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.

9. Chapter 9 (Rewrite)

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."

James A. Garfield

Chapter 9: Decisions, Decisions

"Okay. We're waiting."

"I... Uh... I..."

"Still. Waiting."

"..."

Words couldn't describe how awkward things had become in the farmhouse. After Carla and Dina found Eren and Cinder in close proximity of two dead Titans, covered in the same steam as them, words couldn't describe how appalled they were when they put the pieces together.

The first thing Carla and Dina did was drag both of the children back to the house. Once they were there, Carla impatiently waited for Eren to explain himself. She was doing this since the first thing Eren said to her was "I can explain."

However, there wasn't much explaining yet.

Eren could tell by the look on her face that Carla wasn't going to be in a very listening mood. Dina had a similar look on her face, but not one as intense or angry as Carla's. Despite this, Cinder was incredibly scared about what came next. Thoughts of being kicked out or locked away once more came to her mind, as well as punishment for being a Titan.

But Eren was going to protect her no matter what.

"...You already saw it," Eren finally said. The truth was out, so there was no use in denying anything. But since he couldn't think of any way to explain himself without sounding crazy or dangerous, Eren decided to play things by ear after he asked a question. "What do you want me to say?"

"What do I want you to say?!" Carla replied. She was unable to hold back her emotions anymore. "What, you can't admit that you've been lying to me and Dina since day one?! That you've brought the Titans of all things back with you?! That you're one of them?!" Carla looked Eren in the eyes as she yelled. "Did you even know about any of it?"

"...Yes." Again, Eren didn't see any need to deny anything. "Yes, I did."

Carla had stopped yelling for a moment, but the malice in her words was still present. "So that Titan in Atlas, then? That was you?"

"...That was me."

The truth was doing nothing to calm Carla's anger.

Dina loudly groaned as she jumped up from her seat. "Do you have any idea how many people you hurt?!" she asked. "How many you killed?!"

Eren was never a fan of being called out for decisions and ideas, especially when it was about gaining freedom. So he did what came naturally to him; he fought back.

"Well, do you have any idea what Cinder and I went through in 'the greatest Kingdom?!'" he asked. "What they did to her?! If they needed to die so we could leave, then fine!"

Cinder wasn't very comfortable in the brief spotlight she found herself in, despite the fact that Eren confessed that he was helping her. And she didn't like where this argument was going either, so she tried to stop it by talking to Eren.

"Eren-"

"These are people's lives you're talking about, Eren!" Carla yelled. Neither she or Eren heard Cinder, so they kept arguing. "Nobody has the right to play God!"

"Who said anything about playing God?!" Eren retorted. "I'm just trying to do the right thing!"

"The right thing?! Are you kidding?! You destroyed a city, and you kept me in the dark about everything!"

Dina found a second chance to join in the argument. "How can you think being a Titan can help anyone?!" she asked. "Don't you know how dangerous they are?!" Dina looked at the young girl by Eren's side. "And you roped someone like Cinder into this... thing you're doing?!"

Cinder looked back to Dina. "Ms. Fritz, please-"

"Was it wrong to stop a family that got by using slaves?!" Eren yelled as he angrily slammed his hand on the table. "To save Kuroyuri?! Cinder and I just came back from giving something that can help everyone protect themselves from the Grimm! Ask anyone!"

"Well, what else are you planning to do?!" Carla demanded. "Are you going to bring more Titans?! Are you going to make us live inside even bigger walls than before?! Who else are you planning to kill, Eren?!"

"You're not listening to me! The only people I killed are the ones who tried to kill me, just like with Mikasa! You remember that, don't you?!"

"Eren, don't you dare try to justify anything of this!"

"There is nothing more dangerous than two Titans freely walking around!" Dina countered. "Especially in the hands of children!"

"So what?" Eren asked as he pointed out the window. "You want me to stop fighting Grimm? Do nothing when the Grimm come back?!"

"You just said you gave the people something to use against Grimm, so yes!" Dina countered. She was angry at Eren as well, but she was listening to him. "There's nothing else here that you need to be using those... things against!"

"That's not enough, Dina!" said Carla. "Did you hear what he said about Atlas?" Carla tried to fight back tears as she said her next piece. "My God, my son is a murderer."

Eren took great offense to this, despite the fact that he was indeed a murderer. He wanted his mother to understand that he wasn't a wild animal, someone who killed and turned into a Titan on a whim. He knew he couldn't justify something like the Rumbling, but Eren felt that he had to try and share his reasons. If he could work his way up to explaining Salem, then maybe he would have a chance tonight.

"You don't understand!" Eren began. "If you would just listen, I can tell you-!"

"Why should I listen?!" Carla demanded. "Why should I listen when all I've heard are secrets and lies?! How do you expect me to trust you, Eren?! How?!"

Cinder was fed up with being ignored by everyone. Now she was about to insist that she speak. "Everyone, stop it!" she cried.

This time, Dina looked over at Cinder. She didn't care what Eren said next, she was still adamant about not using anymore Titans. She couldn't stand the sight of them anymore, and one look at Cinder told Dina that she couldn't stand to see someone like the child become a Titan again. So instead of arguing, she tried to reason with Eren about Cinder.

"Cinder's not old enough to understand any of this, Eren!" she insisted. "I'm sure you've seen plenty of Titans in your life, you know how dangerous they are! And they're especially dangerous to people who don't understand them!" Dina pointed at Cinder for emphasis.

"You're right, I did!" Eren yelled back. "I saw all kinds of Titans and learned how to control them! I learned that from all that I did and all that I saw!"

Dina opened her mouth to speak again, but it was Carla's voice that filled the room.

"Control them?!" she asked. "You want to control the Titans now?! Do you think I'm just going to stand here and let you do any of that, Eren?! What am I supposed to do with you now?!"

It was logical for Carla to not believe in any idea of controlling Titans, but Dina was having a hard time following along with her. The memory she witnessed earlier, about a group of people trying to control the Founding Titan and its "power" seemed similar to what Eren was saying now. Did that mean he was one of those people? What exactly was he saying?

Dina didn't know why, but she decided to try and learn more about this idea.

"Wait a minute!" she said. "Eren, what do you mean that-?"

"No!" Carla yelled as she slammed her fist down. "Dina, don't you dare ask me to listen to them! Why on Remnant should we do that when we clearly mean nothing to either of them?!" She looked at Eren. "Don't try to deny it, Eren! I'm nothing to you, aren't I?!"

"..."

Both children dropped their jaws in absolute shock of what Carla just said. It was a bold and harsh thing to say, but it was clear that Carla meant it. Cinder didn't exactly share Eren's pain, but she was completely taken off guard. The accusation made her feel sad, since she didn't think that either of the women, especially Dina, meant nothing to her.

As for Eren, what his mother said drove something through his heart that caused it to ache. He couldn't speak, he couldn't think, all he could do was look down at the table in heartbreak.

And to make matters worse, there was only one thing that could fill the cracks that Carla inadvertently created.

Anger.

"...Nothing to me?" Eren whispered as he looked up. He had tears forming in his eyes, but the furrowed brow and deadly glare he was giving showed a complexity of emotion.

One that began to scare Cinder.

"E... Eren?" she asked.

"Nothing to me?" Eren repeated, much harder than before.

It was this repetition that caused Dina to see the writing on the wall, which caused her to follow Cinder's idea. "E-Eren, calm down," she timidly requested. Her surprise and anger had disappeared as she felt like an ant in the boy's presence.

And Eren gave her a good reason for feeling that way.

"NOTHING TO ME?!"

"..."

Eren had lost all control over himself as he gave in to anger at the accusation. In this rage, Eren stood up and grabbed the table he was sitting at. And with all of his strength, he threw the table as hard as he could.

*CRASH*

*SMASH*

Eren didn't throw it very far, but he was able to flip it over. Everything on the table broke as it fell over, which finally caused Carla to give in to the same fear as Cinder and Dina. Up until tonight, she thought that she had known Eren to simply yell and stubbornly shut everyone out when he was mad. It was a childish thing to do, but normal for a child like Eren.

But tonight, this act of destruction taught Carla that Eren's anger had reached a new level; one that scared her just as much as knowing that her son was a Titan.

Eren finally recognized this fear as he heavily breathed in and out after he destroyed the table. All three people close to him wore the same amount of terror on their faces, which told the boy that he had left an impact on them.

Dina opened her mouth to speak and Cinder tried reaching out to Eren, but he was done talking. He pushed his chair out of his path and got out of the house.

But not before letting a few tears hit the floor.

*SLAM*

The door slamming helped Cinder snap back into reality. Despite the fact that the danger had left and the argument was apparently over, Cinder was still sad over what happened.

Not just for herself, but more for Eren. Not just because he had been thrown out of the house, but also because he was alone and had been incredibly hurt by the one person he came to Remnant for.

"That's not true," Cinder said as she turned around. "That's not true!"

"..."

All of Dina's feelings, save for concern, disappeared when she watched Cinder run out of the house after her friend. She didn't know what state Eren was in, and she was sure that he was capable of hurting Cinder if he wanted to.

Dina didn't want that to happen.

"Cinder, wait!" Dina pleaded as she joined the child. "Cinder!"

*SLAM*

"..."

Carla didn't move or make a sound after she had been left alone. Her shock, anger, and fear all passed as she listened to the silence and looked at the broken table.

The act of destruction wasn't enough to make Carla change her mind about the Titans or how much it hurt being lied to. However, it was enough to make her feel conflicted about what she accused Eren of feeling. He was definitely angry when he shouted at her, but Carla could detect signs of pain in Eren's voice and his tears.

But if what she said wasn't true... then why did Eren do all of this?

---

Cinder's attempts to comfort Eren were in vain. He ignored her every insistence to come back or talk to her, and she only stopped when Dina came to get her. Dina knew that Cinder wasn't entirely innocent in the matter, but she wasn't like Eren. Dina believed she could genuinely help Cinder, but nothing was going to help Eren now.

