Beobachtungen Von Ilse Langnar
イルゼ・ラングナールの展望
Observations Of Ilse Langnar
850–Trost Gate
"Around the time the cadets were training and soon getting ready to graduate, the elite soldiers of the Survey Corps were attempting to once again set foot into the territory of the Titansvia the Trost District."
In front of the gates of Trost were the members of the Survey Corps, with Erwin Smith being in front as he was the head of the unit. The bells began to chime—a signal to the start of the 49th Expedition was about to begin.
"Thirty seconds until the gates are opened!" Erwin announced, "All personnel, prepare to depart!" Behind him were two carriages as other soldiers of the squad were ready to depart.
One such soldier was none other than Hange Zoë.
"Geez, I'm tired of waiting," Hange whined like a little kid, "Hey, Levi—"
"No." He bluntly cut them off.
"I haven't even said anything yet." Hange said.
Levi wasn't falling for it though, "You want me to help capture a Titan with you, right? That's a waste of effort. I'll have no part of it." His tone expressed he wasn't going to do it and that Hange should shut up.
Seeing that convincing Levi of anything was pointless, Hange then turns their attention over to Mike, "What about you, Mike? Want to give it a go?"
Mike scoffed, looking away as a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Hange let out an exasperated sighed before looking up at the sky, "The same old boring answer from the same old boring men."
The gears of the gate moved as the gate finally went up, dirt falling from the end of the wooden gate. Faces of the members of the Survey Corps were shown—their eyes shadowed, while Hange's glasses were glowing white.
"The 49th Expedition Beyond the Walls begins now!" Erwin announced, his white horse ready to go, "Forward!" Horse hooves rode off as the scouts prepared for the expedition.
Erwin was riding a little further ahead when Hange suddenly rode past him, taking the blonde haired man by surprise, "Hange!" He called out to them.
Hange didn't hear him, "All you Titans out there," they said, facial expression showing excitement and eagerness, "I'm on my way to meet you!"
In the forest stood a girl with long brown hair that reached her middle back. She was standing in a field of beautiful white flowers, bending down, she picked one up and just looked at it. Parting her lips slightly, a smile soon settled on her face.
-進撃の巨人-
Abandoned houses were behind the members of the scouts, smoke rising in the air, but they were paying it no mind as they were too busy surveying the area. Wagons were filled with gas canisters with some soldiers filling their gas up with them, while others were running around.
Two soldiers stood guard outside a white tent—inside the tent were Erwin and Hange with three others. Currently, Hange was in the middle of trying to convince Erwin of something.
"Think about it, Erwin!"
Hange slammed their hands down on the table with visible frustration, "I understand that setting up supply bases takes priority., but uncovering the true nature of the Titans has always been our primary objective!" They lean their head forward, "I'm sure you're aware of that!"
Behind her, Moblit was trying to calm her down, "Squad Leader...it's not a good idea to talk to the Commander in that tone—"
Annoyed, Hange snapped at him, "Shut the hell up!" They snapped before turning back to Erwin, "We need to capture a Titan alive above anything else!"
Back outside was Levi on his horse with the rest of the soldiers who were still on the lookout for Titans as Hange continued to try and reason with Erwin, "We need to capture a Titan alive above anything else! I know that it seems impossible. After all, the last time we took one alive was more than fifteen years ago," more scouts were surveying the area either on the rooftops or down below, "and more than twenty people died in order to pill it off."
Inside the tent, Hange leaned forward, "But we cannot get any intel if we are afraid of making sacrifices!" And they weren't done, "The Titan I have in mind to capture is none other than the Marble Titan! If things pan out as I expect them to, we can capture it and finally understand the secrets the Titans possess!"
"So, pay extra attention to our offense and defense." Erwin said to the soldier next to him, completely ignoring Hange.
"Understood." The grunt replied before leaving the tent.
Erwin then addresses Hange, "Do we really have to go through this again? We don't have the manpower to spare for a capture mission! Even getting this far today cost us more than ten men," his eyes narrowed, "In regards to the Marble Titan, we don't have the necessary equipment with us to capture it."
Hange's lips parted a little before speaking, "I know that, but—"
"Hange," Erwin's cold and stern tone cut them off, "Your proposal is rejected." He walked out of the tent without saying anything else—signifying this conversation was over.
Not one to give up, Hange runs after him, "Hey!" They came out of the tent and stopped at the entrance, "Wait, Erwin!" Hange called out, standing outside and watching them were Oluo and Petra.
Oluo stood there, arms crossed, looking arrogant, "It's no use, Hange-san," he spoke, getting their attention along with the other two, "We put our lives on the line trying to kill the damn things. There's no way we can take one alive." He spoke in a condescending tone, but that turned out to be a mistake, which was proven when Hange grabbed him by the collar, lifting him in the air a little.
"Think about this , Oluo," Hange's tone was serious as they spoke, "Let's say Levi's coming and he's dead set on killing you. What would you do?" Oluo's face was terrified, beads of sweat falling down his face, "Can you fight him and survive?"
