It was early in the morning. The sun was barely rising making the sky adopt a grey appearance. The birds were chirping, filling the world with natural background music. And the ocean was talking, trying to communicate with this day's batch of sailors that were going to fill it.

"Elizabeth, I wanted to give you something." Willy stopped me from getting out of the car when it stopped.

I waited curiously to see what he had to give me. Whatever it was must've not been approved by the general since we were only supposed to take with us some camping equipment to reduce suspicion from the island dwellers.

Then from his pocket, he took out something small and showed it to me.

"Nan thought that you would like it if you had something to remember us by." He held up a thick black ring that had a streak of blue in the middle on top. "We're not going to be able to see what kind of young woman you grow up to be. Nor will we be able to keep you safe, not that you need to be kept safe. But still, if you're ever in serious danger, this ring will be our way of keeping you safe."

He stroked the blue streak and out popped curved spikes that shined with a dangerous light. I was so entranced by their beautiful danger that I flinched when he pushed them back in.

"It's kind of loose, isn't it?" He gave it to me to put on but it felt like it would slip off with the wrong movement.

"Yeah. We don't want you to grow out of it too fast." I couldn't help but chuckle along with him. "Okay then, let's go see your fellow Titan holders." We opened the door to be welcomed by the sight of one of the candidates.

"Elizabeth!" Marcel exclaimed. I smiled and gave him a little wave as I came walking up to him.

Annie was leaning against a wall atop the boat but she spared me a glance paired with a smile. Reiner was the only one who wasn't happy with my presence.

"The holy presence of the Tybur's will definitely make this mission a success," Reiner scoffed. He glowered down at me as he gripped the rail tightly. His knuckles were white and I got the feeling he wanted to do unsightly things to me. And not those kinds of things you might be thinking about, get your head out of the gutter.

"Nice to see you too Reiner," I winked at him.

Next to him was Ido, a redhead with a very energetic personality, a polar opposite to Bertolt. And he clobbered him in the head, "That's no way to talk to a girl, you're lucky she likes you."

I felt my face glow red and an itch spread on my scalp. But I also laughed when Reiner lost his grip on the rail and slammed his face into the cold steel.

"You're crazy!" Reiner spat with a red face.

"You are too," I retorted. But I don't know what possessed me cause I continued, "But don't worry, those are the best kinds of men."

"I still don't think we need you!" He stormed off before I could fluster him further.

"Reiner," Bertolt ran after him.

"I take it you kids are going to be okay alone for a bit?" Willy asked.

I nodded. "That's kind of the point of this mission, Willy."

"Well then, I'll be talking to the captain before you guys depart. If you need me just call."

Annie stayed onboard while Ido joined Marcel and me on the shore.

Ido and I were the only extra variables in this mission. Holder of the Hound Titan and a surprisingly good friend of mine along with Marcel and Annie.

I met them a few months ago when they were busy crushing an entire nation.

Since our Paradis mission was going to become a long-term infiltration mission, the General thought it would be a good idea for us to get to know each other before we were sent off. However, due to my recent inclusion, I didn't have the same long history they had with each other as titan candidates.

"You smell different." Ido skirted around me and drew in a deep breath from my nape. A shiver reverberated throughout my body from the interaction.

"I guess I should smell different. I single-handedly crushed an enemy faction yesterday after all. So you might be smelling all of the gunpowder."

"No, it's not that. It's your titan." I swallowed hard.

I can't let him know about my recent collection. The whole Tybur plan can fall apart before we even make it onto Paradis soil. This is how dangerous the Hound Titan is.

"Well, I just met the inheritor of the Hidden Titan. Maybe you're smelling her." Hiding the truth with the truth, or at least a partial version of it. It's one of those stupid ass anime plans that will work out in the end.

Ido's eyes flew wide.

"You met the Hidden Titan!?" Marcel cried out. "What were they like?! What does their titan look like?" Or it would just excite them into forgetting about everything.

"You know," Ido ran a hand through his hair trying to look cool, "We met their compliment the Mole Titan. She's a lot older than us and she's not due to transfer her Titan for another few years but she treated us like her little kids. She would've even come to see us off if Marley hadn't sent her on another mission."

"It's a shame the two titans were separated from each other, but the Hidden Titan was very nice. She and I were able to talk about what her titan's like. It's like any other 14-metre titan and most of her skills come from her own training." I twirled my hair around my finger remembering how easily she was able to dodge my attacks. "She's also very pretty with her red hair and golden eyes."

"So, do you think you can introduce us?" Ido nudged me. The display of his desperate prepubescent hormones made me chuckle.

"Ido, you do know that this is going to be a prolonged infiltration mission right?"

