The Awakening

by SniperGirl0907

The gods have been gone for too long: cursed to exist as giant voiceless monsters, they have awakened to find humanity at the edge of extinction, & at the mercy of the creatures known as 'titans'. Now, with the help of a young adventurous girl, a brave courageous mother, and their equally intrepid friends and family, they must find a way to save all mankind.

15. Chpt 14: Unexpected Developments

I don't own Attack on Titan: just my OC's and the plot.

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The Awakening

Chapter 14: Unexpected Developments

One week later:

"A little to the left! ..." Ariana shouted up into the tree,

High overhead, one of the bird titans knocked some loose twigs from out of the canopy with its tail feathers. A small shower of twigs and leaves came falling down, and Ariana gathered them up to add to the pile of firewood she'd collected; "That's great! Thanks for your help!" she called up to the titan, who thanked her with a happy chirp and playful nod before flying off up into Yggdrasil's canopy. Bundling up the wood, Ariana started the relatively short walk back to her new home, following the narrow trail as it wound its way through the dense undergrowth; gazing up through the canopy, she still couldn't get over just how big the great tree really was, as its branches seemed to go on forever in all directions.

Despite the ethereal and somewhat over-sized nature of Yggdrasil island, and it's many various titan residents, settling into life on the island had proven to be a relatively simple affair for the human survivors, and their four titanic friends. After spending the first and second days exploring the island's town and inspecting all the buildings, the group decided to pick their own places to live in: all within close proximity of one another so that if anyone needed help or there was an emergency, one or the others wouldn't have far to go. They chose a 'street' (or a set of intertwining trees rather) not too far from the island's only water supply, a small yet sizeable lake that was fed by a massive system of underground springs, some of which were volcanic: pumping out boiling hot water into one large pool at the base of Yggdrasil, where it flowed into the cold-water lake, cooling it down to a comfortable lukewarm temperature that was suitable for bathing and washing, as well as being safe to drink.

The lake was situated near the densest concentration of ground-based buildings, which must have served as the island community's 'town centre' at one point, as there were a large number of buildings here that were various shops, market stalls, craftsmen's workshops, artisan's studios, a few tailor's, eateries and Inns, a few blacksmith's forges, a library, a church of some kind, a hospital complete with surgical theatres and an apothecary; and a particularly big circular building overlooking the town square that turned out to be some kind of town hall. Or a courthouse?, it was certainly laid out like a courthouse, as it was filled with both ground and elevated seating galleries that went right around the circumference of the interior: it had tables, a dock, a witness stand, and even a judge's bench that stood quite high off the ground. But the funny thing was, there was no police station anywhere on the island, or at least, any building that had iron bars and shackles, and looked like it could keep people from escaping: so why the need for a courthouse, if crime wasn't an issue the people here had to deal with? It was one of the many mysteries that had the survivors scratching their heads, and no doubt more would come to light in the fullness of time.

But in the meantime, the survivors spent the rest of the week cleaning out their new homes and 'feathering the nests' with all the comforts and necessities of home.

On the third day, Tyto and Bryson went to relocate that first cottage they came across near the base of Yggdrasil, to see if there was anything of usefulness: and after letting themselves in, they discovered they had hit pay-dirt: everything from rugs, curtains, towels and table cloths, to kitchen utensils, pots and pans, dishes, plates and jugs, furniture; and even an old grandfather clock had been sitting around for goodness-knows how long, caked in a layer of grey dust and cobwebs. Just about everything one could need to fully furnish a house into a home, was all here: everything had been packed into wooden boxes and crates, or covered in dust sheets; it was just as Bryson had surmised, the way everything had been carefully put away and organized, it was as if the original owners had intended to return one day, or leave maybe? In any case, everything they found would be put to good use.

But it wasn't just that one cottage that had all it's contents packed and stashed away: when they checked out many of the other houses and cottages, the group found that all the other original owners had packed their belongings away too; what happened here that forced them to take everything they own, pack them up as if they were moving house, and then just leave and not come back for them? All kinds of theories had been circulating amongst the group all week, and with every new building they scavenged, new wonders and mysteries would be thrown up and pondered over.

For everyone, the town and it's abandoned contents was a great convenience, and for Pascal and West in particular, the scavenger hunt had only served to sate their former 'compulsions', and the two former thieves delighted themselves all week in finding new buildings the others had missed, or hadn't located yet, and covertly helping themselves to the more 'valuable' contents. As she passed by a large bush, Ariana heard Pascal tittering like a schoolboy, and as she stopped to watch through the patchy leaves: she saw the red-headed rouge and West emerge from a small house carrying an ornate-looking chest between them, and running off back to their place. However, as with all scavenging, a prize seldom goes unnoticed by others looking to snatch an easy meal, and no sooner had the former thieves left, Josefa and Jaye slipped out of the undergrowth near the front door and dashed into the house, re-emerging a minute later carrying a huge brass cauldron together: "Idiots" Jaye sniggered, "Don't they learn anything?" Josefa chuckled as they ran off back the way they came: no doubt to present it to their father as 'just something we found' (as was their usual story). Ariana couldn't help but smile as she carried on her way: there was no decorum when it came to hunting and scavenging, and once something is up for grabs, it was every hunter for themselves.

After a few more minutes of navigating the undergrowth, Ariana soon found herself back at the trees that were part of her new neighbourhood: the trees in question were two giants that towered some forty meters above ground, and had their trunks intertwining in a tight spiral: (no doubt they had been deliberately manipulated to grow like that, though how exactly was a real head-scratcher), their closely-knit crowns formed a large wedge in which the biggest of the tree-houses, a large boat (called a 'ship', according to Shadow) with a mansion-like house built onto the main deck, sat overlooking the island's town centre. Surrounding it on all sides, the enormous branches extended outwards from the crowns, forking off into smaller yet still equally robust branches here and there, forming sturdy supports and anchor points for the other tree-houses to stand upon (though why anyone would want to live in a boat up in a tree was anyone's guess; the islands former residents certainly had some strange preferences).

Perched on the largest branches were four other buildings, all spacious and big (equivalent to large town houses): their architectural designs were basic with some ornate features here and there, and they were all interconnected via a network of staircases that spiralled up and down the branches, plus suspended and stilted walkways that all centred around the boat's decks as the central hub. In the large tree-house to the boat's starboard bow, Bryson, Breck and Claude had decided to make their new home there, as it boasted several large rooms which would make an excellent laboratory and doctor's surgery. In the tree-house further along from them, perched securely in the fork of the branch, the Fitzsimmons and their adopted brood had moved in: between them Bren and Mabel had taken turns in fixing up the house while also caring for the babies, with Lawrence and Drake lending a helping hand; their house also had several large rooms and bedrooms, perfect for a growing family. At the opposite end of the boat perched between another forking branch, Pascal and West had chosen the grandest tree-house: this was the more ornate of the lot, and did indeed look quite lofty with its enormous balconies and stilted courtyard gardens; a little too fancy for everyone else's taste, but for two former thieves with daydreams of living in grandeur, it suited them just fine. At the very top of the two trees, where the largest branch reached up high and stood tall over the roof of the boat-tree-house, the smallest of the tree-houses sat snug and cosy amid the canopy in a triple fork: more of an ornate cottage than a house, it served Carla well as her new home, and there was space on the neighbouring branches for Angel to build herself a new nest.

And in the big boat-tree-house, the four Celtic families had set up their new homestead: with plenty of room for the kids and additional room for supplies and other essentials, their new home served as the centre-point for the others living on the branches to come and get whatever supplies they needed, thus saving them a journey down the spiralling trunks. At the bottom of the trees, nestled in between two of the largest roots, the Willums had set up home in one of the island's three Inn's: it was a large property with everything intact, it included a bar, a dinning room and kitchen, a cellar filled with long-forgotten bottles of wines, spirits and casks of ale, beer and mead; it had twenty guest bedrooms, two parlours, and sizeable living quarters that could accommodate the whole family twice over. For everyone it seemed like the obvious choice for them, but for the Willums there was no other choice: the Black Stallion in Shiganshina had been in the family for over six generations, and living in an Inn was all they had ever known (even if there were no customers to serve anymore), plus the fact it was on the ground meant the elder Willums didn't have to worry about their creaking joints while walking up the huge spiralling trunks.

Not too far away on the ground, just by edge of the town centre, Gustav had discovered one of the abandoned smithy's: a large building that housed several forges, and even had an old machine shop next door. Having worked as an ODM gear builder for many a year, he was quite familiar with some of the strange mechanical things that resided in there. However, the old smithy had seen better days, for it was overgrown by vines and creepers, and some of the tools were quite worn and rusted: but that didn't deter Gustav from making it his new home away from home, and before long Bren, Bemadette and her brothers were helping him to clear out the weeds and making it ready to light the forges and begin work. There were some essential repairs that needed a blacksmith's attention: such as needing new hinges and doorknobs on some of the doors, repairing dented utensils, and other numerous things that were going to keep the trio busy for the foreseeable future.

Walking up the giant roots and onto one of the spiralling trunks, Ariana followed the trail all the way up to the underside of the crowns, where a stilted pathway took her up to the side of the boat-tree-house where the front door was located: with her hands full, she knocked on the door with her foot, and within a few seconds Ashlyn answered: "Ah good your back, your mum was starting to wonder where you'd got to" she let her come in. "It took a while, the undergrowth is so dense in places you can hardly see your feet," Ariana replied as she took the wood through to the kitchen, and dumped it in the giant wicker basket where all the firewood was kept: "Where is mum anyway?" she frowned as she wiped the dirt and flaked bark off her hands: "Oh, she and Miss Rosemary found some stuff in that tailor's yesterday, the one down by the bakers? Said they were gonna go back and look for stuff to make new clothes" Ashlyn replied as she reached for a cup, and poured herself some water from the pump by the sink: "... I still can't believe all these tree-houses have running water" Ariana thought aloud as she stared at the pump: "Claude says its a system called 'indoor plumbing': apparently its very popular in the interior; hell it sure beats having to go outside to take a shit, or boiling the kettle every time we need a bath" Ashlyn smiled as she took a sip, "Yeah, I just hope Gustav's repairs to the pipes and pump hold up..." Ariana gazed out the window as a squirrel scampered by, "Oh, by the way, do you know where my dad went?" "I think he's still with the other guys somewhere below? You'll have to go find him yourself, I've still got a ton of stuff to finish off here" "And Shadow? Has he come back yet?" "I think so, I saw him through the trees a while ago", Ariana paused a moment, "...Okay, Thanks Ashlyn: when mum comes back tell her I went looking for dad" she bid her cousin goodbye, and turned, heading back out the front door.

As she made her way back down to the forest floor, Ariana kept her ears attuned to the strange sounds of the exotic forest, listening for Shadow's telltale soft footsteps. But alas, he was nowhere nearby: as she reached the ground and wandered off in the direction of the town centre, the sound of her father's voice told her where he was; the sounds of Bryson, Break, Gustav, and Derek's voices could also be heard. But the tones they were using sent a pang of concern through her: they were having a heated discussion about something, and from the sound of her father's voice, it was gravely serious. Quietly tiptoeing along to where they were gathered, behind one of the shops at the edge of the treeline, Ariana stood still and listened...

"-I'm telling you it's not going to work!" Gustav vehemently stated, "You haven't lived in the interior like I have, it's as far as one can get from Maria within this walled world!"

"The attitudes of those in Sina are not like those in Maria: or, were...In any case Gustav's right: they're far more conservative, and not as open-minded to more 'unconventional' lines of thinking" Claude threw in, "Don't forget, many Sinian's don't even know what a titan looks like, hell even I didn't know what a titan was until I turned eleven!"

"If it had been anything else besides titans the whole argument would be moot, but the fact it was the titans that caused Shiganshina to fall is exactly the reason this isn't going to work: a whole bunch of intelligent titans showing up at the gate of Trost, proclaiming to be humanity's savours? No one'll take it seriously! Everyone, especially the Scouts are gonna think its way too good to be true; they're going to think we're an invading army or something" Derek pointed out,

"Not to mention that as we speak, countless refugees will have been crammed into Wall Rose: everyone in the interior is going to be dealing with the aftermath of this disaster, it won't be just the military that will be stretched to its breaking point. Going there now? It would probably just serve to make the situation worse; those who managed to escape the titans are going to be having enough to deal with. They don't need someone promising them hope, when there's a strong chance they might not live to see it" Breck added earnestly,

the whole group stood around in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, before Bryson spoke up in a more vehement tone: "...What we have discovered here, goes far beyond anyone's understanding of the bigger picture: the mystery of the titans origins, why and how mankind was made to forget the outside world, the answers to why we are here inside these walls; all this and more could be sitting in that city right across the lake from us... Everything we've done these past three years, everything we have been working so hard on with Shadow and his family; and all the answers to all the questions we have been asking ourselves and each other, are all there... We have no right to deny humanity this knowledge: there is no way I am just going to sit on this island, and stay here for the rest of my life knowing what I know. Not when there might finally be a way for the Scouts to beat back the titans, which have confined us to this existence for the last hundred years"

"...I agree..." Tyto concurred, "My grandfather and my kin risked their lives to find this place: they may not have fully been able to grasp the entirety of what we know now: but they knew they stumbled upon something that would change everything, forever. They could've stayed, but they choseto come back: back to a world where they were regarded as less than animals by the wall cult, and hunted as such. I believe now, they came back because one day mankind would need to know of the city of of Omnes Scientiam, and they would be the one's to show the way... Now? Me and my family are the last of our people: the only one's who knew of this place in our hearts and in our minds, long before the walls were ever built... To stay here and do nothing with that legacy would be an insult to their memories: to those who the Disciples killed, taking that knowledge to their graves... I don't know how: but I'm doing this, with or without you all"

"Oh don't be stupid, we all want to do something about this!" Gustav sighed in exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, but how? Look-, I've no doubt there's a way we can do it: but the question is where do we even start? We're the only one's here, and even with the Queen and the other god-titans providing us aid with their abilities, our options are still limited; not to mention we've got our own to think about. We can't just go off playing hero and abandon them" Bren pointed out.

"God-titans..." Bryson smirked, "...I'm still getting used to that idea"

"You and the rest of us, soldier" Gustav huffed as he folded his arms, "Gods or titans, I don't give a shit what they think they are, or what they're not: they're still family, and there's always room for a few more more nuts on the family tree"

"I dunno Gustav? They seemed pretty adamant about it" Bren sighed as he scratched the back of his neck, "I mean, don't you think with all the things their able to do with that magic of theirs, and the things they know, that they might be something more than just intelligent magical titans?"

"Honestly? I don't know what to think? I mean, the whole 'being sure of who to trust' and all that I can understand: but leading us on all the way up to last week? Eh, I'm not saying I don't trust them anymore, I just think they need to get their priorities a little more straitened out" Evrard waved off in a not-too-overly-concerned tone.

"'Get their priorities a little more straitened out?' Evrard, they told us up front they were gods! You don't make a claim like that and expect everyone to take it at face value! The wall cult have been preaching for the last hundred years that the walls are goddesses and were placed here by some 'divine architect'; you think after having to listen to them preaching that horse-shit, that I'm just going to believe her majesty?" Bryson argued, before passing an exhausted sigh and adding: "...Look, I still consider Shadow a really good friend, him and the rest his 'extended' family: and yes, the things they're able to do with those powers of theirs are incredible and impressive: I'm not questioning that side of it; but gods? ...I'm sorry, but that's too much of a stretch, even for me"

"Well? Whoever or whatever they were before we met them: I'm glad we know them now, and have them in our lives; because Maria only knows these past three years have been anything but dull" Bren smiled, "And let's not forget, if it wasn't for them, we'd all be dead"

"Yeah, no shit..." Gustav nodded with a small smirk: ..."But this 'endeavour' the Queen has asked us to think about getting involved in...Trying to restore humanity to the world? That's a tall order, even for us"

"Tall order or not, we've got to try anyway: and while I have no doubt it can be done, I just don't believe now is the right time; let the dust settle first, let everyone in the walls have a chance to pick themselves up and recover. Going there now? I just can't see it being feasible" Breck thought aloud.

As the 'heretics and traitors' continued to discuss the topic and debate it at length, Ariana quietly slipped away, still listening out for Shadow... She really needed to speak with him.

At the edge of the town centre, invisibly watching the group from the shadows of the trees: Javorin and Jarus discreetly listened in, pondering on their conversation: "Well what did you expect? I would've warned you they wouldn't believe us, but then, you have foreseen that too haven't you?" Javorin sighed dryly: "True, I had expected this: but then, as gods we are obliged to be honest in all our dealings with the humans; at least, as honest as our divine duties will allow under the circumstances. Hypocritical I know, but what can we do? Needs must, and our needs require total honesty and cooperation if our long term goal is to have any hope of becoming a reality: better they hear the truth from us now, then by other means that would lead them to believe we have something to hide"

"We're gods Jarus, we always have something to hide, and for good reason," Javorin glanced at him sarcastically, before huffing in annoyance, "Oh great, now I'm beginning to sound like Hecate". Jarus only chuckled, "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing brother" "It's not that..." Javorin frowned, Jarus was quiet for a moment, before simply replying: "...I know... And it's as I've already explained; it's not that simple. With Aureia involved we have no choice but to keeping looking up at the bigger picture: and I'm sorry to say, we can only see so far"

"...I know..." Javorin sighed in irritation as he ran his hand through his long mane-like hair, "It's just-, I know the unknown destiny of the world is the will of the Ancient ones, but that doesn't mean I have to like abiding by it" "Neither do I Javorin, but we're here now, and we have a job to do: regardless of what the humans believe us to be, or not to be" Jarus stated as straightened up, "And right now we need to find a way of thinning out the titan population: that chaos manna their aura's discharge has already impaired the balance of the world's magical energies, the only reason the balance of life and death hasn't been affected yet is because of Yggdrasil," he gazed up at said tree: "As long as the great tree continues to noirish the world's natural manna with its own, we still have a chance to prevent any further damage from being done"

"So what can you tell me 'might' happen?" Javorin folded his arms, "Only that something is going happen in the near future, something that will force them to choose, and to follow through with great determination and conviction" Jarus replied, directing his gaze over to the group: Javorin looked back at him in surprise, "So they are going to help? I mean, I didn't doubt they would, but how?" "That, I'm afraid, I have not been able to see: even under the shade of Yggdrasil the chaos manna clouds my sight: Aureia's too, to a greater or lesser degree". Javorin stared at him in surprise: "... Aureia's not able to see all the way across the veil of time and space?" "Sometimes, it's random and near-impossible to predict; that's why, we had such trouble trying to determine what was going on, the day Shiganshina fell" "...If Aureia's not able to utilize her full power, then it's much worse than I originally thought" Javorin realized in fretful worry, "I know..." Jarus nodded, "But in any case they will help us, though how exactly remains to be seen... And even if I'm able to see what will come to pass: I'm afraid I won't be able to tell" he added in a regretful tone, "Why not?" Javorin frowned, "It's as you say: we have good reason for hiding the truth at times, and sometimes some truths can only be learned the hard way; that is the nature of this world after all. And sometimes, that nature avails itself in some truly harrowing ways"

"I can smell you you know?, I know your both standing there..." Ariana frowned as she folded her arms, tapping one foot impatiently as she gazed up at the empty space where she knew they were standing. "Oh dear, looks like we've been found out" Jarus smiled as he turned himself visible again "Hello Ariana" he smiled down at the girl: "Hey Keeper, is Shadow free?" She asked offhand, "Indeed, he's all yours", "I'll catch up with you later: you know where to find me" he waved as he quietly walked off into the forest, "Oh sure, I'll just drop by the temple and leave you an offering" Javorin frowned sarcastically, "Wine would be nice (if I had a stomach to enjoy it with)" Jarus grinned as he disappeared into the thick greenery. Javorin made himself visible and kneeled down to meet Ariana: "What was that all about?" she asked offhand, seeing the exasperated look on his face, "Are you okay big guy?", :Ah I'm fine, just big brother stuff giving me grief is all: he spelt out, offering his hand for her to climb into, "Yeah, I know the feeling: I got three to keep in line remember?" Ariana sighed as she climbed up into his palm: he then stood back up and wandered into the forest.

The two friends were quiet for a long moment, before Ariana decided to doggedly speak her mind: "...So I take it you overheard dad's conversation with the other heretics and traitors?", :Yep: he spelt, "And you do realize what you guys told us last week is still a big pill to swallow, right?" she gazed up at him with a sceptical look, :I know, and for that I'm sorry. But I've already explained why we had to conceal our true identities all these years:, "It's not that, I get all that: its the whole reason we didn't tell anyone else about you guys," Ariana stood up in his palm to meet his gaze: "I just-, don't know what to think? You, a god? Or god-titan? Whatever you are, I'm sorry but part of me just doesn't buy it"

Javorin stopped, and with an understanding look in his eyes, asked, :Okay, but why not? If I may ask:, thinking about it for a brief moment, Ariana then replied, "Well? For one thing the wall cult have been saying the walls are goddesses for years, but everyone knows their just big-ass walls that have always been there; there's nothing mystical or divine about them. Look, don't get me wrong, you are capable of doing incredible things; things most people wouldn't be able to wrap their minds around: but that's not conclusive proof that you and the rest of your family are gods"

:It's a fair point: he shrugged causally, :So what would qualify as conclusive proof to you?:, "...I don't know?," Ariana ran her fingers through her bangs as she racked her brain trying to think, "Change the world for the better somehow? Make all the regular titans disappear from the earth? And get rid of all the evil people in the world while your at it?", :I wish: he spelt out with a small smile, "Yeah, that's what I thought..." Ariana sighed in disappointment, before changing the subject slightly, "...Listen, everyone's been thinking about your 'revelation': and I was speaking with Dale, Lucy and Lucius about it the other day, and they happened upon a theory about it; which I said I'd ask you about", :Okay: he nodded, "...Well? Back before you guys wound up in those tombs: did everyone believe you to be gods because of your powers? I mean, was the name 'god' simply a word used to describe a being of great power; a power that went beyond everyone's understanding? Or, what?"

