Floch swung from branch to branch with grace, occasionally going for a fancy trick up in the air to get the blood pumping before descending down to strike a practice dummy dead center, tearing the fabric to pieces. At this point in his career, the ODM gear was akin to an extension of his body, seven years of hard work and experience resulted in what seemed like natural talent to the observing instructors.

He never truly felt comfortable spending his days withering away within the Garrison, fleeing his duty towards humanity alongside countless others. All due to Erwin Smith's brutally honest speech about the scout regiment's mortality rate, and for what? To spend hours upon hours in some dank castle shovelling horse shit and dangling his feet from the walls doing nothing? No, that wasn't what he wanted to live for! His brutally honest words made him feel sick, the thought of him randomly being snatched away from this world and meeting his demise within the jaws of an abonormal titan terrified him.

He knew that the brave few had to shoulder the pain of the many, yet it wasn't death itself that shook him to the core. It was the thought of a useless and trivial one that bothered him. Who would remember the poor bastard scout that would get chewed in some obscure forest outside the walls? How long would it take before his legacy is nothing more than a name etched on a chalky tombstone? It would be a miracle if some faceless grunt like that was given a tombstone to begin with. Hell, Erwin had been the only true exception to that grim reality, his suicide charge becoming that of a legend among Eldians.

The result of that made him who he was now, someone who deals in blunt honesty, earning him the respect and loyalty of their recruits, ultimately making him more influential in the regiment than the commander herself. It certainly made the coup much easier, when most Yeagerists associated him with Erwin's heroic charge and the recapture of Maria. If only they knew the genuine terror he'd gone through alongside those other poor bastards, how they screamed in fright as life slowly ebbed from their eyes.

He felt little regret about his "death" because Mikasa Ackermann hadn't killed him that day. Floch Forster died four years prior to that, at the hands of Zeke Yeager, among the dozens of other souls who perished on that field. Yet, he couldn't help but feel like it made no difference in the end, otherwise why would he be sent back to taste more of this hell? If the traitors truly had no way of defeating Eren, then why was he needed here? He sighed as he inspected his hands, gone were all the calluses and scars from his years of service as all that remained now were the ones invisible to the naked eye.

These were the scars of fighting under the Survey Corps, for the empire, for the queen and all of her subjects. Historia, He wasn't as close to her as the other surviving members of the one hundred and fourth were. Aside from escorting her a few times while she made surprise visits around the island, He had limited interactions with her. The most recent memory that came to mind was a short conversation concerning Eren after the boy had met her in secret. He did find her fate rather regrettable, though all of them had to make sacrifices for the empire, one way or another.

Now, it was only a matter of time before she retook those steps to becoming their rightful ruler, and this time, he'd be actively invovled in that process. In due time, things could be redone better, more effectively.

The sun was begining to irritate him and there was an itch at the small of his back that he couldn't quite reach because of the ODM gear he donned. He moved with practiced ease through the forest until he eventually reached the edge of it, he landed gracefully and sheathed his swords before turning to the satisfied looking Shadis, the man spared him a single glance before inclining his head forward to write something down on his notepad.

In the distance, he saw the forms of Gordon and Sandra flying across the trees alongside a few others.

It was early in the morning at the camp, Floch had already been awake before everyone else due to his inability to sleep. The redhead remained motionless in the cold shower as he leaned his head against the wall, nothing could wash away the guilt that ate him up from the inside. Floch would learn to live with this feeling, as he stepped out of the shower stall and wrapped a towel around his hip, Gordon walked in.

"Morning, Floch."

"Morning, Gordon."

Gordon kept walking forward until he was face to face with the redhead, the two boys stared each other down as tension built up. Floch had no idea what brought this on, but he was not a fan of whatever the boy was up to.

"What is it-" Floch couldn't finish the rest of that sentence, as he keeled over in pain and crashed to the floor.

"I have no clue what's the matter with you, but don't bring it out on us, especially not Sandra."

Floch snored from the pain as tears pricked his eyes, he was too busy crawling on the ground like a child to properly listen. Clutching his stomach in pain, and trying hard to recover from all of the air that was forced out of his lungs. Gordon walked away, leaving the redhead alone in the shower.

