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.

34. Chapter 34

"If you know neither the enemy or yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Sun Tzu

Chapter 34: The Lords of Salem

"Ugghhh..."

Bleary red eyes fluttered open, and their owner felt her hands reach to her forehead and rub it. And yet, the feeling of being lightheaded refused to go away.

"My head..." Emerald groaned as she tried to reorient herself. But this was easier said than done.

There was a faint ringing in her ears, and her own voice coming out as muffled. It was as if she was hearing from another room, behind a closed door.

And yet, Emerald eventually found the strength to move her back off the ground and sit up straight. "What... happened?" she asked. "Wasn't I... climbing or something?"

"..."

Emerald's head began to feel like itself again, without any pain or grogginess. As it did, memories from a few moments ago came back to her. She was indeed climbing something, it was the surface of Salem's castle. Emerald remembered moving down at a slow pace to reach the Incinerator Titan, but then she remembered losing her grip.

And completely missing the hands of Winter and Cinder.

"Cinder?" Emerald said as she stood up. "Cinder?" Emerald called out as she looked around. "Cinder? Winter? Where'd you go?!"

"..."

When no answer came, Emerald asked another question.

"Or rather... where did I go?"

"..."

Emerald attempted to answer her own question as she looked around. A bright light soon came down from above and blinded her for a moment.

When they light died down, Emerald seemed to find the answer she sought.

[Play "Resident Evil Village OST Soundtrack - Remember" on YouTube]

Although she blinked rapidly, as if to dispel some illusion, the scenery remained completely unchanged. Instead of the area being the dreary red rock and purple crystal imbued Land of Darkness, Emerald found herself in the streets of Vale.

More specifically, the Commercial District.

There were several spots along the street that Emerald easily recognized. The first was a place called From Dust Till Dawn, a store she once broke into at night in order to get Dust she needed for her weapons. There was also A Simple Wok, a nice little noodle stand where the owner once offered to give her a free meal after finding her in a weakened state.

The man didn't do this often, but he was easily one of the kindest people Emerald had met.

There other places such as the Crow Bar, a Just Rite fueling station, and some clothing stores and bakeries. In the distance she could faintly make out the Vale Public Library, the Vale Police Department, and even the silhouette of Beacon Academy above the city.

"Wow," Emerald said as she walked along the street. "I... I forgot how nice the city looks."

Emerald began to feel relieved, if not a little confused, at the familiar sights. It was much better than what she remembered, or thought she remembered. It was easy enough to consider her fall being a dream, given that it wasn't possible to leave the Land of Darkness and come to Vale in a few seconds.

"But.. how did I get here?" Emerald asked herself.

Suddenly, Emerald began to cough. Not in a way to simply clear her throat, but to expel something that wasn't supposed to be there. Emerald looked down and saw that a red foggy miasma, something that one would see in a horror movie like Quiet Peak, was surrounding her. It began to cover the buildings and streets, and envelop them in a strange reddish glow.

Up in the sky were red and gray clouds similar to the Land of Darkness, where Emerald could partially make out the moon.

"Wha... What's going on?!" Emerald asked a she tried to push the smoke away from her face. "What's going on?!"

"..."

Nobody answered Emerald as she got used to the red fog around her. She had stopped coughing, but it was still hard to see. But a silhouette of a person in front of her gave Emerald hope. Hope that she could find her way out of the fog after all.

Emerald moved as fast as she could towards the person, and she managed to touch their shoulder. Emerald then pushed on the shoulder to get a good look at the person, and saw who she was with.

It was Cinder.

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled with a smile. "Oh, it's good to see you!"

"..."

Cinder didn't reply, but Emerald was more focused on the fog around her. "How do we get out of here?" she asked as she looked around.

This time, Cinder answered her.

"You don't have to keep going forward," she said. "You can go back."

"...Huh?"

Cinder pointed behind Emerald, towards an exit that was just a few yards behind her. "You can go back," Cinder repeated. "And let us do all of the fighting."

Emerald looked back to Cinder, who was still pointing at the exit. She was tempted to take it, to get out of this strange fog. But the nature of the explanation had only raised more questions than answers.

"Go back?" Emerald repeated. "What... What do you mean?"

Cinder finally lowered her arm. "You were hurt really bad. And you couldn't keep up with us when we fought the Grimm. Do you think you can take that kind of damage again? Do you think you can keep up with us?"

"I... Um..."

Emerald was surprised to hear all of this, but she couldn't deny the truth behind these statements. It was hard for her to keep up with killing all the Grimm, given that Emerald didn't have a Titan or power like Raven's.

And while she didn't remember getting hurt, a fall like the one she had was dangerous.

Suddenly, someone appeared next to Cinder. It was Ren.

"Didn't you once tell me that things were easier back in Vale?" he asked. "No fighting, no worries about tomorrow? Just using your Semblance to take whatever you needed and wanted?"

Emerald remembered mentioning this to Ren once, but this was still crazy that this was happening. "Um... yeah," she said. "But I-"

"Nobody's going to stop you." Ren pointed back to the exit. "You can go live your life, and we can fight for you."

Emerald couldn't resist another look at the exit before she answered Ren. "What?" she asked. "No, I... I don't want to leave! You need my help to stop Salem!"

"No, we don't!"

Nora emerged from the smoke and flexed her muscles at Emerald. "We're plenty strong!" she said with her usual smile and enthusiasm. "We've been training for this all of our lives! And I'm strong enough to do twice the fighting one guy could do!" Nora suddenly put her arms down. "We don't need you to fight with us. We got this covered without you."

"..."

Emerald lowered her head as she replayed the last words in her mind. She had no reason to argue against the claim, given what had happened earlier. She wasn't strong, not like they all were. And if she kept going, there was a good chance that she wouldn't be coming back.

But there was still hope.

"What if I had a Titan?" Emerald asked as she looked up. "Then I could be stronger. I'll help you stop Salem with a Titan!"

Another figure emerged from the mist; it was Mercury this time. "We got enough Titans," he said. "We got this covered. Winter and the doc are the only people we need right now. Well, people without Grimm powers, you know?"

"..."

A final figure emerged from the smoke. Now, even though she didn't want to, Emerald had to hear what Eren was going to say.

"And we have enough power on our side," he said. "Ren's Titan can be invisible. Nora and Cinder can control elements. Mercury has his speed. And I'm the one who can create as many Grimm as we need." Eren pointed to the doorway. "You can go, Emerald. You don't have to try and be like us or try to be strong as us. You can go."

"..."

Emerald's head lowered once again. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she realized that her attempts to be as strong as everyone else had failed. She didn't see it until about an hour ago, but she wished she had the strength her friends had. She wished she could do more, be more than she was already.

Because in her mind... who she was wasn't enough.

"I know," Emerald said. "I... I know I'm not strong like you guys," she said. "But... that doesn't mean I'm not ready."

"..."

"I wish that I can do more. I wish I could be stronger, and I know that isn't gonna happen today. But... I'm not gonna just leave."

"..."

All of her friends remained silent as Emerald continued to talk.

"I meant what I said to you all! I mean, I only said it to Eren, but you guys are my family too! You're everything I've could've wanted and then some! Family doesn't just back out when we're fighting something like this, it doesn't!"

"..."

Emerald groaned. "Look, I'm just going to be super pissed if you all put me on the sidelines the moment I use mind over matter, okay?!"

"..."

Emerald gasped as she realized what she said. "Mind over matter..." she repeated. This idea related more to her Semblance if anything, but Emerald suddenly believed it could be used in another way. If she told herself that she was stronger than she believed, that she was ready to fight and ready to win no matter what... maybe that would come true.

With the right mindset, Emerald could do anything.

"Even if it means getting a Titan?"

Emerald looked at Eren when she recognized his voice. Everyone else was gone, but Eren remained. Perhaps it was because he was the master of the Grimm, and that he could give a Titan to anyone who asked for one.

At this moment, Emerald felt the weight of the decision come down on her. She knew that receiving a Titan was no easy thing. A Titan was permanent, it would become a part of her forever. It needed to be used with care, and that it needed to be kept a secret.

And if that secret came out, Emerald would face unfathomable consequences.

"Especially if it means getting a Titan," she said adamantly.

"..."

Without a word, Eren nodded and disappeared from sight.

Suddenly, the mysterious red fog slowly began to gather all around Emerald. After it engulfed her body, the mist began to condense into a more solidified looking shape. Emerald didn't feel like coughing now, she instead embraced the fog and waited for something to happen.

While she didn't know what was going to happen, Emerald was ready for anything that was thrown her way.

The fog began to rise off of Emerald's body and leave her unharmed. As it grew and rose, the mist remained in the shape of a human, but it seemed to develop some unique differences. Namely, it seemed to have something protruding from parts on its body.

The shape began to take form once again, but it appeared to be more solid. Soon, the mist begins to dissipate and reveal flesh. And in time, that flesh became a large and strong body.

It was a Titan.

And to Emerald, it was beautiful.

Like Cinder's Titan, this one possessed a feminine figure compared to other Titans. However, it was more slender and petite when compared to the Incinerator Titan. Unlike regular Grimm and Titans, this one had light gray skin rather than the typical black, a few shades lighter than Ren's Titan.

Another difference compared to the other Titans was the color of the hair. Instead of white hair, this Titan has a blend of red and black hair; a closer look made Emerald see that the style looked similar to her own hair when it was untied. The eyes were another feature that stood out. They were an amber-red blend color instead of the usual hate filled red that other Grimm and Titans had.

The most notable feature of this Titan to Emerald, something that she had just seen a moment ago, was a series of bone or teeth-like spikes that emerged from its neck and both wrists. They wrapped around almost like natural bracelets and a necklace.

Emerald was stunned.

The Titan looked down at her as if it was sensing the thoughts that were running through the girl's mind. Without a word or a sound, the Titan reached its hand out to Emerald.

The young girl looked to the Titan's hand before she looked back at it's face. "Mind over matter, Emerald," the girl told herself. "Mind over matter."

As she reached out and took the Titan's hand, a red light spread around Emerald and came across the Titan as well. The girl soon had to shield her eyes as the glow began to get brighter and brighter. But before she closed her eyes completely, she saw that she and the Titan were moving up to the sky.

"That's right," Emerald realized. "I was climbing before. Now I have to keep going."

"..."

Emerald held the Titan's hand as hard as she could. "Eren can do it. And so can I."

---

"I got her!"

"Pull!"

Eren immediately pulled up as he grasped Emerald's torso. She was currently inside the nape of the Titan that Eren had made for her, but everyone knew that they didn't need Titans right now.

All they needed was to get Emerald out.

And so, Eren found himself being helped by Cinder as they pulled on Emerald together. They didn't understand it, but she seemed to be stuck inside the Titan really good; it was almost like she didn't want to leave.

But everyone knew that they needed to see if Emerald was okay. So with one more combined pull, Eren and Cinder were able to free their friend from the warm flesh of the brand new Titan.

One look at the young girl told Eren and Cinder that she looked much better.

Emerald was no longer bleeding, as her cuts and bruises had all been healed. Her arms and legs appeared to be fixed as well, and she didn't have any bones protruding to the surface of her body. The only damage she seemed to have was a set of lines underneath her eyes, but Eren knew this would go away quickly.

"Ugh..."

Emerald began to open her eyes once again. But rather than seeing red mist or her Titan, she saw Eren and Cinder hovering over her.

"Emerald?" Cinder said as she took one more look at her friend. "Are you okay?"

Emerald groaned once again as she put a hand to her head. When her lightheaded feeling disappeared, the young girl was able to get a good look at her friends as well as herself.

And seeing how she appeared to have been completely healed, Emerald had one thing to say.

"That... is the last time I go rock climbing."

Cinder couldn't help but laugh as she hugged Emerald. "It's alright!" she said as she turned her head around. "She's alive!"

Emerald found herself surrounded by Eren, Ren, Nora, Mercury, Vernal, Midori, and Winter. All of them were smiling and extremely relieved to see that she was alive, but there were some unanswered questions.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked as he kneeled down. "I mean, you look better, but how are you feeling?"

"Good," Emerald said as Cinder let her go. "Yeah, I feel good. Where are we?"

Emerald looked around to see that she was standing on a purple crystal. When she looked up, she saw a red sky and stagnant clouds above the ground. She also saw that the purple crystal she was on seemed to ascend up towards the sky.

"We're still in the Land of Darkness," Cinder explained. "I found Eren after he blew a hole in the wall and brought him straight here."

"Mercury found everyone else, but I needed to act fast," Eren insisted. "So I-"

"Wait a minute," Emerald said as she stood up. "We're still here?" She looked around the immediate area in confusion. "But how did we get here? We... We were in Vale, and-"

"Vale?" Cinder asked as she stood up. "What are you talking about?"

"We were in Vale, all of us! I mean, there was a lot of red smoke around us or something, but we were still there."

Nora moved forward past Eren and Cinder. "Emerald, we were never in Vale," she said. "I mean, I'd love it if we were, but we never left."

"Oh, wait a minute," said Ren, who joined Nora. "Emerald had a Titan vision. Just like me, Nora, Cinder, and Mercury."

"Oh..." said Eren, Cinder, and Nora. They had forgotten that this happened to people who inherited Grimm Titans, even though Eren had no idea why. It may have been possible that the same happened to Eldian Titans, but Eren wasn't sure. He never had any dream or vision when he first inherited the Attack Titan, but those memories were nearly erased altogether.

"Wait, did you say 'Titan?'" Emerald asked. "Like, my own Titan?"

"Oh," said Cinder. "Um..."

"..."

Emerald noticed that Cinder and everyone else were looking at something behind her. She turned around fast and saw another Titan laying on the ground a few feet behind her. Only this Titan was brand new, and it looked exactly like the one Emerald had seen in her dream.

"Eren... did you do that?" Emerald asked as she turned around. "Did you make me... a Titan?"

"..."

Everyone immediately became uncomfortable with the question. Eren and Cinder couldn't help but share a concerned glance at each other as everyone looked away from Emerald and the Titan behind her.

Nevertheless, Eren explained himself.

"...Yes," he said. "When Cinder showed me what happened to you, I knew we had to act fast. Midori used up most of her Semblance on Vernal, and finding her would have taken longer." Eren put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Emerald... it was the only way."

"..."

Emerald looked back to her Titan without a word. Eren didn't have anything else to say, despite the fact that he regretted that this was the only way to help her. He was sorry that he made her a Titan without asking her, but he was happy to see that she was alive.

And if she hated him for this, so be it. Eren was simply glad to see that she was alive.

But Cinder didn't want Emerald to hate anyone. She was worried that her role in this change would put her on Emerald's bad side, so she decided to pick up where Eren left off.

"Emerald... it's not so bad," she said. "You'll have to learn a few things, but-"

"Not so bad?" Emerald asked as she turned around. When she saw her friends again, she spoke a little louder. "Not so bad?"

"..."

Emerald formed a smile on her face as she stared at Cinder. "This is great!" she said enthusiastically. "Perfect, even!"

"..."

Cinder and Eren shared another glance at each other, but this one was out of confusion rather than concern. But Eren wasn't able to look at Cinder when Emerald tightly hugged him.

"Eren, thank you so much for doing this!" she said. "I won't let any of you down, I promise! You're not gonna regret this!"

Eren stared at the head of green hair resting against his chest. "Um... you're welcome?" he said as he gently tapped her shoulder.

Emerald let go of her friend and suddenly noticed something about herself. "Wow, my joints feel amazing!" she said as she stretched her arms and legs. She was always in good shape and healthy, but part of her body felt a little more flexible and durable. "Is this what health is?"

Eren and Cinder didn't answer, but Mercury and Nora stepped forward. "Yeah, I noticed that too," said Mercury. "I always thought it was because my Titan's fast."

Nora smiled as she looked at the Titan behind Emerald. "Whoa, look at the size of it!" she said as Emerald turned around. "This thing's really yours, Emerald?!"

Emerald couldn't help but laugh at the idea. "I know, right?" she asked. "It's insane! I just hope it's strong enough to pack a punch."

"Are you kidding?!" Nora pointed at the Titan's left arm. "Look at that thing! It's huge!"

Ren stepped forward with Nora. "It does look physically durable," he said. "Though a proper test will show us how strong it really is."

"Hey, yeah!" said Mercury. "Em, did you find out what your Titan can do? I mean, I got my speed. Ren's got his invisibility and tracking, and Nora's got the lightning. What does this thing do?"

"Oh, I... I'm not sure," Emerald said with an awkward laugh. "I just saw how it looked."

Everyone on the side of the castle, including Vernal and Midori, all moved to get a closer look at the Titan Eren had created. Eren was about to look further, but a hand on his shoulder made him look back.

"Well, Eren, it looks like I owe you an apology," said Winter, who studied the smile on Emerald's face. "It seems making her a Titan was the right call after all."

"It seems that way," Eren agreed. "But I don't remember her ever saying she wanted one, though." He looked over to Cinder. "Do you?"

"No," Cinder replied. "Not that I know of." She then looked back to the Titan and everyone looking at it. "But Winter's right. You did the right thing, Eren."

Eren couldn't help but smile as he looked at Emerald alive and well. "I know." He then walked over to Emerald with Cinder and Winter as they examined the Titan. Cinder even had the honor of telling Emerald how happy she was to be alive and apologize for not catching her in time. Given what she had gained today, Emerald found it easy to forgive Cinder and insist that everything was okay.

But sadly, this wasn't entirely true.

For while everyone was celebrating Emerald's survival and her newest addition to her arsenal, they failed to notice a jellyfish-like Grimm waiting and watching them all.

---

"So... that's how it happens."

Salem was sitting in her meeting room, which was far away from the action and battles that Eren and his friends were partaking in. Ever since she had learned that he had returned, and that the mess outside was simply a diversion, Salem sent a Seer Grimm to see what was happening.

She then took her chance to properly know her enemy.

The Seer had been carefully hiding in the shadows of the castle, and Salem had commanded it to stay absolutely silent. Normally, it would be making a series of clicking noises wherever it went. But when Salem commanded it otherwise, the Seer obeyed.

Salem was able to see how and who Eren had fought throughout the castle. She made no effort to prevent the demise of the Hound, Rod Reiss, or even all the Titans that she had made with Watts.

And speaking of which, seeing Watts standing with Eren Yeager was enough to make her quite irate.

However, Salem was able to calm herself long enough to see how Eren actually made Titans of his own. Although she didn't understand what she had witnessed, Salem saw Eren seemingly give a part himself to save the life of his friend.

The witch had initially designed her first Titan to create more Grimm, so maybe that was related to the process?

"Your Grace."

Salem looked up from the Seer on her table to see Hazel Rainart standing before her. He had been hurt in his battle with Mercury, but he was far from being dead. He had covered his broken and disfigured face in bandages once again, but he also made contact with Salem.

And while everyone was busy with the battle, Salem gave her faithful servant a task.

"I found her," the man said as he entered the room. He was carrying a person on his shoulder, and he had thrown her against the wall for Salem to see. It was Raven Branwen, who Hazel had found at the top of the castle.

Raven had been watching the Titans fall from the top of the tower while they fell. Her plan was to watch and wait for the Titans to knock off Cinder, Winter, and Emerald so she could retrieve her sword. Then, she would use her Semblance to leave this place and never come back.

It would have been the perfect plan if Hazel and a few Beringels hadn't found her.

