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.

10. Chapter 10 (Rewrite)

"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway."

John Wayne

Chapter 10: New Faces

"So after you tie the knot like this... you got it! It's done!"

"Wow! It's pretty!"

"It really is. Good job."

Cinder was currently at home, sitting at the kitchen table. Her present company was Nora, who decided to visit her new friends while Ren was working with his father. Eren said he was busy, but Cinder was more than happy to play with Nora.

The majority of their time together was spent looking through a book of arts and crafts. Cinder had used the book to make a couple of things, and she decided to show Nora how she could do it too. After scanning the pages, Nora decided to make an attempt at making a small rag doll. Her first two attempts were unsuccessful, but Cinder helped her along the way to make something beautiful.

Nora spent a few seconds admiring her handiwork. Ever since she saw Vasilisa, Nora wished to have a doll like her. The doll she made was very close to Cinder's prized possession, but Nora realized that something was missing.

"What's wrong?" Cinder asked when she saw the puzzled look on Nora's face. "You don't like it?"

"No, I like it!" Nora insisted. "I just need to do one more thing." She quickly jumped off the table and moved to a set of drawers. After searching through each one, Nora found what she was looking for: a black marker. Once she took the cap off, Nora began to draw on the doll.

"Um, I don't think that's part of the instructions," said Cinder. She wasn't trying to tell Nora what to do, but Cinder was worried that Nora might ruin the doll.

"I know, I'm just adding a step," said Nora. She continued to doodle on the toy without a care in the world.

"But you might ruin it!"

"Relax, Cinder. I'm just about... done!" Nora showed the doll to Cinder to reveal a smiling face with a few freckles. "Ta-da! Now she's like Vasilisa!"

Cinder had to admit, she was skeptical of going against the rules like Nora just did. Her time at the farm of orphans and the Glass Unicorn told her that breaking the rules would only lead to pain and punishment. But once she saw what Nora added, Cinder realized that she was being silly. Adding a face was actually a great idea, one that Cinder wanted to try on the next doll she would make with Nora.

But it seemed that would have to wait.

"Nora!" a voice from outside called out. The children moved from the table to a window in the kitchen, where they saw Dina Fritz outside and waving to them. "Li and An are here!"

"Coming!" Nora said as she took her doll. But before she left, Nora pulled Cinder into a tight hug. "See you tomorrow, Cinder!" Quickly letting her go, Nora ran outside with a smile on her face. As she left, Dina stepped inside and looked at a smiling Cinder.

"Did you have fun?" Dina asked calmly.

"I did," Cinder honestly admitted. "Thank you again for letting her come."

"Of course. Seeing you two together is always a treat."

Cinder couldn't agree more. She didn't have many friends at the moment, and Eren was still her best friend. However, a month of living together in Kuroyuri taught Cinder that she couldn't do everything with Eren. He had his own interests, and dolls certainty wasn't one of them.

Spending time with Nora helped Cinder see that making friends wasn't so hard. And it was also for the best, since Cinder was able to do other things she wanted with other friends. It helped her see that being nice to others was a great quality to have.

Playing with Nora was fun, but now Cinder was ready to see if she could spend time with Eren. However, one look out the window told the young girl that this wasn't possible at the moment.

About two weeks had passed since Eren began to divulge the secrets he had been hiding from his mother. Just as he promised, he was going to be honest and tell Carla everything that had happened to him after she died. And he had been doing that every day, whenever Carla was ready to hear more.

Carla would usually have these talks with Eren by the pond. Ever since she was a little girl, Carla found the pond on her property to be a quiet and soothing place. If she wasn't feeding the ducks that swam there, Carla would be thinking quietly about her life and whatever issues were on her mind. The nature of the pond was quiet soothing, even when Carla had grown up into a woman.

Eren found the pond to be soothing as well. It wasn't quiet like the ocean, but Eren once believed that ponds were close enough. He felt this way since he saw Armin's book on Paradis, and felt this way now.

So, it was easy for Eren to tell his life's story and it was easy for Carla to listen. She had heard quite a lot ever since she found out the purpose behind Eren's current Titan, and it was almost hard to believe. The first thing Eren decided to tell her was that he had gained a Titan on Paradis from his father.

Eren and Dina decided to tell Carla together that Grisha was the husband she had on Marley, how he was granted the Attack Titan, and how he had been quested by Eren Kruger to seek and obtain the Founding Titan of Eldia.

And pass both of them down to Eren.

Carla didn't know how to take the news. She didn't know how to react to the fact that her best friend was actually Grisha's first wife. She became hysterical, at first, since she once wondered how she became friends with Dina in the first place. She believed that Darkness, and the whole universe itself, had played a joke on her.

Once the hysterics disappeared, Carla became rather melancholy. Not because she didn't believe what Eren and Dina had said, but rather that she once again felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things. She felt like she had been used by Grisha, that her only purpose was to help him have another child and that he would simply forget about her.

He did, after all, leave her and Eren the day the Colossus Titan destroyed Wall Maria. And it seemed Grisha had passed down his inclination to keep secrets onto Eren.

Eren decided to take it upon himself to make his mother feel better, to let her know that this wasn't true. In order to do that, Eren told Carla how Grisha begged the Reiss Family, the rulers of the island, to prevent the wall from falling.

He then used his memories to show Carla that Grisha wanted to save his wife, son, and adoptive daughter.

This made Carla feel a little better, but she felt even better when Eren told his mother that he still loved her. And not only that, but Eren reminded her that she was the reason he came to Remnant in the first place. Whatever he would do to Salem, however he would save the world, it would be because Carla was here.

"You're special, Mom," Eren insisted. "Because you were born in this world."

That one idea made Carla think about how Eren saved Kuroyuri and saved dozens of people. She still had questions about Atlas, but Carla couldn't deny that Eren had saved Kuroyuri. And to think that she was the inspiration behind this selfless act made her heart warm and open.

She mattered after all.

Eren then explained how the trauma of... inheriting the Attack and Founding Titans caused him to forget what happened. He didn't even know he had a Titan until years later, until he was nearly killed by one. Eren went on about how this first transformation set off a chain of reactions.

First, he had to seal the hole in Wall Rose and survive an angry mob at a trial.

Then, he had to discover that another Titan was hunting him. And that Titan was Annie Leonhart, who was a Marleyan Warrior. Eren didn't find that out until much later.

Next, Eren had to survive being captured by Reiner and Bertholdt, the Armored and Colossus Titans.

After that, Eren learned that Grisha had stolen the Founding Titan when Rod Reiss sent Kenny Ackerman and the Anti-Personnel Control Squad to find him and Historia. The conflict allowed Historia to become Queen and Eren to learn more about his father.

And then after that, it was finally time to retake Wall Maria and find out what else Grisha had been hiding. That was how Eren found out about Grisha's past, mainly with Marley, the Eldians, the Titans, Dina, Zeke, and the outside world.

Each story Eren told made the young boy feel a little better. Carla felt a little better too, since she felt that she was growing closer to her son through the process. Eren didn't spare a single detail about his adventures and deeds, and Carla would thank him each and every time he had been honest.

To thank him, each and every time he finished a story, Carla would give Eren a hug and kiss before they each resumed their daily activities.

Today and yesterday, however, were different. Because Eren knew that each of his stories, each of his acts of honesty, were leading up to one crucial moment.

The Rumbling.

Yesterday, Eren began with what the Rumbling actually was. He explained it was an empty threat King Fritz made to Marley, that he would break the walls and let the Colossus Titans inside walk and destroy everything. Of course, Eren had explained the truth about the walls and the King before. He even explained how King Fritz's vow renouncing war had passed down over the years.

It was always meant to be an empty threat... but Eren was forced to explain how he made that threat a reality.

He explained how he and his friends learned just how strongly the world hated Paradis. How much the world wanted to destroy the island and everyone on it, how they wouldn't even consider the idea of peace.

Carla then listened to the plan Eren had made to prevent Paradis' destruction, his plan to stop the world. After leaving his friends and posing as a Marleyan soldier, Eren made contact with his half-brother and learned how Zeke wanted to sterilize the Eldians so they would disappear after several decades.

Eren agreed to this plan, which led to a city called Liberio being destroyed, Eren inheriting yet another Titan, severing ties with the government and making his own army of "Yeagerists," and the war for Paradis finally beginning.

Eren then explained how he used Zeke just to gain access to the Founding Titan. How he used it to bring the walls down and make the Colossus Titans march.

Carla not only listened to Eren's plan, but she figured it out along the way.

She may not have been educated like Dina was, but Carla wasn't stupid. She could tell that there was more to Eren's plan than he had been confessing, that all of his efforts had been building up to something big.

He wouldn't go though all the trouble of manipulating his half-brother, severing ties with Mikasa and Armin, and bringing down all three walls just to stop a single army. Just as Carla noticed before, Eren had become a person who did things for a well thought-out reason.

"...You didn't stop with the Alliance, did you?" Carla confidently asked.

"...No," Eren confessed.

"You just... kept going... didn't you?"

"...Yes. Yes, I did."

"..."

Eren had much more to tell Carla, how he had seen the Rumbling via the Attack Titan's memories and how he planned for Mikasa and everyone else to stop him. However, he also had to tell her that his act of genocide resulted in eighty-percent of humanity being destroyed.

But Carla wasn't ready to hear all of that just yet.

"Thank you... for being honest with me," Carla said as she stood up. "But I need time, Eren. I need... I need..."

Eren didn't need Carla to finish that sentence. Any rational person would need time to understand this act, to wrap their head around it. And so, Eren nodded at his mother to show that he understood.

With that, Carla left Eren alone. And she was careful to hide her tears and horrified expression while doing so.

However, Eren didn't need to see his mother's face to know how she was feeling. He knew, in his heart, that Carla had the same kind of reaction as Historia had when he revealed his plan. He knew she was thinking about the innocents he killed, the people who did no harm to the island whatsoever.

People who were like Carla.

The lack of a hug and kiss, which almost became a kind of habit, told Eren that Carla had these thoughts and feelings in her mind. It was very similar to the time she found out he was Titan, how emotional and disagreeable she was. There was no emotional explosion this time, but the same feelings were present.

And while they broke Eren's heart once more, the young boy stood up and got his mind off it the same way he had been doing so for the past two weeks: working.

Most of Carla's farmhands were still helping the town, and their work was almost complete. However, there was still some work that needed to be done at the farm since the invasion. Eren naturally volunteered, and Carla found a few chores for him to do. The chores were mostly solitary, but Eren didn't mind. Ever since he had been talking with his mother about his life, Eren required a quiet environment to get his mind back in the right spot.

Only today, this would be different. There was nothing that could get his mind off the Rumbling. Not even the chore of picking apples off trees.

This was Eren's last chore for the day, and he felt mostly indifferent about its simplicity. Carla was adamant that the work he did would be easy and safe, and picking apples that would be sold later was one of them. However, Eren was somewhat afraid that this would not only be the last chore of the day, but the last chore forever.

He wouldn't blame Carla for changing her mind about him. After all, the Rumbling had placed the world's hatred onto Eren rather than Paradis. One more person hating him would just be natural. Eren hoped with all his heart it wouldn't happen with Carla, but he knew hate would be a natural reaction in this scenario.

Eren didn't admit it, but he needed to let these feelings out. And Cinder had just given him an opportunity to do so.

*CREAK*

The sound of a door closing behind him made Eren look to see Cinder walking towards him with an empty basket for apples. She was familiar with Eren's habit of working alone, sometimes for hours, after his long talks with Carla. Today, however, she decided that she didn't want Eren to be working alone. It reminded her of the times she had to work at the other farm, which was something she loathed. And something was telling her that Eren was sad each and every time he finished talking to Carla.

She was right, but Eren's sadness made him unwilling to talk.

"You don't need the basket," he said as he turned back to the tree. "I think I got enough already."

"You had enough when you stopped picking yesterday," said Cinder, who picked up Eren's full basket to make him stop working. "Why don't you let me take over? I can help."

"No, it's fine. Mom could use more apples."

"You could always take a break, you know. I mean, you missed Nora coming over today."

"I know." Eren leaned against the tree. "I was still talking to Mom."

"I know, but you're done now. Eren, come on, just take it easy for a little while."

Cinder may have had the best intentions for Eren, but she didn't understand that the young boy wasn't in the best state of mind. And between his mother's justified reaction to the Rumbling and Cinder's apparent pestering, Eren was starting to grow annoyed and tired.