"Of course not," He grunted out, "Hey, I can't breath."
Hange had a crazy look in their eyes this time, matched with a crazed grin, "Want me to tell you how you can win that fight?" Their glasses flashed for a second, "You do your homework. The place he works, the food he hates, his taste in women, the number of times he takes a piss…" as they kept talking, the crazy look in their eyes got even crazier, "You find out everything you can about him."
Oluo's feet were dangling at this point, "Once you know him, you can find a weakness that you can exploit. If you don't do that before you fight," their eyes were wild as the grin on Hange's face grew wider, "you will die for sure."
"Hange-san!" Petra cried out, worried.
Moblit was also anxious, "Squad Leader, you're going too far!" He tells them.
Frowning, Hange lets out a huff of amusement before casually dropping Oluo, who was frothing at the mouth, "Ah, my bad, but you get my point, right?" They sent a small wave at Oluo before walking away.
"Squad Leader!" Moblit followed after them, worriedly.
Petra watches them walk away while Oluo rubs his throat to lessen the pain, "Fuck, she damn near killed me." He complained, getting Petra's full attention, "That bitch is insane," he grumbled, "She belongs in a nuthouse."
With a sigh, Petra puts both hands on her hips, giving him an annoyed frown, "You know, you're a part of the Survey Corps, so could you do something about that barbaric way of speaking?" She lectured.
Oluo gives her an annoyed look in return, "Huh? Why do I get the lecture?" He grunted.
Their conversation was interrupted when Eld came up the steps in their direction, "Petra, are you done with the restocking?"
"Y—Yes, Eld-san! I'm almost done!" She nervously replied.
One of the destroyed houses was shown as a single soldier was standing on the roof, munching on a ration bar. It was Mike and he was in the middle of being the lookout. Suddenly, his nose twitched and he began to start sniffing. Narrowing his eyes, he walks towards the edge of the roof—directing his gaze towards the giant trees. He moved to grab something from his side, the object in question was a flare gun. Firing it, one of the giant trees fell over and made the surrounding birds fly away.
The sound of the flare gun going off got Erwin's attention as it did another soldier's. Red smoke came out of the flare gun Mike set off.
"There's movement in the forest!" Mike announced, looking down at Erwin.
All soldiers present were now alert, "All personnel, prepare for combat!" Erwin ordered, standing there as the grunts around him. His eyes moved in on the forest suddenly, narrowing as he saw something move.
"The hell?" Levi muttered as he also saw something move within the forest, as did Hange—who was standing there with Moblit next to them.
Coming in full view was a 15 meter Titan with a white muscular body. The mouth of the Titan was covered like a mask, with only the eyes being visible. Another thing visible on the Titan was the weapon it had hanging over its shoulder.
"That's…!" Petra gasped.
"The Marble Titan! We must be near its hunting ground!" Moblit theorized, feeling nervous at seeing it here of all places.
The Marble Titan was paying them no mind as it was just casually walking along without worry. This was a rare sight to see for the Survey Corps members as some hadn't even seen it up close and personal before. Some of the new recruits were nervous after seeing it for the very first time, but since the titan had no interest in them they opted to just watch it carefully.
Erwin was observing its movements with a careful eye and didn't take his eyes off it, even when Mike jumped down from the roof and stood at his side.
"Was it the Marble Titan you smelled?" Erwin asked him.
Mike nods, "Yeah, but then again it's not all that surprising to see it out here since we're probably near its hunting ground." In fact they should have expected it. The first time this titan was even spotted was in the forest, so to see it all the way out here really isn't all that shocking.
'But why come all the way out here where we are?' Erwin thinks, wondering if it came all the way out here with a purpose.
"What do you want to do?" Mike asked.
Erwin was just about to answer him when an urgent yell from Moblit got both men's attention, "Squad Leader, it's too dangerous to go alone!" Hearing this, both Erwin and Mike look over to see Hange jumping on their horse with an eager smile, but Moblit was holding his hands out in an attempt to stop them from taking off, with zero success.
"Erwin, I'm going on ahead!" Hange announced before taking off in pursuit of the Marble Titan.
"Hange, wait!" Erwin cried out to them, but Hange just ignored him, "Levi!" He addressed the shorter male.
"Tch," Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance before snapping the reins on his horse, "That moron." He grumbled, irritably before taking off after them.
Hange was riding through the forest in pursuit of the titan that gained its attention ever since it first made its appearance. They rode around for awhile before finally catching up to it, "Oh, found ya!"
The Marble Titan hears them and tilts its head down slightly, seeing Hange ride past it, "Hey there! Nice weather we're having, huh?" They greeted in a cheerful tone.
…
…
…
"...pft—!"
Looking back, Hange saw the titan's shoulders begin to shake, its free hand covering its mouth. It was hunched over, its whole body shaking trying to contain in what appeared to be...laughter?
