The fire crackled and sparked, and it was the only sound that could be heard over the tense and uncomfortable silence that had followed Reiner's confession.
Reiner and Annie looked downcast, their faces miserable after being forced to recall Marco's last moments, while Gabi and Falco watched them uncertainly. Armin, Mikasa, and Connie looked saddened, while Hange and Magath had grim expressions, and were waiting to see how Jean would react. Pieck had a neutral expression on her face, as did Onyankapon, while Yelena seemed almost disappointed by Jean's lack of a violent reaction upon learning the truth behind Marco's death. Levi remained still and had no visible reaction to Reiner's confession, though that could have been because of the bandages covering his face and the painkillers numbing his senses.
After mulling things over for a moment, Jean quietly spoke.
"Marco...what were his last words?"
Reiner blinked, mildly surprised by Jean's question, before answering.
"He said 'We still haven't talked.'"
Jean paused, then all at once his face lit up.
"Yes...yes, that's right! We haven't talked properly. That's why...isn't that why we ended up killing each other until one of us was dead? If we had talked properly from the beginning, all of the killing up until now…"
Armin nodded in agreement, while Mikasa looked moved by Jean's words.
"It's not too late to start now." Hange said firmly. "Even people like us who have ruthlessly killed each other...at least we are now exchanging words without killing each other."
She spread out her hands with a smile. "Who could have imagined this? That we would eat together around a fire."
The circle of unlikely allies contemplated this as they sat around the fire, the occasional crackle and snap of the fire permeating the melancholy silence.
"Admirable sentiments, truly, but surely you must realize that they are ultimately futile."
The cold voice punctured the silence like a knife, and it took a moment for the group to realize where it was coming from.
Gabi spoke again. "The only reason you are even talking to each other now is because the circumstances are beyond desperate. And if you honestly think that this tenuous alliance will last beyond the present crisis then you are hopelessly naive."
Her voice and facial expression were flat and cold, completely unlike her usual mannerisms or behavior, and the words sounded wrong, almost alien, coming from her lips.
Falco looked at her nervously. "Gabi?"
She glanced at him, her eyes blank. "Sorry, but I'm not Gabi. I'm simply using this girl as a medium through which to speak so that everyone here, even the non Eldians, can hear what I have to say."
The entire group stiffened in shock as they realized the implications.
Gabi turned her gaze toward Armin, her expression emotionless. "I believe you said you wanted to talk, so by all means, let's talk."
Armin's jaw dropped. "Eren?! Eren, is that you?!"
"Yes." Gabi lowered her eyes, her expression becoming remorseful.
"Armin, Mikasa... I want to apologize for the things I said. I didn't mean a word of it. But... I didn't want you to be a part of what I was about to do."
"Eren…" Mikasa whispered.
Magath's face darkened. "So, the bastard shows himself at last, though he still has to hide behind a little girl before he'll talk to us."
Gabi's expression became cold again as she regarded the Marleyan commander.
"Bold words from the man who was the one using child soldiers to begin with. And while you can sit there and say that you're talking now, it takes two willing parties to talk. Now tell me, all along, who was it that wanted to talk, and who was it that, up until now, refused to talk?"
She jerked her head at Reiner. "In Trost Marco wanted to talk things out, and Reiner responded by killing him."
Reiner flinched and looked at the ground, while Annie eyed Gabi apprehensively.
"In Shiganshina Armin wanted to talk, and Bertolt responded by telling us all to die and then killing most of us."
Armin winced, recalling the very moment Eren was alluding to.
"And during the past four years Hange and the others have been trying for a diplomatic solution. The end result? The world declared us to be filthy devils that need to be destroyed. Nevermind the fact that, until a month ago, we had done nothing to the world, and before we reached my father's basement we knew nothing of our ancestors' crimes."
Magath glared at Gabi. "So you're trying to play the victim after everything you've done."
A truly dangerous look came onto Gabi's face, making most of those who saw it flinch and look away, and it took all of Magath's willpower to not break eye contact.