After he silently refused to come back inside the house, Eren found refuge the same way he did when he first arrived at Remnant: sleeping in the barn. He found a pile of hay that was somewhat comfortable, but it was hard to sleep due to the cold.

Eren eventually fell asleep, but the manner in doing so was crying himself to sleep.

Eren knew that one day he would have to explain himself to his mother, and he knew that confusion and disbelief would certainly come to pass. But the anger, refusal to listen, and the accusation Carla gave Eren were all too much for the boy to bear.

The accusation was the part that hurt most of all. The whole reason Eren came to Remnant in the first place was to save his mother, to look after her like she always tried to look after him. But the accusation felt more like a rejection; namely, that Carla was rejecting Eren and everything he stood for.

That was what made his heart break. He could live with that if it came from the friends he left behind in Paradis, but being rejected by his mother was a pain Eren wasn't sure he could live with.

He was still angry the next morning, but his depression outweighed his anger. Eren was all alone in the barn, since the farmhands were all working to rebuild the town. Carla provided lodging for her employees, but the majority of them lived in the town of Kuroyuri with their families. And after what happened with the Grimm, nobody wanted to leave their families alone.

And so, Eren was left alone to process everything that happened. Each passing thought left Eren with feeling the need to vent. But without Cinder, Dina, or his mother, Eren found himself doing something... strange.

He talked to Darkness.

"I can't help but fail to see why you're letting this squabble bother you," the dark lord said, leaving no signs of sympathy for the distraught child. "Or why you came to me with this."

Eren sighed. "I'm beginning to wonder the same thing," he retorted. Nevertheless, he continued to talk. "But you're the one who brought her here in the first place! Can't you just, I don't know, do something to make her understand?!"

"I already brought your mother back and gave her the memories she had before she died. Unless you wish me to make her my puppet-"

"What?! No, why would I want that?!" Eren couldn't imagine the things that went through Darkness' head.

"Then I'm afraid I cannot help you," Darkness concluded. "Besides, I thought you were supposed to be focusing on Salem. Not on convincing some human to use your powers."

"That 'human' is my mom!" Eren argued. "The whole reason I came here in the first place! And do you expect me to focus on Salem like this?" Eren he pointed at himself. "I can't fight a witch in a kid's body! Not even with how my Titan is right now!"

"Well, then I'd suggest you work on that. And forget about whatever your mother believes. Who is she to stop you from being who you are? It's pointless to-"

"It's not pointless!" Eren jabbed a finger at Darkness. "Cinder and I have a lot of work to do before we're ready to get rid of Salem, and that includes protecting my mom! It includes her home too! I did everything I could to help people when I was in the Survey Corps, so you better believe I'm gonna do it now!"

Darkness looked back at Eren. "Believe what you wish, Eren. I don't care either way, just as long as you eventually defeat Salem." Out of nowhere, an idea came to the god. "Although... there is a phrase that the people of Remnant say in order to help themselves focus."

"Which is?"

Darkness raised his hand. "I believe it goes along the lines of... 'Get your shit together.'" With that, Darkness waved his hand, leaving Eren to find himself back on the farm.

"...Prick," the boy said to himself as he rubbed his eyes.

"Eren?" a voice from behind called out.

Eren turned around to see Cinder in the doorframe of the barn. She was looking at him with a worried look on her face while holding Vasilisa.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," Cinder said as she stepped inside. "You... didn't come back."

Eren let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. That... wasn't really a good idea."

Cinder approached closer. "Are you okay?" She began to look around. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"Uh... no. Just to myself."

"Oh."

Cinder decided that some more privacy would be wise. So she closed the door to the barn before she spoke again. "I... I brought you some food," she said as she took a piece of bread out of her pocket. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." Eren still took the bread. "But thanks."

Cinder decided to address the matter at hand rather than delay the inevitable. "I'm sorry about last night," she said. "Are you... still mad?"

Eren sighed as he leaned against the wall and slumped down to the floor. "Yeah," he confessed. "At... a lot of things."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Eren knew that he did want to talk about it, since he went to Darkness of all people. He didn't know what to expect when he went there, but all he knew was that he needed to let his feelings out. So he was incredibly grateful to have a friend with him.

"It... It really hurt," Eren confessed as he felt tears form in his eyes again. "I just... I don't know what else to think."

Cinder immediately kneeled down and hugged Eren. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but all she wanted to do was to make Eren feel better. The last time he confessed the truth about being a Titan, Cinder rejected him. She thought he was a monster, just like Carla did. When she had been proven wrong, Cinder immediately made amends with her friend.

But this time was different. Cinder may have had a similar mindset as Carla, but it was clear that her disbelief didn't hurt Eren like Carla's did.

Carla had left a tremendous impact on Eren, one that depressed both him and Cinder.

"I... I don't know what to do," Eren sadly confessed. "I can't do this without her."

"Eren... it'll be okay," said Cinder. She didn't believe this to be true, but she didn't know what else she could say. And sadly, Eren didn't believe it either.

"Not this time." Eren let go of Cinder and began to walk away. "She's right, Cinder."

"What?"

"She's right." Eren turned to look at Cinder. "I lied to her. I kept everything from her, and I'm still keeping things from her! She already hates me and I haven't even told her about the Rumbling yet!"

"Eren-"

"I'm just a hypocrite." Eren began to pace again. "It doesn't matter what kind of good I try to do, it doesn't change what I've done! I know that because I tried! I tried to change the outcome of things, and they still happened! I can't change any of it!"

"..."

Eren wasn't talking nonsense at the moment. There was indeed a time when he tried to change things for the better, and it wasn't just last night. He was referring to the time he tried to save a young refugee from the Mid-East back home, a pickpocket who was being beaten for stealing. He was able to help the boy get home, but it didn't change the memories he saw of the Rumbling.

And back then, Eren even asked what his mother would think of it all. It seemed that he got his answer last night. To her, Eren was a disgrace.

But the worst part was... Eren felt like he had always been this way. He killed people to save Mikasa, and he had been killing people ever since he joined the fight against the Titans. He once told himself that this was who he was all along, and he never went against this belief.

Not even after Carla had shunned him out.

"I was right," Eren said. "There was no way she was going to accept me. Coming here was a mistake."

"Eren, no!"

Eren had almost forgotten that Cinder was in the barn with him. So it was a surprise to hear her say that, and it was even more surprising when she continued to reject the idea.

"Eren, that's not true!" Cinder protested. "Coming here wasn't a mistake! If you hadn't been here, I might have never left that farm! Or I could have be stuck in Atlas! And the entire town could have died!" Cinder's eyes began to tear up as she tried to reach Eren. "If it weren't for you, things would have gone from bad to worse! For everyone!"

"..."

Eren took a moment to step back and think about what he had done so far. He had indeed saved Cinder at the farm, and he helped her escape a cruel family of slavers. And just like she said, things in Kuroyuri would have gone from bad to worse if he didn't use his Titan.

All of this was true, but not everyone believed it.

"...Tell that to my mom," Eren said, despite the fact he saw what Cinder was saying.

Cinder dried her eyes before she spoke again. "I don't think I can," she said. "But I know who I can tell."

"What? Who?"

"Ren and Nora." Cinder began to smile. "They gave us the idea to help Kuroyuri. Maybe they can help again! And we can see how the rest of the town is doing!"

Eren shook his head as he dried his own eyes. "I don't know," he said. "This isn't really their business."

"I know." Cinder quickly took Eren's hands. "But this is my business too. I want to help you, and this might be the best way to do it." She formed a smile as she looked into Eren's eyes. "Please?"

"..."

Eren couldn't explain it, but one look at Cinder's face made him see that he couldn't say "no" to her. More people to talk to might help him.

"Okay," he said. "You can go into town. I think I'm gonna rest up."

"Are you sure?" Cinder asked as she stopped smiling. "There might be some better food in town than a piece of bread."

"Thanks, Cinder, but you go on ahead." Eren took a bite of his bread. "I'll be right here when you get back."

"Okay! See you soon!"

Cinder gave Eren a quick but heartfelt hug before she left the barn. She was so quick to leave and find her new friends that she didn't notice Dina hiding out of view.

The child made her way to Kuroyuri as fast as she could, where she expected to see the town continue to rebuild their houses and talk about the Titans. And it seemed that the people lived up to her expectations.

Some of the trees in the surrounding forest were gone, since the wood was being used as support beams and new building materials. The whole town seemed to be busy, and each person was doing their part to rebuild their home. Even the street vendors stopped selling their merchandise in order to feed the workers and use their merchandise as supplies. But what amazed Cinder was the project that was going on by the main gate.

"No way," she whispered to herself. "Is that-?"

Cinder was looking at the two crystal structures Eren made last night. Just behind those structures was more wood being cut, sanded, and carved into something extraordinary. The pieces were being nailed together to make a long bridge, just as Eren suggested last night. Cinder felt a sense of relief and satisfaction that the people listened to her and Eren rather than turn the other way and run. And even better, the warriors added to the idea of the moat by killing the Grimm so more could take their place.

It seemed this town would have a future after all. And Cinder was happy to be a part of it.

---

"Here you are, Father. The builders said these were the right size."

"Thank you, Lie. These will help."

The Ren family was helping rebuild Kuroyuri as well. At the moment, Li and his son had joined an effort to rebuild the houses that were burned and broken. While some of the houses were broken beyond repair, others could be fixed with the right amount of people and time. And with Nora's surprising speed, she made moving smaller debris much easier and faster.

While she couldn't carry the worn-out beams and pieces that required a three-man job, Nora was able to make a pile of old bricks and broken wood into smaller pieces for her to carry. It was clear that Nora wasn't like most children her age. Ren and his father knew she was quite talkative, but now they could see that she had the energy to match this personality.

"Come on, lazybutts!" Nora yelled back to the people moving debris with her. "We still got three more houses to help!"

"My word, that girl is remarkable," Li said as he complimented Nora's above average strength and determination to help. He then turned to his son with a smile. "You certainly have a good taste in friends, my son."