Javorin had to give Dale and the Cooper twin's credit, they certainly knew how to think outside the box, :In a way yes and in a way no: he half gestured with a wave of his hand, :Yes, because we are capable of doing things humans cannot understand, and no, because we do things that humans would consider counter-intuitive by their standard of logic:, "Such as?", :...Well? The powers we possess are varied and enigmatic in nature, but they are only a small part of what we are; our longevity, and the wisdom we accumulate over the course of our long-lived lives is another thing that humans had come to believe make us gods. But most of all, is our ability to 'sense' and 'reach' our minds and spirits beyond our own physical forms, to be able to 'connect' with other living and inanimate things: essentially being 'omnipotent'. This particular aspect of our natural abilities as gods is what enables us to recognize how everything and everyone in this world is connected; and that we understand how everything works, because of those infinite connections. We gods are constantly aware of those things, and know that they're integral to how the world works and survives the way it does; that's why, we have a systems of laws we place upon ourselves, so we don't abuse our powers and risk causing harm unintentionally:

"Okay, but where does the 'counter-intuitive by the standard of human logic' fit in?" Ariana asked curiously, :The first thing you have to understand about humans, is that their not us; gods and humans are two entirely separate entities, for a number of different reasons: but the biggest difference is the fact that humans are not omnipotent. Humans do not have the same level of conscious awareness that we do: for instance, you're standing here in my hand and you're looking up at me, and that's exactly what you're senses are telling you you're face-to-face with; you can see my face, hear by breathing, smell my scent, and feel the creeks and strains of the muscles in my arm through your feet. But for me, I sense not only your exterior form; I can sense your heart beating and the blood flowing through your veins, the electrical pulses of your brain, spine and nerves all throughout your body, your organs working in near-perfect syzygy, turning food into energy and defending the body from infection and disease, all this and so much more, all at once all at the same time. For me and my kin its nothing, but for a human it would be overwhelming to comprehend... Humans only pick up a tiny percentage of what we sense, and the fact they live for only a tiny fraction of our lifespans, means they can only accumulate so much knowledge over the course of their lifetimes; ergo, there is much they do not understand of the world, and even themselves:

"I guess that's true? But you can't say we're all ignorant about everything, I mean some of us are respectful to the world and everything in it" Ariana pointed out, :True, and while a percentage are more capable than the rest, by and large humans are only aware of the world that encompasses their ability to sense, navigate and comprehend it. Case in point...: he knelled down and pointed to the base of a nearby tree, Ariana wasn't sure what he was pointing to at first, until she spotted a worm wriggling across an exposed patch of soil, and a beetle scuttling up the side of the tree's root, :Despite the fact they both share the same environment, that beetle and that worm both have a very different understanding of what the world is. For the worm, who has no eyes and is able to burrow and wriggle down into the soil, his entire world is comprised of what he feels and hears; the earth and everything in it is what he understands to be true, because that is what he is suited to sense and perceive. Where as the beetle, who has both eyes and wings, see's a very different place; to him the world is vast and endless because he is able to get from one place to another fast, and because he can see everything the worm cannot...: he stood back up, and spelt out, :If both the beetle and the worm were able to talk to one another, how would one be able to convince the other of what is real? The beetle understands what light and dark is, because he has eyes to see it with, but for the worm there is no such thing as 'light' or 'darkness', there is only the surface or the underground, because that is what he can feel; and vice versa, how can the worm comprehend what 'flight' is when he has no wings of his own? How can he understand the concept of getting from one place to another in a short span of time, when to him, his understanding of the passage of time is diffident to that of the beetle's? All because of how their bodies and senses are shaped, and what they perceive as such... So the question is; what is real? What is the world to you, when you can only see it from your perspective? What would happen if you try to convince a god of your reality?:

"... They'd end up fighting over it, because neither one is able to understand the other... " Ariana realized, slightly in awe at the realization; Javorin nodded as he elaborated, :When humans come across something that will enable them to do more than what they are physically or mentally capable of, they 'internalize' it; they incorporate it into their skill-set and use it to adapt and evolve, whether it be a form of technology, a type or magic, or even a piece of rhetorical knowledge. Some would use it to their own devices, while other would seek to use it for the betterment of others; either way, if such knowledge is shared amongst a particular group and everyone else is left out, that group would have a distinct advantage over the rest. Their perception of the world would be changed; perhaps not in a big or obvious way, but one that would be different from everyone else's:

"So if that group's perspective of the world is changed, and they can't see eye-to-eye with anyone else: how would you get everyone to see each other's point of view?" Ariana pressed him, :The answer is not easy or straightforward, but the best place to start is by talking; humans diverged into a number of different 'cultures' over time, depending on geography and the environment in which they inhabited: but at their core they are all still human, with the same thought-processes, emotions and feelings. And I've learned over the years that learning to love comes so much more naturally than hatred; when pain is all you have ever known, that will be the first response to anything or anyone you encounter, good or bad; and by inflicting pain you only make the situation worse. But by being open and honest with yourself, and others, there's a better chance of something good coming from it. It's not easy, it doesn't come without complications or set-backs, and I'm sorry to say it doesn't always work; different people will always have a different understanding of the world; but that's not a bad thing, it is merely a part of the nature of human nature, and it is something we gods learned to live alongside too:

"So how did you get us to see your point of view?", :Truth be told? It was always complicated; when humans encounter something they don't understand, their first reaction is to be scared, but when they come to understand that something is more powerful than themselves, they will react either by trying to subdue it, or trying to appease it. Like humans, we gods are all different too; some of us didn't get along with humans, and vice versa. But others, like myself, tried to understand them, and vice versa. Over time we learned to live alongside each other, to help, to learn and to adapt in unison; but the more we grew comfortable with each other the more complacent we became, and over time it gave birth to a number of different complications. Many humans came to believe that we needed recognition of our feats and endeavours, or appeasement to stave off our anger or jealousy; and so they started to worship us. Others came to the conclusion that because we liked them, anything they did was automatically justified no matter how morally ambiguous it might be, some even taking advantage of our abilities for their own desires; but it went both ways too, and some gods had no problem in using humans to their own advantages. This of course led to conflict, and so a set of laws were established to maintain peace between us; any human or god found breaking those laws would be held accountable and punished... And that was that way it stayed for many an age; right up until our entombment:

"And everyone was okay with it? Even you?", :Are you okay with the Military Police, and how they maintain law and order within this walled world? Or even the king and Royal government, and how they rule this society? The point is, no system of law or governance is ever perfect, and both humans and gods could get it wrong at times. But as long as we learned from our mistakes; both us and the humans, it all helped to make the world just that little bit better. For humans who live in the here and now, it's something that was relevant to every human of every age; but for us gods, who can live for countless human lifetimes, it was an endeavour we saw change in ways we couldn't predict, or even comprehend at times. Kingdoms, nations and empires rose and fell, societies and cultures changed in all kinds of ways; some for the better, some for the worse, and all the while all we tried to do is ensure you remembered what was important:

"... And, what is important? ..." Ariana hesitated: Javorin merely smiled, and replied, :That this world is all that we all have, god or human there is no real difference when you get down to the heart of it, we are all the same no matter our differences on the outside; at our cores we still feel the same things, the same loves, the same sorrows, happiness, sadness, anger, joy, hope, disparity. Many would believe we are as far from each other as one could imagine, that our powers and immortality put us far above humanity, when in fact, it can put us at a disadvantage:

"Disadvantage?" Ariana blinked in surprise; Javorin felt his heart sink in his chest, and it showed in his sorrowful gaze as he explained, :...Having power doesn't mean you can do anything you want, it simply means you are burdened with a great responsibility you can never be rid of; being immortal doesn't mean you live forever, it just means that everyone around you dies. And being wise with the knowledge of a hundred thousand lifetimes doesn't mean you'll find happiness, it simply means that you understand why evil exists in the world, and why it can never be totally expelled... There's a reason why there's the saying 'ignorance is bliss'; having everything is not everything. To live a simple life, to be able to live for yourself and those you care about? Many are not able to achieve such a dream, and it is a dream we gods are seldom ever afforded, if not for a single human lifetime; because our duty is to the world, and to ensure its survival not matter what... For many an age humanity understood that of us, and for a time even endeavoured to help ensure the balance of the world remained in equilibrium; we would see a return to that time, when that understanding between humans and gods was at its best. Of course it can never be exactly the way it was back then, nor would we want it to; but it would be an opportunity for humanity to start anew, to rediscover all that has been lost, and be reminded of how things can be better:

Feeling a tad overwhelmed, Ariana let her gaze drift off into space as she tried to wrap her mind around everything he just explained: "...So? Technically, you guys didn't consider yourselves gods?", :Technically? we never really called ourselves anything to begin with. When humanity came along they called us 'gods', and we just sort of went along with it really?: he shrugged, Ariana paused dubiously for moment, before asking, "... So, you didn't mind the fact people worshipped you?", :That's another oddity of human nature we could never seem to fathom. Humans will believe whatever they want to believe, even if its not true or doesn't make any sense, logic or reason; human belief is a complicated and fickle thing, and when taken advantage of it can be used to terrible effect. It doesn't matter how good or selfless your intentions might be, taking advantage of someone's belief is an abuse of their vulnerability. We never encouraged any humans to worship us, but then, we didn't exactly stop them either; we gods believe that 'faith' is an expression of trust in one's character and ability, not a dependence upon our power to solve all the problems of the world. It was something we were always careful to explain and clarify with the utmost diligence and tact; but there were always those that would seek to twist our teachings to suit their own needs, or a larger agenda. In any case, we learned that it's useless to argue with fools, because after a time the spectators wouldn't be able to tell the difference:

"That must've sucked", :Indubitably: Javorin nodded. "...So? … You don't mind us calling you titans?" Ariana asked hesitantly, to which the god-titan chuckled and replied, :Ariana, you can call us whatever you want, we don't mind, really:, "That's a relief..." She smiled, before suddenly realizing, "-But wait a sec, if this whole 'god' thing wasn't a big deal for you guys in the first place, what was the point of telling us this?", :Because we're your friends, and you had a right to know. After everything we've been through together these last five years, I knew that revelation would come sooner or later. I just preferred you heard it from us, than learn about it from somewhere else and get the wrong idea... That and, we didn't want you to think that just because we're gods, that we can do anything you ask of us; but then, you already knew that. So all in all? I guess you can think of this more as a formality for the sake of clarification; it may seem trivial to you and the others, but it's a big deal for us, okay?:

"Okay" Ariana nodded anxiously, "That's-, a lot to relay to Dale and the twins, can I leave that with you?", Javorin laughed as he spelt out, :I've already left it with Claude, he's filled up his entire journal with everything I just told you, and more: "That's where you've been these last few days? Mum thinks you've been shirking your chores", :Me? Deliberately avoiding your mother? do you mind!: he glared down at her with mock look of displeasure, "Look I'm just saying, she's been on a scavenger-spree ever since she and the old ladies found those tailors in the town: at the rate she's going nuts making us new stuff to wear, I'm gonna be up to my eyeballs in new clothes for the next five years!" she let out an exasperated sigh as she flopped down in his palm, "That, and she's worried about me giving an answer to the Queen's 'request'". Javorin stopped, and with an impassive expression, asked, :... And? Have you at least been thinking about it?:, Ariana deadpanned up at him, "Seriously? As if you guys need to ask me of all people, of course I'll help!" she let out a frustrated sigh as she dragged both hands down her face, "It's just-, well you heard the heretics and traitors, this is way bigger than any of us! I'm not saying it won't work and that we can't make it work? I just-, don't see how. Restoring humanity to the world? That's huge, even for you guys... And listen, don't tell mum I said yes okay? I'll break that to her in person when the time's right" :Okay: he nodded, "Hey Shadow?..." Ariana sat back up, crossed her legs, and smiled up at him, "... Thanks for having faith in us; even if I don't completely get the whole 'god-titan' thing, I just want you to know, I don't consider it a joke or anything like that; if it's a big deal for you and your family then it'll be a big deal for us, okay?", he paused a moment, and smiled back, :Thank you, Ariana:. The two best friends talked some more as they strode away deeper into the forest, their chuckles and laughter echoing through the trees: making the tree and animal titans smile with content as they watched them wander by from the shade of the canopy.

---

On the western edge of the forest, near the cliff-sides that dropped down to the great lake, Elysia sat perched on one of Yggdrasil's giant root's, gazing out towards the western mountains: this last week had gone by in a bit of a daze, between helping the humans to settle into their new homes, and building herself a new nest next to Carla's own place, she'd hardly had time to contemplate the aftermath of the god's revelation to the humans, confiding in them their true identity's; of all the possible outcomes that could have transpired, she hadn't expected everyone to take it as well as they did. For the most part the revelation had been met with a healthy dose of scepticism, sociological curiosity, with the definition of the name 'god' being debated at length by some: but for the most part, the humans had taken it well.

Which left Elysia feeling perplexed, as she didn't know how to feel about it: she'd been expecting disbelief, anger, a sense of betrayal, and sheer outrage from her friends; dealing with the fact they didn't take it seriously had thrown her for a loop, and now she didn't know what to do. On the one hand she felt a little relieved if not quite stupid for assuming Carla (of all people) would take it badly, and on the other, she wondered where things would go from here, and what this all meant for them in the long term. She was so lost in her puzzled thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when Carla greeted her, her feathers puffed out in alarm, nearly knocking the poor woman off the giant root: but fortunately she regained her balance and laughed as the bird titan frantically tried to stroke her plumage back into place with the bends of her wings, "I'm sorry Angel. know I shouldn't laugh, but that's just so funny!" Carla couldn't help but chuckle as she sat herself down on the root next to her best friend, and gazed out over the sapphire blue waters: watching the clouds sail by over Yggdrasil's vast canopy.

"... It's so beautiful here... " Carla thought aloud with a small smile, to which Angel nodded with a forced smile :Oh yes, it's a shame we'll have to leave in three day's time: she spelt out with one wing, "...About that..." Carla sighed with a heavy heart, "...I've decided I'm going to stay, I'm not going to wall Rose Angel". Elysia nearly gawked down at the woman, :What? But why? What about Grisha? Its been over a week, he must be thinking your dead by now!:, "I know, and you have no idea how hard its been for me to come to this decision..." Carla replied, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Elysia froze: reading her aura, she realized Carla was being serious, and not without good reason; lowering herself down to be nearer to her level, she remained silent as she listened to her explain, : "...Last week was-, life-changing to say the least: and not because you told us you were gods..." she reached for the dove pendant beneath her blouse, and gazed down at it as she stroked her thumb over the wings, "...When the keeper showed us around the city, and we saw all those incredible things: I was so enchanted by it all, I never even dreamed humanity could be so diverse and varied at one point. That there was so many different kinds of people and places beyond the walls... But then, when we reached the top of the city and met Queen Aurora... And then, everything changed... When she asked us if we would join the god-titans in their endeavour to restore humanity, I realised I had no right to refuse her; I have-... No right to deny humanity this opportunity to rediscover its heritage; to finally find a way to beat back the titans, and retake the world that was once our own..." she wiped her tears away, keeping her composure: "... My son Eren will never have the opportunity to see the outside world: but if I can help others to go see it for themselves, to let them know what true freedom is, and that they needn't live in fear of the titans; then at least some part of him will live on in that endeavour, and his death will not be meaningless"

Elysia gazed at her in surprise: her aura was beating with a different thrum now, one that was laced with the pain of loosing her children, and at the same time stirring with a strength she'd never seen in her before; a strength that longed to lash out at the object of her grief and anger, and at the same time, to tenderly reach out to those in need and pull them out of whatever darkness enveloped them. Elysia mentally smacked herself up the back of her head: how on earth did she not see this change in her? And how could she be so selfish as to be lost in her own emotions, and not be there for her best friend in her time of need? She was still grieving the loss of Eren and Mikasa; and her aura showed it. Although she was strong on the outside and holding her composure together well, on the inside she was still processing everything that happened that day, and she was still in a state of flux. Determined to not let her down, Elysia replied, :How can I help?:

Carla gazed up at her, as she awkwardly tried to explain, :Listen, what we said last week, about us being gods and all that? It doesn't matter now. Just know that I'm here for you, and I'll follow you wherever you go; I don't care what you think I am anymore, and I know I can't keep worrying about it, so don't worry okay?:

A moment of silence passed before Carla smiled up at her, and stroked her cheek with a deep sigh, "It's okay sweetie, you don't have to worry about it..."; she got back up on her feet, and regarded her with a serious look for a moment, "But listen: I don't know what's going to happen, or what we're going to do to help restore humanity to the world; but whatever happens I'm not going to back down. It's probably going to get difficult at times, and I don't know what we're going to have to contend with to see it come to fruition. But one day, we will go to wall Rose: I'm going to find Grisha and I'm going to tell him everything, you, me, the heretics and traitors, the god-titans, Omnes Scientiam, everything. I know he's not going to like me for it, and I'm prepared to cross that bridge when I come to it: but after deciding to do this, I owe him that at least. And for now he's safe where he is in the interior... And anyway, how can things possibly go back to the way they were before? After everything that's happened: everything I now know; how can I go back to just being 'normal'?"

:I guess?: Angel nodded with a concerned warble, :Are you sure about this? I mean, we can fly to wall Rose and bring him back here if you want?:. Carla gazed up at her in mild surprise from a moment, before a small smile crossed her lips: "Thank you, but I don't think it would be a good idea: the logistics of getting in, locating Grisha and then getting out would be too complicated; plus, I don't know how on earth he'll react? To you? to me? To the both of us together? ...I know I'm breaking his heart by doing this, and I'll only cause more grief by 'coming back from the dead', regardless of how much time passes... It's selfish of me I know, but it's probably for the best that I let him think I'm dead: let him grieve, and find a way to move on with his life; either way, we're needed here, and he'll be needed in the interior, helping the refugees" she gazed out across the lake impassively, but her tone betrayed her heartache"...I don't like this decision Angel, and I didn't come to it lightly: but it's for the best". Unfolding her other wing, Elysia pulled Carla in for a hug, cooing warmly as she bent down to give her a nose-boop: Carla couldn't help but smile as she nuzzled her on the nose; "...Eren would've loved you, Angel..." she sighed as she felt another wave of tears come, :I loved him too, Carla: the bird titan spelt out as she shed her own tears.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island:

"This is incredible..." Dale beamed up at the three titan-goddess, "You ladies are amazing!"

"Well you weren't kidding about him being a flatterer" Nyiera smirked as shifted on her perch, "At least he's the most well-heeled of the three, the two other are still a work-in-progress" Hecate gestured to Rowan and Ash, who were staring up at the strange sky in jaw-dropped astonishment.

The place they were hanging out it was not like anywhere else on the island: deciding they needed a change of scenery and a much-needed break from all the scavenging and house-work, Hecate had gathered her sisters and the three Grey Owl brothers, and took them to the hot-spring next to the great tree, where a giant opening in the base of Yggdrasil's trunk led to the inside of the colossal timber; and the brothers had been surprised to say the least. Instead of a gigantic hollow truck/tree cave, there was an endless night sky that went on forever: but the stars here were different, more brighter, and shining with coronas of all different colours, with strange static clouds that glowed in all manner of colours as they stretched from one end of the sky to the other. The ground was comprised of a network of roots that had pools of dark still water between each one, forming a giant mosaic that seemed to stretch on forever, mirroring the sky, and making it look like it reached all the way down to the depths of the earth. On the 'horizon' there were strange dark structures that formed the base of Yggdrasil's trunk: worn away by time and shaped by countless wood-boring insects and dripping water, it looked more like a cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites, that seemed to shimmer with flecks of blue, green and plink lights. It was a staggeringly beautiful place, and one that had the humans completely taken under its spell.

"Oh I wouldn't say that," Hecate's third sister smiled cheekily, "I think Javorin made the right call in having these three look after you" "Look after me?" Hecate fumed, "Oh calm your fangs down sissy, you know I'm only jesting!" she waved off with a smug smile, "And how many times have I told you not to call me that Silenda!" she glared daggers at her, "I'll call you whatever I damn-well please: I'm your little sister remember? It's my job..." the younger goddess smugly grinned as she steady scuttled along the roots on her massive spider legs.

Silenda was one of the other night roamers that had made her home on the island: in the extensive cave systems that ran beneath Yggdrasil, all the way down to beneath the lake and to depths unknown. Like Nyiera she wasn't entirely humanoid; but instead of being a bird titan, she was a spider titan. Estimated to be a nineteen meter class if she was entirely humanoid, instead, Silenda possessed an elongated torso, from which three pairs of long slender black legs extended, each tipped with two sharp claws on each foot, and a long set of black arms ending in an elongated pair of hands that were armed with ten razor-sharp sickle-like claws. Her abdomen didn't look so much like that of a spider's, and more like that of a woman's lower half with both legs amputated off, with the spinnerets on the underside between the 'stumps'. Her entire body was white as snow, with her torso and abdomen covered in the same markings as her sisters: unusually, she was the only god-titan that had no markings on her head or neck, thus her face resembled flawless porcelain, framed by her raven black hair that had a rich deep violet sheen to it, and dazzling amethyst eyes that had tints of lapis blue with rich lilac lips; truly, she was as beautiful as her sisters, despite her monstrous arachnid form. She had chosen to live under the pseudonym Crystal, because like Boar, she too had the power to call forth any crystal or gemstone deep from within the earth: and had decorated the entrance to her cave as such with a variable garden of multicoloured rocks and crystals.

As she carefully loomed over the three brothers, her long black bangs fell away from her face, revealing the other two pairs of eyes on the sides of her forehead. "Besides, it's nice to have someone else besides you and Nyiera not scared of me because of the way I look: not that that's ever really been a problem here, the nature gods have all been very understanding of my 'circumstances'. But still, it's a relief to know the humans won't be living in fear of me any time soon" she smiled as she bent down on her legs, and let the boys climb up to sit on the back of her shoulders, using her long hair to hold on tight as she straightened up, "After all the shit they've been through? It's going to take a lot more than a 'spider titan' to rattle them" Hecate stated matter-of-factly, "That's another thing I still don't understand: why, are we letting them think we're titans again?" Nyiera deadpanned, "Because the concept of gods who live and breath as fellow humans and animals is long-since dead, and apparently the only 'goddesses' the humans know now are the 'walls'. It's just for convenience's sake: don't put too much stock into it" Silenda waved off, "You do realize though this is going to throw up more than a few 'complications' when they head back to the city and discover our 'pre-titan history'? We weren't always giants, and we don't exactly have a straight-forward track record, remember?" Nyiera pointed out vehemently, "Neither do the humans: they'll find that out the hard way too when they start researching their own history..." Hecate turned to face her older sister: "Look, we don't know how this is going to go down: nothing like this has ever happened before, and we don't know how the humans are going to take it; all we can do is warn them that the truth won't be all peaches and cream, and deal with the consequences as they come"

"Come now my sister's daughters, it won't be that bad, surely?" another voice echoed through their minds, as the resident goddess of the tree made herself known. She was a fifteen meter humanoid god-titan, and was Yggdrasil's keeper and protector, Asteria, Aureia's twin sister: but to the humans, she was known as Starlight. Like her sibling, Asteria's 'hair' was more comprised of cloud and mist than actual hair, but instead of being pure white, her's was deep indigo with wisps of violet and ultramarine blue, with countless stars and colourful clouds swirling about. Her skin glowed a pale golden hue, and her markings radiated in all kinds of colours, while her eyes looked like rainbows as they glistened with every colour imaginable. "...The one thing humans have proven time and again is that they can be adaptable where necessary: truth only serves to strengthen their resolve, not tear it down in despair. Even you can appreciate their strengths Hecate"

"All I'm saying, is that the humans of this era believe the enemy of mankind is the titans, and that everyone is all in the same boat fighting for the same reason. They're not exactly going to be very receptive to the idea that there were times in their history when they were the worst of enemies: that whole countries committed unspeakable atrocities for a number of reasons...Being a 'rouge intelligent titan' for the sake of breaking down the status quo of their fears and ignorance? That, I'm prepared to do. The history lessons? That's Javorin's and Jarus's divine jurisdiction..." Hecate folded her arms as she glanced over at Asteria. "Well? We shall have to wait and see won't we? Who knows? The humans might just surprise you (yet again)" Asteria smirked, to which Hecate deadpanned at her.

"Hey Starlight, how goes the uh, 'portal watching'?" Ash craned his head right back to gaze up at the nine portals hanging in the sky: each one looked like a cut that had been made with a giant knife, and the 'flesh' of the sky pulled apart to open them up. Each one was a window into a different realm: some looked to be some kind of ethereal paradise, rich in life and inviting, while others looked gloomy and desolate, filled with fire, dark fog and endless black skies; while one or two simply looked like they were shrouded in pale mists, with the silhouettes of landscapes periodically drifting in and out of view. It was a very weird sight, and one that held as much curiosity as it did dread for the humans. "Same as always Ash, quiet, peaceful, and undisturbed: just the way its supposed to be" Asteria smiled telepathically, "Uhuhuhuh!- I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that!" Rowan shuddered as he shook his head like a dog trying to get rid of its fleas; he didn't like how the titan-goddess's voice echoed through his head, like water sloshing against the inside his skull. For the humans, the titan-goddess's telepathy and that of her sister's went both ways, it either felt weird and nothing more, or it was a minor irritation, like an itch that couldn't be scratched. "I dunno, I think her voice sounds nice: like little bells made out of crystal glass" Dale smiled, "Or like a nightingale" Ash chipped in, "Whatever, it just feels too weird, no offence your stariness" Rowan tipped his head to the titan-goddess.

"It's alright, it's a strange sensation for any human to experience" she waved off: "So, my sister gave you permission to enter the gateway to Yggdrasil's nine realms, hm?" she gazed down at the humans with a welcoming smile, "I cleared it with Aureia four days ago, she said their okay... Though personally, I elected to escort them, and somehow my sisters decided to lend me a hand" Hecate shrugged casually, "Three night roamers to watch over three human children? A little excessive don't you think?" Asteria blinked in surprise, "Not with these three, believe me" Hecate frowned, "That, I can concur with" Nyiera deadpanned as she shot Rowan a disapproving glair, "Oh tish-tosh, he didn't mean to pull your feathers out, it was an accident" Silenda waved off. "There are accident's, and then there are 'accidents' where these three are concerned" Nyiera frowned, using her clawed fingers to make inverted commas. "Well it sound's like life with the humans is anything but dull" Asteria chuckled, "It has it's moments" Hecate shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm just amazed you put up with them for five years and didn't eat a single one: well, except for those 'other' humans. Those 'Disciples'; now there's a bunch of blasphemers looking for good smiting if ever there were some" Nyiera scowled as she eyes glowed like embers, "As the goddess of justice, vengeance and retribution, I'm surprised you didn't pick up on them when you ventured outside the Hidden land" Silenda threw in. "If it wasn't for that damned chaos manna everywhere I'd have got to work on them right away! Trust me, I'd have been happy to do the overtime" she growled in a low threatening voice: "Oh cool your wings Ny', you'll probably run into them sooner or later" Hecate patted her on the shoulder: almost instantly, the larger goddesses temperament cooled right down, and her eyes stopped glowing.

"Is that what this place is called?" Dale gazed up at the portals, "Huh, I know Queen Aurora said this was a scared place, but she never said anything about this being a-, whole-other-different sort of place" "My sister can be a tad cryptic at times" Asteria smiled, "Yeah, that seems to be a 'thing' with you god-titans" Ash commented dryly, "Not too big on being upfront eh?" "What good would life be without a few surprises?" she gestured up to the sky; "Uh yeah, there are surprises and then there are 'surprises' with you guys" Rowan deadpanned. Asteria blinked in surprise, to which Hecate only chuckled: "What?" the raven-haired boy gazed up at her sceptically. "Oh nothing, just a joke between goddesses" Asteria waved off with a chuckle, "Uh huh?" Rowan gave her a dry look. "Well? It's been fun, but I've got to be getting back to my cave: the new webs won't spin themselves you know" Silenda turned to head back to the opening in the tree, "Can I drop your little friends off anywhere?", "Just the tree house will probably be fine" Hecate replied as she and Nyiera followed her out, "Leaving so soon?" Asteria asked offhand, "We live on the same island 'auntie', you know where to find us," Hecate smirked, "But what about the new arrivals?" she asked offhand, "They've been here nearly a week, that hardly counts as new" Nyiera deadpanned, "No, I'm referring to the ones standing before the great stone doors"

The three sisters stopped and looked at her in bemusement, "What're you talking about?" Hecate frowned: "See for yourselves..." Asteria pointed to one of the pools of water at her feet: as the surface rippled, an image appeared in the reflection; it was the mountain in which the great stone doors were situated. Dozens upon dozens of faces appeared, many looking happy and relieved, while others were scared and concerned: "Whoa, what's that?" Ash gasped in amazement as he and his brother's stared down at the strange anomaly, "That, would be our new arrivals" Asteria smiled, "New arrivals?" Rowan frowned in confusion, "You're expecting company?" Dale asked offhand, "Wait a minute-, someone else besides us knows about this place?!" Hecate exclaimed, "It would appear so" Asteria glanced at her with a knowing look, "You better go and see who it is..." she turned to the brothers: "Would you three be so kind as to return home, and inform the others that we will be expecting guests shortly..." she waved her hand over the water, and the image changed again: this time the reflection showed the two spiralling trees that where the boat-tree-house was situated; in one gentle move, Silenda scooped the three brothers off her back, and before any of them could ask what she was up to, the spider titan dropped them into the water, and they disappeared from sight amid the bubbles. Once the water settled and stilled, the reflection showed the brothers near the trees, soaking wet and nearly freaking out over how they were suddenly back home. The reflection then faded from sight, leaving the four goddesses alone inside Yggdrasil: but the three sisters didn't stop to ask questions as they took off outside. "Did Jarus foresee this?!" Hecate huffed, "You'll have to take that up with him" Asteria replied.

