Attack On Titan: Wings Of Crystal
Chapter 36: Michael's Beginning
Michael had just finished looking through, and sharing, Noah's memories with the others. Everyone was still sitting around the campfire Lazarus had set up earlier. Lazarus, Bertolt, and Reiner were moved by Michael's story, whilst Zeke and Ymir weren't as expressive as the others. Though deep down they were intrigued by the story of his grandfather and how he paved the path Michael had taken to get to this point.
"…That was the first and only time I ever got to meet my grandfather when I knew him. All this time he'd been guiding me within the Crystal Cave, ensuring that I didn't succumb to the same fate he did." He turns to the right and places his shoulder on Lazarus. "And it's all thanks to you, Lazarus."
"Me? What did I do? All I did was cause chaos and destruction. And I lied to you just to get you to come here."
"True. But I have no regrets coming with you. It's because of your stubbornness to "rescue" me that I got my life back." He looks down at his shield pendant and Lazarus's sword. "Grandpa said that these crystals contained fragments of his soul and that they would be drawn to each other no matter the distance. He must've foreseen that I'd lose all my memories when I took part in the same ritual he did to get rid of the Curse of Joseph."
"That reminds me." Zeke interrupted the duo. "I'm very curious to hear how you came here and lost your memories. As well as your reasonings for erasing Lazarus's memories of your friendship."
Michael glances over at Zeke, acknowledging that he's right. Back when he was flying through the air in the palms of the Winged Titan, Lazarus shared with him his dark past after his departure. Now is the time for him to do the same. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath before sharing with the others the start of his journey from the day he was born to how he became the adopted son of Erwin Smith.
It all began in the late year 833. The day after Michael's birth and Noah's death to be exact. The Suurvalta family were attempting to get back to their lives, acting as if everything is normal. But nothing from this moment onwards could ever be normal again.
Greta and Jacob still needed to prepare their newborn son for the inevitable journey to Paradis to break the curse for him as well. According to what Noah said, the voices won't appear unless Michael is ever in a situation where he's in serious danger. So, to ensure that doesn't happen, they're gonna keep him home at all times.
Sometime within the days that followed, the Suurvaltas received news that both Dante and Lydia had reached the end of their thirteen-year lives and had passed on their Titans to their chosen successors, beginning the next generation of Warriors.
Dante was the first to go and Lydia followed two years later. The Suurvaltas had the privilege of being by her side the day before her imminent execution. Her final wish was for them to take her newborn son, Lazarus, into their family and raise him like he was their own. Greta's brother, Jonas and his wife, Victoria decided to act as Lazarus's guardians as well as Michaels whenever both his parents were out working.
Thanks to the close friendship they formed with the two elite Warriors, Greta and Jacob were offered a position that would provide a lot of money to support the family, as well as grant them the status of honorary Marleyans, even though no one in their family were Warriors.
Back then Michael was too young to understand what said job entitled. But as he turned seven in the year 840, he started to grasp the concepts of what kind of world he was living in.
"After I was born, my parents were forced to work for a secret organisation to make big money and ensure a safe and easy life for both you and me, Laz."
"What organisation?" Lazarus asked him.
"At first I wasn't sure. But after hearing your story about the False Founder Project, I have a very good idea… My parents and your mother, in her final days, were all working for the same group of people who started the False Founder, as well as every other project in that underground facility."
Michael continues to delve into his past, trying to recollect the memories of the time he overheard a conversation between his parents and a man dressed in a black suit, a top hat and carrying a cane. He had long blonde hair and a goatee beard. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of round glasses.
He was sitting in the rocking chair opposite Greta and Jacob who were sitting on the sofa. Michael was hiding at the top of the stairs, peeking out from the corner.
"Mister and Misses Suurvalta, I'm sorry for showing up on your doorstep on such late notice. But a situation has arisen that is urgent enough to warrant your expertise."
"Really?" Jacob uttered sarcastically. "It must be important if you decided to come in person instead of sending one of his lackeys."
Greta elbows her husband in the gut in retaliation to his tone of voice. "Jacob, stop it! Have you forgotten that this man is our boss?!"
"Of course, I haven't. But that still doesn't excuse the actions of his family during the Great Titan War. You allowed so many of your people to suffer to allow yourselves to live comfortable lives of luxury! The only reason I agreed to work with you is because it was Lydia's dying wish to carry on her work in her place."
"You surprise me, Mister Suurvalta." The man chuckled at him. "You are not an Eldian, yet here you are defending them, acting as if you are. Most people tend to hide their association with devils."
"I'm not most people. And Eldians are just as much human beings as I am!" He raised his voice back at him.
"That's enough!" Greta scolded him, forcing him to sit back down on the sofa. "I apologise for my husband's actions, Thomas."
"Think nothing of it." Thomas waved his hand dismissively, focusing his attention on his true purpose for being here. "Now without further interruptions, I need your help with a problem that has arisen within the False Founder Project… After Lydia's unfortunate demise, I was forced to rely on less civil methods to ensure success. But now the project is on the cusp of abandonment. As you know, my family have been supplying the spinal fluid of all nine Titan powers used for the serum. That supply is now desperately low, and getting more is out of the question as both the Founding and Attack Titans are no longer in Marley's reach."
