Attack on Titan: A New Path

by The Court of Talons

Ozma and Salem have been at war for millennia. The fight has taken many lives and taken many years. The champion of the Brother of Light has failed countless times to complete his task. Now, more than ever, Remnant needs a new protector. It needs a man who knows the cruelty of life. A man who doesn't falter in doing the unthinkable. A dark guardian. Remnant needs... Eren Yeager.

15. Chapter 15 (Rewrite)

"The monster in the dark gets us all eventually."

Anonymous

Chapter 15: Home Invasion Part II

After a hard day's work at the farm, all everyone wanted to do was rest. Mercury went back to his room to play a game he just installed on his Scroll with Nora. It was a simple fighting game, but the two teenagers found themselves addicted.

Cinder and Ren, on the other hand, found themselves doing something else. They were also in a small bedroom, but they were hovering over Eren, who was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed. Ren was holding his Scroll while looking at the clock, but Cinder was being more active.

"Come on, Eren!" she yelled furiously. "Break it! Break it!"

"Don't do it, Eren," Ren said. "Remember what I taught you; control yourself."

"..."

Eren continued to sit on the ground, doing nothing but breathe. Ren fell into silence as he watched the clock, but Cinder decided to get even more physical. She grabbed Eren's shoulders and began to shake him.

"Come on, Eren! You know you want to do it!"

"..."

Cinder then clapped her hands together, loudly and close to Eren's ears. "Break! Break!"

"..."

She then smacked his head a few times. "Do it!"

"..."

It was clear that yelling or hitting Eren wasn't going to make him break the focus he had attained. But Cinder had two more cards to play before she decided to give up. The first card was something Cinder knew that Eren would like.

Her singing.

"Our song is the slamming screen door

Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window

When we're on the phone, and you talk real slow

'Cause it's late, and your mama don't know!"

"..."

Cinder stopped singing when she noticed Eren hadn't even opened his eyes to look at her. When she saw that she had failed to get his attention once again, Cinder decided to play the next card she had.

If she couldn't make him smile... she could make him say "Ow."

"Alright... I gave you a chance," Cinder said as she placed her hands on Eren's knees and closed her eyes.

"Um, Cinder..." Ren began as he took his eyes off the clock. "What are you doing?"

"Heating things up," she said. The palms of her hands began to feel warm, and so did Eren's knees.

Ren was aware of Cinder's Semblance, an ability she called "Scorching Caress." And when he saw that she was using it on Eren's legs, Ren began to grow concerned.

"Cinder, that's going a little too far," he said.

"No, it isn't," Cinder said confidently. "Didn't you smack him before? There's not much of a difference." Her hands became hotter by the second.

"We said he couldn't use his Aura!"

"He'll use it when he breaks." Cinder's hands became even hotter.

"Uh, Eren, I think she's right! You can stop now!"

"Yeah, Eren! Listen to-!"

*WHACK*

Eren's head slammed into Cinder's causing her to fall on the ground and take her hands off his now healing legs. Opening his eyes and standing up, Eren looked down onto Cinder.

"Owwww..." she groaned.

Eren turned to Ren after he playfully rolled his eyes at Cinder. "Time?" he asked.

Ren looked back to his Scroll. "Looks like... two minutes and three seconds," he said.

"Yes!" Eren offered a hand to Cinder. "You hear that, Cinder? Looks like I'm picking the movie for tonight."

"Ugh," Cinder moaned as she allowed Eren to help her off the ground. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you for lasting that long. But can it please not be another stupid action movie?"

"Come on, being on a different side of the action is much more entertaining than what we do! One liners, no existent plot? It's like the characters are just there to beat the crap out of each other."

"That's what makes them so boring! I mean, Spruce Willis is so overrated." Cinder turned to her other friend. "Ren, talk some sense into him."

"While I agree that action movies can be mostly dry, I don't think I can help you tonight," Ren replied. "If I recall correctly, you did say Eren could choose a movie tonight if he made it past the two minute mark."

"Ugh." Cinder moved towards the door. "I'll make the popcorn. Again."

"I think I should head home," said Ren. "Who knows how much time Nora's spent playing that new game?" Ren began to join Cinder out the door, with Eren following close behind.

"Hey, Ren," he said. When he turned around, Eren continued where he left off. "Before you go, thanks again for helping."

"It's no problem. You've certainly been improving, and I'm beginning to see a new easiness with you. One that tries to find peace of mind yet resolve in the worst of times."

"I definitely feel different. I haven't been getting angry easily. But I was wondering if there was something else I can do with my meditation."

"Such as?"

"Maybe help unlock my Semblance?"

"Oh, of course." Ren stopped walking. "I don't mean to offend, but I'm actually surprised you haven't unlocked it already."

"You and me both. But I guess that's what I get for focusing on my Titan powers for so long."

"If you feel that your Titan is at its full potential, working with your Semblance sounds like a good idea."

"Yeah, and I feel that I can do everything my Titan is supposed to do. Some things back home, some new things now, but I'm ready to hone whatever other skills I have."

"About that... Would it be alright if you teach me more about how you practiced with your Titan? I'd like to see if I can improve myself as well."

"You should keep going to that isolated part of the woods, right behind the first wall. Nobody can see or hear your transformation, and you can find new skills to improve on."

"That sounds like a plan. I may have Nora come with me sometime, since its that secluded."

"Yeah, she could use some practice too."

Eren and Ren found themselves in the living room, where Cinder was placing a bowl of popcorn on the table in front of the TV. "Alright, here we go," she said as she sat down and handed Eren a remote control. "Pick your poison, Eren."

Eren happily took the remote and turned on the TV. Ever since he learned what a TV was, Eren made watching it one of his favorite pastimes. To him, TV was a doorway to possibilities of entertainment, whether it was real life or purely fictional. Although his main hobby was to exercise or practice his combat, Eren made sure to squeeze in some time to watch TV. Cinder would usually join him, as long as she either got to pick something to watch or they could agree on what to watch.

And tonight was about to be one of those nights.

"You know... maybe we should pick something together tonight," Eren suggested. "It's the least I could do for you helping me."

"Huh?" Cinder asked. "No, it's fine. I said you could pick something, I was just kidding about earlier."

"I know, but I don't wanna watch something alone." Eren turned to Ren, who was close to the door. "You sure you can't stay, Ren?"

"I'm kind of tired," the quiet teenager said as he opened the door. "You two enjoy yourselves, I'll see you tomorrow." As he walked outside and closed the door, Cinder turned to Eren.

"Well, if you're sure... no action movies," she said.

"Deal." Eren took the remote and browsed through what everyone called a "streaming service," which had over a hundred movies. "No action... how about some sci-fi, then?"

"Eh, not tonight. I'm still not over the sequels of-"

*BAM*

Eren quickly hit Cinder's head with a pillow on the couch. "I said we don't talk about them!"

Cinder pushed the pillow off her face and rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you're not over them either." A sly smile formed on her lips as she leaned closer to Eren. "You know... I can't remember the last time you showed me some romance."

Eren groaned. "If I wanted to watch another one of those movies, I would look at Mercury's magazines." The screen changed to a different section of movies, which gave Eren an idea. "If you want to watch a horror movie, I'll keep you safe."

"What?!" Cinder moved away from Eren. "I am not scared of horror movies! Hell, I can turn into a Grimm whenever I want!"

Eren smiled again. "I don't know, Cinder. I can still remember the time you were crushing me after seeing the one about those zombies."

"I was ten! What did you expect?!"

"My offer still stands."

Cinder looked at the screen, focusing on the list of horror movies. "Alright, let me see the remote." Eren handed it to her and she skimmed through the horror movies. "I think I heard of a movie that would definitely scare you."

"I don't think any of the Kingdoms made movies about Titans. Even if they did, I doubt I'd be scared."

"Well, then..." Cinder stopped on a movie that had a picture of an abandoned building, with the title The Witch. "Let's see how you feel after watching this." Cinder played the movie and started eating the popcorn.

The movie turned out to be entertaining for both teenagers, and neither one of them were very scared. Cinder, however, became tired and fell asleep close to the end. Eren caught a glimpse of her head about to fall on his shoulder, but he didn't do anything to stop it. Mikasa had fallen asleep enough times for Eren to grow accustomed to the feeling. It had always brought warmth and comfort to Eren when it was with Mikasa. And a few moments ago, it had done the same thing with Cinder. It even brought a kind of happiness that Eren hadn't felt in a long time.

However, it was this fact that made Eren feel a twinge of guilt. Acting on his feelings, Eren slowly got off the couch to let Cinder gently lay down. After he put a blanket over her, Eren left the living room to get a drink of water. Which he began to drink alone at the table.

"You're up late."

Eren looked up to see Dina standing in the doorway that connected the kitchen to the living room. She was wearing a gray robe and holding an empty glass of her own, which she wanted to refill in case she got thirsty during the night.

"Oh, hey," Eren said in a friendly manner after he took a sip from his glass. "Yeah, Cinder and I were just watching a movie. Sorry, did we wake you?"

"No, I was already awake," Dina said as she filled her glass. "I just finished grading those tests my students took the other day." The school teacher took a drink before she spoke again. "They were asking about it all day yesterday. Some of them were even a little nervous."

Eren briefly chuckled. "I don't blame them. Your tests were always pretty hard."

"Not to Cinder, they weren't. Every time I gave one back, it was always-"

"I told you I aced it!" Eren recited from memory. He always sat next to Cinder during the classes he attended, so he remembered exactly what she would say after getting either a perfect score or an above average grade.

The memory was also one Dina shared, which made her share a brief laugh with Eren. She never gave her adoptive daughter special treatment in her class, so Dina always knew Cinder's work and grades were authentic. After all, everyone knew she was a smart girl.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Dina asked.

"In there," Eren said after he took a drink of his own. "She fell asleep near the end." The memory of Cinder laying on his shoulder came back to Eren, as well as the mixed emotions he felt.

"It looks like it took some energy from you too," Dina said as she put down her glass. "Is there a reason why you're wide awake instead? Or why you don't look very happy?"

"..."

Eren had taught himself how to hide his emotions back when he was in Marley. He was very good at it, since he was able to deceive everyone he knew. There were times when he did it on Remnant as well, but there were a few people who could see past the façade. And given how long the two of them had known each other, Dina was one of the few who could tell when something was bothering Eren.

"Guess it was the movie," Eren said with a shrug. Despite the fact that he was feeling a little melancholy tonight, he didn't feel like talking about it.

Unfortunately, like Carla, Dina could tell that she needed to probe a little further.

"We both know you're too old to be scared by a movie," Dina said as she sat down across from Eren. "And we both know something's on your mind. You were like that on our vacation too."

"..."

"You can talk to me too, Eren. You know that, right?"

Eren finished his drink and stood up. "Yeah, I do," he assured Dina. "I just... don't really feel like talking. I'm sorry." He began to walk away.

"Eren, stop."

The teenager obeyed and looked back to Dina, who was looking at him with eyes filled with understanding. "Come back," she requested. "Now's not a time to push people away."

Eren sighed as he reluctantly sat back at the table. "I didn't need to hear that."

"It needed to be said. Carla told me you tend to do that when you're upset."

"..."

Dina didn't mean to pry into Eren's privacy, but she genuinely wanted to help him. He may have been Carla's son, but Dina grew to care about the boy just as much as her best friend did. "She also said you're like this when you're thinking of home. Are you... feeling homesick?"

Eren nodded as he looked back to Dina. "A little," he said. "I couldn't help but think about it just now." Eren gestures towards the living room. "I think Cinder helped with that."

"Why, what happened?"

"..."

It was at that moment that Eren found himself glad to be talking to Dina instead of his mother. He would usually have talks like these with Carla, whenever one of them would think about Paradis and the people they left behind. Dina sometimes had talks like these with Carla as well, but she rarely talked about Paradis and Marley with Eren.

However, Dina was Cinder's mother. And Eren believed that Dina might be able to understand his current state of mind better than Carla. After all, Cinder was greatly involved in this current matter.

"Did you know it took me almost a week to finally warm up to Mikasa?" Eren asked. "Or that it took me twice as long to be friends with Armin? It was kind of ironic, actually. Back home, when I was a kid, I used to have this... irrational fear of being alone. But at the same time, it was hard for me to make friends."

Dina looked back at the living room. "Well, from what I heard, it seems you made friends with Cinder very easily," she observed. "As well as Lie and Nora."

"That's... actually what I'm thinking of." Eren followed Dina's gaze. "It took me less than a day to see that I wanted to be Cinder's friend. Not just because I was all alone, but I really liked her when I met her."

Dina wasn't sure where Eren was going with this, but she continued to talk and listen. "Are you happy about that?"

"I... I don't know." Eren looked back at Dina. "Mikasa and Armin were my best friends back home. We lived through everything together. We lost together, survived together... we pushed ourselves, did things we thought were impossible... together."

"..."

Dina began to understand what Eren was saying, as well as where this was going. Living under the same roof as Eren and Cinder for seven years taught the teacher a lot about them, especially the relationship they shared.

"And it's different with Cinder, isn't it?" she asked.

"Not just different," Eren confessed. "It's better with her. Not with Ren, not with Nora. Her."

"..."

"Everything that I went through with Armin and Mikasa, I also did with Cinder. And then I've done more. There are no secrets between us. There's... an understanding, a bond... something I never thought was possible between two people."

"..."

Eren took a deep breath before he finished his thoughts. "I can't believe I'm saying this out loud, but... I think I'm growing closer to Cinder than I ever did to anyone back home."

"..."

Dina was able to understand Eren perfectly now. She couldn't relate to what he was saying and feeling, but it was enough to awaken some feelings Dina had of her own. And now, she wanted nothing more than to express how she was feeling.

"...I know," she somberly replied. This statement made Eren look back to his present company, who was starting to dry her eyes. "Eren, it's hard for me to say this, but... I can't help but envy the position you're in."

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt nothing but guilt and shame for growing closer to Cinder, to the point where his best friends were almost becoming meaningless. And now Dina was saying she wished she felt the same way?

"What?" Eren asked. "Why?"

Dina stood up and spread her arms. "Eren, I've lived here with your mother for years," she said. "Carla's my best friend, and I love this farm as much as she does, but... I sometimes feel like I've made a mistake."

"..."

"Before I met you, I never grew past the life I shared with Grisha. At the time, I always told myself they were dreams. But that didn't mean I felt something from them. I met the father of my only child, the man who inspired me to fight for my people. I loved Grisha. I love Grisha." Dina put her arms down and sighed. "That's why I'm still here. Why I'm all alone."

"What do you mean?" Eren asked.

"My parents died when I was in my early twenties. My father was in an accident, my mother had a terminal disease. I had Carla and my other friends, but I sometimes feel like I'm alone."

"..."

"My... My first life held me back, Eren. I never grew past what I experienced, what I had with Grisha and Zeke. I could have found happiness with another man, I could have had another family. But I stayed here alone, living my life with nobody like Grisha to share it with."

"..."

"Eren, that's why you, Carla, and Cinder mean more to me than either of you could ever know. I know I'm not your mother, but that doesn't mean you're not my family. I wish I could still look fondly on my past without it affecting the present. But I did. And you have to know that you shouldn't repeat my mistake."

"..."

Eren was beginning to understand Dina's point. It was more or less the same one Carla made when they went to Vale's beach. At first, he felt guilty that his friends and his life back home was becoming meaningless, but now he could see that wasn't true. And Dina had one last thing to say.

"When you've gone through that much with somebody, when you've made friends that aren't here now... they'll be a part of you, Eren. But that's just it; a part." She looked back to the living room once more, specifically to Cinder. "Please... don't forget about the rest."

"..."

---

Eren found himself unable to get much sleep after talking with Dina. Not that he didn't appreciate what she said, it was perhaps some of the wisest advice he had ever heard. It was this wisdom that made Eren think about his life on Remnant, especially his time with Cinder. When he woke up the next morning, he could see what he needed to do.

Eren was a man who always let his actions speak for themselves, to show how much he cared about his friends and home. But there were times when he had to use his words and actions to push everyone away, to make sure his plan for Paradis and the world worked perfectly.

But Eren knew he was done with that. He knew that he'd sooner jump off a bridge than say that he always hated Cinder. He knew how she felt about him, knew when he was lying or not. And thanks to her, he knew just how important he was to her.

"Eren Yeager, you've always been my best friend. But you're also more than that. To me, you're a godsend. You're the reason I want to live young, wild, and free."

The truth was, Eren was beginning to share those feelings. Back home, the reasons he wanted to be free were mostly the walls and Armin's book. But now, his freedom and desire to see the world could mostly be traced back to Cinder. As well as his reasons for finding happiness on Remnant.

And she needed to know that too.

Eren remembered what Cinder said about not holding everything in for so long, and now he had the perfect chance to take that advice. After everything she did for him, everything she said, it was time to return it all.

"Cinder... I need you to know that-No, that's too easy."

Eren began to pace the floor, practicing what he would say to her. However, it was easier said than done, given that he wasn't sure what the best way to say it was. Nevertheless, he practiced again after he left his room.

"Cinder, I really appreciate what you said to me in Vale. I think you should know that I... that I..."

"Eren?"

The teenager turned around when he saw his mother was standing behind him. Carla had just finished getting dressed in her room and was ready to start the day, and she heard Eren walking and talking in the hall.