Moving swiftly at break-neck speed through the forest, the three sisters soon reached the western edge of the island, where Javorin, Elysia, Carla and Ariana had already become aware that something was up: "Hecate? What's up? The guardian spirit that protects the mountain tunnel's getting kinda twitchy, look" Elysia pointed her wing towards the thick fog bank that hung over the entrance to the mountain tunnel: like a slowly rolling swell the fog moved up and down, back and forth like waves on a stormy sea. "I know, someone's at the stone doors" Hecate replied, "What?" Javorin gazed over at her in surprise, "Asteria just informed us: said we'd better go check it out" Nyiera frowned as she spread her wings in readiness to take off, "Brat, take them back home and let the other's know what's happening: we got this" Hecate glanced over at Elysia, who didn't stop for anything as she scooped Ariana and Carla up with her wing and threw them onto her back: taking off into the forest as she headed for tree-houses. "What'd you reckon it might be?" Nyiera thought aloud as she keep her eyes on the restless misty spirit, "Whoever it is knew where to find the stone circle, and how to use it: get your game faces on, this could get dicey..." Hecate frowned as she changed into her raven form and took off across the lake: Nyiera followed suit as her giant powerful wings created a downdraught that was powerful enough to blast the surface of the lake into spray; while Javorin followed in his hawk form, with Silenda by his side; turning herself into a spider and jumping onto Javorin's back. The flight across the lake was fast and short: barely several minutes at the most for the birds, who rode Nyiera's freezing cold updraughts while Silenda held onto Javorin's back with very little difficulty. As they skimmed over the guardian spirit, the waterfall came fast into view: Hecate summoned her power to part the falls, and like a goshawk flying through the fork of a tree branch, Nyiera folded her wings back and shot through the mouth of the cave, landing with a booming thud that shook the whole cavern. As the other's landed and resumed their titan forms, Nyiera got down on her clawed hands, and manoeuvred herself so she faced the mouth of the tunnel, "Anyone or anything gets past us, you know what to do" Hecate patted her on the shoulder, "Don't I always?" she smirked, "Seriously though, be careful".

Approaching the tunnel, Javorin took the lead with Hecate and Silenda following close behind: once they were completely inside the tunnel, the sisters called upon their power over the darkness, and with their eyes glowing bright purple, dissolved into the blackness like ink droplets in water, snagging up Javorin like a gust a wind would a pile of leaves, and together all three moved through the tunnel at an unbelievable speed. The Night Roamers control over darkness was something that never failed to impress Javorin: the way they could mould shadows and use the darkness of night as a conduit to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye, virtually anything was possible on a whim; like fish in water they moved with effortless grace, and like the predators they were, they were silent, efficient, and deadly. As they approached the stone doors, the three deities rematerialized: since Hecate and Silenda could see through the pitch black as if it were nothing, Javorin had to take a moment to adjust his mind's eye to the ambient energies of the mountain. Using all the natural auras in the rock as reference points to calculate where he was standing in the tunnel: and through his elemental power over the earth, he could 'see' through the doors, and get a feel for what was there... And what was there, had him perplexed.

"...Do you feel that Silenda?" he frowned in confusion, "Yeah, but the question is: is it an army? Or what?" She worried, "What do you two see?" Hecate demanded, "A lot of people, like, upwards of four hundred, maybe more? And something, or somethings that are pretty big: can't tell what though, the door's protection spell won't let me see clearly. So what do you two reckon?" Silenda frowned. Thinking for a moment, Javorin then replied: "You two hang back, if anything happens you'll be in your element and can hold the upper hand: I'll go out first" "Okay, just watch out" Hecate nodded as she and Silenda melted back into the darkness. Javorin mentally readied himself for whatever was about to happen, and summoning his power to recall the door's protective magics, opened the passageway.

Sunlight streamed into the tunnel, lighting up the carved rock and forcing the two sisters to retreat right back down the passageway to where the light could not reach them: as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Javorin stared down at the sight before him, and nearly did a double take...

Standing before the doors where hundreds of people, and what looked to be sixty or so deer and bird titans. Looking more like some nomadic tribe than an invading army: some of the titans were carrying sacks, large bags, camping equipment, bows and quivers and hunting spears on their backs, some even had injured people on stretchers; while the rest of the caravan where dressed in garbs very similar to what Tyto, Evrard, Falken, Eraman and their kids wore when out hunting. Others were dressed head to toe in green's and browns, in a style that the more die-hard hunters and woodsmen of Maria would typically wear. Scanning his glistening blues over their faces, Javorin could see they were tired and exhausted, as if they'd been travelling for days if not weeks: some had minor cuts and bruises, while others, such as those on the stretchers, had more serious wounds; the titans too gazed at him pleadingly, as if they had suffered as much as their human friends.

For the longest moment no one moved or spoke, as the entire caravan gazed up at Javorin in awe and wonder, while the god himself was completely taken aback; behind him, several meters down the tunnel, Hecate and Silenda could see what was going on, and were just as amazed and perplexed. Finally, the silence was broken as one of the strangers nervously stepped forward: he was an older gentleman with a stout robust frame, a fiery blaze of ginger red hair that trailed down his back in a loose ponytail, and a bushy spruce moustache and long beard that was pleated ornately, almost resembling a trio of squirrel tails. Clearing his throat as he tried to maintain his composure, he could've passed for a town crier as he boomed: "Oh noble and mighty guardian of the mountain! I am Ratatosk of the Red Squirrel clan! Please, may I ask, have we arrived at the gateway to the city of lost memories? And have we at last found the Hidden lands foretold to us by Uwile of the Grey Owl clan?"

"...What?" was all Javorin could say,

Both Hecate and Silenda gawked at each other "WHAT?!"

---

Meanwhile, back on the island:

"You're sure she didn't mention any specifics?" Evrard demanded as counted the arrows in his quiver, "You deaf or something? He said she said we're expecting guests! And that's it!" Freya scolded him as she got her own bow ready, and handed Ash, Rowan and Dale their own bows and quivers, "Although personally she could've given a hint or something"

"Uh? What are we readying the bows and arrows for? For all we know they might be friendly" Lucile pointed out as Gustav helped her over to the staircase, "As far as we know we're the only people alive that know the existence of the stone circles and what they're for: we can't take the chance whoever's on the other side of that door might have ulterior motives" Bryson stated as he finished buckling up his ODM gear, "KIDS! Are you geared up yet?!" he called up the stairs, "Nearly done!" Poppy called down: "So what's the plan Tyto?". The Grey Owl elder strode into the room with his bow and quiver in hand, "Whoever it is, if the titans see fit to bring them to the island, then we'll talk: see what they want and why they came here. I'll go down with the 'welcoming' party while the rest of you remain on standby in the canopy; if anything looks even remotely off, don't take any chances" "Right on dad" Ash nodded.

"That won't be necessary" the Keeper called up. Gazing out the windows of the boat-tree-house, everyone saw the blindfolded titan standing at the foot of the spiralling trees with a large red crystal staff in hand: it's top almost resembling a Shepard's crook with an ornate twisted spiral: "Our new arrivals are not hostile, if anything their no fit shape to fight" he added. Leaping out the window and shooting his lines into the branches above, Bryson flew down until he was level with the god-titan's blind-folded eyes, "So who prey-tell are they? Or are you not 'at liberty' to disclose that?" he frowned. "Well? I had foreseen this for a while now, but decided against informing you all, on account I thought it would make a nice surprise" he smiled before turning serious, "But essentially, the weapons will not be required, though you might want to keep the ODM gear on". "So they're coming to the island?" Bryson assumed, "But of course: anyone seeking sanctuary is welcome here in this land; and from what Shadow is relaying to me, these people are in dire need of help".

Bryson's train of thought came to a screeching halt as his mind quickly began thinking in the other direction. Flying back up to the boat-tree-house, he could see by the looks on everyone's faces that they'd heard the same as he did: "So we're in no danger?" West clarified, "No, I think we'll be okay: and besides, if whoever it is does try anything: they'll be pretty hard pressed to try and retreat from this place" the former Scout replied, "That's true" Pascal sighed as he folded his arms, "So what's the revised plan dad?" Ariana asked as she put her bow and quiver down on the kitchen table. Quickly rethinking his original plan, Tyto simply shrugged, "We'll go down and see who it is"

While everyone else made their way out the door and down the spiralling trees, the ODM gear users flew out into the canopy, heading to the western side of the island, where the Keeper was already waiting for the new arrivals ('How the hell did he get here so quick?!' Hazel thought offhand). "Where're the boats?" Clay asked offhand as he landed on the cliff edge: "There are too many for the barges to carry, so Midnight is improvising" the Keeper replied, "With her iceberg boat?" West presumed, "Not quite..." the Keeper pointed out towards the gateway mountain. The guardian spirit had dissipated its fog, and as the mists cleared everyone saw Midnight walking over the surface of the lake, freezing it underfoot with every stride she took, creating a wide ice path over thirty meters across: piquing the fish titan's interest as they came to the surface to see what the black and white titan-goddess was doing. "Whoa, I didn't know she could do that?" Fox blinked in amazement, "You ought to hang out with us more, That's not all she can do" Rowan smirked. "Whoa guys, look at that!" Ariana pointed to the ice path, as a steady flow of people, deer and bird titans made their way over the ice, following Midnight as she led them to the north-western side of the island. Everyone gawked as the crowd slowly grew and grew, filing out of the mouth of the tunnel between the parted waterfall that had been frozen for everyone's convenience; at the very rear of the line, Shadow and Crystal steadily followed while Stormwing flew out of the cave, shattering the frozen waterfall and releasing the water, letting it fall over the mouth of the tunnel once again.

"Oh my god..." Gale gasped, "How many people is that?!", "That's gotta be what-, three, four hundred people at least?" Hawk observed as he scanned his eyes over the crowd: "And they got their own titans?!" Belle exclaimed. "Keeper, who're all these people?" Clay exclaimed in astonishment, "You'll find out soon enough, in the meantime however, you might want to return to the others, and inform Breck his expertise will be required: also, tell Freya and the others to ready some provisions. I've got a feeling you'll all be kept busy for the rest..." the Keeper replied as he headed back into the forest and vanished into the shaded greenery, followed by many of the other god-titans that had been watching with keen interest.

After reaching the island and using one of the giant roots of the great tree to reach the forest, the first of the caravan made their way up to where Tyto and the rest of the group were waiting for them: following Midnight as she continued to lead the way. After they managed to peel their eyes away from the awesome sight of the colossal tree, the strangers tentatively approached them with a look of cautious optimism in their eyes; many of the group were anxious too, as they didn't know what to expect. Taking the lead, Tyto stepped forward as five large men approached: looking him up and down, one of them noticed the hunting knife strapped to his leg, and nearly gasped; regaining his composure, he suddenly blurted out "Who are you that would stand before me? Den-ath-dore? An-preemare-wylf-my?..."

Tyto froze: he hadn't heard that greeting in so many years that he almost didn't recognize it, but all at once, memories of his grandfather and the rest of his clan came back to the fore of his mind, as he remembered the correct reply: "...Myan-cal, inley-nynyon: he who has walked the hidden paths of the green places, and slept in the shade of the father-tree..." he spoke nervously, hoping beyond all hope that these people were what he thought they were...

The strangers all smiled and sighed with relief, finally letting their anxieties go as they relaxed and loosened up: "Oh thank Gia, you had us worried there for a minute!" one of the five gentlemen chuckled: "Please forgive me, only-, I saw your knife and I thought-, well-" "Oh no no, it's okay," Tyto smiled as he got out his hunting knife and held it up for them to see: the gentlemen all gazed at in awe, as they instantly recognized the symbol-rune: "Otus-amnea-premore" one of them gasped, "You're from the Grey Owl clan?" another exclaimed, "Indeed. Uh-, sorry, where're my manners: I'm Tyto, this is my wife Freya, my sons Ash, Rowan, Dale, and my daughter Ariana; and these are my clan brothers Evrard, Falken and Eraman, and their children, Clay, Hazel, Josefa, Jaye, Ashlyn and Hawk" he gestured to his family and the rest of the group, "And this is the 'rest of the clan' so to speak: dear friends one and all, who we would trust our lives with"

"Uh dad? Who're these people?" Ariana pointed to the five gentlemen, "And how do you know them?" Ash raised an eyebrow, "Oh, my apologises," one of the gentlemen smiled as he gestured to himself and the other four men, "I'm Ratatosk of the Red Squirrel clan: this is Warren of the Rabbit clan, Dakota of the Rook clan, Tarka of the Otter clan, and Bowen of the Deer clan", another several gentlemen stepped forward to make themselves known: "And this is Arthur Dumar, Gunner Samson, Remy Beckby, Ryder Bowman, Brooke Fletcher, Wyatt Archer, and Dirk Brannar, the respective heads of their families" "I know those names" Tyto blinked in astonishment, "Are you-, Rangers?" "Born and bred in the heart of Maria" Ryder smirked, "As green as the green-men come" Remy concurred. "Celts?!" Josefa and Jaye both gawked, "Real Celts?!" Clay exclaimed: "What're Rangers?" Shyla thought aloud.

"Okay enough with the chit-chat!" Brendis huffed as he and his brothers climbed up onto a high branch to get everyone's attention, "-Who the hell are you people and what're you doing trespassing on our island?!" "Yeah! If you don't explain yourselves we'll feed you to the titans!" Brendan added matter-of-factly: "You two get down from there right now!-" Bemadette fumed as she grabbed them by the ankles and yanked them down into a mossy patch on the ground: "Don't be so rude! Now shut your cake-holes or I'll let Miriam do worse than ground you both!" she reprimanded as she stood them up and grabbed them both by the ear: the brothers both let out a long string of curses in protest, which no one paid any attention to as the introductions got back on track. "I apologize for their lack of manners, they're still learning the finer points of basic decorum" Tyto sighed as he shot the boys a reprimanding gaze. "Ah don't worry about it: my eldest was just the same when he was their age" Bowen waved off, "Um? Sorry, not wishing to be rude or anything: but to reiterate Ash's question: how do you chaps know one another?" Claude interjected. Ratatosk was about to reply when suddenly the crowd began to lurch forward, "Hey what's taking so long?!" a voice shouted up some several meters behind them, "Come on guys we can't stand around all day!" another shouted out.

"We're hungry here!"

"Henry needs a fresh dressing and I'm all out of bandages!"

"What the hell's taking so long?!"

"Are they gonna help us or not?!"

Turning back to Tyto with an apologetic look, Ratatosk quickly said "Listen, I promise we'll explain everything, but right now we need help; please, we've all travelled a long way to get here, and we have nowhere else to go...Will you help us, brother?"

"... You needn't ask, brother" Tyto smiled as he patted him on the shoulder.

The next six or so hours went by at a swift and busy pace, as everyone helped to greet the new arrivals to the island, and help them out whatever way they could. As the crowd poured onto the island, Breck assessed every injured person and organized them in the order of severity, with the worst-off being seen to first, and the least worst having to wait their turn: with Claude providing a second pair of hands. Freya, Miriam, Lucile, Carla, Mabel, Bren, Derek, West and Pascal gathered what supplies the could afford to share, and handed them out to those who needed them, while the kids helped out wherever they were needed, and Tyto, Evrard, Falken, Eraman, Bryson and Gustav helped the leaders get everyone organized.

The titans chipped in too, lending their strength and magics where needed: Shadow grew a number of large fruit trees and vegetables for those who'd forgone their rations, least their loved ones might starve, as well as grow medicinal plants for Rosemary to make various emergency medicines: Midnight used her elemental power to draw water from the island's lake to refill empty water bottles and carriers, and help those who were more caked in mud and dirt to wash themselves off. Crystal used her silk to make numerous make-shift blankets for those who had risked exposure to the elements, as well as fresh dressings and bandages for the injured: Angel and most of the other bird titans plucked out copious amounts of their feathers for make-shift bedding, so no one would have to sleep on the ground; and Boar helped the new deer and bird titans unload their cargo, so as to take the strain off their legs and backs. Although they didn't require any food or water they were still just as tired as the humans, and so many of the island god-titan's assisted in helping them to the hot-spring, where they could sit in the water around the springs perimeter (out of range of the boiling hot water in the centre) and soak their aching joints. Many of the humans joined them too, and found great relief as they let the warm water ease their stiff and sore joints: this worked well for Breck as he soon had fewer patients to deal with. For his part, the Keeper saved his formal introductions in favour of helping the human leaders to organize their respective clans and family's.

Over the course of the rest of the day, the chaos steadily began to shape into order, and when the worst of the emergency's had been dealt with and remedied, the group began helping the new arrivals to find new homes in the abandoned town. It was a little confusing at first, as a number of close family's wanted to stay within close proximity of one another, while others wanted to choose their homes based on various other reasons: it was testing for some, and a good deal of bartering and negotiating had to be done with others acting as neutral third parties; but little by little, the whole situation seemed to flow into its own steady pace as the various families found empty houses, and tried to make them as habitable as possible for the night; between Crystal's soft blankets and the bird titans fluffy feathers, no one would be getting a restless sleep tonight. After ensuring everyone got enough to eat, with a little surplus to spare in case anyone wanted to come back for seconds, Shadow had just about finished up his work, followed by the Keeper, Midnight, Boar, and Angel, who looked rather scruffy with numerous bald spots all over her plumage (not that that mattered since her feathers grew back in a matter of seconds).

With the new arrivals settling in, the respective heads of the Celtic clans and Ranger families gathered at Tyto's home, joined by everyone else as they were keen to hear the details of how they came to be here. They talked well into the evening, first over tea, and eventually over dinner: and as the men recounted each of their stores; a very eerily familiar pattern began to emerge...

"And so, when we checked the alignment of the pattern again, I found that sequence also fitted in with the main design; essentially, it was map" Tarka finished his story, placing a rolled up piece of hide on the table, and unrolled it to reveal a Semitam: it was not like Tyto's, as the map was obviously of a different region of Maria, but it had exactly the same art style and layout of text. The other Celt chieftains also placed their Semitam's on the table, along with their hunting knives, which all had different rune-symbols on each of the blades. Staring down at the maps in a daze, no one knew what to think of it at first: it was more or less as it had been for them, and it was weirdly spooky. Tyto propped his head on his elbow, as he passed a deep sigh; "...I don't know what to say? ...I mean-, I more or less surmised that this knowledge had to have been passed down to us through the ages when we too discovered the nature of our Semitam; but why, in all that time, didn't anyone ever explain that it was the god-titans themselves that held the key to finding this place?"

"Well? This is what we don't understand either" Warren shrugged, "You'd think in all that time someone somewhere would've mentioned the fact that those tombs contained the gods of ancient times, never mind the fact they'd been cursed to assume the forms of humanity's worst natural enemy"

"Wait a sec-, you guys knew about the tombs? And what was inside them?" Derek exclaimed in slight alarm. "Well? Not what was inside per se: but my clan have known of them since my great-grandfather's great-grandfather's time" "So these tombs were everywhere all over Maria? And they all contained various god-titan's?" Tyto blinked in surprise: the gentlemen simply gazed at him as if he'd taken leave of his senses for moment, "...I'm-, rather surprised you didn't know about them in general: never mind the fact there were four right beneath your own nose less than a few miles from Shiganshina" Tarka thought aloud, "Yeah tell me about it" Evrard huffed dryly as he leaned back in his chair.

"So let me get this straight..." Gustav rubbed the side of his left temple, "These 'god-titans' that have taken up residence with all of you and your clans, awoke from their slumber five years ago, decked out in the same markings as ours, and with the same carvings on each of their tombs: all of which pieced together to form each individual Semitam, and which was unlocked by the rune-symbols on your hunting knives, correct?" "Pretty much" Ratatosk shrugged, "And how did you figure out it was their blood that 'awakened' the Semitam's power?" Claude asked eagerly, "It was different for each of us: but by and large it was mostly through accident and happenstance that we opened the Semitam's map" Dakota explained, "To be honest, none of us here knew each other had their own map, it wasn't until we met up on the hidden road to the stone circle that we discovered we'd all happened upon the exact same thing; suffice to say, it was really weird", "Weird is an understatement," Bryson frowned, "The timing too is very odd: each of you decided to come at nearly the exact same time? We've been here for nearly a week now, why not come sooner if the Hidden Land is really that dear and sacred to you?". The five clan leaders glanced at one another hesitantly, before Bowen admitted: "To be honest? None of us had any pressing reasons to want to abandon our homes in the Marian forest, and risk a journey that could result in us getting caught by the wall cult; also, we all discovered the Semitam's true power at different times. We of the Deer clan unlocked ours over two years ago, Ratatosk's clan? A year before ours, Tarka's clan unlocked theirs only a few months back, and Dakota and Warren's unlocked theirs just last year. Trust me, as tempting as it was to want to take the journey to the land our forebear's discovered nearly a century ago, I just didn't feel comfortable uprooting our entire clan, and run the risk of getting hunted down if someone picked up our trail", "The general consensus was pretty much the same with each of our clans too, as much as we wanted to come sooner: it just wasn't worth the risk; not unless something changed and we had no other choice but to go" Ratatosk sighed.

"So what changed?" Breck asked as he listened intently. The gentlemen hesitated a moment, before Dakota swallowed in fretful dread, "...The titans...", Ratatosk placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, as he explained: "... It was nearly a week ago now: one of our clan disguised as regular folk, went to the village in our valley to trade furs and leathers for supplies; a messenger from the military arrived on horseback with news that Shiganshina had fallen to the titans, that both gates had been breached, and that everyone was to evacuate to wall Rose immediately. Some believed him, and rushed home to gather their families and leave, but the majority of the people thought he was joking somehow: when the news was relaid to us, we sent one of our 'bird-titans' and a scout to fly to Shiganshina to see if it was true; they barely cleared the mountains east of the district when they spotted them advancing up the central valley: picking off every human that wasn't able to escape them... From what I heard, it was-, awful... We packed up everything we could carry and left the valley that very night: heading deep into the forest where we knew they'd have difficultly finding us, and over the next week we basically zig-zagged all over the south-eastern region, avoiding the beasts by travelling at night and following the hidden trails up through the Green Fells. But the further we travelled to the stone circle the more titans we encountered: we ran into the other clans just before we reached the hidden road, and they'd all been having the same trouble as we had".

Bowen decided throw in his account: "Pretty much every major town and village was told of the breach that same night, and none of us wasted any time in getting out: our 'god-titans' kept us hidden with their magics, but it was wasn't foolproof, and it was still very dangerous; we had to use our arrows to blind the beasts if they spotted us, and use our hunting spears to sever their ankles and heels, crippling them just long enough to outrun them... Nobody died thank goodness, but-, well? We had a couple of close calls", "I know," Breck sighed as he offered him a sympathetic gaze, "Your nephew was one of the first I treated: he was damn lucky not to loose his entire leg", "That was another thing I couldn't believe: titans actually eat people?! And they do it for fun?! Why the hell didn't we know this sooner?!" Dakota exclaimed in horror. "Well when you've been living out in the back and beyond for decades on end, you kinda fall out of touch with certain things" Freya sighed as she folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"Considering how many titans we passed by outside Shiganshina, you're all damn lucky to make it here in one piece" Bryson threw in as he ruffled his hair. "Shiganshina?" Ratatosk frowned in confusion, "You were near Shiganshina when the breach occurred?", "Where was your camp?" Tarka asked eagerly. Tyto hesitated a moment, before explaining frankly: "...There was no camp: we live in the city. Shiganshina is-... was, our home". The gentlemen all gasped in astonishment: "You were there? Actually there when it happened?!" Dakota exclaimed, "Four clans living in the heart of a city?! How on earth can you be so reckless as to live in full view of those that would seek to hunt us all down!" Warren scolded, "The issue of hiding in plain sight was never a problem, because we didn't have the numbers to worry about..." Tyto stated. The gentlemen all stilled as they stared at him in confusion, before Tyto then explained: "...My wife, my daughter and myself are all that are left of the Grey Owls: Ash, Rowan and Dale are the last surviving Crows, Evrard and his son and daughter are the last of the Red Boars (Freya is his sister so she too was a Red Boar before marrying me), Falken and his children are the last Black Hawks, and Eraman and the twins are the last remaining Ravens. Each of us, are all that's left of the southern clans"; another uncomfortable silence hung in the air, before Dakota blurted out, "... Your all that's left? But-, how?"

