"I don't rise from the ashes, I make them. I'm the whole fucking fire."
Erin Van Vuren
Chapter 7: From Ashes We Rise
The first sight to behold was darkness. It wasn't the normal black of night or shadows, but this darkness was the embodiment of a world without light. The environment not only felt warm, but it also felt like it was moving. This only added to the mystery of what was going on for young Cinder.
Most children would be afraid of such a phenomenon, along with a few superstitious adults. But Cinder knew what she had gotten herself into; her sight had left her, but her memories of asking for a Titan remained.
She found herself welcoming the darkness surrounding her, embracing the warmth it provided her, and reveling in the new feeling of strength and power. She believed Eren once felt the same feelings when he first turned into a Titan, and he emerged from it stronger than ever.
And if he could do it, so could she.
The darkness suddenly disappeared, and it was replaced with red. The warmth was the only thing to stay, but it felt... odd. It was as if the warmth was connected to her entire body. Cinder looked around, and saw more red connected to her. On her arms, on her legs, and under her eyes were pieces of warm red flesh. She didn't know what was going on, and she pulled on the flesh with all of her strength in an attempt to get it off. But even though she could feel her arms, and they were stronger than ever, the flesh wouldn't break away. She was trapped.
Before panic could set in, Cinder felt a firm grasp on her right arm. At least, she thought she did. Aside from the warm flesh, there was nothing holding her arm. Even so, she felt an iron-like grip holding something that felt like a hand.
That was when she looked straight ahead and saw the night sky. It was a night like any other, with stars and the moon giving light to the darkness around her. But the next thing that came into view was a large, dark hand. Confused at the sight, Cinder began to move her fingers. As she did, the fingers on the large hand were moving. First, they wiggled. Then, they made a fist. There was no doubt about it, Cinder was controlling that large hand. And sure enough, there was another large hand holding hers.
After Eren transformed into his Titan, he quickly got back in the rhythm of being inside a large humanoid creature. He had transformed so many times back in Paradis that he learned to welcome and embrace the flesh connecting him to the Titan. He hadn't transformed again since he left Atlas, which was about a month ago, yet he still welcomed the feeling of being inside the body.
It was possible, however, that the same couldn't be said for Cinder.
Rather than making his way to the rest of Kuroyuri, which was still burning and drawing more Grimm, Eren decided to check on Cinder. The last time he saw her, they were still at the Coordinate. The God of Darkness used some kind of... part of Eren to envelop Cinder in darkness. It was a strange feeling, he felt as if a part of him left when it joined Cinder. But now, he could see the fruits of the god's labor.
Even in the night, Eren could see the Titan was a marvel to behold.
Standing a few feet in front of him was another Titan with black skin like the new Founding Titan. At a height of about fifteen meters, the new Titan looked at itself with glowing red eyes. The left eye was partially covered by pure white hair just reaching the shoulders, but it could still see. One look at this creature made Eren see many similarities to Annie Leonhart's Female Titan, for it possessed a voluptuous feminine figure with lean muscles. The only differences included the eyes, hair, skin, and the several spine like spikes running down the length of its back, as well as an outer rib cage which acted like a makeshift chest armor.
The new Titan was a curious one, as Eren and Cinder discovered. Eren was taking in the sights of this Titan, and Cinder was moving her arm to and fro. Eren assumed she was still getting a feel for the Titan body since she was waving her arm in such a manner, which was understandable. Once Eren gently grabbed her arm, she began to move less and look at her hand. After wiggling her fingers and forming a fist, the Titan looked at Eren's hand and followed it to the Founding Titan's face. She seemed to relax into the grip as she recognized her first friend.
Eren began to relax as well, when he saw that Cinder's mind still remained inside the beast. He began to feel better about the situation as he watched Cinder take her first steps as a Titan, which led to Beowolves on the ground being crushed.
*CRUNCH*
*CRUNCH*
Cinder stumbled for a moment before she regained her footing. And when she saw ash rise from her feet and more Beowolves clawing at her, Cinder simply stepped on them again.
*CRUNCH*
*CRUNCH*
Eren was proud to see that Cinder was already beginning to fight, but this was only the beginning. "We need... to go," he said as he pointed to the burning Kuroyuri. Cinder followed where he was pointing and nodded, ready to defend the first place she called her home.
Not all of the townspeople were awake when the Grimm began their attack. But when people saw what was going on, they were incredibly afraid.
The sight of Grimm and burning buildings was very uncommon for the small town, which was how panic began to set in. This panic only brought the Grimm closer, and they had their sights on everyone in their path.
Everyone began to react in two ways. Those who were known to fend off Grimm, like Li Ren, immediately took arms and did their best to kill the invading beasts. Those who didn't know how to fight, such as An Ren, rushed towards their homes to find their families and seek someplace safe.
An Ren rushed into her own house and slammed the door to her son's room open. The young boy was starting to wake up after he heard the screeches of Grimm, but the first thing he saw was his mother.
"Lie, get up," An quickly ordered. "We have to go."
"...Mother?" Lie Ren asked as he rubbed his eyes. Before he could ask what was going on, his mother gently grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
"Now, right now, okay? Let's go!"
"..."
Lie was wide awake now, and he was following his mother without a word. As the duo made their way into the kitchen, the front door slammed open to reveal a heavily-breathing Li walking inside. When he heard his wife call to him, the man looked at his family with worry. "An, what are you doing?!" he cried. "We need to hurry!"
"We can go to the safehouse!" his wife suggested.
"No, I saw the beast. We need a Huntsman. And you two need to leave."
"What?"
A loud shriek found its way to the Ren household, causing each member to look at the walls and ceiling in alarm. And when the sound and vibrations of large footsteps took its place, the child began to feel the urge to cry. "Mother?"
An shared her son's fears, but she was able to hide them under a comforting face as she kneeled down to her son. "It's okay," she said, attempting to calm him down. "Everything's okay."
*SLAM*
Another vibration, much closer this time, found its way just outside the house and caused everyone to lose their footing. Li was the the first to stand back up and find out what had nearly hit them. Out the front window, he could see nothing but black. It wasn't the black of night, but something else. The black looked like the black of a Grimm's flesh.
But this wasn't the beast that he had seen moments ago. This was... something else.
*SCREECH*
As his wife and child were getting back up, Li carefully looked out the door to see what was going on. The cries of a Nevermore caused him to look up and feel his jaw drop. There was indeed a Nevermore right above his house, but it was struggling in the grasp of a much larger Grimm. And as it turned down to him, Li could see that this Grimm was almost... human.
When Eren and Cinder reached Kuroyuri, Eren's first target was a large Nevermore that came dangerously close to the Ren household. When he stopped it from crashing onto the roof, Eren began to pull on its wings. Once he ripped them off, the Grimm fell to the ground and almost landed on a group of people running away. Realizing he had to be more careful where he stepped, Eren slowly moved on to the next Grimm he saw.
Cinder had followed Eren to town, but she was hesitant about fighting immediately. She was still adjusting to her Titan, so she decided the best thing to do would be to follow Eren's lead and pick up where he left off.