"We understand, Mister Tybur. But why come to us about all this? What can we do to ensure the project is a success?" Greta asked.
"Lydia's job in the project was to handpick the best of the Warrior Candidates to be worthy test subjects. Since we're in such short supply of spinal fluid to continue producing the serum, it's best to avoid wasting it on weak individuals." He thoroughly explained.
"But we've already chosen the best candidates for you. It's because of this project that the Beta Warrior Unit isn't as strong as the Alpha Unit. We don't know anyone else." Greta responded.
"Oh, I think you do." Thomas narrowed his eyes at them. "What about Lydia's son?"
The suggestion of having Lazarus be a test subject caused Michael's eyes to widen in horror. At the time he didn't know what kind of experiments the Marleyans performed, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't good. No Eldian that took part in the project had ever returned alive. He didn't want to see the same thing befall his brother.
"Father, can we leave soon?"
A new voice announces its presence at the front door, though he could not be seen from where Michael was at the top of the stairs.
"William, what did I say? Wait outside until my discussion is done!" Thomas sternly called out to the boy. Once he was out of sight, he continued where he left off. "Please excuse my son. He needs another lesson in manners once we return home." He clears his throat before continuing. "As I was saying, young Lazarus has excellent genes from what my boys in the lab have told me. That should be no surprise given his birth parents were regarded as the strongest Warriors Marley's ever known. I believe he will be the perfect candidate strong enough to survive the serum, as well as the tests leading up to it."
"Out of the question!" Jacob vented as he stood up from the sofa again to look down on his "boss". "Lazarus is as much our child as Michael is. We promised his parents we'd take care of him. We're not gonna let you murder him!"
Thomas Tybur was unaffected by Jacob's threatening tone of voice. He predicted this would be their reaction, and he was prepared for a counteroffer.
"I figured you'd say that. But you might consider it should I go with my second choice." He then, to Michael's shock, directs his attention towards the young Michael at the top of the stairs. "If not Lazarus, then maybe we should have your son take his place."
Terrified, Michael scurries away from the stairs and rushes back to his bedroom. He catches one last part of the discussion before locking the door behind him.
"Of course, if you refuse both suggestions, then you'll be out of a job and your whole family will be shipped off to Paradis… So what's it gonna be? Will you risk the life of your son? Or put all your faith in the only Eldian child strong enough to handle the serum?"
Scared for his life, Michael ended up escaping out of his bedroom, using his bedsheets and some shirts he tied together as a rope. He runs down the dark, empty streets, hoping to find his aunt and uncle who're working late jobs at the restaurant by the sea. His aunt Victoria worked in the kitchen while his uncle Jonas provided entertainment by demonstrating his musical talent.
He'd hoped to tell them all about Thomas blackmailing his parents to experiment on Lazarus for the False Founder Project or else they'd send them off to Paradis to be turned into Titans.
He was too scared and focused on getting help that he failed to spot an incoming projectile coming in out of nowhere and striking him in his right shoulder. The impact was so sudden but the pain that followed upon contact was sharp enough to cause the young boy to trip and fall over.
As Michael recovers from his fall, he notices that imbedded in his shoulder was a strange-looking blade. It was too small to be a knife and the end of the handle has a ring on the end with a red ribbon tied around it.
It didn't take long for his mysterious assailants to reveal themselves to him. Four individuals were leaping from building to building at such incredible speeds that he had difficulty believing they were human.
All four assassins land in the empty street and approach the injured Michael. All of them were dressed in strange clothing that Michael didn't recognise. It was all black, probably to help blend in with the darkness of night. Their faces were covered by black scarves, with only their eyes being visible to him. They all carried more of those tiny blades in holsters attached to their belt and had strange, curved blades attached to their backs. Back then Michael had no idea that these were the same types of blades Lazarus forged with his Cloud Zero gear.
On their shoulders, they had a strange symbol painted on in white. It appeared to be three katana swords lining up to make a triangle inside of a circle. Michael did not recognise it at all. The symbol, the strange-looking weapons and clothes. It became clear to him that these guys were foreigners from another land. But why were they after him? He's just a regular kid.
One of the assassins examines the wound in his shoulder after pulling his blade out of it. "His wound isn't healing. He can't be the one."
"He IS the one!" The assassin next to him corrected him. "We've been watching that house long enough to know he holds the power we seek." He directs his next order to the other two assassins. "Bind him before he gets the chance to transform!"
"I didn't know who those guys were, or why they were after me at the time. But looking back on it years later. It was clear they wanted the Crystal Titan."
Michael struggles against the assassins as they tie his arms and legs together with a strong rope. They also gag his mouth to prevent him from triggering his Titan transformation by biting his tongue. He was powerless to do anything to escape. All he could do was hope and pray for someone to come and rescue him.
"Nothing personal, kid. But your power will help our clan rise and become the richest and most powerful nation in the world. Once that happens, Marley will become obsolete." The assassin tells him as he lifts him on his shoulders.
