Eren reached the town, which wasn't that far from his current location. He was still reeling from his wounds in the fight against Silver. The more he explores this place, the more bizarre this world proves to be, which is saying something considering the current state of his home right now. At the very least, he got more combat experience and he got a new power out of it. That wasn't simple however, because Eren was feeling woozy and was on the verge of collapsing. The Titan Shifter assumed this must be a side effect when a Slayer consumes an element other than their natural one. Their lungs, and by extension their body, isn't equipped yet to handle the substance of other elements, yet alone other magics and whatnot.

'I might have to look into this later, for now I need to focus on the objective."

Eren made it to the entrance of the town, seeing all the buildings being mostly made out of wood, with some stone and even some metal, designed to keep the architecture sturdy yet warm on the inside to keep out the cold air and snow from the environment. The blizzard was falling down on the roofs of the buildings, but the designs were doing their job at keeping them from collapsing and if the smoke from the snow is of any indication, the buildings were giving off heat to help with the unforgiving cold.

On the entrance, there was a large gateway that had the name of the town carved in a rather fancy-looking font.

"Snowdroffodils" Eren said softly. "Nice name." He walked into the town and noticed all the lights emitting from the streetlamps. Judging from the light from some of the houses, the soldier guessed that some of the residents were still alive. Eren hoped that at least one of them could help him with his dilemma.

The soldier looked around, taking notice of anything that might be places of interest. His eyes soon fell on a building with a slightly different decor than the rest of the buildings. The roofs looked a little more fancy, with the edges bending upwards in curves. The building has wooden structures embedded in both the corners, in the walls, and located near the giant doors. The architecture seemed to be a hybrid of the traditional features you would see on a wood cabin, but combined with royal additions one would expect on an ancient temple. Eren took notice of what the sign said and sighed.

'Back to the books. Hopefully I won't have to do this for much while looking for this thing. I don't want to keep stopping to read something.' Eren thought tiredly. He walked toward the library, eager to get this over with so he could get a move on.

A man was tending to his houses, doing some last minute cleaning before turning in for the night. He swiped his head as he'd been working all day and he worked quite the sweat.

"Man, I know it's our seasonal snowfall, but all these preparations! They really take it out of you!" He said to himself. The man took a step back and took a moment to admire his work, feeling proud that his house was clean and all set for the harsh winter that was soon to come. The man took notice of something moving near the window which caught his attention.

"Hmm?" He went over to his window and took a look outside. The man was surprised to see an individual outside at this time and in this weather. From the looks of it, the person appeared to be wearing a green cloak with a strange symbol on the back. They appeared to be looking for something.

'I haven't seen anyone with that clothing before. Did someone wander to our village unknowingly?' The man said in his head. He wondered if they were lost and if they simply needed help. It wasn't uncommon for the residents of Snowdroffodils due to the rough terrain of the mountains as well as its confusing pathways, so it's very easy for someone ignorant of the environment to get themselves lost. As such, the town has act as a wintery version of an oasis for travelers and people that needed a place to stay until they can get back on their feet.

The man was about to go up and see if the boy needed help when he turned over in his direction. The man gasped as he saw that the person was a boy, who looked to be in his mid-teens.

'A kid? What's a kid doing out here?' The man thought in shock. He was surprised that a young boy was traveling by himself in these conditions, but what shocked, and intrigued him, was the fact that the boy didn't seem like he was lost. In fact, he seemed determined and focused. The kid turned around and walked away, in a direction that the man was familiar with.

'He must be headed to the library. I'm curious as to what he intends to find there, but right now I need to make sure he's going to be okay.' With that in mind, the man grabbed his coat and standard winter gear, tools and all, and headed outside, following the teen close by.

Eren opened the doors and strolled into the halls. As he figured, rows and rows of shelves containing books of various subjects that would certainly have at least something for someone. He looked around and saw that the library was vacant.

"No one here." Eren looked around and tried to look for a light switch, or a source of light. He found a lamp that looked different than the normal design. He lit up his hand in his blue fire and took a closer look. Eren was about to light the lamp with his own fire, but saw a dial at the bottom. He turned the dial and a fire appeared, glowing radiantly. But that wasn't the end of it. Eren turned around to see lamps placed all around the library lighting up in pairs and groups one by one, until the whole building was lightened.

"Gotta like how handy Magic is." Eren commented. Now that he had proper lightning, he went over to one of the tables and took a seat. He took out the book he found at the shrine and gave it another read over.

'According to this, the Rogue Vagabond was carefully hidden, using various magic and codes to make sure that no one would easily solve the puzzle and figure out its location. However, some of the knowledge was confused and the people hiding the artifact got the information wrong, making even then unable to track it down. The last known location was here up in the mountains. It would take forever trying to search every part of the region. I can't afford to waste a lot of time so I'm hoping something in this village can help me. Maybe there are some urban legends or myths that can point me in the right direction.' Eren monologues internally.

"Can I help you with something?" Eren jumped up from his seat as he turned to see a man near the entrance. He held his hands up as he tried to calm the younger man down.

"Easy there, I'm not here to harm you." The man said, putting his hands down and speaking in a calm tone as to try and ease Eren. The soldier wouldn't let his guard down yet. He had his hand near one of his blades in case something happened.

"Who are you?" The man took a moment before introducing himself.

"Adrian. Adrian Angelo." Eren took in his features as Adrian introduced himself.

The man looked to be in his thirties, short brown hair and a scruff on his chin. He had black eyes and slightly tanned skin. He was wearing a simple brown sweater with a large gray winter coat with a fur trim on the hood, black gloves, and brown boots. He looked to be friendly, but Eren knew better than to judge people just by their appearances, and that goes both ways.

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked. The man gave him a perplexed look.

