Chapter 1: All Time Low
Another foot to the face, where was he again? Blood splattered in front of him as a knee connected to his jaw. Eren was starting to get fed up with the constant beating he was receiving from Captain Levi. He found himself in the court, bounded to a pole. He was getting the shit kicked out of him. All for what? For saving his friends and humanity's asses. His newfound power was new to him true but that didn't give these people the right to persecute him. Levi gave him a break which Eren took to cough up more blood. Levi started speaking to the judge but Eren blocked him out. He felt like someone was staring holes into the back of his head. Well everyone was staring but something was different.
He looked over his shoulder to see Ymir. She was in the front of the crowd behind him. He could of swore she was in the stands with the rest of their friends. Her expression was filled with interest in the boy. Eren was gasping for breath but still managed to raise his eyebrow. She signaled outside he assumed she wished for him to meet her. Though he didn't know how he was going to do that when he was cuffed to a pole. Blood now streaming everywhere on his face. He wanted to cry but the Judge caught his attention.
"Then I have made my decision..." the Judge announced, Eren looked up and locked eyes with the aged man.
The next thing he knew he was being carried away by Erwin and Levi. Commander Erwin was going on about how Eren would be a good asset to the war effort against the Titans. Eren was just being carried along by Levi. His wounds were healing very quickly, he was thinking about Ymir. How was he supposed to get outside? Did he even want to see her? What had she wanted him for? He was snapped from his thoughts when they came to a stop. Eren saw the woman he was just thinking about right in front of them.
"Ymir... What are you doing here?" Levi asked, Ymir gave him a lazy grin as she started to walk past them.
"Oh nothing I was just checking up on Eren for Mikasa as all." They had caught both Levi and Eren off guard. Ymir never really did favors for anyone and did she even like Mikasa? But before they knew it Commander Erwin and Captain Levi were on the ground unconscious. Eren gasped as he took a couple steps back his hands still bonded behind him. He watched Ymir with caution as she neared him. "I can tell you what you need to know. Even help you with that power of yours. But you'll never be accepted here, you'll have to run." Ymir informed him, she stuck out her hand which held the key to his cuffs. "Or you can wait for these assholes to wake up and probably kill you." Eren didn't like the sound of that and was confused as to why.
"Why would they do that I didn't have anything to do with you!" Eren exclaimed, Ymir just grinned mischievously.
"Cause they knew I came here for you and I knocked them out. They'll probably think you had a part in it and was trying to escape." Ymir explained, Eren looked down at his unconscious superiors and weighed her words. With a grunt he turned back toward her and nodded. Ymir smiled as she went behind him and unlocked his cuffs. "Smart choice" She said as Eren rubbed his wrists. Ymir then went over to the nearest window and bust it open with her elbow. "We gotta get tree side, stay low and put that hoodie on." Ymir ordered, Eren looked down and Levi who had the green cape. He hurried and threw it on over his white collared shirt and held onto Ymir.
She then launched them out of the hall and into the night sky. She fired one of her lines into a building next to them and dropped gracefully to the ground. Eren got off and started to ran after her. As they took off Eren started to realize how dumb and dangerous this was turning out be. Too much was happening to just up and leave now. Now that he thought about it he was permanently sealing his fate. If he left now he'd probably never get to come back and be accepted again. So as they went down an alley Eren slid to a stop. Ymir followed suit and turned around to face him.
"Second thoughts already?" Ymir asked with a smirk, Eren shook his head.
"No I didn't plan any of this you coerced me to go with you! What are we even doing anyway?!" Eren asked, Ymir shook her head slowly.
"Look runt, you want answers? You wanna kill all the titans? Well your not going to find them here. Especially when you're surrounded by people who want kill you and experiment on you. Plus I have some valuable information that you just might wanna hear..." Ymir spoke they could hear footsteps approaching from the streets. Eren turned to the entrance to the alley then back to Ymir. "What's it's gonna be Eren, answers or possible death? Now that you've knocked out our superiors." Ymir added already knowing his answer, Eren gritted his teeth at her words at the end.
