysts with death for one day. Seal that hole, Eren." We split, Eren and Mikasa following Ian, Armin and I joining the supporting groups.
I swear if I ever meet the asshole who put Daz in my squad, I'm going to break their nose. I've already broken Daz's today, I will gladly do it again. At least Sasha is in my squad as well, makes our part of the strategy a little better. As we watch the baby-face Titan approach us on a roof, I twiddle my fingers in annoyance. Daz looks like he sees a knife ready to remove his...well, what balls does he have left? I do my best to ignore his whimpering. I'd gladly give him another earful, but I need to focus on our part of the mission. I swear if the coward runs again, it won't be the Titans he fears the most when I'm through with him.
"Scatter!" Our leader yells. We break apart, circling around the beast as he breaks the roof with his hands. I attach my hooks to his body and come down swinging with my swords, eviscerating the nape in one move.
I land beside Sasha, checking my blades, she smiles at me. "Nice work, Elijah!"
I smile back. "Thanks." We regroup with Daz and the others, taking out Titans in a similar manner as time goes by.
Yet my mind continues to look for the green smoke signal that says that Eren's team is ready. Wait, there it is! He's on the move towards the boulder! "This is it, we can do it!"
"Elijah!" I, Sasha, and Daz turn to see Armin swoop down to us. He walks off the landing, pointing to the northwest of our position. There, a red smoke signal towers over the city. "That smoke... What's happening over there?"
"Let's find out!" We quickly make our way to the flare, seeing a group of Titans in combat with some soldiers. As we get closer, we see that among the soldiers are Connie, Annie, and Marco. I head to the large-class Titan they're fighting, severing its leg. "What the hell's going on?"
Connie, the closest to me, answers. "It's Jean! His ODM malfunctioned! We're waiting for him to repair it."
"Then we're here to help!" I fly back up and around, taking out the left arm, then the right arm, then leaving Annie to its nape. Meanwhile, I target a small-class Titan trying to climb up a small wall, Immediately cutting it down. As I turn to check my surroundings, I see a medium-class Titan come for me. However, my friends have my back. I watch as Sasha and Connie fly above me, cutting the legs of the Titan off, and giving me time to get airborne. I'm impressed by their courage at the moment. I don't understand how I have such an effect on people. Thomas and Mina, I somehow turned those dropouts into graduates, I gave Sasha and Connie an ounce of courage, and probably even more people. Despite what they or others may think, I'm no leader, I just want to kill the Titans.
"Elijah!" I turn to the others, seeing Jean up and ready to go.
"You ready, Jean?"
"I made a few repairs to my gear. It should work for now!"
"That's nice." Annie coldly states. "but did you notice we're surrounded by Titans?"
"Forget fighting them." I say, pointing to the far side of the city. "We need to get back to the wall." We head back out, dodging the surrounding Titans, and swiftly to the eastern side of the city.
It wasn't easy, but we made it to the wall. I help Armin up, and he looks to see everyone here. "Everyone's okay... Thank goodness!"
"Yeah." I step into the group with him, looking out to the city. "Hey, has Eren changed yet?"
"Yes, he did. The sky flashed as we were climbing the wall." We look out into the city, gasping as we spot another red smoke signal, this time coming alongside the south side of the Wall...near where the elites should be. If the signal is red...something must've happened to Eren.
"It... failed?"
"Eren?" What the hell happened? Was he unable to pick up the boulder? Did he...lose control? I don't hear the sounds of a rampaging, roaring Titan, yet the latter possibility seems to be the most probable. No matter what the case, I must help Eren.
"Why?" Armin most likely realizes what I did, and begins to run off. Another cadet calls out to him, but only I chase after Armin.
"Hey! Elijah, Armin! Where are you going?" Marco shouldn't even have to ask that question. I decide not to lecture him and the others about how we owe ourselves to help Eren. I won't ask them to die for him while...whatever is wrong is fixed. We already had one death-defying experience with the other cadets. I rather not go through another.
Soon, we see Eren, sitting with his back on the boulder he's supposed to be carrying. Confused, we land there. The Titan makes no movements whatsoever to acknowledge he knows we're here. Something is definitely wrong. "Eren… Do you think he lost control?"
"Maybe."
