The changes in Gale's life were not immediate. After being locked away for months without human contact, he had forgotten many things that were difficult for him to recover in his day-to-day life.
But he was not alone. Historia was always by his side to support him.
As the only one who had always hoped to find her own freedom, Ymir, who was by his side in spirit, watched everything all the time. She was interested in the freedom Gale wanted and had fought so hard for.
Looking back at his entire journey, Gale felt satisfied knowing that he had managed to save many people who, in another timeline, had died at the hands of the Titans.
People like Erwin, seeing that all his sacrifices had been worthwhile, filled Gale with pure happiness.
Everything had been worth it to him, and now… What would happen to his life?
"What I always wanted." Gale looked serenely at the vast green landscape stretching out before him and murmured, "I have no enemies, absolutely none."
As the sun gradually descended, the sky seemed to have been scorched by fire, with a bright, unnatural, and frightening red color.
Not far away, the mountain lay prostrate in the glow of the setting sun, leaning toward the western sky, displaying its reverence.
It had rained a couple of days ago, and only a few clouds floated peacefully across the sky, enjoying the leisure of the end of the day.
"It's a beautiful day." Historia approached wearing a long white dress, carrying a basket with sandwiches she had prepared, and sat beside Gale, who was sitting silently.
"Yes…" Gale smiled and, after a while, said, "We both fought so hard for this, and honestly, it was worth it."
"I always dreamed of this moment."
Everyone had their own dreams. Historia only wanted to spend peaceful days together with Gale. Having all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted was perfect.
After so much bloodshed, mind games, and betrayal, this was what she wanted.
Gale wanted this too, and after so much time, he had fulfilled his promise to Historia. After all, he also wanted to start a family.
…
The war had ended a long time ago.
For the first time in a long time, the world was not waiting to hear the sound of cannons.
There were no Titans on the horizon.
There were no soldiers running toward certain death.
There were no shouted orders, nor blood spilled upon the land we had fought so hard to protect.
Only silence, one that everyone could perceive.
And, strange as it might seem...
It was a pleasant silence.
Several years had passed since the end of the war.
The world had changed.
The nations began to rebuild.
The walls that had separated humanity for generations ceased to exist.
The survivors slowly learned that living did not necessarily mean fighting.
And those who had once been children terrified by the Titans could now walk through the streets without constantly looking up at the sky.
Many of those who had survived continued with their own lives.
Armin became one of the main people responsible for negotiations between the nations.
Mikasa finally found the peace that had been taken from her for so many years, together with Eren, who gradually accepted that this was another reality.
Levi...
Well.
Levi continued to be Levi.
But even he seemed to have learned how to rest.
And then there was him.
The man who, according to some historians, had changed the course of history.
The key mind who had saved lives that were destined to disappear.
The man who had intervened at moments when no one else could.
The one who had fought alongside them during the final moments of the war.
The one who had made it possible to win battles that had seemed impossible.
The one who, somehow, had managed to make everyone who was supposed to die, live.
For a while, there were statues.
There were books.
There were speeches.
There were people who wanted to turn him into a symbol.
A hero.
A legend.
But he never wanted any of that.
So he disappeared.
Not literally.
He simply left all of that behind.
He spent his years living on a small farm far from the cities and began a new life.
There were no soldiers there.
There were no Titans.
There was no politics.
Only land.
Animals.
A small field of crops.
And days that seemed to repeat themselves.
He woke up early.
He fed the animals.
He worked the land.
He repaired the fences.
Some afternoons, he sat in front of the house with a cup of coffee and watched the sunset.
It was a simple life.
A boring life.
A completely normal life.
And he loved it.
That morning, as he walked through the field, he heard the sound of horses approaching.
Gale looked up into the distance and asked, "You guys again?"
Armin was the first to dismount from his horse. "It's been almost two years since the last time we came, at your wedding, by the way."
"Exactly."
Mikasa let out a small laugh. "You're still the same. You look like a grandfather."
"And you still come without warning with your children…" Gale looked at the children who ran off to look for the cats that were peacefully resting.
"Because if we warned you, you'd probably close the door."
"Probably."
Levi dismounted after them, looked at the farm, and muttered, "It's dirty."
"Don't you want to live here?" Gale smiled slightly and asked jokingly.
"I could never live here."
"Hahaha!"