"The Disciples..." Evrard frowned bitterly, allowing Tyto to explain: "One night years ago, all five of our clans were attacked simultaneously by the Disciples: we four hunters and our wives were the only ones out in the forest that night, and so we survived the massacre: but one survivor from the Crow clan found us, with Ash and his brother's in his arms; he gave them to us, and sacrificed himself to ensure the Disciples wouldn't pick up our trail. We ran deep into the forest, unable to return home and with nothing but the clothes on our backs: a few days later we ran into Gustav near Shiganshina, and he figured out we were Celts right away; we explained everything that happened, and he offered to give us a home and a means to earn money to sustain ourselves, if we worked for him and his family at their Inn" "And we'd been there ever since" Freya smiled ruefully as she gazed over at Carla, "Carla here lived one door up from us, and we soon got along like a house on fire" she patted her on the shoulder, to which Carla patted her hand with a small smile, "Bryson and Claude owned a bookshop at the bottom of the street we lived on: they both hail from Sina, and Bryson was once one of the Scouting legion" Tyto explained as he went around the table, "Bryson's brother, Breck, worked at the hospital as a doctor. Miriam, Lucile and Rosemary ran the the Black Stallion Inn with their granddaughters/grand nieces, Gale, Poppy and Belle: Mabel and her husband Bren, and his brother Derek moved in with them as part of their employment, and Fox, Shyla, Bemadette and her brothers they took in as their wards. Gustav ran the forge next door with Bren as his assistant and Bemadette as his apprentice: and the Cooper twins we knew through my part-time employment to their father"

"It was a culture shock to say the least, and one not all of us were able to adapt to right away: but over time we made it work" Falken smiled, "Each and every one of these people are our dear friends: friends that took a great risk in concealing our true identities, and friends I would gladly lay my life down for; so if anyone here has any 'prejudices' against the fact there're neither Celts or Rangers? I suggest you take it up with me…." Tyto stated in a tone that told everyone he wasn't to be taken lightly. Gazing at him in surprise, Warren sighed in regret before admitting, "... Forgive me Tyto, I meant no offence by my outburst", "All four clans hiding in plain sight, concealed by regular folk? And it worked for all these years?" Ratatosk blinked in surprise: "Well it wasn't easy: we had to take certain precautions, but by and large we somehow got away with it: not to mention Miriam and her family were very 'understanding' of our circumstances" Tyto shot the old woman a smile, to which she merely grinned smugly, "Ah save your sweet nothings: if it'd been me and my lot? I know we'd want someone to help us out; what goes around comes around, and if shit's all you hand out? Shit's all you'll get. The same goes for generosity too" she stated matter-of-factly.

"So dare I ask, but how did all of you meet your 'god-titans'?" Bowen smiled: "Well? I guess it's kinda my fault... " Ariana sheepishly smiled as she scratched the back of her neck.

As the young Grey Owl recounted her story of the night she first met Shadow: out in the forest, some distance from the edge of the arboreal town, the gods had convened in a discreet meeting of their own; with Jarus, Asteria, Javorin, Hecate, Herne, Elysia, and many of the island's deities meeting up with the nature gods that accompanied the new arrivals. As he sat in a clearing with all the other gods seated in a circle, Jarus listened as one of the Deer clan's god-titan's told his version of events: "...It was very bad, no sooner had we retreated from the valley we could smell blood on the wind, and feel the spirits growing restless in their haunts. From there we remained in the shadows of the trees, using our concealment spells to keep the clan hidden from the monster's eyes"

"When the beasts started swarming the forests, we had to cross the open plains just north of Vert Town: we came across several towns and villages that had been attacked, and though we all looked hard, we couldn't find any survivors. All in all, we don't know how many of the humans were able to get out in time?" Another deer titan-goddess threw in ruefully. "My human companions and I must have flown the length and breadth of Maria twice over looking for stragglers to rescue, but we found none. These abominations, these, titans: the magics that created them, they put out some kind of residue, some kind 'chaos manna'; the likes of which I have not seen for so many ages" an older bird god-titan threw in, his feathers ruffling in agitation. "That chaos manna clouded our spiritual sight and obscured the titans aura from our gaze: we couldn't even see ahead to warn the clan if any were in the way: nor see if any other humans were still alive. We had no choice but to scout the old-fashioned way, purely relying on physical sight alone" another bird god-titan added. "At times we had to fight them off, and more than once our clans came close to death: these titans possess the power to heal any wound fast, you can't even kill them by cutting off their heads because they grow back in less than two minutes!" another bird god-titan exclaimed angrily, "And none of our conventional magics could destroy them: it turns out, the only way to kill a titan is by physically slicing or stabbing the nape of the neck, but some of them are over ten to fifteen meters tall and can move really fast: it's virtually impossible to kill them, even for us!" another deer god-titan interjected. "Essentially..." one of the older bird titan-goddesses sighed bitterly: "We are all outcasts, with no home and no way of knowing if any of our brothers and sisters are still out there; the titans have taken Maria and it's green wilds, and even now they defile our forests, rivers and plains with their chaos manna and their mindless hunger for human flesh" she frowned in ire, "They do not even consume for the sake of survival: they merely eat for the sake of it, and nothing else! I don't know what manner of dark magics are responsible for these abominations, but I will not stand for these beasts to exist within this world, so long as I still breath and command the winds!", many of the other gods cheered in agreement.

When the crowd finally settle down, Jarus took the opportunity to say his piece: "This issue concerning the titan's chaos manna has not been over-looked: for we too wish to amend this imbalance that possess a serious threat to the well-being of the earth". "Really? So what do you plan to do?" one of the deer god-titan's asked eagerly: the senior gods merely glanced at one another, and with morose looks written upon their faces, Jarus reluctantly replied: "...We're not sure yet: this plan is in it's embryonic stage, and we've yet to discover a viable means of engaging the titans in a way that will not result in heavy casualties". "Heavy casualties? … So you mean, your humans are going to help you with this endeavour?" one of the other bird god-titan's exclaimed in surprise: "The humans that have been in my charge for the last few years are more than capable of stepping up to the challenge. One of them was once a member of the Scouting Legion; he used to kill the titans on regular basis, so his expertise is invaluable; one used to make ODM gear for the military and could easily build a unit blindfolded if need be. Plus, we have a doctor, a scientist, an engineer, an architect, four of the most experienced hunters Maria has to offer, and their children are not far behind them in terms of skill and capability, and a back-up team who know how to work well in a crisis... Despite what's happened and the loss of their loved ones: I believe they have what it takes to help us see this plan through"

"As the god of the hunt I can personally vouch for them too" Herne threw in, "They took on the titans in Shiganshina and actually managed to hold them at bay for a time: trust me, our lil' friends know how to handle themselves"

"And as the 'god's mightiest', I can say they certainly have the stones to pull this off (somehow)... But It's as Jarus said: we need a starting point to get this off the ground; whether any of you or your humans wish to join us is entirely down to them, and you" Hecate stated as she folded her arms: "This endeavour will not be quick nor easy: though my sight is clouded by the titan's chaos manner, I can see this will take years if not decades to bring to fruition: and there is a good likelihood not all the humans will live to see it... If any of your clans are to join us, then it must be by their own choice, and by their own willingness to want to aid us. I do not say these words lightly, for the commitment to this endeavour is not to be underestimated... Whatever you choose to do, will be entirely down to you and those in your charge... But for now, rest and regain your strength; for you are all welcome to stay a long as you like" Jarus announced.

The nature gods all glanced at one another as they pondered his words, before one replied: "We will take your proposition under consideration, and talk with our clans about it. But only when we believe the time is right: not before, understand?", "You have my word none of us will broach this subject with any of them" Jarus bowed politely. The gods all got up, and after bowing to the older gods, quietly left the circle, "Thank you my lord: you are a most magnanimous host" one of the senior nature gods stated in a courteous tone, "And we of Yggdrasil island, do thank you for gracing us with your presence..." Jarus replied.

After the nature gods were well out of range, he turned to Asteria: her beautiful poker face gave nothing away: "...What do you think?" he asked, "I think you are eager to get this plan of ours in motion: despite the fact you have not yet foreseen how it will come to pass; that's not like you, Jarus" she glanced at him in mild concern, to which Jarus let out a anxious sigh: "Forgive me if I appear 'eager' Asteria, but you mistake my enthusiasm for concern: we knew the chaos manna blocks our spiritual sight, but to obscure it to the point that nothing can be seen, even through physical sight? It's much worse than I thought. Even with Yggdrasil's abundance of spiritual energies to provide a buffer between us and the titans, it's still not enough for even Aureia's all-seeing gaze to penetrate the fog of all that chaos manna. We had no idea, not an inkling that some of the other Celtic clans had survived the initial titan attack, and with nature gods who'd been living amongst them for the past five years since their awakening... Now, we must acknowledge the possibility that there are others out there in Maria who may have survived, and are trying to reach this place even as we speak... And we have no way of locating them, or them having any way of finding us, unless they reach the stone circle first"

"I apologize Jarus," Asteria placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "And you are right: even if we use Yggdrasil's magics, there's no way of knowing for sure if any of the Celts, Rangers or nature gods are still alive" she sighed in regret, "What if I go to the spirit realm to ask my mother for help? As the queen of all spirits she must know a way of being able to help us?" Javorin suggested, "While I have no doubt my sister will aid us as best she can in this endeavour: there's no way to tell if the chaos manna hasn't already leached into the spirit world, and started corrupting the spirits manna" Asteria pointed out: "That's a possibility I'd already thought about too: but I am the prince of all spirits, and I'm physically bound to the mortal plain; whatever happens in the spirit world won't affect me the way it would most other gods who try to cross over" Javorin offered, "With one or two acceptations: you're not the only god who knows how to traverse the spirit realm: I've taken down more than my fair share of demons who've tried to hide from me in spirit-form" Hecate stated matter-of-factly. "If you are both to request Lilith's help, then your safest opportunity would be during the next full moon: at the gateway to Yggdrasil's nine realms; where the ambient magics of the earth and cosmos flow into alignment through the great tree" Asteria suggested. "The next full moon is less than three weeks away: think you guys can wait it out 'till then?" Herne asked offhand, "Wait? We're hardly going to have time sitting around twiddling our thumbs Shorty: we've got four hundred and seventy new neighbours to help settle in" Hecate frowned, "Four hundred and seventy five by Claude's headcount: four hundred and seven humans and sixty eight titans in all" Elysia corrected, "Whatever, the point is the plan can go on the back-burner for now... Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go do my rounds..." Hecate excused herself, summoning her power to melt into the darkness, and move through the forest like a shadow without a master. "She does know there are protection spells in place for keeping evil entities at bay from the borders of this land?" Jarus pondered aloud: "It's her code for 'going to eavesdrop on the humans': speaking of which, I better go make sure she doesn't get too engrossed... Catch you guys later," Herne waved good-bye as he got up and galloped off back to the town: turning into an owl, and flying up through the dense canopy. "Carla will probably be waiting for me too, 'night guys" Elysia smiled as she took off up through the canopy, following Herne as he disappeared into the night.

Though his eyes were blindfolded, Javorin could see the vexation written all over his brother's face: laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder, he leaned in closer and openly admitted: "...I've not seen you this tense in a long time Jarus, and of all the earth-bound gods, I know that if your worried, then we all have reason to be worried: please, tell me what's wrong?"

Jarus let out a nervous laugh, as he frankly admitted: "...You know? I've always wondered what it's like for the humans: knowing 'time' simply by the ticking hands of a clock, and the cycles of the sun, moon and stars. Not being able to see through the veil of the cosmic tapestry, and see all that was, is, and ever could be. I thought it must be such a strange yet simple perspective, to have one's mind exist only in the here and now, to have only memories to recall the past, and only imagine what the future might bring... Now? I think I can appreciate what it truly means to be 'powerless': to not actually 'know' what's going to happen next; I have to confess, if feels both scary, and fascinating in a surreal way..." he gazed at Javorin with an unreadable gaze: "... Javorin, I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't worried: that my ability to foretell the future is compromised in a way I cannot predict, makes me a liability; tell me brother, how are you able to endure it? That fear of not knowing what's coming next? I want to move past it, but I don't know how?"

Scooting in front of him so they sat face to face, Javorin looked his brother in the eye, and told him confidently: "If I had a gold piece for every time one of my followers asked me that question: I'd have my own holy city by now..." he smiled, before turning serious: "The truth is Jarus, there is no real way around it. It's something that's haunts every living being in the this world, and its the humans that feel it more than any other, because they're aware of their own mortality... But to you? I'd say don't concentrate on your ability to see through time alone, your one of the wisest and most knowledgable earth-bound gods there is, utilize your other strengths, and don't rely solely on that third eye of yours... No one can ever truly predict the outcome, and even I've been blind-sided by the occasional 'X-factor': we take calculated risks and gambles every day, that's part and part of staying ahead of the curve if your a human; and even for us it's no different. All we can do, is have faith in our ability to weigh up and calculate every factor at hand, trust in ourselves and our friends that it'll work, and hope that we don't fail. It may not work every time, but as long as we're alive we'll try as many times as needed: that's all any of us can ever really do"

"Or think of it like this..." Asteria interjected, "The one time you never use that third eye of yours is to play chess: why? Because it's the one thing you know how to predict: the one thing you know so well, that you don't need to 'see' the outcome. You know how to win by your own skill, and nothing more"

Realizing what she meant by that, Jarus couldn't help but smile, a genuine heart-felt smile: "...Thank you: both of you..." he stood back up, and with a wave of his hand, summoned his staff which had been sitting on the ground in the middle of the circle: levitating up into his hand like dandelion seeds on a breeze. "Maybe? You'd like to play a game when I'm done helping the new arrivals settle in?" Javorin smiled as he and Asteria got up: "I'd like that, thank you," Jarus patted him on the shoulder "I better go and report to Aureia about the meeting: not that she needs informing of course, not in this place: but still, I have work of my own to do" he stated as he turned to leave: "Such as?" his brother asked offhand, "Trying to create a viable form of magics for destroying the titans: after all, we've got an entire city of knowledge at hand; logic dictates there must be something sitting in the archives that might just work", "Well in that case I'll leave you to your 'dabblings'" Javorin bid him good-night, before turning to Asteria, "And what about you Asteria? The night is still young" "Indeed, and I have work to do: I'm the goddess of sleep and dreams, remember? And many on this island and beyond are entering my realm". "Oh yes, of course," Javorin mentally face-palmed, "Anything else you'd like me to address?"; "Not at the present time: but then, something will inevitably come up sooner or later; after all, life with the humans is never dull" she smiled as her 'misty hair' enveloped her entire form, and she disappeared into a giant cloud of stars and glowing mists, drifting up through the canopy, back towards Yggdrasil, leaving Javorin alone in the clearing. As he made his way back to the town, his elfish ears picked up Tyto's voice drifting down out of the tree; from the sounds of it, the heads of the new families were still deep in conversation with his humans, and from the few sentences he heard spoken, it sounded like they'd just been told of how they first met...

"Wow..." One of the Ranger's stared at the whole group in mix of amazement and bemusement, "...You guys sure don't do things by half"

"Ah heh, eh, that's one way of putting it" Bren chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his neck: "Honestly? I stopped trying to figure out all this 'magic' stuff years ago" Pascal sighed dryly as he slouched into his chair: "In any case, shit happens when you're around magical titans, or god-titan's. Or whatever the hell they are: either way, we're both officially in way too deep to ever back out" he glanced over at West, who couldn't help but try to stifle his laughter: "Aw come on Pascal, it hasn't been all bad" Gale smiled as she nudged him with her elbow, "Yeah, we put you up in our place free of charge, and seeing off those criminal gangs was hardly any effort for you guys" Belle pointed out, "I guess?" he shrugged as he folded his arms, "So" he changed the subject, "We all know how we 'regular folk' and our Celtic friends got involved in this: but how do you guys fit in?" he gazed over at the Rangers with a critical eye.

"At the risk of sounding dumb, what're 'Rangers' anyway?" Bemadette interjected, "Yeah, I've been sneaking up into the forest since I first learnt how to hide, and I've never even heard of you guys" Ariana added.

"Ah, you can forgive your family for that: it's a common custom among many of us forest folk to not be spoken of, unless discovered by one of our own, or by a fellow Celt" Gunner smiled sheepishly. "We Rangers were the 'second people' to retreat into the wilds of the Maria after the Celts, when the Royal Government and the wall cult began to impede the rightful freedoms of the people, and dictate our lives through their false teachings and iron-handed rule" Dirk stated, "Over time the Celts befriended us: they taught us the ways of the forest, how to live off the land and live in harmony with the wild. And we have remained firm allies ever since". "Many of us work the forest through various means: woodsmen, carpenters, foresters, trappers, hunters, trackers, guides; many regular folk call us the wild men of Maria, or the green men of the woods. Those who do not wish to live by society's laws, but do not go against them by being criminals: like the Celts and the Asians we too have become outcasts, the 'unfavourable's' that refuse to heel to the government's command" Ryder explained, "Many of us live on the far-fringes of society, some act as 'runners': messengers and what-not for the Celtic clans that live so deep in the wild, that no living soul could ever find them unless they knew where to look. We go into the towns and villages disguised as regular folk to trade and the like, and to keep our Celtic brothers abreast of what's going on in the walled world"

"Sufficed to say: it caused quiet a stir a few years back, when the Disciples were sighted near Shiganshina, only to be gone in less than a year. I still can't believe you would be so bold and reckless as to take them on all by yourselves" Arthur regarded the children with a dismayed tone. "Technically? We weren't part of any of that: that was all Shadow, Midnight and Boar's idea, we didn't actually engage the Disciples, except for that one time" Ash clarified. "And considering the nature of how they were made to 'disappear'? We decided not to ask any questions" Dale added.

"And in all that time the wall cult never looked into who or what was responsible for making their Disciples 'vanish'?" Ratatosk frowned in disbelief. The kids all glanced at one another in equal concern, before Ash explained: "... To be honest? We don't think the wall cult had any idea it was happening, to begin with", Dale then explained further, "Over nine months between the years eight forty to eight forty one, the wall cult sent out one hunting party per month to conduct their 'purges'. When they acquired the property to build their sanctuary, they sent out additional purges to get rid of all the people who lived on the land. We came to the conclusion that the sanctuary was intended to serve as their new base of operations for the whole district: since they can't risk being seen, they wouldn't want anyone living close enough to get a glimpse of them. It did worry us for a time, but when Midnight started getting to work on 'taking care of them', their presence in the forest became less and less. But all the while, something about it didn't seem right"

"The wall cult sent out eight purges and all eight never returned thanks to the god-titans, then in the March of eight forty one, Midnight dispatched a team of Disciples that had been sent out into the forest as a search party, to look for all the previous ones: and that's when my theory was confirmed; well? Technically Midnight had already told me about it at the time, but we both agreed it was the most logical scenario" Lucius added: "The wall cult wasn't aware their Disciples had been disappearing: I mean, why send so many purges into Maria when clearly there was a threat at hand? It made no sense. We've no doubt the Sanctuary knew of this and must have written to the cult's head church in Mitras numerous times requesting help, but eight months went by, more Disciples vanished, and nothing in the form of reinforcements or additional protection was ever seen. So the only logical conclusion must be that somewhere in the wall cult's ranks, someone deliberately covered the disappearances up: for what reason we don't know, but whoever it was must've had a very pressing reason to do so... I mean, eight purges and one search team vanishing off the face of the earth? The wall cult are very sensitive about appearing vulnerable: so the internal scandal this would have caused would've shaken them up something awful (if that had been the case)" Lucy continued without missing a beat. "In any case, their plans for overseeing the Shiganshina district fell through after the storm, and Midnight used her 'spooky magics' to chase the sanctuary cultists out for good" Rowan grinned in satisfaction: "They never came back after that, and the cultists in the city were careful to keep a low profile; some rumour about 'angry ghosts' coming back from the dead to claim their souls?" Ariana smirked.

"...You, thought all that up?" Ratatosk stared at the ash-blond twins in amazement, "Oh don't let those puppy eyes fool you, they're a couple of dark horse's these two" Claude playfully ruffled their hair, "And Dale's pretty much an all-out genius, half the stuff we think up only works because of him: and even then, nine out of ten times it's his idea" Clay threw in.

"And speaking of ideas..." Dakota sighed as he glanced over at Tyto and the other grown-ups dubiously: "...What you said, about the god-titans proposal to restore mankind to the world: you're all really going to go through with it?"

The group all hesitated a moment, glancing at one another in uncomfortable uncertainty, before Bryson stated first: "I've already explained my reason for agreeing to help, and I stand by it: once a Scout always a Scout, and my heart still belongs to humanity, in one form or another", he folded his arms: "There're a lot of reasons not to go through with this plan, and any of them would be the sane options: but to not go through with it? And let what happened in Shiganshina happen again in wall Rose? Or Sina? With more untold humans lives being wiped out? Sorry, I'm a thief not a murderer, and I have no intention of going to my grave with all those deaths on my conscience, if this ever comes to pass again... If there's a way to stop history repeating itself, I'll take it" West frowned: Pascal glanced at him surprised, and smiled in defeat: 'Guess I'm gonna have to cover your ass huh?' he thought to himself. Carla then spoke up with a stern look of determination in her eyes, and pain laced in her voice, "... I lost my son and daughter to the titans, and I nearly died myself: after everything I went through that day, that we've been through, together; I do not intent to let humanity suffer the same loss twice, not when we have the will to fight. One way or another, I refuse to die entrapped by my grief and pain: I'll use it to fight all the titans if I have to... This isn't something I want to do, It's not something I need to do. I'm doing it, and no one has the right to stop me" she frowned. Everyone gazed at her in mild alarm, Freya in particular felt a pang of worry go down her spine: this wasn't like Carla at all, and made a mental note to talk to her about it later.

"Look..." Tyto decided to state his reason, "We all have our own reasons for wanting to agree to this: mostly because we have seen and survived the titans first-hand, we know what they are capable of, and because our loved ones were lost to them. Is it out of grief? For most of us yes, and I won't argue otherwise... But more importantly, for the first time in the history of the world, humanity has a way to rediscover its heritage: to know what we were like before we retreated behind the walls, and the history that told us how far we had come down the ages... To just sit back on this island, and do nothing with all that knowledge? When we know there's a good chance it might provide a way to level the odds with the titans? ...I'm sorry, but running off into the forest and hiding is no longer an option for us... When we 'heretic's and traitors' first got together, and we discussed the things we've shared with you tonight: I think part of us all held some kind of hope that one day, maybe in our children's lifetimes, those truths would free mankind from the ones who rule over our lives with little or no respect for the people: that would give humanity the opportunity to advance and grow; to throw off the fears, prejudices and ignorance that has caused us to stagnate for so long, and make us all forget who we are..." he pointed to the window, through which part of the lake could be seen: and as the full moon shone down on the still dark waters, the vague outline of wall Maria could been seen on the horizon: " ….You see that? That's wall Maria just beyond the lake: the Hidden Land sits within Maria itself, the city of Omnes Scientiam has been here all this time. This place is not beyond the titans reach. They swarm the land like a storm that won't stop, and though the magics that keep this place hidden remain intact for now, we're in no different a position to everyone else inside Rose and Sina now. We all share the same fate: the titans get in and that's it, its all over; that may seem like an exaggeration to all of you, given what you witness on your journey coming here, but it's a very real possibility for us, and one we don't take lightly..."

He paused a moment to take a breath and soften his tone: "...I guess? What I'm trying to say is... Having Shadow, Midnight, Boar and Angel in our lives was a blessing we didn't realise we had: it was scary at first; for Bryson in particular," he smirked, to which the former Scout couldn't help but smile humbly: "But over time: over the years we watched them play with our kids, studied them as 'scientific curiosities', and got to know them in general: I think-, part of me wondered if maybe they'd awakened for a reason? That somehow, all this wasn't just one big fluke; that there was a purpose in their being here... Well? After last week, and after today? I think we were meant to come to this place, and I think, we are meant to help humanity take back it's dignity and strength: and go reclaim the world that we once knew... I don't know what we'll have to do, and my guts tells me it's not going to be straightforward or easy. But I'm not asking you to join us; after everything you and your families have been through, no one has the right to make you go through something like that again: I'm simply letting you all know that this is what we intend to do, with or without your blessings..."

The Rangers and the Celts remained silent, as they could tell he was serious, and knew that there would be no point in arguing otherwise. They thanked the group for their hospitality and quietly left to rejoin their families: the Fitzsimmons, Willum's, Leon twins, Pascal, West and Claude all left after saying their good-nights, leaving the four Celtic family's alone in their house. As the fathers and their kids started tidying up the plates and uneaten food, Carla was halfway out the door when Freya stopped her: "Carla!-" she hesitated: her worried gaze trying to plead with her raven-haired friend to listen, "...What you said back there, are you-, really sure about this? I mean, is this really what you want to do? For Eren and Mikasa's sakes?".

Carla stopped, she could see her best friend was concerned for her, and part of her couldn't help but feel bad for letting her worry so: but she'd made up her mind, and had no intention of letting it go; with a heavy heart and a forced smile, she explained as gently as she could, "...Please Freya, it'll be alright, don't worry about me okay? It's just that-... I can't let Eren and Mikasa's death's be in vain: and I can't keep going over and over in my mind about all the different ways I could've saved them... The fact is, what happened, happened: their both dead, and I can't change that no matter how much I wish otherwise... At least, in helping humanity to be free of the titans: helping the god-titan's restore us to the world: Eren and Mikasa's memory will live on in that endeavour... And, I think Eren would've liked that; it's what he would've wanted" she smiled ruefully.

Drawing in a deep shaky breath, Freya gently held both her hands as she fretfully nodded: "...Okay...If this is what you feel you must do, then alright: but please just promise me, if you ever want to talk, don't hesitate to come find me... Because..." she hitched as tears ran down her cheeks: "I miss Bestla, Skadi and Ran: and it feels so empty; their not- being here anymore. So please, I don't wish to impose, but I-. But Freya didn't get to finish the rest of her sentence, as Carla pulled her into a hug, and just held her softly: "...Don't ever think for one minute that you're imposing on anyone: I can't think of anyone more selfless, more noble and kinder than you; everything you've done for your family and us, I don't know where the hell you find the strength for it?" she couldn't help but smile, "...Can I confess something to you?" Freya admitted as she pulled away from her, but still held onto her hands: "...When we first arrived in Shiganshina, I didn't know what to expect; all the stories my clan's elders had ever told us about how regular folk are mistrustful and think only of themselves? I was absolutely petrified.. And then, just completely out of the blue you walked up to me on the street and introduced yourself with that bright smile of yours. And I was thinking, 'is this a trick of some kind?' but the more you spoke kindly, and the sincerity I heard in your voice: part of me wondered why anyone would go out of their way to be this friendly? Unless? That's exactly what it was: and our elders had been wrong... I know the reasons why they said those things, it wasn't merely out of prejudice; but it wouldn't have hurt to mention, that not all the world is out to get you. That there are people willing to be your friend, for the sake of being your friend. And in a way you gave me courage: knowing that that was okay even though I was scared... And for that, I am truly grateful Carla" she smiled as she wiped her tears away; Carla hugged her again, this time with a more honest smile, "Thank you Freya..." she replied as she turned to leave; as she stepped out onto the front porch, she nearly bumped into Angel, who'd been waiting patiently for her: "Oh, sorry Angel, have you been waiting here long?" she asked worryingly; Angel merely shrugged nonchalantly, and bent down low to let her climb up onto her back: "Well? See you in the morning: we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow" Carla thought aloud as she sat herself down amid the bird titan's feathers, "Yeah, no kidding, 'night," Freya replied, "'Night!" Carla called back as Angel took off up into the canopy, to the small tree-house ten or so meters above the boat-tree-house.

