Purpose
Author's notes: Hello, been a while since I updated this, the fact is that I had to rethink and revamp this story a lot…and instead of a half-Titan since that got taken up this protagonist will be human completely without anything…with a special gift. So enjoy this one, and I really wanted to make this gritty but not too dark than the manga that seems to enjoy turning everyone into a serial psycho killer by the end of this manga series. I dunno how the characters will recover, probably be badass without the good half we see in movies and such.
Chapter 1: Years after, A Glimpse into Life
Three years, give or take.
That was the price I paid for being placed in the new world from my old one, it was a sad thing to be honest for me to finally be left to my own devices until the old man in the dark thinks of something else to burden me with. I remember I would constantly complain to my brother, calling him out for having a stable job and me just trying to struggle with my academics and juggle the daily callings of complicated technological life…we say we made it easier, true but with technology comes a wider range of complications regarding technology. I heard, read it in history books: the atom bomb, the development of nuclear powered stations and Chernobyl's destruction, the development of abortion tools to control life and death…all have been used to empower man like Freud's giant gun theory, hiding our insecurity and fear behind the wall of technology. I always called that world complicated, that the older days with limited technology did us some good of exercise at least then my brother would hit me over the head with a smirk and say if that was so maybe I should do it, and I would joke back saying evolution was late for my generation making his eyes roll.
How I missed it all. But since that night when I laid gasping for breath, my life seeping away I figured that my purpose should have ended and my story would go down as that guy who just lived a boring unfulfilled life, and murdered in a burglary gone wrong to prevent me possibly living a longer period of boredom. That can be overthinking it but I seriously considered that in my mind that in hindsight, I really should have wished for a career instead of something exciting leading to my early grave. Then it happened, that guy showed up in my head and gave me a deal…something I couldn't refuse at all for the life of it due to my desperation to be something more, someone who was better than the past me: a chance to become a purposeful individual. The chance so irresistible that I once promised that I would do anything in the past for such a person to come along and give life to me once again, but I had to die for it...and that very fact shattered something in me, like all my energy without the presence of Cilian to be here for me was gone, sapped right from my roots as I watched him sputter and cry out for someone to save me even in the throes of death, my own brother watching me die was the worst event I could bear witness to...though it will not be the last.
I am in a brand new place, somewhere I haven't read about in my manga collection or any fantasy novels so even I couldn't play psychic and prevent any world-threatening disaster, however these three years did teach me plenty of the world that I found myself trapped-no, brought here to sort out. And hearing the history was enough to throw me off my own complaints. Basically, I have been sent to a real do-eat-dog world of an obscure comic I never bothered to pick up reading called Shingeki no Kyojin in the language of the Japanese which was ironic considering how messed up the author's state of mind must have been to plant such a crazy and unorthodox plot, and that in here the human race had mostly been annihilated by these giant humanoids called Titans who wear unimaginable or overly exaggerated expressions for a species that eats people for fun. From here, a city with three walls was built to keep out these invaders who would soon eat humans than make tea and cakes to sit down and chat with them where the humans stayed captive for hundreds of years. In short, a living nightmare of constant threat.
A world I wish had never been created.
Today I sit perched on a tree branch listening to the quiet sounds of birds chirping merrily while I await what was to come in the hours of the early afternoon my empty sack sitting right next to my side as I kept my ears on alert. Since I dropped in without so much of a weapon save that of a peculiar blade a katana I think that was no doubt been placed by the stranger himself, I had spent around roughly three long years out in the large forest in the wildlands where I then survived in, relying on my wits and creativity to acquire foods and other natural resources though one prominent lesson that I would tell you from the entire experience so far is that living through the jungle without the comforts of the modern day like Ipods or even computers, even television make my stay look and feel like technological hell. The animals were more of prey than predator much to my luck, for some reason or something predators have avoided this area when the animals rush through the treeline giving the creatures pause to pursue and turn back to my observation and confusion however, this provided me a great opportunity to capitalize on the situation at hand. Standing atop the small branches of the large tree I raised the makeshift bow and arrow made from wood and flinted stone, my eyes glaring down at the small deer that had managed to lose its pursuer before I held my breath mentally keeping the score in my head.
