(If Annie is your favorite character, I'm sorry.)
"THE SURVEY CORPS HAS RETURNED!"
The bells toll loudly as the remaining soldiers pass through the great gate of the wall. The metallic sound blends with the pounding hooves of the horses, the murmurs of the excited crowd, the choked sobs of those who recognize their loved ones... and the deathly silence of those who do not.
The riders advance slowly, many of them covered in blood, with wounds barely bandaged on the way back. Yet, they all keep their heads held high.
At the head of the formation, Erwin moves forward with absolute composure, his gaze firm and unwavering. Beside him, on the nearest cart, a mangled, bloody body lies bound in every possible way.
The murmurs among the civilians grow with the same intensity as the cheers.
"Their numbers... have decreased too much compared to when they left this morning," a man in the crowd mutters.
A completely understandable thought. Officially, this expedition was merely a test to assess the route to Shiganshina. A tactical exercise with no major risks. But everyone present knows that any incursion beyond the walls comes at a price.
However, this time, the atmosphere is different.
Despite the casualties, despite the blood and open wounds, the soldiers have returned with an unusual fire in their eyes. A fire that spreads, even reaching the civilians who, in past expeditions, did not hesitate to hurl insults and scorn.
Now, instead of criticism...
"SCOUTS! SCOUTS! SCOUTS! SCOUTS!"
The chant rises like a roar. Hands clap together, jubilant cries echo through the streets, and children run excitedly, not fully understanding the magnitude of what has happened.
But my attention finally shifts.
"Captain Levi!"
An elderly man approaches, his expression a mix of relief and nervousness. His hair shows signs of age, and his posture seems to have lost some of its natural rigidity, as if he has spent nights without sleep.
His smile is complicated.
"Thank you for taking care of my daughter," he says in a trembling voice. "I'm Petra's father. I wanted to thank you before going to see her." He pulls out a letter with shaking hands and extends it toward Levi. "She sent me this a few days ago, you see? She told me she had the great honor of being useful to you... and that she would do everything possible to live up to your expectations."
The man laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, you know how she was... boasting. You can't imagine how worried a father can get when receiving a letter like this, ha, ha..."
His laughter fades little by little as he notices Levi's lack of reaction.
The captain remains there, motionless. His face shows no emotion. His gaze, fixed and dark as steel, pierces the void without blinking.
The man swallows hard. He shifts in place.
"Oh... well... anyway..." His voice trails off before he clears his throat and forces another smile. "As her father, I... I was thinking that maybe it was too soon to insist that she get married, you know... she's still young and has her whole life ahead of her, so..."
His tone grows weaker with every word. His hands, still holding the letter, tremble ever so slightly.
Levi does not respond. He does not blink. He does not breathe.
"Do you know where she is...?"
The silence between them becomes unbearable.
The man lowers his gaze. His fingers tighten around the paper.
At least she's alive.
How many families would give anything to be able to say the same?
The man in front of Levi tries to hold onto his smile, but every second without an answer breaks it further. He clutches the letter as if it were a lifeline, his breath trembling, the hope still shining in his eyes.
But that hope is about to be shattered.
"Petra is not in a condition to respond to you at the moment."
My voice slips into the space between them, firm enough to cut through the tension, but calculated enough not to sound aggressive.
The man turns to me, confused by the interruption.
"What...?"
I take a moment.
There is no way to soften a truth like this, but there is a way to control its impact.
"She was gravely injured in combat. She survived, but her condition remains uncertain."
He blinks as if his ears refuse to process my words.
"I-I-Injured...? But she... she returned, right? She's here, in the city, she's—"
"She is alive."
I do not confirm more than necessary. I do not offer false hope, but neither do I take away what little he has left.
His lips tremble, and his gaze clouds. His fingers grip the letter tighter—his only tangible connection to his daughter at this moment.
"W-What... what happened to her?"
"The kind of wounds that would make anyone die within minutes," I say without embellishment. "But Petra is stronger than you think. She has proven that."
He clings to those words like a man hanging from the edge of an abyss.