Raven was a superb and powerful warrior, this was true. But her greatest weakness, aside from her selfish nature, was her shortsightedness. Whenever she had a goal or task to complete, Raven would shut the rest of the world out and place too much focus on the object at hand. When she did this, Raven was susceptible to ambush.

This had happened with Nora in Mistral, and now it had happened with Hazel and the Beringels.

"Well done, Hazel," said Salem. With a wave of her hand, Salem created a red glyph on the wall behind Raven. Four long arms reached out and grabbed the woman, which was enough to wake her and attempt to free herself.

But when she came face-to-face with Salem, Raven remained completely motionless.

"As I live and breathe," the witch taunted as she looked down at the woman beneath her. "Raven Branwen. We meet again."

"..."

A Grimm's hand was covering Raven's mouth, but she was speechless nonetheless. Fear and desperation came to Raven naturally, which caused her to activate her Maiden powers once again. Salem was unafraid, given that this act could be compared to holding a security blanket.

But she was surprised nonetheless.

"And a wielder of the Maiden powers," Salem said with wide eyes. "My, my. Much has changed since last we met, hasn't it?"

"..."

Raven knew she was strong and powerful enough to break the hold of the arms, and she was prepared to do so. But a simple raise of Salem's hand was enough to make her remain perfectly still.

"Do not move," she ordered. "But listen."

"..."

Salem used her Magic to summon a chair behind her. Once she took a seat, Salem spoke again.

"I would wonder how you came into contact with Eren Yeager and his friends," she said. "But I think that's the least of my concerns." She leaned closer. "I am more concerned with the fact that he is here. And that you have helped him break my Titans, that you have delayed my plans. I hate to be late, Raven."

"..."

Salem smiled at the nervous sweat that she saw dripping down Raven's forehead. "Yes. What you have done is noticeable... but it is not unforgivable."

"..."

"I don't care what you have done, or what you planned to do here. Besides, it's not your fault you're here, is it?"

"..."

Raven gently shook her head from side to side.

"I thought not. It was Eren, wasn't it? Did he... force you to come here?"

Raven slowly nodded.

"Then it seems we have a common enemy." Salem leaned back in her chair. "I don't know how he managed to convince you, Raven, but I don't think it matters. I also know you don't want to be here, and I know you want no part in my affairs. However, if you were to help me... get rid of Eren and his friends, I could consider your involvement water under the bridge."

"..."

Raven knew forgiveness like this wasn't easy to earn. She had helped Eren today, and she still wasn't forgiven for what she had done. Earning a pardon from Salem was akin to a godsend.

"And as a bonus, if you help me secure whatever Relic you can unlock, we will go out separate ways and never cross paths again."

"..."

That was all Raven wanted; to be left alone. Salem knew this better than anyone, given that it had been quite some time since the two had seen each other. And so, Salem commanded the hand around Raven's mouth to let it go. After she took a few deep breaths, Raven was able to answer Salem's question.

"Is that... agreeable?" the witch asked.

"...Yes," Raven answered.

Salem smiled as she pushed her chair back. "Good." With a wave of her hand, Salem commanded the other hands to let Raven go. "I know it won't be easy, obtaining the Relic. But once we deal with Eren Yeager, that will be our first priority."

Raven let herself off the ground and stretched her arms. "It'll be easier than you think," she said. "I'm the Spring Maiden."

Salem's eyebrows slightly lifted. "The Spring Maiden?" she repeated in amusement. "How fortunate. Haven Academy is in disarray, from what I heard."

"Ozpin has a new Headmaster lined up, but Haven's staff is picking up where Leonardo left off. And they don't know about the Relic."

"Hmm..." Salem was pleased with this information, but she remembered the task at hand. "More of that later. We have a mutual enemy to destroy."

"..."

Raven silently followed Salem with Hazel. She was scared stiff right now, she was more scared than she had ever been in her life. But she knew that she wasn't going anywhere else.

Salem knew this as well, so she confidently sat in her chair and looked at the Seer in front of her.

And sure enough, Eren Yeager was right where she left him.

---

*CLICK*

*CLACK*

*CLICK*

*CLACK*

A series of strange and unfamiliar clicking noises caused Eren and his friends to look away from Emerald's new Titan. When they did, their eyes shifted towards the hole in the wall that Eren made when he punched the Hound.

There, everyone saw what appeared to be a jellyfish-like Grimm descending towards them.

"What is that?" Winter asked as she raised Omen. Everyone took out their own weapons as well and prepared to defend themselves.

"Gotta be some kind of Grimm," said Vernal. "Never seen one like that before."

"It is," said Watts. "That's what I told you about, Eren." When Eren turned around, Watts explained himself. "It's a Seer."

"He's right," said Midori. "I've seen dozens of those things when I was here."

"That's a Seer?" Eren asked. He remembered the conversation he had with Watts when they discussed a plan to invade Salem's castle. He remembered how Watts described it, but he was unsure of its capabilities. "What's it do?"

Watts and Midori were about to answer, but a new voice caught everyone's attention.

"I will speak only to Eren Yeager."

"..."

Everyone looked at Eren when they heard the voice. However, Nora couldn't help but ask the first question that came to mind.

"Oh, no!" she said. "We got another talking Grimm?!"

"Another?" Cinder, Winter, and Emerald asked at the same time.

Eren put his hand up towards his friends. Silence fell onto them as he slowly moved closer to the Grimm. He grasped the hilts of his swords firmly as he moved closer. He didn't share Nora's exact concerns of a talking Grimm, despite the fact that he was concerned.

He knew who the voice belonged to.

"Salem," he addressed the Grimm.

The head of the Seer was filled with red smoke, similar to what Emerald had seen in her Titan vision. The smoke began to spin around slowly, but at a speed that was noticeable.

After a few more seconds of spinning, an image of Salem was revealed.

"Eren Yeager," she said calmly. "I was wondering when we would meet again. Though you must have expected that only pain would follow by coming back here."

"This makes the second time we've broken into your house," Eren pointed out. "We're not too worried."

Salem has to admit that her methods of securing her castle with the Grimm and Titans had failed. "Maybe so. But if memory serves me right, you and your little band ran away at the first sight of danger."

Eren silently admitted that this was also true. "We're not running now. So come on out and finish this."

"Oh, I intend to. Now that I've learned so much about you, Eren Yeager."

"..."

Salem smiled as she saw that Eren's silence resulted from a lack of understanding. While she rarely liked to help people, something that she found to be a flaw, Salem took it upon herself to be of some assistance.

"I've seen your work, come to understand your motivation," Salem explained. "You killed my Hound, helped kill Rod Reiss, and even convinced one of my own to aid you. Speaking of which, Arthur..." Salem shifted her gaze to the Atlesian behind Eren. "I'm very disappointed in you. Aiding another simple human? I thought you were smarter than that."

Watts straightened his collar as he cleared his throat. "Don't take it personally, ma'am," he said. "My brains are the reason I'm standing where I am."

"Yet it's not too late to return."

"..."

Watts felt everyone's eyes, Eren's included, fall on him with distrust and warning. Given that they were all armed to the teeth, and that he was standing very close to a cliff, Watts knew the best thing to do would be to stay where he was.

Salem noticed this, which disappointed her even more. However, she found herself looking at another familiar face.

"And what of you, Midori?"

Everyone turned to Midori, who stared at the Seer with fear and uncertainty. The Grimm sensed this negativity, and found itself moving closer to the young girl.

"Do you remember the first day we met, Midori?" Salem asked. "I do. You were all alone, on the run from all your problems. And yet here you are, back with me." The Seer's tentacles lifted higher as they pointed at Midori. Everyone raised their weapons and prepared to act if the Grimm attacked her.

"I haven't forgotten everything you've done for me," Salem continued. "You would be wise not to forget everything I can do to you."

"..."

Midori quickly ejected Scalpel's blades and pointed them at the Seer. "I won't forget," she said. She wasn't able to hide her fear at this point, but she was able to stand her ground. "I won't forget that you kidnapped me! Tortured me! Made me into a slave!" Tears began to fall down her face. "I'm not going to let that happen again!"

Everyone saw how afraid Midori was, and they couldn't blame her. Even Watts found it likely that Midori couldn't forget everything that happened to her.

The only difference now was that Midori had friends on her side.

Eren grabbed the head of the Seer and spun it around. "Leave her alone," he ordered. "This is between you and me."

"And me," said Cinder.

"And me," said Ren.

"Me too," said Nora.

"Me too," said Mercury.

Emerald raised her guns at the Seer before she answered. "Me too," she said. "If you want us dead, then come get us."

Salem looked at each of the humans that were defying her. The looks on their faces and their words were expected, but Salem was able to see an opportunity from this defiance and stubbornness.

"...As you wish," she said with a smile.

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

The Grimm's tentacles moved as fast as lightning. The sharp spikes at the ends found their way into flesh and bone as they attacked each of the six humans that had just spoken to her.

Eren, Cinder, Ren, Nora, Mercury, and Emerald found themselves on the ground after they suffered swift attacks. The weaponized tentacles had struck them in their chests, necks, and faces. As they fell, each of them had one lethal and potentially fatal wound on their bodies.

"No!" Midori yelled as she pushed the Seer out of her way. She found herself kneeling by Nora and quickly moved her hands on her friend's shoulder. She didn't have much Aura left, and she wasn't sure if she could save Nora.

Or anyone.

"Save who you can," Salem ordered. "Tell the survivors I will meet them in my throne room. You remember the way, don't you, Midori?"

*BANG*

*CRACK*

Vernal had shot and killed the Seer with her own weapon before she kneeled down to Mercury. She attempted to stop the bleeding as she applied pressure on her boyfriend's wound, and Winter found herself doing the same for Eren and Cinder.

"We have to stop the bleeding!" Vernal said as she pushed on Mercury's wound.

"The wounds are too deep!" said Winter. "Midori, we need your Semblance!"

Midori's Aura finally gave up on her as she partially healed Nora. "I'm out of Aura! What do we do?!"

Winter began to panic as she saw how bad this situation had become. And now it was getting even worse when she heard Ymir talking.

"Relax," she said. "He's not going to die."

"Not going to die?!" Winter yelled back. "Are you even looking at this?!" As soon as she looked down, Winter saw Eren move her hand off his neck. "Eren, no! We have to stop the... bleeding?"

Winter watched Eren sit up and move his neck in a circle. The wound on it, which would normally cause someone to bleed out, was spilling steam instead of blood. Cinder, Ren, Nora, and Mercury all sat up with steaming wounds and dried blood as well.

"...Ow," Nora said in annoyance.

"Damn, that hurt," said Mercury.

"Is everyone okay?" Eren asked.

"We're fine," said Ren, who was looking at Nora's healed wound. "But that could've killed us."

"Oooh, right," Midori said slowly. "You guys can heal." Midori chuckled as she realized her ignorance in the matter. "Totally forgot about that."

"I guess Salem forgot about that too," said Cinder.

"And that most of us are Titans," said Eren.

A smile came to Cinder's face as she brushed Eren's hand with her own. "Lucky us."

Eren chuckled at the exchange as he looked over everyone else. But he stopped smiling when he realized that something was wrong.

"Emerald?" he called out.

Everyone looked at Emerald's direction to see that she was still laying on the ground. And the sight of blackened blood seeping from her chest raised an alarm for them all.

"Shit, Em!" Mercury yelled as he moved over to her. "Emerald, what are you doing?! Heal yourself!"

Emerald turned to Mercury, despite the fact that everyone had huddled around her. And although blood was starting to come out of her mouth, Emerald was able to utter a single word.

"H... How?"

When he remembered that Emerald's Titan was brand new, Eren rushed over and helped his friend with the basics of healing.

"Imagine your chest healing," he said quickly. "Focus on what your chest used to look like. But focus on the pain too."

Emerald uttered another word. "H... Hurts."

"I know, I know it hurts! But you have to focus on it! Your powers will do the rest!"

"..."

Despite it being one of the worst things she had ever experienced, Emerald focused on the pain in her chest. She also tried to imagine her wound healing in an instant, like how Aura could help with that.

While she was doing so, Emerald began to feel a warm spot on her chest. Which was odd, given that the wound was making her feel cold earlier. But the warm feeling didn't fade away, it had began to intensify.

And it felt... rejuvenating.

"Yeah, that's it!" Eren said as he watched steam escape her wound. "Nora, Mercury, help her up!"

Nora and Mercury did as they were told. Emerald couldn't stand up straight just yet, but she was able to cough out the blood that she had been choking on. Breathing became much easier for her, and so did talking.

"Th... Thanks, Eren," Emerald said gratefully.

Eren nodded as he looked at Emerald's chest. "It's hard the first time, isn't it?" he said. He was immediately taken back to the day when he accidentally created a giant Titan arm when a wound on his hand didn't heal.

And all he was trying to do was pick up a small spoon.

"We should keep moving," said Winter. "Salem said she was waiting for us."

"And she could be sending more Grimm to stop us," said Ren.

"Alright," Eren agreed. "Emerald, can you walk?"

"I just... need a minute," Emerald replied.

"We can carry her," said Nora. "Just lead the way."

"I'll lead," said Midori. "I know where her throne room is." Just as she said that, Midori began to cough from the stagnant air.

"Your Aura needs to heal," said Cinder. "Just point and we'll cover you." Midori agreed with a nod.

"Winter, Vernal, you ready?" Eren asked as he saw his friends were taken care of.

"When you are," said Vernal. Winter simply nodded.

"Alright. Let's end this."

---

The plan was sound, and it was executed just as smoothly.

While her Aura was recharging, Midori was leading everyone in the right direction to Salem's throne room. Eren and Cinder took the lead and were followed by everyone else. As they walked, everyone behind Eren and Cinder took it upon themselves to fill each other in with details about their recent endeavors.

"A talking Grimm?" Winter asked Nora. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, my gosh," Nora sighed. "I wish I wasn't joking. But the Hound was real, and it talked."

"It wasn't just real," said Ren. "The Grimm features were just a shell. The Hound was being driven by a Faunus who lost his mind."

"Wait, you mean that skeleton we found?" Emerald asked as she pointed backwards. "That was the Hound you fought?"

"It wouldn't be the first time a person got up close and personal with the Grimm," said Vernal. "I buy it."

Winter turned back. "I can't believe you would be a part of this, Watts," she said angrily.

"Don't look at me," the doctor said. "Salem never involved me in something like that."

"Sure, she didn't," Nora sarcastically replied, which offended Watts.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Watts asked.

"There are much worse things we can call you," said Midori. "I would know."

Watts rolled his eyes at Midori. "Yes, well... at least I didn't run off at the first sight of danger." Watts turned around to Winter. "Where did you say Raven flew off to?"

"When I find out, you'll be the first to know," Winter replied sarcastically. "But I wouldn't count on her coming back any time soon." She then rubbed her hand on Omen. "Unless she still wants this back."

"Don't give it up," said Nora. "It looks good on you, Winter."

"Looks good?" Emerald asked. "You should've seen her use it against those Grimm. She was up to par with Raven and Cinder out there."

"Impressive," said Ren, who believed the story.

"That's what training at Atlas Academy will do for you," said Winter. "Beacon may only accept the best of the best, but Atlas knows how to make people better than the day they enlisted."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Cinder. She had been following Eren and keeping an open eye out for danger, but she couldn't help but listen to the conversation.

Eren looked over to his friend. "I know you will," he said calmly.

Cinder laughed at the idea. "Yeah, I will. When Schnee sees us kick Salem's ass, she's gonna learn that there are some things you can't learn in school."

"..."

Eren's silence was concerning for Cinder. She hadn't thought about it until now, but they were now extremely close to Salem. Whatever happened next was going to define the rest of their lives and all of Remnant.

It was scary as hell for Cinder, and she could only imagine how Eren was feeling.

"Eren, we're going to win," she said. "I mean, I know we have to win. But we will." Cinder took Eren's hand in hers. "I know we will."

Eren always appreciated Cinder's support, but it couldn't bring him any comfort. "It's not going to be easy," he said. "If Salem's throne room is as small as I expect it to be, that means she's prepared. There won't be enough room for us to use our Titans."

Cinder agreed. "Not unless we want the whole castle to fall on us."

"And I was hoping to see that King Taijitu again. That thing tore my Titan apart."

"We can kill it together. All of us against each head will even the score."

"I think I have a plan to beat it. But we need to save enough strength for Salem."

"You already have it, Eren." Cinder gently squeezed Eren's hand as she smiled. "You've always had it."

While it still didn't bring him any comfort, Eren was still appreciative of Cinder's support. He always wanted to be strong on Paradis, before and after he became a soldier. And simply hearing those words, which was rare in Paradis, was very encouraging for Eren.

"I just can't overextend myself," Eren said. "That's what I'm afraid of." Eren moved closer to Cinder so he could whisper. "Even if I'm healed enough, Titans won't always come when you summon them. It happened to me before."

"..."

Cinder recalled seeing a time when Eren tried to summon his Titan and failed. That was the day he first used the Coordinate, the power of the Founder. If it hadn't been for that, Eren and everyone around him would have died. So the fear that that Eren would be overextending himself with Salem was indeed a logical fear.

Something that Cinder couldn't let happen.

"Don't hate me for this," Cinder said as she stopped walking. She let go of Eren's hand and turned around. "Okay, guys. Listen up."

Everyone stopped walking and looked to Cinder. Eren stopped too, and he was confused as to what was happening. Fortunately, Cinder easily explained herself.

"We have no idea what's going to happen when we meet Salem," Cinder began. "This fight could take hours, maybe even the whole day. And, well... we're definitely gonna get hurt."

Nobody liked hearing this, and Cinder hated that she had to say it. But given what had happened the first day they came here, and given what had happened just a few minutes ago, the risks of the upcoming battle were plain as the nose on one's face.

"We all know the risks, Cinder," Ren said calmly. "But we're not going anywhere."

"Yeah!" said Nora.

"We're not leaving until we get this done," said Mercury. Emerald and Vernal nodded silently.

"We have to stop Salem," said Midori.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say we have no second thoughts," said Winter.

"Thank you," said Eren. "That's good to hear."

"It really is," Cinder agreed. "But there's only one way we're going to win. No matter what happens in there..." Cinder pointed at her best friend. "We have to keep Eren safe."

"..."

Eren was surprised to hear this, and from Cinder of all people. Everyone else was surprised to hear this, but they were willing to hear her out.

"We all know the plan, and how sticking to it is our best bet to win," Cinder explained. "But if Salem makes him overextend his powers, he won't be able to use his Titan. We need it more than any of our Titans."

"What do you mean 'overextend?'" Emerald asked.

"Is there a limit to the Titans?" Winter asked.

"Yeah," Cinder whispered. She wanted to be quiet in case Salem was watching, but she also had to explain herself further. "If Eren can't transform, he won't be able to finish Salem off. His powers are different than ours. And as far as I'm concerned, the Incinerator Titan can spare to be overextended. As long as Eren's safe and strong enough to turn."

"..."

Everyone took a minute to think about this. It was clear that Cinder was willing to sacrifice her own Titan and her ability to use it if it meant keeping Eren safe. And given that her powers weren't like Eren's, like the ability to freeze Salem forever, Cinder had a point.

"Agreed," said Ren. "We all have to keep Eren safe."

"The Electro Titan can pack a punch, but I think I know what you're getting at," said Nora. "So yeah, keeping Eren safe makes sense."

