The Return
Eren personally visited Historia's residence in her own farm without being accompanied by either his allies or supporters. A man standing beside the front door holding his baby saw Eren coming toward where he stood and nervously greeted.
Eren replied with a silent respond. As he closely approached the man, he paid his attention toward the baby that the man was holding in his arms.
"So, umm... Our baby is a girl. Me and Historia's."
"I knew."
Eren walked passed them as he entered the house. The man followed him into the bedroom, as Eren found Historia soundly resting on her bed.
"So... Historia is taking a break as for now... She needs to rest for some times after giving birth. And... As the father of this girl, it is my job to take care of my daughter to make sure she always stayed healthy."
The man told Eren. Eren looked back at the baby who was now fast asleep in the soft cuddle her father provided to her. Eren, without a single look at the father, asked quietly, "Can I... Hold her?"
"S-sure..." The man accepted his request, though his voice suggested reluctance. He let Eren held his daughter and as soon as he made physical contact with her, he found himself inside the Path again.
He looked back to see Ymir standing behind him, her face displayed a clear smile aiming at him, before she disappeared.
Flashback to the very day when he was born, Eren saw the memories of himself being held in arms by his own father. Grisha cuddled baby Eren right against his left shoulder, as he whispered.
"From now on..."
"From now on..."
Present Eren also cuddled Historia's daughter in the same way Grisha had held him during that day of his own birth.
"You are free."
Eren appeared to his comrades in their safehouse, to their surprise. All of them stood still in silence, unable to think about what to do as they now came face to face with the man who had just committed worldwide genocide. Seconds later, Magath took his alchohol bottle and charged toward Eren in fury.
Mikasa grabbed him as soon as he was going to attack and tackled him to the ground with ease.
"Hey, what are you fucking doing?! Let go of me you filthy Eldians!" Magath cursed as he struggled. He lifted his right leg and kicked Mikasa into the abdomen to break free from her, but she hardly moved at all and merely took the hit as a scratch. Mikasa lifted him up and slammed him to the ground once more, knocking him out effectively.
"Eren..." Armin called his name. "You have finally... returned..."
Eren stood motionless while still bowing his head down slightly to not look at his comrades in the eyes.
"Hey, you suicidal blockhead. You are here now and you still kept your mouth shut. Why don't you say something...? What do you mean that you made Reiner heal himself?" Jean questioned, both nervously and seemingly in growing anger.
Eren finally gathered his courage to speak again, "I... I want to talk to you guys, again..."
As for how weak he had sounded as he spoke, they began to grow concern for his possibly deteriorating mental health. Connie stood out of his way to approach and worriedly asked Eren, "Hey... You must be super tired after all these shits, right? I-I think that it is time for you to rest for now... We all can talk this through later. Am I right, Eren?"
"Y-Yeah... You must be exhausted for now. Let us take it easy from here on, Eren," Hange continued.
"I am fine. Just listen to me... I only want to talk to you guys..."
Eren insisted. It felt really awkward for them again. If the Founder still wished to talk to them first rather than taking a break, then they really have no choice but to respect his decision. The whole room fell silent again, with neither exchanging words between each other for a moment. Armin grew uncomfortable with this and suddenly yelled at Eren, "Why don't you say something if you got something to tell us, Eren?! Quit staying quiet, you know that things are getting awkward in this senseless conversation!"
The whole group except for Eren flinched at Armin's words. Eren gazed emptily at Armin. Then looked to each one of his comrades and lastly to Mikasa from behind. Reiner's flicked his both hands as he was waking up, to which Jean first noticed, followed by the rest-- He has healed up entirely and started mumbling words.
"Reiner?"
Reiner opened his eyes wide and launched himself forward. He took a few heavy breathings and covered his right eye with his right hand as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. His comrades merely stood by in shock that he had just been revived.
"Mom..." Reiner mumbled, before raising his head to see Eren right in front of him. He jumped up and ran to grab Eren by his shoulders, asking in great worries, "Eren! Is it true that my mother is still alive?! Where is she... Please tell me, where is she?"
"She stood along with the rest of the Eldians from all over the world that I had gathered on the Campanula province," Eren answered quietly. "She is still alive, Reiner."
Reiner gasped in disbelief at first. Then he retreated, on the verge of falling as he gradually felt relieved.
