The badlands were brimming with battle as a swarm of giant dragonflies known as the Meganula, accompanied by giant grubs known as Meganulons, flew into battle against an army of soldiers armed with machine guns, tanks, and four-meter-tall Exosuits armed with arm-mounted machine guns. The two enemy armies battled tooth and nail, with the swarm being slowly but surely pushed back by the army, bodies piling up in the thousands on both sides.
"THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, HUNTERS," the commander shouted from the frontlines. "WE EIGHTER SECURE THE BADLANDS FOR HUMANITY, OR WE DIE!"
'If we pull this off, these damn monsters won't stand a chance against humanity,' the commander thought. 'The resources alone will be enough to rebuild our mazers and repair damaged markelite towers. Hell, we could probably even rebuild the mechs of old. We just have to beat these damn bugs.'
"COMMANDER!" One of the soldiers cried, snapping him out of his trance. He looked back and saw his second in command hurrying to his side. "The scouts are back with bad news! Two Varans coming in fast at 4 o'clock! Should we pull out?"
The commander clenched his fist in frustration. Their weapons couldn't do anything against one Varan, let alone two. He cursed under his breath before preparing to give the order to fall back. However, looking back out over the battlefield, he realized that retreat wasn't an option either. If they retreated, the Meganulons and Meganula would no doubt take advantage of their retreat and thin their numbers even further, possibly even killing them all while their guard was down. They wouldn't be able to thin the numbers quickly enough either, because at the rate things were going, the Varans would arrive before they could retreat. Countless lives would be lost either way and with the ticking clock, he had to make a decision fast, before the Varans arrived.
Just as he felt that all hope was lost, however, a plane suddenly swooped overhead and air dropped two passengers. Bolts of lightning suddenly struck both of them, and then masses of flesh began to form around the two until they formed into two towering humanoid monsters, the Cart Titan and the Beast Titan. The two titan shifters landed in the epicenter of the swarm and began fighting their way out of it, their thick titan skin allowing them to power through the flurry of bites and energy-draining stings. The two titan shifters stomping and swatting their way through the swarm provided just the backup that the hunters needed to make a quick escape.
"ALL UNITS, FALL BACK," the commander ordered. "REGROUP BACK AT CAMP!"
The hunters did as instructed and turned tail to flee. Some Meganula and Meganulons took a few cheap shots at the fleeing soldiers, even managing to down an Exosuit or two before the hunters escaped. With the area clear, the Beast Titan began picking up boulders, crushing them into smaller shards, and then throwing them into the swarm. The rocks flew at the speed of shotgun pellets and shredded through the swarm, in the process clearing a path for him and the Cart Titan to accompany the hunters. The Beast Titan looked down to check on the Cart Titan and found her body covered in Meganula, their tails all glowing white as they sucked her energy out through their tails. The Cart Titan itself was left emaciated and immobilized, with the power's holder, Pieck Finger, jutting out of the naip, which the Beast Titan quickly plucked her out of before hardening his skin on several areas of his body and fleeing through the path he created, leaving the bugs at the mercy of the incoming Varans.
As they were escaping, the Beast Titan could hear the swarm chasing behind him, the Meganula moving fast enough to keep up with him even at his top speed. The Beast Titan clamped his eyes shut and pushed himself even harder, but the Meganula just kept gaining on him. He could hear their buzzing inching closer and closer until suddenly, a massive explosion launched him forwards. He looked back and saw an enormous pillar of red light sweeping across the field, incinerating every giant bug it touched. The Beast Titan and Pieck both looked up to the source of the beam and their jaws hung low as they saw a giant, black and red figure flying above the battlefield, destroying the Meganula and Meganulons with his eye beam.
After eliminating them all, Gigan prepared to eliminate the titan he saw below him but paused when an even greater threat presented itself, in the form of the two Varans arriving from the sky and dog-piling him. Realizing that the giant machine wasn't entirely on their side, the Beast Titan made a break for it while Gigan was distracted.
