"Man is condemned to be free. Because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."

Jean-Paul Sartre

Chapter 2: It's Alive

"Mhhh..."

The darkness was disappearing as Eren began to open his eyes. Slowly but surely, he was beginning to wake up. And now, he was becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings. And just like the Coordinate, the ground was red. However, this ground was smooth and free of rocks. It didn't seem to be regular ground. Eren was looking down on a man-made floor.

He began to stand up, and noticed something else. Rather than his own leg, Eren saw he was standing on a black leg. It was at that moment Eren felt a familiar feeling. He felt... warm. But it wasn't the warmth of the room he was in. His arms, legs, and his face had... flesh connected to it. And he could see a red light around himself. It didn't take him long to know where he was.

"I'm in a Titan," Eren thought to himself. "This... This must be my new Titan. Let's see what-"

"At last."

Eren looked up from the ground to see someone standing in the shadows. He couldn't see any distinct features, except for a white hand in the light. The hand was twirling, and black smoke rested on top of it. And from the smoke came a small hint of... a child's laughter?

Eren moved closer to the figure, leaving behind black, watery footprints. He still couldn't make out anything else about the figure, so he moved his head closer.

"Stop."

Eren stopped moving. Just as he did, the figure moved out of the shadows, revealing a pale woman in a black dress. The woman had red veins close to her face and a dark stone on her forehead. Eren knew the woman from the visions the God of Darkness gave him; this was Salem.

His initial shock died down, and he began to understand what was going on.


Five minutes ago

"Now, once you have your new abilities, it will take time to build them."

"So, I won't be as strong?"

"At first, you will be weak. But that does not mean you will be powerless."

The God of Darkness had just finished telling Eren about the important details of the world of Remnant. Now, he decided to tell him more about the new Founding Titan.

"So, what can I do?" Eren asked.

"Similar to the Titans you possessed, you will be able to heal yourself from most wounds, and exit the Titan whenever you please," Darkness explained.

"And?"

"...I do not know."

Eren lost all sense of curiosity and became impatient. "You mean to tell me you're going to give me a new Titan, and you don't even know what it does?"

"That is because I am not making your body. Salem is."

The explanation only raised more questions. "My enemy is giving me my powers? Why would she be doing that?"

"Because I told her to."

"Uh... what?"

Darkness found a strange sense of humor in the mortal's confusion, and let out a small chuckle. He also stood up and extended his hand. "Perhaps I should elaborate."

A purple fire formed just above his hand. Eren moved closer as the fire began to dissipate and create an image. The fire was showing a large figure, similar to a Titan. But unlike a Titan, the figure had black skin, white hair, crimson red eyes and spike-like spines along its back with sharp spikes from it's elbows and knees. It also bore some resemblance to Eren's Attack Titan, if the Attack Titan had lips.

"This is the Founding Titan?" Eren asked.

"Yes," Darkness answered. "Salem is creating it as we speak, out of the Grimm water I showed you earlier." The fire disappeared and Eren looked back at the deity. "I didn't make my plan at the drop of a hat, Eren. This effort has taken me months to prepare. Through dreams and visions, I inspired Salem to make the Titan. She and my brother remain oblivious to my deception."

"...Okay." Eren was beginning to understand now. "So once I go to Remnant, I'll have that Titan?"

"Yes. Salem will not only craft the body for you, but she will give you whatever power she sees fit. She is putting on the finishing touches to the Founding Titan as we speak. But I will be adding one final piece to the Titan."

"...Me."


Present day

Eren understood his situation well. He was on Remnant, he was in a new Titan, and now his enemy was inches away from him. He could crush her in an instant, swallow her whole. He had the perfect opportunity to make her suffer.

[Play 'DOOM Eternal-Demonic Chanting-Extended' on YouTube]

Salem began to walk towards a massive hole in the wall. "Come," the witch ordered.

Eren willingly obeyed, and followed the woman towards the hole.

Remembering his earlier conversation with the God of Darkness, two things were clear to Eren: Salem could survive practically anything and his new powers were unknown. Crushing or eating her would just make the woman angry, and would make Eren vulnerable to death. But that wasn't the only thing Eren thought about. His time in Marley had taught the warrior patience, and to know when the right time to strike was. He needed to remember that lesson now in order to survive in this new world.

Having created an extension to her castle before performing her experiment, Salem led the 16-meter Titan outside her home. She led it outside a large hole in the wall, given her creation's massive size. Staring back at the monster as she walked down the stairs, Salem felt proud of her feat. The new Grimm was certainly intimidating, and when she created more, they would most likely be a force to be reckoned with.