"At that moment I started to lose hope. I was only seven. What else was I supposed to do? But like my grandfather before me, I was saved by the voices of the past Crystal Titans. But instead of meeting The Reaper, or Joseph Ackerman. I saw him."
Michael's eyes started glowing blue. Crystals started forming all over his body, causing the assassins to stop their current actions and drop him. The crystals burst through the ropes, freeing Michael from his binds. The huge gash on his shoulder then closes up and repairs itself in response to his Crystal Titan powers awakening.
"We're too late! The powers awakened! We must report back to our clan immediately!"
The assassins quickly back away from the boy and attempt to run away, only to have their escape routes cut off by a few crystal walls, boxing them in. They all turn back to Michael who was just standing there like he was possessed. He slowly raises his head and stares intensely at the assassins.
"You're not going anywhere!" He bellowed at them, his voice sounding like it was mixed in with several other voices. Most likely the voices of his ancestors helped him harness his powers for the first time.
A dozen crystal projectiles form above him in midair, levitating over his head, waiting for him to unleash them on his enemies.
Two of the assassins draw their katana and manage to deflect some of the incoming projectiles. But they failed to realise that they were merely a distraction from the real threat that came out from underground. Crystal pillars burst out of the ground beneath their feet, impaling two of the assassins to death.
The other two assassins keep their distance from Michael trying to anticipate what his next move may be.
"He's only just awakened his power. How could he manage to control it so easily?!"
"If the legend behind it is accurate, that's not the same child we've ambushed earlier. He's been possessed by those who had the power before him. We're up against generations of users who've had centuries of experience."
Michael starts slowly making his way over to the two ninjas. His left arm summons a broadsword which he immediately readies to cut them down.
Despite them having no chance against him, the two ninjas refused to back down. They would rather die with honour in the name of their clan than run away like cowards. With their swords drawn, the two assassins charge for Michael and ready their blades to slice him up.
Unfortunately for them, their blades never touched Michael. His sword had more reach compared to their own. Both assassins stood frozen in place as Michael passes them by and deconstructs his sword and walls, cleaning up all the crystals he built to hide his power from Marley.
The two assassins' heads were severed from their necks and toppled to the ground, followed by their limp bodies. Gallons of blood spilt from the cleanly cut necks, staining the streets with foreign blood.
When it was over, Michael started coming back to his senses. His eyes returned to normal as he regains control of his body, completely unaware of the carnage he caused.
"Michael?"
The sound of a disturbed Lazarus crept up on him from behind. Michael turned to face him happy to see his friend. But his smile faded in response to the look of horror on his face.
"What… did you do?" Lazarus uttered still paralysed with fear.
Michael was confused at first as to what he was referring to until he finally realised what must've happened. His eyes widened in terror at seeing the two headless ninjas splayed out before him and the other two with a hole in their chests.
Michael attempted to explain things to him, but he ended up down on the ground clutching the sides of his head and crying out in agony. Like Noah before him, the Curse of Joseph was starting to flood his mind with the voices of the dead.
It was around this time that his aunt and uncle were finally returning home from work and soon stumbled upon a series of unfortunate events. Lazarus rushes over to Michael's side attempting to calm him down, but his voice was unable to reach him in response to his much louder ancestors.
"Michael! Michael, speak to me!" He started shaking him, worried for his well-being.
Jonas and Victoria glance at each other before looking back at their traumatised nephew. Noah told them that this day would come one day, but they were still underprepared for what their next course of action should be.
"Jonas, you don't think-
"I do. The Crystal Titan within him has finally awakened… But, it's too soon. He's only seven years old."
"Noah was very young when he unlocked it too." She grips her husband's hand tightly. "What do we do now?"
"First, we need to get rid of these bodies before the Marleyans find them, then we need to tell Jacob and Greta… After that, we need to carry out Dad's plan and get him to the royal family on Paradis."
"After cleaning up the mess I've made, my aunt and uncle told Mom and Dad everything that happened, and I told them I overheard their conversation with Thomas Tybur and that's what motivated me to run away."
A few months later at the beginning of year 841, The Suurvaltas finally begin the first step in Noah's plan to free Michael from the curse. Jonas and Victoria offered to take their nephew to Paradis whilst Jacob and Greta continued their work on the False Founder Project.
In the end, they had no choice but to force Lazarus to be enlisted among the last batch of test subjects, despite Michael being against it. But as much as they hated to admit it, Lazarus is NOT their child, and if they were forced to choose between their actual son and the child they took in, the latter was always going to be their choice.
"After I've said my goodbyes to my mom and dad, Aunt Vicky and Uncle Jonas smuggled me out of Odiha in the hopes of sneaking aboard the ship that contained more Eldian prisoners on route to Paradis."
Michael, Jonas and Victoria embrace Greta and Jacob in a big group hug. They all had a feeling this will be the last time they'll ever be together as a family, so they'll make sure to hold onto this feeling as long as they can.