A few weeks had passed since that day, to say that his relationship with his two friends became strained would be an understatement. It didn't help that he was too stubborn about his opinion to apologize to Sandra, but what he said was the truth. Him and Gordon were still on speaking terms but the boy wasn't as warm to him as he used to be, and as for Sandra. well, it wouldn't do him good to keep talking about the girl.

"Floch!" Eren's voice called out to him, he turned to greet him back.

"It's good that I found you, I think I need your help." He began, His eyes reflected deep frustration and Floch could see it clearly. "I'm having trouble with my strikes, I can barely cut down these practice dummies."

Floch looked on with amusement as a smirk set in place. "Jeez Yeager, what do I get out of it?" He asked in amusement as he walked past him, trekking out in the open field towards the camp.

"Please! You're the only one who actually gives useful tips around here! Reiner, Connie? They're useless! I appreciate their words of encouragement but come on!" Eren begged releasing his frustrations, closing the distance between them pulling the boy by the collar of his shirt.

"Alright I get it, relax!" Floch relented as he yanked Yeager's hands away. "My god, you're hopeless." He fixed his collar in slight annoyance.

Eren latched on to his every word, engrossed in his explanation. Floch felt satisfied with this, over the weeks he became someone Eren would regularly lean on for pointers and support in their training. It certainly helped them become closer as friends, and It would make his life much easier if he was on his side early on this time.

"You need to know how to hit your targets properly, it's the same principle as landing a decent punch. Flailing your arms around is pointless and ineffective in a fight, but using your body weight and building up proper momentum makes all the difference in the world. That takes us back to the blades, if you solely rely on them to do all the work and don't properly utilize the rest of your body then it won't do shit for the most part."

"But I do that! When I try it, It doesn't work out as well as Mikasa does it!" Eren frowned.

"Then you're doing something else wrong, like I said. Time your strikes well, put your back into it and let the sharp steel handle the rest. Never overextend or attempt to correct yourself mid-swing, If you're going to miss or barely scratch the target, accept it and move on."

"Also doesn't help that Mikasa is a monster." He added, lips thinning before he went deep into thought.

"Okay, punch me."

Eren blinked twice before shrugging off the strange request.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

And that he did, he pulled his fist back, and as the fist sailed towards him, Floch intercepted his hand mid swing before he could build up enough force, bringing it to a complete halt. Eren's eyes lit up in acknowledgement.

"See that? Keep it in mind and avoid awkward angles otherwise you're dead meat Yeager." Floch concluded, releasing his fist.

The gears began to shift inside his mind as a grin settled upon his features. Floch admired the way his emerald eyes shone with determination. "That's more like it! You're incredible, Floch!" Eren beamed at him sincerely, Floch felt a strange fuzzy feeling in his chest at the expression.

"Yeah, whatever." The redhead looked away.

"It has only been two months, but I've been having so much trouble...Reiner told me to keep moving forward, I think I will."

"Glad you're not thinking of quitting just yet." Floch replied, concealing his discomfort.

"Never! If I can keep getting stronger and better, one day, I'll be able to go out there and retake what was taken from us." Eren spoke with a clenched fist held up in front of his face, with new found resolve he looked towards Floch and smirked. "Until we wipe out every last one of those bastards from this earth."

"I'll be there with you, you'll do great things someday Eren." Floch said, Eren felt touched at the confidence the boy had in him.

Eventuallly, the two boys went their seperate way, with Floch heading towards the barracks to relax after concluding his training exercise which for all intents and purposes, He did not need. The muffled noises of his ODM gear died down within the forest as he delved deeper inside, Shadis looked on from afar as he wrote down his assessment.

'Floch Forster, Proficient and reliable. Coming at a close second to Mikasa Ackerman. However, marksmanship is lacking.'


"In the end I couldn't change anything, I am a mere bystander." - Keith Shadis 850 AD, recounting a story from the past to a group of survey corps soldiers.


Six months later.

.

.

