Eren's eyes opened slowly, looking out into the darkness that surrounded him.

"Hey, you, wake up."

The deep voice widened his eyes. He sat up, scrambling backwards from that man.

"You! You're Ragnar, right?"

The man nodded, his eyes never leaving Eren's.

"W- Where are we?"

Eren, not sensing any hostile intent from Ragnar, turned about, seeing that they were surrounded completely by darkness. Standing in some kind of void.

"I honestly don't know," Ragnar said, "But I believe that this void we now inhabit is… is our mind. The space within our minds."

"That's stupid as hell," Eren scoffed, turning to the taller man, "You can't inhabit your mind! This has to be some kind of weird dream!"

You're both right.

They both turned, though only Eren's eyes registered any shock.

"Hello again, Beast." Ragnar said, seeing the roiling, constantly morphing darkness coming towards him.

Hello, Ragnar. And hello to you two also.

"There's only the two of us here," Eren said, watching the darkness come near, "What-"

I am awakened.

He turned, seeing another darkness coming towards them. The two black masses moved in close to the two of them before stopping.

We were once one, The mass behind Ragnar rumbled, But now we are two. One becomes two, and two become one. I am… Henceforth refer to me as Thanatos.

Then I shall be called Erebus, Eren heard the one behind him say, Now, there is much to speak of, and even more to show you. Especially if you wish to break the Prophecy.

"You're quite good," The man called Muajii said as Suttungr parried another blow, "If only you had some maneuver gear this would almost be fun!"

Suttungr stood his ground, having stepped off of the raised gallows, feeling the heat radiating off of the massive dome of flame.

What did you do little brother?

Suttungr paid a price for letting his thoughts wander, as Muajii shot forward, using his maneuver gear to slide forward faster than any man could sprint or run. He was able to parry the blades, but as Muajii slid under his counter, he was able to flick his blade out, leaving a gash on Suttungr's back from hip to shoulder.

Damn…

"I see you're getting frustrated," The other man said, laughing gleefully, "Well, don't worry. You won't have to worry very much longer…"

He came at Suttungr once again, seeing that he was wounded. But someone else intervened, a short man with straight black hair slamming into the other man from the side.

Muajii skid to a stop, his blades sparking against the ground. A dozen more men in the uniforms of the Scouting Legion appeared behind the first, and Muajii turned to see the rest of his own team in flight.

"I guess I'll see you another day, Prince."

And then he was gone, retreating over the roof of the Palace.

"Suttungr," Sigmund called, sauntering over to him, followed closely by Eric, "How badly are you injured?"

"Not too badly," Suttungr said, reaching around and feeling the steaming wound, "It isn't too deep. Should only take a few minutes to heal. Where's Dio and the others?"

Sigmund pointed towards a street, where Dio was slowly making his way towards them. The others were running next to him. Dio's Jotunn began to dissolve as he pulled himself free, several members of the Scouting Legion having to scramble out of the way as it collapsed. As it dissolved, he hopped off, making his way towards their little group.

"Well, I gotta say some of these guys are pretty good," Dio said as he walked through a group soldiers, "And the women too! Have you seen them? Man, being stuck with you guys all this time has made me really-"

"Shut up, Dio," Suttungr mumbled, standing up and turning towards a man on horseback who had just arrived. He sheathed his swords before continuing, "We have visitors."

Suttungr's eyed the other man, noting his nicely groomed features and lack of a right arm. He dismounted with only a little difficulty, striding over to stand before Suttungr.

"I must thank you for your assistance," He said, reaching out his left hand, "Without you… We could never have saved these men and women without your timely intervention. You must be the one called 'Ragnar'?"

Suttungr chuckled.

"No, that would be my younger brother," He gestured toward the pulsating dome of flame, "I am Suttungr. First Prince of Jotunheim. And… you are welcome."

He reached out his left hand, and took the other man's hand in his own.

"Erwin Smith, commander of the Scouting Legion," The other said, "Now, what are your intentions."

Suttungr turned away, looking towards the flames.

"My only intention is to repay a debt," He said quietly to the other man, as several of the prisoners approached, "All of us are either in debt to Ragnar, or sworn to him. We shall defend him with our lives if need be."

The other nodded, turning towards a mustachioed man with a shining bald head.

"Commander Pixis, I'm glad to see you're all right."

Pixis waved away the younger man's pleasantries.

"You shouldn't have come here," He said, "You've lead your men into a trap, and only through the intervention of these men did you see any success. Foolish and reckless of you Erwin. Foolish and reckless."

