Hi, guys! I know, I know, I'm terribly late with this chapter, but I finally found the motivation again to write. Being consistent is one of the hardest things to do as a writer. Still, I don't want to make you guys wait four months for one chapter every time. That is why I'm going to do my best to update this story bi-weekly from now on! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! This one was beta-read once more by my good friend ARCEUS-master! Thanks a lot for that, my friend! I appreciate it :3 On with the story!
''Titans!'' Speech
''Titans!'' Thoughts
Eren's rigorous training schedule was actually a lot harder than Jean, Connie and Sasha had anticipated when they accepted his proposition. Even when Eren had revealed that each of them would be wielding one of the nine famed titan powers; he didn't cut them any slack at all. The days started around six in the morning and went all the way until eight in the evening.
Six months into their training, Eren finally saw the progress he was looking for and deemed his elite squad to be ready enough to start training with their respective titan powers. Just like with Dina, the power of the titans embodied themselves differently through each person. As such, Jean's, Connie's, and Sasha's titans each had unique traits that set them aside from other wielders that Eren knew of.
Connie's armored titan, for example, was twice as heavily coated in thick plates as Reiner's titan used to be. These plates were smooth, black and glossy like onyx, boosting the titan's defensive capabilities so much that even Thunder Spears weren't able to penetrate it in a single blow. They merely dented and cracked the armor somewhat.
However, this also came with the downside that Connie's titan was very heavy. He basically traded all his speed for defense. As such, his attacks were devastating when they hit, but he was very slow in the process.
Sasha's attack titan, however, was the complete opposite. She wasn't as bulky as Grisha's attack titan nor as strong as Eren's attack titan, but she was very quick and agile. Moreover, her attack titan was best utilized from a distance rather than up-close. She quickly discovered that she couldn't harden herself like Eren could, but her hunter's acute instincts did allow her to create a crossbow with arrows that were powerful enough to go even through Connie's powerful armor.
At close range, however, she was rather defenseless. A single blow from Eren's or Dina's titan was enough to severely cripple her. It's why she used her speed and agility to keep distance from her opponent at all times.
Lastly, there was Jean with his colossal titan. Surprisingly, he wasn't sixty meters tall, but rather only forty. It quickly became abundantly clear why that was. Unlike Bertolt, his titan wasn't nearly as lanky. It was rather bulky, even. To make sure he could move properly inside his titan and not have instability in all of his joints, he noticeably had to sacrifice some height in the progress.
This wasn't even the most unique feature about Jean's titan, though. Instead of steam rising out of all his pores like with Bertolt's colossal titan, an unforgiving gale of icy wind blew out of them instead, creating a relentless blizzard wherever he went. It was a devastating titan to look at, which mercilessly froze solid everything that came too close to him.
That very same feature, however, was ultimately his Achilles heel as well. The severe freezing temperatures numbed Jean's body inside his titan over time, eventually making him unable to control his titan anymore, after which he was forced to eject himself. As such, he could only control his titan properly for thirty to forty minutes at most. If he hadn't accomplished his goal before then, he would be rendered completely useless.
These unique traits allowed Eren to plan an ambush far in advance for when Zeke and Pieck would come to Paradis Island that was sure to succeed. Combined with the fact that he had Levi and Erwin as his allies, he saw no reason the Beast or Cart Titans could be a threat to him.
''Still,'' he mused to himself as he watched from a safe distance how Connie and Sasha were sparring with each other inside their titans, ''Zeke has always been extremely cunning. Combined with how quick witted Pieck is, I definitely can't afford to underestimate them.''
He cracked a smile as Sasha barely managed to dodge a heavy blow from Connie, and desperately tried to create distance between them so she could use her crossbow again. ''Last time, though, we were the ones who got overrun by Annie, Bertolt and Reiner. We had no idea what was going to hit us. This time, however,'' he thought elatedly as Sasha fired a potent bolt at Connie's chest with enough force to knock him off his feet. The resulting crash of the armored behemoth sent a loud bang through the area while dust was kicked up everywhere, startling the horses they were riding. Eren smirked faintly. ''They won't know what is going to hit them!''
