Chapter 5 is here, people. Thank you guys again for the massive support on this fic so far! :D I hope you'll enjoy!
~Misuri Hitchako: I feel like I've been left hanging. I need more. Four chapters isn't enough to satisfy this fanfiction reading.
I agree. So here is the new chapter for you to enjoy.
~Guest: Great story.
Thank you!
~lavamob102gmail: Can you continue this book please?
Yes, I can, and I will.
~Guest: Love it! Keep bringing it!
Glad you are, and absolutely!
''Titans!'' Speech
''Titans!'' Thoughts
Grisha's basement was dark except for a few candles flickering their light here and there. The air smelled of sweat, sawdust and alcohol. Inside, both father and son looked at the concoction he'd created. It was a light purple in color and completely odorless. Eren glanced at his father nervously, who was sweating profusely. Despite their gut-feeling earlier, they started to have second doubts.
''Remind me again how this works?'' Eren asked his father, his hands as cold as his back at the moment. To be honest, he was more afraid of this potion failing than he had been facing Annie, Reiner and Bertolt.
''Well,'' Grisha said dryly, swallowing to get some saliva back in his throat. ''Based on what you've told me and what I've found out, the power of the titans mixes with the spinal fluid of the host which goes all the way to the basal ganglia of the cerebral cortex. It connects itself with the bigger proteins which are basically the brain's building blocks to restore itself and make new connections with the billions of neurons inside.
''This potion,'' Grisha continued, ''will break down those connections and concentrate the power of the titans on the lower spine, around L2-L3, which then could easily be removed with a clean syringe. Since the power of the titans is denser, it should theoretically be possible, but since you're destroying neurons inside the brain, I don't know if the effect will be similar to a stroke, which may leave me with hemiplegia or even kill me.''
Grisha eyed Eren worriedly. ''Never mind the other hundreds of things that could possibly go wrong. But, it's the only thing I could make on such a short notice. My time is almost up anyway. If this works, I'll lose my attack titan—but I'll also lose the curse of Ymir. It just means I can't receive another titan for the rest of my life.''
Eren knew the consequences all too well. It wasn't like they had much choice in the matter anyway. ''All right,'' he said, breathing in loudly. ''Let's do this then.''
Grisha nodded and took off his dress shirt, leaving his upper body exposed to the syringe he had filled with the purple liquid. Wordlessly, he handed his son the syringe and turned his back to him. ''You have to shoot it directly into my spine, around C7,'' Grisha explained while bending his neck. ''Do you see the most prominent protruding spine from my neck area? That's C6. Palpate it and then go down. Make sure you make good difference between the two to locate C7 correctly.''
Eren did as he was told, double-checking to make sure he had the correct spine between his fingers. ''I got it,'' he said resolutely.
Based on where Eren was palpating, Grisha had to agree. ''Now comes the hardest part. You have to stick the needle between the two spines and go around two centimeters deep. Then inject the fluid upwards. Be sure to clean my skin first with some alcohol and make sure no air is in the syringe,'' his father advised him.
Eren grabbed some soft cotton and dipped it into a bit of alcohol to clean his father's skin. Next, he pressed a little bit on the syringe to let some fluid escape, which ensured there was no air left in it. ''All right, dad, here I go,'' Eren stated, slowly bringing the needle to his father's skin. Oddly enough, Eren's hands weren't shaking even though he was incredibly nervous right now; it was like they were made of steel. He stuck the needle inside his father spine and slowly pushed it deeper to what he guessed to be around two centimeters. Not thinking twice, he shot the purple liquid inside and then retracted the needle. He watched his father expectantly, who didn't react very much yet, until his whole spine began to glow purple.
The sudden muscle spasms from Grisha and his painful hissing had Eren's pulse speeding up considerably. He watched with growing worry as his father thrashed about, grunting and groaning while his spine continued to glow purple.
After five minutes of this, Eren was afraid he might not make it after all, but then the spasms slowly began to cease until only his panting remained. ''Dad! Are you okay?'' he yelled a bit too loudly. He watched how his father turned his head and groaned painfully.
''That… was not pleasant whatsoever,'' he grumbled. He felt like he'd run a marathon backwards. His head was throbbing and he felt lightheaded and weak.
''Did it work?'' Eren asked, not sure based on what he had seen.
''Only one way to find out,'' his father responded. With some help from Eren, he was able to turn around on his stomach. He gave the same directions on how Eren had to stick a clean syringe in his lower back like he'd done in his neck. This one had to go a little bit deeper, and with some effort, Eren filled it up with a clear liquid straight from Grisha's spine. ''This is it,'' he whispered, his smile contagious as he eyed his father! ''This is it! We did it!''
''Now hold on,'' his father said before celebrating with him, gently getting into a sitting position. ''I have to look at it first. It might just as well be normal spinal fluid.'' Though it definitely looked different than normal spinal fluid, Grisha wanted to be sure just in case.