"Whatever this is, it had better be good or I swear I'll-" Eren started but was interrupted when Ymir took off again. Eren muttered under his breath as he tried to catch up to her. They kept running until they got to the barracks. Ymir told him to gather what he needed and prepare to leave. Eren did as he was told and went inside the male barracks he was fortunate most of everybody was gone. Only a few who were already asleep were there. Eren put on his Odm gear and Survey Corps uniform and the cape. While he packed a backpack full of his things. He ran back out but stopped suddenly when he heard voices beside the cabin. He heard Armin, Mikasa and Jean they were talking about him. He scanned the area and saw Ymir coming out of the female cabin. She saw the predicament that he was in and sighed. She stepped off the small staircase and headed toward them. The three stopped in front of her and paused their conversation.
"Have you heard? Eren's escaped and nobody knows where he's ran off too." Ymir half lied, All three of their eyes widened in shock until Mikasa's eyes narrowed with determination.
"How did you obtain this information?" Mikasa asked Ymir, she didn't really take a liking to the girl and didn't really look like she was going to start. Ymir frowned and put a hand on her hip.
"The Corps are on the lookout for him, and word of mouth of course how else?" Ymir stated coolly, Mikasa burned holes in her head but was snapped out of it by Armin who tugged on her arm.
"Come on Mikasa we've gotta find him before anyone else does!" Armin exclaimed, Mikasa and Jean soon took off in the opposite direction. Eren jetted out of the cabin and stood beside Ymir. With his hood on he watched as his friends ran off to find him.
"You sure that's your sister? Or your Mother? Talk about overprotective..." Ymir mumbled before taking off again, Eren exhaled deeply all they've been doing was running.
"Where are we going Ymir?" Eren asked breathlessly, Ymir pulled her hood over her head as she grinned.
"Outside the walls..." Ymir answered him, Eren's eyes widened as they began using they're odm gear to maneuver faster through the city. Eren really wanted answers and he wanted them now.
"Ymir you're going to have to give me some type of explanation if you want me to continue to go along with this." Eren shouted as they bounced off of walls. Ymir exhaled in annoyance, she stopped on a roof top and waited for Eren to land.
"Look just wait until we get to Wall Maria I'll tell you what you want then. We just have to get away from them." Ymir promised him as she observed they're surroundings.
"Aren't their Titans out there?" Eren asked, Ymir checked her gas while nodding.
"Yeah but you shouldn't be worried about that." Ymir said as if it was obvious, but Eren wasn't afraid. Oh no he was more blood thirsty than anything. He didn't know what sparked it or where it came from but he felt that familiar rage at the mention of going where they lingered.
"Oh trust me I'm not scared." Even commented, he involuntarily clenched his fists.
"Change of plans, It's been reported that Eren has escaped." Reiner informed his two friends they were on top of a building overlooking the city.
"Where ever he's going he can't go too far." Annie said crossing her arms, Reiner stared off in space for a moment, deep in thought.
"You're right but something's telling me he is." Reiner spoke, Annie raised an eyebrow and Bertolt looked just as confused. "Think about it, Eren knocked out the Commander and Captain Levi. Plus he was bounded, that's a feat within itself. What the hell were you teaching him Annie?" Annie hid her small blush well by keeping the look of boredom even on her face.
"None of the training I gave him involved being bounded." Annie informed them, Reiner chuckled, keeping a joke to himself.
"Well regardless, he did all that whatever his plan is it doesn't involve coming back. He might be more informed about everything than we thought." Reiner spoke his hypothesis, Bertolt and Annie disagreed.
"I highly doubt that." Bertolt spoke, Annie nodded in agreement.
"You could tell that was more than likely his first transformation at will." Annie spoke, Reiner raised his hands up.
"Well why else is he running? He's nowhere near here and won't be. I'm telling you he's going over the walls and he's going somewhere." Reiner swore, he then turned to Annie. "And instead of gathering him from his squad you'll just track him down and get him before he reaches Wall Maria." Annie pushed her hair behind her ear.