Mercury leaned over and whispered into Vernal's ear. He reiterated the plan to freeze Salem, and how Eren was the only one who could do it. When she heard this, Vernal saw that Eren's survival and strength were necessary to win.

"I'm all for keeping you guys safe," said Emerald. "If Eren needs it more, then that's fine by me."

"I got my Aura fully charged," said Midori. "I can use it anytime you need me to."

"If Eren's Titan is as important as you say it is, then preservation is necessary," said Watts. "It doesn't take a genius to see that."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Doc," said Ymir. She had emerged from the back of Winter's mind to say something. "I once saw Eren do something that I thought was impossible. If he needs to do it again, then we don't have much of a choice." She then turned to Eren. "Just don't get used to me saving you another time, Eren."

"..."

Eren's silence was taken by acknowledgement by everyone, so they were content with this course of action. Self-sacrifice was very hard to ask, and everyone began to feel a little more afraid than they were before. But this new fear wasn't enough to hinder their courage, so they found themselves moving once again.

"The throne room's not far from here," said Midori. "Let me just see which door it was again." Midori took the lead this time, and everyone followed behind her.

Everyone except Eren and Cinder.

"So... that's it," Eren said sadly. "Everyone's gonna be keeping me safe, huh?"

"Eren, I'm sorry," said Cinder. "I know it was a habit of everyone back home to keep you safe. I just saw how this time isn't that much different."

"It was a habit, alright." Eren looked to the side, mainly at his weapons. "This takes me back."

"..."

Eren remembered how the majority of his time in the Survey Corps was spent either being experimented on or being protected by more soldiers than he could count. He had become a valuable asset ever since everyone learned he was a Titan, valuable enough that he needed to be kept safe at all times.

Commander Erwin and Captain Levi were always the ones who oversaw Eren's safety. They never hesitated to assign soldiers to protect him, and they always did their job. However, they also laid down their lives for Eren. All in the name of saving humanity.

Was it a worthy sacrifice?

"Eren?" Cinder asked. "I didn't mean to-"

"We better get moving," said Eren. He then began to walk down the path to Salem's throne room. "I hate to say it, but you're probably right. I need my Titan to finish this." Eren felt dirty for prioritizing himself over his friends, but Cinder had made a compelling argument. "But I still have strength to lend everyone else."

Cinder walked up to Eren. "Don't worry. I know you're not some feeble old man."

Eren smirked at the joke. It took him back to a time when he said something like that to Mikasa after she insisted to do some heavy lifting for him.

"I hope not," he said. "But let's not worry about it. I'll be safe now, I guess."

"..."

Cinder stopped walking again when her friend said this. Even though he understood the idea, it was clear to Cinder that Eren didn't like being protected like this. He didn't like his safety being prioritized over his friends. Soldiers might have been a different story, but what Eren said in the Dark Wing told Cinder that this was different.

But maybe there was a way to make him feel better.

"Eren?" Cinder called out. When she saw him turn around, Cinder took a deep breath before she talked again. "Um... you know I just want to help you, right?"

Eren was confused by the question. "Yeah, of course," he said. The answer seemed obvious, but Eren didn't understand where this was coming from. "Why?"

"Well... I do want to keep you safe." Cinder rubbed her arm as she tensed up. "But not just because we need you. I mean, I-"

"No, I get it." Eren shrugged his shoulders. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Cinder saw that she had to clear some misunderstanding on her part; it was a long time coming after all.

"Well, yeah," she began. "But there's... there's something else too." Cinder began to rub the back of her head. "I just... I just wanted to say that... that-"

"You don't have to say anything." Eren turned around. "We have a good plan. And we shouldn't keep Salem waiting." Eren walked down the path again, but Cinder needed a second to follow.

"No... No, you're right," she said. "It's nothing. Gotta stay focused."

Eren and Cinder eventually found everyone standing in front of two large wooden doors. Midori was beckoning for her friends to join her before she explained herself.

"Okay..." she whispered. "Okay, okay, you can do this."

"..."

Midori's whispers were audible to everyone, so they were able to tell how afraid she was. Nora put a hand on Midori's shoulder to comfort her, to let her know that she wouldn't be alone in this case.

The young medic needed a second to regain her bearings, and she was able to do so. "Okay, this is it," she told Eren. "This is Salem's throne room."

Mercury cracked his knuckles as he looked at the large door. "Yeah, this looks familiar," he said. He remembered seeing doors like these when he broke the window behind Salem when they first attacked.

"Be ready," said Ren, who took out his guns. "For anything." Everyone took out their own weapons as they heeded Ren's advice.

"Stand back," Nora ordered with a smile. "And let's start this party with a bang!" She then lifted Magnhild and prepared to destroy the doors before her.

*CREAK*

Before Nora could swing her hammer, the twin doors slowly opened by themselves. The action took her by surprise, but a familiar voice provided an explanation behind the event.

"No need to break through," said an old woman. "Come right in. I've been waiting."

"..."

One by one, Eren and his friends entered the throne room. There, they saw a familiar table, familiar glass windows, and a familiar throne made of purple crystal. Watts and Midori were the last to enter, and they were the first to notice that the doors to the throne room had closed again.

The room appeared to be abandoned, save for the Queen sitting on her throne with a soft smile.

"Well, well, well," said Salem. "Quite the menagerie." Her dark red eyes scanned the area and looked at all of the people before her. "A traitor, a scared little girl, children touched by the power of Grimm, and..." Salem paused as her eyes landed on Winter Schnee. "Whoever you are. A peasant, I assume?"

Winter grimaced at the insult, given that she wasn't pleased with her current look. She was without her uniform and possessed a head of hair that wasn't her own, and she wished that she could look like herself again. But Winter didn't let Salem see how she was feeling.

Salem's eyes landed on Eren Yeager, who was starring at her with a furrowed brow that screamed a desire to fight. Anger like this was a familiar sight for Salem, but not when Eren was free rather than being broken and battered at her feet.

It was time for a change.

"Silence, Yeager?" Salem asked as she stood up. "No threats? No vows of vengeance or victory?" She then began to walk away from her throne. "You disappoint me."

As soon as Salem took her first steps, Eren raised his new swords in preparation. Everyone raised their own weapons as well, with blades and gun barrels pointed at the witch.

"I didn't come here to talk," said Eren. "You know why I'm here."

"Indeed." Salem stopped in front of a window and stared out into the red abyss. "I must admit that you've come far. Much farther than the day you first came here." The witch noticed that the remaining Grimm that she had summoned would need time to reach her castle, thanks to the combined efforts of Eren and his diversion.

"..."

Salem snapped her head in Eren's direction when she heard someone walking towards her. "But you've caused me enough trouble for one lifetime." She then took a closer look at each of Eren's friends. "Each and every one of you."

"..."

"Although..." Salem extended her finger towards a specific person. "You may be of some use to me."

To everyone's surprise, Salem wasn't pointing at Eren. It seemed the only thing she cared about was killing him. And she wasn't pointing to Midori either. Making her into a Maiden didn't seem to be part of Salem's current plans either.

Instead of Eren or Midori, Salem was pointing her dreaded finger at Mercury.

"Uh... me?" the mechanic asked in confusion.

"Hmm..." Salem hummed as she studied the boy. Besides his apparent confusion and ignorance, there was something about Mercury that made her curious. "You have no idea, do you?" she asked.

"The hell's that mean?" Mercury asked impatiently.

"You'll find out." Salem waved her hand at the group of people. "Dispose of them. Leave Yeager to me."

Suddenly, the table Salem was sitting at found itself hoisted off the floor. It then made its way towards Eren and his allies very quickly. Everyone managed to get out of the way, and the table crashed into the doors and wall behind them.

*CRASH*

Everyone began to scramble to their feet as they looked where the table used to be. There, they found a bandaged Hazel with Dust in his arms and two Beringels by his side. Everyone had heard from Mercury that he was still alive, but they weren't expecting to see him here.

"Alright, that's it!" Mercury angrily screamed as he got to his feet. "I'm putting this guy in the ground!" With that, Mercury charged at Hazel with everything he had.

Everyone else charged as well, and found themselves facing against different foes.

Vernal and Nora joined Mercury against Hazel, who had just caught the boy's leg in midair. Before he could do anything to him, Nora swung her hammer at his torso and Vernal threw her bladed guns at his arms. Hazel dropped Mercury, but quickly injected himself with fresh Dust crystals.

Winter, Emerald, and Ren tried to take this opportunity to strike Hazel from behind, but Winter suddenly felt cold quickly move down her arm. When she looked at it, Winter saw that her arm, and Omen, had been frozen in ice.

"There you are."

Winter, Emerald, and Ren turned around to see Raven holding an elemental sword and floating in the air. She had been waiting on the opposite side of an open window, where she faced her new adversaries. "This will teach you never to steal from me," she said as she lunged forward.

Ren tried to block the strike with the blades on his pistols, but the force behind it was too strong for him. He was knocked backwards, but he wasn't too hurt.

This was because Midori helped him on his feet and raced to help Winter.

Salem was content with the combat she saw, and even more content when she saw Eren lunge towards her with Soaring Freedom. A quick stream of Magic was enough to make him stop where he was, but it wasn't enough to make him fall to the ground.

He did, however, duck as Cinder launched herself over his head and fire two arrows at Salem's chest. When she winced in pain, Eren lunged forward again and cut deeply into her chest as he landed behind her.

Black bones could be seen in Salem's chest, but the wounds healed itself quickly as Salem regained her strength. She was disappointed to see that not all of Eren's friends were occupied, but Cinder's actions were amusing.

"Serving your master to the very end," she said with a feigned smile. "How noble."

Eren shot Salem an angry glare that she couldn't see, but Cinder was the first to speak for both of them.

"You know what they say, Salem," Cinder said as she turned her bow into swords. "That's what friends are for!" With that, Cinder and Eren charged at the witch as more Magic escaped from her palms.

*BOOM*

*BANG*

*WHOOSH*

*CRACK*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BOOM*

Chaos sounded throughout the crystal castle as the fighting on all three fronts continued. Explosions and fire engulfed the throne room from everyone's weapons and attacks, stone and walls were cracked and destroyed, blood was spilled all over, but there seemed to be no end in sight.

Hazel's face was still hurting, given that Watts never properly operated on it, but his will to fight and destroy was strong. The Fire and Lightning Dust coursing through his veins increased his strength enough to be Nora's superior, who fired grenade after grenade as she also swung Magnhild.

Mercury and Vernal were able to aid as best they could, though the combat was exhausting. Hazel had just injected himself with Hard-Light Dust, and he had used that to send mounds of earth and malleable material towards Mercury's way. He had become imprisoned by the material, but Vernal and Nora didn't let up.

In fact, Vernal had started to transform into a Beringel after she killed the two that had originally accompanied the large man.

Raven's strategy was to rely more on her Maiden powers to attack Ren, Emerald, and Winter. Fire, shards of ice, and lightning bolts found their way through the windows and into the throne room. Winter and Ren dodged and weaved past each attack as fast as they could; while Ren relied more on his physical prowess to evade the attacks, Winter's Glyphs offered her both a means of escape and defense. She jumped on each Glyph as Raven sent out her attacks, and she remained unharmed.

Winter was even able to jump outside and engage in a duel with Raven as she made more Glyphs to stand on. Omen was inferior in size with Raven's large blade of ice, but Winter held her own as best as she could. This inspired Ren and Emerald to move outside as well, and they used their bladed weapons to scale the outside of the castle.

Midori felt tempted to climb with Emerald and Ren, but she remembered what happened to Emerald. Fortunately, she was able to remember something that could help in a time like this.

"With this baby, you could slice through almost anything, and even shoot out fire for ranged attacks."

Midori remembered that Scalpel was still loaded with Fire Dust, so it was possible for her to make a projectile like Raven could make with her Maiden powers. Mercury had told her what she needed to do to make such a projectile, so she stood still and looked right at Raven.

"Ready..." Midori thought to herself as her blades began to glow a bright orange.

"Aim..." She then pointed her right blade at Raven. The left blade was now at the very back of the right one.

"Fire!" Midori swiped her left blade on her right blade and watched a small ball of fire shoot out from the weapon. The recoil made her stumble backwards, but she was able to see where she shot had landed.

The ball didn't hit Raven, but it did hit her sword. Now the blade had begun to melt and leave an opening for Winter to strike.

And she struck hard.

Raven began to fall as Winter struck her chest. Her Aura protected her, but it was enough to break her concentration on flying. But once she regained it, Raven fired a blast of lightning to break Winter's Glyph.

But Winter had prepared for this, and now she was flying on a white Manticore.

After he shot down two more flying Grimm with his pistols, Ren saw a chance to join Winter against Raven. And so, he called out to Winter to hold still. Once she did, Ren jumped off the castle wall and found himself on the Manticore. Emerald followed his lead, given that she wasn't sure about climbing anymore. Midori signaled Winter to let her join as well, but Ren advised against it.

"You might need to help Eren!" he said. "Stay where you are!" With that, the Manticore flew downwards and towards Raven.

Midori was left to see how well Eren was holding up. And Ren was right; he did need help.

Eren wasn't hurt, and neither was Cinder. Both of the young warriors were giving it their all to fight Salem. Their gear weaved past her Magic, their blades cut her where they knew it would hurt, and bullets and arrows were shot all over the place.

But with everything they had done, the witch kept coming back again and again.

Salem knew that her immortality was a curse, but she couldn't deny that it had given her advantages. Especially when it came to close-ranged combat such as this. There was no need to waste energy on defense or self-preservation. Instead, Salem watched and waited for her current enemies to make a mistake as she involuntarily regenerated her body.

This mistake came when both Eren and Cinder found themselves in the air with their hooks in the wall.

*ZAP*

Salem destroyed the wall where Eren and Cinder had shot their hooks at, which left them tumbling on the ground. As they were about to stand back up again, two red glyphs on the ground formed beneath them and sprouted black arms that held them tight.

But Salem held even tighter when she found her hands on Eren's face.

Black fingernails found their way into Eren's eyes and mouth as Salem began to crush Eren's head. His Aura protected the young man, but it wasn't going to last forever. Salem knew this, and she took the chance to end this all quickly and efficiently.

But not without some final words to share.

"You tried so hard," Salem observed as she squeezed. "And got so far." A smile formed on her face as she revealed in the victory. "But in the end... it doesn't even matter. Does it?"

"..."

Eren didn't answer, but he did everything in his power to free himself. Salem's grip around his face was impossible to break, but his Semblance was able to help him loosen the grasp the Grimm arms had on his body. Salem saw Eren begin to glow and the arms giving way, so she squeezed tighter to crush Eren's head.

*WHOOSH*

*BAM*

Salem's concentration and grip on Eren broke when a ball of fire hit her face. The symbols on the ground disappeared as well, which gave Eren a chance to send a strong punch at Salem. The witch flew backwards, and her regenerated face allowed her to see that it was Midori who had shot her with the fireball.

"I told you I wasn't going to let you hurt anyone else!" she yelled as she readied Scalpel again. "Especially not-Gah!"

Salem had lunged forward and grabbed Midori. Her arms grew in length with this feat, and now the young medic was in the cold grasp of the witch. But rather than strangle her or scar her face, Salem threw Midori towards the open window.

"Cinder, go!" Eren yelled as he activated his blades once again. He wanted to attack Salem, but he knew that he couldn't leave Midori to die.

Cinder agreed, so she used her gear to catch Midori just before she fell out the window.

"Gotcha!" she said as she held her friend's hand and pulled her inside. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Midori said after she caught her breath. "That was-Look out!"

Midori pushed Cinder out of the way when she saw a large fist heading towards her. When Cinder was out of harm's reach, Midori barely had time to get herself out of danger.

*BAM*

Hazel's fist crashed into the ground where Midori was. When he saw that nothing had been done, the large man turned back to Nora and Mercury. He had just caught the young girl's hammer, so he was able to throw Nora right at Mercury.

Eren saw this, and he knew that his friends would need help. He needed to stop Salem right here and right now.

"The choice is yours, Eren," Salem said as she caught the young man's eye. "You can waste your time fighting me, or save your friends. Simply accept the futility of your situation... and this can all be over."

"..."

Eren had learned much about Salem ever since he came to Remnant. The memories Darkness shared with him showed Eren that the woman's greatest strength was her ability to sway the hearts and minds of her opponents. It was almost as if she could see what they valued and how they felt about life, and she could use that to her advantage.

In this case, Salem easily saw how Eren was concerned about a prolonged fight like this. He didn't know where Emerald or Ren were, and now Hazel was stronger than before. A few words and bending the truth could sow doubt into Eren's mind, and Salem knew this to be true.

Eren also knew this, which was why he was ready to shut her up.

"I'm not going anywhere," Eren said as he readied his new swords.

Salem brushed off the determination that she deemed worthless as she raised her hands. "Have it your way," she said.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

Magic escaped Salem's hands as she aimed at Eren Yeager. Eren was low on fuel for Soaring Freedom, but he had just enough to evade the Magic by using his hooks as well as the Voltant on the back.

His last bit of fuel was used to send Eren plummeting to the ground while grabbing Salem and pushing her to the wall. He then stabbed both of his Hard-Light swords into her chest.

Not only was Salem unharmed by the swords, but now she was close enough to hurt Eren.

*ZAP*

Magic escaped her hands once again and struck Eren's chest. Black blood hit the ground as Eren flew backwards, given that he didn't use his Aura to protect himself. Steam escaped the wound as Eren looked up from the ground, right before more Grimm arms grabbed him.

Salem pulled the swords out of her chest and looked at the blades. They were in the same shape and length as the old blades she found in her castle, but she took note of the Hard-Light Dust.

"Watts..." she surmised as she looked back at Eren. "You were wise to use his intelligence and ingenuity. But surely you must have realized both wouldn't be enough to save yourself."

Eren fought against the grip of the arms as hard as he could, but he was still pinned to the ground. And with Salem walking closer, he knew that he would be in her grip once again. Maybe she wouldn't even grab him this time; she could break his neck if she wanted to.

Fortunately, his ultimate strategy had worked perfectly.

"They're not..." Eren replied through grit teeth. He raised his right palm to show Salem a black cord in the center of his flesh. "But this is."

"..."

Salem was following the black cord to see where it led, but stopped herself when she felt an unfamiliar feeling on her side. The witch was no stranger to pain, especially today. But this was different.

It was as if something was being ripped out of her body.

After the Grimm arms finally released him, Eren looked at Salem and back to his hand as he saw that his plan had worked. Before he stabbed his swords into Salem's chest, while he was in the air, Eren created another Grimm Beetle in the palm of his hand. When he was close enough, Eren planted the insect on Salem's body before he was blasted away by her Magic.

Now all he had to do was sit and wait for the Grimm to do its work.

Salem looked down and saw the Beetle attached to her. She was familiar with this Grimm, given that she was the one who invented it. While she didn't share its creation with anyone, the witch was familiar with the Beetle's abilities; which was why she grew angry and even more perplexed as to how Eren could possibly know about it.

But now wasn't the time to learn. Now was the time to take action.

*RUMBLE*

The ground of the throne room began to move and shake wildly. Everyone inside stopped fighting when they felt the tremors and couldn't resist the temptation to look around and find out where exactly it was coming from. The vibration and movement were all around them, but nothing seemed to reveal itself.

Out of all the combatants, Eren was the only one who sensed trouble incoming. It took him a few seconds to realize it, but he knew that the vibrating was... familiar.

All too familiar.

