That Day (Chapter 2)

That Day (その日) is the 2nd chapter of the 1st volume of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
The Colossus Titan kicks apart the Shiganshina District gate and Eren runs to his house, fearing that his mom was struck by debris. He finds her trapped under the house and tries to lift it with Mikasa's help when Hannes arrives, claiming he will kill the oncoming Titan, but, he succumbs to fear and takes the children away. While running, Eren sees his mother crushed to death and then eaten. After, Eren strikes Hannes and blames him for the loss of his mother until Hannes tells him they couldn't have saved her and takes both the children to the boats. While on the boats, the Armored Titan appears and destroys the main gate of Wall Maria. Eren, horrified, vows that he will wipe out all the Titans. Five years later, Eren, Mikasa, Armin Arlert, and their fellow soldiers graduate from the 104th Trainees Squad.

Summary
The chapter begins with a brief historical background on the Titans:

Then, picking up where the last chapter left off, the Colossus Titan continues to destroy the outer wall of Shiganshina District as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin watch frozen in fear and shock. With a massive hole in the wall and pieces of debris from the impact being flung onto houses, the inhabitants flee in panic. Armin alarmingly shouts that they too must leave Shiganshina before the Titans arrive. However, Eren, noticing the damage to the residential areas, immediately begins to worry about his mother and heads back home with Mikasa following. Armin stays behind in a mental state of panic, losing all hope. Despite seeing the widespread damage, Eren desperately hopes for the best.

Turning the corner, he sees that a boulder has landed on and destroyed their house with their mother still inside. Finding her pinned under some rubble, he and Mikasa frantically try to pull her out. A roar from a nearby Titan adds more stress to the situation, driving Eren and Mikasa into complete desperation. Deducing that the Titans have entered the town, Carla insists that Eren take Mikasa and run. Eren, still struggling with debris, objects and continues his efforts. She then tells him that her legs are crushed--even if he manages to get her free, she won't be able to run--and screams for them to listen to her last request. The exchange is cut short when a Titan is seen moving closer to their position. Among the scene of panic, with Carla pleading for her children to run and the Titan bearing down on them, Hannes attempts to intervene by going after the Titan. Eren's mother stops him and begs him to take the children and run instead. At first, Hannes refuses, saying that he must repay his "savior" by rescuing the family. However, catching sight of the 15-meter Titan, he is stopped in his tracks, staring at the horrendous appearance of the Titan before him. Without hesitation, he withdraws his weapons and takes the children. With Carla grateful and Eren protesting, Hannes heads away from the Titan and towards safety. The Titan now directly above her, she spends her last seconds hoping the best for the future of her children. As she is pried from the debris by the looming Titan, the weight of her sacrifice sinks in, and she cries, knowing she will never see her family again. In full view of Eren and Mikasa, the Titan devours her. In shock, Eren attacks Hannes, who then throws him to the ground. Eren angrily insists that with a little more time, his mother could have been saved. Hannes delivers the hard truth that Eren simply was not strong enough to save her. He then admits, guilt-ridden, that even he did not have the courage to face the Titan and asks for their forgiveness. Mikasa, in her usual stoic state of mind, glances at the entrance of the district and vaguely observes, "Ah... that again," while touching her forehead.

Afterward, Eren and Mikasa are seen among a large crowd of refugees trying to get to safety. A feeling of devastation hangs in the air. Military officials are debating whether they should close the gate, trapping civilians inside but ensuring the safety of everyone else in the inner walls, or leave them open and risk Titans advancing further into humankind's territory. The debate is short-lived as an Armored Titan that seems impervious to their weapons crashes through Wall Maria. The gravity of the situation dawns on Eren when he realizes he can never go home again. Seeing the weakness of humanity, he vows to erase the Titans from this world.

Fast forward five years later to the present day, year 850, the dire situation humanity faces is stated as they have paid for their 100 years of peace. As a result of their unpreparedness against the Colossus Titan, they were forced to abandon Wall Maria and had to seek protection inside Wall Rose. At the graduation of the 104th Trainees Squad, the graduates are also made aware of their expectations. A military official announces the top ten graduates for the class, asks them to step forward, and informs them they alone are eligible to apply for the Military Police: Mikasa Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bott, Connie Springer, Sasha Blouse and Krista Lenz. Eren, as strong as ever in his fervor, renews his vow and says that "This time around, mankind will feast upon the Titans". The military official then explains the three branches from which they can choose: the Garrison, who reinforce the walls and protect the towns; the Survey Corps, who readily sacrifice their lives outside the Walls to engage the Titans in their home turf with the hopes to gather information; and the king-controlled Military Police Brigade, who regulate the population and maintain order in the interior.

Information Currently Available for Public Disclosure
"1. The reason for having city offshots protruding outside the Walls:

''In this world, wall-building is an endeavor of the utmost importance. As illustrated by the simple figure on the left, just building the city inside the walls leaves you with no available countermeasures should the titans ever manage to break in. Because simply put, on such a large scale territory, there's no telling where they'll strike. Obviously, preemptively patrolling and defending the wall in its entirety is not humanly feasible. Therefore, an alternative has been adopted, as depicted on the figure below.''

''The point is essentially to reduce the target to manageable size. This policy allows to keep the cost of defending the wall in check, and to concentrate the military forces in a single point. However, it won't work if the people meant to serve as "bait" for the purpose of gathering the titans are nowhere to be found within. The troops stationed there warrant a certain economic impact on the city, but when weighed against the fear of being eaten by the titans, economic advantage doesn't make those towns all that attractive for potential dwellers. Which is why the royal government has been promoting those who do live there to the rank of "Bravest Warriors", in an effort to encourage the general public.''

''A little anecdote: the doors, drawing the line between the humans' territory and that of the titans outside the walls aren't quite as solid as the rest. In light of which the Conservatives had devised a plan to have them buried. But that was countered by the Reformists advocating that 'abandoning the doors to the outside world was tantamount to renouncing the idea of a rehabilitation of mankind.'''

More information about how when and how these walls were built later in the story."

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