Gigan screeched and howled as the two Varans bit and scratched at him before throwing both of them off. The minimal amount of damage they did regenerated almost instantly, and he immediately got into a fighting stance, feet square, tail down, and chainsaws aimed at his opponents. The Varans jumped at him one by one, with Gigan dispatching the first flying amphibian with a chainsaw to the face which tore right through its elastic skin and sent it tumbling to the ground while Gigan kicked the other in the face. Gigan's hooked foot wasn't as effective in piercing the Varan's flesh, but the impact alone broke several teeth and left it open for a jet blast from the sole of Gigan's foot, burning right through it and leaving a massive hole in its chest.
The second Varan got up on its hind legs, panting heavily. Gigan noticed that its regeneration was already starting to kick in, and so attempted to interrupt it by firing a blade from his chest right into the wound. But before he could do so, the Varan unleashed a sonic blast that temporarily scrambled his targeting and navigation systems and let him open to a bite to the neck. Unfortunately, this simply put it in a range that he couldn't miss. He proceeded to shove his chainsaw hand through the Varan's head, then swung, splitting it in two. Gigan then took to the skies again and rocketed off, his systems quickly recovering from the attack.
Having just finished his stop in Africa, Gigan took a trip back to Yemen, a place where he hoped hoping to get some answers there. However, instead of answers, all he found was a country that had fallen back into the hands of nature a long time ago. All that remained of human civilization were the moss and fungus colonies that had clung to fallen buildings and retained their shape despite the fact that the very foundations of these buildings have long since eroded away. On the ground, he could see kaiju of all shapes and sizes roaming the land, foraging for food, fighting eachother, and occasionally smashing what little remained of humankind's great cities.
Gigan was, to say the least, mortified by what he saw, and wondered how long he had been shut down for this to have happened. As he flew across the rest of the middle east, the same things awaited the cyborg giant. Decayed cities, monsters everywhere, not a soul in sight.
'What happened?' Gigan thought as he flew over the ghosts of humankind's cities. 'Where did everyone go? Even if Mothra was dead, surely Ymir would have-' he stopped his thought and paused in mid-air.
He remembered the titans he saw attacking the wall.
Those were Ymir's titans… right?
But then why would she be assisting in the destruction of humanity? Even given her past, persecuting people, especially those who couldn't protect themselves against her just wasn't the Ymir he knew. Surely humanity wouldn't be stupid enough to incur her wrath with him gone. Is it possible that Project: Atlas created another human-kaiju hybrid with her powers? Then why was it that apart from that one hairy guy, he couldn't find any titans anywhere besides that island? With all these thoughts rushing through Gigan's head, he had to take a seat to collect himself. As Gigan took a moment to calm down, one thought kept scratching at his brain, just begging to be answered.
'Where are you, Ymir?'
Meanwhile, late at night in the Trost district of wall Rose, soldiers guided a crowd of panicked refugees from wall Maria to safehouses after the incident two days ago, when the Colossal and Armored Titans took down Wall Maria overnight. Within the crowd, one soldier overlooks everything with a look of somber disbelief on his face. As he marches through the refugee camp, he overhears someone calling his name.
"KEITH! OVER HERE!" The voice called.
Keith Shadis turned around and saw Grisha Jaeger hurrying towards him with a panicked look on his face. Grisha soon stopped before the man and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He began babbling incoherently, prompting Keith to place his hands on the doctor's shoulders.
"Settle down, Grisha," he said. "Just breathe, and tell me what you need."
Grisha huffed and panted, before eventually catching his breath. "S-sorry. It's just… I know it may be selfish, given where we are but are Carla and the kids okay?"
"Not at all, Grisha. And, to answer your question, they're safe. Though, Carla's seen better days."
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"Well-"
"Grisha!" The two were interrupted by the happy call of Hannes as he joined in on their conversation. "Thank the walls you're here. I was worried you kicked the bucket when I didn't find you in the initial refugee group."
"Thank you for your concern Hannes," Grisha replied. "Now Keith, what happened to Carla?"
