Kyra was in her uniform leaning against the wall as the room was filled with many soldiers from different divisions.
"Well, if it isn't the brave heroes of the walls." A voice said causing Kyra to turn and see Hitch walking towards them.
"Hitch. Suprised you came." Jean greeted.
"I just wanted to watch you guys get your medals." Hitch stated.
"I see." Jean said before looking down.
He looked back up at her, "Marlo was...very brave, right to the end."
Her eyes widened before they casted downward, "I know." Hitch said.
"Isn't that right, Floch, Kyra? You should tell her." Jean said putting his hand on Floch's shoulder and glancing to Kyra.
Kyra stepped forward, "Marlo never abandoned his post despite the danger. He never cowered or broke down. He took his responsibilities and morals to the highest of standards. And even when he stared death in the face he wore a smile with pride." Kyra said sincerely before stepping back to the wall.
"Floch?" Jean said.
"Yeah, sure. I rode right beside Marlo. Just like me, he joined as an urgent recruit. But unlike me, he was brave, and a natural leader. Our situation was hopeless. It seemed to us that the Scouts were on the verge of ruin. Just as our fear was giving way to panic and despair, he stepped in and inspired us to push on." Floch stated.
"Yeah?"
"He was an amazing person." Floch said.
"I know. And that's why...Well, it's probably why he never listened to me." Hitch said sadly.
"But in the end, I'm sure that he wished that he'd never volunteered." Floch said.
Hitch gasped, "Thanks for that. I'll laugh if you guys screw up the ceremony." Hitch said walking away.
Kyra shoulder checked Floch harshly, "Not everyone is a coward like you. Dumbass." She spat before she walked towards Hitch.
"Hitch." Kyra said stopping her. She turned around with glossy eyes.
"He listened to you more than you think. Actually, he could recall almost every conversation the two of you had and say it word for word. Marlo was a little dense when it came to certain things, but if he put his mind to something he stayed dedicated and determined, completely hellbent on making it happen. This was his." Kyra said handing her a patch.
Hitch's eyes widened before tears fell down her eyes. A small smile made it to her lips as she grabbed the Scouts patch. "Thank you, Kyra. That sounds like the Marlo I know. Hellbent on justice. Thank you." Kyra froze as she was hugged.
Kyra slowly moved her hand patting her back softly. "More than anything."
Hitch let go and bid farewell.
Kyra walked back to the group with her hands in her pockets.
She walked in between an argument of Eren and Floch already knowing what it's about having overheard the whole thing walking back.
"Are you referring to the fact that you only wanted to keep Commander Erwin alive 'cause you wanted to torture him and make him suffer? A very selfish reason, no? I didn't peg you as the cynical type. Well, it makes you a hypocrite, nonetheless. Commander Erwin was a great commander, because he knew that you can't gain things without losing some in return. I don't regret ever joining the Scouts. I refuse to back down from danger, I will face death head on. And if I die, I'll die knowing that at some moment in time whether it be there or then, here or later, that I had made a difference at some point in time, being a Scout. If you can't do that, I'm sure they will be looking for more people to work in the fields now that Wall Maria has been retaken. If you can't learn to let go of the past and move on. You will be left behind, because everyone around you moves forward. We may actually have something in common. If you want to call it as you see it, that's fine. Because whatever shit you dish out you oughta be prepared to have it thrown back at you. Now, enough of this shit. Not here, show some damn dignity and respect, you too Eren." Kyra said harshly as her eyes narrowed at Floch before walking away to lean against the wall, leaving the group completely speechless.
Floch stared at Kyra as she walked away. "That's why I love her." He said causing Sasha to laugh.
"Yeah, good luck with that. She doesn't seem to be too fond of you." Sasha said from a chair.
"Damn, Kyra for the save." Connie sighed in relief.
"No, shit." Jean muttered.
"Heh. Besides it seems you have competition." Sasha said causing the group to glance over to see men blushing as they stared at Kyra.
Kyra glanced over at the group with a raised eyebrow causing them to look away.
Kyra shrugged her shoulders, sighing.