The one hundred and fourth southern division stood in formation out in the open field, Keith Shadis's gravelly voice boomed throughout the compound as he briefed them about their upcoming training exercise. Leading Floch to reminisce about the old days for when he first took this test, Hardly believing it's been close to a year since he was brought back. His musings were cut short, as he paid attention to the instructor's words.

"...That's all there is to it!"

Shit, he missed part of his speech, He hoped that part wasn't important.

"You worthless sacks of shit will likely think this is an easy mission, But you'll regret thinking that! A soldier is always a soldier! You must be combat ready at every given opportunity! Don't be overtaken by bordeom, Do not believe in false peace! This entire mission is a battle from start to finish, You better fucking remember that!"

"YES SIR!" Their collective shouts echoed throughout the field.

Floch and the others walked away in an orderly fashion and headed towards a booth near the entrance of the camp, All of the cadets were assigned to different teams as they left the camp via horseback. Floch scanned the slip of paper handed to him by the instructors, going over the names and mission details.

.

.

.

TEAM THREE:

Mission deadline: 3 days

Mission type: Retrieval

Mission route: C

Distance: 32Km

Primary Unit Leader: Floch Forster

Record keeper: Sandra Köhler

Unit members:

Franz Kefka

Gordon Mayer

Hannah Diamant

Ruth D. Kline

Tom Bermann

Ymir

Secondary Unit Leader: Mylius Zermuski

Record keeper: Nack Tierce

.

.

.

'I've been assigned to a completely different team this time around.' He mentally noted.

He smirked at being assigned team leader but quickly narrowed his eyes as he read the names of the people that made up his team, he cursed his luck. This was bound to be awkward, but he was prepared for such things. He looked up to see his team members assembling at the gate and loading supplies, carrying similar slips of paper.

"-All I'm saying is that, it doesn't make it any less awkward." Gordon commented as he loaded his bags onto his horse.

"Just behave Gordon, don't start any trouble." Sandra warned him as she climbed up her steed.

"Let's not waste any time, Let's go." Floch announced to his teammates, some of them tensed at the abruptness of his voice.

"S-sure." Ruth timidly spoke as she struggled to get onto her horse.

"You got it!" Franz cheered, with Hannah grinning behind him.

Ymir clicked her tongue as she mounted her horse, her face looked neutral but deep in those shrewd brown eyes, he could tell she was contemplating something with the looks she gave him. Maybe, she didn't think this team was worth her time, perhaps thinking him to be unfit to lead. He wasn't exactly popular around the cadets, often times, he felt like a few of them were intimidated by him, things seemed fine with Jean and Eren so he couldn't figure out why.

He felt someone tapping his elbow from behind and turned to look at them. Sandra gazed back at him with those calculating grey eyes, "I've been assigned as the record keeper, Let's do our best." She spoke.

Floch nodded, if he read between the lines correctly. It was a challenge of sorts, it was her way of defying his wishes, her way to prove that she belonged here. In these forsaken grounds, among the herds of ill-repared children. He had no issues with that, the more she strived for challenge and improvement the lesser the chances that she would end up dead in a ditch, Floch didn't mind.

"Good, let's be on our way!" He replied.

Without wasting any more time, they all rode off into the distance, leaving a dust trail in their wake.

Floch fought against voicing out his displeasure with his comrades' performance, somewhat sympathizing with their struggle. The radiance of the sun bore down on them, engulfing the parched plains in its scorching heat. He pulled out his map and ran the calculations in his head. At their current cantering pace, they would cover almost five kilometers from the camp, before needing to stop to give the horses time to cool down from this taxing weather. With the nearest river being fifteen minutes away from where they were currently. He noted the state of his teammates, finding some of them in a less than desirable state.

"Ruth! Splash some water on your face and wake up! You'll get knocked off your horse if you doze off like that." He warned the introverted girl at the top of his lungs, the cadet in question was slumped against her horse.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The redhead straightened up immediately, yelping in a daze. Frantic fingers reached for a canteen and poured the relieving liquid onto her face, eagerly swallowing some of it along the way.

"Are you nuts!? You wasted so much water!" Tom chastised her from behind, startled by the splashing droplets. She broke out into violent coughs as she choked, gaining the attention of the rest of the group.