'Is it...trying not to laugh?' Hange thought that maybe for the first time they'd lost their mind, but no—the titan was literally trying not to laugh.
Apparently the titan wasn't able to control it for very long as it soon lost it, "Pfft—hahahahahaha!" It bellowed out in pure, amused laughter, much to the shock of Hange.
They stopped their horse immediately and turned it around to openly stare at the laughing titan.
'It's laughing...the Marble Titan is laughing!' Hange couldn't believe what they were seeing, but there it is! This titan was laughing!
After a few minutes the Marble Titan final calmed down and stood upright. Hange could practically see its eyes looking right at them. No—it can feel them looking.
" Interesting. Of all things I was expecting, it certainly wasn't you greeting me in such a way." It spoke.
Hange's mouth parted, eyes wide as their brain ceased function at that moment. Just now...no, wait...but!
'I—It talked! Just now, the Marble Titan talked!' The laughing already took Hange by surprise, but the talking? Such a discovery! Now they want this titan even more!
"You...just now…" Hange trailed off, still dumbstruck.
"Talked?" The titan finished their sentence for them, "Is it so strange to hear me speak the same language as you?" It questioned.
'It talked some more!' They inwardly squealed in pure excitement. For the very first time mankind was communicating with a titan!
"This feels familiar," The Marble Titan fully turns to face Hange, finger placed on its chin, "Ah, that's right. The human who came before you was also quite surprised—fainted from shock as I recall."
Hange gasped, leaning forward on their horse, "What?! Another human communicated with you?! Who were they?!" This was valuable information that they needed to know!
"Before that, why not introduce yourself first?" The titan said instead, putting its free arm down to its side in a relaxing manner, "Surely you must go by some name."
"Oh! That's right, where are my manners!" Hange exclaimed in slight embarrassment, still sitting on their horse they made the salute, "Squad Leader of the Fourth Squad and soldier of the Survey Corps—Hange Zoë at your service!"
Hearing their introduction seemed to peak the titan's interest even more, "A soldier of the Survey Corps, huh…" it said, "This makes the second time I've encountered one of you. Out here in this very forest, too."
That peaked Hange's interest as they straightened up on their horse a little, 'This titan's encountered a soldier of the Survey Corps before?' Another bit of information to take note of.
The titan knelt down suddenly, getting Hange's full attention as it did so, "Actually, you being here works out well for me. The human before you left something behind, so I'll have you bring it back to them." Before the scientist could say anything, the titan opened its palm up, keeping it flat.
Hange blinked.
"Get on, but leave the horse," The Marble Titan said to them, "No need to worry about it, either. I've made sure to take care of any unwanted nuisances." And by nuisances, it was referring to the titans.
Not bothering to hold back a squeal, Hange jumped off their horse before jumping on the titan's open palm. The titan lets out a huff in amusement as it stands back up before walking out in the open.
"Ohhh! The view is certainly nice from up here!" Hange said, happily.
"Is that so? What an interesting one you are, Hange Zoë." The titan comments before pausing as a red flare was shot in its general direction. Turning towards the source, they saw the one to fire it off was Levi—who was riding his horse in an attempt to lure it away, along with the rest of his squad.
"This way, moron." He muttered, annoyed.
Hange pouts down at him, "Hey, don't ruin this experience for me, Levi!" They shouted down at him as they rode into the forest.
The Marble Titan watches them go with a hum, "So that's the famous Levi, the man they call Humanity's Strongest?" It inquired.
"Yup, so you've heard of him, huh?" Hange answered the titan.
"Yes, but I wasn't expecting him to be the same height as a child. What a disappointing first impression." The titan states before walking off in a different direction, ignoring Hange's laughing fit when it took a jab at Levi's height.
As for Levi's Squad, they were riding deep into the forest and noticed the titan wasn't following after them. In fact, it outright ignored them in favor of heading off somewhere along with Hange.
"What's that shit-face up to?" Oluo grumbled, annoyed, "Is it running back home?" He bit his tongue after finishing that last sentence.
"Even if it is an Intelligent Titan, there's something strange about its actions," Petra added her own two cents, "And why would it run off with Hange?"
"Not sure, but its movement patterns aren't like anything that's been reported before. As for why it took off with Squad Leader Hange is another mystery, could it really be an Abnormal instead of Intelligent?" Eld made his own comment.
"No, some titans are called "Abnormals" because they don't behave normally, right?" Gunther interjected, "That's not the case with the Marble Titan, and the reason it took Hange away is probably—"
"I couldn't care less." Levi's stern voice cut him off as he took his anti-titan killing blades out, "Whether it's abnormal or intelligent, we'll find out right here and now."
-進撃の巨人-
Hange was practically vibrating in the titan's palm as it was leading them towards a specific location. It said that a human it met before forgot something and it wanted them to take it back.
'What could it be, I wonder?' Hange was getting more and more excited as they felt their destination was soon upon them. And the scientist was right. The next turn led them to a field of white flowers. Such a beautiful sight only reminded Hange that nature was both cruel and beautiful. Nothing could compare.