"What, am I bothering you?" Eren bluntly asked.

Cinder was taken aback by the harsh behavior, but she stayed her course. "Um... no," she insisted. "It's just been a while since we talked. You're always with your mom and working. I just thought you could use a change."

The explanation didn't calm Eren's temper. "Cinder, I don't have time for games. That's not why I'm here."

"Don't have-?"

"..."

Cinder couldn't believe this was what Eren was thinking, that he was being so serious and stubborn. But what hurt her was that she couldn't figure out what had gotten Eren so upset. Kuroyuri was close to being back on its feet, he was talking to his mother again, things seemed to be fine.

But Cinder was unaware that Eren had finally decided to talk about the Rumbling. Because of this, she continued her efforts with her friend.

"But Eren, isn't this what we're fighting for?" Cinder asked. "To be free? To do anything we want without worrying about someone keeping us trapped? Why can't we enjoy it? Why can't we-?"

"Enjoy it?" Eren asked as he moved closer to Cinder. "Enjoy what, Cinder? I still have to train my Titan, I'm still trying to talk to my mom, and I have Salem to deal with! And all three of those things just hit a wall right now, so tell me! What do I possibly have to enjoy?!"

"..."

This was a rhetorical question, so Eren didn't expect an answer from the shocked and speechless young girl. So he turned around and began to walk away, but not before he said one thing.

"Do whatever you want, Cinder. Don't wait up for me."

"..."

Cinder didn't believe what she had just heard. She remembered plenty of times where Eren had been angry and when he used that anger to defend himself. It always gave Cinder hope, since Eren knew how to fight and he was strong for both him and her.

But that anger had never been directed at her before. A part of her once believed that it never would, since she and Eren were the best of friends. But now that it had, Cinder didn't know what to think or how to feel.

However, that didn't stop her from letting a few tears fall down her cheeks.

Fortunately, Dina had witnessed part of Eren's tirade after Carla had returned inside. She knew something was wrong with the way Carla entered the house and locked herself in another room. It wasn't her bedroom, but rather a study that was once utilized by Carla's own mother. And Carla would only lock the door when she wasn't ready to talk to anyone.

Dina knew that Carla and Eren had been talking, so she was certain that something had happened to upset her. And when she heard Eren's tirade, it was clear that something had upset him as well.

Sadly, this feeling had passed on to Cinder.

"Cinder, dear," Dina said as she stepped outside and kneeled down to the child. "It's okay. Don't worry about Eren."

Cinder couldn't help but worry about Eren, since it wasn't like him to act this way towards her. He only did so to people who upset or hurt him, and it seemed that Cinder had done the same.

"I... I was just trying to help him," she insisted as she dried her eyes. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, sweetheart." Dina gave Cinder a hug to help her. "Eren's just not ready to talk. Carla's not either, I think their conversation didn't go too well. Just give him a little time, he'll be ready."

"...Really?"

"Really really."

Dina smiled at Cinder when she said this, which caused the little girl to smile once again. She then led her back inside, to the bookshelf she had in her small classroom. Dina was certain that reading with Cinder would help the child get her mind off Eren, and she was right.

Cinder was doing most of the reading, and it was from a book that was supposed to be a little more advanced than most books for children her age. And yet, Cinder read each page clearly and enjoyed everything she was doing.

Dina was very proud of Cinder, and especially proud of what she did next.

*TAP*

*TAP*

*TAP*

Cinder and Dina looked up to the doorframe to see Carla once again. She had mostly relaxed and regained her bearings after her talk with Eren, and she remembered that someone had tried opening the door to her study.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said politely. "Did you need something, Dina? While I was in the study?"

"Oh," Dina said as she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Sorry to bother you."

"Oh, it wasn't a bother." Carla certainly needed a distraction, so she invited herself inside and looked at Cinder. "What are you reading, sweetheart?"

Cinder closed the book and showed the cover to Carla with a smile. "The Secret History of the World," she said proudly. "I started it yesterday with Ms. Fritz."

"Oh, wow. Do you like it?"

"Uh-huh!"

Dina giggled at the idea. "Haven't you said that about every book we've read together?" she playfully asked.

"...Maybe," Cinder playfully replied.

Everyone shared a laugh at the situation, since it was true that Cinder enjoyed every book she had been reading. Dina was more than proud to do this with Cinder, just like she was with her other students. However, there was something about Cinder that felt different. There was something about her that was special.

Every time she helped, taught, and read with Cinder, Dina felt a sense of familiarity. She felt a sense of instinct. Something that should have been there with Zeke.

But she was taken out of these thoughts when Carla decided to leave.

"Well, I'll just let you get back to it," she said as she turned around.

"Wait!"

Cinder moved out of her seat and ran towards the doorframe to catch up to Carla. Both of the women were surprised by the immediate reaction, but Carla didn't turn Cinder away.

"Yes, dear?" she asked as she kneeled to Cinder.

"I, um... I was just wondering," Cinder began before she regained her confidence. "I saw Eren doing some chores outside. Are there any other chores he has to do?"

Carla took a moment to think about this. She wasn't ready to talk or think about what her son had just told her, but she didn't see the harm in answering a simple question like Cinder had.

"Not today, no," she replied. "Picking apples was the last thing I asked him to do today."

"Oh," Cinder said. "Well, what about tomorrow?"

"He told me that he used to clean stables when he was in the Survey Corps. He said he would do that for me tomorrow."

In that moment, Cinder decided to take a risk. She wasn't mad at Eren or anything, since Dina was able to help her understand that he was just upset. And despite being yelled at, Cinder took Eren's advice of doing whatever she wanted.

She wanted to talk to him, but that didn't seem possible at the moment. So instead, Cinder decided to help Eren in a different way.

"I think... I can start working, too," she offered. "Would you like me to clean the stables?"

Both Carla and Dina were surprised by this. They knew that Cinder wasn't very comfortable with working just yet, given her recent experiences in Atlas. Dina only saw Cinder being beaten in Eren's memories, but she was aware that she was a slave to the family who took her in. She naturally told Carla, who understood perfectly and sympathized with the child.

Which was why she was reluctant to let Cinder start working.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Cinder, it's okay if you're not ready or anything like that."

"I know," Cinder insisted. "But I think I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" Dina asked as she moved away from her desk. "Nobody's asking you to do anything, Cinder."

"I'm sure. I really want to help."

"..."

Carla and Dina briefly looked at each other after Cinder made this decision. They knew what she had gone through, but they also knew that Cinder knew how to make up her own mind. She had done it other times before, and there wasn't much difference right now.

"...Alright, then," Carla decided. "But if you need to stop, just tell either of us."

"And let me know if you need any help," Dina said. "I'm not too busy, you can come straight away. Okay?"

"Okay," Cinder decided. "So, what do I do?"

"Let me show you," Carla said as she led Cinder outside. "All you have to do is just sweep all the old and loose straw outside. Don't worry about the muck, I can get someone else to clean it."

"Are you sure?" Cinder asked. "I can clean up the dirt, it's just like the other farm I was on."

"Oh. Well, if you're sure, there's a brush and a hose inside. Just spray it down and wipe it up. Oh, and don't forget to use some gloves. That brush will give you splinters."

"Okay. Thank you."

Cinder did this job with pride, and she found out that it was much easier than the work she did at the first farm. The hose made washing the floor much easier, and there wasn't much difference with brushing.

"There," she said after she eventually finished the job. "This'll help Eren."

"..."

"I hope..."

---

Cinder was able to relieve Eren of his workload, but not of his burden. Carla was able to carry out casual conversation with Eren, but she hadn't spoken to him about the Rumbling or what came after that. She still needed time to wrap her head around it all, but she wasn't making much progress.

Eren understood, but his feelings weren't put at ease. Not even Cinder's best efforts could make Eren break his habits.

One day, Cinder decided to get help on her endeavor. She and Nora were together once again, walking through Kuroyuri's streets. A lot of work had been done into rebuilding the town, and everything was just about down. The main priority right now seemed to transition from cleaning the rubble to building new houses and the drawbridge Eren and Cinder suggested. And soon, there would be a moat surrounding the entire town to prevent a repeat of what happened weeks ago.

But that news didn't seem to make Cinder happy. All she could think about was Eren, and she couldn't help but describe her problems to Nora.

"And that's what he's been doing," Cinder finished her story. "He doesn't want to talk or anything. He just wants to work."

"Well, that's not very fun," Nora agreed, who did nothing but lend a helpful ear to Cinder. "It's... really sad."

"I know. That's why I begged him to come with us today. But he's still at the farm, working."

"And he hasn't said anything?"

"Well... he thanked me for helping him. But that's it."

Nora suddenly felt that she could sympathize with Cinder. There were days where Ren didn't really feel like spending time with her, where he felt like there were other things he either wanted or had to do. Nora was able to understand this sometimes, but there were times when she felt incredibly lonely. And Eren's behavior wasn't like Ren's. Eren was actively avoiding everyone around him. Ren would never do that.

However, Nora had a... creative idea for Cinder.

"You know, Ren sometimes doesn't want to play with me either," she said. "So I found a way to make him change his mind."

Cinder suddenly felt a hope that she could do the same thing with Eren, whatever it might be. "Really?" she asked with a smile. "Tell me!"

Nora yelled her idea with a bigger smile and arms in the air. "I sing to him!"

Cinder's smile disappeared when she heard the idea. During all the time she spent with Nora, Cinder had seen her do some funny, weird, and incredibly stupid things. And the idea Nora just had seemed to fit in the last category.

"What?" Cinder dryly asked, unable to believe she just heard Nora say that. However, Nora was willing to explain herself.

"I sing one of my favorite songs to Ren!" she said. "Whenever I do, he says he'll play with me!"

Cinder knew that Nora wasn't a liar, but she couldn't help but remain skeptical of an idea like this. "Nora, how can that possibly work?"

"I'll show you!"

Nora led Cinder to an more private road, completely free of people at the moment. And once she did, Nora began to sing.

However, she neglected to mention the fact that she decided to sing loudly and completely off-key.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star! How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the-!"

"Nora, Nora, stop!" Cinder yelled as she put her hands to her ears. She was unable to withstand the terrible singing, and she was also unable to hear herself think. "Please, stop."

Nora stopped singing and looked at Cinder's reaction. When she saw Cinder's head down while covering her ears, Nora knew how her friend was feeling. "Wow," she said calmly. "Am I really that bad?"

Cinder opened her eyes and looked back at Nora when she realized what she did. "Wait, I didn't mean-"

Nora suddenly began to laugh. "No, it's okay!" she assured Cinder. "See? Whenever I sing like that, Ren will want me to stop. So I'll stop when he spends some time with me!"

"..."

Cinder's jaw dropped at the realization of what just happened. She had no idea that this was Nora's plan all along. If Ren was anything like Cinder right now, he wouldn't want to hear the singing as well. In order to do that, he would spend time with Nora until her heart was content.

In the end, everyone got what they wanted. Ren wouldn't hear singing and Nora would spend time with her best friend. It was perfect.

"Nora... that's a great idea!" Cinder said with a smile.

"I know, right?!" Nora asked with a laugh. "So if you want Eren to talk or play with you, just do what I do!"

"And it's worked on Ren? I mean, he wasn't angry with you or anything?"

"Oh, no way! He always comes around to spending time with me!"

Cinder's logic behind this question was rather simple. The last time she tried to talk to Eren, he became annoyed and put himself at a distance from Cinder. The last thing she wanted was to make him angry again.

So rather than risk making another mistake, Cinder asked Nora if she could do to Eren what she did to Ren.

"I could, but I think I have a better idea," Nora insisted. "You can try singing to him."

"What?" Cinder asked as she felt a heat rise to her face. "Oh, Nora... I don't know, I-"

"What's the matter? It's not hard, you just sing!"

Cinder could see why Nora wasn't bothered by singing; she always wanted to try everything at least once in her life. Cinder, on the other hand, felt that she had a good reason behind her reluctance and embarrassment.

"Well... I never tried singing before," she confessed. "I don't even know if I can sing badly." Cinder knew her greatest skill was in reading, but singing was a different story.

"That's okay!" Nora confidently insisted. "Just choose a song and sing! If you've never done it before, then you won't be good!"

"Okay, but... I don't know a lot of songs." Cinder was familiar with music, but she had never actually tried to sing. She knew the point was to sing badly, but she was still unsure about singing at all.