Eventually, they had to break it off there and start their journey while they still could. The parents waved their family goodbye with tears building up in their eyes the further away they went.
Lazarus eventually could no longer stand back and watch the boy he considered his brother to walk out of his life forever. He rushes past the grieving parents, not even giving them a chance to stop him as he was long gone before the realisation kicked in.
"MICHAEL! WAIT!" He called out to them.
Michael lets go of his aunt and uncle's hands and comes to a halt in the alleyway they were sneaking through. He didn't need to turn around to acknowledge the presence of his friend.
"Uncle Jonas, can you and Auntie give me a moment with Laz, please?"
Jonas nods in response and backs off, giving the boys some time alone. Michael soon turns around to look Lazarus in the eye. His face wore a look of sorrow and guilt for what he was about to do to him. But compared to what he'll soon endure in the False Founder Project, he believed this would increase his chances of surviving.
"Please, don't leave me like this!" Lazarus begged him.
"I have to go. You know I have no choice." He turns away from him and stares back out at the street. It was the same street he killed the assassins in. Though their bodies had been discarded and their blood washed away, it didn't hide the memory of what he'd become that night.
"I have a power that puts everyone I know and loves in danger. Those guys that night knew all about it. Who knows how many others do… Don't you see, Lazarus? As long as I'm here, I'm putting you, Mom, Dad, and everyone else in this town in danger. If I don't get it under control it'll consume me and be used to kill all the Marleyans, just like how it almost corrupted my Grandfather."
"…Will you ever come back?" He asked sceptically.
"One day I will." He reaches down his shirt collar and pulls out his shield necklace. "But in case something happens to me, these will guide us back to each other. You still got yours, right?"
Lazarus nods and pulls out his sword necklace for him.
"As long as we both have these, we'll find each other again." He then takes hold of Lazarus's hand. "I want you to promise me something."
"Of course, Michael. Anything for you."
"…Promise me that should you ever remember me you will come find me and bring me back home to Mom and Dad. Whether I'm myself or not, do not leave me trapped on that island. Even if I end up dead, bring my body back to them. I want them to at least know what happened to me on that island. Use any means necessary to ensure my safe return."
Lazarus was surprised by Michael's sudden serious favour. He looks over at his aunt and uncle, wondering what'll happen to them once they reach Paradis.
"What about your aunt and uncle?"
"The plan is to bring me back home after I've gotten rid of this blasted curse. But the chances of us all surviving are slim with all the Titans that freely roam the island. They're prepared to face the consequences as long as I survive." Michael regretfully answered whilst glancing back at his aunt and uncle.
"Wait a minute." Lazarus interrupted, remembering a piece of dialogue that didn't sit right with him. "You said if I ever remember you. What do you mean by that?"
Michael lets out a long sigh which only caused Lazarus to begin worrying.
"I'm sorry, Laz… All I can tell you is that what I'm about to do is for your own good. It'll also make it easier for my parents. It'll help your mind focus more on surviving the experiments."
Michael closes the distance between him and Lazarus. He takes hold of both his hands as he looks into his eyes.
"Michael, what are you doing?!" He panicked slightly.
"This isn't goodbye, Brother. One day we'll see each other again, with both our memories fully intact… Even if there's a chance we might die before that time, I know we'll live good lives, even if we're not spending them together." He then places both his hands on the sides of Laz's head. "No matter what paths we take, we'll always be brothers."
He slowly leans his forehead forward. Lazarus attempts to get away, yet he was unable to do the simplest task of walking away. It's as if some kind of paranormal force was preventing him from moving his legs and wanted him to have his mind wiped by his supposed friend.
Their foreheads inevitably touch and Michael closes his eyes, allowing his Titan energy to pass through his head into Lazarus's. A single tear runs down his left cheek as he could feel his power altering Laz's brain chemistry and erasing all memories of him, his parents, his aunt, uncle, and the whole life he spent living with them as a family. The very act disgusted Michael. It practically felt like he was killing parts of him. But it had to be done. Erasing his emotional attachments to himself and his family increased his chances of surviving the Titan experiments. Maybe one day he'll understand why he did this and maybe even thank him for it.
With the memory alteration complete, Michael lets go of his head, turns his back on him, and continues down the alley with his aunt and uncle.
Lazarus just stood there completely frozen and feeling a little woozy. His eyelids started to feel heavy. He was on the verge of passing out. He catches one final glimpse of Michael as his vision blurs until he was no longer in his line of sight.
"Who… was… that?" He weakly muttered before falling backwards and ending up passed out on the ground.
Soon afterwards, the three Suurvaltas smuggle themselves aboard a Marleyan ship bound for Paradis. They removed their armbands before leaving to blend in with the crowd. Once on board, Jonas and Victoria disguised themselves as Marleyan soldiers whilst Michael pretended to be another prisoner.
Upon arriving on Paradis, the ship's soldiers began escorting the prisoners to the top of the wall that separates the beach from the rest of the island. The Suurvaltas pretended to escort Michael to the wall as well when in reality they were following his lead. Michael used as much mental strength as he had to tune out the other voices and focus only on his grandfather, Noah.
