CHAPTER TWO
I remained frozen in place, staring at the massive behemoth that was stretched out in front of me. A few titans were scattered about the flatlands, lumbering around in random directions, some even just sitting in place. Yet they were not my focus, but instead it was the wall that extended in both directions, as far away as my hawk-eyes could see.
Ever since I came here, I hadn't a good sense of my size relative to the rest of the world, I could only guess off of my height relative to the trees, that I was somewhere within the ten to fifteen metre range.
Yet, standing in front of the wall I felt… Insignificant. I'd always thought they exaggerated the height in the anime, and despite the structure in front of me being only four or five times my height, the sheer scale of it still managed to sink into my mind.
A chill shuddered down my spine as I thought of the millions of colossal titans hidden away underneath the grey mortar, ready to emerge and flatten the world beneath their feet at the beck and call of the founder.
The fact the walls were here, meant I had arrived before the rumbling. Hell, the existence of titans outside the walls for me meant that I had arrived before the recapture of Wall Maria as well.
Now that I'd found the walls, I had a vague timeframe of where I'd been inserted into the plot. In all honesty, I'd begun to question my previous discretions about what would be the optimal arc to be dropped into.
At first glance, it would be close to the beginning of the show - as I would have my meta knowledge to guide me and provide an edge against the dangers of this world - but now I found that I really would prefer to have a lot more prep time.
Realistically the most optimal situation would be to be dropped into this universe years, perhaps even a decade before the start of canon - as I'd have adequate time to prepare and familiarise myself with this new world.
I'd practised mixed martial arts in my last life, but beyond basic sparring and a few scuffles in my high school years, I did not have the experience of a hardened child soldier or a weathered titan killer.
And just from a glance, I could tell that some of the titans on the clearing ahead of me were in fact larger than me, some having a good (titan) foot over me, meaning I was shorter than 15 metres - once again a disadvantage against the gigantic, ruthless killing machines that were set to attack this island.
Even with this stunningly powerful body, the only clear advantage here I had was my knowledge of the future, and if I did not make proper use of it - I would certainly meet a gruesome end considering the universe I spawned in.
Preparation was key. I could not blindly insert myself into the plot, tempting as it may be to meet the people inside my favourite show. I needed to prepare for the arrival of the warriors, the insurrection inside the walls, the brewing hatred for eldians outside of Paradis and the inevitable invasion by the allied forces.
Most of all; I had to prepare against internet icon Eren, 'black air force energy' Jaeger himself. My brows creased as I emerged into the clearing, watching a ten metre or so titan that was seated down on the grass, staring to the sky with a blank look.
The manga and anime were very unclear on how the future sight of the Attack Titan worked. Eren had somehow influenced the future, in order to allow for the future he saw to happen… Did that mean there was a universe where Eren did not in fact reach his goals? Or was the past overwritten? Would that mean no matter what I do here, driplord Jaeger would be able to overwrite my actions simply by communicating by a past inheritor?
This was very confusing.
Eren was able to see the memories of the Attack Titan the first time when he and the Survey Corps discovered his father's journals in the cellar. He saw the future the first time he touched Historia's hand. (Why did it activate then? Did Eren never come in contact with Historia during their three years of training, despite their acquaintance?).
Would I have to stop Eren from finding the cellar, or stop him from making contact with Historia? COULD I even stop it, if future Eren somehow pulled some time-fuckery and caused some random swing of events to make his past self see the future, in order to become future Eren - and was future Eren a separate person? An amalgamation of all the Attack Titan's memories?
The more I tried to make sense of the garbled mess which was AoT's plot holes and unexplained phenomena, the more I felt that I would drop into a pithole of insanity. I felt like tearing my hair out, even with my knowledge from the show I had no solid information to base a solid plan from.
Then I realised, I did possess something. I thought back to my first instance in this world, grimacing at the traumatic memory of feeling like my soul was being ripped apart and violently moulded back together by an overwhelming electric charge.