"Oh, no," Eren said as he got off the ground. He turned around fast and made his way for the window. "Run! Everybody outside!"

*CRASH*

*SNARL*

A large black mass and the head of a King Taijitu erupted from the ground and destroyed everything in the room. Eren and his friends, however, either jumped outside or were pushed by the mass as they tried to escape.

But all that remained of the once intact room was the surging mass and shambles of furniture.

Salem had quickly moved to the door of her throne room, so she was safe from the destructive force. As soon as she recovered, the witch commanded the mass to keep moving so it could devour Eren and his friends.

"This time, you won't escape, Yeager," Salem promised as she watched the mutated Grimm move around. "Your skills and knowledge are impressive, but they won't save you or your friends."

"..."

Salem knew that she was talking to herself at this point, but she had made a habit of doing so for a long time. Given that her shadow used to be her only companion in the world, talking to herself came naturally.

As well as deep thinking.

Salem lifted her hand and watched a black orb form in it. The process was once an easy one, but Salem had to concentrate for a few seconds after the incident with the Beetle. She could feel it biting and feasting on her, and she was well aware of what exactly it was feasting on.

"So, Yeager wishes to take my power," Salem surmised. "This human is more crafty than I thought." The witch quickly remembered how Eren had defied any expectation she had for humanity again and again, more than she was comfortable with.

But now, she was ready to make sure that he wouldn't defy her again.

*CRASH*

Another head of the mutated King Taijitu emerged from the ground and faced Salem. "Find Yeager and his friends," the witch ordered as she pointed outside. "Your brethren are already searching. Do not allow him to escape."

Salem watched the Grimm follow her finger and leave through the destroyed throne room. Salem was content with the action, but she found herself unable to look away from the window.

More specifically, at the finger she was using to point outside.

Something was different about it. Something had changed.

"Im... Impossible."

---

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

The destruction of Salem's throne room was a sight to behold, given that a mutated King Taijitu was responsible for it. The only ones who missed it were Winter, Ren, and Emerald. When the explosion occurred, they were riding on the back of a Manticore Winter had summoned in order to catch Raven.

But now that task was in jeopardy.

"Did you see that?!" Emerald asked as she pointed backwards.

"It's the King Taijitu!" said Ren. "The one Eren said Salem used to stop him!" He turned to Winter. "We have to go back!"

"No!" Winter called back. "Eren can't have both a King Taijitu and Raven to worry about! We have to push forward!" She looked ahead to see Raven flying overhead and preparing to attack again.

"But they'll die!" Emerald protested. "They need us!"

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Ren turned around again to see other explosions from behind. Back at the castle, there were four red energy storms that were starting to die down. "Everyone's using their Titans," Ren surmised. "Winter's right. Eren can kill the Taijitu while we stop Raven."

*THOOM*

Emerald was ready to argue against this, but the sound of thunder overhead was enough to focus on Raven once again. So she pointed Thief's Respite at the Maiden while being careful not to fall off the Manticore. "Let's do it quick, then," she ordered calmly.

Ren obeyed by aiming StormFlower at Raven and pulling the triggers.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Ren and Emerald unleashed multiple bullets upon Raven, but the the woman simply ducked and weaved past them as she retaliated with lightning bolts. Winter did her best to avoid the electricity while keeping Ren and Emerald on target, but this wasn't easy. Multitasking was never Winter's strong-suit.

However, both parties managed to land a good hit after a minute of flying and firing. When one of Ren's bullets struck Raven's face and left a cut on her cheek, one of the Maiden's lightning bolts hit the Manticore as well as Winter.

"No, not agAAAAIIINNN!" Emerald screamed as she fell from the sky. Winter didn't scream, but she wasn't calm either. She tried to make another Glyph to summon a Grimm, but Raven's lightning destroyed it.

Raven knew that one more direct hit of lightning would deplete Winter's Aura. With her out of the way, and two more of Eren's friends killed from the fall, Raven would be able to reclaim Omen and make this fight easier. So with a yell, Raven swiped her hand down and watched a bolt of lightning move towards Winter.

*CRACK*

The shot was a direct hit, but not at Winter.

Right before the electricity struck her, Winter felt her entire body stuck in something durable. After she saw a coat of black encompassing the lower half of her torso, Winter looked to see that she was in the grasp of the Predator Titan. Ren had transformed so he could survive the fall, and now he had used his Titan to save both Winter and Emerald.

"What are you doing?!" Winter yelled at the Titan. "My life doesn't matter!"

Emerald didn't have a response for that, given that this was the last thing she expected someone to say. Ren, however, had the perfect answer for this.

"I was raised... to know better than that," the Predator Titan replied as he fell faster and faster to the ground.

"..."

"Winter, what are you waiting for?!" Emerald yelled to get the Atlesian out of her trance. "Make us another Grimm!"

Winter shook her head as she made another Glyph. Raven was quick to create more lightning, but another Manticore appeared from the Glyph and saved Winter and Emerald. Ren quickly left the Predator Titan after it was hit by more lightning, and he landed on the back of the Manticore.

"We need another plan!" Winter said as she moved past more lightning.

Emerald didn't have a plan to stop Raven, but she knew how to buy everyone some time. She turned to Raven and used her Semblance, which projected the illusion that the Manticore was invisible and silent. Raven fell for the trick and looked around to find her enemies, but it was all in vain; as well as the fire, ice, wind, and lightning she created in the air.

"That won't last forever!" said Emerald. She pointed the ends of Thief's Respite at Raven again. "But I got a clear shot!"

"No!" Winter said. "Raven has a fully charged Aura. Shooting at her will only compromise our position. We just need to think." Emerald agreed, but her mind came to a blank for ideas.

"I can stop her," said Ren.

"What?" Emerald and Winter asked at the same time. Emerald was careful to multitask so her illusion wouldn't break.

Ren looked down at his hands as he spoke. "I've been working on something new," he explained. "With my Titan. I found out about it when I was training, but I never had the time to use it like this."

"What is it?" Winter asked.

"You... wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ren quickly looked back to Winter. "But it can help."

"Have you tested it?"

"...Not exactly."

Winter was immediately skeptical of this idea, given what Ren had just said. While it was true that nothing short of a miracle would stop Raven now, Winter wasn't one to try on improvisation like this.

Especially when her life was on the line.

"Let's do it," said Emerald. "Not like we have a whole lotta options, right?"

Winter had to weave past a wave of fire in order to make a decision. Raven wasn't giving up anytime soon; perhaps it was due to her being tricked before, that she knew everyone was still here. And with her patience wearing thinner by the second, it wouldn't take long before Raven decided to build up her energy and make herself into a bomb.

A bomb that would destroy anything in its path.

"...What do we have to do?" Winter asked as she made up her mind.

"Fly higher," Ren ordered as he pointed to the sky. "I'll need you to get Raven's attention before I turn into my Titan." He then turned to Emerald. "Emerald, I need you to cast a new illusion on me after you break this one."

"You got it," Emerald said confidently.

The Manticore was now over Raven's head and flying upwards more and more. After a few seconds of this, as well as avoiding more lightning, Winter looked down. "This is a good spot," she said. "We'll be able to swoop down and strike hard from here."

"Then this is where I go," Ren said as he moved. "You should be able to move faster than me."

"I will. Good luck."

"You too."

Emerald and Ren shared a quick nod of encouragement right before he leapt off the Manticore. With that, Winter made the beast swoop down at a tremendous speed while Emerald aimed her guns at the Maiden.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Just as Winter said, Raven's Aura was charged and able to protect her. As soon as she felt the bullets hit her, Raven looked up and swung her large sword at the people on the Manticore. The beast was unharmed, but the sword made a direct hit with Winter and Emerald. They nearly fell off, but they were able to hold on to the Grimm's thick hair as they recovered from the strike.

Raven flew down towards the beast as she unleashed more fire and lightning, which Winter was having a hard time maneuvering past. Raven saw that this game of cat-and-mouse had gone on long enough, so she decided to do something else that Winter had predicted. As she closed her eyes and floated in the air, Raven concentrated on all of her energy and made it form around her like a twister. It began to spin faster and form a more spherical shape; the perfect shape for a bomb.

But as soon as she saw a large Titan falling from the sky, Raven looked upwards and prepared to make the bomb go off at Ren instead. He would take the majority of the blast, but the shockwave would be large enough for Winter, Emerald, and Raven too.

Ren couldn't see that Emerald couldn't focus on another hallucination after she was attacked. Given that his eyes were closed, he couldn't see anything at the moment. But he could tell that he was right above Raven, and that he needed to concentrate on himself. This was always an easy thing to do, given his experience with meditation. Once his mind was a clear and empty space, Ren was able to concentrate on the attack he had planned.

A surge of energy soon began to form within himself, something that he only felt once or twice. The attack he wanted to perform was something that Ren inadvertently discovered, but it was just the thing he needed to stop Raven. So when he finally opened his eyes and saw himself moving closer towards Raven, Ren let out a small yell as he unleashed the energy within him.

*ZAP*

A pair of red beams escaped Ren's eyes and made direct contact with Raven. The energy around her disappeared as she helplessly collided with the projectiles and engaged her Aura. The force of the beams wasn't enough to kill her, but it was enough to make Raven fall faster and faster as she lost her concentration on the power of the Maidens.

Her Aura finally gave up on her when she crashed into the red ground.

*CRASH*

Ren suddenly began to feel weak as he fell towards the ground. As he told Winter, this power wasn't something he had worked on just yet. There was still a lot to learn about it. And today, Ren had just learned it took an incredible amount of physical energy to use it.

Emerald and Winter, while amazed by the feat Ren had performed, were aware that he had fallen unconscious. Winter moved the Manticore towards the Predator Titan and took hold one of Emerald's chains while the younger girl jumped onto the Titan's nape. After she quickly cut the flesh and pulled her friend out, Emerald watched the Predator Titan fall and join Raven on the ground.

*CRASH*

Emerald was dangling in the air, which terrified her beyond all belief. "He's unconscious!" she called out to Winter. "We have to land!"

Winter could see that the land below was starting to grow with more and more Creatures of Grimm. But when she saw one spot that was relatively safe, she made the Manticore fly down and land.

"We'll rest here," she said as the Manticore disappeared. "For now."

Emerald laid Ren down on his back before she turned to the castle. She could see that the King Taijitu was still alive. "What about Eren and the others?" she asked.

"We can't do anything right now," Winter said. "That's Eren's fight."

---

It was indeed Eren's fight. Though it was far from an easy one.

Ever since Salem's King Taijitu revealed itself once again, the Creature of Grimm did nothing but prove itself to be a force to be reckoned with. When Eren met it for the first time, the beast was able to rip his Titan apart as fast as the flip of a coin.

This time, however, was different.

Not only was the team of Titans able to stand upright on a smooth portion of the castle, but Eren had a plan to stop the Grimm that involved the help of his friends. When he first met the Grimm, Eren had the attention of all eight heads. Now, he only had the attention of two. Cinder, Nora, and Mercury were able to hold their own against the others; they had decided to divide and conquer once again.

Eren originally hoped to have everyone with a Titan be here with him, but four altogether wasn't much of a problem. His expertise in hand-to-hand combat, Cinder's fire, Nora's lightning, and Mercury's quick kicks were all doing a number on the King Taijitu.

The only problem at the moment was Hazel, who was accompanied by the Grimm that had finally answered their master's call.

The only ones who were holding them back were Mercury, Vernal, and Midori. Midori focused on the smaller Grimm with Scalpel's blades and Dust, which could turn even the largest Ursa to ash. Vernal had involuntarily transformed into a Beringel, but she was able to fight off the Grimm with Midori. Since the young man had earned Hazel's ire, Mercury was forced to fight a battle on two fronts. And it was easier said than done.

Hazel was now infused with possibly every kind of Dust known to mankind. Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning, and Hard-Light Dust were all coursing through Hazel's body. And he made sure that the Flashstep Titan would taste all of it at once.

"Dammit, get back!" Mercury groaned as he sent another kick at Hazel. As he did, one of the snake heads he was holding managed to bite him. So Mercury was forced to shake off the grip and punch the Grimm where it hurt. That was when he was able to form a grip on the head again, right after the second head he was holding tried to wrap its body around him.

And Hazel would easily recover and charge again.

This had been the cycle ever since Mercury had transformed into a Titan. And between the bruises and bite marks on his body, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Luckily for him, Nora noticed how much of a hard time he was having. Her most recent attack with lightning didn't kill the Grimm, but it was enough for them to be momentarily dazed and confused. When she saw Mercury struggling to hold his own, Nora helped her friend by moving her hands and letting more electricity escape her body.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

Just like she did with her Taijitu, Nora was able to daze the two heads that were trying to bite and crush Mercury. She wasn't able to kill them, most likely due to the thick skin that covered the Grimm's body, but she was able to help Mercury focus on Hazel for the second. Rather than a simple kick, the Flashstep Titan was able to move behind Hazel and practically punt him as if he was a football.

Hazel's Aura and Semblance were able to protect him and prevent him from falling off the side of the castle. Instead, he slid on the purple ground he was standing on and collided into multiple Grimm that Midori was trying to kill.

Midori took this chance to take a much needed breather, given that the Grimm ash she was surrounded in was making it difficult for her to breathe. But when Hazel emerged from the ash and punched her, Midori lost her chance to recover.

Mercury saw what Hazel was doing, and how he was starting to use the Dust in his body to launch attacks at the Titans. Fire and lightning like Cinder's and Nora's escaped his fists and made them lose focus on the King Taijitu. And now that the heads he had been fighting were starting to recover, Mercury was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He didn't have much time to think, but Mercury impulsively went after Hazel with a roar. And the heads of the King Taijitu followed behind him.

Eren, Nora, and Cinder saw that they would have to work fast to stop the heads. They did a number of them with punches and fire, but now they had to stop the Grimm from attacking Mercury and Midori. Eren used all of his strength to grab two of the snake bodies, and the flesh that was dangling off his body was turning into Grimm that bit the snakes as well. Cinder used her fire to create two whips that ensnared two more heads, and she wrapped them around her knuckles to keep her grip.

Nora found herself inspired by Cinder's feat, by making whips out of the flame she naturally formed. She wasn't as strong or experienced with a Titan as Eren, so she couldn't rely on the Electro Titan's natural strength to hold the Taijitu at bay. With this and Cinder's inspiration, Nora concentrated on making her lightning into something she could hold rather than something she could throw.

After a few seconds of focus, Nora found herself holding red lighting in her hands. She turned to the nearest head of the King Taijitu and threw it as hard as she could. The cord wrapped around the snake's head and Nora pulled as hard as she could.

*SNAP*

*HISS*

The whip Nora made broke in an instant.

"Wh-What?"

Nora watched the electricity dissipate in the air and become nothing. She was surprised by the turn of events, and even more surprised that her whip wasn't as strong as Cinder's. But when she saw the heads move again, Nora formed two more whips as fast as she could before she threw them again.

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

The whips broke again when Nora and the Taijitu pulled on them. When she saw this happen again, Nora became angry as she tried to hold the heads back again. Each time she failed, Nora became angrier and angrier as she tried again and again.

"No!" Nora screamed within her Titan. "No, no, no!"

On the seventh time her attempt failed, Nora abandoned her attempts at holding the heads back and recklessly attacked them head on. The lightning in her fists amplified her punches, and she was able to make the bodies shake as she made contact with the skin.

But she was only able to throw about five or six strong punches before the bodies began to wrap themselves around the Electro Titan and make her stay still. When her arms and legs were bound, Nora began to feel the tight pressure of the Grimm.

"Oh, no."

Eren was helplessly watching the chaos unfold before him. He and Cinder were able to hold back four of the King Taijitu heads, but the other four were free to do whatever they wanted. And between strangling Nora and continuing to bite and strike Mercury, what they wanted was to kill the Titans that were intruding on their homeland.

This was perhaps the first, and most devastating, failure of the attack. Emerald may have fallen, but her new Titan proved to be a simple fix. The King Taijitu, however, was something Eren was expecting and hoping to kill with the hep of his friends. But this was only turning into a catastrophic disaster.

He needed a new strategy.

Unfortunately, Eren didn't have much of a backup plan. All he had when it came to the King Taijitu was that it existed within Salem's castle itself and it was incredibly powerful. Seeing it crush Nora was something new, but Eren knew that the deadliest weapon the Grimm had was its teeth. They could rip apart Titans just as fast and strong as Eren could rip flesh off his own body to make Grimm of his own.

"Wait," Eren thought to himself as he recalled this detail. "I can make and control Grimm with my Titan, maybe I can..."

Eren was starting to have an idea. It was risky, and it would require charging headlong into danger; he would have to be the suicidal blockhead everyone back home said he was.

But it was the only way.

Eren let go of the snake bodies that were connected together and ran towards Nora. Cinder saw him running, but she didn't stop him. She was confused as to what he was doing, but she still held on to the fire she made. Eren, on the other hand, hardened his fists and punched the part that was strangling Nora. The hardened fist, which had a few purple spikes on the end, was enough to make the body let go of Nora.

Once his friend was free, Eren grabbed her and threw her away from the King Taijitu. He then ran over to Mercury, who was trying to hold back both Hazel and another snake head, and pushed him away from the Grimm.

All right heads were now focused on the Founding Titan, but Eren didn't move. Instead, he lifted his arms and waited for the heads to attack.

"Eren?" Cinder uttered in surprise.

"The hell's he doing?" Mercury asked himself.

"He... saved me..." Nora said as she felt the pressure leave her body. "But what is he-?"

*CHOMP*

*SLASH*

*CRUNCH*

One by one, the heads of the King Taijitu bit into Eren's large body. Pieces of flesh were the first to go, and then Eren's limbs began to follow. The body of the Founding Titan was being tore apart, just like it had when Salem struck back against Eren.

And his friends could only watch in horror.

"Eren!"

"You bastards!"

"No!"

Cinder's flames finally broke around the two heads she had been holding, but she didn't do anything to stop them. She was too horrified to do anything to stop the King Taijitu now, except watch and feel tears form in her human eyes.

"Eren, no!" Cinder screamed from within the Incinerator Titan. "Why would you do that?! You're getting yourself killed!" Cinder began to wonder if Eren was trying to protect her, and everyone else, by offering himself to the Grimm.

But that was the last thing she wanted.

"Stop it!" she yelled as she formed a fireball and threw it at the nearest head. When it made contact, the Grimm burned in pain for a few seconds before it turned to the Incinerator Titan. With a hiss, the Taijitu head swooped towards Cinder and opened its jaw. Cinder grabbed the top and lower jaws and prepared to make more fire, but the Grimm simply shook its head to make her let go and fall to the ground. Now that she appeared helpless, the Grimm opened its mouth again and moved in for the kill.

*CRUNCH*

*ROAR*

Cinder opened her eyes when she heard a loud and inhuman scream. The beast was still above her, but it was shaking and screaming as black blood moved down its body. The young girl needed a few minutes to see that the scream was one of agony; something had hurt the Grimm.

But the source of this pain was something that she could hardly believe.

*CHOMP*

One of the heads had just bitten the head that was about to eat her. And now it was eating its own brethren.

Cinder stood up and looked to see that this action wasn't an isolated incident. Even Mercury and Nora could see that something was going on. Like the flip of a switch, the heads of the King Taijitu had all turned on each other and were now tearing each other apart. The flesh was being torn from their own necks, and the heads were all starting to fall off their bodies.