"Why now? Earlier, he seemed to have control." I look around for the elite team. There are Titans in the area, and from what I noticed, they are coming this way. Why, I don't know. Are they coming for Eren, because the humans are to the north.
"Mikasa!"
"Armin! Elijah!" I turn to my six o'clock, seeing Mikasa standing on a roof with a Titan's head under her feet. She seems quite surprised to see we are here, though, given the situation, she clearly knows why we're here.
Armin points to Eren. "What happened to Eren?"
"It's dangerous! Move back!"
I look around. "Yeah, we know! The Titans are coming, but how is that any more dangerous than what we've already been through?"
"Eren is completely unable to enact his will through that Titan!" It's just as I thought, Eren lost control. "I spoke to it, but it didn't recognize me! There's no point in anyone else trying!"
"What about the plan?"
"It failed. Everyone's fighting because we can't leave Eren. But there are too many... Before long, they'll wipe us out." I bow my head. No, this can't be how this ends, there has to still be a chance to retake Trost. We have to beat the Titans here and now, or all those deaths would've been for nothing. There must... I turn to Armin, hoping he has a plan.
"The spot on the back of the neck, ten centimeters across and a meter high."
"Armin, what are you doing?"
"I'll get Eren out of here, You and Mikasa just protect us from the other Titans!" I don't understand what Armin plans, but he's right, Eren must be protected. I zip up to Mikasa, drawing her attention to me.
"I'm just as confused as you are Mikasa, but when Armin has a plan... It's best of we follow it." We look back down to Armin, seeing him impale his sword in the nape of Eren's Titan. It roars, clearly in pain given there's a person inside. But it doesn't die. Armin intentionally injured Eren to awaken him. A risky plan, but Arlelt manages to stay on the neck of the beast.
Mikasa, still distraught, cries out to Armin. "Armin, that's insane! Stop!"
"Mikasa, do what you can! If you go, lives might be saved! Leave Eren to me!"
Mikasa looks to me, hoping I'll side with her. I agree that Armin's being reckless, but if it works, it works. "Armin's right. There's nothing we can do just standing here. We must go and protect Eren, Armin, and the others from the Titans." Mikasa clicks her tongue and follows after me...just in time for us to see an Abnormal Titan enter the area. I curse as we take flight towards it. "Damn it, one of these things."
"Go for the nape. We'll take it down at once."
I turn to Mikasa. "You mean we cut the nape simultaneously? That's risky, Ackermann." She looks at me, and if I tell you there's just the hint of a smirk on her face, there's the hint of a smirk on her face. Oh, she's serious. I chuckle as we come in range of the Abnormal Titan. Setting my hooks on the right shoulder, I make a leftward arc around the right side as Mikasa swings around the left side. We meet at the nape, Mikasa cutting the bottom side as I cut the top.
There's a nice, clean, sizable chunk of Titan nape ready for the grill landing on the ground, and the Abnormal Titan falls victim to our attack in one hit. We land on adjacent buildings, watching our enemy fall to the ground in defeat. I look to Mikasa, smiling. "You're crazy."
"Crazy. Hmph. Seems to just be a normal thing for the four of us."
"Fair enough." I look around, seeing another Hyper Titan about two blocks north and three west of us fall down. I can't see the responsible party, but I do spot what seems like a recognizable pale-colored turf of hair. If that is indeed who I think he is, our friends are not far behind. They actually came.
And just in time too. The roars of Eren bellow out from a few blocks behind us, his Titan form standing tall. Armin actually did something, but is it what we need? Yes. Eren, with his immense strength, picks up the boulder and begins to head to the outer gate. We're back in business. "Good work, Armin."
"Eren…"
"Mikasa!" Armin lands behind us, excited as well that Eren is up. "Eren prevailed! He's trying to fulfill his responsibility now! Now if we just cover him until he reaches the gate, victory will be ours!"