The desert, which had been the paths. I had somehow entered that realm - which should've been exclusive to the Founding Titan, the Attack Titan and a shifter of royal blood. Surely - that would mean something.
I vaguely recalled a blue glow in my instances of 'sleeping'. If I could somehow learn how to enter the paths, who knew what could be done? The show made it very vague on how the paths functioned, almost pointing towards the realm of the paths being the key to omnipotence. Somehow through the paths, Eldians had become immune to a disease, titans could form and they could have their memories wiped.
That seemed… extremely overpowered, for anyone with the ability to manipulate or atleast dwell within the realm of the paths. I tried to think back to how it felt to be in that space, delving into the deep recesses of my mind.
Ever since I'd come here, I felt an odd clarity when sifting through my memories, as if I had them physically archived in my mind and ready to access at any time. As such I could vividly remember the dreamlike, otherworldly atmosphere of the paths.
I remembered the ever present hum of the paths, the ghost goosebumps I received as if I were just about to be struck by lightning. Shutting my eyes tight, I tried to visualise the terrain, trying to trick my head into thinking it was in that strange, ethereal place.
Immediately, I subconsciously manifested some sort of mental block preventing me from properly envisioning the world of the paths. It was like a word on the end of your tongue, a forgotten thought that you desperately tried to grasp to no avail.
Yet I tried, and I fought harder to remove the mental block. I thought back to my awakening in this world, the feeling of being exposed to countless eyes and being connected with everything if only for a second. Then I felt the block shift, and I felt a twinge in my spine.
As soon as I felt a tickle on the back of my neck, I instinctively went to cover my nape with my hand. As I did so, a shock passed through my body as if I'd touched a live wire. I could almost see the yellow glow that had swept me into this world for a moment, shattering something invisible to the eye - before it disappeared.
Jolted, a rustle brought me out of my thoughts, as I turned to my left to see that the previously seated titan was now staring directly at me. I felt the blood in my face turn to ice, as the fog that seemed to glaze the eyes of the mindless titans was… not there.
There was a very real, very terrifying emotion swimming behind the murky green eyes of the first titan, as it rose up to its full length. A primal, animalistic hunger that was shown in the way their teeth were bared, froth gathering at the sides of their mouths.
To be fair, the titan closest to me was not that large, with lanky limbs and skin taut around its ribcage. It only reached up to my chin or so.
What terrified me was the fact that the titan had begun to lumber in my direction, and that the other titans in the clearing had turned to me as well.
I tentatively took a few steps backward, evaluating my options. I had no idea how these titans were suddenly noticing me, I'd spent the entire day yesterday walking alongside Timothy yet he hadn't even shown any signs of knowing I existed - until I'd begun to attack him that is.
Could… Could they have felt my attempt to enter the paths as well?
I felt very, very foolish for attempting such a thing neck deep in hostile territory. Surrounded by man-eating giants that were only now beginning to see that I was not in fact like them.
My fist lashed out at the titan that had approached to close to me, my panicked strike had sent it stumbling back, the blow hard enough to make an imprint on its face and fracture its nose, but not enough to send it to its feet.
My muscles grew tense, as my mind fought over fight or flight. If I ran, who knew if I'd be able to test out my ability to fight in a controlled situation like this again. I counted only five more titans other than the one in front of me, three of those were significantly larger than I.
My fists rose to guard my face as I assumed a boxer's stance. If it got ugly, I'd turn tail and run. None of them were rushing to get over to me, so if I played it safe I believed I could take them out one by one.
Not wasting another moment by continuing my thoughts, I lunged forward towards the titan I'd punched, sending a crippling roundhouse to its leg. I was actually knocked off-balance, as my strike not only shattered both the titan's legs, but had kept going, kicking up a plume of dirt as the titan was propelled into an airborne spin - both its legs gorey tangles of flesh.
I rebalanced myself, before rushing towards the titan now crippled on the ground. With a war cry - ignoring the horrendous crack in my voice from adrenaline - I slammed my foot down onto the titan's nape, cutting my foot in shards of bone.