1
The deer had already come to a halt, making it a very still target for me to simply fire it however a short breeze of wind messed up the counting as I clicked my tongue instead annoyed at the sudden intervening breeze that had begun at the wrong moment, my slim fingers loosening slightly on the string in irritancy as I licked my lips in anticipation of any sudden movement from my prey, my feet scraping against the bark careful not to kick off any pieces.
2
The deer, much to my own surprise and secret joy was ignoring the breeze and had not even perked it's ears indicating the presence or oncoming approach of any person or creature that dared to attack it so that was a good sign to me, my eyes darting to look upon the animal with more focus as I pulled back the string and silently counted the final second ignoring any hints of feeling sentimental or being in the least bit sad for the prey. I was the hunter and a hungry man right now not some teen on the verge of discovering his life's goals for the future anymore, it made more sense to think of being able to survive than feel guilty for eating to live.
3
I released my hold on the string, watching the arrow fly straight, narrow and true into the neck of the deer that would serve as part of my reserve for food later when my stomach acted up again in its greedy demand for satisfaction of foods. Seeing the poor deer tripping over from the force I rushed down the tree making sure I didn't slip or fall onto the ground while I did so, the animal limped only for a few seconds before the arrow's impact finally shocked the beast to the ground its limbs feeling numb as the nerves shut down drawing my short sword in my hand making my way to the deer's side, watching it's black eyes dart right and left before I raised the blade in the air hovering over its head. Now came the next and probably most gruesome part that I knew was meant to be, the fear and agony in the deer's eyes were enough to stir some raw emotion of compassion and sadness for it…but that's all I can give it now as I recited a silent prayer before I finish my words.
Switch of perspective
"Rest in peace." He said as he brought the tip down onto the brain looking away from the clean stab of the head, small pieces of brain and blood splatter on his bare hands as the grown man removed the blade taking out a small piece of cloth from his pocket to wipe the blood off the Japanese sword careful in his ministrations to not cut himself on it as he eyed the surrounding natural growth around him, the bushes reaching up to his neck rustling with the wind that came by the young man staring intently at it.
"Looks like it's been a while since then huh…no Titans today, which is good for me and my food for the stash though I get the feeling that I won't be left alone by those things anytime soon. From the looks of the weather and the season now, they will be returning to this forest soon." Which meant in short that he had to move on from this area, yet another plain old looking forest filled with beasts and wildlife would be soon lost to the massive giants by their migration pattern, including a large loss of resources for him personally…the thought of this disturbed him to no end especially since the last few incidents have been rough on him already. That prompted a thought from the young man as he glanced upwards at the leaf-covered canopy which shielded most of the sunlight from intruding on the ground as he removed the sack from his shoulder, woven from the flax of tree trunks while drawing out his Japanese blade to slice into the skin of the animal wincing as the blood spattered on the sleeves of his self-fashioned coat, the cuffs dripping small droplets of the red liquid as he wiped his forehead from the hard work.
His appearance had changed drastically since he had submitted to the second chance by the mysterious visitor who took him out of the void, casting him into the new world without so much of a glance apart from some words of advice for him to survive in the new environment. He had long ditched his own modern clothes in a small sack instead replacing it with leather and other animal skins, his inner shirt was all that he wore but the coat that covered him from the weather was on the peak of an inspiration from his experience with Assassin's Creed during one of his early hunting days in the forest where he was left with a bow and a note to say fend for himself. It took a lot of effort and leaving his own comfort zone but eventually with nicely skinned leather and his limited knowledge of sewing from being in a forced curriculum alongside a bunch of failures, he had finally crafted a neat white outfit that suited his needs. The leather outfit was meant to allow a lot of mobility as well as the fact he could not even hunt for a blacksmith out for miles or even exist in the region he was in, so he improvised to make it up as he went along…and after a few months of practice he was glad to have tried.
