Titan Reborn

Chapter 4

3rd POV -

It's been a week since the refugees embarked on the mission to retake Wall Maria. There has yet to arrive any of the survivors that probably saw hell out there, that is... until now.

On the wall, on the east side of Wall Rose, Karanes District, several figures were seen by the wall duty soldiers. There they were, the lone survivors. A group of not more than 100 severely injured people. There were no titans at the wall because of the feast that was given from Trost, so immediately after sighting the walls were raised and the survivors bulldozed in.

To every citizen of Karanes District, seeing such devastating results of the mission left bitter tastes in their mouths. The mission to retake Wall Maria... had failed miserably. Not even 100 of the 250,000 people that were sent out returned. A few days later, it was known all throughout the Walls of the devastating losses that humanity had to suffer from. Both due to the titans and the greediness of the selfish bastards in Wall Sina.

Back in the refugee camp in Trost, 3 small figures were sitting around a 4th that was laying on the ground. These people were Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Carla. After they had arrived at the camp, the chaos of all the events finally caught up. That day, the entire city was full of gloom and dread. Carla's legs, which had previously been partially healed by titan Adira, had taken a turn for the worse.

Especially with the lack of doctors and personnel to treat the wounds. Not to mention that diminishing resources such as medicine and bandages. Carla had slowly been unable to live healthily due to the lack of leg usage and the outbreak of a sickness spreading throughout the refugees. Because of the lack of.. well everything, many weren't living full lives anymore.

Carla's life was slowly coming to an end.

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin, please promise me that you three will look after each other, even when I'm gone. Ok?"

"NO! You'll stay with us! We'll live happily with you! You'll be all healthy again and dad will also come home with us. We'll be back to being our happy family with Mikasa and Armin!"

Carla looked at her son and his friends. They were all surrounding her in the final few hours that she knew she wouldn't live longer than. She was too injured. Too sick. That titan had saved her the miserable fate of being eaten alive, and healed part of her injury, but it was still too severe. Carla was grateful to the titan for letting her die peacefully, at least surrounded by her son, daughter and Armin who she also considered as another son.

The 4 of them spent the rest of the day constantly talking with Carla to keep her conscious. Even as Eren was telling them about one time when he was shopping with Carla at the market and how he slipped and ended up falling into a booth of women's clothing. Slowly but surely, Carla felt her consciousness slip away. When the 3 noticed they stopped talking and all held her close.

Death was inevitable. You can't change it, and it will always happen some way or another. Carla's time was now.

"Eren, promise me. Live. You need to live. Fight if you have to but always make sure to stay alive."

"I...I will mom." The 3 children started crying. Eren tries to hold it in but fails to do so. Armin is full on sobbing and Mikasa silently mourning for the inevitable truth.

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin. Please tell me Thank you to Titania when you finally encounter her again. She gave me the chance to peacefully say goodbye to you. You must all become strong. Armin, Strength isn't always physical. Be strong mentally."

The 3 children nodded to her words. Eren and Mikasa also kept her request close to their hearts. When They encounter that titan... no Titania again, they will say thank you. It was the least they could do.

With their confirmation, Carla let herself fall. The last thing she heard were the loving words from her son.

"I love you mom." Eren whispered as he watched his mom's eyes slowly close. Her grip on their hands fell and her limbs slackened. She finally took her last breath.

They spent the rest of the day in silence mourning the loss of their loving mother (and second mother figure to Armin). A few soldiers had come to pick up her corpse so that they could put her near the other corpses which will be burned later in the night as a mass burial.

The three children unfortunately had to assume that Armin's grandpa also died during the mission to retake Wall Maria.

Within 3 days the news that less than 100 people came back from the mission spread all around the walls. Armin's grandpa indeed didn't make it. Eren and Mikasa ended up comforting Armin while he cried, clutching his grandpa's old hat to his chest.

"I'm joining the training corps this year. I don't care what you say, I'm going to fight and see Titania again." Eren suddenly declared.

Mikasa and Armin looked up at Eren as. Armin, still clutching his grandpa's hat to his chest, also made up his mind. "Me too. I'm also joining."

"Armin! Why! You don't–"

"I'm joining whether you want me to or not! I don't know about this Titania, but I want to see the Ocean. That's been my dream since forever! You can't stop me." Eren, shocked by his outburst, stayed silent.

"If you two are going, then so am I."

"Mikasa! Come on!"

"Wherever you go, I go Eren. We both know that."

Eren looked at his 2 best friends before sighing and bringing them both into a hug. "Alright. By this time next year, we'll have joined the training corps, then my aim is to join the Scouts!" Armin and Mikasa smiled into the hug. They only had the 3 of them left now, they would have to take care of each other from now on.