No matter how you look at it—we survived.
Somehow, despite everything, Mikasa and the others managed to carry me and Eren, both unconscious, over the wall and into the interior of Wall Rose. But even after reaching safety… even greater challenges awaited us.
Inside the wall, the Stationary Guard soldiers made no move to assist the trapped comrades in Trost District, those stranded without gas to escape. No, those soldiers remained high above, watching from the walls in silence…
Watching Eren's transformation.
Watching me—whatever I had become.
They saw everything.
Now, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and I were backed into a corner—surrounded by soldiers. Blades that were meant to cut down Titans were pointed squarely at us, as if we were the monsters.
Eren had woken up before I did. Confused, he didn't understand the situation—only that Mikasa and Armin were desperately trying to reason with the Stationary Guard, trying to make them see that neither of us posed a threat to humanity.
"...What you're doing now is mutiny! I'll pass judgment and decide your fates!"
The officer's voice boomed—he was already a man conquered by fear, yet he still commanded his troops with trembling authority as he looked down at the alert Eren.
"If you lie, or make any sudden movements, I'll give the order to fire the grenades and blow you all to pieces! I won't hesitate!" the officer barked.
That shouting… it somehow reached into the fog in my mind. Lying in Armin's arms, I slowly opened my eyes.
I felt like my entire body had been drained. Weak. Cold.
The kind of cold you only feel when you're soaked in rain, blade in hand, cutting down Titans with trembling limbs—offering your heart to humanity with every breath.
"So… cold…"
My whisper interrupted them. My eyes fluttered, then opened fully.
"Sandra!"
Mikasa's voice trembled—not with fear, but with relief. Her eyes were filled with gratitude and warmth.
Armin, too, was relieved. And even Eren, though still dazed, exhaled in visible relief as he saw me regain consciousness.
But beyond the comfort of my friends… there were countless rifles and blades still trained on us.
Eyes filled with suspicion. Disgust. Fear.
They looked at us like we were monsters.
"Sandra! Are you okay?" Armin asked anxiously, still holding me.
With his help, I slowly sat up, my body trembling slightly as I tried to steady myself on my own.
"Cadet Gant... It's good that you're awake," the officer said coldly—his voice laced with dread as he stared at me.
"I'll get straight to the point! Cadet Gant… Cadet Yeager… what are you, exactly?! Are you human? A Titan? Or some kind of... monster?!"
I sat there on the ground, utterly lost.
Why were they asking something so absurd?
What had happened while I was unconscious?
"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Eren snapped from beside me. But it was already clear the officer had made up his mind.
"You monsters!! Say that again and see what happens! I'll blast you to pieces before you even have the chance to shift forms!" he screamed, finger twitching near the trigger.
"Shift forms…?" I muttered, baffled.
"Many saw it with their own eyes!" the officer growled. "You! Emerging from the body of a Titan! And you—" he jabbed his finger at me "—you look like something caught between a human and a Titan… like some twisted abomination!"
His eyes were filled with revulsion. His body trembled.
"That we ever let creatures like you breach Wall Rose is an outrage! Even if you're officially recognized cadets blessed by the King, I cannot allow this threat to fester any longer!"
He'd already decided.
No matter what Eren or I said, he had no intention of listening.
"I can't afford to make mistakes! At any moment, the Armored Titan could appear again! We are standing at the brink of humanity's survival! Do you understand?! I cannot spare time or manpower on the likes of you!"
"I'll give the order to fire without hesitation!"
His hand pointed directly at us—still shaking. Whatever courage he once had as a soldier had already been swallowed whole by fear.
"Indeed... their resistance is clear, but they aren't giving up anything useful," a calm female voice analyzed the situation. It belonged to a silver-haired soldier wearing glasses—clearly a subordinate of the officer.
"As you said, sir… We're wasting time and resources."
"Captain! If we strike now, it'll be easy! While they're still in human form…!"
Other soldiers began urging him, their eagerness sharp and reckless.
They were ready to eliminate us.
I still hadn't made sense of the situation when Mikasa suddenly stepped forward.
Her face darkened.
She drew her dual blades slowly—silently.
From her back alone… you could feel the quiet storm of fury building inside her.
"My specialty… is slicing flesh," Mikasa said coldly. "And if necessary, I'd be happy to demonstrate.
If anyone here is curious enough to experience that firsthand… please, step forward."
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