"I was thinking the same thing," Ren said with a small laugh. "Keep up the good work, Nora!"

As she heard those words, Nora quickly looked away from Ren to hide the redness of her cheeks. She wasn't embarrassed to be in the spotlight during this time, she was simply flattered by Ren's words.

When the heat disappeared, Nora was about to get back to work. However, she forgot about the pile of debris and smiled when she saw a familiar face. "Cinder!" She quickly dropped the pile of bricks she was carrying and ran over to her friend, oblivious to the fact that the bricks had landed on a man's foot.

"Hi, Nora," Cinder greeted the young girl. "I came down to see how things were going."

"Well, you like what you see?" Nora spread her arms wide to show the progress of the town. "We're almost done with clearing out the junk, and this was only our first house! Yep, out with the old, and in with the new!"

"That's good to hear. Really good."

"Hey, now." Nora quickly wrapped her arm around Cinder's neck and shoulder. "Don't forget about the help you put in, Little Miss Human Torch!"

"Nora, shh!" Ren quickly put his hands on Nora's shoulders and looked around. Fortunately, everyone was too busy to hear the ramblings of children. "Keep your voice down," he whispered. "Remember, Eren asked us to keep it secret."

"Oops! Sorry," Nora whispered back before she turned to Cinder. "But really, you guys did great last night! All anybody wants to talk about is the work you and Eren did. It's made everyone want to work even harder."

Once again, Cinder was happy to hear that. Nobody was hurt from last night, and now they wanted to work even harder so they could put the great ideas into action.

It was incredible.

"Speaking of which, where is Eren?" Ren asked. "Is he around here?"

Nora looked around as well, but she couldn't see any sign of Eren. "Yeah, where is he?" she asked. "I wanted to ask him about the pretty crystals!"

Cinder stopped smiling when she remembered why she was in town to begin with. "Actually, Eren is why I'm here," she answered. "We might need some good ideas right now."

"Is something wrong?" Ren asked.

"Uh... sort of. Can we talk?"

"You got it!" Nora replied as she quickly took Ren's hand. "Come on, Ren! I think you deserve a break!"

The little boy could do nothing but follow Nora's lead, leaving Li to work on his own. But he had enough supplies to continue his work, and perhaps he needed a break himself. So Li let his son and his friends have their rest while he went to get some water.

The children were able to get some food free of charge, since people working on the houses were coming to all street vendors for food. Some of the people who lost their homes were also invited to whatever food they needed, like the food from Carla's farm. So once they got their food and found a place to eat, the children ate as they talked.

"That was a great idea," said Nora, who was referring to the moat and drawbridge. "Everyone's saying they might not have to worry about Grimm for much longer."

"That's great," said Cinder. "Thanks for the idea to do some good, by the way. Showing we're just here to help may have been easier said than done, but it's something Eren had to do before." From what she saw in his memories, Cinder knew that Eren didn't win the trust of the Survey Corps overnight. Even after the trial he had to endure, the people Eren worked with were still afraid of him. But as time went on, everyone saw that they needed his help to win their fight against the Titans.

Even if he had to abandon everyone in the end.

"Right..." Ren awkwardly said. There was something on his mind ever since last night, and he was glad he had the chance to bring it out in the open. "Cinder, I'm sorry about yesterday. Coming over with that knife and Nora's hammer was my idea, but now I see-"

"That's okay," Cinder replied. "You're not the first person who was scared of me when they saw what I could do." She suddenly frowned as she put down her food. "And you're not the last."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked. "Did someone else find out?"

Nora quickly put her food down and moved to Cinder, invading her personal space. "Did they try to hurt you?" she quickly asked. "Who was it? Ren and I won't let anyone throw you out!"

Cinder's widened eyes died down as she gently pushed Nora aside. "Thank you, Nora," she said. "But it's not that simple. Eren's mom and Ms. Fritz found out when we went home last night, and... they weren't very happy."

"Why, what happened?"

On behalf of Eren, just like she promised, Cinder told Ren and Nora the whole story. She told them about Carla and Dina's reaction to the Titans and how hurt Eren was from the rejection. Rather than go into too many details, Cinder ended the story with her uncertainty about the future. This left Ren and Nora feeling all kinds of sympathy for their friends.

"That's terrible!" said Nora, who pulled Cinder into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"I can't believe she would be like that," said Ren. "I don't think I ever heard Ms. Fritz yell before. Especially at a child." Her reaction was the most surprising to Ren, since he knew Dina a little better than he knew Carla.

"Yeah... it was a surprise for all of us," said Cinder.

"What are you going to do?"

Cinder rubbed the back of her head, as she felt awkward asking her next question to people who had their own business to attend to. "Well... that's why I'm here," she explained. "You two gave us a good idea to show the town we want to help. I was wondering if maybe you had some other ideas to help?"

"Of course we'll help!" Nora said as she jumped up. "That's what friends are for! Right, Ren?"

"Of course," Ren agreed. "Did you try talking to Ms. Fritz today?"

"Well... no," Cinder sadly said. "But I talked to Eren. He's just... really upset."

Ren and Nora easily understood that. "Well, maybe you can talk to her today," Nora suggested.

"That's true," Ren included. "Let Ms. Fritz see your side of the story and why you're doing this."

"Well, that's the problem," Cinder countered. "I don't know if Ms. Fritz will listen, but Eren's mom... hates Titans. And for good reason. When Eren tried to do what you said, she just... blew up."

"Well... maybe we can talk to her," Nora suggested. "We were afraid of you too, but you showed us who you really are."

Ren believed the proposal was sound, to let someone else talk about the good Eren and Cinder did. However, he had a better idea.

"Actually, Cinder..." Ren began. "I've seen all of the farmhands here today. Did Eren's mother or Ms. Fritz come here too?"

"Uh, no," Cinder said after a brief moment of thinking. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Ren spread his arms out. "Look around," he said. "Everyone's working because of what you two did last night. And everyone's been talking about it too. The drawbridge, the moat, everything." Ren put his arms down. "If we can't talk to them, how about we show them what's going on? How you did something good with your Titans?"

Cinder looked around the town once more and listened carefully to a nearby conversation two adults were having. She couldn't hear everything, but she heard the word "giant" and the work that was going on. Ren's point was easily proven, and Cinder now knew that Carla and Dina had to see Kuroyuri in order to believe everything.

"Hey, yeah!" Cinder said with glee. "That's a great idea! Thanks, Ren!" Cinder began to make her way back to the farmhouse, but something caught her hand and held her back.

"Hold it, buster!" said Nora. "Where do you think you're going?"

Cinder turned around in confusion. "Uh, home?" she replied.

Nora let out a laugh. "Not without us, you're not. We're gonna help too!"

Cinder's eyes widened in surprise. She was simply expecting advice from her friends, she didn't want to drag them along in her own issues.

Or Eren's.

"No, you don't have to come," Cinder said politely. "I was just-"

"It's okay," Ren insisted. "Sometimes the worst action to take is to take no action at all." His father's words had stayed with Ren since the day before Kuroyuri was invaded. And after what Eren did that night, Ren made it his mission to live by that lesson every day of the rest of his life. Now, he couldn't think of a better time to do it than right now. So he began to walk back to the farm with Nora. "Let's go!"

---

Eren hadn't left the barn after Cinder left. He stayed right where he was as he ate the piece of bread Cinder had gotten him, and he passed the time waiting by throwing small rocks at the wall. He didn't know how long he was going to wait, but he didn't care. He wasn't in the mood to be talking to anyone at the moment.

However, he was in the mood to do some exploring when he noticed a shadow on the wall.

When Eren moved around a corner, he found himself in a different part of the barn. The part he slept in was simply a place to store bales of hay for future use. But when he turned a corner, Eren found himself in the spot where the animals were kept.

Eren had seen some of the animals the farm had in the month he and Cinder had spent at Kuroyuri. Namely, he saw pigs and cows that Carla and her farmhands would use for meat and milk. But today, Eren saw something that made him feel a sense of nostalgia for Paradis.

Horses.

Eren found six horses in the barn, all calm and different colors. Eren moved to the closest one, a brown one with black hair, and remembered how he would ride a similar steed outside the walls. He would sometimes ride for hours on his hunt for Titans and his exploration of the outside world, and he would always come back. The best part of it was that he never rode alone. He would even take care of the horses with his friends.

And so, Eren picked up some hay and gave it to the horse, which it ate slowly. After it moved down to eat, Eren smiled as he began to gently stroke its head and think back on his time on Paradis.

"Well, what do you know?" Eren thought to himself as he laughed. "She even has Jean's face."

"She likes you."

Eren jumped back when he heard a familiar voice. He was expecting Cinder or his newest friends to be in the barn with him, but he was surprised and alarmed to see Dina Fritz standing a few feet away from him.

Dina knew that she was taking a big risk by entering the barn, but she also knew that she had to talk to Eren. She followed Cinder to the barn when she saw the child though her window, and that was how she knew Eren was there.

So when Cinder left, Dina took her place. But Eren didn't feel too comfortable with that.

"I'm sorry," Dina said as she took a step back. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked as he kept his distance. Last night's conversation still burned in his mind. However, what Dina said next made him feel less threatened.

"Eren... I think I might be able to help you."

"..."

Eren almost didn't believe his ears. First, Dina and her best friend were doing nothing but chastising him for keeping them in the dark about being a Titan. And now, she was apparently willing to help him? He began to feel less threatened, but he wasn't exactly trustful either.

"Help with what?" he asked.

"Your mother," Dina replied. "I'm sorry about last night, I am." She began to walk forward. "But I did a lot of thinking last night. I was scared at first, and so was your mother. I've known her for years, she would never say something like that in her right mind."

"..."

Eren looked away in an attempt to hide the sadness on his face. He disguised it under closed eyes as he turned away, but Dina stayed right where she was.

"I think I'm ready to understand everything else," she said. "Everything that happened to you. If... you're willing to tell me."

Eren looked back at Dina, unsure of whether he could trust her or not. "Why?" he asked.

