Eren couldn't remember how far back his fascination with the human world went, but at this point it no longer mattered. His avid interest with the land bound creatures had dulled in the past few years as his interest in survival far surpassed his childhood fantasies. He would often recall how he and Armin would speak of swimming all the way to the surface, seeing the true sun and breathing the air above the water like his ancestors once had. He sometimes wished he could still employ such dreams, especially now that his world had turned so dark.
The need to survive had turned his childhood obsession into his saving grace, but sadly enough, had forced him to take a stance of disinterest on the subject of humans. He had been a collector of human artifacts when he was young, and he would often swim through old boat wreckage with his siblings, Armin and Mikasa, hoping to find treasures hidden among the piles of decaying wood. They never found anything most of the time, as traders and treasure hunters picked over mostly everything. Sometimes though, they would find something special. Once, he brought home am old leather thing, hoping his father would know what it was. He told him that it was a shoe, an object that humans used to protect their feet. To this day, Eren had no idea what feet were, or how shoes even functioned, as his father had been unwilling to elaborate.
At the time, the lack of information only piqued his interest even more, but now he wished he knew less about the human race than he did. His trips to ship ruins were no longer an act of childish curiosity, but of necessity. What he found in the human waste could be sold, making a profit that allowed Eren to fulfill his share of work to support the meagre household he shared with his siblings. The wonderment of his fellow merfolk was all that made ends meet, and more often than not, many would repurpose human trinkets into something useful in their watery world.
Eren's sister Mikasa made a more decent living, weaving baskets and bags from the thick seaweed that clung to the ocean floor. He wasn't quite sure if she necessarily enjoyed the profession, but she was willing to do the labor intensive work if it contributed to their semblance of comfort. Armin did odd jobs for however much people were willing to pay, and sometimes Eren and Mikasa wouldn't see him for days at a time. In the end, they got food on the table, and that was enough for all of them. The only problem that any of them had was that what Eren was doing wasn't entirely legal. Sure, he could get an artifacts license, but that takes years of schooling, and school was expensive. No one would take Eren in any other kind of work, so this is what he had to lower himself to. It wouldn't be the first time he had done something illegal in order to survive. He got money for his trouble, so no one really complained, but there would always be the risk of the Military Police arresting him. Then he would be helping no one, so he was cautious in every way.
Eren deftly swam between the splintered wreckage of a ship's hull and the coral reef it had crashed into. His trained eyes scanned the thing from top to bottom. Not much here. He had doubted that he would be able to find anything. This ship sat on the edge of a common travel rout, and it had been picked over dozens of times before being abandoned because of increased human activity in the area. Eren scowled at the thought. The tribe would have to pack up and move on again within the next week. The humans were moving in on them once again, and Eren and everyone else would be forced to move into deeper waters to reek refuge from the human's fishing nets and diving ships. Eren and his fellow Merfolk had been on the move for many years now, trying to avoid the humans and their ocean industry as they moved further and further away from the shore, breaching the borders of their ancient society and decimating their population.
The humans had dominated the land, and now they were stretching their domain to even the deepest waters, forcing merfolk into the darkest parts of the ocean in order to survive. many tribes had disappeared into the depths, never to be seen again. There were rumors of a new generation of merfolk that had adapted to survive in the freezing waters in the deepest parts of the ocean. It was said that they had pale skin, lidless eyes that were pure white due to the darkness, and possessed spines and poisonous bites that allowed them to fight against the monsters of the deep. Eren hoped they were just rumors, exaggerations that had developed among the tribes when they spoke of the last merfolk stronghold in the Bermuda Triangle. The mermen and maids that lived there were pale and held up in their ways of royal tradition. They were said to be a fierce and unforgiving lot of people who could pull entire ships into the depths of the ocean in just moments. Some said they ate human flesh as a rare delicacy there. Eren believed it all to be conjecture and lies made up by those in the tribes who's only dream had been to enter the walled city that was hostile to outsiders. There were rumors about humans as well, rumors that stated that the humans had created ships that could dive deep under the ocean, and that they were manned with dozens of humans and weapons of war that could destroy anything at the press of a button. Rumors like that instilled a sense of fear in people, and it kept them moving forward, moving into deeper and darker waters. Just five years ago, Eren had lived in warm coastal waters, where the sun shone brightly through the surface. He enjoyed the company of the reef fish, and the chances of meeting a friendly human were far more plausible. Now, he was far from land, dredging up a living in the darkness; and still he continued to sink deeper. The humans had wronged him in more ways than one, and if he ever met a human today, he would probably drown it.
Eren spent the next half hour exploring the wreckage, only finding a few useless baubles, not worth the effort of trying to sell. He felt some comfort at the realization that many humans had probably died in the crash. Legend has it that this particular ship had been set upon the reef by lord Poseidon himself when humans attempted to hunt mermaids for their tears. Serves the humans right.
