"History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children."

Nelson Mandela

Chapter 3: Lost and Alone

One hour ago

Eren had just started running from Salem's castle. He was also starting to have a good feel for the new Titan.

It was fast.

It was strong.

And to think the power Eren just displayed was just the tip of the iceberg. It was strange for him to admit, but a small part of Eren was excited to learn more. He couldn't wait to do better. Soon he would make what Salem's followers and prisoners saw seem like-

Eren stopped running.

He was so caught up in the moment, he didn't realize he just made a terrible, stupid mistake.

Those prisoners were still at the castle. And when Salem put herself back together, they would be in even more danger than they were before.

The thought made him turn back and run towards the castle. But once it came into view, something else came into view as well.

A large horde of Grimm was coming right for Eren. Wolves, bears, birds, they were all charging towards him. And it was ten times the size Salem tested him with earlier. And one of her followers was running in front of them.

Eren was confident in his ability to kill them all, but the fight would take too much time. If Salem finished regenerating before he killed all the creatures, Eren would be in trouble.

So he stuck with his original plan and ran as far as he could from the castle.

Present time

The entire swim Eren made gave him time to reflect on his first failure on Remnant. Of course, his main mission was to stop Salem using his new Titan. But that didn't mean he shouldn't try to help people when they needed it.

And he already failed in doing that with those prisoners.

He silently promised himself not to be the reckless child he was back home. Now, he would be as serious as he was when he started the Rumbling. He would grow stronger, and he would go back to avenge the people Salem kidnapped.

But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Eren was thinking about one the first times his Titan felt actual pain. Whoever that woman was, she possessed an unreal power. It was like she was some kind of...superhero or something.

But how was that possible?

It seemed Eren would have a lot to learn about this world, rather than just focus on his new powers.

His hand hitting against rocks snapped Eren back to reality. Looking up, he could see that his swim was almost over. He had finally reached land. He was free.

Once he stood up, Eren remembered he was still in a Titan, and his real body was starting to feel extremely hot.

"I gotta get outta here," Eren thought. So, he kneeled down and felt the skin on his back open. Eren pushed himself out of the Titan's nape and could feel the flesh on his face and limbs break. He stepped off the body, taking his first real steps on Remnant.

"Aaaaahhhh," Eren said out loud, the soft wind cooling him off. Opening his eyes, he looked to the sky to see that it was dusk. The night had started at Salem's home, and it was approaching the land he was on. "Guess I should find a-"

Eren stopped talking. He placed a hand on his throat. He had only left his Titan for a few moments, and he already noticed...something was wrong.

Eren wasn't in danger or anything. But something was different. Something about him was different.

"What's going-?" He stopped speaking again, and he noticed the same thing. His voice was different. He sounded...younger. Much younger.

He needed to see how much younger he actually looked. So he ran back to the water and kneeled. Looking into the water and concentrating, Eren could make out the image of...a child's face staring back at him.

Earlier

"Me."

"Yes. You will be the final touch."

The God of Darkness had just finished telling Eren his plan for the Founding Titan. And Eren had a good understanding of what would happen if he decided to go to Remnant. And now Eren was going to rephrase what he learned.

"So, if I go, I'll be sent to Salem's Titan," he said. "Then, I'll get strong enough to stop her. All in all, it should take about a few months."

"Actually, there's one more...detail I need to discuss with you," Darkness replied.

"Which is?"

"Your Titan won't be the only thing that will change. You will change as well."

"What? Change how?"

"...Salem will be none the wiser once you inherit the Titan. But my brother poses a problem."

"I thought you said you left Remnant together."

"We did. But as you saw, he can tell when I use my powers to perform feats such as bringing people back the dead. In order for you to go to Remnant, I must...alter you."

"How?"

"When you arrive, I will turn you into a younger version of yourself. Change you in a way that will make my brother's ability to detect us fade."

Eren took a moment to consider what the deity had just said. He was going to change? Become younger? He was pretty sure that was every man's dream, to turn the clock back a few years. But Eren felt that he was in his prime right now. It seemed to be...necessary, according to Darkness. But he still had questions.

"Like that?" Eren asked. "Are you sure it's safe? And smart?"

