"Man is condemned to be free. Because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."
Jean-Paul Sartre
Chapter 2: It's Alive
"Mhhh..."
The darkness was disappearing as Eren began to open his eyes. Slowly but surely, he was beginning to wake up. And now, he was becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings. And just like the Coordinate, the ground was red. However, this ground was smooth and free of rocks. It didn't seem to be regular ground. Eren was looking down on a man-made floor.
He began to stand up, and noticed something else. Rather than his own leg, Eren saw he was standing on a black leg. It was at that moment Eren felt a familiar feeling. He felt... warm. But it wasn't the warmth of the room he was in. His arms, legs, and his face had... flesh connected to it. And he could see a red light around himself. It didn't take him long to know where he was.
"I'm in a Titan," Eren thought to himself. "This... This must be my new Titan. Let's see what-"
"At last."
Eren looked up from the ground to see someone standing in the shadows. He couldn't see any distinct features, except for a white hand in the light. The hand was twirling, and black smoke rested on top of it. And from the smoke came a small hint of... a child's laughter?
Eren moved closer to the figure, leaving behind black, watery footprints. He still couldn't make out anything else about the figure, so he moved his head closer.
"Stop."
Eren stopped moving. Just as he did, the figure moved out of the shadows, revealing a pale woman in a black dress. The woman had red veins close to her face and a dark stone on her forehead. Eren knew the woman from the visions the God of Darkness gave him; this was Salem.
His initial shock died down, and he began to understand what was going on.
Five minutes ago
"Now, once you have your new abilities, it will take time to build them."
"So, I won't be as strong?"
"At first, you will be weak. But that does not mean you will be powerless."
The God of Darkness had just finished telling Eren about the important details of the world of Remnant. Now, he decided to tell him more about the new Founding Titan.
"So, what can I do?" Eren asked.
"Similar to the Titans you possessed, you will be able to heal yourself from most wounds, and exit the Titan whenever you please," Darkness explained.
"And?"
"...I do not know."
Eren lost all sense of curiosity and became impatient. "You mean to tell me you're going to give me a new Titan, and you don't even know what it does?"
"That is because I am not making your body. Salem is."
The explanation only raised more questions. "My enemy is giving me my powers? Why would she be doing that?"
"Because I told her to."
"Uh... what?"
Darkness found a strange sense of humor in the mortal's confusion, and let out a small chuckle. He also stood up and extended his hand. "Perhaps I should elaborate."
A purple fire formed just above his hand. Eren moved closer as the fire began to dissipate and create an image. The fire was showing a large figure, similar to a Titan. But unlike a Titan, the figure had black skin, white hair, crimson red eyes and spike-like spines along its back with sharp spikes from it's elbows and knees. It also bore some resemblance to Eren's Attack Titan, if the Attack Titan had lips.
"This is the Founding Titan?" Eren asked.
"Yes," Darkness answered. "Salem is creating it as we speak, out of the Grimm water I showed you earlier." The fire disappeared and Eren looked back at the deity. "I didn't make my plan at the drop of a hat, Eren. This effort has taken me months to prepare. Through dreams and visions, I inspired Salem to make the Titan. She and my brother remain oblivious to my deception."
"...Okay." Eren was beginning to understand now. "So once I go to Remnant, I'll have that Titan?"
"Yes. Salem will not only craft the body for you, but she will give you whatever power she sees fit. While I gave her many ideas for the abilities of this Titan, I cannot say for certain which ones she included."
It made a strange sort of sense, in a way. "So that's why you don't know everything it can do," Eren stated.
"Indeed," Darkness confirmed. "But I know that she is putting on the finishing touches to the Founding Titan as we speak. I, however, will be adding one final piece to the Titan."
"...Me."
Present day
Eren understood his situation well. He was on Remnant, he was in a new Titan, and now his enemy was inches away from him. He could crush her in an instant, swallow her whole. He had the perfect opportunity to make her suffer.
[Play 'DOOM Eternal-Demonic Chanting-Extended' on YouTube]
Salem began to walk towards a massive hole in the wall. "Come," the witch ordered.
Eren willingly obeyed, and followed the woman towards the hole.
Remembering his earlier conversation with the God of Darkness, two things were clear to Eren: Salem could survive practically anything and his new powers were unknown. Crushing or eating her would just make the woman angry, and would make Eren vulnerable to death. But that wasn't the only thing Eren thought about. His time in Marley had taught the warrior patience, and to know when the right time to strike was. He needed to remember that lesson now in order to survive in this new world.