"Look, you're the one that strolled into our town and in our library. I should be the one asking you that question. But since you asked, I came here to check up on you. It's not rare for our village to have travelers, so we all try our best to help them however we can." Adrian explained. Eren tilted his head as the man made a point.

"Yeah, you're right." He calmed down. "I'm sorry." Adrian smiled gently.

"No problem. So what are you doing here in our library?" Eren pondered if he should tell this man. However, he needed help with more information about the general location and he planned to confirm with the locals to see if they could help him anyways.

"I was hoping your town could help with locating something." He took a seat as Adrian walked over and took the chair next to him. Eren took out the book and showed it to him. The man was intrigued to say the least.

"The Rogue Vagabond?"

"It's an artifact said to be able to be transported to other worlds. It's been lost to time, but I'm hoping to track down its coordinates." Adrian gave him a confused look.

"What do you need it for?" He asked. Eren stilted for a moment, then replied.

"Let's just say I'm not from around here." Adrian gasped a little, but didn't push further on the subject.

"Well I don't know what to tell you… uh."

"Eren." He introduced himself.

"Eren. I don't think I've ever heard of this "Rogue Vagabond". None of our records have any recording of its existence, or even mentioned it in its text." Adrian clarified, looking through the passage in the book that discusses the relic, also taking the time to admire the detailed drawing of what the Vagabond looked like. Eren sighed at the news.

"Damn it. I knew something like this would happen, but I tried to have some hope of getting a lucky break." The teen muttered. Adrian looked at him sympathetically. He was still perplexed on why someone as young as him was doing out on his own. Granted, it's not uncommon at all for kids his age to be by themselves, even ones that are much younger than Eren.

'Poor kids.' Adrian thought. He was looking over the book when he spotted something that caught his eyes. Eren saw the glint in his eyes and perked up.

"What is it?" Eren asked. The older man pointed some of the symbols near the corner of the page. It looked to be a circle drawn by rotating a line, two zig-zags, and a triangle with three hexagons in the middle and lines covering the hexagons while protruding outside.

"These symbols. I think I've seen them somewhere before, near an ancient gate in the ruins next to Snowdroffodils." Adrian explained.

"Can you take me there?" Eren asked, excited that he might have a solid lead.

"If you want, I have no problem. But it's going to have to be tomorrow. It's night and you already know how rough the weather is. You can stay at my place for the night." Adrian said, getting up from his chair.

"You sure? I don't mean to intrude." Eren asked. Adrian gave him a gentle smile.

"It's no problem at all. Like I said, we get travelers a lot from time to time, so most of our houses have a spare bedroom for occasions like this. Not everyone likes it of course, but I'm the type to help out those that need it. And right now, you're that person." He explained. Eren looked at him stunned for a moment, returning the smile shortly after.

"Thanks." Adrian nodded as Eren got his stuff together and headed out with him to his house. Adrian made sure to turn off the magical lamps and soon the two went to his place to turn in for the night, needing the sleep to prepare for the next day.

Next Day

The two got up early enough and traveled down to the road where the ruins were, which wasn't too far from the village, but far enough so that you wouldn't know it was associated with it. Adrian offered Eren some more winter clothes, which he accepted but stuffed into his backpack. His magic increased his body heat to the point that he could handle the cold as he is more than others.

While they made their way to the ruins, Eren took the time to get to know Adrian better. His family lived in Snowdroffodils for a long time, but recently his parents and his little sister have moved to a more quiet and secluded area with better weather. Despite being in the mountains, the town can get busy more often than one would think. He stayed behind to help take care of the village, and because he felt he stayed better up in the mountains better than anywhere else.

Eren enjoyed conversing with Adrian, but the mention of family brought up his current situation with his own, none of them really good. Adrian noticed the change in Eren's demeanor, but didn't intrude on it.

They made their way to the ruins, which wasn't what Eren was expecting. Unlike the stone pillars and structures where he found the book detailing the Rogue Vagabond, these almost look identical to the remains of Kinana's destroyed hometown.

There were broken remains of woods that could only be from buildings were present, the wooden spikes being angles to look more like a destroyed barricade than anything else. There was torn cloth all over the place. Stone pillars were presented as well, but there wasn't much compared to their wooden counterparts.

"What happened here?" Eren asked.

"Our village wasn't the only one near these mountains, there was another town that was also not long ago. But as you can see, it's gone." Adrian explained. Eren crouched down to pick up what appeared to be a small totem pole. It had generic faces on the middle and bottom section, but the top one was interestingly an eagle, complete with wings and even horns.

"Was the reason because of the harsh conditions?" Eren asked, inspecting the totem.

"Not exactly." Eren turned over to Adrian, confused on what he meant. "While the weather did play a part in the village's desolation, it wasn't the main cause. I don't know much of the details, but from what the history surrounding the mountains says, when the leftovers of the town were discovered by explorers, it wasn't a pretty sight." Adrian elaborated. Eren looked back at the totem before putting it away. They traveled further down the ruins and the more they walked, the more Eren saw the worn-down houses, the snow-covered tepees, and the discarded weaponry. Even with its vacant condition, the place gave off an eerie feeling that couldn't be shaken off and it was giving Eren the chills (and not from the weather either). It's like it latched on to whoever entered the ruins and left as soon as the visitors did. The soldier wondered what had happened to this town for it to end up like this, not even Kinana's old village was in this bad of a state.

'Adrian said it wasn't a pretty sight. Were the villagers killed? If so, why didn't he say it? It's dark, but saying someone died isn't that grim compared to what it could be. So was it the way the villagers went that he can't say? Or does he not know?'

"We're here." Eren was snapped out of his thoughts when Adrian spoke up. He looked up and gasped.

In front of him stood a giant stone gate, circular in shape. What caught Eren's eye was the row of symbols lining up along the edges of the gate. They were the exact same ones as in the book.