But there was only one way to make sure.

Salem and the disguised Eren continued to walk outside the castle. All around him, Eren noticed a red landscape, covered with black and purple rocks. He was starting to wonder what the rest of the world of Remnant looked like.

But he would find out later. His main focus on what Salem was doing. And he couldn't learn much about her by watching her walk. But he could learn about the monsters all around him.

Darkness called the creatures "the Grimm." And Eren was starting to realize the black creatures definitely deserved the name. All around him were wolves capable of walking on their hind legs, giant birds in the sky, and bears that also could walk on their hind legs. These things looked dangerous, but Eren didn't know how dangerous.

But now, he was about to find out.

Salem stopped walking across the wasteland, standing in front of a pool of black, stagnant water. Eren stopped walking as well. That was when he heard a low growl come from behind him.

Turning around, Eren saw a dozen Grimm behind. The wolves were circling him, the bears were moving closer, and the birds were all perched on a rock three yards away. But the one thing these Grimm had in common was that they were all watching the Titan.

"Defend yourself," Salem ordered.

[End music]

Just then, the wolves all pounced at Eren. Some of them were biting into his leg while the others were scaling his body.

"Time for the test," Eren thought to himself. He didn't care if he was following Salem's orders, he needed to see what the new Founding Titan could do.

The first thing he did was pick up his right foot. The Grimm attacking it fell off and landed beneath his foot. They became vulnerable to being squished, and that's exactly what Eren did. Once those Grimm were crushed, Eren's attention turned to the two Grimm climbing up his body. He quickly grabbed one in each hand, and squeezed the one in his right. Just as he did, the monster let out a whisper and turned to dust. The one in his left hand was thrown into the Titan's mouth and crushed with giant teeth, also turning to dust.

The bears began to run towards Eren, but they weren't as fast as the wolves. Eren was starting to realize that everything about his new Titan felt pretty much the same as his Attack Titan. So, he decided to end the bears' lives with a quick punch to the ground. They all turned to dust at the touch of the fist, and it left a large crater in the ground.

His attention shifted from the ground once he felt piercing pains in his chest. Standing up straight, Eren could see three black spikes in his chest. He pulled them out immediately and tossed them aside. But when he touched the final one, he realized they weren't spikes, but feathers.

Steam began to escape the wounds, and Eren could feel the holes being filled. Once again, he found out he shared another power with most Titans: healing.

More feathers entered his body, which caused Eren to look into the sky. The two birds were circling him and firing more feathers from their wings. Eren was able to dodge them quickly, and he landed in front of a rock. He had tested his fighting and healing, now it was time for a test of strength.

Grabbing the large rock with both hands, Eren began to squeeze it. He had no choice but to ignore the feathers coming towards him, but he had to make sure to move his head around. If one landed in his nape, his mission would be over before it even began.

*CRACK*

The rock began to break from the applied pressure, loosening it. After pulling again, Eren was able to life the rock over his head. Rather than an attack by feathers, one bird swooped down and prepared to grab Eren with its talons. But now, Eren was able to defend himself. He swung the rock at the beast, and it flew to the ground. The second one attacked in a similar manner, but Eren used the sharp end of the rock to stab it in the chest. It turned to dust in an instant.

The victory Eren had claimed made him oblivious to the other bird. It had reoriented itself and grabbed the Titan by its shoulders. Eren dropped the rock and grabbed the creature's small legs. His need to keep a level head had disappeared and it had been replaced with unbridled rage. The monster was dangerously close to Eren's nape, and he couldn't let this happen again. So he broke the bird's legs, and it let out a wild screech.

Eren remained unfazed, and simply sent a wild punch in the bird's face. The monster flew with Eren's fist and collided into another rock. Pinned between a rock and a hard place, the monster disintegrated. With the final threat eliminated, Eren began to catch his breath.


Salem was beyond satisfied with the test. The monster held the same animosity as the rest of the Grimm. It was a reckless, violent, brutal monster. It seemed to have no qualms against taking life from the world, even if it was just another Grimm. Once it was released on the world, not even a Huntsman could defeat it easily.

The only downside was how long it took her to create such a monster. The idea for one came to her months ago, and it required much time and energy. What once started as a mass at the bottom of a Grimm pool had now become her greatest creation.

Her first test was complete. And now, she had a second one planned.

"Come," she ordered. Salem began to walk back to her castle, back to the large room she made for her creation. The monster followed, but with some hesitation. Once she entered the room, she found two men waiting for her, one of them was holding something on his shoulder.