As she watched Angel fly up into the foliage, Freya heaved a heavy sigh as she turned to go back inside: only to see Tyto watching her from the hallway: "...Is she okay?" he asked offhand, but Freya knew from the look in his eyes that his mind was lingering on something else: "As 'okay' as she's going to be, for the time being I guess?" she shrugged as she approached him, "If this is how she wants to morn her children I won't stop her: grief is different for everyone, and sometimes it takes us down some unexpected roads...", "That is certainly true," Tyto sighed in lament.

A strained silence stretched between them as the same thing was playing on both their minds: they both knew it, for it was written upon their faces, and they were both reluctant to broach it. Frustrated, Freya then folded her arms as she decided to quit the procrastination and get it out in the open; "...So, we're really committing to this huh?" she sighed dryly, "We?" Tyto gazed at her in surprise: of all the things he was expecting her to say, he hadn't expected that. "Well you don't think you, the boys and the titans are going to go gallivanting off to save humanity by yourselves? Not without the rest of us to back you up" she stated, "Besides, the children are going to need someone to rein them in, make sure they don't bite off more than they can chew", "The children? What the hell makes you think I'm going to allow-, she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him as she gazed at him with her mother-hen look: the one that told him to shut up and listen "After all this time you still think you have to be the one to put yourself between us and danger? That you alone must take all the risks? What the hell makes you think the children won't get involved somehow? There's no way we'd be able to stop them even if we tried. First the god-titans, then the ODM gear, and then they kept the regular titans at bay with nothing but their bows and arrows while Shiganshina was overrun by the damned monsters: I don't like the fact my children might well have to face danger somewhere down the line with this; but it's not like all the other mothers who let their sons and daughters sign up for the military are any different. So what right do I have to stop them? When they have just as much right to fight for this world as we do..."

Gazing at her in a mix of surprise and shock, Tyto conceded defeat, and knew it was pointless to argue otherwise: the situation would be what it would be, and it was out of both their hands. With a nervous smile he gazed at her, and replied: "... Well? If we take things too far, or something goes wrong? Feel free to smack me up the back of the head", "Oh I'll do worse than smack you up side the head..." she grinned. Another silence hung in the air as a look of worry overcame her, and she anxiously asked "...Just-, don't go making any major decisions where the kids are concerned, before running it by me first okay?", "Okay..." Tyto smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead, "But it goes both ways too you know? If there's something you don't feel comfortable with, and you have any reservations: please don't keep it to yourself alright?" "I don't intend to," she smiled as she held his hand, "Just promise me, that you'll let me be there for you at the best and worst of times: like West said, we're in way to deep to back out now. If this is where our paths will lead us, then let's see it through to the end, the right way" she gazed at him pleadingly, "...I promise" he nodded, before planting a kiss on her lips, and leading her up the stairs to their bedroom.

From where she'd been watching them silently outside, Ariana smiled as she watched her parents disappear up the stairs: "...Thanks mum..." she murmured.

---

One week later:

The following several days had flown by in a whirlwind of activity, that seemed to slow down to a dead crawl by the end of the week: while the 'Shiganshina survivors' (as many had come to call them) had been polishing off feathering their own nests and seeing to other things, the four hundred plus new arrivals had wasted no time in establishing their own homesteads on the island. The majority of the Celts and Rangers made home in and around the arboreal town, all within short walking distance of each tree that housed a set of families. It soon became a very close-knit community, with every family pitching in to help each other make the empty shells of the houses, warm cosy dwellings worthy of being called home.

The Shiganshina survivors helped where they could, and had become both a blessing and a curiosity amid the newcomers: Claude's friendly yet quirky attitude and vast wealth of scientific knowledge made him both interesting and bewildering, with quite a number of the newcomers inquisitive about his 'long-term study' of the god-titans. Bryson was a keen talking point too; many of the newcomers had never even heard of the Scouts, let alone were aware of what they did: the idea of humans being able to fight and kill titans was as fascinating as it was unbelievable: and for the nay-sayers, it was stark yet mind-blowing sight to watch the former Scout fly through the trees on his ODM gear, as surely and swiftly as any bird, accompanied by his 'students' and fellow ODM users; unsurprisingly, this made him very popular with many of the hunters. Other members of the group soon found themselves being sought after too: the fact Breck was a doctor was a great convenience, as was Rosemary, who's knowledge of every medicinal plant imaginable soon made her the island's number one apothecary; Derek's know-how in all things to do with buildings and architecture made him popular with those looking to amend or alter their chosen dwellings, and Gustav's skills as a blacksmith and engineer meant the newcomers had a reliable smithy who could make and fix most things.

The animal titans had been settling in well too, many spent their time helping their humans to carry supplies and lift heavy loads: unsurprisingly, the island's titans took to them right away, and before long it was as if they had always been the best of friends. Between fixing up the new homes and sorting out living arrangements, the titans would help their humans to scavenge for tools and other resources amid the abandoned town; fortunately, there was plenty of stuff to go around so competition wasn't really an issue, and the fact there were no high-end valuables like gold, silver, jewels or any other luxuries lying around, ruled out any possibility for unrest or disorder.

But strangely enough, when broached on the subject of one's monetary wealth, neither the Celts or the Rangers had any real concern or desire for such a possession: having lived deep in the wilds of Maria for generations, money had no meaning in a place where the forest provided everything they needed for their survival. Of course, there was a general understanding that money played an important part in the world of the three-walled kingdom, and that trade was vital for ensuring the procurement of supplies and certain resources: as well as maintaining good relations with the the regular folk who lived in and around the forest; but ultimately, if a Ranger or Celt were to be offered a pot of gold, they'd simply walk right past it, or give it away. When winter's bitter unyielding grip was upon you, food was scarce, and you had the rotten luck to become lost in the deepest parts of the forest; monetary wealth counted for naught, and had no place in a world that didn't acknowledge such things. Not a single Celt or Ranger had a coin to their name, and none of them were concerned in the least.

With four hundred and seven mouths to feed, providing enough to eat had become a task Shadow took in his stride: in order to prevent overcrowding and quickly exhausting any one garden, Shadow had created a series of fruit and vegetable gardens at the base of each tree where a group of families resided; using the timbers enormous trunks for the smaller trees and vines to climb up, while the vast root systems sustained and nourished the vegetables in the ground, these 'communal' gardens soon proved to be a reliable source of easy-to-find food. Within less than a week there was enough fruit and vegetables to feed everyone, with enough surplus to make into jams, jellies, pickles, and even wines. The great lake yielded plenty of fish, with the fish titans often helping out by corralling shoals into the shallows, where the humans would lie in wait with make-shift nets and lines: the Otter Clan in particular proved to be quite adept at fishing, and soon became the island's best fish mongers. As for hunting game, that task fell to the hunters.

The Island titans, while happy to accommodate the humans in every other way, had only one stipulation: no creature that lived on the island was to ever be harmed and/or killed, even for the sake of food; however, hunting on the mainland was perfectly permissible, and so the hunters would regularly fly back and forth via their bird titans, to the vast mountainous land that guarded the lake and island on all sides, scouting for ideal hunting grounds and camp sites. And they were not disappointed: for a place that had been forgotten by the world for goodness-knows how long, the Hidden land was like a whole other country in its vast seeming endless topography and enigmatic features; such as the giant standing stones that seemed to be randomly scattered all over the place, many of which towered many meters high, and sported a whole range of primitive patterns and pictographs. These served as ideal navigation markers, and staring points for many of the hunters to establish trails through the grand yet mysterious forests.

To the east of the lake, both north and south of the great Eastern mountain that housed the city of Omnes Scientiam: the mountain slopes and foothills were home to the biggest alpine forests ever seen, with giant trees far greater in size and age than those that resided in Maria; integrated by old-growth pines, spruces and firs that stretched all the way down to the lake, where most of the shore was comprised of vast towering cliff-faces many meters high. The deep emerald green woods hid numerous gorges, hollows and gullies, secret rivers and coves that snaked and weaved their way down the incline, cascading into the deep sapphire waters of the lake in majestic waterfalls, tens sometimes hundreds of meters high. This was the home of the mountain titans: enormous half titan-half animal beings of gigantic and formidable proportions; bear-titans, wolf-titans, mountain-cat titans, raven-titans, eagle-titans, and even adder-titans stalked the deepest forests and the rocky grounds above the tree line. Though none of them had a taste for human flesh, and they were as intelligent and sentient as the island titans: the hunters were careful to not become complacent with any of them; a predator was still a predator, even if you weren't on the menu. Down nearer to the lake, within close proximity to the mountain king's throne, a number of humanoid titans resided in the lower forests: a little meeker than their island cousins, these god-titans were much like the tree titans, but instead of moss-covered tree-bark for skin on all four limbs, their legs were lichen-encrusted stone from the mid-thighs down, and they could assume the appearance of rocks and boulders at the drop of a hat; it often made the humans wonder, just how many of these god-titans they'd walked by, and didn't even realize it was them.

On the western side of the lake, where the tunnel into the Hidden land sat beneath what came to be known as the Gateway mountain, the slopes, foothills and valleys were covered in thick deciduous woodland: ancient oak, beech, ash, maple and horse chestnut made up the vast majority of the forests, while birch and silver birch, peppered the more open meadows, with elegant weeping willows lining the pebble beach shores of the lake. Here, many of the Hidden land's tree and deer titans resided, alongside the Elk-titans: magnificent beasts that were twice the size of the their smaller red and fallow cousins, with their impressive fourteen pointer antlers making them the undisputed warriors of the land; they could run at great speed through the densest forest without snagging a single twig or leaf, and scale the most difficult mountain terrain above the treeline, all without making a sound. There were a good number of fox titans in these woods too, alongside flower titans in the meadows, and the more elusive water-titans: humanoid titans that lived in and around the ponds, streams and lake shore, but didn't have a fish tail. They had a particular penchant for wild water lilies, and all manner of aquatic plants. More often than not it was easy enough to find their haunts: you just had to look for the prettiest ponds, streams and coves in the forest.

To the north, both the evergreen and deciduous forests semi-converged and gave way to a vast maze of wetland that stretched from east to west: here, the reeds grew in excess of over several meters above the water, and stretched for over a mile out into the more shallow waters of the lake, creating a suitable habitat for numerous bird spices and all manner of other water-dwelling creatures to thrive in. On the shoreline, the reeds converged with vast wealds of oak and willow that crated a dark and foreboding swamp-like forest, where the trees roots disappeared into the murky dark waters, and it's surface was covered in all manner of floating plant life; the perfect place for some fairytale monster or witch to hide in. This foreboding place was the home of the water snake-titans: beautiful female titans with long serpentine bodies that were adorned with emerald and golden scales, glistening amber-gold eyes, and sharp venomous fangs that could deliver a nasty bite. Though intimidating in appearance, they much preferred to keep out of the humans way, and would watch the hunters from the darkness of the forest, or from beneath the surface of the reed beds; often knocking on the bottom of their boats to let them know when they had strayed too close for their liking. Failure to move on elsewhere, usually resulted in said boats getting capsized, but fortunately, this had only happened the once, and territorial boundaries were established soon after.

The very southern end of the lake on the other hand, was totally different: with only a mile of land between the lake and wall Maria, the hilly ground was peppered with a mix of both evergreen and deciduous wood, with a vast amount of heath and low-lying scrub in between. But it was the very end of the lake that was a sight to behold: here, the earth fell down into a deep vast cavernous hole over eighty meters at its widest, where the lake cascaded down in three great white falls that thundered endlessly, creating storm-force winds that threw up spray and drizzle, keeping the top of the falls shrouded in a fine mist that often obscured the base of wall Maria. On either side of the falls were four giant standing stones: covered in hundreds of intricate lines, circles, spots and various other primitive patterns, these were the biggest of all the standing stones in the land, at just over fifty meters tall a piece. They could be seen from both the eastern and western shores of the mainland, as well as the southern end of the island: standing tall and to attention like guards at a royal palace; but strangely, the thunderous roar of the falls couldn't be heard from any direction across the lake, it wasn't until you were standing right at the edge of the abyssal hole, that the water's deafening thunder could be heard, and copious amounts of spray would hit you in the face, drenching you to the bone within minutes. Where the hole went and how deep it was, no one knew: and no one was inclined to find out; it could be the centre of the earth for all anyone knew, or some other strange world yet to be discovered; given the magical nature of this land, no one would be surprised if that were the case. This great majestic natural wonder had earned the name 'the chalice of rainbows', for when the sun shone down into the misty hole, several rainbows could be seen all at once, arching in all different directions.

The Hidden land was a place of endless majesty and natural grace, where the Celts and Rangers felt right at home: here, it was a hunters paradise as the forests were virtually overflowing with every form of game; from boar, deer and elk to every verity of game bird there was. It only took the hunters of each clan and family a few days to meet their quotas, which included enough meat to provide jerky and other forms of cured meats for the winter months, plus plenty of hides to make clothing and accessories, as well as bone, antlers and offal to be used for various other means. Not a single part of any animal was left to go to waste: a testament to the Celts and Ranger's natural resourcefulness.

On the shores of the western forest, Tyto sighed in exasperation as he scanned the treeline for the umpteenth time: "...What on earth is taking them so long?" he huffed, "Just be patient, they'll be back soon enough" Evrard assured him as he helped several other Rangers load a colossal-sized boar onto the boat, and started the gruesome task of gutting it. With the larger game proving difficult to transport for the bird titans, the newcomers had joined the Shiganshina survivors in patching up and restoring the old boats that sat on the shore of the boat yard. Though none of them were in the best shape and their masts were long-since gone: their hulls were intact enough to allow them to float, and safety take a crew and cargo; with a number of the fish-titans volunteering to act as 'wagon horses'. Two long lengths of rope would be tied up to the front of each boat on either side, and both ends were thrown over the front for the titans to grab, and use it to pull the craft along: this proved to be quiet effective, and though the fleet only numbered three boats for the time being, the fact half the newcomers were carpenters meant the repair work to the other boats in the yard was going swimmingly.

"HEEY!" Ariana called out as she wandered out of the treeline, followed by Clay, Rowan, Ash, Dale and Hazel, all carrying a large (dead) farrow deer between them; seeing that the animal's weight was a bit much for them to bare, Tyto was about to run over to help carry it, when the sight behind them made him stop and watch in relief. A tall broad Elk-titan stepped from out of the trees, leaned down, and gently picked up the deer from out of their grasp, carrying it over to the shore and carefully depositing it on the desk of the boat, alongside all the other kills of the day: "Thank you!" Evrard and the Rangers called up: the titan dipped his head in acknowledgement, and gracefully strode back into the trees, "Thanks!" the kids waved as he stepped right over them, before returning to their fathers to help hang the deer up, in preparation for the field dressing.

A little way back from the edge of the treeline, Herne stood watching his humans as they gutted the last of their kills: this was their forth hunting trip of the week, and would be their last to the mainland for quite a while, as the Grey Owls had completed their quota for the season. As the Elk titan joined him at his side, Herne couldn't help but smile in satisfaction: "Not bad eh?" he glanced up at the taller titan. "A clean kill, a sharp eye and nose, and sturdy hand" the titan smiled as his nodded in approval: "They're Celts alright". "Thanks for letting them hunt in your forest Curnunnos, I know you Fauna gods can be a bit particular about humans hunting in your territory" Herne mentioned offhand, "Please, no thanks necessary: if the god of the hunt gives his personal approval, who am I to contest?" the elk-titan folded his arms, "Besides, the wolves in the upper fells have been struggling to keep the deer in check for a few years now, it would be good to have some new hunters balance the numbers out...", "Glad we can help..." Herne sighed as he sat down on his haunches, "...Listen" Curnunnos changed the subject, "About the queen's proposal: I have conferred with the other Fauna and Dryade gods in the south-western valleys, and they have agreed to stand by her" he stated in all seriousness, "Really? That's wonderful, we'd be most grateful for your help" Herne smiled, "Well it's not as if we can say no: from what you described, these 'titans' don't sound like any creature of nature I'm familiar with; the fact they eat when they don't need to and die without returning to earth, makes them an unnatural imbalance that must be corrected", the god frowned as he watched the kids field dress the farrow deer, "It's not going to be easy, you know that right?" Herne reminded him, "The night roamers said the same thing about the eight days of darkness: but we held on through that crisis and succeeded in our mission; if we can do that, surly we can do this" he stated confidently, "Yeah, but the difference here is, we haven't got an army of wizards, mages and witches to back us up: we're going to have to rely on the humans, as much as they're going to be counting on us", Herne stated. "BOAR! Time to go buddy!" Clay shouted into the trees. "Well, time to head off home. Thanks again ol' friend; we'll give you a heads up when we come up with a plan" the tusked god-titan waved good bye as he stood back up, "Thank you Herne: my brother's and I will await the queen's order" Curnunnos bowed in respect, before turning and galloping off into the dense canvas of dappled green, disappearing from sight like smoke on the wind.

The hunting god galloped down to the boat and turned into his skylark form, perching on Clay's shoulder with a welcoming chirp: with everyone aboard, Tyto gave the waiting fish titans the signal to start the journey home; pulling away from the shore, the boat glided out into the deeper water, where the fish titans could move at speed. The trip back was kept busy as everyone took the brief fifteen minute crossing to finish off field dressing the kills: once back at the jetty, the carcasses were unloaded and taken to the 'meat house', a medium-sized building a little way off from the boat yard that had been made into a makeshift butchery, where the meat would be cut up, and either salted (curtsey of Herne, who summoned a whole load of rock salt up from deep within the earth), smoked, dried, or left as is for cooking the same day. For their share, Tyto, Evrard and the kids took four deer, and with Boar's help in his titan form, carried them all the way back home, to where Freya and the rest of the family had been waiting.

"Finally! What took you guys so long? We've been waiting here all morning!" Brendis huffed as he walked up to the group with a large wicker basket in hand, followed by Gale and her sisters, plus Miriam, Rosemary, Carla and Mabel, all carrying baskets of their own: "Don't exaggerate, we've only been waiting three minutes" Belle shot him a look, "Oh, they look like they've eaten well" Rosemary smiled as Boar gently laid the deer down, and one by one proceeded to hang them up by their hind legs to the large frame that had been set up in preparation for cutting up the carcasses, "It'll be nice to have some fresh meat for supper tonight" Mabel thought aloud as Angel swooped down and landed by Carla's side, inspecting the carcasses with a curious warble; "I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't mind some venison steak" Poppy smiled as she began to salivate at the thought of her grandmother's speciality, "Oh I think that can be arranged" Rosemary smiled, having got the hint, "Just as long as mines medium-rare" Miriam threw in. At that moment, Shadow and Midnight appeared from around the other side of the Grey Owl's 'home tree', and sat themselves down on one of the giant roots: "Hey!" Ariana smiled up at him, "You missed a great hunt this morning, look at the stag Clay bagged," she motioned to the deer Boar was busy tying up, :Impressive: Shadow spelt out, :You'll have to tell me all about it:.

"Another good hunting trip?" Elysia smiled, "Kid, when you've got the god of the hunt for a spotter, every hunting trip is a good trip" Midnight dryly replied, "It has to be said, I do have a knack for bringing good luck" Here grinned smugly, "Ha ha very funny" she shot him a dry look: "Just ignore her, she's been bored out of her mind all morning," Elysia waved off, "I'd hardly call re-planking an arboreal courtyard boring" Javorin gave her a cheeky smile, "Three hours we were up that damn tree, and for one of those hours I was holding up an entire three story house on my shoulders; not to mention you took your sweet time growing all those fruit trees" she huffed as she let out a sharp "TCH!", rolling her aching arms back and forth; "Work starting to get to you babe?" Ash called up to her with a cheeky grin, "And that's another thing: where's this 'babe' coming from all of a sudden? He's still eleven" she glanced down at him with a look that told him: what do you think?, "Okay okay, sorry I asked" he waved off nonchalantly, "Listen, when we've finished up here, how 'bout we go swimming? You look like you could use a nice relaxing soak" he suggested, "Now that you mention it, the hot springs do sound good" she thought aloud. "Sorted! This mean I don't have to listen to you whine for the rest of the day, right?" Elysia sarcastically asked, "Don't bet on it brat".

"So how did the hunt go?" Freya asked as she sharpened her carving knife on a sharpening stone: "Very good, sixteen elk, twenty deer, seven colossal boar and forty pheasants: that's the Fletchers, Samson's, Branner's and Rabbit clan stocked up for the season" Tyto replied as he grabbed a filleting knife and made the first incisions. "So no more hunting until the autumn?" Poppy asked offhand, "Nope, unless another load of 'new arrivals' show up" Falken joked as he cut off a few pieces of meat and fed them to Evernight, who greedily scoffed them down.

As she was about to speak to Belle, Ariana stopped as a scent drifted past her nose, and got her attention: sniffing the air, she could smell it was someone else, one of the other family's children; "What's up?" Belle asked in concern, "...Hang on a sec..." Ariana frowned as she followed the scent through the undergrowth, about three hundred yards from the base of the home tree, to a small grove out of sight of the others. Gazing up at the thick wall of green, she could smell someone on the other side, and the scent was pooling; in other words, the person in question was just standing still. Reaching for her hunting knife, Ariana stepped over to the bushes and frowned: "Whoever's in there, show yourself!"

A flash of bright ginger red hair announced the presence of the stranger, who revealed himself to be one of the Rangers: probably no more than ten or eleven years of age, clad all in green like the rest of his kin, and didn't quite seem to have a 'natural grace' as he nearly tripped over his own feet coming out of the bushes. "Uh, hi?" he uttered nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. Putting her knife away with an apologetic look, Ariana replied. "Hi, sorry about that: old habits". "You greet everyone with a knife?" he blinked in surprise, "No it's just-, where we used to live, there were a lot of criminal gangs that used to roam the forest, and it wasn't unusual for people to get robbed or kidnapped: you couldn't be too careful is all" she explained, "Uh, yeah I guess?..." the boy shrugged, not really taking it seriously, before getting to the point of why he was here: "Um? Listen, I don't mean to intrude or anything: but, a couple of my cousins and some of the hunters were talking about you guys, and I just wanted to know; is it true you guys really took on the titans head-to-head?"

Ariana paused, her gaze wandering off to the side as she remembered Shiganshina, and that terrible day over a fortnight ago: "I-..." she tried to speak, but found she didn't want to form those memories into words. "Hey..." Rowan came up alongside her, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "We don't like to talk about that day, alright?" he stated in a tone that told the boy the subject wasn't up for debate, "Rowan, it's okay I'm fine," she told him seriously: "-No, I'm sorry, it was rude of me to ask: I was just curious is all" the boy stepped away nervously as Rowan's gaze bore into him. But Ariana stepped forward to stop him, "-No wait, please it's okay, really: he just worries about me... What's your name?", "Oh uh, I'm Erkunden, but everybody calls me Red" he replied anxiously, "I'm Ariana, and this is my brother Rowan: what is it you want to know?" she asked him upfront; a little taken aback, Red tried to get his scattered thoughts in order, before reaffirming his question: "Well uh? It is true you really held off a whole pack of titans by attacking them with that 'ODM gear' of yours? 'Cuz I gotta say if you did, that must have been truly terrifying"

Both Ariana and Rowan glanced at one another in confusion, Rowan was about to object, but Ariana stopped him as she explained: "Sorry, but we didn't have our gears with us that day: Bryson was the one that fought the titans head on, we just used our arrows to keep them blinded, so everyone could get to safety", "Oh, sorry, It's just that-, well? Everyone's been talking about you guys: saying all kinds of stuff" Red sheepishly replied as he twiddled his fingers, "Such as?" Rowan frowned as he folded his arms.

"That you guys are either a bunch of idiots, or bare-faced liars..." another voice spoke up from the bushes, as four taller, more stouter red-headed lads appeared: all at least fifteen or sixteen years old, and wearing disapproving looks as they stared the siblings down; "We passed by dozens of abandoned towns and villages on the way to this place, and saw all the corpses of the people the titans ate: some were military and actually fought back with their cannons and 'ODM gear', and you know what? Not a single one of them survived" one stated, "We've seen what those monsters can do, and believe me, no one, not even the god-titan's can stop them" another added, "Which can only mean you lied about fighting them: I don't know how you guys got out of Shiganshina, if you were even there at all, but I'm pretty sure you didn't take them head on. No human in their right mind would ever be that stupid" the third boy glared down as the now-incensed Rowan. "Guy comes on! How can you be rude like this?!" Red protested, "Butt out Red, go home" the forth boy shot him a reprimanding look, but the smaller boy held his ground as he was about to retaliate.