I looked up to see the next titan, frighteningly close at only a few paces away. I shrieked out of surprise, trying to take a step backward but my foot, slick with blood and buried into the remains of the fallen titan's spine, slipped and caused my back to meet the ground with a heavy thud.
The impact rattled my skull as I blinked rapidly, looking towards the titan before just managing to catch by the shoulders as the fifteen metre giant LEAPT onto my fallen form. Its intentions were made clear, as it began to snap its jaws at me, saliva falling in fat strands over my face.
I could hardly hear the snapping of its jaws over the almost painful pounding of my heart in my ears. My grip felt weak and jittery, as I tried to prop my elbow on his chest to push him off of me. A hoarse scream erupted from my throat as it tilted its head down, chomping its jaws into my forearm.
I grew panicked as I heard the footfalls behind it, and with a roar of desperation, I planted both my feet onto its stomach and sent it soaring over my head. I hurriedly stumbled to my feet, head pounding to the point I saw black spots dancing in my vision.
I hardly had the sense to inspect my forearm, watching in morbid and nonsensical fascination as I saw that a portion of the muscle on my arm had been torn off - revealing tendons and what appeared to be bone beneath. I could inspect it for a moment before steam erupted from the wound, and I registered the pain.
I release another guttural howl of pain, hopping backward as I clasped my good hand around my wrist. I spared another look at the group of titans, which had grown to a horde of twelve. Without a second thought, I turned around and ran.
【 LINE BREAK】
I ran, my only destination in mind being the Southeast of the walls. I kept the walls on my left, even after outrunning the horde behind me I continued my desperate run for kilometres. I passed through many other groups of titans, which paid me no mind, but I hastily made my way around them.
My arm had healed fully which was reassuring, but the traumatising image of my arm trapped within the jaws of the titan, the biggest one I'd seen so far, with its massive jaw strength tearing through my flesh and threatening to break my arm…
It made my mind a jumbled mess of incomprehensible thoughts, just a frantic need to find somewhere safe, somewhere without titans. Somewhere in my craze, I broke through yet another thick segment of forest, before throwing myself at the walls, screaming in desperation as I clawed at the mortar.
I tried everything, I even tried to use my grip strength to hold onto the pillar-like structures on the walls, but I could never make it over a few metres of the ground. And the longer I spent around other titans, the more my paranoia and desperation to find safety grew.
Eventually, I had somehow reached one of the forests of giant trees as depicted in the show. I hauled ass, finding the most climbable tree I could before scrambling up the large branches like a gibbon escaping a tiger.
I'd always been good at climbing things in my old life, it was an eccentricity of mine - my friends used to poke fun at me by pointing at dangerous looking trees and daring me to scale them. I always did, earning the nickname of resident monkey woman.
Despite my massive size, the titanic wood proved sturdy enough to support my hasty climb. Once I ascended to a dizzy height, I leaned forward onto a mess of branches strong enough to hold my weight, and laid there.
I could only stare wide-eyed at the forest floor, hundreds of feet below me, as I felt hot tears begin to fill my eyes. I felt like a coward, an idiot, and worst of all I felt doomed.
All that thinking, that somehow I was going to do something useful with myself in this world, somehow competing against world superpowers, trained super soldiers and supernatural beings, yet I crumpled the moment I was caught off guard by a titan.
For all the power this body possessed, I was reminded of how unpredictable this world was. A reverberating reminder that this was not a simple TV show anymore, this was my life, and for as long as I remained here my mortality was at jeopardy.
I rubbed a hand against my nape, pins and needles exploding around my spine as I felt an instinctual sense of danger, each time my sharpened nails brushed against my skin. All it took was one wrong move, too many titans, a bad fall, hell, my own weight could be the end of me if I fell backward onto an elevated object.