"Oh yeah." He looked at me in realisation. "You're the one who told the general about the future, huh. What do you know is going to happen to us? We're definitely going to beat those island devils in the end, right?"

My heart tightened when I looked at Marcel. His fate was going to be the worst out of everyone's. He showed compassion on his way to the walls and he might've even stopped the mission right there if Ymir didn't eat him. Saving him might help me in the end.

"I was told not to tell anyone about the memories I have. But what I can tell you is that everything will work out in the end."

Maybe. I don't think I ever saw the conclusion to Attack on Titan before I wound up in Elizabeth's body. And Grisha's warning was so ominous not to mention that I'm in a new world now. Completely different from the one that was a show.

It was broad daylight when we had to board the ship. The floor rocked softly as we crawled further into the ocean. I breathed in the cold salty air as I watched Willy grow smaller in the distance. This marks the beginning of my mission.

Okay then, I need to set a few goals in order to help me get through the day. It helps me focus on the mission if I break things up into small stages. So here's Stage 1, Inheritance, and it's goals.

Goal Number 1: Stop Marcel from being eaten by Ymir. That would also take her out of the equation. A character I didn't even like in the first place when I watched the anime.

Goal Number 2: Get rid of Ido. He's a great kid but he endangers my mission. I doubt I could get him to side with me if I revealed my plans to him. He was almost as loyal to Marley as Reiner was. Even though he was starstruck about the Tyburs he still wouldn't abandon the brainwashing he's been through.

I do have to admit that having a titan follower loyal to me would be extremely helpful. I begrudgingly realised that I might have to reconsider Ymir's involvement.

Possible Goal Number 3: combine the first 2 goals and have Ymir devour Ido. I'm going to have to get Ido away from the group and force the others to run away. Then I'll have to incapacitate Ido long enough to let Ymir close in on his nape. I can do that by trapping him in some hardening.

Then I'll have to stick close to Ymir. Help train her and gain her trust. I should be halfway there after freeing her from her eternal punishment. But I'll have to stop her from meeting Historia. I can easily do that by making sure she stays with me. Then she would only be able to meet Historia when we enlist in the scouts in 3 years.

My face flushed. She was a crazy girl from the mental and emotional torture she underwent while living with her mom. But she was also very attractive and would end up becoming a powerful figure for Eldians.

"Are you okay?" Annie interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to face her. Her blonde hair looked more orange in the harsh sun. Somehow I managed to get her to trust me during our time together. If I talked to her I might be able to get her to join me and I wouldn't need Ymir in the end. But if I do that I would also be preventing all of the betrayal that would progress Eren's hatred for the outside world.

Sure the revelation of the Titans being sent by Marley could still shake him but he might turn out like his father and lose his nerve.

Still. I didn't like the idea of letting Annie waste a majority of her time limit.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

She nodded and turned to walk away.

"Annie." She stopped but only turned to show me half her face. "Don't underestimate Reiner. He may seem like a weak kid, but he'll grow up to become an important man."

"Whatever you say," she sighed.

"We'll set up here for tonight." Marcel dropped his stuff and everyone else started doing their assigned works. My job was to build a fire for us to cook out food with.

We sailed for 5 hours. All that constant rocking ended up taking a toll on us and ended up slowing us down on our way to the walls. We were all tired and restless about the new plan Marley had set for us to do. I was also running out of time on how to save Marcel and kill Ido.

In the quickly setting sun, I was able to nurse a flame out of a spark and once it was comfortably ablaze we were blanketed in its warmth in exchange for allowing it to observe us.

Reiner and Bertolt sat further away from the group. Reiner kept casting me some glares during his conversation with his friend. And Bertolt was staring at the ground with a haunted look in his eyes. I guess Bertolt still wasn't over the horror of what was being asked of him.

"Everything starts tomorrow, huh?" Ido nudged me.

Please god, why? My nose itched and tears welled up in my eyes. Ido kept coming back to me like a boomerang. The guilt was making it hard to form a plan for his death.

"Yeah, everything starts tomorrow." I wiped away my tears with the edge of my sleeve before anyone could see.

We watched in silence as Annie and Marcel focused on their cooking.

This was going to be the last time our group would be together. After tomorrow I'd hopefully get rid of Ido — god I hate myself for going through with this — and Marcel had a large chance of defecting. Out of everyone, he was the least loyal to Marley and the most emotional. Bertolt was loyal to his friendship with Reiner who was impeccably loyal to his oppressors. And Annie I hope I had seeded with enough reason to follow Reiner in the end.

"It's great having another girl in the group you know," Annie admitted as she poured me a bowl of broth. "I've had to deal with a team of boys ever since they sent Pieck away to deal with an insurrection."

