Chapter 2: A Rude Awakening
Location: Sumeru Region, Tighnari's Shed
After the events of a few days ago that shook the whole of Sumeru, a modicum of peace has finally made its return. The Akademiya had nothing to say on the matter, as they were just as clueless as the civilians. Tons of students looking to make their name in history have flooded Apam Woods in search of any traces of the Titan for their research papers. All without considering the possibility of it not even being in the forest they're researching.
Standing over the man that was discovered in the river near the Titan's origin, Tighnari and his assistant Collei, end their rounds around the sick and injured patients, studying his condition and health state.
"Collei, write down that this is day five of our recorded finding on his comatose state. The patient is an adult male in his early twenties, with a fit body structure, and no injuries as far as observations go." Collei's hand scribbles down his words with fanatic speed.
"Upon our first discovery of him, his face had strange grooves on both sides of his face, stretching from under his jaw to the orbits of his eyes. As of two days ago, the grooves have faded away overnight with no seeming explanation." Tighnari's fingers brush down the man's cheek over where the grooves were.
"Due to his unnatural level of health, plus how long he's slept under our care, on top of the unknown amount of time he may have been under, all that can be concluded is that he has a high chance of waking up soon." His conclusion is marked down as well, but Collei has a look on her face that he can recognize.
"Something the matter, Collei?" His voice is soft and concerned.
She jolts a little at his words but does not want to lie to her teacher.
"It's just...at the site of where we found him, there was a group of...Fatui, and if they appeared at the same time that he showed up, do you think...he's like me?" Her voice breaks at the end, and with it, some of Tighnari's heart.
He is aware of the history that Collei and the Fatui share. To see someone else that may be a victim of their machinations would sting to her very core. A gentle rub on the shoulder and a soft smile reassures her of what would happen if that were the case.
"You should get some rest; it's been a long day. I'll let you know if he wakes." Tighnari takes the journal from her hands and sends her on her way with a pleasant goodnight.
One last look at his patient is all he gives before shutting the lights off in the room and heading to the dining area. With the lights shut off, Tighnari cannot see the twitch of the sleeping man's fingers.
Scene change: Thĕ Patḩ ȍf ǎll Ělḑĭaņs
Dark
Hollow
Void
These are all detrimental sensations, but the fact that he can sense anything at all is what tips Eren off at the fact that something is different. The last thing he remembers is his head waiting in the mouth of his Colossal Titan for Mikasa to finish the future he foresaw four years prior. After everything that happened, he could not be bothered to care about his life anymore.
All the death.
All the destruction.
The betrayals.
All of it culminated in his Magnum Opus, the most horrible thing to grace the world since Ymir's time as the Founding Titan, and his one-way ticket straight to hell.
The Rumbling.
Every Titan in the walls of Paradis marched to his tune, crushing everything underfoot as they crossed the world. Uncaring of anyone that tried to run or fight, they all died the same. After Mikasa relieved him of his duties as a puppet to fate, everything left him. His life, his power, and all sensations.
That is what has confused him.
The only way he could have his senses back is if he were...alive.
From what he can only assume is behind him, a bright light shines, revealing what the space around him is.
Sandy dunes, reflecting the light to seem like it is platinum colored, and a sky of only stars, dim as they may be. The light finally showed that he does have a body, so he takes a stand, and turns to face the light source.
A giant pillar of light stands at a distance from him. When he first came here with his brother, there were so many branches, stretching as far as the eye could see. But now, there's not a single branch to speak of. There is nothing even remotely around him, just dunes as far as the eye can see.
Before he can try and process the fact that he cannot tell if he is alive or dead, something tugs him forwards. His body starts to become weightless and starts shooting toward the pillar. With no warning at all, upon entering the light, his vision blanks for a moment. When he opens his eyes next, the overwhelming smell of jasmine decks him in the nose, making him sit up to cough.
While Eren's attention is on the jasmine smell that just curb-stomped him in the nose, Tighnari and Collei are standing beside his bed, watching his movements.