Hannes' face warped into an awkward expression while Keith told Grisha to follow him. He and Hannes lead Grisha to one of the many medical centers they had stationed around the refugee camp. Upon entering, Grisha found Mikasa and Eren napping by Carla, who was lying fast asleep in a medical cot. Hannes and Keith then explained to Grisha that during the attack on Shingonshina, both of Carla's legs were crushed and that Hannes and the kinds managed to save her when that mysterious flying monster came and lured the titans away. After she was transferred to a hospital, her legs were amputated sense they wouldn't heal properly and would get infected if left intact.
Grisha nodded and thanked Hannes for saving Carla's life, before approaching her while Hannes left Keith and Grisha, satisfied that he paid his debt for Grisha saving his wife's life all those years ago. Keith meanwhile smiled as he watched Grisha reunite with his family, Eren being the first to wake up and see his dad. Upon awakening, Eren proceeded to wake Carla and Mikasa up as well. Mikasa and Eren both hugged Grisha tightly, before Grisha's attention was turned to Carla, who held out her hand and gave him a weak, tired smile. Grisha immediately took her hand and rubbed his other hand against her cheek. The two then leaned in and shared a kiss. Seeing that the Jaeger family was busy with personal matters, Keith left as well, giving the family some privacy while he returned to his duties.
In the meantime, while Grisha was catching up with Carla on the lost time, Eren and Mikasa met up with Armin to share the good news with him. As the three talked, they listened in on rumors about the flying creature, some people being highly suspicious of its motives and origin, what with its otherworldly visage and sinister color scheme. Others however trusted that the monster had the best intentions for them, believing that its actions spoke for themselves. Eren however was simply curious about what that creature was and how humanity had never discovered such a creature. Even in Armin's books, nothing like it had ever been seen before What was even more strange was that despite the beast looking like it was easily bigger than the Colossal Titan, it seemed passive towards humanity. This caused Eren to ponder about the creature.
Where did it come from? Had it always existed, or did it only appear when humanity was in danger? Were there others like it, or was it alone? If there were others like it, would they act like it, or would they be hostile just like the titans? So many questions, and no answers to any of them.
As Eren, Mikasa and Armin continued to hang out in front of the hospital, Grisha eventually came out, dawning his coat and hat once again. He sighed softly as he saw Mikasa and Eren smiling at him, then took a knee in front of them.
"Eren, your mother is going back to sleep now," he said. "Be sure not to wake her. She still needs to rest after all. Also, both of you be sure to watch over her while I'm gone."
"W-what? You're leaving again?" Eren asked. "Why? Where are you even going this time!?" This outburst of emotion prompted a shoulder prod from Mikasa.
"Give him a break, Eren," Mikasa said. "Mom will be fine. Whatever he needs to do is probably just as important anyway."
Eren took offense to that, thinking nothing could be more important than making sure the people you love are safe, but he kept his lips sealed regardless, but then perked up when he heard the rest of what his dad had to say.
"Actually, Eren, I was planning on looking for a place for all of us to stay," he said. "We may have lost our old home, but we can still find a new one. So, while your mother is recovering, I'll be looking into finding a new home."
Eren took back what he said, realizing that his dad really did care about them. Eren hugged his father as thanks, Mikasa doing the same. Grisha gave a shaky hug back, tears dripping down his face, as this moment was bitter-sweet for him. He knew what he was doing would be for the good of humanity, but the remorse he felt was still intense.
As Grisha hugged his kids, a robed figure stood in the corner, staring at the family, a look of vengeful anger in his eye. Despite his body still being in its prime, his eye told a different story. His withered, weary gaze gave off an aura only achievable by someone stewing in their own hatred and desire for revenge for decades. As some of the guards came by, the robed man slipped away into the shadows, waiting for his chance to strike and take his long-awaited revenge.