Having created an extension to her castle before performing her experiment, Salem led the 16-meter Titan outside her home. She led it outside a large hole in the wall, given her creation's massive size. Staring back at the monster as she walked down the stairs, Salem felt proud of her feat. The new creature was certainly intimidating, and when she created more, they would most likely be a force to be reckoned with.
But there was only one way to make sure.
Salem and the disguised Eren continued to walk outside the castle. All around him, Eren noticed a red landscape, covered with black and purple rocks. He was starting to wonder what the rest of the world of Remnant looked like.
But he would find out later. His main focus was on what Salem was doing. And he couldn't learn much about her by watching her walk. But he could learn about the monsters all around him.
Darkness called the creatures "the Grimm." And Eren was starting to realize the black creatures definitely deserved the name. All around him were wolves capable of walking on their hind legs, giant birds in the sky, and bears that also could walk on their hind legs. These things looked dangerous, but Eren didn't know how dangerous.
But now, he was about to find out.
Salem stopped walking across the wasteland, standing in front of a pool of black, stagnant water. Eren stopped walking as well. That was when he heard a low growl come from behind him.
Turning around, Eren saw a dozen Grimm behind. The wolves were circling him, the bears were moving closer, and the birds were all perched on a rock three yards away. But the one thing these Grimm had in common was that they were all watching the Titan.
"Defend yourself," Salem ordered.
[End music]
Just then, the wolves all pounced at Eren. Some of them were biting into his leg while the others were scaling his body.
"Time for the test," Eren thought to himself. He didn't care if he was following Salem's orders, he needed to see what the new Founding Titan could do.
The first thing he did was pick up his right foot. The Grimm attacking it fell off and landed beneath his foot. They became vulnerable to being squished, and that's exactly what Eren did. Once those Grimm were crushed, Eren's attention turned to the two Grimm climbing up his body. He quickly grabbed one in each hand, and squeezed the one in his right. Just as he did, the monster let out a whisper and turned to dust. The one in his left hand was thrown into the Titan's mouth and crushed with giant teeth, also turning to dust.
The bears began to run towards Eren, but they weren't as fast as the wolves. Eren was starting to realize that everything about his new Titan felt pretty much the same as his Attack Titan. So, he decided to end the bears' lives with a quick punch to the ground. They all turned to dust at the touch of the fist, and it left a large crater in the ground.
His attention shifted from the ground once he felt piercing pains in his chest. Standing up straight, Eren could see three black spikes in his chest. He pulled them out immediately and tossed them aside. But when he touched the final one, he realized they weren't spikes, but feathers.
Steam began to escape the wounds, and Eren could feel the holes being filled. Once again, he found out he shared another power with most Titans: healing.
More feathers entered his body, which caused Eren to look into the sky. The two birds were circling him and firing more feathers from their wings. Eren was able to dodge them quickly, and he landed in front of a rock. He had tested his fighting and healing, now it was time for a test of strength.
Grabbing the large rock with both hands, Eren began to squeeze it. He had no choice but to ignore the feathers coming towards him, but he had to make sure to move his head around. If one landed in his nape, his mission would be over before it even began.
*CRACK*
The rock began to break from the applied pressure, loosening it. After pulling again, Eren was able to lift the rock over his head. Rather than an attack by feathers, one bird swooped down and prepared to grab Eren with its talons. But now, Eren was able to defend himself. He swung the rock at the beast, and it flew to the ground. The second one attacked in a similar manner, but Eren used the sharp end of the rock to stab it in the chest. It turned to dust in an instant.
The victory Eren had claimed made him oblivious to the other bird. It had reoriented itself and grabbed the Titan by its shoulders. Eren dropped the rock and grabbed the creature's small legs. His need to keep a level head had disappeared and it had been replaced with unbridled rage. The monster was dangerously close to Eren's nape, and he couldn't let this happen again. So he broke the bird's legs, and it let out a wild screech.
Eren remained unfazed, and simply sent a wild punch in the bird's face. The monster flew with Eren's fist and collided into another rock. Pinned between a rock and a hard place, the monster disintegrated. With the final threat eliminated, Eren began to catch his breath.
Salem was beyond satisfied with the test. The monster held the same animosity as the rest of the Grimm. It was a reckless, violent, brutal monster. It seemed to have no qualms against taking life from the world, even if it was just another Grimm. Once it was released on the world, not even a Huntsman could defeat it easily.