Suttungr stepped away from the men as Luigi approached.

"Luigi, have you seen Annie?"

The other man shook his head

"Not since the start of the fighting."

That girl is always getting into trouble… She and Ragnar truly are meant to be together.

The sound of clashing swords drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to see two figures clashing back and forth.

One of them was Annie. She was not holding her own.

"Luigi! Let's-"

The man who had rescued Suttungr from Muajii blurred forward, his blades coming up and stopping the raven haired young woman who was attacking Annie. Suttungr jogged over, as Annie collapsed to the ground, several slashes bleeding profusely across her body.

"Annie, are you alright?"

She nodded, not seeming to be able to catch her breath.

Suttungr turned, hands going to his blades as he saw the evil glint in that girls dark eyes.

Those eyes, they're the closest I've ever seen to Luigi's… How interesting.

"Move, Captain Levi," She growled, her swords straining against the man's, "I won't let her harm Eren anymore! I won't let what she did stand!"

A nearly bald boy, and one with gray hair appeared, restraining her, pulling her back. Luigi and the rest of their team appeared, brushing through the gathering crowd. They took up positions around Suttungr and Annie, their hands resting on their sword hilts.

"How can we call that murderer an ally," The dark haired girl yelled, "You remember the 57th Expedition… She led the slaughter of our friends. Personally killing who knows how many men and woman. She is nothing but a monster," She glared at Suttungr, "And any who would call her a friend is a monster!"

The crowd began to shake their heads in agreement, looking towards Annie. Many drew their blades, shouting insults.

They all stared in stunned silence as a single slap ended any thoughts they had of attacking Suttungr and his family. The dark haired girl reeled back from Levi, the red welt already forming on her face.

"I will say this only once," He said, "These people risked their lives to assist us. I don't know why they chose to do that, or why there have Annie Leonhardt, the Female Titan with them, but if the Commander believes them to be our allies, then I shall believe in him. Now get back to your positions! Members of the Garrison, find a set of Gear that someone won't be needing anymore and get ready to repel the damned Military Police!"

The crowd hesitated for a moment, looking from the girl, to this Captain Levi, to the Annie, then they turned and went about their business.

Levi turned, walking away from the sulking girl and her comrades, and stood in front of Suttungr, though he looked past him at Annie.

"Leonhardt, I don't know why you've returned, or where you met these clowns," He gestured distastefully to where Dio was speaking to a group of female soldiers, "But I'll make it clear, I don't forgive you."

Then he turned and strode away towards the Raven haired girl. Eric had grabbed Dio and dragged him away from the wary looking women, and now they stood in a pool of silence. Punctuated by the rumbling and crackling coming from the flames.

"Ah hell, Eric," Dio moaned, as the larger man swatted him on the side of the head, "I think they were just starting to warm up to me!"

"Now is no time to be flirting with them, damn it," Eric rumbled, "We need to come up with a game plan… Fighting these people without using our Jotunn is a trifling experience."

"It is… Give me a moment," Suttungr said, "I'm going to speak to this Commander Erwin."

Suttungr approached the small circle of officers, and stood just outside of it, politely waiting to be noticed. Erwin looked up after several members of the crowd turned to glare at the intruder.

"Ah, please join us," He said, as the bald man and a bespectacled woman with brown hair made space for him, "Everyone, this is… Prince Suttungr. He is the leader of the group that assisted us."

Suttungr nodded in greeting.

"I actually came over to ask you a questions," He said, "We wish to use our Jotunn, and thought it best if we spoke with you first about it."

The confused glances he received from the men and women caused him to raise his eyebrows slightly.

"What exactly is a 'Jotunn'?" The bespectacled woman next to him said.

I have to remember that some of our terms aren't interchangeable… What was it that father and Annie referred to them as…

"Um… A Jotunn is… A," He struggled to remember the word, which he had read on nearly every page of his father's diary, "It's a… Titan! That's the word."

"You're all Titan shifters?" Erwin said, his eyes narrowing, "Why did you not use your powers sooner?"

Suttungr felt uneasy as all eyes turned to him.

"Ragnar, my brother, gave only one of his guards, Dio, permission to transform," He looked towards the flames, "But… with him currently indisposed in there, I believe assisting you with all of our strength is now paramount."

Hard eyes bored through him.

"Stupid," One man said, "How many died because of your brother's inability to-"

Erwin held up a hand.

"Squad Leader Heiji, please," He said, turning to Suttungr, "We would be glad to have your full strength added to our own. It is my belief that the Military Police, with the Royal Guard at its head will attack any moment. So, let us be about it. We must defend Eren and this Ragnar at all cost."

