𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒 {𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑗𝑖 𝑍𝑜𝑒 𝑥 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟}

16. We are the ghosts of a King

"𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢, 𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚒𝚝. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚎" -New Hope Author

A Few Hours Before Utgard Castle

We arrived at the site where the evacuation was being led.  After the announcement that wall Rose had been breached immediate action had begun to keep as many humans behind the walls alive as possible.

"Eren you alright to ride a horse yet?" Moblit asks.

Since our arrival in this district, Hange's been overseeing all of the official preparations for the wall Rose evacuation. Now that the wall's been Breached this entire district is without their homes, and no way out. Levi walks into the site accompanied by the pastor. Pastor Nicks doesn't look to be in the greatest of spirits, no doubt due to the fact that this is the first time he's had to stare the result of his and his follower's actions in the face. It's a real shame, that this is the first time that this privileged dirt worshipper has ever had to leave the inner walls.

I walk farther away from them and lean against a set of crates to watch the show unfold. Maybe that's wrong of me to find entertainment in the pastor's horror. But I don't care in the slightest.

"Hange, Y/N we're pressed for time," Moblit announces as Hange walks over to Levi and Old Nick. I could stop the scene that's about to unfold taking into consideration our lack of time to patch the still undetected hole in the wall rose, but why would I? When I can watch instead.

"So have you had a change of heart, now that you've seen what it is you're doing?" Hange asks.

Of course, they should've known it wouldn't be that easy. The pastor simply stands there with a bowed head wearing his shame on his sleeve. I think the saddest part to watch about all this is he knows what he's doing is wrong but because of his "higher power", he truly believes that helping these people is beyond him.

"you're Pathetic," I say as the words spill from my mouth with venom.

"You think that all this is the will of some God? Give me a break, just how many people join your sorry excuse for a cult each time a wall falls? If you think you're doing this in service in something other than yourself then you are nothing short of delusional." I blurt out.

The growing fear on his face does nothing but ignore me more. He's done all this but the second he has his hands to the fire he wants to piss himself. Ever since the trial, I think that the pastor is just waiting for me to get back at him in some way. Maybe I would if he interested me at all. But the sheer boredom he inflicts in me is just disappointing. I mean just the very concept by which he lives is one of complete boredom any faith or idea that takes away someone's ability to do whatever the hell they want is not a faith for me. The pastor bows his head once again with a defeated expression.

"I can give you a name. The name of a person we were told to watch over. They enlisted as a member of the scout regiment as of this year. But that is already beyond what I am permitted to share." Now we're getting somewhere.

The pastor spoke with a strong hesitation. Like the very mention of a name could lead to catastrophe. You can practically hear the man's teeth chatter. The impatience in me stirs as we all wait in painful suspense. I'll admit though no amount of theatrics could have ever prepared me for the name the old man spat out. The very sounds of the room trailed off as we all grasp what we had just heard. But before anyone can ask any follow-up questions the room is shattered by an unexpected interruption.