"Collei, mark down that Jasmine Incense has successfully managed to wake the patient from his comatose state. He appears healthy enough, disregarding the excessive coughing. Possible allergy to Jasmine, will try and get his name." Collei scrabbles down his words, and they watch as Eren finally manages to regain his composure.
Glancing around the room, Eren can see that it is a style he has never seen before. Wooden walls with a roof of large leaves. Some kind of mini campfire with that overwhelming jasmine smell wafting from it. A desk with three beakers and a teapot on it, an exit without a door, leading to a forest?
"Excuse me, sir?" Eren realizes that they are talking to him. But when he faces them, he has more questions to throw on the pile that he already started with. What's with the green hair? What's with the ears? Where is he? Before he can begin questioning anything, the one with the large ears continues.
"Greetings, my name is Tighnari, and this is my assistant Collei. We found you at the disaster site of the Apam Woods remains and assumed you needed treatment. Could we get your name?"
Silence.
Rubbing his eyes doesn't make the problems with what he's seeing fix themselves. All he can assume is that this is happening. From what he can tell, the guy is aware of something he isn't. Probing for info on what happened is his best bet. And to get answers, you must give answers.
"My name is Eren. Eren Kruger."
He never said anything about giving his real name. The green-haired girl scribbles on the journal she's holding.
"Where am I?" His first question is answered by Collei.
"You're in Gandharva Ville, the forest ranger's headquarters!" Her perky voice does nothing to alleviate his confusion.
"And where is that?"
Confusion marred their faces.
"Um...Sumeru?" Collei sounds more confused than anything.
Tighnari can tell that his patient is either amnesiac or not from around here. Something about the man's body language sends chills down his spine, like a lighter sensation from when the Titan appeared. Wanting to get Collei out of possible danger, he interjects into their awkward conversation.
"Excuse me, but you don't seem to be in any condition to be doing anything right now, so how about you get some rest before anything else? We'll pick this up again tomorrow."
Handing the man a blanket from beneath the desk, he gently leads Collei out of the room, but not before she can wave goodbye.
Eren waves goodbye as well, and when the lights shut off, he has to do some breathing exercises to calm himself down.
Holy shit. This is real.
He's got a pulse, his lungs are expanding, and the warmth of the blanket is comforting.
He is truly alive.
Giggles start to break out, but not long after, tears follow.
Why the fuck is he alive?
Hasn't he suffered enough?
At the hands of this godforsaken world.
Resisting the urge to laugh louder, his breath gets choppier, less coherent. The tears keep coming, even as his consciousness leaves him.
Time skip: The Following Morning
*KnockKnockKnock*
Eren's eyes start to open, as memories of what happened yesterday return. Taking an upright position, he glances towards the noise and sees the girl from yesterday standing in the hole.
"Good morning! I've brought you some clothes to change into before the trip to Sumeru City."
Taking the clothes offered, he starts stripping without a second thought. Collei makes an odd squeak before exiting, waiting for Eren to change. A minute later, he steps out and finally gets a good view of the land he treads on.
When the sun finally shows mercy to his poor eyes, Eren is graced with a view he hasn't seen since he sent a small memory of a trip around the world to Armin before the end. A massive curling tree with houses hanging from branches above, and tons of roots growing irregularly.
"This is Gandharva Ville, the forest rangers usually bunk here when they're at base."
A loud mooing sound gains their attention, coming from their left. A glance to the side reveals a woman walking into the area with some kind of fat, pack mule. At least, that's what he assumes it is.
Collei shakes his shoulder to regain his focus, saying that they have to get going if they want to make good time to the city. Just another question for the future.
Making their way through the base, Eren is astounded at the simplicity of their bridge designs. Somehow, roots have grown in the perfect way for planks to be intertwined to act as a bridge. That's even more that's confusing for him.
As they step off the bridge, Collei perks up and rushes toward some plant he's never seen before. Yanking out two, she skips back to Eren.
"Would you like one, Mr. Kruger?" She holds one out cheerily.