Nora was about to suggest her favorite song, the one she had sang moments ago. But instead, she had another idea when she saw a bookstore behind her. "Let's find a song for you, then!" she said excitedly. "Come on!"

Cinder took Nora's hand and found herself looking through the books. She had been to this store before, it was one of the places Carla and Dina had shown her and Eren when they were given a proper tour. She spent a few minutes in there the first time she visited, but left when Eren found something he wanted to show her. She didn't remember what it was that Eren found, but she remembered that the two of them were happy.

Now she hoped she could regain some of that happiness through an... unorthodox method.

Cinder eventually found one song she liked, despite the point of the exercise was to sing badly. So she and Nora left the bookshop and began to walk towards the farmhouse. But when Cinder saw that Eren was helping sell the farm's produce, far away from her, she decided to take her chance at that very moment.

And Nora was willing to help.

"Hey, Eren!" Nora said to get the boy's attention. Once she had it, Nora directed the spotlight to her friend. "Cinder has something to tell you!"

Nora stepped aside to let Cinder talk to Eren. "Hi, Eren..." she began timidly.

"Hi," Eren said calmly as he looked at the stand of food he was watching.

"Um... what are you doing?"

"Just helping Mom sell this food. Now that everything's back to normal, we can start selling again."

"Oh, good. Are you, uh... Are you doing this all day?"

"No, Mom said she'd be here a little later to help. She said she wanted to see how everyone was doing."

"Oh. Well, uh..." Cinder turned around when she began to have second thoughts. But when Nora gestured for her to go on, she reluctantly decided to do so. "Nora and I were thinking we could do something today. I think... I really think you should come with us."

Eren didn't pick up on the subtlety of Cinder's words, so he continued to remain neutral. "I can't," he said. "I have other things to do."

Cinder sighed as she looked back to Nora again, who repeated the similar motion. And so, Cinder spoke to her friend once again.

"Eren... what's going on?" she sadly asked. "Why won't you just talk to me?"

Eren finally understood that Cinder was upset, but he remained calm and collected as he explained himself. He too, was feeling sad, but he was able to hide his emotions well.

"Talking... isn't going too well," he admitted. "You wouldn't understand."

"But I can try!"

Eren didn't think that this was true. Cinder was a very smart young girl, but her situation wasn't like Eren's. Sadly, she had no mother to talk to or had any similar experiences to what Eren had with Carla.

"I don't think so, Cinder," he said. "Sorry."

"..."

He didn't yell, and he didn't raise his voice like he did last time. But what Eren had said still made Cinder feel sad. She felt like she was still being pushed away, which was the opposite of what she wanted.

And just like last time, she wanted to help him. But first, Cinder needed to make Eren want to be helped. And based what she heard from Nora, there was only one way to do that.

So she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay... here I go," she said.

Eren looked back to Cinder. "Wait, what are you doing?" he asked.

Nora put her hands to her ears. "Just remember, Eren... Cinder gave you a chance," she said with a smirk. She then lowered her head and pressed her hands hard against her ears.

And with that, Cinder opened her mouth... and began to sing.

"Like the scarlet night, veil in the dark.

You can hide your fear, can lie my dear."

Nora took her hands off her ears and opened her eyes. Eren had a similar reaction as he stared at Cinder, and he let out a small gasp of surprise. He wasn't covering his ears or telling Cinder to stop like Nora had hoped. In fact, neither Eren or Nora wanted Cinder to stop.

Cinder's voice was... angelic. Something that Eren had never heard before, something extraordinary and beautiful. And with each word Cinder sang, Eren felt his worries and thoughts disappear as he listened to the song.

"Just like it is, look into this dream.

See these wings are stained in blood, spread them out!"

There was a group of people close to the stand where Eren was selling food, and they all had the same reaction as the children. They turned to the source of the beautiful singing, which Eren and Nora easily noticed. They too seemed to be enamored with the song, which was the opposite of what Nora was expecting.

"Um... Cinder?" Nora said to her friend. But Cinder didn't allow for any distractions as she continued to sing.

"Like a fallen angel.

Drifts and falls to the ground.

For the winds of time will never allow.

Into the starry night!

Like a Goddess you appear!

Please embrace me, for eternity!

Fly to Heaven."

"..."

Cinder had finished her song, but she didn't hear Eren begging her to stop. Instead, she heard nothing but praise.

*CLAP*

*CLAP*

*CLAP*

*CLAP*

*CLAP*

The sound of applause and cheers made Cinder open her eyes and see that Nora and Eren weren't her only audience anymore. The entire block seemed to be captured by her voice, and they seemed to want an encore. But Cinder was too surprised by her apparent fans to sing again, all she could do was listen to their voices.

"Hey, that was pretty good!"

"Yeah! Way to lighten the mood around here!"

"Not bad, kid!"

Cinder smiled and awkwardly chuckled as her face grew red. Once everyone began to depart, Cinder turned to Nora and whispered to her. "I thought everyone was supposed to cover their ears," she said.

"Why would they?" Nora asked. "That was the best singing I ever heard!"

"It was?"

Nora wasn't alone with these sentiments. Eren had listened to the whole song, awestruck and impressed. He felt calm as he listened to the song, despite the fact that there was no music to accompany it. Nobody really did any singing back on Paradis, so it was a rarity for Eren to hear.

But when he heard what Cinder had just done... Eren felt like something had awakened within him.

"Cinder... that was amazing," he said with a smile. In fact, this was the first time Eren was smiling in a while. "Where'd you learn to sing like that?"

Cinder wasn't expecting Eren's reaction, but she was glad to see it. She realized that the reaction she intended to evoke from Eren would have done more harm than good, so she accepted Eren's smile and amazement as she explained herself.

"Right here... just now," she said as she brushed a hand through her hair. The red on her face had disappeared, and she was starting to get over her embarrassment. "You... You really liked it?"

"Yeah!" Eren walked away from his side of the stand so he could talk to Cinder directly. "I mean, I can't remember the last time I listened to someone sing back home. I don't know if anybody did. But that was great!"

"Thanks." Cinder blushed again. "I, uh... didn't know I was that good."

"It really was, I-" Eren suddenly remembered that Nora had covered her ears at first and said that she "warned" him. "Wait... what's this all about? Why'd you do that?"

Cinder immediately remembered what was going on. "Well... I was hoping that... Nora and I were talking, and..."

Nora saw the opportunity to help Cinder once again and happily took it. "Eren, look," she said with authority. "Cinder's been telling me you haven't been yourself lately. We've seen it too. Ren, Cinder, and me... we miss you. We don't see you anymore, it's like you don't even want to see us." She put a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Cinder's been telling me all about it, we just wanna talk. If you're still thinking about the Titans and everything, you can tell us."

"..."

"The singing, uh... that was kinda my idea. Just forget about that."

Cinder took over for Nora when she saw that Eren was confused. "Eren... you once said that I was a good friend," she said. "I'm just trying to do that again, I'm trying to be a good friend to you. But I can't do that... if you won't let me."

"..."

Eren had no idea that all of this was about what he said to Cinder. And he definitely had no idea that what he had been doing had been affecting Ren and Nora as well. But then, he remembered how upset Mikasa was when he had the same attitude, and when he pushed her away on purpose. While she never really cried when he said he wanted to do things himself, Eren knew that he hurt Mikasa when he lied about always hating her.

And after he died, after he had been given his mother back, Eren said that he wasn't going to waste his chance. He was going to be honest and upfront about everything. But now, if he wanted to keep the new friends he made, Eren would have to be just as honest to them as well as Carla.

"Cinder... Nora, I... I'm sorry," Eren said sincerely. "I just... I didn't think... Maybe I-"

"Eren," Cinder said calmly as she approached closer. "Just tell me what's going on. That's all I need."

"..."

Whether it was the song or Cinder's current behavior, Eren decided that it was time to open up to his friends. He wasn't keeping secrets like he was before, but he just wasn't ready to talk.

But now, Eren saw that he had to be ready.

And so, Eren decided to tell only Cinder. He whispered into her ear that he had told Carla about the Rumbling, and how hard it was to do so. He then explained how hurt and uncertain he was by her reaction, despite the fact that it could be justified.

"That's why she's been acting strange," Cinder realized. She had noticed that Carla was also acting unlike herself; she had become more docile and quiet as of late, just like Eren.

The idea was actually strange to Eren, since all he noticed was that Carla hadn't spoken to him too much. He was unaware that she had been this way to everyone around her.

"She has?" Eren asked. "My mom?"

"Yeah!" Cinder insisted. "Where have you been?"

Eren sighed as he made another confession. "I think... I think I've been thinking too hard," he said. "About all of this."

The confession wasn't an easy one to make, since Eren had done nothing but let his thoughts ruminate in his head and in his head alone. Cinder was able to understand this, but there was one person who couldn't.

"Huh?" Nora asked. "Uh... how can you 'think too much?'" She tried to understand the concept rather than Eren's problem, but it only led to more questions than answers. "Wait, am I doing it now? Am I thinking too much?! Is it contagious?!"

Both Eren and Cinder couldn't help but laugh at Nora's misunderstanding. This was the first time he had laughed in a while, and Eren realized that he had missed it. Of course, it was Cinder's efforts that made him more open.

That, and her other questions.

"So, what happened?" she asked Eren. "Did your mom get angry again?"

"No, nothing like that," he replied. "I mean, she didn't like what she heard. But she knew I was being honest with her."

"And she hasn't talked to you since?"

"Not about home, no. I've just been trying to figure out what to do next. You know, what I should say. Or if she still wants to talk to me."

"Oh..." Cinder didn't know what to say next, so she hugged Eren instead. When he hugged her back, Cinder found out what to say next. "Well, no matter what happens... I'm still gonna be on your side."

"Yeah, me too!" Nora eagerly said. "Just let us know how we can help, okay?"

Eren smiled at the notion. "Thanks," he said sincerely. "I will." He felt better than before, and he was glad that he wouldn't be alone again. "I really liked your singing, by the way. I never heard anything like that before."

"Thanks, Eren," Cinder said gratefully. "You don't have to be nice, though. It was nothing."

"No, I'm serious. I'd really like to hear it again sometime."

"Really? It was that good?"

"Yeah, it was." Eren looked over to his other friend. "Right, Nora?"

"Totally!" said Nora. "I gotta tell Ren about this!"

Just as Cinder was about to thank her friends for being honest, a new voice came from behind them and said the same thing.

"I... liked it."

Everyone turned to see a young boy standing a few feet behind them. The boy had silver hair and he was wearing brown shorts with a black shirt, which had a gray pattern on the front that resembled a "Y." The boy was about Nora's height, a few inches smaller than Eren and Cinder.

But what everyone immediately noticed about the boy was that he wasn't known to them.

Regardless of the unfamiliarity with the boy, Cinder was the first to speak to him. "Um... thank you," she said politely. "Who are you?"

"Wait, haven't I seen you before?" Nora asked. While she didn't know the boy's name, she could have sworn she saw him at least once before today.

Eren hadn't seen the boy before, but he wasn't too concerned about his name. Instead, he was focused on the bruise under his left eye. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "What happened to your eye?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer Eren, but another voice cut him off.

"Mercury!"

Everyone jumped from the surprise and turned to the road behind them. Walking down that road was a man in a red sleeveless shirt, tan cargo pants, and black and green combat boots. Around his waist was a black and silver utility belt with various pouches and an empty holster for what looks like a gun of some kind. Sticking out from one of the pouches was a chrome alcohol flask with two stylized black wings. The man had pure white hair cut short and a pair of stormy grey eyes. A few noticeable scars were visible on his face, as well as his arms.

Along with the scars, the man wore a very intimidating scowl on his face.

"I thought I told you to stay put!" the man hissed as he grabbed the now named "Mercury's" arm. His voice was low and gruff, and a slight slur came along with the faint smell of strong alcohol. The smell left the four kids cringing, especially Mercury. "When I say stay put, you listen to me!"

"...Yes, sir," the boy sadly replied.

Content that the boy understood him, the man turned to the stand Eren was watching and examined the food. After a few seconds, he took a single potato from one of the baskets before he started to walk away with Mercury in tow.

Cinder and Nora were too intimidated by the sudden appearance and yell. Eren, however, didn't like what he was seeing.

"Hey!" Eren yelled to get the man's attention. "What are you doing?"

