Attack On Titan: Dreams

Chapter 35: Admist The Flames



"Who are you? Who are you?"

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"Mama! Mama! Quick! We have to run!" Rin's desperate voice shattered her thoughts, piercing through the haze of fear that paralyzed her.

Mikasa clenched her teeth, her wide, terrified eyes fixed on the monstrous figures before her. Her body trembled, her mind racing, but her legs refused to move.

"Mama!!" Rin's pleas grew louder, more urgent, but they fell on deaf ears.

Run? But… where to? Her thoughts spiraled into chaos as her gaze locked onto a small but horrifying titan. It had massive claws, razor-sharp teeth, and dark brown hair, its devil-like eyes glinting with feral hunger as it tore through the capital. The Jaw Titan.

Before she could catch her breath, her eyes darted to another figure—a tall, towering titan with short brown hair, crushing everything in its path, its footsteps reducing homes and innocent lives to rubble. The Female Titan.

"Gabi! The War Chief won't be pleased if you go around killing people instead of focusing on the mission!" The sharp, cutting voice came from another titan—a sleek, ash-white figure. The Cart Titan.

Perched on its back was a blonde-haired girl, no older than nine or ten, her expression unnervingly calm amidst the chaos.

The Female Titan halted, turning her head toward the Cart Titan and then glancing at another figure nearby—the Armored Titan.

"Eveyone!" Falco( The Armoured Titan) snapped, his voice carrying authority. "The Queen of Eldia! She could transform any moment. Keep your guards up!"

Falco than turned his attention at the blonde sitting on the Cart. "Ymir! Transform now, or your dad won't be pleased!"

Mikasa's breath caught as she recognized Ymir, a small, uncertain child with such a familiar name. Her heart sank at the sight of the girl biting into her hand, the blood dripping down as she gritted her teeth in resolve.

In an instant, Ymir's transformation erupted in a flash of light and raw power. The air grew heavy as a massive, bird-like titan materialized, its fierce, piercing screeches echoing through the crumbling city. The Beast Titan.

Mikasa staggered backward, her body instinctively shielding Rin, who clung tightly to her. His small arms wrapped around her neck as he buried his face in her scarf, trembling with fear.

Her wide, terror-stricken eyes darted from one towering titan to the next. How do I protect him? The question clawed at her mind, but no answer came.

The titans were closing in. She could feel their immense presence, suffocating and inescapable. Rin's soft sobs were muffled against her chest.

"Mama...." Rin whimpered, his voice breaking.

Mikasa's grip tightened around him. She could feel it now—the surge of her Ackerman blood, roaring to life like a storm within her.

"Rin," she whispered, her voice trembling but filled with determination. "Stay close to me. Mama will protect you. 'Kay?"

The child nodded weakly, his small frame trembling as he clung to her.

The titans remained oblivious to Mikasa and Rin, their monstrous gazes fixed on the towering Queen's castle in the heart of the city. "Any moment now!" Udo- The Jaw Titan barked.

All around them, Mitras lay in utter devastation. The once-bustling streets, lined with intricate stone buildings and vibrant market stalls, were now reduced to rubble.

Fires raged uncontrollably, casting flickering orange light against the pale winter sky. The air was thick with smoke, mingling with the desperate cries of civilians and the distant clash of steel against unyielding titan flesh.

The city's defenses were crumbling as the scouts, garrison, and Military Police fought valiantly, but their efforts were futile. The evolved hardenings of the titans rendered even thunder spears nearly useless.

Explosions echoed through the streets, but the monsters shrugged off the attacks as though they were nothing more than minor inconveniences.

Mikasa's mind raced as she crouched in the shadows of a crumbling archway, clutching Rin tightly. Her sharp eyes darting frantically. But no matter where she looked, there was nothing—no gear, no weapons, no hope.

They were stranded, surrounded by beasts.

"Mama?" Rin's small, trembling voice broke her frantic thoughts. She glanced down at him, his teary, innocent eyes meeting hers. "Is… is this it? Are we going to be with Papa now?"

His words shattered her composure. Mikasa's heart ached as she stared into his fragile, hopeful gaze. Before she could respond, Rin reached up, cupping her tear-streaked cheeks with his tiny hands, forcing her to look at him.

And then he smiled.

"It's okay, Mama," he whispered, his voice soft yet filled with a heartbreaking acceptance. "I wanted to meet Papa, so… it's good. If after this, we can all live together, right?"

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as his words pierced her soul. She pulled him into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping protectively around his small frame as though holding him tightly enough could shield him from the horrors around them.

"No," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "No, Rin. This isn't the end. I won't let it be. Papa wanted us to live. And I'll make sure it happens."

Her gaze hardened as she rested her chin atop his soft hair, her mind a whirlwind of desperation and determination. "I'll find a way", she vowed silently. "Even if I have to face every one of those monsters alone, I'll protect you."

The distant roar of a titan echoed through the city, but Mikasa didn't flinch.

Followed by the guttural roar of the Armored Titan which through the chaos, reverberating through the ruined streets of Mitras like an ominous bell.

"Gabi! Zofia! Ymir! Udo! Quick! Harden yourself! The colossal is transforming!!!" Falco's voice was laced with desperation, a rare crack in the stoic titan's demeanor.

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively turned, her sharp eyes locking onto the distant castle, just in time to witness an enormous explosion erupt from its center.

The sheer force of it illuminated the skyline, a fiery blossom of crimson flames that tore through the heart of the city like a wrathful god's fury.

Her breath caught as the flames consumed everything in their path—humans disintegrated into skeletal remains, trees and stone structures crumbled into ash.

The heatwave roared forward with terrifying speed, turning the once-proud district into a smoldering wasteland of death and destruction.

"MAMA!!!" Rin's terrified scream pulled Mikasa from her frozen state. Without hesitation, she threw herself over him, shielding his small body with her own.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her back exposed to the oncoming inferno. She could feel the searing heat pressing against her, her skin prickling with pain, but she didn't flinch.

I can't let him die. I won't let him die.

"Mama's here," she whispered into Rin's ear, her voice trembling but resolute. Her body trembled as she braced herself against the flames, every instinct screaming to run, but she held her ground. If she had to burn to save him, she would. Her eyes blurred with tears as she placed a kiss at his hair.

"It's gonna be alright, son."

The roaring flames drew closer, engulfing everything in their path. The ground beneath them trembled violently as debris rained from above, casting shadows of chaos over the remains of the city.

But then, through the searing heat and choking smoke, Mikasa's tear-stricken eyes fluttered open, her breath hitching as an unexpected figure emerged before her. His hand rested on her hair.

A man stood tall amidst the chaos, unaffected by the inferno raging around him. His black overcoat billowed gently in the scorching winds, complementing the dark trousers and a greyish shirt that clung to his frame. His long hair, caught in the flickering flames, framed a face both unfamiliar and hauntingly familiar.

Mikasa's heart thudded painfully in her chest. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her gaze locked on him. He wasn't just standing there—he was shielding her and Rin, the flames parting unnaturally around his presence.

"I knew it was you."

The man glanced at her from the corner of his dull green eyes. Then, in a low voice that cut through the cacophony like a blade, he muttered:

"The girl of my dreams..."


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