A/N - Hello everyone, I'm back. I would say sorry for the wait but at this point I feeling if I did I would be doing it for every chapter.

I am sorry for the messed up schedule. I could blame it on the cold I had last week but in truth my urge to write has just been at an all time low.

Updates will probably still be screwy but they will keep coming.

Also, I know I've been bad not to give spoiler warnings before but for those who only watch the anime, there's going to be some stuff from way ahead in this one that might cause some confusion, so fair warning.

Now, on with the chapter and happy reading.

Wings of Freedom

Chapter 23

Roy stretched as he hopped down off Thalia's saddle and they walked back into the tree. It had been a day since Mikasa had reawakened and the tree had shook with a sound almost like miniature thunder.

This was a fairly common occurrence nowadays, caused by a wandering Titan, coming in contact with the tree and being repelled by the wards Roy had put in place. It was a grim reminder of the threat that lingered below that he and the kids had still yet to adjust too. Roy had decided to check the wards to be sure they weren't compromised and kill the Titan before it could cause any further disruptions "I'm still not sure if I'll ever get used to those things" Roy muttered and Thalia huffed in agreement "indeed, and I find it disturbing how quickly we forget their presence below us when not out flying" she added as they made their way back in.

Roy grimaced slightly at Thalia's words. Even as they were now, perhaps even more so because of it, they could not afford to become complacent, lest they suffer the same fate Eren and the others did only a few weeks ago.

Roy shook his head free of the dreary thoughts, for he already had other matters to discuss with the kids today, once everything was settled again.

Speaking of things settling, Roy had decided to forgo training for today, given recent events, but as he approached the living area, he noticed the kids weren't conversing or anything. Instead, they were just sitting there silently and Roy couldn't help but notice that Eren and Armin were sitting as far away from Mikasa as possible without actually leaving her, with their Dragons with them, and watching the newest, official addition to their ranks, intently.

Roy arched an eyebrow at them in curiosity and walked up behind Eren and Armin on the couch while Thalia went to check on the eggs "hay, what's going on?" he asked and the kids glanced up at him before turning their gazes, which were a combination of concerned and amused, beck to Mikasa "we're waiting to see when Mikasa finally snaps" Scarlett answered nonchalantly, much to Roy's surprise and confusion and earning an eye roll from Eren "not quite how I would put it Scarlett" he chided her though his unsure tone sounded like it wasn't far off.

Roy looked between to two before looking up at Mikasa, who for the most part didn't look particularly bother by anything.

However, both of her Dragons were currently growling at and butting heads with each other as they fought over Mikasa. All the while, the girl just sat their like a statue, staring forward with emotionless grey eyes.

Roy scratched his head in confusion as he watched I don't see what…wait, did her eye just twitch?… Roy though as he observed Mikasa and it was then that Roy realized what was going on. For a normal Rider, it wasn't uncommon to feel headaches and other forms of awkwardness around their new partner during the first few days. For Mikasa though…

The two Dragons fighting over her must have been like prodding needles into Mikasa's head and then scrambling it around in the poor girls mind and she was trying desperately not to explode, do in part to what had happened when she did so to Scarlett, weeks prior.

Armin sighed as he saw Roy's eyes widen with realization and a little fear "yep, it'll happen any minuet now" he said while picking his own Dragon up off his head and stuffing him behind his back, just in case. Even Scarlett was only peeking her head out from behind the couch but also poised to leap out in the event something happened "Yah. As one who was once on the receiving end of her anger when pushed to her mental limits, I can attest to just how screwed they'll be" she said while eying the hatchling and Mikasa intently.

Roy on the other hand, snapped his head at the young Dragon so fast it looked like he'd have whiplash. He had heard Dragons use crass language on occasion, but never so bluntly and casually and never from one so young. It became quite obvious where this habit had most likely come from though and Roy soon turned his eyes to Eren with a less then amused looked. Roy never brought it up, because of the cultural differences, but Eren defiantly cursed more then what was considered appropriate in Alagaësia for one his age. Sure Roy had plenty of foul things he wanted to say to certain individuals too, but he usually kept it bottled up inside. Plus, Roy had noticed cursing just seamed a lot more blunt in general in this land.

