Wall Maria (2)
The sudden upheaval of the Earth left the warrior candidates frozen in shock.
For a split second, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind.
The ground was rising without warning, and between the debris, a massive, flesh-colored body started to emerge. The pieces quickly fell into place in my head.
"No way…"
A fleeting image from the Attack on Titan series flashed before me—a moment when Ymir's Titan was awakened from the earth.
"Everyone, run!!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs. Though Rainer and Bertholdt had no idea what was happening, they immediately took off running. I also started backing away, preparing to transform.
But then, I caught sight of Annie. She was too drained to move, still weakened from her Titan form. She didn't resist, only staring at the charging Titan coming straight for her.
"Move!"
In that split second, instead of transforming, I threw myself at Annie, shoving her out of the way.
"Argh!"
The Titan's sharp teeth sank into my shoulder.
"Shit..."
The searing pain clouded my mind, making it impossible to think.
"Shiniro!"
Annie, now fully aware of the situation, desperately tried to transform, but she was too weak—her hand only ended up injured.
Behind us, Rainer and Bertholdt were paralyzed with fear, unable to move.
The Titan lifted me into the air, tossing me up. It opened its massive jaws wide, preparing to swallow me whole.
"Fuck!"
My body was flung into the air. In that brief, fleeting moment, I forced myself to regain focus. My mind snapped back into sharp clarity, and everything moved in slow motion.
Just before I was about to fall into the Titan's gaping mouth, I bit into the back of my hand.
Electricity crackled through my body, the familiar surge of energy shooting out as I plummeted. Just as the Titan was about to close its massive jaws around me—
BOOM
A violent bolt of lightning struck inside the Titan's mouth.
The creature, which had been ready to devour me, now reeled back in agony, its throat searing from the inside. It gagged, spitting me out as it convulsed in pain.
"RRRRAAAAARGH!!"
Without wasting a second, I completed my transformation.
The skeletal framework of the Jaw Titan formed quickly around me, muscles wrapping over it in an instant.
One of the advantages of the Jaw Titan was its smaller size—it transformed faster than most.
Before the mindless beast could recover, I charged at it, sinking my powerful jaws into its neck.
-CRUNCH!
The sheer force of the Jaw Titan's bite ripped through the Titan's body, severing its head from its shoulders. The massive form staggered for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The entire encounter had lasted only a few seconds. I heaved myself out of the Titan's torn neck, gasping for breath.
"Huff... huff..."
My heart pounded in my chest like it was about to explode. I was drenched in cold sweat, the realization sinking in that I had just been on the edge of life and death.
I watched as the lifeless Titan in front of me slowly began to evaporate into steam.
In the original story, this would have been Ymir, the one who inherited the Jaw Titan.
She was meant to be a key player among the 104th Training Corps, but now, she was vanishing into the smoke.
The reality of the situation hit me hard. This wasn't a world that allowed even the smallest mistakes. Any misstep could mean death.
"...Damn it."
Finally, Rainer and Bertholdt rushed toward me, their faces filled with panic.
Annie, too, staggered to her feet, clutching her bleeding hand.
"Shiniro!!"
They all asked if I was okay, but I did my best to answer as calmly as possible.
The last thing they needed was to see me panic. If I lost my composure, it could throw the entire mission into chaos.
I had to remain calm, to lead, and to make sure we completed the task at hand.
"I'm... sorry, Shiniro... I didn't fully grasp what was happening... I'm so sorry..."
Rainer's voice was shaky, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by a pale, guilt-ridden expression.
His words stuttered as he spoke, and I could see the relief that I was still alive mixed with his guilt for freezing in fear when I needed help.
Bertholdt, standing behind him, looked the same—both of them weighed down by their failure to act.
"Enough."
I cut them off sharply. My shoulder, where the Titan had bitten, was burning with pain, but I refused to show it. Ignoring the agony, I forced myself to speak calmly, my voice steady.
"Save the apologies for later. Right now, we focus on finishing the mission."
My firm tone silenced them. They stared at me, speechless.
"Get back on. We're continuing the operation as planned, and we're finishing it today."
************************
The sky was clear, just like any other day.
As Eren gazed quietly at the blue expanse beyond the walls, a strange feeling washed over him.
"Eren, what are you doing here?"
A familiar voice came from beside him.
It was his best friend, Armin, with his blond hair catching the sunlight.
"The sky's just really clear today… I wish I could see what's beyond the walls."
"Hmm, why don't we ask Hannes about it?" Armin suggested, thinking hard. "The Garrison Regiment climbs the wall sometimes to maintain the cannons, right? Maybe if we ask him, we could get up there for a bit."
It wasn't a huge chance, but it was a chance nonetheless.
"That's actually a great idea! Now that I think about it, Hannes has been up there plenty of times!"
Eren snapped his fingers, surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner. As expected, Armin always seemed to come up with clever ideas in situations like these.
"Let's go ask him right now, Armin!"
"Huh? Right now?"
"If we wait too long, we might forget. We have to go now!" Eren grabbed Armin's hand, pulling him along enthusiastically.
"Mikasa, you come too!"
"Mm."
At Eren's call, Mikasa silently nodded and followed them.
Eren walked with a bright smile on his face, clearly excited.
The idea of finally seeing the view from the top of the wall filled him with anticipation. Today, for some reason, everything seemed brighter, more hopeful.
Maybe, if they were lucky, they could even catch a glimpse of the Titans Hannes always talked about—the enormous, terrifying creatures he'd constantly warn them about.
Eren's excitement only grew at the thought.
Of course, Eren was confident he wouldn't be scared. After all, he planned to join the Survey Corps one day, and he couldn't afford to be frightened just by watching from a distance.
"Armin, Mikasa! Hurry up and—"
-BOOOOM!!!!
Before Eren could even finish his sentence, a loud, thunderous sound echoed through the air.
Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all turned their heads toward the source of the sound, and in that moment, they were all struck speechless.
And it wasn't just them—nearby residents, too, stood frozen, staring in shock toward the outer side of the wall.
Hisssss
There, looming over the wall, was a massive Titan, its face visible above the top of the barrier.
"A Titan… taller than the wall?"
Eren couldn't take his eyes off the enormous creature.
Its body was red, as though its skin had been peeled away, and steam was pouring off of it. Before long, the Titan began to move its enormous body.
-CRAAAAASH!!!!
With a single, devastating kick, it smashed the wall's gate to pieces.
Debris flew in every direction, and a thick cloud of dust filled the air. And even in that moment, the townspeople remained frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
That was, until other Titans began to emerge from the dust-filled air.
"A T-Titan! The Titans have broken in!"
"R...RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"
"AAAHHHHHH!!!"
In an instant, chaos erupted among the thousands of people. Screams filled the streets as people tripped over one another, falling into panic and disarray.
And in the midst of all this, a single thought flashed through Eren's mind.
"Mom!"
"E-Eren, we need to run!"
"Mom!!"
Eren shook off Armin's grip and sprinted toward the wall. Mikasa, realizing what he was doing, quickly followed him.
"No… please…"
Gasping for breath, Eren ran as fast as he could. His house was near the wall. And inside that house was his mother, who might not have had the chance to escape.