I somehow felt more mortal than I had in my previous life, even with a blasted multi story tall killing machine body. I supposed it was because I wasn't particularly in mortal danger every waking second of my past life, or perhaps it had to do with the fact that I had already brushed by death.
The memory of my death was traumatic, and I did my best to shove recollection of it all in the back of my mind. In my fragile state of mind, it would work no benefit to add to my list of "fucked up shit that's happened within the past 60 hours".
I remained on the tree for about a half hour longer, until I could finally observe my surroundings with clarity and my heart no longer pounded with the force of an industrial pump. I had half a mind to give myself a mental pat on the back, happy that my ability to climb trees had carried onto this life.
Thus, I began my descent back towards the forest floor, my face stoney and impassive. I couldn't afford to sulk around all day, and I most definitely could not handle a repeat of what'd occurred earlier.
Twice I'd faced the titans now, but had done so impulsively and without any rationality. I held a serious advantage over the titans, that being my considerable knowledge of hand to hand combat and my ability to tactically choose my battles.
I couldn't count on the titans being passive around me any more, as they seemed to recognize me as not one of them upon either being attacked or myself trying to connect to the paths. (After what had happened, I was adamant on not trying a second time until I saw somewhere remote and reliably secure.) This meant I needed to acclimate myself with battle as soon as possible, to heighten my chances at survival.
My feet met the ground with a soft thud, which lightly rocked the surrounding shrubbery. I set my jaw, marching out of the forest of giant trees the way I came. As far as I could remember, the giant trees and mountainous areas surrounding me were similar to the territory South of Shiganshina, meaning I had somehow travelled to my destination, or atleast close to it, in only two days. I suppose it came with the benefit of having tree trunk legs (literally).
I caught a glimpse of bronze skin from outside the underbrush, and I steeled my wits as I sprinted forward with purpose. Whatever doubts about my strength I had, needed to be quashed now. I would not survive on luck and self-degradation. I shot out from the forest, sending branches exploding outwards in all directions in my wake.
The titan didn't react, not even as I ran towards it with earth shaking speed. It was nearly at the same height as me, but I did not let my weak stomach hinder me a second time. My left arm shot forward, slinking around the titan's arm and locking it in place at its side.
Using the torsion in my body, I spun my entire frame as my elbow soared directly towards the nape of the titan. Our eyes met for a second, before the sharp edge of my elbow caved in the tough flesh of its neck, bludgeoning its spine into a boney mush.
I threw the corpse to the floor, fixing my sight on two more titans in the clearing that were now sprinting towards me, with manic and clumsy steps. I forced my vision to remain on the one closest to me, as I rushed forward to meet it.
My leg swung forth with enough force to send clumps of earth into the air simply from the air pressure. My foot met the taller titan's knee, nearly separating it from the rest of its body as I safely avoided its falling frame, utilising my momentum to send a spin kick into the shorter titan that ran behind it.
I was no fighting expert, and for me at least, a spin kick was hard to execute in a live fighting match. Yet somehow, likely because of my attuned senses, my strike made its mark with the combined force of my raw strength and weight, and I felt like I'd just kicked a soccer ball before I noticed that I had completely separated the titan's head from its shoulders.
I didn't allow myself enough time to celebrate my instant kill, as I planted my foot back into the ground, before launching off the ground to send that same leg forward, to finish off the first titan which had begun to turn around to face me.
The roundhouse kick backed with the force of a freight train had a similar effect as the first, sending the titan's head into the air as if I kicked a football. As the titan's body fell to the ground, I sent down a ground shaking stomp to ensure that all of its nape was destroyed.
I then hopped backwards multiple times, adrenaline still flying through my system. All three bodies had begun to steam away, my assault ruthlessly flawless.
A crazed laugh escaped my lips, carrying throughout the clearing. "Th-that's more l-like it!" I barked in english, my lips turning up in a nervous grin. I couldn't help myself, the rush from an overwhelming victory had emboldened me once more.
It didn't change the fact that I was certainly outmatched by the other shifters, somewhere out in the world, but I could at least hold my own against the titans as long as I kept my head.