"Fine, but you have better cover my ass." Annie warned, Reiner nodded with a grin.
"We got you Annie now hurry before he gets over that wall." Reiner said, Annie scoffed before jumping off the building and firing her grappling hook to a nearby building.
Eren and Ymir were quiet as they rested on a branch on one of the trees in the forest. Darkness still surrounded them and most of the Titans that might've been around should be dormant at this time of night. even if they weren't Eren figured that they wouldn't be able to get to them since they were so high up. Ymir was chewing on a ration bar while Eren sat quiet and still. His thoughts drifted to despair as he thought that he'd probably never see his family again. He then looked up and Ymir filled his vison. Despair quickly turned to anger, he still hadn't gotten his answers yet and everything was starting to look like a set up in his eyes.
"You-" Eren was cut off by Ymir smiling at him, he was about to go off on her but her smile caught him off guard.
"Listen Eren cause what I'm about to tell you is very important, make sure you pay attention because this could mean the life or death of humanity that lives inside these walls." Eren mulled over her words but stopped on a particular phrase. 'Humanity inside the walls?' Eren thought as he analyzed her words. "I'll start with your abilities, how do you think you got them?" Ymir asked, Eren slowly shook his head he didn't know how he could become the beasts he hated with all his being. Ymir rolled her eyes and tried again. "Come on you have to know because I am familiar with how the process works." Eren was puzzled at that, how did she know how the process worked?
"Look I think I would remember how I would inevitably become a titan. And just how do you know how the process works?" Eren replied, Ymir snickered at his ignorance.
"Because dumbass I can transform into one too." Ymir revealed, Eren was taken back by her secret. 'Ymir can change into a titan too?! That's crazy, all this time and nobody suspected a thing?' Eren thought but Ymir continued. "Your in luck as well I'll give you some of my backstory and a little bit of information on the titans and why they eat humans." Eren was quiet as a mouse now eyes wide and ready to soak in all he could. "Titans are humans first off, humans that are trying to break free from the titan. Don't ask me how this all started cause I have no clue. All I know is that there is a civilization out there called the Marley and they are the culprits that turned me into one of those mindless walking pieces of scum!" Ymir said memories from that time resurfacing, Eren's voice snapped her out of it as he had a question.
"Mindless? you don't seem like your mindless or like anyone of those devils out there at all. And how did they turn you into one?" Eren asked, Ymir gathered herself and put up a hand.
"I was getting to that if you'd just be patient!" Ymir spoke, making Eren pout and cross his arms while sitting on the branch. "Anyways, they use this type of needle that's filled with fluids I think its made of titan blood or something of the sort and they inject it into you." Eren got a flashback of a dream he had before his Father vanished and never came back. The dream where he took him to the forest and took out a needle with fluids in it. "Anyways it turned me into a mindless monster and I was forced to roam this island for a long time. Now onto why feral ones eat humans, its all because their hoping that they get their grubby mouths on us." Eren was brought back to reality on that one, he raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why?"
"Because were shifters, if they eat us they will become free and become human again but they could then change into that specific titan that the original holder was." Eren got most of it but that last part left him a little confused. Ymir saw this and wished she could elaborate a bit more on the subject but that was all she knew. "Sorry can't really explain that really good, I got this information from eavesdropping anyway and from my own experience. However I got lucky and ate a shifter which is why I am here today. Now guess what that means for you..." Ymir said with a mischievous grin on her face, Eren didn't find anything comical at all. 'My dream of Dad injecting me with that liquid must've meant that was titan fluid. I would have turned into a titan and needed to eat someone that was a shifter that would change me back.' Eren thought as tears started to burn his eyes, this took Ymir by surprise as the tears started to stream down the teen's cheeks.