Eren seamed to sense Roy's eyes on him and looked up at their mentor "what?" he asked almost innocently, prompting Roy to give an exasperated sigh "nothing" he said, brushing the train of thought aside as he looked back up at Mikasa and grimaced as he saw her eye twitching more rapidly then before and her fist clenched tightly while the hatchlings continued, oblivious to their Rider's predicament. Most likely do to Mikasa trying to suppress her emotions. Something she was surprisingly good at most of the time, so long as Eren wasn't involved.

Roy really wished he could do something to help her, but he was already struggling with mentoring them in general and her being bonded to two Dragons was incredibly rare, so he had no idea how to even begin helping.

Meanwhile, Mikasa's vision was starting to tunnel as she struggled to contain herself. It wasn't just the headache that was getting to her, but the emotions that were leaking over. Both Dragons were basically jealous of each other and fighting for dominance, but the problem was she was feeling BOTH sides of the fight, meaning she felt both incredibly attached to and protective of both of them, but she also felt like ripping both their heads off because of how they felt towards each other and it was tearing her apart mentally.

Mikasa's foot began tapping rapidly as the two growled at each other. Then one of her fingers followed as they butted heads. A vain then popped on her forehead above her twitching eye, as they stared wrestling and her vision got darker and darker as it continued to tunnel until red started to show at the edges of her vision.

CRASH!

Mikasa's vision finally cleared and everyone watched with frayed nerves as they looked down at a glass of water that the two had knocked off the table and shattered, but they continued without taking notice of it.

Or at least they did for a few more seconds…

The two abruptly stopped fighting and stared into each other's eyes, not with jealousy or anger but with something else. Something like stunned shock.

That stunned shock quickly turned to fear though as their eyes widened and they slowly turned their heads to see Mikasa, who had gone still. However her stillness did not invoke calm as the mental barriers she had been holding up finally came crashing down and all her emotions came out and flooded their link, and if pure rage and terror were a visible spectrum, then she would have had a massive aura of it swirling around her and consuming anything and everything around her as the shadows from her bangs, hid her eyes.

Mikasa then stood and the two Dragons yelped as they huddled together for safely, no longer caring about their rivalry as they backed up until they hit the other couch behind them, leaving them no room to run or hide as Mikasa slowly approached, and in their fear they could have sworn one of Mikasa's eyes glowed a sinister red in the shadows for a moment as she reached down and grabbed them by the scruff of their necks, like puppies or kittens and they curled up in the same manner.

Mikasa then looked up at the others who were frozen in fear, even Roy dared not move "excuse us for a moment" she said in deadpan and the Dragons squeaked in terror as she turned and walked away until they were back in her room, out of sight.

Everyone stood or sat frozen for a long while. None of them really knew how long as they were too stunned to keep track of time.

Eventually, Roy gulped and gave an awkward and uncertain smile "how can a ten year old be that terrifying?" He asked no one in particular but Scarlett still shuddered next to him and the kids nodded numbly as Armin set a hand on his terrified Dragon, hiding behind him "s-should we…do something?…" Roy asked the kids, who were more experienced dealing with Mikasa. Eren and Armin shook their heads in the negative in unison though "when she gets like this, it's usually best to just hunker down and let it pass" Armin advised to which Eren nodded in agreement.

Roy decided to glance over at his room to see how Thalia was handling this, as she no doubt felt his emotions with how intense they were, and even she was glancing out the doorway nervously seriously! Even the adult Dragon is scared of her Roy thought with mild disbelief.

Thalia growled lightly in response to Roy's thoughts, but didn't say anything on them.

Finally, Mikasa emerged from her room and everyone tensed as she stood there, but they relaxed slightly when she gave a relived sigh before walking back over with both of her Dragons.

Mikasa set the two hatchlings down on the couch and they sat there like statuses as Mikasa collapses like she had just run a marathon.

The others all watched as the hatchlings continued to just sit there with traumatized expressions and Eren imagined that if their scales had been clear, then they would have been ghostly white underneath.