''How long will that take you?'' Eren asked curiously. He had promised to meet up with Ymir soon, and the sooner he knew it worked, the sooner he could take it with him. After all, if Annie agreed to his proposition, they could get Dina back today.
''Hold on,'' Grisha grunted, ''the side effects are pretty disorientating. I need some time until I feel better. But I'm sure it will not take me no longer than thirty minutes to be sure.'' Grisha smiled. ''If this is it, then we've effectively shut down the curse of Ymir!''
Eren almost couldn't believe it. He idly wondered why they had been so lucky. He believed it was partly because of his knowledge on the subject and partly because of his father's incredible intellect, yet he knew that wouldn't have been enough to figure it out so soon. It was almost if the curse itself had been helping them out.
Shaking his head, Eren patiently waited until his father had found some strength in his limbs again to test the fluids they'd extracted.
As it turned out, they'd successfully removed Grisha's attack titan from his body. Eren was ecstatic with the news; as was his father. It meant they'd saved him, and they were capable of saving Dina too!
Right now, Eren was practicing with Ymir how to control the jaw titan. He hadn't met up with the shifters yet, but Ymir told him they were doing okay, albeit that they had a bit of a falling out over some heated arguments. Eren could make an estimated guess what those were about.
''That's good, Ymir, you're doing great,'' Eren praised her while she was getting used to her new body. Apparently, she hadn't much trouble with the shifting part as he had in the past, but rather with controlling her actions consciously. Even though she spent the last sixty years in that form, the actions were all unconscious.
''It's funny to notice how implicit actions are rather easy for her, while explicit actions are a lot harder,'' he thought. As a highly trained soldier, Eren was pretty experienced in giving different exercises and also knowledgeable on different training methods in controlling one's body.
''All right, Ymir, rather than reaching out with your arms, why don't you give me a hand?'' Eren emphasized the action by offering his own hand. Ymir immediately responded and reached out her arm with stunning success, much to her shock.
''I did it!'' she thought happily. It was frustrating if your body didn't listen to your commands. Bit by bit, however, her movements started to come out more controlled.
''There you go!'' Eren was amazed at her progress already, ''but don't let us get carried away now. How about we call it a day and practice some more tomorrow?''
Ymir nodded at that and exited her titan, unable to keep a smirk from her face. ''Did you see that? I think I'm starting to get the hang of it!'' She was visibly excited, and with good reason too. Guarding three shifters most of the day when you actually didn't know how to shift yourself if something went wrong was pretty scary. Ymir didn't dare tell them she was the one who ate their friend on top of that.
''You certainly are! I'm proud of you! In a few weeks you'll be ready to help me with my next mission of changing some politics around here,'' Eren said in satisfaction.
Ymir nodded, albeit reluctantly. She wasn't that confident in her skills yet, especially when she'd seen most of Eren's battle with his dad against the warriors of Marley. Luckily, Eren had promised she was there purely for back-up and intimidation factor. Guns wouldn't harm them, and canon blasts would be focused on him, which he could easily block if he hardened his fists. It'd be another confrontation where they'd try to reason first before using violence. Ymir had the growing suspicion the original founding titan holder wasn't going to listen.
''Ymir?'' Eren said. ''I'd like to see the three shifters now. Could you please give me a moment of privacy with them?
''Oh, of course!'' she responded. Ymir wanted to hug him out of appreciation for everything he'd done for her so far, but hesitated, which Eren thought was pretty adorable for a lady he knew that was as hard as steel. Still, her behavior wasn't anything strange. All the people he'd known for so long were a lot younger; merely children becoming young teenagers. He had to admit himself his body was making him feel like he truly was not older than twelve years.
The smile on Eren's face was contagious, though. Ymir couldn't help but blush a bit and smile back. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in a soft hug, which she now had no trouble reciprocating. ''Thank you,'' Eren said gently.
''No, thank you,'' she whispered back, her voice smooth and loving. ''You're giving me a new chance at life.''
''Anything for an old friend, Ymir,'' he responded with a grin. This made her smile widen significantly, the corners of her lips trembling with contained laughter. ''It's still odd to think you're from the future,'' she admitted, amusement written all over her face.
''Honestly, I have moments that I think this is all a big dream,'' he admitted. ''And that I'm really dead and this is the afterlife,'' he added somberly, but didn't think that out loud. Shaking his head, he let go of Ymir. ''Anyway, I'll be with Annie, Reiner and Bertolt if you need me.''
She nodded and waved him goodbye while Eren made his way through the labyrinth of tunnels inside wall Maria to reach the fairly big room where the warriors of Marley were being held prison at the moment.