"Last night, I remembered something." Dina stopped walking. "It wasn't easy for me, since my dreams didn't have many details in them. But I remembered something very important."

"..."

Eren didn't respond to this idea, but he was willing to listen. Especially when Dina asked her next question.

"Eren... do you possess the Founding Titan?"

Eren slightly gasped when he heard that question. It was something he once expected to hear from his mother, since he told her the names of the Nine Titans. He didn't explain their powers, since he didn't want to expose his secret. Now that his secret was out, Eren knew that he had to be honest with Dina.

Especially if she could help him like she said.

"How do you know about the Founding Titan?" he asked.

"That's what I remembered," Dina admitted. "People I worked with were trying to obtain it for themselves, to overthrow a place called 'Marley.'" She stepped forward again and kneeled in front of Eren. "I don't remember much of Marley, but I have a bad feeling something happened to me there."

Eren nodded. "You're right. Something bad happened to a lot of people there. People like you."

"Is that how we met? Because of the bad thing that happened?"

"...Yeah."

"..."

Eren decided to answer Dina's first question, since the look on her face was one of reluctance and resignation. "I have the Founding Titan," he said. "It's not exactly like the one back home... but it's the Founding Titan."

Dina nodded in understanding. "And what happened to Marley?" she asked. "Were they overthrown?"

"Not exactly. But before I died, I used the Founding Titan to hurt them. They won't be strong enough to do anything for years."

Dina wondered what Eren meant by that, but she came back to the matter at hand. "Eren... I want to remember," she said. "I want to remember everything. Who I was, what I did, and how I came to be here. If you can help me remember, I'll talk to Carla for you. I'll do whatever it takes to convince her to listen to you."

"..."

It seemed that the tables had slightly turned for Eren. What Dina was implying was that they help each other rather than just her helping him. Eren had no qualms in helping other people, but he wasn't so sure that this was such a good idea. Dina had spent her entire life trying to forget about her past, that was abundantly clear. So to give her memories back, to undo all the work that was done to her in therapy, would surely have unprecedented consequences.

Dina was smart enough to know that was true, and Eren knew that as well. But she wasn't giving up or taking back her request. Instead, she was kneeling in front of Eren and looking at him with determination. There was fear in her eyes, but the determination was still there.

"...You won't like what's there," Eren insisted. "What happened to you was wrong. What it made you do was even worse." Eren made eye-contact with Dina to make his point. "If I were to help you remember... you won't be able to forget again."

Dina slowly nodded before she replied. "I... I understand," she said. "But if there's one thing I learned since you came here... it's that I can't forget forever. I have to remember." Dina stuck out her hand. "Here. And now."

"..."

Eren knew that Dina wouldn't be leaving without an answer. More specifically, she wasn't going to be taking "no" for an answer. If Eren were to do that, he would be right back where he started this morning.

On the other hand, Eren wouldn't know what would happen if he granted Dina's request. She could go back on her word, or be consumed by too much grief to do anything at all. Not that this reaction wouldn't be justified, Eren just didn't know what would happen.

But anything would be better than being stuck in a barn.

"...Okay," Eren said as he shook Dina's hand. He was reluctant to go through with this, but he couldn't turn back now.

"Thank you," Dina said sincerely. "As soon as we're done, I'll talk to Carla. I promise." Dina let go of Eren's hand and began to ask some questions. "Can you tell me who I was? What I was? To Marley?"

Eren had let go of Dina's hand, but he was still holding it out. "I think... I can show you," he said. "It might be easier that way."

Dina looked at Eren's hand. "You can do that?"

"It's a part of the Founding Titan's powers." Eren had discovered this with Ren and Nora the other night, and he was confident that he could do it again. After he cut his other hand on a pitchfork, Eren looked at Dina again. "Sorry. I need to be bleeding to use it."

"..."

Dina was uncomfortable by the sight, especially when the blood from Eren's hand was black. Nevertheless, she believed that he knew what she was doing. And so, she took Eren's open hand once again and waited for whatever came next.

Eren's idea came from his time with his new friends and also with Zeke. Zeke was able to use his connection to the royal family to look through memories with Eren, and Eren was able to use the Attack Titan's powers to shift through memories countless times.

Since his encounter with Ren and Nora proved that he could project memories with his new Titan, Eren decided to do it once more. This time, Eren knew exactly what he was doing.

"This might be... uncomfortable," he warned.

Before Dina could reply, her eyes became filled with visions of the past.

Eren decided that the best thing he could show Dina was herself. Since he had his father's memories from the Attack Titan, he knew everything about Dina Fritz. He knew about her role in the Eldian Restorationists, her meeting with Grisha Yeager, her connection to the royal family, and her son. He knew it all, from the time she met Grisha to the time she was forcibly turned into a Titan as punishment for seeking freedom.

To show his own memories to Dina was a very difficult choice for Eren to make. He was expected to be honest and not hold anything back, to show her everything. But that included the time Dina killed and ate Carla, the one person Dina knew better than anyone. Showing her this could destroy their friendship, which Eren now knew was genuine.

But if he was to gain an ally from Dina, Eren knew that he had to do what he did to Cinder. Dina needed to be shown the whole truth.

And so, with severe reluctance, Eren showed the two memories he had of Dina's Titan. He showed her how they met, and how he had put an end to her suffering.

When Dina returned to reality, she found herself experiencing a new kind of suffering. She was grief-stricken, wracked in guilt, and enormously apologetic for everything she had done.

"Oh, my God..." she said as tears came down her face. "Oh, my God!" Dina fell to her hands and knees as she cried. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" When she looked off the ground to see a person's feet, Dina realized that there was one person she could apologize to.

Eren was, of course, one of the people she had wronged as a Titan.

"I'm so sorry!" Dina said as she hugged Eren and cried. "I'm so, so, so, so sorry!" Dina cried even louder as she hugged Eren, and she was even rocking back and forth.

Eren didn't know what to expect from showing all of those memories. He was half-expecting to be on the receiving end of hatred for sending a horde of Titans on her, or even for ending her blissful ignorance.

But this... this was completely unexpected. Nevertheless, Eren accepted the reaction and tried to comfort her. There wasn't much he could do, but gently patted her back. It was very awkward, being hugged by Dina. But it was better than being rejected or thrown out again.

The embrace lasted for a very long time, and it even continued when Cinder returned with Ren and Nora. When she saw that Eren and Dina were having a moment, she quickly moved her friends out so they could have some privacy. But the moment passed soon after Cinder came, and Dina found herself leaving the barn while drying her eyes. Ren and Nora took her place, but not before Dina shared a hug with Cinder as well.

Eren managed to slip in the memory he had of Cinder being beaten within an inch of her life, so now Dina supported Cinder as well. And when she showed this support and affection, Dina steeled herself as she prepared to make good on her promise.

Whatever happened next... she was finally ready.

---

It had been hours since the sunlight found its way to Carla's room. And yet, the farmer found herself unable to get out of bed. She was still reeling over the fact that the Titans she feared were none other than Eren and Cinder, and she was trying to make sense of the argument she had with her son. On one hand, she wasn't going to change her mind about the Titans. Especially when she had been killed by one of them in the past.

But on the other hand... what Eren said to her made her feel something else.

Carla was very mad at Eren for lying to her and going behind her back. She was very mad that he himself was apparently a "special" Titan, and that he had caused so much damage in Atlas without any sign of remorse. Eren wasn't the same boy Carla once knew, he had become something that was terrifying. Something monstrous.

And yet, there was something else behind this fearful agenda. Something that Carla seemed to know that Eren had ever since he was born.

Passion.

"NOTHING TO ME?!"

Those three words and the crashing of her table rang through Carla's head each and every time she thought the worst about Eren. Mainly, how upset he had gotten over one little thing she said. It was an accusation, and Carla genuinely meant it at the time. However, the reaction she received from Eren made Carla feel different.

It made her feel... important.

The anger, the shouting, and the act of destruction all told Carla that she had gotten under Eren's skin. That she had hurt him just like how she had been hurt. And for the life of her, Carla couldn't remember a time when she hurt Eren's feelings each time they argued on Paradis. There were plenty of disagreements, but no hurt feelings. But last night was a time when Carla had hurt Eren, when her words seemingly meant everything to him. If they hadn't, Eren would have kept arguing with her before he ran off in a huff.

But he didn't. Instead, he let his hurt feelings out very passionately, albeit impulsively.

That was why Carla felt the most conflicted. Eren was a liar, he was dangerous, and if what Atlas said was true, he was also a murderer.

But beneath all of that... Eren loved Carla. She wasn't nothing to him like she had said last night. To Eren, Carla was everything.

And so, Carla was at a crossroads. What was she supposed to do with Eren's love? Was she supposed to embrace him, to love him despite the fact that he lied to her? Or was she supposed to put an end to this nightmare by calling the proper authorities?

The countless hours Carla spent in her room without leaving or eating showed that this was an impossible decision to make. Not without help, at least.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

"Carla? It's Dina. May I come in?"

The period of silence and solitude Carla had endured made her feel grateful to hear the voice of a friend. The hours of thinking only resulted in her problems having no solution, and they were simply culminating in her mind. And so, she decided that now was the best time to start letting people in.

Both figuratively and literally.

When she opened the door, Carla saw that Dina was not only standing on the other side, but that she was also alone. This was for the best, Carla realized, since she didn't want to see Eren or anyone else right now. And so, she stepped aside to let Dina in so they could talk.

"Is this a bad time?" Dina asked as she stepped inside. "I can come back later if you need to eat or-"

"No, you can stay," Carla insisted. "I wasn't doing anything, anyways."

"..."

Dina immediately picked up on her friend's distress. But after she closed the door, she asked a rather obvious question with an obvious answer.

"How are you doing?" she asked. "Are you... okay?"

Carla let out a sigh before she shook her head. "No," she bluntly said. "Thank you for asking, but... no."

Carla had sat herself down on her bed as she spoke, so Dina decided to move by the window and partially sit in the windowsill. "I'm sorry," she said. "You've been thinking about it?"

