As penelope escapes the horrors of her captivity, the vast blue sky above is both a symbol of her freedom and a cruel reminder of the trials awaiting her. In a world ravaged by monstrous titans, her greatest battle isn't just with them-it's within h...
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The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison. Fyodor Dostoyevsky ☆
Shiganshina District, Year 841
Penelope jolted awake with a gasp, her small chest heaving as her eyes darted around the familiar confines. The same four walls, the same endless routine, that was all six-year-old penelope had ever known. This tiny, suffocating space had become her whole world. As her breaths slowed, she let out a tired yawn and blinked against the dimness, the quiet settling back around her like a heavy, inescapable shroud.
Deja vu, she thought. Isn't that what Mister called it?
But no, it wasn't. It was just the same room. Just like yesterday. Just like every day before.
"It's always the same..." she mumbled to the empty room, her voice barely more than a whisper. There was no one to answer her-not now, not ever. In the six long years she'd been alive, no one had ever answered her questions. And Penelope had learned that asking them was out of the question. She still remembered the last time she asked too many.
That's when Mister took all her books.
Books had been her only friends, her only escape from the walls that pressed in on her from every side. Now they were gone, leaving her with nothing but the endless quiet and her hope-the desperate, aching hope that maybe, one day, she would see the sky. Even if it was just for a minute. Even if it was just for a second. Maybe then, she thought, this life would be worth it.
Because surely, this couldn't be it. These four walls couldn't be all there was to life.
She remembered it like it was yesterday. Mister had returned from wherever he disappeared to, complaining as usual. His voice was loud, bitter, as he griped about the weather being too hot, the people being too loud. But what had stuck with her-what she had clung to, even at four years old-was the way he complained about the blue sky.
The blue sky. To little Penelope, it had sounded like something magical, something far beyond these four walls.
Why would anyone complain about that?
That thought had sparked a fire in her, a longing she couldn't explain. If she could just see it, if she could just feel the open air, maybe she would understand why Mister was always so angry. Maybe she would find a reason for it all.
But for now, all she had was this room. The same four walls. And the hope that one day, the sky would be hers to see.
Since that day, she had made a promise to herself: I have to live. Because if I don't, I'll never see the sky. And if I never see the sky, then... that's it. There's no point. The thought had kept her going, day after day, through the monotony of her existence.
She wasn't sure what time it was now-time had long since lost its meaning in this place-but Mister should have been home by now. He always was, like clockwork, when she woke up.
Maybe I should try to listen through the door?
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. To hell with it. It's not like he'd kill me.
In all the years she'd been here, Mister had never hurt her. Not physically, at least. And he'd never threatened her life. Why? The question gnawed at her sometimes. What did he want from her if not to harm her? She was never sure. But today, something felt different. Her curiosity burned brighter than her fear.
Penelope pushed her ear gently against the door, her tiny body so light it barely made a sound-except for the door itself, which creaked as it opened under her weight.
What the...
Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled the door wider, just enough to peek through. Nothing. No one. The room beyond was empty. No sign of Mister, or anyone else. Just another small, shabby space with a makeshift kitchen tucked in one corner.
But most importantly, mister wasn't there.
The air felt thick with an unfamiliar silence. For the first time in six years, the weight of his presence was gone. It was as if the universe itself had conspired to grant her this moment-this chance at freedom.
Was it real? she wondered, her heart pounding in her chest. Could it really be this simple?
Penelope stepped through the doorway, the floor cold beneath her bare feet. She felt like she was in a dream, every breath louder than it should be, every step hesitant.
I should run. Run and never look back.
But just for a moment, she froze. What if the world isn't what I hoped for? A cold chill gripped her, anchoring her feet to the ground. What if the blue sky isn't what I dreamed it would be? The thought rattled her, deeper than she wanted to admit. And if it wasn't, then what? Would life still be worth living?
Doubt washed over her, but only for a second.
And then she ran. Ran like her life depended on it-because it did.
Her legs wobbled beneath her, weak from hunger and years of captivity, but she forced them forward. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat louder than the last as she broke into the outside world. Every step felt like a battle against the fear that clung to her like a shadow. Was this freedom? Or another cruel trick?
She didn't stop until her lungs screamed for air, until the world around her blurred and she stumbled over the uneven ground. But when she finally stopped, panting and trembling, she looked up-and there it was.
The sky.
It wasn't just blue. It was vast, limitless-more beautiful than her wildest imagination had ever dared to craft. The sight of it took her breath away, so much so that she forgot the ache in her legs and the fear that had been gnawing at her soul for years. The clouds drifted lazily across that endless blue, like they had no hurry, no worries.
For the first time, she saw it.
The tears came before she knew why. They welled up in her eyes, stinging her cheeks as they fell. The sky-it was everything she had dreamed of. Everything she had longed for, and more. But there was something else, something deeper. Something that stirred in her chest, making her feel alive in a way she hadn't felt since before she could remember.
Penelope stood there, her small frame dwarfed by the expanse of the world above her. And for that fleeting moment, beneath that blue sky, she didn't feel like a prisoner anymore. She was...free