"Of course," Darkness replied. "Not only will my brother be oblivious, but it will be a perfect introduction to your powers. And it will show that you have all the time in the world to master them."

Present day

"A KID?!"

Eren continued to stare at his reflection in the water, shocked beyond all belief. "A damn kid?!" he continued to shout. That was when he looked up at the sky. "You didn't say anything about this, you bastard!"

"..."

Eren calmed himself down once he realized how stupid he must look yelling into the sky. And that there was nothing he could do to change his situation. "So this is how it is? Fine." He stood up and began walking into the woods. "Guess I still have a job to do."

Eren's walk through the woods helped him calm down a little more. The solitude gave him time to comprehend his situation and believe that things wouldn't be so bad. His childhood...well, his first childhood, was nothing but despair and confinement. The walls of Paradis kept him trapped like a rat in a cage. But now, he was free to explore. No walls, no Titans, and soon...no Salem. He could go wherever he wanted, and nobody could stop him. It was Eren against the world.

He suddenly stopped walking.

This realization caused Eren to start crying.

It was him against the world. Just him.

No friends, no family...nothing.

His arrival to this world was filled with the need to survive and fight, Eren couldn't even comprehend the idea that he was all alone.

Eren sat down against a tree and continued to bawl. He gained everything he could want before he died. He even gained everything he wanted after he died. But he couldn't share this with Mikasa.

Or Armin.

Or Connie.

Or Jean.

Or Reiner.

Or Historia.

Or...anyone.

He wasn't scared of being alone when he was watching Reiner in Marley. Because he knew he could always return home when he needed to.

But now...Eren had no home to go to. And the thought scared him beyond belief.

His hands suddenly began to grow darker. It was becoming harder to see them. Eren was confused at first, but then he turned to the sky. The dusk had disappeared, and the darkness of night was coming down upon him. So the boy dried his tears and began to walk again. He needed to find a place to spend the night, he could worry about his friends later.

When Eren pondered the idea of sleeping in a tall tree to avoid any nighttime predators, the trees he was walking through suddenly turned into tall grass. He hit a fence when he took a closer look. So Eren merely climbed the short fence to see where he was. That was when he realized the grass was actually a large field of crops. He was on a farm.

And if Eren was on a farm...there might be a barn for him to spend the night in.

When he found his way out of the field, Eren discovered that his luck was starting to change. An open barn was right in front of him, just waiting for the boy to come. So Eren walked inside, found himself a nice bale of straw to sleep on, and began to relax. He could leave in the morning if the need arose. But now...it was time to get some much-needed rest.

Eren began to wake up, and the first thing he could hear was laughter. He opened his eyes wider to see three boys around his...new age...standing around and talking. All three wore various clothing, nothing that really stood out. The sun filled the entire room through the open windows and door. And in the frame of that door was a brown haired man wearing overalls over a white shirt. The sound of creaking floorboards caught the boys attention as the man walked up to them.

"I take it you're all accounted for?" he asked calmly.

"Just like every other day," said one of the boys. He pointed to one door close to Eren. "She just started cleaning."

"Alright, then." The man walked away from the boys and moved towards the door. He slammed his fist on it twice before speaking again. "Hurry up in there!" Just as he turned heel and moved back to the front door, the man's eyes landed on Eren. "Oh. New kid, huh?"

"Me?" Eren asked.

"You're the only one here."

"Umm...okay." Eren stood up and brushed pieces of straw off himself. That was when he noticed the black jacket he was wearing over his white shirt and gray pants. The man began to walk towards the door again, but Eren stopped him. "Listen, I'm not from around here, and-"

"Well, welcome to Mistral, boy." The man didn't bother turning around as he spoke. "Looks like you're staying here a while."

"What is this place?"

"My farm. Also, the local orphanage."

"Orphanage?"

"Yep. Like I said, you'll be staying here a while. So listen." He turned around and stared at Eren. "I don't care what you do around here, just don't anything stupid. Like messing with me or my work." He moved his head back and continued to walk.

"...So what do you expect me to do?"

"I don't know."

"...What can I do?"

"I don't know."

"Isn't it your job to know?"

