It had been sometime since they had set out to sail. Most the squad were not adapted to the lifestyle on the sea. Neither was Keith or Lucas, but they at least managed to keep their meals down. The saltiness in the air was something that Keith remembered and dearly missed. He stood against the side of the ship and gazed out to the ocean. Its crisp dark blue waves crashed up against the ship's side. It was a matter of hours for them to land on Rhea. He was eager to be able to set foot on his homeland once again and b beyond the concrete walls. There was still a large part of him that regretted leaving his family behind. The idea that he couldn't tell any of them where he was going pained him the most.
Keith turned to see Mia sitting on the deck clutching onto a bucket. Emilee was searching for the land at the front of the ship. Luca was maintaining the ropes after dropping the sails while Oscar was sharpening some knives. Lucas was manning the steering wheel and waiting for Rhea to come into their sights.
There were butterflies in his stomach as he turned back to the ocean. He rested his head on his hand as he leaned on the side.
"Hey Keith," Lucas called out to him.
Keith turned around to see what he wanted.
"You might want to think about putting on a shirt soon," he shouted.
The squad turned to stare at Keith to see what Lucas was talking about. It took Keith a moment to realize what Lucas was referring to. He looked down at his bare shoulder to see the Crovus Clan mark firmly planted in black ink. The mark itself had stretched over the years but it was still distinguishable as the symbol of the notorious clan.
Keith immediately covered his mark up with his hand as he went in search for his shirt. It was at this time that the squad questioned why the mark needed to be covered. It had occurred to Keith that he never once told the squad about his past, nor did he give them any information in regards to Rhea itself. He explained to them as much as he could while skipping a few details here and there.
Once Keith had finished explaining, Rhea was already approaching. Keith came to the realization that there were still a few key components that they needed to prepare for before they could step foot on the land.
"Everyone I want you to remove any piece of your uniform and change into something else," he ordered.
"What why?" Mia groggily asked.
"Our goal is to blend in. Wearing our uniforms isn't exactly what I would call blending in. On top of that other people aren't fully aware of the existence of Paradis. They don't even know that the island has people on it. If anyone asks where you are from, just claim that you are from the capital. We want to keep Paradis a secret for as long as we can, not for our sake but for the sake of those back home."
Everyone agreed and started to make their way to change out of their uniforms and into something else. Keith stopped them before they could make it very far.
"One more thing. I will warn you now. When Lucas and I lived there, the technology was very different than what you will find on Paradis. What they are like now, is something that I couldn't even tell you. So please keep this in mind while interacting with others."
They steered themselves into the harbor and dropped their anchor. Their ship appeared to be outdated when compared to the other ships resting there. Keith was afraid that something like with was going to happen.
They started to get off the ship and were greeted by two officials on the dock. They were dressed in a uniform and had rapiers and rifles strapped to them. Keith glanced over to Lucas with an extreme level of uncertainty. He was unsure if their plan was going to work at all. The men before them were the Royal Knights of Rhea. They were the military who ensured that law and order where implemented much like what Military Police Brigade do.
"State your business," one of them called out gazing at piece of paper as he wrote notes down.
"We are travellers. We are just here for visitation only," Lucas replied humbly.
The two knights looked up at them and didn't say a word. Their stares showed signs that they lacked trust in them. However, they didn't ask any further questions. With a great deal of relief, they were allowed access to the city of Drokish.
"Well guys, welcome to my hometown," Keith gestured with his arms wide out.
The minute that they stepped out into the streets of Drokish they were taken back but the sight. It was definitely something that none of them were used to seeing. All of the streets were well paved. There were people riding two wheeled contraptions. The attire of the locals were different as well. It was something that even Keith and Lucas didn't recognize. It made them feel out of place as a few people stared at the strangers.
Keith and Lucas were able to at least make their way around the city. They remembered key features and were able to locate a place for them to spend their time within the city. The plan was to just relax for a day and then create an overall plan of action.
Everyone was paired off into twos and had their own rooms. When Keith and Lucas walked into theirs, they couldn't help but to notice how dark it was. As he was rubbing his eyes, Keith reached up against the wall and found a switch. Without any thinking, he flicked the switch turning on the light that was hanging from the ceiling. He immediately opened his eyes with one hand still on his face and the other still on the switch. He realized what he had just done and looked up and back down to Lucas who was looking up at the light. The two shared a laugh at the thought of what they were missing out on and the realizations that old habits die hard.