"Oh!" Eren said when he realized that he didn't even see his mother. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi," Carla said as she closed her door. "Who were you talking to?"

Eren quickly put his thoughts regarding Cinder aside. "Nobody. Sorry, I was just thinking out loud."

"Oh, okay." Carla joined Eren on his walk downstairs. "Did you and Cinder enjoy your movie?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good."

"Let me guess; another action movie?"

Eren couldn't help but chuckle. "I was thinking about it, but I knew Cinder wouldn't be interested. We watched a horror movie instead."

"Oh, really? I would've guessed a comedy if you were watching it together."

"Maybe next time." Eren went towards the back door of the house. "Alright, I better get today started." Eren was well aware of his responsibilities at the farm, as well as the chores that he was supposed to handle today. He always stood by his work, and he would usually start a little earlier than the rest of his friends.

And in his mind, a little work would help Eren sort out his feelings with Cinder.

"Wait a minute, Eren!"

Eren looked back towards his mother, who appeared to be confused. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Now Eren was confused. "Um, outside?" he said.

Carla shook her head. "No, your chores can wait. I need you to work on some reports today."

Eren frowned when he heard the demand. "Again? But the week's not over yet!"

"I know, but I heard about a drop in progress I want to check out. We have to make sure we can make our quota here and abroad."

"You can do that just fine, though!"

"I know, but it's better you learn how to handle something like this for the future. Come on, I'll help you get started."

"..."

Eren watched Carla move towards her study, but he didn't follow. He wasn't trying to be stubborn or constantly argue with his mother like he did on Paradis, but his heart just wasn't in this task.

It was true that Carla had become more open to the idea of Eren fighting for the farm and Kuroyuri, since she was well aware of the threats that existed beyond the wall. However, Carla was still adamant that Eren would be the one to replace her when she retired.

The only problem was that Eren didn't want that job.

He loved working on the farm, he would always pour his heart and soul to help his mother with the chores and tasks he was responsible for. Eren felt that he was a good farmer, but he couldn't feel the same way about being a manager. He made a few mistakes while trying to do this work, but Carla always considering them inevitable while learning.

She didn't understand that Eren didn't feel up to the task.

Eren had never talked about this with Carla, even though he would try to convince her that his work outside was a higher priority. He kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to hurt Carla, he didn't want her to feel the way she felt when she learned about Darkness and Salem. Eren believed he had hurt her enough.

On the other hand, Eren knew that he would have to talk to her about this job someday. And given that he was supposed to talk to Cinder later, today seemed like a good day to talk to his mother.

"Mom, wait," Eren called out after he went after her. Carla stood outside her study when she heard Eren call to her, so she gave him her attention.

"Yes, Eren?" she patiently asked.

Eren took a breath before he spoke again. "Listen... I don't-"

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

The sound of somebody running down the stairs caught the attention of both Eren and Carla. Eren was closer to the stairs, so he turned back and looked to see what was going on.

His answer was the sight of Cinder running into the kitchen and pulling two knives out of a drawer. And when she saw Eren, Cinder quickly ran towards him with the knives.

"Eren, take this!" she said as she handed a knife to him.

"Huh?" Eren asked. He had to take the knife before he could process what was happening. After his initial shock died down, he found his voice. "Cinder, what's going-?"

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

The sound of someone knocking on the front door caused Cinder to turn around. "Crap!" she whispered. "She's here!"

"What?" Eren asked.

Carla joined Eren when she heard the commotion Cinder was causing, which led to surprise when she saw two knives in the hands of the teenagers. "Cinder?" she asked. "What's going on? Why do you have that knife?"

Cinder pointed towards the front door. "The Atlesian from a couple of days ago!" she quickly replied. "She's here, at the door!"

"Wait, what?"

Eren quickly moved to the window where he could get a good look at the outside front door. There, he saw a white haired woman in a brown cloak knocking on the door.

"Ymir..." Eren softly said. He moved away from the window. "Mom, I think it's okay. It looks like she's alone."

Carla had become incredibly nervous when she heard the word "Atlesian." She could never forget what the SDC almost took from her and her family, but she relaxed with Eren's help.

"What does she want?" Carla asked. "Should I open the door?"

"I'll do it," Eren insisted. "I think I know what she wants."

"No, wait!" Cinder said as she grabbed his arm. "What if she's not..." Cinder tapped her head. "You know... okay? Up here?"

"But we can't leave her out there! What if she gives up and goes away?"

Cinder realized that he had a valid point, so they needed a plan. "Okay, maybe we should-"

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

"Just a moment."

Eren and Cinder quickly ran down the hall to see Dina moving towards the door.

"Mom, wait!" Cinder begged. Once she stopped, Cinder explained that the woman at the door was Atlesian. When Dina was about to tell the woman to go away, Eren stopped everything.

"Ms. Fritz, don't answer it just yet," he requested as he moved closer to her. "Cinder, you go out the back. I'll wait here in case things turn bad while you sneak to the front and get ready to fight."

"On it," Cinder said as he moved towards the back door.

"Can I help?" Carla asked. She wasn't much of a warrior, but Carla was willing to defend her home and family this time. And fortunately for her, Eren had an idea how she could help.

"Yeah," Eren replied. "Mom, go upstairs and look out the window. If you see any more soldiers, stomp your feet." Eren pointed to the ceiling. "We can hear you from down here. After that, go to your room and lock the door. I'll get you when it's safe."

"Okay. Be careful, Eren."

When Carla moved quietly upstairs, Eren moved closer to Dina and pushed himself against the wall. He was out of view from the other windows, so he nodded for Dina to open the door.

And with extreme caution, Dina opened the door just a crack.

"Can I help you?" she said.

The Atlesian cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to intrude, ma'am, but... is there an 'Eren Yeager' here?" she asked calmly.

"Eren?" Dina took a few seconds to think of an excuse, and it came to her quickly. "He works here, yes. But I'm afraid he's not here right now." Dina was about to close the door, but it was caught by the high heeled boot of her unexpected visitor.

"Stop it!" the Atlesian whispered, which caught Dina's attention. "Um, I apologize, I just... really need to talk to him."

"Well, I'm sorry, but he's not here right now," Dina insisted again. "Why do you want to see him?"

"I-I can't explain at the moment." The woman grimaced out of pain and slightly turned her head to whisper again. "I know, I know!"

"Is there someone else there?" Dina felt a nudge to her shoulder, so she turned back to Eren. He shook his head to let her know that the Atlesian was alone; he had looked out the window just to be sure.

"No, it's just me!" she insisted as she took her foot out. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"He lives somewhere in the middle of the town. Listen, it's time for you to leave."

"Wait, where in town?! Do you know his address?"

"No, I don't!" Dina narrowed her eyes and saw Cinder hiding not far behind the woman. "Listen, if you just go-"

"I can go once I know where to go!" The woman grimaced once again as she looked away. "No, I am not doing that!"

"Who are you talking to?!"

Before Dina could get an answer, Eren nudged her arm once again. He then made a gesture to quickly open the door, seeing that Cinder was ready to tackle the Atlesian to the ground. So Dina took a risk and did as she was told, letting the Atlesian stumble inside.

"Wha-?"

The sound of quick footsteps made her turn around, but the Atlesian was helpless to stop Cinder from tackling her inside the house. As she began to struggle off the ground, Cinder pointed her knife to the woman's throat.

"Don't move!" she yelled.

Eren and Dina came close to Cinder so that the guest would see that she was outnumbered.

"I'm not here to fight," the woman said calmly.

"Yeah?" Cinder dryly asked. "What about the other Atlesians your boss sent here? Were they not here to fight too?"

"I... I didn't come here on their behalf." She looked at Eren. "You're Eren, aren't you?"

"...That's right," he said. "I know why you're here... but I need to hear you say it."

"Tell us your name, too," Cinder ordered.

The woman took a breath. "My name is Winter. And I came here on behalf of... Ymir."

---

Winter found herself tied to a chair after making her introduction, courtesy of Cinder. Her sword and Scroll were far out of reach, and she was currently locked inside a small bedroom. Normally, she would be looking for a chance to escape or start untying the ropes she was tied with.

However, she instead had to deal with a voice inside her head. One that sounded just like her own, but with a different personality.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while," it said with dry sarcasm.

"Well, what did you expect?" Winter asked. "I show up at this woman's house demanding to be let in, all just to find the people who nearly killed me-"

"Killed us. I'm still here, you know."

"If you let me do the talking, I can make sure that won't be true for much longer."

"Fine. It's not like I have a choice."

"When someone asks to do the talking in a situation like this, that means you stop talking."

"Didn't your dad say the same thing once?"

"I told you not to mention him!"

"Yeah, yeah. No striking nerves."

"Stop. Talking."

Winter found her relief when the door to the room opened. Inside stepped Eren Yeager, who sat down in front of her. "I could hear you from the other side of the door," he said. "Sounds like you're not very happy."

"You think?" the voice asked.

"Are you talking about being tied to a chair like a criminal or the voice that knows you?" Winter asked.

"Little bit of both. But let's focus on what you're hearing."

"Then let's start by you telling me what else you know about it."

"Her!"

Winter grimaced. "I mean, her. And how does it know you?"

"First, you tell me how you learned about Ymir." Eren moved closer. "How. Where. And when."

Winter sighed once again. Normally, she would use her rank in the Atlesian military to assert her dominance. But given that she was alone in a place that had strong feelings towards Atlas at the moment, the idea would get her nowhere. So, Winter did as she was told.

"Let's just say I've known her for a long time," she said. "I just... didn't know what she actually was until now."

Eren wasn't in a mood for riddles. "Give me details or we're done here."

Winter sighed once more. "I can't believe I'm saying this."

"That makes two of us."

"Saying what?" Eren asked.

"Ymir is... I used to believe she was... my imaginary friend."

Eren slightly moved his head back, out of shock and confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Winter leaned back in her chair, seeing she would be here for a while. "Thinking back on it... it must've been nearly twenty years now. I was around six years old. My mother and I went to Mantle to see a performance we both been wanting to see while my father was inspecting one of his mines."

---

Many years ago

A pair of double doors swung open as a bright eyed white haired little girl skipped out, a wide smile on her face as she hummed a sweet melody.

"Winter! Please slow down!" an amused white haired woman called out to her daughter as she walked out at a slower pace.

"Sorry, Mother!" Winter giggled sheepishly as she slowed down to a more leisurely pace, still humming away. The night had become one of the best times Winter ever had with her mother, Willow Schnee.

Finally caught up with her energetic child, Willow wrapped an arm around Winter and pulled her into her side. "So, did you like the performance?"

"Mm-hm!" Winter nodded as she leaned into her mother's embrace. "Her voice was so beautiful! She was like an angel!"

Willow chuckled and wrapped an arm around Winter. "The only angel I see is right here with me."

"Motherrrr!" Winter whined, moving out of the embrace, but her giggling betrayed her complaints.

A horn echoed through the air, catching both Schnees attention. Looking over, they saw a white limousine pulling up to the curb, the blue snowflakes emblazoned on the side shining under the city lights. This was a limousine the Schnees had reserved for whenever they came to Mantle.

The door opened up revealing an aged gentlemen with graying black hair and green eyes in a pristine black and white pinstripe suit. "Miss Willow. I trust you and young Winter had a wonderful night?" he asked jovially.

"Indeed we did, Alfred. The singer was amazing."

Willow nodded as she helped Winter into the back before climbing in herself. "You should've come in with us. I think you would've liked it."

"Bah!" Alfred waved the idea off. The car began to pull out. "This was a night for you and the young Miss to enjoy. An old fart like me would just get in the way." A knowing look and smile soon appeared on his face. "Besides, I think I remember another who had a great singing voice that I promised them I would always listen to above others."

"Alfred!" Willow gaped at her butler, blushing in embarrassment when Winter started giggling at the two of them. Within a matter of minutes, they were driving back to the Schnee Family Manor, laughing and joking with each other along the way.

And that was when everything went wrong.

*CRASH*

The three inhabitants all cried out in surprise when a large vehicle suddenly impacted the side of the limousine. The windows shattering and glass fragments flying everywhere. The sheet metal cratered from the impact of whatever vehicle hit it, causing the limousine to spin and swerve wildly trying to regain control before sliding to a complete stop.

Willow groaned. An intense ringing was all she could hear, blood was dripping from the side of her head. Her eyes fluttered open but her vision was blurry for a brief moment before a figure appeared before her, apparently trying to ask if she was alright, but the voice was muffled.

"...ow!"

Someone was shaking her, trying to get their attention.

"...llow ca... ea... e!"

The voice was starting to become clearer.

"WILLOW!"

Willow gasped, shooting up from her prone position on the limousine's floor. Wildly looking around, she saw the scared and concerned Winter clutching her jacket, and an alert Alfred who had a piece of metal in his hand and was looking around for something.

"Alfred, what happened?!" Willow cried out, nearly hysterical as she pulled a scared and crying Winter in her arms.

"We were struck by a large vehicle, ma'am," Alfred replied as he was frantically opening compartments under the seats. "They came out of nowhere, but I do know that it was no accident."

"Why would they do that?" Winter whimpered.

"A number of reasons. None of them good, but perhaps they were trying to-"

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Willow and Winter screamed as the sound of gunfire echoed in the air, ducking down as bullets whizzed through the air and impacted the limousine.

"Shit!" Alfred cursed, stopping his search through the compartments before taking out a Scroll and calling emergency services. When got off the Scroll, he quickly ducked to avoid being shot before checking the compartments once again before... "Aha!" What Alfred found was a small pistol, something carried for emergencies. Thinking quickly he shoved the pistol in Willows hands. "Mrs. Schnee, take that with you and Young Miss Winter and run!"

"What?!" Willow screamed in shock, dumbfounded at what he said. "But I-"

"NOW, WILLOW!"

Willow's voice hitched, her words were dying in her throat. Alfred only ever dropped titles with her when he was absolutely serious about something. Her face scrunched up as tears welled up and began to fall before she finally nodded.

---

"Alfred was always a kind and loyal butler, having known my mother since she was younger. But before that, he was former military so he could take of himself and whoever was attacking us."

"He sounds... like he cares about you all."

"...He did."

"..."

Winter mentally sighed as she continued telling her story to Eren. "Mother had kicked open the door and dragged me out quickly before we both ran off. My young mind was racing and my heart pounding."

---

"Keep going Winter! Don't stop!" Willow said. Both of them were panting heavily as they ran down the alleyways. The sounds of gunfire began echoing in the distance as well as the shouting of an angry man.

"I'm... trying!" Winter said between gasps, unable to withstand the amount of running.

The two weaved their way around crates and trashcans that were spaced around the alleyway to avoid crashing and tripping before they skidded to a halt. Dread filled the two when they stopped before a chain-link barbed wire fence.

"No, no, no, no! You've got to be kidding me!" Willow gripped her hair in disbelief as she paced in front of their current obstacle, seeing no way around it nor any doors to enter.

---

"Mother didn't want to say it out loud, but we were trapped like rats. I was already panicking, but it was at that point where I felt the most afraid. My legs were sore, my head was throbbing, I just... hurt all over. But before I could admit defeat, I heard it."

"What?"

"...A voice."

---

"The window."

Winter gasped. Her first instinct was to whirl around and look frantically, in an attempt to find the source of the voice she just heard. "W-Who-?"

"The window. To your right."

Winter looked over to the right. Against the wall were a stack of crates. And just above the crates...

"Mother, look!" Winter cried.

Willow turned to where Winter was pointed and gasped. "A window!" she said in disbelief. "And it's open!"

The two tensed up when they both heard the same shouting voice in the distance. This time it was much closer. Quickly thinking, Willow scooped Winter in her arms began to carefully climb up the crates. Some of the crates wobbled when she stepped on them, forcing her to steady herself before she heaved Winter up to the window where she was able to crawl through. With her daughter now through, Willow grabbed hold of the ledge and braced a foot against the wall before she pulled herself up. Her arms were protesting and she dropped back to the crates.

"Damn it!" Willow cursed under her breath.

"I think they went this way!"

Willow gasped. The voice was much closer. In desperation she jumped and and pulled herself up as hard as she could before finally she was able to crawl through the window and land inside. Smiling at her daughter, Willow pulled Winter into a hug. "Good eye, darling!" she said before looking up. Willow saw that they were in some kind of storage warehouse. There were tons of crates littered around the place and on large shelves labeled with different items. Some crates she recognized as SDC as well as a few she didn't recognize.

"Damn it! I know they went this way!"

Willow gasped, whirling around at the window. The voice was right outside. Quickly grabbing her daughter back in her arms she ran further into the warehouse and began frantically looking around.

"Come on, there has to be a good place to hide," Willow muttered under her breath.

"On your left."

Winter flinched when she heard that mysterious voice again. Looking to where the voice said, she spotted a booth with a curtain attached to it, similar to the ones she's seen in clothing stores she and her mother went to.

"Over there," Winter said as she pointed over to where she was looking.

Willow smiled and quickly jogged over to the booth until both she and Winter were inside and pulled the curtain closed. Luckily the booth was big enough for the both of them to fit in comfortably.