Now, after seeing multiple titans throughout the day, I assumed I was likely a twelve or thirteen metre class. Nonoptimal, as it would be much better if I possessed the full battle prowess of fifteen metre, but not much of a damning difference.
I felt a pang in my heart, as I somehow only now registered that with all the power this existence granted me, I lost so much. I'd never be able to enjoy a meal, enter a home, and enter society normally ever again.
I wasn't human. I possibly would never be human again. I once thought maybe I could try to dig into my nape, and by some miracle my human body would emerge - that I'd entered this world a shifter.
The wild and primal flare of panic whenever I brushed my hand against my nape stopped me from doing so.
I glanced up from the steaming corpses, now no more than skeletons, towards the hulking walls that stood intimidatingly a few kilometres away. I took off on a jog, keeping the walls to my left as I set myself on one goal.
No matter what. I needed information, at the very least, I needed to know what year it was. I was half-certain that the walls fell in the year 845. Despite my crystal clear clarity of every memory since coming here, and those of my life recently before my death, the last time I had watched the full series altogether was more than a year ago.
I could only hope that I'd retain my current knowledge at least, as forgetting key aspects would lead to some very large consequences in the future.
As I continued to jog forward, I noticed an increasing density of titans within this side of the walls, likely since the titans were created by Marley on a dock somewhere on the South of Paradis. That was likely why I did not see many in the area I'd woken up in.
But now, there was a titan lurking behind every tree, some even congregating in massive hordes of twelve or more. They were all of varying sizes, some large enough that I'd think they could crush my body with a single swing, others small enough that I could easily punt like an incessant toddler.
My urge to kick a midget titan into the stratosphere was overwhelming, but I schooled myself as I knew if I aggravated the hordes, it was unlikely I'd come out of it alive. The jaw strength of a regular human was no joke, but the jaw strength of a titan?
My forearm was turned into a highschool biology dissection from having it between a titan's jaws for only a few seconds, I did not wish to go through the pain of my flesh being pulverised by incisors the size of human arms again.
Thus I continued to rush forward, avoiding eye contact with any titan I came across and praying to God that I would not accidentally set off any reaction, as I still wasn't a hundred percent sure of what exactly would cause a titan to see me as a threat/food.
I could see that the sun was beginning to sink behind the beautiful mountain ranges along the horizon, signalling the sunset was soon to come. Seeing the masses of titans roaming about, I mentally reaffirmed the importance of being able to remain conscious throughout the night - as it'd be the only time I could go about my business without worrying about titans at all.
Throughout my long, perilous journey, the barebones of a course of action began to play out in my mind. I thought of ambitious goals, large and drastic changes that could cement a future controlled by myself, trying to remain realistic and not fantasise about world domination.
…Perhaps I should give that one more thought.
Various situations played out in my mind, as I tried to plan accordingly with any timeline that was prior to the reclamation of Wall Maria. As I sorted throughout various possibilities, I resolutely decided that the absolute best time to arrive here would be prior to Grisha's arrival.
If I could intercept Grisha, I could possibly gain an ally - and insider - within the walls. All it took was some paths fuckery and a brilliantly made backstory.
I'd actually thought up an excuse for my existence, for when I'd eventually reveal myself to the Eldians. I was a pure titan that woke up outside the walls, with my only knowledge being that I had a mission sent down by an inexplicable entity behind the existence of the titans, who I could later uncover as Ymir as for when that information was to be revealed, to save humanity against the enemies seeking to destroy it.
Thinking of it out loud, it sounded extremely stupid. I would need to give my cover some work…
There was another thing - If I were to access the paths, could I communicate with Ymir? Genocidal, noir vibe future Eren was able to gain Ymir's cooperation with words, so it was possible to reach her.
But the changes that would bring about would drive a wedge not just into my plans, but into the workings of this world at large. As much as it wrenched my heart to not save Ymir from her cruel and terrible fate now, if I was capable of it or not, the power of the titans was necessary for Eldia to survive against the countless nations seeking its destruction.