Eventually, the grey one lifted it's heavy wing and set it over it's brother and they laid on top of each other in a pile, showing the first signs of sibling affection and protectiveness since hatching. An action that seamed to cause Mikasa to relax even further, which in turn caused the others to sigh in relief "that turned out better then I expected" Armin thought to those at his couch. Eren arch an eyebrow at him however "really? I mean I knew she was going to blow up eventually but you didn't seriously think she would have actually hurt then do you?" Eren thought back and Armin grimaced "of corse not! It's just…well none of us have exactly been in the right frame of mind lately. I know we're getting better, but between all the stress that was building up before now, then those to fighting over Mikasa…I was just worried she might react a bit more…explosively…" Armin explained.

Eren hummed in thought for a moment before nodding in agreement "yah, I see what you mean" he admitted. Eren then grew a thoughtful expression again as he realized something "also, talking like this is ridiculously convenient" he thought to the others and Armin and Roy both hummed in thought.

Eren was right, and it was also unbelievable how quickly they had picked up telepathy, almost like it was natural for them.

Yet another oddity to add to Roy's ever growing list.

Armin let out a breath as his mind went off on a tangent and he pondered the possibilities of telepathy while glancing over his friends and the Dragons.

Armin's eyes widened though and he quickly did a double take upon glancing over Eren "uh…Eren…" he said with worry. This of course immediately caused Scarlett and Mikasa to bolt up as Eren looked to his friend "what?" he asked but Armin craned his head to look at the side of Eren's "d-do you feel anything…odd…with your ear?…" Armin trailed off.

Eren was starting to freak out a little at how Armin was acting and reached up to fiddle with his left ear "I mean, it has been feeling a little wired lately, but all of me has lately…I just thought it was from all the training…why is something wrong with it?" he asked with concern as he felt it and it did feel almost deformed in a way.

Meanwhile, Roy was staring down at Eren there's no way… he trailed off in thought and disbelief as Thalia walked back into the room to check what the commotion was about.

Roy reached down and moved Eren's hand out of the way and brushed his hair back and his already wide eyes shot even wider at the sight of the slightly pointed ear "you have got to be kidding me" Roy said and the others looked to him in surprise "you know what's going on?" Armin asked as Roy slapped a hand over his face and dragged it down before giving a sigh "yes and it's not supposed to be happening for months, if not years" he moaned while shaking his head.

The kids all looked up at Roy "what's happening to Eren?" Mikasa asked with a somewhat icy edge and Roy groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck "the pact between Dragons and Riders was originally made between Elves and Dragons. Humans didn't come in until centuries later, after the war, meaning they're closer to the magic then we are. Because of that, when a Human bonds with a Dragon, we transform to appear more elven" Roy explained.

Mikasa was less then pleased with Roy's explanation "and you didn't think to tell us about this sooner?" she asked, causing Roy to give a frustrated growl "hay, you try dealing with being flung into a strange land that doesn't even speak your language and then try teaching everything there is to know about Dragons and Magic and being a Rider, all while dealing with giant naked cannibals and a corrupt government, and remember everything!" he snapped.

Roy took a deep breath and quickly reined in his emotions "your right though, I should have brought this up sooner. I'm sorry" he apologized before shaking his head and looking to a still very confused Eren "all Riders go though this eventually. We become faster and stronger, with enhanced senses" he started explaining before rubbing his head again "and there is a counter spell that prevents your facial features from changing, which I know since it was already place on me" he said.

Eren seamed to perk up a little then "so you can fix this?" he asked but Roy grimaced "not exactly" he admitted and Eren seamed to deflate a little "I can stop it from progressing any further but if I did it now, then you would forever have only one, partially pointed ear" Roy explained and Eren seamed to deflate further "can't you figure something out?" he asked but Roy shook his head "I'm sorry Eren. I may be confident enough to shift Thalia's scale colors a little but I dare not try to actually modify the structure of someone's body…not again" he muttered the last part out while giving a small shudder "I still have nightmares of what I accidentally did to Brom" he muttered in English and Thalia shuddered as well "I don't think he ever got all of the pink out" she silently added.

Roy looked back to Eren and gave an unsure smile "look, maybe I could modify the spell a little so that it only effects your face, that way your ears could short of…even out…if you don't want to look like an elf that is" he said. Eren thought it over for a moment before sighing "I'll think about it" he said and Roy nodded.