Willow finally sat back and leaned against the wall of the booth, taking the moment of reprieve to relax and catch her breath. This was not how she expected the rest of this day to go. She and her daughter were finally away from the Manor to go and enjoy a live performance of Whitney Tears newest song at the theater together for some mother-daughter bonding. Now, they were hiding in a warehouse after an assailant crashed their limousine, with Alfred staying behind while they got away.

A whimper caught the woman's attention as she looked and saw Winter wiping away her tears. The poor girl was scared out of her mind and Willow's heart ached at the sight. Reaching over, Willow took Winter's little hand inside her own and gave her a calming and reassuring smile. It seemed to have worked as Winter soon smiled back.

*THUD*

The smiles on both their faces were wiped away when they heard an impact on the floor echo throughout the warehouse. After a brief moment of silence, a new and rhythmic sound began to echo throughout the warehouse.

Footsteps.

Slowly, Willow reached into her pocket and pulled out the compact pistol that Alfred gave her and made a hushing motion to Winter who quickly covered her mouth to try and keep herself quiet. They felt like they were there for hours, but only a few seconds had passed. Winter's heart was racing and her thoughts were filled with fear as the footsteps got closer.

Willow gulped as she tried to keep her hands from shaking too much as she held the pistol. Her stomach sunk deeper as the footsteps grew closer and closer. Sweat trailed down her forehead. She felt like she was going to vomit.

Then the footsteps stopped, so Willow carefully leaned forward to see if she could hear or see anything.

A clawed hand shot through and grabbed Willow by the throat. Winter screamed as her mother was dragged out and tossed through the air. Willow crashed and rolled across the ground, the air knocked out of her and left her gasping for breath.

"Finally found you."

Willow looked up at her assailant and gasped. The one who threw her was a young man easily in his late teens or early twenties. He had dark blue, almost black, hair with smoldering rage filled red eyes that had a slit pupil instead of a dotted one. He wore a pair of jeans and a black singlet. In his hands was a small rope. But the most defining feature were the cat ears on his head.

"Mr. Michaels?!"

---

"Myer Michaels," Winter explained. "He was a young Faunus worker at an SDC mining facility, where he was responsible for the maintenance of the Dust processing machines before he was fired by my father."

"..."

Eren continued to stay silent as he listened to the Atlesian's story.

"I later found out that he detected an anomaly coming from the machines programming and alerted the facility's overseer about the problem. It was ignored, dismissed as 'the barking of an animal.' The same day, the machines seized up and triggered a chain reaction with the Dust, causing it to explode. My father was furious and demanded an explanation, but the overseer blamed the whole thing on Myer, who in his eyes was 'just a dumb animal who couldn't understand anything.'"

"..."

Whoever this "Myer" was, Eren saw that he was wrongfully fired for something he didn't even do. And no one would even help or stand up for him due to being a Faunus. He learned about the inequality between Faunus and Humans a long time ago, after he saw a "No Faunus" sign at the Glass Unicorn. He never understood how the Faunus had animal traits, but that didn't mean he mistreated them for being different. Unfortunately, not a lot of people felt the same.

For some reason, Eren never let that idea bother him as much. Maybe it was because he wasn't a Faunus, or maybe it was because the Faunus had won their freedom in a war he didn't witness. It was actually learning about this war that made Eren respect the Faunus, and glad that they didn't turn their war into a genocide. It was heartwarming to know some parts of the world gave them an option other than extermination.

"What happened then?" he asked calmly.

---

"I was hoping that it would be your husband in that car," said the mad Faunus. "But you'll do just fine!" A psychotic grin appeared on the man's face as he began to walk over to Willow, wringing the rope in his hands.

Willow cried out as she scrambled back in an attempt to get away, aiming the gun and pulled the trigger.

*CLICK*

Willow's heart sank. She pulled the trigger multiple times, only to hear the same noise over and over. "No-GAH!" Willow cried out as she was kicked in the gut, dropping the pistol.

"Next time you have a gun in your hands..." Myer picked up the gun and flicked a switch on the side until it showed a red dot. "Take the safety off."

Tossing the gun behind him, Myer knelt down behind Willow and pulled the rope against Willow's neck, beginning to strangle her. Willow gagged as she frantically tried to reach for the rope, but she wasn't strong enough to get it. While the Faunus found this new strength through his rage, when he was fired from his only job and lost everything. His house, his money, even his life were taken from him in the blink of an eye. While he already took his revenge on his former boss, Myer found himself unsatisfied. So he decided to go for the next best thing and ruin the Schnee's lives as well.

Winter began hyperventilating. Her whole body was frozen, excluding her shaking hands. Her vision was slowly beginning to blur in the edges as the Faunus's psychotic bellows echoed across the warehouse.

[Play 'Attack on Titan OST: Call Your Name']

"You're next, you know."

Winter whirled around "Who's there?!" she asked. The Faunus was too busy attacking Winter's mother to hear anything.

"First, this guy's gonna kill her. And then you. You have to get outta here."

"W-what?! No! I-I-I-"

"Alright. Guess that's not an option. If you're sure... you're gonna have to kill him first."

"...But I... I don't know what to do."

"I do. Look by your feet."

Winter complied and gasped. The small gun was right by her feet, right where the unseen voice had said it would be.

"Good. Now grab it."

"W-What?"

"Grab it!"

Winter yelped and quickly picked up the pistol. Her hands were shaking badly. "I don't know how to use this!"

"Hold it in both hands. Make sure you have a strong and steady grip on it."

Winter carefully shifted it around until it was in a comfortable position.

"Now extend your arms out, but don't lock your elbows."

Taking a deep breath, Winter did as she was instructed.

"Use those notches on the top to aim, then pull the trigger."

Winter carefully looked through the notches with one eye, her hands were still shaking.

"Take a few steady breaths."

Winter shakily inhaled and held it before exhaling.

"Now do it. Defend yourself."

Winter tightened her grip. Once she did, her fears seemed to disappear. She felt that she had control over the situation. And now, this control led to anger rising in its place.

"Shoot him!"

Winter growled, her teeth bared. Unknown to her, her eyes flashed between blue and grey.

"SHOOT HIM!"

Winter let loose a bellowing scream, causing the assassin to whirl around eyes wide in surprise.

*BANG*

[End music]

---

Present-day

"Ever since that night, the voice would appear from time to time," Winter explained. "My parents took me to several doctors, who diagnosed me with dissociative identity disorder. They thought the trauma from that night triggered it. I really thought that it was it... until now."

"..."

Eren sat back and thought about the story he had just heard. It wasn't one he expected to believe, hearing that Ymir had been on Remnant much longer than he had.

But how?

Dina's presence was simple enough, being born again. Why was it different with Ymir? And if Winter died, would she be like Ozma?

Eren had so many questions, so many things he needed to know in order to help Ymir. The only thing he could do at the moment was start at the basics.

"So, Ymir... you know you're not on Paradis," he assumed. "You know that we're nowhere near anything that's home."

"It took time, but I figured it out," the voice said.

"She knows," Winter answered for her "friend." "And I assume Paradis is her home?"

"It is. Mine too."

"What I don't know is how I got here."

"But we don't know how. That's why we're here, she insisted that we come."

Eren stood up. "You did the right thing," he said. "But I can't help you now."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Can't." Eren stood up and moved to the door. "You might want to get comfortable, Winter. You're going to be here a while."

"I would be more comfortable if I weren't tied to a chair."

Eren turned around with frustration in his eyes. "You're in the middle of a town full of people you almost helped kick outta here. You should feel lucky I have a good reason to leave you here and not hand you over to them."

"..."

Eren moved back to the door again, turning the knob.

"Wait!" Ymir pleaded.

"Eren, wait a minute!" Winter pleaded. Eren obeyed and looked back to Winter. "Ymir has something else to say."

"..."

Ymir took Eren's and Winter's silence as permission to say one more thing, and she took the opportunity.

"Ask him... if he was able to look after Historia. Before he came here."

Winter nodded and looked back at Eren. "She wants to know if..."

"Historia."

"Right, Historia. Ymir wants to know if she's alright. Before you... came here."

Eren nodded as he turned the doorknob once more. "She's alive, Ymir," Eren promised. "She's safe."

"Thank you."

Eren finally opened the door and locked it behind him. Turning to his left, he heard the front door open and two pairs of footsteps.

"I'm fine, really. Just a little sore."

"So make sure you get plenty of rest. Here, let me get you a pillow."

Eren put the key in his pocket and walked into the living room to see Emerald and Cinder. Emerald was laying on her back as Cinder moved a pillow under her head.

"Emerald, you're back," Eren said as he walked to the couch. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Emerald said as she began to push herself up. "I can still work, don't worry about-"

"No, you don't worry." Cinder came from behind Emerald and gently pushed on her shoulder. "Wounds like those need a little more time to heal."

"But my Aura already healed the marks! A sore back isn't a big deal."

"It might reopen an internal wound. You're lucky the bullets missed your spine, you could have been paralyzed."

"Cinder, you could have gone through worse." Emerald put a hand on Cinder's. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"..."

Cinder found herself unable to look Emerald in the eyes as she said that. Eren knew why, but Emerald seemed more oblivious as ever. So after he insisted that she get at least a half-hour of rest, Eren left Emerald in the living room and took Cinder with him.

"You okay?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah, I just... I can't get through to her," Cinder answered sadly. "She doesn't remember everything, but she knows how she 'saved' me." Cinder ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do, Eren. No matter what I say, she'll insist that she owes me more than she can give."

"Do you want me to talk to her? She... actually reminds me of someone I used to know." Eren didn't think of it when he first met Emerald, but it was becoming clearer that she had a mindset like Historia's.

Or rather, the mindset of Krista Lenz.

Eren wasn't entirely sure if his story could get through to Emerald, but it would be a start. And while Cinder appreciated Eren's offer, she came to realize that there was something else that needed to be taken care of.

"Let's help her later," she suggested. "Did you talk to the Atlesian?"

"I did," Eren confirmed. "Their story, it's... a long one. Let's just say that Winter's starting to realize who Ymir really is."

"So that was Ymir we met earlier."

"Yeah. At first, she would come and go at points in Winter's life, but she only took control of her body once. And she can't seem to leave again."

"So, is she like Ozma? Did she... merge with Winter?"

Eren had learned from Darkness that Ozma was reincarnating in other people, and Cinder was also aware of this. "It's hard to say, but it might be," Eren explained. "Ymir not leaving might be their souls... merging, or whatever Ozma does with people."

"How did she take the news?"

"I didn't tell her. Either of them. It'll be... hard to swallow. And I don't really have all the answers yet."

"So what do we do?"

"Find the answers ourselves. I haven't done this in a while, but I need to go back to the Coordinate. I have to find out what Darkness actually did to Ymir."

"Well, let me come with you."

"No, you stay." Eren pointed towards the living room. "Emerald might come looking, she might see what we're doing."

"Right. Okay, I'll wait here. Speaking of which..." Cinder looked back to the living room. "None of this would have happened if she knew I was going to be a Titan. There might be a time when I have to turn again, something might try to-"

"Are you sure she'll take it well?" Eren asked. "Remember how scared Ren and Nora were when we had to tell them?"

"Yeah, but I remember how they wanted Titans of their own after they accepted us." Cinder looked back to Eren. "What would you do in this case?"

"I..." Eren sighed. "I don't know. Maybe you're right. Whatever you do, I'll have your back."

Cinder smiled. "Thanks. Let me know how things go with you-know-who."

"You got it." Eren made his way to his bedroom, in order to get some privacy. Before he took another step, however, he had one last thing to say to Cinder. "Oh, by the way. Maybe we should tell Mercury too. He's been with us longer than Emerald, he deserves to know."

"Yeah, you're right," Cinder agreed. "But we can't do that now. He's at the outer wall with Ren and Nora, helping the defensemen."

---

Mercury was indeed helping the defensemen, but not in the way everyone was expecting. Instead of working on the cannons, he was joining Ren, Nora, and a group of able-bodied men and women at the wall's gate.

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Merc?" Nora asked. "You don't even have a weapon."

"Aw, no worries," Mercury said as he practiced some kicks in the air. "These two things are all I need. Besides, I'll need some practice with them while I'm finishing my own weapons."

"Perhaps Mercury has a point," said Ren. "If his weapons turn out as he's planned them to be, practicing against the Grimm may strengthen his legs to withstand having guns on his ankles."

"See? Ren gets it! And I can't do that if you won't let me."

Nora put a hand to her chin. "Well... okay. Just be careful, I heard there's more than usual today."

Just as Nora made her point, a man in a white shirt with blue accents stood in front of the group. "Nora's right, people!" he said with an authoritative tone. "The Grimm outside the wall are usually stragglers, but we're seeing at least three packs out there. Our best guess is that with the SDC threatening to kick us out, the Grimm were drawn by all sorts of negativity. Now don't go pointing any fingers, we're all in this together. And the best thing to do is take care of these Grimm before more come. Understood?"

Everyone nodded in understanding, preparing to face whatever Grimm were outside.

"Okay, here's the plan," the lead man said. "Once we go outside, we're gonna walk in a big circle around the wall. We're gonna kill every Grimm we see ourselves. Our cannons will only fire in case of an emergency. Half of us will go left, half of us will go right. Are there any questions?"

Nora was the first to raise her hand. "If we're making a big circle, doesn't that mean we'll finish off the Grimm once we meet halfway?" she asked.

"One would think, but no. Some of the Grimm have been known to hide when people are around and then come out. Once the other half makes their pass, they'll handle the stragglers. Understood?" Everyone nodded once more, and the man raised a sword in the air while looking to his left. "Lower the bridge!"

Two women nodded and began to turn a large crank. As they turned the crank, a drawbridge lowered and landed over the moat Eren and Cinder created years ago. Their plan worked like a charm once the first wall was complete, any Grimm that tried to get close immediately fell in with no way out. But there were times, like today, when the Grimm were able to avoid the moat and circle the wall. This called for a team of men and women to go outside and deal with the Grimm themselves.

Once the gate was open, the group of people broke in half, running around the wall and killing every Grimm they could see. The packs consisted of Beowolves and Ursai, both Majors and Minors. But given what they already accomplished, killing Grimm was child's play to the three teenagers.

"We're making good progress," said Nora, who shot an Ursa with Magnhild. "He certainly knows what he's doing."

"He was a former Huntsman after all," said Ren, who pulled his blades out of a dying Beowolf.

"You talking about the man with a plan?" Mercury asked, who was unfamiliar with the apparent leader of the group.

"We are. His name's August Cedar, a former Huntsman from Vale."

"Oh, yeah? He doesn't look old enough to retire."

"That would be because he didn't retire. He quit."

Mercury kicked a Beowolf away from him and rejoined his friends. "Quit? That's the first time I've heard that."

"Yeah, well, he did the right thing," said Nora. "He's like us. Y'know, not a big fan of Huntsmen or Huntresses."

"Then why was he one to begin with?"

"Just to make money, I guess. But he quit after his team refused to take a mission in Vale, one that he said could have saved lives."

"What was the other job?"

"Perimeter Defense. The easiest job in the book, apparently."

"And they chose that over..."

Ren turned around this time. "A Search and Destroy. When Huntsmen and Huntresses are needed most."

"Huh." Mercury looked at the ground and kicked the dirt. "Dicks."

"August thought the same thing. When he learned what happened with... your father, he moved here and began to do some good."

"Well, good for him." Mercury kicked another Grimm's face before he turned back to his friends. "Lord knows someone had to pick up the pieces, am I right?"

"Yep," Nora said, still remembering the damage Marcus left. The conversation became dry with the mention of Mercury's father, so everyone focused on killing more Grimm. And after a few more minutes, they were close to being done.

"I think we're almost back at the bridge," said Mercury, who kicked another Beowolf away.

"We'll get some rest before we head out again," said Ren. "Also, I need to get more am-"

*BOOM*

Everyone turned to the direction of the gate, where smoke was coming out of the top.

"What was that?" Nora asked quickly.

"Sounded like a cannon," said Mercury.

"We weren't supposed to fire them unless there was an emergency," said Ren, who started to run back towards the wall entrance. "Come on!"

---

Eren was currently sitting alone in his room. He was expecting to have started his conversation with Darkness earlier, but his head was wrapped in so many questions that he couldn't figure out where to properly begin. There was so much he had to know, and not just about Winter and Ymir. Dina and Carla had lived on Remnant their whole lives, but why were things different with Ymir? Their deaths weren't far apart, but that should have meant they would be in Remnant for the same amount of time.

Right?

Eren was starting to grow annoyed at his indecisiveness, so he decided to go in and see how things went. So after he got comfortable on the floor, he closed his eyes and concentrated. When they were open, Eren's eyes showed him nothing but red rocks and dark crystals, as well as the large white tree a few yards away from him.

"Ah, Eren."

The boy stood up and turned around to see a purple figure with horns on its head standing behind him, with its hands behind its back. "It's been a long time since we last spoke," said the God of Darkness. "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me."

"Forgetting... isn't really something I know how to do," said Eren, who stayed right where he was. "Being the Attack Titan... helped with that."

"I suppose so." Darkness didn't move from his spot either. "And what of being the Founding Titan once more? I trust it has been going well?"

"I've been training, and creating new Titans."