Later that night, Carla was sleeping soundly in her bed, feeling at ease and at peace for once in her life. However, she was stirred awake slightly and opened her eyes to see her husband standing over her son. Still mostly asleep, Carla didn't really register what they were saying before Grisha took Eren outside. It felt like only a few seconds until Eren returned, asleep and in the arms of an MP officer. Carla immediately became frightened when she saw him carrying Eren, asking him all sorts of questions like where her husband was and why her son was unconscious, but the man was unable to give any answers, as he simply found him unconscious in the woods with no one there with him. And with that, he left, leading Carla to wonder what could have happened to her son and husband.
Meanwhile, Gigan, having searched the entire world at this point with no answers as to Ymir's whereabouts, decided it would be best to return to the place he started, back on the island, as the other human colony seemed to be doing a fine enough job defending themselves for now. He did briefly check to see if the prison he, Ymir, and their other ally, Mothra, had created and dropped to the bottom of the ocean was still standing, and sure enough, it was. This wasn't surprising at all to Gigan. After all, if he did get out, Gigan absolutely would have noticed. He gave a sigh of relief nonetheless, and flew up out of the ocean and towards the island, landing in a forest comprised entirely of enormous trees so tall that they almost reached Gigan's waist. But there was no time to stop and admire the trees, and he made his way to the walls to see how things were going.
As it turns out, not very well.
Gigan leaned over the wall and looked down on Shingonshina, only to find it completely overrun with Titans, the city destroyed and the streets running black with the dry blood of the people he failed to save that day. Gigan cursed under his breath, realizing the scale of his failure to protect these humans. Gigan's bright red visor began to glow with determination to never let this happen again. He reeled back, and then unleashed his eye beam down upon the titans below him, then flew up and swooped over wall Maria, where he saw that the damage extended throughout the entirety of the wall. So, Gigan charged his eye beam and prepared to fire again, when he was stopped by a voice from behind him.
[Stop.]
Gigan turned around and looked up. His eye widened as he saw a massive shadow blocking out the light of the full moon. A pair of purple, insectoid eyes illuminated the figure, as it's beating wings slowly carried it down to eye level with Gigan, allowing him to make out it's dark, regal form in full.
{M-Mothra?} Gigan questioned in his deep, soothing, yet synthetic voice.
[Neigh, my sister has yet to reincarnate,] the being replied. [I am Battra.]
Gigan was actually even more surprised by who it truly turned out to be. {But I thought that you died back durring the fall of America. How are you alive?}
[That matters not. I have come to stop you from making a grave mistake.]
{And that would be?}
[Killing these titans.]
Gigan was confused and pressed Battra for details.
[Those titans, like all other kaiju, are under my protection. They cull the population of hairless apes, ensuring that they may never again bring ruin to this planet. You have already stoked my ire by interfering with their battle against the Meganula and Meganulons, extending the lifespans of Zeke Jaeger and Pieck Finger, and allowing the humans in Marley to expand their territory far beyond what I intended for them. I suggest that you do not stoke my ire any further by giving this set of humans a chance to recover.]
Gigan was revolted by what Battra was telling him, but attempted to hold back his contempt for the moment.
[I can tell that you are angered by this, however, I have a proposition for you.]
Gigan looked up curiously. {What kind of proposition?}
[I will allow you to protect the humans if you swear on you agree to never assist the humans in expanding further out in the world. You may kill monsters that encroach upon their territory and actively attempt to destroy them, however, any monsters outside of human territory are under my protection. If you strike them down, I will destroy the remaining human population, exterminating them once and for all. So, what do you say Gigan? Do we have a deal?]
Gigan wanted to decline the deal. No, more than that, he wanted Battra dead. But at the same time, he had no idea how strong he was. For all he knew, he could be just as powerful as him, and this deal was the only logical move he could make in this situation. And besides that, even if he weren't that powerful and were only as strong as his sister, he would still have no trouble making good on that threat. At least this way, he could still make sure no one else had to die. With heavy reluctance, Gigan accepted Battra's deal. And with that, Battra flew off into the sky and disappeared into the night. Gigan looked back somberly at the walls and sighed before flying away as well.
