Hey guys, sorry long time since i updated. But anyway, here is another chapter to enjoy.

Anyway, enjoy the read.

Chapter Cover: Armin and Eren seating together as children as a book was on the ground in front of them.

Chapter Thirty Five

World beyond the Walls part 2

From below where Sarah, and that man Kyle was speaking to each other, Reiner was standing on another branch looking out toward the distance in front of him, a light frown upon his features. He glanced up toward the duo as they were speaking to each other, and he couldn't believe that he was actually seeing her here. He let out a sigh, turning his gaze at the direction of the people that were in front of him.

Some distance from where they were, stood Wall Rose, and with their ODM gears, they could have enough of a time to actually go over the wall and into Wall Maria territory, the territory that was filled with Titans thanks to their attacks so long ago. He let out a small sigh before turning his gaze down toward Eren who was seating in silence.

He had expected him to still be feeling furious about what had happened to him, but the young man was deadly quiet. Reiner then turned his attention toward Kyle. When he had first met Eren, he had been struck at the familiar name but he had simply played it off as the name being similar to each other but then when Kyle had recently revealed that he was actually the brother of Eren's father, it all of his questioning to rest.

Who would have thought that Eren was related to the Caretaker, off all things?

"How long are they going to make us wait here?"

Annie was anxious from how she was nervously twisting the knife she had in her hand. The blonde girl was looking up toward the duo that was talking to each other, her blond hair dancing lightly in the wind blowing around her.

"If we don't move out soon," the girl continued, "The Scouts will catch up to us again."

Reiner looked up at the duo again, "Must be something pretty serious if it got the Caretaker like this."

"I don't care what it is," Annie said, "I just want to get out of this place."

The young man then turned his gaze toward her.

"That's right," he said, "You've got your father waiting for you to come home."

Annie glared at him before turning her gaze away from him twisting the knife in her hand again. She let out a small sigh.

"my father doesn't have anything to do with this," she said, "Ever since I was given this power I am living inside a never ending nightmare. I just want it to end…that's all."

Reiner stared at her.

"Are you having regrets about…everything we did?" he asked her.

Annie's blue eyes were piercing as they stared at him.

"Are you?" she asked.

Reiner paused, thinking back to everything that had happened lately. The young man knew that they had done some horrific things and have killed a whole lot of people to get to where they are. He looked down toward the ground for a few moments, unable to answer what Annie had asked him.

"We're warriors," he said.

"Don't give me that bullshit," Annie snapped at him, drawing Eren's attention toward them but the blond girl didn't even care, "We're not warriors...not by a long shot. Even Armin..."

The blonde broke off at the name and Reiner stared at her.

"Annie…?"

"They trained us to kill without second thoughts," Annie continued, "To be heartless monsters…We were nothing to these people Reiner. Everyday they kill us without second thoughts, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Even with the power of the Titans…"

Reiner stared at her.

"Whatever feelings you think you're having right now," he said his voice suddenly devoid of feelings, "Don't…we are the warriors of Marley, and don't you dare to start thinking about anything else."

The hand that was holding the dagger was shaking as Annie glared at him for a few moments before looking away from him. Reiner stared at the girl for a few more moments. In all of the time he knew Annie, she was never one to get too emotional about anything. The girl never did let anyone get too close to her during their training for Marley…but…

He had seen a change in her, something that had been brewing ever since their first attack on Trost. It was probably the reason why she didn't kill Armin back in the fields that day…which was the reason why they've discovered who she was…if she had only killed the young man back then…

Did she start to get attached to these people? He thought, after everything we've been taught before we came here, after everything that had happened…she still….

The sound of an ODM being used drew his attention away from the girl and saw Ashler land beside him.

"Let's get the horses and ride to the Wall," she said before she turned her gaze toward Eren, "And you're riding with me Yeager."

Eren stared at her for few moments shocked.

"Shouldn't I be riding with him?" Reiner asked.

