𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 ⇢ 𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘹𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

the struggle for trost

Your teeth were chattering swifter than the drumming of your heart as you struggled to muster up the courage to fight.

Your feet reluctantly began to move across the concrete floor before you pushed your index finger against the accelerator of your omni-directional mobility gear. Your dilated eyes were tightly pinched shut; your brain attempting to gather all of your lessons of titan-fighting together.

You repeated Marco's words in your brain whilst feeling your boots lose touch of the ground.

'You are more than your fathers daughter.'

Not wanting to disappoint, you opened your eyes with your body levitating from the ground: arching your brows with a forceful confidence.

The thick wind travelled through your clothes, crossing up the sleeves of your leather jacket. The autumn-breeze bellowed into your eardrums as you anticipated witnessing your first real titan sighting.

Your speed was increasing to match your assigned Squad's as their silhouettes swept through the air, narrowly missing the towering buildings that their gear was attached to.

Your E/C eyes scoured the area. Your body meticulously swooped above the steeple, both your dread and elation increasing as the roar of a titan echoed from the far-distance: followed by a shattered, pain-filled scream.

The Squad-leader gestured their arm to the left as the groups momentum inflated, following the Captain's direction.

Filled with the courage of Marco's words, you gained the strength to fly closer towards the echoing roars with your blades at the ready as you watched the silhouette of a fifteen-meter titan blur into your vision. Your blood curdled, the taste of fear lingering on your tongue as his large, hateful eyes bounced between different Scouts: choosing its next prey.

You launched your body until you could feel it's heat against you, then swung your blades down in a swift motion. The daggers sliced through the soft flesh of his nape as the beast screamed wildly. Thick, hot steam mustered from the deep cut in his neck as the titan collapsed to the floor.

Your first kill. A success.

However, your victory was soon cut short as the next titan approached, and then the next. Each being a sufficient, yet tiresome, ordeal.

༺♰༻

Your Captain demanded an order with a bellowing Richie as you fell behind the rest of your Squad, your pupils analysing the dismay that surrounded you.

Crumbled buildings passed you whilst you soared beneath the autumn sky: the tangy-orange mist of the afternoon casting shadows amongst the stone buildings of the city. Garrison soldiers and Military Police flickered past your eyes as you fought titans with your assigned Squad.

Your gear had stiffened from overuse, jolting ever so often whilst you soared through the air.

After two hours of fighting, you wondered how many lives had been lost: how many of your friends were still standing amongst the soldiers.

You felt another jolt.

Whilst mindlessly slaughtering titans, manoeuvring your figure through alleyways and above rooftops, your gear was becoming more deranged: the screws and clips were twitching - the sound of clicking was coming from the engine inside.

You felt another jolt.

Your E/C eyes glared downwards at the metallic gear that was sinched to your hips, realising that you were close to running out of gas. You cursed your own ignorance, your lips parting widely to warn your Squad that you were in dire need to refill your fuel.