According to his instructions, there was an opening to the underground tunnel network dug by centuries of Crystal Titan users. All they had to do was find it, have Michael reopen it with his powers, and travel down the tunnels to the north of Wall Sina where the Reiss family Crystal Chapel was located. Once inside the tunnel, they'll be safe from the hundreds of Pure Titans roaming the lands outside the walls.
But their plan of getting there didn't go as smoothly as they would've liked. One of the Marleyans caught on to the fact that the two adults of the group weren't Marleyan and attempted to shoot them. Michael then had to reveal himself to save them, using crystal projectiles to dispatch the Marleyan.
The three Suurvaltas slide down the wall with the aid of a long crystal slide Michael constructed out of thin air and made a dash for the open desert.
"Do you know where this hidden tunnel entrance is located?" Jonas desperately asked him in between breaths.
"Yeah. It should be just a few meters up ahead, according to Grandpa's
instructions."
As they were running, a bright flash of lights appear behind them. Glancing behind them they realised that the other Marleyans had just injected all the prisoners with Titan serum and pushed them over the wall.
Now transformed into Titans, the prisoners all begin charging for them whilst the guards enjoyed the show from the safety of the wall.
The three Suurvaltas ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but the dozens of Pure Titans proved to be much faster than them and would be caught and eaten momentarily. Jonas and Victoria glance back at each other, realising that running away was a fruitless endeavour. Taking hold of each other's hand, they decided to give their nephew the greatest chance of reaching the tunnel alive.
"Go, Michael! Get to the tunnel! We'll lead the Titans as far from you as possible." Jonas instructed.
Michael almost stopped running in response, but Jonas pushed him forwards, telling him not to stop no matter what.
"Your survival and the breaking of our family curse must remain your top priority. Your grandfather knew this. Follow his guidance and you'll make it." Jonas tearfully explains.
"We love you, Michael. Never forget that." Victoria added as she lets go of his hand and runs off in the opposite direction with her husband.
Most of the Pure Titans upfront change course and go after them, whilst some of the smaller Titans continued their pursuit of Michael.
Fortunately for him, he managed to reach the hidden entrance to the tunnel buried somewhere in the sand. Without looking back or thinking, he places both hands on the ground and channels his Titan energy through his palms, forcing the crystals to part and reveal the entrance to him. He quickly jumps into the hole and only has moments to close it up again before any of the Titans reach him.
As he was about to close the hole, however, he catches a glimpse of his aunt and uncle being grabbed by a fifteen and a seven-meter-tall Titans. He didn't have time to react though as one of the four-meter Titans at the front of the group was moments away from lunging out at him. Panicked, Michael quickly reseals the hole just as the Titan closes in on him. Only the Titans left arm managed to make it inside, severed from the rest of the body on the outside and landed atop him.
Still on the edge, Michael shrugs the arm off of his body and kicks it away. After getting back up he effortlessly pats his clothes, dusting off all the dirt.
Once it was all over, he takes a moment to mourn his Aunt Victoria and Uncle Jonas. He lowers his head in anguish and let's loose the waterworks that have been building up under his eyes.
"I lost my aunt and uncle upon first arriving on this island. Looking back on that day made me, at first, hate myself for not using my power to save them. But in that moment I was just a scared little kid whose mind was flooded with voices that thinking was impossible."
"But I do know that I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for their noble sacrifice. So instead of sitting around, crying about it. I took advantage of the opportunity they gave me and pressed onwards for Wall Sina."
At last, after all the pain, loss and hardships Michael endured to get there, he finally reaches the underground chapel beneath the Reiss church. Like Noah before him, he was blown away by how vastly huge and vibrant it looked. He couldn't comprehend how long it must've taken for one of his ancestors to construct something this massive even with the Crystal Titan's power.
As he entered the open part of the chapel where the sacrificial altar was, he was immediately intercepted by the Reiss family who appear to have been waiting for his arrival, as if they knew he was coming.
Standing before him was a young woman with gorgeous, long, black hair. She had the same type of eyes her great-grandfather, Johnathan, had. Proving that she is the new current holder of the Founding Titan. Standing behind her was a short, middle-aged man, a woman holding a baby, a young adult teenager who was the tallest in the group, and three children. Two boys and a girl. They all glare at Michael with suspicion and contempt.
Though he was a little nervous, Michael musters all the courage he had left to speak his mind to this generation of the noble Reiss family.
"…Hello. My name is Michael Suurvalta. I am the new host for the Crystal Titan which was passed down to me by my grandfather, Noah Suurvalta. I have come to ask you to help me get rid of the Curse of Joseph Ackerman."
The girl holding the Founding Titan separates herself from her family and approaches the young boy. She stands just a few feet away from his position to get a good look at him. Upon closer inspection, she can see some of Noah's resemblance in him behind those glasses, from what she can remember through her great grandfather's memories at least.
"I am Frieda Reiss. The newest holder for the divine Founding Titan. On behalf of my family, I welcome you back to our island, Crystal Titan." She cheerfully introduced herself to her young guest.
