A warm air brushed against my skin as I lay under the shade of a large tree. The rustling of leaves and distant chirping of birds filled the air, blending with the scent of grass. The sky above was a clear blue, stretching endlessly beyond the giant Wall of Maria in the distance.
I should've felt at peace. But something was off. A strange heaviness weighed on my chest, an unease I couldn't shake.
Then, a voice called out.
"Eren... Eren..."
My eyes fluttered open. Sunlight filtered through the branches above me, casting shifting shadows of leaves over my face.
"Mm...?"
I blinked, slowly sitting up. Mikasa stood nearby, her red scarf swaying slightly in the breeze, a wooden bag filled with firewood strapped to her back. Her expression was unreadable as always, but her voice carried a hint of impatience.
"Wake up. It will get dark if we don't go home now."
I rubbed my eyes and yawned before looking at her properly.
"Huh... When did your hair get so long, Mikasa?"
She gave me a blank stare.
"Were you really so deep asleep that when you woke up, you were still dreaming?"
She turned toward me, and I suddenly felt something was off due to her silence.
"Why... are you crying?" Mikasa asked.
I touched my face, startled. I hadn't even noticed.
"Huh...? But I wasn't crying."
Even as I said it, I wasn't sure if I believed it myself.
Mikasa didn't say anything else. She adjusted the strap of her bag and started walking. I hesitated for a second before following her, leaving the quiet of the forest behind.
As we stepped through the Shiganshina District huge gates, the world became livelier. Children ran through the streets, laughing as they played. Market vendors shouted out prices, their stalls packed with bread, vegetables, and meats. The smell of fresh food and burning wood filled the air, mixing with the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer. A woman sat outside her home, kneading dough on a wooden table.
After a moment, I spoke.
"Don't tell anyone that I was crying."
Mikasa didn't hesitate.
"I won't."
Then, after a brief pause, she added, "Crying for no reason... Why don't you have your dad examine you?"
I frowned, embarrassed.
"Don't be stupid. Like I can tell my old man about this."
As I said that, a shadow moved beside me.
"What were you crying about, Eren?"
I flinched and turned my head sharply.
"Um-Mr. Hannes?"
Hannes stood there with an easy grin. He was a tall man, broad-shouldered, with short blond hair and a thin dark mustache. His Garrison Regiment uniform was slightly loose, his jacket open at the collar. He smelled strongly of alcohol.
He glanced at Mikasa, then back at me with amusement.
"Did Mikasa get mad at you for something?"
I scowled.
"Huh?! What makes you think I was crying?!"
The awful smell of liquor hit my nose, making me recoil. I covered my face with my sleeve.
"And you reek of alcohol!"
Hannes chuckled, unbothered. That's when I noticed his squad nearby. They sat in circle on a stack of wooden supply crates, laughing and drinking without a care.
Their jackets were unbuttoned, and their relaxed postures made it clear they weren't concerned with much.
I felt my irritation spike.
"What the...?!" I muttered, narrowing my eyes at them. "Drinking again?"
Hannes grinned.
"Would you like to join in?" he teased.
I scowled. "No! what about your work?"
"Oh, we're on gate duty today," Hannes said, stretching his arms behind his head lazily.
"And you're drinking?!"
"Well," he shrugged, "we get hungry and thirsty hanging around here all day."
I clenched my fists in anger
"But in case of an emergency, would you even be able to fight? You're all drunk!"
Hannes raised an eyebrow at my outburst.
"What kind of emergency?"
The frustration inside me bubbled over.
"I'm talking about if the Titans break through the Wall and invade the town!!"
My voice rose sharply, echoing through the street.
Hannes winced, covering his ears with both hands. "Hey, Eren, don't suddenly yell like that!"
One of the soldiers from his squad turned toward me, his face flushed from drinking. He let out a loud laugh.
Hahahahaha!
"The doctor's son has spirit! don't worry. If those bastards break through the Wall, we'll be on top of the situation and kill dem all."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he joking? Or was he just too drunk to hear what he was saying?
He smirked, taking another swig from the bottle before wiping his mouth.
"But I'll tell ya..." he continued, leaning back against the crate. "That hasn't happened in a hundred years before."
Eren was almost amused by the soldier's confidence—but he didn't let his guard down.
"But it's dangerous to feel at ease like this in dangerous times!" Eren snapped. "My father says that!"
Hannes chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, you might be right. I'm not gonna second-guess Dr. Yeager. This town's benefactor, after all." He took a deep breath, glancing at the towering Wall Maria in the distance.
"But I know when you become a soldier, you get a chance to see 'em. Moving around outside the Wall while you're on Wall Defense duty or whatever..."
Hannes knock the stone wall beside him with his knuckles. "And honestly? I can't picture a Titan breaking through this 50-meter fortress."
Eren clenched his fists. "That means you're not even prepared to fight them in the first place, are you?!"
Hannes raised an eyebrow, shaking is head. "Nope."
Eren's eye twitched. "What the hell?! Then stop calling yourself a garrison soldier and make it the Wall Construction Corps instead!"
Hannes smirked. "That ain't a bad idea either. But we do have real soldiers for when things actually go to hell."
One of the drunk soldiers beside him lazily waved a hand. "It's just like Hannes says." He took another gulp from his bottle. "Hell, I can't understand those guys in the Survey Corps going outside the Walls."
Another soldier laughed. "If they wanna have fun playing war, let 'em, I say!"
Hannes grinned. "We don't have to go outside the Walls our whole lives. We can eat, sleep, and survive here. Isn't that enough?"
Eren's face darkened. He looked down, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Isn't that just like being a caged animal?"
Silence.
Hannes blinked, taken aback. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
Eren turned on his heel and walked away, his fists clenched at his sides. Mikasa followed, glancing back once at the dumbstruck garrison soldiers.
Hannes sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "A caged animal, huh?" he muttered.
One of the drunk soldiers scoffed. "PFT... What a cracked pot brat, you have Hannes."
Hannes exhaled, watching Eren's retreating figure. 'Don't tell me... he wants to join the Survey Corps?'.
As they walked through the town, Mikasa studied Eren's face. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed in frustration.
The laughter of the Garrison soldiers still stayed in his mind. Their careless smiles, the way they slumped at their posts, bottles in hand—acting as if the walls would protect them forever. As if there was nothing beyond them worth fighting for.
The Survey Corps were different. They didn't cower behind stone, pretending everything was fine. They risked their lives because they refused to accept a life in a cage. That was the kind of person Eren wanted to be.
"Eren."
He didn't respond.
"You should change your mind about joining the Survey Corps."
Eren's head snapped toward her. "What, you're gonna laugh at them too?!"
Mikasa shook her head. "Whether I'm laughing at them or not isn't the issue."
There it was again. That same argument. The same words he had heard over and over again.
Before she could finish her sentence—
The deep ring of the warning bell echoed through the town, sending vibrations through the streets.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The noise rippled across Shiganshina District, sharp and urgent, like an unspoken warning. People stumbled onto the streets, their faces tense, their voices rising in confusion.
Then—a tremor. Faint, almost undetectable, but enough to send a ripple of unease through the crowd.
Someone turned toward the Wall. Another clutched their child's hand a little tighter.
And then, cutting through the uncertainty, a voice rang out—sharp, breathless, desperate.
"They're coming!"