An Introductory Note from the Author:
Welcome to the first installment of my latest saga! Greatly appreciate you stopping by. This is the sequel to my story 'Hidden Lions', and although it may be helpful to have read it first, it is not required reading in order to enjoy. Additionally, it's important to know that 'Gardens' is largely manga-deviant from Chapter 70 onward, though where opportunities present themselves I will try to incorporate the manga when I can.
Lastly, enjoy! Comments and constructive criticism greatly appreciated.
Prologue:
(Shiganshina)
It wasn't like this when I passed through, Jean thought over and over.
How could they not see clearly when the sun was so bright? They were riding, flying, through so many veils, so many columns of light…
It wasn't like this when I passed through.
Screeches, screaming, the crystallization of Eren's Titan form over the breach like the cracking of thousands of bones. There were no Titans in Shiganshina - or were there? What were the shapes running through the broken landscape? What was tearing them apart?
It wasn't like this when I passed through. He, and Mercedes, and Marco, and Eve, and the Jaguar Squad, and Julia...it'd been night. It'd been empty, clear. Now he felt drunk, moving through a fog that was worsening. His throat and nasal cavities burned.
One by one they'd started seeing things, hearing things, feeling things. Panic had overtaken them. A few of them had tried to keep their wits about them, complete the mission, protect Eren from whatever it was that was attacking them while he sealed the breach. Now there was chaos, and a bitter smell in the air.
He couldn't tell if he was hearing the Commander, or anyone for that matter. Sounds came to him as though he were underwater, and they were broken into a scattering of individual syllables with nothing, not even a rhythm, to link them together.
It wasn't like this when I passed through - it was the only thought that made sense.
He thrust a blade at what could have been a large bird, or a hand, or a grappling hook on a rope. It darted away too quickly to be impacted, skimming past his shoulder. Could he see the others, or were they just more shadows?
Jean was knocked from his horse and he fell into the lush vegetation that covered a pile of crumbled brick. He saw deep purple-red flowers and thought them to be blood. He struggled to his feet, toppling about, intoxicated, gasping for breath, sweating. He swung another blade at another shadow, another patch of roving light, and hit stone. His horse skittered past him, its neigh becoming a wail and guttering out into a groan, its body becoming liquid smoke that leaked over the ground like paint.
It wasn't like this when I passed through. All around him was the lush green, the plum-blood. These plants hadn't been here. They were beautiful. They were everywhere. He stomped through them into the main road, ducking under things half-seen, the ground seeming to buckle underneath him.
He could see the Rogue Titan in front of the breach, its rising tide of ice like a huge mirror. Screams were abruptly silenced.
It wasn't like this…
He could see the Legion flying, riding, soaring, falling, running - and then he saw the ground open up under their feet. Something grabbed them and pulled them under.
It wasn't like this...
Jean ran toward Eren, his limbs heavy. More ink-like horses disintegrating in the air cantered in front of him.
...when I passed through.
Something latched around his ankle like a snare, and pulled him into hell.