"I didn't think anything could pierce that thick shell of yours," I joked.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm still human. And they drove me crazy. Sometimes I thought about bashing all of their brains out. Though I doubt Reiner has one for me to smash in."

"Hey!"

I took a long sip out of my broth as she plopped down next to me. Not even a second later she placed the wooden bowl upside down next to the flames.

"Wake me up before daybreak." She said before slipping under her cloak and laying down next to me.

I had difficulty falling asleep. Everyone else eventually dozed off leaving me in charge of the fire.

There were dark clouds covering the sky making it devoid of the starry life it usually had and there wasn't going to be a moon either. The only source of light came from the fire. I sighed in exasperation. Daylight was only a few hours away. Marcel was going to wake up first and pull Reiner aside and he would be eaten if I couldn't come up with a plan to save him.

My nerves were shot. My brain was hurting. And I had the cold sweats from having my time window closing in.

I placed a hand on the ground. Ymir was buried somewhere around here. What I needed was a miracle. Unknown to me that's exactly what I would be getting.

I have no clue when I fell asleep but I did. And it was Reiner's terrified screams that woke me up not the shaking ground that was splitting the ground into plates of clumped-up earth.

"What's with all the…" I looked up to see Annie's pale face. I followed her gaze to see that in front of us was the stretching form of Ymir's titan with dirt sliding down her body.

This was the first time we were seeing a pure titan in the flesh. It also didn't help that Ymir's titan was a lot more terrifying up close. Dirt covered her small body and some was even lodged into her teeth. Her hair looked grimy and unwashed and complimented her creepy unproportional body. But the worst thing was her eyes which were black and soulless.

"Marcel!" I jumped into action and summoned the blades out of my ring to slash my thumb.

Time slowed down as I transformed. I could feel this transformation go faster and by the time Ymir's jaw was over his head, my skeleton and muscles were in place.

I swung as hard as I could and delivered a heavy right hook that sent Ymir away from Marcel and made her tumble along the ground. My Titan was forming the shielded skin when she got back up and shook herself like a startled dog. I stood protectively in front of Marcel.

Come on, Ymir. I challenged her.

The ground began shaking like the boat that brought us over. It was difficult keeping my balance as a Titan and ended up on my knees to stabilise myself. More earth stirred and heaved as the crust was being breached. In seconds, more than a dozen 4-metre titans surrounded us with their awkward bodies and sluggish movements.

Shit.

"Annie, Reiner, Marcel, Bertolt." I picked up each frightened kid with great care not to squash them in my giant hand. "You need to get out of here. Transform, Marcel, and keep them safe. Reiner shall be in charge. Breach the wall no matter what."

"NO! We can help! Elizabeth!" Reiner screamed as I charged up my throwing hand.

"Ido has me covered. Besides, now you won't have me around to bother you," I winked at him.

"Wait!" Annie snapped out of her stupor the moment they left my palm. I watched as Marcel restrained her, the same thing happened with Bertolt and Reiner, until yellow lightning hit Marcel.

"I got you covered," Ido nodded at me before biting into his hand.

I couldn't help but feel guilty as his titan formed. As soon as we were in the clear, I'd have to restrain him for Ymir. My devil will be taking control in that moment.

Ido roared as he barrelled into a titan. The others stared as Ido clawed out their friend's nape.

Slowly they realised that their end to their eternal torment was in front of them and they swayed over to him. I focused on Ymir though. She was still sitting there looking at me. She hadn't even moved her head during the past few minutes.

"Ymir," I boomed. "Do not worry, soon you will be whole again.I just need you to stay still." Air shined around her which I guess spooked her because she began trying to get to me. Unfortunately for her, the air crystallised into Hardened Titan Skin trapping her in a cage.

Ido roared again. He was being overwhelmed by 3 titans that were pulling on his Titan's shaggy beard that looked like a wolf's mane. 4 others were on the ground already boiling away. Meanwhile, the remaining 6 were walking in the direction Marcel had run off to.

I opened my palm allowing my signature scythe to form. Then I slammed the blade into the ground hacking it apart. Spikes erupted out of the ground striking several titans in their napes and the others were just decapitated.

With them all dead, Ido was able to get back on his feet again and he came out of his titan with a violent hiss. Titan skin that connected him to his body painfully snapped off his cheeks.

He looked like an innocent kid overjoyed to have escaped his demise.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" He smiled at me. "You look worried. If it's about the others, don't be. They have things under control and we can catch up to them in a few hours. They'll have had lured away most of the titans that wander around the walls." He struggled to remove his feet from his titan but he found his way onto the ground.

"Come on, the sooner we leave, the sooner we can meet up with them." He turned and began walking.

Behind me, Ymir grunted as she gave up on her escape. My heart felt empty. I didn't want to do this but I had to. There was no other way.