The caretaker stopped walking. "My job is with the farm and making sure smart asses like you are all accounted for."

"Hmph." Eren turned heel and walked away.

While he was annoyed at being treated like that, Eren realized that the caretaker didn't really care what he would do, just as long as he didn't bother him. He was free to do whatever he felt like. So Eren got an idea on what he could do and made his way to the main door.

*SPLISH*

Looking down, Eren saw that he was standing on a watery floorboard. And to the left of his foot was a brush with two hands on it. He followed the hands to see a little girl with amber eyes. She was covered in dirt, and her clothes were all dirty too.

"Oh," Eren said as he realized what he was doing. Stepping out of her way, Eren watched the girl push the brush back and forth. "...Sorry."

"..."

The girl didn't seem to care what he did, not even that he was sorry. She just continued to clean the floor without a word.

"The strong and silent type, dead serious about cleaning," Eren thought to himself, a small smile forming on his face. "She's gotta be related to Captain Levi." He turned away from the girl and walked out the barn door. Seeing the other boys playing next to a tree, Eren walked to the other trees behind the barn, going deep into the woods.

He continued to walk in a straight path with his head in the clouds. The girl he saw not only reminded Eren of Levi, but remember the last time he saw his former Captain.

One of the last things he saw through the eyes of the Founding Titan was Levi and Mikasa flying towards him. He knew what was going to happen, he had seen it all before. His guilt of betraying Mikasa weighed on him more than gravity could, and it only increased when he saw Levi scarred, bandaged, and missing fingers. Eren had no memory of hurting Levi like that, but he had one idea of why he looked like that.

"What did Zeke do to you?" he wondered. His thoughts immediately turned to his half-brother from Marley. He felt Zeke die before he did, and a part of him hoped it was quick. He still couldn't forgive him for thinking of a plan so twisted as preventing the birth of future Eldians, but things would have been different for Zeke if he wasn't raised in Marley.

...Would they?

Eren stopped thinking about his past when he realized just how far he walked. He turned around to see nothing but more trees, but he wasn't lost. As long as he walked in a straight path, Eren could go back whenever he wanted.

But now, he would start practicing.

He took a look as his hand and bit his flesh. Normally, he expected to see flashes of yellow and white, but all he saw was red lighting. But when he felt himself transform normally, Eren wasn't worried.

He suddenly felt himself rise above the trees, and heard a mighty explosion. The explosion might cause the caretaker and children to see what happened, so Eren ducked back into the forest to make sure nobody could see him. He would only take a minute to perform his test, and head straight back to the barn.

When he first discovered his new body, Eren could tell their would be major differences in his powers. But now, he wanted to focus on finding similarities between his Titans rather than tapping into new powers he had no idea existed. The similarity he wanted to focus on was something he believed could help fight Salem. So he looked at his fist and began to tighten it even harder.

Once he did, the skin on his fist began to change from black to purple. Not only that, the purple slowly spread, making some of his fingers immovable.

"Yes!" Eren yelled to himself. But to make sure this was what he thought it was, Eren punched the ground, the rock on his skin making a deep, familiar impact. Eren stood triumphant over the hole as he just rediscovered his ability to harden his skin. This would be useful once he trained with it more.

But there would be another time for that. Now, he had to get back before anyone noticed he was missing.

"GAH-OOF!"

"Ha ha ha!"

The boys at the orphanage had gotten bored after a little while. Once they saw a dirty little girl come out of the barn for air, they all realized they found an opportunity to pass the time.

The tallest one had just grabbed her arm and threw the defenseless child against a tree. His friends laughed at the act, their approval pushed their boredom away instantly.

It wasn't the first time the girl had to suffer at the hands of the man and boys at the orphanage. And today would certainly not be the last. But the girl was ready to defend herself today. She pounced on the tallest boy and they fell to the ground. She threw a punch to his gut, but he didn't feel much pain. Before she could repeat the violent action, one of the other boys grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

Laughter filled the air again, and the boys walked closer to the girl. One kicked her gut, which caused the girl to slide across the harsh ground. They all laughed even harder when they saw the girl cry.

"Watch this," one of the boys said to his friends. He lifted his right foot just above the girl's face. He lifted even higher and prepared to send it down as hard as he could.