The only downside was how long it took her to create such a monster. The idea for one came to her months ago, and it required much time and energy. What once started as a mass at the bottom of a Grimm pool had now become her greatest creation.
Her first test was complete. And now, she had a second one planned.
"Come," she ordered. Salem began to walk back to her castle, back to the large room she made for her creation. The monster followed, but with some hesitation. Once she entered the room, she found two men waiting for her, one of them was holding something on his shoulder.
"Your Grace, we have-"
Eren entered the building to see two men standing in the doorframe. One was a large man wearing a green overcoat over his black shirt. Eren could sense the fear coming from him, and the man's face did a poor job to hide that fear. The second man was thin and wearing a brown overcoat. His face, one the other hand, was one of glee and a strange sense of satisfaction. "Oh, ho ho!" he said as he walked dangerously close to Eren. "What is this?"
"An experiment," Salem replied. She rubbed the Titan's arm, and Eren shifted closer to the woman. "So far... I am pleased with the results." The witch turned back to her underlings. "Did you need something?"
"Yes," the large man replied. "We brought her here like you asked."
Eren eyes were meters above from Salem, but he could see the news her underlings gave her had brought a smile to the witch's face. "Now what?" he wondered to himself.
"Ah, yes," Salem said as she looked at her underlings. "The strongest of the others. Put her down."
The man placed the unconscious body on the ground. Eren saw the body had a feminine structure, and she was wearing a white cloak over her clothes. A red circle appeared under the body, and three long, black arms came out and grabbed her arms, legs, and the back of her head. As the last arm attached itself to the woman, she began to wake up.
"Tyrian, Hazel, retrieve the others," the witch commanded. "I have one more test for my creation."
"Uhh... Wha?"
The castle's "guest" had begun to regain consciousness, and she was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. All she could see was what looked like a ceiling, her head was placed so that she could only look upwards. "Wh... Where am I?" she asked out loud.
"Well, hello again."
The woman moved her eyes down and made eye contact with another woman. The sight of the other woman made the captive feel a cold chill go up her spine. "Oh, Gods..."
The woman knew where she was; she was in trouble.
But the woman found her courage when she realized what else was happening. Salem was looking at her, the two women had each of them in their sights. And while Salem had control over the Grimm, the woman had a special ability of her own.
The prisoner's two silver eyes began to glow as she stared directly at Salem. Light was slowly emanating from them, and it almost looked like a bomb was about to go off.
But Salem was prepared for this.
*SNAP*
"Aahh!"
The Grimm hand on the woman's head tightened its grip and moved the woman's head back to the ceiling. And when another hand covered her eyes, the prisoner lost all focus on Salem. There was nothing she could do now.
"How predictable," said Salem with a soft laugh. "No, I'm afraid there will be none of that."
The woman may have lost her sight, but she was able to listen and talk. "Then why... am I... still here?" she asked.
Before Salem could reply, both women could hear the door open. Tyrian and Hazel entered the room, and each of them held one other person with a bag over their head. "You'll see," Salem promised before she spoke to her underlings. "Bring the others here."
The men walked over to their Queen, right past the large beast that towered above them. Hazel was trying his best to ignore it while Tyrian couldn't take his golden eyes off the creation. Out of all the beasts and monsters he saw arise from the murky waters, this was by far his favorite.
As soon as the other people came in, Salem bound them the same way she did the first woman. But she kept the bags on their heads for now, and all they could do was talk in a muffled voice. The woman she was talking to, however, regained her sight when the hand moved away from her eyes.
It was at this moment that she finally noticed the large monster.
Her voice became lost as she stared at the tall, humanoid Grimm. So rather than screaming, the woman displayed her fear by shaking even more as a cold sweat moved down her forehead. Salem quickly noticed her prisoner's fear, and she was proud that her creation passed another test: intimidating its enemies.
Salem moved behind the woman and smiled, given that her plan was going well so far. But now it was time for the hard part.
Looking at the giant and raising her hand, Salem gestured to her creation and beckoned it to come forward. Eren knew that he needed Salem to be oblivious to his true identity, so he moved forward a couple of steps.
He wasn't sure what this was all about, but he would know soon.
Once the woman had Eren in her sights, her eyes began to glow once again. With each step the beast took, the silver eyes began to glow brighter and brighter. Salem was just out of the woman's view, but she knew that the light was beginning to reveal itself. After all, she knew her prisoner long enough to know that it was instinctual.