Beside him, Jean was watching the spectacle with bated breath. It looked like Sasha had no chance against Connie whatsoever, since he gave her no quarter, but one direct hit managed to severely cripple him. He tried to get up, but Sasha was on him immediately like a hungry lioness pouncing on her prey. The added weight made Connie a sitting duck, and after a few more futile struggles to throw her off, he gave the signal of defeat, indicating Sasha had won this friendly brawl.
Grumbling under his breath, Connie exited his titan while Sasha had a big grin on her face as she did the same. ''Gotcha!'' she exclaimed victoriously, her attitude chipper while Connie gave her a chuckle.
''All right, you won that one,'' he admitted, his voice masking the disappointment of his loss. He accepted Sasha's outstretched hand to hoist him to his feet. While he still won most of their exchanges, the fact he managed to let this one slip out of his grasp hurt Connie's pride a bit. Nevertheless, the wink Sasha gave him afterwards made him forget about it relatively quickly.
''Well done, you two,'' Eren praised them, keeping his horse steady. Jean was close behind him, giving the pair a smile and a thumbs up in approval. ''You've improved massively. Just a few more weeks and then we're going to test how you two will fair against Jean.'' While both Connie and Sasha were undeniably strong and could hold their own in combat, Jean's colossal titan still proved to be too much for them to handle. Their limps simply froze solid far too quickly before they could do any significant damage to him. Eren pondered that if they worked as a team, they may prove a worthy challenge for him.
They nodded their heads and gave a salute to Eren. ''We won't disappoint you, sir,'' they both shouted in unison. Eren had to stifle a smile. While he'd preferred that they just called him Eren, Levi had immediately declined that. Humanity's strongest didn't need to elaborate why; Eren knew that if he wanted well trained soldiers, they needed to learn respect and discipline as well.
''Good,'' Eren stated simply, satisfied with their progress. ''I expect you two to prepare for this inevitable battle that's to come. As you know, it is possible to defeat him.'' Again, they gave Eren a salute, indicating that they understood. Since Jean was simply too overwhelming to spar against for Connie and Sasha at the moment, Eren trained him separately alongside Dina and Ymir. Honestly, in a one versus one battle, Eren could only win if he used the Founding Titan or stalled long enough until Jean had frozen himself. Such was the power of the colossal titan. But with Dina at his side, they could damage him enough. The fact he slowly froze himself limited not only his movements, but made his titan frail as well. The one-time that Eren and Dina accomplished demolishing his ankles, he fell forwards and shattered like an icicle.
''Do you hear that, Jean?'' Connie said to his friend playfully, ''Sasha and I will be your opponents soon enough and you better be ready for it.''
Jean gave them a challenging smirk. ''I just hope you guys don't freeze solid in the first five minutes of the battle like last time. I didn't even have to do anything,'' he replied smugly.
''This time will be different!'' Sasha responded with fire in her eyes. ''We'll be coming up with different strategies to take you down and we will succeed, mark my words!''
The friendly banter brought Eren back to a simpler time before everything went to complete shit. Honestly, he had missed moments like these so much. He knew if he wanted to protect Paradis and free the Eldians in Marley, speed and surprise were his friends and key factors in succeeding. Shaking his head, he focused on what needed to be done to actually accomplish that goal. They only had eighteen months left to prepare for the inevitable. He still needed to plan his surprise attack on Zeke and Pieck, but for that to work he first needed to get Paradis titan-free as soon as possible. Afterwards, he needed to contact potential allies to aid him in his battle against Marley.
''Captain Eren, sir?'' Sasha asked hesitantly, bringing Eren out of his stupor.
Eren gave her a kind, acknowledging smile. ''You have permission to speak, Sasha,'' he told her with a nod of his head.