They had been used to using lamps to light the rooms that they had forgotten what it was like to have a form of electricity to light the room. Although, when they were growing up it was still a new concept and only fancier places had it. When they would lodge at places that hired the circus, they would often find themselves accustomed to it. Even after the years had gone by, it was still an instinct to turn the light on by a switch.
It was late at night as Keith laid in his bed wide awake. He still couldn't really believe that he was back. He clutched onto the mark on his shoulder as it reminded him of the things he had to go through to get to where he is now. The tragic past made for a better future in his eyes. He was thankful for the outcome, but he was scared for what was to come in the near future. If they were going to get information in regards to Marley his best option was to get information from people who work in the dark. He wanted to go right to the source of things, and the Crovus Clan was the place to go. However, it wasn't just the information he was looking for. At this point Keith thought more on the letter he read from his father. His hatred towards the clan had risen. Now was his chance for him to take revenge. He had the power and the strength, or so he believed. He wanted to prove to them that he was to not be taken lightly.
That morning everyone met up in the hallway. It was decided that they would go to a local pub to start their search. Keith made the order and was very firm on the choice. Lucas had a look of uncertainty on his face. He had a feeling that he knew what was going on in his mind and he didn't like it. Due to the interactions that the two of them had shared with the Crovus Clan, Lucas could smell the trouble. Although he agreed that it was a risk worth taking. The plan was to join a meeting and quietly listen in. If there was nothing of value then the plan would switch. Keith would subdue members of the Clan and force the information out of them.
They reached the pub that they were looking for where Keith remembered the clan holding their meetings. Keith kept walking through the pub as others followed him unsure as to why they weren't grabbing seats. Keith walked directly to the back where he met face to face with a tall well built individual. He had a scar running down his face as he looked to be a person you didn't want to mess with. Keith straightened up and demanded to go through the door that he was blocking.
"Forget it pipsqueak I ain't letting you through."
"Keith what are you doing," Lucas whispered into his ear.
Keith lowered his voice and stared at the man, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."
The man questioned Keith's intentions and raised an eyebrow in response. Keith then proceeded to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt. It was just enough to be able to expose the dreaded mark on his shoulder. It was clear to the man as he was immediately intimidated by Keith. His eyes widened in a sense of panic and he swallowed the spit in his mouth.
He opened the door to allow Keith to go through. However, the others were blocked from entering. Keith knew that this was going to happen and told them that he would take things from there. He walked down the steps and prepared himself to meet with those who were down below. The blood boiling in his veins with each step he took.
As he walked down the steps he could make out voices of various individuals. He counted the different voices he could make out. From the sounds of it there had to have been more than ten individuals in the room. He immediately knew that he was not in a good position. Alone, he was lucky to take on that many with his powers. However, these were highly skilled people a force that probably surpassed his own skill. These were also people who knew how to take down a pure-blood like himself.
He walked into a full room of various people dressed in different types of clothing. Most wore dark cloaks to conceal their faces while others wore regular civilian clothes. It was clear to Keith that he had joined them during one of the monthly congregations. It seemed like every member of the Crovus Clan was present. There were definitely more than ten people within the room.
As he entered the room, all eyes were on him. The room fell silent the more he pushed through. He pushed himself into the very center and made his presence known. Before him was a man who appeared to be the new leader of the clan. He was a man Keith recognized very well. Although he had aged considerably this was someone who made Keith's heart fill with hatred.
"Who in the blazes are you?" he shouted.
"I am Keith, a long forgotten member of the clan. I have come seeking information."
"Well I don't know you and I'm sure everyone else here can say the same."
"The funny thing is you all know me. Like I said, I am a long forgotten member."
"Get out before you make any decisions you may regret. You are messing with the wrong people."
"Says the man who was behind the death of my parents," Keith shouted as he started neglecting his duties. The anger that was within him was taking over his thoughts. He was too fixated on the fact that the people in the room had killed his parents. To him they were the monsters of his childhood. At that point he didn't care about the real reason why he was there.
"I've taken the lives of many people you're not special."