The anime said that the population of the walls was around one million and four hundred thousand. The nations outside of Paradis had progressed to an era of technology reminiscent to that of the early 1900's of Earth.
Meaning, the nations outside of Paradis, would likely have populations and manpower exceeding Eldia hundreds, even thousands of times over. That coupled with the technological disadvantage of being almost a century behind, Eldia would stand no chance to the bloodthirsty imperialist Marleyans seeking the destruction of the walls.
The power of the titans was the only edge the Eldians held over the rest of the world. As much as I felt like a terrible piece of shit saying this, Ymir had to hold on a little longer, in order for the lives of thousands - even millions - to be saved. I promised to myself at the end of this arduous road, I would free her, as soon as it was possible without severe repercussions.
I was knocked out of my musings as I noticed that the sun had completely dipped below the horizon, and the only source of light were the last rays disappearing behind the mountains. The titans around me had begun to slow, some even falling onto the ground outright.
I definitely felt a noticeable drain on my energy, but I felt more lucid this time. My exhaustion was beginning to accumulate, so I slowed my pace down. To my right, away from the walls, was another forest of giant trees.
It'd be much safer to spend the night in elevation than to pass out in another ditch, at the mercy of passerby titans. So I exerted myself, running towards the treeline.
I ran into the forest, making it a good kilometre or two before finding the thickest tree around, and scrambling up its branches like a gigantic rodent. I could only imagine how comedic it looked, a thirteen metre titan swinging up a tree like an oversized monkey. I was giving Zeke a run for his money, I was sure.
I found a secure web of branches, safely depositing myself in a comfortable position. I swung a bit in my natural hammock, pleased as this would be my first comfortable slumber since my arrival to this world.
Safe from the titans, dozens of metres from the ground, I decided to take this time to once again force entry into the paths. It was a metaphysical world, so all the work required to enter it would be entirely mental.
I thought back to the sensations from before, recalling the feeling of mental block, before I managed to break or at least dislodge it, somehow the aftershock had reached not just me but the surrounding titans as well.
I closed my eyes, reaching into the deep recesses of my mind. I once again tried to summon the feeling of electricity tingling in my spine, running through my entire body. Then, in a metaphorical sense, I vaguely sensed my mind wrapping around a peculiar concept, as if I'd discovered a new colour or learnt how to move a new limb.
I didn't even notice that I could no longer hear the soft chirping of the forest nightlife.
【 LINE BREAK】
Sand tickled my bare back, as my eyes shot open. My upper body removed itself from the bed of sand I lay in, as I now in a stable frame of mind, gazed upon the large as life pillar of light that constituted the paths, stretching out into the endless night sky with millions of otherworldly branches.
I was speechless, the sight so unequivocally awe-inspiring, beautiful and overwhelming all at once. I felt omni-present in this world, as if I was not actually laying in this spot but instead somewhere else - simply controlling this body from another plane. I supposed that wasn't far from the truth.
I rose to my feet, eyes wide as I tried to ponder what next? I was somehow within the paths, I'd somehow brute forced my way into the plane that had stolen me from the clutches of death, but now that I'd made it here I had no idea what to do next.
I stared out at the paths, staring at them intently, before visions began to fill my mind. The longer I stared at the paths, the more in tune I could feel myself becoming with the connections shared by all subjects of Ymir.
I heard whispers of a language unknown to my ear, which must've been Eldian. It sounded like a bizarre mix of German and French, but the words I couldn't recognize from my old world despite me knowing a fair bit of both languages. However…
The longer I listened, the more it made sense. I didn't understand the language persay, but I felt myself get lost in the stories told by the emotions within the memories. Physically I was still standing on a dune of sand, but mentally I could feel myself getting lost within a storm of personalities.
Momentarily, I worried for my individuality, that somehow this hurricane of memories and voices would whisk away at my soul until there was nothing left, and I was taken into the tide. I could feel the intensity of the passing memories continuing to fill my mind, countless experiences that with each passing second got harder to separate from my own.