"Is it here?" Hange questioned. The titan placed her back down on the ground, much to her disappointment. But it was soon washed away when the realization that a titan carried her in its palm took over. Another squeal threatened to escape, but decided to focus on the task at hand.
"Yes, it is," The titan confirmed, "In fact—we had our little encounter in this very forest. She almost had her head bitten off by a titan before I killed it."
"I see, so you saved that soldier, but what else happened?" Hange questioned.
They weren't able to hear the answer as a cable attached itself to the back of the Marble titan's neck. The one who launched it was Oluo, who had both blades raised in preparation to strike the titan down, "I've got this!"
"Oluo, don't do it!" Hange stopped him.
"Huh?" Oluo said, dumbfounded at Hange's command. His distraction was a prime example that you should never distract a soldier in any circumstances.
This was further proven when the Marble Titan yanked the cable out of its neck and had Oluo dangled, upside down. Bringing the man closer to its face, it opted to stare at him—aware that the man was now paralyzed with fear.
"Wait, don't kill him!" Hange pleaded to the titan.
It looked like the titan was thinking about it, but thankfully placed a frightened Oluo down. He backed away from it quickly, but the titan had no interest in wanting to kill him. Hange was about to breathe a sigh of relief and almost relaxed until once again a cable was shot at its neck.
Hange knew who it was.
"Levi, wait!" Hange called out to the man.
Levi ignored them, coming in fast, aiming right for the back of the nape. Just as his blades were about to cut the nape—they suddenly broke when they made contact. Eyes widening, Levi immediately pulls back, landing safely on a tree branch.
Frowning, he looks down at his broken blades before eyeing the Marble titan with a scowl. So the damn thing could use a trick like that, huh? Good to know. He watches as the Marble titan looks over at him before walking away.
"Ah, wait!" Hange reached out to it, but the titan just kept walking away, seemingly bored. But before it disappeared completely into the forest, the titan waved before finally disappearing.
Clicking his teeth in annoyance he discarded his broken blades then jumped down from the branch and looked at Oluo.
"Still alive?" He asked.
Oluo was still on the ground, tears and snot falling from his face, "Corporal…" he sniffed, making an ugly face, "I'll follow your orders forever!"
Hange hung their head with a disappointed sigh, "And we were getting along so well...I was going to ask it to come back with us."
Levi scowled in their direction before walking over to them.
"If it had agreed to come back with us then humanity would have taken the next step forward." Hange would have kept on going had Levi not grabbed their collar and started yelling in their face.
"Shut up, you four-eyed, bitch!" He yelled, "If you wanna get splattered to death by a Titan, then I won't stop you. But don't you dare endanger the lives of my men!"
Blinking a couple of times, Hange responds, "It wasn't harming me." They replied, bluntly.
Levi gave her a dumbfounded expression.
Seeing this prompted Hange to remove Levi's grip from their collar before standing, "It spoke to me in complete sentences, and showed no aggression—only interest." They said.
"What, it spoke to you?!" Petra exclaimed in pure shock, "The Marble Titan is capable of human speech?!"
Hange grinned, "Yup! It even said I was interesting! Such polite manners from a titan!"
Eld got to thinking, "So it's not abnormal like we originally thought…"
"Nope, highly Intelligent!" Hange said, boastfully.
Levi scoffed, "Shitty four-eyes." He grumbled, irritably.
"But why was it carrying you?" Gunther inquired, "And why bring you here of all places?"
A hum escaped Hange's lips before their eyes nearly bulged out of their skull, "OH! I almost forgot the reason why it brought me here in the first place!" They exclaimed suddenly, scaring the living daylights out of Squad Levi, save for Levi.
"And that is?" Levi raised a brow at the scientists bizarre (or more than usual bizarre) behavior.
Not answering him, they got down on all fours and started crawling around on the grass, frantically looking around like some crazed animal.
Petra blinked slowly, "Um, Hange? What are you doing?" She was unsure if she even wanted to know.
"The reason it brought me all the way out here was because a previous Survey Corps soldier it encountered before us left something important out here." Hange replied, still focusing on their task.
"What? That thing came into contact with one of our own?" Levi said in disbelief.
"Yes, already! Now will you stop questioning me and help me find what we're looking for already?!" Hange yelled in obvious frustration.
This made Squad Levi start looking around, even Levi—though going by his facial expression it was painfully obvious he didn't want to, but did it anyway. The time they spent looking felt like hours even though it was more like 30 minutes or less.
Getting irritated by all this, Levi was just about to call Hange out on their bullshit when he felt himself step on something. Looking down, he removed his foot and saw it was a journal of some sort. He picked it up, "Hey, Hange."
"Hm?" Hange looks over their shoulder, still on all fours. They were about to ask what was wrong when their eyes caught sight of the journal in the man's hand, "That might be it!"
