My Spotify died for about two hours, and my Wi-Fi has not been working, so this came out later than I wanted it to.
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"Alright, alright," Hannes said with a boisterous laugh, waving a lazy air. "That's enough serious talk for one afternoon. You lot shouldn't worry about adult matters."
He turned to the Garrison soldiers behind him, already halfway back into their bottles.
"You've got a list, right? Don't make your mom wait too long for those groceries!"
Eren muttered something under his breath but gave a small wave as they left. Mikasa took the lead without a word, her steps brisk and her back straight, yet uncomfortable lingering near the Garrison drunks.
Kaelen fell into step beside Eren, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed.
For a while, they just walked.
Then Eren spoke.
"Kaelen… why do the Scout Corps try so hard? Even though they keep dying?"
Kaelen didn't answer immediately. His gaze flicked to the sky, where a sliver of orange had begun to touch the clouds. The sun would start dipping soon. The air smelled like dust and bread.
Then, he turned his eyes forward and said quietly, "You want to go outside, don't you?"
Eren nodded. "Yeah."
"Some people have dreams like that," Kaelen said. "Dreams that don't make sense. Dreams that don't listen to logic or fear. They occupy every thought, burn through every failure. Even if that dream ruins your life or ends it… It'll still smolder in your heart like a coal that never goes out."[1]
Eren stopped walking for a moment.
So did Mikasa.
They both looked at Kaelen, who kept moving, unaware or maybe just unwilling to linger.
Eren tilted his head. "...What kind of dream is that strong?"
Kaelen exhaled slowly. "A dangerous one," he muttered, more to himself than to them.
Then, with a shake of his head, he glanced back. "Come on. We still need to get groceries for Mother."
Eren walked a little slower this time, hands behind his head, staring at the gray-blue sky.
What kind of dream did he have?He wanted to see what was out there. He wanted to find out if the stories Kaelen told were real. The ones about deserts that stretched forever, about oceans so wide you couldn't see the other side. About the wind on mountaintops and the endless blue sky where no Wall touched the horizon.
He wanted… freedom.
But did that count as a dream? Or just a wish?
He turned to Mikasa.
"What about you? What's your dream?"
She answered immediately.
"To stay with everyone," she said. "To protect them. To survive."
Eren frowned. "That's it?"
"To do that, I just need to be strong," she added simply. "Only the strong survive."
That phrase sat heavy in Eren's chest.
He narrowed his eyes. "Are the strong… free?"
Mikasa's expression twitched—just slightly.
"I don't know," she said.
Kaelen, a step ahead, suddenly stopped walking.
For a brief moment, his shoulders trembled.
Then, without looking back, he let out a small laugh—a strange, quiet sound like someone coughing in amusement.
"I guess… no one can restrain the strong," he said calmly. "So yeah. The strong are free."
Mikasa didn't react, but her voice came low and thoughtful.
"But if everyone is strong, wouldn't that mean no one could restrain anyone?"
"Exactly."
Eren grumbled. "This is making my brain hurt…"
Kaelen's voice carried lightly. "Some people don't have the freedom to be strong or weak. They're just weak forever."
That silenced the conversation.
A few minutes later, they reached the market square.
Vendors were packing up for the evening, but a few stalls remained open. Kaelen stepped toward a familiar face—a woman with thick braids and a sharp eye.
"Eggs and a bag of milk, please."
She gave him a soft smile. "Still doing the shopping, huh? You're more reliable than some grown men."
Kaelen nodded politely, handed over a few coins, and accepted the bag.
He returned to Eren and Mikasa, offering the eggs to Eren without a word.
"That's it?" Eren asked. "We're done already?"
"We were always just shopping," Kaelen said. "You're the one who added a philosophy lesson in the middle of it."
"You started it with your super long and complicated dream speech."
Kaelen shrugged. "Maybe you're just not adult enough to understand."
"Oh, and Mikasa is?"
"She didn't say anything. She just agreed."
"I didn't understand it either," Mikasa said flatly. "I just didn't want to be left out of the conversation."
Eren stopped walking and stared at her.
Mikasa didn't blink.
Kaelen smirked. "A wise decision."
"You're both awful," Eren grumbled.
Kaelen chuckled softly. "Bold words for someone challenging his superior elder brother."
"You're not superior!"
"Older, wiser, prettier. The list goes on."
Eren lunged, aiming a playful shove at Kaelen's shoulder, which Kaelen easily dodged.
Mikasa sighed. "Let's go home before Mom worries."
As they walked back toward the fading sun, the sky stretched out above them like a canvas just waiting to be filled in. The wind was light, the world briefly quiet.
But even in peace, Eren's mind burned.
With questions. With images. With wonder.
And dreams that still refused to fade.
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[Auther: Feel free to write any suggestions...seriously, I'm bored and lonely.]
[1] "I had to stop writing cause I was getting Griffith PTSD..."