"You're already too large for one horse Reiner," Ashler spoke to her, "Relax, beside I'm sure that with all of us here, even if he tried to escape, he won't get far."

Reiner nodded at her and the group decided to start moving.

Ashler approached toward where Eren was seating as the boy stared up at her. With minimal effort, she picked him up and lowered herself down toward the ground ignoring his yelp at the brusk movement. They landed beside one of the horse that they had taken from the Garrison Regiment troop and she placed him in front of her lying upon his front while she climbed on as well.

"Comfortable?" she asked.

"Fuck you," Eren replied.

Ashler chuckled before she started to gallop, hearing the others follow after her. the young woman was looking back toward the direction of the rest before turning forward again.

"There is something that I would like to discuss with you Eren," she said, "If you are willing."

Eren glared at her but didn't say anything.

"Since you possess the power of the Coordinate," she continued, "It should be imperative that you know about it. If you and the Scouts are serious about fighting for your freedom then you should know about the situation that will await you outside of these walls and this island."

Eren stared at her confused at what she was saying.

"Why would you tell me this?" he asked.

"Because in the future…it might be your saving grace," she said simply.

Eren stayed silent as the wind danced through his hair before glancing up toward the girl again.

"Is that man really my father's brother?" he asked.

Ashler stared down at him, "I wouldn't know. From the memories I have of Grisha Yeager, there is a chance that he is since they've resembled each other quite a lot. I only know Kyle longer since he was nothing but a boy around your age."

Eren was surprised.

"But he looks twice your age," he exclaimed.

Ashler had a small smile sad smile upon her features.

"I am far older than you know Eren Yeager," she said, "Even so, that is not the reason why I wanted to speak with you. The outside world is far bigger and dangerous than you might realize and the powers of the Titans are the weapons of war out there and there is a scrambling to find more Titan power that is scattered across the globe."

"Titans…they are Titans…out there?"

Ashler nodded.

"You might say that Titan and humankind have existed alongside each other for more than a thousand of years," she said simply, "Of course, there was a time when Titan didn't exist in the world, but it all changed when a single human woman made a deal with the Devil, at least that is as far the stories go. That woman's name was Ymir and she was known as the First Titan Shifter."

Eren's eyes were wide.

"Ymir…?" he repeated, "That…"

"The same name as our comrades back in the Scouts," Ashler finished for him, "Strange that she would have a name like that when all records of the outside world were destroyed from the Walls….anyway, with the power of the Titan at her possessions, Ymir helped her people the Eldians to conquer the world. To the Eldian people, Ymir was a goddess made flesh, her power caused her to become a Queen of a unified Eldian Empire for many years while to others, she was a demon in human form possessing the power of the Devil to be feared by her enemies."

Eren frowned lightly at that but he didn't say anything.

"But even with all of her power," Ashler continued, "Ymir couldn't rule forever for she was only a mortal human so before the time of her death, Ymir split the Titan power, gifting one to each of the great clans that formed her people, but the power of the Progenitor Titan, however, remained into her bloodline as her children inherited it, and it continued like that for many hundred of years with the Eldian Empire ruling over the world but…the Eldian Empire collapsed upon itself with the infighting between the great Clans until it was a mere shadow of the greatness it once was and that was when the other nations of the world struck bringing an end to the Eldian Empire thousand of years reigns over the world."

The young girl fell silent again.

"War governed the lands for the next fifty years as the great Clans one after the other, lost their Titans ability until all that remains was the Progenitor Titan which was in the hand of the Royal family, but the King of that that ran away, abandoning his people and his duty to the Eldians. He took a portion of the population with him escaping to Paradis Island leaving a warning to all of those who will come after him."

"A warning?"

"If any of you come to this Island looking for my power, I will unleash an army of Colossal Titans and turn the world red with the blood of my enemies."

Eren stared at her horrified.

"How…?" he said shocked.

"The Progenitor Titan has an ability known as the Coordinate," Ashler told him, "It will allow whoever has it to control any Titans, and whether it is shifter or ordinary at will."