Even as the ashes of death washed over them, the King Taijitu continued to kill each other.

"It's dying," Cinder realized as she smiled. "It's finally dying!" She looked around the immediate area to find some sort of clue as to why this happened. When she saw the ruins of the Founding Titan, however, Cinder stopped worrying about the King Taijitu and started worrying about Eren.

Cinder left the Incinerator Titan in a hurry as she jumped down and ran up to the Founding Titan. It was broken, bleeding, and it was missing practically any kind of sign that looked remotely human. Without the majority of its skin, the beast looked more dead than alive.

And yet, it was still moving and breathing.

"Eren can still move it," Cinder realized as she looked at the Founding Titan. "If he still has control..." Cinder looked back to the large Grimm that was still killing itself. She couldn't help but gasp as she realized Eren's plan. "Eren can turn his skin into Grimm that he can control. When the Taijitu bit and ate that skin... he turned the heads against each other!"

*HISS*

The sound and warm feeling of steam from behind her easily caught Cinder's attention. She turned around fast to see a human hand crawling out of the black muck and broken Titan, and it was moving very slowly. Cinder quickly ran over to the Founding Titan and pulled on the hand, which revealed a tired and slightly injured Eren. It seemed that the teeth of the Grimm bit deeper than he was expecting.

Eren was able to forget about his pain when he saw a smiling Cinder, safe and sound.

"Did... Did it work?" Eren asked as he caught his breath.

Cinder laughed as she felt relief wash over her like water. "You idiot," she playfully replied. "Of course it did." Eren was still hot from the Titan, but Cinder hugged him nonetheless.

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

Cinder was forced to look away from Eren when she heard the familiar sounds of Grimm. The horde that Midori and Vernal were working hard to keep back had finally reached everyone, and Hazel was leading them. The large man was still infused with all kinds of Dust, and he seemed to have replaced the crystals that had run out of energy. Not only that, but he seemed to possess the thinking of a wild animal; given the fact that he was screaming his head off while he seemed ready to pounce on Eren and Cinder.

Luckily for them, Nora and Mercury offered them protection with their own Titans.

As Mercury ran to the horde and delivered punches and kicks that were faster than any known reflex, Nora created more electricity to hold them back. She created whips again, but decided to use them to strike the Grimm instead of bind them. This proved to be a wise strategy, given that red electricity coursed through all of their bodies before they turned to ash.

Midori had finally recovered from her ordeal, with a little help from Healing Wish. Vernal had turned into a human again, and now both of the girls were joining the Titans in their fight against Hazel and the Grimm.

"You gotta get outta here!" Vernal said as she shot a Beowolf that pounced towards Eren and Cinder. "We'll hold them off, just get to Salem!"

Cinder helped Eren stand, but she stopped him when she saw him reach for his swords. "Eren, she's right," she sadly said. "We need your Titan to stop Salem."

"..."

Vernal looked back to Eren again. "We got you covered!" she said. "Now go kick that witch's ass for us!" She looked back to the Grimm and helped Midori hold them off.

Eren knew how much this reminded him of Paradis, when all of his friends risked their lives just so they could use his Titan for the future of humanity. Since that was what he was fighting for today, Eren knew that Vernal was right. He knew he would see his friends again, but he had to stop Salem in order to do that.

So he nodded to Cinder, who used Dancing Midnight to take Eren back inside the castle. Vernal flashed a grin in content as she rejoined Midori.

"Is Eren okay?" Midori asked as she created a ball of fire with Scalpel.

"He's alive," Vernal said as she threw her weapons at an Ursa. "And he's going after Her Royal Bitchiness."

Midori was happy to hear that Eren was still alive, but that wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. "I saw his Titan. And he was kind of slow getting out of it." She cut down a Creep with Scalpel before it could hit her. "You think he can use it again?"

"Let's hope so." Vernal grabbed her guns as they returned to her. "I'll be real pissed if he dies, I'm telling you." She didn't know Eren too well, but Vernal could consider Eren a friend after everything he did and planned to do.

She just wished the battle would be over soon. The Grimm coming towards her were too large for both of the girls to handle.

*BAM*

The quick feet of the Flashstep Titan crushed and kicked the Grimm in an instant, either turning them to ash or making them fall off the tower. However, Mercury needed to exit the Titan since its current state was a travesty. And so, he jumped out and joined Vernal and Midori on the ground.

"You two have nothing to worry about," he said as he tried to brush away the steam coming from his body. "Eren's the toughest bastard I've ever known. And now that the big-ass snake's outta the way, there's nothing he can't handle now."

It may have sounded like he was being overconfident, but Vernal could tell that Mercury believed what he was saying. He had known Eren practically all of his life, and he even had the chance to spar with him once or twice. Mercury could tell how strong of a fighter he was, and how long he was capable of holding his own. Nobody was perfect, but Mercury knew that the God of Darkness chose Eren for a reason.

And Mercury believed he made the right choice.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!"

A familiar yell caught everyone's attention and made them look at Hazel charging right at them.

"Hate to break it to you, Merc," Vernal began. "But I think Eren might have a contender for that spot."

"...Meh," Mercury said with a shrug as he looked at Hazel. "Eren's Titan could kill him quick. But I guess it's up to us." Mercury cut his hand on one of Vernal's blades before he took a running stance. "You ready?"

Midori and Vernal reloaded their weapons and aimed them at Hazel. "When you are," Vernal said with a smirk.

---

"I'm empty."

"Me too. Hold on, I brought the extra fuel."

Eren and Cinder were currently outside the destroyed throne room and in one of the castle's hallways. Before they could track down and face Salem one last time, both of the young warriors needed to refuel their equipment. Eren had brought the extra fuel before he left the Dark Wing, and he was more than willing to share it with Cinder.

"Thanks," she said as she took the fuel and loaded it into Dancing Midnight. "How are you with Dust?"

"Half empty," said Eren. "But half's lasted me this long and with a lot of Grimm. It should be enough for Salem." He looked to Cinder after he finished refueling Soaring Freedom. "How are you with arrows?"

Cinder looked down at the metal on her hips. "Same here," she said. "I reloaded a few times when I was on the ground, but this is all I have." But Cinder wasn't worried about the arrows. "How are you feeling? I mean, after the Taijitu tore you apart?"

Eren looked at the parts of his body that were previously covered in steam. He didn't lose any of his limbs, but the teeth had cut and bit into him as well as the Founding Titan. But now, he seemed to be completely healed.

"I'm fine," he said. He stopped looking at himself when he saw that Cinder wasn't looking at her weapon; she was looking at him with a smile instead.

"Good. That was pretty scary back there."

"I know. But don't worry." Eren stood upright and clenched his fists twice. "I can still use my Titan. We can still win."

"..."

The Founding Titan was the last thing on Cinder's mind. She thought she almost lost Eren to the King Taijitu, and she didn't know what she would have done if that was the case. But it seemed that this was the first thing on Eren's mind, and for good reason too.

Cinder knew what she had to do from here on out. More specifically, what she had to focus on.

"Right," Cinder finally said. "Yeah, that's good. And I got your back too."

"Thanks," Eren said gratefully. "But first, we have to find Salem. I think she was planning on the Taijitu killing us all."

"And she probably fled at the first sign of danger." Cinder looked around for a sign, a clue, anything that could help her and Eren find Salem and finish this fight. "Where do you think she would go?"

"No idea." Eren didn't bother to walk anywhere, since he didn't want to risk not going in the right direction. Cinder stayed as well, and she offered ideas of her own.

"Hold on," she said. "You were in here before me, you found that room with the terminal. Did you see any other room that Salem might go to?"

Eren replayed the memories of everything he saw in the castle. "There was one room," he said. "With a bunch of weird pods, like cocoons or something. I think that's where the Hound came from."

Cinder easily followed along. "So she could use others like it against us. Sounds like a good lead."

"Yeah. And if she's not there, we can destroy the rest of them before-"

*COUGH*

*COUGH*

The sound of coughing made Eren stop talking and turn around fast. Instead of his swords, Eren took out the guns built into his gear and pointed them in the direction of the coughing. Cinder took out her swords rather than making them into a bow, but she followed Eren's lead.

*COUGH*

*COUGH*

The duo heard the coughing again and turned to see some of the rubble moving. "Over there," said Cinder. "Cover me." Eren silently obeyed as he watched Cinder slowly walk over to the moving rubble. Cinder had to let go of one of her swords to move the rest of it, but Eren still had his guns pointed at the object. The guns and her best friend gave Cinder enough security and reassurance to move the rubble and prepare for what was underneath it.

But she got even more reassurance when it appeared to be a false alarm.

"It's alright, Eren," Cinder said as she looked up to her friend. She then pulled a wounded man out of the rubble, and the man continued to cough. "It's just Watts."

Eren lowered his guns when he saw that it was indeed Watts that Cinder had pulled out of the rubble. The incident with the King Taijitu made both of them forget that he was even here. But judging by the cuts, bruises, and black eye Watts had, it didn't seem that Salem forgot that he was here.

"She... She's gone mad," Watts said as he coughed once again.

"What happened?" Eren asked. He wasn't concerned for the doctor's safety, but he was hoping that Watts could point him in the right direction to Salem.

Watts turned to Eren and gave him an answer. "She said... you did something... to her," he said. "She wanted me... to tell her... everything."

Cinder immediately became angry with this idea. "What do you mean 'everything?!'" she demanded as she grabbed Watts' neck. "What did you tell her?!"

Watts couldn't handle even more pressure on his neck. He wasn't dying, but he was starting to lose consciousness. Nevertheless, he couldn't withstand any more torture.

"Titans... power... stop her..." the doctor replied before he pointed down the hall. Cinder and Eren looked to see that Watts was pointing to a doorway. "Lowest floor... quickly... go now." Watts fell limply as he finally lost consciousness.

Cinder growled at the idea of Salem potentially knowing everything about their plan. And she was more than willing to take this anger out on Watts.

"Cinder, wait!"

Eren easily sensed his friend's anger, since it was written all over her face. "He's blacked out," he said after he took hold of her shoulder. "Let it go."

Cinder shook her head in frustration. "It's a trick!" she said. "He sold us out, and now Salem will know what to expect when we go after her! It's all his fault!"

"Cinder-"

"I am so sick of people like him!" Cinder took her swords once again and brought them close to Watts' face. "Watts did what any Atlesian like him would do! Throw people like us under the bus so they get whatever they want!" Cinder quickly raised one of her swords. "The world would be better off if they just-!"

"Cinder!"

Eren grabbed his friend's arm and pulled her away from Watts. He then moved in between the two as he let her go.

"The world would be better off without people like them," he said. "Watts, Salem, even those people on the train don't deserve what they have right now. But you can't act like this."

"And why not?!"

"Because this isn't you!"

"..."

Eren pointed at Cinder. "You said it yourself; you're on the right path in Mistral," he reminded her. "Someday, you're going to change the world with everything you have planned. But if you change it like I changed my world, everyone will hate you." Eren pointed to Watts. "If you kill him, if you break your promise to Mistral and Atlas, you'll lose everything you've done. Everything you will do."

"..."

Cinder began to calm down as she listened to her friend. She had forgotten that Watts was here not only because of his ties with Salem, but because of the people he hurt by creating devices to control the Titans. Councilwoman Redwood wanted him to face justice, and she trusted Cinder to bring him in to face this justice.

If she killed him, the world would see her as nothing more than a murderer.

"I hate it too, but we have to play by their rules sometimes," Eren continued. He had said this to Cinder before, but she needed a reminder. "If it means you'll have the chance to change the world, this is a rule we have to follow."

"..."

"This is the story you started... right, Cinder?"

"..."

Cinder lowered her swords and took a deep breath. "Right," she said. "You're right."

"..."

Eren was angry too. He had no idea what to expect with Salem now, since there was a chance Watts told her that he was from another world and that he was working with Darkness. He believed a lot of good could be accomplished by killing him. After all, he wouldn't create more collars or be susceptible to interrogations like this. He even killed a lot of the White Fang when he had the chance, so he understood Cinder's way of thinking.

But Eren had been able to see a bigger picture ever since he truly connected to the power of the Eldian Founding Titan. Eren was able to see what would result from his actions, small and large. And now, even without the ability to see into the future, Eren was able to see that Cinder's future depended on keeping Watts alive.

Fortunately for Cinder, she could see that too.

"Oh, Gods," Cinder said in shame. She rubbed her face in frustration as she saw the potential consequences of her actions. "Eren, I'm sorry. I... I don't know what came over me. I was just-"

"It's okay," Eren assured her. He would have done the same thing himself if he was in Cinder's position, so it was easy to sympathize with her. "I understand."

Cinder shook her head as she let go of any grudge she had with Watts. "I'll change the world," she promised. "I'll do it the right way, I promise. But first..." Cinder gripped her swords again. "I'm going to help you save it."

Eren appreciated the fact that he wasn't going to be alone. With a firm nod and weapons in hand, he led the way to bottom of the castle. "Let's do it," he said. Cinder followed behind and allowed Eren to lead her down the right path.

When Eren saw a flight of stairs in the doorway, he started to believe what Watts had told him. And so, he moved downwards and looked for any sign of Salem. Cinder covered him from behind, in case any more Grimm came out and attacked them.

It turned that that Beowolves and Creeps were indeed waiting for them, but Eren and Cinder were able to make quick work of them.

About two minutes of climbing down the stairs, Eren and Cinder found themselves on what seemed to be ground level. In front of them was a door made of Grimm, just like the ones in the cells Eren discovered. And so, after he shared a glance and nod with his friend, Eren broke the door and walked inside with Cinder.

[Play 'DOOM Eternal-Demonic Chanting-Extended' on YouTube]

Eren and Cinder found themselves in another hallway. This one was dimly lit by candles, just like the other hallways they had walked through. However, there were a lot of differences in this hallway.

Differences that managed to send shivers down the humans' spines.

The hallway looked more like a cave than a room in a castle, given the sharp stalagmites and stalactites on the floor and ceiling. Some appeared to be made out of red rock while the others appeared to be crystal. Eren took note that the crystal was Dark Dust, the substance Darkness had warned him about.

Cinder found herself focusing on the walls instead of the floor or ceiling. The walls looked like they were bleeding, given that a black ooze was flowing down the surface and onto the ground. She confidently assumed that the substance was Grimm, just like the pools she saw when she first came here. So she made sure to avoid touching it.

At the end of the hall was a flight of stone stairs, similar to the stairs that Eren and his friends walked up when they were beyond Salem's castle. They slowly walked up the steps and looked around to make sure that they were alone.

And to make sure that they were still together.

Eren and Cinder reached the top of the stairs to find another doorway, one that was open wide. After they shared a brief glance at each other, Eren and Cinder walked inside together to see who, or what, they would find.

What caught their eyes first was the sight of multiple pillars encompassing most of the room. Everywhere they looked, Eren and Cinder could see strong and sturdy pillars made of crystal connecting the floor to the ceiling. The duo looked up to the ceiling to see the connection being made, and they could also see more jagged rocks and crystals hanging above them.

The second thing they noticed was the large pit at their feet.

[End music]

Eren and Cinder looked down and saw that the crater was actually a pool. The liquid inside was black and stagnant, and black bubbles rose from the water only to pop and let the substance fall back inside. When Eren looked closer, he could see the skull of a Sabyr near the edge of the pool.

"It's... Grimm," Cinder said as she looked down. "Just like the water outside."

Eren looked across the distance to see how long and large the pool really was. "It's huge," he noted. "This might be the biggest Grimm pool on Remnant."

Cinder also looked across the length of the pool, but she focused on the outer edges of the water. "Salem's not here," she said. "This is a trap, isn't it?"

"Worse."

"..."

Eren looked at the pool again, as well as the rocks surrounding it on the edges. There was something about this pool, something that haunted Eren.

"What?" Cinder asked. "What is it?"

"This thing, it's... familiar," he said as he looked at it again. "I... I think I've seen this pool before."

"Once again, you surprise me."

Eren and Cinder heard a familiar voice behind them, which caused them to turn around at a speed that would rival the Flashstep Titan. Eren still had his guns and Cinder still had her swords, and they were all pointed at the source of the voice.

Salem was here.

"Not many have seen this pool," she said as she entered the room. "You and your friend may be the first people to enter this place in years."

"What an honor," Cinder sarcastically replied. Eren remained silent as his sights rested on Salem.

The witch stopped walking after a few seconds. "Let me guess; you're thinking you two, alone, can use however many more tricks you have up your sleeve to stop me? And then you go off and live the rest of your lives, happily ever after?"

Cinder shrugged. "Something like that."

Salem took note of how only Cinder was answering her, but she wanted to talk to Eren. And so, she looked slowly at him as she continued to speak.

"I once would have said that you would be wrong," she said. "I would have shared with you the number of Huntsmen and Huntresses that crossed my path and believed they could stop me. And then I would simply show you how you would share their fate."

"..."

Eren remained silent once again, given that he wasn't in a mood to waste any time. He was ready for anything, especially when Salem lifted her left hand at him.

"But all of that changed... when you did this."

"..."

Eren and Cinder were surprised Salem didn't conjure any more Magic when she had the chance, given that all she needed to do was raise her hand. But what came as even more surprising was the sight of something on Salem's hand; something that she wanted the humans to see.

Part of Salem's hand had changed. Instead of the chalk-whiteness of the rest of her skin, there was a spot that looked normal. More specifically, like the complexion she once possessed long ago.

"It's been a long time... since I saw myself like this," Salem said as she looked back to her hand. "I can make it look like the rest of me again, mind you, but... this was unexpected."

"..."

Salem looked back to Eren again, and she was sure that she had his attention again. "At first, I believed you simply wanted to take my powers," she said as she walked closer again. But she began to move in a large circle instead of straight at Eren. "That was why I first made the creature you're already familiar with. But no... you took it a step further."

"...I had to," Eren said bluntly. "So I can do what I came here to do."

Salem was pleased to see that Eren was finally talking to her. "You have your reasons, I'm sure. Watts told me some of them."

"..."

"You know, it was actually one of your friends that also told me some of your reasons," Salem continued. "Your motivation, really. As well as some of your knowledge about me."

"..."

Eren and Cinder shared a glance at each other and shared a mutual concern. Watts wasn't their friend, Salem knew this. But Eren remembered that Salem had Nora in her grasp earlier. Did she make her talk?

"You know I cannot die," Salem said. "Do you admit it?"

"...Yes," Eren confirmed. "I know you can't die."

"I know too," said Cinder. She didn't see the harm in talking again.

"And yet, you all came," Salem noted. "I would consider your bravery to be foolish, if you weren't so prepared to win."

"..."

Salem began to laugh a little. "Ironic, isn't it?" she asked. "All this time, I believed you were just as much a curse as immortality. No..." Salem pointed at Eren. "No, Eren Yeager. I've come to believe... you may be the answer."

"..."

Eren and Cinder shared another confused glance as they looked at each other. But that didn't stop Salem from talking.

"It's clear you know much about me," Salem continued. "My abilities, my curse, and I wouldn't be surprised if you knew my origins as well. However, I'm quite sure you understand my motivation, Eren Yeager. How I've come to see that destroying this ruined world will give me what I desire."

"That's why we're here," Eren said angrily. He wasn't willing to let someone else destroy a world just to have their wish fulfilled, no matter how selfish or genuine it was. "We're not going to let you kill us all just to get what you want. And it won't work either."