"Ah, yes. I've seen them and their exploits. I believe your friends call them the Incinerator, Predator, and..." Darkness put a hand to his chin and remained silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Electro! Yes, I believe that was the word your unpredictable friend made for herself."

"So... you've been keeping an eye on them. Like you did with me."

"I like to think living for multiple eons has taught me patience, but I haven't felt this much anticipation for some time now. And why shouldn't I?" Darkness raised his right hand into the air. "Four Titans walking Remnant, two of them having found their true potential. And the last one tearing down a camp of more than fifty people? Ah, it truly feels like my will is being done once more."

Eren wasn't very amused or looking to gain approval from a being that called itself a god, so he decided to get to the point. "Does your will involve Ymir? Or how you trapped her like your brother did with Ozma?"

Darkness looked back at Eren. "Oh, yes. That was what you wished to speak about, isn't it?"

"That's right. I've been thinking about it, and I keep coming back to the same conclusion."

"Which is?"

"It's your fault."

Darkness chuckled as he waved his hand. "You were always a bold one, Eren. That was always one of the traits I admired about you."

Eren crossed his arms. "You've told me you know a couple of old sayings. Does 'Flattery will get you nowhere' ring any bells for you?"

"I rest my case." Darkness turned around and waved his hand, making a stone table and seat for Eren, like the one he made when they first met. "You want to know how it happened, don't you?"

"And how I can fix it."

"Hm... now that might be a challenge. See, undoing what has been done takes time and energy, something that can't go unnoticed."

Eren finally sat down. "How did it happen in the first place? And how is it Ms. Fritz lived longer than Ymir? I'm almost sure they died around the same time."

Darkness moved to the other end of the table, not bothering to make a seat for himself. "Yes, well... How should I put this? Time in the afterlife, as well in the Coordinate, isn't what you may believe it to be. Tell me, do you remember your last conversation with your brother?"

Eren didn't like to talk about the enemies he made in Paradis, let alone the family that he had to betray. And yet, Zeke seemed to play some kind of role in the Paths, so he decided to listen. "I remember," he said truthfully. "It was mostly about my father and a fight over Ymir's fate."

"Yes. Before all that, he was in the Paths much longer than you. See, what was seconds for you... felt like an eternity for Zeke. And I don't mean to exaggerate."

"Does the same idea work in the afterlife?"

"I don't believe you're ready to know much about it. But to answer your question... in a way."

Eren was beginning to understand that time moved differently between his world and the next. But that didn't explain everything. "So why was it different with Ozma?" he asked. "When Salem asked you to bring him back?"

"I had a more clear goal," said the purple man. "Rather than being quick and random like the women you know, I had a plan with Ozma."

"So that's it?" Eren clenched his fists. "You just... didn't care what happened to them?"

"Why should I? Their only reason for existing once more was to prove a point. So Ymir was a... What's the word?" Darkness snapped his fingers once more. "Fluke, I believe. They still served their purpose, proved my point."

"Oh, you're right," Eren said sarcastically. "Your point. Right, you just get to decide who lives and dies, who gets a second chance and who gets to be missed in the real world."

"Of course." Darkness moved closer to Eren. "Eren, we have been over this before. I. Am. A god. What is the point of having the power I have and not using it as I see fit? I have no ties to Remnant or its people, no duties to anyone else. As of now, my only concern is removing a pest I allowed to live for an unhealthy amount of time."

Eren stood up from the table. "Then why should I even bother helping you?" he asked. "I have people who count on me, people who actually need me. Is any of this sinking in?"

"..."

Eren sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, let me explain. To you, this is all about Salem. You might see what's going on in the world, but you're not actually there." Eren turned around and threw his hands up for a split second. "For me, it's more than that. This is about me wanting to make some people I care about proud. Do what they would do in my position, rather than making the same mistakes over and over again."

"Mistakes?" Darkness asked. "You were successful on Paradis, were you not?"

Eren turned around once again. "All I did was make the world hate one person rather than a group of people," he explained. "I can't make hate go away, nobody can. So I turned it all on myself, made myself 'The Devil of All Earth.' And now, I have a chance to grow past that."

"Ah, yes." Darkness moved closer. "I've seen the Titans you've chosen. They weren't random, weren't chances of circumstance. You chose friends, the people that make you happy. I can see you make them happy as well. Tell me, do you know how lucky you all are that I chose you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it." Darkness moved closer. "You may question my thinking, question my decisions and beliefs, but do you ever regret that I chose you? That I am the reason for your newfound happiness, rather than that slave you cherish?"

Eren was beginning to get frustrated at the mention of Cinder, but he didn't act on these feelings. Instead, he used what Ren taught him and did everything in his power to control himself. "Cinder isn't a slave. She's one of the best things I've found on Remnant. She's not with me because of you."

"I have to disagree." Darkness pointed to the large tree in the distance. "We both know the Rumbling wasn't the only thing you saw when you first connected with the royal blood."

"So what?"

"You saw more than one possibility, more than one path laid before you." Darkness looked back to Eren. "This Coordinate is similar. I saw multiple ways the stories your friends share could go."

A twinge of fear crawled up Eren's spine. "So you saw how everything I do will end?"

"Actually, no. I wish to see that happen rather than a simple possibility." Darkness lowered his hand. "But what I did see was indeed entertaining. Allow me to demonstrate." With a snap of his fingers Darkness presented a story to Eren.

One that would shake him to his core.

Right before his eyes was Salem herself, looking down at the ground. Only it wasn't the stone floor she was looking at. It was a young girl with black hair kneeling before her.

"You will question everything you know," the witch said to the woman. "You will see things that cannot be unseen."

The girl before her said nothing, she simply continued to bow and stare at the ground.

"There will be no turning back, but your journey will not be unrewarded."

This time, the girl spoke without moving her head. "I want to be strong. I want to be feared."

Salem smiled as she moved her hand. "And you will be. But first, you must be mine. And mine alone." When the witch moved her hand, the girl's head moved as well. And Eren felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw that Salem was talking to Cinder. And Cinder seemed to be here of her own free will. "I must hear you say it."

Cinder took a deep breath and uttered a phrase that broke Eren's heart. "Without you... I am nothing."

The image disappeared, leaving Eren to turn away in silence. He couldn't believe that of all things could have been a possibility, and he didn't want to hear any more about the others. Darkness was pleased with the result, seeing that he proved another point.

"Now do you see?" he proudly declared. He then placed his hand on Eren's shoulder, which felt cold and lifeless. "Or do you wish to follow me... and ponder the question... what if?"

Eren shrugged the hand off his shoulder. "...No," he said.

"Very well," said the dark god. "Now, I allowed you to question me just to prove a point. I will leave you to your own devices, and I expect you to leave me to mine. Should there be another incident, I do not expect it to go so well."

"...Fine."

Eren suddenly found himself in his room. Unsurprisingly, his first thoughts were Cinder's well-being. Darkness' vision ran through his head on a loop, and it was hard to break the loop. So all he wanted to do was see her once again.

And his wish came true when he saw her standing on the other side of the door, appearing just how he left her.

"Ah, Eren!" Cinder said in surprise. "Sorry, I was just wanted to see how it..." Cinder lost her train of thought when she saw how scared and pale Eren was. "Whoa, are you okay?"

"Cinder... Thank God," Eren thought as he quickly embraced her. While the hug brought him happiness and comfort once again, Cinder felt nothing but concern and worry. Nevertheless, she returned the hug. After a few seconds, he let her go and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just... I really needed that."

Cinder became even more concerned, which led her to placing a hand on Eren's cheek and asking a question. "What happened?"

"It... didn't go very well."

"Did he hurt you? Threaten you?"

Eren was scared beyond belief, given that he had no idea that what Darkness said was possible. Of course, it could have been one big lie to put him in his place. But that didn't mean the Coordinate couldn't show him a time where Cinder was the enemy. Or when Ren and Nora were losing an impossible war, most likely against Salem. But that didn't change the fact that Cinder, his Cinder, was still here. She was still here, on his side, and still cared about her friends.

And she needed to know how much he cared for her.

"No, I'm fine," Eren said. "I guess you could say... I had a bad dream."

"Oh..." Cinder looked back at where Winter Schnee was. "Maybe you should get some rest, I'll keep an eye on the Atlesian." She began to walk away, but Eren gently took her hand.

"Cinder, wait a second." When amber met aqua, Eren began to lose his train of thought. "Can I... Listen, I really need to tell you something."

"Yes?"

Eren didn't let go of her hand, he continued to stumble over his words. "I... Sorry, this is just... really new for me."

"Eren, it's okay." Cinder smiled and put a hand on his cheek once again. "You can tell me anything."

"Okay." Eren took another breath. "It's just that... seeing you again... makes me feel better, and-"

Cinder felt a heat rise to her face. "Aw, thanks, Eren."

"Well, not just better. I also fe-"

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

Eren felt a vibrating sensation in his pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out his Scroll. He saw that he was getting a call from Nora. Quickly ignoring the call, Eren looked back at Cinder. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Cinder said. "Sorry, what else were you saying?"

"Right. I was saying that I-"

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

Cinder reached into her pocket and took out her Scroll. "That's weird," she said. "Now she's calling me. And it's a videocall." She looked back up at Eren, who was looking at the Scroll's screen. Taking it as a sign that she should answer it, Cinder accepted the call and saw Nora looking around frantically. They both could hear people screaming behind her.

"Cinder, Eren!" Nora cried out. "Don't come out of the walls! Stay where you are!"

"Nora?" Cinder asked. "Don't come... What are you talking about?"

A loud screech caught Nora's attention, and she turned to the sky. "Oh, no." She looked past the screen to people who were out of the frame. "Run! Everyone, get inside!" The call abruptly ended, leaving a confused Eren and Cinder.

---

The reason Nora's call ended abruptly was because she was trying to help two people close the town's gate. But the numerous Beowolves ripping at the metal were making the task easier said than done. If they weren't helping fire the cannons, the defensemen were trying to push the Grimm away and make the gate shut. While they were putting up a good fight with their guns and spears, the savage monsters struck back with their fangs and claws, either ripping into people's chests or biting at their necks.

When he ran out of bullets, Ren quickly joined Nora and helped her close the gate. Once the gears finally began to turn, the gate shut on both Grimm and defensemen. The teenagers quickly locked the gear and ran to the gate, to see what they could do. But once they saw the remains of the wounded, they could see nothing would be good enough to save everyone.

"I don't wanna die!" a man with fox ears cried as he held his neck, which was bleeding very fast.

A Human was applying pressure to the wound, trying to do everything he could to prevent blood loss. "Somebody help me!" he begged, not wanting to see his friend die. Suddenly, the man could see that the life had left from the Faunus' eyes, leaving an expression of fear on the corpse.

Nora looked away from the body while Ren held her close. He looked up from her head when he saw Mercury running towards them. "Did you guys see it?" he asked frantically. "I don't think I've ever seen that many Grimm before."

"Neither have I," Ren acknowledged. "There was the time when Nora and I were children, but this... this is a horde."

Mercury nodded as he pointed upward. "I heard August talking to the people up top. They said the ones who aren't trying to get inside are surrounding the wall."

Nora looked back at Mercury. "I called Eren and Cinder," she said. "I couldn't tell them what's going on, but they're not gonna leave the walls."

"Nobody can leave the walls." Mercury moved his finger around the perimeter of the stone. "They're all here. Beowolves, Ursai, Beringels, all outside the walls."

"Beringels?" Ren asked in disbelief. "If one of them tries to climb the wall, others will do the same thing."

Mercury nodded. "And we can't use our cannons to shoot them off, not without damaging the wall."

"So what do we do?" Nora asked. "Wait, didn't we finish the backdoor last week?" She pointed south of where they were, where there was a large gate that led to the outside of Kuroyuri.

"That's only used for a last resort," Ren pointed out. "If we were to leave right now, it would be suicide."

"Yeah, but don't worry," Mercury said as he put a hand on Nora's shoulder. "The team's doing the best they can with those cannons. And we got no flying Grimm, so we can focus on the ground. And August is having us watch the gates and kill Grimm when we can. In fact..." Mercury moved past his friends. "I'm gonna go finish up my new weapons, see if I can help out. I'll meet you back here." He immediately took off running and left Ren and Nora to look at each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked with a smile.

"Our Titans can take care of a horde like that," Ren acknowledged. "It may take time, but I have nowhere else to be."

"I'll call Eren and Cinder."

Ren and Nora began to walk away from the gate, leaving August to talk to the rest of the team.

"This isn't looking good," said a woman with rabbit ears, who was pointing upward. "Billy said there must be over a hundred at our doorstep."

"And there's more where that came from over the horizon," said an older man.

August sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "There's no possible way they're going away," he admitted. "Veronica, I want you at this gate. Send a team out there every half hour, kill as many Grimm as you can and get back inside."

"You got it."

August watched the young woman leave before speaking to his other companion. "Julian, I want you to do the same at the back gate. If worse comes to worse, we need to be ready."

"Sure thing. What are you gonna do in the meantime?"

"Something I never thought I'd do again." August began to walk away from the gate. "Make a call to Haven. Get some Huntsmen out here."

---

News of the Grimm horde outside the walls reached the town fast. Everyone became incredibly nervous and a few people began to panic, but order was quickly restored. News of reluctantly calling Huntsmen and Huntresses also made people nervous, given what had happened with Marcus Black and stories they heard across the outskirts.

However, if they were to survive, the people of Kuroyuri needed to accept the reality that they needed professional help in this matter.

Eren and Cinder were the most skeptical and hostile towards the idea of Huntsmen and Huntresses. They had heard bad stories from neighboring villages, which made their skin crawl. The stories weren't about crimes or illegal activities like Marcus Black conducted, but there were times when help rarely came or where it cost a fortune that the towns couldn't always provide.

And so, after they listened to Nora, Eren and Cinder decided to take matters in their own hands. They left Winter and Ymir where they were before they left the house. Since their plan involved their Titans, Eren and Cinder decided to leave their weapons behind. Carla and Dina were also a little nervous about the situation, so they didn't try to make their children change their minds.

Given what happened with the SDC, they knew what Eren and Cinder were capable of.

Confident that they would be safe, Carla and Dina decided to take their minds off the Grimm by working. Dina decided to prepare some new work for her students on Monday, and Carla retired to her study to go over the farm's paperwork.

While she was aware that the wall needed people like Eren, whether he turned into a Titan or not, Carla was a little disappointed that Eren wouldn't be helping her like she planned. She knew today would be a busy day, and having Eren help with the paperwork would help lighten the load.

Also, in her mind, the material was something Eren needed to understand.

Carla's paperwork usually consisted of crop records, equipment inventory, financial statements, and documentation related to livestock. She had a good eye for details, so she knew when to make adjustments and evaluate progress. Details and good habits like these were pivotal to proper organization, which was something that Carla wanted to teach Eren.

However, Carla couldn't really understand why Eren was so opposed to understanding this.

Just like this morning, Carla would need to twist Eren's arm a little to convince him to work with her. It was very odd, since Eren usually expressed enthusiasm and good work ethic when he worked outside. Her other employees would always have something positive to say about Eren, since it was clear he prided himself in doing his part on his family's farm.

But for some reason, Eren never had that same kind of behavior with her kind of work. And today, Carla was about to find out why.

"That's funny," Carla said as she looked over one piece of paper. "We're never this behind on landscaping." The farmer had just noticed that a piece of land she planned to use for planting vegetables still needed to be prepared, which resulted in a missed deadline.

And as Carla looked over other reports, she noticed that other deadlines had been missed. Oddly enough, they were all kinds of work that Eren would usually take. This confused Carla even more, since she knew how much of a hard worker Eren was.

She was ready to get to the bottom of this.

"Okay... I got these from Peter," Carla recalled before she stood up. "He should be at the barn right now." With that in mind, Carla left her house and moved towards the barn.

Just as she predicted, Carla found her employee Peter in the barn. He had just finished moving bales of straw, so he didn't hear Carla coming towards him. Carla was about to make her presence known by calling out to him, but another voice filled the air.

"Hey, Pete!"

Carla closed her mouth and remained silent when she saw another one of her employees walking over to Peter. Not wanting to be rude, Carla decided to wait her turn to talk and let the farmhands carry out their conversation.

"Hey, Otto," said Peter. "How's it going?"

"Okay," said Otto. "Listen, I hate to do this, but do you think you could help me pick up the slack on the landscaping?"

"Yeah, no problem. My team just finished up with the crops, and I'm done in here."

Carla immediately recognized the opportunity before her. She might not have to ask about the drop in progress, since her employees were apparently aware of the situation.

Now she was about to find out what was going on.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," said Otto. "Carla's killing me with this. I already got Abraham and Holly pulling doubles."

"I hear ya," said Peter. "It's not Carla, though. Eren's our best guy for landscaping and harvesting."

Otto was relativity a new member of Carla's employees. He knew that Eren was Carla's son, as well as how good he was at work that required heavy lifting.

"Yeah, I was looking for Eren," he said. "Where is he?"

"Probably working with Carla," said Peter. "She's got this big plan to have him run this place when she retires."

"Wait, really?" Otto was skeptical of the idea. "That's kinda dumb. Don't get me wrong, he's a great help around here. But I don't think he seems manager material."

"You and me both. Eren knows it too, actually. He was telling me that he works better out here than inside a few days ago. I think that's like the fourth time I heard about it."