Their ecstatic cry got the attention of the rest of the Squad. Levi walks over to them and shows what he found.
Hange inspected it, "Levi, is that…"
"Yeah," He opened it and couldn't hide his shock, "This is the fruit of this soldier's labor."
-進撃の巨人-
A freckled-faced, female soldier was running as the sun was starting to set. In her hand was a small journal, which she was writing in as she continued to run.
"My name is Ilse Langnar. I am part of the 34th Expedition Beyond the Walls, Second Battalion, in charge of perimeter defense."
The scene changes to when a whole squad in an abandoned village were being devoured by the titans, and Ilse being the only survivor—having been in the water far away from the carnage.
"On our way back, we encountered some Titans." Ilse stares in horror before getting out of the water, "I lost everyone in my squad, and even my horse." She discarded her equipment, "My ODM gear was damaged, so I had to leave it behind." She took out her journal from the breast pouch and started writing.
This was what was happening now.
"I am running due north."
In a room somewhere back inside the walls, were those gathered around a table and listening to Hange read what was written out loud. They were Erwin, Levi, Squad Levi, Mike, and Moblit.
"I have lost my horse in the lands ruled by the Titans."
It was now raining and Ilse took shelter by a tree, hood pulled up to avoid getting soaking wet.
"No human can outrun a Titan on foot." Ilse brings the bottom of her hand up to wipe away her tears before continuing to write.
"I have no comrades to rely on. My chances of returning to the city are despairingly low."
Behind the running Ilse was a giant sunset, the hood of her cloak was still up as she kept running.
"However, if I avoid contact with the Titans, I might be able to reach the wall. That's right, right now, I must not give into fear."
The sun was no longer present as it was now night and she was now crouched and hiding in some bushes, and still writing.
"I have been prepared for this scenario since the day I joined the Survey Corps. I am the wings of humanity, making it's last stand." She closed her eyes for a moment before stiffening when she heard some rustling before proceeding to write again, "I am a member of the Survey Corps! I will fight to the end, even if I end up dying!"
Night ended and it was now day, Ilse was running along a small cliff that had running water.
"I have no weapons, but I can still fight!" She jumped over to the other side easily, "I will record my experiences on this paper, and do everything I can!"
Ilse then ran into an isolated part of the forest where there were plenty of white flowers.
"I will not give up!" She wrote, "I will not give up!"
Time slowed when she ran past a tree and came face to face with a titan with short blonde hair, looking right at her. She couldn't help but stare right back in pure terror. Time resumed as the titan charged at her before almost biting her head off, but Ilse managed to duck and roll out of the way before backing up against a tree. It crawled over to her but didn't try to eat her and just breathed heavy.
Ilse let tears fall from her eyes, but she was still able to speak and write, "I will not...give up!" She declared before writing.
"I have encountered a Titan. It's a seven—no, six meter class. It didn't attack me right away. Is it an Abnormal?"
Ilse looked up at the titan that still wasn't trying to eat her.
"This is the end of the line. This is as far as I go. I have lived a whimsical life. I haven't done anything for my parents yet!" Ilse was crying inside her head, "I feel sick!"
"The end." Just as it looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown—what happened next washed her fear away.
"Ymir's…"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"...people."
Much to her shock, the titan moved its face away from her. Ilse couldn't believe what she just heard, 'It just spoke.' She made sure to write that down, too.
"The Titan just spoke." Ilse stared at the titan in disbelief, "No way."
"Lady Ymir," The titan spoke again before bowing before Ilse in respect, "Welcome."
Ilse wasn't even scared anymore and was now astounded and wrote her thoughts down, "The Titan is speaking words that I can understand."
"Ymir's people." "Lady Ymir." "Welcome."
"There's no doubt. This Titan is sowing facial expressions. It appears to be showing respect to me." Wiping a tear from her eye, she wrote down in her journal again, "I can't believe it! For the first time in history of humanity, I'm conversing with a Titan?!"
Taking a deep breath, she decided to try speaking to it, "What...are you?" The titan lifted its head a little, but didn't respond.
"I asked this Titan about his nature. Instead of talking, it is moaning."
This was evident when the titan moaned some more and its body began to shake.
"Where did you come from?" She tried again to get the titan to speak.
"I asked for a location."
It continued to shake.
"He didn't respond."
"Why do you eat us?" Ilse kept trying to get the titan to speak.
"I ask him for a motive. "
The titan grabbed its eyes, still shaking—as if controlling itself so it wouldn't try to eat Ilse.
Ilse couldn't take it anymore and started shouting at it, "Why do you eat us?! You don't die even if you don't eat anything! Why?! Why?!" She shouted, "Go back to the nothing you came from!" Ilse throws her arm out, "Disappear from this world!"
Looking back up at Ilse, the titan grabbed onto the bottom of its eye socket and started pulling on it. Blood seeping from the wound it was making.
Ilse backed up against the tree, scared, "What's going on?"
