Chapter 14

Naomi gripped the controls of the Golem, her connection to the stone giant strained but unbroken. They had fought valiantly, pushing back the Titan horde, but the colossal Titan continued to loom large, a constant threat to their sanctuary. Sweat slicked her forehead, blurring the already obscured view of the battlefield through the cracked cockpit window. Every fiber of her being screamed for rest, but the colossal Titan's presence fueled a relentless fire in her gut.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement on the periphery caught her eye. Nell, a lone figure shrouded in darkness, sprinted towards the colossal Titan, a desperate glint in his eyes. His silhouette flickered erratically, a stark contrast to the lumbering gait of the Titans.

"Nell!" Naomi screamed, her voice hoarse with a mixture of terror and disbelief. Her pleas were lost in the noise of the battlefield – the screech of metal on metal, the roar of flames, and the agonizing shrieks of damaged Titans.

Nell, seemingly oblivious to her cries, reached a satchel strapped to his back and with practiced movements, pulled out a glowing orb – a scavenged energy core he had salvaged from a fallen Titan. It pulsed erratically in his hands, a ticking time bomb threatening to detonate.

"Naomi!" he roared, his voice barely audible over the roar of the colossal titan. "Get ready! Now!"

Naomi understood. Nell was attempting a desperate gamble to cripple the colossal titan. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision further, but she forced them back. Panic threatened to overwhelm her, but a voice inside her, strong and clear, echoed Clara's teachings: "the orb chose you for a reason Naomi. Focus."

With a surge of adrenaline, she propelled the Golem forward, ignoring the tremors that rattled the cockpit. Her goal was clear – distract the colossal Titan, give Nell the precious seconds he needed. The Golem lumbered forward, a lumbering giant compared to Nell's fleeting figure.

The colossal Titan, its red eye swiveling like a malevolent searchlight, locked onto the approaching Golem. It unleashed a torrent of energy blasts, emerald beams that ripped through the night sky. But Naomi, fueled by a primal rage, weaved the stone giant through the hail of fire. The Golem's massive stone fist slammed into the colossal Titan's leg with a resounding clang, the impact sending tremors through both behemoths.

Naomi, filled with defiance threw relentless punches at the titan. She danced with the colossal Titan, a desperate ballet of destruction. Each clang of stone against metal resonated with a deep, within her. She channeled that anger, that fear, into her movements, directing the Golem with a ferocity she never knew she possessed.

Then, a blinding flash erupted from the base of the colossal Titan. The ground shook with a deafening roar as Nell's makeshift bomb detonated. The colossal Titan lurched back, its movements sluggish, its red eye flickering ominously. It had been a gamble fueled by desperation and ingenuity.

But it wasn't enough. It wasn't destroyed, only wounded. Disappointment gnawed at Naomi as the colossal Titan slowly righted itself, its massive form casting a monstrous shadow over her.

Rage, raw and unfiltered, surged through her. She wouldn't let it win. She wouldn't let Nell's sacrifice be for nothing. A primal scream tore from her throat as she pushed the Golem forward, ignoring the warnings flashing on the control panel. The Golem's energy reserves, already depleted from the extended battle, sputtered in protest. Red lights bled across her vision, mirroring the failing power systems.

But Naomi didn't care. She poured every ounce of her remaining strength, every bit of her connection to the living stone, into the Golem. The earth pulsed beneath her, responding to her desperate plea. It was a primal connection, a call to the heart of The Green House itself.

The Golem, fueled by an unseen force, slammed into the colossal Titan's chest with earth-shattering force. This time, the impact was different. The colossal Titan, its internal systems overloaded, stumbled back, a metallic groan escaping its mangled form.

Naomi, her vision blurring at the edges, felt a searing pain erupt in her chest. The Golem, its energy reserves spent, shuddered violently. It was on the verge of collapsing,

But where was Nell? Panic clawed at her throat as her eyes scanned the wreckage. There! A flicker of movement near the base of a fallen Titan.