"Beat it, kid," the man said as he continued to walk.

But Eren quickly got in front of the man. "Aren't you gonna pay for that?"

The man shoved Eren aside as he walked. "I said beat it!"

Eren knew that the man was much bigger than him. And judging by the force behind this push, the man was much stronger too. But Eren had never met someone in Kuroyuri who would be brazen enough to try and steal some of his mother's produce. Everyone knew that they had to pay, nobody ever tried to steal anything.

And Eren, despite everything that just happened, wanted to make sure that nobody tried to steal and get away with it.

"Give that back!" Eren yelled as he grabbed the man's hand. When he scratched his hand, Eren watched the man drop the potato before he felt an iron-like grip around his wrist.

"Goddamn it!" he said as he squeezed Eren's hand. "Listen, you little shit! If you want me here doing my job, you'd better watch out who you're trying to-!"

"Eren!"

Eren and the man turned to see Carla running towards him with a worried look on her face. "What's going on here?!" she demanded. "Let him go!"

The man let go of Eren, but he didn't let the matter rest. "Is this your kid?" he rudely asked.

"Yes, he's my son!" Carla said with a glare. She had come to the stand to relieve Eren of the chore he volunteered for, only to find him being manhandled by someone twice his size. "Why were you-?"

"Well, he's got a shitty attitude," the man said as he picked up the potato he dropped. "He tried to stop me from taking food for myself. Isn't that why that stand is there?"

Carla was surprised to hear this about Eren, but then she remembered how he always started fights back home. However, she knew that he had changed a lot. The last couple of weeks and her last serious conversation with him helped Carla understand this, but she couldn't understand what would make Eren attack an apparent customer of hers.

But Eren was willing to explain.

"Mom, he was stealing that!" he insisted as he pointed at the potato. "He just took it without paying!"

Carla looked back at the man with a stern glare. "Is that true?" she asked. Once she heard that there was a reason behind Eren's behavior, it became easier for her to believe that he would take action against something like this.

"What?" the man asked. His voice didn't give off a gruff exterior or a domineering effect this time. Instead, he sounded confused. "Don't I get the Huntsman's discount here?"

"The Huntsman's... what?" Carla asked. "Sir, if you want what I'm selling, you have to pay like everyone else. I don't offer discounts for Huntsmen."

"...Huh." The man reached into his pocket while muttering to himself. Eren couldn't make out everything, but he thought he heard "backwards town" and "hicks" as the man pulled out two pieces of Lien. "Alright. Here you go."

"..."

Carla took the money without a word, and she gave the man a stern glare before she looked back to Eren. Because her back was turned, Carla missed the man looking at her from head to toe while smiling before he disappeared with his son.

"Eren, are you alright?" Carla asked as she looked at Eren's wrist. "I can't believe he did that to you!"

"I... I'm okay," Eren insisted. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Carla didn't seem to believe that. "Oh, I think it's starting to bruise. Come on, I should have some spray and bandages at the house."

"Wait a second."

Eren closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He knew his Titan powers could heal him from a small bruise like this, but he decided to try something new; something that Cinder had shown him.

His arm began to glow for a few moments. Once it did, the bruise slowly began to disappear and his arm began to feel better. When Eren opened his eyes, he saw that he was able to move his hand normally.

"See?" Eren asked as he waved. "It's fine."

Carla chuckled for a moment when she realized that her son had used his Aura to heal his arm. "I forgot you had one of those," she said. "They must really come in handy, huh?"

"Yeah, I know. I don't even have to use my-Oof!"

Eren's face was covered by Carla's side, since she was hugging him tightly. "That was a brave thing you did, Eren," she said. "I'm proud of you."

Eren's cheeks began to redden. "Um... thanks," he said. This was the last thing he expected his mother to say, since the last conversation they had was intense. But he was willing to accept it, just like he accepted Cinder's friendly ear. "I mean, it wasn't a problem! I just didn't want him to take your stuff."

"I know you didn't," Carla said. "Why don't you head on home? I'll take over."

"Okay."

Eren looked back to Cinder and Nora, who were smiling and waving at him. Cinder was proud to see that Eren had been proven right when he said that he had been overthinking his situation. And everything she just did for him got him thinking on the right track again. Now, Eren could go home and feel better about not only talking to his mother, but helping him too.

But once Eren left, Cinder stopped smiling and angrily glared at the direction the man had left in.

The bruise on the poor boy's eye, the rough way his apparent father had dragged him away in, stealing, and hurting Eren made Cinder feel sick to her stomach. Just like she once helped Nora, Cinder felt that she had to help the young boy who was afraid of his own father.

And more than that, Cinder felt that she had to teach the man a lesson for hurting Eren.

"Cinder, no!" Nora said as she stepped in front of her friend with her arms spread out. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"What?" Cinder asked. "Nora, that guy hurt Eren! And he's hurting that boy!"

"I know, but trust me! You shouldn't try to fight him!" Nora leaned a little closer to explain herself. "Not even as a Titan."

"..."

Once Nora said the word "Titan," Cinder began to calm down. She didn't know it, but she was about to be just as impulsive as Eren used to be. And the only thing that did was make more problems for the boy. So after she calmed down, Cinder decided to ask Nora why she believed that a Titan wouldn't help.

"Who is he?" she asked. "What's his problem?"

"That was Mr. Black," Nora replied. "The Huntsman that the mayor hired to live in Kuroyuri."

"Wait a minute." Cinder pointed in the direction the man had left in. "He's a Huntsman?"

"Yeah, he has a license and everything. And he's really good at fighting Grimm. Big and small."

"..."

Cinder began to see that Nora might be right about this, which was why she was grateful to Nora for stopping her. "Does he have a Semblance?" she asked.

"Yeah, but... it's weird," Nora replied.

"...What?"

Nora looked around to make sure that she and Cinder were alone. Once she saw that nobody was around, she explained herself. "Yesterday evening, he showed us how he fights Grimm. He doesn't use a weapon, just his hands and feet. After a couple of Grimm died, he made a wave of fire to scare them off."

"Okay, so he's like me," Cinder assumed. "He can make fire too."

"That's not all."

Cinder immediately became confused. "Not all? But a Semblance is only one power."

"That's what I thought too. But when an Ursa was outside the wall, Mr. Black lifted his hand and it flew into the air. It must have been up there for a minute before it came crashing back down."

Cinder became even more confused by this information. More than one power? How was that even possible? But more importantly... how dangerous did that make him?

"Come on," she said as she walked back towards home. "I think this is something Eren should know about."

---

The incident at the stand had actually helped everyone in Carla's household. Eren had learned a valuable lesson, that shutting himself in wasn't the answer to his problems. Not when he had people who were begging him to let them in.

And when Eren started being more open around his friends, Carla had stopped being introverted around her son. She was still upset and trying to think about the Rumbling, but she was proud and grateful to Eren for defending her stand. She only wished she had been there sooner to stop the man from grabbing Eren.

It was this experience that told Carla that if she wanted to understand her son, she would have to be as close to him as possible. And so, she decided that he could work the stand when he was a little older; that way, he could defend against potential thieves a little easier than he did with Mr. Black.

And Cinder had found a new hobby for herself. When she discovered what kind of voice she had, she saw that she was indeed a beautiful singer. And rather than let this talent go to waste, Cinder tried more singing with a book of songs Dina had.

She wasn't comfortable with a large crowd just yet. Instead, Cinder decided to sing a couple of songs to Eren in the hopes that he wouldn't shut himself in anymore. Eren had promised not to do that anymore, but he didn't stop Cinder from singing when she felt like it.

For each time he heard her sing, Eren felt happier and happier.

Dina had heard Cinder as well, and she loved what she heard just as much as Eren did. In fact, she even discovered that Cinder had tried to write a song of her own while she was cleaning the child's room. Cinder was out playing with her friends, including Eren, so the only person she could show the song to was her own friend.

"Hey, Carla, look at this," she said after she found Carla in her makeshift classroom. "I found this in Cinder's room, it's really-"

Dina stopped talking when she found out why Carla was in her room.

Carla still had a lot on her mind, despite the fact that she had become less introverted around Eren. More than anything, she wanted to make sense of why Eren commenced the Rumbling and what good using an army of Colossus Titans would do. Carla felt great pity towards the people that died, despite the fact that she didn't know them. She deeply believed that there could have been another solution, one that didn't turn Eren into a mass-murderer.

Carla wanted to talk to Eren once more, but she didn't have the right words at the moment.

So, Carla decided to borrow Dina's blackboard so she could lay all of her thoughts on an empty canvas. There were many words and lines across the board, each one connecting in a pattern that represented Carla's mind.

"Eldians trapped on Marley."

"Eldians suffer (Grisha's sister killed by dogs)."

"Everyone on Paradis is Eldian."

"World condemns Paradis as 'devils.'"

"Apparently, no peaceful option."

"Eren has both Attack and Founding Titans."

"Uses both powers to defend island."

"No vow of renouncing war."

"Loss of army leaves world defenseless. Possible peace talks?"

"Rumbling the right course of action?"

While Carla had laid all of her thoughts bare on the chalkboard, she still couldn't wrap her head around the situation. She had all of the facts and understood how they connected, but they didn't help her see Eren's point of view.

She was starting to think that nothing could help.

But when Carla heard Dina's voice, she turned around and tried to explain what was going on. "Oh, Dina!" she said at first. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to borrow your board. I, um-"

Dina had read just about everything Carla had written and connected, so she was able to understand what was going on. "Oh," she said. "Is this about what you've been talking with Eren?"

Carla sighed as she took a seat. "Yes. Yes, that's what it is." She then ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, I'm just... trying to wrap my head around all of this."

Dina studied the board one more time before she spoke again. "I remember when Grisha told me about his sister," she said. "He always said that day was the worst day of his life."

Carla looked up at Dina. "I can imagine," she said. "But I still can't believe he hid all of this from me."

"I think it's easy to understand, actually. We spent practically all of our lives together hiding from the Marleyans when we joined the Restorationists. Keeping secrets became second nature for us so we could survive. It seems the same thing applied to Paradis."

"I guess so."

Dina pointed at the chalkboard, at the last line. "Why are you curious about the Rumbling?"

Carla was about to explain what Eren had done, but she stopped herself when a question of her own came to mind. "Wait, you know about the Rumbling?"

"Everyone knew about it. It's why nobody attacked the island until Marley finally got the courage. They knew the Colossus Titans the King used to make the walls would kill them in an instant."

Carla stood up again. "Everyone knew about it?"

"Yes and no." Dina decided to draw on the board as well. "What they knew was that the King made the threat to trample the world if Paradis was attacked. But what they didn't know was that the threat was empty. That he just gave up and decided to use the Founding Titan for the walls. That's why Grisha wanted to use Zeke and retake the Founding Titan. So we could destroy Marley."

"Wait a minute." Carla approached closer. "Grisha wanted to unleash the Wall Titans?"

"That wasn't his exact idea at the time. He just said we could use the Founding Titan to annihilate Marley." Dina paused for a second before she wrote on the board again. "Come to think of it... I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to use the Rumbling to destroy Marley."

Carla couldn't help but gasp at her husband's apparent boldness. "And the rest of the world?"

"Oh, no. We were just focusing on Marley." Dina looked down towards the bottom of the board. "Though it looks like Eren had a bigger picture. What's this about the world's army right here?"

Carla remembered what Eren had explained to her. "Oh, Marley apparently reached out to the rest of the world. Together, they made a Global Alliance to destroy Paradis and everyone on it."

Dina sighed as she shook her head. "Of course they did. Monsters."

Carla had almost forgotten that Dina was an Eldian born on Marley, that she had vital knowledge and wisdom about Marley and its people. Once she remembered this, Carla decided to see if Dina could help her.

"Dina... could you possibly think the Rumbling could be... justified?" she asked. "If there could ever be a time when someone would have to use it? I don't mean want, I mean if they had to use it." Carla hoped that there could be some justification behind her son's actions, that he wasn't the monster he had portrayed himself as in the stories he told.

Fortunately, Dina was willing to answer such a question.

"Well... I don't really know," she confessed. "I don't think I ever thought about what I had or didn't have to do when I was a Restorationist. I just wanted to be free from the internment zones, from Marley."

"..."

"But I can tell you this." Dina looked at the fourth line Carla had written. "Knowing Marley, they would just push and push and push us until we gave up!" Each time Dina said that word, she underlined the sentence Carla had written. And she had to take a breath while she calmed down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay," Carla insisted. "I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry I asked."