"Shit! You killed her!" Gordon commented as he worriedly glanced at the struggling introvert.

"We are about to reach a river, let it be." Floch informed them much to their collective relief. "Oh thank god! It's unbearable out here!" Hannah chimed in with pure joy, mirroring the thoughts of everyone around.

"Thank you..." Ruth breathed in a hushed tone, leaning against the crest of her horse as joyous tears streamed down her face.

Floch grimaced as if he had swallowed a fistful of ash. At times he wanted to make them aware of the horrors that lurk outside these walls, overseas. The feelings boiled inside him as he kept the lid shut with burning fingers, however, the steam would hiss through the cracks here and there. Often times they'd remind him of his old self, that careless, aimless bastard that coasted through life conveniently. An empty husk without purpose, in the grand scheme of things he used to be nothing more than cattle wandering through the thick bloody mist

He focused his attention back to the road to clear his mind, subconciously enjoying the thudding of the horses against the earthy path. Forster reminisced about the days he put blood, sweat and tears into the construction of Paradis' railway system. He remembered the day he stood in awe of that glorious lump of steel and ingenuity, standing at the top and spreading his arms like a bird as it darted across the island. He coud clearly picture Gordon and Sandra's features lighting up with astonishment at the locomotive in its full glory, a low chuckle passed his lips at the thought.

"What the hell is that thing supposed to be?" Floch wondered out loud. Staring at the miniature train laying on the table, The scouts, Marleyans, and volunteers present underneath the tent noticed his entrance as commander Hange greeted the seventeen-year-old.

"Ah! Floch! You made it!" Hange spoke out enthusiastically, "This is our next grand project! Thanks to the help of our Marleyan friends we'll be able to construct a railway system able to assist in travel and resource distribution around Paradis via locomotive!" She explained wrapping her arm around the shoulder of the man in question, Floch looked at her like she grew a second head.

"Loco...motive?" The survey corps officer was puzzled, he turned to Connie and Sasha but the two of them shrugged in response.

"Eldian shithead! You never heard of trains before?" The Marleyan prisoner mocked, Hange locked his head and squeezed him tightly in retaliation.

"Now, Now! There's no need for that! Floch must have had a long day managing recruits for the survey corps, so be nicer to him!" She chastised the struggling Marleyan.

"Stop! please..." The engineer choked out, moments later she let him go allowing the man to catch his breath on the floor.

"How do we get this thing up and running?" Floch inquired. Travel? resource? So this was faster than horses and carriages? He asked himself, thoroughly observing the small replica.

"I admire your initiative, Floch! First, we'll have to construct a railway across the island for the train cars to move from A to B!" Hange began. It dawned on him what that would entail and Floch dreaded her next words, suddenly feeling regretful for asking.

"Which means somebody has to build the railways!" She continued, everyone inside looked off to the side dodging her eyesight, himself included.

"We'll do it!" Eren stepped forward, much to their terror.

"E-Eren!" Connie gasped feeling betrayed.

"We'll need every opportunity we can get to grow stronger, this will help us build muscles and endurance." He spoke with conviction. Floch felt the color drain from his face, He didn't want to go from babying a bunch of green as grass fifteen-year-olds to spending days out in the middle of nowhere doing what was essentially slave labor.

"Y-You asshole..." Jean muttered in disbelief as Sasha began to back away.

Hange grinned, walking over to Jean and Floch and clutched them both by the arm. They shared a knowing look as they struggled with their commander's grip, He turned to see Mikasa dragging along a desperate-looking Sasha and Connie.

"Great! then let me walk you all outside to get started!"

His face contorted with a sullen crease as he somberly glanced back at his peers, realization dawning on him that none had lived a day over fifteen. Plucked from their homes to wither away in the cold abyss, these precious Eldian lives which knew no mercy, no rest, thrust into hell time and time again. It was their god-given right to exist, it was the least they were owed by whoever it was that breathed life into them. No titan or nation could change that.