And right when the woman's irises disappeared, Salem moved at an inhuman speed towards the door and fled the room. This was the last thing Eren saw before the entire room burst into a white light.
*FWOOSH*
Eren could feel the entire Titan's body burn as the light engulfed the entire room. Everyone was blinded by the light, but Eren was the only one being affected. As he experienced the pain, Eren couldn't help but wonder if this was part of the "Magic" that Darkness gave humanity. He had never seen or felt anything like this before, it seemed beyond what was possible for a human to do.
But all thoughts were cast aside when the light finally disappeared.
While Tyrian and Hazel were starting to recover from the blinding flash, Eren was kneeling down, his body still burning. However, the burning wasn't from the flash of light anymore. Steam was all around him, which gave Eren a clue about the power of his rediscovered power. The healing factor of the Titans not only seemed to stay with Eren, but it even seemed to be stronger than it was back on Paradis. And in very little time, he regained the strength to stand back up.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Tyrian smacked his knee and moved back to the woman. "Well, isn't that ironic!"
"..."
The woman looked away from Tyrian and back up at the monster, who looked angrier than before. The Grimm arms holding her and the other prisoners had turned to dust, freeing them. But that wouldn't stop the unfazed monster from crushing her where she stood. And that didn't stop Salem's large underling from grabbing the other two people before they could run.
"It worked."
Everyone looked back to see Salem floating in the air, close to the giant's body. She put her hand on its shoulder and felt the heat linger as she observed that the beast didn't seem to be in any pain. Instead, it seemed to be healing itself.
All across its body, Salem's creation was recovering from the vicious attack. The woman had failed to kill the creature with ease, her use of her Silver Eyes had failed. And where the woman found failure, Salem found success. This was her plan all along.
And it worked perfectly.
So, she decided to let her prisoner know this. "Well, that didn't go as planned... did it, Summer?" Salem asked with a smile.
"..."
Eren was slightly surprised that Salem knew the woman before her, but Tyrian and Hazel understood the acquaintanceship that existed between the two women. This wasn't the first experiment that Salem had conducted with people like Summer, but this one was the most successful.
Now she had no need for any more experiments.
As Eren began to huff and puff even more, the warrior before him knew he was ready to attack. Summer looked at the other people to see that they were still unable to move because of Hazel. Without any weapons, defenses, or even the Silver Eyes that had been rendered null and void, one thing was clear: they were doomed.
Salem understood it as well. The warriors were powerless, and their lives were now hers for the taking. Or rather, for her creation's taking.
Eren understood the situation he was in. These people, specifically the woman who just attacked him, were all prisoners and enemies of Salem. The power he just experienced hurt like Hell, but he was able to recover quickly. And now, Salem's enemies were all powerless before Eren.
"It's time," Salem stated with a smile. "Kill them all."
Eren's hands turned to fists.
The other people weren't completely sure what was happening, but that didn't stop them from panicking. Summer simply lowered her head and began to cry. "R... Ruby... Yang... I'm sorry," she whispered. "Mommy's not coming home."
The monster looked down at the crying woman, and raised its right fist. Summer looked away in fear as she heard the beast let out a roar and bring its fist down.
*CRASH*
A second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Five seconds passed.
Summer opened her eyes. She was still alive.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
She looked to her right to see Tyrian kneeling and screaming. Hazel was in a state of shock, and the other bound people were still alive. Summer then noticed the monster's fist was far away from her.
The fist was covering the spot where Salem once stood.
The maniac's attention was drawn to his fallen Goddess, which gave Summer an opening to run. She didn't care why the Grimm turned on its master, she only wanted to get back home.
Eren raised his fist to reveal a broken and bleeding Salem. He knew she would regenerate, he knew his cover had just been blown. If he was going to watch Salem and learn more about her, his actions caused that plan to be thrown out the window.
But he would be damned before he killed any more innocent people. Especially someone who had just proven themselves to be a thorn in Salem's side.
Speaking of which, Eren turned back to the captives, who were making a break for the castle's large exit. Tyrian was pinned on top of Summer and Hazel grabbed the other two, who managed to remove their bags. Deciding to help even further, Eren sent his foot towards Tyrian, and his big toe launched the man into a wall. Summer was about to make a break for the exit, but multiple beams of light hit her in the chest. Eren then felt a pain in his back, right in the middle of his spine. He turned around to see Salem as the cause of the attack, an orb in the middle of her hands.