Dina smiled. "It's okay, Carla. I understand. Did I, um... Did I help?"

"..."

Carla took another look at the chalkboard before she answered Dina. She focused on the part that her friend had underlined multiple times, and remembered what she said about Marley. This, combined with every story Eren had told her, made Carla realize something.

"I think you did," Carla said before she looked back at her friend. "I could see Marley pushing you over and over again. Because of that... I think it created some kind of... some kind of point."

"A point?" Dina asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... there's a point where it tips." Carla tapped the fourth sentence that Dina had underlined. "There's a point where it breaks, where it bends... a point where you just can't take anymore."

"..."

"If Marley crossed that line after we died... they may have reached the point where they couldn't return. If they reached that time and place with Eren..." Carla drew a line towards the word "Rumbling" as she finished her thoughts. "They wouldn't have any bridges left to burn. It would just be... the only way."

Carla was proud to see that she had drawn a new insight from Eren's story. It was an easy one to understand, that a certain point had been reached where peace and comprise was impossible. And if that point had been reached, even if people like Armin believed in peace, there was nothing left to do but fight.

And in Eren's case, it seemed the Rumbling was the only weapon he had large enough to stop an entire army.

But what about the rest of the world?

"...Maybe it's time I talk to Eren again," Carla realized. "I've done enough thinking on my own. I need him to explain everything else to me." With that, Carla turned back to Dina after she put the chalk down. "I think I'm about done here," she said. "Were you saying something about Cinder?"

"Oh, right!" Dina said as she handed Carla a piece of paper. "Take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"You know how Cinder realized she likes to sing? Well, I think she's starting to write her own songs too."

Carla looked at the paper and examined each word. "I think you're right. This does look like a song." She smiled a little. "Aw, it sounds so sweet."

"I know, doesn't it?"

Dina smiled as she looked at the paper with her friend. As she did, a thought came to her mind. It wasn't a random thought, but rather something that Dina had thought about before.

"Carla... do you think I could ask you for some advice?" she asked.

"Advice?" Carla repeated as she stopped looking at the paper. "Sure, what is it? Is it about Eren?"

"No, it's about me. And, um... Cinder as well."

"And Eren?"

"No, Eren's not involved!" Dina took a second to collect her thoughts. "Actually... he might be involved a little bit. I mean, with how you've been raising him. As a mother."

"Oh, I don't think I have advice about that. I mean, I was absent for practically half of his life." Carla sighed as she reminisced on her brief time with Eren, and the chance she had been given. "I hope we can make up for that time."

"Well... I think you can," Dina insisted. "And I know you'll be just as great a mother as you were on Paradis. And that's why... I wanted to ask you... what would you think if I decided to-?"

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Both of the women jumped when they heard a violent knocking at the front door. Nobody was expected at this hour, and the farmhands were putting some of the final touches on Kuroyuri.

"Who could that be?" Carla asked curiously.

"I don't know," Dina said as she looked at the clock on the wall. She shared Carla's curiosity and confusion as to why someone would be here at this hour. "I'll go and see."

When Dina left the room, Carla quickly turned around and erased everything that was written on the blackboard. Even though the words were gone, Carla kept the insight she learned in her memory. She was proud of herself to see that she was able to understand Eren a little better, and she hoped that her next talk with him would help her understand even more.

Unfortunately, Carla realized that she would have more pressing matters to attend to.

*CRASH*

A loud and surprising crash near the front door caught Carla's attention and caused her to drop the eraser. "Dina?" she called out. When she heard no answer, Carla rushed towards the front door and called out again. "Dina? Dina!"

When she found her friend laying at the broken table in the kitchen with a bloody forehead, Carla screamed and covered her mouth.

"I was hoping you'd be here."

The sound of a voice caused Carla to turn around, but everything went black.

*BAM*

---

"Eight... nine... ten!" Cinder opened her eyes and looked across an empty field. "Ready or not, here I come!"

A lot of progress had been made towards rebuilding Kuroyuri. Everything had returned to normal for the people, they could resume their daily lives. But with a new drawbridge and a moat, there would be a new normal very soon. And now, the drawbridge and moat were almost ready to be unveiled.

Li Ren was helping with the efforts of the town, and An had a few errands of her own to run. So Carla was happy to keep an eye on Ren and Nora for her. But it was Eren and Cinder who kept a closer eye on them.

All day long, the four children had been playing games and spending time together. Eren was a little unsure about joining in at first, since he couldn't remember the last time he ever played back on Paradis. His childhood was destroyed the day the Titans breached Wall Maria, and he had some trouble remembering all the good times before the wall fell. But after Cinder's performance and confession, as well as some insistence from Ren and Nora, Eren joined in with the games.

And he actually found himself to be having fun.

After what felt like hours of other games, Eren and his friends were currently playing hide-and-seek. This would be the third time they played today, and Eren was hiding from Cinder with Ren and Nora. And he was about to have a little more fun when Cinder approached a bush.

"And... found you!" Cinder yelled as she pushed through the bush. But she didn't see anyone on the other side, just a patch of dirt.

Eren jumped out from a hollow log behind Cinder. "Boo!" he yelled.

"Gah!" Cinder cried out as she fell. When she looked up, she found Eren laughing at his prank. "Eren, that's not fair!"

"Hey, you found me, didn't you?" Eren asked as he held out his hand to Cinder. Once she took it and felt herself come off the ground, Cinder looked around for her other friends. "Yeah, I don't know where they are."

"Hang on, you actually gave me an idea." Cinder cupped her hands around her mouth and cried out. "Found you, Ren!"

Just then, Ren came out from behind another bush. "How did you find me so fast?" he asked in disbelief.

"I didn't," Cinder said with a laugh. "You just showed me where you were."

"What?" Ren looked back to his hiding place, which still appeared to have hid his presence well. "But you said you saw me!"

"I lied," Cinder said with another laugh. Eren needed a few more seconds to realize what Cinder's plan was, and he started to laugh as well.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Come on, it was just a joke! Besides, Eren cheated first when he scared me."

"No, I didn't!" Eren defended himself. "You still found me, didn't you? And now we found Ren, so this game's been completely fair!"

"Okay, okay! Cinder laughed as she briefly waved her hands. "Let's find Nora and take a break."

Ren looked up at the trees, which caused its leaves to give him some shade. "Well, at least one of us is still playing fairly," he said. "I'm sure Nora's hiding in another tree."

"Let's find out," Eren said as he ran to another tree while Cinder went to a taller one across the field. But they didn't find Nora. After searching the rest of the field, in all the possible places Nora could hide, the children found nothing.

"Well, it seems that I was wrong," said Ren. "I guess Nora cheated as well."

"We said that we couldn't leave the field," said Cinder. "So you're right, she cheated. But let's look one more time just to be sure."

"Hey guys!" Eren called out to Ren and Cinder. Coming out from behind a tree, Eren showed his friends the black long-sleeved shirt he was holding. "Isn't this Nora's?"

Ren walked over to Eren in order to get a better look at the shirt he was holding. "You're right," he said as he took the shirt. "Nora wears this over her T-shirt, she was wearing it today."

"What about this?" Cinder asked. Turning around, Eren and Ren saw Cinder holding a white and pink sneaker with a gray strap on it. "Does Nora wear this kind of shoe?"

Ren took a look and nodded. "This is strange. What is she doing without her shirt or shoe?"

"I found them under this tree," Eren said as he pointed upwards. "Nora might have been hiding up there, maybe she fell." Eren pointed towards the farmhouse in the distance. "She might have gone there for help."

"I hope she's okay," Cinder said as she turned in the direction of the farmhouse. "We should go check on her."

With that, Cinder led the way back to Carla's house, with Eren and Ren following her. As they were walking, Ren turned to Eren and started a conversation.

"Eren, can I ask you something?" he politely requested.

"Sure, what is it?" Eren asked.

"Well... ever since Nora and I found out about you and Cinder, I've been a little curious about the Titans. Do you think we could talk about them?"

"Sure, I don't mind. Well, as long as you don't have a lot of questions. The first time someone talked to me about my Titan, we stayed up all night."

"All night?" Ren's jaw slightly dropped at the idea of two people talking throughout the entire night. The only person who could have enough energy to do that was Nora, and he already had his hands full with one Nora. So Ren could sympathize with Eren's feelings on that day. Regardless, he began to ask his questions. "Well, I was wondering... what are they, exactly?"

Eren realized that Ren's understanding of Titans wasn't like that of Hange Zoë's, the person who he stayed up with all night talking. Fortunately, he knew how to explain things better than he did that night.

"Well, after a while, I found out there are two kinds of Titans," Eren began. "Cinder and I are the kind that can turn into one whenever we want. All we need to do is bleed. A small cut or bite is enough to let us turn into Titans."

"And the other kind?"

"Most people would call them 'Pure Titans.' Cinder and I can change back and forth, but the people who got turned into Pure Titans couldn't change back."

"How come?"

"They were changed against their will. They were prisoners that were transformed and sent to Paradis, the island I'm from. The people who did that had a way to make Titans of their own. They were mindless, forced to give into their primal nature. But the worst part was... they ate people."

Ren gasped at the idea of giant, man-eating monsters. While he was confident that Eren and Cinder weren't like those Titans, he was still afraid. "So they were monsters?" he assumed.

"...Yeah. My friends and I fought and killed them to protect our home. That was before the war, before we found out anything about Marley." Eren turned back to Ren. "You might have seen that war, when you saw my memories. Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Ren had another question about the Titans he wanted to ask. "So, what made you and Cinder special? How come you can control your Titans?"

"Back home, there were nine special Titans that stood out from the rest," Eren explained. "They were made by a girl named 'Ymir,' who was the first Founding Titan. After she died, she passed down eight Titans with different powers to her people. The people who inherited them passed them down again and again for years. There was the Colossus Titan, the Armored Titan, the Attack Titan, the Female Titan, the Jaw Titan, the Beast Titan, the Cart Titan, and the War-Hammer Titan."

"Oh, okay. And you had one of them on Paradis?"

"That's right. Mine was the Attack Titan."

"And you have one of those Titans now?"

"...Sort of. You know how the God of Darkness gave me my new Titan?" Ren nodded, since he saw the first time Eren and Darkness met. "Well, I became the new Founding Titan. It's not like the Titans from my home."

"But you can still pass them down, right?"

"Yeah, that's what Cinder asked me to do."

"And she was... the Female Titan?"

"That's what I thought when I saw her Titan. But no." Eren looked back to Cinder, who was still walking in front of them. And they were much closer to the farmhouse. "She's different from the rest. The Female Titan had powers that let her harden her skin. But Cinder can make fire whenever she wants. It's like she's this giant incinerator."

"So would you call her that?"

"Call her what?"

"The Incinerator Titan. That's what she does, right?"

"Well, I-"

Cinder suddenly turned around. "What did you call me?" she asked.

Eren stopped walking. "Oh, sorry," he said. "We were just-"

"No, not you." Cinder walked up to Ren. "You were talking about my Titan, right?"

"Uh... right," said Ren, who was worried he had accidentally offended Cinder. "I'm sorry, I was wondering-"

"Did you call me the... Incinerator Titan?"

"Um... yes?"

Cinder suddenly formed a big smile. "Wow! I like it!" She looked back to Eren. "What do you think, Eren? The rest of the Titans on Paradis had names! Doesn't the Incinerator Titan sound like a good name?"

Eren looked back to Ren. "I think Cinder's been spending too much time with Nora," he said.

"I think you're right," Ren agreed.

The rest of the walk to the house was filled with more talk about Titans, as Ren had a few more questions for Eren. As they approached the front of the house, Cinder ran up the steps.

"Hey, Nora!" she yelled as she walked to the front door. "Nora, are you in-?"

Cinder stopped in her tracks, which caused Eren to bump into her.

"Cinder, what are you-?"

Eren suddenly lost his train of thought when he followed Cinder's gaze. The two children were staring at a broken doorknob with the handle destroyed. It looked like as if something, or someone, had kicked the door open. Ren looked at the door as well, seeing the peculiarity. After all three children shared a worried glance at each other, Eren slowly opened the door.

"Nora?" he called out. "Mom? Ms. Fritz? Are you okay?"

"..."

