Chapter 12
"Eren!" Mikasa is panicking as she has been running around the streets, "Where are you?"
After meeting up with Petra and Fay, Mikasa asks, "Did you find Eren?"
Fay shakes her head and says, "I searched the plaza and he's not there!"
"Same here, he's not near the port as well." Petra says.
"Just where did he go? What if something happened to him..." Mikasa starts to have tears in her eyes.
"My brother will be fine... where haven't we searched yet?" Fay asks.
"How about the woods?" Petra asks. "Maybe he's over there."
Mikasa and Fay nod as they all rush there, on the way, they bump into Levi, Gabi, Falco, and Colt. Levi asks, "What's the matter?"
"Eren was missing again..." Petra says. "We're looking for him."
"What do you mean Eren was missing?!" Colt widens his eyes. "Did you search the whole Liberio?"
"We did, the only place left is the woods." Fay says.
"We'll come with you. If we just left him alone, what if another Lierbio incident was going to happen?" Gabi says.
This doesn't help Mikasa as her panic begins to rise, they all head to the woods to find Eren.
In the woods, there is a house and Eren is inside, he stares at the piano in front of him. "So this is the piano... I've never known my stepmother has this thing..."
Eren closes his eyes as he starts to play it, he starts with just simple keys, and then he starts to make a tune.
(Song: Attack On Titan's Final Season Ending 2: Akumo no ko.)
Tetsu no tama ga seigi no shōmei (An iron bullet is proof of justice)
Tsuranukeba eiyū ni chikazuita (Each shot brings me closer to being a hero)
Sono me o tojite furetemireba (If you close your eyes and touch it)
Onaji katachi onaji taion no akuma (A devil's body, the same shape, and temperature as my own)
"Hey, you guys hear that?" Petra asks.
"It sounds like a piano, an instrument..." Falco says. "And someone seems to be singing as well."
"That's Eren's voice!" Mikasa mutters as they follow the voice.
Boku wa damede aitsu wa īno? (If I'm no good, what makes them any better?)
Soko ni kabe ga atta dakenanoni (The only difference is what side of the wall we see)
Umareteshimatta sadame nagekuna (Stop mourning the fate you were born with)
Bokura wa minna jiyūnandakara (Because we are all free)
Tori no you ni hane ga areba (If only I had the wings of a bird)
Doko e datte ikerukedo (I could go wherever I wished)
Kaeru basho ga nakereba (But if I have no place to return home to)
Kitto doko e mo yukenai (I surely couldn't go anywhere)
Tadatada ikiru no wa iyada (I'm tired of just living to survive)
It is then that they spot a house. "Was there a house here before?" Fay asks.
"I don't remember... but the door isn't locked." Colt says as they enter, only to see Eren playing the piano and singing.
Sekai wa zankokuda (This world may be cruel)
Soredemo kimi o aisuyo (But I love you all the same)
Nani o gisei ni shite mo (No matter what I must sacrifice)
Soredemo kimi o mamoruyo (I will protect you all the same)
Machigaida toshite mo (Even if in the end this is a mistake)
Utagattari shinai (Never will I doubt it)
Tadashi sa to wa jibun no koto, tsuyoku shinjiru kotoda (What is right is firmly believing in yourself)
Eren is now having tears in his eyes as he repeats the same notes once more.
Tetsu no ame ga ori chiru joukei (A scenery where an iron rain falls)
Terebi no naka eiga ni mieta nda (It looked like it was something on TV or film)
Sensou nante orokana kyoubou (War is such foolish violence)
Kankei nai shiranai kuni no hanashi (I don't care about a country I don't know)
Sorenara nande aitsu nikunde (Then why do I hate them?)
Kuroi kimochi kakushikirenai wake (What's the reason for this dark feeling that I can't hide?)
Setsumei datte dekiyashinainda (I can't explain it)
Bokura wa nante mujun bakka nanda (We are full of contradictions)
Eren decides to stop singing as he continues to play the piano. For some reason, he feels natural just by playing the piano and nobody will believe that this is actually his first time playing. He wonders how he is able to play so well, was it because of the memories from others?
The others are feeling the same way, but the words singing from Eren's mouth, must have been what Eren has been thinking this whole time.
Kono kotoba mo yakusarereba (If these words are translated)
Hontou no imi wa tsutawaranai (The true meaning will be lost)
Shinjiru no wa sono me o hiraite (What you can believe with your eyes wide open)
Fureta sekai dake (Is a world you actually touch)
Tadatada ikiru no wa iyada (I'm tired of just living to survive)
Eren opens his eyes and he realizes that he's not alone, he flinches for just 3 seconds and nobody decide to utter a word. Eren's left hand then moves and then he just continues.
Sekai wa zankokuda (This world may be cruel)
Soredemo kimi o aisuyo (But I love you all the same)
Nani o gisei ni shite mo (No matter what I must sacrifice)
Soredemo kimi o mamoruyo (I will protect you all the same)
Eranda hito no kage, sutetamonono kabane (The shadow of the chosen person, the corpse of the abandoned ones)
Kizuita nda jibun no naka (I realized that)
Sodatsu no wa akuma no ko (A devil is growing inside of me)
Seigi no ura gisei no naka (Behind the justice, within the sacrifice)
Kokoro ni wa akuma no ko (A devil lives within the heart)
Eren then decides to end the song by playing just a few notes, until the notes faded away. Hearing the claps from others, Eren blushes a little and says, "You guys heard it..."