"Does the name Aberdeen ring any bells?"
The leader paused and recollected on the name, "Impossible, the blasted kid was supposed to be dead."
"Now, I've come for information and nothing more," Keith sternly stated as there were a few people closing in on him.
"You have a valuable head Aberdeen, it would be ashamed to let it go to waste. Then maybe we can give you the information you want. Besides, since that blasted Caroline disappeared, we've made new deals. So I'm sure if you don't mind us selling you to the Marleyan government, after all we did make a deal with them."
"Deal, what deal?" Keith questioned as people walked closer in on him.
"The Clan has always wanted more power while we lived in the shadows. We want full control of Rhea. By working with Marley we can take Rhea out right from under their noses. The shadows of the clan will consumer everyone and everything. Darkness will prevail," the leader shouted.
"You plan on a mass murder."
"If they aren't part of the clan then they deserve to die. Of course with Marley fighting Rhea we will slowly kill off any Marleyan and Rheans that survive the after math."
"Then why sell titans?"
"We ourselves can't have the titan power, but if we take the fighters who can and manipulate them into bringing them to our side than that is different. In order to get close to them, we need Marley to trust us. Therefore, we will bring weapons to them just to steal them when everything is over."
"We'll just see about that," Keith coaxed and tried to jump into the fight.
Keith turned to meet with a blade as it struck him in the shoulder at the same time another had been shoved into his side. With the two blades stuck deep inside of him, he would be unable to shift. Even if he were to pull them out, the wounds were deep enough to prevent him from shifting. He threw a punch at his two attackers as three others had grabbed him and pinned him up against a wall. Using all of the strength he could muster up he freed his elbow and swung it back at one of the attackers. He focused very hard on his back to produce spikes. He didn't think it would work, but he was fortunate enough. The spikes pierced through his attacker as they had become stuck to him.
Keith shook them off of his back and turned to ready himself in searing pain. Several others swung at Keith in complete synchronization with each other. As he dodged one person another was waiting just in time to land the punch. He knew that this was pointless and decided that it was best to try and escape.
As he had turned he had been pinned down to the ground. He landed face first onto the floor breaking his nose in the process. He could feel himself being stabbed once more in the shoulder blade. He reached up and managed to find the attacker's gun. He grabbed it and fired blindly. Thankfully the shot did not miss as he was able to get himself free.
He made his way to the stairs but was grabbed once more. Each time he was grabbed he fired the gun. Once he was free he only made a few steps before someone else had grabbed him. Eventually he managed to shake the last person off of him and swung the door open.
Although he had made it, the chase was not over. Shots were being fired as he dodged the bullets. His vision was starting to get fuzzy at the amount of blood he had lost, but he was able to keep going. The gunfire caught the attention of the others as they ran to see their bloody and bruised captain. Keith knew right away that if they really wanted to inflict damage on him they would have done so. They were just toying with him like a joke.
Lucas grabbed Keith to stabilize him as Luca and Emilee had turned to fire their own guns. Oscar and Mia fought people off to keep them away from Keith. It was at this moment that the clan members had become more serious in their attack. One of the clan members had managed to get past the gunfire and fighting to make it to Lucas who had made it towards the front door. They wore a dark cloak that concealed their eyes.
"Come with me if you want to be safe," she said.
She immediately turned and ran out of the front door. Lucas called for the others as he picked Keith up and swung him over his shoulders. Thankfully, the spikes on Keith's back had retracted back into his body, allowing there to be a much easier trek through the streets. Lucas didn't want to trust the person, but he didn't have much of a choice. Luckily the Crovus Clan did not follow behind them as they did not want to attract the attention of the Royal knights.
As they ran through the streets Mia shouted, "What happened! Who were those people and why did they attack Keith?"
"Do you remember Keith telling you all about that mark on his chest?" Lucas replied. "Well that was his clan. The same clan who thought that Keith was dead."
"Why did they attack him?"
"Keith isn't human, remember that. He probably has a high price on his head because of that. I don't know exactly what is going on, but that's what I can guess."
The stranger they were following was fast and hard to keep up with. Eventually they made it into an alley way. Within that alley was a door leading inside the back of one of the buildings. The stranger tapped a rhythm on the door and waited for someone to answer. When the door opened an older gentleman was present and eagerly let them all in. Keith was place gently on the ground. During the retreat he had fallen unconscious allowing his body to heal. The room began to fill with steam from his body.