"DEFEND HIM!" We face Ian, his face filled with determination. "Even if it costs us our lives, we must let Eren reach the gate! Do not let the Titans get near him! You three," Ian directs Mikasa, Armin, and I, "head to Eren! That's an order, is that clear?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"HA!" I jump off a Titan's nape, not watching it die as I continue to protect Eren from the Titans. He's almost there, halfway down the road. Mikasa and Armin escort him from the ground, while I dally behind, watching our friend's back.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
That voice. I turn to my left to see my assumption to be true. That voice I heard belonged to Sasha, in the clutches of a medium-class Titan. If I abandon Eren, he'll be at a higher risk of being swarmed by the Titans and humanity can't afford that risk. But...
"Sasha!" I don't even hesitate to make my decision. Eren has Mikasa and Armin to protect him, as well as the elites, but Sasha needs me, and I can't lose one more friend today. I attach my hooks to the monster's left shoulder and flip in the air multiple times to gather enough momentum to cut its arm off. I succeed, and the monster drops Sasha. I turn myself around and eject my blades. Using enough of my gas, I quickly projected myself to catch her before she could make contact with the ground. I forget about finishing off the Titan, instead, I focus on getting Sasha somewhere safe. I land ourselves on a rooftop, away from any more Titans. "Sasha, are yo-"
The girl barely lets me get a word out before she throws herself onto me, hugging me tightly. "Elijah! you... you..."
Sasha couldn't even finish, as her voice started to break. I know what she wants to say to me, but my only concern is that she's safe. I may have not been able to save Thomas...or Mina... But I did save her. "Sasha, can you move?"
Sasha releases her hold from me, wiping away some tears. "Y-Yes. I can move."
"Good. Get yourself to the top of the Walls. I still need to protect Eren."
"Right." I grab new blades from my scabbards and begin to walk off, but I feel a grip on my arm before I make it far. "Elijah..."
I turn around to the young redhead. "Yeah?"
"Thank you." Sasha says with a few tears still in her eyes and the brightest smile I've ever seen from her.
I nod, and smile back. "If you ever need me, I'm there, Sasha."
With that, I run back into the fight. Eren still needs to seal the hole, and he's almost there. It hurt to look around me, seeing the deaths of so many of our own, but we know it is a necessity. The Titans will swarm Eren otherwise, and they were already ignoring him until we provoked them. Mitabi and Ian are dead, and besides Sasha, I haven't checked on my other friends, but seeing so much blood spilled for Eren. It's disheartening.
"Elijah?" I walk along the Wall, looking up to see Christa and Ymir. While Ymir seems not to appreciate my presence, to be honest, I don't think she ever does, Christa runs up to me, concerned. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?"
"I was with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa."
"Eren? Wait, you were shot at by the Garrison?!" I guess the news got around that Eren and the rest of us were fired upon at Woermann's command. I didn't expect it to spread so rapidly, but it has been at least two hours since. I guess the last time I saw Christa and Ymir, I did leave suddenly without saying where I was going.
"Yeah, it was...not fun, but it gave Armin this plan." I look to the city, tightening my fists. I had no problem with Armin's plan, I believe it will work, but the cost of success will be too much. Drawing the Titans to the back corners of the city means Eren will be relatively safe, but the numbers will eventually take their toll on us. I turn to Ymir, who still stays away from me, but unlike as she will with others, she doesn't keep Christa away or try to mess with her. "Ymir. Do you still stand by what you told me? That in the end, we're all just Titan fodder?" \
Ymir closes her eyes. "Do you still believe we can overcome them?"\
"Yes, I do."
"Then believe in that. Many of us are going to die in this fight anyway, probably all of us, but the day we are truly defeated is when the last person changes his belief. Plus, after all you've done today, I know you won't give up. Knowing you, you'll attack a horde of Titans yourself."
I turn away from Ymir. "I'm not that stupid."
"But if it was to protect Mina, Thomas, Sasha, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Christa, or any of us, you would. That's who you are... A leader. A warrior. An inspiration. A hero. Heroes are stupid...but never die, do they?"
Christa steps to my side. "Elijah, They believed that much in you, Thomas and Mina. I can see that...and I do too! And you believe in Eren! So there's no chance humanity falls today!"
You're wrong about me, Ymir. I'm not a hero or a leader. I'm just another soldier fighting for what's right. But you were right about one thing, I won't give up. It's my blessing...and my curse. I watch as one of the elites, a woman named Rico, slashes the eye of the Titan in front of Eren, Mikasa running around and flying up to cut the nape. It falls over, clearing the path to the gate. I fall to my knees in disbelief. This is it. After 500 years, humanity...