"Well, we found your symbols. I'm guessing what you're looking for is right behind that door." Adrian commented. Eren stared at the giant gate as he walked up to it. He reached his hand and went to touch it. He hesitated for a moment before feeling the stone.

Eren stepped back in shock when his hand was blocked and it touched something else. A large screen of orange symbols began appearing all over the gate. Adrian was just as shocked at the sudden reveal.

"Runes?" Eren remembered Kinvinaris teaching him about Magic Writing and the numerous properties it can entail and can do when written. It was one of the many things he had drilled into his brain when trying to learn more about this world. From the looks of it, the runes looked to be completely complex. Upon closer inspection, there looked to be multiple layers.

'Well, there's no way I'm getting through that. Kinvinaris couldn't teach me about Magic Writing and how to decode it due to our time constraints and his limited knowledge of the subject itself. And I don't think I can just punch through, or burn it.'

"Sorry about that." Eren turned over to see Adrian walking up to him. "It's been a while since I've been here so I forgot about the runes protecting the gate." Eren looked back to the gate.

"No one's been able to crack the code. The runes are not just advanced, they also seem to be from a different cipher than most runes. Not only that, they're extremely durable. It would take some pretty powerful magic to even make a dent in them." Adrian explained.

The soldier grunted. "They're that resilient, huh?" He took out the book and went to the page where the Rogue Vagabond was listed. He looked over at the symbols and saw that they were a match for the gate. However…

"Only three of the marks on this page are here. And there's nothing about the other ones." There were nine marks in total covering the gate. If he had to guess, they must be what are powering the barrier covering the entrance. That leaves only six left." Eren concluded.

"Seems like it. Where do you think the other symbols can be?" Adrian asked. Eren raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you concerned about this? We agreed to take me to the gate, you don't have to stay around and help me." Eren assured. Adrian shook his head.

"I told you. My town is known for helping others and that's what I'm doing right now. Besides, this artifact. This "Rogue Vagabond" you're looking for, piqued my interest. I'm curious about it, if it even exists. So that's why I'm helping you." Eren looked shocked that Adrian would do all this for a complete stranger.

"Th, Thanks a lot Adrian!" He said in gratitude. Adrian put his hands up.

"Don't worry about it. Now about those symbols."

"Oh yeah." Eren regained his composure as he went back to look at the gate and the symbols on both it and the pages.

Outside of the three listed on the page, the other six symbols were presented on the gate: To squares with the bottom-right and top-left corner intersecting, a circle with three lines protruding downwards that gave the slight resemblance of a claw, an upside down triangle with the corners broken off, a face with a shocked expression that had lines outwards from both the eyes and mouths, two bird wings, and a fang with some cracks in it.

"Man, whoever made this might've had quite the imagination to come up with drawings like that." Adrian commented.

"Ignoring the weird drawings, they are our only lead to opening this gate." Eren looked down at the page again. "Thankfully, whoever wrote this left behind some clues on what these symbols mean. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they mean. I've been trying to figure them out but I got nothing." He deadpanned. Adrian sweatdropped at the tone of the teen.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure we can figure it out." He reassured him. Eren sighed as he walked over to where Adrian was and showed him the page. They went over to the text and went over to the section that talked about the symbols.

"Okay, according to the page, the symbols on the door are related to… totem poles?" Adrian ended puzzled. Eren perked up at the words "totem pole". He took out the totem pole that he picked up earlier and became thrilled when he saw that it was the exact same totem that was drawn on the page.

"That's lucky. We already got one of them, now for the eight others." Adrian commented. He looked around the remains of the village and pondered on what their next move should be.

"If we found one of the totems here, then the others should be nearby." Eren said. "It won't be easy though. Something that is this safeguarded wouldn't have the keys easy to find and access it either." He added.

"Then we better get a move on and search every corner through the snow, otherwise we'll be here all day." Adrian replied. Eren nodded and the two split up to find the remaining totem poles. Eren went to the right while Adrian searched on the left.

Eren searched through the rubble, not finding anything of value. He realized how big the village actually was when he saw all the broken structures and scattered wood pieces all over the snow. He knew this might take a while, but maybe there might be a way to speed up the process for finding the totem poles.

"I hope I don't burn the totems." Eren said to himself. He activated his Demon Slayer Magic and increased his body temperature significantly. It melted all the surrounding snow away, spreading all over the immediate area. Eren kept his eyes open as he scanned the area for the totem pole. He got his lucky break when he saw one sticking out of the snow, uncovered by the melting effects of his magic. Eren went over and picked up the totem pole. This one being a bear with rounded ears, and arms poking out with three claws on each.

"Two down." Eren tucked away the totem pole with the other and continued his search. He walked around, not seeing anything until his eyes caught a damaged tepee that looked to be in better condition than the other structures. He narrowed his eyes and walked over.

The soldier took a peek inside. He didn't see anything at first, but looked down and saw something poking out of the snow. He dug it out and it was a chest with a combination lock on it.

"Of course it has one." He muttered plainly. The combination lock had three shapes in different colors: A blue triangle, yellow circle, and red square. Underneath them were numbers that can be cycled through by turning the knob of the side of the chest.

"Hope the code isn't too hard to find." Eren wanted to burn the snow again like last time, but he couldn't risk accidentally setting the tepee on fire, so bare hands it was then. He clawed at the snow, trying to find something containing the code, but to no avail. He gritted his teeth in frustration over his repeated failure in finding the code.

"Damn it I don't have time for this!" Eren shouted, his anger getting the better of him. His magic flared and his body was covered in a thin outline of blue flames. Eren was about to continue seething in his anger, but he stopped when he saw something on the tent. Drawings that glowed in bright colors.

"They must've been hidden until I activated my magic." Eren said to himself, taking in all the different pictures etched into the tarp of the tepee. Upon closer inspection, Eren saw the shapes in their respective colors hidden in some of the drawings, and right next to them was a number placed close by.