"STOP THIS AT ONCE!" she yelled. The witch intensified her attack, coming close to making a hole in the monster's body. But Eren quickly sent his foot in her direction. Salem flew backwards, but a tornado at her legs stopped her from crashing into the wall. Eren simply grabbed her and squeezed his hand.
Salem could regenerate from any attack, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel any pain. She didn't remembered being crushed hurting this badly, and it caused her to scream at the top of her lungs. Eren continued to apply more pressure in his hand, content that the witch was suffering from her failed attempt to end his life. Nothing could stop him from this brutal attack on Salem.
Not even the small stabbing up his leg, courtesy of the witch's most loyal subject.
Eren looked down to see Tyrian climb up his body, similar to how the Grimm scaled him earlier. Two wrist gauntlets Tyrian was wearing made the feat possible, and he was moving at rapid speed. But Eren's large hand moved faster, and plucked the man off his body. Tyrian continued his assault, so Eren squeezed him harder. But the attack didn't seem to faze the maniac, as a purple light surrounded his body. "Release our Goddess, you monster!" Tyrian yelled at the top of his lungs, still stabbing the hand.
The attacks still did nothing to faze Eren, they only increased his anger. To show how angry he really was, Eren opened his mouth and roared.
"NNNNNOOOOO!"
"..."
The entire room went silent.
Tyrian's jaw dropped.
Hazel looked up at the source of the voice, ignoring the prisoners he recaptured.
Salem's scowl disappeared, her face spelled the word "dumbfounded."
Even Eren was surprised at his new found ability. Under the shell, he shared the same look as Salem. However, it quickly disappeared and formed a look of anger. Eren regained his focus and tossed Tyrian out of the room. With the assassin gone, Eren looked back to his other hand, and Salem was continuing to scream and try to break his grasp. So Eren decided to help her.
He let go of Salem for a brief moment, and used his open palm to slam her into the ground. "NO!" he screamed again.
Removing his hand, Eren saw Salem broken and bleeding again. He slammed his fist down on her. "NO!"
He slammed it again. "NO!"
He slammed it again. "NO!"
He slammed it again. "NO!"
Eren raised his fist one more time, only to see a black paste on the ground. Whatever was left of Salem was just a pile of goo.
But that didn't change anything. Eren could pummel her over and over again, but Salem would still be alive. It could take a few minutes or a few days, but she would come back. And when she did, she wouldn't hesitate to destroy what she created.
Eren couldn't let that happen.
It was time to leave.
"Come on! Hurry!"
"Keep running!"
The three prisoners of Salem finally reached the makeshift exit of the castle. When the Titan spoke and repeatedly crushed Salem, the humans found their chance to run. They were all outside now, and they were being led by Summer.
But Summer found herself unable to lead any further when she stopped to rest.
Her body was still sore from being held by disfigured Grimm hands that came from the ground, and she felt incredibly tired after performing her attack. Feelings like these were common for a prisoner of Salem, and her current allies felt it as well.
"Are we... Are we safe?" a man with dark brown hair asked. His eyes, which were the same color as Summer's, were staring at Summer as he asked the question.
"I think so," Summer replied as she looked over a rock. They weren't far from the castle, but nothing was coming for any of them. "I don't see anything." She moved back behind the rock after a few seconds. "But we shouldn't stay here long."
"I just... need a few seconds." The man was speaking in between breaths, given that he felt this was the first time he ran like this. Summer realized that her body was also not used to running for a while, so she also needed some more rest.
Their third ally, a blonde woman who also had Silver Eyes, soon asked the question on everyone's mind.
"What... What was all that?"
"..."
Summer looked back towards the castle once again. She could hear Grimm fighting Grimm, but she didn't see anyone or anything coming towards them. So it seemed there was a little time to think things through.
"Yeah," said the man. "I mean... it all happened so fast. I... I didn't think-"
"How did you do that?" the woman asked after she pushed on Summer's shoulder. She did this to get Summer's attention, which was previously on the castle.
"What?" Summer asked. "What are you-?"
"With that Grimm," the woman replied. "Whatever that thing is... it turned against her."
"We all saw it," said the man. "After you used the light, it went crazy. How'd you do that?"
"I... I didn't," Summer replied. "At least... I don't think I did. I was trying to kill it, not control it. But... Grimm just don't... do that."