This man has quite an aura about him. These men and women follow him without hesitation. I must be careful of him.

Returning to the rest of the group, he saw that most of Annie's wounds had healed.

"Alright, here's the plan," He called out, "Sigmund, Eric, you'll take the far corner. Assist any of the soldiers there in any way you can. Luigi, you and Carr will take the area near the Palace. Dio, myself and Annie will take the corner opposite them."

"I can't transform."

Suttungr looked to Annie, who had spoken with a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Oh, I forgot about that. I apologize, Annie," He inclined his head towards her, "Can you assist us with your maneuver gear?"

She nodded, though she didn't look as confident as she usually did. She kept peering towards the flaming dome.

"The area is pretty clear, now. Annie, we're going to transform, so you may want to move to a safer spot."

Without a word, she darted away, her gear whining as it pulled her towards her assigned spot.

"Alright, on the count of three… One… Two…"

All of their hands went towards their mouth, preparing to bite down and manifest their Jotunn.

"Wait," Dio said, interrupting Suttungr's countdown, "Are we transforming on three, or right after three?"

Dio laughed at the look of consternation on Suttungr's and the others faces.

"Dio, just transform on three, and stop fucking around," Suttungr snarled, "Now… One… Two… Three!"

Teeth met flesh, and Utopia was once again subjected to the harsh explosions of Jotunn manifestation.

All eyes turned to the six of them.

Suttungr stood, with his skull like face and great horns curving out over his brow, and roared. The others joined him, the noise becoming deafening.

Hear us, fear us!

"Where are we?"

Ragnar gazed about the street they had appeared in, watching as a cart went by in front of them. He turned, seeing their two shadowy followers still behind them.

Inside a memory, The being known as Erebus said, One drawn from Eren's mind… Now come… You know where to go, Eren.

Eren stood completely still, his eyes wide, filled with horror.

"This… This is Shiganshina… My hometown," He mumbled, "My house is right over there!"

"Shiganshina?"

Ragnar stumbled over the name, and was caught off guard as Eren took off running, darting around the corner. Ragnar followed, seeing Eren run into a small home at the end of the street. His eyes widened as he saw a younger version of Eren followed by a dark haired girl enter the home.

He followed discretely, slowly approaching and opening the door.

Do not worry, He heard Thanatos rumble, It is only a memory, they cannot see you.

Ragnar nodded, taking a step into the house, feeling quite out of place.

"We're home." The younger Eren said to a woman who he bore quite a likeness too.

"You're late, children," She said over her shoulder as she washed dishes.

The banter continued for a few moments, while Ragnar gingerly placed himself next to Eren. The other young man was on his knees, his face wet with tears.

"Why would you show me this," He said, turning towards his shadow, "Why, I don't ever want to remember this!"

Because… You must remember!

Ragnar looked back towards the family.

"Eren, is that your father?"

The other boy noticed him standing there for the first time.

"Uh… yeah. That's my father."

"Eren," His father was standing next to his younger self, leaning down to bring his face closer to Eren's, "Why do you want to go outside?"

"I wanna know what's going on out there," Young Eren said, "I'd hate to live my entire life inside the walls! And… If no one here wants to pick up where they left off, all those people who laid down their lives so far did so in vain…"

The scene around them seemed to jump, people shifting across the room without moving.

Superfluous. Erebus said quietly.

"It was not superfluous," Eren stood, enraged, "That was my life!"

"Eren," His father said, "When I get back… There's that room in the basement, which I've always kept secret. Well, I'll show it to you."

Do not forget the key, Eren.

Ragnar looked over, seeing Eren look down and pull out a necklace with a key at the end of it.

"This… This key," He said, turning away from the scene behind him, tears still in his eye, "What is down there?"

We do not know, Their two shadows said, That is for the two of you to find out.

The scene shifted around them again. Another boy had joined them, his blonde hair reminding Ragnar of Annie's in its color.

"No, no, no," Eren yelled, "Run, now! Go get mother!"

Ragnar turned, seeing Eren trying to shake his younger self, his hands going through like the other wasn't there.

You cannot effect the past, Eren. Erebus said, But… Ragnar must know what drives you, and you what drive him. Your pasts are the fuel that burns the fires of your present. Now… watch.

The ground shook below them, buildings shuttering, and a sign of iron clanked somewhere behind them.

"Oh god…"

Ragnar followed, as Eren chased after his younger self. They skidded around a corner.

