promise | e. jaeger

XIV. Justice

a/n: emo vibes ☹️ also the italics during the "choice" part are meant to signify an inner voice almost? so that's why the grammar is wack, it's intentional to show how Y/N has no clue what to do 😩

"Soldiers of the Survey Corps! Today is our final stand!" Erwin shouted.

"What do you mean, Commander?" Floch said, his entire body shaking. Erwin looked at him in pity.

"We are going to charge the Beast Titan!"

The recruits gasped and muttered in shock, clearly thinking Erwin was insane. To be completely fair to them, he was. Only an insane person could lead the Survey Corps for as long as he had. Only an insane person could pull this off.

Luckily, Erwin Smith was most certainly insane.

"Sir, that's suicide!" somebody piped up.

"I acknowledge your concerns. Everything that you thought had meaning: every hope, dream, or moment of happiness. None of it matters as you lie bleeding out on the battlefield. None of it changes what a speeding rock does to a body — we all die."

The recruits were beginning to grow restless at Erwin's disheartening speech, but you and Levi stood unmoving at his side, having faith in the man.

"But does that mean our lives are meaningless? Does that mean that there was no point in being born? Would you say that of our slain comrades? What about their lives? Were they meaningless?" he said, mounting his horse and gesturing for the others to do the same. Slowly, hesitantly, they did so. You and Levi gave each other one final glance before engaging your ODM gear and taking off in opposite directions, though Erwin's final, haunting words could be heard even still, despite your distance.

"They were not!" he shouted as they began to gallop forward, a surging wave of hope and love and revenge and justice. "They were not! Their memory serves as an example to us all! The courageous fallen! The anguished fallen! Their lives have meaning because we the living refuse to forget them! And as we ride to certain death, we trust our successors to do the same for us!"

One titan down. Two. Three.

The Beast Titan hefted another boulder in its hands, preparing to throw it.

"Because my soldiers do not buckle or yield when faced with the cruelty of this world! My soldiers push forward! My soldiers scream out! My soldiers RAGE!" he screamed.

The Beast Titan threw the boulder.

Four. Five.

Erwin Smith fell. The recruits kept riding forward, their numbers heavily cut down, shooting smoke signals in the air to further confuse and distract the Beast Titan. The Beast Titan threw another boulder. More recruits were crushed.

Six. Seven. Eight.

There were only five recruits left, their pitiful screams sounding more like pleas for help than battle cries. The Beast Titan sighed, picking up a boulder and grinding it to dust it in its hands. It looked dismayed at the occurrence, taking another one that the small quadruped nudged towards it and aiming it perfectly, destroying the remaining recruits. They were all dead.

Nine. Ten.

"In the end, your charge was nothing more than some light entertainment for me. I guess it's good to know that I can still pitch a perfect game," the Beast Titan said with a rumbling sigh.

Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen.

You and Levi emerged from the clouds of green smoke on opposite sides of the Beast Titan, blades drawn and the blood of the titans you had killed dripping down your faces and hands, covering your blades and steaming slightly as it evaporated. The Beast Titan looked shocked, its eyes locking on you, the way your black cloak fluttered in the wind as you flew towards him in a rage.