"Yeah!" Cinder agreed. "All of this endless death just because you want to be mortal again?! There's no way in Hell that'll work!"

"But how will I know unless I try?"

"..."

"But I think you'd be happy to know that all of that can change today. With your help."

"..."

Once again, Eren and Cinder looked at each other in surprise. Did Salem really think that they were going to help her?

"I didn't lead you down here to fight, Yeager," Salem said. "I did it to make you an offer. An offer I rarely make."

"..."

"I'm no fool. I'm quite certain you can't make me a mortal again. Not today, at least." Salem started to walk closer this time. "But imagine what we could accomplish together. You with your knowledge. Me with my power. Why continue this senseless fight when we could work together?" Salem extended her hand to Eren. "Serve me... and everything I leave behind will be yours. To do with as you please."

"..."

Once again, Eren and Cinder couldn't help but look at each other. Neither of them expected this turn of events, to have their shared enemy ask for their help. To think that they were all after the same thing was... astounding.

But neither of them could ever thinking of serving, let alone trusting someone like Salem. Cinder was the first to share this idea, and she believed her best friend would share it.

"No..." she whispered.

"Silence!"

*SMACK*

Salem pushed Cinder aside by smacking her face. She didn't care how this made her look to Eren, since she could see how much Eren cared for her. It was written all over his face.

And so, Salem used this to her advantage by making an orb of Magic and pointing it directly at Cinder.

"Even though I may not appear to be so, I am not without mercy," she said. "I will spare this girl, your friends, and anyone else you deem to be important to you."

"..."

Eren knew his answer ever since Salem made her offer. And it hadn't changed when he witnessed her hurting his best friend.

Eren came to the Land of Darkness, he came to Remnant, to do one thing and one thing only; make sure Salem couldn't hurt anyone else. Eren knew he couldn't remove her curse, and he was positive that there was nothing on Remnant that could do so.

All he could do was stick to his plan and make sure Salem would never be free again.

He was ready to give Salem his answer, and he was ready to make her understand this by hurting her in ways she couldn't imagine. However, Eren had a different idea in mind. Something that was actually inspired by Cinder.

Eren was going to fight... but he was going to fight how Cinder planned to fight.

"So long as this world turns... you shall walk its face," Eren finally said.

"..."

Salem frowned when she heard these words, and her anger rose when she heard what else Eren had to say.

"You must learn the importance of life and death," Eren recited from memory. "Only then may you rest."

"..."

If the God of Darkness hadn't shown her the memories he showed Eren, Cinder would have been hopelessly confused about what her friend was talking about. But she was able to recognize the words as the curse that was placed on Salem by the God of Light.

She was also able to recognize it as the only thing that could break it.

"I'm not this savior you've been searching for," Eren admitted. "It would take more than just a Titan to fix what's been done to you. But if I could use my powers to free you, to finally let you die... I would."

"..."

Eren was telling the truth, given how simple it was. Nothing would please him more than freeing Remnant by killing Salem. The world would be better off without her, Eren knew this to be true.

But there was something else he knew to be true.

"But I can't," he admitted. "I can only tell you the kind of man I am. Somewhere, there are people who call me the Devil. People who think life would have been better for them if I never existed."

"..."

Eren could see that Salem was listening, but he didn't see that Cinder was also listening. And while she knew what people Eren was talking about, Cinder knew that life wouldn't be better without Eren in it.

Or her life, for that matter.

"I know what I've done," Eren continued. "I know that I could never go back to the man I once was. But the darkness inside me isn't strong enough to hide what kind of monster I am. Or that I can't recognize another one when I see it."

"..."

"If you want your curse gone, if you want to leave this world... you need to be like me." Eren put away his pistols and raised his hand towards his mouth. "Otherwise... I'm ready to stop you the only way I know how."

"..."

For the first time, in a long time, Salem felt disappointed to the point of depression. The hope in her heart withered away, and soon became compared to nothing more than a childish dream. A part of Salem knew that she was being delusional about her curse being broken today, but she wasn't ready to admit it.

"No matter," Salem said as her resolve filled her heartbreak. "I must press on. After I remove these thorns in my side."

In a flash, Salem found herself at the edge of the Grimm pool. Eren turned to the pool as Cinder stood up, and the two of them prepared to face whatever Salem threw their way.

All they could do now was watch.

"This is your last chance," Salem confidently said. "You don't want to see what I can do with this water."

Eren looked at the pool before he made a decision. "This is your last chance too," he said. "You don't want to see what I can do with my Titan."

Salem took one last look at Eren and Cinder before she made her choice. "I'll take that chance."

Eren and Cinder readied themselves for an attack when they saw Salem spread her arms and face them. However, instead of an attack, Salem closed her eyes and leaned backwards. As a result, she fell into the black water below her.

*SPLASH*

Eren and Cinder glanced at each other in confusion before they raced over to the edge of the pool. When they looked down, all they could see was black water resting beneath them.

"What the hell was that?" Cinder asked. "What did she do?"

"I don't know," said Eren. "And I don't like it."

Cinder only needed a moment to see that she didn't like this either. Salem never struck the two of them as someone who did things like this on a whim. Every action she made was planned and calculated, all to make sure that she was one step ahead.

Eren knew this better than anyone.

"Stand back," Eren said as he raised his hand to his mouth. "You might have to turn into a Titan too."

"What are you doing?" Cinder asked.

"I'm going to try and use my Hardening. If I'm quick, maybe I can cover this pool like I sealed the crack in-"

*THOOM*

A low but noticeable vibration told Eren that he was too late. Cinder felt it too, and the duo even felt the vibration intensify. It became strong enough to shake the ceiling and bring the rocks down.

Eren and Cinder were ready to turn into Titans to protect themselves, but they weren't ready for Salem's next trick.

*WHOOSH*

The Grimm pool had suddenly became a geyser, and black water flew overhead in one giant stream. Some of the water began to rain down on Eren and Cinder, but the majority of it remained in the geyser.

Suddenly, the geyser began to grow. It expanded like a tornado, and grew for a few moments before the next change occurred. The water stopped moving upwards, but it began to take a different from. Instead of a powerful stream of water, it began to transform into a more human shape. It sprouted arms, hands, and a human head that looked down at the humans beneath it.

Eren looked at the process in shock as he realized what he was looking at. It looked like a Titan, one that was made entirely out of Grimm water.

And one that was controlled by Salem.

"Finally!" the mass said in Salem's voice. "I can rid my castle of you... myself!"

---

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!"

*BAM*

*CRACK*

*BOOM*

*ROAR*

Screams, punches, kicks, and explosions from Dust resounded outside of Salem's castle. The Flashstep and Electro Titans were both fighting as hard as they could with help from Midori and Vernal, and the Grimm following Hazel Rainart were fighting just as hard.

Nora, Vernal, and Midori were able to hold their own very well against the Grimm. Midori and Vernal elected to fight the smaller and more common Grimm like the Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps. Midori was a little slow and winded, given her lack of experience with fighting for this long. But Vernal was willing to cover her for as long as she could.

Nora also helped her friend when she could, but she mainly focused on the larger Grimm.

Nevermores and a few Deathstalkers had joined the fight, and Nora relied on her electrical powers to keep them at bay. The whips she made weren't exactly like Cinder's, given that she couldn't wrap them around the Grimm and hold them steady. She could, however, strike at the Grimm multiple times until they were ash. The whips were even capable of shooting Nevermores out of the sky, when the lightning hit their wings.

Mercury tried to kill the multiple Grimm as well, but Hazel had his attention the most.

The Flashstep Titan had to duck and weave past all of the energy Hazel was shooting at him, from fire to balls of lightning. Mercury took note that Hazel could easily replicate the powers of the Incinerator and Electro Titans, and he also noticed that Hazel wasn't moving as fast as him.

"He doesn't have that Dust like last time," Mercury realized. "Looks like speed is all mine!"

Mercury moved as fast as he could and dealt as many blows to Hazel as he could. Scratches and kicks were the best kinds of attacks he knew while he was a Titan; he even took inspiration from the vision he had when he first became a Titan.

But while Hazel couldn't keep up with the Flashstep Titan, he relied on his brute strength to hold it still.

Hazel began to see the pattern behind the Titan's attacks, so he was able to catch the Titan's leg after so many strikes. Hazel took the leg in both hands and spun around twice before he let go.

*CRASH*

Mercury hit the crystal structure behind him, and he immediately felt Hazel jump up to him. Once he had the Titan right where he wanted it, Hazel relied on his strength once again to break the beast.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Four strong punches made the Titan's blood and pieces of its flesh spill all over the ground and wall. Mercury quickly moved his arms to make Hazel stop, but the man pushed against the palms as hard as he could.

*ZAP*

"Aaaugh!"

Hazel felt a surge of electricity strike him from behind, which caused him to loosen his hold on Mercury's hands. Mercury took this chance to throw Hazel aside and look at Nora, who nodded at him before she turned her attention to the sky.

Vernal saw the sight Mercury was in after Hazel punched him, and it made her mad. She quickly ran to Hazel and threw both of her guns at him. One cut the bandages on his face, but he was able to catch the other one.

*CRUNCH*

And destroy it in an instant.

"Ah, shit," Vernal said as she watched one of her weapons break. "I should've thought that through."

*BOOM*

A fireball that crashed near her feet made Vernal fly back and slide on the ground. Mercury quickly got off the wall and moved in front of her when he saw Hazel create another one, and his body began to break even more.

*BOOM*

Midori cut down another Beowolf before she saw her friends struggling against Hazel. She quickly ran over to help them, but fear began to take over when she saw Hazel. She grabbed Vernal and tried to make Hazel stay back with a few swings from Scalpel, but the large man grabbed one of the blades and began to crush it.

Nora tried to help, to make Hazel back away from her friends once again. But as soon as she turned her back, the feathers of a Nevermore struck her from behind and hit part of her nape. Nora could feel the feather strike her abdomen, and she couldn't use her Aura to protect herself. And so, she fell on top of more Grimm and remained motionless.

Hazel watched the Electro Titan fall and became satisfied with the result. Now that he had the Flashstep Titan, and two of his friends, right where he wanted them, Hazel could finish them off here and now.

"Hiding behind people who can't fight like us?!" Hazel mocked at Mercury. "A coward like you must be stopped!" Hazel threw Midori and Vernal away and watched them hit the crystal behind them before he moved to Mercury. Just like he did in the castle, Hazel punched and ripped his way through the Titan until he saw Mercury's body. "There you are," he said as he raised his fists once again.

And with a yell, he started to bring them both down.

*ZAP*

Hazel was denied his victory when two red beams hit him and knocked him back.

Mercury exited his Titan and looked at Hazel in surprise. "The hell?" he asked as he looked above for an explanation.

The explanation came in the form of the Predator Titan, which fell from the sky and landed on the side of the castle. Hazel looked up just in time to see the new Titan pounce on him while Mercury stared in shock at the miracle.

"Need a hand?!"

A familiar voice overhead caught Mercury's attention. When he looked up once again, he was welcomed by the sight of Winter and Emerald, who were riding a Manticore that had just touched the ground.

"Emerald!" Mercury said with a smile. "Holy crap, you're alive!"

"Yeah, we are!" Emerald said with confidence. "And how are you holding up?"

"Eh, I'll live." Mercury quickly lost his sense of humor when he saw Nora laying behind Emerald. "But yeah, we need your help! Nora took a bad hit, I think those feathers got at the back of her neck!"

Emerald and Winter turned to see Nora laying down behind them. "Where's your medic?" Winter asked quickly.

"Here, here!" said Midori, who had recovered from being thrown. The sound of her name immediately called her to action. "Is someone hurt?"

Mercury pointed over to Nora. "She is!" he said. "We gotta get her outta there!"

"Emerald, you go with them!" Winter ordered as she took Omen in her hand. "I'll help Ren with Hazel!"

"You sure about that?" Mercury asked. "A Titan's the only thing that'll take that son of a bitch down."

"I'll call if I need help," Winter promised. "Now go help your friend."

"Thanks."

Mercury led Emerald and Midori to Nora while Winter ran over towards Ren. Since his Titan was roughly the same size as Mercury's Hazel was able to put up a good fight against it. Ren used his invisibility a couple of times to catch the man off guard. But when Hazel cut himself and threw his own blood on the invisible Titan, the man was able to see and attack Ren easily.

Fortunately for Ren, help came in the form of Winter with a blue-bladed Omen.

*SWISH*

Winter used one of her Glyphs to travel fast and hit Hazel. She didn't hurt him too much, but she definitely caught his attention.

"Hazel Rainart," she said calmly and confidently. She was familiar with the man, as well as his crimes. "You are wanted for the murder of thirty Huntsmen and Huntresses across Remnant." She pointed her blade at Hazel and took a fighting position. "Stand down and surrender."

"Murder?" Hazel angrily asked as he took two more Dust crystals in hand. "Is it really murder to rid Remnant from the likes of you, Huntress filth?!" He stabbed the Dust in his arms and yelled once again.

"Oh, shit," said Ymir. "You think this guy would get along with Cinder?"

"Cinder can't even get along with me," Winter replied. "We have to stop him."

"All you, Winter."

Winter and Hazel charged at each other and attacked. Winter used a Glyph to dodge a large fist, and she used her sword to strike at Hazel's side. But the man's Aura had recharged very quickly, and he was able to block the attack with it. Once he did, he swung his fists and fired multiple projectiles at Winter. Some of the Dust projectiles destroyed Winter's Glyphs, so Winter had to rely on her own prowess with a sword to fight.

Ren came to aid Winter and fight Hazel on two fronts. The large man took the strikes on both sides and easily grew frustrated with this. And so, to catch them off guard, Hazel turned his attention to the ground and violently punched it. With this punch and the Dust in his arms, Hazel was able to create a shockwave of fire and wind. This easily knocked Winter off her feet, and Hazel was able to focus on striking Ren.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Mercury was able to see that the fight wasn't going as he originally hoped. Midori and Emerald had removed the sharp feather and carefully moved Nora out to heal her, and Mercury kept watch for Grimm.

Only now, he could see that Hazel was doing to Ren what he did to the Flashstep Titan earlier.

"Dammit!" Mercury growled as he reached for his hand. "They need help!" He bit into his hand and watched black blood pour out of the wound.

But nothing happened.

"Wha-?" Mercury tried again to turn into a Titan, but it didn't work. "What the hell?! Why isn't it working?!"

"Mercury, look at yourself," Midori pointed out. She was currently healing Nora, but she could see the amount of steam rising from Mercury's body and wounds. "You're covered head from toe in that stuff! Your Titan might be recharging or something. You know, like an Aura."

Mercury slowly became aware of how much steam he was covered in; it seemed that Hazel's attacks had done more damage than he previously thought.

"Dammit, we need something!" he said in frustration. Mercury knew that he couldn't rely on his Titan, and Nora was too hurt from the feather she was hit by. However, there was one more Titan that he had forgotten about.

"Emerald!" he said quickly. "Your Titan can help!"

"What?" Emerald asked. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" Mercury showed her his hand. "Try turning into a Titan and using whatever powers you have with Hazel!"

Emerald moved her head down and nervously looked at her hands. "Merc, I... I don't know what powers I have."

Mercury quickly grabbed her hand. "No time like the present to find out," he said as he began to pull her. "Look, this is what you wanted, right? You said you wouldn't let any of us down, right?"

"..."

Emerald remembered the promise she made to Eren. She remembered how happy she was to have a chance to stay with her friends and prove how useful she could be. She wasn't expecting a chance like this to come so soon, but she knew that Mercury was right. She knew that she had to put her Titan to good use.

She knew that she had to use mind over matter to save Ren and Winter.

"...You better stand back," she said to Mercury. "Get everyone else back too."

Mercury saw that Vernal was occupied with Grimm, and she was doing it from a safe distance. Midori and Nora, on the other hand, needed to move back with him. So he ran back and helped Midori move Nora.

With that, Emerald moved forward and prepared to make good on her promise.

"Okay, you can do this," she said. "You have to do this." Emerald knew what she had to do, what she promised to do. She remembered it all as clear as day, and she knew that she wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

The only problem was... Emerald wasn't sure what she would do.

"But what am I supposed to do?!" she whispered to herself. "Wait, don't panic. Just gotta think about this."

"..."

Emerald couldn't think of anything off the top of her head, but she had a good idea for an opening attack. "I'll use my Semblance," she decided. "That'll buy me enough time to think of something. But let's just get this over with." Emerald looked at her hands again as she recalled the ability to summon a Titan. She had seen Eren bite into his hand countless times, just as Mercury did. But rather than biting herself, Emerald decided to cut herself using Thief's Respite. She wasn't sure what would happen when this happened, but all she could think about was being a Titan just like Eren and Cinder.

And that's exactly what happened.

*BOOM*

As she felt the explosion and energy around her, Emerald felt herself ascend off the ground and float in the air. Flesh, bone, and skin surrounded her and soon fused to her body. Everything became red around her, and Emerald felt more warm than she ever had in her entire life. Her environment became a little stuffy and she wasn't used to the feeling of flesh being fused to her cheeks, but Emerald could tell that she had accomplished transformation for the very first time.

Winter, Ren, and Hazel could tell as well. They were all staring at a brand new Titan, one that had gray skin. red and black hair, and a pair of deep red eyes just like Emerald's.

Hazel looked at the state that his foes were in. He had been fighting strongly and brutally while Emerald was contemplating her future with a Titan, and he had accomplished much in that time. Winter was using her Aura to heal multiple bruises as she was catching her breath, and Ren's face had become too broken and mangled to see and breathe properly. He had exited his Titan and was expecting to face Hazel without any assistance, but he was surprised to see that Emerald had decided to use her own Titan.

One look at the giant told Hazel that this fight wasn't going to be easy. The Flashstep and Predator Titans weren't nearly as large as this new one, not even close. And yet, Hazel was too enraged and had consumed too much Dust to think straight. After he infused even more Dust into his body, Hazel ran towards the Titan and prepared to make a jump for its head.

But Emerald was ready to stop him with her Semblance.

"Okay," the young girl said to herself. "You've done this a million times. Let's see Hazel try... this!"

Emerald concentrated on her Semblance as hard as she could, and she directed everything she had at Hazel. She didn't have an exact illusion in mind, given that this was only meant to serve as a distraction. But Emerald did the best she could as she tried to think of something to do with her Titan.

What she didn't know, however, was that she was doing something with it. And Winter was the first to see it.

Winter had recovered from her injuries, even thought it cost her a lot of Aura. She had run up to Hazel as soon as she felt better, and she was ready to face him the moment he turned around.

But instead of turning around, the large man remained completely motionless.

Winter stopped running when she noticed something was wrong. "What in-?" she asked as she looked at Hazel. She walked around him to see that he may have been motionless, but his face was moving and squirming as if he was in pain.

"Winter?" Ren called out as he looked at Hazel. When he saw his face beneath the torn bandages, Ren could also see that something was wrong. "What did you do?"

"I... I didn't do anything," Winter insisted. She cautiously moved her hand towards Hazel's and snapped her fingers twice.

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

Hazel suddenly dropped to his knees. He then grabbed his head and screamed as if something was attacking him. Ren and Winter backed away in shock as they watched him scream and claw at his head.

"Hey, guys!"

Ren and Winter turned to see everyone else running towards them. Nora had been fully healed by Midori and her powers, so she was able to rejoin her friends.

"Ren, get back!" Nora said as she pushed her friend aside. She then took out Magnhild and raised it in the air.