Eren scanned the tepee and found what he was looking for: A yellow circle hidden in a small sun with 3 next to it, a blue triangle designed to be a hat with a 5, and a red square acting as a crate with an 8 on the bottom.

"538." Eren muttered. He went to the chest and imputed the combination. It was a match.

Inside were various objects and valuables Eren assumed the villagers must've kept stowed away. But what he was most interested in was the totem pole that was stashed away. It was a wolf this time, with a more pronounced face that had a longer snout carved outwards, pointy ears, and similar but different clawed legs like the bear.

"Six more." Eren counted. He left the tepee and stashed the totem pole away. He had three down, but there was still double that amount that needed to be found. He stopped to ponder where he could find more.

He looked around the village site once again and his eyes landed on a large rock near the borders.

"Could it be?" Eren walked up to the rock and tapped on it. Nothing.

Eren conjured up some fire in his hand and blasted the rock at full force. He was surprised when it had no effect.

"So magic doesn't work. What could though?" He searched around the area near the rock, hoping to find another clue that could point him in the right direction. Eren found nothing and decided to try and search elsewhere when he saw something that caught his eye. It was small, but because he was right next to it, Eren could spot.

"Who writes something this small?" He asked no one. He tried to focus his eye and make out the text, which thankfully was something he could understand.

"Strike down with all your might." Eren read out loud. He thought about it for a second, then decided to test something out. He took out his blade and with one strike, slashed the rock. He was surprised, and pleased, when it left a deep cut in the side.

"So I just have to break this thing open with physical attacks. No problem." Eren took out his other and started hacking away at the stone. With each strike, more and more cracks appeared. Eventually, there were so many of them, Eren could tell he was close.

"Just one more strike." Eren decided to go airborne on this one. Using a nearby tree, he shot his hook into the side of the plant and launched himself upward. He disconnected the wire and sped down towards the rock. With one final strike with his swords, the rock broke and amidst the rubble, Eren could see something among them.

He grabbed the totem pole and hoisted himself up to the top of the tree. This totem pole was a frog of all things. With big round eyes, and a long tongue that curved near the top of the totem.

"Now for totem number five." Eren tucked away his fourth totem pole. When he did, something sparkling among the trees appeared. Eren became hopeful and used his ODM gear to fly himself to its destination.

When he got there, the glint was gone.

"What the?" Eren muttered. "I just saw it." Eren was wondering what made it disappear. It was near one of the trees, but he couldn't tell which it was. The soldier then noticed a small detail that occurred when the glint appeared.

The sun was shining.

He looked up and saw the sun all in its glory. But the leaves were covering it. He wasted no time and shot a small fireball at the leaves, burning them up and clearing a path for the sun's light to go through. When it did, Eren felt the glint appear again and turned to face it.

He was surprised when he saw a carving of a totem pole that was embedded in the tree itself. This one was a deer, with a long, slender ears, and antlers protruding from the head.

"Not bad villagers. That's one way to find your keys." Eren complimented. He saw that the carving looked to be slightly off. Eren used his fire to carefully burn away the wood surrounding the totem pole, and from there, it fell out. He snatched it back up and went back to the village.

"That's five, we're almost close." He cheered, placing the totem pole away with the others.

"Hope Adrian had as much luck as I did."

Adrian walked through the snow, turning his head around to find anything that could lead him towards one of the totem poles. He found nothing interesting at first, but knew that they had to be somewhere around here.

"I don't know where the first place a mini totem pole could be." Adrian said to himself. The man saw one of the few remaining buildings that was still standing even after all this time.

When he got inside, it was mostly empty like he expected. But there was some stuff that was still around even after all this time. Like a group of four worn paintings that was still hanging on the walls.

Adrian took a good look at the paintings. Each of them were depicting animals you would find in the wilderness: A goat, a cougar, a pony, and a falcon. He thought about whether they hold any meaning.

"They are neat paintings. But the way they are lined up: There has to be something more to them." He looked around the building to find clues, checking every part of the run-down structure.

"Damnit, nothing." Adrian cursed under his breath. He thought about the paintings and decided to interact with them directly. He went over to one of the paintings and tried to get them off, keyword "tried"."

"What the hell?" Adrian tried again, but the painting wouldn't budge. "It's glued completely shut." He attempted to take off the other paintings, but the same thing happened.

"So the villagers made paintings and bolted them to the wall. Good to know, good to know." Adrian knew he wasn't going to get any success in taking the paintings off without risk destroying them, and he can't risk that if his hunch was correct in that these pieces of art can help him lead to one of the totems.

"Maybe I need to step back and take a look at the whole thing." Adrian stood in front of the whole thing, making sure to have all the paintings in his line of sight. Adrian made sure to pay real close attention to all of them to see if they could tell him what he needed to do.

"I don't see anything." He squinted his eyes. He scanned each of the paintings one by one, but still found nothing. That was until he saw a pattern: Each of the animals were near some type of entrance and there was a difference: Three of the paintings had the entrance closed, one of them didn't."

"Could it be?" Adrian went up to the only painting whose entrance was opened: The falcon going near an open window. He placed his hand on the window and the painting glowed. He took a step back and watched as it magically opened up.

Adrian swung the painting open, showcasing the totem inside and claiming it for himself. The totem was a snake, with its snout extended out and the fork tongue hanging out.

"There's totem Number 2." Adrian cheered lightly, putting the totem away.

He walked out of the building and near a different section of this side of the destroyed village. Adrian walked for a moment, until he saw something he didn't expect: Giant totem poles, the normal kind.

"Well what do you know?" He gasped to himself. The man walked through the giant wooden beasts, admiring them and their design that the villagers gifted them.

