I had been assigned to work with Armin and Mikasa at the supply depot, helping to maintain the gear and equipment for the Vertical Maneuvering Devices.
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Inside the depot, Armin and I were responsible for refueling the gas canisters—transferring compressed gas from massive barrels into the two small cylinders fitted into each maneuvering unit. Mikasa, on the other hand, had followed a group of senior Garrison soldiers to assist with blade repair and sharpening.
Carrying armfuls of freshly filled gas bottles, I made my way toward the storage room. Whether it was gas or blades, these two items were the lifeline of every soldier equipped with the Vertical Maneuvering Gear. Without them, facing a Titan meant only one thing—death. Powerless, unable to even resist.
"Tomorrow we finally join the Survey Corps…" Armin muttered beside me with a nervous sigh.
"Yeah. It's probably going to be hectic," I said, helping him load another round of canisters. I gave a resigned shake of my head. The thought of what awaited us tomorrow left a weight on my chest.
"Oh, right—Armin," I turned to him, "since tonight's our last free time before joining the Corps… how about we hang out with Eren and Mikasa somewhere nearby?"
"Yeah! That sounds great!" Armin instantly lit up and nodded.
"I heard the bread in Trost is pretty famous. Maybe we can go look for it later~" he added, recalling some chatter from the townspeople earlier.
"Mm." Just having this kind of light, normal conversation again… I couldn't even remember the last time. After today, I doubted we'd get many chances like this again.
"W–wait… something's wrong!"
Suddenly, a soldier from the Garrison burst into the depot, face pale and drenched in panic.
"A Colossal Titan has appeared! The wall in Trost has been breached!!"
So in the end, peace really was nothing more than a fool's dream.
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All of the 104th Cadet Corps was summoned to the Garrison Regiment's headquarters. Every single one of us was drowning in a heavy storm of despair.
We were supposed to officially join our regiments tomorrow. Yet here we were, during a mere training rotation in Trost, and the worst possible event had unfolded. And it just so happened that earlier this morning, the elite Survey Corps had departed the walls for an outside expedition. Which meant… it was up to us now.
We had to fight.
Outside in the courtyard, Garrison soldiers lined up in formation, ready to act as the first wave of defense. Under emergency deployment plans for the Colossal Titan's appearance, they would rush the breach to delay the Titan invasion.
Chaos erupted across Trost.
It was Shiganshina all over again—screams, panic, people running for their lives, confusion, grief… all flooding the streets in an instant.
"You cadets passed your final evaluations with distinction! I expect great things from you in this battle!"
Inside headquarters, the mood was pure chaos. Some were crying, others quietly steeling themselves for death. Despair clawed at everyone.
My hands kept working—refueling gas tanks over and over. Armin was beside me, doing the same… except his hands were trembling uncontrollably.
"Are you okay, Armin?" Eren rushed in from the wall perimeter, having reported his contact with the Colossal Titan to his commanding officer. He immediately headed toward us.
"I—I'm fine. I'll be done in a moment," Armin muttered, clearly anything but fine. "But… the situation's terrible. We don't have the means to seal an eight-meter breach quickly. That huge boulder near the front gate—no one can lift it. If we can't close the breach… we'll have to abandon this district…"
His voice wavered with every word as he continued attaching new gas lines—but his trembling fingers couldn't manage the task.
"…If they want to… Titans could destroy humanity any time they wished…"
"Armin!!"
Eren reached out and grabbed his friend's shaking hand, tightening his grip.
"Calm down!" he said firmly, trying to anchor him.
I lowered my head, my eyes dark with memories.
The horrors of Shiganshina… were about to repeat in Trost.
Was this nightmare really happening again?
"We're not the same as before!" Eren declared. "Humanity won't lose to the Titans again!"
I said nothing.
Pretending not to be afraid was a lie.
Those images burned into my memory—the sight of humans being devoured by Titans… how could anyone forget that?
Then… someone knelt behind me, resting their hands on my back.
"It'll be okay."
Mikasa's voice. Calm. Steady. Certain.
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