The elder Rider's face became serious though "ok but for now we have a very serious problem to discuss" he said, earning their undivided attention again "what do you mean?" Armin asked and Roy and Thalia looked to each other for a moment before turning back to the kids "we have been writing it off as coincidence until now. But with Mikasa's bonding, it became obvious that we could no longer ignore it" Thalia started.

The kids all looked confused at that "me…is it that odd that I bonded with two Dragons?" She asked but Armin shook his head "no, there's more to it then that, you said you were suspecting whatever this is before that" he said and Roy nodded a little grimly "yes. We didn't bring it up before to give Mikasa time to adjust after all the stress you've all been though" he said before sighing "but now Eren's early transformation is pushing even that up" he said before looking over all of them "something is wrong with the way all of you have bonded" he finally explained.

The kids and Dragons all looked at Roy with surprise "what do you mean" Scarlett asked with worry as she rapped her tail around Eren's leg and Roy grimaced as he rubbed his hand before holding it up to show his Gëdway mark "bonding with a Dragon is always painful and on rare occasion it has knocked a few people unconscious…but for it to knock all three of you out like it did. That shouldn't have happened" he said and Thalia huffed in agreement "Mikasa we could understand, but even then, she was out for half a day. Then add on top of that how quickly your mental abilities have progressed and now Eren's transformation, which should not even begin occurring for months…none of this is normal" she finished.

The kids all took a moment to process what they had been told "so…what does this all mean?" Armin asked and Roy rubbed his face in frustration again "we have no idea, but we can't just ignore it. We need to figure out what's going on" he said.

The kids thought it over for a second before looking back to Roy "ok, what do we need to do?" Mikasa asked as Roy started stroking his chin "well first I need to examine you for magic. Anything I might have missed while treating your injures, which given my magical skill…could be a lot" Roy admitted with a hint of shame at the end.

Mikasa stood up to volunteer but Roy raises his hand "no, you sit back down. Your bond is not only unique but way too fresh. I'd rather not risk testing you yet" he said and could tell Mikasa was not happy with her predicament but sat down none the less as Roy rounded the couch to look at Armin and Eren "ok, are you two ready?" he asked and they nodded before Roy started chanting and moving his glowing hand over them.

Thirty minutes later and Roy was growing more frustrated.

He had given Eren and Armin a full check twice and was now giving Eren his third attempt but gave a frustrated sigh and he lowered his hand "it just doesn't make any sense" he muttered as he stood back to his full hight and started to pace.

Meanwhile the kids had mixed emotions on the subject. Mikasa and the Dragons were all worried. Armin's worry was starting to give way a little to curiosity as he put a finger to his own chin in contemplation, and Eren, while still concerned, was starting to feel more bored then anything else, with just sitting there as Roy worked.

Eren let his head fall back as he let out a bored sigh "nothing yet?" He asked and Roy started beating his own forehead with frustration "no, nothing…I just don't understand what I'm missing…" he trailed off while continuing to pace.

Armin just continued to hum as he thought over their situation "there must be something…a common link" he muttered before looking to his friends "do any of you remember anything weird from bonding?" he asked but Eren just gave him a funny look "your going to have to be more specific then that Armin. I mean we aren't exactly experts on the subject and we don't even know what it would normally feel like" he pointed out.

Armin continued to work the problem over in his mind though "we do know it hurt more then it should have…do any of you remember anything about that? Maybe where it hurt the most?" he asked and his friends thought it over.

Mikasa then perked up a little "actually, I think I remember it hurting the most at the nape of the neck" she said while subconsciously rubbing her nape.

Everyone perked up and looked to her at that "the nape…I was in too much pain to tell when I bonded but still…" Armin trailed off as everyone thought it over.

Roy looked over at Armin figures he's the one to figure it out. Kid's too smart for his own good he thought before walking back over "well, it's the best lead we have. Eren?" he asked and Eren nodded before pulling down the back of his shirt a little as Roy positioned himself behind him.

Roy places his hand to Eren's nape and started chanting. All the while he couldn't help but think though the nape of the neck…I'm starting to notice a theme around here he thought while thinking of the Titans wandering around below them.

For a while, nothing happened and they were staring to worry, but then…

ZAP!