"Thank goodness... Thank goodness..." Reiner repeated in deep gratitude that his mother was still alive. But unbeknownst to him, his mother and all of the Subjects of Ymir from all over the world had been turned into Colossal Titans during the events of the Rumbling. After wiping out all humanity except for the Subjects of Ymir that had became those titans, Eren had gathered all of them on the mentioned province which was the area on the mainland Marley that was the closest to the Island of Paradis, rendering all of the Colossal Titans immobile and turning them into stones through hardening under the power of the Founding Titan so that they would stay inactive even during daytimes until Eren himself chose to unharden them.
Magath lied unconscious on his bed while the Survey Corps gathered in the living room to have a discussion with Eren. Levi, on the other hand, sat on the dining table just a few feets away from the group as he served himself a tea while listening to what they all had to say. The whole group sat on the couches facing Eren, who was the only one to stand straight up toward them.
"When I am starting to gain full control of my power, there is this one thing that I have learned from the Founder herself."
He paused for a few seconds, and continued, "The Founding Titan's power, if wielded by its user to it's full potential, can manipulate literally everything regarding the Subjects of Ymir themselves. This, in itself, is obvious... But for the past thousand years after the Founder had passed, only Ymir's three daughters, Maria, Rose and Sheena had proper access to it's full power. The rest of their successors could only utilize the Founder's basic abilities."
He explained halfway through and paused again. Armin realized something and asked Eren, "Wait, so... You mean that you can do anything with us, the Subjects of Ymir, however you like to?"
"And that included the dead people."
His words sent chills to each one of the Scouts' spines. Levi dropped his jaw as he stopped raising his tea toward himself.
"Apparently, I can revive those who were dead. But only if they were the people with Ymir's blood."
"Wait... Eren... So, you mean that those comrades that had fallen in battles before can... That means Sasha..."
"Yeah, Connie. If I want to bring back Sasha, I can do that," Eren answered. He then looked at both Hange, and Levi from the distance. "Same goes for Commander Erwin. And the squad that you have lost back when we battled the Female Titan."
Levi was left speechless. He stood up and grabbed onto his own crutch as he began walking away.
"L-Levi, where are you going?!" Hange asked, to which Levi replied, "Just getting some fresh air outside. This shit is giving me headache that it's just too much."
Levi left. Hange soon exited the room and followed the Ackermann out of the house.
Eren made eye contact with Reiner, who was then visibly shaken by his gaze toward himself.
"Reiner..." Eren called out his name, then proceeded to say some unintelligible words that the rest of the group could not understand.
"What is it... Eren?" Reiner asked. This time Eren said it crystal clear, his voice tone appeared as if he was now almost completely dead inside though his voice were also shaking, "I turned all of the Eldians outside of the island into Collossal Titans. They, under my influence, helped to slaughter every men, women and children as we rumbled the Earth together. I made... I made them did this, Reiner... I'm sorry..."
Eren paused and sighed. As he spoke again, he sounded even quieter, "Your mother was a part of it, without her ever knowing that she spilled countless bloods over her own hands. I made her do this Reiner... I am really... Really sorry..."
After hearing Eren's explanation, Reiner at this point felt messed up in his head. He felt relieved that his mother survived, yet hatred, sorrow and anger also began growing inside his heart, so much so that he felt urged to kill Eren with his own hands for forcing his mother into taking billions of lives. He could no longer forgive the Founding Titan for doing this to his mother no matter how he apologized.
He had wanted to kill him. His mind was already imagining himself pulling out a knife from his left pocket for the purpose of stabbing Eren right in the chest. But then he remembered back in the day when he breached Wall Maria which led his indirect murder of Eren's mother. The memory of that event reminded him that it was Eren who had suffered more than him, thus preventing himself from ever laying any killing blow upon Eren. He somehow felt that he should have expected this coming to him. He was now confused-- not knowing how to act and what to do.
A thud was heard from the front door, leading everyone in the room to look into the source of direction. There, Pieck and both of the kids who had just gone back from hunting was in shock to see Eren Yeager right in the same house as them. A hunting rifle was found on the floor from which Pieck had dropped earlier.
"You!" Pieck angrily pulled out a knife to slash her left palm just as the Survey Corps rushed toward to stop her from transforming. Nothing happened, much to her shock.
"Pieck, calm down. You gotta listen!"
Jean first reached her, followed by Connie and Reiner and the four of them then struggled. Falco and Gabi quickly retreated to Mikasa for safety. Pieck went all out with her raw strength to break free of their subdues as she forcefully pushed Reiner into the nearby wall, then kicking Connie in the stomach and gave Jean a right back fist into his face.