Eren stared down at the ground that was passing beneath him, completely shocked at what he was being told.

"And…I have this ability…inside of me?"

"Yes," Ashler said simply, "But since you are not of Royal blood, you can't really use that power even if you wanted to. As to how you've gotten the power, I would think that Grisha had a hand in it and considering his absence since the fall of Wall Maria…then that's how long it had been since you've had this ability."

Eren stared down toward the ground again, the strange memory he had of his father coming back to him. He couldn't really remember what had happened that day before he woke up with the key of the basement around his neck but since then, his father had gone missing…

"Why should I believe anything you've say right now?" Eren asked.

"If you want your people to survive you will have to," Ashler said simply, "Currently, Marley the current super power in the world have most of the Titans power underneath their thumbs. The remaining Eldian people that lives within their country is treated worse than dirt there. The only reason that this place had stayed like this is because of the King's warning…but once Reiner and the others leave the island, a weakness will be revealed to Marley and it will be a race to get to you and this time, it won't be only a few Titan shifters…it will be it's armies that come here and destroy all those who shares the Cursed blood of Ymir."

"Cursed blood…?"

Ashler looked down at him, and he could see her dark eyes showed some sorrow within them.

"All of the Eldians are believed to be cursed by the Devil," she said, "Its why that anyone of our people can turn into Titans….that's something the rest of the world can't do. All of those Titans you fight everyday that lives upon this island…they're Eldian who have been executed by Marley to roam as a mindless Titan for the rest of their existence."

Eren stayed silent as the implication of what she was telling him started to take tolls. All of those Titans that are always wandering outside of the walls for as long as he remembered, they were people at one time? Horror was coursing through him at what the revelations means to him…

"That's the reality of the world that awaits you from beyond these walls," Ashler told him, "Can you bear that weight Eren Yeager?"

Eren stayed silent for a long while as they continued to gallop through the empty fields around them as they were approaching closer to where Wall Rose stood in front of them. Ashler turned her gaze toward it for a few moments.

"We're getting closer to the Wall," Reiner said, "Seems deserted for now."

Ashler glanced around herself for a few moments, taking in the surrounding for a few moments, her eyes looking around the trees for a few moments and then something caught her eyes, something that looked exactly like a soldier in uniform…

Her eyes widened.

"It's a trap…," she yelled out.

A massive explosion overtake the clearing they had just stepped in causing all of them to be blown away from the blast and pain coursed through her form as she was thrown backward through the air and she heard Eren yelling as well.

The girl shook her head from where she landed the pain becoming even stronger now as she was staring around herself. Kyle was lying a few feet away from where she was and he was missing one of his legs probably as he was yelling out in pain. Reiner and Annie where also down for the count as they were bleeding as well from where she was lying down thought it looked like Annie was moving from where she was.

Ashler then turned her gaze toward the direction of Eren and the boy was knocked out as well lying on his side as steam was rising from where he was wounded. Steam was also rising from her body around the wound as well.

Just what the hell was that? She thought, Was it the Scouts? The Garrison…who…?

"They're down sir," a voice yelled as Sarah turned her gaze toward where it was coming from.

"Don't let them transform," another yelled, one that sounded quite familiar to her but she can't really think of how it was familiar as a form landed in front of her and then stabbed something into her body, causing her to yell out in pain as something started to burn through her. She could hear another voice yelling as well and it sounded like Annie as well as Reiner.

Just who were these people?

Then her eyes turned toward a figure that stood from behind the two people there. They were staring down toward where she was lying down. He wasn't wearing a military uniform at all but his face was quite older with white meshing with the dark hair he had. His face looked like it was carved out of wood from how jagged it looked.

"Let's take them back," he said, "We have little time before the Scouts get here."

"Yes sir,"

Ashler focused on the pain that was on her side as she grit her teeth completely and then lightning came down toward her as her entire world was transformed into light.

A new enemy appears forcing Ashler to transform...

Next Time: Blood and Steel

Jacques0 out.

R&R