"Take him down, Nora!" Mercury screamed behind her. He wasn't going to let this fight continue longer than it had already.

"Got it!" Nora said with a determined look and a wide smile. She and Mercury didn't question why Hazel seemed to give up fighting, given that they didn't care. Instead, Nora lifted her hammer and screamed as she jumped and brought it down on Hazel's head.

*BAM*

Hazel finally fell to the ground and refused to move.

"That... was for you, Merc," Nora said between breaths. She then turned to Ren, who was still covered in steam. "And you too, Ren." Given how happy she was to see him, Nora pulled Ren into a hug and kissed his cheek with a smile.

*SMECK*

Ren couldn't help but chuckle as his cheeks grew red.

"Man, I thought he'd never quit," Mercury said in relief as he turned to Winter. "How'd you guys take him down?"

"We didn't," Winter replied. "I... I don't know what happened. One minute he was running to Emerald, and then he was grabbing his head like it was on fire."

"I saw that too," Ren said as he let go of Nora. "He looked like he wanted to rip his own head off."

"Really?" Nora asked. "When'd that happen?"

Ren pointed behind him. "As soon as he took off after... Emerald."

"..."

Everyone followed Ren's finger and found themselves looking at Emerald's Titan. Her right hand was raised towards them, right where Hazel had once been standing. After everyone stared at the Titan for a moment, they all looked at each other in surprise.

It was the only possible explanation, but they had to confirm the theory.

Ren waved at Emerald to make her exit the Titan, and she was able to tell everyone what she was doing up there.

"I just thought using my Semblance would buy me some time," the young girl explained. "I didn't have a plan with my Titan, so I wanted to make an illusion to distract him."

"I think you did more than just distract him," said Ren. "The way he was holding his head and screaming... it was something else."

Emerald was surprised to hear this, but she did her best to defend herself. "I never hurt anyone with my Semblance before. All I can do is make them see things that aren't really there."

"Yeah, I don't see how that can hurt anyone," Mercury said. "Maybe make them thinking they're going nuts, but not hurt them."

"But that doesn't mean this wasn't Emerald," Vernal pointed out. "No offense, Em, but we have no idea what that Titan can do."

"We may have an idea," said Winter. "Ren has his invisibility and eye beams, Nora has-"

"Eye beams?!" Nora yelled. "When did that happen?!"

"Right here, just now," Ren replied. "I still need to work on it though."

"Aw!" Nora rolled her eyes and groaned. "Some people get all the luck!"

Winter shook her head before she continued. "As I was saying, Nora has her lightning, Cinder had her fire, Mercury has his speed, and Eren has the Grimm," she finished. "Emerald, is it possible that your Titan can affect people's minds? Like your Semblance?"

"Oh, um... I guess?" Emerald replied. "I'm still new with my Titan, I'm not really sure." But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made for Emerald. "No, you know what? That makes a lot of sense. I guess that's what my Titan does."

"No way!" Nora yelled. "That's awesome!"

"Damn, that's pretty cool, Em," said Vernal.

"Hell yeah!" Mercury said. "And you took Hazel down in, like, a second?! Man, I thought my Titan could kick his ass!"

Everyone was congratulating and thanking Emerald for what she did. The more she heard it all, the more Emerald was feeling better about herself. She knew that she fulfilled her promise to Eren, and she felt proud of herself for being useful in the fight after all.

"Wait a minute!" said Ren. "Guys, that's it!"

"Huh?" Emerald asked. All eyes fell on Ren as Emerald asked her next question. "What's it?"

"Think about it!" Ren pointed back to the hole in the castle. "Right now, Eren and Cinder are going after Salem on their own!"

Mercury was confident that Eren and Cinder could take down Salem together, so he didn't see anything wrong with this. "So?" he asked.

"So, we just finished off enough Grimm to buy us time to get inside!" Ren continued. "And we found out one of our Titans can affect the minds of people! Who has a mind that's strong enough to control all of these Grimm? Who has her mind dead set on killing us all?"

Everyone yelled the answer at the same time.

"Salem!"

Ren pointed to the castle again. "We have to get inside and find her! If anyone's going to need Salem's mind under control, it's Eren!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Nora asked as she started running. "Let's go!" Everyone quickly obeyed and followed Nora up towards the hole in the wall.

Emerald was the last in line, but she was far from afraid of using her Titan once again.

"We're coming, guys," she thought to herself. "Everything's gonna be okay!"

---

Everything wasn't okay for Eren and Cinder.

The Titan Salem created may have been made out of water, but its destructive capabilities were just as dangerous as the witch inside the shell.

Eren learned that Salem could make Grimm under her control in the same manner as him, by removing flesh and simply punching the ground to make smaller pools. Cinder was learning the hard way that the witch could still use her Magic while she was in the Titan.

But both of the warriors knew that the plan to use the Grimm Beetle wouldn't work right now.

"We have to get her out of there!" Eren said as Soaring Freedom launched him over a charging Boarbatusk.

"Let's do it!" Cinder said as she focused on the wounds she received from a blast of Magic. "Now!"

*BOOM*

Eren followed Cinder's lead and bit into his hand. He was able to throw some of his blood on the charging Boarbatusk before he transformed, just so he could have at least one Grimm on his side.

*BOOM*

The Founding and Incinerator Titans stood proudly in the cavern beneath Salem's castle. Cinder quickly made a ball of fire in her hands while Eren clenched and hardened his fists in order to fight. But while they were superior in number over the witch, the Titans weren't quite as large as Salem's.

Eren wasn't worried, however. If Mercury was here, he would simply say it wasn't the size that mattered; it's what one did with it. And now, Eren and Cinder were prepared to do a whole lot with their Titans.

Eren charged at Salem and crushed the Grimm under his feet. He dodged one of her fists and a blast of Magic, and he crushed even more Grimm while doing so. These attacks gave Cinder an opening to throw her fire at Salem, which blew up at the side of her head.

*BOOM*

When the Titan recoiled from the blast, Eren ran and punched Salem's arm as hard as he could.

*BAM*

*SPLAT*

The fire left a hole on the right side of the Titan's face, and Eren's punch made another hole on Salem's arm. However, both these holes were sealed instantly by more water. And in retaliation, Salem swiped her arm to knock Eren back before she fired more Magic at Cinder.

Salem's strike had left more black tar on Eren's chest, which immediately spawned more Grimm. Eren made quick work of these small creatures, but he noticed himself becoming surrounded by more Grimm by his feet. Thinking quickly, Eren bit into both of his hands and let Titan blood fall onto the ground and the Grimm. The Grimm soon became under his control, and even more Grimm formed from the tar.

Salem created more creatures of her own to counter Eren's forces, where she witnessed a sort of civil war of Grimm. Beowolf turned on Beowolf, just as Ursa turned on Ursa. Grimm blood was spilled on both sides as Grimm bit, scratched, and devoured each other.

Eren was content with this turn of events, since it gave him a chance to focus more on Salem instead of the Grimm. But before he could do so, Eren was forced to stop a Deathstalker from poisoning him by grabbing its tail. He then picked it up with his natural strength and threw it at Salem. Cinder made a pair of whips to grab Salem's arms, so she couldn't do anything to stop the Deathstalker.

She could, however, absorb the Grimm and break the whips. This was easy for her, given that her water extinguished the fire.

Cinder felt frustrated by the sight of her fire easily being extinguished, but she tried to hurt Salem again and again. Her whips made contact with the body, but Salem didn't appear to be injured.

"Too... weak!" Salem yelled inside her Titan. She fired more Magic at Cinder, which made contact with her body. And to prove her weakness even further, Salem created two more geysers and pushed the water towards Cinder. The fires of the Incinerator Titan were useless.

But the Founding Titan was far from helpless.

Salem heard the beast stop behind her, and she turned just in time to see it with a raised fist. Rather than let it punch her, Salem used her Magic to fire a beam of energy that collided into the Founding Titan. The beast fell to the ground without a sound, not even a yell.

Salem would have been satisfied with this victory, if she didn't notice that the Founding Titan looked more like stone instead of flesh.

*THWIP*

Eren had exited the Titan long before Salem fired her Magic, and now he had the element of surprise. Just like he did to the Colossal Titan, so many years ago, Eren created a decoy so he could cut Salem's nape and pull her out.

*SLASH*

Eren used his Volant to launch himself forward and cut the nape, where he stuck his hand inside and reached for a body. However, Eren instead found nothing but more black water and an incredible amount of pain.

Salem wasn't in the nape.

*CHOMP*

"Aaugh!"

Eren looked behind him to see that a Beowolf had risen from Salem's Titan and bit his leg. Eren killed it with a simple swing of his sword and flew off the Titan before Salem could attack him again.

When Cinder saw that Eren's attack had failed, she threw another ball of fire at Salem so she could regroup with him. Eren was on one of the cavern walls, hanging by his hooks while both his leg and arm healed from his experience. His arm needed more healing than his leg, given that the force of pure destruction nearly melted his entire hand. But he stopped focusing on that when the Incinerator Titan came to him.

"She's not there," Eren informed his friend. "Salem wasn't in the nape."

Underneath her Titan, Cinder gasped at this revelation. Eren's attack would have been swift, and it all would have been over by now. But Salem had been one step ahead of him, and there was something else that bothered her.

Cinder partially removed herself from her Titan so she could talk to Eren. "My fire's useless in here," she said. "The water keeps putting it out."

Eren knew how bad this looked, but now wasn't the time to admit defeat. "Don't give up," he said. "We just need to find her in there."

Cinder easily agreed. "We gotta do it fast. Before Salem tries any-"

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

The entire area began to shake and rumble, and it wasn't just the ground. Eren felt the wall he was on shaking as well, and he immediately became worried.

What worried Cinder was that the rocks and crystals on the ceiling began to fall.

*CRASH*

*CRASH*

*CRASH*

Cinder was hit by some of these rocks, but Eren was small enough to avoid them. He used Soaring Freedom to evade the objects, and that was when he saw that Salem was causing them to fall. Instead of attacking the Titans, Salem decided to destroy the pillars connecting the ceiling to the floor.

Salem was going to make the whole room cave in.

"Come on!" Eren called out to Cinder. "We gotta make her stop!" He saw Cinder run over to one of Salem's arms, so Eren turned into a Titan again to help her.

*BOOM*

When Eren saw that Salem was about to break another pillar, Eren grabbed her arm to hold her back. His arms partially moved into the water, but he was able to form a good grip. Cinder was able to do the same, albeit with a little more difficulty.

A few more crystals and rocks fell from the ceiling and hit the Titans, but the cavern had stopped shaking. Salem didn't accept this, so she created more Grimm to hopefully change this. Eren didn't have much of a problem, given that he could make Grimm of his own to counter this. Cinder, however, could only let the Grimm bite her flesh as she tried to stop Salem from destroying any more pillars.

Eren could see how this was a problem for both him and Cinder, given that Salem could make as many Grimm as she wanted and that she could extinguish Cinder's fire at any time. Eren needed to put a stop to this, and he needed to do it now.

And when he realized the position Salem was in, Eren had an idea.

Eren knew his plan to encase Salem in hardened crystal would succeed once he pulled her out of this Titan, but maybe he could do part of it now. He was holding Salem's arm, so he concentrated on his Hardening ability. He could harden any part of his body, and even extend this hardening within his environment.

And so, after intense concentration, Eren was able to harden part of Salem's arm in his grasp.

Salem quickly threw Eren aside when she realized what was happening. She threw Cinder as well, just in case she tried anything too. As the Titans slid on the ground, Salem couldn't help but look at her arm in bewilderment and attempt to undo the Hardening that Eren had used.

This time ultimately gave an injured Cinder a chance to see how she could assist Eren with fighting.

When she stopped sliding on the ground, Cinder had landed next to large crystals and rocks that she could hold like javelins. When she got back up, Cinder used her Titan to pick one of the rocks up and aim it at Salem. The element of surprise was on Cinder's side now, and she used it by throwing the sharp rock at Salem's Titan.

*SPLASH*

The rock made a hole in Salem's body and sprayed black water on the ground.

Salem looked at the hole in her body and used more water to fill it. Once she saw who was responsible, the witch fired more Magic in frustration. The shot was a direct hit, and Salem was able to pin Cinder to the wall behind her. Flesh and blood fell to the ground as the Incinerator Titan took the blast, but help was on the way.

Eren had seen what Cinder had done, and now he followed in her footsteps.

*SPLASH*

*SPLASH*

*SPLASH*

Eren threw multiple rocks and crystals at Salem as he attempted to make the Titan fall. The black tar spilled on the ground and formed more Grimm, but Eren's Grimm quickly engaged them and continued their violent battle.

Cinder was starting to recover from her ordeal, and her Titan had definitely seen better days. And yet, she poured all of her strength and energy into getting back up. She knew she had to do something, anything, to help Eren fight.

Cinder was happy to see that her idea was starting to pay off, but she became even happier when she saw what happened after a rock pass close through the Titan's chest.

She could have sworn that she saw a left arm near the hole Eren had made before it sealed back up.

"The chest," Cinder thought. "Salem's in the chest!"

Unfortunately, Eren didn't see what Cinder had seen. He was too busy throwing rock after rock at Salem to make her Titan nothing more than a pile of muck on the ground. And if Salem wasn't spawning more Grimm, she was firing more Magic at Eren.

"Eren, no!" Cinder screamed from within. "The chest! Aim for the chest!" Her screams, however, were rendered void since the Incinerator Titan was mute. Cinder saw that she would need to do this herself.

After she spent what felt like an eternity getting back up, Cinder discovered how hard it was to keep her Titan standing. Salem's Grimm and Magic had done a number on her, and Cinder sadly discovered that she didn't have the strength to pick up another rock.

She did, however, possess something else; a spark.

Cinder saw that she could still make fire. Her palms were burning bright, and the fire she had was just as strong as ever. With it, Cinder could throw the fire at Salem wherever she wanted. It wouldn't be easy, but it was better than nothing.

"I can aim for the chest," Cinder told herself. "Eren should be able to see what I'm doing." Cinder raised her arms and aimed at the back of Salem's chest. "Here I go."

*WHOOSH*

The fire hit Salem's back, but the only thing that resulted was steam. There was no hole, and no sign that revealed Salem's presence in the chest.

"Dammit!" Cinder shouted at herself. "Come on, fire! Burn!"

As she refused to give up, Cinder pushed her hands out further. She concentrated on the warmth and burning in her hands as she desperately tried to burn Salem. The fire remained at Salem's back, but it was clear that it was burning brighter.

Cinder concentrated on the fire, but her thoughts turned to Eren and his fight. She remembered how worried she was for him before they came here, and how this fight wasn't going to be easy. Since everything depended on him, Cinder knew that she had to help Eren. He deserved the help, he deserved to not be alone, and he deserved to be victorious.

And Cinder promised herself that she would do whatever she had to do to make sure Eren would win.

*WHOOSH*

Slowly but surely, the fire began to change. Not just burn brighter, but also change color. The fire Cinder had created was starting to turn from orange to blue. The flames also became incredibly hot, hot enough to actually penetrate the Grimm water. The water actually began to boil, and it was falling off Salem's back without spawning more creatures.

Eren stopped throwing rocks when he saw the blue glow behind his enemy. Salem easily noticed the flames and burning sensation, so she turned around to face the source again.

"Such raw power," Salem thought to herself. "It's almost a shame I have to destroy you."

Salem used her Magic once again, but she didn't shoot energy this time. Instead, she created two strong gusts of wind that moved in a spiral. Despite the strength of Cinder's new fire, which burned as hot as Hell itself, the wind was able to dispel this fire and make it disappear.

With her newly found opening, Salem created another blast of Magic that destroyed the head of the Incinerator Titan.

*BOOM*

"CINDER!" Eren yelled through the Founding Titan.

As he watched the majority of Cinder's head fall to the ground as the Incinerator Titan finally fell with it, Eren took his revenge by taking the largest crystal he could find and swinging it at Salem's head. It didn't cut the whole thing off, but the attack blinded Salem by cutting out her eyes.

It would take some time to heal a wound like that.

With this distraction, Eren rushed over to the Incinerator Titan and kneeled down. Steam escaped what remained of the nape, and Eren left his Titan to help Cinder leave the shell behind.

"Hold on," Eren said quickly. "I got you!"

Cinder wasn't missing anything of her head, but her body was incredibly burnt. Her face was mostly blackened from these burns, as well as her arms. When Eren looked up to see if Salem was still healing, Eren used Soaring Freedom once again to move to safety. He landed near the door to the cavern and laid Cinder down so she could heal.

Cinder's burns were incredibly painful, and the healing factor of her Titan would need time until she was fully healed. But thankfully, Cinder was able to speak normally.

"The... The chest," she said as she caught her breath. "I saw Salem... in the chest."

"..."

Eren looked back to the Titan and remembered where Cinder had been aiming her fire. Given this fact, as well as the fact that Salem wasn't in the nape or the head, Eren was more than willing to believe Cinder at this time.

With this information, provided by Cinder's selfless sacrifice, Eren was ready to commence one final attack. Grabbing the arms and making holes in the Titan was useless, he had the experience to understand this. However, Eren had another experience to make him see what he should have done ever since Salem made her Titan.

If the King Taijitu could be controlled by Eren's own body of Grimm... then perhaps the water that made Salem's Titan could be controlled the same way.

"Thank you, Cinder," Eren said sincerely. "For everything." He stood up and faced the regenerating Titan about fifty feet in front of him. "You stay here. I'm going to finish this."

Eren moved to begin his final confrontation with the witch, but a weak grip on his sleeve stopped him.

"Don't... Don't go," Cinder said. "Don't go... without me."

Eren almost didn't believe what he was hearing. He needed to remind himself that this was Cinder he was talking to, someone who had the same kind of fighting spirit as he did.

"Cinder, you have to stay," Eren insisted. "You're burnt out. Literally."

Cinder tried to turn into a Titan to prove Eren wrong, but she didn't have the strength. She focused on the wounds and burns Salem had given her, but no transformation occurred. And so, after she moved to her knees, Cinder pleaded with Eren again.

"I promised," she reminded him. "I promised you wouldn't have to do this alone."

Eren kneeled down to Cinder. "I know you did," he said. "I couldn't have done this without you, Cinder. But you were right; I'm the only one who can stop her. It's time to finish this right now."

Cinder quickly grabbed Eren's hands as she felt tears in her eyes. The fear of being alone, the fear of losing Eren to Salem, came to her ten times stronger than it did earlier. "Eren... I can't let you go in there alone." Cinder wasn't doubting Eren's strength in the matter, but she was living proof of how powerful Salem was. "If you do... you'll die."

"..."

When he saw that the burns on Cinder's face were healing much better now, Eren took it upon himself to clean some of the soot and ash that remained; all just to see his best friend as she truly looked.

"Believe me, Cinder... you're one of the only few people who actually care," Eren said sadly. "You've done more than I could have ever asked." He quickly moved away from Cinder, and his movements were fast enough to break the hold she had on him.

"Now it's my turn."

*BOOM*

Cinder was partially caught in the shockwave that was caused by Eren's Titan, but she wasn't hurt. Instead, she was knocked close to the stairs and left with a considerable gap between her and the Founding Titan.

This gap was closed when Eren punched the ground and let Hardened crystal erupt from the stone beneath him.