"But Carla makes him work with her anyway?"

"Yeah. I feel bad for the kid." Peter began to walk away, and Otto quickly joined him.

"Well, maybe he should say something," Otto suggested. "If he were out here more, the landscaping would be done in no time."

"Eh, I don't know. If Carla hasn't found out Eren doesn't want her job by now, I don't think she ever will."

"..."

Carla didn't leave the barn immediately after Peter and Otto left. But when she did, Carla became more and more confused with each step she took back to the house. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had no qualms about her employees venting about their jobs, but Carla was having trouble comprehending the situation with Eren.

She wasn't mad, she was just having a hard time making sense of it. Carla couldn't believe that she was apparently the reason behind the lack in progress. She knew Eren was good at his job, but it seemed that she underestimated the impact he had left on the fields. Taking him away from his role had led to nothing but repercussions.

Carla's plan to make Eren a manager had done more harm than good in more ways than one.

Carla wasn't angry at Eren for not wanting her job, but she was a little disappointed that Eren talked about it with other people instead of her. She felt that Eren could talk to her about anything, but he apparently didn't think he could talk to her about this.

That was what hurt most of all. Eren and Carla spent a long time rebuilding their relationship, and Carla always felt that she was in a good place with her son. The last thing she wanted was for him to think that he needed to hide things from her, especially his own feelings.

But why did he feel the need to do so?

"Is this... my fault?" Carla wondered after she reentered the house. She recalled how she would often have to convince Eren to learn about her kind of work, and how he never needed any convincing to work on the fields. And when she did convince him, Eren would always be reluctant to do so.

It seemed that Carla's attempts to work closer with her son had only succeeded in pushing him away.

Rather than let these negative thoughts and ideas linger in her head, which could possibly lead to attracting Grimm, Carla decided to try and express these feelings and get a second opinion. Fortunately, Dina had noticed that something was bothering her friend.

"Carla, what's wrong?" she asked as she put down the papers she was reading. "Did something happen outside with the Grimm?"

"Oh, no," Cara insisted. "Everything's fine... last I heard." Carla took a seat and explained her situation. "I'm sorry, I just... have a bit of a work problem."

Dina was just about done with her own work, so she was willing to lend an ear to Carla. "What's going on?"

"It's about Eren. I think... I think I made a big mistake."

Dina's mild concern was starting to rise at this point, but she didn't show it. At first, she believed that Carla was worried about Eren fighting the large Grimm horde, so she told her friend that he would be fine. And she had faith Cinder would keep an eye on him too.

But after Carla declared that she wasn't concerned about the Grimm, she told Dina the conversation she overheard. Then, she explained how she may have done more harm than good not just with her business, but also her relationship with Eren as well.

Oddly enough, Dina actually knew what Carla was talking about. Cinder once came to her for advice after Eren told her how uncomfortable he was trying to do work like Carla's, but Dina didn't want her to interfere with what she perceived to be privacy between Eren and Carla. She assumed that the two of them could work it out.

Unfortunately, it appeared Eren never took his chance and inadvertently allowed Carla to find out in a different manner.

"I just don't understand," Carla said after she finished explaining her plight. "What did I do wrong?"

Dina felt sorry for Carla, since she could see where she was coming from. Her efforts with the Restorationists had led to her pushing Zeke away, which was the last thing she wanted. Carla's situation wasn't the same thing, but they appeared to bear some similarities. And since Dina learned from her mistakes, she was ready to help Carla do the same.

"I see where you're coming from, Carla," Dina said sympathetically. "But there's something I don't quite understand; why did you want Eren to take your job?"

Carla didn't need long to answer this question. "Well, this farm's always been in my family. I thought having Eren running it one day made sense."

Dina was well aware of how long Carla's family ran the farm, so this was a logical thing to conclude. However, there was something about the answer that Dina didn't like. She didn't have any proof, but her intuition was telling her that there was more to this story.

"...Are you sure that's it?" she asked skeptically. "That's your only reason?"

"..."

Carla could tell that Dina was skeptical of the answer. And as she thought about it, Carla could see that it wasn't really an acceptable answer anymore. It was obvious that Eren didn't agree with this logic, even though he was a smart person.

And in all honesty, there was something else that Carla had in mind. It was a kind of hope, a wish she had as Eren grew up. It seemed she believed Eren taking her job would make the wish come true, but she was wrong.

Nevertheless, Carla explained what her wish was.

"I thought... I thought it would make him want to stay here," she confessed. "That he wouldn't feel the need to leave one day."

Dina was glad that she got her friend to open up about her problems, but she didn't understand everything just yet. She couldn't think of a reason why Eren would want to leave Kuroyuri, since he obviously loved his family and friends. Fortunately, Carla explained further.

"Do you remember when Eren said he had a purpose here?" Carla asked. "That he had some kind of mission? How he's supposed to stop this woman who controls Grimm from destroying the world?"

Carla had told this to Dina while Eren shared his story with her, so Dina knew what her friend was talking about. "You mean with Salem?" she asked. "Yes, I remember that."

Carla nodded. "I do too. When Eren told me everything, I understood that he had to go. That he would have to fight her in order to protect the world. But over the years, every day I spent with him... I started to hate the idea."

"..."

"Dina, having Eren back in my life was a godsend. He changed my whole world for the better, and he's still doing that. Whether he's working on the farm or defending it, he's done nothing but prove that he's earned his keep. And he's just supposed to give it up to fight someone who hasn't even done anything in years?"

"..."

"I mean, I haven't heard about any major Grimm attacks in years. Nothing along the lines of Grimm conquering the world. If Salem was really as much of a threat as Eren believes, wouldn't she have done something by now? So why should Eren have to leave?"

"..."

"And what if something were to happen if he did leave? What if... What if I need him here for me?"

"..."

Carla suddenly realized that her last question wasn't a hypothetical one. She immediately believed that she did need Eren. Having him around not only made her feel happy, but it also helped her feel stronger. She had started to see that Eren would always be a warrior, and the times he had defended Kuroyuri made everyone feel secure. Carla was very proud of her son, and it reached the point where Eren had become her rock, her source of inner strength. Ever since they had mended their relationship, Carla felt that she was at her best whenever Eren was around.

If he were to leave... Carla didn't think that she would be the same person she was now. She felt that she would be something less, something that didn't matter. And even worse, if she found out that Eren had died while he was gone... Carla didn't know if she could live with herself.

Carla didn't want to be a failure of a mother. She didn't want any harm to come to her son, the best thing about her life in Paradis and Remnant. She wanted him to be in her life, always.

But now, Dina had to show Carla that what she wanted wasn't entirely possible.

"Carla... I don't think that's your decision to make," Dina said calmly. "I mean, that's very sweet of you. I know you don't want anything bad to happen to Eren, that you would feel better knowing he's safe and happy... but that won't always be up to you."

"..."

Carla wasn't expecting an immediate disagreement from Dina, but she didn't argue with the idea. Instead, she listened carefully to what her friend had to say.

"When I left for school in Mistral, I actually told my mom that I wasn't sure how well I would do," she continued. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave Kuroyuri. I thought I would be better at home. Do you know what she said to me?"

"What's that?" Carla asked.

Dina recalled the wisdom her mother had left her, something that made her feel confident and ready to be a part of the outside world. And now, she gladly passed that wisdom onto Carla.

"All children leave home sooner or later. But the joy... is to watch them fly."

"..."

Dina reached out to Carla and took her hand. "Eren will know when he's ready to fly. All you can do is accept that he can do it."

"..."

Carla needed a moment to process the advice, but she was able to see the wisdom in it. Once she did, Carla began to feel like a big fool. Her wish concerning Eren, while filled with good intention, was very selfish. In her efforts to make Eren take on her role, Carla was denying her son what he really wanted. She was denying what he was meant to do with his work as well as his life.

Just like she discovered years ago, Eren didn't have the mindset of a little boy. He had matured, he had learned from his mistakes and was willing to do better. Even more so, he was willing to focus on a bigger picture and set out to do something good and extraordinary. Carla knew that she was content with her simple life, but she understood that Eren had to do more. She couldn't make him see what she saw, just like he couldn't do that with her.

And if Carla wanted to be a good mother, she was going to have to accept the fact that Eren would have to leave one day. That one day he would be ready to accomplish the mission he had accepted and fight for the future.

And now... Carla could see that she wouldn't want Eren to be any different.

"...You're right," she said. "Oh, my gosh. I've been an idiot." Carla rubbed her forehead as she realized that she had indeed made a mistake with Eren.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to fix that mistake.

"Thank you, Dina," Carla said as she let go of her friend's hand. "I really appreciate that."

Dina smiled. "You're welcome," she said. "Wait, where are you going?"

Carla had stood up and moved to the door. "I'm going to find Eren. Knowing him, he's probably finished with those Grimm." She smiled as she thought about her son. "I'm so proud of him."

---

"So there must be almost three hundred out there. I don't think I've seen something like this before."

"Damn, that's insane. You gonna be okay?"

"I dunno, babe. They want me out there soon, once I finish these things."

Mercury was finishing off his weapons, a pair of boots with firing mechanisms built into them. They would shoot a range of projectiles, from Fire Dust to Wind Dust. In the meantime, he was on a video call with Vernal, who heard about a Huntsman mission when on an assignment from her boss.

"Out there?" Vernal asked. "Okay, level with me. Are they really high? Or just really stupid?"

"Probably a little bit of both," said Mercury, who took off the goggles he was wearing. "What, you don't think that's a good idea?"

"Last time I heard an idea that stupid, I watched you fall in a koi pond. Indoors."

Mercury chuckled at the memory. "Yeah, yeah. But seriously, we all gotta pull our own weight if we're getting out of here."

"Can't argue with that."

"So you said there are Huntsmen coming?"

"Yeah. There should be about ten of them coming."

"Ten? Do they know how many Grimm are out here?"

"Yeah, but nobody else wants to risk their lives. I've seen people choose other missions all frickin' day from where I am."

Mercury scoffed as he looked back at his boots. "Remind me why we have these people again."

"You got me. Anyways, the team leaves in a few, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay, see you-Wait, what?" Mercury looked up from his creation. "Did you say you're coming here?"

"Yeah. Spider got me this forged license 'cause they don't wanna see this one Huntsman anymore." Vernal winked when she finished talking. "Besides, I've never actually killed a Grimm before. Lookin' forward to it."

"Well, if you're sure... I'd make sure to make it look accidental. And try not to die when you get here."

"Oh, no. I was thinking of just walking right into an Ursa's jaw." Vernal rolled her eyes as she played off her own sarcasm. "Seriously, don't get your panties in a wad."

"Oh, don't worry. Once we're done here, I'll be getting yours in a wad."

"Oh, really?" Vernal leaned closer. "I'd like to see you try."

Mercury chuckled. "Then you'd better come over."

"I'll be there. See ya."

"Later."

Vernal ended the call, leaving Mercury back to his own devices. And after a few minutes, Mercury was able to behold his greatest creation; two boots capable of firing projectiles when he kicked something. In order for a proper field test, Mercury put them on and stepped out of the barn, where he had created his own workshop.

"So far, so good," Mercury thought to himself. "They're not exploding when I walk. Let's see how they feel." He took a few practice kicks in the air, where nothing happened. "Little heavy, but I'll get used to it." Mercury looked to his right and saw a tree. "Now, let's see how they can pack a punch." Quickly running towards the tree, Mercury jumped in the air and kicked the tree. Suddenly, his foot let off a huge explosion and knocked him backwards. The tree fell over, but Mercury was more concerned about something else.

"Augh, shit!" he cried as he took off the flaming boot. "Shit, shit, shit!" He kicked off his boot and quickly took the other one off as he backed away. "Okay... needs a little work."

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

Mercury reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll, seeing a videocall coming from Emerald. Mentally sighing, he answered the call. "Hey, Em. Listen, I'm actually gonna need some more time before coming to you."

"We don't have a lot more time," said Emerald, who moved her Scroll down below the wall. More and more Grimm had begun to circle the stone structure, and even a few Grimm were starting to climb it. Emerald swung her chain at a Beringel, which made contact with its skull. "We really need more people out here."

"Alright, I'll be there in a few. Tell August those Huntsmen will be here in less than twenty."

"Got it. Also, see if you can bring more-"

*BOOM*

A large explosion made Emerald fall over and drop her Scroll. Mercury couldn't hear its exact sound from where he was, but he could tell from the Scroll that it was much louder up close. It was so loud that Emerald couldn't hear Mercury calling her name on the other end until ten seconds had passed.

"Emerald!" Mercury called for what felt like the hundredth time. After she finally picked up her Scroll, Mercury felt somewhat relieved as he asked his next question. "What the hell was that?!"

"I... I don't know," Emerald said while rubbing her head. She began to glow a soft green as her Aura began to heal her head and ear, which was bleeding. "It came from... Oh, Gods."

"What?"

"Oh, Gods."

"Emerald, I can't see shit! What's going on?!"

Emerald looked back at her Scroll before turning it. When she did, Mercury shared her sentiments. There were four Grimm, larger than anything else and humanoid in appearance. They seemed to be about fifty feet away from the wall, and now they were coming towards it as fast as lightning. And one of them was holding a ball of red lightning in its hands.

"We're doomed," Emerald said as she looked at the oncoming giants. "We're all gonna-!" She stopped talking when she began to hear something else. Looking around the wall, she saw people lowering their weapons and getting off the cannons. Instead of firing at the new monsters, the entire defense team began to cheer. They clapped and shouted as the towering Grimm grew closer and closer.

"Why are you cheering?!" Emerald yelled in disbelief. "These things are gonna break the wall!"

"Emerald, calm down!" Mercury screamed into the Scroll. Once he had her attention again, he gave her another order. "Look closer."

Emerald looked back at the Grimm, much closer than before. Instead of attacking the walls, these Grimm were attacking the smaller Grimm on the ground. While two were simply stomping and crushing them, the other two were shooting fire and lightning.

"What the hell?" Emerald asked in disbelief.

"Just stay there," Mercury ordered. "I'm coming to you." He hung up the Scroll and began to run towards the first wall. Picking up a shotgun along the way, he made it in about ten minutes. Using a wooden elevator system made for going up the wall, Mercury joined Emerald as she witnessed the cannons taking care of avian Grimm and the humanoid ones taking care of the rest.

"Pretty crazy, huh?" Mercury asked when he joined Emerald.

"This... This shouldn't be possible," said Emerald, who didn't take her eyes of the larger Grimm. "What are they?"

"Ren told me they're called 'Titans.' And they've been here since he was a kid. One of them even saved his life."

Emerald spun her head in Mercury's direction. "You're kidding me."

"Not this time." Mercury continued to stare at the Titans. "Nobody knows what they are, nobody knows where they came from. The one thing we do know is that they like it here. First, it was help with making the moat and walls. Then, it was defending the expansion. And now... this."

Emerald looked back at the Titans. "But they're Grimm."

"I know."

"Actual Grimm."

"I know." Mercury started to chuckle. "Like I said, nobody has a clue why they do this. And I don't think we've seen those ones before." He pointed to a larger Titan and then to a smaller one.

"How long do you figure until they're all done?"

Mercury looked down below the wall, seeing nothing but Grimm smoke under the Titans' feet. "Given what these things can do... I'd say they'll finish off the ones on the ground in ten minutes." Mercury suddenly slapped his forehead. "Shit, that means these Huntsmen will be coming out for nothing."

Emerald looked back at Mercury. "Wait, they don't expect to be payed, do they?"

"I'm sure they'll want some kind of travel fee. And I wouldn't be surprised if they want it doubled for wasting their time."

"Hey, it's not our fault these things took care of it all."

"No, but somebody has to answer for it."

"When did you say they'd be coming?"

Mercury looked at his Scroll. "Looks like they'll be-"

*THOOM*

A brief rumbling of the ground knocked Mercury and Emerald over, causing them to fall onto the wall's surface. Emerald nearly fell off, but used her hooks to catch herself. After climbing back up, she saw the rest of the defense team had also fallen over.

"What was that?" Emerald asked.

"I dunno," said Mercury, who was also surprised by the sudden earthquake. "Did the Titans do something?"

"No, look." Emerald pointed to the distance, where the Titans were looking around as they regained their composure. "They look as confused as us."

*THOOM*

Another rumble made everyone stumble over. But Mercury and Emerald were able to steady themselves. And Emerald was able to notice something. "It feels like it's coming from over there," she said as she pointed towards a part of the wall.

Mercury followed her finger, which led to a mountain in the distance. Just as he was about to ask what could be out there, large rocks on the mountain began to fall. The dust from the rocks could be seen from where they were, and Mercury was using his Scroll's camera to zoom in as close as he could. More rocks began to fall, much faster than before.

"What the...?" Mercury asked in disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Is it an earthquake?" Emerald asked.

"It can't be. There are no fault lines out here. And it looks like the mountain's... breaking apart."

"What could do that?"

The mountain suddenly exploded, leaving a larger dust cloud. And on top of that cloud was a Grimm nobody had ever seen in Kuroyuri before. Larger than a Nevermore, with wings red as blood and an exposed ribcage. A Wyvern.