"Explain yourself young lady!" the man shouted.
"I couldn't, I just couldn't," she began removing the hood to reveal her face. The girl looked to be around fifteen, her face covered in freckles. She had reddish hair that was braided at each side of her head. "He just walked in asking for information and then he said that he was an Aberdeen and then this happened. He's a titan like me!"
"Aberdeen?" the man turned to look at Keith. "There is no way."
"Papa, who is this man?"
"Where are the others?" he snapped at her.
"They should be on their way soon."
Keith began to cough up blood which concerned everyone. The man ordered the girl to grab some pillows and start cleaning up some of the blood and remove the knives that were still stuck in him. As they were cleaning Keith up they introduced themselves. The young girl's name was Piper Shinto and her grandfather was none other than Carl McGill.
As Keith was being taken care of, others had arrived. Jaclyn was an older woman who appeared to be around Carl's age. Piper's father Brutus was present alongside Carl's daughter Sitka. A man roughly the same age as Lucas and Keith introduced himself as Deck and his partner Suit. There were several others present within in the room and it was clear to Lucas that everyone was a Crovus Clan member.
Everyone was on edge as they felt like they were trapped. Piper spoke with a boy close to her age named Damien. He appeared to be a fairly frail boy. Almost too frail to be a clan member. However, all members were lethal nonetheless.
"What do you want with us," Lucas demanded.
"Quiet down Lucas or the whole neighbourhood will hear you," Keith quietly said as he began to sit up. He held onto his head as he adjusted himself on the ground.
"Keith you're ok!" Luca shouted with excitement as he slammed down to his knees to assist.
"It really is you isn't it," Carl proclaimed.
The still healing Keith was caught off guard and looked up at the older man. He analyzed every wrinkle and every mark on his face. His thin glasses sat on his nose as his eyes showed signs of amazement. Keith began to familiarize the face even though it had been twenty years.
"Carl…Carl McGill," he whispered to himself as he could feel the anger grow in him again.
"You look just like your mother Valerie, bless her soul," Carl replied as Keith slowly pulled himself off of the ground.
"You shouldn't be moving yet," Piper scolded.
Keith completely ignored her and the pain, and stared at Carl with an almost sinister glare. "You know Carl. Do you remember what I said the last time that you and I came face to face?" Keith cracked his neck in preparation. "I told you that I would kill you and any Crovus Clan member after what you let happen to my parents. Now I already had an unfortunate visit with other members, and I never did get a chance to have their blood on my hands," he shouted and lunged forward at Carl.
The skin melted away from Keith's arm as his muscles were enhanced. A shroud of bone covered his muscles as steam was emitted from the intense heat he was giving off. He aimed for Carl's face but was blocked by something completely unexpected. In that split second, a large rod like structure blocked his path. Upon closer inspection Keith recognized the material the rod was made of. It was composed of a bone like his armor. When Keith realized it, Jaclyn had approached and exhaled something into Keith's face. The substance had caused Keith to lose consciousness once more and collapse down to the ground.
The rest of the squad did nothing but watch everything unfold before. They didn't know what to do. It was out of fear that they couldn't move, but it was for the sake of their own lives. What they had witnessed was something extraordinary.
All of the clan members knew to be on the defensive side the minute that Keith had gotten up and cracked his neck. The second that he shifted his weight to start his charge, everyone else was already on the move. They moved so swiftly that Keith hadn't even realized it during his attack. However, it was what they did that was most incredible.
Deck had produced a bone rod from his hand and broke it off in time to meet with Keith's fist. Suit had grabbed Carl and turned his back to Keith to take the blow. His skin appeared to look thick and rather tough to the touch.
Brutus and Sitka had guns pointed at the back of Keith's head. Meanwhile a few others showed signs of non-human features. One person had elongated claws. They dove in between Carl and Keith and was prepared to jab claws into Keith's throat. A few others had blades of varying kinds aimed at Keith along with a few who stood back with pistols. Each remained still until Jaclyn had subdued him.
"Your friend will be alright. The gas isn't enough to kill him. It was just enough to put him to sleep," Jaclyn informed the others.