"I was not expecting the Crystal Titan of my generation to be so young. Did you come here all by yourself?"
Michael shakes his head slowly in response. "No… I came with my aunt and uncle… They both ended up sacrificing themselves to the Titans just to get me here."
The young boy tried so hard not to show any emotion during this confrontation, but the fresh wound of seeing them getting grabbed and presumably eaten by Titans was too painful for him not to break down into tears again.
Frieda couldn't help but feel sorry for the young outsider. Though he was the host for the Crystal Titan and technically an enemy of the walls, she still saw him as a grieving child in need of comfort. She kneels to his level and places her hands on his shoulders, drawing his eyes to her.
"I know loss can be hard, especially for a child of your age. But you are the Crystal Titan. A knight and protector of our Founder, Ymir. You can't afford to shed tears right now… I saw your grandfather through the memories of my great-grandfather. He was kind enough to free him of his curse. You can relax knowing that I am as well." She soothingly reassured him.
Freida stands back up and lifts her left hand from his shoulder, readying herself to free him from his curse without question. Michael closes his eyes in anticipation, excited to finally be rid of the voices of the past and grow up living a long peaceful life instead of wasting half of it as Noah did.
"Freida, stop!"
Michael's eyes blast wide open in response to the sudden new voice that echoed throughout the chapel. Freida stops what she was about to do to question her father's interruption.
"What do you think you're doing?! Don't you realise that boy is our enemy? His family have stolen the Crystal Titan from us a long time ago. My traitorous grandfather was foolish enough to let this boy's predecessor escape back to his homeland, and for what? A couple of bottles of his spinal fluid?"
"What are you saying, Father?" Freida asked.
"I'm saying spinal fluid isn't enough. We need to take back the power of the Crystal Titan and give it to an Ackerman who serves us!" He responded bluntly.
Those last words caused Michael to take a few steps back, fearing they might attempt to kill him. But Freida steps in front of him, reassuring him that she won't let anyone touch him.
"Great Grandfather was no fool!" Frieda sternly raised her voice at him. "He was a king who freed a subject from his suffering. He was wise enough not to try and control Noah. Doing so would've led to a war with Marley, resulting in The Rumbling being unleashed. The world is not worth reclaiming the servitude of a retired knight."
Freida's father dismisses his daughter's warnings and proceeds to go through with reclaiming the Crystal Titan's power anyways. He snaps his fingers, signalling a couple of Military Police soldiers to appear out from behind the giant pillars and point their rifles at Michael.
"The Crystal Titan has been in service to our family since the beginning times. We have automatic rights to its power. It may be owned by the Ackerman Clan, but we own the Ackermans." He takes a couple of steps towards Michael, only to be met face to face with Freida who stood in front of Michael, defending him. "Stand aside, Freida. I won't ask again."
Freida responds by raising her hand to her mouth, threatening to bite it if he didn't back off. Realising this, Rod and the MPs keep their distance.
"This is unlike you, Freida. The first Reiss king's will prevents you from using the Founding Titans' power in retaliation."
"Wrong. The Vow Renouncing War prevents me from using the Founder's power to wage war on the world, not stop me from defending an innocent child!" She corrected him. "This boy came to us for help and help him I will. What he does with the Crystal Titan afterwards will be his choice, not ours."
The MPs all look in Rod Reiss's direction awaiting his next orders. But Rod was still contemplating what he should do. He can't let another chance to seize back the Crystal Titan slip out of his fingers and fall back into enemy hands. But he also can't take it by force because he could tell by the look in his oldest daughters' eyes that she was serious about triggering her Titan transformation just to stop him. He needed to come up with another solution. One that'll benefit all parties involved.
Suddenly, an idea pops into his head. One that'll grant Freida her request, but eventually allow him to reclaim the Crystal Titan for his family to control.
He signals the MPs to lower their weapons and asks Freida to come and speak with him and the rest of the family in private to discuss his plans. Freida agrees and leaves Michael's side, with him under the watchful eyes of the MPs.
Michael was unable to hear what exactly they were discussing since he was standing a few feet away from him. All he could do was stand there and avoid the hate-filled gazes of the MPs standing around him.
Freida eventually returns to his side and calmly explains her father's proposal to him.
"My father has agreed to let you keep the Crystal Titan's power." Michael was about to celebrate but was cut off by Freida who hadn't finished yet. "However, his condition for doing so… is that you must remain on this island and in service of my family for the rest of your life."
Michael's eyes widen in shock. He couldn't believe his ears. The price he has to pay for the curse to be broken and keep his life is to stay trapped on the devil's island for the rest of his life. She can't be serious, he thought.
He has a whole life waiting for his return. He's still got family in Marley that are waiting for him. Lazarus and his parents. He can't just abandon them like that.
"No! I can't stay here! I won't do it!" He angrily refused as he backs away from Freida. "My mom and dad are waiting for me back home. I can't leave them!"
"I understand, child. But you don't have a choice. This is the only option that ensures the breaking of your curse and sparing your life. If you refuse, my father will feed you to another Ackerman and your soul will end up among the damned in the Crystal Cave. Just like your grandfather." She warned him.
