Commander Erwin, along with Levi and myself, are evacuating to the Survey Corps Headquarters located in Wall Rose. The headquarters in Wall Maria is no longer safe due to the invasion of the titans and Erwin wishes to avoid danger for now. Right when we arrive through the gate of Wall Rose from Trost District, Erwin leads us to the Survey Corps Headquarters on our horses.
I will say... the city within Trost District and Wall Rose are completely crowded, assuming the refugees from Wall Maria are trying to flee from the titans. The population is increasing within Wall Rose, and human needs are probably limited by now. As we try to get past the crowd of refugees on the street, I see many children cry, begging for food while their families are demanding to stay. Many people are fighting, sobbing, and ignoring everything because they have already lost faith in humanity. I can hear the fear and pain in their voices, but the civilians of Wall Rose and the military are being defensive against them. Their eyes are red not only from restless sleep but also from the horror they witnessed the man-eating titans. Since countless refugees are fleeing from Wall Maria, there is nothing they can do for them at this point.
"We're almost there," Erwin tells me and we quickly move alongside him.
Not long after, I see a modern castle with a flag draping over it that symbolizes the Wings of Freedom, assuming this is one of the Survey Corps Headquarters. On our horses, we were stopped by a military man, who seemed to be high in command because of his badges. That's when I also realized he is from the Military Police so I try to hide my identity under my cloak. Levi glances over at me, probably judging the way I'm acting right now.
"Don't worry," Erwin reassures me all of a sudden. "This is a close friend of mine."
"Nile Dok, Commander of the Military Police. Erwin told me about you already. Sina Vogel, correct?" the man in front of us introduced himself to me, and I slowly stole a glance at him under my hood to nod. To my surprise, he was the first to act kindly to me. "Listen, I may be a part of the Military Police, but the system of command is different here from other districts. Plus, Erwin is a friend of mine, so I hope you don't see me as a threat."
It was such a relief to hear and my shoulders could finally relax, so I dropped them with a deep breath after holding it for so long. Since this is the commander of the Military Police, this makes my job less difficult for me and now I don't have to worry as much. But I also wonder why this man named Nile Dok is here.
"Erwin, we need to talk." Nile suddenly wants to have a word with Erwin.
"Sure, Nile." Erwin nods, and they face us. "You two, come with us."
"I'm afraid we can't bring them," Nile warned him, not trying to seem rude. "This is a private matter we're speaking... between two commanders. This topic relates to the royal government and Wall Maria."
"I'm pretty sure Levi and our new scout deserve to know." Erwin defended. "They need to understand so they can also succeed in saving humanity."
Nile had to think about it until he finally gave in because of Erwin's words. "Fair enough... come with me."
We all got off our horses to enter the Survey Corps Headquarters with Nile. The hallways were silent and all I saw were statues carved into heroes that symbolize humanity, which I assume were a part of the Survey Corps many decades ago. It surprises me how long the Survey Corps has been around as I read the years of each statue.
We finally reach the end of the hallway to enter a meeting room and we all take a seat around the table. This time, I sit next to Erwin and of course, Levi wishes to have his personal space so he sits at the far end of the table, opposite Nile who is sitting at the other end next to Erwin and me.
"Before I share this news, I would like you all to keep it to yourselves." Nile wants us to keep it a secret and we respect him. "Erwin, I received information from the royal government, and they've figured out a way to alleviate the food shortage within these remaining walls."
Erwin didn't know what the royal government's intentions were, so he continued to listen. "Is there a solution to this current problem?"
"We do, but the sad thing is... it's the only solution." Nile's tone of voice shifted, which concerned all of us in the room.
"What is their intention?" Erwin asked, and I wanted to know as much as he did.
Nile takes a deep breath before speaking. "The royal government wants to start a retrieval operation this upcoming year of 846 to retake Wall Maria..."
Erwin and I stare at him in great shock after learning about this piece of news. It brings my attention to all the innocent people within the walls, thinking why the royal government wants to lead them to a hoard of titans that are invading the southern districts.
"Right now, the military is summoned to draft refugees and citizens for cruel operation until we have at least two hundred fifty thousand people."
Erwin's face was pale, as shocked as I was. "So what you're saying is... the royal government is willing to push twenty percent of the human population to their death?"
"This is their only trump card, and the operation can start now as we speak. There is no way for us military branches to refuse the government's choices..."
