Friend or Foe... (AoT Reader Insert)

Epilogue

Titans.

A race of giant, man-eating humanoids that serve as the catalyst for the events which lead to the destruction of the world. They are transformed humans known as Subjects of Ymir and have existed for nearly 2,000 years.

Unlike other species, Titans do not mate, and their interactions are null with organisms other than humans; their sole purpose in life is to seek out and devour humans.

Some Titans do not react to pain, and all will move as long as there is sunlight. Titans do not possess a complete, functioning digestive tract; they merely have a stomach-like cavity that eventually fills up with what they swallow. After consuming a certain amount, they regurgitate the contents of the cavity before they continue eating more humans.

Most Titans show no signs of intelligence and act like mindless beasts - easy to trick, distract, and deceive.

There are, however, exceptions to this rule. They come in the form of ten different titans.

The Attack Titan;

The Armoured titan;

The Beast Titan;

The Cart Titan;

The Colossal Titan;

The Female Titan;

The Jaw Titan;

The Warhammer Titan;

The Founding Titan;

And finally, the Crystal Titan.

When someone receives the powers of one of these great Titans, their life may only continue for up to thirteen years. After that, they will die. There is no way to avoid this fate once someone has inherited this power. They're only option after obtaining it, is to die.

A pair of brothers, similar in hair colour but different in nature.

A clever girl trying her best to not be crushed by the burdens of life.

A young boy who always let his comrades walk all over him.

A girl driven by her unquestionable loyalty and determination to her country.

A naive little girl who lost everything that ever mattered to her.

These were the children chosen to become vessels of these great powers. These were the children who would cause so much destruction and death across the sea.

These were the children who were told to die, and willingly accepted their fates.

But being nothing more than second class citizens, what other choice did they have?

---

I never thought I'd see the day in which I'd be all alone.

All my life, I'd been surrounded by friends and family who cared for me. Who I cared for. But now I sit alone, waiting desperately for my father's return despite knowing I'll never see him again.

"Emanon," a voice called. It wasn't a particularly soft voice, but it wasn't one that was cruel either.

My blue eyes met with familiar heterochromia ones.

She smiled as she walked towards me, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

I moved to salute the girl, but she quickly dismissed me with the flick of her hand. She sat down beside me on the doorstep of my home.

"Are you doing okay?" the (h/c) haired girl asked.

I nodded my head, but the stinging in my eyes prevented me from looking her in the face.

I'm not one to let others watch me cry. It's a social construct to always appear strong; even if it's all just a font. No matter how badly you might be hurting, you can never show weakness. Not even in the face of death itself.

I suppressed the urge to hiccup.

I suppressed the urge to sniffle.

I suppressed the urge to let the tears fall.

"I... have a question for you, Emanon."

Once again, I simply nodded my head.

"If you had the chance to relive your life, would you?"

Her question took me by surprise. In all of the stories I'd heard, I never thought the (h/c)ette to be someone to ask such an intimate question.

I guess there was more to her than what was told.

"I don't think there's a single moment in my life I'd want to give up just for the prospect of living a new one. I cherish each of my memories like I cherish the people in my life. They may cause me pain from time to time, but that doesn't stop me from loving them with all my heart."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

The (h/c)ette wiped it away.

I leaned into her warmth.

Her hands were soft. Softer than one might've expected from a fully fledged Warrior.

"You know," the girl started, shifting one of her hands onto my shoulder, "you don't have to be okay all of the time. It's okay to cry."

So I did.

I leaned into her chest and sobbed.

"No one should have to be alone in a world such as this one," the girl sighed, placing her hand on the back of my head and running her palm against my ginger locks, "I don't know much about being someone people can look up to, but I'll do my best to be that person for you."

There was a slight twitch in the female's features as I pulled away from her embrace, but I didn't quite catch it. It wasn't quite the twitch of someone who was annoyed, but rather the twitch of someone who knew something someone else didn't.

Perhaps if I had known the consequences of my actions, I might not have left the house at all. Perhaps I would've stayed in bed and enjoyed a long, happy life.

Then again, I don't think I ever had a choice in the matter.

---

Edited: (10/11/2021)