The Letter Carries Memories (4)

Leah Gilliard stared blankly at the chilling phrase. Don't send letters. Anyone could see it was aimed squarely at her. Did that mean they already knew who she was writing to?

Julia Anke, who had also read the contents, shuddered violently and tore the letter to shreds.

“W-who the hell would pull such a sick prank?!”

“…I don’t know.”

“Let’s check the CCTV. Every corridor in the officers’ quarters has cameras. How dare someone try this inside our own unit?”

Julia pointed to the CCTV mounted in the corner of the hallway. It could be a malicious stalker. Leah was far from plain; she got asked for her number constantly while walking down the street. It wouldn’t be strange if some twisted insect had latched onto her.

Yet when they reached the control room, the camera covering Leah’s corridor was the only one that had malfunctioned.

“What happened here, Private?”

“N-no, ma’am! There was nothing wrong when I did the morning inspection!”

“How convenient that it failed at the exact right moment. Are you in on it?”

“Colonel! What are you saying?!”

The situation defied common sense. It was impossible unless someone had deliberately caused it.

“Check the other corridor cameras. Anything?”

“No, ma’am! All access logs are managed right here! I couldn’t have missed it. Wesley swears on his chest—he’s never once neglected his duties!”

“…This is insane. Are we dealing with a ghost or something?”

Julia clutched her head in frustration. Moreover, only a few minutes had passed since they heard the knock, and no one had left. Even if the person had somehow avoided the cameras, they couldn’t have escaped every pair of eyes in the building. It was beyond belief.

“Leah, this won’t do. Stay with me tonight. Something feels wrong.”

Julia grabbed Leah’s hand as she spoke. At that moment, Leah’s phone buzzed repeatedly.

“J-just a second…”

Leah pulled out her phone and checked the screen. It was a mass text message. As she slowly read through it, her expression turned to shock.

It was a format she had never seen before, and the sender was none other than the retired Lutus Edan. Why would Commander Lutus Edan send this? And so suddenly? What was the Missing Protocol, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and why was she being ordered back to a closed fortress?

Checking the GPS tag that automatically recorded the transmission location, she confirmed the message had indeed originated from Graveyard. There was no room for doubt.

A suspicious letter. An incomprehensible text message. If she had received them separately, they might have been nothing more than unpleasant incidents. But arriving almost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simultaneously, they left Leah Gilliard deeply unsettled.

Moreover, that phrase—Offer your life for humanity’s victory. She had never heard it during her time at Graveyard, yet it felt strangely familiar. Something about it made her chest tighten, as though she had forgotten something precious. A sensation gripped her entire body.

Seeing Leah’s grave expression, Julia, who had been interrogating the hapless barracks manager, approached her.

“Leah?”

“…!!”

“What is it? What did the message say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just spam.”

Leah hurriedly stuffed her phone back into her pocket. Julia gave her a suspicious look, but Leah forced a calm reply.

“I’m really fine. Honestly. Colonel, it’s already late, so maybe we can have that late-night snack another time?”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry. I survived five years on the front lines, after all. I’m a battle-hardened veteran!”

She tried to put on a brave face, but she couldn’t hide the slight darkening of her expression. Julia hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply and placed her hands on Leah’s shoulders.

“Is the letter connected to that message?”

“…”

Leah couldn’t answer rashly. The moment she saw the message, something told her she mustn’t speak carelessly. Of course, Julia understood exactly what Leah’s silence meant. Sometimes even the closest people keep secrets. Julia nodded and smiled gently.

“If you can’t talk about it, that’s fine. Get some proper rest tonight. If anything strange happens, don’t hesitate to tell me right away.”

“Yes, thank you, Colonel.”

“Aigoo, my sweet girl.”

Julia patted Leah’s backside a few times. She was already approaching her mid-thirties, while Leah had only just entered her twenties. To her, Leah felt like a much younger sister.

“I bought the snacks for you, so go ahead and eat them.”

With that, Julia left the junior officers’ quarters. At the same time, she began making a phone call.

“Hey, Colonel Raven. It’s Julia. Been a while. Actually, I was wondering… do you know anything about Graveyard Fortress? There’s this officer I really care about…”

***

Leah Gilliard returned to her room. Her mind was in turmoil. Yet one thing was certain: she had to go to Graveyard Fortress right now. She didn’t know why. It was pure instinct. If she didn’t go, she would regret it for the rest of her life—her subconscious was screaming at her.

Leah immediately began packing. She stuffed clothes, toiletries, and emergency medical supplies into her bag just in case. She was supposed to report for duty tomorrow, but she had already handled all urgent matters, so taking leave shouldn’t be a problem.

While packing, she used an app on her phone to find the fastest available military flight. Less than a year had passed since the war with the Titans ended. Any soldier serving the Empire could use military aircraft at a low cost, provided they could match the flight schedule.

Though the sun had long since set, she booked the earliest available slot without hesitation. A flight departing Branberg Military Airport at 1 a.m., heading to an air defense position near Graveyard.

Without even touching the still-unopened late-night snacks, Leah left the quarters and hailed a taxi.

