From the outside looking in, my actions could have been labeled as pure suicide: riding solo into Titan-infested territory just before dawn. However, in that moment, I wasn't afraid of coming in contact with the giant man-eating beasts; I was more concerned about why I wasn't seeing them at all. Just like before, the woods were eerily silent, with only faint whispered warnings rippling through the trees.

As I gripped the reins tightly in my fists, I leaned forward against my horse and genuinely thanked him for sharing in my journey. Although I desperately wished to push him forward in an all-out gallop, I knew neither of us would make it if we failed to pace ourselves. As we rode through the forest, I allowed him to choose his own speed, trotting through the brush and weaving in between the countless, massive trees. I remained vigilant, keeping my eyes peeled for any movement whatsoever. However, I found everything to be so hauntingly still.

Once we came to a clearing, I patted my horse's nape and muttered, "Alright, it's time to show me just how fast you can fly..." Although I could see a smaller forest straight ahead, I was grateful for the opportunity to charge forth. If everything had gone as Commander Erwin had planned, then the Survey Corps would be arriving at Shiganshina's inner wall at any moment. I had no idea how far behind them I was, but all I could do was hope to make it in time. The further I ventured inside Wall Maria without spotting a single Titan, the worse I felt. No one had ever gotten this far without fighting one, let alone seeing one close-by. I did my best to dampen my fears and focus on the daunting task before me, but I couldn't deny the obvious threat anymore. The space around me wasn't void of titans as a result of the Survey Corps wiping them out... it was much more likely that every titan had gathered at the Wall...

The moment my eyes caught sight of the crumbled junction where Wall Maria expanded into Shiganshina, I exhaled heavily. It had been years since her walls served a purpose. Humans were once protected by her towering silhouette, but her strength could only hold for so long before devastation and destruction reared its ugly head... As I mourned the thought of how many had perished during the hellish breach, the air was suddenly ripped from my lungs. A blinding light shot across the sky as the earth trembled violently; the telltale sign that a Titan had been born.

My heart raced frantically as I tried to regain my ability to breathe. I was utterly clueless as to whether or not I had made good time, but I had only wished to have arrived before it was too late. As my eyes scanned along the Wall, I jerked my head side to side, trying to see around the lingering trees in my way. Who had appeared first? Was it Eren or the enemy? No matter... I had to find Erwin at once and warn him of the impending ambush.

My horse had barely been able to regain his footing before a second strike electrified the sky, followed almost simultaneously by hundreds more. Releasing an involuntary yelp, I shielded my eyes from the blazing explosion before me, as the earth shattered underfoot, causing my horse to rear back and throw me to the ground. The fear I experienced in that fleeting moment was horrific and overwhelming as I witnessed countless Titans of all shapes and sizes burst into view, only inches away from me. Their bodies seemed to sprout from the ground, zapped to life by the heat of lightning that dipped down from the sky. My eyes widened with dread when I noticed a second line of Titans encircling the entrance to Shiganshina, just inside Maria. In the center of it all stood a single gigantic beast, whose presence sent chilling tremors down my spine. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the one responsible for it all.

Still sprawled on the leaf-covered ground, my eyes trailed up the body of the titan who stood closest to me. It was staring straight ahead, completely oblivious to my existence below. There was no way in hell that I could rendezvous with the Survey Corps anymore. Even if I took down the initial wall of monsters who lined the edge of the woods, I wouldn't be able to use my 3D Maneuvering Gear to get past those who stood before Shiganshina.

I was too late... The war had already begun, and I had to come up with a new plan, and fast. I refused to believe that I had made a fatal mistake by being there, or that my presence on the battlefield was worthless. I had so much to live for that there was absolutely no way that I could stand by idly and not fight. Clutching my belly, I reassured the tiny soul within me that we would make it through yet another impossible feat, together. We were facing devastating odds, but we were there for a reason...right? 

Filling my lungs deeply, I moved my hands slowly toward my thighs and carefully began attaching a blade to both of my grips. If I could just clear a path to Wall Maria far enough away from Shiganshina's entrance--

"NOOOO!"

