Soar High: An AOT Story

1-2: I Live, So I Carry On

The sun shined valiantly on the open meadow. The breeze gently blew the grass and flowers around. Birds circled and chirped delightfully overhead. Walls of stone bigger than any human could hope to build surrounded them. This was paradise.

A group of three kids sat in the shade of a single, leafy tree. One slept, the other two gathered sticks. Once the kids were done gathering, the taller boy went to awake the sleeping one.

"Eren. Eren. Wake up dude, I've gotta get you both back home."

The kid named Eren rubbed his eyes as he awoke. He seemed very out of it, taking a second before he recognized his companions.

"Mikasa? Y/N? How long was I out for?"

Y/N chuckled and got up from his crouched position.

"Long enough for us to finish gathering that firewood, ya lazy bum. Now c'mon, lets get you both home."

Mikasa made a small noise before scooting herself closer to Eren. She gingerly laid a hand on his face as she spoke.

"Eren, are you crying?"

"Huh?"

Eren's hand snapped up to touch his face. Sure enough, a single streak of tears ran down his right cheek, as if escaping his large green eyes.

"Must've been having a bad dream, but I can't remember what it was."

Y/N frowned upon hearing this.

"A bad dream you can't remember? Well, I guess you shouldn't concern yourself with it then."

Eren rose from the ground and grabbed his now filled backpack, mounting it on his shoulders as he lead the way back home. The trio of kids paced their way across the rolling fields, back to the inner edge of the giant wall that surrounded their town. Wall Maria.

Y/N had mixed opinions of the wall, the massive stone structure served as a cage. Protecting the residents from the outside, while restraining them from what was beyond. The few glimpses of Y/N's memory that remained intact told of a world of vast variety. All lost to a now confused twelve year old boy.

After some more walking, the group eventually passed through the inside wall to reach their town, Shinganshina. A few adults of various professions and statuses walked around the group of kids, most enveloped in conversation with one another.

A group of soldiers on patrol passed by. By the looks on their faces and the empty bottles of spirits in their hands, anyone could clearly tell they were quite drunk. One of the soldiers in the group was well known by Eren and Mikasa.

"Hannes, why do you reek of alcohol again?"

The soldier, known as Hannes, stumbled around to face the shorter boy. Waving a hand at the rest of the group along with him.

"Oh, hey Eren. Out on another wood run eh? Did ya make Mikasa and Y/N do all the work again?"

Y/N stepped forward to face Hannes, wrapping his arm around Eren's shoulder and ruffling his hair.

"Give him some credit Hannes, he actually filled a quarter of his bag this time!"

All of the soldiers busted into laughter, Hannes slapped his knee repeatedly. Eren was writhing his way out from under Y/N's armlock, furious at his joke.

"Hey, Y/N! I did more than that!"

Hannes was the first of the soldiers to calm down from their laughing fit.

"Settle down Eren, just be glad your big bro looks after you so well! Anyways, we need to get back to it. The walls aren't gonna patrol themselves!"

With that Hannes stumbled off with the rest of his merry men. The squad drunkenly cheering and singing a sloppy tune down the cobbled road. Eren scoffed at them as he turned back around to continue towards his house.