"Your Grace, we have-"

Eren entered the building to see two men standing in the doorframe. One was a large man wearing a green overcoat over his black shirt. Eren could sense the fear coming from him, and the man's face did a poor job to hide that fear. The second man was thin and wearing a brown overcoat. His face, one the other hand, was one of glee and a strange sense of satisfaction. "Oh, ho ho!" he said as he walked dangerously close to Eren. "What is this?"

"An experiment," Salem replied. She rubbed the Titan's arm, and Eren shifted closer to the woman. "So far... I am pleased with the results." The witch turned back to her underlings. "Did you need something?"

"Yes," the large man replied. "We found the one you're looking for."

Eren eyes were meters above from Salem, but he could see the news her underlings gave her had brought a smile to the witch's face. "Oh, what now?" he wondered to himself.

"Is that her?" Salem asked, pointing to the body the large one was holding.

"Yes," he said. "She's unconscious."

"Put her down."

The man placed the unconscious body on the ground. Eren saw the body had a feminine structure, and she was wearing a white cloak over her clothes. A red circle appeared under the body, and three long, black arms came out and grabbed her arms, legs, and the back of her head. As the last arm attached itself to the woman, she began to wake up. "Tyrian, Hazel, retrieve the others," the witch commanded. "I'd like to welcome our new guest."


"Uhh... Wha?"

The castle's 'guest' had begun to regain consciousness, and she was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. All she could see was what looked like a ceiling, her head was placed so that she could only look upwards. "Wh... Where am I?" she asked out loud.

"Well, hello there."

The woman moved her eyes down and made eye contact with another woman. The sight of the other woman made the captive feel a cold chill go up her spine. "Oh, Gods..." The woman knew where she was; she was in trouble.

But the woman found her courage when she realized what else was happening. Salem was looking at her, and she was looking at Salem.

Her Silver Eyes were beginning to glow.

"AAHH!"

The Grimm hand on the woman's head tightened its grip and moved the woman's head back to the ceiling. She lost all focus on Salem. There was nothing she could do now.

"How predictable," said Salem with a soft laugh. "No, I'm afraid there will be none of that."

"Then why... am I... here?" the woman asked.

Before Salem could reply, both women could hear the door open. And on the other side were Tyrian and Hazel, each of them holding one other person with a bag over their head. "Just bring them over here," she said.

The men walked over to their Queen, right past the large beast that towered above them. Hazel was trying his best to ignore it while Tyrian couldn't take his golden eyes off the creation. Out of all the beasts and monsters he saw arise from the murky waters, this was, by far, his favorite.

The bound woman had finally noticed the large monster. But rather than screaming, she displayed her fear by shaking even more, and a cold sweat formed on her forehead. Salem quickly noticed her fear, and was proud that her creation passed another test: intimidating its enemies.

As soon as the other people came in, Salem bound them the same way she did the first woman. But she kept the bags on their heads for now, and all they could do was talk in a muffled voice.

Salem stood behind the woman, and smiled. Her plan was going well so far. But now was the time for the hard part.

Looking at the giant and raising her hand, Salem gestured to her creation. She was beckoning it to come forward. And that's what Eren did, who was oblivious to the witch's plan.

The woman had Eren in her sight, and her Silver Eyes began to glow again. As the giant moved closer, the eyes began to glow brighter and brighter. Salem was just out of the woman's view, but she could see the light beginning to form.

And right when her irises disappeared, Salem moved at an inhuman speed towards the door, fleeing the room. This was the last thing Eren saw before the entire room burst into a white light.

He could feel the entire Titan's body burn as the light grew brighter and brighter. The light died down after a few seconds and the woman was catching her breath. While Tyrian and Hazel were starting to recover from the blinding flash, Eren was kneeling down, his body still burning. However, the burning wasn't from the flash of light anymore. Eren could feel his Titan powers begin to heal him, and he began to stand back up.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Tyrian smacked his knee and moved back to the woman. "Well, isn't that ironic!" The woman looked away from Tyrian and back up at the monster, who looked angrier than before. The Grimm arms holding her and the other prisoners had turned to dust, freeing them. But that wouldn't stop the unfazed monster from crushing her where she stood. And that didn't stop Salem's large underling from grabbing the other two people before they could run.

"It worked."

Everyone looked back to see Salem floating in the air, close to the giant's body. She put her hand on its shoulder, feeling the heat linger. But it didn't seem to be in any pain. Instead, it seemed to be healing itself. All across its body, Salem's creation was recovering from the vicious attack. The woman had failed to kill the creature with ease, her use of her Silver Eyes had failed. And where the woman found failure, Salem found success. This was her plan all along.