"That means my Dad was a Titan shifter and I-I... ate my Dad." Eren spoke quietly, Ymir hadn't seen that coming and she looked away in sorrow. 'Damn, didn't think the kid had a experience like that. Father was probably about to die because of the thirteen year death thing and passed it on to Eren. Probably took him somewhere secluded, where no one would notice. Turn him quickly, He would have been the first person Eren saw and ate him. I guess since Eren was younger the memories were probably forgotten as soon as they came. His Dad must've been either smart or stupid, cause this has to be one of the most rampage filled knucklehead out here.' Ymir thought to herself letting Eren release the emotions of him ultimately killing his own father. "No how do I know you're telling the truth! Why should I trust what you say!" Ymir continued to shake her head in pity.
"Kid I didn't come up with that theory you did, and since your feeling this strongly about it..." Ymir sighed then continued, "It's probably the truth." Ymir concluded, Eren wiped his tears away. He didn't know how to feel about that. He was sad that his Father wasn't just gone but dead and he could never get him back. His Father had so many secrets, he had to get to the basement to find out more. He remembered that much from the dream and the reason he wore the key. "Okay now that you know the basics somewhat time to tell you the real reason I want you to get the hell out of here. Look I don't know how you have it or why they're after it but you have what the Marley call the coordinate. I don't know what it is or why they're after it but you have it. Our people brought it inside the walls, the royal bloodline is supposed to keep it in their line but somehow your father must've managed to take it. But they're after it and you have to run and master that power and destroy the Marleyan government. There's another civilization far away from here it's where I'm from and they take our race of people and turn us into titans. Reiner, Bertolt and Annie, they're the ones who are after you!" Ymir let out every word with pain and passion, something Eren never seen out of the girl. He was shocked when she said Annie, Reiner and Bertolt's name why would they be after him.
"They're shifters too and guess what?! They're the ones that attacked your home, Bertolt's the Colossal Titan. Annie is the Female Titan and Reiner is the Armored Titan-" Ymir was caught off guard by Eren grabbing her by the throat and shoving her against the base of the tree. His eyes held anger like she had never seen before.
"How do you know this information? Tell me the truth, do not play with me right now!" Eren warned in a very low tone unlike his own. Ymir regained her composure and removed Eren's grip from her throat and sent a kick his way. Eren wasn't prepared for the assault and he flew back tumbling until he gripped the edge of the branch about to fall off. He grunted as he tried to pull his self up. He quit his struggling when a hand settled in front of his face, he looked up to see Ymir with a straight face.
"Newsflash kid why the fuck would I lie about something as serious as that. And two should be number one, don't ever do that again unless you want to die." Ymir informed him as she pulled him up, Eren dusted himself off as they both walked closer to the bulk of the branch. They both sat back down and Eren waited for her continue. "Back to what I was saying, I know this information because I ate one of they're teammates when they were on their way here. That's how I'm here, once I woke up I followed the bastards. I didn't have anywhere to go and I didn't want to end up Titan bait for the next Feral so it looked like they were in search of civilization and so was I. So why not follow them, I figured out that I was the one that ate their team mate and what they're motives truly were. Get to the Walls cause some chaos sneak in grab the coordinate and get out is basically the jest of it all." Ymir explained, this was so much to take in at one time Eren started to overload with all this new found information.
"Are they these Marleyan people you were talking about earlier?" Eren asked calmly trying to wrap his head around all of it. At the same time trying to keep his anger in check, Reiner Annie and Bertolt. 'Basically the murderers of my Mother, they killed so many people that day. Why did they have to do it what was their drive?!' Eren had to know, and afterward they all die!
"That's the thing I couldn't understand, because they're not, they're actually our kind. Which is called the eldians sorry I didn't mention that, well no I'm not sorry actually. But yeah their our people, I know some of us reside in the city far away but I doubt they walked or ran that far. It had to be somewhere around here, I've been guessing that there might be a village of some sort around that they came from. It has to be the only logical reason." Ymir spoke, Eren watched as the sun started to rise. "Now I'll teach you how to change at will." Eren turned back to her and nodded ready to learn how to use this foreign power.