Golden statistic, jumped from Eren's nape to Roy's hand and they both tensed upon feeling it "uh, Roy…what was that?" Eren asked and the older Rider blinked a few times before answering "I don't know…but there's something in there" he said before chanting some more and everyone tensed as they watched. Scarlett laid her head on Eren's lap while tightening her tail around his ankle and Mikasa clenched the arm rest of her couch as she watched with worry. Armin was the only one of them who seamed to keep a relatively level head and even he was watching with trepidation.

Thalia brought her head down next to Roy "what have you found?" she asked and Roy hummed in thought as he adjusted his spell slightly "I'm not sure. There is defiantly magic in there, right at the nape, but it's not like anything I've ever seen before and I can't get a good feel for it" he explained, he really didn't understand it, the magic was just so foreign, and if there were words for it in the Ancient Language then he didn't know them.

Roy grimaced as he failed to identify the magic again as it sparked through Eren's body I just don't get it. It's almost like it's leaching off Eren's energy and feeding it back in Roy thought. His eyes suddenly lit up then as a lightbulb went off in his head. It was a bit of a stretch but he didn't have any other ideas "Líf sven" he cast a new spell and Armin arched an eyebrow as he recognized the words if I remember correctly, that's a life tracking spell, but why would he use that. I know spells are power by life energy so I guess that would work but still, it's not very efficient for identifying magic Armin thought as he watched Roy work.

At first Roy couldn't discern anything from Eren's own energy but then he finally saw it. Sparking out from his nape into his spine and then the rest of his body "whoa, I think I found it" he said and everyone perked up and Eren tried to look over his shoulder without messing up Roy "what is it?" the boy asked and Roy gave a confused expression "it's…not magic…or at least not entirely I mean. Whatever's in your nape is definitely magical in nature but…it's like it's a separate organism all together. Almost like a…parasite" Roy explained.

The kids all looked at Roy with wide eyes while subconsciously rubbing their napes "there's a parasite living in my neck!?" Eren asked in shock and Roy nodded with a worried expression "yes but, I don't see any bites or incisions or anything to indicate how it got in there and it's…kind of weak for some reason" Roy explained before chanting more as he modified the spell to better identify the thing in Eren's nape "it looks like it's bonded to your spine and invading your nervous system and brain and…wait a second" Roy continued almost absentmindedly but stoped as he noticed something and turned to face his Dragon "Thalia, take a look at this. Does anything feel familiar to you?" he asked and the Dragon focused on Eren's nape as she probed it with her mind. The Dragon's eyes then widened soon after though "wait this is like…" she trailed off and Roy grunted in confirmation as he looked back to Eren "like the mind of a Titan" he finished.

The kids all gasped at that "what do mean by that?" Mikasa asked while the others sat in shock and confusion "not long after we first arrived here, we attempted to invade the minds of a few Titans, but they were protected by magic that we did not recognize or understand" Thalia explained and Roy nodded "and that same magic is protecting this creature's mind" Roy added.

Aside from Roy's occasional chanting, there was silence for a long moment as they sat there stunned. Eventually, Eren swallowed his anxiety and confusion "so…what do we do now?" he asked and Roy gave a frustrated sigh "I don't know. I can't figure out what this thing actually is or what it's doing to you without removing it and not only is it bonded to your spine but it's roots are so deeply imbedded throughout you'd nervous system and brain that I don't think I could remove it" Roy answered, much to the dread of everyone present, as Scarlett tightened her grip on Eren's leg and Mikasa's knuckles turned white from gripping the arm of her chair so tightly.

Roy's eyes narrowed a little though "however…" he started as he examined Eren further "this thing, whatever it is, is oddly weak. So we might be able to brake through it's mental defenses and figure out more about it" he said and the others perked up "what are you hoping to find?" Armin asked and Roy shrugged "insight hopefully. There aren't a lot of options here and for the moment this is all we can actually do" Roy explained.

Mikasa and Scarlett both looked up at Roy with an icy stare "and the risks?" Mikasa asked and Roy grimaced "I won't lie, this is dangerous what I'm suggesting, but is it honestly any more dangerous then just leaving this thing in not just Eren but potentially all of you, to do god know's what?" Roy countered, to which Mikasa grimaced and Armin rubbed the back of his neck nervously while his own Dragon nuzzled him with a concerned whine.