I see now. So challenging the royal government is like dousing yourself with oil and running into fire. This mission assigned by them is like intentionally feeding humans to the titans. They are willing to send soldiers and civilians from Wall Maria back out to reclaim the lost lands from the titans.
I lower my head, feeling helpless as of right now. My mind keeps telling me to do something before it's too late and sitting here will solve nothing while more people are getting eaten like insects.
"This is nothing more than a ploy by the royal government to cut the population to fix the food shortage crisis of Wall Rose, am I right?" Levi was staring at Nile from across, his legs crossed together on the edge of the table. "This is basically a suicide mission."
"Correct." Nile didn't deny it.
I then slam the table, surprising all of them in the room. "There has to be another way! What the royal government is plotting will solve nothing! I highly doubt the operation is going to work!"
Erwin and Nile are both in agreement here, but there is no way for us to stop this operation since it's the royal government we're speaking of.
"I completely understand how you feel, Sina." Erwin stares at me with saddened eyes. "I also wished this day wouldn't come, but it did."
"We will have to see how this operation will turn out..." Nile sighed in disappointment. "The royal government will regret this."
"Don't forget the fact that we have to carry out this mission as well." Levi interrupted us. "We are not just going to sit here worrying about the shitty government."
"Levi is right." Erwin agrees with him. "We should quickly take action and consider this as a new mission. A very difficult one."
Our heads snapped back to the door when we heard a loud knock and a male voice called out. "Commander Erwin! I've brought them here with me!"
Erwin was surprised, and he finally stood from his seat. "Ah, please bring them in."
When the door opened, the first thing my eyes saw were familiar faces and my mouth hung open in surprise.
"Here they are, sir!" the male soldier salutes, and behind him were Viktor, Abel, and Zaiya. My heart nearly sank to my stomach, wondering why they were here and they were in complete shock as well when they noticed me. Why did Erwin send them here? For what reason?
"Alina?" Abel points a finger at me in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
I almost forgot they only know my fake name, Alina. So I had to correct them this time.
"My name is not Alina." I finally confessed to them. "My name is Sina Vogel."
There was no time to explain why I covered up my real name, so I asked them back. "What are you guys doing here?"
Before they answered, Erwin, stepped in between us.
"Sina, I spoke with your instructor, Keith Shadis, about recruiting his trainees to the Survey Corps to take on this mission to recapture Wall Maria. They were the only three who bravely accepted my request."
"Don't think of this as a reunion." Zaiya gives me a cold stare, not caring about my current situation. "We're only here to help with the mission."
Besides Abel and Zaiya, Viktor was the only one who remained silent. From here, I can sense a dark and gloomy aura around him. Then, our eyes meet. I suddenly felt the sadness radiating from Viktor and it's nothing compared to the miserable agony of others that is now concentrated in his eyes. It was a concentrated bolt of grief that burned into mine and left me feeling like everything within my body had vanished and had left a scar in its place.
I've never seen Viktor act this way, which made me feel eerie.
"Congratulate yourself for being here and trying to improve your skills, but don't forget why you're here." Erwin tells the new soldiers who are now officially a part of the Survey Corps. "And Levi, I will be assigning these fresh soldiers to you."
"Ha!?" Levi jumps out of his chair, glaring at Erwin and hoping for him to take his words back. But Erwin was serious and he could tell just from the looks of his eyes.
"This is Viktor, Abel, and Zaiya. You will become their squad leader, Captain Levi." Erwin emphasized, and Levi scoffed at his silliness.
"When was I ever a captain...?"
"Well, now you are." Erwin suddenly promoted him on the spot and Levi didn't seem to care. He seemed to constantly have a murderous aura around him, but that didn't bother me anymore.
Erwin then looks over at the fresh soldiers. "After what happened to your hometown, my only wish is for you all to work together and protect the ones you love." Erwin then pats Levi on the shoulder, and obviously, Levi cringes. "I will now assign you all under Levi and you are now officially a squad team."
"Congratulations, Levi. Aren't you excited? This will be your very first squad." Nile teases him, and Levi wishes for this meeting to be over already.
"I will give you all this time to catch up, so I will now excuse myself." Erwin then looks over at Nile and Levi. "You two, come with me."
I watched the three exit the room in silence, only leaving us four behind so we could share our stories. This is getting awkward, yet intense because Viktor is the one standing out here with a different demeanor.
