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

Chapter 22 *FINAL*

Chapter 22

   It was some time since Armin had sacrificed himself yet not one titan had appeared. There was something suspicious about the situation and a part of me thought about my father again. This couldn’t be his doing though, could it? The forest was silent and we glided by, only the wind responding with a low whistle. A crow hovered above us, screeching and flapping its black wings. Then, it flew away. Was this crow a premonition, warning us about death? I must be overthinking this.

   The sunlight seeped through the thicket of trees while the forest seemed to be alive yet dead. There were signs of life everywhere with the overgrown bushes and trees but nothing seemed to move. Only occasionally would an animal such as birds fly by. We were alone and isolated in this forest that I used to call home. No one dared to shatter the silence as if we were worried that the titans would hear and find us. Finally, there seemed to be an opening up ahead. The sunlight cascaded down the labyrinth of trees and led the way. However, as if fate had connected us with string to these monsters, a horde of titans appeared, blocking the opening. Fate had tied titans and humans together; there was no escape for either. Humans would always be haunted by the titans while the titans would always yearn for humans. The titans destroyed the peace and tranquility of the forest while they rampaged towards us.

   Levi narrowed his eyes as they locked onto the titans’ movements. He positioned his blades in such a way that it would increase speed and usage. Then, he seemed to bend over a bit and commanded, “Lukas and I will distract and kill the titan,” Levi averted his eyes towards me, “Erik will carry Eren and you will go with him. Go towards the opening and see what’s out there.”

   I nodded and followed Erik as he maneuvered towards the right, avoiding the titans. Levi and Lukas were skillfully taking out the titans. They are professionals at this; I shouldn’t have to worry about them. While flying through the eye, I saw Eren’s face. He was unconscious and oblivious to what was going on. He seemed so peaceful while in reality it was chaos. When he wakes up, he would figure out about Armin’s sacrifice and then who knows what would happen?

   I neared the exit of the forest. Just one more step… The sunlight blinded me for a moment and I wondered what I would see. I saw a vast field of pebbles and dirt. Up ahead, there was a cliff jerking out of the mountain. However, far beyond the field and cliff was the oblivion I saw in my dreams. I couldn’t find a word for it since I never saw it but I knew it was the flaming water. The water seemed like it was flaming because of the sunlight’s luminous rays. The oblivion was blue and sparkled and shimmered. It had wrinkles that danced every few seconds and it was all different shades of blue. There were white birds lingering above that squawked and sometimes dived into the oblivion. The oblivion was never ending and all I could see in the horizon was the sky colored in a variety of warm, light tones. Both wispy, fluffy, and plump clouds littered the sky towards the horizon as well, complimenting the blue of the water and sky. Ocean! The word had suddenly popped into my mind while I gazed at the oblivion. Then, the oblivion must be an ocean.

   Erik and I were star-struck at the beauty of the ocean. We saw something we never saw before; it was only natural that we were frozen for a few moments. It took a while to appreciate all the nature like the ocean. It was almost too overwhelming for me. This must be how it feels to be free. I was no longer in the cramped walls but outside, experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime moment. No words came out and my mind was calm. There was no more panic and chaos at that moment. I had never seen so much water together in my whole life. I almost felt regretful because before when I had lived in that very forest, if I only ventured deeper, I could reveal and experience this wonder sooner. But that was a selfish thought for then the others with me could never see this sight.