After she saw what Eren did to the Nevermore, Cinder grabbed the first Grimm she saw: a lone Beowolf. When she picked it up to eye level, the Grimm suddenly turned to dust. She didn't know why at first, since she simply picked it up like she would pick up a pencil. However, Cinder remembered how large she had grown. Her strength must have increased tenfold, and the Beowolf was an ant compared to her force.
Cinder realized that she was much stronger than the common Grimm. She could do this.
*CRUNCH*
*CRUNCH*
*ROAR*
*CRUNCH*
After repeating the process of picking up and crushing Grimm a few more times, Cinder turned to Eren to see how he was doing. Because of this, she was able to catch a glimpse of Eren hardening his skin to punch another Nevermore.
*BAM*
The beast fell lifelessly to the ground, which pleased Eren. He had been looking for a chance to train with his Hardening ability, since he had used it in battle multiple times back home. Now that he had his chance, Eren could see that the ability was just as strong as it was when he had the Attack Titan.
With more time and practice, Eren was sure he would reach the full potential of the new Founding Titan.
Cinder remembered seeing Eren gain the ability to harden the skin of his Titan. It wasn't a Semblance, but the ability was very powerful. Between this and a Titan, Eren was easily making up for the fact that he didn't unlock his Semblance.
Thinking about this gave Cinder the idea to use her Semblance on the Grimm. Her fists and feet were strong, but she wasn't familiar with trained combat like Eren was using on the Nevermores. She was sure her Semblance would make up for this, so Cinder picked up an Ursa and let the Grimm rest on her palm. At that very moment, Cinder focused on activating her Semblance and expected the Grimm to burn slowly.
To her surprise, however, Cinder did something else instead.
*WHOOSH*
Rather than the surface of her palm growing warm, a large jet of fire engulfed Cinder's palm and the Grimm. The fire shot into the sky like a beacon, which caught the inexperienced Titan off guard. Rather than its normal black dust, the Ursa was reduced to ashes that fell off Cinder's hand.
Cinder looked at her hands as she concentrated on her Semblance again. And just like before, large fire was engulfing her hands and burning faster than Cinder's Semblance ever could. She wasn't just heating up anything she touched, Cinder was creating real fire.
*SCREECH*
Cinder decided to test her newfound power when she heard a loud scream, louder than that of the people who were running all over the place. Cinder followed the sound to see a man struggling in the grasp of a long arm. She followed the arm to see a very unique Grimm, a humanoid figure with horns and orange mouth on top of what looked like some kind of horse. It was clear that this Grimm was uncommon, one of a kind. And something that no ordinary man could kill easily.
Cinder didn't know it, but this Grimm was called a "Nuckelavee." It was a rare kind of Grimm, one that fused a horse-like Grimm to a humanoid being known as an "Imp" together to form an unholy atrocity. The Imp was known to scream like a maniac, which would make ears bleed, and swing its elongated limbs to knock people down or embed its sharp claws into their flesh.
The Nuckelavee had just emerged from trampling multiple people under its hooves and tearing others to shreds with its claws. Many of Kuroyuri's villagers had tried to kill it, but none succeeded. Only a Huntsman could stand a chance against the beast, but there were no Huntsmen here.
But while the Nuckelavee was powerful, it was also small. At least, small when compared to a Titan.
Seeing that the man couldn't free himself and that he was getting closer and closer to the Grimm, Cinder raised her right hand and felt it burn again. Rather than another jet of flame, a ball of fire launched from her palm and collided with the unique Grimm.
*BOOM*
The ball exploded once it hit the ground, which engulfed the monster while nearly missing the man. He quickly stomped on the fire that was closest to him to save himself, and then he screamed in horror at the Titan before he ran away. He had never seen a Grimm like that before, and he believed being as far away from it as possible was for the best.
*SCREECH*
As it burned, the monster let out a loud shriek of pain that was agonizing to every set of ears that was close to it. Cinder's ears were one of them, despite the fact that she was in a Titan's body. The pain caused her to cover her ears so she could block out the pain, but it left her vulnerable to another Nevermore clawing at her neck. Once it began to dig its talons into flesh and come close to the human inside, Cinder started to fall to the ground when she felt something scratch her back.
*BAM*
It was fortunate that Eren was watching her the whole time. At first, Eren witnessed Cinder's new ability with awe as she burned Grimm after Grimm. He was taken aback because he had never seen any other Titan control elements like fire before. It was brand new, something to behold.
But Eren snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the Nevermore hurt Cinder. He threw another Hardened fist at the beast, which killed it in an instant, before he caught Cinder's body. He could see that the Nevermore had cut into Cinder's nape, and it was possible that she was hurt. So Eren moved beyond the small wall beneath him and moved towards the woods while carrying Cinder.
Once they were out of sight, Eren exited his Titan and felt the cool night air blow in his face. He had laid Cinder's Titan down on its face so she could exit through the nape, which was already emitting steam. So Eren moved down onto its back and pulled Cinder out. The heat surrounding Cinder's body was nothing unfamiliar to Eren, and he was able to ignore the burning pain to pull her out. He was also familiar with how much of a strain being a Titan was, which was why Cinder appeared to be asleep when she was out. Eren decided to gently shake her so he could wake her up and get back to Kuroyuri.
After a few more seconds, Cinder's eyes began to open.
"Hey," Eren said calmly as he watched Cinder regain consciousness. "You're out of your Titan, take it slow." He wanted to get back to Kuroyuri, but Eren understood that Cinder needed time to adjust to all of this.
"..."
After a few seconds, Cinder felt better. She initially felt lightheaded, but the cool air and shaking her head made her feel better.
"Are you okay?" Eren asked.
"Yeah... I'm okay," Cinder finally answered.
Now that she was completely awake, Cinder looked down at the remains of her Titan. She then looked at her hands, which still felt warm from the flesh and the fire she created. The strain of transforming and being in a Titan for the first time made Cinder temporarily forget a few things, but she quickly remembered fire and killing multiple Grimm. So she decided to ask Eren for the rest of the story.
"How... How did I do?" Cinder asked.
"..."
Eren didn't even know where to begin. He was still astonished by what he saw Cinder do a few moments ago. When he first laid eyes on the new Titan the God of Darkness created, Eren assumed Cinder would be the new Female Titan. However, the amount of fire she created threw that idea out the window. It was clear this Titan was something else, something brand new.
And besides saving his new home, Eren wanted to find out what it was.
"You did... You did great," he replied honestly. "How did you do all that? With the fire? It was amazing."
"I was trying to use my Semblance," Cinder explained as she took a few steps. "But instead of just heating my palm, I made all that fire. I didn't have to hold anything either, I just needed to do it as if I was using my Semblance."
"Well, that was more than just your Semblance. Cinder, you were like a walking furnace, like a giant... incinerator."
"..."
Cinder couldn't agree more. And more than that, she liked what she had done. If she could turn Grimm to ash in a second, then Cinder was sure that she could win against any foe.