"I've done nothing but think about it, Dina," Carla replied. "I just don't understand anything anymore." Carla buried her face in her hands. "...What did I do wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

Carla immediately looked up. "Where did I go wrong with Eren? All I wanted for him was to be safe, to stop him from getting himself into trouble. But this... this is more than I can handle." She looked towards her friend. "Dina, do you think this is somehow... my fault?"

"What?" Dina moved off the windowsill and approached her friend. "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Look what's happened to him! Becoming a Titan, killing people? I thought I taught him better than that, I thought he had the common sense to avoid Titans!" Carla looked down again. "Maybe if I had been there as he grew up, none of this would have happened."

"..."

Dina immediately felt guilty. She was feeling awkward about being in Carla's presence at first, given what Eren had shown her about this first... meeting. But the guilt and shame she carried of robbing Eren of his mother was becoming too much to bear.

However, Dina didn't leave. She had promised to talk to Carla for Eren, to do everything she could to convince her friend to reconcile with her son. And Dina planned to do that with the knowledge Eren had bestowed upon her.

But she would never tell Carla of what happened that day. Dina knew it sounded cruel, but she planned to take that secret to the grave. Nothing mattered more to her than her friendship with Carla.

That was why she was here now. And why she planned to stay her current course.

"It's... It's not your fault, Carla," Dina repeated. "I, um... I talked to Eren. Before I came here."

Carla looked at Dina once more. "Where is he?" she asked.

Dina pointed to the window. "He's outside. In the barn."

"The barn? What's he doing in there?"

"I... I think that's where he slept last night. Since he didn't come back inside."

"...Oh."

Carla felt rather awkward about that, leaving her son to fend for himself. Despite what she thought of him, she knew that Eren still loved her. So that only added to her conflicting feelings.

Feelings she hoped that she could resolve.

"What were you talking about?" Carla asked calmly.

"I wanted to understand him," Dina replied. "To understand what he was talking about last night. And I... I asked for his help."

"His help? What for?"

Dina took a deep breath before she stood upright. "Eren helped me remember. Everything."

Carla gasped as her eyes widened. She knew that Dina's dreams were always a sensitive topic, even after she received therapy for them. Now that both of them knew the dreams were memories, Dina made it clear to Carla and everyone else that she didn't want to remember what it was that she dreamed.

So to hear that she had her memories restored, willingly, was something that Carla wasn't expecting.

"He did what?" Carla asked as she sprang off her bed. "You mean... you remember everything? From your time on Paradis?" She began to grow even more horrified. "Eren made you remember all of that?"

Dina didn't mean to alarm Carla, but she remained as calm as possible. "Nobody made me do anything, Carla," she insisted. "I wanted to remember. It was... It was for the best." She sat down on the bed as she relived her memories again. "I remember everything... but not on Paradis."

Carla began to calm down when she saw that Dina was telling the truth. She had momentarily forgotten about Eren, since she remembered all of the bad reactions Dina had to her dreams. And the idea of memories that weren't on Paradis only confused her.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she sat on the edge of her bed with Dina. "You don't have memories about Paradis?"

"Not too many," Dina replied as she shook her head. "Because all of my memories are from Marley."

"Marley?" Carla's eyes widened. "The country Eren went to war against?"

"That's right."

"But... I don't understand. Why would you have memories of Marley?"

"Because... I was born there." Dina looked Carla in the eye. "Carla, I was an Eldian born in Marley. I was just like you and Eren, but not in a good way." She took a deep breath before she explained herself. "I don't know how or why Eren has a Titan... but I know he was right to go to war against Marley."

Carla softly gasped at the idea. Dina was one of the most peaceful people she knew, and Carla had her own reservations against war, let alone fighting. And after everything that happened last night, Carla couldn't find any reason why someone would condone Eren of all people fighting in a war.

"How can you say that?" Carla asked.

Dina expected a question like this, one laced with doubt and uncertainty. But she answered it quickly. "Because Marley made my life Hell on Earth," she said. "For me, my husband... and my son."

"..."

Dina spent the next twenty minutes telling Carla everything. The first thing she told her was how she learned about a king who abandoned most of his people in the hands of others who grew to hate them, and how she was a descendant of that king. Next, she told Carla about how she and her fellow Eldians were treated like filth and how the smallest offense could result in death... or worse.

All in all, Dina spared no detail about the cruelty she learned from Marley.

After that, Dina told Carla about the glimmer of hope she found within the Eldian Restorationists, people who longed for freedom and their previous place in the world. They were fed up with Marley's abuse and their status as second-class citizens, so they decided to fight back.

And the best way to do that was to gain the Founding Titan. Eren's Titan.

With the power of the Founding Titan, the Restorationists planned to liberate their people and destroy Marley. But in order to gain it, one of their own had to travel to the island of Paradis and obtain it.

The perfect candidate was decided to be Dina's own son: Zeke.

Dina explained how the plan she concocted with her husband was sound; how he would be part of a group of warriors that were to be sent to Paradis to prevent a "war" that the King of Eldia "declared" on Marley. When Zeke gained the Titan, he would return home and use its power to control every Titan on Paradis. The plan would assure Eldia's victory and Marley's defeat.

But Dina eventually learned that the best laid plans often go awry.

Dina explained that she and her husband began to lose faith in Zeke when he showed little progress in being a soldier. His father lost more faith than she did, but Dina couldn't deny her role in Zeke's fate. Namely, how Zeke grew to resent both of his parents and turned them over to the Marleyan authorities.

And as punishment for their rebellion, Dina and her friends were all turned into the one thing that she and Carla hated.

Titans.

"My God..." Carla whispered as Dina finished her story. "That's why you hated your dreams so much."

Dina sadly nodded as she wiped her eyes. "That's right," she said. "And I think that's why my memories were so vague." The thought of being a Titan, and everything she did as a Titan, made Dina feel unable to look at Carla again. She continued to keep her involvement in Carla's death a secret, and she did the best she could to hide her emotions in the matter.

But Dina hated herself more than anyone on Remnant. She even hated herself more than anyone she knew in Marley. Because Dina knew that she could never forgive herself for what she did to her best friend. Nothing about what she did, Titan or not, could be forgiven. It was even hard to imagine how she became friends with Carla in the first place.

But all Dina knew was that she couldn't bear to lose Carla. Fortunately for her, Carla felt the same way.

"Dina... I'm so sorry," she said as she took her friend's hand. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. That's... terrible."

Dina tightened the embrace as she dried her eyes with her free hand. It was nice to see that Carla was understanding and sympathetic to her in this matter. "...Thank you," she said.

"Do you know what happened to your son?"

Dina shook her head. "No. But I think Eren might."

Carla suddenly remembered Eren. And after everything Dina had told her about Marley, she almost began to see her own son differently than how she saw him last night.

Almost.

"Right... Eren," she said as she let go of Dina. "So, he showed you everything?"

"That's right," said Dina. "I remember everything now. And I understand why my friends wanted to use the Founding Titan, his Titan, against Marley."

"So he can control Titans."

"Yes. He even used that power to put me out of my misery. I suppose that's how I came to be here."

"What about Marley?"

"Eren said he used his Titan to make sure that Marley couldn't fight again. That's all I know."

"And Atlas?"

"...I don't know."

Carla reminded herself that Eren had shown Dina her own memories of Marley instead of his memories. So it seemed that there was still much she had to learn.

But Carla understood the idea differently.

"So he's still keeping secrets," she said as she got off her bed. She then moved to the window so she could get a good look at the barn. "He still won't tell us everything."

"I know," Dina said. "But I think he's willing to tell us now. I mean, he agreed to show me my memories."

Carla sighed as she leaned on the windowsill. "Dina, I don't know if I can just accept any explanations now. Not after he lied, and did all of those things in Atlas." She took a deep breath as she stared out the window. "I mean, maybe Marley was different. Whatever he did there might have been different, I don't know. But Atlas isn't the same thing. Here's not the same thing either."

Eren was wise to show Dina a brief glimpse into his past with Cinder. Because now, Dina could shed some light on the idea of Atlas.

"Actually... I did see a little bit of Atlas," she confessed.

Carla quickly turned around. "Wait, you did?" she asked. "What did you see? What did Eren do?"

Dina calmed Carla down quickly by rephrasing her words. "I didn't see anything about his Titan," she said. "I just saw Cinder."

"Cinder?" Carla began to calm down. "What about Cinder?"

"Apparently, she had another home before she met us."

"Right, Eren told me about the farm she lived on."

"Not the farm. Cinder was taken in by another woman and her two daughters. And they... they..."

"They what?"

Dina sighed as she wiped her eyes. She felt enormous pity for Cinder based on what she saw, and she hoped Carla could do the same.

"They made her a slave," Dina confessed. "They beat her, starved her. They made her work in this enormous hotel doing all kinds of work unfit for a child. But the worst part was... they kept in her line with a shock collar."

"..."

Carla's eyes widened in horror at this atrocity. Cinder had never mentioned this before, even though Dina told her that she had nightmares a few times. If this was true, perhaps Cinder was reliving her time in Atlas.

"My God," she said. "You saw this happen?"

"Eren showed me one of them beating her," Dina replied. "When I saw Cinder outside, she told me what she was forced to do. And how Eren saved her."

When the conversation moved back to Eren, Carla pitied herself once again. "Dina, I... I don't know what to do," she said with a sigh. "Eren did all of those things and then some. What am I supposed to do?"

Dina didn't envy Carla's position in this matter. However, she was still willing to help. And now she decided to answer Carla's question with a question.

"Well... what do you want to do?" she asked.

After a moment of considering this idea, after thinking about what she wanted from all of this, Carla gave a worthy reply.

"I want... I want the truth," she said. "Eren's my son, Dina. I still love him, but... I'm just so disappointed in him. I want the truth about everything he's done, but how am I supposed to trust him again? Let alone believe everything he tells me now?"

