Chapter Five
Shadows of fear
The ODM gear shot its hook up to the tip of the wall and flew Ansel up into the air and over the wall.
That's when he saw it.
The Titan.
Massive, with its stubby arms flopping in the air as it ran quickly. Its face held no lip, a maw of teeth ran across its face and those eyes…
Those soul-less eyes.
Ansel's breath caught in his throat. The sight of the Titan sent a wave of terror crashing over him. He had faced these creatures before, but each encounter brought a fresh surge of fear, a primal instinct to run and hide. But he couldn't. Not now. Not ever.
He landed on the wall, his legs shaking beneath him. He glanced back at the others, who had followed him up. Otto, usually composed, looked pale, and Leni's face was etched with a mixture of determination and fear.
"We've got this," Lyra called out, her voice steady despite the terror that gripped them all. "Remember your training."
Ansel nodded, swallowing hard. His heart pounded in his chest as he prepared to launch himself at the Titan. The fear was paralyzing, but he forced himself to focus on Lyra's words. They had trained for this. They had no choice but to fight.
As they engaged the Titan, the reality of the battle hit them with full force. The Titan moved with terrifying speed, its jaws snapping dangerously close to Ansel as he dodged its attacks. His mind raced, every instinct screaming at him to flee. But he knew that running wasn't an option. Not if he wanted to protect his friends and the people behind the walls.
Otto was the first to speak, his voice strained with fear. "These things… they're worse up close. How do we stand a chance against them?"
Leni, swinging on her ODM gear to flank the Titan, shouted back, "We just have to stick to the plan! We can do this!"
But Ansel could see the fear in her eyes, the same fear that gripped him. As he darted in for a strike at the Titan's nape, he felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. What if he missed? What if his blades weren't enough?
The Titan's hand swiped at him, and he narrowly avoided it, the force of the near-miss sending him tumbling through the air. He regained his balance and circled back, trying to steady his shaking hands.
Lyra, meanwhile, had managed to get onto the Titan's back. She drove her blades into its flesh, but the creature barely seemed to notice. "Ansel, Otto, Leni! We need to hit it together! Now!"
The three of them nodded, their fear momentarily eclipsed by the need to act. They coordinated their attacks, their blades flashing in the sunlight as they struck the Titan's nape simultaneously. The creature let out a guttural roar before collapsing, its lifeless body crashing to the ground.
They landed nearby, panting and covered in sweat. The adrenaline began to fade, leaving behind the cold reality of what they had just faced. Ansel dropped to his knees, his hands still trembling.
"I thought… I thought I was going to die," Otto said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Lyra stepped forward; her expression softer now that the immediate danger had passed. "We all feel that way. It's normal to be scared. But we can't let that fear control us. We have to use it to keep us sharp, to keep us alive."
Ansel looked up at his sister, her words slowly sinking in. "How do you do it, Lyra? How do you face them without losing your mind?"
Lyra crouched down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't. Every time I face a Titan, I'm terrified. But I remember why I'm doing this. For our family, for our friends, for everyone behind those walls. We fight because we have to, because if we don't, no one else will."
Ansel nodded, feeling a flicker of determination reignite within him. He still felt the fear, the crippling dread of facing those monstrous creatures, but he also felt a sense of purpose. They weren't just fighting for themselves; they were fighting for everyone they cared about.
As they regrouped and prepared to return to the others, Ansel glanced back at the fallen Titan. The fear would always be there, lurking in the shadows, but he knew now that he could face it. They all could. Together, they would stand against the Titans, no matter how terrifying the battle.
The dawn continued to break, casting a new light over the battlefield. With each step, Ansel felt a little stronger, a little more ready to face the darkness that lay ahead. The fight for humanity's survival was far from over, but they would face it head-on, driven by their shared fears and their unwavering determination to protect their home.
That was when the colossal titan transformed.