hopeless | jean kirstein

25 | flowerfields

"Focus all your canons on its nape!" Came the yell of the Garrison's chief, his arms up in the air as he gestured for the soldiers alongside him to fire the canons. "Fire!"

The booming of the canons and the sound of explosions soon followed after, the smell of gunpowder thick in the air. Rod Reiss' Titan was just below them, mere meters away from the Walls that served as the only barrier between the threat and the city. With the citizens still unaware and ignorant of the incoming danger, it was the only chance they had to eliminate the Titan before it continued to destroy what's left of humanity. It's now or never.

But the direction of the wind suddenly changed, causing the puffs of steam the Titan was emitting to come flowing their way, completely getting rid of their ability to see. The scorching air came into contact with their bodies, the sensation hot to the point that it felt as if their very skin was on fire. Though most of the soldiers on top of the Walls collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, the tough ones remained and kept persevering against the disadvantage they had.

"The target is straight below!" The Garrison chief shouted, once again ordering his troops to fire the artillery. "Fire away!"

Another round of explosions were heard and the shooting of the canons seemed to be unending. The Titan, suffering damage after damage, finally stopped moving after a while, its large body pooling beneath the Wall. Believing to have defeated it already, the others cheered and celebrated, yet Taryn and the others couldn't help but stare at it from above, still skeptical. There's no way it was defeated that easily.

From beside her, Sasha frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion. "Is it dead? Did we do it?"

She shook her head. "No, it can't be—"

Just as soon as the words left her lips, the ground beneath them shook fiercely as the hands of the Titan grabbed unto the Wall, its enormous body rising and towering above them, finally revealing its full form. Its face was mutilated and incomplete, and it looked as if it were a human who was bluntly sliced in half. Its insides were visible and spilling out, and a thick, bloody substance began to pour out from its open stomach, the unknown liquid pouring viciously upon them, even hitting a few soldiers that were unable to escape.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!" The Chief yelled in a panic, and he had been about to run off and escape had it not been for Captain Levi putting a hand on his shoulder, the look in his eyes telling the man not to worry.

"Stand back, Captain. We'll take over from here." He told him. He then turned to his squad, giving them the signal for their plan to take place.

They moved at once, rushing towards the barrels that were filled to the brim with water. The group began to rinse themselves with it, so as to soothe their burns and for the layer to serve as extra protection for them, in case they found themselves in the middle of the Titan's steam once again.

A flash of green lightning shot out from a far, signaling that Eren had transformed according to their plan. His Titan's body formed right after, tall and intimidating as it stood on top of the Walls. The Garrison soldiers who had yet to see the boy transform glanced up at his Titan, their emotions a mix of awe and fear.

Armin turned to the squad, yelling out to them. "We're good to go!"

They moved at once, getting the weapons they prepared ready. Commander Erwin watched them as they progressed before raising an arm up in the air, his finger pulling the trigger on his smoke gun. It fired with a trail of red smoke for everyone to see, the signal meaning that the plan was set in motion. "Let the attack commence!"

Manning the weapons, Sasha and Armin let the wires of their invention shoot off towards the Titan's arms, its hook piercing through its flesh, bringing the bomb along with it. Just like they predicted, the Titan's hot skin had been enough to detonate the explosives, the bombs they had prepared setting off the moment it made contact with it.