Dina understood Carla perfectly. She deserved to know the truth, whatever it might be. However, Dina believed that beneath this anger and disappointment, Carla was afraid she wouldn't like what the truth was.

And sadly, she didn't have a worthy response. Carla was right to feel disappointed and betrayed, and her conflicting feelings were completely justified. Dina just couldn't find the heart to tell Carla what she should do.

But she could tell her something else.

"I... I don't have an answer, Carla," she said. "I'm sorry, I don't. But I do have some advice. Something I learned from being a mother myself."

Carla hadn't known until today that Dina was a mother as well. She didn't think she could relate to Dina when it came to Eren, but now she had changed her mind.

Any kind of advice would be welcome right now.

"What is it?" Carla asked.

"Earlier, you said that you believed what happened to Eren was your fault," Dina began. "I don't believe that's true... but what happened with my son was my fault. I ruined his life, I ruined everything."

"..."

Dina had to wipe her eye before she spoke again. "I would give anything to make it right, to fix whatever relationship I had with Zeke. But my chance is gone. It's over."

"..."

Dina looked to Carla once more. "But Eren's here, Carla. I don't want to justify all of his choices, but you have a chance to rebuild what you had with him. Maybe you can steer him on the right path again. Just... please don't waste your chance, Carla. Don't waste it like I did."

"..."

---

While Dina and Carla were talking inside, Eren and Cinder were waiting outside. Fortunately, they had Ren and Nora to keep them company. They had done nothing but talk about the progress Kuroyuri was making, and how hardly anyone was afraid. In fact, they were feeling quite confident about their chances of survival.

This made Eren feel somewhat better, since he didn't want anyone to be afraid of him. Cinder was still overjoyed at the news, since she also didn't want anyone to be afraid of her. She felt that she had redeemed herself in the eyes of Kuroyuri, and she was happy.

"Hey, Eren," Nora said to get Eren's attention. "How did you make those big crystals near the wall?"

"Oh, that's something I could do back home," Eren explained. "It's called 'Hardening.' It's when I can harden my skin into stone." Eren looked at his hands. "But this time, it looks like I can make crystal. Just like you saw in town."

Nora smiled as she listened to Eren. "Can you do it again? Or maybe make a crystal like that for me?" Her eyes began to shine like the crystals. "They're so pretty!"

Eren couldn't help but chuckle at the face Nora was making at him. "I'm not sure when I'll be using my Titan again. But let me see what I can do."

"Okay!"

After everyone joined in with the laughter, Cinder quickly noticed that Eren was smiling. After everything that had happened last night, Eren seemed to be happy once more. There was something about seeing him smile that made Cinder feel happy, that made her feel content with the world. To her, seeing Eren happy meant the world to her. And all it ever took was one smile.

Which was why it was so heartbreaking to see that smile disappear.

Rather than looking at Ren or Nora, Eren was looking towards the farmhouse. There, he could see Dina walking towards him with a rather neutral expression on her face. The look caused Eren's body to tense up as he relived the memories from last night. While he was appreciative that Dina kept her end of their deal, Eren was worried that her efforts wouldn't be enough to make his mother change her mind.

He didn't think there would be anything to make her change her mind.

However, Eren realized that he wasn't entirely alone in this matter. The feeling of Cinder holding his hand was able to make him do this, and so was the smile on her face. It wasn't much of a warm or joyful smile, but one that told Eren that Cinder was going to stand by him no matter what happened.

And so, after he silently thanked Cinder for her support by nodding, Eren looked up at Dina when she stopped in front of him. However, Cinder was the first to talk to her.

"How did it go?" she asked optimistically.

"About as well as one could expect," Dina said as she rubbed her arm. "But I think I made a step in the right direction."

"...What did she say?" Eren asked.

Dina pointed to the house. "She said that she wants to talk," she said. "I gave her a few minutes to get ready before coming out, I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

Cinder gasped at the idea. "You hear that, Eren?" she said. "She wants to talk!"

"Yeah!" said Nora, who shook Eren's shoulder. "It's gonna be okay!"

Eren wanted to believe that, but he decided to err on the side of caution before he expressed any positivity.

"What did you tell her?" he calmly asked Dina.

"Just what you showed me," Dina admitted. "I thought if I explained my story, it might help you explain yours."

Eren nodded in understanding. "Did she believe you?"

"More or less." Dina took a step out of Eren's path. "I'm sorry, Eren, but I don't think you should keep her waiting for much longer."

Eren looked back to the house and saw that Dina had a point. "You're right," he said before he looked back to Dina. "Um... thank you for helping me, Ms. Fritz."

"Of course. And thank you for helping me." Dina softly smiled as a tear formed in her eye. "It was time for me to stop trying to forget."

Eren nodded once more before he looked back to his friends. He didn't know what was going to happen when he stepped into the threshold, so he believed looking back one more time would help him feel better.

And it did.

"We'll be right here," said Ren.

"Good luck!" Nora said enthusiastically.

Cinder was the only one who didn't say anything. Instead, she let her actions speak louder than her words when she hugged Eren one more time. It was a rather tight hug, but Eren didn't mind. He knew he needed all the support he could get.

It was funny, in a strange way. As he made his way toward the house, alone, Eren thought about how many times he had faced worse situations than this. He thought about the defense of Trost, his stressful day in court, his duel with the Female Titan, sneaking into Marley, and every other time he nearly died.

And yet, for the life of him, Eren couldn't compare the stress and anxiety he felt right now to all of his adventures on Paradis. He felt that this was one of the most important things he had to do, something that he knew he couldn't fail at. Similar to the Rumbling, it was do or die.

Failure, in his mind, was not an option. But that didn't mean it wasn't a possibility. If he failed now... Eren didn't know what he would do.

But he was going to do it anyway.

When Eren stepped inside the house, he found his mother in the kitchen. The table had been set upright again and all of the broken materials had been swept off the floor.

And yet, there was much that was still broken in the household.

Carla didn't say a word as she looked at Eren. Instead, she lifted one finger and gestured for him to come to the table. Eren silently obeyed and found himself sitting down across from his mother. She sat down as well, but she continued to remain silent. Eren was about to break the silence, but Carla stopped him as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Don't talk," she said firmly. "Listen to me."

"..."

Eren closed his mouth and listened carefully to what Carla said next.

"I'm sure you're still angry about last night," she said. "What I said bothered you, I know. But while that may be true, that doesn't change what happened."

"..."

"I've been mad at you before, Eren. I've been confused with just about everything you said and did back home. But this... this is different." Carla braced herself for what she said next, since it was a rather cruel thing to say. "Eren... I don't trust you. I've lost any kind of trust we've had over the years."

"..."

Eren was hurt by the idea, even though he understood where his mother was coming from. But what she said hurt him just as much as what she said last night.

But being invited inside had to mean something.

"...Then what am I doing here?" Eren asked as he looked up at his mother. "Why did you let me in?"

Carla took a deep breath before she answered her son. "Despite everything that happened... I've decided to give you a chance." She lifted a single finger. "It might be against my better judgement, but I am giving you one chance to regain my trust. One chance for you to be honest, and to let all of your secrets out. Do you understand?"

"..."

Eren understood perfectly. He was grateful to Dina, or whatever force of nature that it was that made Carla decide to give Eren this once in a lifetime opportunity. It was clear that it was his last chance as well, his last chance to make things right.

There was just one thing stopping him.

"...And if I can't?" Eren asked.

Carla immediately became exhausted. "You mean you won't?" she rhetorically asked. A part of her still believed that Eren would be keeping secrets from her.

"If I can't," Eren repeated. He could see the misunderstanding he created, so he immediately fixed it. "If I use my chance, and you decide that you still can't trust me... what happens then?"

Carla took a moment to think about the idea. "Well... we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

"..."

"..."

This wasn't an empty threat. Carla simply hadn't decided what to do if she couldn't trust Eren again. Perhaps it was because a part of her hoped that she could trust Eren again, that they could make things like the way they were.

But despite this wishful thinking, Carla knew that she would have to take whatever action was necessary if she decided that she couldn't trust Eren. Fortunately, Eren realized that this was true. And he wasn't going to waste this chance.

"Okay," he decided. "I understand."

Carla nodded slowly. "Good," she said.

After Eren waited a few seconds, he asked another question. "Where does that leave us?"

Carla leaned forward. "Here's what's going to happen," she began. "You're using your chance here and now, Eren. We're not leaving this table until you use it in full. You're going to tell me everything you lied to me about, every secret you've been hiding ever since we met in Argus, and you're going to do it now."

Eren didn't dare argue with his mother. "...Okay," he said. "What do you want to know?"

Carla leaned back as she explained herself. "I want to know everything. I want to know about Marley, I want to know about Paradis, I want to know about Atlas, and I-"

"No, you don't."

"..."

This was a big risk Eren was taking right now. He knew that he was treading on thin ice, that it was going to crack at any moment. One look at Carla's appalled face made that clear.

And yet, Eren didn't waver in his decision. Because if he was going to be honest, he would have to receive it first.

"Excuse me?" Carla asked crossly as she leaned forward.

"I'm going to be honest with you," Eren replied. "But I want honesty too. So let's not pretend that everything I did since we found each other is about Marley, or Paradis, or Atlas. We both know what this is all about."

Carla's patience was wearing thin, but she indulged Eren. "And that would be?"

Eren made direct eye-contact with Carla. "You want to know what I was thinking. You want to know what was going through my mind the second I started using a Titan. You want to know what drove me into using my power, why I choose to be the same thing that's killed thousands of people. With you being one of them."

"..."

"..."

Carla recognized the stubborn glare Eren was giving her. And she realized that she could say that he had used his chance and failed. She held all the cards, and she could use them any time she wanted.

But she didn't.

Because Eren was right.

Marley, Paradis, and Atlas were all insignificant at the moment. Not when her son was choosing to become a Titan and risk hurting people. And he had already used that power to kill people.

And for the life of her, Carla had to find out why.

"...Are you going to tell me?" Carla inquired.

"I'm going to be honest," Eren declared. "Here and now."

