Her Wings of Freedom

Chapter 3

Little titans. Help. 0.o I'm OBSESSED with Destiel...I've been reading SO MUCH DESTIEL and I CANT STOP. But whatevs! Oh well. Enjoy, little titans!

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        The first week was hard. Training was intense, and I didn't have the stamina for it. However, my body adjusted. Leon and I ran every day, and then did push-ups and other things twice. I even exercised on my birthday, a few weeks ago. I turned thirteen. After a week of training, my legs got stronger, and we raced each other to see who could get the fastest time without losing much stamina. He won most times, but as my legs built muscle, I started to win. We ran fifteen blocks before long, and were doing almost fifty push-ups a day. We were the makings of soldiers. Ivan and Ethan were proud, but still concerned. Some days, Leon and I would stay out walking and talk about things that happened before Maria fell. One day, he asked me about it.

        "What was it like?" He asked. We sat on the roof of an abandoned storehouse, looking at the fading sunset. "The Colossal and the Armored titans, I mean."

        "It was hell. If I died and went to hell, then I would have already experienced it," I said somberly. My eyes hardened, and my words were bitter. "Friends, neighbors, everyone. Eaten like a snack. I never thought I'd make it out alive. I was so tiny that I couldn't run the whole way. Ivan had to carry me. He told me not to look, but I looked anyways. I wish I could take it all back. Everything I saw. There was so much... blood."

        "I'm sorry," he apologized.

        "It's fine. Well, not really, but still," I said. "I didn't die, neither did Ivan, and so we're okay. Our mother went on a business trip and then the titans attacked. When we ran, Ivan told me to run as fast as I could. He wanted me to live so I could see my mama again."

        "Maybe you'll find her," he suggested hopefully.

        "Maybe," I agreed.

        I sighed, thinking. Maybe I could find mama. Maybe we could all wake up and this would be a dream. Maybe the titans will go away and I don't have to be a soldier.

        "Do you ever wonder about the angels?" Leon said suddenly.

        "The angels?" I asked, puzzled.

        "Yeah," he said. "My mom said that angels watched over us. If they really did, then why do things like this happen?"

        "Maybe they're not strong enough to stop it," I offered.

        "Or maybe they just want to see who still believes after all this is gone," he wonders.

        "Or maybe they're not real. Maybe it was all a lie to get us to have some sort of hope," I said.

        "Why would you think that?" He asked.

        "If angels watched over me, I wouldn't have gotten beaten up twice a week," I stated. "The titans wouldn't be a problem, and we'd all be happy."

        "But did you ever think that these obstacles are just tests?" He pointed out. "To test our trust, hope, and faith?"

        "Maybe," I said. "Or maybe these aren't tests. Maybe the angels caused them to try to wipe us out, and to restore the world back to the way it was. Or maybe they just simply don't exist."

        "I know that's not true," he protested.

        "How can you be so sure?" I asked.

        "We haven't died yet."

        And that was that. I saw his point, but I still didn't believe in angels. If there were angels, then I guess things would be easier. I don't know. The only thing I believed existed were demons. They were the ones that caused the blood, and the sorrow, and the pain. They were the ones who let the titans in wall Maria. I know because I saw them. I saw the Colossal and the Armored titans, and I'm positive that they came straight from hell.

        In the next week, we were good to go. We trained for two months, intensely. Running went late into the day, and by then, we barely had enough time to do other excercises, like push-ups and flexibility training. Then came the day. The Cadets were being collected.

        When we were lined up, Commander Keith went around, screaming in several trainees' faces. When he got around to me, I wasn't fazed.

        "WHAT'S YOUR NAME, TRAINEE?"

        "Sonaki Conez, sir!" I shouted back.

        "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"

        "Shiganshina, sir!"

        "SO I SUSPECT THAT YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE?"

        "Yes, sir!"

        "THEN TELL ME, TRAINEE!"

        "To avenge my city and prevent the destruction of humanity, sir!"

        He moved down the line, shouting and carrying on. One girl had a potato and Commander Keith made her run. However, not all the trainees were shouted at. I recognized a few from Shiganshina. They were the ones that Commander Keith didn't yell at. A few exceptions, though, counting me.

        We did some physical training, which required running. Lots of running. Fortunately, I wasn't winded as fast as I would've been had I not trained with Leon. After, we got the belts that we would use for the 3D Maneuvering Device. We practiced staying upright, and it was fairly easy. I almost fell over, but I got the hang of it. Everybody did. Well, except for a kid from Shiganshina who I knew. Eren Jeager kept falling over, and he hung upside down every single time. He would stay up for a few seconds, then fall. To be honest, I wanted to help him because he was embarrasing  himself. He knew it, too. His face was red and he was clearly angry that he couldn't do it and everyone else could.

==5 years later==

        Using my 3D maneuvering device, I whizzed past the buildings, my titan-slaying swords in hand. I spotted two 7-meters up ahead and landed on a red tiled rooftop, running towards the beasts. Leon appeared at my side, running in step with me. I launched off the roof, simultaneously firing the 3D maneuvering device and twisting so that I could get a clear shot of the titan's neck. Bringing my arms back, I used my momentum to slice through the thick vertebrae of the giant. The impact reverberated up my arms, but I was used to it from years of training. I had spent many long, hard nights practicing with the maneuvering device, making sure that I could shoot through the smallest spaces with room to spare.

        Landing on another rooftop, I briefly turned around as the two titans fell to the ground, steaming. Leon landed beside me, and motioned to another group of titans up ahead. These were a lot bigger, maybe 20 meters. I aimed for a tall building and whisked myself upwards. I shot off the building, latching the maneuvering device to the back of a titan's neck. Again, the giants fell to their demise as the group hacked away at the numbers. The titans were also cutting our numbers. We lost a lot of soldiers before the day was even over. We were called to regroup when most of us were wiped out. I stood beside Leon again.

        "We lost so many..." I said. He nodded and remained silent. I figured I should, too, for the sake of my sanity.

        Jean, Connie, Mikasa, Annie, and a few others zipped up to the rooftop, waiting for the others. It was quite a while before anything happened. I heard screaming and then the booms of titans. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from curling up in a ball and crying. I was honestly not ready for real titans. Shortly after, Armin came in, stumbling and crying. He fell to his knees, and Mikasa looked back at him, worry on her features.

        "E-Eren..." He choked out.