When he entered, all three shifters were sitting down on the cushions he'd provided, idly minding their own business. They were acclimating a little, it seemed, which was good. ''Good evening, Bertolt, Reiner and Annie,'' he greeted them kindly. ''I hope Ymir has treated you well.''
''She has, Eren, thank you,'' Annie replied without hesitation, which elicited a little growl from Bertolt and utter silence from Reiner.
''I'm glad to hear that.'' He nodded his head. ''Is there anything I can get you guys to make it more comfortable here? I've brought a plethora of books with me that you can read,'' he offered them.
Bertolt muttered something under his breath while Reiner nodded solemnly. ''Actually,'' Annie said, her voice resolute, ''there's something I want to tell you, Eren.''
''Oh? Have you thought about my offer?'' he said, his excitement and curiosity growing exponentially.
Annie nodded her head. ''I'm ready to join you in your cause. If you want to take away my titan—though I'm not sure how you'll accomplish that—then go ahead.'' Her answer was loud and clear, probably on purpose because both Reiner and Bertolt refused to look at her. She had, in fact, thought about it all afternoon, much to the growing frustration of both Reiner and Bertolt. They'd tried everything in their power to talk her out of it, but in the end, her mind was set.
She knew they'd see her as a traitor, that much was obvious, but with due time, she realized they would probably come to understand her and maybe even admit she was right all along. After all, she saw the doubts in both Reiner's and Bertolt's resolve that Marley was perfect when she'd easily countered all their arguments.
More importantly, however, was that she knew if she joined Eren's team she could accomplish what she truly wanted; a normal life with her father.
Eren at the moment couldn't be more ecstatic. It was like all the pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling in their place. The timing couldn't have been more perfect and he bowed deeply. ''Thank you, Annie. I promise you won't ever regret placing your trust in me.''
She nodded her head and walked forwards as far as her binds allowed her to. ''What will you do now, Eren?'' she questioned him. She doubted he was just going to let her go, especially since she still had her titan and could potentially shift into it if she wanted.
However, Eren surprised her by actually getting into her reach. He slowly started to loosen her limbs, his eyes bearing nothing but pure trust as he was doing his job. She gasped; her body tense as she could move her hands again. All the while, he was meticulously removing the rest of her binds, completely vulnerable to her, but she never even thought of attacking him.
When he was done, he moved back and offered her his hand. ''You're free now. Please come with me so we can remove your titan, Annie,'' Eren spoke kindly.
The amount of trust he put in her was insane, so much so that even Reiner and Bertolt were surprised at how crazy the scene looked. Annie smiled inwardly. ''Eren. You are the real deal, aren't you?'' She took his hand without hesitation and walked after him into another room, where Eren motioned for her to sit down on a simple wooden stool he'd placed there.
She complied as Eren explained to her what was going to happen. He'd rather have it done by his dad, but he was still way too weak to do such a procedure. Since Annie was still a kid and also female, his father had warned him not to use the same amount he'd used on him, as that might prove to be fatal to her. The last thing he wanted was to kill Annie now.
When he was done explaining, she offered him her back, so Eren could start the process of removing her titan.
''So this is Dina, the woman with royal blood?'' Annie asked as she watched the smiling titan who was idly starring up at the sky. Eren had removed her female titan with stunning success. At the moment, she was way too weak to walk herself, so Ymir was supporting her. Eren had insisted that she should take it easy and rest, but Annie was persistent and wanted to meet the woman who was going to inherit her powers.
''She's also my stepmother,'' Eren added jovially, ''and Zeke's mother.'' Especially when he revealed that last part, Annie seemed surprised.
''Who's Zeke?'' Ymir asked, not being familiar with the name. He apparently was somebody important and also Eren's half-brother to boot, but in what way he was important, she had no idea.
''He's the current beast titan,'' Annie responded, ''and also my supervisor,'' she added and then paused. ''Well, he was my supervisor, now I'm not really sure anymore,'' she admitted with a shrug. ''But I'm sure you knew this already, Eren?''
He nodded his head. ''I know who's holding the cart and war hammer titans too. Besides that I also know all the intricacies of both Paradis' and Marley's political structures. I won't be the right person to change those, but I've already gotten a few names in my head who could possibly aid me with that.'' He shook his head. ''Anyway, you don't have to worry about Zeke right now, Ymir. He's scheduled to come around in two years or so,'' he then gave Annie a winning smirk, ''and, with a bit of luck, you'll be his supervisor when the time comes around.''
Annie perked a brow, but couldn't deny that the thought sounded very appealing in her mind. ''You want to recruit Zeke too?'' She was kind of amazed at the lengths Eren was willing to take to accomplish his goal.
''I do and I will. I already accomplished that feat once. Never were able to recruit you guys, though,'' he revealed and left it at that. ''Anyway, Dina's the reason I was able to control all those mindless titans in our battle. Having the founding titan in combination with somebody of royal blood nearby gives me that feat. This makes her immensely valuable. And since I've never met my stepmom personally, this is kinda exciting for me too,'' Eren admitted somewhat sheepishly.