The titan pulled some of its skin off some more, prompting Ilse to run away from it. Unfortunately she didn't get very far as the titan saw she was running away and chased after her.
"What are you doing?" Ilse questioned out of fear, "No good. It's chasing me." She looked behind her, which proved to be a mistake as the titan grabbed her, traces of blood still present on its face.
"No!" Ilse cried out as the titan slowly brought her head towards its mouth. Ths was truly the end—
—or so she believed.
SLASH!
Before it could bite Ilse's head off, the titan had its own head sliced off its body. Ilse let out a frightened yelp as she began to fall, but didn't have to worry because she landed on something that was both soft and hard. Opening her tear stained eyes, she saw a different kind of titan that peered down at her.
"Isn't this quite a sight," The new titan spoke, sounding amused, "You might be the first human I've encountered that's yelled at a Titan. You're a brave one, or you've finally lost your sanity."
Ilse stared up at the newest Titan, unable to speak. She knew this titan! Everyone knew that the Titan currently holding her was the Marble Titan.
Shaking, she somehow managed to write about her new experience.
"I...I have come into contact with the Marble Titan. Like the Titan it just killed, it also spoke. However, there's a huge difference between the two as the Marble Titan has just spoken to me in clear sentences!' She wrote down, hand still trembling.
She was going to write down some more, but found her eyelids grow heavy. And before she knew it, she passed out in the Titans palm.
Hange stops reading for a moment, looking up to see what sort of facial expressions her comrades were making as she stopped reading for a moment to gauge their reactions.
Erwin was blank as usual, listening with rapt attention. Levi's face was stoic, but his eyes revealed more emotion than his face ever could. All the other survey corps soldiers were more expressive than they tried to hide.
"There's more that's written here." Hange spoke, flipping the page.
Petra was the first one to speak, "I just can't believe it...but it makes sense the Marble Titan would save a human from another titan. It's done that before."
"That's true, and finding out that it can understand us, let alone speak so clearly is a major breakthrough for us." Moblit agreed, while adding his own two cents.
"So we know for a fact that Ilse was saved by the Marble Titan and is still very much alive." Eld said.
"Only problem is, we have no idea as to where her current whereabouts are." Gunther points out.
At this point, Erwin speaks up, "We'll send some scouts to go and search for her," he then addresses Hange, "Continue."
Hange nods and decides to continue.
She could feel warmth all around her.
How long has it been since she slept this peacefully?
Too long, in fact she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since joining the Survey Corps. Hee body felt so relaxed that she didn't want to wake up, but somehow she was able to force her body to wake up.
Opening her eyes slowly, Ilse awoke to a strange sight. Above her was what appeared to be a crystallized ceiling, but that wasn't the only strange thing. She could feel herself sleeping on what felt like a bed of flowers, but that's not possible...right?
Slowly sitting up, she looked around the area and actually paid attention to her surroundings. Blinking, her mind was still in a state of fog before suddenly widening as the revelations of what happened hit her full on.
"How...why…?" She mumbled before looking down to see her notebook resting in her lap. Quickly grabbing it, she flips through it, eyes widening when she reads the part about her being saved by the Marble Titan. Gasping, she grabbed the edge of what appeared to be a crystal bed and hopped out, running towards the only exit.
The bright light of the sun hit her face full on, forcing her to cover her face until she was used to the light. Removing her hand from her face, Ilse looks around frantically—assessing her situation and surroundings. All she saw however were the same field of white flowers and no Marble Titan.
"What…?" She mumbled.
"Finally awake?" A new voice was heard in the area. Ilse snapped her head in the direction the voice came from. She didn't have to look too far though because sitting down on the ground a few feet away was an unknown individual in an all black cloak, the hood was pulled up and covering half of their face so Ilse couldn't see what they looked like.
Ilse swallowed before finding it in her to speak, "Who...who are you?" She questioned.
The figure chucked in what could be described as amusement. Ilse was honestly surprised they were so calm and out in the open, but she was more surprised not to see any Titans roaming around.
"Why don't you introduce yourself first?" The figure countered, "It is only fair, isn't it?"
Ilse was cautious to give her name to this mysterious individual, but saw no harm in at least telling them her name. She performed the salute, "Ilse Langnar. Part of the 34th Expedition Beyond the Walls, Second Battalion, in charge of perimeter defense and soldier of the Survey Corps."
The last part of the introduction seemed to interest them greatly, "So you're with the Survey Corps. How rare to see one of you out here alone all by yourself. Normally you all travel in groups, right?"
At the stranger's inquiry, Ilse clenched her teeth, remembering all her comrades being slaughtered and devoured by the Titans. She also felt like a coward for running off and abandoning them to their fate.
"Judging by your facial expression I'm assuming you feel some guilt about being the only survivor." The figure guessed, correctly.
Ilse didn't bother to hide the flinch that wracked all over her body.
"Survivor's guilt, then. Don't worry, I'm sure your comrades' deaths weren't in vain." They said, casually.