After wandering around the wreckage for another hour, Eren decided to go ahead and head home so that he could help Armin and Mikasa pack up. They would be moving out two days from now, and the three of them still had a lot to do. He swam lazily back through the wreckage, admiring the coral and seaweed that had begun to feed on the rotted wood. Just as Eren emerged from the wreckage of the ship, a swarm of fish swam by, their synchronized movements making the water distort around them. They seemed to be in a hurry and Eren watched as many other fish straggled behind the swarm. He had to scoff at the collective panic that the fish were forced to suffer. Just like him, they were forced to revert to instinct in order to survive, however if even a single one of them panicked or felt threatened, then the entire mass would respond with equal levels of panic and fear. The whole swarm would move and respond according to the will of a single member. They all protected each other inside the mass, but outside of it, they were forced to face reality or die. Most died. For many, the real world was cruel and unforgiving. Those who relied on the mass only allowed their instincts to go so far. They never truly accounted for their own safety, and in the end, the world swallowed them whole.
Eren could not help but compare himself to the stragglers, except he did not struggle in his individuality. He welcomed his mostly independent life, and did rather well in supporting himself and Mikasa and Armin. In the end though, he was truly bound to a mass of people. It was too dangerous for small groups to travel the world's oceans alone. They had to move in large groups with a few hundred members each. Big enough to hold its own against a threat, small enough to go undetected by humans.
The swarm disappeared into the distance, and Eren looked back to the direction from which they came, only for a shiver of dread to make its way down his spine. He didn't stop to think, he only responded. He turned towards where the swarm had fled, and he too joined the straggling fish in their desperate escape. It was a net. A giant human fishing net. It moved quickly, its gaping maw wide open to reveal dozens of fish already trapped within it.
He began to swim up, finding that the sides of the net were far too wide out for him to escape by swimming long-ways. He couldn't swim fast enough. It was right on top of him. Eren tried to dodge around the top lip of the net, and barley made it, but a loop in the rope snagged onto his tail, jerking him away from his ascent and into the flow of the net. Eren cursed as he was flipped backwards, his tail twisting awkwardly in the net. His arms were forced over his head by the strength of the current, and he struggled to bring them to his side, where his knife rested in its pouch. Eren glanced down just in time to witness the fleeing school of fish being swallowed into the net. The humans were getting smarter, learning the swimming patterns of the schools.
Eren gritted his teeth as the bottom of the net began to angle upwards. The humans were pulling in their catch. Eren had only moments. He was hanging upside down now, his body suspended in the water, away from the net, even as it angled quickly upwards. He reached his arm up to his waist and grasped his knife, pulling it from its sheathe. His back bumped against the side of the net, and Eren could see the top of the net breaking water. This was not good. Eren dug his fingers into the net, trying to pull his body back up to his tail. A quarter of the net was above water now. He grasped the rope around his tail and began to saw with his other hand. The position he was in hurt terribly. It was hard to breathe with his hip digging into his ribcage, but he forced his focus in on the rope. Only half of the net remained in the water. The knife wasn't working. The ropes weren't damaged at all. It was like he was a single barnacle clinging to the tail end of a whale. He began to panic now as the net right above his tail surfaced, and before he knew it, his tail, chest, shoulders, and head had breached the water. He clawed at the rope desperately as the last of the net was lifted from the water.
This couldn't be happening. This could not. Be. Happening. He began hyperventilating, and then he began coughing as he realized that he couldn't breathe. The gills on his neck flared as he tried to breathe in water, but there was no water, only air. There were shouts, and Eren looked over to see people running around on the deck of a huge human ship. Many stopped and pointed in his direction. They were going to catch him. He was going to die, and the entire populace in the water under him would be compromised because of it. He had to escape. Eren released the net, and his body hung limp from the link. He tried to collect some of the water falling from the net and shovel the water onto his gills, but it was a fruitless effort. Eren gasped again and again as he and the net were dropped onto the deck of the human ship unceremoniously. The net fell on top of him, along with tons of flapping fish, who were struggling to breathe as much as he was. He had to escape. He glanced to where his tail was still caught in the net. He could escape if he sacrificed one of his fins. It wouldn't be too traumatic of a loss. He could grow the fin back. There were more shouts, and Eren blanched as he realized that the humans were looking for him among the piles of fish. It was now or never.
Eren steeled himself, and then jerked his tail forward. Pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before filled him, and he couldn't help the cry that escaped his lips. Tears welled in his eyes, and he blinked them away to inspect his tail. The right fin was completely torn off, barely hanging on by a tiny strip, but his tail was free. Despite the pain, he grinned in triumph, and didn't stop to think as he pulled himself towards the edge of the deck. His gills flared, and he gasped for breath desperately as he clawed for freedom. His tail dragged uselessly behind him, and he struggled as the weight seemed to increase each second. There was an opening on the deck railings, big enough for him to slip right through. If he could just make it there. Just as his had reached for the railing, gasping for breath, strong hands grasped his tail, and suddenly he was being pulled backwards.
All at once, the edge of the ship disappeared from his view, and he didn't even have the strength to fight back as he realized that he was about to pass out. Eren tried to knock the hands away with his tail, but his body was going numb. He heard curses and shouts behind him, more hands grabbed his body. They pulled him away from the water, away from freedom, and Eren could only close his eyes in defeat as he finally passed out, his gills closing and folding into the skin of his neck. After that, there was only darkness.
