NERIO | ATTACK ON TITAN

c h a p t e r - o n e

Nothing good happens on rainy days.

The smell of thunder hung in the air, the lingering aroma of petrichor was still present from yesterday's rainstorm.

     Dot Pyxis deeply exhaled, his mind recollecting his scattered thoughts. His golden eyes surveyed the misty haze that thickly expanded throughout, resulting in the grassland terrain to become imperceptible from a distance. The sky rumbled angrily, the resound reflected off of the large brick walls like a natural amplifier and echoed into the distance. The Grey-ish white clouds darkened as they formed groups, Dot Pyxis observed them, his eyebrows knitted troublingly.

Although the clouds could release an alarming amount of rain at any given moment, the pleasant smell of the air caused Dots tense muscles to unknot and a sense of tranquility to wash over him.

      He was beyond thankful that his meeting was cut short. The tension that resided among the people attending the gathering was practically suffocating him.

The captains of each Military force were summoned earlier that morning by the captain of the Survey Corps, Keith Shadis, for an impromptu meeting concerning the sudden absence of Titans.

     For the past five days, there had not been any man eating Titans clawing at Wall Maria, ravenous for humans to devour. It was like a drought; similar to the one or two drops of rain that would fall from the sky, Dot recalled only one or two Titans running in the distance in the past week.

However, the Military Force soldiers weren't — in the slightest bit — complaining. Why would they miss the company of the very things that threatened humanities existence on a daily basis? It was due to the absent presence of Titans that every soldiers job in the Military — excluding the Military Police who already had it easy — became slightly easier. The Survey Corps received additional time to plan their next exploration and train the new recruits; the Garrison had saved a great deal of supplies that would have been used to kill Titans and they were able to strengthen the walls defenses. Which all ultimately meant less casualties.

However, a certain individual just wasn't content with the Titans disappearance and spent their free time in paranoia instead of peace. Keith Shadis, the current commander of the Survey Corps had described the absence Titans as 'disturbing' and 'unsettling'. Thus, he decided to call for an impromptu meeting to discuss the 'problem'.

Settled in the room, Keith stood as he explained his reasoning for the sudden gathering. The occupants did nothing to restrain their eye rolls and sighs of exasperation. Keith's behavior as of late had been troubling. He was sporadic and unstable. As he ranted, eyes ablaze with distress, his colleagues were truly contemplating if there was indeed something 'wrong' with him. Mentally.

        It was not the lack of Titans that caused the military to stress, but Keith Shadis' presence and lack of stability instead.

The majority of the attendees were irked at the Survey Corps commander for calling a sudden meeting over a simple feeling he had, when they could have been enjoying their free time resting, training, visiting family members, or simply enjoying a Titan-less evening. The reaction from everyone lead Keith Shadis to blow his cool. He did not favor having his judgements attacked. He was a commander and deserved respect. To spite his own squad that were irked by him, Keith argued that over the past month the Survey Corps were slacking off and not pulling their weight.