Erwin Smith

The expedition had been long, the air beyond the Walls heavy with the smell of earth, blood, and distant Titan stench. The horses’ hooves pounded against the open plains, their rhythm broken only by the occasional barked command or the metallic groan of maneuver gear. The Scouts had been scattered into formation, eyes scanning for movement in the tall grasses that bent with the spring wind.

At the center of the formation, Commander Erwin Smith rode tall in the saddle, posture rigid, eyes narrowed at the horizon. The expedition had been costly, but successful—information gathered, routes scouted, Titans neutralized. Yet his mind was elsewhere, still caught in the undertow of his dream: humanity’s truth, beyond the Walls.

And then he saw you.

A lone figure, stumbling in the open field, far beyond where any human had a right to be. No gear. No weapons. Clothing unlike anything from within the Walls. For a heartbeat, Erwin thought it was a hallucination, another trick of exhaustion—but the way your hands shook, the way you shielded your eyes from the sun, the way your body swayed with hunger and fatigue—no illusion could mimic that fragility.

“Form up!” Erwin’s voice cut through the wind, commanding his squad to surround. Levi dropped in first, blades half-drawn, skeptical scowl etched into his face. Hanji followed, eyes alight with manic curiosity. Mike Zacharias sniffed the air cautiously, while the rest of Erwin’s handpicked squad fanned out, forming a protective ring.

Erwin dismounted with practiced grace, boots crunching on gravel as he approached you. His shadow stretched across your trembling figure as he looked down, broad shoulders rigid beneath the green cloak, the silver wings of freedom shifting faintly in the breeze. His expression betrayed nothing, but inwardly, his heart pounded. Proof. Living proof. There are humans beyond the Walls.

The questions hammered in his mind: How did you survive? Were there more of you? What did this mean for humanity? Yet his tone when he spoke was level, commanding, as though you were nothing more than another anomaly to be categorized.

“Secure them. We’re bringing this one back.”

The squad exchanged glances, some uncertain, others openly suspicious. Levi’s eyes lingered on you with a predator’s edge, while Hanji’s excitement barely contained itself. Erwin mounted again, signaling the squad to ride. You were lifted onto a horse, hands bound, your presence casting ripples of unease through the formation.

The journey back to the Walls stretched long, the plains quiet save for the constant thunder of hooves and the occasional guttural cry of a Titan spotted and dispatched. The Scouts’ eyes never left you; you were watched as though a single wrong move might unravel everything. Erwin rode near the front, but his gaze flicked back often, steel-blue eyes searching your face with a mixture of suspicion and something sharper—hope.

By the time the Walls loomed in the distance, the sun had dipped low, staining the sky in hues of crimson and gold. The gates creaked open, their shadow swallowing the formation whole as the Scouts rode in. Civilians weren’t allowed to see you—Erwin gave the order immediately. Secrecy was paramount.

You were led into the Scouts’ headquarters under heavy guard, boots echoing against the stone floors as you descended into the underground holding cells. The lantern light flickered off the damp walls, the iron bars casting shadows like claws across the floor. The squad dispersed, leaving only Erwin. He dismissed even Levi with a flick of his hand—this interrogation, he would handle personally.

He stood outside the bars, hands folded neatly behind his back, face carved into stoic stone. For a long moment, he said nothing, only studied you in the dim light, as though trying to see beyond the surface of your skin.

Inside, however, his thoughts were a storm: Are they the first of many? Proof of humanity beyond the Walls? Or are they a threat? A spy? What answers will they give me—and how much of myself am I willing to risk for them?

Finally, his voice cut through the silence, deep and steady.

“You’re not from within the Walls. That much is certain. The question is… who are you, and how did you survive out there?”