Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan: just my OC's and the plot.

The Awakening

Prologue

The late afternoon sun was a welcome reprieve from the cold: this winter had been one of the hardest in living memory, so it was a true delight to finally have the warmth cut through the frigid air, and bring a little relief to the land. The snow was thick on the ground, and the road was icy in certain places, so traveling was still very restricted; today however, with the sun keeping the air mild enough to endure, this was one of the few days he was able to travel into town.

As his horse made its way down the street, he was struck by how quiet it was: not many, if barely a handful of people were out today; 'How strange?' he though offhand. 'With the sun out, you'd think there'd be more folk about'. As he pressed on, he could smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread coming from the bakery, and meat roasting over a fire wafting out of the nearby inn, and suddenly, he felt his hunger sharpened: he made a mental note to pick up a small bread bap for the journey home.

Finally, he arrived at his destination: bringing his horse up alongside the establishment in question, he dismounted, gave his mount a handful of oats for a journey well done, and tied up the reins to the hitching rail. Stepping up to the door, he was relieved to see the shop was still open, and proceeded inside.

"Hello Stanley," the old man smiled, as he poked his head up from behind a large pile of books on the counter; "Long time no see: I see you decided to take advantage of the sunshine eh? I'm amazed not more people are out today"

"It's certainly milder" Stanley replied as he loosed his scarf and took off his gloves: "But personally, I got a feeling the weather's going to move in again tonight"

"Yeah, quite probably" the old man sighed offhand, "So? What can I do you for?"

"Ah, heh," Stanley sheepishly smiled as he approached the counter, "Well? Our lil' Krista's turning five tomorrow: but between this weather and the food shortage, work at the farm's been doubly hard this winter, so today's the only day I've been able to get out to buy her a present. I thought maybe a story book or something? You know, help her with her reading, with some nice pictures to look at?"

"Ah geez" the old man sighed as he scratched his head, "With the roads iced over I've not received any new stock for weeks," he then suddenly perked up: "... But listen, I was cleaning out the cellar last week and found a dozen boxes of books I'd completely forgotten about, been down there for years and never even remembered they were there! I decided to put them up for sale and see if there'd be any takers: I don't know if there's anything your daughter would like, but you're welcome to go and have a look?"

"Oh thanks Fritz" Stanley smiled with relief,

"Third floor, up on the left hand side: just shout if you need anything" Fritz smiled, before disappearing back below the counter again.

The climb up the stairs was daunting at best: as the old floorboards squeaked and creaked under his weight, the rest of the building sounded like it was having a hard time staying upright too; with the dusty cobwebs hanging from every corner, and every surface covered in a thick grey layer of dust, it was a wonder this bookshop remained in business at all. The grimy windows made it hard to make out anything, between the gloom of the lamp-less rooms and the dark shadows of the corners and gaps between the bookshelves: it wasn't hard to imagine a few ghosts could be hiding in a place like this.

Finally, he reached the third floor: a small dusty dismal room where everything seemed to be tinted the same shade of grey, illuminated by a single circular window that hadn't seen a wash cloth or soapy water in decades, with beams of sunlight lighting up the dusty air, and turning them into warm beams of gold that brought hues of yellow to the otherwise depressing interior. Seeing the books in question, Stanley turned his head to better read the spines, and glanced over the large collection; there were books for a whole range of different things, from cooking and cleaning, to crafts and handiwork's, even a sizable collection of novels and stories. But, nothing that seemed to be suitable for a child.

Deciding to be thorough, Stanley perused the nearby bookcases along the walls: using one of his gloves to dust off the spines, he inspected the few children's books that were present, but they didn't really seem to fit what his daughter would like; none of them had any pictures, and the stories weren't particularly exciting (nothing that read like a fairy tale at least). Standing back and placing his hands on his hips, Stanley sighed in defeat; he couldn't go home without something for his precious little girl, the look on her face if she knew he wasn't able to get anything for her on her special day, made his heart sink. Of course there was the toy shop across town, but the guy there never kept regular hours, so there was no guarantee he'd be open today; and with very few other options available, it was looking pretty hopeless.

