COMRADES • Eren Jaeger

AFTER THE EPILOGUE: The House by the Shore

You noticed that there was a school bus outside the museum. It was from a local Shiganshina school. You were pretty sure that would spark some rivalry with your class. You would like to see how that would play out, especially with Jean.

You stepped into a luxurious foyer. Your professor instructed you to use a buddy system and of course, you partnered with Annie. She had little interest, though, and often wandered off without you being able to tag along.

The both of you entered a room full of sculptures. They depicted historical scenes, like the Fall of Trost and tiny clay figures of battleships sinking under the Wall Titans. They were, you had to admit, beautifully crafted, but they freaked you out more than anything.

Then, you saw marble sculptures of the Nine Titans.

Your fear dissipated. Many people said that the Titans were evil and the power of such freakish forces of nature should never be brought back to humanity. Most of the time, you agreed. But right now, all you could see was that they were breathtaking. Annie nudged you to one, with a female body build. The Female Titan.

You glanced at her. She was staring at it with a conflicted face. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice far off. "Just thinking."

You carefully looked at each sculpture. You decided you liked the Attack Titan best. It seemed menacing, ready to have a go at anything that stood in its way. It creeped you out, how centipede-like the Founding Titan was. It was horrifically terrifying. An ugly worm. You hated the history of how the person operating it was beheaded too.

What was his name again? You forgot. You were never interested in some dead historical figure from two thousand years ago anyway, always forgetting the information right after your exams were done.

You walked through the painting halls like a ghost. There was one painting featuring two girls. It was a beautiful, tragic oil image of two girls crouched underneath the thicket of woods while hunters and dogs ran in the background. The artist's caption read that it was Founder Ymir and Arya L/N. They were the muses of many works throughout history.

You didn't know why, but it filled you with mild disgust. Maybe even anger. Which was stupid, because it was just a painting. Nevertheless, you felt your palms starting to sweat with fear.

You had to get out of there.

An image flashed in your head, like someone suddenly shone a light on your eyes. You saw a sandy domain full of stars. You winced and covered your eyes. You wanted it gone.

"Y/N," said Annie, "Are you alright?"

She was only mirroring what you were saying earlier, but you appreciated it. "Yeah. Just need some air."

"This place really is stuffy," she agreed. "Let's go to the rooftop."

The elevator was made of glass and shot up at an exhilarating speed with you, Annie, and some classmates piled in. It was uncharacteristically quiet. Everyone sensed tragedy in the air. Only then did you truly appreciate your history. Even Jean and Marco were behaving.

The penthouse was a fancy gallery. Other students were milling around, probably from the Shiganshina school. Everyone spoke in whispers as you aimlessly dispersed, the buddy system forgotten. In the middle of the room was a pianist playing a soft, comforting piece on a grand pianoforte.

You gazed at the oil paintings. Beautifully crafted. Someone wanted to preserve memories of the past 2000 years ago.

The orphanage.

Gazing at the faces of children who were dead, you felt a tug at your heart, like it was you who had once taken care of them. Maybe even a pang of guilt. But why? Perhaps you felt bad that you were living in a quiet world while they must have withstood anything but.