She could help Eren win this battle, and the future battle with Salem.
*SCREECH*
A screech filled the air once again, causing the children to turn their heads back to Kuroyuri. The Grimm were still there, but they had split apart. If there weren't creatures trying to destroy more buildings and kill more people, they were either retreating or running right towards Eren and Cinder.
"They're coming," Eren said as he took Cinder's hand. He led her away from both of the Titans so they could transform again. "You did great, Cinder, but you have to watch your nape. That's the most important part of the Titan. If something gets inside, you won't be able to protect yourself. Be careful."
"Okay," Cinder said as she moved with Eren. "Are we going back to the Titans?"
"We can transform again. You need to be bleeding to turn into a Titan, the best way to do it is to bite your hand.
Cinder looked at her hand and understood. She saw Eren bleed before, from some of his memories and at the Glass Unicorn.
"Okay, just bite my hand," she said. "Anything else I should know?"
"No, that's all there is to it. Just be careful with that fire, though. You know, don't burn anybody."
"Okay. Are you ready?"
"When you are."
Eren suddenly took off running towards the Grimm, at a pace that Cinder could follow. Eren kept his distance from her so neither of them would be caught in the blast a transformation would create, but he locked eyes with his friend when the Grimm came closer. Their silent understanding was evident as Cinder followed his lead, putting her hand up to her mouth. She bit down once Eren did the same thing and felt jolts of electricity around her body. Eren felt the same thing as well as his new Titan took form.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
Once again, Eren felt himself transform into a Titan. He felt himself ascend off the ground, he felt the warmth of larger flesh surround his entire body. He then felt the bones of his Titan take form and connect to the flesh and muscle of the larger body. Soon, when the transformation finished, Eren would be ready for anything that came his way.
Almost anything.
*BAM*
A fist collided with Eren's partial jaw and sent the transforming Founding Titan to the ground. When he finally finished transforming, Eren sat up and wondered what just hit him. He didn't see or hear any Nevermores or other large Grimm coming, and the common Beowolves and Ursai were much too small to land a strike to his face.
Cinder, however, was the right size. And based on her current actions, something strange was going on.
Cinder was fighting the Grimm like she planned, but her methods were very erratic. Rather than picking up and crushing Grimm, Cinder was hitting the ground until there were craters all around her. She then ripped a tree off the ground and swung it hard at the beasts. When ash remained, Cinder continued to destroy the environment around her. And when she began to make her way towards Kuroyuri with fire in her hands, Eren finally realized something was wrong.
"What the hell is she doing?!" Eren mentally asked himself. "Has she gone crazy?!" He quickly got off the ground and ran over to Cinder. When he grabbed both of her arms, the fire thankfully went away. However, Cinder resisted the grip and growled as she thrashed around like a wild animal.
"Cinder... stop!" Eren yelled as he tired to make her hold still. But Cinder refused to stop fighting, and she was now hitting the back of her head against his body. As she did, Eren tried to make sense of what was happening to his friend. She was fine a moment ago, but now she was behaving like a savage.
Eren's first idea was to blame Darkness, since he was the one who helped Eren give Cinder a Titan. Whatever happened to her wasn't like what happened on Paradis, where people had to eat an inheritor to gain one of the Nine Titans. So blaming Darkness was a logical idea, since Eren couldn't recall a time when he gave in to feral nature and attacked everyone out of impulse.
Except one time.
"Right after becoming a Titan... you swung your fist three times at Mikasa Ackerman."
Eren remembered what he was told after the defense of Trost, when he was put on trial to determine if he should live or die. Although he still had no memory of attacking Mikasa that day, everyone he talked to confirmed that it happened. He didn't know what to make of it when it happened, but Eren remembered that something similar had happened to someone else.
Before the invasion of Marley, before a war was declared, Eren and the Survey Corps once helped Armin train with the Colossus Titan. Things went fine at first, but he too lost control upon one of his earlier transformations. It was lucky that they chose to train outside the walls, or else Armin could have destroyed everything.
It took the full might of Eren and his friends, but they were able to stop Armin before he hurt himself or anyone else. When he emerged and learned what happened, the young soldier felt horrible. He too possessed no memory of losing control, but he and Hange were able to use the experience, as well as Eren's, to deduce that inheritors lose control upon one of the initial transformations. It seemed to be a side effect of sorts.
And now, it was clear that the same thing applied to Grimm Titans; in this case, Cinder. And Eren knew he had to stop her before it was too late. Unfortunately, Cinder was a fighter. She broke free from Eren's grasp and quickly launched more fire at him.
*WHOOSH*
*WHOOSH*
Eren stumbled when the jets of flame hit his chest, but he refused to fall to his knees. Instead, he grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the city. He didn't want to hurt her, but he prepared himself to do whatever was necessary to get Cinder out of that Titan.
Eren soon realized that might be easier than he thought, as Cinder began to recklessly kick and punch whatever was in her way. Back on the first farm, Eren had taught Cinder some of the basics of what he learned from his time as a cadet. There, Instructor Shadis and Annie taught him potent attacks in hand-to-hand rather than just fighting with vertical maneuvering equipment. Eren decided to go with the basics when he trained Cinder, people of Remnant would call it a "crash-course" in basic self-defense. But in her Titan, Cinder seemed to throw all of that out the window. She was more concerned with destroying everything she touched.
Which left her open to a quick and efficient way to take her out of the picture, if Eren performed his planned attack perfectly.
Cinder had escaped again and broke a large hole in Kuroyuri's wall, but Eren was able to grab her once again and pull her away. Cinder suddenly threw a fist towards Eren, which he dodged with ease. Another fist came his way and he blocked it with his arm. Once Cinder let out one loud roar and threw her left fist at Eren's face, that was when he made his move. He twisted her arm to make the fist open into a flat palm, just before she threw another fist. Rather than returning a punch of his own, Eren slapped his hand into Cinder's throat and pushed her to the side. When she was close to his right side, Eren swung his leg into Cinder's to make her stand on one foot. But with the momentum Eren created with his leg and pushing Cinder's throat, the Titan flipped in the air before landing hard on the ground.
*BAM*
Eren caught his breath before he prepared to attack once again. However, he saw that wouldn't be necessary, given that Cinder appeared to be unconscious on the ground.
"I'm sorry, Cinder," Eren said to himself as he kneeled down. He moved Cinder so her back was facing up, so she could exit through her nape once again. "Don't worry. This won't happen again." With time and training, control over a Titan would be much easier.
*SCREECH*
*ROAR*
With Cinder unconscious, this gave Eren a chance to see the remaining Grimm and others that were returning. Eren wasn't sure what had drawn them back; perhaps they wanted to use the Titans fighting as an opportunity to freely destroy Kuroyuri. But he knew these Grimm had to be stopped before they hurt anyone else. And Eren was starting to have an idea about how to do that.
Once he ran up to the horde, Eren slammed his fist down to the ground.