The leather was rough, mostly white which suited him best as the white hood covered his eyes without any peak to it as part of his own craftiness leather straps running along his shoulders to hang loosely with a small pouch to hold the bow in with the quiver attached to it to avoid any sort of entanglement. In his right sat the sheath of the sword, however no buckles could be found for the piece so he left them to hang a risky decision but to him it was somewhat worth the trouble for it as he slid the bow back inside. His pants were loose but not that big fitting his waistline but didn't completely wrap around it to ensure he wasn't feeling uncomfortable and could fit the mobility bill, with pure leather he looked like a walking skinned animal though it served his purpose plus he liked the hood.
"Okay then, time to pack." He sighed in delight as he stashed the good meat inside of the sack tying it up with a piece of rope, securing it as he moved towards the tree ignoring the noise of the bushes which was now rustling with more force before it got too loud to simply ignore as the man paused sighing out to the new intruder that was towering over him, a shit-eating grin on the giant's face as Edward now turned to glare at the Titan. This wasn't a new thing, but Edward had encountered some of these creatures in the past when he had been younger and much more risk-taking when he first arrived to the forest to discover no presence of the creatures, however in recent years the forest has begun to see its share of monsters and this forced Edward to turn to stealth and place his own preservation above food even starving for a few days to avoid detection. But it was during these recent years due to the close shaves and hunts against him that he learnt of a new ability to deal with the threat of these overgrown humanoids.
"Three seconds before I throw you to the ground, or you can just leave me alone like how some of your smarter brethren did when they saw me. The choice is yours." Seeing that the Titan was still doing its shit-eating grin and its feet digging into the ground, Edward simply said nothing as he dropped the sack to the ground without a care for the meat and brought his hand forward into a 'come hither' motion, his eyes already dead set on dealing with this new threat head on. The Titan didn't flinch as it charged rapidly towards Edward growling in glee as it hurried towards its motionless prey, the man simply looked straight ahead and glinted with a hint of a small smirk as his palm stretched outwards to touch the Titan's toes-
Only to have the Titan's legs itself get twisted into an unnatural angle from an unknown force before the mighty creature fell face forward onto the ground it's face unchanging even in the face of possible defeat from a smaller prey as Edward dodge rolled out of the way looking back to see it stagger past him as he stared at its behind. Much to his surprise and click of annoyance form Edward the creature was stubbornly leaping backwards towards him now it's eyes still dead while opening it's razor sharp teeth attempting to swallow the man whole but Edward just smiled at the simplicity of the predator as he stretched his arm up into a ball and squeezed it. Just as he intended to the beast suddenly felt it's hands wrap around its own head threatening to snap it clean forcing it to land while Edward ran out of the way again lowering his palm as the Titan now slid onto the ground sending dirt and stone flying in the air before stopping into a tree trunk the sheer force causing the tree to fall over dust covering the area. Shielding his face Edward now turned towards the massive pile of meat hands still holding on tightly, leaving its neck exposed purposefully for Edward to jump onto the back of the Titan and rush towards the familiar weak spot that he knew so well, upon reaching his destination did Edward raise his hand and slammed it down on the neck of the immobilized creature his smirk disappearing as he closed his eyes and focused. The next thing he knew was the very familiar old flash of white alongside a sudden pain that burst into his sides causing him to yell out biting his tongue, the feeling engulfed his senses just as the darkness took his consciousness which was fading slowly in and out as he saw the Titan's body begin to form a lump at the neck area where his hand was right then, the man sighing to himself just before he exerted his force picking up a grip on fabric before he fought against the nausea pulling the large object slowly from its canopy.
"What the shit has this thing been eating?" Edward could only utter in amazement as he pulled harder, his foot slipping just as he grabbed hold of the fabric and with a loud yell of triumph felt the ground give way before he fell onto the ground his body weak and unable to fight the exhaustion hitting him alongside the inevitable 'thud', passing out from the warmth luring him to sleep as he could only mutter one last sentence.