"Don't you dare lecture me." She said harshly. "You of all people have no right to judge or condemn me. As Jean said, you're the ones who chased after the rumbling. You knew through the Tybur family about the vow renouncing war, you knew that if left alone Paradis island posed no threat. But you just couldn't leave us alone, could you? No, you wanted to maintain Marley's status as a superpower, and so you needed to conquer Paradis island, both for the Founding Titan and the island's natural resources. And not only did you have the sheer nerve to frame this selfish act as a mission to save the world, but you were so tragically incompetent that you entrusted this mission to four children, with predictable results. But once Reiner and Bertolt escaped and you learned about how ignorant those of us behind the walls truly were about the world, did it ever once cross your mind to consider talking things out and maybe coming to some sort of mutually beneficial agreement? Of course not, obviously the only viable solution was to kill us all. After all, we're just filthy devils, right?"
The venom dripping from her voice and the cold fury lining her face strongly discouraged them from interrupting, and some of them were content to remain silent, eager to hear what was going on in Eren's mind, and what, if anything, they could say to get him to change his mind.
"I know you're angry with me for having trampled Liberio. Setting aside the fact that you did the same thing to my hometown nine years ago, let's imagine for a moment that I didn't attack Liberio. After that speech Willy Tybur gave, would the world have still planned to attack Paradis?"
Gabi glanced at Reiner. "Well, would they?"
Reiner looked at the ground miserably.
"...yes."
Gabi's eyes narrowed. "And would it have been a formal campaign that only targeted me and my followers and left the civilians alone? Or would it have been an indiscriminate slaughter of every man, woman, and child on this island?"
Magath remained silent, his mind thinking back to the operation scorched earth that the world had been planning, and knowing deep down that they would have almost certainly done the same thing even if Liberio hadn't been attacked.
Gabi slowly shook her head. "I never wanted any of this. What sane, decent person wants to become the worst mass murderer in human history? But you're the ones who've made it clear time and time again that you will never stop trying to destroy us because you decided that we're devils. So my only two choices were to either accept the inevitability of this island's doom because of the world's hatred, or destroy the outside world and wipe the slate clean."
She glared at Magath. "I know what I'm doing is horrible, but at least I'm not pretending it's benefiting anyone besides me and those I care about. I owe most of the people here some sort of apology, but not you. I have nothing but contempt for you."
Magath finally broke eye contact, his gaze lowering to the ground in defeat.
Armin leaned forward, his expression anxious. "But Eren, this is going too far. If it was just Marley I could maybe understand, but the entire world?"
Gabi sighed. "The hatred toward Paradis and the Eldian race is not contained to just Marley. If I did a partial rumbling this hatred would only increase, driven both by irrational prejudice of the Eldian race and rational fear of the power of the Titans. That was the problem with the 145th king. He recognized Eldia's sins, but was unwilling to actually do the hard work required to end the cycle of hatred. Instead he just toppled the Eldian empire, gave Marley power, and ran away to this island. The coward didn't resolve anything, he only made things worse with a temporary and flimsy truce, and pushed these problems onto us, placing us in an impossible situation. Well I refuse to just lay down and die, and I won't condemn future generations to repeat this whole tragic cycle all over again because of a wholly inadequate half measure. So I'm ending it all here and now. I know it's wrong. I know it's awful. But for our people it's the only viable choice."
"No." Hange objected. "There has to be another way."
Gabi looked at her impatiently. "And what way would that be? You didn't have an answer for me before. Have you come up with one now?"
Hange fell silent, recalling the confrontation she and Eren had in that cell, and understanding for the first time what he had meant.
If there's another way, tell me what it is!
Mikasa looked at Gabi sadly. "Eren... I understand that you're doing this to protect us. And I can't deny that at a certain level it is deeply moving to know that you care about us so much you're willing to do whatever it takes to keep us safe. But I don't want our freedom to be purchased with the blood of millions."
Gabi turned toward her, but was unable to meet her eyes. "Would you prefer our children to live in a world where they must constantly live in fear of being attacked, and continually use the threat of the rumbling as a deterrent? It's too late. The world is the one that decided to take diplomacy off the table. I know that hearts and minds can be changed, but for every one person willing to hear us out there are dozens if not hundreds of others who aren't. And technology has already progressed to the point where normal Titans are no longer the unstoppable threat they once were. How long will it be before the outside world develops weapons capable of standing against even the rumbling?"