“To Branberg Military Airport, please!”

“That’s pretty far…”

“I’ll pay double—twice the usual fare!!”

If a young woman was willing to say that at this late hour, it had to be an emergency. The taxi driver, who would normally have refused, accepted the long-distance fare for once.

‘What is this? What is this feeling…? What exactly do I want?’

Her heart pounded violently. Leah bit her lip as she watched the night scenery blur past the window. It was a familiar sensation—the same emotion she felt in the dreams she had every night. Ever since she started exchanging letters with Captain John Hobbs, she had been able to sleep soundly, but that didn’t mean the feeling had faded.

Sadness, fear, guilt. Endless self-loathing and the remorse of never being able to help the people she cared about. That heavy, suffocating feeling—the reason her pillow was always wet with tears when she woke up. She would understand everything once she reached that graveyard.

After a thirty-minute taxi ride, a three-hour flight, and a ninety-minute walk from the landing site to Graveyard, Leah Gilliard finally arrived at her old home.

A gray fortress built of dull concrete. She hadn’t noticed it back then, but now, living in the Eastern Military District, she was struck by how crude it looked. Dawn was already breaking. Beyond the air defense control tower standing like a gravestone, a red glow slowly crept along the horizon.

Because the fortress was closed, there were no special security measures in place. Leah passed the guard post, where the guards’ traces had long since vanished, and looked out over the parade ground, now overgrown with weeds.

Five years. A place filled with memories that felt both long and short. They had held campfires here with others, danced together. Once, they had even brought in all the villagers for a grand festival, thanks to Lutus Edan’s suggestion to keep an eye on the gangs near the village. Since it was the largest open space in the fortress, it had been perfect for a festival. And because it was so wide, it had also been used to mourn comrades who died in battle…

“……, Urgh…?!”

A sudden, stabbing pain struck her heart. Leah clutched her chest. Her breathing grew ragged. Forcing her head up to look at the parade ground, she saw not weeds but countless white cloths covering the entire field.

White cloths…?

“Ugh, urgh!!”

Nausea surged up at the same time. Beneath those white cloths lay her comrades. The parade ground of Graveyard, once filled with joyful memories, had instantly become a mass grave.

“This is wrong, this is all wrong! What is this…?!!!”

Leah screamed. This had to be an illusion. There was no other explanation. Not a single person had died at Graveyard. There had been injuries, but no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deaths.

Yet Leah remembered every face wrapped in those cloths with perfect clarity.

Kelly of the 3rd Combat Company had her throat torn out by a Titan. Openturk of the Communications Battalion was crushed by a collapsing antenna during a Titan bombardment, his upper body obliterated. Scarlet of the Intelligence Section was caught in a trap during a reconnaissance mission and went missing—only her severed head was recovered. Eugene of the Supply Company was vaporized in an ammunition depot explosion; not even a body remained. Bella of the 5th Combat Company was crushed under the foot of a Large Titan. Ibelstein died of massive blood loss. Rox, Limon, Irkia, Coltos, and Kaisa entered a high-radiation zone and bled out from every pore. Zachary, Ralph, Lawrence, Sasori, Anna, Kalsten, Jane, Otro—beheaded, burned alive, dissolved in acid. Kate, whose smiling eyes had been so lovely, had her eyes gouged out by a Titan.

Deaths and disappearances during operations. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect my precious supply unit members. That operation should never have happened. I’m sorry for sacrificing them because I was distracted by the Commander. Major Leah, don’t worry. Who do you think we are? Your place is by the Commander’s side. Mom, Mom, I was just bluffing. I’m sorry. Major, please save me. The Commander has the power to turn back time? Then Lutus, you bastard, you should’ve used it properly. Leah Gilliard, you’re no different, you bitch. Catch that bastard! She’s infected with a thought parasite! Major! Dodge! Major! Major! Please kill me! I can’t live like this. A Titan laid eggs in my body. I can feel them eating my insides. This horrible sensation, like my brain is being forcibly kneaded.

—No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her own desperate scream echoed in her ears.

“Uweeegh-!!”

Unable to withstand the pressure, Leah vomited everything in her stomach.

“Ugh, urgh…!! Hah, hah, sob, sob…”

It was fortunate she hadn’t eaten the snacks. Bile rose in her throat. Even after emptying what little remained, the nausea was so overwhelming she couldn’t draw breath.

“Cough, hack… urgh, hngh… uweeegh!!”

Yet Leah forced her trembling legs to hold her upright. She couldn’t fall. If she fell, she knew she would never get up again.

Leah looked toward the gray ivory tower of Graveyard, dark and rippling. Akasha. Inside it were the memories she had forgotten—the memories she must never forget.

Terrifying and frightening, yet she had to do it. Leah dragged her heavy legs forward.

Finally, she reached the deepest part of Graveyard. Stumbling again and again, retching, her clothes torn, she kept moving. As if welcoming her, the massive quantum computer let out a low hum.

A blinding white light filled her vision. At the same time, Leah Gilliard opened her eyes inside a familiar room.