Both prisoners agreed with Summer, and the man had one more thing to point out. "They don't look like humans either," he said. "Or talk."
"Yeah..." said the woman. "What... was that thing?"
"..."
Nobody had an answer for that question, given that nobody had ever seen a Grimm like that before. But they knew one thing; because of the destruction it caused, the Grimm proved itself to be the ticket for the prisoners' way out of the castle.
Now they just needed to find a way back home, however impossible it sounded.
*ROAR*
*THOOM*
*THOOM*
*THOOM*
A loud roar and the ground shaking made Summer look over the rock after she regained her balance. There, she saw the giant Grimm running out of the castle with decaying Grimm in its fists. Her fellow prisoners noticed the Grimm as well, especially when they were thrown back by the force of its feet closing in on them.
*THOOM*
Eren had killed many Grimm and turned Salem into ooze before he decided to run. Nothing more could be done unless he left the castle and regained his strength. He didn't have an exact plan, but he knew that leaving the castle was for the best.
An idea for a plan, however, came in the form of three humans that Eren noticed before he accidentally crushed them.
When Eren recognized the people below him as Salem's prisoners, he briefly flinched when they looked up at him. He had no idea what the light was that hurt him, but he knew that it was harmful to a Titan. And if he wanted to get away from here alive, he couldn't let them get in his way.
"No, no, no, no, no!" the blonde woman said as she stared at the Titan. "Wait, wait, wait, wait wait!"
"..."
Listening to the woman plead for her life and seeing the faces of the others made Eren see that they were afraid of him. It seemed very little changed about the effect of Titans, even when they were on entirely different worlds.
Given that they were prisoners of Salem and they didn't seem to be willing to attack, Eren quickly saw that the people weren't any kind of danger to him. So rather than waste any time staring at them in silence, Eren continued on his path towards freedom.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"
Eren stopped moving once again when he heard the same word over and over again. Only this time, it wasn't coming from the woman he had scared simply by standing over her.
Instead, Summer was moving slowly towards him with her hands in the air.
"What are you doing?!" the male prisoner whispered to Summer. "That's a Grimm! It'll kill you!"
"Does it look like just a Grimm to you?" Summer asked her companion.
He didn't have a good answer to this question, but he had another question to ask. "Well... what are you thinking?"
"Maybe you're right." Summer looked back towards Eren. "Maybe I did make it attack her. Maybe... our powers can do more than we thought."
"What?!" the blonde woman yelled. "You can't try it again! That's suicide!"
"And so's staying here!" Summer pointed out. "We need a way out of here!" She turned back towards the Titan. "Maybe... that's our way."
"..."
Eren could see all of the people below him, and he could hear them as well.
"They think she made me do all of that," Eren thought to himself as he listened. He knew that he wasn't the woman's slave, but such a deception proved beneficial before. "That's... That's good. It's better they don't know I'm human." Eren remembered how he was nearly executed on multiple occasions when everyone discovered that he could turn into a Titan. He didn't need to be on the receiving end of all that paranoia again.
As he stared at the people, Eren received another reminder from his memories. The last time he saw people like these, they were also afraid. Afraid of him, to be exact. Eren remembered how he killed millions of people as a Titan, how he let the Wall Titans crush them as they ran.
But things were different now. Not only were these three people unwilling to kill him, but they were also enemies of Salem. They had to be, if they were once her prisoners.
And if that was the case... Eren knew the three people were worth saving. That was why he lunged forward and picked them up with a wave of his hand. Once they were on his shoulder, he finally took off running once more.
Each of the humans instinctively grabbed hold of either flesh or hair as they screamed. After all, being grabbed off the ground and feeling the wind nearly blow them away certainly scared them out of their wits.
"Oh, my God!" the blonde woman yelled as she held on. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"
"What the hell is happening?!" the man yelled as he looked to Summer.
"I don't know!" Summer yelled. Now she knew that there was no way she was controlling the Grimm. However, her initial idea was apparently underway. While she didn't know the creature's intentions, it was better to be anywhere but here. "Just hold on!"
Summer's companions obeyed the order, even though they were more confused than ever.
The only one who wasn't confused by all of this was Eren, who could hear that all three of the prisoners were latched on to him. It was a spur of the moment decision, taking these people wherever he was going. But Eren stood by it, given that it was still his mission to defeat Salem.
Even so, a part of him felt proud that he was able to save someone. He spent his last days alive as a force of destruction, but things were starting to change. Eren was saving people, he was living up to the expectations Commander Erwin and the people of Paradis once had for him.
