Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Chapter 1: Your Starting Point

1: Your Starting Point

On that day, mankind received a grim reminder. It was year 845, the first in a hundred years that the Titans breached Wall Maria. Like countless other men, women, and children, civilians and soldiers, you grew up within the confines and safety of the walls your entire life. Humanity’s last stronghold – this is where your story begins.

There are trials and tribulations. You might not even make it out alive. You’ll be forced to watch your comrades fall all around you, sometimes on your account. You’ll have to make sacrifices and live with the consequences.

Death is, perhaps, almost inevitable. You could spend your last moments in the arms of your loved ones. Or die in the battlefield alone, an unsung hero, a nameless martyr sacrificed for the greater good. Your body may never be recovered, or perhaps damaged beyond recognition. There is no fate worse than being eaten alive by a Titan.

One choice could end your life.

Then again, it could be far worse. A choice of yours could potentially lead someone else to their death. As a soldier, you share the heavy burden of mankind’s fate on your shoulders, perhaps more importantly, the fate of your fellow officers. For some, death could even be a seen as a merciful alternative.

Should you choose the life of a civilian from the start or convinced yourself to desert somewhere along the way, no one will be there to stop you. But take heed, civilian life is not without its dangers. You would be worse off without formal training. With the constant danger the Titans pose to mankind, you have a high probability of being eaten.

Do you want to be eaten?

On the day the Titans laid siege to the outermost wall of human territory in 845, the District of Shiganshina was left in ruins. On that day, humanity was forced to abandon Wall Maria. On that day, your story begins to unfold.

On that day, where were you?

I. Shiganshina, Wall Maria.

Your starting point: Your parents had been close family friends of Dr. Jaeger before they fell victim to the mysterious plague had beset mankind several years ago. Though his skill had spared much of the population of the city, he hadn’t been able to save them. Growing up with Eren and Mikasa in the Jaegers’ household, you’re only ten years old when you watched your hometown crumble to pieces.

II. Titan territory, the outside world.

Your starting point: You’re a fresh recruit of the Scouting Legion, having been a member of the Garrison for a number of years. In your late teens to early twenties, you are a seasoned soldier who desires very little but to devote your life to mankind’s cause. You’d protect the remnants of humanity even at the cost of your life, and you’re currently on a reconnaissance expedition near the south end of Wall Maria. You’ll find your journey back to human civilization will coincide with the day of the Colossal Titan’s attack – if you make it back alive, that is.

III. Stohess, Wall Sina.

Your starting point: As a daughter who hails from wealthy nobility, you reside within the safe innermost walls of Sina. Despite your father’s initial disapproval, you have been studying medicine at an expensive university. Far from the reaches of the Titans, you won’t learn of the attack until it is much too late.

IV. Trost, Wall Rose.

Your starting point: Descended from one of the last of the oriental race, you had been abducted as a child and were to be sold to a collector in the thriving underground markets. Managing to escape your captors before you could be auctioned off, you found yourself orphaned and left to fend for yourself on the streets for years. Titans were the least of your worries, but that could all change in a twist of fate.

Where? Where are you?