I glance at Levi out of the corner of my eye. His expression remains the same: a face of stone without cracks. But his grip on his horse's reins has become so tight that his knuckles have lost color, and a bit of blood seeps between them.
Petra's father looks at me with a mixture of desperation and silent pleading. He seeks answers that only time can provide.
I analyze him for another second.
Then, I give him the only certainty I can offer.
"If anyone can survive this, it's her."
It is not a lie. It is not a false promise.
It is simply the truth.
The man slowly nods, his breathing unsteady, as his mind continues to struggle to comprehend it all.
Finally, without another word, he turns and walks away with heavy steps, pressing the letter to his chest.
Silence returns between Levi and me.
The captain does not move. He says nothing. But when I look at his hands, still gripping the reins tightly, I notice something new.
His fingers tremble.
"Breathe, Captain... you still have three more families to talk to."
—-----------------------------------
"COMMANDER ERWIN!!!!"
"WE WANT ANSWERS!!!"
"DID YOU ACHIEVE SOME GRAND GOAL THAT JUSTIFIES THE NUMBER OF LIVES LOST IN THE SCOUT REGIMENT??!!"
The crowd clamors for answers. Voices filled with anticipation, fury, and hope rise above the echo of the horses' hooves.
Erwin remains upright on his horse, his gaze fixed on the crowd. There is no hesitation in his posture, not a shred of doubt in his eyes. He knows what they need to hear. He knows what he must say.
He takes a deep breath. And then, his voice rings out, firm and clear, above the uproar.
"Today, humanity has taken a step forward!"
"I know what you see before your eyes! I see the sorrow on your faces, the grief in your hearts! Today we have lost brothers, friends, sons. We have witnessed lives taken on the battlefield. And each of those lives will weigh on us until the end of our days!"
"But you must also see what we have achieved! For the first time, humanity has triumphed! For the first time, our regiment has not returned empty-handed!"
The people's eyes widen, caught in his words.
"For the first time, an enemy that seemed invincible has been subdued! And we did it with our own determination, with our own blood, with the sacrifice of the brave who rode out this morning and now rest among our fallen!"
"I cannot promise you a future without pain or sacrifice! I cannot promise you this will be our last battle! But I can promise you this!"
He sits even taller on his horse, his voice like thunder over the crowd.
"Every life we gave today has brought us closer to the truth! Every drop of blood we have shed has taken us one step closer to reclaiming our world! And as long as a single Scout remains standing, we will fight, we will advance, and we will make every sacrifice mean something! Today, we do not mourn the dead alone! Today, we remember why we fight! Today, we prove that humanity will not kneel! Today, we have taken the first step toward victory!"
A moment of silence.
"TODAY, WE OFFER OUR HEARTS!!! TODAY, HUMANITY HAS WON!!!!"
---------------------------
Immediately after reaching the walls, Erwin was summoned to the capital to give his report. All information about the operation was kept secret, except for one simple fact.
Humanity won. The Female Titan was sent to the lowest level of the catacombs in Wall Maria under the custody of the Scout Regiment, while Annie Leonhart was officially declared missing, under the pretext of being detained for Marco's murder. Since she was found in possession of his ODM gear, any decision regarding her fate was left to Erwin.
Eren's custody was fully transferred to the Scouts, along with a nearly doubled budget and personnel.
"So... Annie Leonhart, if that's even your real name... where do you come from?"
Erwin's deep, firm voice fills the small room like an inescapable weight. It is not a simple question, but a judgment. A sentence with only two paths: answer or resist.
To his right, Levi remains motionless, but the darkness in his gaze is heavier than ever. His posture appears relaxed, but every fiber of his body radiates a latent threat. As if he could move at any moment and make Annie talk... in his own way.
To the left, Hange, usually so animated and curious, now shows a tense expression. She has been watching the prisoner for two hours, waiting, probing, testing every possible angle to make her react. But nothing has worked.
And I... I remain standing a few meters away, my eyes fixed on her. On what should be her gaze, but is now nothing more than a hollow abyss, her head lowered just enough to obscure her expression. Annie makes no sound. Not a single audible breath. Not even an involuntary tic.
