Glory For Mankind | AOT [book 1]

Ch.2:The Ritter Family

"Hurry up, Ruvik!"

"I'm coming!" The eight year old boy laughed. "Wait up!"

A group of children ran about through the streets and alleyways of Shiganshina. They were playing a game of hide-and-seek, giggling in excitement as they hunted down a spot to hide at. Among the children was a boy with dark brown hair and matching eyes, happily running about with the group.

Ruvik found a row of large crates as the spot he deemed perfect to hide behind. The children who were seeking ran right past his hiding place, causing him to cover his mouth to contain his laughter so he wouldn't give away his position.

Not sure if the coast was clear, Ruvik decided to peek in between the crevice of the two large crates beside each other. Instead of spotting his friends, he was surprised to spot his father standing across the street. Ruvik wasn't aware his father would be in town, and being the excited boy he was, he ran around his hiding spot, ready to greet him home.

Ruvik never really gets to see his father often because he's always busy working for the interior, making Ruvik spend as much time with him as he could when he was in town. Even though his father would come visit him and his mother from time to time, he never stayed.

Ruvik was about to call out to his father, but someone else beat him to it.

"Daddy!"

Two little girls around his age called out to Ruvik's father, a woman with gold hair trailing not to far behind them, smiling. The two girls and the lady shared the same blond colored hair, only differentiated by the shade of their eyes. Unlike the woman with blue eyes, the girls had brown.

He watched as the two girls tackled his father in a hug, the man returning their embrace. However, what really made his blood run cold was when he watched the woman greet his father with a kiss on the cheek. Ruvik stood there frozen, staring with wide eyes, and when his brown orbs his father's, he turned right around and ran.

Ruvik sprinted down the street, pushing past people as he heard his father call out to him. He was distraught, why was this happening?

When Ruvik made it back home, he didn't think twice about telling his mom what he saw. She was horrified about the news, of course.

But not because of what he said, but because it was her son telling her.

He found out.

Edna was pained about this and brushed her son away, telling him he was seeing things. Unfortunately, Ruvik was adamant about how he knew what he saw.

It got to the point where she couldn't take it anymore, and smacked him right across the face. Her eyes expressing rage, while in Ruvik's eyes, he stared at his mother in fear and hurt. He ran right out the door, and never looked back.

Edna couldn't bring herself to chase after her son. She dropped to the floor, crying to herself as she watched his figure disappear into the distance from the open door. "What have I done..."
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Ruvik didn't know where he was running, but when he fell back onto the ground he found himself looking up at his father.

"Ruvik, I can explain-!"

The eight year old boy quickly scrambled to his feet and ran in the opposite direction. He refused to stop running, not until he got away from everyone and everything. By the time he did, he was inside of Wall Maria.

He sat himself down next to a river, furiously wiping his face to rid his tears, only for more to appear.

"What are you crying about, kid?"

Startled, Ruvik turned around and found a uniformed soldier, with brown hair looking down at him. His uniform wasn't that of the Garrison or the Military Police...

He was from the Scout Regiment.

Ruvik eyed him, before turning around, "It's none of your business."

The Scout sat down next to him anyways. "A boy like you shouldn't be crying, you know."

Ruvik frowned in response, making the soldier scoff. "You probably got bullied. Crying over something so trivial. Now, what would you when you're going up against a titan? Think about that."

"Who said I wanted to fight titans?" The boy mumbled. "Sure, I'm upset. But I'm not that depressed to make that decision."

"Then what right do you have to cry?" The Scout raised his brow. "You have nothing to cry about, as long as you're living safe within these walls. So, what titans are you fighting?"

"You don't get it!" Ruvik cried. "You don't...she's...she's never yelled at me like that before. I don't even know what I did wrong."

The soldier fell silent, before sighing. "What's the problem, kid?"

"I just want to get away." Ruvik mumbled. "I don't want to be here."

Trust me, kid. No one does." The soldier scoffed. "Heck, I don't even want to be here. Why do you think I became a soldier?"

"So you could die faster?"

The soldier threw his head back and laughed. "No, but good answer. I became a soldier because the outside world, life beyond the walls, is fascinating."

This lead to the Scout sharing what he's seen beyond the Walls. Besides titans, there was so much more out there. Oceans, fields of green, more wildlife than he thought existed. The soldier went on and on, explaining to the boy about things he has never seen before.

"What's the use?" Ruvik asked. "More people die than titans do. Who cares about what's out there? You guys always return with more bodies, than you do soldiers."

The Scout sighed, before nodding his head. "You're right. More than half of us are eaten before we can venture further beyond the wall."

"Let me guess, they died because of you?"

"You have no idea, kid." The soldier stood up from his spot next to the boy. "But I like to remember, that pain is the greatest motivator. And as long as you feel it, you're still alive."

Ruvik's eyes widened at that, watching as the man walked away. He saw two other Scout Regiment soldiers approached the man, saluting him. "Commander Shadis! Everyone is ready for departure, sir!"