"What's going on here?" Lucas firmly asked ready for anything that was going to be thrown at him as the others feared for their lives.
"I would like to know as well," Keith groggily demanded as he sat up.
"How are you awake? You should be out for a few hours!" Jaclyn shouted in surprise.
"Remember Jackie, Keith is pure as well. His tolerance levels are most likely much higher than a normal human," Carl stated.
"What was that and how did you…"
"I bet you thought that you and your parents were the only ones hiding right underneath the enemies noses," Brutus proclaimed revealing sharp protruding fangs like a snake.
"You're…you're pure bloods?" Keith questioned.
"Not exactly," a woman pulled down her cloak. "You are a pure blood, we are not. A couple of us are half-blooded or a quarter at best. But we all have titan blood flowing through our veins nonetheless." She turned to gesture everyone in the room, "Each one of us has one way or another to prove it. Some more than others." She lifted up her hand to unsheathe the claws she had nearly dug into Keith's throat.
"Either way, we have all felt the torment that comes with being of titan blood," Jaclyn added.
"I knew that there had to be descendants but I never thought that I'd see this many in one place," Lucas proclaimed.
Deck sat up straight on the table he was sitting on, "Lucas Anderson, the infamous strongman of the Sidonia Circus. Born and raised within a small village in the mountains known as Volaire until he himself had moved on. Did you ever stop to think why your strength seems to naturally surpass that of a normal human? How you were able to do so much at such a young age. Did you ever think that maybe you too may have titan blood in your veins."
"Deck!" Piper shouted.
"He's right Piper. In this day and age anything is possible. Look at all of us in this room right now. Although a few of us seem to be more human than titan, it's still in us. Now Keith, he is a different story."
"It's because I'm pure isn't it?" Keith asked.
"And you're not the only one in the room who is."
"Tell me, what is really going on here? Why am I so different from the rest of you? Why should I even trust you to begin with? You are all Crovus Clan members. You all know what our code of conduct is."
A level of trust was to be established before Keith and the others could feel safe. It was Carl's decision to allow that trust to be built between the two groups.
It was true that there were others like the Aberdeen family among the Crovus Clan. What Keith didn't know was why. For centuries the titans of varying kinds were in hiding. Where most opted to stay out of sight and remain in hiding, there was a large number who were nomadic. Among them was Keith's own parents. The group that they were a part of had encountered the Crovus Clan before, but thankfully their secrets remained. Once his parents had joined the group others soon followed. A coalition was developed within the group underneath the leader's nose. It was a way for them to seek out other titans and try and help them. However, a price had to be paid if their own personal goal had failed for the sake of their Crovus Clan status. A few of them were sacrificed for the cause. In the end, those who were part of the coalition were lighting a fire within the Corvus Clan. They were planning on taking them down once and for all once they had the numbers.
Carl was introduced to the idea of equality for the titans when his daughter Sitka had befriended and soon married Brutus. Soon after he met Sebastian and Valerie Aberdeen and became very close to them. He saw them as no different as others. That's when it was decided that he would side with them in their fight for survival. There were other normal humans who joined them on their quest.
When the extermination of titans had begun and those who were captured were to be used as subjects for the King back when LeBlanc had taken the throne, numbers of pure blooded titans had already been diminished. Many titans were killed during the war and the aftermath of it. Most people saw them as a huge threat, a power and force to be taken down. Due to the superiority complex that King Weismann had, many people had begun to hate titans and those who had titan blood. Those not subjected to experimentation were slaughtered.
Eventually as the years had gone by the experimentations had slowly died off. Although there were no experimentations being conducted within the castle, there was still an underlying resentment to titans. In recent history the resentment derived from the Marleyan Empire rising to power using the power of the titans to transform people and gift them with the abilities. This was much like the power that LeBlanc had harnessed but his predecessors could never recreate. People began to have an increased hatred over many years over those with titan powers. The law remained and the reward for turning one in was still present.