As she drew closer, the horrifying truth threatened to overwhelm her. Nell lay sprawled amidst the debris, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, blood staining the scorched earth around him. His chest, barely rising and falling, seemed to mock her with its shallow breaths.

"Nell!" she screamed, the word ripping from her throat. Her legs gave way, sending her crashing to her knees beside him. Tears streamed down her face, blurring the image of his pale, lifeless face.

"Naomi...?" His voice was a hoarse rasp, barely audible above the ringing in her ears.

Relief flooded through her, so intense it almost knocked the breath out of her lungs. "Nell! You're alive!" Tears streamed down her face, a mixture of joy and terror.

A weak chuckle escaped his lips, sending a fresh wave of pain through his side. "Seems so, sis. Always the dramatic one, aren't you?"

Despite the situation, a watery smile tugged at the corners of Naomi's lips. "Don't joke," she scolded gently, her voice thick with emotion. "You scared the life out of me."

He winced, the movement causing him to hiss in pain. "Just a few cracked ribs," he rasped, his voice laced with a hint of bravado.

"Were not done yet, sis," he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "Let's finish this together."

A wave of relief washed over Naomi. Nell was alive. He wasn't giving up, and neither would she. With a renewed determination, she nodded, her eyes meeting his. They had faced death together, staring into the abyss and pulling each other back. Now, they would face it again, as one.

Together, they focused their combined energy – Nell, his willpower fueled by the rhythmic thrum of his salvaged arm pulsating with salvaged energy, and Naomi, her connection to the earth surging through the Golem. The cockpit crackled with a raw, primal energy as their efforts intertwined.

The Golem, revitalized by their combined efforts, roared back to life. It slammed into the colossal Titan once more, and then again, each blow fueled by their unwavering will. The ground beneath their feet trembled, the air crackled with raw energy. The colossal Titan, once a seemingly unstoppable force, now staggered under the onslaught.

Suddenly, a sickening crack echoed across the battlefield. A fissure, long and deep, split open across the colossal Titan's chest, glowing with an intense heat. It was the weak point, the one Nell had spotted earlier amidst the chaos.

Naomi seized this opportunity, a surge of hope electrifying her. With a final, earth-shattering blow, the Golem drove its massive stone fist deep into the exposed wound. A blinding white light erupted, engulfing the colossal Titan in its brilliance. The ground shook violently, and a deafening roar tore through the night as the colossal Titan finally crumpled, its metallic form disintegrating into a million glowing fragments.

Silence descended upon the battlefield, broken only by the ragged gasps of their breaths. Naomi slumped back in her seat, exhaustion washing over her like a tidal wave. Her vision blurred, and her body ached in every fiber. But a triumphant smile played on her lips. They had done it.

The Green House, battered but unbroken, stood amidst the wreckage of the Titan army. Naomi, slumped over the controls of the golem, felt an emptiness echo within her that mirrored the desolation surrounding her.

A hand, weak but determined, reached out from the side of the pilot's seat. Naomi looked over to see Nell, his face pale and streaked with soot, a wide grin plastered across it.

Nell, equally exhausted but with a spark of defiance in his eyes, gently nudged her. "We did it, sis," he rasped, his voice hoarse. "We actually did it."

Naomi looked at him, a flicker of a smile gracing her lips.

A tear escaped Naomi's eye, tracing a warm path down her cheek. "Together," she echoed, her voice laced with relief and love. They had faced the impossible, a pilot and her engineer, and emerged victorious. The Green House was safe, for now, thanks to their bond forged in the fires of battle.

The sound of cheers, weak at first, began to rise from the scattered survivors of The Green House. Slowly, figures emerged from behind cover, their faces etched with awe and disbelief. They had witnessed a miracle, a testament to the resilience of nature and the fierce will of its protectors.

As dawn painted the horizon with streaks of orange and pink, the weary defenders of The Green House began to pick up the pieces. The battlefield was a graveyard of metal giants, a stark reminder of the battle they had fought. But amidst the wreckage, a flicker of hope bloomed. The Green House, scarred but unbroken, stood tall.