*BAM*
*THOOM*
Suddenly, a massive rock grew from the dirt and turned the Grimm into dust. The rock was like the ones Eren saw in the Coordinate, purplish-black and crystal-like. It was also something similar to what the War Hammer Titan could make. It was large enough to prevent any Beowolves or Ursai to climb, but the Nervermores would have no problem flying over. He would have to deal with those later, as more Grimm came from various directions.
Eren wanted to continue his strategy of creating giant rocks, in an effort to save time and deal with the birds. However, since he didn't have the War Hammer Titan, Eren had to rely on his mastery over Hardening. Unfortunately, this would take time and a lot of energy. And so, Eren decided to finish his work of creating a barrier later.
First, he had to save Kuroyuri.
"Mother! Father!"
The chaos Kuroyuri was enduring didn't just affect the buildings. Every citizen had been running in various directions while screaming and panicking. Some were hurt, but most were able to escape the Grimm and avoid the giant monsters that seemed to kill every creature they saw. Nobody stopped to analyze this, however, as they were more focused on surviving and getting their loved ones to safety.
However, people like Lie Ren had become separated from their families and were alone to fend for themselves. The young boy was with his parents earlier, his mother had been holding his hand tightly as she ran with her husband. But when a group of people crashed into the family of three, An lost her hold on her son as she fell. She desperately tried to turn back with her husband, but the large influx of people running in the opposite direction made this impossible.
Lie Ren was on his own.
Unable to find his parents, and with more Grimm coming his way, Lie ran as fast as he could without a destination in mind. He was separated from the influx of people that inadvertently separated him from his parents, and now he was all alone.
When he began to run out of breath, Lie jumped under a bridge to hide and rest. The Grimm weren't after him, they were either roaming the land or trying to attack the large humanoid creature. But that didn't stop the boy from feeling scared. The Grimm were still present, the second giant had partially set fire to the town before it tore a hole through the wall, and he had no idea where his parents could be.
Lie didn't even know if they were still alive.
The mere idea of being left to fend for himself and the stress of it all came down on the young boy like a hurricane. He started to cry as fear overcame him, since there was nothing else he could do.
However, he wasn't the only person in a situation like this.
About twenty feet away from him, the boy could see a figure crouched under a house. He recognized her as the victim of the three bullies, the little girl who had nowhere to go and no one to help her. She too was hiding from the Grimm, and she was also crying out of fear. Lie Ren began to empathize with her, as he was in the same position as her.
And he continued to cry and sob, as he was unsure of what to do or where to go.
"Sometimes the worst action to take... is taking no action at all."
He couldn't explain it, but Lie began to play those words in his head a few times. It took a little time, but Lie understood what his father meant. He was trying to say that doing nothing would allow things to stay their course, for better or worse.
If his father was here now, Lie was sure he would try to help that girl. However, nobody was going to act now. Lie was supposed to be like his father, if he wanted to take his father's wisdom to heart.
If only he had the courage.
"It's easy to get scared with things like that. But sometimes, being brave is worth the risk."
And all of a sudden, Lie stopped crying. Just as he promised, the boy remembered the words Eren Yeager had said to him. When he took a risk, he saved that girl. If Ren took the same kind of risk, it was possible the same results would be achieved.
This idea, combined with his father's wisdom, seemed to give Lie a new resolve. Things weren't exactly hopeless, since he was still alive. If he did nothing, he and the girl would most likely be killed. But if he took a risk, if he took action, the boy could save his own life.
As well as someone else.
Just as he discovered that truth, a light began to shimmer around Lie's body. As it did, his skin and clothes changed to a dull gray. But the boy felt incredibly calm. And brave enough to stop hiding and run towards the little girl who needed his help. As he moved under the building, he made his presence known by touching her shoulder.
"Hey!"
The girl gasped and jumped back, but calmed herself once she realized the boy wasn't going to hurt her. "We have to be brave," Lie calmly told the girl.
A Nevermore suddenly landed on a house close to the children and let out a loud screech. It then lowered its head close to the ground when it sensed a presence. The girl whimpered for a moment, but then threw her arms around Lie. He didn't expect her to do this, but Lie quickly embraced and returned the hug. Once he did, the light shimmered around his body again. But this time, it spread across the scared girl as well.
The light seemed to do more than either of the children initially thought. Because where the Grimm once sensed a presence, it felt absolutely nothing now. It couldn't sense any sign of negativity in the area, so the search was a waste of time.
After a few seconds of searching, the Nevermore flew into the night. And as soon as it vanished, the color returned to the bodies of both children. The girl let go of Lie when silence fell upon the area, and he took a moment to look around. Even though there was no sign of any Grimm close to the house they were hiding under, the poor girl was still on edge. "I'm scared," she confessed to her savior.
Lie looked back to his companion and made a confession of his own. "Me too," he said.
Although this was true, the boy's fear no longer stopped him from taking necessary action. One of these actions, besides protecting the girl, was moving away from the house to retrieve a small weapon he saw on the ground. His new friend grabbed onto his arm for security, however, since she wasn't ready to be alone again. "It's okay," Lie assured her. He crawled out of the bottom of the house once the girl let him go, which allowed him to pick up a small wooden hammer he saw. Once he had it, the boy crawled back and offered his friend a new source of security. "We'll keep each other safe," he promised as he held out the hammer. The girl took it and began to smile. She wasn't as scared as she was before meeting her savior, and she was grateful to whatever force sent him her way. "What's your name?"
The girl looked up with a genuine smile. "Nora," she replied.
Lie began to smile for the first time since he was separated from his parents. "My name's Lie Ren," he introduced himself.
"Ren... That's a nice name."
After a brief silence, the children crawled out of the bottom of the house, where they were met with more silence. They could hear buildings burn and Grimm screaming, but the immediate area was mostly silent. Ren was grateful for this, since the silence gave him time to think.
When he and his family were about to evacuate, Ren remembered his mother mentioning the safehouse Kuroyuri had. While his father disagreed about going there, Ren knew that it was much safer than being out in the open. And unlike Nora, he knew the town like the back of his hand.
"Follow me," Ren calmly ordered. "There's a safehouse here. If we can find it, we can-"
*SCREECH*
The children looked up to see that the Nevermore had returned. It may have left the houses, but it was still in the air. And now that it could see Ren and Nora, the creature swooped down and prepared to swallow them whole. Nora cowered in Ren's arms, and Ren concentrated on using his newly-unlocked Semblance.
But things didn't go exactly as both parties predicted.
*THOOM*
*BAM*
When Ren and Nora looked up towards the Nevermore once again, they saw that it was currently wrestling with one of the Titans.
Eren had been hard at work to exterminate the Grimm on the ground, as well as in the air. They were all just as dangerous, but there weren't as many on the ground thanks to him and Cinder. Now, Eren could focus on the Nevermore that he saw flying around a group of houses.
The Nevermore was a fighter, however. Its large beak had bit into Eren's neck, but it missed the Titan's nape. Still, Eren was mad that the Grimm had almost penetrated his Titan.
"Die!" Eren yelled as he threw a Hardened fist at the bird.