"Despite the devil spawn that occupies the island, you have to admit that the place is beautiful."

The sunrise on this island was different from the one I experienced for the last time in Marley yesterday. It was a bit warmer out here. There weren't any birds singing. And instead of a sea of metal and a blue expanse on both sides, there were pockets of trees dotting random places.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Ido admitted.

"What do you think about Marley? Do you believe in the mission they sent us to do?"

"Well yeah. It's the only way to keep the world safe."

"And the people that need to suffer?" A brief moment of Silence.

"A noble sacrifice for the greater good. Why are you asking me this? Weren't you the one who made this plan?" He turned to look up at me.

"Everything I do and will do is also for the greater good. Even if I end up becoming a devil in the end."

Ido cocked his head in confusion.

"You became a hero to Marley the day you volunteered to be a candidate y'know. I'll make sure they remember you."

Fear shined in his eyes as realisation struck him. He frantically bit into his hand but I was already in full swing.

My scythe broke into the ground again and columns sprouted out of the ground as Ido's titan formed. Despite their broad tip, the columns were able to break into his body and immobilise him.

I turned and slashed through Ymir's cage granting her freedom.

She didn't need much convincing as she scrambled over to my incapacitated friend.

Air hissed as Ido broke through his nape struggling to escape before Ymir could reach him.

"Elizabeth! The joke's over! Help!" His cries came out fast and breathless. My own heart was racing as I forced myself to ignore him. My eyes burned and muscles twitched but my titan retained a stone face as I watched.

"Please! The others don't need to know!" Ymir yanked him out of his titan and opened her jaw as wide as she could and slowly brought him up to her mouth.

Ido was about to bite his hand again. I don't think he would've been able to transform. He already transformed twice in such a short time but I couldn't take any chances. I willed the columns that surrounded him to grow a spike and severed his hand. He wouldn't be able to transform now that his body would be focused on regenerating the missing limb.

"ELIZABETH!" His cries were cut off as his head disappeared behind Ymir's teeth. Blood spewed into the air. Some made their way onto my titan spraying the skin with Ido's blood.

In the end, Ido suffered an even worse fate than Marcel. He was betrayed by his friend and murdered in cold blood. He wasn't even allowed to defend his own life.

My titan began crystallising as I escaped from the nape. Hot tears streamed down my face, hotter than the steam escaping my titan. He trusted me and I intentionally led him straight into the jaws of a titan. I wouldn't let myself forget about my betrayal and I would force the world to bear my sin by hardening the shell of my titan out here. It would never erode now.

I blinked away my tears. This still wasn't over.

Ymir's titan was curled up. She wasn't searching for anyone to eat anymore. If I recall correctly, it took an entire day for her to emerge from her pure titan for the first time. It would be long enough for me to change myself too.

I removed my shredded cloak. I was thankful that the clothing damage trope doesn't affect children and only the cloak suffered. Actually, never mind, there are some really questionable shows out there in anime.

My eyes wandered to Ymir for the last time. When I come out, it would be as a different person.

This is an anime world, the laws of physics would certainly be anime tropes, at least I hoped it would. That meant that if I wanted to survive I would have to turn into a main character and that meant that I needed to look like one too.

I'd already put some thought into this during our expedition yesterday. I'd keep the black hair and brown eyes I had since most anime protagonists that I've seen usually have those generic features. I'd also give it a streak of colour to make me stand out more. Characters with generic designs always die. Eren looked generic as hell but his personality and glowing green eyes as a titan. I would also need to have a soft approachable face. Not the one I had that almost always seemed to have a haunted expression. Last was a change to my bloodline.

I vaguely remember having a Hispanic heritage in my past life. And everyone out here was a white. The only difference was their hair colour. The problem is that I don't know if changing my bloodline would increase my chances of survival or if it would paint a target on my back. I ended up choosing to change it. I would be oriental in appearance. Mikasa didn't seem to be fated for death. And Kiyomi was a badass woman who might have avoided death.

As crystals formed around me, I laughed at the backlash this kind of decision would hold in the world I came from. This world had nearly a century more to go before it would enter that era. I wonder if America even existed in this world.

The sky was vibrating with life when I woke up. It was filled with so many stars and meteors streaking through the air. The coordinate path was so beautiful too as it collected all the stars in its path.

I couldn't help but stargaze for a while until Ymir's groans woke me up.

Quickly, I ran over and draped my cloak over her. Her skin was a little cooler than the last time I checked her.

I've made my choice. I can't go back and try again.

"Hello, Ymir. I have to catch you up on a lot of things."

cdog3789: Thank you for your kind words Master, or Mistress, XD I've been having fun writing this even though In reality I'm much further along than what I've been posting.