[Play 'Attack on Titan XL-TT' on YouTube]

Everyone on the wall was too surprised by the arrival of the rare Grimm to try and stop it from coming closer to the walls. And it immediately flew overhead, screeching and observing the fear-ridden villagers below. Once it made another pass, the Electro Titan shot a beam of electricity from its hand, but the Wyvern was able to dodge it. Once it did, black ooze began to fall from its underbelly. The ooze fell onto one part of the wall, which also fell on part of the defense team.

"Oh, my Gods!" Emerald cried as she heard screams of agony from where the ooze fell. And to make matters worse, the ooze began to fall deeper and deeper, taking parts of the wall with it. After a minute, the ooze disappeared and left a large hole in the wall.

"It breached the wall," Mercury whispered in shock. Finding his voice, he screamed out in shock. "It breached the wall!"

---

Eren and the other Titans watched in horror as part of the wall disappeared. After sharing a brief glance with each other, they ran towards the breach. But by the time they got there, the Grimm had started to run inside and make their way to the village.

The defense team was facing a war on two fronts, with Emerald and Mercury racing towards the other side to fight off the invasion. Eren took the distraction as an opportunity and guided his friends away from the wall. Once they were far away, everyone exited their Titans.

"Oh, Gods..." Cinder said with a gasp. "It broke through the wall."

Eren shared Cinder's distress, but he didn't resort to panic. Before he did anything else, he quickly took out his Scroll and texted his mother what happened. Now she had enough warning to get to the farm cellar with everyone.

"What are we gonna do?" Nora asked frantically. "We had no idea... whatever that thing is would come!"

"I've heard about something like this before," said Ren. "I think they call it a 'Wyvern.' I've heard it can make Grimm by dropping that ooze that breached the wall."

"It's too fast for Nora's lightning, and I'm sure it's too fast for my fire," said Cinder. "We gotta make a plan."

"Okay, forget the outside," said Eren. "I can make a crystal shard to block more Grimm from coming in that way. So if this thing can make Grimm like Ren said, it's gonna drop more in the village."

"So now we focus on the inside rather than out." Ren put a hand to his chin. "I don't think the bunker will be safe anymore."

"So let's lead them out the back gate!" Nora shouted. "If the Grimm will come in through the breach, they won't be surrounding the wall anymore!"

"Nora's right," said Cinder. "Once Eren makes the shard, we go in and kill any Grimm we see. Eren, let's head home while we guide people to the back gate. We should get Mom and everyone else out too."

Eren had sent his warning, but now he could see that hiding inside an infested area was unwise. "Okay," he said. "We can do that."

"I'd like to help my parents evacuate too," said Ren. "I can do what you said, just go a different way."

"Well, I'm coming too," said Nora.

"I'll go with Cinder," said Eren. "Let's go!" Eren moved back into his Titan and took off running. The other Titans followed suit, stepping on whatever Grimm was in their path. Once they made their way inside, Eren slammed his fist down, making a crystal shard in the breach. However, it only grew halfway when compared to the height of the wall.

But Eren couldn't stop to fix it now. Instead, he followed Cinder towards their house. While doing so, they were crushing every Grimm they could see. And when there were civilians with defensemen, Eren and Cinder would point them towards the back gate, hoping they would take the chance to run.

When they were about halfway back to their home, the Wyvern flew over their heads. Eren and Cinder stopped when puddles of dark water hit the ground and Grimm emerged from them. Cinder burned the ground around the viscous liquid, but she wasn't able to burn the water. Eren, however, was able to use his Hardening to punch the ground and turn the puddles into nothing more than droplets.

*SPLASH*

*SPLASH*

*SPLASH*

However, the drops kept coming. At times, it would take about five minutes before the Wyvern came back. The least amount of time it took was a minute before dropping more ooze. And no matter how much fire Cinder made, she couldn't knock it out of the sky.

Eren was more concerned about the people. He saved as many as he could and gave them a running chance to get to the gate. However, it was this distraction that prevented him from noticing ooze falling on top of him.

*SPLASH*

The ooze was surprisingly hot and was burning into the Titan's flesh. And the Grimm that spawned from the water began to tear at Eren's face. He did his best to shake them off, but he was more concerned about the Grimm damaging his nape. So he placed both hands on his neck and ran, trying to avoid more ooze.

Cinder was having a similar problem, having caught the Wyvern's attention when she launched fire at it. She too was worried about her nape, so she tried to protect herself. But the more ooze and Grimm caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Eren followed suit when he could no longer stand.

For the first time since they met, the people of Kuroyuri watched the Titans, their protectors, fall.

---

Satisfied with its work on the apparent traitors, the Wyvern flew away from that spot in Kuroyuri. While doing so, it felt something hit its face. Looking with three eyes, it saw an airship to its right. And two people were shooting at it with large guns. Thinking quickly, the beast used its tail to hit the airship and send it flying towards the ground.

Ren and Nora saw the crash and briefly considered going towards the ship and helping its passengers. But when they looked back at the people running, they knew their efforts were needed elsewhere. So they continued to use their Titans to kill Grimm and get people to safety.

Nora was doing an outstanding job of shooting red lighting at Nevermores and Lancers that emerged from larger pools. Ren focused his efforts on the Grimm on the ground, picking them up and either crushing them or throw them away from the people.

Ren found himself more determined than ever to protect the people at his feet. Because the people he was helping evacuate included his mother and father, who left their house to run. If he wasn't looking at the Grimm or the Wyvern, Ren would look back at his parents.

However, his heart dropped when he looked back to where they should be running. His mother was present in the crowd, but his father was not. Quickly ignoring the other Grimm and the people, Ren searched the entire square to find his father.

Nora looked away from the flying Grimm when she saw Ren was distracted. And when she saw him run towards a demolished building, she followed suit. And sure enough, Li was there, trying to help a family rescue their child.

Ren however, picked up his father in hand and took off. Nora was surprised to see him leave the family in danger, but she made sure to move the rubble and watch the parents run with their child.

Li shared these feelings, and was practically trying to break the grip the Titan had on him. Ren saw this and let go, slightly backing away from the Human.

"Help us!"

Li turned to see another man trying to help an old woman escape from the Grimm. Quickly seeing a bow and arrow at the ground, Li picked it up and began to fire at the incoming Beowolves. His arms are hurting like never before, but he continued to fire.

That was, until the Titan picked the bow with two fingers and crushed it. Li looked back up and saw the Grimm trying to pick him up again, but Li backed away.

"Leave me alone!" he cried. "Can't you see I'm trying to help?!"

The Titan pointed in the other direction, where the rest of the town was running.

"They'll be fine, they need you!" Li called out as he picked up a sword on the ground. "These people need me!"

The Titan blocked Li's path this time.

"Stop it! You don't need to protect me!"

The beast didn't move.

"Let! Me! Go!"

"FATHER!"

"..."

Li stopped moving and shouting when he heard the Titan speak. Looking at its head, he saw the Titan kneel and steam escape from its neck. After a few seconds, Ren jumped out and stood in front of his father.

"Father, please!" Ren begged, not caring about being exposed. "Leave!"

But his father didn't move. "L...Lie?" he asked in disbelief. "Wh-What happened to you?"

"Never mind that!" Ren ordered. "Let's just get you to safety and I'll explain everything!" He immediately grabbed his father's collar and began to run, but Li broke the grip.

"Lie... I taught you better than this," he said calmly. "How could you leave those people like that?"

"I saved your life!" Ren argued. "I see a man who's trying to do something he's not physically capable of while risking his life! What am I supposed to do, just let that happen?!"

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." He turned back to the group of people, prepared to see how he could help.

"Father, no!" Ren protested once more.

"Lie, don't worry about me! Go be with your family!"

"You told me to protect my family! That includes you!"

"..."

Li could see that his son's logic and heart were in the right place, that he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. But Li knew that Lie would only be wasting his time, that there were people who actually needed him.

Just as he was about to protest once more, Li saw something black in the sky. Looking up, he saw another puddle of Grimm about to fall on top of him and his son. Ren saw it as well, and felt that he was stuck to the ground. His mind was telling him to run, to get out of the way, but he couldn't do anything.

But Li could. And he did.

Quickly pushing his son out of the way, Li watched as he fell out of harm's way. And when Ren looked back up, he saw and heard his father say one more thing.

"I love you, my son."

*SPLASH*

"..."

Ren's entire world came at a standstill when the black water fell on his father. The ooze melted his body to nothingness, and all that stood in its place was emerging Grimm. As soon as they were born from darkness, they felt a strong presence of pain and sadness, and it was coming from the teary-eyed young man about five feet from them. Out of instinct, they charged towards the boy.

But red lightning completely vaporized the Grimm while a large hand picked Ren up off the ground.

The Electro Titan walked to a less populated part of the village and dropped Ren onto a roof. Nora jumped out of her Titan and ran up to him.

"Ren, are you okay?" she asked. "What... Wait, where's Li?"

"..."

Ren said nothing as he fell to his knees and continued to cry. Nora was immediately starting to get the hint, given that she saw the two of them together before helping the other people. She was starting to tear up herself.

"Ren, what happened?!" Nora cried out. "Where's Li?!"

"..."

Nora finally understood that Li Ren was no longer with them, and that caused her to weep as well. Her world started to be torn apart as well, but she wasn't ready to face this truth alone. So she knelt down and began to wrap her arms around Ren.

Who pushed her aside and walked towards the end of the roof.

"...I'm going to kill them all," Ren promised as he jumped off the roof.

---

When the airship crashed, the Huntsmen who survived the ooze and crash emerged. They immediately began to kill every Grimm that was in front of them. Unbeknownst to them, Vernal had also emerged from the airship. And she was wiping one of her guns clean of blood.

"That was easier than I thought," she thought to herself. Seeing that her mission for Spider was complete, Vernal ducked into a building and called Mercury.

"Vernal, is that you?" Mercury asked on the other end.

"Yeah, I'm here in Kuroyuri," Vernal answered. "I was able to give those Huntsmen the slip, they're helping kill the Grimm."

"Gotcha. You okay? I saw the crash."

"Nothing my Aura couldn't heal." Vernal looked out the window, getting a sense of her current location. "It looked like I'm close to the west square. Where'd you say you were?"

"On top of the wall. But listen, I'm coming to you. Just stay put and I'll meet you at the square."

Vernal looked out the window again when she heard snarling. Beowolves were roaming the village, and they were close to the building she was in.

"I'm seeing a pack of Beowolves from where I am," she said into the Scroll.

"Can you give them the slip? Or do you think you can stay where you are?"

Vernal looked at her guns. "There's a good chance I'm gonna have to fight."

"I'm on my way. Be careful."

"You too."

Vernal ended the call and looked out the window again. Trying to stay as calm as possible, she saw how they were starting to break into houses and buildings. Seeing that she was next, and there weren't many places to hide, Vernal let a bullet escape her gun when a Beowolf stuck its head into the front door.

At once, the rest of the beasts had their attention drawn to the young girl. Vernal continued to fight off the rest of the Grimm with her guns. Throwing them as fast as she could, she watched the antler-like metal cut through Beowolves faster than the Huntsmen could have done. After she caught them, she threw them again. After a few minutes of this fighting, a flash of gray slammed into a Beowolf Vernal was about the kill. The flash revealed itself to be Mercury, who slammed his leg down on the Grimm's skull.

Vernal got his attention by firing close to his head, where another Beowolf was about to bite down. Fortunately for Mercury, the bullet made the skull disappear.

He turned back to Vernal with a smile. "My hero," he said with his usual sarcasm.

Vernal smiled back and moved her weapons. "Someone's gotta look after your sorry ass," she said.

"Hey now, wasn't I the one who gave you those weapons in the first place?"

Vernal looked at her guns in satisfaction. "To make up for the fact you just kick your way outta every fight."

"C'mon, babe. I told you I was working on my own weapons. You'll see them once we get outta here."

The young couple turned their attention back to the Grimm, killing each and every one they could see. Their Auras gave them plenty of protection, and they were able to draw upon their own strength in order to help each other. When more armed townspeople joined Mercury and Vernal, the rest of the Grimm were exterminated in less than two minutes.

Just as the last Griffon was turned to dust, Mercury got a call on his Scroll. Seeing that it was a call from Nora, he quickly answered it. "Nora, I found Vernal!" he said on the other end. "We just cleared the west square."

"Good, 'cause we just finished clearing the east," said Nora. "I think Ren wants to use this chance to deal with the breach. That crystal is starting to break with all this ooze coming from the sky. Are you two alone?"

"We're with some townspeople and defensemen. How about you?"

"Same here. Let them know what's going on and meet us at the breach. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"I'll see you as soon as I can." Mercury ended the call and turned back to the people who joined him. "Alright, listen up! Our team at the east just finished clearing the Grimm! We have friends dealing with the stragglers in the second wall, so we're going to the first wall. Specifically, the breach. Find some way to get all of us there in one piece and let's move!"

Everyone began to move and look for the nearest vehicle that could take them to the breach. Mercury and Vernal did the same thing together.

"Never seen you take charge before," she said. "Surprising."

"Yeah, today's been a lot of first times for me," said Mercury. "That, and I think I finally found something worth fighting for."

"You going soft on me, Black?"

Mercury quickly turned around. "You know what? I think I actually am." He suddenly looked down. "I think this town's getting to me, babe."

"Sounds like you need a taste of lower Mistral again," Vernal said as she moved closer to Mercury, putting her hands on his chest. "When was the last time we made those slums ours? When we took what we could and gave nothing back?"

"Aw, man. Now that was fun."

"Well, given what I brought to the table, you owe me a night on the town."

"Deal."

The couple shared a quick kiss before looking for a vehicle. When they found one, Mercury needed to hotwire it in order to make it run.

"Help! Help!"

The teenagers looked away from the truck and towards the sound of an older voice. "Aw, shit," Mercury groaned as he stood up. "I thought we got Grimm out here." He began to open the door and move towards the voice.

"No, keep working on that," Vernal ordered. "I'll see what's going on."

"But we might need to go to the breach now."

"Then I'll catch up. Don't let me slow you down."

"Okay. Just be careful."

Mercury got back to work on the large truck while Vernal took off running. Killing a few more Grimm, she went inside a building when she saw a shadow move. Opening the door, Vernal saw nothing but an empty restaurant. Taking a quick glance, she moved outside again.

"Help!"

The voice came again, and it was undoubtedly in the restaurant. Vernal opened the door and looked inside. Given the lights were flickering, it was hard to see inside. So the young teenager followed the voice instead, where it lead her near the restrooms.

And in front of the doors was a man facing the wall.

"Help!" he cried again. "Help!"

Vernal moved closer to the man after making sure there were no Grimm in sight. She was about to tell him to leave the building, to make herself known.

However, she stopped when she noticed the man didn't seem to be in apparent trouble. He was standing up, his arms were folded at his side, and he didn't appear to be bleeding. The only thing that could be hurting was probably his face, which he was repeatedly bumping into the wall by leaning forward. And he continued to cry for help.

Vernal was starting to grow uneasy at the sight, she could tell that something was wrong. Raising her pistols out of caution, Vernal slowly walked towards the man. "Sir?" she asked as she held her guns tightly. "Are you alright?"

"..."

The man stopped hitting his head on the wall. When the light above him went out for a split-second, it came back on to reveal a horrifying sight.

Rather than seeing a normal human or Faunus, Vernal was looking at a man with chalk white skin. A wound he made on his head was bleeding black blood and he had dark veins all across his face. But the two things that placed the fear of God into Vernal were the dark red eyes staring into her soul. The man slowly walked forward with its hands out, as if he was trying to grab Vernal.

*BANG*

*BANG*

Two shots rang out from Vernal's weapons and hit the man right in the chest and neck. Rather than grabbing his wounds to prevent bleeding, the man simply fell to the ground and died.

"Ho... Holy shit," Vernal said as she looked at the corpse, which was bleeding more black blood. Out of fear and shock, she walked backwards, towards the door. But just then, a black shape began to form over the man's body. It was formless at first, it looked like a small cloud of smoke. However, it soon took a more human form. It grew a torso, legs, muscular arms, and a head. But the head was far from human, faceless and a mockery of flesh on its mouthless jaw.

Vernal fired at the shape, but it didn't die. Instead, it flew at a tremendous speed towards Vernal, who could only scream one word before everything went dark.

"MERCURY!"

---

Eren exited his Titan and noticed that Cinder had done the same thing. But rather than step down, she rolled down and fell to the ground. Eren quickly ran towards her, ignoring the stares from people who were close to the Titans.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked as he tried to help her up. He noticed that his fingers were missing and steam was growing on his hands. His fingers would return, but it would take time.

"I... I have nothing left," said Cinder, who was in a state of regeneration similar to Eren. As she stood up, she noticed the numerous people walking towards them.

"Eren? Cinder?"

"It was... you?"

"How did you do that?"

"What's up with your faces?"

"There had better be... a crazy explanation for this!"

The townspeople came closer and closer to Eren and Cinder, who could only watch in shock.

However, everyone's attention was captured by the Wyvern in the sky, which continued to drop more bombs of Grimm water. It was miles from them at the moment, but it continued to drop water from the sky.

When it dropped a fifth puddle, Cinder stood up and began to walk.

"Cinder!" one of the people cried as she lowered her spear. "Where do you think you're going?"