With no effort, that familiar yellow thunder crackled all around Eren's body and made the smiling titan move. She reached out to the vial which contained the female titan and brought it to her mouth to swallow it whole. At first, nothing happened since the vial needed to be digested first, but when that eventually had happened, the smiling titan gave a soundless scream and began to shrink in size.
Bones, muscles and connective tissues were being dissolved into nothing until only a petite woman remained were the smiling titan once had stood. She was lying on her side in the fetus position. She had beautiful blonde hair and a fair skin; Eren guessed her to be around 5'2''.
She fluttered her eyes open daintily, like she was waking up from a long slumber. In some sense, that was pretty true. Her eyes adjusted to the limited light the outside world provided to her. It had become pretty dark already, so she could only make out silhouettes, which made her panic and thrash about as she tried to control her muscles in fleeing.
She didn't get very far, because her muscles simply didn't react to her brain's impulses yet. She was like a deer about to be trampled by a titan; her eyes big and scared, so Eren tried to placate her as best as he could.
''Dina,'' he said soothingly, ''you don't have to be afraid. We're not here to hurt you. We're friends.'' Eren understood she probably thought they were from Marley. It was logical considering nobody really remembered their time as being a mindless titan.
He gave her some space as she controlled her irregular breathing pattern, all her hairs standing on end while she was trying to find her voice. ''Where… where am I?'' she spoke softly. Her voice was as feminine as they could get with a motherly undertone. It carried power but also the grace of something beautiful like a flower. It was a really intriguing blend of tones which made it very pleasant to listen to.
''You're in Paradis, just outside wall Maria,'' Eren answered. ''We're all Eldians just like you. My name is Eren,'' he introduced, ''and these are my friends Ymir and Annie.''
Both females gave a little wave while Dina still tried to get used to all of her senses returning to her. Memories were still vague and left her utterly confused. ''What happened to me?'' she eventually asked, calming down a bit.
Eren hesitated for a bit, a sigh escaping his mouth before replying truthfully. ''You were arrested by Marley for being part of the Eldia Restorationists. Your sentence was to wander Utopia forever as a mindless titan, much like your husband Grisha Yeager.''
Like a shock-wave, all of her memories returned to her. She remembered how Zeke had turned them in and she also recalled her last moments; tied up and on her knees while the titan serum was injected into her. Her husband had looked at her with absolute terror in his eyes, but she had given him a kind smile in turn. ''Wherever you are,'' she whispered to him lovingly, ''I'll find you.'' Those were the last words she had spoken until she was swallowed up into a never-ending nightmare, surrounded by nothing but darkness.
Dina was sweating as she saw those memories flash before her eyes, her heart beating in her throat. ''Grisha!'' she yelled, ''where is he?'' She looked around in a newfound panic only for Eren to sooth her.
''Don't worry, he's okay. I'll bring you to him, all right?'' Eren promised Dina. He could see why his father would fall for such a gorgeous lady. She was filled with worry for him, and looked to be very kind and motherly.
Dina looked warily at Eren until she nodded her head. ''Okay, thank you, Eren,'' she whispered reluctantly but appreciatively, taking his hand so she could stand up on her feet.
''But before we go,'' Eren added, ''there are a few things I need to tell you.''
It had been a long and rough day for Grisha Yeager. He was utterly exhausted. At the moment, he was lying on the couch because he was unable to walk yet. Carla had been worried sick when she saw the state her husband was in, but he reassured her he'd be fine and tried to wave her concern off, without much result.
She'd had enough of all the secrecy and demanded Grisha to finally tell what was going on. He grumbled and promised to tell as soon as Eren would return. What he didn't expect, however, was that he would have both Annie and Dina with him.
Needless to say, the shock was palpable on his face. Dina looked exactly as how he remembered her; she hadn't aged a day while he was considerably older now. ''Dina,'' he whispered emotionally.
Dina's smile was filled with love, but also hurt. She wanted to kiss Grisha so badly, but knew that she couldn't. Eren had told her everything on their way to his home, including he had been married again. ''Hi, Grisha,'' she said and settled for a hug instead. ''I missed you.''
Annie stayed silent, especially when Carla and Mikasa joined in the living room as well. Grisha eventually motioned for everybody to sit down and then gave his son the stage.
Eren cleared his throat and saw that he had everybody's attention. Without holding back, he gave his small group of friends and loved ones his story and told them everything that they needed to know.
And that's all for now, people! Did you like it, love it, hate it? Review please! They make me smile like Dina in her titan form! :D Next chapter we'll have a little time skip and see Eren's group preparing for- and initiating their coup d'état. Until then. ^^
~Syrup-Waffle