"If that's true..." Bryson interjected as he flew down from the trees on his ODM gear, "Then I must be the greatest idiot of them all". "Bryson?" Ariana blinked in surprise, "Sorry for the intrusion, but I couldn't help but overhear..." he then turned to the four lads, and regarded them with an air of disapproval: making it clear he'd heard them, and wasn't about to back down. "So you boys think it's foolish not to fight back against the titans? Clearly you're unacquainted with the Scouts" he folded his arms, "What're they?" the third boy frowned in confusion, as did the other three. Bryson didn't bother to explain as he merely replied, "They're the ones who know how to kill a titan", "HA! Bull!" the second boy scoffed smugly, "-Like hell you could kill a titan! You got a crippled leg, so how're you going to pull that off?"

With a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Bryson smoothly replied "... Like so"

The forest around them exploded in a cacophony of roars and thundering footsteps as Shadow charged into the clearing like an enraged bull: the four boys and Red fell over onto their asses in a panic, while Ariana and Rowan simply remained unfazed as they watched Bryson fly up into the canopy, and began his dance of death around the fifteen meter god-titan. Watching the former Scout work his magic was always a privilege to watch, even Rowan admired Bryson's skill and swiftness of speed: the five red-heads watched in stunned silence as Shadow spun, twisted and pivoted, furiously trying to grab the human and his lines as he flew circles around him; but Bryson was too quick and too sharp on the turns for him to keep pace. This was by far one of the more dangerous exercises Shadow and Bryson would practise together, as Shadow would be using a fair portion of his strength and speed to move, and would use all kinds of random manoeuvrers to try and out-wit the former Scout: but for Bryson, it a sporting challenge he had come to take pleasure in. Fighting as he used to, but without the risk of incurring death: it would invigorate the warrior within him, and fill him with a contentment that left him rejoining in his strength and speed. As the boys watched the aerial fight, they saw how Bryson would strike at Shadow's weak-points: throwing his whole weight at every opening to make the god-titan lose his balance, until finally, one well-placed kick to the back of his right knee forced the titan to drop to the ground, and in one fast circle around his broad chest, used his cables to tie his arms up, effectively disarming him, and making him loose what balance he had left, falling over backwards onto the forest floor with a booming thud.

Bryson then gracefully sailed down, and landed on the titan's chest: "Good fight as always" he smiled, to which Shadow nodded in agreement, and relaxed his whole frame so the cables around his arms and chest could slacken, allowing the former Scout to recall his lines. He then jumped back down to the ground as Shadow sat up and folded his legs, gazing down at the boys with a distinct look that told them: oh really?. "Even if I was bereft of all my limbs and senses, I'll still be able to fight the titans, and win" Bryson stated as he gazed down at the boys with a no-nonsense attitude: "...How-, how the hell did you do that?!" Red blurted out as he quickly scrambled to his feet: "Three years of back-breaking training, and seven more of dumb blind luck, that's how" Bryson replied as he looked him in the eye, "The Scouts are never to be taken lightly: theirs is the greatest challenge of all, and many don't live to see their first year of survive", "So basically" Rowan interjected, "The next time you idiots decide to talk shit about us? Allow me to give you a first-hand demonstration of my fists!" he cracked his knuckles. The four older lads were up on their feet in virtually no time at all, and booked it through the undergrowth back the way they came.

But just as they ran away, a small female deer-titan came bounding through the greenery, and stopped just short of Red's position: she looked terrified as she picked him up like a rag-doll, and looked him all over, as if checking to make sure he wasn't hurt. "Hey hey hey! Ginger it's okay I'm fine!" Red chuckled as he patted her on both arms: the titan stopped and worriedly gazed at him as if to say: Are you sure? "Seriously, I'm fine: Shadow and Bryson were just giving a demonstration is all" he assured her. She gazed up at the fifteen meter giant, and nearly gawked in shock: "What the hell just happened?!", "Calm down, no one got hurt and everyone's alright" Javorin assured her, to which she glared daggers at him "Alright?! Do you have any idea what would've happened if you weren't watching where you were going?! My poor lil' Red could've been flattened to death under your oversized feet!" She reprimanded angrily. She was tiny for a god-titan, barely a three meter class with antlers hardly any bigger than Red's arms: she was one of the farrow deer titans, well tanned with a blaze of tawny ginger going all the way down her back and peppered with pale cream speckles, even her fair child-like face sported a distinctive set of white freckles, accompanied by golden-reddish hair. Her tattoos were comprised mainly of swirls, diamonds and zig-zags, part of which only covered her right cheek and neck. For such a small titan she wasn't lacking in tenacity or attitude, as she angrily stomped her cloven hoof at the much larger god. "I'm sorry" Javorin humbly replied, dipping his head as a respectful bow, "But I can assure you Red was in no danger, I kept an eye on his aura the whole time: as the overseer of mankind, I take my charges safety very seriously"

Watching the two god-titans stare off against each other in a telepathic conversation, Red decided to try and defuse the situation, as he gazed down at Bryson, Ariana and Rowan: "I'm very sorry about that: my brothers may be idiots but their actually okay guys once you get to know them", "Meh, I'll believe that when I see it" Rowan folded his arms. "It's not the first criticism I've ever encountered, and it sure as hell won't be the last" Bryson sighed as he placed the hand-grips back in their holsters, "But don't worry, it's water under the bridge" he smiled up at Red. "How the hell are you able to move like that? I mean-, I know you just explained of course: But geez, that was really something! Could I learn to do that on one of those things?!" he pointed to the ODM gear, "If you're able to keep your balance and be aware of your surroundings, I don't see why not?", "Hell, even my dad got the hang of using it" Ariana smiled, "Really?! That'd be so cool!" the red-head beamed, "Uh, one problem though, we ain't got any spares?" Rowan sarcastically pointed out, "So? Gustav can easy make one if he's got all the right parts: hell, I bet he could make one out of a pile of junk"

As the humans chatted, Ginger's frustration subsided a little, and she placed Red back down on the ground: "... Sorry about getting riled up like that. It's just-, on the way here Red had a close call with one of those titans, and I almost didn't make it in time to save him" Ginger sighed ruefully. "Really?" Javorin gazed down at Red's aura, which radiated as much spunk as it did courage: "... He doesn't scare easily does he?", "No" she gazed up at him, "Even in the face of death he was prepared to go down fighting: he hates the titans as much as we do... Well, they all do... He's got what it takes to be a great hunter: I just wish his brothers and the rest of his kin would take him more seriously", "I'm sure they will, once he's able to prove himself" Javorin smiled, "...Um? What she said," she pointed to Ariana, "About being able to make one of those 'ODM gears': is it really possible for your blacksmith friend to make one with just what he's got?", "Gustav? Why certainly, he used to make them for a living, and is quite the skilled engineer: with that machine shop on the side of his new smithy he's got the capability to make all the essential parts; and between me and Herne, our combined powers can easily create the ultra-hard steel, iron bamboo, and ice-burst stones needed to make the device function the way it does" Javorin explained, "Really?" Ginger blinked in surprise, "Well? It was a theory Dale hit upon some time ago, and I believe it could work if we do it right: it was one of many ideas he thought of when I revealed to him the scope of our capabilities as Gods", "Heh heh yeah, I know that," Ginger chuckled, "The first time I ever showed Red how I could turn him invisible? He went nuts pranking his brothers night and day, letting them believe they were being haunted by an angry ghost. It was actually quite fun", "Heh, You should've seen the look on Ariana's face when I turned myself into the wind, and took her flying for the first time..." Javorin smiled in nostalgic delight, "They never forget that first time, do they?"

"Hey, you guys done chin-wagging back there?" Hecate butted in: her tone immediately telling Javorin something was up, "... What's wrong?" he frowned, "Something's come up, get back here, all of you". "Sorry, but duty calls" he apologized to Ginger, "Anything serious?" she asked worryingly, "Probably" he sighed as he motioned to Bryson, Ariana and Rowan to get back to the home tree. Curious, Ginger gave Red a leg up onto her back, and followed the four as they went back the way they came.

As they came within sight of the Grey Owl's home tree, Ariana, Rowan and Bryson saw their entire family and friends, along with all the heads of the clans and families gathered around where the deer were still being butchered: Tyto was holding several parchments, and reading over their contents with a grave look in his eyes, while everyone else looked on in equal concern. "Are you sure Claude? I mean, there're no other substitutes?" Tyto frowned as he turned a page over, "I double-checked everything myself Tyto, and believe me I wish there were an alternative" the amateur scientist sighed in exasperation. "Hey, what's going on?" Ariana asked as she approached the group, "We've hit a few snags with the inventory" Ash replied sullenly, "Namely the medicines" Gale added. "Apparently not everyone who arrived on the island was as fit and healthy as they first thought: turns out several members of one of the Ranger families has been struck down with consumption, and Breck doesn't have the right medication to cure it before it can spread" West explained, "Right now, all the infected patients have been confined to the hospital and everyone else has been told to stay away, Breck already cured himself with one of his elixir's, and gave Rosemary a dose for good measure, since she's helping him prepare the medicines for symptom relief. But he doesn't have all the ingredients required to make more elixir; and if we don't do something soon there's a chance it could infect all of us"

Ariana gasped in horror, "But-, how is that possible? I thought we had everything we need to make more elixir? Shadow grew a whole garden full of medicinal plants next to the hospital for that very purpose". "Oh sweetie, I'm afraid in this case the plants alone won't be enough, the elixir that cures consumption specifically, requires other ingredients to help it work properly" Rosemary explained, "Ingredients that, while we can make with what we have on the island, are going to take time to prepare, and time is something the patients don't have: if they're to stand any chance of survival, we must get the ingredients now" Breck added. "Okay, so do we have any idea where to find these ingredients?" Rowan threw in. "Oh we know where they are kiddo... The problem is, we gotta go get them" Pascal sighed as he folded his arms in vexation, "Well? Where are they?" Bryson demanded. An uneasy silence hung in the air for a brief moment, before Breck explained, "...The day before the breach, Shiganshina Hospital received a new supply of drugs and other medical supplies: the hospital was short-staffed that day so I was called in to help the apothecary oversee the inventory; I remember, all the ingredients plus other necessary drugs and chemicals were part of that delivery. The crates were taken down to the basement for storage: and I remember when we left the city, glancing over at the hospital and seeing the section of the building where the basement sat, was still largely intact. Ergo, there's a good chance the crates survived the titan's rampage: all we'd have to do is go there and dig them out"

The air was thick with tension, as Ariana gazed at all the grown-up's in stunned horror, "...Go back to Shiganshina? With all those titans loose in the city? There were dozens upon dozens of them when we left, they'll be hundreds of them everywhere by now!" she exclaimed. "Trust me Ariana, none of us have come to this decision lightly" Tyto sighed in defeat, "YOU ALREADY MADE UP YOUR MINDS TO GO?!" Rowan exclaimed in outrage, "When the hell did this happen?!", "When the latest patient was admitted to the hospital this morning" Breck stated regretfully. "It's Tilly, one of the Rabbit clan's kids" Dale told him, "She's only five years old Rowan, and if she doesn't get that elixir quickly, she'll be dead before all the others" Shyla threw in. Frustrated at it all, Rowan lost it, "-FUCK IT!" he snapped as he punched the side of one of the tree's giant roots, and stormed off into the undergrowth. "...Will he be okay?" Ratatosk asked worryingly, "Don't worry, he's always like that when he knows he can't do anything to change the situation: just let him blow off some steam, he'll be fine in about half an hour" Fox waved off, "... So you're really going" Ariana sighed in defeat, "Who?", "Me, a couple of the Deer clan and the Fletchers, your uncles, Claude, Derek, Gustav, Bren, Pascal, West, Breck, and Bryson obviously" Tyto replied, "When do we leave?" Bryson sighed, "Tonight, we can't afford to waste time on this: you guys head up to my place and we'll discuss a strategy to get in and out of the city, the rest of you stay put on the island" Tyto ordered, "What?! Like hell I'm staying put! You're gonna need someone to keep the titans distracted if they come at you again!" Ariana exclaimed angrily, "ARIANA!-" he snapped. Ariana paused in shock, never had she heard her father use that tone with her; realizing the harshness of his outburst, Tyto took a deep breath and gazed at her pleadingly: "... Ariana: I don't want you, any of you, to go back to that place and be reminded of the hell we all went through that day; once is enough... Please, don't argue with me on this, you're staying here and that's final, understand?"

Ariana gazed up at him angrily as her eyes filled with tears: she wanted to shout and scream at him to let her go, to let her protect him and have his back: but seeing that heart-breaking look in his eyes, she knew he didn't like this any more than she did. Unable to argue back, she turned and ran off into the forest: "Ariana!-" her mother tried to stop her, but Shadow held up a hand as he gently stepped over the group, :Don't worry, I'll go check on her: he spelt out before following after her, being sure to maintain some distance. "...This sucks" Belle frowned as she wiped away her own tears, "We damn well know what we went through that day, seeing the aftermath won't make any difference... She knows that" she stated angrily, "...I know..." Tyto sighed as he hung his head in anguish, "...But it's not just the memories of that day I'm worried about: there'll be titans everywhere, and we'll only be able to carry so many arrows and spears: Bryson has no more blades so we'll be relying on the god-titan's to keep us hidden; plus, bringing too many people along will slow us down and create unnecessary problems... You're a smart girl Belle, you know this" he glanced over at her, "... Yeah I know," she sighed as she turned to leave, "But that doesn't mean I have to like it"

"...It's a shitty situation, but we got no choice" Gustav stated as he folded his arms, "What do you guys need?" Bowen asked, "The usual items, plus extra weapons: and we'll need to borrow a few of your deer-titans to help carry the load" Tyto replied, "I'll see it gets done" he nodded, "Ginger..." he glanced over at the deer-titan, "Go back to our home tree and inform your brothers and sisters; we need volunteers, plus the carrier packs". She nodded in acknowledgement, and bounded off into the forest with Red on her back. "What can we do?" Lucile asked worrying, "Stay with Rosemary and see to the patients, if we get everything we need tonight I'll have the first batch of elixir ready by tomorrow evening" Breck stated, "I need to go because I know the layout of the hospital like the back of my hand, even partially demolished I'll be able to find my way around"

"Then I guess it' settled" Falken sighed as he turned to leave, climbing up onto the giant root and walking up the spiralling trunk to his house: as the rest of the gathering started talking amongst themselves, Herne, Hecate and Elysia glanced at one another in equal concern. "I better go and fill Jarus in on tonight's scavenger hunt" Herne sighed as he turned to leave, "I know this might be a dumb question. But why can't we just use our blood to cure the patients?" Elysia asked offhand, "Have you forgotten what happened to Ariana's eye? Our blood's potent stuff, even a few drops can cause a myriad of shit to happen: anything from being cursed to changing into some kind of unnatural creature, or worse. Javorin got off lucky when it was only her eye that changed colour. That's why, when we gave Claude and Breck those first samples of our blood for their studies, it was under the strict condition that they find a way to 'augment' them somehow: to combine them with other drugs and medicinal plants in order to yield the desired results. Remember brat, a god's blood is capable of anything, and without the proper combination of magics or science to taper its power: there's no telling what it could do once its out of our systems" Hecate told her earnestly. "If Breck's going to be making more elixir in the future, it might be an idea to see if there's a more safer alternative: after all, our blood's not the only part of our biology that's imbued with magical properties" Herne threw in offhand, "True. Talk to Jarus about it when we get back, he'll probably know something we don't" the black and white titan-goddess replied; Herne nodded, and quietly excused himself from the group, "...I guess you guys will be needing a spotter to fly overhead tonight?" Elysia thought aloud, assuming she'd been picked for the mission as well, "Yes, Nyiera will be watching our backs" Hecate stated, Elysia was about to protest, but Hecate didn't give her the chance as she explained, "Don't take it the wrong way brat, I don't doubt you'd be a good spotter: but you can't see in the dark the same way we night roamers can; even with all that chaos manna polluting the atmosphere, Nyiera can still see far enough that she'd be able to give us a head's-up in time. Plus, if it all goes to shit then at least we can get everyone out via our shadow paths"

"Shadow paths?" Elysia raised an eyebrow, "A little 'parlour trick' us night roamers were well known for back in the day: being able to open portals between one location and another via pitch blackness; enabling us and others to travel vast distances in a single night; if for whatever reason our concealment spells fail and the titans come at us: we can be back here within minutes" Hecate explained, to which Elysia gasped in realization, " … So that's how you always get around so quickly at night? I just thought you were fast on your feet: do the humans know about it?", "I explained it to the brats once" She glanced down at Ash and Dale, "But it was one of those things we never seemed to get around to doing" she sighed, "Well? First time for everything right? Even after all these years I haven't gotten around to flying Carla up above the clouds" the weather goddess smiled, "Come to think of it? There's a lot of stuff we haven't been able to do together, because-, well, you know" she shrugged, "Always too many prying eyes" Hecate smirked, before turning serious again, "And now? Too many snap-happy jaws", "...Will you be okay tonight?" Elysia asked seriously, Hecate turned to her, and smirked, "Come on, do you even have to ask?". "Right..." she sighed with a weak smile.

---

Later that day, sunset:

The rest of the day had tediously passed by in an uneasy mix of dread and uncertainty, as the 'heretics and traitors' prepared for tonight's emergency scavenger hunt: word quickly got around and many held reservations over whether it was really a good idea to leave the Hidden land, but given the nature of the emergency, no one really argued. Several of the Deer Clan and Fletchers had volunteered to help, along with several of said clan's deer-titans, who were kitted out with their custom-made carrier packs: made by the clan specifically for carrying camping and hunting equipment, they fit the god-titan's comfortably and allowed them to move with hardly any hindrance. But tonight, their main concern would be to get in and out of Shiganshina without being spotted by their mindless counterparts. Shadow, Midnight, Boar and Stormwing would be acting as look-outs and flank guards: protecting the group from the front, rear, middle and above.

As the sun began to kiss the peak of the Gateway mountain, lighting up the sky in hues of red, pink, orange and yellow, a bulbous golden moon peeked over the slopes of the great eastern mountain: and across the lake, the haunting howls and cries of the wolf-titans could be heard echoing down the slopes of the ancient alpine forest, sending a chill up the spine of any who heard them. As he double-checked the supplies for the journey ahead, Tyto felt a tug on the back of his shirt, and turned around to see Ariana standing before him. Seeing she was still upset, he knelled down and simply hugged her: since there was no use in arguing anymore, all she could do was hug him tightly, and hope and prey that he'd make back alive. "...You be careful out there okay?" She sighed, "You know I will" he smiled as he stroked her hair, "Look after your mother, and keep your brothers out of trouble, okay?", "Okay" she sniffed as he stood up: a light tap on her back made her turn around, and kneeling down beside them was Shadow: his warm smile ever comforting and assuring as he spelt out, :Don't worry, we'll take good care of them, as always:

Turning to address his sons: Ash and Dale were worried too, but held a little more confidence, while Rowan continued to simmer; arms folded and his trademark scowl in place. "Don't worry dad, we got things covered here" Ash assured him. "Wait!-" Ashlyn, Josefa and Hazel came running up to the group with their brothers trailing behind, each with a posy of flowers in hand: "Dad..." Ashlyn spoke first as she handed her flowers to her father, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to hold her composure: "...When you get to Shiganshina, if you-... If you happen to pass by the market place, could you please give these to mum? Tell her we said hi, and that we're doing okay?"

Falken couldn't help but tear up as he accepted the flowers with a trembling hand: "Yeah... Could you tell mum we're okay here dad?" Clay sobbed as Hazel handed him her posy, "We know mum hated heights, but I think she would've liked the new place; she would've loved the view" Josefa forced a smile as she handed over her flowers too. The three fathers hugged their children, and carefully placed the flowers in one of the carrier pack's: "Don't worry: we'll make sure they get them," Falken smiled weakly as he wiped away his tears, and tried to straighten himself out. "You going to be okay?" West asked as he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Ah don't worry, I'll be fine" the Blackhawk elder nodded. After all the good-byes were said and all the wishes of good luck passed along, the deer-titans stood up, and the group finally set off. High above the forest, disguised as owls perched on one of the many branches of Yggdrasil: Jarus, Aureia and Asteria watched them disembark, quietly musing over their mission, and wishing them good luck in their endeavour: whilst Evernight and the ravens sat alongside them.

The journey back to Maria took the better part of over two hours, travelling back the way they came: through the mountain tunnel and out the great stone doors, through the forested valley that lay at the base of the mountain, and up to the narrow passage that led to the stone circle in it's cavernous gorge. Shadow 'awakened' the stones power once again, enveloping the whole group in a thick shroud of fog as they stood in the middle of the circle: and finally reappearing in the forest. Glancing all around, the Rangers and other Celts nearly gasped when they saw the giant face of wall Maria looming through the canopy: even in the last faint slithers of daylight, it was truly an imposing sight; "...That's wall Maria?" one of the Celts breathed in awe, being careful to keep his voice low: "You've never seen the wall before?" Tyto blinked in surprise, "Heard of it: I know they said it was big, but my god that's absolutely huge" he replied as he stared up at the wall: "I don't get it, didn't you guys see it when you came here?" Derek frowned, "Came here? I think we'd have remembered seeing a gigantic wall along the way!" one of the Ranger's hissed in astonishment: "Anyway, why would we have come this far south? And within a stone's throw of a major city?" Bowen raised an eyebrow in confusion. The heretics and traitors glanced at one another in confusion, "... For the stone circle of course, that's the only way into the Hidden land, remember?" Evrard stated, "What?..." the other Celts and Rangers glanced back at the stones, only to nearly jump out of their skins in alarm: "W-wait a minute-, these aren't the stones we used to get there!" Bowen exclaimed; "Hang on, you mean you guys used another set of standing stones to travel?! One that's different from these?!"

The Celts and Rangers glanced back and forth between one another in shock, "...But-, I thought you guys knew? I just assumed you'd already been-, you know? Informed of how there was more than one?", "No, we hadn't: care to enlighten us?" Evrard frowned. "Well? There's a set of standing stones in the heart of the Vert valley, at the very-most eastern range of the southern plains: our clan have known of them since mankind retreated behind the walls, but we never knew what they were placed there for: until the god-titan's awakened, and the Semitam's created" Bowen explained, "Ordinarily, you could travel from our home valley to the stones in less than a day, but when the titans stormed Maria we had to keep evading them, and that meant we ended up going all over the place; hence, how we ran into all the other clans, along with all the Ranger families" Brook added, "All this time, there were other stone circles in Maria, and we didn't even know about it?" Eraman gasped, "I'm-, so sorry: we didn't know you guys didn't know, honest!" one of the other Celts pleaded. Thinking about it, Tyto sighed and pulled his hood over his head: "...We'll discuss this later when we get back, right now, we need to go; come on..." he took point: everyone glanced at each other in bemusement, but no one said anything as they fell into place behind him, while the titans took up their positions.

"Did you guys know anything about this?" Herne glanced over at the deer-titans nonplussed, they all glanced at one another worryingly for a brief moment, before one anxiously explained: "No, we didn't: but its not like any of the other clans knew; they all lived so far deep in the forest that years would go by between cross-clan communications", "Besides, even if there are other stone circles in Maria: it's not like the Semitam's can show us where they all are?" another deer-titan added, "I'll confer with Jarus when we return, and ask to check the city's library's and archives to see if there's a map; someone put those stones in place. I'd find it very hard to believe they wouldn't keep track of where each circle was located" Javorin replied. "Whatever, right now you need to concentrate: I can smell the titans nearby" Hecate frowned as her eyes glowed purple, and she summoned her power over the darkness of night to navigate through the gloom, "Me too, I'll go on ahead" Nyiera stated as she unfolded her giant wings, and took off up through the canopy with a powerful cold downdraught of wind, souring high into the deep azure sky.

The walk back to Shiganshina was as nerve-raking as it was eerie: countless titans lay strewn about the land, either lying down or propped up against the side of a tree or building, all motionless and still as they 'slept'; their slow heavy breathing could heard from a short distance away, as the group quietly walked along the main road leading out of the forest, and down into the central valley. There were a number of houses they passed by along the way, for Tyto and his brothers it was so strange: they'd passed by these homes countless times, always said a 'good morning', 'good afternoon', or a 'lovely day isn't it?' to the people they saw there, and they always smiled and greeted them back. Even when passing them by after dark they could always see the gentle glow of candlelight in the windows, followed by the soft chatter and laughter of the families inside. Now, the windows were dark, and no sounds could be heard from within: everywhere the silence was almost deafening, and only the hollow rushing of the wind high over the top of wall Maria could be heard moaning like a restless spirit.

Another hour went by before the inner gate appeared up ahead, by which time it was quite dark with only the full moon to light the way: there were dozens of titans here, but fortunately none barred the way as the group silently walked through the breach, and into the ruins of Shiganshina. For the other Celts, Rangers and deer-titans, it was a bit of a culture shock in a way, having never set foot into a city before: seeing the larger buildings, grander architecture and the scale of the layout, all surrounded by one huge wall that encompassed the entire city from every side; it made them realize just how little they knew of the rest of the walled world. As they travelled up the main street towards the hospital, the stench of death hung in the air, as the countless dead were now quite well decomposed: some hardly resembled humans at all, while others still retained some semblance of a face, limb or torso: rats, dogs and cats scavenged what they could, with maggots and other insects consuming the corpses from the inside out. Claude, sickened and distressed by the horrid sight, had to shut his eyes tightly and hold onto Bryson's shoulder to know here he was going, Bryson merely patted him on the hand and whispered, "You're doing alright, just hang in there okay?", "Okay" Claude hitched, fighting against his stomach to keep his last meal down: seeing the distress the smell was causing the other humans too, Javorin decided a banishing spell was in order.