And it worked perfectly.

So, she decided to let her prisoner know this. "Well, that didn't go as planned... Summer, was it?" Salem asked with a smile.

As Eren began to huff and puff even more, the warrior before him knew he was ready to attack. Summer looked at the other people, still unable to move because of Hazel. Without any weapons, Auras, or even their Silver Eyes, she knew one thing was now certain: they were doomed.

Salem understood it as well. The warriors were powerless, and their lives were now hers for the taking. Or rather, for her creation's taking.

Eren understood the situation he was in. These people, specifically the woman who just attacked him, were all prisoners and enemies of Salem. The power he just experienced hurt like Hell. But he was able to recover rather quickly, and they were all helpless before him. He looked at the smiling witch. "It's time," Salem stated. "Kill them all."

Eren's hands turned to fists.

The other people weren't completely sure what was happening, but that didn't stop them from panicking. Summer simply lowered her head and began to cry. "R... Ruby... Yang... I'm sorry," she whispered. "Mommy's not coming home."

The monster looked down at the crying woman, and raised its right fist. Summer looked away in fear as she heard the beast let out a roar and bring its fist down.

*CRASH*

A second passed.

Two seconds passed.

Five seconds passed.

Summer opened her eyes. She was still alive.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

She looked to her right to see Tyrian kneeling and screaming. Hazel was in a state of shock, and the other bound people were still alive. Summer then noticed the monster's fist was far away from her.

The fist was covering the spot where Salem once stood.

The maniac's attention was drawn to his fallen Goddess, which gave Summer an opening to run. She didn't care why the Grimm turned on its master, she only wanted to get back home.

Eren raised his fist to reveal a broken and bleeding Salem. He knew she would regenerate, he knew his cover had just been blown. If he was going to watch Salem and learn more about her, his actions caused that plan to be thrown out the window.

But he would be damned before he killed any more innocent people. Especially someone who had just proven themselves to be a thorn in Salem's side.

Speaking of which, Eren turned back to the captives, who were making a break for the castle's large exit. Tyrian was pinned on top of Summer and Hazel grabbed the other two, who managed to remove their bags. Deciding to help even further, Eren sent his foot towards Tyrian, and his big toe launched the man into a wall. Summer was about to make a break for the exit, but multiple beams of light hit her in the chest. Eren then felt a pain in his back, right in the middle of his spine. He turned around to see Salem as the cause of the attack, an orb in the middle of her hands.

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!" she yelled. The witch intensified her attack, coming close to making a hole in the monster's body. But Eren quickly sent his foot in her direction. Salem flew backwards, but a tornado at her legs stopped her from crashing into the wall. Eren simply grabbed her and squeezed his hand.

Salem could regenerate from any attack, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel any pain. She didn't remembered being crushed hurting this badly, and it caused her to scream at the top of her lungs. Eren continued to apply more pressure in his hand, content that the witch was suffering from her failed attempt to end his life. Nothing could stop him from this brutal attack on Salem.

Not even the small stabbing up his leg, courtesy of the witch's most loyal subject.

Eren looked down to see Tyrian climb up his body, similar to how the Grimm scaled him earlier. Two wrist gauntlets Tyrian was wearing made the feat possible, and he was moving at rapid speed. But Eren's large hand moved faster, and plucked the man off his body. Tyrian continued his assault, so Eren squeezed him harder. But the attack didn't seem to faze the maniac, as a purple light surrounded his body. "Release our Goddess, you monster!" Tyrian yelled at the top of his lungs, still stabbing the hand.

The attacks still did nothing to faze Eren, they only increased his anger. To show how angry he really was, Eren opened his mouth and roared.

"NNNNNOOOOO!"

"..."

The entire room went silent.

Tyrian's jaw dropped.

Hazel looked up at the source of the voice, ignoring the prisoners he recaptured.

Salem's scowl disappeared, her face spelled the word "dumbfounded."

Even Eren was surprised at his new found ability. Under the shell, he shared the same look as Salem. However, it quickly disappeared and formed a look of anger. Eren regained his focus and tossed Tyrian out of the room. With the assassin gone, Eren looked back to his other hand, and Salem was continuing to scream and try to break his grasp. So Eren decided to help her.

He let go of Salem for a brief moment, and used his open palm to slam her into the ground. "NO!" he screamed again.

Removing his hand, Eren saw Salem broken and bleeding again. He slammed his fist down on her. "NO!"

He slammed it again. "NO!"

He slammed it again. "NO!"

He slammed it again. "NO!"

