Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 35: The Secret of the Walls

(Ragako Village)

"Connie, slow down!" Reiner yelled. "Get a hold of yourself. There could be Titans around every corner. Wait for us!"

The bald-headed recruit paid him no heed as he rode faster towards his village. Even from afar, he could see the damage. The houses were demolished, indicating that the Titans did in fact tear this place up. It was unthinkable to see this happen to his home town. Still, he clung onto whatever fleeting hope he had.

"Hello?" Connie called out once he reached the middle of the village. "Can anybody hear me?"

There was no answer.

He was unable to take this as he began screaming at the top of his lungs. "Somebody, please! It's Connie! I came home!"

His voice echoed in the empty village and yet, there was still no reply. Desperately, he began riding towards his house.

"Dad, Mom, Sunny, and Martin... please just be okay," he begged.

He wasn't paying attention so when he looked up, he pulled on the reins sharply to avoid crashing into the one thing he never wanted to see.

Lying on its back and looking right at him was a yellow-eyed Titan with blonde hair. What made things worse was the fact that this thing was lying right on top of Connie's home. It couldn't be true, but there was the proof right in front of him: the Titans killed his family.

Reiner rode up to him with Bertholdt right behind him and tried pulling him back by the collar. "Connie, get back!"

"It's my house," he whispered, his eyes not leaving the Titan. "I—" He couldn't even finish the words.

Reiner sighed sadly. "Connie..."

Gelgar quickly caught up, getting between them and the Titan, sword raised. "Cadets, fall back!"

"I'll scout out the area," Lynne, the other Scout who went with them, said.

Gelgar circled the Titan, shocked by the sight of its shriveled arms and legs. "What the hell? This is new. It can't move."

"Not with those legs," Lynne added.

"I don't understand," Gelgar said, confused. "How did it even get here?" He shook it off for the moment. "Everyone, dismount and check for survivors. We need to give our horses a rest."

The next twenty minutes was a blur to Connie. He didn't remember Gelgar handing him an unlit torch since it was going to get dark soon, and he barely remembered checking a few houses for any signs of his people. All that mattered was that everything and everyone was gone. He was still at his home, head facing the ground. He couldn't stand looking at the monster that killed his family.

Finally, Bertholdt and Reiner regrouped with him, the former carrying a torch as well.

"Connie, did you find any survivors?" Reiner asked.

"No," he answered as his eyes welled up with tears. "No. It's... it's in ruins. My hometown has been completely wiped out!"

Grieved by this, Reiner approached Connie and gripped his shoulder tightly. There was nothing he could say to make him feel better about this tragedy. All they could do was move past this.

"Hey, something's wrong," Gelgar announced once their search was complete. "You find any bodies?"

"No," Reiner answered.

"No, not yet," Bertholdt added.

"How is that even possible?" their Squad Leader wondered. "Titans ransack the place and there's not a speck of—"