From beating Salem to saving these people, Eren found himself doing something great for Remnant: dedicating his heart.
*WHOOSH*
*WHOOSH*
*SHICK*
Eren roared in pain as he felt something stab his side. He was forced to stop running and see what it was, which was how he found a sharp feather stuck in his side.
*ROAR*
*SCREECH*
Eren turned around completely to see a horde of Grimm closing in behind him. Some of them were survivors from the castle, but the rest were stragglers who had been rallied to the cause of chasing after Eren. The feather had come from large birds in the sky, and they all fired more projectiles onto their prey.
*WHOOSH*
*WHOOSH*
*WHOOSH*
Eren shielded himself as best as he could as he ran once again. The humans clinging to his body also shielded themselves, but they knew they needed another plan. Running was usually a wise strategy when Grimm outnumbered people, but the size of this horde would catch up to them in no time.
Summer was the first to stand up straight and look at the Grimm. She closed her eyes, almost as if she was concentrating, but she quickly opened them when she realized that something was wrong.
"I can't use my Semblance!" Summer said. "My Aura's too weak!"
"So are ours!" the man said as he gestured to his friend. "Hazel broke ours before he dragged us out!"
The terms were foreign to Eren, but he didn't ask what the people were talking about. He continued to run as fast as he could while he narrowly avoided the sharp feathers falling from the sky. This wasn't the first time he came close to death, so he wasn't afraid.
The same, however, couldn't be said for one of the prisoners.
"I can't go back!" said the blonde woman. "I can't go back! I'm not going back!" The woman's fear was evident, and she seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. It was this panic and lack of rational thinking that led her to attempting to stop the Grimm the only way she knew how; with the same eyes she shared with Summer.
She had used this power before, and she knew that it was the only way to kill this many Grimm. But when the light began to form, Summer was the only one who realized the idea would do more harm than good.
"Wait!" she begged as she grabbed her ally. "Don't do it! We're on top of the-!"
*FWOOSH*
Summer's cries fell on to deaf ears as Eren witnessed everything going white a second time. And while the Grimm behind him were either killed or stunned, Eren was also injured.
While she knew that her eyes didn't kill the giant creature, Summer knew that she had wounded it. She not only knew that creating the light would hurt it again, but Summer also knew that she and her fellow prisoner would be in greater danger if the giant carrying them was hurt.
The theory was proven right when both women were thrown off the shoulder as Eren fell.
*SNAP*
*CRACK*
The light disappeared as quickly as it came. Once it did, Eren was able to focus on his healing abilities and turn around.
"Dammit!" Eren yelled from within. "What is that?!"
He was more confused than ever, especially why light of all things was hurting him. Nevertheless, he scanned his eyes around the area in an attempt to find the people.
"I can't let them keep doing that!" he said. "Wait a second. My Titan can talk! If it can do that, I can communicate with them! Let them know that whatever they're doing will only get us-!"
Eren stopped thinking when he saw that his prediction came true.
When the prisoners fell, they had collided into a series of boulders on the ground. Because they were unable to protect themselves as they fell, they were injured in the worst ways imaginable.
Eren could only see two of the three prisoners, the man and the blonde woman. The man's neck and back broke upon contact with the rocks, and the woman was missing part of her skull.
They both died on contact.
"Dammit!" Eren growled as he began to stand back up. He still couldn't see the third prisoner, but he was confident that her fate was the same as her friends. He looked back up towards the castle to see ash and decaying Grimm as a result of the light.
But Eren didn't care about that. His eyes were fixated on the castle he escaped from.
"You'll pay for this," he said to his distant foe. "Not today. Not tomorrow." He began to turn around and run once more. "But you'll pay."
Eren turned around when he saw more feathers fly down from the sky. His feet moved quickly again, but not before he thought he heard a faint voice from below.
"R... Run. Just... run."
One hour later
Salem had just finished fully healing from her battle with the Titan. While Hazel and Tyrian were out searching for it, the livid witch decided to pay a visit to an acquaintance of hers.
In her damaged state, Salem ordered her underlings to find her creation and the prisoners that had escaped. Their efforts to find the Grimm were unsuccessful, but they were able to find the bodies of two of Salem's prisoners.
The third, miraculously, had survived with a broken leg and broken spirits.
Hazel had taken Summer back to the castle, where he blindfolded her and brought her to a cell. When he had finished with her, Salem took Hazel's place.
