The sun's fiery orb dipped below the horizon, a bloody orange glow suffused Shiganshina, casting long shadows across the district. An unsettling calm had settled over the residents, their gazes transfixed on the towering Titan looming beyond the walls. The air was heavy with anticipation, like the held breath before a scream.
In the fading light, the once-impenetrable walls of Shiganshina now seemed fragile, a mere illusion of protection. The Colossal Titan of an unimaginable scale, emerged from the darkness, its silhouette a specter of death casting a long, ominous shadow over the walls.
The air trembled as the Titan raised its foot, and with a deafening roar, it struck the gate with unbridled ferocity. The impact sent shockwaves coursing through the earth, obliterating everything in its vicinity. Nearby houses, once proud and sturdy, disintegrated into rubble, as if made of paper. The gate's debris became a deadly hail, crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path.
The shockwaves acting like a miniature whirlwind, lifted people and objects off the ground, only to slam them down with merciless force. The impact's fury was akin to a hurricane, leaving destruction in its wake. Houses crumbled, trees uprooted, and the terrified residents' screams filled the air as they fled in desperation.
Armin, kneeling a short distance from Eren, vomited as he struggled to speak, "It... It kicked the wall like it was a rock..." His words trailed off as he succumbed to his distress. The titans rushed inside the walls their gazes fell on their preys who were running for their lives.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted throughout the district. Screams filled the air as panicked civilians rushed towards the Wall Maria gate. Levi's firm voice cut through the mayhem, "Petra! Eren! Snap out of it! We don't have time to spare!"
Petra nodded, her breathing heavy, her heart racing. She struggled to process the devastation before her.
Levi tried to rouse Eren, but his gaze remained fixed on the direction of his home. "My house... Mom... Mikasa... Aunt..." Eren whispered, his eyes wide with fear. He took off in a sprint, disappearing into the sea of fleeing people.
"Idiot, stop! Don't go, you'll die!" Levi cursed, but Eren didn't heed the warning.
Levi's attention shifted to Petra, "Petra, let's go, quick!" They sprinted towards the mansion, where their main equipment was stored. With Eren lost in the crowd, Levi decided to maneuver towards the direction Eren had gestured earlier since Levi didn't know the exact address of Eren's house, hoping to find him.
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Mikasa's voice trembled as she whispered, "Mom?!" beside her mother's lifeless body. Karol's crushed form lay beneath a massive rock, her blood pooling on the cobblestone path. Mikasa's eyes widened in horror, her ragged breathing the only sound as she struggled to comprehend the scene.
She recalled her mother's final act - pushing Mikasa to safety, only to be crushed beneath the debris herself. "Hey, Mom... Please wake up..." Mikasa pleaded, but Karol's body remained still, her blood continuing to flow.
Mikasa's thoughts raced: "Why did she have to go through this again? Why couldn't she just live?"
Coincidentally Armin and his grandfather stumbled upon the scene as they were running towards the gate," Hey Mikasa.. hurry.." but before Armin could finsih his eyes fell onto Karol's crushed body before shifting to Mikasa. She knelt, her head bowed, her loosened scarf revealing her distraught face. Tears streamed down her cheeks like raindrops on a windowpane.
Armin and his grandfather were frozen in horror, but they knew they had to act. Armin's grandfather swiftly wrapped his arm around Mikasa's waist, lifting her up. She offered no resistance, her body limp as they hurried towards the gate.
But fate had other plans...
"Close the gate, you idiot!" a Garrison Regiment guard shouted, fear etched on his face. "There are still people out there, we have to ensure their safety!"
" Safety? Are you kidding me? Close it, or we'll all die!" another soldier retorted, his eyes wide with horror, teeth clenched, and tears escaping his eyes. The two guards began brawling, their panic and desperation boiling over.
Just as it seemed like the situation couldn't escalate further, Captain Hannes appeared, his Omni-directional Mobility Gear at the ready. "Enough!" he bellowed. "I'll kill anyone who closes this gate before we've evacuated everyone. Do I make myself clear?"
The soldiers nodded, cowed by Hannes' authority. With a swift motion, he deployed his gear, shooting grapple hooks into nearby houses and propelling himself into the chaos.
The people evacuated through the gate like a desperate flood, rushing to escape the impending doom. They poured out of the gate, a sea of frantic faces, their screams and cries filling the air as they trampled each other in their panic.
Mothers clutched their children, shielding them from the chaos as they stumbled forward. Fathers dragged their families, desperate to reach safety. The elderly and injured were left behind, their pleas for help drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
The gate, once a symbol of protection, now seemed like a bottleneck, funneling the terrified masses into a narrow, vulnerable stream. " I guess that's enough close the gate now.." one of the guards ordered but soon he found one of the guys opposing him since it was Hannes order to ensure complete evacuation.