"Armin, what on god's green earth is…?" Eren's younger self exclaimed, falling silent as he looked towards…

Ragnar's eyes immediately found the cause of his silence… as steam rose in a great billowing cloud above the Wall. A hand grasped the edge of the Wall, and a great, skinless head rose ominously above it. Screams echoed throughout the town, and Ragnar watched as the other young man screamed with them.

This must be the Colossus that Annie worked with… Damn… it really is huge.

The gate below the Colossus exploded outwards, huge chunks of debris flying through the air, smoke trailing behind them, crashing into the town behind the gate. They followed the children at a jog, Ragnar stopping several times to help Eren up after he collapsed. All the while their shadows still paced them.

"Mom…" Eren said breathily between his sobs.

The house, which they'd inhabited just moments before, was… There was a piece of Wall debris nearly as large as the house itself sitting in the rubble.

"By the sky," Ragnar said under his breath, "This is… this is terrible…"

Ragnar approached slowly, as Eren stood watching his younger self. Their mother was crushed by the debris, only her head and part of her upper body visible.

"Mikasa," The younger Eren yelled, "Hold this! We're gonna move that pillar away! Heave!"

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The boy and girls attempts to free their mother were punctuated by the heavy footfalls of feral Jotunn approaching.

"My legs have been crushed under the rubble," His mother pleaded, tears flowing down her cheeks onto the rubble below, "Even if I do get out of here, I wouldn't be able to run, you can understand that right?"

The younger Eren didn't heed his mother's advice, continuing to try to free her…

"I'll take you on my shoulders then!" He screamed, grunting with effort as his tiny limbs tried to lift."

"Why don't you ever listen to me," His mother cried, "You could at least obey my last wish!"

Eren was openly weeping, having to watch this part of his life that was likely horrible to have to remember. Ragnar had had enough.

"Stop this," He yelled, turned to the two shadows, "Stop this now!"

You must see this! It is vital! Erebus rasped, its form morphing into a sphere that hovered slightly above the ground. Especially if you are to break the Prophecy as Thanatos has informed me you wish to.

"I don't care about the damn prophecy," Ragnar exploded, clenching his fists, "Stop it now, Thanatos!"

The scene froze, and Ragnar turned, seeing the tears that had fallen from Eren, the dark haired girl, and his mothers, locked in freefall. Their expressions were frozen, horror etched across them.

If you wish to move on, Thanatos said, its shape shifting into that of a three sided pyramid, Then… we can show your own past. Is that agreeable?

"Yes," Ragnar said, not liking where it was going, but not wanting to put the other boy through any more of… this, "Do it."

Always the one to make a sacrifice, Thanatos said, as it rotated in the air, Now… To get to the end, we must go to the beginning.

Darkness engulfed them, and Eren turned, wiping away tears with his sleeve.

"Why did you do that," He said, stepping towards Ragnar menacingly, "I… I wanted to see my mother again!"

Ragnar turned an eye towards Eren. The other boy recoiled at the compassion that emanated from Ragnar.

"Remember her fondly," He said quietly, "As she was. That… that was a nightmare, Eren Jaeger. How… how did she die, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"She," Eren hesitated for a moment, "She… Was eaten by a Titan."

"Eren… did you see her get eaten?"

Ragnar's words struck the younger boy like a sledgehammer.

"Yeah." His voice was tiny, his eyes cold… Ragnar reached out, placing what he hoped was a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I- I'm sorry," Ragnar stumbled over his words as he swallowed hard, "I know how you feel."

Eren pushed him away violently, his eyes wide with anger. He took a step away from Ragnar, raising his fist and shaking it towards him.

"How could you know what that's like," Eren said darkly, his brows furrowed, "How could you?"

The darkness about them shifted, suddenly seeming as if they were traveling down a dark tunnel towards a tiny spot of light that grew exponentially larger as they drew near. Images coalesced about them, ghostly apparitions that moved as if through a fog. Finally the world about them coalesced. Ragnar's heart jumped into his throat.

This is what we were able to salvage from your memories of that night, Ragnar. Thanatos boomed, spinning faster and faster behind him, And from the descriptions that we have heard.

Ragnar shuddered, his fists clenching, as he looked across the bedroom, towards the four poster bed. His gaze locking onto the sweating woman ensconced in its sheets, with eyes the same shade as his own.

"Mother?"

He walked forwards slowly, seeing his mother's face for the first time. The high cheekbones, hair the color of honey… Hearing those words, and seeing them actually on his mother were two totally different things.

This is just a dream… But, maybe… He thought to himself, as his hand reached out.

