The Salute of the Wings of Freedom shall be rendered thus: the right hand, closed in a fist, placed over the left breast. The fist shall then be rotated outward, palm facing forward, arm parallel to the ground. This gesture signifies the offering of one’s own heart to humanity. It shall be used in formation, at the beginning of an expedition, at the burial of fallen comrades, and in any moment when a soldier declares that their life belongs not to themselves, but to the cause of reclaiming the world.
“It’s what he gave me,” Ilse said. Her voice didn’t shake. “His heart. He wanted us to carry it forward.”
Ilse understood. She stood, turned to the survivors, and raised her right fist to her own heart—then extended it outward, open-palmed, as if releasing a caged bird. attack on titan soldier salute
Viktor nodded. He looked at the smoke rising from the funeral pyre. Then he faced the remaining soldiers—twenty-three hollow-eyed men and women—and raised his own fist. “Present hearts.”
She held the Salute for a full minute. No one watched. No commander gave the order. No bugle sounded. The Salute of the Wings of Freedom shall
The truth was Levi, kneeling beside Erwin’s body days later. The Commander’s right arm was gone—torn off in the Beast Titan’s final attack. But his chest still rose and fell. Barely. Levi didn’t speak. He didn’t cry. He simply placed his own fist over his heart, held it there for three long seconds, and then extended it toward Erwin’s face. I’ll carry it. Your heart. Your dream. Even if you won’t wake up to see it.
Eight hundred fists answered. Many of those fists would be cold by sunset. It shall be used in formation, at the
But regulations never capture truth.