CHAPTER - 11 { Insane Dream }

Red flames burned the bits of everything to black ashes, Vlad stood before an endless passage.

'Why didn't you save me?'

'Where are you trying to go?'

'Don't leave us!'

The two pairs of arms stretched out of the darkness and held on to Vlad tightly like chains.

"You two, why are you still here? Why won't you disappear from my heart? Why?"

Vlad looked down on the two faces, they were his mother and father's. Blood flowed down their heads, there were no eyes in their eye sockets.

Their bodies were thin like a broken stick, burned as they gave Vlad the sensation of dryness.

"Just go away! Go! Get out of me!"

Vlad no matter how much he tried, the pairs of hand didn't let him step any further to the light at the end of the passage.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Wake up! Vlad! Vlad!"

Vlad roared in agony and despair. His mind was breaking down as the scene before before him shattered like glass.

But the soft voice of a female calling out his name, Vlad heard it with some difficulty.

* * *

"Go away! Get out!"

"V-Vlad! P-Please w-wake up! Vlad!"

Vlad shook his head and looked at the person he was on top of. A female soldier, with shoulder length yellow hair.

His hands were pressing down on her delicate neck, choking her out of breath.

Vlad immediately backed away, creating a distance from the girl and himself.

"Cough! Cough!"

The girl held on her neck, her intense coughs lasted for not long as she raised her head to look at Vlad.

"What happened?"

She asked, even though tears were in her eyes and she was quite frightened of Vlad.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream."

Vlad sat down on the bed and stared at the girl. Krista Lenz, another newly graduated soldier from the same batch as him.

"What kind of bad dream can make you try to kill someone?"

Krista got up from the bed and rubbed her neck slightly. Red handprints were still visible clearly.

"Sorry…"

Said Vlad in a low voice. Krista didnt't try to probe into Vlad's bad dream.

"What's the situation now?"

Asked Vlad. He examined his body and found lots of bandages tied all over his body.

"We are the only ones left in the headquarters. Everyone left to report about… whatever happened while you were asleep."

Answered Krista, she poured some water on a glass and brought it to Vlad.

"I understand about me. But why didn't you leave with them?"

Vlad took the glass from her and asked again. Krista sat at the edge of the bed and sighed.

"Someone needs to watch you while you are sleeping so I volunteered for it."

Krista replied to him honestly without hiding. Vlad stopped drinking the water and glanced at her.

"Hm."

Vlad passed the glass to her and stood up from the bed with some struggle. Each movement caused him to feel the pain in his muscles.

"No, you shouldn't get up. Your body is still-"

"I am fine."

Vlad as he stood up, stretched his arms and shoulders. The joints produced the cracking sounds.

At a height of 180 centimeters, wide shoulders, chiseled chest, ripped physique with thin waist.

His legs were also properly trained, and lastly his back which when tightened would form a beastly shape.

Almost all the cadets, who went through the hellish training for three years, had developed their body.

Vlad was no exception, it's just because he had the best body type anyone could ask for.

(For readers to imagine how Vlad looks like now, please check the paragraph comment here.)

Krista stared at his back but turned her eyes as her cheeks became slightly red.

"Ahem! Are you really fine? Doesn't it hurt?"

To avoid the awkward silence, Krista asked in a little hurry. Vlad took his uniform from a table and looked towards her.

"It does. But not enough to make me stop."

Vlad's words seemed a little cinematic to Krista but she digested it.

"Are you gonna watch me change? If so, take a more comfortable position on the bed."

Seeing her not move, Vlad had an expressionless face as he spoke while pulling his pants down.

"Ah! I am going!"

Krista almost screamed as she ran away from the room with a red face.

* * *

"Are you sure we should be staying up here?"

Krista asked with a complex feeling. Her eyes scanned the surroundings and found more than 15 titans around the headquarters building.

These titans were all attracted to Krista and Vlad, who sat at the top of the building side to side.

"Unless the Colossal Titan or Armored Titan comes, we are safe for now."

Saying so, Vlad closed his eyes and focused on the body parts which were giving him pain.

"For now?"

Krista almost fainted when she heard this. But due to the roars of the titans, she couldn't.

"I still think that we should leave. It will be much safer on the Walls."

Krista suggested but Vlad didn't respond to her. Instead, he opened his eyes and stared at the sky.

The white clouds floated slowly, the sun had come down from the highest position.

"5 hours, and it will be dark."

Muttered Vlad. Today, he fought for more than 4 hours straight without any rest.

He clenched his fist and looked at the titans. In his eyes, they were the reason humanity had to stay behind the walls.

"Krista, what do you think is beyond those walls?"

Suddenly, Vlad asked a question which was strange and also not. Krista was puzzled and unable to answer him.

"I once heard that there are mountains which spit fire. There's also unlimited water full of salt. No matter how much you take, the water would still be boundless."

Vlad's eyes shined as he remembered those memories but slowly, his eyes dimmed back.

"But to get there, we must kill all the titans only then can we be free completely. Only then can humanity truly understand the feeling of Freedom!"

Krista listened to his words, her emotions changed one after another as she smiled bitterly.

"But when can we achieve that? When will it start? The plan for Freedom…"

Said Krista, she placed her palms on her lap while feeling a bit too emotional.

"Why do we need to wait?"

Vlad stared at Krista with confusion.

"Now."

It was Krista's turn to be confused with what Vlad said.

"Now?"

Vlad nodded. He gazed at the Walls which obstructed his view of the world.

"The plan for Freedom starts now. I will do it, killing all these titans here."

Krista was dumbfounded. She couldn't react when Vlad leaped from her side towards the titans.

"Are you crazy!"

Krista yelled out to Vlad who had disregarded his life for something no one had achieved.

"If what I want is an insane dream for you all!"

Vlad shot the hooks which pierced on the 8-meter tall titan's abdomen. He gripped his blades tightly as he had an excited smile resurface on his face.

"Then yes! I am Crazy!"

Shouted Vlad. He spun under the titans legs and arrived behind one's nape.

Slice!

A chunk of flesh was cut off from that titan. As it fell, it took the smaller titans to the ground with its weight.

"Haaa!"

Vlad then shot the hooks in one titans eyes, blinding it completely. He swung between its arms and killed it quickly.

Krista stood on the top of the headquarters building, her eyes wide open as she watched Vlad kill the titans one after another.

"Why did I even volunteer!"

She gritted her teeth and jumped to help Vlad kill the titans. Yes, she was afraid to die and feared these titans.

But today seeing Vlad's determination and spirit, Krista gathered as much courage as she could and jumped.

"If I die here, it's on you!"