Floch had no trouble putting feelings aside to get the job done, he didn't over-indulge himself in unrealistic ideals. Wishful thinking and hand holding had almost led them to immediate ruin the first time around had it not been for Eren and himself. He didn't view the world with rose-tinted glasses, he wasn't Armin Arlert or Hange Zoe, he saw things for what they were. Grudges are held onto with bleeding grips, the idea of revenge is worshipped as god, it fuels the common man. Eldia was always the scapegoat In the grand scheme of things, the hatred those outsiders held for eachother was momentarily redirected, because war was the only thing that made sense, and it was the only path to a fragile peace.

Their peace, at least.

He accepted this as fact, it was the objective truth about this bleak world. He was no paragon of virtue, far from it. His loyalty and undying love for Eldia overruled the irrational ideal, there was no point in understanding your enemy when they came at you with flames and steel. The rumbling was brutal, admittedly extreme measure to secure their right to live, but it was their only realistic shot at survival.

Turning the other cheek with your executioner paves the way for death and destruction, and as a consequence the blood of the innocents washes up on the shores and merges into the sands, sinking everything in its path, pulling them deeper into this endless cycle that plagued this world. Floch was there the day war was declared, where Tyrants and fools alike gathered in their high castles to share their tales of unity and valor, the whispers of fortune and glory lead them in a blind arrogance. As the promise to entomb Eldia into history was made.

What other choices did the scouts and the military leave them anyway? What have they done for those four years while their enemies rallied outside to annihilate them? They called for peace talks but the world spat on their faces and declared war, they called for understanding but the world continued to spread their vile rhetoric, and their allies only held on thanks to necessity and greed. What did they have to show for all that time wasted? An ill-thought plan to sacrifice their queen for whom? Rumbling every military base on the earth How? What would that accomplish other than to make their nation a bigger target? He read those reports on the Marleyan conflict in the middle east, their plan would essentially entail that they wait fifty agonizing years filled with fear and uncertainty until mankind rendered the power of the titans obsolete thanks to technology.

In the end, many will die, whether it was on this side or the other. That was the harsh truth, the empire's foundations will be rebuilt on blood and bone. A fact which made many of his former comrades uncomfortable, and in turn made him bitter and weary. Patience was key, now more than ever, he was more than willing to face that truth for the greater good of the entire island.

"Alright let's slow down here!" He called out to his team. The horses gradually slowed their pace as they neared their first checkpoint. Floch covered his eyes from the blinding light as he observed the two mesas in the distance before peering down at his map. "We're going around to the right!" He announced, Gordon looked affronted.

"Around?!" He cried, Floch paid him no mind.

"Why can't we just cut through the hills?" Franz questioned. Floch didn't bother to correct him.

"It'll be easier to access the river if we go around the side. Also, I don't want the horses worn out from going uphill in this heat." He explained to them, He turned to see Sandra furiously writing down on her notepad, for a brief second a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Right." Gordon gave in begrudgingly, as they all followed his direction.

They arrived at the river some minutes later. The cadets did not need his orders to throw themselves at the stream of water. Floch, Sandra, and Ymir stayed behind, the grey-eyed girl wrote down everything as it happened. Floch smirked devilishly, knowing full they'd get an ear chewing by Shadis for abandoning the horses. Sandra noticed his gaze and averted her eyes, an awkward aura lingered around the both of them before she dismounted and rejoined the parched cadets.

"Look at them go, not an inspiring sight is it?"

Floch looked behind him, Ymir rode nearby as she shot a haughty look towards the other cadets. What was she aiming at? What would be the point of asking this?

"They're only human, it happens." Floch replied.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, she seemed to like the answer.

"What about you pumpkin? You human too?" She smirked mischievously, he had an inkling feeling that the question was more of an inside joke on her part.

"You tell me, ink spots." He jabbed at her in return.

She shot him a lopsided grin as her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I wouldn't know, to me you're just another uptight asshole playing soldier." She replied, playing around with the reigns of her horse in her fingers.

"Better than whatever the hell your deal is." He shot at her, unimpressed with the brunette.

"Heh, you're fun. I'd be more worried about avoiding a stroke in that hair If I were you." She jabbed at him dismissively before dismounting her horse, walking away to join the others.