"Where were you this whole time, Sina?" Abel started to ask me. "We thought you were kicked out of the military because of what happened."
"Very bold of you, I must say," Zaiya tells me, not sure if it was a compliment from her. "So what did the titans look like?"
"It was... very frightening." I honestly answer. "It's something that innocent people mustn't face..."
"We're all innocent here!" Abel steps up. "That is why we're here to risk our lives after what happened to Shiganshina District and Wall Maria!"
I remember now. Viktor and Abel are from the Shiganshina District, and it must've been a huge blow for them. They must be suffering as much as the people who have lost their friends and family. Perhaps they might've lost their loved ones and are now seeking revenge. This explains why Viktor is acting the way he is now and he finally speaks up. "I'm going to slaughter every single one of them..."
My body shivered at his words, his teeth clenched together and his fists balled up until his knuckles turned white. He is furious, yet they don't know if their family is safe or not.
How can he be so fearless when they have not encountered a titan yet?
Abel is upset as well, but not as much as Viktor is. Zaiya, on the other hand, is from Trost District and she does not react to all of this.
"Don't be silly." she comes at Viktor all of a sudden. "You can't kill every single titan on your own. That's just selfish."
What she said triggered Viktor to attack her, but he wasn't fast enough when Zaiya grabbed onto him. His body had gone limp when she gripped his arm, which was somehow painful for Viktor to endure and she flipped him over her shoulder. Abel and I gasped loudly when Zaiya slammed him onto the table, knocking the air out of him as she pinned him down with her arms. Her strength is scary...
"Let go of me!" Viktor cried, struggling to escape from her arms and she was effortlessly restraining him.
"Stop being a crybaby for once." she insulted him. "If you keep acting like this, the titans will surely eat you first because of how annoying you are."
"Zaiya! Viktor! Stop this already!" Abel tries to break them apart and when he does, Viktor tries to jump off the table until I latch onto his arms from behind.
"Stop fighting!" I pleaded, begging them to act right for once. "This is no time to argue! We're here because humanity is in danger! If we keep this up, more innocent lives will be eaten by those mindless titans!"
"Sina is right!" Abel says my real name for the first time. "We're only killing time, so please, let us work as a team!"
Zaiya lets out a deep sigh, crossing her arms together as her back faces us. "Do whatever you want. I would much rather fight on my own anyway."
"Zaiya..." I didn't want her to turn her back on us, so I begged once more. "Aren't you here because you want to fight the titans? Do you care about protecting humanity?"
"I have nothing to protect." Suddenly, she storms out of the room and slams the door behind her, assuming she is annoyed with us. Abel and I help Viktor off the table, and apparently, he can still stand on his own after what Zaiya has done to him.
"That bitch..." Viktor wipes the drool off the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. "She only cares about her safety."
"Just ignore her, Viktor. Let's worry about how we're going to retake Wall Maria and find our family." Abel tells him, but at this point, Viktor is nearly giving up on hope.
"I don't believe our family survived, Abel..."
"Stop it! Don't say that!" Abel suddenly shouts at his friend, obviously in denial. "We have to see with our own eyes, so stop jumping to conclusions!"
"I want to believe it too, Abel. But there's no way our family would've survived that. It's hopeless..." Viktor shakes his head. He is as upset as he is. "The titans are already taking over Wall Maria, and the population is decreasing at a rapid pace. I just want all of this to end..."
I couldn't even make a sound, because Viktor and Abel were suffering from the pain of losing their family. They don't even know if they're alive or not. They first entered the military for the heck of it as trainees, but now, their perspectives have changed. In this cruel world, they now have something worth to protect and that is the remaining people within the walls.
"Viktor..." I stand before him, slowly taking his hands to comfort him. "You're not the only one suffering, so let's help each other."
Viktor's eyes were no longer empty, and now, they were filled with a glimpse of hope glistening in him. I then continued. "Although I'm weak and full of flaws, I will never stop moving forward as myself." No matter who I am... no matter what others may think of me, I will create my own existence in this world.
"You're absolutely right. I can't do this alone." Viktor finally gives in. "Everyone has their flaws, but that's what drives us to work together... to make up for those flaws." The spark in him is growing, and he stares at me with a meaningful yet saddened smile. We're all on the same page here, and from now on, we are going to fight alongside together.
He then nodded, and I grinned at him. "So let's defeat the titans... together."