16. Primal Desire

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"Armin, how's Eren?" Mikasa asked with concern.

"He's burning!" Armin responded. "We need to hurry and get the Wall!" Both of Eren's arms were still stuck in the muscles. "Part of his body is fused to it!"

Mikasa quickly joined him and Rico followed.

"I can't pull him free!"

"Then we'll have to cut it!" Rico said.

"W-wait, please!" Mikasa said desperately.

Quickly, Rico severed the flesh connecting Eren to the body. Armin, who had been pulling the boy, fell backwards.

Just then, two titans approached them.

"Eren! Armin!" Mikasa called out, rushing forward.

A massive hand began to move toward them. Eren then slowly opened his eyes.

Faye, who was near them quickly jumped into action and killed the first titan. Then she shot a hook out into the second titan's nape and killed it too.

Armin was holding the half-unconscious Eren in his arms. Faye then landed next to them.

"How is Eren?" She desparately asked.

"He is not fully conscious." Armin replied.

"I think his injuries will be healed too..." Faye said with amazement.

She quickly put her swords back and hugged her brother, crying a bit. Eren slowly and weakly hugged her back. Mikasa was looking at Eren with teary eyes.
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Afterwards, with the help of the Garrisons and the Survey Corps' engineers, Wall Rose once again held the Titans at bay.

Taking out the rest of the Titans trapped inside Trost took a full day, during which the Wall-mounted cannons fired nonstop. Most of the Titans that had gathered by the Wall were wiped out by explosive shells.

During this, one 4-meter Titan and one 7-meter Titan were successfully captured alive.
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However, 200 soldiers were killed or missing in action and 895 were injured. And although this was the first time humanity had stopped a Titan invasion, far too many people had been lost to celebrate this historic achievement.
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Soldiers with cloths covering their mouths were carrying bodies around Throst.
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Jean and Marco walked down the street in long brown gloves and a mask like the others. There were bodies all over the places.
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A couple of soldiers, including Sasha, stood around a giant red blob covered in saliva.

"What...is this?" Sasha asked with disgust.

"A Titan threw it up," A Garrison soldier said to her. "They don't have digestive systems, so they puke people out like that once they've had their fill."

"That's..." Sasha trailed off.

"Damn, there's no way we'll be able to identify anyone like this."
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Annie stood over a corpse with a horrified expression. Then Reiner put his hand on her shoulder and spoke up.

"Don't just stand there, Annie." Reiner said. "We need to hurry and give them a funeral."
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A massive fire consumed the bodies.
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Eren suddenly woke up with a gasp. He was in a jail cell. On the other side, there were Erwin and Levi. He was confused.

"Do you have any questions?" Erwin asked.

Eren quickly recognised them. 'Commander Erwin Smith, the head of the Survey Corps, and Captain Levi...'

"U-umm..." Eren said. "Where...am I?"

"As you can see, it's a dungeon." Erwin answered. "You're currently in the custody of the Military Police. We were only just now permitted to see you."

"I see..." Eren replied.

He then noticed the chains, tied up to his wrists. Erwin held up a bronze key.

"That key is..."

"Yes, it's yours. I'll return it later. The key to Dr. Yeager's basement." Erwin said calmly. "In your home in Shiganshina is where the secret surrounding the Titans lies, correct?"

"Yes, I think so. That's what my father said." Eren confirmed.

"You've lost your memory," Levi began, "And your old man's gone missing. Awfully convenient story, if you ask me."

"Levi," Erwin scolded him. "we've already concluded he has no reason to lie." He turned back to Eren. "There is still so little we know, but for now, I feel the most important thing is to ask about your intentions."

"My...intentions?" Eren asked with curiosity.

"In order to investigate your home, we must recapture Shiganshina District along Wall Maria." Erwin said. "Drastic measures are needed to seal the gate quickly. And that means we'll need your Titan ability. Naturally, it seems Titans will determine our fate. The Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan most likely work the same way as you. Your intentions are the key. The key to saving humankind from this despair."

"I am..." Eren said and took a deep breath. "I want to join the Survey Corps to make the world titan free." He said with determination.

"Hmm... Not bad." Levi said and walked over to him. "Erwin, I'll take responsibility for him. Let the higher-ups know." Levi grabbed a bar. "It doesn't mean I trust him. If he betrays us or goes out of control, I'll kill him on the spot."

Eren remained calm at his threat.

"I doubt anyone will complain. Because I'm the only one cut out for this. I'll accept your enlistment into the Survey Corps."

Eren just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'A lot of responsibilities...'


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