Floch watched her back with a knowing look, he couldn't be faulted for not realizing she was a previous holder of a titan, having never spoken much in his original time, much less knew her name. For a few weeks, he did think of her as oddly familiar, many nights were spent grasping at thin threads in the dark until the dots finally connected.

Floch stood in the middle of the room, clad in his green survey corps uniform. By the far side near the windows sat Eren and a pregnant Historia. He didn't listen to any of the words they spoke, His mind focused on the schematics that lay on the table in front of him. Two other men— Fellow patriots, stood by his side as they went over their plans again. Eren would be leaving for Marley soon and without the scouts commander around, Floch would take full advantage of the situation.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned, his eyes danced around the room until they settled on a portrait hung on the wall. Two females in survey corps uniforms were depicted in them. A tall freckled brunette and a short blonde girl.

Floch didn't know what to make of her, she was neither friend nor foe. She was another wild card to be taken into account, a variable to be held under close watch as to not derail the calculations. Barely worth any sliver of trust, showing loyalty to nobody but herself. Even betraying the closest friend she made behind these walls to crawl back to Marley. How long had they held her under captivity before devouring her? Days? Hours? That wouldn't do, her powers could be put to much better use.

Once he made sure all the horses drank plenty of water, he moved to tie them in the shade one by one before making his way toward the rest of the group. Floch walked side by side with Ruth after she had her fill of water, he was pleased to see her more energized than before. The meek redhead moved to sit down on one of the many sizable rocks littered underneath the shade.

"Ah! This feels much better." She stretched in satisfaction before sitting down.

An odd figure lurking on the surface of the stone caught his attention. "Watch out!" Floch yelled. The others quickly went on full alert, only to see him clutching the smaller girl by the collar.

"W-W-wha-" Ruth stuttered, eyes wide and swirling. Utterly confused and frightened by his actions. Floch said nothing, the thirteen-year-old pulled her closer to him before dropping her to the floor in a gentle manner.

"What's going on?!" Hannah ran up to them alongside the rest, except for Ymir who watched from the side.

Floch remained silent, pointing his finger at the rock Ruth was about to sit on.

"What? There's nothing the-" The words cut short in Tom's mouth as he spotted a scorpion atop the rock. Floch made his way to the arachnid and carefully picked it up by the stinger before gently throwing it away, the creature hurriedly crawled elsewhere and hid between the rocks. The auburn-haired captain went back to the tree and sat down to rest, the cadets who were still rooted to their spots eyed him with curiosity. He glanced off to the side and raised an eyebrow at them before closing his eyes and releasing a jaw-splitting yawn, leaning further into the tree.

"Get some rest and stop looking at me like that."

"Are you crazy?! There could be more of those things!" Tom was the first to break the silence, Ymir walked passed him and startled the boy by how quietly she moved.

She turned to him with a condescending smirk. "Aww! Is the little soldier scared of a tiny bug?" She mocked the boy much to his annoyance.

"W-Why you..." He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Cool it down you two!" Franz called out from behind them, Ymir glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"They don't go out of their way to sting, sit down and be mindful of where you're stepping, or not. Either way we move in ten minutes." Floch reassured them.

Ymir walked over to the boy and sat down a few feet away from him then relaxed against a fallen tree trunk, unscrewing her canteen to take a sip of water. she released a content sigh before turning to face the hesitant cadets. They were confused by the terror that suddenly marred her features.

"Watch out! Titan!" She warned, Some of them jumped in horror at her words as they turned to see nothing but the vast arid plains.

"Ahahahahahaha! Look at you all! Shaking in your boots, it's too much!" Ymir guffawed, desperately clutching onto her aching sides. The girl was subjected to some scornful glares. Floch coolly watched his teammates, carefully, albeit begrudgingly join them underneath the shade.

"That wasn't funny!" Hannah chastised in protest as she sat down, dragging along a dying Ruth.

"It was a little bit funny," Gordon spoke, grimacing at the state of the redheaded girl.

Sandra remained silent the entire time as she clutched her notepad closely to her chest, from time to time she would sneak glances at Floch before looking away into the distance. Floch glanced back unbeknownst to her, he sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned further against the tree with a single thought in mind.

'Cherish these times Floch, they won't last.'