Deluge of Desolation | l. ackerman

Is There Anybody Out There?

(chapter sixteen)

"So this is our boy wonder, huh?" Kemmerich asked, his dull eyes narrowed in on Eren's meek figure, voice gruff in intimidation. His arms were crossed as he gently leaned on his horse, Gerard following in his stead, nearly forcing a frown to overtake his features.

"Uh— Eren Jaeger, Sir! It's a pleasure to work alongside such an esteemed squad of the Scouts!" Eren gave a firm salute. Morning warmth from the sun embraced our (or at least my) frigid form. I let my shoulders fall as the harsh shivers that once racked my body faded with the morning dew.

Currently, squad's Kemmerich and Levi were stationed just outside of the old Scout's headquarters, also known as a marvelous castle. It was nostalgic being back here. Even if I inhabited this place for only a year before Erwin made the wise decision of moving HQ closer to Trost and a natural spring, there were many memories that I made here, good and bad.

This was the rest of my squad's first time meeting Eren, so naturally, my two superiors took the key role of intimidation, as if Levi is not enough to scare the poor kid shitless. "Who the hell said you're workin' alongside us? Don't go actin' as if we're equals, runt. You're just our little play thing, a toy to rough up as we please, and shine when the MPs need," Kemmerich continued.

The color in Eren's face drops, his eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. His salute stays firm, though, as his back tenses and fists tighten. "Sorry, Sir! It won't happen again, I promise! I'll do my best to make myself useful. There is nothing I want more than to lead humanity to victory so I'll accept any title or ranking so long as progress is made!"

Kemmerich stares at him in a deafening silence for a few moments, then grunts. "I'm glad we agree on something. June, Felix, Gerard, and I, we're all just statistics. Numbers on a government document that constitutes how many food shipments we get to HQ, Levi too. I know it, and everyone else in the scouts does. If we die, we can all be replaced. Some harder than others, but a pawn nonetheless. You, on the other hand, are irreplaceable. Some might call you an enigma, a monster, friend or foe. But none of those titles negate the fact that you are the light at the end of the tunnel for humanity. Whatever motives or hidden agendas you may have, humanity has accepted you as succor, and you have offered us the hope we needed to move forward."

"Yes, Sir! I understand that the fate of our world rests on my shoulders—"

No, you don't understand, I thought.

"—It's a fact that I accepted when I lifted that boulder in Trost. I don't know what my power is, how I got it or even how it works. I'm lost, very lost, but that won't keep me from reclaiming Wall Maria and freeing everyone from the threat that cages us in." Eren declares.

Kemmerich continued, pulling out a cigarette while Gerard passed him his match box. With a quick movement, he lights the cigarette and inhales the nicotine. Letting it sit in his lungs for a moment, he breathes out a puff of white smoke. Kemmerich's face falls loose from its taut frown. "You better, Kid. You're all we've got. You mustn't lose yourself on the journey, either. People will die because of you, that's an irrefutable fact, so you cannot get lost in grief or self-loathing. Confidence is key in this field and if you fail to uphold the principles you stand for, failure will be absolute."

"That was a little harsh, Sir..." Felix mumbled from beside me. His bubbly personality tamed under the weight of Kemmerich's words.

"No," I intervened, "It was needed. There's no need to sugarcoat the horrors of this world. Eren will experience it firsthand at some point, might as well get him accustomed to life as a scout now rather than blindly pushing him into the field," Eren raised his shoulders and pursed his lips together, trying to make himself small. I continued, "You'll be okay, though. You've got us and the elite squad backin' your every move. Just try not to be too reckless. An unnecessary death doesn't suit anyone."