"Never thought someone like you can sing." Levi snorts a little.
"That was beautiful, Eren." Petra says. "But what was that song? I've never heard of it before..."
"It was actually a song that I wrote a year ago. During my alone time, I've written some songs." Eren says, "This song, I called it Demon's Child... everything from this song was my thoughts when I activated the Rumbling..."
Mikasa says, "The world may be cruel but I love you, all the same, no matter what I must sacrifice, I will protect you all the same...Can you perhaps explain what it means?"
"The world may be cruel but beautiful... these are the words you told me back when we were kids." Eren says. "Everything I've done up until now was to end with you beheading me to end the Rumbling..."
Mikasa hugs Eren with tears, and Eren returns. Colt says, "But I never thought you're able to play the piano..."
"Yeah... it was actually my first time..." Eren says. "This place belonged to Zeke's mother or my stepmother. There are some times they use this place for Eldia Restorationists' mission. But after they're sent to Paradis, this place is basically abandoned..."
"Let me guess, you know this place because of your father's memories?" Petra asks.
"Yeah..." Eren says. "I guess being a royal, my stepmother might have taken piano lessons. Maybe that's why I could play the song without any problem."
"But still, who knows you can play all kinds of music." Fay says. "You could sing, you could play guitar, and you could play the piano, what else you can do?"
"Wait, Eren Yeager can play the guitar?" Falco asks.
"We sometimes heard him practice playing it back at our village." Petra says. "Sometimes it was getting a little noisy."
"Sorry about that..." Eren says.
"But why didn't I hear you play the guitar?" Mikasa asks with a frown.
"I'm sorry since we're living together, I thought you just wanted a quiet life..." Eren says.
"And we don't?" Fay asks.
"I asked you and you said it's fine." Eren retorts a little.
"Anyway... did you clean up this place before starting to play the piano or something?" Levi asks while looking around the dusty building.
"Here we go again..." Eren mutters, remembering how Levi is such a clean freak.
"You really should change your habit of being a clean freak, Captain." Petra says.
"Whatever, it's not like I've been in cleaner places before..." Levi mutters.
"Anyway, what are you guys doing here?" Eren asks.
"We couldn't find you and we are worried." Mikasa says with a hurtful tone. "The last time you did this was when you were planning to attack Liberio, we thought you were going to do something again..."
"I'm sorry... I think I never explained why I left without telling you anything, right?" Eren says. "All I mentioned was that before coming to Marley, I have been planning the Rumbling with Floch, Historia, and others who knew the truth."
Eren says, "There are times I really want to stop what I'm going to do... did you remember the boy who stole Captain Levi's wallet?"
Mikasa and Levi nod as they remembered the boy, and Eren says, "After leaving the estate, I saw him beaten up by merchants, I saved him and brought him back to his village."
He looks down and says, "He was one of the people that was going to die from the Rumbling... I didn't know what to say... all I could do was apologize..."
"Was that why you were crying when I saw you there?" Mikasa asks with a soft tone.
"I also wished I didn't need to do the Rumbling... that's why I asked you the question... What am I to you... Is it because I saved you when you were a kid? Or was it because we're family?"
Mikasa widens her eyes, it was just a simple question, maybe if she answered differently, things might have had a different outcome. "Your answer matched my memories... it was also the day I gave up my humanity... that night before I left... we had a party with the village, remember?"
Mikasa nods, and Eren says, "To you guys, it is just a friendly interaction with people there, but to me, it is a farewell party..."
"But...but you were still there with us the next day...until..." Mikasa mutters.
"Until we get to the hearing about Eldian mistreatment. I did manage to finish listening to all of them. However, that hearing made me realize that negotiating with other nations is a lost cause, the world was going to declare war on us."
"And that's when you decided to spy on us during the Mid-East War and then found a chance to attack Liberio..." Falco finishes.
"Yes, I did join in the war, I also witnessed how the Eldian Soldiers were treated and how the Marleyan officials have been harassing them. I couldn't watch them suffer anymore, that's why I cut my leg and gouged my eye... and then ended up in the hospital." Eren says.
"I see..." Mikasa mutters.
"At first, I saw everyone on the other side of the sea as my enemy. But then, I crossed the sea, slept under the same roof as them, ate the same food... Sure, there are jerks here, but good people, too. Across the sea, within the walls... It's the same." Eren says. "Did it sound familiar to you, Falco?"
Falco flinches, and he nods, "Those were the same words you told Reiner about on the day when you attacked the Tybur Family..."
"Yes, and that was why I made them into the lyrics of the song..." Eren says. "Sorry, for letting you guys hear such a devil's talking..."
"No, brother, I'm glad you talked about this..." Fay says.
"Indeed, if anything, it made you better, isn't it?" Petra asks.
"Maybe..." Eren sighs.
And here is a new chapter, and I decide to make Eren have music abilities. I hope you like this chapter.