As he let another sigh of defeat escape his lips, Stanley suddenly heard something: a soft, almost inaudible fluttering sound, like a butterfly's wing beats; looking around as his ears tried to hone in on the sound, he could hear it was coming from above...from the window. There, amid the bright golden light of the sunbeams, was a large white butterfly, flapping against the glass...A butterfly? At this time of year? Stanley figured it must have flown into the shop sometime during the late summer, and had been trapped inside ever since. Then, the butterfly left the window, and flittered its way towards him, landing on the corner of a nearby bookshelf that reached his eye level.

As he gazed down at the small insect, Stanley was surprised to see just how pristine its white wings were; they were the whitest white he'd ever seen, almost to the point they looked like they were glowing; as it flexed its wings back and forth, they almost seemed to glisten, as if they were covered in tiny flecks of starlight. It was...beautiful...

In that moment, Stanley felt a strange sense of calm and tranquillity come over him, as if there was no danger anywhere in the world: time felt like it was melting into an eternal age, as the sun seemed to shine brighter through the dirty window, the dusty air glowing with warm radiance, until the whole room was bathed in warm golden light, and everything glowed in the same tinted shade of yellow. Stanley's eyes grew heavy, as he felt his body relax, and steadily give into the soft welcoming warmth; he felt a soft warm hand gently caress against the back of his right hand, and the strange feeling that he was not alone.

Follow me

Jumping with fright and shaking his head, he snapped back to reality, still standing in the same grey dusty room: looking around, he saw no one was there, "That's funny" he frowned in confusion, "I could've sworn I felt-

He looked down at his right hand, but it was just the same; "...Weird" he thought aloud, the far-off gaze in his eyes reflecting his bemusement "Maybe there are some ghosts in this place?"

Looking back up at the bookcase, he saw the butterfly was gone, looking around; he spotted it at the far end of the room, resting on another bookcase. Wandering over, he approached it slowly, but the insect took off, fluttering around the case to the one behind it. Stepping carefully around the towering bookcases to where the shelves and cases met the back wall; Stanley caught sight of it, but this time, it was perched on a book at the very top of the highest bookcase in the room. The book immediately caught Stanley's attention, as it seemed to be the only one not covered in dust: its red spine standing out from the drab colours of all the other spines. 'How odd' he thought.

Stepping up onto the footstool at the bottom of the case, he stretched his whole body up so his arms could reach the top-most shelf, and with the very tips of his fingers, he gently teased the book from out of its place, until it fell out and nearly landed on his head, with the butterfly taking off just as it slipped off the shelf. Looking down at the cover, Stanley was surprised to see it had no title, except for the emblem of a golden flower of some kind, one he'd never seen before, and depicted in a style he wasn't familiar with. Opening the cover, the book creaked in protest, it obviously hadn't been opened for a good number of years, and as he flicked through the first several pages, he was taken aback by the beautiful detailed illustrations and elegant calligraphy; the colours practically radiated off the pages, and some lines and paragraphs seemed to have been written in pure gold, as they reflected the sun's golden rays, lighting the pages up as if they were on fire.

"How did a masterpiece of such quality end up in a place like this?" Stanley thought aloud as he continued to flick through the pages, mesmerized by the beauty and colour of the artistry: indeed, a book of this level of craftsmanship could only be found in the capitol, and the price alone would have been worth nearly a quarter of his land; wondering just how much it was worth anyway, Stanley glanced up at the price board at the top of the shelf: knowing his luck it was probably a pretty steep price; but his eyes practically popped out of his skull when he saw it was the sales shelf. Everything to go, all books only five copper pieces.

'Five copper pieces?!' Stanley's mind stammered, looking down at the book in surprise; he slammed it shut, and hurried back downstairs to the counter: he wasn't going to waste time wondering how he got so lucky. After paying Fritz and thanking him, he left the shop with a pleasant feeling of satisfaction; 'Krista's going to love this' he thought as a smile crossed his lips, and quickly tucked the book away into his satchel, returning to his horse.

