Part 71
The Curse of Ymir
"It was… Commander Erwin?" Isaah solemnly asked Fury, as the woman came to a stop down the hallway from where Erwin's body lay at rest within his room, covered by his own Wings of Freedom.
"I-I thought it was Captain Levi. Though, that wouldn't make this any better, would it?"
Nothing. Fury had no words to muster. Everything felt numb to her, distant. Isaah's own words sounded miles away from her.
"You've still got me, Aya! I promised to protect you, and I will!" The boy continued in his optimism. "You're… You came back to my village, even if it wasn't for me, it was for everyone's sake. You didn't have to do that, but you did anyway…
I know what loss feels like. Not only did we lose Hexis to old age, but that damn big Titan caused the death of my mother… So… You're all I have left too."
Her eyes lifted, as heavy as they felt. The voices in Fury's head had fallen silent themselves once again.
"I'm not your replacement of a mother though, Isaah…"
He lost his smile. "I know."
"It just… hurts…" She then openly muttered. "When I lost Isabel, and Farlan, the pain was different to this… I want it taken away. I don't want to feel this sort of thing."
Isaah lifted his hand, gently patting its palm upon Fury's shoulder. He was still young. Heart break was foreign, to him.
"I probably could've prevented his death… If I was just with him on the other side of these damn Walls, I could've halted all those Titan's…"
"I heard that one of those Titan's was a shifting one? Bloodborn's can't control what is already in control of their actions." Isaah would speak, causing Fury to lift herself further.
She would ask, "How did you know that?"
Isaah answered, "Hexis liked to tell his stories. The old man used to tell us all the time, of the past, of how people let Bloodborn's down, along with Ymir."
"Ymir?" Fury questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"That… she was the one who pretty much created Bloodborn's. You didn't know?"
"Fury!" Came the commanding voice of an MP. "Please stay there." Aggressively, he took a hold of her arm.
"Let me guess… An arrest?" She sighed, not even bothering to fight back.
"Wait, why?" Isaah fretted, though looking at Fury, he surmised she knew she deserved it.
"Go back to training, shithead… It's fine." Guided away by the MP, Isaah couldn't argue over the situation. He may be new to life behind the walls, but he had learned of the hierarchy, along with the rules about attacking those in a higher command than your own.
"The reports have been given to the Queen and Darius Zackly over the events that took place. You're not stupid, Fury. You not only attacked Captain Levi, but also used your abilities on those around you."
"And the solution is to lock the monster away, I get it…" Walking into her cell, it didn't take Fury long to see she was to be sharing it with Mikasa. Eren in the one next to them.
She sighed. But her heart ached too much to show much attitude right now.
Fury made her way to a mattress on the floor, Mikasa having already claimed the bed in the cell, and she sat down on it. Isaah's words about Ymir ringing through her head. How is it that Bloodborn's were created? Engineered? And not just simply born as they are. Yet it somehow made sense.
The atmosphere soon turned tasteless. Fury knew Mikasa and Eren fought for Armin to be the one to live, and here she was, the only one who practically begged for Erwin's life instead.
"Fury…" Mikasa muttered.
"I don't wanna hear it…" Fury would respond, lowering her head, curling up into a foetal position. Out of respect, Mikasa did not argue back with her. Not this time.
What must have been a few days trickled by for the three of them. Eren slept most of time, Mikasa wasn't eating much, and neither was Fury in that matter. Being in the cell certainly reminded her of feeling trapped down in the Underground, all those years ago.
The bustling noise of civilians above, living their lives as normally as they have always done, unaware how many sacrifices were made to allow them to keep selling their apples and tomatoes.
Suddenly, a screeching cry of horror came from Eren, Mikasa springing to her feet, grabbing a hold of the cell bars. "Eren?!" She called out, as his deep breathing was next to be heard. Even Fury sat up. Despite opinions, she was also concerned for him.
"Ymir…" Eren muttered with a shaken voice. Fury's ears peaked. "They call it the Curse of Ymir…"
"Eren!" Mikasa called out again as Fury stood up. It had been the first time she had done in days, and her legs buckled slightly from being used again.
"The first Titan…" Eren continued. "She died 13 years after obtaining her powers. And that curse is given to everyone who inherits a Titan…"
"Y-You're wrong…" Mikasa choked, grasping at her head. "You were just having a bad dream… It's not true…"
"From my dream though, if a shifter dies before passing on their power to someone else, then a baby born after their death, a subject of Ymir or maybe a Bloodborn, will be given the power instead. So, if that's the case, are all of us Eldian's tied to Ymir?
But what of you, Fury? Are you sure you're an Eldian?"
"What else would I be?" She responded, and yet Fury was unable to confidently say yes.
"When you were born, you were born with abilities a Titan shifter could potentially have, but with no need to become one. You don't have 13 years to left to live from the moment you first acknowledged what you are.
So… Is Ymir connected to Bloodborn's too?"
"Isaah." Fury then muttered. "Someone, even if it's me, needs to talk to him. He's from a village that was able to live outside the walls, for what seemed to be years, if not generations. I think he may know something more about this Ymir, as that name was mentioned to me by him."
