The soldiers didn’t march in victory. They limped. Some wore blood-soaked bandages. One man’s left arm ended in a cauterized stump wrapped with dirty linen. But when Commander Shadis’s voice cracked across the square—"Present hearts!"—every single survivor raised a fist to their chest, then rotated it outward over their heart.
She held it there. Felt the warmth of her own blood. Felt the weight of every fist that had ever risen beside hers. attack on titan soldier salute
She held the Salute for a full minute. No one watched. No commander gave the order. No bugle sounded. The soldiers didn’t march in victory
Present hearts.
Eren stared, confused. It looked like they were handing something over. Not to Shadis. Not to the crowd. To the sky. One man’s left arm ended in a cauterized
Right hand. Palm open. Thumb tucked. Arm parallel to the ground. Fist pressed just above the left pectoral.