The next day, late evening:

"So, did you have a great birthday?" the tall blond girl smiled as she followed close behind,

"Oh yes yes!" her little sister beamed as she jumped into her bed and scooted under the covers; her older sister removed the bed warming pan from the foot of the bed, and placed it on the floor before sitting down next to her, and reaching for the book on her bedside table: "I had a wonderful day sissy!"

"Really? What would you say was your favorite present?" the older girl smiled,

"Daddy's book! It's so pretty! And I love all the pictures!" the girl smiled as she grabbed the book and flicked through the pages.

"It is really pretty..." the older girl thought aloud, "So, what story would you like me to read to you?"

"Hmm?" the little blond hummed as she thumbed through the pages, until one page in particular caught her eye, "-That one!"

"Hm..." the older girl glanced at the title, "The sleeping gods huh? Sounds kinda different, but hey, it's your birthday right?" she smirked,

"That's right, now read! I wanna know if it's got a nice pretty princess in it!" she smiled as she handed the book to her sister and snuggled down further under the covers.

"Okay, here we go..." her sister cleared her throat, and started reading the first paragraph; "...Long long ago, before the time of the great sorrows: the world and all its peoples lived in harmony with the gods. There were many different gods, that did many different things, and they all lived in many different places all over the world; from the lands of the burning sands, to the frozen wastelands of the top and bottom of the world, the great mountains of the cloud kingdoms, and the eternal oceans of the west..."

"What's an 'ocean' sissy?" the little girl tilted her head to one side,

The illustrations on the page next to the text, depicted a vast lake with no land surrounding it, mountains so tall they pierced the sky, hilly golden fields of sand, and vast white lands of snow and ice, surrounded by deep blue water and covered by glowing clouds of green and pink light in the sky. And in the center of the picture, a circle of people dressed in flowing white robes, with flowers and crystals woven into their hair, holding hands and dancing together.

'Burning sands? Frozen wastelands? Cloud kingdom, and-, what the heck's an 'ocean'?...' the girl quirked an eyebrow in confusion, "I've no idea" she shrugged, but continued to read, "...Through their powers, they did many good things to keep the world at peace: but their most important duty, above all others, was to care for, and teach the peoples of the world, how to live in harmony with nature and the spirits..."

The illustration on the following page depicted another robed figure: a male with long brunet hair comforting a crying child, while a tall elegant woman with flowing white hair, was addressing a large crowd of people, with white light beams bursting forth from her long elegant dress.

"She's really pretty!" her little sister pointed to the picture,

"They taught many things to the people, and showed them how to be better, kinder, more caring human beings to the world, and to one another...But then, one day, a very evil wizard, who had never been good once in his whole life, grew bitterly jealous of the gods and their power. He didn't like having to share anything with anyone, he didn't like the fact that he couldn't just do whatever he wanted; the gods wouldn't let him, least his actions would have dire consequences for everyone, and above all, he hated the fact, that he was a mere mortal: and like all mortals, he too would have to die one day..."

Another illustration depicted an bitter looking old man in a long black robe, seemingly sitting alone in a cave, with a bubbling caldron at his side, and carved onto the cave wall above his head, was what looked like an eye with light beams surrounding it, a slit for a pupil, and jagged symbols of some kind.

"He looks like a real meanie!"

"Yeah, he kinda does doesn't he? ... After many years of wallowing in his hatred: he decided to take the gods power for his own, and he knew exactly how to do it...Finally, after all his preparations had been completed, he sent out an invitation to all the gods of the world, that there was to be a grand feast held in their honor, in celebration of all their good works. Flattered by this, all the gods accepted, and on the night of the feast, they all came from every corner of the world; it was a glorious and happy night, filled with feasting, dancing, music and laughter. A grand time had by all, and when the time came, the wizard raised his cup and toasted the gods, and they in turn, raised their cups to him, in great thanks for this magnificent and wonderful feast"

"Its poison!" the little blond squeaked,

"...But then, suddenly, as they drank form their cups, all the gods began to feel strange, as if something didn't feel right: and before they could do or say anything, all the gods screamed in agony as they were changed by the evil magic. For you see, every cup the gods had drunk from, had been laced with a powerful potion: a potion that turned the gods from their beautiful selves, into giant hideous creatures of titanic proportions. And as the evil magic did its work, and all the gods howled in despair at what they had become, the wizard revelled in the sorrow he had brought upon them...But his evil didn't stop there"

"What? How can you get anymore meaner than that?!"

