🧱 Chapter Ten: The Last Day of Peace
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The world was too quiet.
The screaming had stopped. The fires still burned, but no one paid attention. The sky overhead had turned a shade of orange that made the blood in the streets look like watercolors.
Eren sat on the edge of the wagon, arms slack at his sides, staring into nothing. Mikasa seemed to be holding her head, suppressing memories.
"…She could've been saved," he whispered. "If we had just a little more time…" He desperately tried to convince Hannes...or himself.
Hannes didn't answer at first; he had failed to keep his promise to Grisha.
Then, he sighed. Heavy. Broken.
"No," he said. "She couldn't."
Eren turned his head slowly, his heart already in pieces.
Hannes stood beside the cart, head lowered. His face was pale and worn, like someone ten years older than he had been that morning.
"I wasn't strong enough, Eren. And neither were you."
Eren didn't argue, because it was true.
"And the worst part?" Hannes muttered. "I knew it. I knew I was afraid. I saw that Titan and…I froze. Like a damn coward."
He looked up, eyes bloodshot, tears threatening to fall.
"I'm sorry. For everything."
Eren looked back at the dirt path. The cart rumbled beneath him. His fists were clenched in his lap.
"…I hate them."
Mikasa sat a few feet away, knees drawn to her chest.
Her scarf was soaked in dust and ash.
She thought about the house.
The walls that once held warmth, tall and caging, but safe.The smell of bread and stew, meaning food was made by Mo,m once again.The creak of floorboards when Kaelen walked too quietly or the creak when Eren ran too fast.
All gone. Again.
She pressed her fingers gently to her forehead, her brow furrowing in pain.
"…Oh," she whispered to herself.
"This again."
...
They were just three in a sea of thousands now, pushing, complaining, crying.
Refugees. Survivors. Corpses that still breathe, because what else were they now?
The gates of Wall Rose loomed ahead, but the air was still thick with uncertainty. The scent of death moved and grew quickly as if it were approaching.
Military officers shouted over each other, trying their best in this chaos.
"We need to close the gate!"
"There are still civilians outside—"
"We'll lose everyone if they get through the second Wall!"
"They're already inside!"
Chaos threatened to consume order. People screamed. Horses bolted.
And then—
BOOM.
The Armored Titan returned, slowly starting a run to farm aura since it'll be getting cooked later.
It charged the Wall.
Eren looked up just in time to see it crash through the gate like a battering ram made of flesh and hatred. The stone exploded inward.
Nothing could stop it.
The soldiers didn't even scream this time.
They just stared.
Time to die, it seemed.
...
Eren trembled; he was running out of tears.
His home was gone.
The street where he learned to walk.
The tree where he fought Mikasa.
The table where Kaelen told stories about the sky.
The house where he ate Mom's cooking.
The books he read with Armin.
The short time with his father.
The...everything.
Gone.
He didn't cry.
He didn't blink.
He just whispered:
"I'll kill them all."
He clenched his fists so hard they bled, but the pain couldn't compare to his thoughts of helplessness.
"I'll kill every last Titan. Every last one." That day, the anger that spanned time itself had once again found its mark.
...
Somewhere far above, Kaelen woke to silence.
No more screams.
No more tremors.
Only the hum of wind brushing across the top of Wall Maria.
He sat up slowly.
Pain greeted him like an old friend. Muscles stiff. Skin torn. Throat dry. It was not familiar at all, he was used to being at his peak and continuing to grow.
He checked Carla first; she was his sole reason for rushing.
Still breathing.
Shallow.
Unconscious.
Coma, most likely, she's got a low heartbeat along with...Blood loss.Trauma.Spinal failure.
"…Not the worst outcome," he muttered, the uncaring eyes seemed to be filled with a mocking happiness.
He took off his jacket, folding it beneath her head. Then stood up, wiping the blood scabs off.
And laughed. A sense of happiness spread through him, it seemed he was enjoying this life & death struggle.
"I seem to be a masochist, huh? Ah, well, father-son time was far too important, mother," he said aloud to no one.. "Looks like my intuition wins again." Kaelen bragged calmly, as he spent his time mediatating.[1]
...
The pale blue eyes scanned the horizon, back to roughly 50%, which was enough to deal with any soldier, our future villain springs into action
No soldiers. No scouts. No one on the Walls.
Which made sense.
The Titans were inside now.
They wouldn't be patrolling. They'd be retreating, regrouping, this was something not seen in 100 years, literally so unexpected that no one would notice this move.
"Time to move..." Kaelen said calmly, stretching his body, causing a few satisfying pops.
He picked up Carla's unconscious body carefully.
His grip was sure. Balanced. Practiced in his dreams, but still.
The ODM cable was long gone—but the interior of Wall Maria sloped subtly, with support beams and low guard steps which were simply not usable for normal humans, more for spiders or people who can stick to walls.
Enough footholds to slide, not fall.
He took one last look at Shiganshina.
Smoke rising.
The gates shattered.
A city is dead.
And Kaelen?
Not dead. Never dead, never beaten, and never will.
"Time to disappear," he said.
He traveled in shadows.
Avoided the odd patrols. Took side roads through greenery. Cut through fields and eat whatever he felt like, not like anyone would judge him.
By the time he reached the edge of Wall Sheena, the sun had fully set. Eren is still as angry as usual, so they're fine.
Night masked everything.
There were farms nestled up against the base of the inner Wall. Small, disconnected houses. Rural. Quiet.
He found one. An old barn beside it. Tools scattered. Chickens cooped up in rusted cages.
Kaelen adjusted Carla's weight in his arms, she'd be heavy if Kaelen was normal.
His clothes were torn. Face caked in soot. He looked like a boy who had barely survived the day. Sigh, and I was so hot too...well, I'm still hot, just more country boy now.
AÂ farmhand.
No one important.
No one is slightly suspicious.
He stepped toward the door of the farmhouse, eyes cold.
"It was around here, right?" he whispered.
The wind answered for him. No, I mean it literally, the wind whispered back into his ear.Â
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[Auther: No, short story? Anyways, this came out later cause I'm having Daddy Issues and I'm looking for a sug[Redacted]
[1] Jedi Mediation is not simply for strengthening focus, it helps heal injuries and regain stamina, it's literally a way to regain your MP & HP.