The child didn't bother to defend herself. She knew it was pointless now. All she could do...was watch.

*BAM*

The boy flew past his friends and fell to the ground as something hard hit his face. After a few seconds, he looked up to see the new kid standing where he was, and he was holding an extended fist. His friends didn't get a chance to see what was happening, as they were about to feel the boy's wrath.

Eren sent two more fists to the other boys, and they fell down as well. Once they did, he turned to the girl he just saved, who was staring at him with widened eyes and a dropped jaw. Her savior wasn't as dumbfounded as she was, and he extended his hand to her. "Are you-?"

*BAM*

Eren stumbled back as a fist collided with his face, leaving a bruise on his cheek. He looked back to the two boys who had gotten on their feet. The tall boy joined them, but not before stepping hard on the girl's stomach. "Huh," he chuckled. "Looks like the new kid's a fighter."

Eren didn't worry about the pain on his face. He looked back at the boy who was hurting the girl again. "Is that what you're looking for? Let her go and you'll have one."

The boys rushed towards Eren as he raised his fists. Just as they all crashed into each other, the farmer came out of the woods with a rifle. Eren's hunch was right, someone had heard his transformation. But luckily, the caretaker went to find his rifle before seeing what was going on. And by the time he reached a large crater, the Titan had already turned to dust. So all the caretaker could do now was go home and see the children fight each other.

"Alright, break it up," he said as he walked up to everyone. The caretaker pushed everyone aside and looked at the aftermath. The trio of older boys were panting and bleeding while Eren had some bruises on his face and was also panting. While the caretaker normally didn't involve himself in matters like this, he looked back to Eren with a scowl. "One other rule, new kid. You shouldn't expect to stay here and try to kill one another."

Eren caught his breath while his anger was returning to him. "I have a name you know," he said. "It's Eren."

The boys forgot about their pain and burst out into laughter. "ERIN?!" the leader yelled, mistaking the sound of his name. "Who the hell gave you a girl's name?!"

"SHUT UP!" Eren yelled as he charged towards the boys again. But a large arm grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the side.

"That's enough!" the caretaker yelled. He turned back to the other children. "Head on back inside, dinner will be ready soon." He then looked down to the young girl, who had just started to recover from her unnecessary beating. "You get back to work. That barn's as dirty as you."

The girl said nothing as she got up and limped back to the barn. Eren, having enough of all this, joined her inside. He pushed past the older boys as they all looked at him.

"Oh, man," said one of the smaller ones. "I think he's right, let's leave him alone."

The taller one looked down at his friend. "What's the matter?" he asked. "You scared of a guy with a girl's name?"

"Didn't you see his head smoking? He looks like he's literally about to explode."

Eren's powers were healing himself from the bruises he got earlier, so he made sure nobody was watching him. The bruises on his face and torso weren't that bad, but the real injuries were on his hands. They were still sore after throwing a few punches, like his body wasn't used to fighting.

Then again, a kid's body still has a lot of growing to do.

Eren was still reeling over the fact he had to be brought back as a child and go through a second childhood. All he wanted to do was use his new Titan to stop Salem, but he knew that was impossible right now. As Darkness said, his Titan was new and not very powerful. It still needed training.

Then again, so did his body. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone.

"Alright, make sure you share."

Eren turned to the entrance of the barn to see the caretaker place a tray of food in the middle of the room. As he left, the boys from earlier all ran over and took their pick. Eren simply walked over, feeling a little hungry. When he saw a piece of bread, he took it without hesitation. But he grabbed one other thing when he had the chance. A baked potato.

Chuckling, Eren looked over the baked potato as he walked back to his spot in the barn.

"It's best when eaten warm."

He sat down and put his bread on his lap, remembering the first time he saw Sasha attempt to eat a baked potato. "Well, I'll hold you to that, Potato Girl."

He took a bite. And then another.

"F...food?"

Eren stopped eating and looked to his right. Standing above him was the little cleaning girl, the one who he helped from the boys. This was the first time he actually heard her speak, she never seemed to interact with anyone else. Then again, with the way she was being treated, who could blame her?