Their argument was interrupted by a faint rumbling noise, growing louder by the second. The ground began to shake, and the guards exchanged nervous glances. Suddenly, a colossal figure emerged from the distance, its armored body glinting in the fading light.
The figure, the Armored Titan, bent down slightly, then unleashed a surge of power and took off in a sprint towards the gate connecting Shiganshina and Wall Maria. "What the...? What is it doing?!" one of the guards exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.
"... Fire!" he screamed, but the cannon shots that followed had no effect on the Titan. "What, it's not doing anything?!" the other guard cried, panic setting in. "Shit, run!" he yelled, but it was too late.
In an instant, the Armored Titan shattered the gate, sending wooden splinters and metal shards flying everywhere. The people who had evacuated through the gate, thinking they had reached safety, now found themselves trapped in a death trap because sooner or later the titans would storm in through the breached wall.
The hell the only route to safety was turned into smithereens. Armin's eyes widened in despair as he gazed at the demolished gate.
But his grandfather, the intellectual and resourceful one, sprang into action. "Quickly, we must go!" he urged, already running towards the canal where boats served as public transport between walls.
Luckily, one boat still had space, and the three figures boarded it swiftly. Mikasa's frail figure sat quietly, her sobs barely contained, as she whispered a single word: "Mom..."
Armin's grandfather enveloped her in a tight hug, his waistcoat absorbing her tears as she cried profusely. The dam of grief had broken, and Mikasa's anguish poured out, her small body shaking with each sob. "Alright that's all for this one..." One of the guard signaled as the board departed.
As the boat glided across the water, Armin's grandfather held Mikasa close, his eyes fixed on the devastation behind them. The sounds of chaos and screams faded into the distance, replaced by the gentle lapping of the water against the boat's hull.
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The district lay in ruins, hundreds of Titans rampaging through Shiganshina, their jaws closing mercilessly around the crushed bodies of the common folk. Eren's footsteps echoed through the deserted alley as he sprinted towards his home, his heart racing with hope.
"Our house is fine... Our house is fine..." he repeated, his voice trembling with desperation.
But his hopes were shattered as he approached the familiar building. A massive debris had crushed it, the weight of the rubble pinning his mother, Carla, underneath. Eren's gaze locked onto her frail figure, her half-body struggling to free herself from the unyielding weight.
"Mommmmmm!" Eren screamed, tears streaming down his face as he rushed towards the wreckage.
Carla's eyes, filled with desperation, caught the familiar voice and her gaze shifted hurriedly, her hopes rising as she saw Eren running towards her. Their gazes met, and for a fleeting moment, they connected, the love and fear palpable in the air.
In that instant, Eren's world narrowed to a single focus: saving his mother. Eren ran towards the collapsed structure, falling on his knees and poured all his strength in lifting the roof that lay on top of Carla, his muscles straining against the impossible weight. Carla's eyes, filled with mix of shock and happiness touched Eren's arm , and she whispered, "Eren... my son... how is this possible?"
Eren's gaze locked onto Carla's, his teeth clenched, hands bleeding, and fingers breaking one by one. "Gahhhhhhh!" he roared, slowly lifting the destroyed house, his voice echoing through the district.
Carla's tears streamed down her face, her emotions torn between joy and despair.
"My Son... " she whispered, unsure whether to be happy Eren was alive or sad that once again he had risked his life in a seemingly hopeless endeavor.
As Eren struggled to lift the wreckage, a distant rumble pierced the air, growing louder. Carla was unable to look behind since she couldn't move from the spot but she knew it wasn't good she for once controlled her emotions and urged, "Eren... hurry up and run..."
Eren's eyes locked onto the looming Titan, its footsteps closing in. He pleaded with Carla, "Mom, hurry up and get out..." But she was pinned down by a massive plank underneath the roof which wasn't approachable.
"It's not possible, I can't get out. Please run, it's no use..." Carla's voice was laced with a mix of sadness and urgency, her eyes begging Eren to save himself.
But Eren refused to listen, his focus solely on saving his mother. "Mom try to kick the plank with your legs. Quick!..." he grunted, his broken fingers straining to lift the roof.
Carla's words pierced Eren's heart: "Sweetie, My legs are crushed... Even if I manage to get out of here I won't be able to run " Eren's eyes widened in disbelief but he won't give up," It doesn't matter I'll carry you..."
Just then, a Titan stumbled upon a nearby house, sending debris crashing towards them. "Eren, watch out!" Carla shrieked.
Eren turned to his right, his gaze meeting the massive horde of debris. Without hesitation, he left the partially lifted house and covered Carla with his body, shielding her from the impact.