"Eren, no!" Cinder begged as she stood up. She had to climb up a few stairs to get to the entrance, and she only stopped when she crashed into the crystal. "Let me in! Eren, let me in!"

Cinder could make out the face of the Founding Titan behind the crystal. As she looked at it, Cinder expected to see its usual appearance; its anger and unwavering determination was always written on its face.

But this time, Cinder could only see sadness on the Titan's face.

*BAM*

A strike from behind caught Eren's attention and made him turn back to Salem. Her temporary ordeal had gone, and now she was ready to finish what she started when she let herself fall into the Grimm.

Eren was ready too, even if it meant he couldn't do it with Cinder.

"EREN!" Cinder screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears fell down her face as she began to hit the crystal in front of her.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

"EREN, COME BACK!" Cinder implored. "LET ME IN, PLEASE!"

*ROAR*

*CRASH*

Cinder could hear everything behind the crystal, but it had become hard to see.

"PLEASE!"

Cinder continued to hit the crystal with all her might, but it was just as indestructible as Eren had said. And since she couldn't turn into a Titan, Cinder couldn't rely on her fire to even attempt to melt her way through.

All she could do was cry, hit the crystal, and scream. But rather than senseless yelling or pleading, Cinder found herself screaming something else.

"I LOVE YOU!" she yelled as she hit the crystal.

"..."

Cinder didn't know if Eren could hear her as he fought Salem, or what his reaction would be. But she was past the point of caring.

"I LOVE YOU!"

*BAM*

"I LOVE YOU!"

*BAM*

"I LOVE YOU!"

*BAM*

"I LOVE YOU!"

*BAM*

"I LOVE YOU!"

*BAM*

"..."

Cinder finally fell to the ground as her palm slid down the surface of the impenetrable crystal. "I love you..." she said once again, but much quieter through her tears and sobs. "I love you."

---

Sadly, Eren couldn't hear Cinder's confession or heartbreak. All he could hear was the sounds of his battle with Salem.

*ROAR*

*BAM*

*SPLASH*

*ZAP*

Each opponent unleashed everything they had against each other, all in the hopes that they would finally be taken down. After he used his skill in martial arts and Hardening for a few minutes longer, Eren realized that he couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. There was only one way to stop Salem.

And so, after he threw one more sharp crystal at the witch, Eren took off running with a yell and jumped into the water.

*SPLASH*

All Eren could see now was black. The complete absence of light surrounded him as he found himself submerged in the tar. All around him was water, but Eren could make out the bones and skulls of Grimm as he swam.

*BAM*

Suddenly, Eren felt the body of the Founding Titan take a strong hit. He turned around fast to see what it was, but nothing was there.

*BAM*

*BAM*

Eren was being hit left from right, with strikes that would have been lethal if inflicted on a normal human being. But everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but black water all around him.

"Is it Salem?" Eren wondered. "Does she know I'm here?!"

*BAM*

*BAM*

The water kept attacking Eren, almost like it was alive. Eren had to remind himself that this was Grimm water, a substance bent on pure destruction. And in Salem's control, she could destroy the whole world with it.

"Focus!" Eren told himself as he felt the water attack his body. "Salem's controlling this water! Now you have to control it too!"

As soon as he felt chunks of his flesh being ripped off from the water, Eren took his chance and concentrated on the part of him that was now one with the water. It wasn't easy, but the blood pouring from the Founding Titan soon began to form a connection with the rest of the water.

"I can feel it," Eren said to himself. "It's cold... strong... and angrier than anyone I've ever seen." Eren didn't let these feelings and emotions resulting from the connection shake his resolve, he instead focused on what he could do now. "Take me to Salem! Now!"

The water beneath Eren was previously destroying the legs and lower torso of the Founding Titan. But now, a whirlpool of death and destruction formed around his legs. Eren initially believed the water was trying to drown him, but he soon felt himself ascend upwards.

More specifically, up where the chest of Salem's Titan would be.

Eren felt himself move faster and faster in the water, but he also felt something else. The water above him seemed to have turned on him while the water beneath him was his ally. The destructive force of the Grimm was now attacking his upper body instead of his lower body.

"It's Salem!" Eren realized. "She knows I'm here! I just... have to... keep going!"

*BAM*

*WHOOSH*

*WHOOSH*

The water had managed to breach Eren's body. The water began to push him downwards as it filled his body, from the mouth to the stomach. Eren could even feel it hit his human body as he began to descend.

The water burned him and began to melt his flesh, and Eren couldn't help but scream in pain. The pain was enough to make him consider resignation, given how painful it was.

But when Eren saw that one of the Founding Titans eyes was still open and functional, Eren looked up to see something else in the water. Just above him, within arm's reach, was a large bubble. It wasn't like the bubbles Eren had seen earlier, the ones that would pop and then let the water fall back in. This one refused to move upwards and it was much larger than the other ones he saw.

"There she is!" Eren realized. "She's controlling the Titan from the inside! I have... to keep... going!"

But no matter how hard he tried, Eren couldn't make the Titan move. Even the whirlpool beneath him was starting to fade.

"No!" Eren shouted. "Not when I'm this close!" Eren desperately tried to swim upwards, but the Founding Titan was slowly turning to nothingness. And Eren was simply starting to tire himself out.

"Come on, come on!" Eren yelled at himself. "What else can I do?!" He looked around from top to bottom, but all Eren could see was either flesh or black water penetrating the body.

However, hope came in the form of Eren accidentally kicking something metal. When he looked down, Eren saw that he was still wearing Soaring Freedom. And it still had plenty of fuel.

"I never tried to use it in my Titan," Eren thought. "And the water will come in as soon as I open my nape." Eren took one more look at the bubble above him, and soon realized that it would be worth the risk. "Let's hope the Volant's strong enough to get me up there." Eren closed his eyes and allowed his nape to open, which indeed caused more black water to flood inside. "One... two... three!"

*WHOOSH*

The air inside the equipment made Eren shoot out of the Titan like a bullet. The black water was now destroying his human body, but Eren continued to let the Volant take him higher and higher, and he refused to stop.

As soon as Eren made contact with the bubble, he was welcomed by the breathable air as his hands grabbed a body in front of him.

"What?!" Salem screamed as she saw Eren penetrate her field of protection. She quickly fixed the hole Eren had made to prevent any water from moving in, but her full attention was on the human. "It's not possible! Nobody can survive direct contact! Not even someone as broken as you!"

Eren was indeed broken, as his physical body was burning and healing at the same time. But instead of turning into a Titan, Eren kept his grip on Salem as he looked her in the eye.

"I may be broken..." Eren said. "But that's never stopped me before!" With that, Eren pulled on Salem as he tried to disconnect her from the Grimm that her back was attached to. "The God of Darkness... sends his regards, you bitch!"

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

Salem's back was covered in tendrils that connected her to her Titan, and Eren was breaking them through his rage and his strength. He probably shouldn't have said anything about Darkness, but he was too hurt and too angry to care.

"Wh... What?"

Salem almost didn't believe what she had just heard. Hearing about the God who helped curse her, one of them two beings she hated more than anything, was enough to make her connect the dots.

Was Eren truly serving the God of Darkness?

Is that how he knew everything?

"No!"

Salem concentrated on her connection to the Grimm and reformed some of the tendrils that connected her to the water. "If he wishes to see me gone... he'll have to do better than a lowly human such as yourself!"

Salem moved back as she reinforced her strength on the tendrils behind her. And yet, Eren found himself pulling harder and harder just to see them break.

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

When one tendril broke, two more seemed to take its place.

"You... can't... win!" Salem screamed as she fought against Eren's grasp. "You're... too... weak! Broken! A shell of your former self!"

"I know... what I am!" Eren yelled as he pulled against Salem. "And... I know... if I don't fight... I can't win!"

"You will never win!"

Eren pulled as hard as he could. Since the water was still hurting him, Eren was able to concentrate on the power of the Founding Titan. By doing this, Eren was able to spread his influence on the water once again.

And now he was making the water let go of Salem.

*SNAP*

The first sound of Salem's connection giving up on her gave Eren a surge of strength. He continued to pull and fight Salem in a battle of wills as both attempted to turn the water against each other.

Unfortunately for Salem, Eren seemed to have the upper hand.

"This hurts," Eren thought to himself. "This hurts like Hell! I can't... take much more!"

*SNAP*

"No! Shut up! You have... to do this!"

*SNAP*

Salem was screaming at this point as she felt her connection to her own Titan leave her. Eren continued to pull as he put all of his heart and soul into his powers, as well as his will to fight.

"They didn't... give up!" Eren told himself. "Nobody gave up... to stop me... stop the Rumbling! I have... to be like them!"

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

"And nobody here... gave up the fight! Not Ren... Nora... Mercury... Emerald... Cinder wouldn't give up either!"

*SNAP*

Eren could feel most of his body melting at this point, giving in to the Grimm. But rather than make the water stop attacking him, Eren continued to make it release Salem.

"It's like I said!" Eren said as he grit his teeth through the pain and looked up. "Isn't it like I said?! Isn't it, Dad?! We have to... keep moving forward... to avenge our friends! Even if we die!"

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

"Even after we die!"

*SNAP*

"I started this! Now I'm gonna... see it through... to the end!"

*SNAP*

*SNAP*

The screams of Salem fell on deaf ears as Eren made his final attempt to break the hold. He could sense the water retreating from Salem, but he could also sense some of it coming back. One final pull would be enough to break it.

He just needed to rediscover the strength he had within him.

"Fight!" Eren told himself as he pulled. Salem continued to scream, and Eren himself began to scream too.

"Fight!" he said again. "Fight! Fight! For God's sake, just fucking fight!"

With one final, painful, and unwavering pull, Eren used the remaining part of his strength and Volant to finally pull Salem out of the Titan.

*SNAP*

The Volant, especially in water, proved to be even more powerful than Eren had expected. Not only did he find himself free from the water with Salem, but it also launched his broken and battered body about fifteen feet away from her.

Eren was still in pain, and even Salem herself found herself to be exhausted from the ordeal. Being taken from a Titan by force was a physical and mental strain, just like what happened to Bertholdt. Eren could see that she was tired, just like he was. There was no way either of them would be moving now.

However, just like in the throne room, Eren took his chance with the Beetle while he was in the water-like Titan. He had placed it on Salem the second he grabbed her, but he didn't focus on draining anything back then.

Now, he could take it all from her.

Salem could feel the insect biting her, and she could feel it begin to drain her. She was too tired to move, despite the fact that her curse was healing the strain that she had experienced. It could heal any wound she sustained, but the mental scars, new and old, could never be healed. Salem needed time to get back up, time to let this mental strain pass.

But as the Beetle told her by draining her of the Grimm in her body, time wasn't on her side.

Slowly but surely, Salem's chalk-white skin began to disappear. The veins on her face also subsided, and her hair began to turn from chalk-white to pale blonde. Salem could feel it, and she could feel her strength leaving once again. She tried to scream, to yell, anything to make Eren stop.

But all that came out was weak gasping.

The Grimm Eren had just absorbed helped him stand, but it wasn't enough to fully heal him. Part of his face was missing, and so was a majority of flesh and bone on his body. Eren still felt incredible pain and exhaustion, but he eventually stood up and walked forward. Like a Wall Titan, he simply walked forward towards his enemy.

When the reality of her situation finally dawned on her, Salem raised her hands and prepared to blast Eren away.

*SNAP*

*CRACKLE*

Instead of Magic, Salem found only sparks in her hands that faded and died. She looked down at them in shock, given that this had never happened before. Salem desperately tried to use Magic again, but the attempt was in vain.

When Salem saw a Beowolf begin to approach her, Salem reached out and pointed at Eren. She mentally commanded the beast to attack, and she concentrated as hard as she could.

But the beast didn't obey.

Salem knew this wasn't one of Eren's Grimm, given that it had just spawned from a nearby pool that he didn't touch. This should have been a Grimm that Salem could control, but it refused to obey her commands.

To find out why, Salem simply had to look at her skin and realize that she had become fully human once more.

"He... He did it," Salem realized. "He... He stole my power."

"..."

For the first time in over a millennia, Salem felt fear. True fear was marching towards her right now, and though it came in what appeared to be a broken shell of a man, fear marched on to take Salem away.

"I'll get it back," Salem planned as she turned around. The Titan she had made disappeared, but the pool of Grimm water remained. Salem knew that if she could reach it, she would have control over the Grimm once again. With it, she would crush Eren in this weak form and have her revenge on the rest of his friends.

But she too was weak. Her mental strain hadn't passed, and it made it incredibly hard for her to move. Instead of standing up and walking over, Salem found herself crawling towards the water that she fell in once before.

In her mind, nothing could stop her on this set path.

But a Titan just might.

*BOOM*

Eren transformed into the Founding Titan once again, but it appeared just as weak and broken as him. Its body was intact, but the body appeared to be incredibly skinny and the skin appeared to be withered away. Most of its muscles had disappeared, and it was also moving at a slow pace. Even the back of Eren's body was visible.

But the Titan continued to walk.

The Founding Titan soon kneeled down after one of its legs gave out, but it was now hovering above Salem. The witch made one last attempt to jump in the water before her, but she soon found herself in the Titan's grasp. This grasp wasn't as strong as before, but the screaming Salem found herself unable to break it.

Eren couldn't deny how similar this looked to another memory he had. As he held the screaming human, Eren remembered how Salem looked like his mother on the day she died. She too was screaming and beating a Titan to make it let her go, just like Salem was. And yet, all these attempts were in vain. Eren's mother died that day, and now Eren was about to give Salem the same fate.

"This is... different," Eren told himself. "All Mom wanted... was to protect me. Salem... will only hurt everyone she sees. No more."

Despite the fact he once wished to do away with a repetitive cycle of hate and violence, Eren's conscience was clear as he opened his mouth.

"This... is for people... like you, Mom," Eren told himself. "For the world. My home. And my friends. Each and every one of them!"

*CRUNCH*

"AAAAAAAAUUUHHHHHHH!"

Salem didn't die from the bite, but she could definitely feel it. Eren felt it too, and he felt his Hardening begin. His Titan was still weak, but Eren pushed himself to keep using the ability. As he did so, the Founding Titan began to shrivel up even more than it had already. Eren sensed that this ability came at a cost, that his Titan was feeding the Hardening ability with everything it had. Eren himself felt all of his strength going as he bit on Salem.

But if this meant Salem wouldn't have her hold on the world anymore, Eren was willing to pay this price.

The Hardening began in the bite marks that Eren had made. Slowly but surely, a liquid began to form from this wound and surround Salem. The liquid was like cement, as it soon became as hard as stone. As her legs were the first to be imprisoned, the crystal began to expand outwards. Like Annie's crystal, it would become a large shell around the witch. And it would be impossible to break.

"AAAAAAAAUUUHHHHHHH!"

Salem screamed over and over again as the Hardening took form. She did everything in her power to break free, to prevent yet another failure to end her curse. She could feel her body become enveloped in a liquid that soon became as hard as crystal, but she still screamed and cried like a deranged child. And it was all in vain.

After what felt like an eternity, which was really five whole minutes, the screams of Salem fell silent.

"..."

Eren didn't look down to see what happened to his enemy. As soon as he opened his mouth and heard something hard and unbreakable fall out, the Founding Titan lost all of its strength. It couldn't stop itself from falling back into the black water.

*SPLASH*

The Titan began to become one with the water it was sinking in. Eren didn't do anything to make the water stop, because he found himself unable to do anything but remain still and give in to his exhaustion.

Eren couldn't remember the last time he felt this tired.

Or this broken.

Or even this weak.

But Eren didn't do anything to change this. He didn't even hate himself for being such a weakling, like he was when he was growing up. Instead, Eren gave in to the feelings within him, he welcomed them as he would welcome an old friend.

His body may have been weak, but Eren's mind was strong and racing with all kinds of thoughts.

"I... I did it," Eren told himself. "Salem would've done... something by now... if she could."

"..."

Eren indeed heard silence overhead as the water engulfed his body. His head and face were slowly joining the rest of the Founding Titan, which gave Eren enough time to think about anything he wanted.

And Eren used this time wisely.

"I did it," he said. "We did it. We saved... We saved Remnant."

"..."

"Mikasa... Armin... I wish you could have seen this place. Remnant was... amazing."

The Grimm had just reached the Titan's mouth and forehead, but Eren continued to think.

"This is what's it like, huh? Saving a world?" Eren couldn't help but smile. "It feels... nice."

"..."

"They'll be going home now, I think. Cinder, Ren, Nora, Mercury, Emerald, Midori... my friends, my family. Thank God I didn't have to do this alone."

"..."

The black water was close to the Titan's nose now, blocking the body's only access to air. But Eren didn't care. He was too busy thinking about all the good times he shared with his friends. Sharing a second childhood with them was something he never expected to happen, but it had become something that Eren cherished and felt grateful for.

"You guys... You guys were the best. You too... Mom. I think... for a little while... you all helped me feel like me again. I... I should've thanked you for doing that."

The Titan's eyes were now coated in darkness, and the eyes Eren possessed were starting to grow dark now. It was odd, but it was this shade of black that made Eren think of something else.

The black he was seeing looked exactly like the black hair of Cinder.

While the Founding Titan was flooded with Grimm water, Eren's mind was flooded with images of Cinder. Brave, strong, kind, and free Cinder. The girl who would become Eren's best friend on Remnant. Perhaps the one person on Remnant, maybe even the one person of all time, who stood by him and believed in him the most.

Without her... Eren couldn't see himself amounting to anything.

The image of a smiling Cinder came naturally to Eren's mind, as well as all of his memories with her. He remembered the bravery, the loyalty, and the kindness that was Cinder. She was like nobody Eren had ever met before.

Cinder was one of a kind.

Eren didn't notice it until now, but there was also something else about his friend he saw when he thought of her. More specifically, when he found himself remembering a certain dream he had of her.

"Cinder... you were... you are... so beautiful."

Eren finally started to feel the weight of the Grimm water on his body. The pressure was building up strongly, just as it did when Eren jumped at the mass of Grimm Salem made before he stopped her. The pressure caused Eren to begin to lose consciousness, but not before he had one more thing he wanted to say.

"Thank you... Cinder... for being in my life."

"..."

The pressure took hold of Eren, and the last remnants of life were fleeting in an instant. As this happened, Eren began to feel incredibly sad. It was at this moment that he decided he wanted to live, he wanted to regain his strength and claw his way back to dry land.

And more than anything, Eren wanted to see Cinder again.

But as the water took hold and the young man who sought freedom felt himself leave this world... Eren knew he couldn't get what he wanted.

No matter how much it hurt.

"My son."

Eren was fading in and out of consciousness as he helplessly remained motionless. But when he heard a familiar voice, Eren tried to look and see who it was. He didn't have the strength to turn his head, and he was already losing the strength to keep his eyes open. And now his vision was starting to go dark.

But Eren was able to make out something purple hovering over him.

"You have served me well," said the God of Darkness. "And you have emerged victorious; just as I always knew you would."

"..."

"Truly, Eren. I am proud of you."

"..."

Eren didn't have the strength to talk, and he was trying to stay awake. He didn't know what he would say to Darkness, but he hoped that the god would take him home for everything he had done.

"Rest, my son," the god ordered as he moved down to Eren. "Your fight is finally over." He then moved two of his fingers on Eren's eyes to close his eyelids.

Eren gave in to the feeling of unconscious, but not before he heard Darkness say one last thing.

"Mine has just begun."