"Cursed to exist as voiceless hulking giants, the gods could do nothing to fight back, as the wizard threw them all into the deepest darkest pit he could find, and there they remained his prisoners, shackled and chained... For a year and a day, he would visit them at noon and at midnight, every day and every night: and with an enchanted blade he had crafted from bones and dragons teeth, he would cut their flesh and bleed them of their blood: for the blood of a god, contains many potent and powerful magical properties, and with it, the evil wizard could summon the most powerful of magic's to do his bidding; mountains would kneel before him, whole oceans would part before his feet, and he would even become the ruler of death itself..."

Another illustration depicted the dark wizard: laughing with a look of vindictive glee in his eyes, holding up a giant bowl, full of a bright glowing blue liquid with sparks flying out of it: while behind him, was a deep dark hole with giant shackled hands reaching out, trying to break their chains.

"...Wow"

"But, his evil endeavors did not go unnoticed. For when the gods disappeared, the peoples of the world despaired and had searched high and low looking for them: until finally a band of kindly and good wizards had found the evil wizard and his lair, deep in the black mountain, and had learned of what he had done. Outraged, they summoned their most powerful magic's to fight him, but with the blood of the gods coursing through his veins, there was no way to kill him; so instead, the wizards tricked him, and imprisoned him deep inside the mountain. In a tomb so dark that no light could ever touch it, and so deep down beneath the mountain's heart, that no living man or creature could ever reach it"

The double spread on the next two pages, depicted a group of men with long white beards, clothed in shining silver armour and long white robes, fighting the dark wizard, that now looked more some kind of hideous monster than a man. Gazing as the white wizards, she noticed the flower emblem on their breast plates, was the exact same one on the cover of the book. That was odd.

"Serves him right, but what happened to the gods?"

"...With the battle won, and the evil wizard banished forever: the good wizards searched far and wide, looking for the pit the gods had been imprisoned in. For a year and a day they crossed the land and seas, searched the skies and all the deepest places of the world... With the gods gone, the world and all its people fell into sorrow and despair: for without the gods to guide them, mankind slowly forgot the wisdom of their teachings, and little by little, hatred crept in where love once was, greed overthrew generosity, spite defeated kindness, and the once best of friends, had now become the most bitter of enemies. War upon war played out across the lands, bringing even more misery to all...Finally, the wizards found the pit, and deep down at the bottom, they found the gods: bled of all their power, and deep in a death-like sleep. Gone they were, from this life and mortal chapter of their lives, for the evil wizard's malice, cruelty and hatred was such, that the curse could not be broken; the wizards broke their shackles and took their bodies from the pit, and lamented for the failure of the mission"

"That's really sad"

"...But, not all was lost: for the gods were immortal, and it would take far more than a mere wizard to be the end of them. Although the curse could not be broken, the wizards could change it, so that one day far in the future, the gods would awaken from their death-sleep, and find a way to break the curse themselves. And restore balance to the now broken world of men...Summoning the last of the magic held within the god's blood, the good wizards took the gods bodies to the Hidden Land, and under the shade of the great tree Yggdrasil, they placed them within enchanted tombs, and hid them deep in the forest of giant trees: where they would lay for over three ages, uncorrupted by the passing of time, and unseen by all, except those who know the secret places of the world, and keep them secret, from any who wish to do harm...And to this day, there they remain, asleep in their tombs, waiting for the day when they will finally awaken: and allow the awakening of mankind to begin anew...the end"

"...Cool, but, when are they gonna wake up Daisy?"

"Who knows?" Daisy shrugged, "Could be tomorrow, could be never?"

"But they gotta wake up sometime, it say's so in the book: do you think they could asleep out in the woods?"

"Uh, I think if here were a bunch of giant tombs full of giant sleeping gods, we'd have seen them by now" Daisy chuckled, before placing a kiss on her little sister's forehead, "Anyway, I gotta go help tidy up before bed: you want the candle left alight?"