"...And here I thought I knew everything of your gift," she said. A red circle appeared under the Huntress, and Grimm arms grabbed her arms and legs. They brought the woman closer to their master, who had created a purple orb in her hand. "What did you do to my creation?"
"No... Nothing," Summer replied.
Salem moved closer, bringing her arm closer to Summer's face. "I've lost control of it. What... did you do?"
"My Queen."
The voice's familiarity caused Salem to turn around and see a worn out Tyrian. Based on the fact he was out of breath, kneeling, and stripped of his overcoat, it was clear he ran to catch up to the beast.
"Tyrian," Salem addressed her subject. "Did you find my creation?"
"N... No," Tyrian answered, looking away from his Queen. He was ashamed of himself, failing a task the woman had given him. "The beast, it... outran me."
Salem did not normally tolerate failure, especially when the task was of upmost importance. But in all honesty, she could see how an attempt to capture the beast had a very slim chance of success. "I understand," she said. "Do you know which way it went?"
"Y-Yes!" Tyrian sprung up, his spirits immediately raised. "The Grimm, it fled to the west! If I had an airship, I could track it down, and-"
"No," Salem cut him off. "That will be unnecessary." For the first time since her regeneration, Salem smiled. "There is nothing but the ocean to the west. If my creation tries to leave, it will drown. If it stays, the Grimm will find it and tell me."
Tyrian found her reasoning sound, and he dared not to question his Goddess. Instead, he turned his attention to the bound woman. An embodiment of helplessness and weakness made the Faunus giggle and move closer. "Are you finished with this one, my lady?" he asked happily.
"...Not yet." The witch regained her focus on the fallen warrior. "First, I'd like to know how all of this happened." The purple orb returned to her hand, making the sadistic Faunus smile even wider.
Summer knew things had become much more dire than before. Her last hope had literally fled from her, now she was all alone. This realization made tears escape her blindfold. "I really don't know!" she protested.
Salem knew her enemy was telling the truth, but that didn't stop her from moving closer. "...You will. Eventually."
Salem was right. There was nothing but an ocean at the west of her castle. And that's where Eren ended up when he stopped running.
A vast ocean lay before Eren. The red in the sky was starting to fade, and it was being replaced by the black of night. The red was still on the ground, but it had been replaced with sand rather than just rocks. But the water was still black. It was most likely caused by the absence of light, so it seemed safe to travel.
But Eren remained motionless in his Titan body. As soon as he stepped foot on the beach, he felt his body go stiff. He couldn't move, speak, or take his eyes off the water. All he could do... was think.
Think about the ocean.
"According to this book, the majority of this world is covered in a body of water called the ocean!"
Now, Eren re-found his new ability to speak through the Titan. Once he did, Eren spoke a name that meant the world to him.
"Armin..."
Armin Arlert. His best friend. He was the first one to tell Eren about the ocean, all those years ago.
They dreamed of seeing the ocean, seeing the outside world. It took years of fighting and sacrifice. But they did it. Together, with Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and the Survey Corps, they all saw the ocean.
"...And beyond that ocean lies freedom. That's what I always believed in. But I was wrong. They only thing we'll find out there... is the enemy."
But that wasn't true now.
Salem, his new enemy, laid miles behind him.
And this new ocean wouldn't lead him to his enemy. No, now the only thing beyond the ocean... was freedom.
And so, Eren leapt into the water and swam.
Swam away from his enemy.
Swam to freedom.
Eren would be free to prepare. Free to grow stronger. And when the time was right, he would return, and bring freedom to all of Remnant.
Update: hey, everyone. As promised, this is the second rewrite AT and I had planned for this chapter. One of the biggest complaints we got was how Eren left without trying to help, so we fixed it. We hope you like it. Feel free to leave your thoughts in a review, your feedback helps us more than you might think.
Author's notes: I'm surprised how well this is already going. Thanks for reading this, I'm glad you like it so far.
So, two things: I don't have a set schedule for updating this story. Not only is my personal life kind of hectic at the moment, but I'm working on another RWBY crossover, one with Star Wars/The Mandalorian. If you're a Mandalorian fan, check out my profile and read my other story ("The Way of the Maiden").
Second thing is I really want to thank The Avenging Titan for putting all this together. While I'm the main writer, The Avenging Titan is the idea guy. I consulted him for ideas, some of which you've seen here. So make sure you support him as well, thank you!