Hange runs a hand through her hair and sighs with barely contained frustration.
"Haaa... damn it." Her tone is weary, but not resigned. "There's no way she's opening her mouth..."
The silence is suffocating. The only sound is the rhythmic dripping of water seeping through the ceiling cracks, as if time itself had become a slow, torturous agony.
Erwin finally exhales, his expression as impassive as ever, though there is a hint of acceptance in his eyes. He crosses his arms and speaks with the same calmness with which he would issue an order on the battlefield.
"Kiyotaka. You do it."
It's not a suggestion. It's a declaration. A transfer of authority that none of those present question. Levi barely reacts. Hange frowns but says nothing. She knows this was inevitable.
I step forward. Until now, I had remained motionless, observing. Letting the weight of time do its work. Allowing the pressure of an unwavering stare to bore into Annie's mind like a fine, persistent needle.
But she remains silent. Her will, intact.
That ends now.
I lean slightly, just enough so that my voice doesn't have to rise.
"Annie... lift your head."
She doesn't.
I'm not surprised.
"You were asked a question. And you will answer."
Nothing.
Willpower is admirable. When it has a purpose. When it actually serves something. But here... now... it's just a useless obstacle.
My fingers slowly close around her wrist. At first, the pressure is minimal. Barely a touch. Then, with the same ease as someone adjusting a belt, my grip tightens.
"You don't need to speak." My tone is cold, objective. "Your body will do it for you."
CRACK.
The sound of a bone breaking echoes in the room.
Hange shudders slightly. Levi doesn't even blink. Erwin remains just as impassive.
But Annie...
Annie barely reacts. Only a slight twitch of her lips betrays that she felt something.
Interesting.
My other hand moves with surgical precision, pressing just below her clavicle. Not enough to break it... yet. Just enough to create a constant discomfort. A sensation that will become unbearable with time.
"The human body has 206 bones." My voice is serene, as if I were giving a lecture at an academy. "I don't need to break them all. Just a few, in the right places."
I tilt my head, evaluating her.
"But you already know that, don't you? With your training, you understand pain better than most. You know what's coming. You know there is no real limit to suffering."
My grip on her clavicle tightens. Just a few extra millimeters of pressure.
Annie says nothing.
But her breathing... has changed.
It's subtle. A little heavier.
The first sign that the wall is starting to crack.
Good.
"I'm going to ask you a very simple question." My voice is low, relentless. "Where do you come from? What's beyond the walls?"
Silence.
I expected nothing less.
A simple movement of my fingers, and Annie's clavicle dislocates with a wet, grotesque sound.
KRRRKKK...!!!
Her lips part. A gasp escapes, but not a scream.
Not yet.
My eyes remain locked on hers. Searching for something. A reflection. A sign of weakness. But she still resists.
Interesting.
"Annie, do you know the difference between pain and despair?"
She doesn't answer, of course.
"Pain hardens you. Strengthens you. Despair... breaks you."
I lean in a little more, my face inches from hers.
"I'm going to make you experience both."
Annie trembles. Her body has yet to emit a scream, but her breathing is erratic, uneven. It's not fear. Not yet. It's the sensation of stepping onto unfamiliar ground.
She is strong. Too strong. Her endurance is admirable, but useless. Because this is not a test of strength. It is a game of inevitability.
"You still won't answer." My tone remains the same, as if merely noting the events. "That's fine. We can keep this up all night."
Annie remains silent, her jaw clenched. Trying to isolate herself from the pain.
A defense mechanism.
A mechanism I can break.
"Tell me, Annie... what do you fear most?"
My voice glides as smoothly as a cold breeze. She doesn't respond, but the question plants itself in her mind. I know it.
Everyone has a breaking point.
And if I don't find it... I will create it.
My fingers slide to her hand. A strong hand, made for combat. For killing. But now, it is immobilized, restrained.
"You know what makes me different from the others, don't you?" —I don't wait for an answer—. "I have no interest in you whatsoever. I don't care if this takes days, months, years."
