Shiganshina Falls

Chaos. Pure, unfiltered chaos.

The streets were no longer recognizable. They were littered with bodies, blood seeping into the cracks of the cobblestone roads. Smoke filled the air, choking out the sky, turning the once-vibrant district into a scene straight from hell.

We ran. We had no choice.

Hannes dragged us away, his grip on Eren like iron. Eren screamed, his body writhing against Hannes' hold, tears streaming down his face as he thrashed like a wild animal.

"NO! LET ME GO! MOM! MOM!" His voice was raw, breaking apart with every desperate cry.

I kept running alongside them, my mind barely able to process what I had just seen. Carla Jaeger, crushed under rubble, her legs pinned, her face contorted in pain—yet even in her final moments, all she cared about was her son's safety.

And then the Titan… that grotesque, mindless monster. Its massive fingers wrapped around her, lifting her into the air. A sickening crack as her bones snapped under the force of its grip. Her final smile. Her last whispered words.

And then—

CHOMP.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory replayed in my mind, but it was burned into me now. It would never leave.

Eren's screams turned into broken sobs. Mikasa, usually so composed, was trembling. Her fingers clenched around her scarf, her eyes locked onto Eren as if trying to anchor him, to protect him in any way she could.

Ding!

A cold, mechanical sound cut through my thoughts.

[System Alert]

You have survived the Fall of Shiganshina: 5000 System Coins Earned.

A-Rank Reward: Unlocked. Claim Now?

I sucked in a sharp breath, my system appearing in front of me as a translucent screen. The words glowed faintly, the only thing in this nightmare that felt remotely out of place.

I didn't hesitate.

Claim A-Rank Reward?

Yes.

Another alert popped up instantly.

[A-Rank Reward: Skill – Combat Instinct (Passive)]

Description: A honed sense of combat awareness. Your body reacts before your mind does, increasing evasion, reflexes, and reaction speed by 30% in dangerous situations.

I exhaled slowly. This… This was good. It wouldn't make me unstoppable, but it would increase my chances of survival. I could feel it already—my body lighter, my muscles more responsive, my senses sharpening.

I glanced at the others. They had no idea what I had just received. And they never would.

The evacuation efforts were barely holding together. The remaining Garrison soldiers shouted orders, trying to keep civilians moving. The boats leading to the inner gate were filling up quickly, people pushing, shoving, trampling over one another in blind panic.

"We can't all get through!" a soldier shouted. "We have to close the gate soon!"

I looked back toward the Wall. Titans poured through the broken gate, crushing everything in their path. Shiganshina was done for.

Then, as if the nightmare wasn't already unbearable—

A shadow loomed overhead.

A deafening boom as something massive landed on the inner side of the Wall Maria gate, blocking off the only path to safety.

The Armored Titan.

A monster of solid, plated muscle and hardened flesh. It rose from its landing crouch, steam hissing off its armored body, its inhuman eyes locking onto the fleeing survivors.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"No…" Armin's voice barely came out. "No, no, no…"

The Armored Titan lowered its stance, and then—

It charged.

Faster than anything that big had the right to be. It tore through the landscape like a battering ram, each thunderous step sending shockwaves through the ground.

Straight toward the inner gate.

"MOVE!" A soldier screamed. "GET BACK!"

We barely had time to register what was happening before it slammed into the gate with full force.

BOOOOM.

The impact sent a shockwave so powerful it knocked dozens of people off their feet. The massive metal doors of Wall Maria, our last hope of escape—

Shattered.

The inner gate crumbled, pieces of reinforced metal and stone flying in every direction. Dust exploded outward, coating everything in a thick, suffocating fog.

Silence.

Then, as the dust cleared, we saw the impossible.

Wall Maria had been breached.

The Titans had a clear path into the inner territory.

And humanity's worst nightmare had just begun.

The boats were leaving, some of them overloaded, some tipping over from the sheer weight of the people trying to board.

"Eren! Mikasa!" I grabbed them both. "We need to get out of here!"

Eren was still in shock, his eyes hollow, his fists trembling. Mikasa was barely keeping it together, but she nodded.

We pushed through the crowd, moving as quickly as possible. Soldiers were trying to hold a last defensive line, but it was useless. Titans didn't care about defenses.

A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air. A child had fallen from one of the boats, his mother reaching out desperately. A Titan's hand snatched him up.

The mother wailed, clawing at the soldiers holding her back. "MY SON! PLEASE!"

I gritted my teeth. My fingers twitched toward my knife. But I couldn't do anything. Not yet. Not here.

We reached the last boat. A soldier grabbed us, shoving us forward. "Go! We're closing off!"

The boat rocked violently as we stepped onto it. The water was rough, carrying us toward the inner Wall, further away from the burning ruins of Shiganshina.

Eren stared back at his home, his hands clenching into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. His lips moved, but his voice was barely a whisper.

"I'll kill them."

Mikasa turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Eren…"

"I'll kill them all." His voice was steel now. Cold, sharp, filled with rage. "Every last one of them."

I watched him, something heavy settling in my chest.

This was it.

This was the moment Eren Jaeger was truly born.

And as we sailed toward Wall Rose, leaving behind the ruins of our childhood, I knew one thing for certain.

This war was just beginning.

[System Alert]

Quest Complete: Survive the Fall of Shiganshina.

Rewards:

10,000 System Coins New Stat Unlocked: Resolve (Determination and Willpower will now directly affect your combat ability.) Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Witness to Humanity's Despair Special Bonus: +5 to all stats.

I closed my eyes, letting the weight of everything crash down on me.

This world was cruel. And I had just gotten my first taste of it.

But I wasn't planning on dying anytime soon.