''Jean just requested if we could take a break?''
Eren gave his elite squad a sheepish smile. He was musing so much that he'd drowned out his surroundings completely. ''Granted,'' he replied simply. ''Report to Annie, Reiner and Bertolt in an hour for further titan training. Afterwards, you'll be having obstacle training using the vertical maneuvering equipment with captain Levi. Dismissed.''
They all gave him a salute while Eren trotted off in the general direction of Shiganshina. The fact they had eliminated most titans outside of the walls already gave them plenty of space to train outside of wall Maria without the risk of hurting anybody unexpectedly.
The slow canter of his horse soothed Eren, his mind clearing while a big smile formed on his face. He had done most of his tasks for today and there were still a few hours left before the afternoon would make way for the evening. He figured now was the best time to take a well-deserved break and spent it with the person he loved so dearly.
Underneath a big oak tree, just outside of Shiganshina district, Eren was patiently waiting for Mikasa to arrive. A comfortable breeze blew through the grassy fields and the sun shone vividly in the sky, casting its warm rays on the earth below. At that moment, Eren was perfectly content. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the fresh scent of autumn while the shade of the tree provided excellent shelter from the heat.
He had chosen this place specifically since he used to come here often with Mikasa and Armin when they were just kids. It gave him a sense of nostalgia to meet here with Mikasa, so when he saw her approach on the horizon, his stomach fluttered for her. Even though she was only fifteen years old at the moment, he considered her to be gorgeous already. Her black hair was blowing steadily in the wind while her eyes were filled with warmth. He could see that she sported a small blush on her cheeks, undoubtedly because he invited her to meet him here in the first place.
The beautiful scarf that he had gifted her was neatly wrapped around her neck, partly covering her face. She gave a little wave to him. Eren thought she was absolutely adorable as he beckoned her to come over. ''Mikasa!'' he said brightly, ''you made it!''
Mikasa nodded her head shyly, something that was highly unusual for her, as she sat down next to Eren with her eyes sparkling brightly for the boy. ''Yes, I managed to complete my field work early, so Armin gave me permission to go,'' she replied proudly, the casting light of the sun making her skin shine charmingly. Eren's breath was stolen for a moment; just looking deeply into Mikasa's eyes made emotions rise in his body that he thought he had forgotten.
He patted the space next to him, beckoning her over while giving her a lovely smile. ''Well, I hope you're hungry then,'' he stated, ''because I made some sandwiches for us.'' Eren motioned to the small picnic basket he had brought along, which made Mikasa's eyes widen delightfully. She took the invitation by sitting herself down on the soft grass, leaning snugly against Eren as her blush deepened.
''So, you made these?'' she whispered in astonishment as Eren passed her the basket. Inside were multiple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as well as a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice. Eren knew those sandwiches were her favorite, and since both peanut butter and jelly were expensive inside the walls, she only ate them on special occasions. Seeing her face light up just made him fall in love with her all over again.
''I did,'' Eren revealed happily, passing one of the sandwiches to Mikasa. ''I made them specially for you.'' He absolutely adored how she gasped in amazement like he had just moved heaven and earth for her. Nervously, she took the sandwich out of Eren's outstretched hands and took a bite. The small moan of pleasure that escaped her lips was enough to make a big smile erupt on Eren's face. ''I take it you like them?'' he questioned cheerily.
''Yes, I do,'' Mikasa replied between delighted bites, ''they are delicious! Thank you so much, Eren!'' She sighed contently as she unconsciously nuzzled her face against his, her breathing turning just a bit erratic at the close contact she had with him.
The soft, feminine scent of grapes in Mikasa's hair was pleasant. It was the cheap soap that she used and he'd always link it to her. Even when they'd married each other and could afford a decent home, Mikasa continued to use the same cheap soap because she knew Eren adored its specific smell. It seemed that she had bathed herself before meeting him here; because the tomboyish clothes that she wore really accentuated her toughness and natural beauty.