The hand simply went through his mother, no feeling, no contact. He'd never be able to touch his own mother's face.

"Oh, god," He howled, his fists clenched, white knuckled, "Why, why have you demons of the mind brought me here! Of all the places you could bring me, why here!"

Because, this is where it all began. The two shadows answered together.

"But why, why bring me back to this night, the one that has haunted my dreams!"

The night of his birth.

Annie's heart skipped a beat, as a terrible feeling passed through her.

She turned from her position on Suttungr's shoulder, and looked towards the dome where Ragnar and Eren were. A subtle darkness had begun to form, to creep into the flames…

Suttungr must have felt it too, for he turned his massive head to peer towards the dome, but returned to face forward as the first of the Military Police forces exploded from their positions. Hundreds of them swept forward, as the men of the Scouting Legion and the recently freed Garrison members went to meet them.

The Jotunn charged with them, their thunderous footsteps in stark contrast to the whispering of the soldiers maneuver gear.

Seeing an opportunity, Annie flung herself from Suttungr's shoulder, her gear plunging into Dio's shoulder. She used him to whip around, building momentum, before she released once again.

Slamming into the massive melee, she let out a shriek as her blades drove themselves without any volition of her own through a man's neck, sending his body careening to the ground.

Another opponent came at her, a young man who couldn't be any older than she was, his scrawny form struggling as he twisted in midair, his blades chopping down towards her…

The boy went flying, as Dio's fist slammed into him. He flew on for a dozen more meters, before his body slid lifelessly to a halt at the feet of… Annie's eyes widened as she saw the five men wearing the red coats of the Royal guard standing in formation. The man in the lead wore an ornate mask, as he drew his swords and attacked, the other men following him without hesitation.

"Dio!" She yelled, whipping front of his face and pointing, hoping he would look, "Get them!"

His eyes shifted to follow her for a moment, before turning to look at what she was pointing at. His right fist shot forward, but the masked man, evaded it, using it as a springboard to get even higher.

A pair of men from the Garrison swept downwards, having used Dio to gather speed, a deadly glint in each of their eyes…

Their headless corpses, slammed into the ground, followed moments by their craniums, which exploded into bloody smears from the sheer force of the impact.

That speed… It's incredible. We can't let those Royal Guard turn the tide of this battle.

Her own blades went to work again, as she swung wide out towards Suttungr, who was slaughtering any who dared approach him. A wayward MP swung too wide, trying to use Dio's Jotunn as Annie herself just had, and was swatted from the air like a fly, while Annie slashed an arm off of another.

Completing her swing, she searched for the form of the masked man, hoping to dispatch him at the soonest, and had to duck as he swept past her, his blades missing her neck by mere inches. She saw a flash of blue, as his face passed near hers.

Oh…

Suttungr lashed out, his left fist reaching forward, trying to grab for the masked man's wire, but he disengaged it before Suttungr could get a grip on it. He flipped through the air, kicking his legs to turn his body towards Dio, before using his gear to loop tightly about the Titan's legs, slashing through the touch muscles within.

Annie pursued him, ignoring the others around her as she arrowed straight towards the man…

A man with dark hair whipped by upside down, one of his blades cutting her right wire.

She could hear him laughing as he swept past, a loud cackling as she went out of control.

Annie saw the wall, just before she hit it, and reoriented herself so that she struck leg first. The bones in her legs snapped, crunching painfully as they absorbed most of her momentum. She let out a scream as the pain hit her, clouding her mind.

"Well, hello there," Someone said.

She turned, fighting the pain to sit up against the wall. An MP stood over his, his blades above his head, ready to deliver the killing stroke.

Annie looked once more towards the flames, towards Ragnar. Her eyes widened, as she noticed that the flames had nearly all become black, only tiny streamers of bronze and green flickering through occasionally…

Hot blood spilled across her face, as the man who was to be her executioner was slashed into a dozen tiny pieces. She reached up, slowly, fighting the pain, and wiped away the blood from her eyes, clearing her vision to look up into the face of her rescuer.

She recoiled as the blue eyes stared at her out of the demonic mask.

"Hello, little one," The masked man said, "Long time no see."

Some of you have probably noticed that the last few chapters have dealt with a much shorter time frame. Well, I've been trying to work on the amount of detail that I've been putting into each chapter, so, expect a few more chapters dealing with about an hour of time in the story.

Now, this is my finals week, so I may not be able to update again for a few days, but I hope this one is awesome enough to hold you over. Hope you all enjoy! And remember, for every type you leave, the errorists win.