What was happening around them was unfathomable. The situation was spiraling into chaos, and nobody could anticipate what was coming next. The scouts, the civilians, the soldiers—everyone was caught off guard. And then, from behind the wall, a massive hand appeared, followed by a grotesque, towering head. It was the Colossal Titan. A monster of unimaginable size and power, its appearance alone sucked the breath from their lungs and left them paralyzed. The mere sight of it, looming above them with its empty eyes and gaping mouth, made every step they took feel like they were walking toward their own graves.
It was a nightmare made real.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the air was thick with the stench of fear. Sana felt her heart skip in her chest, her body frozen in place as she stared up at the Titan. Everything felt unreal, like some kind of twisted dream. But there was no escape. No chance to turn back. They were trapped.
And then, with a deafening roar, it happened. The Colossal Titan unleashed a wave of destruction as it slammed its colossal fist into the base of the wall. A huge explosion erupted, sending rocks and debris flying in all directions. The Shiganshina District's entryway was obliterated in an instant. The shockwave sent people hurtling through the air, and the sound of the destruction—flesh and bone being crushed under the weight of the attack—was something Sana would never forget. The air was filled with the horrified screams of civilians, their voices desperate and full of terror.
It was too much to bear.
Carla, the woman Sana had met earlier, cried out hysterically. "Eren! Mikasa!" Her voice echoed with anguish, the fear in her eyes so raw it made Sana's heart ache. But there was no time to focus on that now. The wall was under attack by a flood of Titans, each one barreling through the destroyed gate, ready to wreak havoc on everyone in their path.
Minutes passed like hours. The sound of Titans roaring and people screaming filled the air. And then, finally, through the chaos, Eren and Mikasa appeared, running toward them, wide-eyed with terror. They reached their mother, relieved to find her unharmed, but their faces were still pale with fear.
"Mom, we need to go," Eren said urgently, grabbing her arm. "We have to get you somewhere safe."
Carla clutched her son, shaking with fear but nodding in agreement. "Mikasa, help Eren," she said, her voice frantic.
Sana's heart clenched as she watched the two children, knowing that, like so many others, they were being torn apart by forces beyond their control. But there was no time to dwell on that. There were lives to save.
"I'll take you to the boats," Sana said, pushing them forward. "Hurry, get there and stay safe." She had to stay focused. Too many people still needed help, and she couldn't afford to hesitate.
But as she directed Carla and the children to safety, her thoughts were heavy. She could still hear the cries for help echoing around her, the sound of the destruction, the screams of people being slaughtered by Titans. She had to do something. She couldn't let more people die. Not while she could still fight.
Double-checking her gear, Sana steeled herself. She wasn't going to be the same person who froze when people needed her. She couldn't afford that weakness again. Not when so many innocent lives were at stake.
"I'm coming," she muttered to herself, her voice low but firm.
She leaped into action, her blades slicing through the air as she launched herself toward the nearest Titan, her 3D maneuver gear propelling her with terrifying speed. Her heart raced with adrenaline as she targeted a Titan about to devour a young man. She struck hard, her hooks digging into the nape of the Titan's neck, her swords following to sever its life source. The Titan fell, collapsing to the ground, and Sana felt a strange rush of exhilaration, the fear of the monsters vanishing as she finally made her first kill.
It wasn't the first time she'd encountered a Titan, but it was the first time she didn't freeze. It was her first true victory. The death of the Titan wasn't just the end of one of those monsters; it was a turning point for her. The fear she had carried for so long had finally been shattered.
But there was no time to celebrate. More Titans came, an endless wave of destruction.
She saved a woman from a Titan with shoulder-length hair, the relief on the woman's face as she was rescued making it all feel worth it. "Thank you, thank you so much!" the woman cried, her voice breaking with gratitude. Sana handed her over to a Garrison soldier, instructing him to get her to safety. There was no time to waste. More people still needed help.
Sana moved on, her body moving on instinct as she hacked at another Titan. This time, it was a creature with a grotesque, almost amphibious face—reminiscent of a kappa. She targeted its nape, cutting through its flesh and bringing it down. But the Titans were relentless. They seemed to appear from every corner, their numbers overwhelming.
She moved from one kill to the next, her swords flashing, her body a blur of motion as she cleared the path. She couldn't stop. Not while there were still people to save. But the Titans were endless. For every one she killed, two more appeared in its place. And still, the boats, the last hope for evacuation, were filling up, but there was no way to get everyone out. The people's screams echoed in her ears, mingling with the roars of the Titans.
The gates were closing. It was too late.
She had hoped for help, but it wasn't coming. Not now.
Then, just as the situation seemed truly hopeless, the Armored Titan appeared, crashing through the walls of Wall Maria. The shock of it, the sheer power of the Titan's armored body, sent another wave of terror through Sana. She couldn't face that monster alone—not without the Thunder Spears.
"What in the world am I supposed to do?" she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible above the chaos. But even as her heart pounded with fear, she steeled herself. She was terrified, yes, but she knew what she had to do.
She couldn't stop now. Not when so many lives depended on her.
And so, she fought on. She slashed at the Titans, killing them one by one. Her blades became heavy with blood, her heart heavy with the weight of what was happening.
The Titans had been invading for hours now, and with each passing moment, it seemed more and more likely that she wouldn't survive this. Her gas ran out, and she was left grounded. Still, she couldn't stop. She ran to the injured, helping them, guiding them toward any semblance of safety. But the boats were gone, the escape routes cut off. There was no way out.
"This is it," she thought, her vision blurring with exhaustion. "This is the end."
And then, as she stood in the midst of the carnage, a Titan approached her. Its massive, grotesque face seemed to loom over her, and she couldn't help but close her eyes, accepting the inevitable.
But then, a cry pierced the air. A child's cry.
For some reason, something inside her snapped. She opened her eyes, seeing the Titan closing in, but instead of waiting for death, she flipped out of the way, her body moving with the desperation of someone who had nothing left to lose.
She ran into the house where the child's cry had come from. There, lying on the floor, was a woman crushed beneath debris, and beside her, a baby. The child was small, only a few days old, but alive. Without thinking, she scooped the baby into her arms, cradling it as if it were her own.
She didn't have time to mourn the woman who had fallen. She didn't have time to grieve the life that had been lost. All that mattered was the baby in her arms. She moved into another room of the house, hiding the child away from the Titan that prowled outside.
It wasn't much, but she had to save this one.
Once the Titan moved on, she bolted, clutching the baby close to her chest as she rushed away from it.
But as she ran, she realized the impossible truth: there was no escaping the Titans on foot. She was alone, with only the child for company, and no horse to carry her.
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, a strange mix of laughter and despair in her voice. "I thought I could outrun them."
She tightened her grip on the child, a final act of defiance. This was it. There was nothing more to do. She was alone, and the end was near.
But then, a voice rang out from behind her. "Oye, can't you see a Titan's after you?"
It was Levi.