She looked like a little angel straight out of a fairy tale, happily munching on her food. Eren couldn't help but chuckle as she got some jelly on her lips. ''I'm glad,'' he said soothingly, wiping away the jelly from her lips with his thumb gently, which made her blush deepen furiously, ''that you like them so much. I took great care to make them just as you like them. With strawberry jelly and pine nuts.''
In reality, Mikasa had never eaten strawberries nor pine nuts before, but Eren knew from experience that she liked those the most. Taking advantage of that fact—since he could acquire them now—had Mikasa in a bliss. She looked at him with pure adoration as she swallowed another bite. ''You should eat something too,'' she said somewhat urgently, grabbing another sandwich from the basket and prying it against his closed lips.
The silliness of the situation made Eren snicker, but he obediently opened his mouth anyway and took a bite from his sandwich. Just as he remembered, they were soft, juicy and delicious. He savored the taste while Mikasa cutely held the sandwich in front of him so he could take another bite. When he had done so—the sweet and nutty flavor of the peanut and jelly sending a happy shiver done his spine—he started to realize she was feeding him.
Suddenly, Eren's bites became a little more nervous and a very dim blush covered his cheeks as he allowed Mikasa to continue to feed him. ''Do you like it, Eren?'' she questioned him innocently. He had trouble figuring out if she meant the sandwich or the fact that she was feeding him, but decided to go with the former. ''Yes, I really like the combination of strawberry with pine nuts,'' he admitted, his eyes filled with pleasure. Honestly, the sandwiches were very good.
Once Eren was done with his sandwich, Mikasa finished her own. The adorable blush on her cheeks remained as she rested herself against him fully. ''Say, Eren,'' she spoke idly as he poured her a cup of orange juice, ''what's the future like?''
The worry in his eyes was palpable as he handed the cup over to her. He knew she would see straight through a lie if he decided to be dishonest with her. It was part of her Ackerman instinct. The moment she bounded herself to him, he really couldn't lie to her anymore unless he believed the lie himself. ''It's…'' he hesitated for a long moment before sighing deeply, ''not pretty,'' he admitted honestly. ''There's a lot of people out there with the intention to hurt us, Mikasa.'' Eren paused as he looked up at the cloudless sky, reaching out his hand to the sun as if he wanted to grab it and pull it down to the earth.
''But,'' he whispered, now eying Mikasa in a loving manner, ''I've learned that things aren't always set in stone.'' The hope in Eren's voice made Mikasa gasp; it was so strong that she could almost feel it—a burning passion and longing for things to change. ''Sometimes, you just got to get out there and do it.'' As Eren said this, he tugged his arm towards him in a sudden jerk motion as if he'd really pulled the sun closer to him. ''Maybe you don't see any change immediately,'' he whispered to her, turning her attention towards the sun in the sky, which looked precisely the same as before, ''but who's to say your attempt at it didn't change anything?''
Mikasa stayed silent afterwards, pondering what just Eren said while listening to his relaxed breathing. She still had trouble hearing him speak like a full-fledged adult, yet she understood what he meant with his comparison. He was here with a mission, and the world best believe he'd go through with it even if all the odds were stacked against him.
''How many times?'' she finally asked him in a soft whisper.
Eren perked a brow, wrapping an arm around her so she could rest her head against his chest more easily. ''What do you mean?'' he asked her for clarification, even though he had an inkling of what she was guessing at.
''Dina told me about it,'' Mikasa revealed. ''She saw the Tree of Yggdrasil when she was in a coma and all the Eldians as its roots. But more importantly, she saw the Core. She was talking to the Core… Ymir. The first wielder of the power of the titans…'' Mikasa swallowed the lump in her throat. ''Eren, how many times?''