"Okay, one of the mini totem poles has to be here. The question is: which one?" Adrian didn't want to waste time by individually checking them. So he tried the same tactic as he did with the paintings: Making sure they were all in front of his point of view and finding some anomalies among them.

Adrian climbed up a small snow hill and stood on top of it. He got a good clear view of all the totem poles and inspected them thoroughly.

'None of them really have any differences between them. They all look relatively similar with some obvious design changes. However, that far left one." He noticed while all the totem poles seemed to be poking in random directions, they were actually positioned very carefully. All of them were facing the right, except for one.

Adrian noticed the totem pole with the owl was facing the left. Not only that, the animals placed underneath the owl were animals that were on the top of the other totem poles.

'Maybe.'

Adrian went over to the next totem pole whose top head was the same as the head underneath the owl one, which was a fox. He touched it and realized that the totem pole could be moved. Adrian gained a determined look as he went to the next totem pole that came after the fox. He turned six of them left, which had one half of the totem poles facing one side and the other half the other side.

When he turned the last totem pole, he saw a hole that wasn't there before. He knocked on the totem pole and realized it was hollow, or at least knew it was.

Adrian reached inside the hollow totem pole and grabbed the smaller one inside. Weirdly enough, it was a centipede complete with long antennae on the top of the head, sharp pincers on the front, and even tiny little legs on the side of the totem.

"That's the third one. What's next?" Adrian put away the totem pole and continued his search.

After the puzzle with the totem poles' giant cousins, Adrian headed further left and saw what looked to be an opening. It was an old campfire site.

"Guess the villagers loved their campfire gatherings." Adrian commented, feeling remorseful that they couldn't enjoy that anymore. He saw something in the dirt in one of the few areas that wasn't drowned in snow.

It was a hole.

"Was it used to hold a pot to cook stuff?" Adrian thought if somehow making the pot holder would lead him to the totem pole. It sounded odd, but it was not out of the realm of possibility.

He saw some sticks, a pot, and a holder for the pot nearby. He smiled and grabbed the material. Due to being out in the woods often, Adrian knew how to use a campfire to cook things, so it didn't take him much time to set it up. He also got some fresh wood to use as a kindle.

After fixing up the structure, he just needed something to light it on fire. Luckily, he came prepared. He took out a piece of glass and using sunlight, aimed it towards the wood pile. Adrian watched in awe as a small latch was magically revealed. He quickly opened it up and saw the totem pole inside along with dozens of other objects. This one was of a shark, with the animal's head facing upwards instead of up front and fins on the back, and two on the side.

"Yes! The fourth one! Now to find the fifth." Adrian said, snatching up the totem pole and putting it away for later.

With three totem poles in his possession, Adrian was more motivated to locate a fourth one. He looked far and noticed another building that was still standing against the test of time. He ran towards it and was rather surprised when he got inside.

There are art works all over the place. Pottery, drawings, paintings, sculptures, you name it. The thing that caught Adrian's eye the most was the piece of the wood in the middle. Next to it was a drawing of a totem pole, the same one that he and Eren have.

"Guess they didn't have enough time to finish the last of the totem. Although this was probably a blessing in disguise." Adrian commented. Since the workers couldn't get it done, the task fell on him to finish the last of the totems.

Adrian knew it was going to take time to finish the last of the totem pole, but it was time he didn't have. He didn't need to use the tools anyway, he had another solution.

Using his hand, he commanded the snow and targeted the ones with ice, which was also under his control.

"You live in the winter all year long, you have to be one with it." Ever since living out here, Adrian learned Snow Magic to help with the surrounding climate in case of an emergency. His control over snow has improved to a great degree that he can control ice that is mixed with it and use it for precise tasks such as this.

Adrian used his magic to guide the ice into carving out the fifth totem pole he needed. Adrian was alright in art, but he knew when it came to sculpting, being precise was critical. His snow magic affected the nearby ice, which slowly covered the wood, sinking inside. Using the picture, Adrian carved out the totem pole as best as he could. When he was done, the ice shattered and the totem pole was complete.

"That's more like it." Adrian commented. The fourth totem pole was in his collection now. It was a wild pig with a round snout and tusks coming out the front. Adrian put the totem pole away, greatly pleased with his progress.

"I hope Eren was able to find that other totem. I don't think I'll be able to find any more here." With that said, Adrian went back to the gate

The two reunited at the gate, both of them glad to see each other.

"Adrian! Did you find some?" Eren asked.

"Got four with me right here." He responded, showing off the totems. "How about you?"

"I have the other five." The soldier said, showing Adrian the totems he found.

"Great! We have them all. Now let's see if we can figure this out." Adrian beamed. Eren agreed and they took all the totem poles out and lined them up in a circle.

"One of the totem poles wasn't finished." Adrian blurted out. Eren looked at him as he explained.

"When I was carving out the totem pole, I saw one of the symbols in the drawing." Eren widened his eyes as he took one of the totem poles and looked closely at it. Sure enough, despite how small it was, there was one of the symbols, the very same on the gate.

"I think if we place the totem poles with their corresponding symbols…." Adrian started.

"We'll be able to open the gate." Eren finished. The two nodded to each other as they took the totem poles and placed them on the symbols matching them. To their surprise, the totem poles immediately stuck to them, which made placing them easier. When they were done, all the symbols on the gate glowed and the totem poles were absorbed into the walls.

The gate slowly opened. A lone breeze came out as the two stood back. They stiffen as the eerie feeling that plagued the area suddenly became stronger. Eren made sure to have his hands on the sword, while Adrian gasped lightly at the sight of the dark abyss behind the door.

A scary noise echoed in the chambers. The duo sweatdropped as that dreadful feeling came closer and closer. Adrian stared with wide eyes while Eren slightly narrowed his.

All of a sudden, a loud groan came from the door, shocking them as they jumped.

"What in the hell?" Adrian moaned.