I give my friend one last scream of motivation with everything I have. "GO, EREN!"
With a mighty roar, Eren sets the boulder down, sealing the gate. My jaw hangs low, my tongue dries, my eyes are the dark clouds that pour rain on my cheeks. He did it, no, we did it. We fought fire with fire. We made sure the deaths of many weren't in vain. We saved Wall Rose and the remaining four-fifths of humanity. We stopped the nightmare of five years ago. We beat the Titans!
As the yellow signal darts skyward, so does the idea that for the first time in history, humanity won.
I land beside Mikasa, looking up at the steaming, squatting form of Eren's Titan and Armin trying to pull Eren out. Titans approach us from behind, either to get us or Eren specifically. "Armin, what's wrong?"
"Armin, how's Eren?"
"He's so hot, I can barely believe it! We need to hurry up the Walls..." We join Armin and Rico ip on the Titan's back, seeing Armin trying to pull Eren out. However, he's still connected to the muscles of the Titan, and the heat really is intense just in the air. "Part of his body is fusing with the Titan. I can't pull him out!"
"We'll have to cut him out." Rico suggests. I nod in agreeance while Mikasa tries to counter, yet she's too late. Rico makes the cut, freeing Eren. Armin falls down to a lower part of the Titan, just as the towering predators find us, one of them reaches down for Eren and Armin.
"Eren! Armin!" Mikasa and I race to save them, but out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of green and a pair of spinning blades. They spin across the Titan's napes, knocking them down to the ground in front of Armin and Eren. In awe, we see the figure land on the Titans' head.
"Mikasa..."
"Huh?"
"Those are..."
The figure's back is to us, allowing us to see the emblem on the back of their cloak. Two wings, one blue, one white. I gasp as I recognize those colors. "...The Wings of Freedom."
The figure turns to us, revealing to be a man. "Hey, brats. What's going on here?" We look to each other, unsure how to explain the situation exactly. The man sighs, then turns to the city. "Hmph... Anyone who has time, come with me!"
My eyes grow wide. A member of the Scouts, a very skilled one at that, wants us to join him? I'd say that this is a dream come true, but today has been nothing but an upward nightmare. I look to Mikasa, then to Armin. "Armin, get Eren up the Wall. Mikasa, you should have more gas than me. Let's switch, then you go with Eren and Armin. I'll finish this fight."
"Okay. Stay alive, Elijah."
I nod to her. "Promise." We exchange gas canisters, and with a final nod to my friends, I chase after the scout.
As I catch up to the Scout, he turns to me. "You're the only one coming?"
I nod. "Yes, sir. The others retreated to the Wall." The Scout sighs but continues his advance. "Do you want to know what the situation is, sir?"
"We can discuss things later. Right now, we have to kill all the Titans inside the Wall. You look like you've still got some fight in you, cadet. Help me out!"
"Yes, sir!" I say this as I catch sight of an unsuspecting Titan. Darting forward, I quickly execute the medium-class Titan before it could even react to my presence. The Scout looks at me as he passes me, though I can't tell if he's impressed or if the only expression he's capable of is that droopy-eyed, bored face he has on him.
We continue east, dropping titans here and there, but as we do, the Scout amazes me. He's not just skilled like Mikasa and me, he makes us look like, how did Ymir put it, "Titan fodder." He kills with such speed and tenacity I just have to know who he is. Each time I make a kill, I wonder what he thinks of me. If he's this skilled of a scout, he could be my ticket in...if my survival in this battle doesn't speak for me.
Then again, Daz survived too... Maybe survival isn't a good indicator.
We come across another Scout on our way east, though this one my ally takes interest in. As we land on a building's top, my ally calls to the other. "Oruo, do you got this one?"
"Captain! Leave this to me!" So, he's a captain, huh? Captain... Could he be? Seconds later, the second Scout kills the Titan and then joins us at our position. As he lands, he ignores me in favor of his captain. "Sir, any orders?"
"Join us. We'll look for the others and eliminate the Titans together."
"Us?" The one called Oruo looks at me, lowering his eyebrow. "He's just a kid! A cadet! Captain Levi, this is no place for a cadet."