After a year and a half, Carla was released from the hospital, being guided out the front door in a wheelchair by her son, Eren, and her adopted daughter, Mikasa. The three were led by Hannes to a house that Grisha left for them before disappearing, where the Jaeger family was able to settle down, with Eren and Mikasa spending most of their time taking care of Carla the same way she did for them before everything went to hell. In the year 846, an operation to retake wall Maria commenced, costing many a life in the process, including Armin's grandfather. With nowhere else to go, Armin moved into the Jaeger household as well. One morning, while Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were in the market, they saw a flyer advertising that the Cadet Corps taking in new recruits and this news reinvigorated Eren's previously tempered headstrong, freedom-seeking spirit. He quickly snatched it up and brought it home with him. Once home, he began discussing it with Armin and Mikasa.
"Guys, this is my chance!" Eren said as he held the flyer with an ecstatic look on his face. "I have to join!"
"No, you can't, Eren," Mikasa interjected. "Especially not when we still have to look after mom."
"But this is what I've been waiting for; a chance to finally take back the home we lost!" Eren then looked to Armin. "Come on, Armin! Back me up here!"
Armin awkwardly rubbed his arm. "As much as I want to, Mikasa's right. We're the only ones your mom has right now. We can't just leave her all alone."
"Not to mention it's too dangerous." Everyone tuned around and saw Carla enter the living room in her wheelchair. "I can't believe you still haven't given up on the damn scouts, even after you saw what the titans are capable of."
Eren stood up and protested this.
"What the hell else am I supposed to do!? Just sit around and hope it doesn't happen again!? You're right mom, I have seen what they can do, and that's why I'm going to make sure they never do it again! If dad were here, he'd agree with me-"
"Well he's not!" Carla shouted. Eren flinched as he saw tears begin to roll down his mother's cheeks. "I can't bare the thought of you out there in that cold, brutal world, constantly wondering if you'll be okay out there, or when you'll come back. What happens if you die out there, and I never get to see you again? Do you want me to have to go through that?"
Eren's face softened into a look of guilt. He approached his mother and held her hand while she continued.
"Your father is gone, and I don't know if he'll ever come back… I can't let the same thing happen to you. So please, don't throw your life away."
Before Eren could respond, everyone heard a sudden knock on the door. Armin went to answer it, and upon opening the door, it was revealed that it was Keith Shadis, arms crossed behind his back and dressed in a new uniform.
"Good afternoon," he said. "I'm sorry to disturb you all, but I came by to see Carla." Carla composed herself and then wheeled her way over to the door while Eren took a seat on the couch and let out an audible sigh.
"Keith? I didn't know you were coming over," Carla said.
"I was on my way home, but noticed your house on the way, so I thought I'd stop by to let you all know that I was retiring from the Scouts. My second in command, Erwin Smith, is the new commander."
Everyone was taken aback by this, Carla especially. While it was common for a Survey Corps commander to die on the battlefield and the role of commander to go to the second in command, Keith was probably the first commander in history to voluntarily step down. Although the family was relieved that nothing bad happened to their friend, they did wonder what caused him to make such a decision.
"Well, since you took your time to come here, why not join us for lunch? We can discuss it there if you like."
"Thank you, Carla."
Keith then helped Eren, Carla and Mikasa set up the dining room table while Armin cooked. Once they all sat down together, Keith noticed the rather gloomy atmosphere in the room, as well as Eren's dejected expression. Carla eventually broke up the atmosphere by continuing their topic from earlier.
"So, Keith, what are you going to do now that you aren't a part of the Survey corps?"
"Well, I decided to become an instructor for the Cadet Corps," he said as he ate a spoonful of the soup Armin made. "Speaking of which, I was wondering if any of you three were planning on joining."
Everyone stopped eating for a moment, and the gloomy atmosphere returned, this time even thicker and more oppressive than before. Keith was a tad confused until Carla spoke up again, her words this time doing nothing to ease the situation.
"No, they won't be joining. It's too risky for them out there.
"Oh, that's not a problem. I was actually thinking they'd join the Brigade or Military Police."