They looked at the gate, but nothing happened.

"EEAAAHHHAHHAHEEE!"

A loud screech wailed from the gates and a ghost figure flew out. Eren and Adrian ducked as the ghost lunged at them. They looked up to see it flying around in circles above their heads.

"What is that thing?" Eren gasped.

"I can't believe it. It's really one of them." Adrian muttered, his body shaking.

"What?" Eren said as he turned over to him.

"It's… It's a Wendigo!" Adrian screamed.

"Wendigo?" Eren's companion began explaining.

"They're evil spirits that have been haunting the mountains since they formed. They're said to take many forms, but the most common interpretation is that of a humanoid deer-like creature with human teeth and rotting flesh. They can possess anyone, but the connection is stronger in those that engage in cannibalism, taking over their bodies so that they can feed off more people." Eren looked shocked at the description.

"Cannibalism?!" Eren looked back at the spirit. Upon taking a closer look, Eren could see what appeared to be the head of a deer, but the mouth was totally off. Instead of the normal snout you would see on the animals, it was instead the jaws of a skull that looked like it belonged to a carnivorous mammal.

Eren looked at the spirit in awe and fear. He gasped as he remembered what Adrian told him earlier.

"The villagers." Adrian turned to the younger man as he spoke.

"You said that the ruins of this town weren't a pretty sight. If a Wendigo was here, then that means that the villagers…" Adrian gasped as Eren ended his sentence.

"You mean…. They ate each other and the Wendigo's possessed them?!" Eren gritted his teeth.

"That has to be it. It would make sense. With the unrelenting conditions these mountains have. The townspeople must've had food shortages, and little by little, some of them couldn't take it anymore and began to eat people. With that condition met, the Wendigos were able to possess them and kill the other villagers." Eren rationalized.

"But if that's the case, why is there only one?" Adrian muttered. Eren grabbed his arm as he lifted themselves up.

"I don't know. But we should be lucky we don't have to deal with any more than this one." Eren unsheathed his swords as Adrian looked at him in shock.

"Adrian! Get behind me!" Eren commanded, walking up to protect his friend. The Wendigo stopped spiraling as it looked at the two humans, the one with the swords in particular. Eren grimaced a little as he hardened his gaze and a bead of sweat dripped from his head.

"This isn't going to be pretty." The Wendigo howled at them, making it clear that it had no intention of letting the two walk away alive.

The hostile spirit lunged at Eren, who drew his sword back and waited until it was close enough. He sliced his sword, but it went right through the Wendigo while the monster flew back up. Adrian ducked out of the way when it came close and saw the deer-like monster flying in circles up in the sky.

"Physical attacks won't work against it! Do you have something else to attack with?" Adrian shouted at Eren. He grunted, keeping his eyes on the threat at hand.

"I noticed." He muttered to the first response. "And yeah, I do." Eren's hands lit up into flames that transferred and cloaked onto his blades. Adrian was mesmerized at the blue color the elemental plasma had.

"Let's see if this'll work." Eren drew his swords back and waited for the Wendigo spirit to attack again. When it did, Eren lunged back and positioned his swords near his back. When the two were close in contact, Eren slashed at the ghost the same way he would at a Titan. Unlike last time, the addition of the flames had an effect on the spirit, of the cries of pain was of any indication.

"Yes! You got him!" Adrian cheered. Eren fell to his feet and turned around to see the Wendigo trying to put out the flames. When it did, it turned around to growl and bare its teeth at the young soldier, now more enraged than ever.

'Would Wendigos be considered demons, or is it because I used magic that it had an effect?' Eren questioned. He couldn't ponder on that any longer as he still had a monster to kill.

The Wendigo charged up an orb of energy in its maw. He took aim and fired it at Eren.

"Eren!" Adrian called out. The soldier didn't see concern. He turned around and a small blue flame could be seen escaping his mouth.

"Fire Demon Rage!" The blue fire beam raced against the Wendigo and its beam attack. It was an initial clash at first, but Eren's attack quickly overpowered the monsters and soon it was consumed in blue flames. Adrian stood by, awestruck at the attack.

The Wendigo appeared from the aftermath, wounded and still undefeated. Eren raced forward and conjured up a small orb of fire in his palm. The Wendigo was still reeling from the recent attack that he didn't notice the soldier until his hand was right in front of his face.

"Fire Demon Nuclear Palm." The Wendigo shrieked as Eren's orb exploded on its face, sending it flying a considerable distance.

The Wendigo shook its head and bared its teeth at Eren, getting more and more angry with the boy every passing minute. It let out another enraged howl as it sped toward Eren, faster then he could react.

The titan shifter was met with a scratch on his face. Then another. Then another. Eren couldn't keep up with the Wendigo's insane speed. Adrian tried to fire at it with his Snow Magic (which Eren was surprised about), but the beast was too fast for him to aim properly.

"So you like running? Then how about this?" Eren yelled, holding out his hands as blue fire emerged from his palms.

"Fire Demon Slithering Current!" From the fire, many streams of it shot out, chasing after the Wendigo. The thing about them was that they were moving in curvy, zig-zag patterns, keeping up with Wendigo and homing in on its location.

The spirit noticed this and tried to fire more beams at the attack, but their irregular movements helped them dodge. They chased the monster until it was right above Eren.

"Got you now." Eren put his swords together and charged them with Demon Slayer Magic. With one slash, Eren fired a crescent-beam of blue fire at the Wendigo, which growled in surprise.

An explosion occurred and a smoke cloud accompanied it. The two looked up at the result of the collision.

"Is it dead?" Eren asked. Keeping his swords by his side just in case. Adrian tried to search for the Wendigo, but couldn't find it anywhere. That was when he saw blue eyes appear out of nowhere and rushed at Eren. Adrian couldn't react in time.