"What?" He asked confused by that last statement.
"When a Crystal Titan user dies, their soul doesn't pass on to the afterlife. Instead, they end up trapped in a purgatory called the Crystal Cave. Every one of your ancestors who once wielded your power end up there, including your grandfather… It's not something I want for someone as young as you."
She attempts to close the distance between them again, only for Michael to respond by backing away further until he's up against the wall where the entrance to the tunnel he came through was.
"But I… I don't wanna lose my family and friends! I can't just forget about them and start a new life here!" He stated.
"With my help… you can." Freida responded as she places her hands on the sides of his head. "I hope you can one day forgive me for what I'm about to do."
Michael had little to no time at all to wonder what she was talking about, as he felt a sudden jolt of electricity pass through her hands and into his head. He struggled against her grasp but was unable to break free of Freida's hold.
He tries to scream but no sound comes out as the pain is too great to process as he feels the memories of his life leading up to this moment being forcibly sealed away. It was as if he was being murdered right then and there by the Founding Titan and will soon be reborn as someone entirely different to the person he was meant to be.
But it wasn't just his memories that were being erased from his mind. In the end, Freida kept true to her word and freed his mind from the curse, forever silencing the voices of his ancestors.
When it was over, Michael ended up losing consciousness and collapses right into Freida's arms. She readjusts his glasses before gently stroking his head, fixing his messy hair.
"Freida, what did you do?" Rod hesitantly asked, shocked at what he'd just seen unfold before him and the rest of his family.
"I did as you asked, Father… I wiped out all his memories of his life, the Crystal Titan, and even meeting us. When he wakes up, he'll have no recollection of who he is, apart from his first name. He'll believe he's just an ordinary person living inside these walls."
"You erased ALL his memories?! Even the ones where he awakened his powers?" Rod clarified.
Freida nodded in response. Enraged, Rod rushes over to his daughter and grabs her shoulders.
"You fool! Without the knowledge of the Crystal Titan, his body has been reset to how it was before he awakened them! His spinal fluid is useless to us now!"
"Exactly." Freida bluntly replied as she pushes her father off of him. "I won't let you murder a child just to regain control of the Crystal Titan."
Furious with his own daughter's defiance, Rod orders the MPs to grab the unconscious Michael from her.
"We may not get his spinal fluid, but we can still feed him to another Ackerman and harvest their spinal fluid instead. Guards, seize him!"
Freida picks Michael back up and takes a couple of steps back until she hits the crystal wall. The MPs surround her and point her guns at her. But she once again threatens to kill them all by biting her hand and transforming. Only this time… she follows through on the said threat.
In one bite, Freida triggers her transformation into the Founding Titan for the very first time upon receiving it from her uncle, Uri. The MP's all get blasted back from the shockwave of the transformation, whilst Rod and his family only got hit by the lesser effects.
Freida's Titan form grabs Michael once it finished forming. She then proceeds to reopen the entrance to the tunnels using the hardening powers she developed by consuming the last of Noah's spinal fluid. The tunnel automatically closes in on itself once the Founding Titan was inside, sealing her off from her family.
The enraged Rod Reiss couldn't help but let out a rage-filled yell that echoed throughout the whole chapel. His plan to reclaim the Crystal Titan has failed… for now.
Freida's Titan had travelled blindly through the gigantic underground labyrinth of tunnels. She had no idea where she was going. Only those who possess the Crystal Titan have a complete layout of the tunnels and can plan out the fastest routes to get to wherever it was they needed to go.
But Freida ended up hopelessly lost. Her only reliable source of information was the memories of her past predecessors, but there was a limit to how far back she can look, and how many past individuals' memories she can access. They didn't share a collective consciousness like the Crystal Titan's users had.
Despite the setbacks, she somehow managed to find an exit to surface above ground. She ended up in a forest of giant trees somewhere south of Wall Maria, right in the heart of Titan country.
The sky was filled with grey clouds that were constantly dropping heavy rain down on her head. Her Titan quickly took shelter in the forest under a giant tree. She still had Michael tightly held against her huge, nipple-less chest.
Escaping was the easy part. Now she needed to figure out what to do with him. She can't just take him back to the wall at the island's southern shore, nor can she bring him back to the walls. It wouldn't be long until Rod sends more MP Soldiers out looking for him.
She gently places him atop a high tree branch, well out of reach of any roaming Pure Titans, to properly think up a plan for him.
But she wasn't given such privilege as she notices a green smoke signal being fired into the atmosphere just a few meters away from her position. Followed by the sounds of over a dozen horses racing towards her location. She knew immediately that it was the Scout Regiment, out on yet another expedition outside the walls.
Panicked, Freida flees the area and jumps back down the hole she climbed out of. The hole instantly reseals itself again, leaving not so much as a crease or any signs of there being a hole in the first place, hiding its existence from the Scouts.
When the Scouts finally reach the forest, they manage to stumble upon a huge gathering of Pure Titans, forcing Keith Shadis, the commander of the Scouts during this time, to fire off a red smoke signal, warning his men of the Titans.