Gabi finally met Mikasa's gaze, her eyes sad. "Even if you're okay with gambling this island's future for the sake of the rest of humanity, I'm not. I'm sorry."
"Eren…" Mikasa whispered.
Gabi turned toward Annie, her face becoming emotionless once more.
"Annie, I know how you feel. You want to protect your father, yes? And those of you from Marley, you also want to protect your families. Well, that can be arranged."
Annie's eyes widened. "Really? How?"
"If you agree to abandon this foolish plan, I can use the power of the Founding Titan to turn them into Colossal Titans, and have them walk here. Once they arrive on the island I can turn them back into human. I will personally guarantee their safety, and yours."
Upon hearing this, Annie, Reiner, and Falco could feel their resolve wavering.
Pieck slowly stood up, and stared down at Gabi furiously.
"Are you seriously trying to use our affection for our families in order to blackmail us into doing nothing?"
"Yes." Gabi replied. "Would prefer for them to perish with the rest of humanity?"
Pieck grimaced, but said nothing.
Gabi looked back at Armin. "Also, Armin, I know you're worried about the Titan inheritance, and what will happen with the Nine Titans going forward. Well, that won't be a problem. I made a deal with the founder, and once the rumbling is over all the Titans will cease to exist, and the power of the Titans will be contained entirely within my body. So when I die, that will be the end of the Titans for good."
Armin blinked in shock. "Huh?"
Connie looked at her sharply. "Wait, does that mean the curse of Ymir isn't a thing anymore?"
"Yes."
Armin, Annie, Reiner, and Pieck's eyes widened.
Gabi's expression softened. "Connie, I know you want to restore your mother to her human form. Once I return to the island I can easily do that. And Levi, I know you want to kill Zeke. Not sure what that would really accomplish at this point. Given the circumstances you'd be doing him a favor. But I can give him to you after the rumbling is over."
Connie and Levi remained silent, unsure of what to say to Eren's offer.
Gabi's expression became regretful. "Onyankapon... I am truly sorry. I wish there was another way. I wish that, at the least, I could save your family as well. But since they're not Eldians, there's really nothing I can do."
Onyankapon looked at the ground helplessly. He wanted to argue, but he could see where Eren was coming from, and more importantly he could tell that Eren wasn't going to change his mind.
Gabi turned toward the last volunteer soldier. "Yelena...I did consider Zeke's plan, I really did. And there's no denying that it was far more humane than what I'm doing. But...the outcome of that plan is something I just can't accept. I'm sorry."
Yelena said nothing, her face expressionless. Inside she was torn, part of her devastated by Eren's betrayal, but part of her taking some small comfort that, at the very least, Marley would get what was coming to them.
Jean looked at Gabi with a frown. "So that's it? You just want us to give up and let you destroy the world?"
Gabi's face became cold again. "I don't want to fight you. Of course if you insist on opposing me, well, I can offer you a battle you have no chance of winning. But I wouldn't recommend it."
She tapped the side of her head. "I now have full access to the Founding Titan's powers, which makes me functionally omnipotent when it comes to the subjects of Ymir. I can listen in on any conversation you are a part of, so I will instantly know about any plans you might have. And the only reason your Titan powers are still working is because I am allowing it, something which I could change at any time."
Hange's face paled, and the others looked shocked and dismayed upon hearing this, realizing just how hopeless a fight against the Founding Titan truly was.
Gabi closed her eyes. "I'm sure you need some time to think things over. But whatever you decide, I will know about it. Goodbye...for now…"
She bowed her head, then all at once her eyes shot open and she began to scream, her hands tightly gripping the sides of her head.
"AAAAHH!"
"Gabi!" Falco cried, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.
She looked around frantically. "Is he gone?"
Falco tried to smile reassuringly. "I think so."
She shuddered, involuntary tears streaming down her cheeks.
After Eren's departure, the circle of allies splintered off into smaller groups, contemplating what they should do now.
Hange gritted her teeth. "Damn it."
Magath looked at her. "Are you giving up?"
Hange ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Well, what the hell are we supposed to do against someone with that kind of power?"
Magath grimaced, unsure of how to answer.
Back near the horses Annie shook her head. "I'm done."
Armin frowned. "Annie…"
"If Eren was telling the truth...if he spares my father...I have no reason to fight."