Caroline Rogers, the doctor of the Sidonia Circus and niece of Neal Sidonia, was the mastermind who had taken over her father's research. Her father had originally conducted the research within the castle but was exiled after disobeying the current king's orders to end it. The Crovus Clan would give her the titans they captured and she would test them to try and make a serum of her own for the Crovus Clan. With this, the Sidonia's and the Crovus Clan would ally together and take over the kingdom of Rhea. However, when Caroline had travelled to Paradis with Keith and the others, she had fell victim to the very thing she was trying to recreate. With no one to continue the research, the Crovus Clan decided to go to the next best thing.
They developed a relationship with the Marleyan army. Knowing that they wanted to create a stronger empire, they promised to bring them subjects to be tested on for warfare. Those of titan blood were brought to Marley to test weapons of varying kinds just as Rhea had succumbed to do. In return, the Marleyan army promised to keep them safe once Rhea had been taken over. Never once was a pure blood or a half blood brought to them. Only those with increased healing or a small transformation ability.
The clan had a different motive. They wanted to take the titan powers from them by manipulating the Eldian soldiers to bring them to the Crovus Clan side once the fighting within Rhea would be over. Either way, the descendants of titans were found to be tested on, tormented, tortured, and even brought to death due to the mere fact that they were unique individuals.
"Over the years due to the massacre, those who were pure blooded titans became rare. Right now we only know of maybe five different individuals who are one hundred percent pure, you being included. And that's taking into consideration of the entire country." Sitka commented. "Everyone else is just like us. Either way we are being discriminated against because of old ways and the underlying threat of the Marleyan government. We aren't safe anywhere and I'm afraid that we may never be."
"When Marley took power of Eldia many, many years ago Rhea agreed to maintain an alliance and abandon what they had originally with Eldia. With Eldia out of the picture Marley rose to power. However, with the recent events that have taken place, I'm not as sure as to what's going to happen especially with the increasing growth of the Clan and the decreasing power of Marley. The looming threat over Rhea is like a dark cloud," Carl stated.
"What do you mean?" Keith questioned.
"Rhea had pulled out of the alliance. A few years ago, Marley had lost two of their strongest warriors," Brutus continued.
"Warriors? I've heard that term used before but what exactly are they?" Lucas asked.
"It's been said that Marley had developed a special program. Those enlisted within the program had special properties that are undefined. Either way a select few within that program are granted the power of a titan, but not like us. It's to our understanding for what we've can gather, that these titans are like puppets that encase the person within the neck. Kind of a way of being a titan without actually being a titan. This is the very thing that Leader Law was after. With two of them missing, even the clan was starting to pull out from the deal," Brutus continued.
"Either way, two of them disappeared from the radar. No one is really sure as to why but no one can confirm that they've seen them either," Deck proclaimed.
"What matters is that other nations are starting to see an opportunity. They were weaker. Marley has been a stronghold of power because of these titan intimidation. They are very powerful and very hard for us to deal with. On top of that they seem to have unintelligible titans like the ones documented in the Great Titan War of Rhea." Suit stated. "What we are looking at is a full on World War to take Marley down and to fight over the next nation to be on top. So far many of the nations had started dealing hard blows to Marley and their military. However, they always stand their ground because of those titans."
"And because of this we are viewed as even more of a threat than ever. The people are scared of us. We are monsters of destruction and death," Fey commented examining her unsheathed claws.
Mia stood up from her seat her hair swinging in the process from her abrupt movement. She frantically stood before everyone in the room as all eyes were on her.
"You are not monsters! I have seen the incredible things that people with that kind of power can do first hand! There have been times where I have feared for my life because of that power, but I have also seen the good that it can do! You are person no matter what. Do not forget that. Don't let your power define you! You are not a monster," she shouted passionately.
"Mia!" Luca called out to her to try and calm her down.
"Carl, what if our powers were for the sake of Rhea?" Keith began. It was clear that everyone was questioning Keith's thought. "Have you ever heard of a place called Paradis?"
It was at that moment that everything was shared. Keith informed the events that had taken place and why things happened to begin with. He explained to them that they were the ones who withheld the current Female Titan below the city and that one of their factions had two titan shifters of their own. He shared the information in regards to a serum that had been developed long ago and was currently being used on the Eldians to transform them into the type of shifters that they described. He informed that the Eldians of Marley were living in a similar way as the titan descendants were. However he informed them that they were secluded into specific area and labeled for who they are. The goals of Paradis is to reclaim the strength that Eldia had before and allow the people to be free once more, much like the desires of the titans of Rhea. In order to do this, those with titan powers were brought to the frontlines. In theory, if they wanted to be free of everything they had to prove to everyone how valuable they could be on their own. If they were to show that they could utilize their powers and protect Rhea from oncoming attacks of the war, then the people may welcome them a little more. By coming out of the shadows as well, the Crovus Clan would be reluctant on attacking.