Screams of absolute terror suddenly ripped past my throat, in a horrified plea to be woken from what could only be a nightmare. Sadly, my view was all too real, as my bloodcurdling cries were all but drowned out by the sound of rock viciously meeting wall. The Beast Titan had launched a humongous boulder toward Shiganshina, perfectly lodging it into the hole created years ago by the Armored Titan. Standing just above the entrance stood a handful of soldiers who had braced for impact. The blast had pushed back their hoods, revealing their faces to the world. The golden-haired blonde who stood strong before the beast was impossible to mistake for anyone else. Commander Erwin was staring down his foe, not once faltering or showing an ounce of fear. Yet, it was the small, raven-haired man who stood strong beside him that caused my heart to somersault uncontrollably. Seeing Levi's silhouette radiating strength and bravery atop the Wall was all I needed to turn my inner fighting flame into an unstoppable, raging fire.  

My feet had barely left the ground before I cut down my first titan with a single, swift slice to its nape. Determined not to waste a second of what little time I had been given, I fired my hooks directly into the next titan, immediately following my first kill. Still standing at attention, the bastard seemed utterly clueless to the fact that my blades had swiped across its neck. I effortlessly slaughtered my third, fourth and fifth titan before leaping onto a sturdy tree branch to pause and catch my breath. That was when my suspicions were confirmed. None of the titans were turning to retaliate, and even when I stopped all movement, none of them even attempted to grab me. These titans were truly just mindless pawns, reduced to nothing more than ammunition and forced to await their orders from the ruthless Beast Titan that stood before them.

Making the most of my odd luck, I flew down the row of titans hidden within the trees, making them drop like flies beneath my blades. Counting the kills in my head, I had slashed through my thirteenth titan without even breaking a sweat, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw them: the same two red eyes that had burnt straight through me the night before. The eyes belonged to a strange-looking Titan that resembled a cart, the way it crawled on all four legs, with boxes, crates, and ammunition tied to it's back. It had come to the woods to collect more boulders for the Beast, but I wasn't going to allow it to leave.

Twisting mid-air, I rapidly changed directions. However, the Cart Titan had already launched itself toward me. I shot my hooks upward to evade the oncoming attack of what could only be deduced as an intelligent titan. The quadruped was much swifter in speed than I had anticipated, for which I had failed to calculate in trajectory. As my body flew past the titan, I was fortunate enough to escape the full force of its jaws as it attempted to bite me in half;  Then again, I was not fast enough to evade its teeth from grazing my side. As I zipped by, I felt my right blade box rip from my thigh, bright red blood seeping across my clothes where my harness had snapped apart, sending me tumbling through the air.

As I frantically clutched my harness, attempting to reattach it to my waist, I realized that I wouldn't be able to recover fast enough from the sudden shift in weight distribution. I could no longer rely on my 3D Gear to save me now. With only moments to spare, I grabbed onto the wires looped to my left and shot my grappling hook into the trees, praying it would link with a branch strong enough to hold me. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I braced for impact, when my free-fall was abruptly ceased, only to be yanked back up from a forceful whiplash.

When I opened my eyes, I could see just how awfully close I had been to hitting the ground. Hovering only a few feet above the earth, I exhaled an audible sigh, thankful that I had reacted when I did. As I moved to release my hooks, I was painfully blindsided by the most unexpected sound. A shot rang out from behind, slicing through my forearm and cutting the wire in half, which caused me to fall from where I had been so precariously dangling. With barely enough time to cry out in agony from the bullet ripping through my skin, my body quickly struck the ground with a thud. Stupidly, I flattened my palms against the forest floor to push myself to a stand, but an electric shock tore through my arm, sending me back down.

The sound I heard next was a woman's powerful, gravelly voice shouting, "What the hell are you!?"

Such a strange inquiry was followed by the threatening click of a gun, now locked and loaded, and most likely aimed at my head. I slowly turned to face her when my eyes widened in shock. Steam was radiating from her body as she stood over me, an evaporating titan corpse dissolving behind.

My silence was found to be unacceptable, as I failed to answer her fast enough. The woman grabbed the collar of my jacket and roughly pulled my face to hers, shoving the pistol against my cheek. With a look of fear and frustration in her eyes, she angrily growled through clenched teeth,

"You're no Titan... So tell me: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?"