She looked at him sadly. "I know you don't like the idea of a global genocide. I can't say I'm entirely comfortable with it either. But Eren's not wrong. The world wants to erase the people of Paradis, and this is the only way to guarantee their safety in the short and long term."
"Maybe. But…"
Armin shook his head hopelessly.
A short distance away, Jean and Connie were talking quietly.
"What should we do?" Connie muttered.
Jean shrugged halfheartedly. "What can we do? If there was a chance we actually could stop Eren, that would be one thing. But with what he can do, it's just not possible. What's the point of trying when we already know we wouldn't accomplish a damn thing?"
He folded his arms, a resigned expression on his face. "And besides...I can see where Eren is coming from. This really is the only way to both end the cycle of hatred and guarantee the island's safety. Even Zeke's plan, as forward thinking as it was, was still a bit of a gamble, as it rested on the assumption that the threat of the rumbling would be enough to force the world to leave us alone for at least fifty years. And with how technology has been developing, particularly in regards to flying vehicles, there's no way to know for certain if the rumbling would be a sufficient deterrent in the long run."
After making sure that Gabi was okay, Falco ended up talking quietly with Reiner, while Gabi walked over to Mikasa.
She looked shyly up at the young Asian woman. "It...it was Mikasa, right?"
Mikasa looked down at her. "Yes. Are you alright?"
Gabi smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. But...there's something I think you should know."
"Oh?"
Gabi took a deep breath. "When...when Eren was controlling me, I heard everything he said. But...I also glimpsed a couple of his memories."
Mikasa stiffened. "Really? What...what did you see?"
Gabi frowned. "Well...everything Eren said was technically true...but the real reason he ended up doing this was because of the Attack Titan. I guess it can see the future."
Mikasa froze. "What?"
Gabi waved her hands vaguely. "Four years ago, he saw...all of this. Or at least, glimpses of it. Enough for him to know that he would eventually use the rumbling to destroy the world. And while he initially resisted it, eventually he abandoned all hope and came to believe he had no choice but to pursue this future. And...one of the things that ended up being the deciding factor, along with the world's hostility...was you."
Mikasa felt a cascade of dread run through her.
"Me?"
"Do you remember that question he asked you when you guys went to Marley?"
Mikasa recalled the memory right away, and the feeling of dread increased.
"Yes."
"Apparently that was one of the moments he'd foreseen. And he was secretly hoping that your answer would be different from what he had seen, that you would prove that at least some of his future memories were wrong, and maybe there was another way. But...your answer matched up perfectly with what he'd seen, convincing him that the future was written in stone."
The color drained out of Mikasa's face.
Gabi frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry. I just...I thought you ought to know. And...since Eren's offered to spare us and our families...I can't in good conscience ask you to abandon your home for our sake, when we were trying to destroy that home not that long ago."
Mikasa barely heard Gabi's last few words, and absently wandered off into the woods, her face white as a sheet and her mind occupied with what she had just learned.
As she thought back to Eren's hostile behavior at the restaurant, and the horrible things he'd said that he later claimed to have not meant, she couldn't help but wonder if the only reason he'd done those things was because he'd foreseen that moment too, and at that point believed he had no choice but to follow through due to his belief that the future was set in stone.
She found her mind running through everything that had happened, from the destruction of Liberio, to Sasha's death, to the incident at the restaurant, to the end of the world happening right now, and she realized it was all her fault. Eren clearly didn't want to do any of it, and he'd been looking for some excuse, any excuse, to stop. And if she'd just had the courage to give him an honest answer to his question, she could have given him some hope for the future, and shown him there was another way. And since Gabi had seen it, that moment must have been weighing heavily on Eren's mind, clear evidence that things could have turned out differently if she'd just told the truth. But she had failed him, and now it was too late.
Mikasa covered her mouth, her hand trembling, and found herself unable to stop the flow of tears any longer.
Breakfast the following morning was a silent and uncomfortable affair, with everybody knowing they should discuss what their plan was now, but nobody wanting to be the one to bring it up, knowing what the answer would likely be.
Eventually Pieck gave in. "So, what are we…"
Magath held up a hand. "There's no need to discuss things any further."