A pained expression appeared on Eren's face. ''I… I don't know, Mikasa. More times than I can count. There are only so many things I can predict before something goes terribly wrong. However, I'm not giving up. I will free all of the Eldians, even if it takes me another million tries.'' Eren's voice was resolute and came with an aura of finality. He expected Mikasa to protest, but what she did in reality, stunned him into silence.
Her soft hands found his warm cheeks, cupping them as she gently turned his head so she could look straight into his eyes. ''I… I trust you, Eren,'' she whispered, ''whatever you do, I'll always be at your side to protect you.'' Her honey sweet voice was filled with so much adoration that Eren almost missed the delicate touch of her soft lips touching his own. Her kiss was fluffy and filled with passion, symbolizing her promise to him. When she broke her sugary affection to the boy she had crushed on so hopelessly, she fluttered her eyes open again, a happy little smile on her face. ''Thank you for the sandwiches,'' she said as she stood up, reaching out her hand for him. ''Let's go back to Shiganshina.''
Left with a dumbfounded expression by her action, which turned to a big smile immediately afterwards, Eren took her hand, not letting go of it as he squeezed it gently and reassuringly. ''Yes, let's.''
The next morning, Eren had a secret meeting deep inside wall Sina about the upcoming battle against the Beast and Cart titans. Even though it was still eighteen months away, he had to brief the generals and get approval from Frieda and Historia Reiss. Other than the diarchy, Dot Pixis, Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman, Dhalis Zachary, Grisha Yeager and Nile Dawk were present.
''All rise for our benevolent leaders, queen Frieda and queen Historia,'' Dot Pixis stated loyally as they entered the briefing room.
Eren stood at attention until Frieda raised her hand kindly. ''There's no need for such formality, gentlemen. Please, sit.'' Her smile widened as she let her eyes rest on Eren.
Once everybody was seated again, Dot Pixis continued speaking, ''Gentlemen, your majesties, we're gathered here on this secret briefing on behalf of Eren Yeager. As we all know, Eren possesses knowledge about the future and has dedicated his heart to save all the Eldians, not only here on Paradis Island, but also in the neighboring country of Marley where our people have been locked up in internment zones. They've been treated like worthless cattle while Marley has been spreading lies all over the world about us.''
Dot eyed each of his comrades seriously. ''However, our ancestor Ymir has seen our suffering. Desperate for change, she has sent us Eren, the wielder of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan, to alter history and free us from the chains brought upon us by Marley. Now, Eren is here in front of us to share with us his plans moving forward,'' Dot finished as he gave Eren a nod. ''If you will?''
''Thank you, General Pixis,'' Eren said, standing up while radiating the aura of a leader. He made sure to eye everybody in the room individually before starting his briefing. ''As all of you have experienced, there's much of the world out there we don't know yet. Even I don't know everything. However, what I do know is that in eighteen months, the beast titan, Zeke Yeager, and the cart titan, Pieck Finger, will travel to Paradis Island with the intention to steal the Founding Titan from us.''
''And will they succeed?'' Historia questioned innocently, her eyes sparkling with worry. She had fully recovered from her near-death experience, but the fact that she had suddenly been crowned queen alongside her sister she never knew she had, still left her quite speechless. As such, she relied heavily on Frieda, something that was quite adorable to see.
''They won't, milady, simply for the fact that Captain Levi here can quite easily take down the beast titan all by himself,'' Eren replied confidently. A small smirk flashed on Levi's face, but otherwise, he remained completely silent.
''What are the beast titan and cart titan like?'' Zachary inquired curiously. ''Even if Captain Levi can take the beast titan down, it's best to know we're fully prepared so we can act if things may go wrong.''
Eren nodded his head. ''My father, Grisha Yeager, has been kind enough to draw a few compositions of both the beast and cart titan.'' He mentioned to his father next to him, who opened his leather doctor's bag and handed the drawings to everybody in the room.