She listened to Eren talking to Armin about everything they have yet to discover until he stopped.
"All right, you brats. It's time. Line up." Captain Levi ordered.
Kyra knelt down with her hand to her heart as Historia went down the line with the medals.
...
The sound of Titans being crushed
by Hange's Executioner from Hell went silent...as snow began to stick.
When the piles of snow began to melt, the military announced that Wall Maria had been cleansed of Titans.
The elevators of Trost were dismantled, and by the time work began on paving the main road, the flowers were budding and the butterflies dancing.
Refugees were finally permitted to return to their hometowns roughly one year following the attack on Trost District.
And so, six years after the Colossal Titan's first attack...the Scouts once again resumed expeditions past Wall Maria.
...
Kyra rode on her horse outside of Wall Maria as she looked around.
"It's just like you thought, Hange. The Titans inside Wall Maria were pretty much all of them. We thinned out the majority in just a single year."
"In that case, let's head straight to our target as planned." Hange informed.
"Kyra, my dear! Does any of this look familiar to you?" Hange asked looking over.
Kyra shook her head, "No. I couldn't even point you to a direction, if I had to." She said.
"I'm sure, we'll run into it." Hange said.
Kyra nodded.
The grass faded into sand as they rode through the sand.
Kyra looked up seeing the wall. Just beyond the wall.
"I'm sure of it. This is the place where Eldians were made into Titans. And... beyond that..." Eren informed.
The group came to a cliff that overlooked the sea. They stared speechless and in awe at the sight besides Eren.
The waves rolled in as the light reflected off the blue water. They tied their horses up as Kyra stepped on to the sand.
She stared at the sea walking barefoot through the sand. Her feet touched the water before her eyes widened.
"Ira, what do you have there?" Fin asked his daughter as she held something in her hands.
"A star!" The little girl exclaimed smiling brightly.
The man laughed, "Close, my little Ira. Very close. It's a starfish."
"Starfish? It doesn't look like a fish. Do stars fall into the water and become fishes?" Kyra questioned in confusion.
The man laughed shaking his head as a woman came behind picking the little girl up who squealed before showing the starfish to her mother who smiled warmly giggling.
"Look what I found!" The girl exclaimed with a bright smile.
"I blame this on you. Our little girl has such an inquisitive mind." The woman said to the man.
"Hey, it's not my fault, Calli." The man said with a smile.
"Let's put it back so it can be free, Ira." The woman said walking the girl to the sea.
"Do I have to?" The girl said pouting.
The mother giggled, "Yes, everyone belongs somewhere. And that starfish belongs in the sea. That's his home. We can't take that from him. You wouldn't like it if someone took you from your home, would you?" The woman said bending down to the girl.
Kyra shook her head, "Bye, Bye! Be free!" She said as she dropped the starfish into the water.
...
"Big Brother, Big Sister! Look what I found! It's so pretty!" A little Kyra ran to her two older siblings. The man scoped her up in his arms.
"Let's see, Kyra. Oh wow! You found a pearl." The woman said with a smile.
"Why was it in the sea?" Kyra asked.
The man chuckled, "It's something that happens when a shellfish gets a tickle in their throat, so they try to get it out by coating it until a pearl forms."
"Tickle in the throat, huh Byrin?" The woman asked with a raised eyebrow.
The man shrugged, "I tried to explain it in a way she would understand otherwise this little one will ask more questions. And it's hard to turn down such a cute little face like this. She's just the cutest! You think you could do any better, Maya?" Byrin asked as he nuzzled his face against the little girl's face causing her to squeal in laughter.
"Why can't I do that?" Kyra asked with a pout.
The siblings chuckled smiling brightly at the younger girl.
"Because you're a human, silly. You don't live in a shell." The woman said pinching the little girl's cheek causing her to giggle.
...
A laugh was heard and splashing before a shout. "Ow...My eyes! They burn!" Sasha shouted as Connie splashed water in her face.
"...Damn, it's salty!" Jean shouted after taking a sip of the water.
"Woo, hoo, hoo! Wow. Is this actually full of salt water?" Hange yelled out in excitement.