"No!" Carla slammed her fist on the table, startling everyone, including Keith. She huffed and panted for a moment, before placing a hand on her forehead. "No. None of them. I want them here, and that's that."
Keith silenced himself after seeing Carla snap like that. He noticed Eren gripping his fork tightly, before eventually settling down on his own and returning to his gloomy expression. Once everyone finished, Carla alone escorted Keith out of the house while everyone else cleaned up.
Outside, Keith and Carla took a moment to talk.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to offend you earlier."
"No, I'm sorry for blowing up at you," she said. "It's just, you have to understand, Eren and the others… they're all I have left. With Grisha gone, I can't afford to lose them."
"And with them gone, there will be no one left to care for you. I understand," Keith then took a knee before Carla. "But I must ask you this: could you at least give Eren the chance to fight for his home, for his people, and for you?"
Carla wanted to argue but chose to keep listening and see where Keith was going with this.
"I will do my best to train your children so that they are capable of defending you and themselves from any threat. I will also make sure you are not alone, and arrange for someone to look after you while the kids complete their training."
"B-but Keith, you know Eren! He'll certainly join the Survey Corps, and you of all people know how few of them return after an expedition."
Keith held her hand and looked her straight in the eyes. "Believe me when I say that the Survey Corps are in better hands. You see, I stepped down because I knew that Erwin would do a far better job as Commander than I would. He had already proven himself a far superior leader than I, and with his leadership and guidance, I guarantee you that Eren will be safe." Keith then stood up, still holding her hand. "That is if you will allow your son the chance to fight for everyone and everything he cares for. If you allow him to fight to protect you." Finally, Keith let go of Carla's hand and placed his hands in his pockets. "Just think about it."
And with that, Keith left. His heart was racing, for that was possibly the hardest thing he had ever done in his life, harder even than fighting the titans. However, regardless of what happened next, Keith was confident that he made the right choice.
Carla meanwhile was left absolutely speechless, and just spent a while sitting on the porch thinking about Keith's speech. After a while, everyone was done cleaning up the table, and Carla went back inside. She called Eren to follow her, and the two went to his room, shutting the door behind them. Armin and Mikasa looked at eachother and decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, standing just outside their room, wondering what would happen.
Eren took a seat on his bed and began the conversation, saying, "Mom, there's no reason for me to lecture me right now. You've already made it clear that you don't want us joining the Cadet Corps."
"I'm not giving you a lecture Eren," Carla said. She then took a deep breath before saying, "I'm giving you my blessing."
Eren's eyes widened and he scooched to the edge of his bed as his mom continued.
"Eren, do you love your family?"
"O-ofcorse!"
Carla then held out her hands and placed them on his shoulders, her eyes misty with tears welling up in them. "Then please, promise me that you'll fight to survive for me, for Mikasa, for Armin… and for your father."
"W-wait, mom, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying… that I shouldn't be holding you back. I shouldn't keep trying to protect you on my own, especially not when I'm in this condition. I want you to become stronger, however, you can, so that…" Carla choked up a bit before continuing. "So that you can protect me, and everyone else."
Eren was shocked at the words his mother was saying. What had caused her to change her mind so suddenly, and so drastically?
"But what about you? Aren't you worried about being alone if I'm gone?"
"I'm more worried about you. About not giving you a chance to fight to take our home back… to fight for the sake of your family."
Carla lowered her hands slowly, and Eren quickly grabbed hold of both of them.
"But… promise me that if you go, you'll bring Mikasa and Armin with you. I want you to be with the people who care about you so that you all can look after eachother."
Eren stuttered and stammered, trying to find the right thing to say. Carla simply smiled and wiped some tears from his eyes.
"It's okay, Eren. I love you, and… if it truly is your dream to leave the walls one day, then all I ask is to still be a part of your life no matter what happens."
"O-of course, mom! You'll always be a part of my life!" Eren cried out with tears running down his face as he wrapped his arms around Carla in a tight embrace. "I love you too, mom… and I promise, I'll fight for you, and for everyone else, until the day I die."
Carla returned the embrace and began to cry as well. "I know you will Eren."