*BAM*
*CRACK*
The Nevermore fell to the ground when its skull broke from the punch. In fact, it was dead before it hit the ground. Ash and dust arose from the corpse very quickly, and Eren could see that he wasn't alone at the moment.
When they looked at the beast, Nora backed away while Ren stood in front of her. They could tell that this Grimm wasn't like the others, based on its appearance and ability to speak. It was this ability that made Ren and Nora speechless. The boy wasn't as scared as he was before, he was more surprised and confused now. Nora was still scared about everything, but she was just as confused as her friend.
They were even more confused when it didn't move to counterattack.
"Ren?" Nora whispered. "What's it doing?"
"I don't know," said Ren. "It's just... standing there."
Ren and Nora weren't experts when it came to studying Grimm, but they knew that the creatures wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in its path. And yet, the large beast simply just stood still while looking at the children.
Nora didn't like the uncertainty, which was why she was backing away while pulling Ren with her. And with every step they took, the Grimm continued to stand still. Ren was even wondering if it was going to attack at all.
The answer to this question came in the form of the Titan moving its head in one direction before it turned away.
The children began to find their bravery again when the Titan turned away. "Is it... letting us go?" Ren asked as he watched the Titan walk away.
"It... It... It wasn't like the others," said Nora. Ren knew that this was true, given everything that had just happened. Talking, fighting other Grimm, and letting people go just wasn't something a Creature of Grimm was known to do.
But Ren didn't want to waste the opportunity by analyzing the beast. Instead, he looked towards the direction the Titan had shifted its head towards. It wasn't in the direction of the safe house, Ren knew that this was true. Was the Titan trying to tell them to go there? Or stay away from there?
"We have to go," Ren said as he took Nora's hand. He made the choice to move in the direction opposite of where the Titan had gestured, due to the fact that he didn't trust a Grimm of all things. "The safe house is this way."
"O-Okay," Nora agreed as she tried to be brave. "We better-"
*ROAR*
*GROWL*
"Aaaah!"
A pack of Beowolves quickly ran and blocked the children's path. When they tried to run a different way, a large Ursa came towards them. The pack moved in different directions, which created a ring that the children couldn't escape from. Nora clung to Ren and her hammer to protect herself while Ren prepared to use his Semblance again.
Unfortunately, the growling, snarls, and the mere sight of all the Grimm made focusing on a Semblance very difficult for the young boy. He kept trying, but he also raised his fists in an attempt to defend himself.
Things weren't looking good for either of the children, but they weren't losing their bravery. Nora would have probably curled into a ball and Ren would have probably been crying his eyes out, but they were standing and reminding themselves to be brave. They now knew that fighting was necessary to their survival, and they knew that they weren't going to cower in the face of despair.
And fortunately for them, the bravery of the children was rewarded by two hands coming down. One grabbed both the children while the other smacked the Grimm away.
Before he had disappeared completely, Eren turned around the second he heard Nora scream. He then found the children boxed in by Grimm, and they appeared to be away from the direction he shifted his head in. He had seen a large group of people towards that direction, perhaps the whole population of Kuroyuri. Eren hoped that by gesturing towards that direction, the children would walk there and be safe.
But now it seemed that only he could protect them now. And so, Eren picked them up off the ground and killed the Grimm that were surrounding them.
Once they were in the giant's grasp, Ren and Nora screamed as they hit the hand over and over again. Eren understood why they were scared, and he knew the best thing to do would be to put them down somewhere safe. And so, he moved in the direction that would take him towards the people.
*SCREECH*
A loud screech filled the air and caused everyone to look and see yet another Nevermore fly down with its talons reaching for the children. But Eren was quick enough to grab both legs with one hand and prevent it from flying away. He didn't kill it right away, since two children were in his other fist.
"Dammit, where do they keep coming from?!" Eren asked himself, wondering how all these Grimm kept coming.
*WHOOSH*
Just as he asked that question, Eren's eyes began to glow. Both the Titan's eyes and his human eyes changed into a yellow glow as images flashed in Eren's mind. The first image was the bird ripping its wings out of stagnant black water. The rest of the body came to the surface and flew into the sky, leaving the Land of Darkness. Eren then saw all the people that fell victim to the ruthless Grimm, with no survivors in sight. The last thing he saw was the Nevermore fly to his Titan, and then stop.
"What... What was that?" Eren wondered. He suddenly snapped back to reality when he saw the Nevermore move its beak towards Ren and Nora. Eren didn't throw another punch at the creature, but he quickly swung his arm towards the ground so the Nevermore could be crushed.
*BAM*
*CRASH*
The action caused a house to be destroyed, but the Grimm quickly turned to ash as it died.
Ren and Nora had also fallen into silence, but they weren't dead. Eren assumed that the events of this night had left them in shock, so he wasted no time in taking them to the rest of the people so they could get the help they needed.
Eren found the people huddled a few feet outside the wall, and they all looked up towards him. Some cried as they saw the Titan, some prayed, and some begged for mercy. But everyone went silent once Eren moved his hand to the ground and immediately walked away.
Ren and Nora had been dropped to the ground a few feet away from the crowd, and they watched the Titan disappear into the woods. When it was fully out of sight, everyone began to calm down and look around for more Grimm.
Ren was the first to regain his bearings, and he immediately looked at his friend. "Nora?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
A gentle nudge and Ren's voice were enough to make Nora return to reality. When she did, she turned towards Ren and realized that she was finally safe. To answer his question, Nora quickly wrapped her arms around Ren and once again thanked whatever force had made them join forces. She wasn't thanking the Titan, she was just happy that Ren was with her through this dark time.
But not all of her questions were answered.
"Ren?" she asked as she let go. "Wh... What was all of that?"
Ren found himself asking the same question when he reflected on the night's events. The Titan was extraordinary, a rare kind of Grimm in more ways than one. Ren had seen things tonight, things that he couldn't explain.
"I-"
"Lie?! Lie!"
The sound of his name caused Ren to turn towards a familiar pair of people. All thoughts and questions he had about the Titan disappeared when he saw that his parents were among the group of people. Li and An Ren were planning on going back to find their son, but they abandoned this idea when they saw him against the wall with another child.
Words couldn't describe the relief and joy Li and An felt when they saw their son. Ren also felt this relief and joy, which caused him to run towards his parents with open arms and a wide smile. "Mother, Father!" he yelled as he hugged both of his parents. Tears fell down all of their faces as they basked in the warmth of the reunion, and they all found themselves thanking whatever force had brought them here and led them to being reunited.
In addition to this, Ren turned towards his new friend once they stopped hugging. "This is Nora," he proudly introduced with a smile.
When Eren fled into the woods, he saw that the remaining Grimm were fleeing with him. The Nevermores had all been destroyed and the number of Grimm fell greatly due to the combined efforts of Eren and Cinder. It seemed that the remaining Grimm had decided to stop their invasion and leave while they still could.
