Prologue:

History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men.

Mikasa Ackerman no longer cared.

She did not care about anything.

Let alone herself.

As the wind rushed past her as she pushed her ODM Gear to its limits, slicing down every single Titan that crossed her path, she mused how quickly her fragile hope was shattered.

She vaguely heard her lifelong friend, her last friend, Armin Arlelt cry out to her about her using too much gas. But even as she crashed into the rooftop and fell through the market tent. She didn't care.

She laid on the street staring up at the sky. Her gear out of gas and her blade destroyed and out of replacements blades. It was over for her. But then. She was already over. She was over before she even knew it.

She was over when he died. So, she didn't care.

She thought back on her life. It was a good life, but not without its blemishes.

Here parents were murdered before her eyes, but the horrid event brought her Eren Yeager. He saved her. And in turn, she saved him. His parents brought her into their home. Then his father disappeared, and the Titans attacked… and they witnessed his mother, and her adopted mother murdered by that monster… But she still had hope. She still had Eren. The memory made her touch the old red scarf wrapped around her neck.

She held out that hope, she held on to Eren as they entered the Survey Corps together with Armin. They trained, struggled and fought their way into the ranks together.

The last thing she said to him…asked of him… was not to die.

And seeing the shattered expression of Armin… hearing his words of how Eren and his squadmates' deaths. That spark of hope she had clung to was completely extinguished.

She glanced up lazily as the Titan slowly approached her. She got up to her knees. "I lived a good life."

"Fight!" She heard Eren's voice in the back of her mind as the Titan approached to attack her.

She lashed out at the monster with what was left of her blade, shattering it, and cutting a chunk out of the humanoid beast's hand. But the force of the blow sent her flying against the back wall. Knocking the air out of her lungs.

No.

She didn't want to die here. Not like this. If she dies here today, then the memories she carries of Eren would die with her. She had to fight. She had to…

A monstrous roar echoed throughout the street. Mikasa covered her ears and glanced up to see what could have made such a sound. And if she didn't know any better, she could swear the titan took an expression of fear.

The ground trembled as something massive, even more massive than the Titan approached them. The Titan turned and Mikasa and the Titan saw a great beast turning the corner toward them.

Unlike the Human-like Titans, this monster was reptilian-like. Black rough hide, with massive claws on its toes and fingers. A long lazily swinging tail followed it as it marched, pushing through buildings. Along the monster's back were three rows of jagged dorsal fins and it's lizard like face snarled as it took in the city around it.

The monster's eyes drew her in. They were sentient, not like the soulless Titans. They were blue/green. They looked just like Eren's. The beast stopped as it noticed her on the ground, still on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Its eyes seemed surprised, before it glanced to the Titan. And the shock turned to rage.

"SKKKRRRRREEEEEEOOOOOOONNNNNG!" The beast's long roar shook the ground going high pitched at first before dropping deep that rattled in Mikasa's soul.

With speed that should not belong to a monster its side, the beast rushed the Titan, spinning on one foot, slamming its massive tell into the Titan's chest. The impact knocked the Titan back into wall hard. Before it could get its footing, the beast slammed its shoulder into the Titan's stomach, lifting it off the ground and slamming it into the ground. Baring its teeth, the beast grabbed the still dazed Titan, sinking its claws into its flesh and lifting it off the ground.

Mikasa couldn't believe what she was seeing. She blinked when she heard a faint hum start to build from the beast's fins as they began to glow, starting from its tail before traveling up its back.

The Titan struggled against its attacker's grip futilely as the beast opened its mouth, bathing the Titan's face in blue light.

Mikasa had to glance away as a bright light erupted. A blast of raw pure energy shot from the beast's maw, and in its wake the now limp Titan's body was missing a head and most of its chest and shoulders. The great beast let the Titan fall before glancing to Mikasa as if to see if she was ok. The beast then threw its head back and released a massive victorious roar.

This was more than a monster.

This was more than a Titan.

This…

This was a King.