I responded to the incessant gibberish with laughter, with screaming, with cries and with horror. My vision was consumed by a relentless stream of memories - memories that deep down I knew were not mine - but I did not know how to escape it. In fact, I felt enamoured, enchanted by the countless tales playing out in front of me.
I felt content staring into the eye of a hurricane, wild with the stories of millions of people. Until, I felt it stare back.
I visualised two blazing eyes of jade, piercing my very soul, before I was launched out of my fervour, physically falling back onto my butt as I broke out into a series of hyperventilated breaths.
My connection to this plane grew weak, as I felt myself being dragged away from the paths. One second I was within an endless, ethereal desert, the next I was writhing in my bed of branches and leaves. The feeling of something watching me did not leave my mind.
I had no time to collect my thoughts however, as the rays of morning light showered down on me in a beautiful array of forest colours, my sensitive hearing picked up a heavy rumbling from far away. In fact, even from my place on this massive tree, I could feel the vibrations reverberating throughout the ground.
My heart shuddered at the implications. Had I - Had I spawned in, RIGHT before the rumbling? Impossible. There were titans everywhere, and Paradis was shown to have eradicated the titans from the island prior to the Marley arc.
Did I sleep… Longer than one night? Had I somehow slept through the entire show, only to wake up during the rumbling!?
I descended from the tree in a panic, so much so that I missed the last branch on the way down and landed from a dozen metres up onto the ground. The impact sent a shockwave of leaves and greenery flying into the air, but I didn't let it phase me as I began running through the wood.
Now that I was on the ground, I certainly could feel the shaking, but it did not feel like the combined force of a million colossal titans. I felt a sense of dread pooling in my stomach. And, in an utterly ironic twist of fate, one that surely could not be a coincidence, I emerged from the forest of giant trees, across a massive decline of terrain was the protruding district of Shiganshina.
I laid eyes on it for only a moment, before a lightning strike larger than anything else I'd ever seen descended from the heavens and struck the earth, overtaking the sun's brightness and painting the world outside the walls in a dreadful yellow. The electrifying buzz reached me, even as I stood kilometres away.
I stood there frozen, as kilometres away I could only now see source of the rumbling, a horde of dozens - HUNDREDS - of titans running after a feminine figure with a head of golden hair. Running towards the goliath of steaming, exposed muscle which stood at the wall, raising its titanic leg.
I didn't scream, I didn't run, I didn't blink. My mouth was agape as I stood witness to one of the most tragic events of the show. An event I was powerless to stop. That I could've prevented, if I'd arrived, if only a day earlier.
The colossal sent its foot into the gate, the impact sending cracks all along what seemed like the impenetrable wall that shielded humanity from the horrors outside. The sound, the terrible sound of crushed mortar and an enormous impact, finally reached my ears. From this far away, it sounded like an explosion.
Then, the colossal stepped away from the wall, and disappeared behind a wall of steam as the shifter within made his escape. I remained there frozen, as the army of titans finally arrived at the gates, still as motionless as I'd been since I'd arrived.
And then the screams started.
New chapter! I sort of feel like the pacing is a bit fast, but it's mostly because I'd really rather get into the more interesting part of the plot rather than wandering outside the walls all ooga booga like in the woods. Through this chapter it was discovered that our universe switcher possesses the ability to access the paths! Wonder what possibilities that opens :]
One of the issues with trying to change AoT, is you aren't the only person with overpowered meta-knowledge. If the black air force energy internet celebrity genocide enjoyer himself is somehow meddling with the paths as well… That makes things a little more problematic.
Evidently, I'm not too good at writing battle scenes, but I hope to improve through the course of this fic. Anyhow, with this chapter, the titan kill tally is up to 5, lets see how much higher the tally goes huekekekeke
Please leave a review with your thoughts, or any ways I can improve my writing! Stay safe!
