The Crimson Harmony (Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan fanfic)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

   It was hard moving on knowing that Ria and Darion had sacrificed themselves for Lukas and I. However, it wasn’t as much of an impact on me as it was on Lukas since I had just briefly met them on the expedition. Was this what the world was like now? I meet new people and then they die? I will never forgive these titans for what they did and I don’t think I can forgive myself for thinking ignorantly back then. How could I become friends with these ruthless creatures? All they do is shed blood and cause chaos.

   The trip back to where Commander Erwin and the troops were was silent. I wasn’t sure if Lukas was still in mourning for them but he was serious and had an undecipherable face on. It was almost one of those Levi-faces where you don’t know what the person or Levi was thinking about. Soon, I heard shouts and I knew we were close. The wall was getting closer too and I was ready to know what was outside, farther from the forest.  

   “Ria! Lukas!” Erik approached us with a worried expression. He was gasping for breath and collapsed onto the floor.

   “T-the titans. They a-attacked again. We – ” I lifted him up with the help of Lukas and replied, “Don’t talk and rest. I get it that this isn’t a good situation.”

   I let go of Erik into Lukas’s arm and commanded, “Lukas, stay back here and protect Erik. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

   “W-wait!”

   I took off in a hurry. What was it that would exhaust Erik like that? He was stronger than me and was probably on the same level as Lukas. I hooked and grappled as fast as I could and peered over the leaning tower. There was a lot of noise and ashes from the buildings becoming pulverized by the titans. As I flew closer, I saw blood and smelled a pungent stench that was far from pleasant. The ash and haze clouded the area to make everything seem a bit more blurry and whiter. What was going on? I heard metal clashing and titans roaring. People were screaming and running. I landed on the floor but was more cautious than usual.

   Suddenly, a figure ran towards me and pushed me down. It was a man. He seemed to be a soldier but fear was crazing his eyes. The soldier seemed to breathe quickly and he continued to pin me down. A bit of spit dropped from his mouth and I jerked away to dodge it. His eyes didn’t have any emotion but fear.

   “H-help!” I shouted out of desperation since the man would not get off.

   His eyes kept staring and suddenly, he started bleeding a little bit from his mouth. A single drop of blood came from his mouth and I noticed a small hole in his neck. It must’ve been some sort of injection. Was it from my father again? Was he doing this to the soldiers?

   I had no choice now. I used my remaining strength to throw him off of me and quickly took my blades out. Then, while he was staggering towards me, I used my blade to cut him in the arm. Since he was occupied with the wound on his arm, I quickly fled from him and found the group of troops. Was this what got Erik so exhausted? There was only about thirty sane soldiers left with Commander Erwin and a separate twenty soldiers were going insane. The soldiers were rioting and moved awkwardly like titans.

   I spotted Eren, Armin, Mikasa, and Levi and bolted towards them. They too turned around and started pointing and yelling when I saw the same crazed soldier chasing me again. He seemed to be faster than me somehow and his lips mouthed help me. Soon, he was right behind me and I didn’t dare look behind again. There were no buildings close by and I was in too desperate of a situation to think about hooking onto something. Then, the pressure behind me was gone and I curiously peered over to see Lukas with Erik following close behind. I was confused at first because I had told Lukas to stay with Erik but then I remembered that they would never follow my instructions in the first place. Even in this situation, I couldn’t help but smile a little and hugged Lukas and Erik.