Ave-lemantus-vere-nantrus: winds soft and light, take the stench of death from our noses, so that we may not suffer this scene of travesty

A cool gentle breeze swept over the whole city, ascending skywards, and within seconds the smell was gone: alleviating Claude's stomach. As they headed deeper into the city, the group soon came across upon the market place: this was where the worst of the titan's attacks took place, with its narrow alleyways and streets leading into the wide open space, many of the people were trapped in several bottlenecks, making them easy targets for the giant beasts to pick off at their leisure. Dozens of destroyed stalls and carts littered the square, a good number of the surrounding buildings had been partially demolished, and everywhere were hundred of dead rotting corpses littered across the cobbled stones...

But three in particular, covered by hessian tarps next to the fountain in the middle of the square: stood out to Tyto and his brothers...

"...Would you gentlemen please excuse us a moment?" Tyto spoke quietly as he wandered over to the tarps: Evrard, Falken and Eraman went over to the deer-titan carrying their supplies, beckoned him to lower himself down so they could reach into his left-side pack, and got out their children's posies. With tears in their eyes, they approached the bodies of their wives, and without a word, gently laid the flowers down upon them: no words of grief, condolence or good bye were said; none were needed, they knew they'd been loved in life, and knew they wouldn't have wanted them to make such a fuss over them. Bestla would have scolded them for it, Skadi would have teased them over it, and Ran would've simply told them to cheer up and not to worry. From where they watched them at the entrance of the market place, Bren couldn't help but hitch a little, as tears ran down his eyes and his brother put his arm around his shoulder. Gustav was stubbornly stoic as ever, refusing to give into his grief as tears ran down his crinkled cheeks: he missed their spunk and tenacity, how he would often hear them gossiping and laughing with his sisters. Never a dull moment between any of them, thick as thieves and just as mischievous: it felt as strange as it did hollow, not hearing that laughter anymore. Claude couldn't help but shed his own tears too, for he remembered how the three women would sometimes accompany him up into the forest for one of his 'titan research trips', under the guise of collecting mushrooms and wild herbs. It always delighted him how they were interested by his knowledge of the natural world and science, how his approach to studying the titans and their powers was not like anything they'd ever seen before: he would miss those days, and remember them most fondly.

Though everyone was lamenting in their own quiet way, and visibly upset, Bryson stood firm and unwavering: gazing over the scene of death and listening to the silence of the city; for him, it served to remind him why he gave his heart up for humanity, why he was willing to lay down his life for the survival of mankind: how, deep in his heart, he felt like he'd never truly given up his wings. In the back of his mind part of him couldn't help but feel guilty for Bestla, Skadi and Ran's deaths: why didn't it occur to him to head to the market first? Find them and tell them to get back home quickly, before the stampede of terrified citizens got so bad that the inner gate was congested for over an hour. At the time it made tactical sense to get to the first breach, to take out as many titans as possible that were trying to enter the market place: thus allowing everyone a chance to get out. In hindsight it's easy to judge and criticize, but at the time he had to make a call, to make the right choice for all the people in danger and not just those he cared about: and in all likelihood, if he had prioritized only their survival, a lot more people would've died.

"They wouldn't have been mad at you: they'd have wanted you to hold your position at the breach" Breck thought aloud, "Huh?" Bryson snapped out of his musing, "Bestla, Skadi and Ran: they would've wanted you to get everyone out, not just them; you know that, right?" his brother gazed at him ruefully: with a small smile, Bryson put his arm around his shoulder and assured him, "...Yeah, they'd have probably smacked me upside the head if I tried to carry them out". "Pardon me, but I don't think their husbands would agree with you on that" one of the Rangers interjected, "If you really are as great a flyer as you claim to be, why didn't you save them first?" Bowen asked offhand, "Because he had a job to do," Tyto stated as he and his brothers returned to the group, "At the rate the titans were flooding into the city, there was no way the Garrison could evacuate enough people in time before the beasts caught up: Bryson was the only one capable of holding them off, just long enough for the military to get the congestion at the inner gate sorted, and get everyone moving... If he'd stayed in the market place to find them, I can assure you we'd be seeing a lot more corpses here"

"...So, you let your beloved ones die, just to let a whole hoard of strangers live?" one of the Celts exclaimed in shock. Evrard was livid as he stepped forward to give him a piece of his mind, but Falken and Eraman stopped him as Gustav glared daggers down at the younger man: "-You take those words back right now!" he hissed as he got up in the young Celt's face, "You think he wanted this?! That we wanted our loved ones and best friends to die?! Take a look around you! This is the hell we had to fight to survive! This, is the reality of the titans! Whether you live or die isn't decided, and it's only through pure luck we survived at all! In that situation we had to make a call, and believe me when I tell you none of us were okay with it! It was either some of us or all of us; as much as we wish it hadn't been so...".

The Celts and Rangers glanced at one another, before one of the younger Ranger's spoke up brazenly, "... But still, how could you make that choice? They were your wives, your sisters, the mothers of your children, your best friends: they were the last of your clans, and you let them die just so a bunch of people you didn't even know could live? People who would've most likely ratted you out to the wall cult for all you know?". "You're missing the point," Bryson stated, as he regarded the Ranger with a serious tone, "... Prioritizing the lives of the few over the lives of the many would've undoubtedly resulted in an all-out slaughter: at the time you cannot predict the outcome, and each choice you make affects the next choice you make: if you hesitate and begin to doubt yourself, then you're no good to anyone. Could I have done more to save them? I don't know, I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life..." he sighed as he gazed out across the market place: "But understand this... This world is harsh and unforgiving: it doesn't care that you have a life, a family, a measure of freedom that is your own: just because you hide deep in the forest away from the rest of humanity, doesn't mean you're exempt from the world and its rules. You are part it, no matter how much you try to put some distance between yourself and everyone else: you know that, the titans drove you from your home, and would've eaten everyone in your family had it not been for your friends," he gazed up at the deer-titans, "As far as I'm concerned, there are no Celts Rangers or regular folk, just people: all of us one and the same. The moment you start prioritizing the lives of your own, and disregard others just because they have a different heritage to you? You might as well give up and die: because that's not how we'll beat the titans, that is not the attitude that will save humanity. We're all human, we all share the same fate, and if the titans come for us they won't discriminate between you and everyone else... If you're not prepared to accept the reality of this world, then go back to the Hidden land and live the rest of your live in quiet content: because Sina only knows, you won't be of any use to anyone if you're not prepared to make the hard choices" he stated, before turning to leave, "...The hospital's just up round the next corner, we better go" he motioned for everyone to follow. The two young hunters gazed at the former Scout in a mix of confusion of dumbfoundment, both their fathers shot them a disapproving look, and the subject was promptly dropped.

Another five minutes walk soon brought them to the hospital, which wasn't in too bad a shape as they had been expecting: "Huh, it doesn't look too bad: more superficial damaged than anything else..." Derek thought aloud as he scanned his eyes over the structure: the building was partially demolished at one end, with a few holes along the upper floors where some titans had obviously crashed their hands in through the walls in attempt to grab their victims; but the weight-baring walls were largely intact. "It's looks safe to enter: where about's is the basement located?" Derek turned to Breck "Round the back, next to the apothecary and livery" the doctor replied as he led the way around to the rear of the building, to a damaged door that opened up and fell off its hinges to reveal a flight of stairs: "The storage room's down here on the right" he pointed down into the gloom. Without needing to be asked, the deer-titans lowered themselves down for the Celts and Rangers to reach into the packs and grab their torches: once lit, they followed him down into the basement, which was comprised of a long corridor lined with several doors either side, and another flight of stairs at the end. Breck headed to the third door on the right, and after Pascal jimmied the lock, headed inside to a room full of wooden crates: "Oh thank Sina, they're all still intact" he sighed with relief. "Okay, open them up and take everything, we won't take any chances by leaving anything behind" he ordered, "Should we check the other rooms just to be sure?" West asked offhand, "Yeah, you and Pascal open up the other doors, we'll clear this room first then move onto the others"

Back outside, Bren and Claude were helping the Celts ready the empty packs, when Gustav suddenly tapped his apprentice on the shoulder: "Can you guys cover me for ten minutes? There's something I need to do", "What?" Bren glanced at him in surprise, "I just remembered, my notebook with the ODM gear mods is still in the cellar of the Black Stallion, I need to get it back" he told him, "Are you nuts?! Tyto told us not to split up!" Bren exclaimed, "I know, but the cellar survived that big-ass bolder crashing down on top of it, if I can just get down through the hole we made, I can be in and out in less than several minutes" he frantically stated. Bren was about to protest, when Midnight kneeled down and interjected with a sly smile, :Don't worry, I got you covered: she spelt out as she waved her hand over Gustav, his whole body glowed in a strange purple aura for a moment, before he completely vanished from sight, :Make it quick: she added. "Thanks lass, you're the best!" Gustav's disembodied voice smiled, before the sound of his footsteps could be heard running around the building, and disappearing out into the street. "Was that a good idea? Letting him go off on his own like that?" Bren gazed up at her worryingly, :Don't worry, Stormy's got him covered: she pointed up to the sky, to where the giant silhouette of Stormwing glided overhead, blotting out the moon and stars as she circled above the city.

As he went around the other side of the building to make sure the coast was clear, Derek froze as a trio of dormant titans blocked his way to the street: as they sat there propped up against the building, their dead glassy eyes stared down at him, making him feel like a rabbit caught in a wolf's line of sight. Deciding not to chance it, he backed away slowly around the corner, until all three were out of sight: he then quickly hotfooted his way over to Shadow, and stood between his feet as he breathed a sigh of relief. :What's got you spooked?: the god-titan gazed down at him, "Titans, over there," he pointed to the corner of the building, trying to regain his composure, :Good thing the concealment spell is still intact then?: he smirked, "Yeah, no shit" Derek sighed offhand. As he turned to head back to the group, he suddenly noticed a church through an alleyway on the opposite side of the other street, the one that ran behind the hospital; curiosity got the better of him, and an idea came to mind: "... Hey Shadow, how wide is the concealment spell's range?" he hissed, hoping the others hadn't overheard him, :Around a hundreds yards, why?: he frowned in confusion. A hundred yards: the church was barely forty yards away; deciding to go for it, he glanced back up at the god-titan, "Cover me will you? I just gotta check something out" he turned and quickly headed down the alleyway: alarmed, Shadow swiftly bent down to try and grab him, but Derek was already in the narrow passage, and the buildings were too close together for him to squeeze his hand through, "Don't worry, I'll be five minutes, tops" Derek smiled as he gave him a thumbs up: frowning at him in disapproval, Shadow simply replied, :Five minutes, don't push your luck!:

Despite his personal dislike for the Wall Cult, Derek couldn't deny their churches had caught his eye a fair few times: think of them what you will, they had a real flair for architectural ornamentation; some of their churches in the interior boasted some truly beautiful designs, and Shiganshina's church was no acceptation. Since non-cultists were forbidden from stepping foot inside the churches, now seemed as good an opportunity as any to finally have a look inside one, and see what the wall cult liked to keep hidden away from 'unclean' eyes. As he neared the end of the alleyway, he carefully peered out and looked both ways: there was a small five meter titan slumped against the side of a building with its back to him at one end of the street, and the other end was clear; deciding it was safe, he quickly tip-toed over to the church's massive double doors: one of which was open slightly, and after heaving it open, quietly slipped in...

But the sight before him instantly made him regret his impulsive decision, for piled up in the circular nave were dozens of rotting corpses: all the churches perishers plus the Pastor, dressed up in their finest and all wearing the distinctive three-chain triple medallions that sported the faces of the three goddesses. As the shock settled into unease, Derek then realized none of the bodies had been eaten or crushed, they were all intact: covering his nose to keep the stomach-churning smell from making him throw up, he warily approached for a closer look. Scattered around the bodies were numerous cups and goblets, which was strange: cultists weren't permitted to bring food and drink into the churches, especially during a sermon, yet some of the deceased were still clutching their cups in their hands. Glancing over at where the Pastor lay, he saw several wine bottles scattered around him, and a few small dark blue medicine bottles; stepping closer still to read the labels, Derek gasped in shock, as he suddenly remembered where he'd seen those medicines before, A few years back, when one day we was helping Breck to pack away his bag, and he picked up one such bottle...

Oh, do be careful with that, it's quite dangerous

Dangerous? How? I thought medicine was supposed to be good for you?

It is if you know what dosage to measure out, and if it needs diluting: too much of a good thing can be bad for you, and that drug in particular can be very fatal if you overdose on it, especially with alcohol already in your system

That's when it suddenly clicked.

"...Suicide?..." Derek thought aloud in shock: "...These people, they all took their own lives? Rather that try to escape? ...What kind of madness possessed them to do such a thing?..." he gasped, unable to get his head around it. All these people simply gave up? The breach occurred, they saw the titans advancing on the city, and they didn't even try to run? They just believed that was it, that was the end? Gazing up as his mind reeled, Derek spotted the effigies of the three goddesses on the wall above the alter, and saw that Maria's face had been smashed right off: the white plaster remains littered the alter with half her face still intact, and a mason's hammer laying next to it.

It was then he suddenly understood why: they didn't just see the wall get destroyed, they saw their goddess brought low by the very devils they believed could never get into their world, that could never defeat their goddess. Such faith, belief and surety, utterly destroyed in an instant by one colossal titan: and rather than face the truth they chose the cowards way out; would living in a world without that faith to sustain them really be so much to endure? Was it so impossible to even try? To have everything you believed in completely undone, and wiped away in one moment of all-out insanity: to see past all that, and to try to find a way to carry on; did these people really think so little of themselves? So little of their own chances that it just wasn't worth living anymore?

As he passed a deep rueful sigh, Derek felt his breath hitch in his chest when he suddenly noticed the bodies of three young children, probably no more than Drake's age: from the way their family members had been holding them as they died, it was clearly they tried to get away; tried to fight back, but their parents must have forced them to drink the poisoned wine. Off to one side, he noticed another dead child: a baby, still clutched tightly in its mother's arms. Taking one's own life was tragic enough, but to force a child to die for the sake of one's spiritual beliefs? Derek scowled as he felt rage simmer up from deep within him.

This went beyond unacceptable, this went beyond anything any sane person would ever do: was this what the cult had taught them? Was this madness born of the belief that only the walls would bring them eternal salvation? That they had nothing to live for, and everything to die for? Clenching his fists in ire, Derek glared down at the Pastor, and in his heart he secretly cursed the cult for bringing such evil into the world: "...I don't know who your master is," he scowled, "But I hope he chokes on his own poison one day". Taking a moment to calm his temper, Derek glanced up at the huge stained glass windows, and noticed how beautiful the moonlight was as it lit up the glass, making streaks of colour fall across the cold hard floor.

But as he turned to head back to the door, he noticed two giant tapestries hanging on the walls either side of the nave: the one on the right twitched along the bottom as a mouse scurried out from beneath, but as the tapestry swayed back and forth slightly, Derek suddenly noticed something on the wall behind it. Walking over and gently pulling the tapestry back, he found it was a small door: twisting the huge ring handle, it opened to reveal a long narrow descending stairway that was shrouded in pitch blackness. Reaching for the matchbox in his pocket, Derek lit a match and followed the passage down to an office that had a small floor window looking up into the street above. There was a desk and chair, a chest of draws with various items cluttered on top, a large cabinet used for keeping files and other important documents stashed away: in the corner at the opposite end of the room, there was a small table with a few chairs, and hanging from a hook on the wall was a spare cassock. This must've been where the Pastor retreated to between sermons, seeing to his parishes affairs and what-not; who knew Pastors had to deal with so much paperwork? It looked more like an accountant's office than a Pastor's privet quarters. Blowing out the match before it could burn his fingers and lighting a new one, Derek wandered over to the cabinet to see what was in all those papers, but as he tried to open the doors he found they were locked: noticing a bust of the goddess Sina sitting amid the clutter on the end of the chest of draws, Derek saw she was turned to one side slightly. Out of habit, he grabbed the top of her head and twisted her so she faced straight ahead.

But as the bust turned, he felt it resist slightly, as if it were screwed onto the chest of draws somehow: there was a muffled thud somewhere in the wall in front of him, and the cabinet slid forward and swung open on a huge set of hinges, revealing a secret passageway that led down another flight of dark stairs. Derek gawked at the doorway in stunned amazement, in all his years he never thought he'd ever come across a building with a secret passage built into it: what an extraordinary find. But then he snapped back to reality as he suddenly realized: "Wait a sec-, why do the wall cult have a secret room beneath one of their churches?" he thought aloud. Lighting another match, he warily descended down into the pitch black: the air smelt musty and stale, no one had been down here in a very long time, and as he reached the bottom, he felt his curiosity stoked as he looked around. The room was about twelve by twelve meters big, old and crumbling and covered in cobwebs and dust, it seemed this place had been totally forgotten: there was a large table at the far end reaching from one wall to the other, on the top was a large stack of dusty old books piled up at one side with a candle sitting in its holder nearby, while underneath was a huge black crate over ten meters long with the lock broken off. Lighting the candle, Derek started going through the books, checking out their covers and flicking through them: and what he found, left him surprised and stunned...

Many of these books were about the outside world, just like the one Armin had given Ariana: they all described a range of different things: some were about animals and plants, others depicted geography and maps, some were about different human cultures and what set them all apart, and others even described technologies and different kinds of machines humans used to build. "These must have all been confiscated..." Derek realized as he flicked through a book about sailing ships, "Taken by the cult, and hidden away down here..." he closed the book and set it back down on the table: "But if they didn't want this stuff falling into public hands, why didn't they just-

It was then he spotted a book he hadn't noticed before, one that had been hiding right behind the pile: it was in a much poorer shape than all the others, torn in half and tatty all over, its pages were worn from constant use and some of the corners had been dog-eared too many times; as he picked it up and held it, he noticed the writing wasn't printed, the cover was bound leather, and there were two envelopes tied to it with twine. It was journal, and a large one too: it looked like a good two thirds of it had been torn out as the spine was quite wide and bare, flipping it over to read what was left, the words on the first page made his train of thoughts come to a screeching halt.

Titan Mage-science and effective counter measures

"What? ..." Derek frowned as he began flicking through the journal: page after page his mind began to spiral into an uneasy state caught between confusion and astonishment, as he read through every paragraph and studied every illustration. Whoever created this journal had been highly studious in putting together, as there were countless details and footnotes written in neat little sections, and exquisitely drawn diagrams and visual descriptions. Most of it was highly scientific in its context, using long complex words he didn't understand (never mind try to pronounce), and some pages had been written in a strange language he'd never seen before: but the one theme that constantly ran throughout the book, were the titans. Every page was filled with information about the mindless creatures, some stuff he himself already knew, but the rest had him totally baffled: there were anatomical diagrams of their biology, observations about their behaviour, and all other kinds of things he didn't know (that is, if they were true). Derek was no scientist, and while this journal could well be the ramblings of some eccentrically-minded individual, his gut was telling him otherwise: everything in the book was too well laid-out and organised to be from the mind of someone who'd lost theirs; and as he reached the final page he noticed one small line which read:

May whoever finds this, be someone who embraces truth, wisdom, and forgiveness.

Stepping back a little as he tried comprehend everything, Derek's foot knocked against the side of the crate beneath the table. Bending down and opening it up, he frowned as he examined the contents. It looked like a set of eight large bamboo poles: about seven inches in diameter, each pole varied in length from eight meters to a meter long, each with a strange set of symbols carved onto the sides, at one end there were a set of four holes drilled at right angles to one another a third of the way up, while at the other end all the poles had more holes in their sides with a set of thin ropes running through them, connecting them all up to, what looked like a giant metal hoop with hinges that was designed to be folded in half, enabling it to fit in the crate; what on earth was this thing? Down one side of the crate he noticed a piece of parchment: pulling it out, Derek saw it was a how-to diagram on how set the strange thing up, and was surprised to find it was a giant set of wind chimes measuring over two meters in diameter. There was a smaller diagram at the bottom describing two other devices called 'hummers', a 'long hummer', and a 'little hummer'.

Rechecking the crate, Derek soon found them and pulled them out: one was a small white ceramic tube about a foot long with a loop in the middle of the side, with a long piece of string tied to and wrapped around it; and a strange set of weird-looking symbols painted in black running perpendicular to the loop. At one end, the tube was all but sealed off except for a narrow gap that bowed out slightly in a V shape, almost resembling a pair of vocal cords (it was the only thing that came to mind on account he once flicked through one of Breck's anatomy books), while at the other end, the tube was sealed except for a small hole in the middle. What did it do? And what was it used for? Completely stumped, Derek huffed in exasperation, only to nearly jump in surprise when the device hummed slightly: realizing it was his own breath that made the sound as it passed over the device, he gently blew into the slit, and a strange humming sound emanated out. It was no pitch or tone he'd ever heard before, almost like a low rolling thunder clap and a high-pitched whistle all in one: it made the air around him ring like a crystal bell as the cobwebs on the ceiling vibrated. This was weird, and as he inspected the other 'hummer', he found it too was made out of some kind of ceramic, and was pretty much the same design as the other, weird symbols and all: except that it was over two meters longer with the hole for the twine up the top end, rather than halfway up the side.

Standing back up and glancing back and forth between the journal and the crate, Derek wondered just what the hell he'd stumbled upon: glancing back at the journal, his attention turned to the two envelopes that were tided to it. Carefully slipping them out from beneath the twine and turning them over, he saw they were both stamped with the symbol of the wall cult: the three goddesses connected together by three lines within a shield flanked by angels, with an all-seeing eye above them. There were a set of numbers at the bottom of each one: a set of dates, October sixteenth, seven seventy eight, and October twenty third, seven seventy eight; each a week a part. Opening the earlier one, Derek pulled out a letter, and as he read over the contents, he frowned in confusion: quickly opening the other letter and reading it over, his jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend what he just read. Standing there for a moment, gazing back at the journal: his eyes began to grow wide with shock, and as his mind finally began to caught up to the enormity of this discovery, he quickly stuffed the letters back in their envelops, slipped them back under the twine, and ran back up the stairs like a shot; he had to show this to the others.

"Where the hell's that idiot gone wandering off to now?" Gustav frowned as he tucked his notebook into his breast pocket: "Not to worry, Shadow's got him covered: he went off to inspect a church apparently" Claude assured him, "A church?! When the hell did he get religious?" Gustav exclaimed gruffly, "Oh you know Derek, he likes to check out a nice pretty building when he sees one" West commented as he carried several small boxes out of the hospital basement and loaded them into one of the deer-titan's packs, "As long as he's not found any trouble, there's no need to worry: chances are he's probably engrossed in inspecting a gargoyle or something" Evrard threw in as he unloaded several more boxes. Suddenly, the sound of running feet and heavy breathing announced Derek's return, as he screeched to a halt in front of the scavenger party, all in a complete fluster. Immediately assuming the obvious, Tyto rushed forward to help him stand up straight as he tried the catch his breath, "Derek? What's the matter? Did a titan spot you?!" "No!-, no its okay, no titans" he waved off frantically "Holy shit kid what happened to you?!" Gustav blinked in surprise: "What's that you got there?" Eraman spotted the journal in his other hand; holding it up, Derek approached Claude and handed it to him, "...Read it, just read it, and tell me it's not what I'm assuming it is" he pleaded. Confused, Claude took the journal and started reading it over: now thoroughly intrigued as to what the hell was going on, everyone put their loads down on the ground, and gathered around the architect in concern, even the god-titans could sense something serious was afoot. "Derek what happened?!" his brother demanded as he ruched out of the basement, "Okay, I was in the church taking a look around when I found this basement, which had a secret door, that lead down to a secret room full of confiscated books, and that journal: plus a crate filled with these weird things called hummers and giant set of wind chimes made out of bamboo, it-" he frantically explained, too giddy and confounded to stay calm and collected, "-Look, this stuff, it's been sitting down there a very long time, someone knew it was down there originally, and now I just-, god I hope I'm not overreacting!" "Little late for that don't you think?" Pascal smirked.

Tyto was about to ask Clause what was in the journal, when he suddenly noticed the look of intensity and astonishment in his eyes, as if he'd just seen a ghost: seeing this too, Bryson frowned in alarm as he approached his best friend and laid a hand on his shoulder: "...Claude? What's wrong?". Slowly lowing the journal, Claude gazed over at Derek, who was now doubly worried, "...Where did you say you found this?" he asked in a calm yet shaky voice, holding up the journal: "...In a secret room, below the basement under the church" Derek replied. "Claude, what's up? What's in that book?" Tyto demanded. Closing the cover, Claude adjusted his pince-nez and gazed at the Celt with a serious look etched upon his face: "...With all due respect Tyto, may I ask that we 'amend' our original plan for tonight's mission?", "Amend? how?" Breck frowned in confusion, ", By conducting a small yet significant experiment, when the sun comes up and the titans are active again". Knowing what entailed, the group were all suddenly on edge as Tyto approached Claude with a no-bullshitting-me look in his eyes, "...I've never had reason to doubt you before Claude: so why, do you need to conduct this experiment?"

"...Because..." Claude sighed as he tried to gather his thoughts back in order, "...I think Derek might have stumbled upon, exactly what we were looking for..."

---

The following day, early morning:

As the sun shone through the windows of her bedroom, Ariana gaped her mouth wide open in a yawn, stirring from her sleep back to consciousness. Suddenly remembering her father and last night's mission, she shot out of bed and barrelled down the stairs to where her mother was in the kitchen: "IS HE BACK YET?!" she frantically demanded, "Calm down, it's alright, he and the others got back over two hours ago" she smiled over at her, "Two hours ago?! And you didn't wake me?!" Ariana exclaimed, "He asked me not to, he saw you sleeping up there and decided to let you lie in: besides he's not home right now, he and the others took off for the city as soon as they got back; said they needed to speak with the queen immediately about something", "What?", "I don't know, something about what Derek found in a church basement?" Freya shrugged: Ariana immediately rushed back upstairs, got dressed, and was back down and out the front door like a stoat on the heels of a rabbit, "-WAIT! At least have some breakfast before you go!" her mother called out, but to no avail.