A few blinks later, Eren gently takes the offered food and bites right into it. A firm bite is needed to eat some of the fruit, but he's rewarded with a sweet burst of flavor, and a wave of calm blanketing over him.
As they continue, Eren takes a moment to swipe one more of the fruits from the bush. Collei notices and gives a light giggle at his obvious enjoyment of the peach. Uninterrupted walking continues until they reach a crossroad, and hear what sounds like someone trying to gargle their spit. They turn around and are greeted with the sight of two creatures with some kind of thick mane of fur, wearing a horned mask. A smaller, green one wielding some kind of staff with a crude effigy attached to the end of it mumbles out some kind of foreign language.
Evidently, they're hostile, as Collei pushes Eren behind her, shouting for him to stay back. A brush of her arm and a well-made bow appears in a burst of gold dust, with her wasting no time in drawing back an arrow. Shock runs down Eren's body as a swirl of green energy converges on the tip of the arrow. Releasing it leaves a trail of green, knocking one of the furry creatures back, but leaving her unable to defend herself from the other that takes advantage of her distraction. Luckily for her, and unluckily for the Hilichurl, Eren Yeager doesn't take that shit.
When the beast is about to claw at Collei's side, a fist zooms past, cracking its mask in several different spots, before launching it back to the ground. Collei is left surprised but brushed it aside to focus on the main issue at hand. The Hilichurl that she shot has finally gotten up, and the Samachurl casts its usual spell, summoning a crowd of thorny roots. A flurry of regular arrows is blasted at the Hilichurl, and Eren ducks and weaves around the moving roots, headed straight toward the source. Another firm haymaker is planted into the face of the Samachurl, making it drop its staff in pain. An advantage is given, and Eren exploits it without question. Swiping the staff from the ground, Eren breaks it across the creature's face. It snaps like a twig, sending the monster to the ground, dead. The roots fade away, letting Eren focus on the fact that Collei is fighting a two-on-one right now. Sprinting to her position, he tries to predict which one she's going to go for, so he can deal with the one that remains.
The trinket on her hip starts to glow, and she throws a large boomerang at the one on her right. He wastes no time in shanking the one of her left from behind with the broken staff from his last combatant. The creatures fall to the ground, fading into black dust on the way down.
A moment to breathe is given before Collei bows at the hips and shouts out loud.
"I am so sorry Mr. Kruger!"
Confusion shows on Eren's face.
"What for?"
"You shouldn't have had to help me out since you're supposed to be my passenger to the city! I didn't think that there would be Hilichurls along the way."
"It's alright. I'm unhurt, and so are you. There's not a problem here."
Collei looks back up and smiles with faint tears in her eyes. The two continue their trip towards Sumeru City, passing by the occasional tent or resting spot. Another mile later, they're walking across the bridge that will lead them directly to the main city. Collei gets some hellos and how are you's from the locals they pass, but they remain undeterred in their quest to reach the city.
Finally, after walking up the hill that leads to the large archway into Sumeru City, Collei pulls Eren to a man in a gaudy robe, with a strange mustache. He seems to be advertising something called 'Akasha Terminals'. A wave from Collei brings the man over to them.
"Greetings, and welcome to Sumeru City. It seems that this is your first time visiting." Eren tenses a bit.
"How'd you know that?"
"Because there's no info on you in the Akasha." He answers like it's the most obvious answer in the world.
"All newcomers and travelers to our great city are given Akasha Terminals to access all the knowledge available." He hands Eren a strange piece of junk. He blinks at it and eventually looks to Collei out of annoyance. The man lightly chuckles and clarifies.
"To activate the Terminal, simply hold it and say the following phrase out loud: May the Mighty God bless us with their voice of wisdom." The man and Collei stare at him and wait.
Yeah, no pressure. This looks like some kind of cult initiation.
Eventually, he caves to it with a roll of his eyes.
"May the Mighty God bless us with their voice of wisdom."
A flood of info drills into Eren's mind, forcing him to take a moment to think.
"Welcome officially to Sumeru City. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask the terminal." The man makes his exit.
