Chapter Text
It began with a routine patrol in the Forest of Giant Trees. Just a regular Titan sweeping on a normal expedition out beyond the walls. It was thought out and planned like the others before. We were given the order to clean out the location from Titans—just a simple, typical day in the Survey Corp.
Then we got ambushed.
Military Police with Anti-3DM Gear jumped down from above and attacked us when we were vulnerable. A large number of Titans were on the ground, growing with an unknown number of food sources in the trees. I looked up to get my bearings. Instead, I found Kenny Ackerman swinging towards me with his shit-eating grin. I lifted my swords just in time to stop him from cutting my head off. His grin turned into anger. We both landed on the same branch. I held my blades out in front as I backed against the tree.
"Boy, I was looking forward to that all day..." he growled at me through his teeth. "...AND YOU JUST HAD TO RUIN IT!"
I walked a few steps forward. "What are you talking about?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!!" I demanded.
His grin returned. "I'm not obliged to give away my evil master plan," he sarcastically said to me, sharpening his swords against one another.
I leapt forward to hit him, but he glided to his left and swung away from me, disappearing into the chaos that surrounded me. I looked around and saw my squad fighting the soldiers who called themselves the 'Military Police'. It was soldier vs. soldier. This was not meant to be. We're on the same side, aren't we? Why is this happening? This shouldn't be happening! I wanted to believe that these were bandits who stole uniforms and tried to ambush us. But Kenny was on their side, and he said he had been planning this for a long time.
There was no time to think. I joined the fight and tried to take out as many of them as possible. It was fruitless. I would slash them, cut their wires and shove them into the jaws of a Titan, but they still kept coming from the trees. Their equipment was vastly improved over ours, making them much faster and more efficient in their attacks. These were the top 10 graduates after all. It was a hopeless fight.
"EREN!" I heard a familiar voice cry out to me. I turn to my right to find my childhood friend, Armin Arlert, in the clutches of Kenny's second-in-command, Craven and a couple of soldiers. They were standing on a higher branch of the tree next to mine.
"Armin…"
Two soldiers walked up behind him and removed his gear and unsheathed his swords. His weapons were thrown down to the ground below him as Titans stomped on them, flattening them beyond repair. My eyes met Armin. He gave the impression on his face that he was calm about his situation, but his body was trembling as Craven held her sword at his throat. Kenny soon joined her by her side, giving her a nod of approval. He placed his left hand on Armin' shoulder while still arming himself with his sword in the other. I looked around me to find Kenny's subordinates surrounding us, with many higher in the trees wearing the unicorn badges and having swords drawn. Behind me were my squad: Jean, Sasha, Connie, Reiner and Bertolt. My comrades were all alive without a scratch. Then I turned back to Armin, his face now an expression of worry.
"LET HIM GO!"
Kenny turned his head from Armin to me, shaking his head. "I don't think so, Yeager." He uncomfortably squeezed Armin's shoulder. I could see Armin's blue eyes wince in discomfort. Armin had muscle, but he was small and brittle. He certainly isn't weak, but Mikasa and I are constantly called upon to defend him if he ever is in trouble. My knuckles went white with my grip on the handle. "You see, I'll be kind for once and let you all in on a little detail of the plan." He turned back to Armin and started stroking his blond hair. Armin closed his eyes, powerless to stop him. I wanted to save him so badly from his torturer.
"Our objective today was to capture a certain male of small build and muscle. Alive, of course."
Silence fell in my ears as I tried to comprehend why someone would want to take Armin away. He was only just a normal soldier from Shiganshina, nothing unusual about him. What would they want with him? Or actually, what did they want to DO to him?
"You came for… Armin?" I heard Connie's voice inquire.
"BINGO!" he pointed to Connie in praise. Armin looked up at Kenny and then back down at me, in confusion and desperation. Seeing that made me more determined to get Armin out of their hands, out of this forest. "Now, it looks like we got what we wanted, and we have a schedule to"
"You're not leaving with him!" I heard Jean protest. He rushed forward, about to pounce, until Kenny raised his palm to stop him.
"Yes, we are, Kirstein. Whether you like it or not, Mr. Arlert is coming with us."
I could hear the distant gas canisters sizzling, followed by the rustling of the trees. Kenny looked to see his men leaving and turned to give a nod to Craven, who, in one hit, had Armin unconscious. I rushed forward, but Kenny pointed his swords at me. There was nothing I could do in that moment to stop them. I tried to reach him.
"Armin!"
His eyes flickered half open, looking at me half-awake. I felt helpless as I saw Craven put a bag over his head and throw him over her shoulder. She turned around and swung away, leaving her superior, Kenny, on the branch alone with us.
"One word of advice, kids. Don't try to follow us. It's useless and a waste of your gas. Trust me." He turned around, facing his exit. "See ya next time!"
Like that, he jumped and swung away from us. Giving a 'YEEEHAA'. Then it was suddenly silent, as if they had never been there. I turned around to find everyone else standing there, not doing anything. I was in disbelief that they hadn't even barged in front of me to go after Kenny. If only Mikasa were here.
"What are you all waiting for?! Let's go! We have to rescue him!"
"Dammit Eren, you heard him!" Jean barked at me as he walked to my side.
"I won't give up on him! He's my best friend!" I unloaded my swords and was about to leave until I felt my shoulder being grabbed by the horse-faced prick.
"They're faster than us! Think it through, Eren! They will be far gone before you know it! WE CAN'T GET TO THEM!"
Connie also tried to stop me by grabbing my arm. "Eren, wait! There is nothing-" I nudge him out of the way and push Jean aside to make my way through the forest tree line.
My head jerked back and forth in a crazed, manic desperation. I could never find anything other than trees and the Titans below. Dark thoughts were running miles ahead of me, and I couldn't give up. I had to stop them before it was too late. I find the end of the forest coming towards me. The flat open land can help me pinpoint their distance better. No one can hide in the open; they will be sitting ducks. I reached the end of the forest and landed on a branch that stretched outward. I put my bearings together and looked around for Kenny and his crew on horseback.
But there was nothing.
Not a single thing. No horses, no tracks, nothing. Just the long, silent open green field back to Trost. They were gone. I don't know how, but they were gone. Armin was gone. I couldn't save him. I dropped to my knees with such force that I let out a pathetic whimper. I bent forward, resting my head on the wood. I clenched my fists and started pounding into the bark in frustration. I was angry at myself for failing him. When my hands became numb, I raised my head in the direction I was facing. I was going to make an oath to him—another promise to Armin.
"ARMIN!"
His name echoed in the empty valley.
"I WILL FIND YOU!"
I kept crying his name until my throat bled. I wanted him to hear me. I wanted him to know that I will not give up. I will take him to see the ocean once all of this is over. When I could no longer talk, I turned to thought. My mind went to what Kenny said about him being ordered to take Armin in. My questions from earlier returned; what did they want from him that was worth all this trouble?