Ilse opened her mouth to protest, "Come over here and have a seat," the figure said, preventing her from saying anything, "Your meat will get cold."
Now that they say something, Ilse was feeling a little hungry—her stomach also started making noise, only proving just how hungry she was. Sitting in front of the person, Ilse took a small bite out of the meat, only for her eyes to widen before proceeding to ravage the meat like an untrained animal.
"You must've really been hungry, can't say I blame you though. It's probably been awhile since you last had something to eat." The figure comments before finishing their own meat and tossing the stick away.
Ilse had the decency to look embarrassed at least, but it seems this person didn't seem to mind all that much.
"Faye."
"Huh?" Ilse said.
Faye stands to their feet before walking over towards the big tree, "You wanted to know who I am, right? My name is Faye, but you all know me better as the Marble Titan."
Ilse's eyes widened at the introduction. She got a name, that's true, but the other part was unexpected.
"W-Wait!" Ilse cried, standing up as well, "Y-You...just now—!" She could barely get the words out.
Faye was now standing in front of the giant tree and made no move to turn around, but did respond to the girl's ramblings, "I'm the Marble Titan as you all call me, even though that's the incorrect title for my titan."
Ilse had so many questions to ask, which is why she brought out her notebook, "Please! I have so many things to ask—Please, I have to know! Why are you helping humanity by killing your own kind?" The figure whose name she now knows is Faye, started shaking before outright laughing. That was something Ilse wasn't expecting.
After a moment, Faye was able to get their laughter under control, "My own kind?" What a funny thing to say." They giggled.
"Eh?"
Faye faced Ilse fully, face still hidden, "I assure you that I'm no Titan in human form. I am someone who has inherited the power of one of the Nine Titans—the "Special Nine" as I like to call them."
Ilse wrote everything she said down and Faye didn't seem to mind it, "Please tell me more!" She urged.
With a smirk, Faye decided to humor Ilse, "Very well, but I can only tell you what is only necessary, so try not to be too disappointed."
"Y-yes…"
"Faye sat down and told me all she was able to. The true name of her Titan was the "War Hammer Titan," and that it was one of the "Nine Titans." These Nine Titans were special because they hold abilities no other Titans can."
Ilse was furiously writing down everything, making sure not to leave out any details.
"She referred to the Titans as "Pure Titans." Unlike those who hold the power of the Titans that retain their intelligence—Pure Titans do not. Another useful piece of information she disclosed to me were the names of the three Titans that attacked Wall Maria five years ago. The Armored Titan, Colossal Titan, and Female Titan—which stayed outside the walls and called on the Pure Titans in the area to help kill those within the walls."
"She did it by screaming, and it attracted all of them to the wall." Faye revealed, "But I'm still annoyed by the encounter because they managed to escape by the skin of their teeth." She said with an annoyed frown.
Ilse gave her a nervous smile, "So...you're upset because you didn't get to finish them off?"
Faye pouted, "No, I wanted to break them first before finishing them off, but they ran away! Having your enemy flee from you is no fun at all." She huffed, annoyed.
"I was...unsure as to how to respond to that, but from her description, it must have been quite a battle." Ilse wrote down.
"Anyway, the Titan that saved the wall also has a true name, but I think it's best to let them tell you whenever you manage to find out who they are," Faye said, "I'd rather not take the fun away when they eventually reveal themselves."
"I see, so the Mysterious Titan is your alley?" Ilse asked.
"They are. And they also have the ability to control Pure Titans and so much more, but one again I'll let them tell you themselves." Faye replied.
And Ilse would look forward to when that day comes.
"After talking for some time, Faye decided it was time I headed back to the safety of the walls, and I agreed. I will never forget this encounter and the information I was able to learn."
Hange closes the notebook, eyes closed before opening them back up, "That's all." Truth be told, Hange was trying to contain themselves from jumping out of the chair and hunting Ilse down to get more information, or from the War Hammer Titan themselves.
Around the room, everyone had different reactions to the many reveals the journal contained. Everything they thought they knew, it wasn't even a fraction of that. There were many things they still didn't know.
Like before, Erwin was the first to speak, "So the true name of the Marble Titan is actually the War Hammer Titan, and it's one of the Nine Titans."
"Or Special Titans as this Faye person refers to them." Hange added.
Levi was frowning, "This Faye person also revealed that there were three Titans five years ago. All the Female Titan had to do was scream and the rest of those Pure Titans came running."
"But according to some witnesses of Wall Maria, the Mysterious Titan also controlled the Pure Titans by making them eat each other." Petra reminded, and according to Faye, the Mysterious Titan has more special abilities that we still don't know of."
"Hold on, can we even trust the word of this Faye individual?" Oluo asked the question everyone else wanted to ask, "For all we know they could just be telling us this and planning on attacking us later."
"I don't believe so," Hange rebuked him, "From my own experience with the War Hammer Titan, she has no interest in harming us and is only interested in defeating the enemy. Unfortunately they could only tell Ilse what was necessary, but in the near future they might be able to tell us more."