Eren stood in between the people and Cinder, but she didn't notice. "Our house is in that direction," she whispered, but loud enough for Eren to hear. "Mom's still there."

Eren gasped as he looked back towards the group of people. They were still staring at him, but he didn't care. When he turned back to see Cinder running, he took off after her and ignored the townspeople telling them to come back.

Cinder was running as fast as she could, ignoring the Grimm that were emerging from the puddles beside her. Eren was following close by, also ignoring the Grimm.

"We can't lead them back to the house," he thought to himself. "Just stay calm, it'll be fine. Our house will be-"

Eren suddenly stopped running. An overwhelming sense of familiarity came over him, causing him to remember a time like today. When monsters broke through a wall and began to invade humanity's home. And when Eren watched his mother die.

His hands began to shake, he started to feel cold sweat come down his face. All of this had happened before. Was it all going to happen again?

"No," Eren thought to himself. "No, it can't. It can't!"

Eren immediately took off running again and caught up to Cinder in no time. She was obviously worried about Dina, just like how Eren was worried about Carla. His text to her was sent without a problem, but it was brief. Carla had no idea that she and the rest of the people at her farm should evacuate instead of staying.

Now, Eren was determined to get his mother and everyone else to safety. In his mind, nothing was going to stop him. Not the Grimm, not the people who just found out he was a Titan, nothing.

However, Eren couldn't help but feel his resolve waver when he saw a terrible sight; his house had been hit by the Wyvern's water, and it had been partially destroyed.

"Mom!"

Cinder's voice caused Eren to look at one part of the house. It was the left side, where the living room once was. And Cinder had just found Dina on the ground, about ten feet from the house along with debris.

Cinder quickly kneeled down and held her mother and examined her. Dina had a few cuts and bruises, which Cinder assumed to be an effect from apparently being thrown out of the house. Fortunately, she didn't appear to be fatally wounded; Dina was unconscious, but she was still breathing.

"I think she's okay!" Cinder said to Eren when he caught up to her. "She's just unconscious!"

Eren was satisfied to see that Dina was okay, but there was no relief for him. He looked all across the immediate area, but Eren couldn't see any sign of Carla.

"Where's Mom?" Eren asked as he continued to look around. "Cinder, do you see Mom?!"

Cinder helped Eren look for Carla, but she couldn't see any sign of her. "She might be in the cellar!" she said. "Come on!"

Eren felt a sense of hope as he ran towards the storm cellar, the one everyone had used to hide from the Grimm when they first invaded. Eren knew it was a good hiding place, so he believed that his mother was safe there.

However, the hope for her safety vanished as soon as Eren saw a human torso trapped under part of the house. And even worse, Eren recognized the person instantly.

"MOM!"

Cinder stopped running when she heard Eren scream at the top of his lungs. When she turned around, she saw Carla trapped under her own house and Eren running towards her. After she let out an appalled gasp, Cinder ran after her friend to help him.

About ten minutes ago, Carla had received Eren's text and warning. She was walking through town earlier to find him, to apologize for the misunderstanding she created involving her job, but her plans changed the moment she found out what had happened.

Carla's immediate reaction was to run home and warn everyone she could. She passed a few citizens on the way and informed them what happened, and she did the same to her employees when she reached home.

Everyone had the idea to either evacuate or hide in the storm cellar, but Carla knew she had something else to do before she could find safety. Dina was still in the house, and Carla knew she had to warn her friend.

While she was successful in warning Dina, Carla wasn't so lucky when it came to getting out of the house.

She couldn't see what it was, but something hit the house and partially destroyed it. The blast sent Dina outside along with some broken furniture, but Carla was trapped under falling debris.

The collapse had knocked her unconscious, but Carla woke up to a welcome sight; her own son.

"E... Eren," Carla said between a cough.

"We're here, Mom," Eren said as he continued to dig. "It's gonna be okay."

When Cinder joined Eren, the duo cleared out every piece of debris they saw. Through it all, Eren couldn't help but begin to panic as he experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. There was no denying that this was exactly like what happened on Paradis, where Carla had been trapped and left to die despite Eren's best efforts.

And from the way she could hear him breathing, Cinder knew that Eren was scared. She too could see the similarities between this situation and what happened on Paradis, so she shared Eren's determination to save Carla.

Their efforts were resulting in great progress, until Eren and Cinder tried to lift a beam off Carla's back.

"Cinder, grab right there!" Eren said as he gestured towards the left side of the beam. "Grab it and pull as hard as you can!"

Cinder quickly obeyed and put her hands on the beam. But when she tried to lift it with Eren, the wood barely moved. They were able to lift it off Carla's upper back, but they couldn't move it any further.

Eren looked past the beam to see nothing but more debris over where Carla was laying. The beam was simply one part of the force that was holding his mother down, but Eren didn't give up. He continued to pour all of his strength onto the beam while telling Cinder to do the same, even though they weren't making progress.

And to make matters worse, loud howls and snarls told everyone that the Grimm were coming fast.

After she regained full consciousness, Carla began to experience her own sense of déjà vu. She remembered how she was in the same exact situation on Paradis, how she was trapped while monsters were coming from all sides. Carla was scared that day, and she was just as scared now.

However, her fear for herself wasn't as strong as her fear for Eren.

Carla saw how Eren was not only covered in steam, but how some flesh on his face and arms were missing. She didn't know if he was hurt, but it was clear that he was exhausted. And if he stayed here, he would stand no chance against the Grimm.

And that was a fate Carla wouldn't allow her son to go through.

"Eren, forget about me!" Carla insisted. "Take Cinder and run! If you stay, the Grimm will kill you both!"

Eren remembered when his mother said similar words before, and now it was his turn to do the same. "No, I can't!" he said. "We'll get this off, we just need time!" He continued to try and lift with the strength he had.

"Eren, my legs are crushed. I won't be able to run!"

"It's okay, we'll carry you!" Cinder promised as she continued to lift. She wanted to save Carla just as much as Eren did, but her efforts were to no avail.

When Eren realized this, he made another plan. He remembered that he had his Titan now, and he could use it to clear the rubble in an instant so he could grab Carla. With this in mind, Eren bit down into his hand in order to turn into a Titan.

But nothing happened.

Eren looked down at his hand and saw nothing but steam and blood. In disbelief, he bit down harder. But he didn't transform.

Eren growled as he bit harder and harder into his flesh, but he still couldn't turn into a Titan. The damage the Wyvern had done to him was simply too much for him to use his Titan.

When Cinder bit into her own arm to try and summon her Titan, she found out that she had the same problem. She told Carla to hold on before she tried again, but she continued to fail to summon the Incinerator Titan.

And to make matters worse, the Grimm were coming closer and closer. In less than a minute, they would go for the easiest prey; Carla.

Carla was scared as she saw the incoming beasts, but she refused to let this fear allow her to take back her request. Instead, even though tears flowed down her face, Carla made the same request.

"Eren!" she called out. "Eren, listen to me! I've wasted enough of your time already! I've been wasting it ever since you told me about Salem and why you have a Titan! Don't let me waste any more of your time! Go and stop the Grimm! And if there's too many, just go and live on!" Carla's vision was becoming obscured from the tears, but she refused to back down. "You did it before, now you have to do it again! Live on, Eren! Go!"

"..."

Eren had been staring at his mother while she made this plea. Tears were flowing down his own face as he listened to each word. He didn't know what she was talking about by "wasting time," but he knew what she meant with everything else.

There were no more similarities or parallels to this moment and that day anymore. Now, all Eren could see was a reflection between now and the day his life changed forever.

On that day, there was a young boy who was too weak to save his mother. And now, even when he had his newfound power, Eren was still too weak to save the one person he loved the most.

All of this had happened before.

And now... all of it was going to happen again.

And that made Eren more sad and angry that there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

"No."

Eren ran back to the house and tried to lift the debris, ignoring Carla's pleas. "No, not again," he said to himself.

But nothing changed. And Eren grew to hate himself even more.

"Not... again!" he said as he applied all of his strength into the beam.

Cinder did the same thing, but the same result happened.

"Not again!"

Eren poured not only his remaining strength, but ever shred of anger he had in his heart.

"Not! Again!"

*CREAK*

Suddenly, Cinder felt the wooden beam leave her fingerless grasp. Looking back up, she saw that both the beam and debris were moving over Carla.

*CREAK*

"Not again! Not again! Not again!"

Carla looked back to Cinder, who had the same look of surprise and amazement on her face. And when they both turned to the sound of the voice, Carla and Cinder witnessed a miracle.

Eren was moving the beam all by himself, as well as the debris over Carla's lower body. Her shock at the miracle made her forget everything else, other than the fact that Eren was doing what she couldn't do. And his body was... glowing yellow.

Not only was Eren glowing, but he was also giving Carla a chance to escape.

When a hand grabbed her arm, Cinder looked down to see Carla trying to crawl out of the house. Quickly grabbing her hands, Cinder pulled her out from under the house and onto the open ground.

And in that moment, Carla was safe.

Eren didn't look at Cinder or his mother; his attention was captured by the oncoming Grimm. Picking up the beam with ease, he slammed it into the closest Beowolf.

*BAM*

And then the closest Griffon.

*BAM*

And when he heard the screams of a now conscious Dina, Eren swung the beam at an Ursa before it could kill her.

*BAM*

Eren continued to lift it over his head and kill any Creature of Grimm he could see.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*CRACK*

And when the beam broke, Eren used his bare hands and his new strength to rip and tear through each Grimm that came close to him.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Dina was still able to walk, and she used her strength to run towards Cinder's open arms. When Cinder took both Carla and her mother into her arms, when she told herself that the people she cared about were safe, all three of the women looked upon Eren in awe as he defended them all from the Grimm.

Dina and Carla knew there was never a time when they felt more grateful to be alive than now.

And Cinder knew there was never a time when she loved having Eren in her life more than she did now.

---

The Wyvern was paying no attention to the damage it had just caused. It simply continued to fly above the ground and drop more pools of Grimm onto the ground.

And that was bad news for everyone down below, who continued to fight more and more Grimm.

Emerald brought her chained sickles back together and slightly crouched. "I can't... keep it up... much longer."

Mercury just kicked another Grimm with all of his might. However, his Aura had just broken and left his leg exposed. "Ah, shit!" he cried as he grabbed his leg. "That's it, I got nothing left." Just as he said that, he slammed his fist on the ground in frustration.

Emerald looked up to see that the two Titans were also running on fumes. The Grimm liquid that fell on them was starting to burn their flesh, especially the smaller one.

"We can fight the Grimm here, but it's not enough," Emerald said. "Not while that thing keeps giving us more."

Mercury stood up and slightly limped over to Emerald. He then pointed to the larger Titan. "That one stopped making lightning five minutes ago. It's got nothing left."

"I saw it throwing things at the flying Grimm. Trees, rocks, whatever it could grab it hands on."

"How'd that work?"

"Not too good. Either the Grimm flew away or they were too heavy to reach it." Emerald looked around, seeing nothing else for the Titan to throw at the Wyvern. "It can't throw anything else."

Mercury looked around too, not seeing anything else they could throw at the Grimm. Except...

"Us," said Mercury.

Emerald looked at Mercury. "What?" she asked.

The teenager suddenly ran towards the Titan. "Emerald, it can throw us!"

"Wait, what?!"

Mercury stopped running and looked back to Emerald. "When it stays up in the air, we can't do shit! The only way we can kill this thing is up close and personal!"

"So we just tell these things to throw us into the air? What then?! What if we miss, what if we don't get anywhere close to its heart, or whatever it has?!"

Mercury looked down at her weapons. "Your weapons!"

Emerald followed his gaze. "What about them?"

"If you use your chains, we can latch onto the Grimm and pull ourselves up!"

Emerald thought about the idea, but it only took her a few seconds to realize how terrible it sounded. "Are you crazy?! There's no way in Hell we could survive something like that!"

"Well, there's no way in Hell we can win while that thing's still flying! If you don't wanna help, then fine." Mercury continued to run towards the larger Titan and began to get its attention. Emerald, while still thinking the idea was ludicrous, knew that Mercury was going to do it and most likely get himself killed. The only way he stood any kind of chance was if she went with him and used the chains like he said.

"Mercury, wait up!" Emerald cried as she ran up to him. Once she caught up to him, Emerald saw that he managed to get the Titan's attention and explain his plan. The large beast lowered its hand and Mercury climbed on. He turned around and extended a hand to Emerald. Only, she didn't take it immediately. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"...No," Mercury replied honestly. "You in?"

"..."

Still under the belief that he was perhaps the craziest person in Kuroyuri, Emerald took Mercury's hand and stepped onto the large palm. Once she did, the palm slowly formed a fist loose enough to not crush the two humans. And the arm came off the ground and prepared to throw.

"I, uh... I think I'm having second thoughts," said Mercury.

"I'm surprised you had a thought to begin with," said Emerald.

"That makes two of us." The arm moved back and was about to launch the teenagers into the air. "Hey, Em? In case I forget to say it later... Ow."

The black arm moved at an incredible speed and launched both teenagers into the air. And sure enough, they were travelling much faster than a rock or tree. And they were making more noise than a tree or rock ever could.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

While Emerald and Mercury were panicking in the air, they didn't realize that the plan was working; they had gotten closer to the Wyvern than any projectile could have.

Emerald managed to realize this fact before Mercury, who was still screaming. So after grabbing onto Mercury, she used one of her weapons to make the chain attach to the Wyvern's side. Once it made contact, the two swung into the air and came close to its back. Emerald repeated the process again to latch onto the Grimm's back and they fell onto it.

"Is this what you had in mind?!" she yelled to Mercury, who was still holding on to her.

"Not really!" he confessed. "But it worked, didn't it?!"

Emerald held onto her weapon for dear life, since the wind threatened to make her fall off. "Well, what now?!"

"We gotta climb to the head!" Mercury grabbed onto the Grimm's scales, which made climbing easier. "Use your weapons and follow me!"

Emerald obeyed, using her sickles to puncture the creature and climb up its back. "You don't think it'll notice that I'm stabbing it, do you?!"

Mercury stopped climbing and turned around. "No way! You're probably just making flesh wounds! We're gonna make it feel something once we get to the head!"

The teenagers continued to make their way to the head, and finally met their objective after two minutes of scaling the beast on its side. Emerald stopped moving when Mercury grabbed her shoulder.

"Hold on!" he ordered. "Don't let it see you!"

"Right, right!" the girl said as she stopped climbing. "So, we take out the head now?"

The teenagers saw that the creature was about to make another pass. Since he didn't know how to kill it just just, Mercury made a plan to get its attention off the town. "See if you can blind it on this side!" He began to climb over to the other side. "I'll take out the other eyes!"

"Here, take this!" Emerald handed Mercury one of their weapons. "Push the small button to release the chain, it'll come back once you take your finger off!"

"Okay!" Mercury did as instructed and made his way to the other side.

Emerald made quick work as she moved close to the largest eye. Using her sickle, she prepared to throw the chained end at the eye. But the wind took the chain away and moved back from the eye. Emerald quickly ducked to avoid the weapon, but she nearly lost her grasp on the beast. Quickly grabbing the scale tighter, she readied her weapon again.

Only this time, Emerald moved closer to the eye. Seeing no other choice but to get up close and personal, Emerald moved right in front of the largest eye the Grimm had on the side she was hanging on to.

"Open wide," she said before plunging her sickle in the eye.

The beast let out a sharp cry of pain as one of its five eyes was lost. Emerald did her beast to tune out the loud scream, but her left ear began to bleed. Refocusing on her objective, Emerald took a risk and fired her chain again. Only this time, she kicked the end to make sure the smallest eye would be taken care of. And once it made contact, Emerald pulled on her weapon to make the end slice through the bone and the middle eye.

Now blind and in more pain, the Wyvern screamed again and flew upwards, forgetting about spawning any more Grimm. Emerald did her best to hold on, but the sickle slipped out of the eye socket and left Emerald falling.

Fortunately, a hand grabbed her ankle and began to pull.

Emerald looked back and saw Mercury holding onto her and pulling her towards the base of the Grimm's head. Once she was close enough, she held onto the Grimm's head.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Emerald said, relieved she wasn't falling anymore.

"Oh, sure, now you are!" Mercury joked, earning a slap to his head. "Hey, I'm kidding! You did good, we did good!"

"No! If we did good, this thing would be dead, wouldn't it?!"

"Hey, it's not shitting on the ground anymore! That's gotta count for something, huh?!"

"It won't count for anything unless we kill this thing now! Got anymore bright ideas?!"

Mercury looked at the Grimm's head starting to get another idea. "Take your weapon, I still got yours! When I count to three, strike down... here!" He patted his hand on a spot on the Grimm's head, where blood red lines met and formed a shape.

"What if that won't work?!" Emerald asked. "Do we just keep stabbing until we get its brain?!"

"We don't have much of a choice! But right now... let's just hope for the best!" Mercury raised the sickle above his head, Emerald doing the same thing. "Ready?! One... two... three!"

Once they plunged the ends of the weapons into the Grimm's head, it let out one loud scream of agony. Time seemed to stop when the wind stopped blowing on the teenagers.

"Did it work?" Emerald asked.