"..."

"..."

Carla exhaled as she relaxed in her chair once again. "Alright, then," she decided. "Tell me."

Eren leaned forward against the table. "I have a Titan," he said. "It's called the Founding Titan, and it can control other Titans. It can do other things, but that's the main power of the Founding Titan. There aren't any other Titans on Remnant, except for me and Cinder. Cinder asked me to give her a Titan so she could help me. And I like to think I have my Titan for a good reason."

"What reason?"

"...You."

"..."

As soon as he said that, Eren explained further. Just as he insisted, he talked about how he became a Titan on Remnant. More specifically, how he chose to be one.

Eren started his story at the moment he died. He explained how he expected to move on into the afterlife, and how he met the God of Darkness instead. He explained that after a brief skirmish, Darkness gave Eren the task of going to Remnant and using the power of the Titans to fight a great evil that lurked in the world.

Eren knew that he had to tell his mother about Salem, how she was a person who could make the Grimm follow her every command. Because of this, Salem held the very world at her fingertip.

And even though he didn't plan on telling her about Paradis or Marley, Eren told Carla about the Coordinate. He told her how the Founding Titan could access the Coordinate and every Eldian that existed. In this case, the Coordinate connected Remnant together.

Eren did this not just because he didn't want to ruin his chance at rebuilding his relationship with his mother, but also because he was going to prove everything he just said. That was why he offered his hand to Carla, so he could show her the Coordinate.

But she didn't take it.

Carla didn't know what to expect from Eren when she made her demand. She didn't know what to expect about the Titans or how she was supposedly involved in all of this. And hearing about a god and someone who could supposedly control Grimm of all things was certainly not something she expected to hear.

Let alone believe.

So now, the ball was in Carla's court. She had a choice to believe Eren or not to believe him. The choice was very simple, but it was far from easy. Carla didn't know if she could believe such things, or if she wanted to believe them. It would be easy to say that Eren hadn't gained her trust from his story.

And yet, Carla couldn't find it within herself to do such a thing. Just like the time she spent in her room... Carla didn't know what to do.

However, Eren took another risk by helping her on her way.

"Mom... I know you don't believe me," he said. He wasn't expecting her to believe a word he said, since this was just like the time he confessed to Cinder. "That's why I didn't tell you about this before. That's why I kept it all a secret."

"..."

Carla remained silent as she listened and pondered her next move. Eren, on the other hand, stayed his course and continued to talk.

"I get why you feel that you can't trust me, why you can't believe me now. But before you decide that you won't be able to trust me again, I just need you to ask yourself one question. I need you to ask yourself... 'What if I'm right?'"

"..."

Eren held his hand out a little further. "If you decide that you can't trust me again, I know that means..." Eren choked on his words since they were starting to hurt his feelings. "I know that means you don't want anything to do with me. That you don't want to see me again. But if that happens... that means you'll never know the truth. That means all of your questions will go unanswered until the day you die."

"..."

"I was being honest with you right now, but you won't believe me if you decide you can't trust me. Right now, this is the only way I can prove to you that I'm being honest." Eren held out his hand even further. "Let me prove myself to you."

"..."

The silence and lack of movement from Carla made Eren grow incredibly afraid. It was also breaking his heart, just like it had broken last night. He didn't care about Salem or Darkness anymore. All Eren wanted was his mother, to show her how much she meant to him.

All he wanted was for her to take his hand.

"Mom... please," he begged with a broken voice.

"..."

It was true that Carla didn't believe a thing that Eren had told her. It was true that she didn't think that taking his hand would allow his story to make sense. However, there was one thing that Carla did believe. Between his outburst last night, his insistence that he was being honest right now, and the broken tone of his final plea, there was something about her son that Carla could believe.

Eren was desperate.

Eren was desperate for belief, for acceptance of his story. And more than anything, he was desperate for Carla to take his hand. Carla believed that, since Eren was always somebody who wore his emotions plain on his face. In the past, she saw Eren wear anger, joy, and all kinds of other emotions.

But there was only one time that Carla remembered Eren appear to be desperate. It was the day that he tried to save her from the Titans, the day he refused to leave without her.

And now, there was no denying that Eren was wearing that same face right now.

With that in mind, Carla made her decision. It wasn't the decision that she was willing to trust him again or not, but it was just as important. It was also a risk, one that Carla had calculated very carefully before she made her next move.

With a mixture of reluctance and desire, a desire to remove the heartbreaking look of despair Eren was wearing... Carla took her son's hand.

And that moment, everything changed.

Carla was surprised when her kitchen turned into a barren wasteland of red rocks and dark crystals. She looked from left to right as she tried to make sense of what was happening, but she couldn't.

It was strange to think that Carla was stern and stubborn just a few moments ago, that she was acting how any rational adult would in the past situation. But now, Carla felt that her world had collapsed around her. Not just because of what just happened, but also because Eren did exactly what he said he would do.

He proved that he was being honest.

"Is this... part of the power Eren was saying?" Carla asked herself as she took in every detail. When she heard her son's voice call out to her, Carla was forced to accept the reality of the situation as she looked down at Eren. "My God..." she began. "You... You were telling me the truth."

"Yes. He was."

Carla's heart nearly burst out of her chest when she turned around. As soon as she came across a purple man, one that lacked a face but possessed a pair of horns, Carla became frozen in fear as she asked a question.

"Eren... who is that?"

"That's Darkness," Eren replied as he took his mother's hand. "He's the one who sent me here."

"Eren, aren't you going to introduce me to your mother?" Darkness asked sarcastically, not really caring who the lowly woman was.

"Wait a minute... this is the place?" Carla asked as she looked around at the black wasteland. "This is the Coordinate that ties everyone together?"

"The one back home connected all of Ymir's subjects, but this one works the same way," Eren explained. "This one connects Remnant together."

Carla pointed back to Darkness. "And he's someone with the power of the Titans?"

"My powers are much more than Titans, my dear," said Darkness, chuckling at the woman's ignorance. "Eren may have the ability to change himself, but I've created Remnant itself."

"He and his brother are really the Gods of Remnant," Eren said. "He sent me here to stop Salem."

"Right... Salem," Carla remembered. She was still reluctant to believe everything she was seeing and hearing, despite the fact that a god stood before her. "She's the one who can control Grimm."

"Every Grimm except Titans," Eren explain. "The only one who can do that is me. That's how I gave Cinder a Titan."

Carla was thinking so much about all of this that it was causing her head to ache. "Eren, this... this is just too much to understand all at once."

"And yet, you're very much involved," said Darkness, who placed a cold hand on Carla's shoulder. When she looked at him, the deity explained what he was talking about. "Without you, I probably wouldn't have a champion to begin with."

Carla's fear of the purple man grew as she felt the coldness of his hand, and so did her confusion. "Wh-What?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Carla. So naïve." Darkness shook his head very slowly before he spoke again. "How do you think you came to be on Remnant in the first place? After your... unfortunate demise?"

"I... Um... I-"

Eren gently tugged on his mother's hand so she could look at him. When she did, Eren cleared the confusion. "Mom... it was him," he admitted. "He brought you here."

"What?" Carla's looked at Darkness and pointed at him. "You?"

"Who else?" Darkness sarcastically replied as he reveled in Carla's shock and fear. For him, it was truly enjoyable. And he was looking to expand on this enjoyment. "Perhaps you require a demonstration of my power?"

Carla quickly shook her head so she could regain her focus. She was unsure how such a thing was possible, but Carla decided to take Eren's word that Darkness was indeed a god. But there was one thing, above all others, that she couldn't understand.

"You brought me to Remnant?" Carla asked. "But... why?"

"Insurance," Darkness replied. "Isn't that right, Eren?"

Carla was still confused when she looked down again, but this time was different. She began to put the pieces together, from Eren's outburst last night to Darkness' idea of "insurance."

And despite the fear and confusion, Carla felt a warm feeling in her heart as she asked her next question.

"Eren... you came here... for me?"

Eren couldn't find the strength to look his mother in the eyes, but he slowly nodded before he answered the question. "Salem's real," he said. "When I found out you were here... I wanted to help you. To protect you from her." Eren looked down at his hands. "I had to do that... the only way I knew how."

Carla put another piece together. "The Titans."

Eren nodded again. "All of those Grimm... would've killed you." Eren finally looked up at his mother. "So I stopped them."

"..."

Carla was speechless. She couldn't find any trace of lies or secrets ever since she came to the desolate place. She was able to comprehend everything Eren was saying, about Remnant and the Grimm. She immediately believed that she was right about him, that he wasn't the same boy she once knew on Paradis.

But this time, Carla didn't believe this idea out of malice or fear.

Instead, Carla remembered how impulsive and bad-tempered Eren was back home. How he always fought and argued with people on a whim. That was what changed within Eren. Carla could now see that Eren did what he did in Kuroyuri for a reason he deemed to be good.

This time... that reason was her.

"Eren..." Carla began. "I-"

"There, you see?"

Eren and Carla looked at Darkness again, who was standing with his hands behind his back.

"This is what happens when you take my advice to heart, Eren," he said. "It seems you have everything together after all. Impressive."

"..."

Eren remembered the "advice" Darkness gave him earlier, which was obviously what the god was referring to. Eren was still annoyed by the experience, so he remained silent.

"As for you..." Darkness said as he turned to the woman. "You would be wise to treat your saviors with respect." He raised his right hand to reveal a ball of fire. "I returned you and your friend to life, Carla Yeager. Taking it away would be simple."

"..."

Carla lost her voice again as fear took over. She finally began to see that there were things in life that were much bigger than her. Much bigger than simple scolding or reprimanding of Eren could fix. She was an ant when compared to the God of Darkness, someone that he wouldn't think twice about killing if he had to.

After all, he gave Eren the ability to turn into a Titan. This, combined with the limitless possibility of what else he could do, made Carla lose her courage and any sense of opinion she deemed worthy when it came to Titans.

She was even beginning to lose her own sense of significance. Namely, that she herself was insignificant.