"Eren, watch your back!" Adrian howled in fear. Eren turned around, but it was too late.

The Wendigo was inside of him.

Eren screamed as he felt the ominous presence of the evil spirit trying to take control of his body. A ghostly red aura was covering him, the soldier's body twisting and turning in pain. He fell to his knees as he clawed the snow in the ground, his teeth baring as he tried to use all his willpower to remain in control of his body.

Adrian could only look in shock as Eren was fighting for his life against the invasive spirit. He wanted to help, but he couldn't risk getting too close without the Wendigo using Eren's body to lash out at him.

"Come on Eren, fight it!" He urged. Eren was too busy trying to battle internally, so he couldn't hear the encouragement from his friend. Adrian wondered why he should do. Should he attack and brute force the ghost out of Eren? Should he wait and hope for the best?

He didn't get his chance. Adrian looked over to where Eren was and was horrified when he saw him mutate into a hideous beast. Fur covered his entire body, his hands transformed into claws, his legs into hooves. The boy started growing antlers in a not-so-unpainful way. Eren let out a monstrous howl as his mouth formed into a mound with sharp teeth.

When it was over, where Eren once stood, the demonic woodland beast appeared. It lifted itself up as they looked up. Adrian watched it with fear closely when it shifted its head over to face him at such a fast rate he jumped.

Adrian held the wound to his stomach and fell to his knees. He gritted his teeth as he held the stab wound to try and stop more blood from leaving his system. The man heard a low growl as he looked up to see the Wendigo stand over him.

"Damn it. My sorry Eren." Adrian whispered. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't slay the beast and free his friend from its control. The demonic-like entity raised its claw as Adrian closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He debated on trying to dodge, but it would only prolong his demise.

The deer monster bellowed and swiped down his claw, aiming to take Adrian's head clean off. Adrian squinted his closed eyes as he waited for the blow. He felt something on his face, which hurt but nothing more.

Adrian opened his eyes as he saw the Wendigo stood still. Its claw did scratch his face, making more blood pour out, but surprisingly didn't go all the way. He looked in shock as the beast was completely still.

"Huh?" He spoke out. The Wendigo didn't move a muscle, leaving Adrian confused on what it was doing. He got his answer as the deer simulacrum started shaking violently. It was vibrating at an uncontrollably pace, holding itself and trying to keep itself from shaking any more.

"What's it doing, why is it vibrating like that?" Adrian said to himself, confused about what was happening. His mind boggled for a moment before he came to a pleading conclusion. "Eren?" Adrian said in a hopeful tone.

The Wendigo vibrated at a much faster pace, so much so that it groaned in pain and fell to its knees. The beast groaned louder, until it screamed a blood, curdling scream that forced Adrian to cover his ears.

The beast's scream went on until another layer was added, another scream, but this time it was different. It sounded… angry, but familiar….

Loud, but calming…

Vengeful, but human…

Adrian gasped as the beast screeched at such a volume it was pushing its vocal cords to its limits. The whole ground, and even the sky was trembling. What caught Adrian off guard the most was when blue sparks appeared all over the monster's body. The screams seemed to turn to those of extreme pain. The villager jumped back as the man-eating spirit burst into flames completely, crying out even more.

The second, layered scream seemed to be growing stronger and drowning out the roar of the ghost. The body of the beast was slowly burning away, which Adrian could tell thanks to the silhouette going away.

From the shadows, another figure appeared, looking much more like a person than a monster. The ghostly image of the Wendigo showed up above it as the ongoing cry turned into something that Adrian automatically recognized. The shadows became more detailed as the flames died down, revealing some features that caught Adrian's eye. When most of it was clear, the figure showed its true form.

Eren Jaeger.

"You're not… IN CONTROL OF MEEE!" The titan shifter raged as the remains of the Wendigo spirit were burned away by Eren's magic. It let out one last cry as it disappeared, burning into oblivion. When it was done, Eren staggered, his arms falling to his side and slumping over.

Adrian looked in shock at what just happened. Eren killed the Wendigo? He laughed and cheered. He ran up to Eren to make sure he was okay.

"Eren! Are you alright?!" Adrian helped Eren stand straight as the teen breathed heavily. He took a few moments before looking back up at the man.

"I'm fine. Thanks." He gasped. He looked up in the air.

"Is, is it gone?" He asked. Adrian nodded while smiling and closing his eyes.

"Yeah you did." Eren smiled as he fell.

"Woah! Hey!" Adrian kneeled down and checked up on him. Eren looked at him as he tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry. I'm fine, really. I… just need a moment." Adrian understood. His friend was just possessed by a man-eating monster. Anyone would need time, a lot of it, to recover. Eren didn't look too affected physically, but he hoped his friends' head was still in the right place.

Eren took his moment to do just that. The titan shifter wasn't showing it, but the fact that he almost tried to kill and eat Adrian even though it wasn't him left him shaken. The fact that he turned into a cannibalistic monster gave him a painful reminder on what his current state is.

Is he a man? Or beast?

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about it, not now. Eren turned his head back to the gate, Adrian following suit.

His friend turned back to the soldier with a bright smile.

"Well, now that the "guardian" is gone, let's see what treasure it was protecting." Eren nodded as Adrian helped him up and they traveled to the gate.

When they got inside, it was a lot bigger than they imagined. It was a complete circular dome on the inside, with many carvings and drawings plastered all over the walls. It reminded Eren of Kinvinaris's cave.

The drawings weren't much to look at, mainly because they were gory recreations of the Wendigos, what they are… and what they're capable of. The text wasn't archaic enough, so the two were able to easily understand what it meant.

That wasn't their main focus however. The thing that caught their eye was the thing that stood up on the podium. They looked to each other before Adrian lightly pushed Eren forward.