"Ok Mr. Kruger. If you feel ill in any way, please be sure to go to the local hospital. Otherwise, it was very nice meeting you." Collei bows again, and this time, Eren bows back.
"Thank you for taking care of me. It was very kind of you and the floppy-eared man." A smothered giggle comes from her, but Eren can hear it all the same. As she gets further, Eren watches her go, and the light smile falls.
This thing might be able to answer his questions. Making his way down the stretch the row of merchant stalls, the terminal siphons info straight into his mind on the people, their wares, and even their net worth. As he goes further and further into the city, he stops in front of what looks like a tavern. He didn't think of that himself, the terminal provided that as well. As infuriating as the idea of his thoughts not being his own might be, Eren can't deny the use that it's provided. Stepping into the tavern, it shows itself to be a very homely place, packed with delicious smells and a wonderful atmosphere. Not many people are in the building, only another guy in gaudy robes, and some tan girl with metal armor on her arm. They make eye contact briefly before he grabs a seat at an empty table.
Staring into space, Eren calls on the Akasha Terminal and watches as it flares to life behind his eyes. He begins questioning everything he wanted to ask before.
Where am I?
Sumeru City, Teyvat.
What is Teyvat?
Teyvat is the continent that the seven Archons reside over.
What are Archons?
The archons are seven higher beings who each rule over one of the seven nations.
What are those glowing gold trinkets that some people have?
A vision is a gift bestowed upon specific people of Teyvat who are recognized by the gods. It gives them elemental powers based on the element of the vision they're given, allowing them to use these powers freely.
What does the title 'Eldian' mean to you?
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El-di-an.
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Whatever. What are the seven nations that the Archons preside over?
Fontaine, residing over Justice. Natlan, residing over War. Schneznaya, residing over Love. Sumeru, residing over Wisdom. Inazuma, residing over Eternity. Mondstadt, residing over Freedom. Liuye, residing over Contracts.
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What was Mondstadt again?
Mondstadt, the land of Freedom. Ruled by the Anemo Archon Barbatos, the successor of the malevolent deity Decarabian. After the rebellion by the people of Mondstadt, Barbatos ascended to godhood and became known as the god of Freedom. The local government is known as the Knights of Favonius.
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*drip drip*
Looking down, Eren can see that some water droplets have made their way onto the table beneath him. It takes a moment to realize that those are his tears.
A whole land dedicated to the ideal of freedom?
That sounds like paradise. A heaven without compare.
How far is Mondstadt?
A continuous path to the main capital of Mondstadt will take anywhere from two days of continuous walking, to a week of walking with proper breaks in between.
If it wasn't already obvious, Eren's mind is running a mile a minute. He may not know why he's been put back in this world, but he does have one plan.
Find a way to retire in Mondstadt.
While he's busy working out a retirement plan, and how to achieve it, he doesn't notice two things.
One, a strange trio of people walked into the tavern.
Two, the lady that he saw earlier has whooshed out of sight and is poised to attack two members of the trio.
Unfortunately for Eren, he's not going to get to retire just yet.
To be continued in Chapter 3: Change of Plans
A.N: Hello again, it is the writing goblin, coming at you with this chapter. A few things to cover that I think are actually pretty neat. First off, the idea of using jasmine incense to wake a person up is a real and well documented study. Apparently jasmine contains traces of caffeine, so when it goes airborne, anyone nearby is going to get a bit of a smack in the nose. Second, Eren didn't give his real name because he doesn't know if his name is still around in history books. There are tons of ancient being roaming the land, so the Devil of Paradis returning suddenly would make anyone aware of him want to get rid of him. Third, the time that I put for walking from Sumeru to Monstadt is actually not my own math. It's this guy's: https//watch?v=23LtnVTUlYo
Please go check him out, his video really helped a lot in making the last part of my fanfic. There's not much else to cover, so on another topic, the next chapter of Remnant's Rebellious Pirate should be completed in another 2 or so weeks. I still have college to do.
Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW :)