Blood ran down the knife as Ymir kept staggering down the sidewalk. The wind howled as she swayed side to side like the trees of the forest. Her hair whipped around her as she kept going down with all the run-off until she met the cement barricades at the bottom of the hill as ocean spray spat up at her.

Ymir limped towards the staircase that led to the frothy shore. It was almost consumed with angry waves that crashed against the barricades.

Ymir's bare feet went into the warm waters and she stopped, feeling the ocean almost quiet, but it was only the ringing in her ears as she fell to her knees as the waves took her.

She was dragged out to the depths, carried away by currents and tides until she began to sink into the colder, darker depths. She could only vaguely stare up at the stormy surface and flashes of light brought from the lightning.

Down here, things were stark in its darkness. It allowed Ymir's mind to expand and overcome the barriers that were there before. Her memories became clear as light.

She was on a ship and she was thrown overboard. She had drowned but something kept her soul in place—she had been made anew in body and mind.

The ocean was her home. It was the key to her memories as she stopped sinking, floating in the abyss. The knife she had once been tightly gripping fell from her grasp and disappeared into the blackness. The blood that was clouding over her arm wound stopped.

Ymir felt so serene and happy here she wondered why she had ever left to venture on land. Everything was perfect—her eyes closed as a pinprick of light illuminated her body and the water around it.

A lone tear floated before like a firefly. It danced with the currents until it drifted to the wound on Ymir's arm and buried itself in the exposed, stinging flesh. From within, it bloomed like a flower, causing the gash to seal itself with light. Within seconds the light disappeared and Ymir was left in the dark but now without a cut.

Ymir had heard of this before.

Right.

Historia's grandmother had said in her stories that a mermaid's tear could heal all wounds.

Ymir smiled.

She began to remember her purpose.

-x-x-x-

"Historia! Oh! Historia!" Grandma was yelling, almost screaming.

The sleep was slapped out of Historia as she shot up, racing to get out of bed. She flew out her door and down the stairs, expecting to see her grandma on the ground from falling, or, worse, something gone wrong.

"Gamma?!" Historia called out because the lights were still out. The candle Gamma had out was almost extinguished.

"Right here, dear!" Gamma was near the door with her own raincoat on. "Hurry! Get dressed!"

"Grandma! It's really bad outside," she went to her side, holding her back. "It's too dangerous—"

"Oh but Ymir had left! She left some minutes ago! She told me she was leaving! I thought maybe she needed to step outside for a bit, but she said not to go search for her! Historia! Dear! We must go!" Grandma was frantic as her cold, bony fingers tried to get out of Historia's warm grasp.

"Wh—hold on!" Historia felt her throat dry up as she remembered the last time Ymir had left. She ran upstairs, almost knocking over Armin.

"What's going on!?" He was still sleepy, holding a flashlight.

Historia didn't bother explaining as she pushed open the door to her bedroom and found Ymir's bed empty. Historia went to her own and ripped the covers and blankets off to find it was empty, too.

"No," it slipped between Historia's lips. "God, no."

They were doing so well—they were looking and beginning to really put effort in her search—she had promised Ymir they'd find out who she was!

"Historia? Is Ymir up there?" Armin must've found out what was going on. "I'm going to call Reiner and them to get a search party going."

"N-No! I know where she went! I'll go get her!" She had to be at the shrine in the woods. She was there last time so she must've returned—or maybe she was at the library! Historia went back downstairs and began to hastily put on her rain jacket, but Armin's eyes were wide at seeing Historia's face.

"Historia, you're in your pajam—"

"I don't care! I got to find her!" Historia shot.

"At least let me and my friends help!" Armin balked.

"But who will take care of Grandma?" This time, Historia felt like she had the upper hand against Armin.

"I will," Armin wasn't fazed, "but my friends can help. They know the place well. She couldn't have gone too far in a few minutes, right, Grandma?"

"Let Armin call his friends, dear. You'll get more done. Where do you think she is?" Grandma asked, trying to calm Historia down by holding her hands.

"I—"Historia stopped herself from protesting.

Goddammit!

This fucking wasn't about her but she was making it about her own damn pride and selfishness. Ymir could be hurting or alone somewhere. She didn't even take her rain jacket or boots!

"Okay. Yes. Okay." It came out easier than she expected as she held herself. Why was Ymir leaving her at the worst times?

It hurt so much.

She felt herself crying. Armin came closer in attempts to hug her but she shoved him away.

"Hurry up and call, I-I'm going out." She rushed out onto the deck. "I-I will be back with Ymir!"

"Be careful!" Grandma quickly went out onto the porch and almost tripped, but Armin caught her.

"Careful!" Armin worried as he righted his grandmother. He expected her to be out of breath from the near fall, but she walked away from his hands and gripped a support beam nearby.

"That girl," she wistfully said, "she's a lot like me, isn't she?"

"Wh-What?" Armin stepped forward to make sure his grandmother didn't get too hasty again.

"Strong and warm hearted."

-x-x-x-

"Has she come back yet?" Reiner was at the porch, panting. Bertolt, Eren, Connie, and Sasha were right by him and equally as exhausted. They had run up and down their hillside town, trying to find Ymir and then Historia shortly after.

"No." Armin was worried as Gamma had taken her rocking chair outside. She was bundled up in a ridiculous amount of blankets with only her face peeking through.

"Please, keep looking." Grandma begged. She was drifting in and out of sleep but she tried to stay vigilant. "I won't go inside till I know they're safe."

"It's almost morning, Grandma," Armin frowned. "When did Ymir leave last night—four o'clock?"

"That's right." Gamma nodded.

"Why were you up so early?!" Connie groaned.

"When you get older, sleep is more elusive." Grandma wearily said.

"Where do you think they could've gone?" Sasha asked as she got back on her feet, ready to search again.

"Were there any places you and Historia used to go, Sash?" Armin asked, grasping for straws.

"There was the library, but we checked there three times." Sasha exhaled, frowning. "I can't believe after all this time she came back but didn't even tell me she was in town…"

Armin wished he could answer why she'd do that, but he was given the same cold shoulder. It still pursued even after interacting with her. It was apparent Historia wasn't the little girl he remembered.

"I have no clue—"

It was strange.

Armin had witnessed so many sunrises before, but his breath caught in his throat. Even his friends were starstruck by the sight before them.

Over the low garden walls, they saw the sun rise through the downpour. Its golden and pink rays cast a heavenly glow upon their town, and, all at once, the rain stopped. The clouds were hurriedly leaving the sky onto distant horizons.

"What…" Armin breathed, eyes wide.

"Ymir!" Historia's voice shot out.

"Historia!" Grandma croaked, trying to get up. "Are you alright?"

"She's running down the main road!" Reiner called out. Armin booked it off the deck and out the main gate just in time to see Historia sprinting down the sloped street.

"Ymir!"

The group caught up to Armin in time to see Historia's face—it was flushed pink from exhaustion, tears were swelling out of her blue eyes, and her blonde hair was flowing behind her as she ran in the morning light, down the sparkling, wet streets.

"YMIR!"

Sasha was the only one to peer down at the bottom of the hill. At first, she didn't see anyone. She squinted her eyes and finally saw it—the floating body on the eerie serene waters of the shore.

"Oh no," Sasha clasped her mouth shut as everyone snapped out of their trance and tried to see what Sasha did.

"I can't see!" Eren closed his eyes shut, hissing at the glaring bright waters of the ocean below. The sun was hitting it at just the right angle now—

"What do you see, Sasha!?" Bertolt choked, scared.

Sasha shook her head in fear. She didn't want to say it.

"Ymir!" Historia wouldn't stay quiet as she kept running as fast as she could down the hill. She was coming upon the cement barricade as Ymir's body was bobbing up and down in the waters, face up.

Historia was scared shitless, afraid to find blue lips, swollen and pruny skin. She couldn't think of Ymir as dead—they had so much to do yet. She couldn't die! They had to find out her real— Historia descended the stairs and didn't hesitate stepping into the cold morning water, wading up to her knees in it, splashing and racing to Ymir's side.

"YMIR! GOD!" Historia wailed.

Golden eyes opened and she looked at Historia with such a serene stare. Lazily, unaware of the ruckus, she lifted a hand to Historia—as if offering her to join her.

"Look," Ymir's eyes went to the sky, "it's clear now."

Historia was so bewildered that she only snatched Ymir from the water, bringing her close to her body, and sobbing into Ymir's drenched chest.

"You left me again! You left me!" Historia cried. "Why do you keep leaving me?"

Ymir didn't answer as her eyes were stuck on the harlequin sky. The whole world was tuned out except for the faint whispers of Historia's hysterical voice and sobs.

She couldn't help but remain unfazed by it all, because, now, her memories were back forever and she knew her purpose.