Pieck grabbed her knife again and stabbed it right into her palm. Nothing special happened and she bled even more bloods. Mikasa rushed to throw her down to the floor and grappled her.
"Eren... Yeager! You fucking monster, you killed my father!" She tried getting up but Mikasa stopped her as she pushed her head to the floor.
"You have no idea how I spent my life working hard as a warrior just to get my father the medical care he needed and to show him the bright future we Eldians would have! I am going to kill you, right here and now!"
"Pieck, listen! Your father is actually still-"
Pieck was far gone to listen at this point. She punched Mikasa right in the face and almost broke free but then Mikasa was quick enough to apprehend her again.
Wait... Why couldn't Pieck transform? Armin questioned in his mind. Wanting to test his own theory, he reached for her knife on the floor.
"What are you doing, Armin. Give me back my knife!" Pieck yelled madly. Eren, Mikasa and the rest watched Armin as he abruptly slashed his right hand with the knife.
Huh?! Armin gasped in flabbergast. He and his comrades except for Eren was surprised to see that he could not transform into a titan.
"Eren... Could it be that you..?"
"I took your titan's power away, as well as extending your lifespan to when you could grow grey and old. For now, all of the Nine Titan's Power are within me. You all get to live a long life now," Eren explained.
"Hey, Eren. If you mean that all people like us out there are still alive. Then that means Pieck's family is also alive, right?!"
"Yeah, he is," Eren replied Jean. Having gained his answer, Jean reached out to attempt informing Pieck, "H-Hey, Pieck... Listen!"
"WHAT?! TELL ME!!" Pieck screamed in high pitched voice that managed to send both Mikasa and Jean's ears ringing slightly. Annoyed, Mikasa grabbed Pieck upward by her hair and pushed to slam her face into the floor.
"CALM DOWN AND LISTEN!!" Mikasa yelled back. Having feeling a bit dizzy from such a blow, her head cooled down and regained her sense of rationality.
"Your father is still alive, Pieck. He is now on the province of Campanula along with the rest of the surviving Eldians I had brought over there."
Pieck widened her eyes in disbelief that the very man Eren Yeager himself had actually saved her father from the devastation of the Rumbling. She slowly stood up and asked Eren again, "Is he really... Still... Alive?!"
Eren nodded.
"Take me to him, please!" Pieck rushed toward him and frantically begged. Mikasa again tried to pull Pieck away and to calm her down. Meanwhile both Falco and Gabi had gained their newfound hope, as Eren himself had just revealed that all Eldians outside of Paradis had survived, which meant that their families were also safe. Gabi herself fell emotional over the news, as she then crouched and began sobbing while Falco comforted her.
"Pieck, listen..." Reiner called. Pieck looked behind her to him.
"What?"
The facial expression he had displayed to her suggested an otherwise depressing news that were about to be delivered to her. Pieck turned aggressive again with her frowning eyes glaring Reiner as she began questioning him.
"What is it..."
She approached and grabbed his arms, shouting, "Tell me, Reiner!"
The Soul of Ymir
Having been released from her Path, Ymir's soul could now wander around the world freely as she so desired, no longer needing to bend to Karl Fritz's will. She travelled to the island, coming across its desert and then to the forests, following to the open fields of beautiful grasses and flowers.
She finally reached her destination-- the civilization of Paradis.
She walked through each cities, stepping foots on their streets as she viewed upon people going through their daily lives in peace. She genuinely smiled as she could see how happy the citizens were.
Reaching Historia's residence, she stumbled upon the queen quietly holding her baby daughter on her chair at the front door. Ymir approached, herself invisible to the queen's perspective.
Ymir's presence somehow awakened the baby. She rolled her eyes toward the Founder's soul, then reaching her left hand toward her.
"Hm? What's wrong, baby girl?" Historia asked. The baby happily greeted the invisible someone, to which Historia found cute.
Shortly after, Historia also felt someone was right in front of her, causing her to raise her head forward... Just to find nobody.
Who could it be...? Historia wondered to herself. A gentle wind blew across the field, and a white bird flew across them as it chirped heartwarmingly.
Ymir stood on top of a mountain nearby. She looked above at the blue, bright sky with the clouds slowly passing by.
Both of her arms raised to horizontal position, the thick cloud passed as it revealed the shining sun. Ymir smiled broadly with tears running down her face. Eventually, her soul slowly disappeared, and then entirely. Leaving behind a beautiful scenery of mother nature.