"Huh? What could that be?" Hange asked bending down to grab something from the water.
"Hey, Hange! You shouldn't touch it, it might be poisonous." Captain Levi scolded as he stood on the sand.
Mikasa struggled as she walked through the water to Armin.
"You see, Eren? It's just like I told you. A body of water so big that merchants could spend their whole lives and still not get all the salt. The stuff I talked about wasn't wrong after all!" Armin said smiling with joy.
"Yeah...It's so damn big..." Eren said.
"Yeah. Hey it's like you said, too! On the other side of the wall..." Armin said.
"There's a sea. On the other side of the sea...is freedom. That's what I always believed. But I was wrong. On the other side of the sea...are our enemies. Every part of this is exactly how I saw in my dad's memories." Eren informed causing everyone to stop and look at him. He pointed out in front of him.
"Hey...If we did cross the sea and kill all our enemies...will we finally... be free?" Eren asked.
...
"All right, Ira. Let's go home." Fin said holding his hand out for his daughter.
The girl pouted with a frown, "Awe, do we have to leave? I want to stay here longer!"
The parents chuckled, "Don't you want to visit Ne and Le, Ira?" The woman said with a gentle smile.
The eyes on the little girl brightened as she ran to her parents holding her father's hand. "Yeah! I can tell them all about the sea!" The girl exclaimed.
"Then it's settled, let's go home." The father said as they walked away down the beach.
...
Kyra gasped as her eyes widened. She turned her head in the direction of her memory. Her feet started moving that direction before her pace quickened as she ran in the sand down the beach.
The group turned hearing Kyra gasp before seeing her walk along the sand.
"Kyra? What is it?" Mikasa asked watching as Kyra's walk turned into a run.
"Kyra! Wait! Where are you going?" Armin shouted running after her as Eren and Mikasa followed. Before everyone ran after her.
"What the hell?" Jean asked.
"You think she remembered something?" Hange asked Levi who glanced at her then back at the running figure of Kyra.
"Probably." He said.
Kyra continued running down the beach before coming to a small cliff of rocks. She pulled herself up on the rock ignoring the jagged ends that cut the soles of her bare feet.
She jumped to another rock before grabbing on another flinging her body up. She climbed the last rock, pulling herself up on to grass.
She continued running as her feet followed the path in her memory. She ran through the forest before running up a hill.
Her eyes widened as she fell to her knees, panting. Home. This was her home.
...
They watched as Kyra climbed the cliff of rocks.
"I don't think I will be able to do that." Sasha panted looking at the rocks.
"Yeah, how the hell is she doing that? Her stamina is insane." Jean stated panting.
"I don't know, but the rocks are sharp. My feet will get torn to shreds!" Connie mentioned catching his breath.
"Same." Armin said panting.
Levi glanced down seeing everyone barefoot. "Hange, I'll follow after Kyra. Meet us once you have your shoes on." He informed climbing up the rocks before spotting her running in the distance.
"Kyra! Slow down!" He shouted out after her.
He ran up the hill after her only for his eyes to widen slightly at the sight.
He walked forward spotting Kyra on her knees, unmoving as she stared straight ahead.
"Kyra." He called out only for no response.
He kneeled next to her seeing her eyes wide and fixated on the sight in front of her. Levi gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "Kyra? Hey." He asked quietly.
Kyra jumped slightly before her head turned to look at him. "I...honestly don't know what I was expecting to see...but I wasn't expecting...this." Kyra said before glancing back in front of her as her eyes held sorrow.
"Why? Why is the world so damn cruel? It takes and takes, but when will it ever give? What more is there to take, when I have nothing left to give? Will it finally take me? I thought maybe...just maybe it would be different this time." Kyra said softly frowning as her head lowered. She clenched her fist tightly as they trembled. Her nails dug into her palms forming crescent cuts.
"That there would be one thing that...that was left remaining and untouched. I thought I could at least get that. The pleasant memories I had of my clan and family have all but vanished from my mind, only scarcely returning like a solemn reminder of all the things I've lost. All I can remember is their agony, their pain, their torture, their tears, their blood, and their deaths. It's permanently etched into my mind." Kyra said softly as her voice carried anguish. She closed her eyes in dismay.