"Heads up, men! We've got Titans emerging from the forest!" He warns them. "All soldiers split up and clear 'em out!"
The soldiers all salute their commander and follow their orders. Among the soldiers who enter the forest to clear out the Titans was a younger Erwin Smith. He leads his squad into the heart of the gathering and draws his ODM blades.
He leaps off of his horse and wastes no time slashing at their napes. His men follow his lead and take out the other Titans in the area.
Erwin was beginning to wonder why some of the Titans in the forest were more focused on trying to climb up one of the huge trees instead of them. As far as he knew, Titans are only interested in catching and devouring humans, not even to survive, but simply for the sport of killing. So why was there one Titan trying its hardest to reach the top of the tree?
It wasn't until he reaches the perfect height that he finally realised why. Laying atop one of the tree's branches was a young boy dressed in rags. He had glasses on and was completely unaware of the monster in his midst.
As the Titan was nearing the top of the tree and attempted to grab Michael, Erwin swoops down from above and cuts through its nape, killing the Titan and causing it to fall back down to earth. Its body ended up crushing some of the smaller Titans in the process, leaving only four fifteen meters left. But he'll let his men handle them. Right now, he was concerned with the safety of the strange boy.
Upon landing atop the branch, Erwin races to Michael's side and makes checking his neck for a pulse his first priority. He lets out a relieved sigh upon learning that he was still alive. He was just unconscious.
While he had no idea who this kid was or how he got here, it was clear to him that he must've tried climbing the tree to escape the Titans. Maybe he ended up exhausting himself in the process. Whatever the reason, he couldn't just leave him there to be devoured.
He gently picks the boy up and holds him in his arms. First, he must get him out of the forest and to the nearest hospital within Wall Maria. Once he wakes up, he'll be sure to explain everything.
However, Michael ended up regaining consciousness much sooner than he was expecting, letting out a couple of chesty coughs in the process.
"Easy, easy, kid. Just breathe." He calmly instructed him.
Michael subconsciously follows his instructions and takes a couple of deep breaths as he tries to readjust his eyes to the brightness of the outside world. Once his vision had cleared up, he was able to get a good look at the man who saved his life, even if he wasn't aware of it.
"Where- Where… am I?" He muttered under his breath.
"You're right in the heart of Titan country outside of Wall Maria," Erwin answered. "What were you doing all the way out here? Where are your parents?"
Michael looks up at Erwin confused as to what he was talking about.
"What? Who are you?"
"I'm Erwin Smith. Section commander of the Scout Regiment. And you are?"
Michael pauses momentarily as he tries to remember what his name is. But his eyes start to widen in shock upon realising that he cannot remember anything about himself. Not his last name, age, hometown, family, or anything.
"I… don't know! I can't remember." He started to panic.
"What?! You've forgotten who you are?"
There was only one sliver of information that popped up in his mind. A name. He wasn't exactly sure, but he had a feeling that this might've been his name. Though he didn't have a last name to add to the first.
"…All I can remember is my first name. Everything else is completely blank. I can't remember a single thing about me other than that." He attempted to explain to his saviour.
It didn't take a genius to deduct what exactly the problem was here for Erwin. It was clear to him that this boy was suffering from a serious case of amnesia. Amnesia was something that could happen to anyone who was facing imminent death at the jaws of a Titan. Many soldiers developed severe mental trauma as a result of barely escaping the Titans, or watching someone they cherish die at the hands of one. Perhaps this boy's parents were killed by the Titans whilst he alone managed to survive, and the guilt of surviving was so overwhelming that he ended up passing out from shock and has now lost all memory of who he used to be.
It made the most logical sense in his mind. But what didn't make sense was why this child was outside the walls in the first place. Did he and his family slip out when no one was looking? Or did he come from the lands beyond the walls? And how did he manage to climb a tree taller than any Titan on his own?
Ever since he was a child, he and his father theorised about the possibility of there being other human settlements outside the walls. Those theories ended up getting his father killed. But Erwin didn't stop believing. He joined the Scouts in the hopes of discovering the truth himself one day and proving his father right.
Until now he hadn't made any progress in his dream goal. But now that he's found this boy who may just be from beyond the walls, he can't help but feel the need to protect this boy and watch over him until he gets his memories back.
"Tell me, what is your name?" He asked calmly.
"It's Michael. But just Michael as far as I can remember."
"Well, Michael, It's a pleasure to meet you." He takes hold of his small hand and shakes it lightly. "Like yourself, I don't know who you really are, where you came from, or how you got here. But I will look after you until your memories return. I will teach you everything you need to know about this world and what you need to do to survive. After that, we'll see if we can uncover the secrets of your past."
Michael weakly forms a smile in response to the stranger's kind words. He can't explain it, but he had a gut feeling that he could put his faith and trust in this man, even though they'd only just met.
More than anything, he was determined to follow him back to wherever he came from and regain his lost memories. Though he was unaware of the many adventures in store for him on his journey to get them back.
To Be Continued