Eren raises his head to the sky and breathes in the salt air.
It's… peaceful.
Or it would be if not for the constant presence resting at the back of his mind.
"If you want to save Mikasa and Armin, all of them… find someone within the walls to love. Have a child.
Otherwise this will all repeat."
What does that mean?
"Do I have to kill them?" he whispers. It doesn't make sense. None of it does.
Why are these images in his head?
He understands that it has something to do with his titan. He understands that these are memories.
But they're his memories.
Of things that haven't happened.
What is going on?
It's beyond simple memories.
This is a presence.
An angry one.
"Eren?"
Surprised, he turns.
Armin is standing there, having approached without his knowledge.
Eren's jaw slowly becomes unstuck. "How long have you been there?"
"I was… just coming up to talk to you. What did you say just then?"
"What?" He's never been good at lying. Or at faking innocence.
"You were talking about killing someone. You asked if you had to. What does that mean?"
Eren's mouth is dry. "Armin…"
Armin sits beside him cautiously. There's almost a foot of space between them.
Eren wonders if his best friend is afraid of him.
The thought almost hurts.
In the end, though, all he feels is numb.