I press her fingers.
"A mundane task like this means nothing to me."
Slowly.
One by one.
The index finger bends at an angle it shouldn't.
CRACK!!!!
A dull, wet sound.
Annie exhales sharply through her nose. Her eyes close for an instant.
Pain.
But not yet despair.
"The human mind is fascinating." I speak in an almost thoughtful tone. "It clings to hope even when it knows there is no escape. It believes suffering has a limit. That if it endures long enough, it will end."
I grasp her next finger.
"But that's the interesting part... suffering has no end."
CRACK!!!!
Another finger.
This time, her body trembles slightly.
Small changes. Subtle. But they're there.
"Your mind will try to protect you. Do whatever it takes to avoid collapse."
I run my fingers along her wrist, pressing specific points. Places where pain is sharper, more unbearable.
Annie tries to control it. To stay calm. But her breathing betrays her. Her body betrays her.
The first signs of despair.
"You are strong, Annie. But strength means nothing here." I lean in further. "Because willpower cannot resist the inevitable."
I take her last finger.
She knows what's coming.
The worst enemy of mankind is not pain.
It is anticipation.
The certainty that suffering will continue.
Indefinitely.
For the first time, Annie opens her eyes and looks directly at me.
And I see it in her gaze.
The first crack.
She won't answer yet.
But she will.
It's only a matter of time.
CRACK!!!!!!!!
---------------------------------------
The air outside the cell is dense, laden with a weight that none of us acknowledge out loud.
Hange exhales deeply, leaning against the wall. Her eyes, usually full of energy and curiosity, are dark. "I never thought I'd say this, but..." Her voice is lower than usual. "That was hard to watch."
Levi, arms crossed, remains silent. His expression is unreadable, but his fingers have curled into a faint, almost imperceptible fist.
Erwin stands tall as always, imposing, his face an impenetrable mask. But I know he's analyzing every detail, every word, every expression.
"She didn't talk." His tone is neither disappointed nor reproachful. It's just a fact.
"Yet," I correct, wiping the traces of blood from my hands. "She will, eventually."
Hange glances at me from the corner of her eye, her lips pressed together. "Are you sure?" There's a hint of doubt in her voice.
"Completely." My gaze shifts to Erwin. "She's strong, but this isn't a matter of endurance. It's a matter of inevitability. If she's subjected to this regularly, at some point, she will talk."
Levi lets out an almost imperceptible sound—a whisper of disdain. "You talk as if people were simple. As if you could always predict how they're going to break."
"I suppose..." I meet his gaze. "She's already in the process. She just needs one last push."
Silence settles between us.
Erwin nods slowly. "If you're right, how much longer?"
I take a moment before responding.
"Maybe a month or more."
Hange clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "I don't know how you do it, but it gives me chills."
"It doesn't matter how I do it. Only that it works."
Levi watches me for a long moment before speaking.
"It doesn't matter as long as that bitch talks." His voice is low but sharp.
Erwin intervenes before the tension can escalate further. "Then we'll move on to the others. If Annie is going to talk, there's no need to focus on her... We need to take the next step."
I nod.
Hange sighs and rubs her face. "I wish there were an easier way..."
Three days later, all divisions gathered in the capital for an unprecedented assembly to organize the events that had taken place. The main person summoned:
Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps. Meanwhile, all high-ranking officers and squads were placed on standby.
And the main point of the meeting:
To decide humanity's next objective before returning to Shiganshina.
Though everything was interrupted by a recruit from the Survey Corps.
!!!
!!!
"COMMANDER ERWIN!!! BAD NEWS!!!!"
"WALL ROSE....!!!!!!"
...
The events described below took place two days before that moment...
-----------------------------------
VOTE + FOLLOW + COMMENT PLSSS!!!!!
Honestly, I'd like Kiyotaka to be in Reiner and Ymir's group in this arc—I think I could give valid and narrative reasons for it. But it would still feel quite convenient.
Let me know your opinion! Either way... WE FINISHED SNK SEASON 1!!!!!!!
Sorry, Annie (I hate you, Petra is the best)