''The bespectacled man is Zeke Yeager, wielder of the beast titan. Unlike most titans, this one is seventeen meters tall,'' Grisha explained professionally, ''he has the unique ability to turn Eldians into mindless titans with a roar once they've been exposed to his spinal fluid. This can be exceptionally dangerous if large numbers are exposed to said fluids. Furthermore, his strength and long arms means he's deadly accurate from long range while throwing projectiles.''
''So, we just have to sneak up to him and fight him head-on,'' Levi questioned, quite unimpressed as he looked at the drawings.
''Precisely,'' Grisha revealed, ''though getting close to him might prove quite tricky, seeing how Pieck, the cart titan, is usually at his side.'' Grisha paused for a moment before he continued. ''The cart titan is the only quadruped titan and as such, the fastest titan out of them all. Though she's very weak, her speed and agility make her tricky to deal with.''
''If I understand correctly,'' Nile offered, ''then it is beneficial for us to separate them or get rid of the weaker cart titan first.''
A smile appeared on Eren's face. These men were all sly and cunning through and through. He knew he could rely on them no matter what. ''Exactly,'' he said. ''The plan I have thought up with my father relies on an ambush. We know they have built a small harbor at the edge of Paradis Island. That is where they will dock. Now, we could attack the ship and demolish them before they can even get to the island, however, we want to keep Marley oblivious to our plans. They're at war with another nation right now and can ill afford to lose precious resources. If we capture the beast and cart titan unbeknownst to Marley, we can potentially ally up with other countries and overwhelm them before they have time to kill the Eldians in their internment zones.''
''I see,'' Erwin muttered after a short and thoughtful hum, ''you want to ambush them after they've docked so the ship returns safely to Marley. How do you plan on doing that?''
''Simple,'' Eren answered. ''We'll force them to fight. For this ambush, I'll need two teams: my elite squad and Levi's squad. The armor titan, attack titan and colossal titan will close them in and drive them into a corner, from which they'll have no other choice but to defend themselves. If they somehow still manage to escape, Levi's squad will be there as back up. Our objective is to catch them alive so we can successfully extract the power of the titans out of them.''
Everybody in the room seemed to agree with that plan. Satisfied, Eren wanted to sit down again, until Frieda spoke up kindly. ''What will happen after we've captured them, Eren?'' she asked him sweetly. ''I don't think we can have them walking around freely.''
''No,'' Eren agreed, ''we can't. That's why we don't have any other choice but to lock them up for the time being, because immediately after we've gotten their titan powers, we need to take steps in creating allies who can aide us with our surprise attack against Marley.''
''And, I suppose you already have a potential ally in mind?'' Frieda asked on with a smile, already knowing the answer.
''I do. They are the Azumabito, an influential family from the Hizuru nation. It's important to make contact with them as quickly as possible. Not only because they can give us weapons and technological advancements to help us along, but allying with them shows other countries that we are on their side and want to eradicate the power of the titans as well,'' Eren said. ''I know it all sounds impossible, but look at the progress we've made already.''
''I think it's possible,'' Dot uttered with a curt nod, ''we've got surprise on our side for once, and all the intel we need. If we stick to the plan, we can save Paradis and our brethren for good.''
''I believe so too,'' Zachary added.
''Same,'' Nile voice in.
Erwin just simply nodded his head in agreement, while Levi remained stoic and just listened on.
''Wonderful!'' Frieda clapped her hands together. ''Eren Yeager, you have my approval.''
Eren bowed in respect for Frieda, before turning his attention towards Historia.
She paused for a moment, unsure about the situation, but eventually, she gave a timid nod. ''You have my approval as well!'' she squeaked empathically.
''Well then,'' Levi stated while a full-fledged smirk formed on his face. ''We better make Paradis completely titan free before that then, don't we?''
Eren nodded, returning the smirk. "Yes, and I knew you'd look forward to it."
And that's it, people! Did you like it, love it, hate it? Please leave a review! It's immensely appreciated and makes my day a bit brighter again! :3 Next chapter the start of the battle vs Zeke and Pieck! Until then! :D
~Syrup