The two then heard Armin and Mikasa crying just outside the room after listening in on the whole thing. Eren stood up and let them into the room, and the four all joined in for a group hug, as the friends all proclaimed to Carla that they would do their best in the Cadet Corps. Carla smiled at the sight of the three and wished them the best of luck out there.
Later that night, Eren lie on his bed, reminiscing about all the times when he, Mikasa, and Armin talked about journeying to the outside world back when they were in Shinganshina. Finally, that dream of theirs would become a reality, and he would make sure that there was nothing that would get in the way of that dream. With a smile on his face, Eren slowly closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.
{I'm sorry…}
Eren jolted upwards when he heard a strange voice echo through his mind. He looked around the room to find the source of it but to no avail.
{I wish there were more I could do.}
There it was again. Eren wasn't sure if he had just gotten too excited about Carla letting him join the Cadets that his mind started playing tricks with him, but then, why was he hearing those words? And what was that voice? He had never heard it before in his life.
"Who's there?" Eren called.
{Hugh? Who said that?}
"Who are you?"
{Are you a kaiju?}
"A what? And you didn't answer my question!" Eren got in a defensive stance. "You'd better start talking right now! Who are you, and how did you get in my house?!"
{House…? Wait, are you… a human?!}
Eren lowered his guard a bit in confusion. "Uhhh… yeah?"
{But that's impossible. The only humans that could talk to kaiju were the Kaiju-human hybrids. Unless…}
"DAMN IT! WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU ANSWERING MY DAMN QUESTIONS!?" Eren slammed his fist on his bedside table before letting out an enraged yell to the mysterious voice. "EITHER TELL ME WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN MY HOUSE, OR I SWEAR, I'M GONNA-"
{I'm not in your house!} The voice shouted back. This gave Eren pause, however, he quickly brushed that off.
"Yeah, alright. Then how come I can hear you, dumbass?"
{Hmmm… how can I show this to you without it sounding like a lie…?} The voice pondered for a moment, making Eren's frustration rise until suddenly, the voice came up with an idea. {Okay, where are you?}
Eren rolled his eyes and began giving his street name, but the voice corrected him, saying he was looking for the district. Once Eren told the voice he was in Trost, the voice began making its way to the district it remembered being referred to as "Trost."
{I'm here. Now, come outside to a place that's clear of any trees.}
"And what if this is a trap?"
{Bring a weapon with you if it makes you feel more comfortable.}
With that suggestion in mind, Eren became a bit less suspicious that this voice was that of a kidnapper or burglar since it would be awfully stupid of one of them to suggest that you bring a weapon. Eren left his room and went to the kitchen, grabbing a knife from the utensil drawer, then carefully approached his front door, knife at the ready, as he unlocked the door with a gentle click, then slowly opened the door with a loud creak. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness outside As he took one careful step after another off of the porch.
"Now what?" He said softly, hoping to not wake the neighbors.
{Look up at the moon.} The ground seemingly rumbled when the voice spoke this time. Eren did as he was told and looked up at the moon curiously. As soon as he did, all doubt and frustration Eren had given way to utter shock and astonishment.
Hovering in front of the full moon, Eren saw the giant monster that saved his mother's life all those years ago, the backlight of the moon keeping him in silhouette as he flew above Trost.
Carla, Mikasa, and Armin soon came out, having been awoken by Eren's outburst earlier, as well as him suddenly leaving the house. However, they were all left as slackjawed as Eren when they saw the giant savior hovering above them.
{And to answer your question, my name is Gigan.}
Author's note: This story derives heavily from the fanfiction Enemies of Humanity's past, and this episode especially derives heavily from it. I do not approve plagiarism, and I have tried to make changes to certain scenes so that I'm not just copy pasting entire scenes from Enemies of Humanity's past, however if you believe that they weren't enough to not be considered plagiarizing it, please let me know what I should change about this episode.
As a show of good faith, here is a link to the story: s/13830752/… Chapter 2 is most relevant here, so I advise that you compare this chapter to that.