But Eren didn't see any reason to treat her like everyone else did. So he broke his potato, giving her the larger half. She quickly took it and began to eat. She was so hungry that she forgot to say 'Thank you'. But Eren didn't care. She finished and started to walk away.

"Don't go," Eren asked. She turned around to see Eren tapping his hand on the floor next to him, asking her to sit.

"...Work," she responded. She pointed to a brush and bucket on the ground. She was just about to pick it up, but another hand gently picked it up. She looked back at a smiling Eren.

"If I help you, will you stay and talk with me?" Eren asked calmly.

The girl titled her head in confusion. This was certainly an abnormal day for her. First, this boy saved her from the older children. Then, he willingly gave her some food. And now, he wanted to do her chores for him? That was the last thing she was expecting to hear.

But she was really tired and still sore from earlier. So, she sat down on a box and watched Eren clean the floor. "The way you were doing it is difficult," he said. "If you move with the floorboards rather than against them, it'll look cleaner." Eren never thought he would see the day when he would be sharing Levi's cleaning lessons with someone, but the past twelve hours hadn't really been...normal.

"Who...?" the girl began. But she quickly closed her mouth.

Eren looked up from the ground. "What was that?" he asked politely.

"Who...who are you?" she finished.

"My name's Eren. Eren Yeager. And no, it's not a girl's name." The girl slightly smiled, finding some humor in the coincidence. Eren saw this and looked back at the floor. "Alright, how about this? Tell me your name and let's see which sounds more like a girl's name."

Her smile disappeared. "Cin...Cinder."

Eren stopped cleaning and looked back up. "Cinder?" he asked. "That's...special." He didn't know how else to describe someone having a name like 'Cinder', it was actually the first time he heard someone be called that.

Cinder could see his confusion, so she pointed to a fireplace that had a makeshift mattress next to it. She then rubbed her cheek and showed her hand. Eren looked at what he thought was dirt, but the girl corrected him. "Cinders."

Eren looked back at the fireplace, then her hand. He started to understand. "You sleep in front of the fire place? You know that's how you're getting dirty, right?"

"It's...warm."

"..."

Eren put the brush down and put his hand in the water. Seeing it was soapy, he took Cinder's hand and started to rub it. She quickly pulled back, confused about what he was doing. "It's okay," he said. "Forget about the floor. Let's get you cleaned up."

"..."

Cinder showed him her hand, and he began to clean it again. Taking a rag he saw on the ground, Eren made it wet and began to clean her face. The water almost got in her eye, so Cinder moved her head. "I'm almost done, Cinder."

After a few seconds, Eren put the rag down. Cinder felt her face, feeling it clean of any dirt and ash. She wished she had a mirror, to know how she looked. So, she decided to go find one. Smiling at Eren, she walked towards a different room.

"...You're welcome," Eren said.

Cinder turned around. "...What?"

"It's what people say after you say 'Thank you'."

"Say...what?"

"..."

Eren was beginning to understand just how bad Cinder's situation was at this place. "Sorry," he said as he moved back to the floor. "Just...forget I said anything."

Cinder went into a different room that had a mirror. Looking through the glass, she could see that Eren did a good job washing the dirt off, and she could feel her face and arms were softer than before. She smiled at this, but then remembered what Eren said earlier. So she went back to the hall to see him still continue to clean the floor. "...Thank you for cleaning me," she said.

Eren looked up and smiled. "You're welcome."

"And...thank you for the food."

"You're welcome."

"And thank you for...helping me."

"...You're welcome." Eren looked back at the floor, continuing to clean. But Cinder didn't move. She continued to watch Eren, study him. He was certainly doing a better job of cleaning the floor than she ever did. And she was happy that something in her life changed for the better. But this left an unanswered question for her.

"Eren?" she asked. The young boy looked up. "Why did you do all of this?"

"All of what?" he asked.

"Helping me." She moved closer to him, careful not to step on any of the spots Eren washed. "Everyone here likes to...hurt me. But you...you don't like to hurt me...do you?"

"No, of course not." Eren gripped the brush even tighter. "I just...don't like bullies. I never did."

"..."