"Yes please, I wanna look at the pictures..." she beamed as she grabbed the book and started flicking through it, "Hey daisy, is Frieda coming by tomorrow?"

"Yes, and if your good, she might bring along one of her mum's saffron buns" Daisy smirked as she got up to leave the room, "We'll be gone most of tomorrow so don't wait up for me okay?"

"Okay...Hey Daisy?" she stopped at the door and turned to face her, "...Is Frieda gonna be okay? She hasn't been the same since-..."

Seeing the look in her little sister's eyes, Daisy approached the bed, and softly placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "...I'm sure she'll fine, she's just-, been going through a rough patch is all. She and her uncle Uri were really close; loosing someone so dear to your heart isn't easy to deal with...She just needs time to grieve, and to deal with it in her own way, okay?"

"Okay"

"Alright Krista, now don't stay up too late now" she placed another kiss on her forehead, and turned to leave the room.

As she listened to her big sister's footsteps disappear down the stairs, Krista gazed out the big window, and smiled as she saw snowflakes drifting down from the inky black sky. "Pretty!" she beamed, "...Are you still asleep out there?" she whispered to the dark.

Outside, perched on the edge of the roof beneath the window, a large white butterfly sat still: its radiant white wings glistening with starlight as the snow fell all around, until a strong but gentle wind blew up, and carried it off up into the night air.

Across the sky it soared on the winter winds like a shining white ember: over the walls Sina and Rose, across villages and towns, farmlands, prairies, forests and mountains, until it reached the towering forests of Wall Maria, and the forests of giant trees. Down it fluttered amid the falling snow, deep into the forest where the thick branches of the canopy kept the majority of the snow off the ground. And in a deep narrow holler, far from house or road, where the air slowed to a crawl and the trees slept quietly waiting for the spring melt, a giant stone structure lay hidden amongst the thick undergrowth and dead-fall.

It was very large, about the size of a large house, except it wasn't a house: there were no doors or windows, just hundreds and hundreds of strange patterns and symbols carved into the sides, filled with moss, lichens and fungi, and the top was completely flat, covered in even more strange symbols, though no one would be able to tell on account of all the thick vines and dead leaves sprawled across the surface, concealing the majority of the elaborate designs. At a distance, it looked quite strange: very out of place all the way out here in the deepest reaches of the forest; some might mistake it for a building of some kind, while others, might be inclined to suggest it looked more like a tomb.

The butterfly drifted down, and landed on the very tip of the most exposed corner of the structure. Resting as the air stilled, and the silence grew until it was almost deafening.

Then, amid the giant trees and undergrowth: countless disembodied voices began to quietly whisper in unison, speaking in strange unknown languages, not heard for many ages; untamed, innocent, and ancient. As if the very forest and the air around it were calling out to someone.

Inside the stone structure, a deep soft rumbling reverberated out through the cold stone, and echoed through the trees.

It's nearly time

The butterfly took off, flitting up through the cold air into the canopy, and disappeared.

Another rumble sounded from inside the structure, followed by a low steady rhythmic beating: like a drum, or, a heartbeat.

If anyone had been standing nearby, they could be mistaken for thinking that they heard thunder booming far off in the distance.

Or a giant titan turning in its sleep.

You know? it's funny how little things have a way of making big differences, like changing the course of one's fate. For instance, in this world, a number of years ago, Alma (Krista and Daisy's mother) had originally set out to the Reiss family estate to seek work there as a maid; but on the way, she got lost and ended up at Stanly lens farm by mistake. Being too nice and polite to turn her away, he offered her the job instead, and after a two year courtship, she finally agreed to marry him. One year later, Daisy came along, followed by Krista ten years later. It's curious to think what might have happened to Alma, if she did take up that job at the Reiss's estate, eh? (nudge nudge, wink wink) ;D

Anyway, welcome to the start of my new AU fanfic, the Awakening; buckle up tight and get your pairing bladed and 3DM gear ready,cuz it's gonna be one heck of a ride! Magical gods and titans galore, with everyone's favorite Scouts being dragged along for the adventure.

I hope you enjoy, and do leave me a review on the way out, thanks! :D