Mercury opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when everything began to move again. Only this time, the beast began to move down. And since it wasn't able to move its wings, the corpse was falling at a tremendous speed.

"Hold on to something!" Mercury warned as he held onto the sickle for dear life. Emerald silently obeyed and held onto her own sickle. A part of her considered making peace with her maker, given that the chances of survival were very slim.

*CRASH*

Everything was black for Emerald when everything stopped moving, when the speed was more relaxed and the wind wasn't fast enough to blow the flesh off her skin. And yet, she couldn't relax.

"I'm dead," the scared young girl thought to herself. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I died, and now I'm dead."

After what felt like an eternity, Emerald heard claps in the air and what sounded like cheering. The darkness she saw turned out to be her eyelids closed over her eyes, and she began to open them. Seeing that her hands were still on her sickle and she was still laying on the Grimm's back, Emerald began to realize that she wasn't dead after all. So she quickly stood up and looked around to see the townspeople cheering and clapping at the sight of the dead Wyvern.

"It's dead!"

"They did it!"

"Look! Emerald's okay!"

"You go, girl!"

Emerald was so surprised to see that the most insane plan in the world actually worked, she couldn't find her voice. Hearing the cheers and praise made her heart warm, warmer than it had felt in a long time. And when she found her voice, all she could say was one thing.

"I... I'm not dead!"

Everyone laughed as they moved closer to the Wyvern and prepared to help her down. Emerald was just about to go down, but then remembered to grab her other sickle. She took it off the Wyvern and prepared to jump down to the ground.

That was when she remembered Mercury.

Looking back at the Wyvern, she saw that Mercury was missing. She turned around, but still didn't see him. Frantically looking around the surrounding area, she grew more and more desperate to find her friend.

"Em, what are you doing?" a man down below asked. "Come on down."

Emerald quickly looked back at the townspeople and jumped down. "Mercury was on that thing with me!" she cried. Looking back at the rest of the crowd, Emerald cupped her hands over her mouth. "Has anyone seen Mercury?!"

Some of the people knew who Mercury was, and began to help Emerald in her search. Since the giant Grimm was beginning to turn to dust, they decided to look past the body and search their immediate surroundings.

"Over there! Look!"

Everyone turned to a young woman who was standing a few yards away from the Wyvern. Emerald ran over to her and saw her pointing away from the Grimm. On the ground, a few more yards away, was Mercury. And judging by the fact he wasn't getting up, it seemed obvious that he was hurt. So Emerald wasted no time in running towards him and kneeling down.

"Mercury!" she shouted in despair. Slightly picking him up and resting his head on her lap, Emerald tried to wake him up. "Mercury, are you okay?!"

"..."

She began to slightly shake him. "Say something!"

This time, Mercury opened his eyes and groaned. "Ow..."

Emerald sighed and shook her head. "You're such an idiot," she said as she helped him stand. "Can you walk?"

Mercury took a step forward, but nearly fell over. Luckily, Emerald caught his arm and helped him stand straight once again. "Nothing's broken, I think I just sprained something," said the young man. "My Aura should come back in a few minutes, I should be able to-"

*THUD*

Everyone turned around to see that the largest Titan had just fallen to the ground. Its face was buried in the dirt, and its arms were at the sides.

"Oh, crap!" Emerald said. "I think it was pushed too hard!"

"That's what she said," Mercury joked. This earned a glare from Emerald, one that he played off when he looked back at the Titan. "But yeah, I don't think it can fight anymore."

"Then that's bad news for us!" said a man carrying an axe. "The smaller one just fell over too! It's game over, man! It's game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now?"

"Now, hold on!" a girl carrying an axe said as she moved her finger around their immediate surroundings. "All I see are a few Beowolves. I feel fine, I can go with a few others and take them down easy."

"And if that's all of them now, the rest of us can make sure nothing else gets past the breach," said a man carrying a bow. "I got some of my arrows back, I can kill the Grimm from a distance."

"I can too!"

"Me too!"

"Count me in!"

"Let's do this!"

Everyone around Mercury and Emerald began to split up and take down as many Grimm as possible. The two teenagers smiled as they saw that their work was done, and soon everyone else's would be finished. All that remained was to take a breather while Mercury's Aura healed his bruises.

"Man, I hope Cinder and Eren are okay," said Emerald. "Where did you see them last?"

"Near the second wall I think, close to where their house is," said Mercury. "I'm sure they'll be fine. But what I don't get is where Nora and Ren are."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Emerald looked around, but didn't see any sign of their friends. And it only got worse when Emerald realized something else. "Did you hear from Vernal?"

"No. She might have gotten caught up in something else." Mercury stood up and swung his leg twice in the air. "I'm all good now. Maybe we should try to find-"

"Mercury!"

The teenagers turned to the left to see someone approaching them. They were too far for Mercury and Emerald to see who it was, but Mercury recognized the voice. Once it sounded again, he was sure who it was.

"Hey, it's Vernal!" Mercury said with a smile. He turned back to Emerald before he took off running. "Come on, let's go!" Emerald obeyed, but couldn't keep up with Mercury. Since she was far behind him, two more teenagers were able to catch up to Emerald and grab her shoulder. This caused her to turn around and see Ren and Nora behind her.

"Guys?!" she asked in disbelief. "Where the hell have you been?!" She then looked at each of their faces closely to see exposed flesh under their eyes. "What happened to your eyes?"

"It's... a long story," said Nora, who slightly glanced away. "But our Auras can heal these, we're alright." Ren simply said nothing, he just looked at the ground. Nora knew why, but didn't bring up the reason. "Are you okay? Where's Merc?"

"We're fine. Mercury took a bad hit, but he's okay." Emerald turned back to where she saw Mercury run off to. "He's actually back with... Vernal?"

The reason Emerald sounded confused was because she saw Vernal was sitting on top of Mercury. She moved closer to get a better look, and saw that Vernal had him pinned on the ground. And her hands were wrapped around Mercury's throat.

"What is she doing?" Nora asked out of disbelief. She began to move closer towards the teenagers while talking. "Vernal?! What are you doing?!"

"..."

The girl's silence and refusal to acknowledge everyone else made Emerald and Nora grow nervous. "Hey!" Emerald called out as she moved closer. "Hey, Vernal!"

The girl finally looked up and punched Mercury's face. She then got off of him and began to charge towards the trio. Now everyone could see that something was very wrong; her skin was chalk white and growing dark veins, while her eyes were blood red and seemingly lifeless."

"Mercury!" she cried as she charged towards everyone. "Mercury! Mercury!"

When she was close enough to grab their throats, Ren grabbed Emerald and Nora by their hair and pulled them out of the way. "Don't let her touch you!" he said as he kicked Vernal in the face. She fell to the ground and didn't get back up, so Ren turned back to his friends. "Did she touch you?!"

"No-No," said Nora. "We're okay."

"Wh-What's wrong with her?!" Emerald asked.

"She's possessed!" Ren angrily said while backing away from Vernal, who was slowly starting to get up. "I've heard about Grimm like these, but... I never imagined-"

"Grimm?" Emerald stood up and raised her guns. "What kind of Grimm?"

"It's called a 'Chill.' It can possess people and slowly kills them on the inside."

"How do we kill it?"

"We can't. Not without killing its host." Ren's hands balled into fists. "We failed again!"

Emerald saw Vernal coming back towards them, so she raised her guns once more. "But... there's gotta be something we can do," she said, unable to believe she was gone. "We can't kill her, Mercury wouldn't want-!"

"Guys, get back!"

Mercury jumped on Vernal's back and held her arms tightly so she wouldn't get away. The possessed young woman continued to scream his name over and over again, giving the boy some hope that she could be saved. "Come on, Vernal! Snap out of it!"

"Mercury!" the Grimm continued to yell. "Mercury! Mercury!"

"Vernal, please! Fight it!"

"Mercury! Mercury!"

"I don't wanna hurt you!"

Just as Vernal was about to attack Mercury once again, a large black shape flew past everyone and landed on the ground next to them. Looking at the shape, everyone could see that it was a disintegrating Beringel. And the source of its destruction was Eren Yeager, who was running towards other Grimm he saw close by.

"Whoa," said Nora. "Is that Eren?"

"Why is he glowing?" Emerald asked.

Ren squinted his eyes and got a closer look. "I think... I have a possible explanation."

Before he could say anything else, Vernal escaped from Mercury's grasp. But rather than attacking him once more, Vernal ran towards the enraged Eren, who was pounding into another Beringel.

"Vernal, no!" Mercury cried as he tried to catch her.

"Eren, look out!" Ren called out to his friend.

Surprisingly, Eren heard the sound of his own name. Turning to its source, he saw Vernal charging at him fast as lightning. He immediately saw that she wasn't okay, and that she was ready to attack him. So instead of waiting, Eren let out a scream of fury and sent his bleeding fist straight into her face. The girl flew back and skidded across the ground. And after she stopped rolling, a black shape flew out of her body and stood still. But rather than finding a new host, it moved away from everyone and into the trees.

Everyone's jaws dropped at the sight of the Chill leaving Vernal. Remembering what Ren said about their method of killing people, they all ran to her body and stood in a circle. Mercury was the first to drop to his knees and reach towards her.

"Mercury, no!" Ren said as he grabbed Mercury's arm. "Don't touch her, we don't know-!"

"Get off me!" Mercury demanded as he pushed Ren away from him. With his arms free, he moved back to Vernal and slightly moved her body. "No, no, no. C'mon, Vernal. Wake up."

Nora covered her mouth in shock while Ren simply said nothing. The only one to speak was Emerald. "Is... Is she-?"

"No!" Mercury denied. "No, she can't be!" He began to shake Vernal. "Wake up, Vernal! Dammit, wake up!"

Nora was the first one to kneel next to Mercury and move his arms. "Merc... she can't wake up," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm-"

"Nora, stop!" Mercury moved back to Vernal again. "Just give her a minute, she can wake up!" Nora grabbed his arm once again. "Let me go!" He tried to pull against Nora's grip, but he couldn't break it. In order to do so, he had to look her in the eyes and tell her to stop. "Goddammit, Nora! Let go of-!"

*THWACK*

Nora's hand made a soft red mark on Mercury's cheek, who didn't say another word. Nora couldn't look him in the eye when she slapped him, but now she was staring at him with tearful eyes. "Mercury... I'm so sorry," she softly said. "She's gone."

"..."

Mercury's fists disappeared as he looked down. Tears began to pour down his cheeks as he silently accepted the truth. After a few seconds, his silence was broken by sobs as he leaned into Nora's embrace.

Ren didn't break his silence as he watched Nora comfort Mercury. In a way, he was almost proud of Nora for being able to deliver a terrible truth. He would think that she would cling to some hope, but it seemed to disappear after what she saw happened to their father. Unable to think about anything else than another death to count, Ren leaned down to pick Vernal off the ground, to get her body out of harm's way.

When he got close to her chest, Ren felt something warm on his cheek. He touched it to see what it was, but felt nothing. However, the warmth came onto the back of his hand, where his cheek should have been. Looking to his left, he saw Vernal's head laying on the ground. He leaned closer, and felt the warmth come and go once more.

He gasped as he began to see something else. Vernal's chest was slightly moving up and down. It was almost as if... she was breathing.

Quickly putting two fingers on her neck, Ren began to feel Vernal give off a pulse. A weak one, but a pulse nonetheless. She was still alive.

"Mercury!" Ren yelled. "Mercury, she's not dead! I don't know how, but... she's alive!"

Mercury and Nora let go of each other and looked back at Vernal. "She's... alive?" he asked out of disbelief. Moving closer, he saw that Ren was checking for a pulse. "You feel a pulse?! She's alive?!"

"She's still breathing, just barely," Ren confirmed. "I don't know how, that thing should have killed her!"

Emerald noticed something else about Vernal and quickly pointed it out. Following her finger to Vernal's face, everyone could see the veins on her face disappear. The whiteness of her skin didn't go, but the veins were all gone. "Eren must have kicked out the Grimm before it could kill her!" Emerald deduced. "He saved her life!"

"He saved her life," Mercury repeated with a smile. He then stood up and scooped Vernal off the ground. "Quick, we gotta get her help!" He began to run towards the houses and buildings, with Nora following close behind him.

Ren was about to follow, but he saw that Emerald wasn't doing the same. "Emerald, let's go!" he cried out.

"But what about Eren?" she asked as she pointed towards the breach.

Ren followed her finger, and saw Eren do nothing but kill more and more Grimm. Even the wall's defense team was backing away from him. "I think... he can take care of himself," said Ren. "Now let's go!"

---

Eren's rage had brought him far. He had gone outside the wall while his friends were still inside. He couldn't think straight, all he could think about was killing each and every Grimm he could find.

The only thing strange about this was that Eren wasn't using any weapons. All he had were his bare hands, and they were more than enough. Whenever he threw a punch, a Grimm would turn to dust. Not even the strongest Ursa could contend with Eren's raw strength.

Or rather, not his amplified strength.

Cinder was right, Eren just didn't know it. His strength was unnatural, if it could lift pounds of debris and break the strongest monster without breaking a sweat. Eren didn't realize it, but his strength was the only thing present with his anger. And each twinge of anger made him stronger.

After seven years, Eren Yeager had unlocked his Semblance.

Without the Grimm invasion, this may have taken longer. And it would take time to control it, but that was the last thing on his mind. All he wanted was to put the Grimm in their place, to make them stay as far away from Kuroyuri as possible.

And when he tackled one last Beowolf, Eren was prepared to erase it from existence, to make his wish come true. And with a loud scream, Eren slammed his fists onto the ground, turning the creature's head into mush.

Once the dust disappeared, Eren was finally able to let go of his anger. His strength vanished as well, leaving a young man covered in black from head to toe. When he stood up, he silently turned around to examine the vanishing Grimm behind him. He was content with his work, content that Carla, Cinder and Dina were safe.

But once again, he knew their safety wasn't a constant. There would always be someone or something to threaten their lives, threaten the place they made their home. To say that Eren was resolved to put an end to this threat was an understatement.

And he had a plan, one that was inspired from a small Nevermore trying to peck his eyes out.

Eren grabbed the small bird and began to squeeze his grip. The creature let out cries and screeches of pain as it's legs and wings were beginning to break. But Eren wasn't ready to kill it just yet. The reason he was holding it so tight was to make sure the Grimm would cut his hand. Once he saw his blood pour out from the bottom of his hand, Eren closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

"Where did you come from?" Eren thought to himself.

Just as he asked the question, he could see a land of red and black before his eyes. He had done this before, but not in a long time. By using the powers of the Founding Titan, Eren looked back into this Grimm's memories, from birth to death. His plan was to see how the Grimm were traveling from the Land of Darkness to Kuroyuri, to strike back before the creatures could recuperate.

What he saw was something he was far from prepared for.

Once the small Nevermore emerged from a pool of black water, it didn't fly off into the sky. Instead, it flew into the open palm of a pale-skinned woman in a black gown.

"Salem made this herself?" Eren asked himself.

The memory continued to play, and Eren continued to watch.

"You are but one of many tools for my current cause, my pet," said the immortal witch. "Ozma will soon be dealt with, but I cannot allow any other rivals to stand in my way." Salem looked past the other pools, beyond her castle. "Circle far and wide. Search for a Grimm, humanoid and towering above all the rest. When you find it, recruit other beasts to your cause, and do not return to me while it still lives. Obey."

Salem gently pushed her hand to the sky, and the small Nevermore took flight. It flew across the red land, across the ocean, and flew across the forests.

*ROAR*

A loud roar caused the bird to stop flying. It landed on a tree branch and saw two large Grimm, just like it's master described. Flying south, it came across dozens of Beowolves, Ursai, and even larger Nevermores. They were already following a large source of negativity, but now they had a leader. One by one, they followed the small bird, as if they understood its screeches and cries. And they all had one destination in mind; Kuroyuri.

The memories stopped when Eren first caught the Grimm. He opened his eyes and looked at the bird, still attempting to break free. As tears poured down Eren's eyes, he used both of his hands to break the Nevermore's neck.

He then fell to his knees and began to sob.

The sobs turned to manic laughter not a minute later.

The laughter soon turned to screaming.

"You did everything right!" he screamed. "You did everything right and you still let this happen!"

The screams disappeared and Eren was left sobbing on the ground. He never considered the possibility that Salem would still be looking for him, after all these years. And now, that mistake had cost him, and his friends, dearly. Not only that, but Salem had just unwittingly declared war on him. She fired the first shot, one that shook Eren to his core.

But he wouldn't be taking this shot lying down.

Eren sat up and stopped crying. He dusted himself off and dried his eyes. As he looked into the sky, he knew it was time. With or without the full nine Titans, it was time for Eren to take this fight to Salem.

And sadly... it was time to leave.

---

Author's note: hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long, it was a real big one. We're not trying to rush anything, we're just sticking to our plan.

And speaking of plans, AT and I decided that it might be time to make some changes. A lot of you had posted comments about Eren and Cinder, and we've told you how we wanted to stick to their initial relationship. However, we realized that maybe that's not such a good idea. And honestly, we're starting to see why you ship them so much.

In order to make our decision about them properly, AT and I made a poll that you can vote on. Take as much time as you need, and let us know if Eren and Cinder should be a couple. You should be able to see it on my profile page here. Other than that, we hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time!