Fallen but Found || PoruKoru

Rewind

YEAR 854 - SHIGANSHINA DISTRICT

Colt opened his eyes, resting on the ground. He decided to just lay on his back for a while, staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, he sat up and walked over to the corner of the room to grab something to eat.

As he walked, he passed a piece of glass from a broken window, noticing his reflection. He stopped when he noticed them.

Scars.

They littered his arms and legs, and there was one on his neck. He didn't enjoy looking at them, but he guessed that he needed to every once in a while.

He needed to remind himself of the fact that he was here and alive, no matter how painful that thought was.

He didn't deserve it. He wasn't special. There was no reason for him to still be here. Everyone else was probably dead, and being the last human in the world didn't sound so appealing if it meant that he had to be alone all the time.

Sure, it was there, but it wasn't the same as it had been with someone like Porco. There was no laughter or jokes, no games or fun. Even though he was grateful for its help, and for the work it did, (it was getting harder to gain the energy to go out and get food any more, to take a shower, to protect himself, to drink... he felt so tired lately.) it just couldn't fill the void in his heart that was called social interaction.

It was a titan, a creature that everyone- his parents, his teachers, the members of the Garrison he encountered every once in a while- had brought him up to fear. Even if he trusted it to protect him after years of being together, it didn't erase the fact that other titans around killed thousands of people, including his family. Maybe it and those titans were different breeds, like dogs, but it could control titans with its roar- Colt had witnessed it many times. Why hadn't it also saved his family then? Why was it only him left alone to suffer?

It had become more vigilant as well- it never left Colt alone, always watching over him ever since he...

He didn't want to mention it. If he didn't say the word, then it wasn't real. It wasn't something that he had regretted doing; it wasn't something that started a series of other incidents. No matter how much it affected his present, it was simply a thing of the past.

The bloodstains on the ground weren't real. The used bandages weren't for him. They just weren't , and he'd believe that for as long as he could.

It had spoken for the first time that day, Colt remembered. It was a strangled shout of "Stop!" that had successfully startled Colt and made him drop his spear, the stone rattling on the ground. Its voice was low and thunderous, and it reminded Colt of the roar that it used whenever titans got too near. It had looked surprised that it spoke, but that single word had been enough to pique Colt's interest and make him forget all about his loneliness...

... Until it never spoke again.

Colt swallowed down his sadness in favour of rummaging through the food sack, looking away from any tomatoes he saw. They were too red for them to logically remind him of his blood, but they did anyway. The green also made him think of the grass that some of his blood had splattered onto during one of his... episodes.

He shook his head.

Things of the past, remember? It's always a thing of the past.

He just didn't know if he would see his future.

YEAR 854 - TROST DISTRICT

Porco fastened the belt on his ODM gear, taking a deep breath in and out. This was it- he was officially a member of the Survey Corps. In just a few seconds, they were going to leave this wall, all in the name of exploration.