Part 2: You're kidding, right?
Levi Ackerman had never been a morning person. Anyone who had ever spent a morning with him knew this to be true. He was unapproachable until at least six thirty, and he had better have had his coffee by then or he would be in a bad mood all day. Well, worse than usual. Yet somehow, he was woken at the ass of dawn by an incessant racket at his front door. At first he had turned over in his bed and hoped it was just a dream, but it soon proved to be very real when a rock came hurdling through his bedroom window. He jumped out of bed and bolted for the window, swiping up the rock as he did so.
He pulled back the curtains and rolled up the blinds to find none other than Hanji waving her arms around and screaming like a lunatic on his front lawn. Levi cursed as he rolled up the window. "This had better be good shitty-glasses! You owe me a new window!" The crazed woman didn't seem to hear Levi as she hopped up and down, screaming something intelligible. Her face was flushed, and her hair was disheveled, her goggles falling onto her forehead. The woman was wearing her lab coat, which meant that she either went to the lab extremely early this morning or never left it last light. Levi was sure it was the latter. Hanji didn't seem like she was going to shut up any time soon, and Levi could see some of the neighbors peeking outside to see what was with all the commotion.
Levi sighed. It was way too early for this. He was sure he would have a headache before he even arrived at the lab, which is where he was sure Hanji would drag him off to. Levi bounced the decent sized stone in his hand and decided that there was only one possible thing he could do with it. He threw it at Hanji. It hit her in the head. The scientist went down hard, and the screaming went along with her. Levi nodded, satisfied that the scientist would be otherwise occupied for at least the next half hour. He closed the window, drew the blinds, and closed the curtains, scoffing at a small cloud of dust that now filtered through the air.
He dressed quickly and then made his way into the kitchen. He set the coffee to brew and then set about making his breakfast. He decided on something simple, as he doubted he would have the chance to enjoy a proper meal with Hanji now passed out on his front lawn. He knew she wouldn't stay that way for long. Sure enough, he had just finished his bagel when there was a knock at the door. Levi rubbed his eyes tiredly before he made his way to the front door. Two cups of coffee still wouldn't prepare him to deal with Hanji this early in the morning. The woman was too high energy, able to run for days on end before finally collapsing behind a desk somewhere in the lab. She rarely ever showered, and, much to Levi's disgust had no restraints when it came to physical contact with other people. More than once, Levi had been itching for a shower from just being in the scientist's presence. Levi had to wonder who thought it would be funny to stick a germaphobe and a spit-shine onto the same team, and make them partners no less. The woman was a genius, but Levi could hardly stand her.
Levi took a deep breath, steeling himself before swiftly opening the door. It was not Hanji at the door.
"E-Erwin?" Levi questioned, completely caught off guard by the man's was already dressed for work, his slacks crisp and pressed, and his tie adjusted perfectly under his shirt collar. He too was wearing his lab coat, and it was only then that Levi noticed an uncharacteristic gleam of amusement in the older man's eye.
"You have to give it to Hanji," he began, a small grin adorning his lips. "She can get people out of bed in the morning." Levi only grunted in response. The initial surprise of Erwin's visit had worn off, and now Levi was wondering what the hell was going on. Oluo and Petra were just behind Erwin, picking up an unconscious Hanji from the yard and carrying her to the car. Looks like the whole lab team is out here, he thought. What next, will the new intern Jean show up, reveal he was a centaur and then ride off into the sunrise? Levi could take no more surprises this morning. He turned his attention back to Erwin.
"Want to explain why Hanji was screaming like a loon on my front lawn?" Erwin only smiled and handed Levi a manila folder.
"We have a new subject to investigate," he said, his eyes gleaming in anticipation. Levi glanced through the papers quickly, and he didn't even finish reading them before he scoffed and closed the folder. This was just insulting. "If you're going to prank someone, you might want to use a more believable excuse to get them out of their house."
Erwin didn't even bat an eye as Levi scowled up at him. "Levi, there is a time for practical jokes, and there is a time for discovery, and I feel that pushing you onto the proverbial banana peel is the least of my concerns."
Levi breathed heavily through his nose. It was too. Damn. Early. "I'm not in the mood for any of your games Erwin! You seriously expect me to believe that we have a mermaid sitting in the laboratory."
"… It's technically a merman from what we can tell, but, yes."
Levi slapped himself in the face with the folder. Erwin huffed. "Levi, if I could have taken pictures of the thing I would have, but for now this discovery will remain a secret. We can't go gallivanting all over the internet and the media with this story until we're sure. Otherwise people would think we're crazy." Levi decided not to comment on that and remained silent. Honestly at this point, he wouldn't mind if Jean came running around the corner as a full-fledged majestic stallion. Such an event would do nothing to add to the abnormality of the day so far. Erwin continued to stand on Levi's porch, having no intention to depart until Levi agreed to come as well. Oluo and Petra waited rather impatiently by the car, clearly ready to depart as well. Levi sighed before reluctantly grabbing his keys and his lab coat. Screw it, he thought. Might as well get this over with. Little did he know that this was only the beginning.