Running all the way to the boat yard, Ariana found her brothers, cousins and the other kids waiting at the end of the jetty with Carla, Mabel, Rosemary, Miriam and Angel: "Finally! Took you long enough!" Rowan huffed, "Sorry, so what'd I miss?" Ariana panted as she wiped the sleep from her eyes: "Dad and the others got back a few hours ago, they didn't stick around though: said they had to tell the queen something important, that they'd made some kinda discovery or something? I don't know, they were in a real rush" Dale dithered as he tried to remember what happened, still blurry-eyes and tired from being woken up so early: "Does anyone know what they found?" Ariana pleaded, "Looked like a tatty old book to me" Miriam scoffed as she folded her arms, "And that idiot brother of mine had the sense of stupidity to separate from the group to go retrieve his notebook!… In any case, everyone looked real pissed and were just about ready for a fight". "Look, none of us know what's going on. But the titans looked pretty intense too, Shadow looked like he was ready to punch something" Fox mentioned offhand. Ariana stilled: Shadow? Angry? The great big friendly god-titan who was all warm hugs and fluffy tender sweetness inside, wanting to punch something? That can't be good. As she watched the humans aura's begin to resonate with worry, Elysia couldn't help but worry herself: "...Come on guys, what the hell's up?"

---

Atop the great city, in the vast garden where the tree of knowledge grew: the heretics and traitors were gathered with their titans, as Queen Aurora, the Keeper, Starlight and Iris sat before them, with Stormwing listening in. In the middle of the gathering, the black crate plus the journal and two letters lay before the god-titan's; the subject of this emergency meeting...

The night and dawn had proven busy for the group, as their original mission had taken a strange turn after Derek's discovery: and while they were successful in their original objective. Their attention was now focused on the journal, and the information that lay within its pages.

Passing a deep soft sigh, the Keeper scratched his chin in vexation: "...This undoubtedly throws up a number of important questions: not least, why did the cult not see fit to share this information with the military?", "Oh our thoughts exactly" Claude replied enthusiastically, "But there's no denying this journal, and the contents of this crate, might just be what we need to get our 'long term endeavour' up and running". "That, is undoubtedly true" the Keeper concurred: "What I don't understand is, how can they know about this and just-, keep it lock it away?" West thought aloud, "And if this information was deemed 'forbidden', why didn't they just burn it and make sure it was gone for good?" Breck added; "An excellent question" Starlight softly spoke. "The answer to which, I'm sure will prove to be just as telling in the nature of their machinations. I can only surmise, they must have something great to gain, or everything to loose by keeping this hidden away". "...They figured it could help them in some way, something that might require them to go beyond the walls; a device that can keep the titans distracted, would certainly come in hand for something like that; it says so in the second letter" Gustav pointed out. "Regardless, it's not pertinent at the present time: right now, these tools and this information are in our possession, and you can be sure we will make full use of them" the Keeper stated.

"So what is our first move? How do we put this information to good use in our 'endeavour'?" Bryson asked humbly. "For the time being we prepare to make our counter-attack against the titans: they took your home from you, so we will help you claim it back. Our retaking of Maria will serve as a stepping stone on the path to freeing humanity from the rule of the titans; to aid the Scouts in their efforts to fight back, and forge an alliance that will enable both humans and god-titan's to work together, peacefully" the Queen stated in a tranquil tone: Bryson felt his heart lift in his chest: taking on the titans again? Now there was a plan he could agree with.

"Very well, what is it you want us to do?" the former Scout asked, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to tug at the corners of his mouth: "Make ready your arms, and prepare to hunt: use the information in this journal to guide you in your plans, and assemble however many you need to aid you. If there are any additional resources required, or any course of action you are unsure of, please do not hesitate to come to me for counsel: I can assure you here and now that no subject will ever be taboo, and full disclosure will be kept in the strictest of confidence, unless stated otherwise" the Queen stated earnestly.

"Taking on bears and wolves with just a spear is one thing, but taking on the titans won't be a stroll in the woods: it's going to take us time to prepare; to train everyone up and get all the necessary equipment ready" Tyto pointed out, "If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right: I want to be sure everyone is ready, and that they know exactly what their going to be in for". "Take whatever time you need, I won't put any unnecessary constraints on you: unless the situation dictates otherwise" the Queen stated coolly. "Very well" Tyto bowed in respect, as did the others, "Now, if there are no other issues to discuss, we'll be heading home: we've got work to be getting on with, and Breck needs to see to his patients" he stated, "Indeed; good luck" she smiled.

After gathering up the crate, journal and letters, and heading all the way back down to the ornate jetty on the water: the humans disembarked for the island, while Javorin, Herne, Hecate and Nyiera stayed behind to converse in privet; "...Well? I know we wanted to find a way to get this whole thing started, but wow: I never expected this" Herne folded his arms, still dumbfounded at how this whole situation had panned out. "The fact those items were in the wall cult's possession has me greatly concerned: the reason is evident in their purpose, but to what means and to what end would they have served them? And what other secrets do they have hidden beneath their churches?" Jarus thought aloud.

Asteria speculated: "It's clear the humans did not completely forget the ways of sorcery and the mystic arts: but how much of that ancient world survived? And to what purpose do those old magics serve now? …. How many humans are there alive that still know how to practise them? If there really are Wizards, Witches, Alchemists and Mages still in existence, we must know where they are, and who would side with us in protecting the great equilibrium"

"Minor details at the present time dear sister..." Aureia stated as she gazed over at her, "The magics that are imbued in those chimes and hummers, are none that we have ever encountered before: clearly the humans understanding of the mystic arts have evolved in the time we've been gone"

"That's for damn sure" Nyiera sighed dryly: "It was weird, I've never seen a combination of luring charms and submission spells like that before: it's highly unorthodox, but it did work" Hecate commented. "Which leaves me with a sneaking suspicion that the very nature of our endeavour will be unorthodox too: after all, we may not have any Wizards, Witches, Mages or Alchemists to hand, yet ordinary humans are not totally beyond the possibilities of magical potential; I believe it may be possible to arm them with a basic arsenal of principle magics, just in case they encounter something or someone who cannot be handled with by conventional means" Javorin stated, "Such as?" Nyiera glanced down at him sceptically: "Nothing they can't get the hang of with enough practice: just a simple concealment charm in a contained form, a spirit stone, maybe even a basic illusion spell?" Javorin suggested, both Hecate and Nyiera glanced at one another, and shrugged, "The illusion spell, maybe: but the rest? Shouldn't be a problem.." Hecate smiled, before addressing Aureia, "But, getting back to the 'unorthodox' magics for a sec: if those magics were created as a direct response to the titans, then what was the scale of the original escalation? Spells and charms of that nature don't just come about randomly or on a whim, like all things in the humans world it's something new built upon an already-existing structure. That structure, mostly likely being a weapon of some kind, and one that got out of hand if those mindless things are running around all over the place"

"...So what was the nature of the war, and how was it fought utilizing titans?" the queen sighed, "...If it wasn't for the chaos manna, I could hint at the answer to that..."

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Jarus changed directions: "Unorthodox magics or not: our counter-attack will inevitably lead us to cross paths with the Scouts eventually, and when it comes time to cross that bridge, we can only hope fate will not pit them against us". "You doubt they'll be willing to become our allies? Even if we prove that we mean them and humanity no harm?" Javorin frowned, "If their smart and know how to read the situation correctly, they'll listen to us at least: but forming an alliance will only be the first step in this long journey... We've all speculated for years now, that something about how this world has turned out the way it has, was 'off' somehow. And now, we may have finally found a small clue that's pointing us in the direction of the answers we need" Jarus replied.

"And you think those answers lie somewhere amid the wall cult, don't you?" Hecate folded her arms, "It's a no-brainer that the wall cult are only interested in their own schemes, the question is, how far will they go to achieve them? If the Disciples are the power behind the fear they spread, then we're going to face an uphill struggle when the time comes for us to confront them. When that happens, I want to be sure of exactly who and what we're dealing with" Jarus stated.

"Okay, but for now, how do we go about breaking bread with 'the wings of freedom'?" Hecate asked dryly. "Oh, that can wait: in the meantime, you'll be busy training up the humans, as well as each other" Jarus smirked, "What?!" Hecate frowned in alarm as she unfolded her arms, "Well? You are the god's mightiest: ergothe best choice for defence against dark magics , and showing the humans how to hunt and fight night roamer style" he smiled, "You'll survive: and besides, what's the worse that could happen?"

Hecate glared broodingly at him, she knew those word would come back to haunt her somehow. "Ah don't worry, I got your back" Javorin patted her on the shoulder, "That's if the brats aren't the death of me first" she sneered.

---

Some time later, back on the island, in the Grey Owl residence:

Everyone sat around the table in silence: the journal and two envelopes sitting in the middle of the table like an elephant in the room, while the black crate sat by the front door outside. As everyone took a moment to try and comprehend all that they had just been told, Derek pulled out the letters from both their envelopes, and read the earliest one first:

"Good brother, I am writing to you in regards to the items we confiscated three days ago, from the heretics we apprehended up near Slavmead: certain lines of information have led me to believe these items could well be part of the witch-breed's arsenal, and therefore could be possessed of certain unknown properties. I have recently acquired clearance to perform a test of these properties, and will be assembling a team for the task at hand; in the meantime, the items and the journal enclosed are to be brought before the High Cardinal for final evaluation. No other persons below your standing are to lay eyes on them... I can count on your discretion to get this sorted. Regards, Brother Spencer: captain of the southern order"

He then turned to the second letter, and read aloud:

"Good brother: I know it has only been a week since my last correspondence with you, but my test of the items has been completed, and I'm sorry to say my original speculation has proven to be true. After covertly travelling beyond wall Maria into the titan's territory, we tested the items in accordance with the instructions listed in the journal, and I'm afraid to say the properties they possess are indeed, real. The results of the tests were forwarded by express messenger three days ago, and I only just got the reply back today. The High Cardinal has ruled that the journal and items, while officially classed as 'forbidden works of heresy', are to be added to the black list, and retained in secret until such a time that their use will serve us in some vital capacity. With the titan cult still a thorn in our side, and the Reiss family still standing as an 'unresolved issue': we may yet need to utilize such items as a means to bring our enemies to heel, least our the sanctity of our rule be challenged in any way. My official report will be forwarded along to Mitras in a few days, and I will need you ready to receive it in person: be sure that no one else lays eyes on it, and make sure the necessary documents are swapped out in place of the forgeries I have created. Hopefully, this will be the last we see of the witch-breed's legacy. Regards, Brother Spencer"

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, before Ariana was the first to speak: "...So this journal, it's got everything there is to know about the titans? Even stuff we don't know?". "Everything bar the kitchen sink" West shrugged offhand, "And that's just the stuff that's left, I mean, look how thick the spine is," Derek pointed to said spine on the journal, "How much more information was there originally? And why was it torn out?"

"Look, we've already gone over all the big questions this raises, what I want to know, is how effective are these 'hummers', and how the hell do they work?" Miriam demanded.

"Well? It's just as we explained: after the sun came up and the titans were active again, Pascal and West perched up in one of the giant trees with the hummers while the rest of us watched from up on the wall, above the inner gate. Of course all the titans in the area knew we were there and started trying go at us (naturally). But as soon as they started swinging the hummers round and round, they all stopped and started wandering over to them" Falken explained.

"I have to say it was most bizarre, their eyes glazed over and dilated all the way open, as if they were in a stupor or under the influence of a powerful narcotic: whatever magics those hummers are imbued with, it causes an actual physical change in their biochemistry" Claude explained as he scratched his chin, "And weirder still, once they were 'hypnotized' it was as if they were totally dead to the word: hell, I could actually land on their shoulders and heads and none of them even battered an eyelid" Bryson added.

"What did Shadow and the other god-titan's make of these magics?" Hazel asked, "That's just it: they had no idea what they were or what created them. After consulting the Queen and the Keeper, we found out they're a 'chimera' combination of 'luring' charms and 'submission' spells: one gets the titans attention and 'hypnotizes' them into a trance, while the other subdues their hunger, effectively rendering them harmless" Bren explained, "And the chimes pretty much did the exact same thing. We hung them up in a tree on the eastern side of the central valley while we tested the hummers over on the west: and when we got back, we found they'd attracted over seventy titans! All of them hypnotized and completely out of it, so much so that Midnight and Stormwing were able to kill all of them, and not a single one reacted!" Evrard exclaimed.

"According to the journal, it's all to do with the chaos magics that created the titans in the first place, and how the hummer's and chime's 'harmonics' are able to 'stabilize' those magics temporarily" Claude explained, "I'm sorry to say, some of the journal's detailing of this process is a little beyond my understanding: but the proof's in the pudding, and we all saw it for ourselves; even the Celts and Ranger's who tagged along were thoroughly impressed by the results"

Tyto was about to speak his input, when he noticed Carla sitting at the other end of the table: her head hung low with her long black hair obscuring most of her face, and her arms resting on the table as she wrung her hands tightly. This wasn't good, he'd known Carla long enough to get a feel for her mannerisms, and knew that she always had a habit of doing that when something was stressing her out. And right now, he could tell something about this had upset her deeply: "...Carla? What's wrong?"

Everyone glanced over her, and some nearly flinched when they caught a glimpse of the look in her eyes: "...What's wrong? …." she echoed in a disturbingly clam yet shaky voice, before exploding in a fit of rage: "WHAT'S WRONG?!" pounding her fists on the table, making everyone jump back as she glared up at Tyto with the most hate-filled look anyone had ever seen in her: "-For seventy years this information has been hidden from the world! For seventy years humanity has been led to believe there was no other way of fighting back, that the titans rule was absolute, and there was nothing we could do to even the odds! And all this time those cultists bastards had the answer; this whole time?!" She stood up quickly, knocking the chair over onto the floor as she continued to seethe, "-MY SON IS DEAD BECAUSE OF THEM! I HAD TO WATCH HIM DIE, BECAUSE THOSE FUCKING SOULESS LIERS COULDN'T BE ASKED TO GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE REST OF HUMANITY! If the Scouts had had this in their possession sooner, there might have been a way to stop the attack somehow! Maybe even prevent it from happening in the first place! Now all of Maria has fallen to the titans, and countless lives lost and destroyed, and for what?! TELL ME! WHAT WERE OUR LIVES WORTH TO THEM?! WHAT WAS THE VALUE OF OUR EXSISTENCE?! What do they care for us if something like this isn't worth sharing with the military? How many more corpses are they willing to step over, until they get whatever it is they want?!..." she then collapsed to her knees, emotionally drained as she broke down into a fit of sobs: holding her hands to her face, and whimpered: "...Why?...I don't understand: how the hell anyone can be so selfish, as to put so many lives before their own? ..."

For a moment everyone stared at her nonplussed, before most dropped their gaze in mutual frustration and sympathy; it was as if Carla herself had just vented everyone's anger in one whole go, letting loose the rage, and the incredibility at the implications of this discovery. Most of the group didn't know how to reply, and there was not point anyway, since everyone was pretty much thinking the same thing. Freya was about to step around the table to comfort her friend, when Bryson walked over to her, kneeled down, and gently took her hand. "...Do you really think you're the only one, who feels like this?..." she glanced up at him, his gaze full of seriousness and grievance as he continued: "For generations, me and my brothers and sisters have been going out beyond the wall, to try and gain more ground for humanity, and to try to understand why we have been imprisoned by the titans for the past hundred years. Ours was never a glorious task, nor taken lightly: thirty percent of all new recruits died within their first year of service. A terrible statistic for sure, but we signed up never the less because we believed in our hearts of hearts that we were doing real good: making progress even if it was just a little at a time... For over a hundred years we've been laying our lives on the line, spilling our blood and risking death on a monthly basis: and to suddenly discover that there would have been a way to push forward all along? ….". He helped her stand back up, "...I don't know why the wall cult decided to do this: to hide this information away and forget it ever existed; I don't know if we'll ever know the answer? But I swear on my life, on the lives of all the fallen Scouts who came before me, and those that continue to risk their lives even now: I will never forgive the cult for this" he frowned.

"You and everyone else here," Miriam scowled as she folded her arms, "I always knew those bastards were a bunch of crooks in disguise: but my god, I never expected anything like this from them". "...We can't just sit on this" Ariana frowned as she glanced over at her father, "There's no way we can just keep this to ourselves, and not do something to try and fight back", "I agree" Rowan concurred, "Even if we have to fight the titans by ourselves: I refuse to live on this island, knowing what I now know, and not try to do something-, anything!"

"Then its a good thing the Queen wants us to do something about it" Tyto replied; everyone bar the heretics and traitors blinked in astonishment: "What?" the Raven twins exclaimed. "We knew as soon as we got back the Queen and the Keeper would want to know about this: that's why we left for the city as soon as we were back on the island" he added. "We showed them the journal, the contents of the crate, plus the two letters: we even let them see our memories to prove what we all witnessed, and Shadow and the others backed us up on it too. We discussed the whole thing at length, and eventually came to the conclusion that this was way to big to just put pin in for a later date. We know these things work: so why wait?" Eraman threw in.

Everyone glanced at one another for a moment, before Ariana boldly asked, "So what do you need us to do? Tell us what you need doing, and we'll do it". Tyto heaved a heavy sigh as he felt his heart sink a little: approaching his daughter, he looked her square in the eye with a serious gaze, making it clear he wasn't entirely okay with this; Ariana knew that look by heart, and frowned as she stood up and confronted him: "...You damn well know we can do this: we've been training for the military for the past four years, trained by one of the best Scouts alive no less! And a real pair of mavericks to boot," she frowned, to which Pascal and West couldn't help but smile: "We've known the god-titans ever since we were little, I know their nothing like the regular titans but you know what I'm getting at: we know damn well what the risks and dangers are, we survived hell once, and you can be damn sure we'll survive it again!" she stated, the unflinching look in her eyes making it clear she was serious; as did all the other kids in the room.

Kneeling down to meet her level, Tyto placed both his hands on her shoulders, and told her earnestly: "...I know... I've known since the day you and Eren rescued Mikasa from those traffickers, that you're not afraid to fight, nor are you prone to loosing your cool at the first hint of fear... As your father, It is my duty and place to ensure you, your brothers and mother stay safe, and were there no limits I would do everything humanly possible to make sure the world's perils could never you. But that is not the reality of the world we live in: even here in this beautiful place, we will never be truly safe: not as long as the titans exist ...I'm not saying I'm okay with this: as a father who worries for his daughter, part of me will never be totally okay with this: but the rest of me, couldn't be any prouder, to have you for a daughter..." he smiled sincerely. Ariana gazed at him in surprise as he stood back up, and addressed the other children, "...If you're all serious about committing to this endeavour, then you're going to have to work your asses off to make sure we achieve this: I'm not going to lecture you all on how hard this is probably going to be, or the fact that there will likely be obstacles and dangers that lay ahead. I trust you all to be able to step up to this and commit to it: if you can't handle the pressure, or don't know if you have what it takes to see this through, then just step down at any time; there's no shame in admitting weakness, or the limit of your limits... But I warn you all now: I don't know what the outcome is going to be, and I don't know if we'll all live to see it or not; but the one thing I will never give up is trying. I may not be the bravest or the boldest, but I am alive, and I'm here: and that's a good a start as any"

"...Seriously?" Rowan smirked, "I thought you said you weren't going to lecture us old man. And besides, do you really think any of us are going to let you old geezers have all the fun?" "Yeah, I mean come on: after all the hell and shit we went through trying to get out of Shiganshina, we have just as much right to fight as any of you grown-ups" Belle stated. "And let's not forget, between all of us put together, there's not much we can't do" Shyla added.

"Damn right," Gustav huffed as he folded his arms with a smirk, "You brats are gonna need an ODM engineer to keep you all flying", "Not to mention you'll need a resources team to keep you all in shape" Miriam grinned, "Resources team?" Evrard echoed as he raised a dubious eyebrow; "Damn right! While you lot are busy learning how to fight regular titans, who's going to keep you clothed, feed, and well supplied? Us! That's who! We kept you lot afloat while the Black Stallion was up and running, we'll keep you stocked up and ahead of the curve"

"Not to mention some 'maverick' know-how might come in handy for something or other?" West smiled, to which Pascal couldn't help huff in defeat, as a sarcastic smile crossed his lips, "... Ah what the hell; in too deep to back out anyway, right?" he glanced over at West, who merely gave him a reassuring grin, "Right"

"Hang on..." Carla interrupted, wiping the last of her tears away, "You don't seriously expect to let the children fight by themselves do you?..." she frowned, "Without supervision?" she approached Bryson: a little more sure of herself as her eyes reflecting a sense of boldness: "If you can teach the children how to use ODM gear: you can teach me too" she glanced over at Ariana and the other kids, "... Eren and Mikasa may not be here anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm no longer a mother: I survived hell too you know, and I have no intention of backing down from this endeavour: you kids are going to need someone to watch your backs, and I'll be the one to do it" she stated, much to everyone's astonishment, "Carla..." Freya blinked in astonishment, ", Are you sure about this?", "As sure as I've ever been about anything Freya" Carla replied, "Okay, but if I train you, you've got to promise to follow my instructions, deal?" Bryson stated, "Deal" she nodded as she met his gaze. Suddenly, Lucy and Lucius hugged her around the waist, taking her by surprise; "...Listen...we know we're not Eren and Mikasa...But will this be okay? For now?" Lucius sighted as he patted her on the back.

Carla gasped softly as she remembered those words: four years back during the storm, when their parents didn't come for them; as a mother she couldn't bare to see that look in their eyes, that look that told her their hearts had broken, by the two people who should've been there with the rescue party that day. And now, having that same comfort and reassurance repaid in kindness, brought a smile to her face: "...Thank you..." she gazed down at them fondly as she hugged them back, "Look," Lucy gazed up at her, "This whole watching each other's back's is going to go both ways you know, if you intend to be there for us, then we'll be there for you: deal?", "Okay, deal" Carla smiled.

"So? How're we going to do this?" Fox asked offhand, to which Tyto's expression fell flat, "...I have no idea". "Well? I'm starting off by hitting the books!" Claude proudly stated, "The 'mage-science' described in this journal is a tad beyond my expertise as a scientist, and since we live only a twenty minute boat ride away from a whole city of libraries, museums and archives, it would be foolish not to utilize such a vast resource: plus, there could be other things lurking in the city that might serve us well in other capacities!". "That's all well and good, but what will we do when we run out of gas for the ODM gear?" Mabel pointed out, "Eh don't worry, I got an idea or two about that" Dale smirked.

As everyone began to brainstorm and offer up different ideas, Ariana noticed something out the window: peering down through the canopy at the forest floor, the sight on the ground made her train of thought come to a stop; "Uh dad? You might want to take a look at this..." she pointed to the window. Frowning in bemusement, Tyto gazed out the window, and was taken aback by the scene below: "What the-...what're they all doing here?" he thought aloud as he paced through the kitchen to the hallway, and out the front door: much to everyone's confusion.

Jogging down the long spiralling trunks to the ground, he jumped down off the giant roots, and walked over to where the Celts, Rangers and their god-titan's had gathered at the base of the tree: the gathering consisted of most of the veteran hunters with a good portion of the rookies gathered too, all from the clans and families, including the ones who were part of the scavenger party last night. "Uh, what're all you guys doing here?" Tyto asked in confusion: "We heard about what happened last night, about-, the discovery, inside the wall cult church" Ratatosk replied anxiously, "Bowen and the others told us everything, even about the 'experiments' you conducted. And, how successful they were... " Warren added: "...And?" Tyto raised an eyebrow, already getting a vague idea as to where this was probably going: "...Is it really true, the wall cult knew about this, and decided to hide it way from mankind?" Tarka asked anxiously; "...Yes, I'm afraid it's true" Tyto sighed regretfully as a chorus of astonished gasps went up amid the group, "They knew what those thing were and what they could do: all this time they had the means to help mankind fight back against the titans, and they just did nothing?" one of the Ryder's frowned, "I know, I'm-, still trying to wrap my head around it..." Tyto replied he stroked his head, "So? Why're you all here?"

The heads of the clans and family's stepped forth boldly as one, with Ratatosk being the one to speak first: "Ever since your return earlier this morning, we've been informed as to what happened, and have been discussing it at great length". Bowen then stated, "We've been weighing up our options and have come to a unanimous agreement: we've decided to aid you and the god-titan's in your endeavour"; "... Somehow, that doesn't really surprise me..." Tyto sighed with a weak smile before turning serious, "Okay, but are you sure this is what you want to do? I only say it because I don't want any of you getting mixed up in something you're not prepared to face, or don't have the courage to see to the end"

"Trust me, after learning about this, we want to do something to rectify it" Ratatosk frowned, "Besides, Bryson was right..." Bowen sighed in regret, "How we did things before, what we did to stay alive? None of that's going to work anymore. We have to start pushing back, and fighting for our right to live in this world, because if we don't we'll never survive". "And so, we stand with you brother: through thick and thin for better or worse, we will fight to take back Maria from the titans" Dakota stated vehemently, "So? What can we do to help get things started?" Brooke smiled.

Scanning his eyes over the group, Tyto could see each and every one of them was willing and committed to this: it would probably do little good to argue otherwise at this point; sighing in defeat, Tyto straightened up and replied: "We've got a lot of work to do..."

---

Wow, I don't think I could squeeze any more serendipitous-ness into one chapter without making it an all-out Mary-sue (which I might have inadvertently done anyway, sorry about that :/). Never the less, there were some vital plot twists that were orginally planned for this chapter, and although it ended up with a lot crammed in, the next few chapters can progress in the direction I want them to go :) Next up, training!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, & don't forget to R&R before clicking off Cheers!