"I actually like the people they pick on. Do you know why?" Cinder shook her head. "I learned those people are different from the rest. Special."

"Special how?"

"Well..." Eren knew a perfect example of one such person, but he had to be choose his next words carefully. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm not from around here." Cinder nodded in understanding. "Where I come from, I used to protect someone else from bullies." Eren chuckled at the memories he was describing. "Well, tried to protect."

"Who was it?"

"His name was Armin. He was my best friend."

"Why did people like to hurt him?"

"Because he was different. Armin was the smartest person I've ever met. He showed me all these books about the world, things that nobody else really cared about." Eren smiled again, fondly recalling the time Armin showed him the book that described the ocean. "His books talked about new places, all sorts of things we could see if we left home. And in a way...we did."

The next question Cinder asked sent chills down Eren's spine. "Were you...free?"

Eren's smile slowly faded when he thought about that question. He saw it all during the Rumbling. Everything Armin described was right before his eyes. And that made him remember something he said.

"Anyone who saw those things...would be the freest person in the world," he answered. "So yes, Cinder. I was free."

"...I have books too," Cinder confessed. "Ones that I read at night. I think...I read about all you saw." Her eyes were filled with hope and wonder, and she asked her next question with a soft smile. "Was it as wonderful as it sounds?"

Eren smiled back. "It was. You should see it for yourself." An idea came to his mind. "I can take you with me sometime."

Cinder dropped her smile and asked Eren another question. "What do you want from me?"

"...What?"

"You wouldn't do all this for nothing. What do you want?"

"..."

Cinder knew all of this seemed too good to be true. And Eren's silence seemed to confirm it. She was ready to walk away and get back to her chores. But then...she heard Eren laugh.

"You're really smart," he said. "You know that?" He stopped laughing and extended his hand. "You're right, there is something I want. I...I'd really like to have a friend."

Cinder was angry when she started to reveal Eren's nature behind his kindness. She was expecting him to do more work for him, or do something that didn't sound very comforting. But when she heard the word 'friend', Cinder could feel her anger sank back the bottom of her heart and joy rise in its place. "Friend?"

"Sure," Eren replied, not moving his hand. "All of my friends are...gone, now. I like you, Cinder, and I'd like to be your friend. You wanna be mine?"

Cinder took his hand without hesitation. "Yes," she replied. "Friends."

"I think we have what you're looking for."

The caretaker led a prospective client into the barn. At the moment, most of the boys were outside the barn, which left two people inside.

The caretaker and his client walked inside to see Eren and Cinder cleaning the floor. Normally, Cinder would be doing it herself and remain silent. But Eren being by her side for the past week had made her job, even her life, change for the better. She was more talkative and more willing to stand up for herself with the other boys than she was before meeting Eren.

Eren, on the other hand, was happy he made a friend in the new world. Of course, Cinder couldn't replace anyone back home, but he couldn't spend his entire time on Remnant alone.

Cinder shared her books with him, and they read them together. He didn't pay close attention to the fairy tales, but rather the world book she had. That was where he learned all sorts of things about Remnant. He learned about the existence of fuel called 'Dust', each of the four kingdoms, and a protective kind of power called Aura. Cinder used the book to unlock her Aura, so she decided to help Eren unlock his. And for that, he showed his gratitude by practicing it on the boys who tried to bully her.

The caretaker's client, a brunette woman in a white blouse and red skirt, walked ahead of the caretaker. The children didn't seem to notice their presence as they cleaned and made playful banter with each other.

"The girl is slow, but she'll eventually get any job done," said the caretaker. "The boy's taught her a couple of things, he knows what he's doing."

The woman walked closer to the duo, who looked up at the sound of her thunderous footsteps. Once they all made eye contact, the woman made her decision. "I'll take them."

Author's notes: I'm surprised how well this is already going. Thanks for reading this, and if you haven't please leave a review so we can hear what you think.

Also, I have a message from The Avenging Titan (my idea guy for the story): "I just want to say, thank you all so much for reading and enjoying this story. I didn't expect the story to get this popular in such a short time, and seeing all of you adding the story to your Fav/Follow list really puts a smile on my face."

Thanks again for reading this, hope you're enjoying it. See you next time!