Everything was out in the open between the two groups. Things began to make sense and correlate to each other and a pact was made. Those within the house had made the agreement to aid Keith and the others in the path to gather information to take Marley down. Although he was unsure of the next step beyond taking Marley down, they were the first priority.
Part of the pact suggested that Keith needed to help with the coalition that was mentioned. Keith humbly agreed believing that it was a moment of seeing eye to eye. The fight against Marley was also going to be a fight for the rights of the titan kind and the ability to live without fear. In order to do this, a new clan was to be established. With the naming of a new clan, they would be able to gather more members and perhaps destroy the Crovus Clan.
Keith and the others had started their work on separating those from the Crovus Clan into this new clan that they wanted to create. They managed to fight their way out and stand their ground taking down a few enemy clan members in the process. This was the first step that they needed to take to show that they were not hiding from the Corvus Clan anymore. Because they knew of the ways of the clan they were able to defend themselves against oncoming Crovus members. Meanwhile, they still gathered what information that could in regards to Marley and what was going on. Each week a message was sent to Paradis to relay the information.
A month later after much fighting, Keith and the others were brought to a temple far out from the city. It was run down and clearly aged.
"This temple was forgotten about long ago. It was only a few years ago that it was dug back out and uncovered. But even since then, no one seems to care about it," Sitka explained.
"What is this place?" Keith asked as he walked through.
He was welcomed into a hallway that had a ceiling of at least thirty meters tall. The temple was underneath the ground in a tomb like structure allowing for the taller ceiling and the well-hidden entrance. Within the hall there was a variety of statues of tall people carrying weapons and wearing varying armor. However, some of the armor seemed to be very peculiar.
"This was the temple of the titans. Long, long ago before our kingdom was even established, the titans were perceived as Godlike figures. Temples like these were created but most of them were destroyed. This is one of the last ones that still stands. The name Rhea derives from a language meaning giant. Our ancestors were worshipped for protecting the land and everyone who lived on it. They were the guardians to not only our nation but to others as well."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, there is documented proof that our ancestors did not just live here in Rhea. Although, in other societies they may not have been referred to as titans. Because our kind can take on different shapes and forms, they were all given different names. And because there are those who are demi they were recognized as something different entirely. Kind of like the minotaur."
"The what?"
"Never mind ignore what I said. I like your hair cut by the way. It makes you look much older and mature," she pointed out.
"Really, you think so," Keith commented rubbing the now shaven sides of his head and running the tuff of hair that was on top of his head.
They entered a large room that was lit up by giant lanterns. The other titans where present waiting for their arrival along with a couple more that Keith had not met. Since Keith knew that he was going to remain within Rhea for a long time, he decided to start developing some roots once more. As an official part of the coalition it was finally time to develop a clan of their own.
Everyone had revealed their Crovus Clan marks and awaited for the next step. One by one using ink, the notorious crow was turned into something else. To mark the creation of this new clan they wanted a way to signify themselves and their beliefs. It was decided that an emblem of a dragon would be created to mask the crow. The dragon would represent their strength and power but also be represented as a guardian to them. Although, no one could explain why the ink stayed in their skin, what mattered to them was that it remained.
Those who were Crovus had abandoned the clan for their new one. It was decided that the clan would be referred to as Der Wächter or The Guardians. They wanted the faith in the titans to be restored. They wanted to be recognized as normal citizens. That wanted the same peace that they had once before. They were going to fight for Rhea in the war.
With the new clan in development along with the target goal of gathering information, Keith and the others set out to start strengthen the presence of the titans. A plan would be devised to fight for their equality as regular citizens and have changes in the laws and ways. Everyone agreed that they would not shed blood of the innocent. They wanted to be recognized like their ancestors and live in peace. They wanted to be like the guardians of long ago.
Things had been moving very quickly. Before Keith knew it, four months had already gone by since they had arrived on Rhea.