Levi glanced at her with a frown as his eyes held a solemn look as he listened to her speak.
"And now, I realized why I renounced the name of my clan. I didn't care if people were after me or that it was dangerous. I couldn't give a damn about that. It was because, I wanted to escape. I wanted to erase my existence from this god-forsaken world. Where do I go to escape if my life is the prison?" Kyra said sadly before she chuckled dryly.
"Oh, the fucking irony. I have watched countless people die around me...hoping that my turn was next. That it would finally come for me. I even took towards acclimating it, instigating it...but it never happened. It always avoids me. People who want to live, they have lives, have a meaning, a purpose, a family...I watch them all die while I'm stuck here living. Suicide would be convenient and easy...cowardly, yes...but the last words of my father have shackled me to this earth. "Dying is easy, but living is harder. Promise me you'll fight, Ira. Fight to live. Promise to keep living, be free, and continue to live for those who can't." It wouldn't be hard to end it all. Hell, it would be easy. So god damn easy. I wouldn't even give it a second thought. But, it's those words and that promise...his final words...my father's dying wish...that keeps me moving forward and fighting." Kyra disdainfully spat with honesty.
She glanced down at the blood from her hands as Levi moved his hand down to hers loosening her fist as he looked at the marks she inflicted. He put his other hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him.
"Kyra, look at me." Levi said softly. She raised her head looking at him. He put his hand on her head gently.
He stared into her red eyes finding nothing, but a still red sea leading to an abyss. Her eyes were dull and dead. The tiny spark of life that he had seen once before was long gone.
This is what he was afraid would happen. They had been pushing her to remember some even trying to fill her with hope.
But after what had happened to her Clan in the walls, and seeing the aftermath. He knew that if she found this, it wouldn't be a pretty sight. There would be nothing good that would come out of this. In fact it was detrimental.
He could just curse Hange for pressing the girl to remember, when there was a clear reason why her subconscious made her forget.
But it did allow him to uncover a very serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately, before it gets any worse. Erwin had brought it up briefly, but he only grazed the surface. He knew the minute he looked into her eyes when he saw her in the cell. He wasn't oblivious. He had heard Eren, Armin, and Mikasa talk about it. They knew, whether they addressed it with her personally was unknown.
But this has gone on for far too long and he wasn't about to let her continue on like this. He wasn't about to lose another comrade, because no one spoke up. He'd be damned if he let that happened.
"That's not true, Kyra. Everyone has a purpose and a meaning even you. You may not have a family, but you have comrades that fight alongside you. Been to hell and back, together. They care for you and will go to far lengths to protect you, not just because of orders. They cherish you, no matter how hard you try to fight against it. That said, you may not have many pleasant memories of your family, you do have ones with your comrades. Look back on those and to the ones the future will hold. Let them carry you forward and find meaning in that." He said causing her eyes to widen slightly.
She exhaled softly taking in his words as she slowly closed her eyes for a moment recalling the memories before opening them. Her eyes regaining some of the vibrancy that she had lost since Wall Maria had been retaken.
She looked down at her hands, "Thank you. Sometimes, I get so lost in my thoughts that I become trapped. Thank you for reminding me." Kyra said softly as her lips twitched up slightly.
Levi smiled softly rubbing his fingers against her hair soothing her. "I think everyone needs a reminder, sometimes. Now, what is it that you want to do, Kyra? The choice is yours." He said glancing at the girl before looking forward.
Kyra looked forward pressing her lips together in contemplation. Levi waited patiently for her to answer, not pushing her.
"I want to look around and see if there is anything salvagable." She said softly.
He glanced over at her before giving a nod, "All right. Let's go then." He said standing up offering his hand to her.
Kyra nodded taking his hand as he helped her up.
Whether she wanted to or not she had to continue moving forward. As much as she wants to dwell on the past she knows that it's pointless. Nothing good would ever amount from dwelling. Move on, she just had to keep moving on. Whether it was steps, paces, leaps, or bounds; she just needed to keep moving forward.