He looked at his warriors seriously. "All of you...should accept Eren's offer of sanctuary. There's no point in throwing away your lives for nothing."
He bowed his head regretfully. "Eren was right. He's a monster, but he's the monster we created. We spent the last century declaring this island to be a paradise for devils, and as a direct result, that devil was born."
He slowly stood up. "As for me...I'll still go down fighting. I'll go to the harbor alone."
They all looked at him in disbelief.
"What?!" Reiner exclaimed.
"But that's suicide!" Falco protested.
Magath shrugged. "There's nowhere else for me to go, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life hiding in some remote part of this island."
His expression became grave. "I only have one order for you all. This is the last order I'll ever give you. Don't follow me. Don't jeopardize the safety of your families for my sake."
He turned around and began to head for one of the wagons.
"Wait."
Magath turned around and saw Onyankapon jogging toward him.
The dark skinned man nodded firmly. "I'll come with you."
Armin looked at him in dismay. "Onyankapon…"
Onyankapon glanced back at Armin. "Just...do me a favor. Tell Eren...to reign in the Yeagerists. Make them understand the severity of what's happened...and do everything you can to make sure it can't ever happen again."
Armin nodded solemnly. "I will."
Yelena sighed. "Well, if you two are going to go off and die, I guess I'll come too. Don't have anything better to do."
Magath, Onyankapon, and Yelena left on one of the wagons, and before long they had disappeared from sight.
With all the non Eldians gone, the others stood around miserably.
Jean looked at the ground, feeling a mixture of guilt and relief. He had to admit that he was glad that Eren had stepped in. Now he could say that he had tried to save the world, and only stopped once it became clear that it was impossible.
He hoped that would be enough to assuage his conscience going forward.
"Would you all stop sighing?" Levi grumbled irritably. "It's giving me a damn headache."
Author's Note: Bonus points if you spotted the Half Life reference. Though it's a lot more obvious then the Undertale reference in the second story was.
So this is an idea I've had pretty much ever since chapter 127 first dropped. From everything we know about the Founding Titan, it's pretty clear that if Eren wanted to win no matter what, he would. And I think that if he was truly the cold hearted bastard he was pretending to be he would have done something like this. But the truth is that he's not as cold hearted as he'd like to be. He's ruthless enough to actually go through with the full scale rumbling, but he's clearly twisted up with guilt about it, which is why he's left open the possibility of the alliance winning instead of immediately slapping it down, because secretly he wants to be stopped.
Chapter 137 was of course a bit of a mess, but I've seen a lot of people trying to claim that it's all a big trick, and that Eren is about to pull out an uno reverse card. Well, the truth is that if Eren wanted to win, he could have just done something like in this story and nipped the problem in the bud while also avoiding hurting his friends. So I think the people desperately claiming that 137 is a red herring for Eren's super secret (and needlessly convoluted) victory plan are just in hardcore denial about the fact that Eren lost, and that apparently Isayama couldn't think of a less dumb way for Eren to lose. Of course I could be wrong, the fact that 137 went off the rails in a way I couldn't have predicted is proof of that, but I'm pretty sure that the people holding out hope for Eren still winning are going to be disappointed.
Anyways, in this scenario Reiner's mother, Annie's father, Pieck's father, Falco's parents, and Gabi's parents would be turned into Colossal Titans, they would make their way to Paradis, and then they would be turned back into humans, where they and the other warriors would be allowed to live out their lives peacefully, though Eren and the others would probably keep an eye on them. As for Armin and Mikasa, personally I think that Armin would be unable to respect Eren anymore after this, even if he understands why Eren did it, while realistically Mikasa would probably forgive him and still want to be with him. Whether Eren would be able to live with the guilt of what he's done, that's a rather interesting discussion to have.
So, be sure to let me know what you thought of this story by leaving a review, it really is appreciated. Also, this story contains indirect foreshadowing for the next story. The next story was actually originally going to be story four, but it's taking longer to iron out then I anticipated, hence why I finished this one first. The two stories are not directly connected, but something that was mentioned in this story will be important in the next story.
Oh, and if anyone wants to turn any of these short stories into a longer one, that's perfectly fine, just be sure to credit where you got the idea. Or don't if you don't want to. But that would be the nice thing to do.