Everyone shared a look at each other once again before they walked inside the house. Once they went inside, it was clear something terrible happened. The kitchen table was destroyed, which left a few broken plates on the floor along with the chairs being overturned. As they looked down the hallway, they saw that the rest of the house appeared to be in order. Eren and Cinder rushed inside to see if anything else was wrong, but the house was fine.

The only thing wrong, however, was that nobody was inside.

"Mom?!" Eren called out. "Mom, where are you?!"

"Ms. Fritz?!" Cinder called out. "Are you in here?!"

"Nora!" Ren called out as soon as he stepped inside. "Nora?!"

"..."

When they heard nothing but silence, everyone rushed into the kitchen to discuss what was going on.

"What happened here?" Cinder asked nervously.

"Could an animal have done this?" Ren suggested. "Maybe one of the farm animals?"

"No," Eren said as he gently pushed past Cinder. "I... I've seen something like this before." He didn't want to admit it, but the truth was obvious. "Guys... somebody broke in. They kidnapped my mom and Ms. Fritz."

Cinder and Ren gasped and found themselves unable to believe something like this would happen. Eren ran outside again and looked around, but couldn't find anything that resembled a clue. So he walked back inside and punched the wall.

*BAM*

"Dammit!" he said. "They could be anywhere!"

"This has never happened here before," said Ren. Kuroyuri wasn't a city without crime, there would be occasional robberies and vandalism. But nobody had ever done something as horrible as kidnapping. He found himself incredibly worried, since there was still no sign of Nora.

"Who would do this?" Cinder asked. "And why?"

Eren turned to tell Cinder that he had no idea, but stopped himself from talking. He didn't notice it at first, but there was a bad smell lingering in the hallway. Eren took a few sniffs before he asked Cinder a question. "Cinder... do you smell that?"

Cinder took a sniff in the air. After a few seconds, she took another one. Then another. "That smell... It smells like..."

"Liquor."

Back in Atlas, Cinder was forced to serve meals to the guests of the Glass Unicorn. Along with those meals came a drink of the customer's choice. One of the choices was strong liquor. Strong enough to make Cinder's nostrils feel violated when she got too close to the glass. This liquor wasn't as strong, but the smell was more than detectable. And Eren had been in the presence of Dot Pixis long enough to know what liquor smelled like.

Eren followed the scent back into the kitchen, where he found a silver flask spilling its alcoholic contents all over the floor. But it wasn't the alcohol that captured Eren's attention. It was the design of the flask itself, as well as the wings on it.

"I've seen that before," said Cinder, who got a good look at the flask as Eren picked it up off the ground. "Eren... That belongs to-"

"The Huntsman," Eren angrily finished. "He did this."

---

Li Ren and his wife were the first people to learn what happened at Carla's house. When they walked to the farmhouse to pick up Ren and Nora, the husband and wife found three children running up to them and crying for help. Cinder explained what happened at the house while Eren showed the flask as proof. When Ren told his parents that Nora was missing as well, An began to panic.

Li took action by telling his wife to take the children back home. In the meantime, he would go find Marcus Black with some of Carla's farmhands and figure out what was going on. They may have missed the altercation at the house due to their work in the town, but they weren't going to miss anything now.

Mayor Fa had given a house to Marcus and his son, a small place to stay while Marcus conducted work as a Huntsman. When Li and his reinforcements reached the household, they found nothing inside. Not just in the sense that Marcus and his son weren't home, but they found no trace of anything that Marcus had as personal possessions.

Which either meant that Marcus travelled light or he packed up everything and left. And since the door was unlocked, it seemed that Marcus had indeed left.

And along his way, he had kidnapped two innocent women and a child.

News of the incident travelled fast around the small town, which caused the Mayor to quickly organize a search party. Since his last attempt to seek external help had gone terribly wrong, Mayor Fa knew that he could only rely on the people of Kuroyuri for help.

Many decisions were made about the search party, namely that Li would lead it and he would take most of his hunting party to assist him. One of the unanimous decisions, however, was that the children would stay behind.

But with each passing moment, Eren and Cinder were growing impatient and worried.

"Come on!" Eren prayed as he looked out one of the windows of the Ren household. He saw that the sun was beginning to set, which made his concern and anger grow. "Where are they?!"

"It feels like they've been gone for almost an hour," said Cinder, who sat in the corner. "That means they haven't found anything yet."

"And that means we're running out of time," said Ren, who sat at a table by himself.

Eren turned back to his friends. "So we all need to do something." When he made sure that An Ren wasn't close by, Eren opened the door. "I've waited long enough, I gotta find my mom." Eren had made enough mistakes with his mother already, and he wasn't going to abandon her like before. "Are you coming?"

Cinder nodded. "Nora and Ms. Fritz have always looked out for me," she said. "And your mom was the one who brought us here. If they need my help, they deserve it."

"I abandoned Nora once," Ren said as he stood up. "I promised that I wouldn't make that mistake again."

"Good." Eren pushed the door open and ran outside. "Let's go." He suddenly bit into his hand.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Cinder cried out.

Eren stopped the process of transformation and turned around. He still wanted to transform, so he let his hand bleed from the bite. "What?" he asked impatiently.

"Don't turn into a Titan!" Cinder argued. "That's not going to help us now."

"Why not? We can cover a lot more ground than anyone else could!"

"Well, yeah, but we don't know where to go!"

"Cinder's right," said Ren, who stood behind the young girl. "They could be anywhere, and we don't have time to guess."

Eren was very impatient, but he knew that Cinder and Ren were right. Marcus could have gone in one direction while the hunting party could have gone in another. There was no way to tell which way they went.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Eren asked. He came off as impatient, but he knew any suggestions would be more than welcome.

Ren suddenly had an idea. "Do you think you can... track them?" he asked. "My father once told me that some Grimm can track whatever they're hunting."

Eren took a moment to think about this while his hand continued to bleed. "Maybe. I never tried that with my Titan before."

"Well, what about my Titan?" Cinder asked as she looked at Eren. "Maybe it could help!"

"Maybe, but I think yours is only good with fire. It'll help with fighting, but not so much as hunting." Eren suddenly remembered something. "Wait, didn't you find some Grimm when we made that moat and bridge that night?"

"Oh, that was just luck. I looked around a few places, and found them all together."

Eren spent some more time thinking about a plan, and more of his blood fell to the ground. When he looked back at his friends for a moment, Eren decided to think out loud.

"Hey, Ren," he said to his friend. "Come here for a second."

Ren stepped out of the house and left Cinder alone. "What is it, Eren?" he asked calmly.

"Your dad's one of the hunters, right?" Eren asked. "Do you think you might know some things that could help?"

"Hmm..." Ren tried to think of times when his father had passed down his wisdom to him, just like he did when he first saw Nora. "Not too much. But I know they always go out the front when they leave town."

Eren believed this was obvious, but he remembered something else. "Wait, that's right," he said. "Everyone saw your dad and the hunters leave, but what about the Huntsman? How'd he get out without being seen?"

"Maybe he took a different way out?"

"Is there another way?"

Eren and Ren continued to talk and hypothesize about how Marcus could have dragged two women and a child without being seen, hoping that it could point them in the right direction of Marcus' trail. Cinder was about to suggest that perhaps the Huntsman had used his unique Semblance to leave, but something else had captured her attention.

The black blood from Eren's hand continued to fall to the ground, but it was doing more than just leaving a few drops on the ground. The blood was coming together and forming a puddle on the ground.

A puddle that was starting to grow.

"Ummm... Eren," she called out.

Eren seemed to ignore Cinder as he continued to talk to Ren. "Okay, maybe he didn't scale the wall," he said. "But maybe he moved in a different direction instead of staying on the path."

"That's true," said Ren. "Father once said that some of the animals he hunted weren't on the main path."

"How far does that path go?"

"I'm not sure. I've been on it before, but only to walk through the woods with my parents."

"The Huntsman might have done the same thing."

Cinder continued to see the puddle by Eren's feet. Now it was beginning to grow even larger. "Eren," she called out again.

"We could try going that way," Eren said to Ren. He was too focused on finding his mother to pay attention to anything else. "I still want to use my Titan, though."

"You were right about covering more ground," said Ren. "I'll try to keep up as best as I can."

"I could just carry you like I did before." Eren suddenly thought of something else. "You'd have to get away when we find them, though. That Huntsman is gonna put up a fight."

"Well, I can't hide forever. Isn't there something else I could do?"

"Unless you want me to give you one of my Titans, waiting for the fight to be over would be for the best."

"..."

Eren couldn't help but notice Ren's silence at the idea. "Um... Ren?"

Before Ren could say anything else, Cinder screamed as loud as she could while she pointed to the ground.

"EREN!"

Eren finally turned around and saw where Cinder was pointing. Growing by his feet, right under his bleeding hand, was a pool of black water that almost looked like tar. Before anyone could ask what it was, a black claw shot out of the water and clutched the soil. It remained still for a few moments before another claw came to the surface, doing the exact same thing.

"Get inside!" Eren yelled as he pushed Ren back.

Ren and Cinder ran into the house, but Eren tripped before he could join them. He turned around fast to see that a Beowolf had emerged from the water, and it began to walk forward. The pool was starting to disappear, but the Beowolf wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Eren!" Cinder yelled when she saw her friend was missing. "Eren, come on!"

The shock of seeing a Beowolf emerge from his own blood finally passed and Eren began to crawl backwards to get away. The Beowolf moved its head towards the boy as it walked closer, but it didn't attack.

Instead, it took a single sniff at Eren before it began to sniff the ground.

As he felt Cinder help him to his feet, Eren couldn't help but observe the Beowolf's unusual behavior. He had seen many Beowolves before, and all they did was scratch and bite at his Titan before he killed them. But rather than attacking, the Beowolf continued to smell the ground. He and Cinder were forced to back up when it moved its head to them and sniffed once more, but they calmed down once it smelled the ground again.

"..."

Eren, Cinder, and Ren were dumbfounded by what they were seeing. The Beowolf looked like it was tracking some kind of scent it picked up, looking for the right direction to travel. Eren pointed to it and was about to tell his friends that it looked like it was tracking something, but then he saw the blood on his hand.

Once he did, Eren was able to figure out what was going on.

"Guys... I think I made that Grimm," he said. He had noticed how his black blood was the same black as the puddle they all saw. "And I think it wants us to follow it." Eren took a step forward, but Cinder put her hand on his chest.

"I think that's crazy," she said.

Just then, the Grimm stopped smelling the ground. It turned around and walked a few feet towards the house. After it let out a growl, the Grimm moved its head to the direction it was previously walking in. It seemed that the Beowolf was calling out to the children like a dog would.

"It does!" Eren said as he walked towards the beast. "It wants us to follow it!" As he ran towards the Grimm, Eren watched it sniff the ground and move away once again. "Come on, let's go!"

Cinder and Ren reluctantly walked away from the house and followed Eren. They soon began to agree that Eren had indeed created this Grimm, and he had unlocked a new power with his Titan.

However, unknown to the children, someone else had felt the new discovery of power. And he had just watched one of his own Grimm take orders from a human of all people.

"...Impressive," said the God of Darkness. "Most fascinating."

---

"Well, Marcus, you've done it again. Those two are quite the pair."

"You know me, sir. I aim to please. And speaking of pleasure, don't forget my 'Capture Target Alive' bonus along with the payment. I promised this wouldn't be like last time."

"Not to worry Marcus, you'll get your Lien. It will be transferred to you at the drop-off point."

"It better. I'll be there a little early, I'm getting as far away from that stupid hick town as I can."

Marcus Black grumbled as he tossed the remnant of a cigar he had been smoking. He was in a small and isolated cabin that had been abandoned long ago. It was broken and damaged beyond repair, but it served its purpose as a temporary hideout.

For him and his present... company.

Marcus turned to the corner of the room when he heard whimpers in the air. When he did, he saw that Carla and Dina were awake and trying to free themselves from the rope they were tied in. Their mouths were gagged, which made it hard for them to breathe.

Nora was also present, and she was crying.

"By the way..." Marcus said as he walked towards Nora. "You got a client who likes the young ones, right? If you don't, I'll take care of it on my end."

Carla and Dina became more scared for Nora, since they were sure what Marcus was talking about. Fortunately, the man's client put the idea to rest.

"Ah, yes," the voice replied. "Your witness, I believe. Not to worry, one of my colleagues indeed 'likes the young ones,' as you've put it."