After Eren killed another pack of Grimm with his foot, he moved to check on Cinder. He was well aware that if she wasn't outside of her Titan, she would still be acting like a wild animal. Eren prepared himself for this possibility by reliving his days as a cadet in the army. With every step he took, Eren was focusing on the combat methods Instructor Shadis gave him, as well as he learned from fighting Annie. After all, it was her move that Eren had used to stop Cinder earlier.
But once he saw Cinder begin to exit her Titan, Eren knew there wouldn't be another fight. He was grateful for this, and he decided to join her on the ground. When he exited his Titan, Eren helped Cinder off her own, since she was feeling tired and lightheaded again.
Just as Eren believed, Cinder had no recollection of her second transformation. The last thing she remembered was running with Eren towards the Grimm, and then she woke up on the ground. And sadly, she saw the numerous craters and burning embers around her.
When she asked questions about this, Eren knew that he had to tell her the truth. He had to tell her that she lost control, like every inheritor of a Titan did in their first days. Cinder was horrified when she heard this, but hearing that she didn't hurt anyone made her feel a little better.
Cinder said that she would feel a lot better by going home, and Eren agreed. There was enough recovering and shock from the attack to occupy the townspeople, so nobody noticed or paid attention to Eren and Cinder making their way back to the farm. As they walked, Eren said that tonight was a successful test for both of them. Despite the fact that she momentarily lost control, Cinder knew that she made a dent in the number of Grimm that once plagued the town.
And when she remembered that she killed a Grimm unlike the rest, Cinder began to regain her pride and self-esteem.
Of course, hearing Eren tell her that she did a good job and that he was proud of her made Cinder feel even more special. Eren promised that he would help her train in the future, and that losing control would never happen again.
As he reflected on tonight, Eren saw that he too had done a good job. He wasn't trying to be boastful, but Eren knew that he had killed a large number of Grimm, both big and small. And even better, he learned that he could make objects similar to the War Hammer Titan. Of course, he couldn't make the weapons like it could. And it required much more time and energy to make spires like Eren did. He was well aware that he didn't have the War Hammer Titan anymore, and that he would have to improve on his Hardening if he wanted to make more spires like he did earlier.
When they finally made it back to the farm, Eren and Cinder found Carla, Dina, and the farmhands emerging from the storm cellar. They couldn't hear the Grimm running or growling anymore, and they even began to hear the cheers of the survivors from outside. So they cautiously opened the door to see that the Grimm were all gone. Not only that, but their home was still standing.
And better yet, Eren and Cinder were in plain sight.
Naturally, Carla rushed over to her son and tightly embraced him before she demanded an explanation. Eren knew that he should have expected a harsh reaction such as this, and he chose to exaggerate a little rather than completely lie about where he was. Eren said that he believed his experiences on Paradis would help save the town, and he exaggerated by talking about evacuating the town rather than fighting as a Titan. Cinder said that she followed him, which was the truth.
Carla took the children back inside the house and scolded them for being so foolish, especially Eren. She reminded him that the Creatures of Grimm weren't like the bullies he always fought or like the Titans as well. Eren remembered how he would always defend his actions and beliefs in arguments like this, but he decided to remain silent before he apologized for worrying her. He wasn't looking to start any arguments tonight, since the arguments he used to have with her were mostly pointless. Eren understood that now.
Carla eventually calmed down and became grateful that everyone was safe. Just to make sure they were, the farmhands volunteered to take watch shifts during the rest of the night. Carla and Dina took the children to bed, but Carla promised Eren that they would continue their conversation in the morning.
Eren and Cinder couldn't go to sleep right away, however. Both of their minds were racing with thoughts and ideas about their new Titans, mostly how new and powerful they were. Eren saw many similarities between the new Founding Titan and the Attack Titan, but there were differences as well. His experience with the Nevermore, seeing into its memories, gave Eren the idea that he shared some kind of connection with the Grimm. He didn't stop and think about this before, that the new Founding Titan was also a Grimm. And based on what he did tonight, Eren was sure that there was some connection he had with the Grimm that he didn't see before.
If the first Founding Titan could command all of the Titans... could the new Founding Titan control the Grimm?
Cinder thought about how much fire she had created, and how she was able to do such a thing. Based on what Eren told her about the Titans, the ability to control elemental energy was rare. The War Hammer Titan had control of Hardening, it was similar to controlling the earth in the ground. But it wasn't elemental, it was just hardened skin. What Cinder did was something that the Eldians and Marleyans might consider impossible.
It seemed that the fire came from Cinder's Semblance, since she was trying to use it on the Grimm she had picked up. Cinder remembered how she unlocked her Semblance in the first place, how angry and dejected she felt when people took advantage of her and saw her as nothing more than a slave. Cinder suddenly realized that she had this same feeling for the Grimm, since they were close to destroying the one place she could call her home.
Cinder's introspection suddenly left her feeling depressed. All of these powers and abilities came from the fact that she was angry, that she wanted to hurt the people and creatures that wronged her. She remembered what Eren had said about losing control being a side effect, but Cinder couldn't help but wonder if being angry had something to do with it.
Rather than probe further into this idea, Cinder decided to sleep on it.
Eren and Cinder woke up the next morning at the same time. After they greeted each other, they agreed to see how the rest of Kuroyuri was standing. There was a window on the second floor that had a good view of the town, and they could see that everything was still standing. There wasn't any more smoke rising, so the fires had been put out. Eren and Cinder could see some damage from where they were, and they were sure there was more like it across the whole place.
But Kuroyuri was still standing. That counted for something.
Content with what they saw, Eren and Cinder went downstairs. Dina was at the front door talking to someone, and Carla had just placed breakfast on the table for everyone.
"Good morning, kids," Carla said with a smile as she saw Eren and Cinder step into the kitchen.
"Good morning," Eren said casually as he sat down.
"Good morning," Cinder said as she joined her friend.
Carla joined them at the table and began to eat. "Well, the good news is that all of the Grimm are gone," she began. "Nobody's seen anything since last night."
"How bad is the damage?" Eren asked.
"Nothing too serious here. The barn got the most of the damage, but they didn't get into the house." The only damage to her house were a few broken windows, but she had swept the glass up and threw it away.
"What about the rest of the town?" Cinder asked. "Is everything okay there?"
"I'm afraid not," Carla replied with a sigh. "I couldn't see much from the windows, but the wall has numerous holes in it and everyone's trying to figure out how many houses were destroyed."
Eren turned to the door once again to see Dina talking to an older man in a gray robe, who had his hands folded in the opposite sleeve. "Did you hear about it from him?" he asked.
"That's Xing Fa, the mayor," Carla explained. "He came to see how we were doing, since we're not that close to the rest of the town. But yes, we've heard about the damage from him."
Carla had greeted the mayor with Dina, but she spoke with him for a moment since she was in the middle of making breakfast. Dina stayed at the door and learned more about the attack.
And what she learned scared her greatly.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" Dina asked.
"I am," said the mayor. "After those... things finished killing Grimm, they disappeared. Nobody knew what they were or where they came from, but there are people all over saying that we would be goners if they weren't doing what they were doing."