Eren raised his fist one more time, only to see a black paste on the ground. Whatever was left of Salem was just a pile of goo.

But that didn't change anything. Eren could pummel her over and over again, but Salem would still be alive. It could take a few minutes or a few days, but she would come back. And when she did, she wouldn't hesitate to destroy what she created.

Eren couldn't let that happen.

It was time to leave.


One hour later

Salem had just finished healing from her battle with the Titan. While Hazel and Tyrian were out searching for it, the livid witch decided to pay a visit to her prisoner. She opened a wooden door to reveal a blindfolded Summer. "...And here I thought I knew everything of your gift," she said. A red circle appeared under the Huntress, and Grimm arms grabbed her arms and legs. They brought the woman closer to their master, who had created a purple orb in her hand. "What did you do to my creation?"

"No... Nothing," she replied.

Salem moved closer, brining her arm closer to Summer's face. "I've lost control of it. What... did you do?"

"My Queen."

The voice's familiarity caused Salem to turn around and see a worn out Tyrian. Based on the fact he was out of breath, kneeling, and stripped of his overcoat, it was clear he ran to catch up to the beast.

"Tyrian," Salem addressed her subject. "Did you find my creation?"

"N... No," Tyrian answered, looking away from his Queen. He was ashamed of himself, failing a task the woman had given him. "The beast, it... outran me."

Salem did not normally tolerate failure, especially when the task was of upmost importance. But in all honesty, she could see how an attempt to capture the beast had a very slim chance of success. "I understand," she said. "Do you know which way it went?"

"Y-Yes!" Tyrian sprung up, his spirits immediately raised. "The Grimm, it fled to the west! If I had an airship, I could track it down, and-"

"No," Salem cut him off. "That will be unnecessary." For the first time since her regeneration, Salem smiled. "There is nothing but the ocean to the west. If my creation tries to leave, it will drown. If it stays, the Grimm will find it and tell me."

Tyrian found her reasoning sound, and he dared not to question his Goddess. Instead, he turned his attention to the bound woman. An embodiment of helplessness and weakness made the Faunus giggle and move closer. "Are you finished with this one, my lady?" he asked happily.

"...Not yet." The witch regained her focus on the fallen warrior. "First, I'd like to know how all of this happened." The purple orb returned to her hand, making the sadistic Faunus smile even wider.

Summer knew things had become much more dire than before. Her last hope had literally fled from her, now she was all alone. This realization made tears escape her blindfold. "I really don't know!" she protested.

Salem knew her enemy was telling the truth, but that didn't stop her from moving closer. "...You will. Eventually."


Salem was right. There was nothing but an ocean at the west of her castle. And that's where Eren ended up when he stopped running.

A vast ocean lay before Eren. The red in the sky was starting to fade, and it was being replaced by the black of night. The red was still on the ground, but it had been replaced with sand rather than just rocks. But the water was still black. It was most likely caused by the absence of light, so it seemed safe to travel.

But Eren remained motionless in his Titan body. As soon as he stepped foot on the beach, he felt his body go stiff. He couldn't move, speak, or take his eyes off the water. All he could do... was think.

Think about the ocean.

"According to this book, the majority of this world is covered in a body of water called the ocean!"

Now, Eren re-found his new ability to speak through the Titan. "Armin..."

Armin Arlert. His best friend. He was the first one to tell Eren about the ocean, all those years ago.

They dreamed of seeing the ocean, seeing the outside world. It took years of fighting and sacrifice. But they did it. Together, with Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and the Survey Corps, they all saw the ocean.

"...And beyond that ocean lies freedom. That's what I always believed in. But I was wrong. They only thing we'll find out there... is the enemy."

But that wasn't true now.

Salem, his new enemy, laid miles behind him.

And this new ocean wouldn't lead him to his enemy. No, now the only thing beyond the ocean... was freedom.

And so, Eren leapt into the water and swam.

Swam away from his enemy.

Swam to freedom.

Eren would be free to prepare. Free to grow stronger. And when the time was right, he would return, and bring freedom to all of Remnant.


Author's notes: I'm surprised how well this is already going. Thanks for reading this, I'm glad you like it so far.

So, two things: I don't have a set schedule for updating this story. Not only is my personal life kind of hectic at the moment, but I'm working on another RWBY crossover, one with Star Wars/The Mandalorian. If you're a Mandalorian fan, check out my profile and read my other story ("The Way of the Maiden").

Second thing is I really want to thank The Avenging Titan for putting all this together. While I'm the main writer, The Avenging Titan is the idea guy. I consulted him for ideas, some of which you've seen here. So make sure you support him as well, thank you!