The debris fell on Eren, tiny fragments of glass and wood piercing his skin, making him grunt in pain. But he didn't flinch, his body protecting Carla's as the world around them crumbled. Eren's injured body fell right in front of his mother.
Carla's eyes widened in horror as she took in the sight of Eren's battered body. His eyes, once shining with determination, now seemed dull and lifeless, partially open as if frozen in a permanent stare. His teeth were clenched, his jaw set in a grimace of pain.
A piece of wood, sharp and jagged, was impaled through his side, his shirt stained crimson with blood. Carla's gaze followed the trail of blood, her heart sinking with each passing moment.
"Eren... no... please..." Carla's whisper was lost in the chaos, her voice trembling with despair as she strained against the debris pinning her down. Her fingers stretched out, desperate to reach Eren's pale cheek, but the wreckage seemed to mock her, refusing to yield.
Eren's eyes flickered, his gaze locking onto Carla's face with a faint, defiant smile. "Mom... Don't worry, I'll save you..." His voice was barely audible, a whispered promise that seemed to hang in the air like a dying breath.
Carla's tears streamed down her face, her cries for help swallowed by the cacophony of destruction. "Please... someone... save my son!" Her voice was a desperate scream, lost in the void.
Eren's body twitched, his fingers torn apart, his heart beating slower with each passing moment. Blood streamed down his face, his broken spine refusing to yield as he tried to reach Carla. His gaze shifted to the Titan, its blonde hair a stark contrast to the carnage around them.
The Titan's merciless smile seemed to grow, its inflamed body lowering down like a specter of death. Its hands reached out, swaying aside the wreckage like toys, tearing the rooftop off Carla's prison. "Mom..." Eren whispered, his body refusing to move, his voice a mere sigh.
Carla's frail form was lifted, her resistance futile against the Titan's crushing grip. Her eyes, fixed on Eren, seemed to plead for a miracle, but the Titan's jaws closed in, casting a dark shadow on her face. "Nooooooo... Please don't... Stop ittttttt..." Eren's scream was drowned out by the sound of crunching bone, Carla's body torn apart, consumed by the abyss her blood falling on Eren's paralyzed body.
The Titan's evil grin seemed to grow, its presence a dark, palpable force that suffocated the air from the scene. The shadows seemed to twist, like living things, as if feeding off the horror unfolding before them. The silence that followed was oppressive, a heavy blanket that smothered all hope.
"NOOOOO..." Eren's whisper was barely audible, his body refusing to move as his mind reeled from the trauma. Tears streamed down his face, his thoughts consumed by the unbearable loss of Mikasa, Karol, and now his mother. The misery was suffocating, his world shattered into a million pieces.
The Titan's gaze shifted, its attention now focused on Eren, its hand wrapping around his bruised body like a vicelifting him upwards. Eren's ribs cracked under the pressure, his pain subsiding as death's chill began to envelop him.
Just as all hope seemed lost, a distant voice pierced the air: "Erennnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!" Levi's shout was laced with fear, his face a picture of desperation as he sprinted towards the Titan with a speed that belied his usual calm demeanor.
Eren's gaze shifted, his eyes locking onto Levi's anguished face. Levi's heart broke at the sight: Eren's face was a mess of cuts and bruises, blood spewing from his mouth, tears glistening on his cheeks, and his teeth clenched in a grimace of agony.
With a deep breath, Levi released a burst of speed from his 3D maneuver gear, his movements a blur as he hurtled towards the Titan. The creature's jaws yawned open, Eren's limp body mere inches from its deadly teeth...
"The hell...???" Eren's eyes widened, his mind reeling as a sudden chill coursed down his spine. For the first time, everything seemed connected - the people, the walls, the screams, and the misery. The voices of the fallen echoed through his mind, a haunting chorus of pain and despair.
Then, a strange voice pierced his thoughts, like a whisper from the shadows. "Eren.... Eren .... I know you'll hate me for what I'm about to do... But once you grow up, you'll understand everything. It's a hard and merciless road ahead."
Eren's gaze seemed to turn inward, his eyes unfocused as the voice continued. "Erennnn!!! One day the truth will come out. The journey ahead would be a painful one but it's your destiny!!! Mikasa's life... Armin's life... Everyone's life hinges on your ability to control this power...!"
The voice faded, leaving Eren's mind blank. But before he could react to the turn of events the Titan's grip tightened, its jaws mere inches from his face, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Ahhhhhhhhh....." Levi roared, his voice echoing through the air as he approached the Titan with incredible speed, his blades flashing in the dim light.
But Eren's gaze remained fixed, his eyes burning with an unsettling intensity as he muttered, "I'll kill them all... every last one..." A psychotic smile spread across his face, his voice dripping with malevolence.