"Grimm killing Grimm? I don't think I've heard of such a thing."
"Neither have I. But some of the people I've checked on have a similar story. Well, except for the second one. It knocked down part of the wall and created fire all across the outskirts. We might have had a wildfire on our hands if we didn't act fast enough."
"That's... completely impossible."
Those were the only words that came out of Dina's mouth. He had just finished his story of how two giants were amongst the Grimm, but that they were concerned about killing other Grimm instead of destroying Kuroyuri. And the way he described them, humanoid and monstrous, made Dina see that she knew what the mayor was talking about.
But such a thing should have been impossible.
"I understand if you bear any skepticism, Ms. Fritz," said the robed man. "I saw one of the giants, but I didn't see what it did. Everything I told you is just what I've heard all over. Anyways, are you sure you and everyone else here is okay?"
"We're all fine," Dina said after she looked at Carla and the children. "We hid in the storm cellar as soon as the Grimm came. Nobody got hurt."
"Thank the Gods. We'll be having a town meeting around noon today, to discuss how to handle the situation. You should come, hear what we all have to say."
"Are people considering moving?"
"That's one of the ideas being tossed around, yes. But we should hear what everyone has to say before we do anything rash."
"I'll tell Carla to come too. Thank you, Mr. Mayor."
Dina closed the door and made her way into the kitchen. Once she saw Eren and Cinder looking at her, she froze. She didn't think about it until now, but the Titan-like monsters weren't the only new and unexplained things in Kuroyuri. Eren still had to find an explanation about how he had come to Remnant in the first place. But there was no way Eren could know about the Titans being here.
Could he?
"Good morning," the children said.
"...Good morning," Dina addressed them as she walked over to the table. "Did you sleep fine?"
"Yeah," Eren replied calmly.
"As fine as we could," said Cinder, who began to rub her eyes.
"Oh, I understand, sweetheart," said Dina. She joined the trio and began to eat the breakfast Carla had made for her. "Last night was scary for all of us."
"Not all of us, apparently," said Carla, who was looking at her son. "Eren, I know you said you were trying to help, but you can't just run off like you did. We were all worried sick about you! And you got Cinder involved too!"
Cinder looked down at the table in shame, saddened by the fact that she had upset the woman who took her in.
"I know, I know!" Eren admitted. "I'm sorry I scared you, Mom, but I was a soldier. I knew how to deal with invasions like last night!"
Carla began to calm down. "'Was' is right, Eren," she said. "I'm sure you could have handled the Grimm if you were the same age you said you were. But you're not. You have to understand that."
"..."
Eren hated the fact that he was still a child, despite the fact that it helped him when he found his mother again. He was sure that he could have killed the Grimm if he had vertical-maneuvering equipment, and if he was old enough to use it.
But Carla was right; he wasn't.
Carla sighed to break the silence. "Look... I don't know everything that happened to you before," she said. "Maybe you're right, maybe being a soldier helped you back home. But it just can't help you right now, Eren. Not yet."
"..."
Eren sighed as well, since he knew that his mother was right. Acting like a soldier wouldn't help him now, not at such a young age. And if he wanted to keep his identity as a Titan a secret, he would have to be more careful about leaving.
"...Okay," he finally said. Though he would still use his Titan whenever it was necessary. It still meant lying to his mother, but the least he could do was promise to not try and be a soldier again.
"Thank you, Eren," Carla said sincerely before she turned to Cinder. "Cinder, I'm sure you were looking after Eren, but-"
"I wasn't protecting him," Cinder immediately corrected. "He was protecting me. And he did a great job at that."
Carla was surprised to hear that Eren was once again protecting other people instead of looking for fights. It seemed that being a soldier really did help him.
"Okay," she said. "But we can protect you too, Cinder. We were all safe inside the cellar. Right, Dina?"
"That's right," said Dina. "I know we're not soldiers or fighters, but we can keep you safe too." She gently touched Cinder's hand and made a promise. "We will keep you safe. Me, Carla, and everyone else here. But we can't help you if you don't let us. Do you understand?"
"..."
The promise and lesson Dina was teaching were both very compelling to Cinder. She and Carla were the first adults who said they wanted to keep her safe, to look after her like she was a part of the community that was established in this farm. And after what happened with talking about her nightmares, Cinder wanted to trust everyone.
She still looked to Eren, however. But rather than nodding or giving Cinder any kind of order to respond, Eren made a spinning hand-gesture; he did this to tell Cinder that she could answer, that she didn't need to look to him for guidance.
Cinder was allowed to think for herself, Eren thought. He didn't want her to think otherwise. And fortunately for the both of them, Cinder made up her mind.
"...Okay," she said. "I'm sorry."
Dina and Carla smiled at the answer. Dina even gave Cinder a hug to let her know that things were fine between them. And Eren was once again proud of Cinder for taking such a big step in her life.
Cinder was indeed willing to trust other people besides Eren, but not without question.
"But... what if there's another Grimm attack?" she asked. "Has there ever been one like that before?"
"Well, we usually had to deal with the occasional small Grimm," said Carla. "But last night was... different. For all of us."
"In more ways than one, I'm afraid," Dina said with a hint of fear. "Eren, Cinder... do you know what happened last night? Did you see any of it?"
"Only some of it," said Eren. "Like we said, the city was in chaos."
"I can imagine," said Carla. "How did you manage to avoid the Grimm?"
"I guess... we were just lucky."
"Well, you weren't the only ones," Dina said as she looked at everyone. She didn't care if she caused discomfort in the household, she needed answers. "Mayor Fa was telling me that a lot of people got to safety and avoided the Grimm. But not everyone."
"..."
There was a brief moment of silence before Dina spoke again. "He told me that there's going to be a town meeting at noon," she continued. "I was thinking we could all go and see what's going on."
"That's a good idea," Carla replied. "I think we might be able to help too. I overheard Abraham and a few others saying they could help with cleanup and repairs. The farm has more than enough people to spare for a job like that."
"Can we help?" Cinder asked. "I mean, I know we're not strong, but we could do something."
Eren had an idea that he was sure his mother would find agreeable. "Soldiers back home were handing out food to refugees the day after the wall fell," he said. "Maybe we could do the same with the food here?"
Carla had the same idea, but Eren had beaten her to the punch. "Great minds think alike, Eren," she said with a smile. "Do you think you and Cinder could help bring some food down later today? I'll come too and see what else I can do."
"Yeah, sure." Eren looked back to Cinder. "Does that sound good to you?"
"Sure," Cinder agreed.
Carla smiled at the children in gratitude before she turned to her friend. "Did the mayor say anything specific the town needed help with?" she asked.
"No, but he might mention it at the meeting today," Dina replied. "He was actually, um... a little more... interested in something else."
"Oh?"
Dina saw that all the attention was on her once again. After she looked at the windows and adjacent rooms to make sure they were all alone, she spoke her mind.
"Well... he was talking about the kinds of Grimm that attacked last night. Everyone said they saw Beowolves, Ursai, and Nevermores."
"Are they common around here?" Eren asked.
