Shiganshina

"Is this Wall Maria? It's incredible!" Yago stared in awe at the fifty-meter wall before him. Even the Great Wall in his hazy memories seemed less magnificent than this. Could human hands really have built it?

Dong! Dong! Dong! The heavy tolling of the bell announced the Survey Corps' return, but every face was solemn and downcast.

Yago nudged Scott, who shared his horse. Scott had brown hair and usually wore a kindly expression with his eyes narrowed, but now his head was bowed, his face bleak.

"Uncle Scott, why is everyone..."

Scott forced a smile. "It's all right, little Yago. Casualties are inevitable, but we won't give up."

Yago nodded and glanced behind him. Many of the wagons were filled with the bodies of Survey Corps soldiers and the wounded, including Uncle Vig. Seeming to understand something, Yago pulled Uncle Vig's cloak tighter around himself.

The gates of Shiganshina District slowly opened. The scattered Titans wandering outside had already been cleared away by the Garrison Regiment's cannons.

The Survey Corps' convoy slowly entered. A crowd of civilians had already gathered inside the gates, watching them with hope or contempt. Their murmured comments reached the soldiers' ears.

"Looks like the Survey Corps lost a lot of people again." "Why did so few come back this time? Didn't they send out two hundred?" "I really don't know what they're trying to do. Get themselves killed?" "I wonder if they found anything this time." "Why insist on going outside? Isn't it safe enough inside the walls? These people are just asking for trouble. They should disband the Survey Corps." "Please let me through. Has anyone seen my son?" "Why is there a child in the Survey Corps?" ... (Because of the butterfly effect, the Survey Corps returned to the walls a little earlier.)

The civilians' comments made the Scouts lower their heads even further. As though sensing something, Yago looked to one side. Two children who seemed to be his age were watching the Survey Corps. The brown-haired boy's eyes held longing and confusion, as if he couldn't understand why the mighty Survey Corps looked so bedraggled. The black-haired girl wearing a red scarf watched the boy with concern.

Just then, an elderly woman rushed into the convoy, her eyes wide as she asked in panic, "Where's Moses? Have you seen my son Moses? He's a soldier in the Survey Corps too. Why don't I see him?"

One Scout glanced at an injured soldier beside him and said heavily, "Bring it over. This is Moses' mother."

Moses' mother's gaze froze, as if she had realized something. When the Scout handed her the single arm that was all that remained of her son, she broke down. She fell to her knees and sobbed, her cries wrenching everyone's hearts.

"But did my son help? Even if he didn't achieve anything in battle, did he die fighting for humanity's future? Did he contribute to humanity's counterattack?" Moses' mother asked sorrowfully. She hoped her son's life had bought a better future for humanity.

The Scout froze, seemingly unsure what to say, and answered reflexively, "Of course!"

But then, as though he couldn't bear to deceive this poor mother, he abruptly dropped to his knees, tears spilling from his eyes. "I'm sorry! But we still gained nothing from this expedition beyond the walls! So many young soldiers gave their precious lives, yet we still couldn't discover where those things came from! I'm so sorry!"

It was painfully real and cruel. The Survey Corps moved on beneath the civilians' concerned or accusing gazes. The oppressive atmosphere seemed to affect Yago too, leaving him dazed for some time afterward. In a haze, he let Scott lead him to a house in Shiganshina District.

Uncle Vig's body lay on the wagon. Holding Yago's hand, Scott knocked on the door.

"Just a moment! I'm coming!" an urgent voice called. The door opened, revealing a woman in an apron, still holding a spoon in one hand. A sheen of sweat lingered on her face; she had clearly been cooking.

Seeing Scott in his Survey Corps uniform outside the door, the woman said warmly, "You're a soldier in the Survey Corps? Then you must be one of Vig's colleagues. Wonderful! Stay and eat with us. I knew he was coming back today, so I made lots of delicious dishes especially for him. You simply must try my cooking. Oh, who's this little one?"

Scott couldn't look her in the eye. "Mrs. Lucia, Squad Leader Vig... was killed in action."

The metal spoon clattered to the floor. Lucia stared blankly. "What did you say? Vig... Vig is...?"

Scott turned around. Vig's body lay on the wagon beneath a white sheet. Lucia stumbled toward it and gently lifted the sheet. Her beloved's eyes, once so familiar, were now tightly shut, never to open again.

Lucia covered her mouth, tears pouring down her face as she sobbed without cease. The same scene played out in many other homes...

"Yago, could you buy me a few eggs? I'll make some cake for you all today. You can take some over to Eren and Mikasa later too."

"Sure, Aunt Lucia!" Dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, Yago took the few coins Lucia had given him and headed out.

"If there's any money left over, you can buy yourself some candy," Aunt Lucia called from behind him.

Warmth filled Yago's heart. After learning that he was an orphan Vig had rescued, Lucia had agreed to adopt him. After all, the Survey Corps couldn't look after a child, could they?

To Yago, Aunt Lucia was strong. Though she had lost her husband, she hadn't let grief defeat her. She and Vig had been married for years but had never had children. Yago's arrival filled that void perfectly. Aunt Lucia treated him as her own, pouring almost all her maternal love into him and letting him truly experience what a mother's love was.

That left Yago feeling both happy and guilty. He was happy because he seemed to have sorely lacked familial affection, and guilty because Uncle Vig had died because of him.

But when Aunt Lucia learned what Vig had done, she wasn't surprised. Instead, she gently stroked Yago's head and said, "I'm not surprised at all. That's just how Vig was, always happy to help others, always being everyone's good guy. Yago, don't burden yourself with guilt. Your Uncle Vig did the right thing. He didn't die for nothing. He saved you, didn't he? So, Yago, carry on Vig's wishes and live your life well."

Yago's heart trembled as a feeling unlike anything he had ever known swept over him. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming conviction: he had to protect Aunt Lucia and everything Uncle Vig had once sought to protect!