I knew it, this man... he's Captain Levi. My father, before the fall of Shiganshina, told me he heard stories of a "new soldier" who had joined the Scouts. They said he has the strength and determination of a thousand soldiers, even the Titans feared this man. People even started calling him, "Humanity's Strongest Soldier."
Captain Levi turns away, looking to the sky. "A cadet who is willing to fight. We can't be picky in this situation." His eyes land behind me, I follow to see another pair of Scouts, a redhead woman, and a brown-haired man.
The woman faces Levi, unimpressed by our lack of movement. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Captain?"
"You're late. Have trouble in the bathroom or something?"
"No time for chit-chat. We've gotta deal with the situation at hand!" Levi silently agrees, leading me and Oruo off the roof to the north. Oruo points out that he last saw the other members of Levi's team, Petra, Gunther, and Eld, heading to the north. I stayed behind, watching as the Scouts cleared the way as we progressed. Man, they are as amazing as I expected...wonder how much the Titans must really do if the Scouts always come back with fewer soldiers and more broken spirits.
We find Petra having some trouble with a Titan, which Levi swiftly deals with. As she joins us, she begins to apologize. "Thanks, Captain! Won't happen again!"
"If you can still fight, get back on the mission."
"Yes, sir!" Petra turns to me as we move, curious as to why I'm with Levi. "And who are you?"
"Elijah."
Petra warmly smiles to me. "Pleased to meet you, Elijah. Wish it was under better circumstances."
Oruo groans. "He's just a cadet, Petra. He's lucky to be alive under these circumstances."
I can already tell I'm gonna have issues with this d-bag.
"Maybe he's a good soldier. Most cadets and even some soldiers piss themselves in this situation, wouldn't you agree, Ouro?"
Oruo clicks his tongue, nearly biting it. "No idea what you're insinuating." As he turns his attention away from us, Petra and I chuckle. I see the Scouts already have varying personalities, and I'm not even an official member yet.
Gunther lands with me stepping up to a waiting Captain Levi, Eld, and a different redhead Scout I met earlier, although I didn't catch her name. "Looks like all remaining Titans within the walls have been eliminated."
"What about the hole in the wall?" Eld questions.
"Don't worry." A familiar voice turns me around to see Rico again. She walks with a tall, blonde man that I immediately recognize. Yet I keep my composure as Rico communicates with the others. "Engineers from the Garrison Regiment are already getting started with plans to patch it up."
"This puts a great burden on the Garrison Regiment. I'm sorry we can't be of more use."
"No. We appreciate the reinforcements. If we were on our own..."
"Mhm… Good work, Levi."
Levi looks to me. "If you mean to thank me, you should thank this kid instead."
"A cadet?"
Rico nods. "A member of the 104th Cadet Corps, just like Eren Jaeger, who blocked up the hole in the Wall."
The redhead woman throws her hands up in surprise. "You may not have noticed, Erwin, but I had no idea this soldier was a freshly graduated cadet."
"I see." Commander Erwin steps up to me, testing my ability to contain myself. "You did well to stand up to your fears and fight, cadet."
I salute. "Thank you, sir."
"You really did an outstanding job today." The eccentric lady says. She leans in my face, clearly having no notion she's in my personal space and making me uncomfortable. "I think you will become a fine soldier." The gaze she has on me spells interest, and I fear what I'll have to go through if she gets her hands on me.
As I walk away, I totally begin to freak out. Not only did I fight alongside the Scouts, but I also got a personal thank you from none other than Commander Erwin himself. This is good, no great, no amazing, no fucking awesome! Despite all I experienced in the last few hours, this takes the cake. I pause in step, and look out to the city below me, with my hand reaching up for my most valued treasures. I hold them both firmly, and take a breath as reality finally sets in. "Thomas, Mina, Mom, Dad, we won. We finally beat them. Did you all see...from all the way up there?"
A lone tear falls down my cheek, and I'm sure there'll be plenty more later, but now is not the time to mourn. Let us all that survived relish in humanity's first victory. We saved Wall Rose. Wall Maria has to be our next step, and with Eren by our side, we can do it. Eren is humanity's best hope.
Too bad the Military Police don't see it that way.