"Agreed, that's why I'm issuing a new order," Erwin said in a serious tone, "As of right now our priority is finding the whereabouts of Ilse Langnar. Any information you find will be useful, once you find her bring Ilse here."
"Sir!" They all stood and saluted before leaving out the room.
Levi and Hange stayed behind.
"Nine Titans...aside from the five we already know of, there are four more out there." Hange said.
"That just means more pain in the asses to deal with." Levi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"Even so," Erwin's back was facing them as he stared out the window, the sound beginning to set, "We have two powerful allies working in the shadows, if we could manage to get them to fight with us out in the open...we will have the advantage."
Hange could only hope so.
-進撃の巨人-
It only took a day for them to find Ilse Langnar.
She was currently staying with her parents for a short time as her father had become ill for a while, but soon recovered. Ilse was on her way back to Headquarters when there was a knock at the door and standing there were Hange, Petra, Oluo, and Levi.
Their sudden visit took the girl by surprise, but her expression didn't stay that way for long when she saw the notebook in Hange's hand.
They were now sitting at the very same table back at Headquarters, Ilse holding the notebook she thought was lost to her. To think it was brought back to her after all this time.
"I thought I'd never see this again," Ilse spoke with a fondness in her tone, "Hard to believe a year has passed since that fateful day."
"I'm sorry that we just barged in here like this, but we want to hear your experience from your own point of view." Hange said.
"Yes, I'll tell you...everything." Ilse replied.
Ilse told them everything from her encounter with the Talking Titan and the War Hammer Titan—Faye. She described Faye as a playful individual, but also strong and willing to break her opponents spirits before killing them.
"I could sense a viciousness in her that she's trying to keep hidden." Ilse explained.
"I see, and did she tell you anything else?" Hange asked.
"There is one thing she told me that put me on edge." Ilse admits.
Hange leaned forward, slightly, "What is it?"
Looking them right in the eye she told them, "Keep what you know hidden, for those in the shadows are always watching and listening."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
Petra looked nervous.
Oluo flinched.
Hange was a little unsettled by the parting warning Faye gave to Ilse, but figured there was a special reason for it.
Outside, Ilse saluted them before heading back home. As they watched her leave, they still couldn't get the words out their heads.
"Keep what you know hidden, for those in the shadows are always watching and listening," huh?" Hange said.
"What could Faye be referring to when she told Ilse that?" Petra wondered.
"Sounds creepy as hell." Oluo commented.
Levi had his suspicions, but it was best to discuss them with Erwin and Hange both. Speaking of Hange, "By the way, Erwin has come to a decision," he said to Hange, "You're permitted to capture a Titan with your chosen squad."
"I see." Hange said, absentmindedly. But as they let that information wash over them some more, they jumped in the air full of happiness, "Hooray!"
Oluo and Petra jumped, while Levi just ignored her.
"Twenty days later, Squad Leader Hange gained the support of the Special Operations Squad led by Corporal Levi, and succeeded in organizing the first ever expedition beyond Wall Maria to capture a Titan."
Four titans were captured by a huge net and surrounded by soldiers.
"For that mission, a new method of capture proposed by Captain Hange was used, and not a single human life was lost."
-進撃の巨人-
Out in the very same field of white flowers was the same hooded figure, sitting on a crystal rock they made just for fun.
"Are you enjoying yourself, mistress?"
Faye smiled, looking to the side to see a woman with blonde hair that was just a little bit past shoulder length which she kept tied back with bangs that were parted down the middle. She was wearing a pair of tight black pants, a white button-up shirt, and a pair of black shoes with her Anti-Personnel ODM Gear.
"Caven, I told you many times not to call me that. Do I look old enough to be called that in the first place?" Faye replied.
"My apologies," Caven actually meant it, too despite her calm demeanor, "I was curious about your first encounter with Levi, what did you think of him?"
Tossing the flower aside, Faye replied, "He's not bad, but until I see what he can really do I can't say he's all that impressive. Though he is strong, give me a month and I could beat him."
"Is that so? Then what about your teacher?" Caven asked in genuine curiosity.
"Three months." Faye replied.
Caven sighed, "How tragic for Levi then, after all…" Faye hopped off the crystal boulder and removed her black cloak, revealing long brown hair, and green eyes, "...he truly doesn't know what a sinister predator you are—Erena."
Erena grinned in response, 'While I wouldn't mind seeking my teeth into the Female Titan first...the anticipation to get at Levi is very tempting.'
"Come, it's time for us to leave." Caven said to her.
Shrugging her shoulders, Erena walked past the woman, her grin morphing into a sinister smirk, 'This is gonna be so much fun...so many prey to toy with before I devour them whole. I truly can't wait.' Her eyes glowed in anticipation.
Predators are far more vicious when they set their sights on certain prey they want to devour more than anything—
—and most of them succeed.
Vorwärts Bewegen (To Move Forward)