"Do it"

Everyone looked to Eren in surprise as he looked up, not with fear or concern but with determination burning in his eyes "Eren…" Mikasa started but the boy clenched his fist tightly "it's like Roy said. It'd be more dangerous to not do anything and I'm not just going to let this thing do whatever it wants with my body!" he said with furry lacing his voice.

While everyone looked at Eren with surprise and in Roy's case, a little respect, Scarlett brought her head up to eye level with Eren "are you sure about this? We could always look for another way" she silently asked but Eren shook his head "you heard what Roy said. This is our only option right now, and I'm not letting this thing just do whatever it wants with me…or with them" Eren response in kind, while looking up at his friends.

Scarlett laid her ears back and whined a little "ok" she relented. She may not have liked this situation, but Eren wouldn't be her Rider if he backed down from something like this, and so she planted her head, firmly back on his lap.

Roy grabbed Eren by the shoulder with his free hand "are you sure about this?" he asked but Eren's eyes never lost that fire in them "do it" he said firmly and Roy nodded before looking to his hand, still pressed against Eren's nape "alright" he said and started attacking the creature's mind.

ZAP!

Eren's eyes shot wide in pain as he clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to spasm from the golden lightning, surging through his body. It felt a little like when he bonded with Scarlett, just not quite as painful. It still felt like he was being torn apart from the inside though, and he almost thought he could hear an inhuman screeching as the parasite in his neck writhed in far worse agony.

Meanwhile his friends all watched with worried and Scarlett whimpered as she held Eren close. Roy and Thalia grimaced though as they tried to brake through "almost…there!" Roy grunted out as he finally broke through, but as soon as he did…

BOOM!

The sound of thunder, shook his senses and everything went black.

"Gah!" Eren gasped awake but he didn't move as his body felt numb and his ears rang and his vision blurred. But most of all, something felt terribly wrong. Eren couldn't put his finger on it but something was defiantly not right "Scarlett…what happened?" he thought to his Dragon, finding his body still too numb to respond.

No answer came though and fear shot through Eren "Scarlett?" he tried again but no response came. He could still feel his Dragon there and he could feel the fear coming over their link but it was all messed up. It was like Scarlett's emotions and thoughts were coming through so fast that he couldn't make sense of them, but also so slow that it would take years to make sense of one thought.

It was so messed up and impossible and it was giving Eren a headache.

Eren groaned as he finally got feeling back in his body but it was still weird. He then felt something grainy under him and his vision cleared enough for him to see he was laying on blue sand "what that hell" he groaned out in confusion as he pushed himself up to find it wasn't the sand that was blue, but the light in the area was bathing everything in a shade of blue. And he was defiantly not in the treehouse anymore.

He was in a vast, blue desert.

Eren just sat there on his knees for a moment as his brain shorted out "…ok…" he said with flabbergasting expression. He then grunted though as pain shot through him, like he was being zapped and he looked down at himself to see gold lightning arcing across his body and a red glow, gently hugging his form but flaring up where the lightning struck him, almost as if it was battling for dominance. However, he did noticed that his left arm and leg, which Scarlett hand regrown, were completely devoid of any lightning and was completely covered in the red glow. Eren then noticed his hand, where his Gëdway Mark was and a tether of red light was extending from it a weaving into the sky, while another blueish tether was leading out of his spine in the opposite direction, the blue one was notably weaker though.

Eren sat and blinked a few times before letting out "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Eren stopped abruptly though as a hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to see Roy, who like him, was encased in a gentle white glow, and had a similarly colored tether coming from his Gëdway Mark, but no other tether or lightning.

Roy wasn't looking at Eren though, and instead was starting off in the other direction with wide eyes at what was causing the blue light.

Eren gasped as he laid eyes upon it too. A sight that was both beautiful, and for some deep, instinctual reason he couldn't understand, also terrifying.

A blue aurora, like paths of light, ran through the sky and all converged at one point, creating a massive pillar of light.

The two just stared for a good moment, and in the face of this insane, otherworldly sight, Eren had only one thought run through his mind "what the fuck?"

A/N - "Líf sven" - "Life sight"