"Go ahead." Eren paused, then walked up the stairs until he reached the top. He looked towards the item embedded in the stone pillar. It was a shiny, black silver dagger. Eren gazed at the relic, before he walked over and touched it. The soldier paused, then pulled out the weapon.

Eren looked at the dagger and took in its appearance. It was stunning to say the least. Adrian seemed to agree as he looked at the ancient weapon in awe.

"Wow, she's a beauty." He breathed. Eren nodded as he looked down to stare at it again. He gasped slightly when he saw something glowing. The duo turned to the walls and covering the pictures were images made out of glowing, turquoise lines. They were images of three objects. One of them was a dagger, which Eren immediately recognized. The other items appeared to be a container in the form of a diamond, and a chain.

"What is this?" Adrian muttered. Eren thought the same when a message appeared beneath the items.

"To make it back where you came, you must acquire the three items from this game."

"Acquire?" Adrian asked.

"I think." The two looked at the dagger in Eren's hands. "I think these are the items I need to locate the Rogue Vagabond." He realized. Adrian looked in awe, then brightened up in excitement for his friend.

"Welp, you have one of the items. Mission accomplished." Adrian cheered. Eren smiled as they walked out of the gate and back into the ruins, which felt a lot more peaceful now. Adrian turned back to face Eren with a grin.

"Well, now what are you gonna do?" He questioned. Eren paused for a moment before looking at the dagger, then at his compatriot.

"I got the first of the objects I need to track down the Vagabond. The writing inside the text clued me in on where I need to go now." He explained. Adrian smiled brightly, then that smile turned a little dim.

"I guess we split ways now." Eren looked at him in shock.

"Huh? Why?" Adrian looked down as he elaborated.

"I need to stay here in my village to take care of it. Don't get me wrong, despite the life-threatening danger I was in, today was actually pretty fun. I like that I got to go on this little adventure with you, but duty calls." Eren smiled sadly, but he nodded in understanding.

"I get it. You have your responsibilities to uphold. So do I." Eren held up the dagger. "I will locate the Rogue Vagabond and return home." He declared. Adrian nodded in satisfaction.

"I wish you well on your journey Eren. I hope we meet again." He held out his hand, which caught Eren off guard, but he smiled and took it without hesitation.

Adrian returned the smile with one of his own. He began walking away until Eren called out to him.

"Adrian!" The man turned around to face his friend. Eren smiled at him as he held the dagger.

"Thanks. For everything." Adrian smiled and waved at him with two fingers leaving his head. He turned back and started walking away, Eren keeping his eyes on him until he was out of sight. He gave a soft smile, before it turned into a frown as he glanced down at the item in his hand.

Eren looked at the relic in his hand. The black, silverish color of the blade and handle were reflecting the light coming from the sun, making it seem like it was glowing. The dagger was clamped tightly in his hands.

'The trouble I had to go through to get this, and there's still two more items I need to track down before I can get to the Rogue Vagabond.' Eren crestfallen when he recalled how terrified Adrian looked when his Titan form activated.

'I'm glad I was able to pass it off as some type of magic. I don't think I would be able to explain myself out of that one. And the way the Wendigo possessed me… Was it possible that I?' Eren shook his head, trying to rid himself of the unwanted thoughts. But no matter how he tried to force them out of the way, they kept coming back.

'I shouldn't dwell on it. I'm just glad we ended things on good terms. I… don't know what I am yet. I don't want Adrian, or anyone else to look at me like some monster.' Eren sighed, seeing the mist the breath formed thanks to the cold air. Eren looked to his right, where the next location that held the second item awaited him.

"On to the next destination." Eren muttered. With that said, the soldier took his steps forward southwest, on route to the next location that could help him track down the Rogue Vagabond. A cliffside near a barren desert that holds many secrets and mysteries waiting to be solved. Whatever waited for him, he was up to the task. Nothing was going to stand in his way.

Magic:

Eren;

Fire Demon Slayer Magic;

Fire Demon Nuclear Palm; The user concentrates a small orb of demonic fire in the palm of their hand. When they strike with it, the orb explodes, causing a massive explosion in the process

Fire Demon Slithering Current; The user shoots two beams of demonic fire that move in a zig-zag like pattern similar to a serpent, evading any potential defenses and homing in on its target

Author's Note:

History repeats itself, eh? Yeah, I timed it so I would release this on New Years exactly, just like when I did when I first released my first fanfiction. I figured I'd take the opportunity since it presented itself.

So Eren's got his first real lead on where the Rogue Vagabond is, with confirmation that it exists and now prepares to face the challenges to locate the mystical item while tracking down the remaining relics needed to access it. Things will get more intriguing now that I have a clear direction on where Eren's half of the story will go. I have to admit, I think Eren's chapters will be less in quantity compared to the ones with the Scouts and Fairy Tail, simply because I don't want to drag out the plot if I can and use up many chapters. Don't worry though, I'll still give Eren's side the attention he deserves and believe me he'll have a good portion of the story dedicated to him soon.

As for my OC's, I'll make sure that they serve a purpose in the story, while also adding on to things about them so that they appear as more than people, rather than just essentially story NPCs with a few lines of dialog.

Now with that out of the way, you might notice something different regarding some of the earlier chapters. I said I would go back and patch previous chapters if need be, and that's exactly what I did. You can see what changes I made for the individual chapters by going to them, but it was from general stuff such as proper grammar and spelling, to adding scenes that I wanted to include, but didn't have time for, to specific details excluded to that chapter. I might go back later if need be, but for now this'll do.

I'll be starting college again pretty soon, but I will make sure to make time for this story. I appreciate all those that have read, followed, and favorited this story, as well as myself as an author. I know crossovers kinda have a bad rep and most people really aren't looking for Aot/Fairy Tail stories, but I really want to make something amazing out of this.

Thanks again for reading this, and as always, until then. And have a Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope 2023 will be better!