"Well, down the hatch we go again…"
A few hours later
"Phew, that was close." Edward sat sitting by the fire, his hand going to his neck rubbing the sore spot which he had suffered while he was leaning up against the tree, a lazy eye trailing over to the bright starry night sky as he flexed his wrists nonchalantly even though there were no injuries sustained from the one-sided fight that he found himself in. In spite of this, Edward decided to check any of his body parts for any sort of damage as he counted his limbs and found his own curiosity satisfied greatly he settled down noting how the stars twinkled brightly on this very special night that he could enjoy to himself.
"Look at that sky, must be the vast expanse of night I've ever seen since I dropped by here." He commented on the beautiful sight, his ears keeping him informed of any happenings around the place in case he was attacked again by another Titan hell bent on devouring him whole. Not that they would be the first to do so, but at night with his exhaustion from the recent fight and what he had to do, it was not a good time for him to be sitting around and feeding a fire for the campsite he picked just near the forest treeline on the other side of where the Titan had assaulted him this afternoon. If one came from this direction, Edward knew the others would soon follow in suit eventually the forest will be taken and the poor animals that came here rarely would find themselves the hunted in this dark unforgiving world. Edward shook the thoughts of gloominess and dread out of his system, this wasn't the time and place to do that unless he was very emo or he found himself in the safety of a human settlement none of the two did he find his personality compatible with, the latter more so dependent on his mood and slightly outgoing urges since his parent's death.
"Well now that that is taken care of, there's only one more matter that I have to oversee before I can even venture out further." The young man sighed deeply, how he hated problems. Especially immediate ones that were sudden and part of life's way of saying 'you've lived too easy a life, so I found time to throw some shit at you' moments, those ones in Edward's own mind were the worst and yet if you could discern the humor of it all, priceless memories to take with you. Just like the Titan that he had taken down, though as he glanced over at the nearby makeshift bed roll which was just a sewn leather blanket alongside a hard flat rock covered with soft fluffy fur for the comfort of the neck and head, Edward could still find it hard to believe what he had been seeing much less what these Titans were in the flesh. Not that he was complaining, but he had not been expecting to see what was beneath the masks of these twisted creatures known as Titans and knowing just what they were made him melancholic, in particular what happens after.
He glanced down at the still breathing body of a woman with dark hair, her eyes closed and flinching in terror at a nightmare she was probably having underneath the cover of the bed roll before Edward placed his hand on her sweating forehead, muttering small words of comfort to her as he observed her small thrashing slow down to a grinding and agonizing halt, the young man trying not to let himself hear the whimpers and delusive mutterings of the woman as he shut his eyes singing a verse from long ago.
We came here on his back
And we caught your eye
The salty ocean wind made the seagulls cry
The rocking of his house had me holding on
But I knew that I was safe from there on out
And we are far from home
But we're so happy
Far from home, all alone
But we're so happy
"Sleep well…Titan. May your demons never haunt you in your dreams ever again, rest with ease." He said as he relaxed into his position, enjoying the taste of the fresh air and the starry night before he closed his eyes and began to drift off to the wonderland of dreams.
End
Author's notes: Okay, so that's the second chapter of Purpose, this is a short chapter as I was in a rush of inspiration and so I decided to give a bit more thought to what he can have. Hope this satisfied your curiosity and may this next story be the best one yet…I seriously hope that I can redo this storyline into one that is much more interesting than the others.
So question time, why did I change? Well it was too stereotypical so I figured instead of having another Titan-shifter with an inhuman advantage why not go with something a bit more simpler, so this is a glimpse like a prologue into what is to come though I will say it will take a long time before the protagonist even reaches the human settlement and this one isn't about one in the military or the city itself as you could see from the forest.
As for his ability, you'll have to see for yourself and what his mission is right now is also a secret.
See you all and have a good night!
The VI