Not to far off in the distance, Annie crouched on a tree branch, she hadn't gotten anywhere as far as progress went. When she started it was already night and she knew she'd had to do everything on foot when she hit the forest. Though now she looked up at the sky and saw the sun. She thought about how she wanted to go about this. If what Reiner was saying had been true then she would have to signal other Titans to her side. She would only give him that, he couldn't have mastered the coordinate power, if so then that battle wouldn't have went the way it did. Or maybe he was trying to hide it, she couldn't underestimate him. Plus if he did then summoning Titans would be the worst move she could have came up with. She now contemplated if she should turn or not. 'I have too cause at this rate he'll be well over the wall by now if I continue on foot' Annie thought as she jumped off the branch and used to ring on her thumb to cut her finger.
Lightning strucked the ground a few miles away from the two. Ymir was going over her lesson when it struck, she cut her eyes in the direction of the flash. Eren stood up and watched for what was about to happen. 'They've caught on." Eren continued to stare until Ymir started to back up.
"What is it? What the hell was that?" Eren asked as Ymir pulled his arm and launched her hook toward the next tree.
"Seems like one of your three friends are looking for you, remember what I told you on how to transform. Cause we seriously might have too cause they're going to find us." Ymir shouted as she threw him in front of her, Eren skillfully fired his own grappling hook.
"Why are we running?! There's two of us and only one of them we can take em!" Eren shouted as they continued through the forest. Ymir disagreed with that plan.
"If it's Reiner then where done for, my Titan is only like five meters. I could transform to get us outta here I'm faster than both of them." Ymir explained as she took out her sword she was about to cut her hand when she heard a loud stomp. Ymir turned around to see the Female Titan watching both of them eyes wide as if it were surprised. She was only about half a mile away, Ymir smirked evilly, 'So they sent Annie? This should be easy, with Eren's rage he'd be able to overwhelm her himself. It's just seals the deal with me being here.' Ymir thought as Annie started to catch up to them, she looked to Eren. Who looked as if he would physically combust. 'But if she does get overwhelmed she'll just attract Titans here to help her. We'll just have to be careful.' Ymir thought as she slid to stop on a branch, she raised both her hands to her mouth and called after Eren.
"EREN WE'LL FIGHT, JUST DON'T LET THE ANGER MAKE YOU LOSE CONTROL!" Ymir yelled after him, Eren heard hear loud and clear as he turned his body to face them. He saw the Female Titan and grinned wickedly. 'So everything Ymir was saying was true, they'll pay...' Eren thought as his hand rose to his mouth. Ymir was already slicing her hand with a smile on her face. Lightning sparked around her as blood streamed down her hand.
"Hope your ready Annie..." Ymir said muscle and bone forming around her. At the same time Eren chomped down on his hand, electricity sparking around him.
"I'll make you suffer..." Eren spoke as his Titan form started to form around him. Annie had came to a stop as the both the Titans looked at her. Ymir was on a tree branch holding onto the base of the tree while leaning to the side. Eren stood in front of her, both shifters were surprised not to hear a roar out of him. However inside Eren was fighting for true control of his Titan like Ymir has told him only moments ago. "Alright, I think I got it." Eren spoke as he commanded his beast to roar. His Titan's forearms spread out and he let out a blood curdling roar shaking the branches around the area. The Female Titan took a step back trying to discern her next move.
Ymir jumped on Eren's shoulder and pointed at Annie and growled out a charge. She didn't have to tell Eren twice as he did just that. Annie awaited their attack putting her signature guard up. Eren was grounded when he saw that, 'So this really is Annie... I-I have to kill her!' Eren shouted to himself as his Titan roared with him. He swung hard but he knew he'd miss which he did but Ymir jumped off his shoulder and landed on Annie's face. Blinded for the time being. Eren gave her a sickening blow to her gut that made her lift up off the ground. Ymir scratched up her face then jumped back to Eren who followed up with a punch to her jaw that sent her flying the other way. A tree stopped Annie from tumbling, steam started erupting from her mouth as Eren roared again.