Eren hummed in response. "I also think… there was one successor, who said there was something called Paths. Corridors unseen to the naked eye. Through which time and memories flow through, for Titan Shifters. Each living person may have their own Path tied to them, with will intertwined in them. But… all these Path's all meet at a single point. To Ymir. The Founding Titan."
"What was that all about?" Hange chuckled. So caught up in his dreams, Eren failed to see herself, and Levi, in front of his cell. "The Founding Titan", Hange would then mimic. "That's what you just said! Who the hell were you talking to in the way that you were, Eren? You looked like you were elsewhere for a while."
"Let it go, Four Eyes." Levi sighed, unlocking Eren's cell after he had unlocked Mikasa's and Fury's. "The kid's 15 years old… They all go through their phases."
"A phase where we posed and muttered weird crap? You telling me you went through that, Levi?" Hange sniggered.
"You can all get out." Levi would then address them.
"But we still have a few weeks to go?" Mikasa questioned, despite hurrying over to Eren.
"I'm satisfied." Was all Levi had to say. "It's all been discussed with the higher ups. Now you all need to get dressed. Her Majesty as come to Trost for a State Meeting."
"… Levi?" Fury then called out, and yet he continued walking on with Hange. Fury winced. She is able to release guilt she had carried for so long, only to receive more guilt. Erwin… now losing a friend in Levi? She hadn't felt this lonely since the days with Kenny.
"The early life of Grisha Jaeger." Announced Darius Zackly, the man who was in control of all three regiments, who now sat next to Queen Historia, with 3 books in front of them that were obtained from the basement of Eren's old home. "The extent of knowledge about Titans, along with information about the world beyond our Walls, everyone in this room are the only people who know that these books exist.
Scout Regiment Commander, Hange Zoe, please speak of your findings."
Hange stood. Behind her seated Eren, Mikasa and Armin. Next to her sat Levi and Fury. "Sir, the Scouts suffered a brutal blow to our numbers. We lost many, including Commander Erwin Smith."
Fury's head lowered, causing Levi's eyes to peer her way.
"We retook Wall Maria and gained control of the Colossal Titan. That said, us living inside these Walls have just learned how dangerous our situation is. I personally believed that Titan's were the only monsters to threaten us in this world, but unfortunately, the true nature of the enemy we face… are human. A whole other civilisation.
According to those books, we're called Eldian's. A special race of humans that can be turned into Titans.
Also known as the Subjects of Ymir. We ruled the world once, and some fear we will again. So most in this world would like to wipe us out.
Also, as I speak of this, I'd also like to introduce a young cadet in training, Isaah, who Fury had found once living outside of our walls, somewhat in co-existence with the roaming Titans.
In regards more of the truth of Bloodborns, as to why we have one in our presence, I believe he could shed some light on this matter."
As Isaah stood, Fury looked over to him, seeing his nervous demeanour. She nodded. Not only did she want him to be confident, but this was the best place for herself to learn more; more than what Hexis ever let on.
"S-Sir." Isaah began, having to clear his throat. "It is true. For generations, my family, along with others, lived peacefully beyond the constriction of these Walls. The members of my village, all or most of them hailed from a land across the Great Lake, called Marley. Once and are still most likely the enemies of Eldia, where we all are right now.
Not only that, but Hexis, a man no longer with us; his side of the family came from a small island between both Marley and Eldia called Atheria. He stated that the first set of Bloodborns came from that island, before setting further out to live here in Eldia. However, he also stated that the island is scarred by fire and war, from the old Eldian King, who once had most Bloodborn's purged in the past, out of fear of capabilities. My village never feared them. We saw them as those who were of help to people, to surviving against the Titan's. And it is why, through generations, they fled from Marley, who see them, and Eldian's, as threats to humanity.
In terms of any relation to Ymir, or her curse, I can only repeat what I was told. That Bloodborn's only started appearing after her death and that they are linked to her, explaining their abilities.
It is said that Bloodborn's are born dead. And that it is Ymir who sends them back to their empty bodies as a Bloodborn, reviving them with their powers. But it is only Eldian's who can conceive more potential Bloodborn's, whether or not their true roots are from Atheria."
Most had no words to say. And many looked Fury's way, who herself appeared stunned.
"A-Atheria?" She stuttered. "… what the hell, old man? You saying I was born dead?"
"Thank you, Isaah." Hange nodded at the boy, who more than happily sat back down, and yet from looking over at Fury, he couldn't help but feel he had been the cause of much more in regards to his words.
"I knew it!" Eren the bellowed, standing swiftly from his chair, startling Hange in the process. "I mean… Forgive me, it's nothing…."
"Hmmm… Yeah, that's right..." Hange's eyes narrowed. "It would appear that Eren here is going through a phase of annoyingly blurting out explosive shouts of random things."
"Unfortunate." Zackly sighed. "Though he is of that age, I suppose…"
"I haven't told Fury about much yet. Nor my friends… About how the Titan that killed my mother was once married to my father. The thing is, I can't bring it up here. If someone with royal blood, or who had been brought back as a Bloodborn by Ymir's Paths, were able to turn into a Titan, then it might be possible for me to use the Founding Titan's powers when touching them…
But if the military knew this was a possibility, what would they do to both Historia and Fury?"