"That's enough!"

Carla looked down at Eren again, but he was looking at Darkness this time. "It's over," he insisted. "Leave her alone."

Darkness once again appreciated Eren's boldness, which was one of many factors that made Darkness believe he chose wisely when he chose Eren as his champion.

"Very good, Eren," Darkness said as he made the fire disappear. "Protecting your mother from me. Now, I believe you have Salem to contend with."

"I know," Eren replied. "So let me handle it."

While Darkness favored Eren's boldness, he believed it was time that the boy remembered his place. "Like this?" He gestured to Carla. "Spending the entire day reconnecting with your mother?" Darkness took a step to Eren and lowered his head down to his level. "I would hate to think I made the same mistake my brother did when he brought someone back from the dead."

Eren recognized the threat before him, especially after Darkness made fire return to his hand. Their first meeting served as a reminder that Eren couldn't beat Darkness in a fight, so he chose not to fight again.

The same, however, couldn't be said for Carla.

"Get away from him!"

When she recognized the look of fear on Eren's face, Carla pushed him behind her and looked contemptibly at the God of Darkness. "What kind of sick man dares to threaten a child's life?!" she screamed. "You can hate me all you want, but you stay away from my son!"

"..."

Both Eren and Darkness were surprised by this reaction.

Darkness clenched his fists. "You dare-?"

"What's the point of all this?! Just to win some perverted game with your brother?! Are you really that pathetic, hiding your true goals from Eren and Cinder?!" Carla had learned enough from Dina about Marley to know that some words and ideas from officials were just political and hiding a more sinister agenda.

And given that this was a God of Darkness, Carla was sure that there was something more sinister behind his plans.

"I don't care what you want when all this is over!" Carla said as she continued to stand in front of Eren. "But if you think you're going to make my life, our lives, a part of your game, then you can just go to Hell!"

Eren suddenly felt worried about his mother's safety. He had seen what happened the last time someone spoke out against a god, so he tried to stop her from making everything worse. "Mom, stop! You'll just make things worse!"

"Eren is wise to know his place," Darkness said as fire grew from his hand and close to Carla's face. "I could destroy you in an instant, should you choose to keep insulting me."

"...No," Carla said as she backed away. "I'm done here." She looked down to Eren. "I'd like to go home now."

"...Okay."

As the two disappeared, Darkness began to calm down. He was pretty close to making the simple woman suffer for treating her savior in such a manner. One would think she would be grateful at being given a chance to live again. And in a world without the one thing she feared, no less.

Then again, Darkness was able to commend Carla on one aspect of hers; she figured out that there was more to his desires than stopping Salem. But Eren didn't need to concern himself with that.

Not yet, at least.

---

Eren and Carla immediately found themselves back in the farmhouse. Once they did, Eren was about to commend his mother. The arguments they used to have were usually directed at him, but this time was different. Eren immediately believed his mother to be a brave woman, if she was willing to talk to Darkness like that.

Eren thought back on how Carla argued with Darkness like she argued with him back home. To do both, Eren realized, was incredibly brave of her. It was worthy of the most utmost respect.

"Mom," Eren said with reddened cheeks. "Back there... that was ama-"

"Just a minute, Eren," Carla insisted as she stood up from the table. When she moved to the front door and opened it, Carla found Dina standing on the other side with Cinder and her friends. Nora had run up to the house and pressed her ear against the door to listen to the conversation, and everyone else followed her.

Dina wanted to tell Nora that eavesdropping was wrong, but she couldn't resist her own temptations. That changed, however, when Carla opened the door.

"Carla," Dina addressed her friend. "Are you o-?" She suddenly stopped talking when she felt two arms wrap around her.

"Thank you for doing all of this, Dina," Carla said with a smile. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be stuck in my room the whole day."

"..."

Dina was at a loss for words, but she was happy enough to return the hug. She was happy to see that she hadn't lost Carla as a friend, and she was also happy that Carla was apparently doing much better.

This might be the first time today that she actually smiled.

When Carla let go of Dina, she looked down at the children. "Eren's in the kitchen," she said to Cinder. "You can see him if you want." Cinder rushed inside to find Eren, which led to Carla seeing Ren and Nora.

And she greeted them in the same manner.

"Hello, Lie," she said with a smile. "Nora." Ren bowed his head while Nora smiled and waved. Carla then stepped aside and invited them in as well.

"They know too," Dina whispered to Carla after the children stepped inside. "It was their idea for Eren and Cinder to do what they did last night." Carla nodded as she let Dina inside as well.

Once she found everyone in the kitchen, and after all of his friends made sure that Eren was doing okay, Carla apologized for how... awkward the past few hours had been for everyone. She then assured everyone that things would be better, and that they could talk about everything over lunch.

Nora was elated to hear the news, which was why she hugged both Eren and Cinder tightly. Both of the children gasped for air as they underestimated Nora's natural strength. But that didn't diminish the good feeling in the room. In fact, it only got better when Ren insisted that he would share the good that came from last night.

Carla accepted the offer, but first she wanted a moment alone with Eren.

After assuring his friends that it would be okay, Eren joined Carla upstairs to finish their conversation. Dina said that she would start making lunch, and Cinder said that she would keep Ren and Nora occupied until Eren rejoined them.

As he walked upstairs, Eren felt better about everything. The walk he was making wasn't like the one he made to the house. The good feeling that Carla created, which suppressed any tension or awkward feeling that last night created, was something that made Eren feel confident and happy.

But most of all, Eren was still proud of his mother for standing up to Darkness.

"Mom, that was amazing!" Eren said after he stepped into his bedroom. Carla was standing by the door after she closed it, but Eren continued to talk. "I mean, I stood up to Darkness before, but not like that! That was just... unbelievable!" Eren chuckled as his cheeks grew red. "I, uh, guess I got some of that bravery from you, huh?"

"..."

Carla finally turned around to face Eren. When she did, Eren felt his joy and comfort flee from him. Carla had changed her attitude once again, but it wasn't like it was earlier. She wasn't stern, or demanding, or asserting her control of the situation.

She was crying.

"I... I'm trying so hard to hold myself together," Carla confessed to her son. "But I've never been more scared than I am now."

Eren felt great pity for his mother when she made her confession. "Mom-"

"A God of Darkness? Grimm being controlled by someone like us? And he wants you to stop her?" Just like she did in the Coordinate, Carla lost her resolve as a mother and her sense of self-importance in life. "I never thought I would be so blind to things bigger than myself."

Eren immediately approached his mother, which caused her to kneel down to his level. "Mom... I know how you feel," he said. "I was blind to the real fight at hand back home. I didn't know Marley even existed before we took back Shiganshina. I always thought I would be fighting Titans. And all of that was before I met Darkness, before he told me about Salem."

Carla dried her eyes, even though more tears came in their place. "...You have to keep using your Titan, don't you?" she asked.

"Yeah... I do." Eren remembered what his mother said about wanting honesty, so he didn't lie to her now.

"And what about Salem? Does that mean you're... leaving?"

Eren sighed before he replied. "I want to stay," he said. "I want to stay here with you. But the thing is... Salem's not going to come after me. She doesn't even know that I exist."

"..."

Carla silently nodded as she closed her eyes and cried. She remembered the last time Eren left her, the day that she died. She remembered being scared and alone, that her only family had vanished before her eyes.

All of that happened before. And now it was going to happen again.

"But I'm not leaving today," Eren promised. "I'm not leaving tomorrow, either. I have to train my Titan, I have to be as strong as I was before I died. It's going to be a while. And... I can stay here. While I grow. If you want."

Carla opened her eyes again and dried them once more. "If... If I want?" she asked. She was confused as to why Eren would believe that would be up for debate, but Eren wasn't confused.

"I lied to you because I knew you wouldn't believe it all," Eren said. "I kept secrets from you because I knew you would react like you did last night. Like you did when I said I wanted to join the Survey Corps. I just... couldn't let anything stop me from fighting Salem."

"..."

"But if I knew what was going to happen, if I knew you would be scared like you are now... I would have told you everything." Eren shook his head before he continued talking. "I mean, I still have to tell you everything. About Paradis, about Marley, about Atlas. You asked me to be honest, so I'm going to be honest."

"..."

"But... if you still feel that you can't trust me, I can go and-"

"No!"

Carla wrapped her son in a hug, one that caught him off guard. It wasn't as strong as Nora's bear-hug, but it still caught Eren by surprise.

"Eren, please don't go!" Carla begged. "I'm sorry I was so mad, I'm sorry I didn't believe you downstairs! I don't want you to go, I want you to stay here! I want to watch you grow, I want to be a part of your life! Please, stay with me!"

"..."

It was a little hard to hear everything in between her sobs, but Eren understood what his mother felt. He also began to cry and he also hugged his mother, as soon as she said one more thing.

"Eren... I love you!"

The confirmation was enough to make Eren let all of his emotions out as well. He was happy that he hadn't lost his mother after all, that he could still fight for her like he fought on Paradis.

Fighting for Carla... was all Eren wanted.

"I'm going to tell you everything," Eren promised as he continued to hug his mother. "I'm not going to hide anything again. I'm going to be honest with you from now on."

Carla was thankful for this, but not as thankful as she was to have Eren back. "And I'm going to trust you," she said. "And when the time comes... I won't stand in your way to Salem. You're going to stop her... and I'm going to be proud of you."

Somehow, Eren knew that was true. That one day, he would stop Salem and free Remnant from her grasp.

But today, he learned that his mother would be there waiting for him to come back home.

And now, he wouldn't have it any other way.

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Update: hey, everyone. This is the rewrite for Chapter 9. Hope you enjoy it. Please leave your thoughts in the comments before you go, it'll really help us.

Author's notes: thank you so much for reading all of this. The Avenging Titan and I were really surprised at how the number of favs/follows has grown with more chapters. Please be sure to leave your honest thoughts/opinions in the comments. Even if you didn't like the chapter, we want to hear what you have to say and what you think.

Once again, thank you for reading, and we'll see you next chapter!