'Ymir ate Marcel, cause that's the Jaw Titan. And what is she doing with Eren, I won't be able to do this alone. Still can't pin whether or not he's a rookie or not. Either way they have the advantage and this is probably the only chance I have. Signal the Titans?' Annie asked herself, Eren's Titan took a step forward and let out another loud roar. The Female Titan's face scrunched up into a scowl. 'Is he signaling them?! So he does know how to use it?! This is bad, I've got to go get Reiner and Bertolt this'll be harder than we originally thought.' Annie thought as she got to her feet, she was about to take off but she felt his hand grasp her shoulder and pull her back. She turned around just in time to intercept his punch and flip him over her shoulder. Ymir jumped for her face again but she anticipated it and punched her into a nearby tree. Even Ymir's actual body felt that one as she slid down the trunk.
Annie turned around to Eren picking himself up, he was staring at the ground. His Titan's hair covering his face as he let his arms dangle. 'So many, too many, they died, innocents that have nothing to do with me. I didn't even know what I was at the time. If there was something you wanted couldn't you have just found me. Surely there could of been another way, but you instead killed. Well let me show you what it feels like.' Eren said dangerously as he charged her again, Annie was prepared for it putting up her guard. Her hands and forearms crystallizing. Eren zigzagged before launching his fist aimed for her face again. Annie saw it coming and threw a punch of her own that collided with his jaw knocking it clean off. Eren's Titan then slid back across her crystallized forearm and connected a punch of his own that hit her under arm. The force behind it knocking the bone out of its socket and in the air. Annie quickly recuperated and threw a punch in his chest then his shoulder and lastly his face again making him fly backwards.
Eren hit the ground hard and his jaw started to steam and regenerate. Annie was thinking the fight was in the bag. She might've suffered losses but it seemed Eren was down for the count. She looked behind her and Ymir's Titan was still down for the count it's whole body still steaming trying to regenerate. 'I don't know what I was worried about. I should've just trusted my gut instinct. Letting Reiner hype him up in my head was stupid.' She went over to remove the boy from his Titan's body but Eren had other plans.
"I see how this works now..." Eren spoke with a wicked smile on his face. He shouted within his Titan willing it to get up and regenerate. Annie was taken back to see Eren's Titan start to rise and it's jaw start to heal back to normal. It roared once again as it threw a wild punch. Annie ducked it and threw a kick Eren caught it with his side. Surprising Annie once again, he jumped up and wrapped his legs and arms around hers and dropped to the ground. Annie grunted from inside as she was helpless to his hold. Eren let out a growl as he ripped her right leg from its socket as well.
He stood up and was about to devour her but Annie pulled out her last ditch effort move. She hardened her whole hand and when Eren came down she sliced his head off. Careful not to hurt the real Eren. Her Titan stared at the real Eren sticking out of the nape. Who stared right back looking her in the eyes. Annie held his Titan up so that he wouldn't get crushed on the ground. She thought that he was probably stuck. Eren proved her wrong when he got out of his organic bindings and landed on her nose gracefully. The Female Titan's eyes followed him.
"Annie... You make me sick to my fucking stomach! I-I thought you were different, and to some degree you are..." Eren took out one of the swords from his Odm gear and pointed it at her Titan. "I'm gonna kill you, Reiner and Bertolt that's a promise!" Eren shouted as he cut his hand. Annie couldn't believe her eyes, lightning struck Eren and Her Titan . 'How did he transform so quickly after all that?' Annie thought as she was removed from her Titan. She was blown away into a tree, she groaned at the pain and looked up to see only Eren's torso area and up plus one arm had been created. Eren's Titan reached out for her and roared viciously. It started to pull itself toward her but Ymir's Titan appeared on its back and ripped Eren from its nape. She looked down at Annie and growled but something caught both their attention.
The ground started to shake and they both knew what came. Ymir looked back down at Annie, who cut her eyes at her. 'Fuck she's going to leave me for dead!' Annie thought as she started to shake. Ymir kept on staring before she saw three Titans walking toward their location to the left. Annie then snarled as she stood up.
"Go on leave!" Annie shouted, then Ymir did something that she'd probably regret later on. Though she couldn't be as heartless as they were and Eren would probably kill her by the time he woke up anyway. Ymir grabbed Annie and started running toward the wall.