Marcus chuckled as an ugly smile formed on his scarred face "Read you loud and clear," he said. "Just to let you know, she's gonna cost a little extra."

"I just spoke with him. He'll gladly pay the price an 'exquisite beauty' like her. His words, not mine."

"He can say whatever he wants. Hell, I'll even gift-wrap her for him when he shows up." The smile on Marcus' face grew wider when he heard the girl's distressed whimpers grow louder. "Tell your contacts I should arrive in a few hours."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Marcus."

"And a pleasure doing business with you too, Councilman."

Marcus closed his Scroll and pocketed it before marching over to the bound and gagged trio. "Who'd of thought that the higher-ups in Mistral were some kinky bastards?" Marcus tilted his head as he nudged Nora with his foot, the poor girls cries muffled by the cloth gag. "It's a shame that you had to be at that house when you were. You're gonna have a new home pretty soon."

Neither of the women could reach out and help Nora, but Carla had managed to spit out the cloth that was around her mouth. "Don't touch her!" she shouted. "What is wrong with you?!"

Dina followed Carla's example and found herself without a gag as well. "How could you do this to us?!" she asked rhetorically. "You're supposed to be a Huntsman, for God's sake!"

Marcus tsked as he shook his head. "You still don't get it do you?"

*SMACK*

Marcus had sent a backhanded slap to Dina's face, which led to a loud sound echoing through the cabin. Dina fell on her side with a yelp of pain while Carla cried out her name in concern. When the echo and Carla's voice disappeared, Marcus began to explain himself.

"Yeah, being a Huntsman's just a cover," he began. "You know, a means to an end? A disguise when I'm on the job?" He was toying with his prisoners by speaking in a patronizing voice.

"..."

Nobody had a response for the man, but Marcus didn't let that stop him for confidently and pompously talking about himself.

"Don't get me wrong, I love a good fight. How do you think I got these bad boys?" Marcus was looking at Carla when he was showing his scars. "But fighting an endless fight? Doing the same thing over and over again for the rest of your life?" Marcus knelt down towards Carla. "Naw... I ain't gonna be like those weaklings. Hell, I've lost count of how many of them I've killed. Instead, I call my own shots. I'm my own boss, I make my own rules."

"..."

Carla could really care less what drove the assassin to do what he did. However, this lack of care was starting to affect Marcus in all the wrong ways.

"Besides, being a Huntsman ain't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, those bastards talk a good game, but that's all it is. I've seen enough that are just like me and then some. So, you know..." Marcus gently grasped Carla's chin. "You might be better off with me than an actual Huntsman."

Carla aggressively shook her head away, which broke Marcus' soft grasp. "Get away from me, you pig!" she demanded. The man's words and behaviors were making her sick.

But Marcus felt the opposite.

"Aw, there it is!" he said as he grabbed Carla's hair to make her look at him. "There's the spirit I saw that day!" He laughed for a moment before he spoke again. "Does that boy of yours have the same spirit? He has a big mouth, but he's got the balls to follow through. Kinda makes me wish he was my kid."

Mercury, the assassin's son, was also in the cabin with his father. He was minding his own business while trying not to listen, but he couldn't help but hear what his father said. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time he had been insulted by his father.

And Marcus was too busy to care.

"Man, you sure are something else," Marcus said as he held Carla's hair. She was still fighting his grip, but he held on tightly. "Maybe I could just give my boss your friend and the kid. Keep you all for myself."

Carla was growing even more disgusted by the man, and so was Dina. The position her friend was in evoked all kinds of pity from Dina, and she wished she could fight back against the man. She was trying to break free of her ropes so she could run, and so was Carla.

But Carla was planning on fighting back rather than just running.

"Nah," Marcus decided. "The Councilman already made me an offer I can't refuse." But rather than let go of Carla, he picked her up off the floor. "Then again, he doesn't really mind used material."

Enough was enough.

As soon as Carla stood up, she kicked Marcus' side in retaliation and defiance. But the man had enough Aura and experience to ignore the brief pain, so he pushed Carla back with enough force to hurt her head on the wall.

*BAM*

"Yep," he said. "Still got that spirit."

*GROWL*

*GROWL*

Marcus stopped everything when he heard growls outside. Mercury, Carla, and everyone else heard them as well and realized that there were Grimm outside the cabin. They were no doubt drawn to the fear, anger, and disgust each prisoner had towards a man as despicable as Marcus Black.

"Seriously?" the man asked. "Right when you get in the mood, this shit happens." Rather than ignore the Grimm that could potentially get inside, Marcus set out to kill them all. "Mercury! Make your ass useful and keep an eye on them!"

"..."

Mercury nodded in silence as he kept his eyes on the floor. However, Marcus grabbed his son's face and moved it upward.

"I said on them, idiot!" Marcus said. "Not the damn floor!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mercury said as he looked at all three of the prisoners. Marcus suddenly let go of his son and moved to the door.

*SLAM*

When he heard the door slam shut, the boy flinched and released a quick but depressing sigh. It was always like this for him. He was always being dragged along on his father's "jobs." He was never used to what he had seen, but Marcus made it his mission for Mercury to change. All in order to, in his father's own drunken words, "gain experience, along with a spine," for when he "takes over the business." There were times when the boy did learn a few things, mainly about fighting and how to take a hit.

But Mercury still hated it.

He hated the beatings that Marcus disguised as "training."

He hated being dragged into his father's messes.

He hated being forced to having to get his own hands dirty.

And surprisingly, the one thing Mercury hated most of all was hearing people cry and beg before he watched them die. He was never used to the sight of death, even though he learned to hide his trauma under a slightly sarcastic attitude. There were times when he got beaten black and blue for trying to show compassion and kindness to people, like a decent human being, and then being called weak for it. So Mercury did his best to drop any sense of compassion a long time ago.

It was the only way he could survive in his father's presence. Mercury knew that his sense of compassion, his sense of right and wrong, and any attempt at rebellion would have to be replaced. He needed to have a hollow hole in his heart, a place that could start to eat the boy's soul.

But even though Mercury knew what he had to do... he hadn't done it yet.

"...Why?"

Mercury turned and faced Dina, who was staring back at him. "Why are you going along with this?" she asked. She had tried something like this back in Marley, before she was turned into a Titan. She had suffered terrible abuse for doing nothing at all, both verbally and physically. When she asked why they were doing this, answers ranged from "devils" and "being filthy-blooded." Marcus wasn't fueled by hate, just greed.

However, there was something very obvious about his son.

"You don't have to do this," Dina insisted. "You don't have to be anywhere near him. We can help you!"

"..."

Mercury heard statements like that, and many others, about a hundred times in his life. At first, he would apologize and try to offer some relief. He figured it was the least he could do.

But now, Mercury simply said it as it was.

"It's pointless, doing the opposite of what he says," he dryly spat. "And even if I do say no... he'll just beat me 'til I change my mind."

Dina couldn't help but frown. Her heart ached for the poor boy. She always had a soft spot for children, since she spent so much time with them in Kuroyuri. No child should have to experience such awful things at such a young age, she believed.

The mere idea of children made Dina think back to Cinder. She realized that without any help, she was never going to see the little girl again. That bright, joyful, and special little girl that always found a way to make Dina feel special.

What hurt most was that Dina never got the chance to put her plan into action, something that she was going to ask Carla about. She was going to tell Carla that the child deserved a mother, just like Eren did.

And something told Dina that she could be that mother for Cinder. But now... she would never know.

Carla's heart ached as well, since she too was thinking of a particular child. Whether she ended up with Marcus or his client, Carla knew that she wasn't going to see Eren again. They had grown much closer over the weeks and were finally starting to move past the lies and secrets Eren felt compelled to keep to himself.

They both worked incredibly hard, and they were so close to being a family again. That was all Carla wanted, but now she felt that she had been robbed of that chance. Not because of Eren, but because of the despicable and cruel Marcus Black. He robbed her of of her son, which broke Carla's heart.

All she wanted to be was Eren's mother, to keep him safe and help him walk on the right path. But now... she had lost her chance. Just like Dina lost her's.

However... it wasn't too late.

Carla and Dina looked to Nora, who was crying uncontrollably. She had come to the farmhouse after she hurt herself while playing, and that was how she saw Marcus carrying two unconscious bodies with a Semblance that increased his strength. Before she could run, Marcus made Mercury grab her and take her with them.

Neither Carla nor Dina wanted Nora to be here. And when they shared a brief glance of understanding at each other, they knew what they could do.

"It's not too late," Dina pleaded to Mercury. "You can still make the right choice."

"I'm not letting you go," Mercury replied in a monotone voice. "I... I just can't, okay?"

"We know that!" Carla insisted. "But at least let Nora go! Look at her!" Carla noticed a few cuts and a bruise on the child's face and arm, which she was trying to use to evoke some kind of empathy from Mercury. "She's already been through enough! Your father can take us wherever he needs to go, but please don't let him do this to her!"

Mercury turned away from the women and looked over to the bound and gagged girl. He flinched when he saw her look his way, with tears streaming down her face and whimpers echoing through the room. Just as Carla had hoped, something had indeed awakened within Mercury when he looked at the young girl.

He felt pity for her.

This was actually the first time, in a long time, since Mercury felt like this. And this was also the first time he went on one of his father's missions that involved someone his age.

He knew what it was like for a child like him to feel pain. And he wanted that pain to stop each and every time it had been inflicted on him. Now, Nora had the same feelings, along with fear. Mercury had fear too, which made him reach out to Nora as he reflected on what Dina and Carla said.

But he suddenly pulled his hand back. Just like he said, helping would be pointless.

If he released Nora, then the drunk he called his father would know that he had let her escape. That meant the beating he would receive would be far worse than normal. If there was one thing Marcus hated more than his son, it was failing a job and not getting paid.

And yet, as he looked at Nora, Mercury began to see something other than a scared little girl. He began to see... a reflection. He saw what she was going through, and how it wasn't different than what he went through. Maybe... helping her would be... helping him too?

*CREAK*

While Mercury was lost in thought, creaking sounds came from behind him.

*CREAK*

One of the creaks finally made him lift his head up and turn towards the direction of the sound. Since it was nighttime and there were no lights in the cabin, it was hard to see who or what was in the room with him.

But Mercury definitely wasn't alone anymore.

"...Dad?" Mercury assumed as he looked into the darkness.

Suddenly, a small figure ran out of the darkness and let out a small yell. And that figure sent a fist straight into Mercury's face.

*BAM*

"Ahh!"

Mercury let out a shout of pain and surprise as he fell to the floor. He tried to get back up again, but he was suddenly tackled and pinned to the floor. Mercury would have put up more of a fight and throw the person off, since this was a part of his "training," but the burning sensation he was feeling on his arm and chest were too painful to fight off.

"If you touch them again, I'll burn you even more," a female voice threatened.

Mercury didn't recognize the voice, but Dina could.

"Cinder!" Dina cried in relief.

Carla could see that it was indeed a tired and haggard-looking Cinder who was pinning Mercury down. The person who punched, him, however, was somebody else. Somebody that Carla could see when he stepped into the moonlight.

"Eren!" Carla said in joy and disbelief.

Eren couldn't help but smile as he caught his breath. He and Cinder were covered in sweat, and each of them were letting out heavy breaths like they had just ran a marathon.

But the exhaustion was worth it if it meant they could see their caretakers once again.

"Mom!" Eren said as he ran up to his mother. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Carla lied. She was still in pain from Marcus' assault and still feeling sick from his perverted thoughts. But she was happy to see her son again, and happy to see that he was untying her.

"Hang on," Eren said as he worked quickly. "I'm almost there."

"I can't believe it," Carla said as she felt the rope around her hands loosen. "You found us!"

"Not just us," Cinder said as she gestured to the side of the room. Emerging from an open window came the form of Ren, who immediately scanned the room for Nora. Luckily, it didn't take too long to find her.

"Nora!" Ren cried as he ran over to the bound girl. He reached down and began undoing the ropes binding her wrists. "Hang on, we'll get you out of here!"

Nora had finally stopped crying and looked at Ren with joy and relief. And as she felt the ropes loosen, Nora thanked whatever force had led Ren and her other friends to her rescue.

Though she had no idea that it was a Grimm of all things.

The Beowolf Eren accidentally made had led the three children through a long trek through the woods. Everyone had been traveling for a long time, which left them tired, sweaty, and ready to drop. Eren continued to curse himself that he didn't possess the same stamina as he did back on Paradis.