"Unfortunately," Carla replied. "But we never had an attack like last night.
"But that's not all," Dina continued. "There was something else that came last night."
"..."
Eren and Cinder immediately knew what Dina was referring to, and the mere thought of it made the color on Cinder's face disappear. Eren remained calm on the outside, but he was nervous about what would happen next.
Because even though he kept his identity a secret, nothing he could say or do would help Eren prevent his mother from discovering something horrible.
"According to the mayor, there were these... giants," Dina said. "Giants that were larger than anything anyone here had ever seen."
"...Giants?" Carla asked. "Wh... What do you mean?"
Dina had to clear her throat and straighten her collar before she spoke again. "There were two of them. They were tall, strong, they had bones protruding from their bodies... basically what you would expect a Grimm to look like. But... they looked human too."
"..."
"They had the same kinds of hands, feet... and faces people have. There were more details, but... I think the mayor was describing a... describing a-"
"A Titan?"
"..."
The woman's silence was not only a confirmation, but it was extremely deafening. Everyone and everything had gone silent when Carla asked this question, it was as if the whole world had stopped moving.
Eren looked to everyone in silence to see similar reactions from everyone. Cinder, Dina, and his mother were all silent and clearly nervous, given the looks on their faces and the nervous sweat moving down their foreheads. However, everyone was afraid for various reasons.
Cinder was nervous about being discovered and being thrown out, Dina was nervous about what she couldn't remember, and Carla was nervous about the past repeating itself. Since she had accepted her dreams being memories, Carla remembered dying.
It wasn't an experience she wanted to go through again. But more than that, she didn't want her son to experience such a thing.
"Eren... did you see them?" Carla asked. "When you were outside last night?"
Eren knew he had to answer the question, but he had a hard time looking at his mother while doing so. "I... I didn't know... how to tell you," he said. This was true, since he still didn't know how he could tell her that he was a Titan.
Carla accepted the answer in silence, but this didn't signify the end to her questions. "How... How is that possible?" she asked. She wasn't asking just Eren, however. Carla would be willing to accept whatever answer came her way.
"I was hoping you would know."
Everyone turned to Dina when she said this, but she was looking at the young boy sitting across from her. "Eren... we're all from the same place," she said. She was talking about herself, Eren, and Carla at the moment. "And... And so were the Titans. Right?"
"..."
Eren was growing nervous again, since it appeared that Dina was putting the pieces together. But he did a good job of hiding his emotions, just like he did on Paradis before he commenced the Rumbling.
"...That's right," he replied.
"Dina, what are you saying?" Carla asked.
The teacher's next response gave some relief to Eren, since it became evident that Dina didn't understand everything.
"Well... if we all came here... it may be possible that they came too," she hypothesized before she turned to the boy. "Eren... do you think the Titans followed us here? If they came with us?"
"..."
Eren and Cinder looked at each other, as they were unsure how to answer the question. He then looked to his mother, who had the same expression as Cinder. She didn't want to put her son on the spot like this, but she couldn't deny the possibility Dina had proposed.
Eren finally let his façade fall, since he was having trouble finding an answer.
"I... Um... I..."
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
Everyone turned to the front door as two knocks echoed through the room. "Oh, that might be Abraham," said Carla. "I think he wanted to go soon."
"I'll get it," Dina said as she walked over to answer the door. But instead of finding one of Carla's farmhands, Dina opened the door to see Lie Ren and a little girl with red hair standing in the doorframe.
"Hello, Ms. Fritz," the boy said with a polite bow. It was part of the good manners his parents had taught him.
"Lie?" Dina addressed the little boy. She was familiar with the boy, since she was one of her students. "This is a surprise." This was true, but Dina couldn't help but smile. "Oh, but it's good to see you're alright."
"It's good to see you too, ma'am."
Dina nodded before she turned to the boy's friend, a young red-haired girl with blue eyes. She knew most of the children in Kuroyuri, but this young girl was different. Wanting to be polite, she smiled at the girl and asked for her name. "And who might you be, young lady?"
"I'm Nora Valkyrie," she introduced herself. "I'm new here."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you Nora. I hope last night didn't give you a bad first impression of Kuroyuri."
"It's better than what's outside the city. Besides..." Nora quickly pulled her friend into a hug. "Last night was how I met Ren!"
"Yes..." Ren choked out as the hug got tighter. Once Nora let go, he took a few sharp breaths. "I found her alone and helped her hide from the Grimm. We've been together since last night."
Lie Ren's bravery was unheard of to Dina. But that didn't stop her from feeling proud of him. "That's very brave of you, Lie."
Carla walked over to the door as well, since she too wanted to talk to Lie. She was friends with his parents, mainly An Ren. And her husband had helped fight off Grimm at the farm, which was something Carla was grateful for.
Which was why she wanted to know how Ren's parents were doing.
"Hello, Lie," Carla said as she joined Dina. "How are you doing? Are you and your parents okay?"
"Yes, ma'am, thank you," Ren replied. "They actually wanted to check in on you. May we come in?"
"Yes, of course." Carla stepped aside to let the children in. She too was unfamiliar with Nora, but she overheard that she was a friend of the boy's. She knew the Ren family well, so she welcomed any friend of that family.
"We were hoping to talk to Eren and Cinder," Ren said as he came in. "Are they-?" He momentarily stopped talking when he saw the answer to his question was in the kitchen. "Oh, hello."
"Hi, Lie," said Cinder.
"Hi," Eren said as he moved away from the table with Cinder. "What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to talk to you about last night," Ren replied. "About the way you helped."
Cinder and Eren looked at each other in confusion. Lie and his new friend seemed to be acting as alibis for their actions last night, but Cinder didn't recall seeing him. She was in her Titan the whole time, and part of that time was spent being unconscious. But before Cinder, could say anything else, Eren asked another question.
"Talk about what?" he asked.
"Um..."
Ren was at a loss for words. Not that he was caught in a lie, there really was something he wanted to say to them. But he wasn't sure if talking about Kuroyuri's attack with Carla or Dina was a good idea.
Fortunately, both women gave them a chance to talk alone.
"I'd better go talk to Abraham," said Carla. "We should get started on helping the rest of Kuroyuri."
"I'll find some baskets for food," Dina suggested, remembering the idea Eren and Carla shared. "We'll be right back, kids."
"Okay," Eren said as he watched his mother and her friend leave. Once they did, the boy's attention focused back on the two visitors. "What did you-?"
Ren quickly pulled out a knife he had beneath his shirt while Nora took out her wooden hammer. "We know what you are," said Ren, who pointed the knife in Eren's face. He turned back to Cinder. "Both of you."
"..."
Update: hey everyone, hope you're doing good. So, this is the rewrite for chapter 7 we promised. Chapter 8 should be up soon, don't worry. We hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave your thoughts before you go. Thanks!
Author's notes: thanks for reading what we made so far, I hope you're enjoying it. Please don't hesitate to leave reviews, feel free to tell us what you think. Also, don't forget to support The Avenging Titan as you would support me.