But his spirits, along with Cinder's and Ren's, were renewed once they saw that the Grimm had led them to a large cottage, sitting close to a dirt path. More Beowolves had emerged to join their comrade, and their growls alerted Marcus Black. Once he stepped outside to kill the Grimm, everyone was able to sneak inside.

Carla and Nora had just been freed, who in turn rewarded their saviors with a hug. Each of the boys happily returned the hugs they received before they looked at the wounds on their bodies.

"Nora, are you okay?" Ren asked. "Can you walk?"

"Mom, is that blood?" Eren asked as he looked at his mother's head. "What-?"

"Don't worry about me!" Carla insisted. "Help me with Dina!"

Eren and Carla walked over to Dina and began to untie her. As they did, Dina smiled and felt relieved that she was being rescued.

Though she was even more worried for the children than she was before.

"You all shouldn't be here," she said. "This is no place for children."

"It'll be fine, Ms. Fritz," Eren promised. "The whole town knows the Huntsman took all of you. He won't get away with this."

"He better not," Carla said as she finished untying Dina. Once she did, Carla helped her friend up on her feet.

"Eren, let me see that rope," said Cinder, who was beginning to lose her grip on Mercury. "I can tie him before we-!"

*SLAM*

Cinder was cut off when the door to the cabin slammed open. And before she could say anything, Cinder was struck and pinned against the wall by what looked like a bar of black energy.

*BAM*

"Aaah!"

"Cinder!" Ren and Nora both cried out before they to were struck and pinned by the same energy.

*BAM*

*BAM*

Eren looked to the door to see what was going on, but he too was struck with the energy. And soon, it hit Carla and Dina as well.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

The only one who hadn't been hit and bound by the strange energy was Mercury, who looked to the door to see what was happening. And when he did, the boy saw Marcus standing over him with an angry scowl on his face as he stepped into the room.

"Mercury..." the man angrily said as he observed what had happened. Or in his words, what his son had let happen.

Mercury stood up and attempted to explain himself. "Dad, I-!"

*BAM*

"Grk!"

Mercury gagged when Marcus's fist suddenly buried itself in his gut. When he fell to the floor again, spit and bile escaped Mercury's mouth before Marcus unleashed his full rage.

"You had a single!"

*BAM*

"Simple!"

*BAM*

"Job!"

*BAM*

"And you couldn't!"

*BAM*

"Even do that!"

Mercury cried in pain as he laid on the ground. His nose felt like it was broken and blood was flowing all over his face. Bruises soon began to form on his face and underneath his clothes.

Needless to say, it would be a while before Mercury could stand up again.

Marcus took in a deep breath before looking back down at his son. "I'll finish with you later," he said as he faced his prisoners, new and old.

He specifically looked at Eren.

"You again?" he asked sarcastically. "Well, son of a bitch. You're just as brave as that sweet thing you call your mom." Marcus chuckled before he created a ball of fire in his hand and brought it close to Eren's face. "Stupid, but brave."

Eren was still trapped behind the black bar of energy Marcus had created. And now, he was looking at a ball of fire that was resting on the man's flesh. The boy was confused as to how this man could perform multiple feats like this at any time. Cinder and Nora told him how he used his Semblance multiple different ways, but this looked like all different Semblances.

How was it possible?

"How... did you...?"

The false Huntsman began to laugh when he saw how confused Eren was. "Lemme tell you something, kid," he said. "I hate Semblances. They're a crutch. A weakness. One that people, especially Huntsmen and Huntresses, tend to see as the key to winning a fight. But here's the kicker: it's what ends up getting them killed."

"..."

Marcus turned his gaze over to the ribbons of black energy pinning the other children against the wall. "But even I have to admit that they come in handy. They help me get out of trouble. I mean, I feel like I wanna puke when I can't rely on my own goddamn strength, but these Semblances really pack a punch." Marcus looked at the black bar around Eren. "I got this one after some drunk bitch tried to kill me. I won, obviously." He chuckled again as he looked at Carla. "You know, she looked a little like you. Just a little, though. You're much better."

Carla couldn't help but look away from Marcus. His perverted words and tendencies were making her sick, and she dreaded the fact that she was pinned to a wall.

Marcus could do whatever he wanted to her.

Eren, on the other hand, was able to look at Marcus with fury in his eyes. He was angry when he had to watch his mother die, he was angry when the Reiss family condemned people like her to die, and now he was angry that Marcus planned to do unspeakable things to his mother.

Marcus easily noticed this anger, which gave him an idea.

"This was supposed to be an easy job," he said. "Get to a town nobody's ever heard of, grab a bitch or two, then get out and get my pay." He chuckled again. "It really was an easy job. But I'm gonna need some kind of challenge!"

Marcus grabbed Eren's throat as the black energy disappeared. Eren could feel the air being cut off immediately, which made him retaliate by grabbing Marcus' hands and clawing at them. After a few seconds of this, Marcus threw Eren towards the door and destroyed it instantly.

*CRASH*

Eren rolled on the ground outside a few times before he laid down motionless. This caused everyone in the cabin, save for Marcus and Mercury, to call out his name in concern. Marcus wasn't concerned, but he was curious as he stepped outside and looked at Eren.

"I've seen a look like that before," he said as he watched Eren get back up. "It's been on just about everyone who tried to kill me. I've lost count of how many times I've tried to make Mercury look at me like that." Marcus pointed at Eren. "But you... you definitely got it." He immediately walked up to Eren and smacked his head.

*SMACK*

"Come on, kid! Impress me!"

*SMACK*

Eren quickly threw a fist at the man's side, despite the fact that he wasn't as strong or as tall as him. He wasn't bleeding, so all he could do at the moment was throw his fists like he had been taught to back on Paradis.

The strikes were relatively harmless and predictable, something that Marcus could either block or dodge. After a few seconds of these actions, Marcus put an end to Eren's attempted fighting by sending a strong kick to his head.

*CRACK*

The kick finally made Eren bleed, but he fell to the ground once more in pain. And since Marcus was unharmed, he had the perfect chance to gloat.

"That wasn't bad," he said as he kicked Eren's side. "Not good, but not bad either. You definitely fight like someone's been teaching you." Marcus chuckled. "Guess that backwards town of hicks are good for something after all."

Eren was still angry at his new enemy, and he wanted to keep fighting. And as soon as he realized that he was bleeding, Eren began to stand up again as he concentrated on the blood.

"Save your strength, boy," Marcus said as he raised his leg. "Or... are you really a boy? I'm a little confused. Last I checked, 'Erin' is a girl's-"

*CRACKLE*

Red lightning suddenly began to form around Eren's body, which soon spread across the soil and caused the ground to rumble.

It also caused Marcus' smirk to finally vanish.

"Wha-?"

*BOOM*

An explosion knocked Marcus back towards the cabin, where he hit the outside wall and fell to the ground. His Aura protected him from both the explosion and the crash, but it required a large amount to do so.

But the amount of Aura he had was the least of Marcus' worries.

After he got back up, Marcus found himself in the presence of a tall monster that was looking down at him and forming a fist. Once the fist began to make its way towards him, Marcus jumped out of the way and let the fist destroy some of the cabin.

*BAM*

The side of the house was completely destroyed, which gave Cinder and the others the chance to escape they had been looking for. The black bars around them had disappeared, since Marcus was currently using a Semblance of speed to avoid the Founding Titan. Once they saw that they were free and unharmed, Cinder and the others turned towards the sight of freedom.

"There's a path over there!" Dina yelled as she held Cinder's hand and ran. "We'll come back for Eren when we find out where we are!"

"Let's go!" Carla agreed as she took Ren and Nora with her.

Cinder and Ren couldn't help but run when Dina and Carla grabbed them. While they had their misgivings about the Titans, Dina and Carla had every confidence that Eren could buy them some time to escape and eventually join them.

However, Cinder turned back to see that Marcus was putting up a good fight. He was able to run up a tree very quickly and jump towards Eren, which brought him very close to the back of Eren's neck. The assassin didn't know about the nape of a Titan, so he was attacking Eren's face. And Eren was trying to grab the man in the air, but he was too fast.

Cinder immediately saw that Eren could use some help. If she had her Titan, she could use its power to burn Marcus in the air. And so, she broke Dina's grasp and ran towards her friend.

"Eren needs help!" Cinder said to Dina. "Get out of here, run!"

"Cinder, no!" Dina yelled as she tried to reach the little girl. However, a falling tree immediately crashed in front of her due to the fight between Eren and Marcus.

*CRASH*

Ren, Carla, and Nora shared Dina's concern for both Eren and Cinder. The rush from being rescued and running away had finally passed, and Carla realized that leaving her son behind wasn't such a good idea.

Ren, however, had a better idea.

"Come on!" he said as he took Nora's hand. "Let's try to find my father and everyone else!"

---

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Eren and Marcus were continuing to throw fists at each other. Eren's fists we're much more stronger and powerful, since they were destroying trees and the ground alike. Marcus was able to use speed to avoid the fists, but the resulting shockwaves from the punches were able to hit and disorient him.

The assassin was able to use another Semblance, one that enhanced strength, against Eren and managed to land blows against the Titan's flesh. While Eren could feel these attacks, Marcus believed that all he was doing was spreading black flesh and blood on himself.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled as he looked at the blackness on him. "What the fuck is this shit?!" Marcus was growing angry and impatient at what he perceived to be little progress in defeating this unique foe.

However, he had an idea to finish this fight once and for all.

It was true that Marcus hated Semblances, since everyone he fought against always relied on it. However, as much as he hated to admit it, Marcus' greatest strength was his own Semblance.

Namely, the ability to steal other Semblances for himself.

That was how he was able to make black energy, fire, and utilize enhanced strength and speed at the same time. They were all Semblances he stole from other people before he killed them. He even used it to steal his own son's Semblance when he unlocked it.

So now, Marcus believed that he could use his Semblance once more and take this giant for himself.

And so, Marcus used his speed to jump on to the Titan's lower back. It would be hard for Eren to reach him there, and it would give Marcus enough time to concentrate and use his Semblance. After he activated it, Marcus imagined what it would be like to take on this monstrous form. He would be on top of the world, he would kill anyone much easier than before, and he would be able to-

"Huh?"

Marcus realized that something was wrong.

When he opened his eyes, he could see his hands glowing. This was a sign that he was indeed using his Semblance. However, he couldn't feel the boy's Semblance coming to him. The process usually took five seconds, five and a half at most. And yet, Marcus had been using his Semblance for ten seconds.

After the fifteenth second passed, Marcus stopped any further attempts and began to think. He thought that either this boy was a special case with his Semblance, or... this wasn't a Semblance at all.

*BOOM*

A familiar explosion from behind him caused Marcus to turn around and see another giant walking towards him, a feminine one holding a ball of fire in her hand. The distraction allowed Eren to finally grab Marcus Black off his back and hold him in his hand. And once Eren threw the man in the air, Cinder threw fire at Marcus.

*WHOOSH*

Marcus had to use his Aura so he wouldn't be burned, and he had to use another Semblance to land on the ground without being harmed. Once he did, he attempted to think of a new strategy to deal with the giants.

But his attention was lost when a rock hit his head.

*WHACK*

Marcus didn't have enough time to activate his Aura when he was struck from behind. He fell to the ground while clutching the back of his head, which had been hit by Carla.

Despite Ren's insistence about finding his father, Carla began to have the same feeling Dina had about abandoning Cinder. In addition, Carla didn't want to leave Eren behind either. He may have been a Titan, but it was clear that a Titan on Remnant was a Grimm.

And Carla had heard all too well how skilled Marcus was at killing Grimm. That was why he was hired to begin with.

Dina had hurt her foot when the tree knocked her back. And so, Carla bravely, yet foolishly, ran back to help her son. Carla knew she was being foolish, almost every instinct within her screamed to turn back. However, there was one instinct that Carla couldn't ignore, not in a time like this.

A mother's instinct.

Carla could live with herself if she gave up her own life protecting her son. But the other way around was something that Carla couldn't bear to do. So, she went back for Eren.

And when she saw her chance, Carla picked up a rock and struck it hard against the assassin's head. The attack was strong and well-placed, which gave Eren and Carla a chance to talk.

"Mom?!" Eren screamed from within his Titan. "What... are you doing?!" He pointed back towards the dirt path. "Go!"

Eren had told his mother that he could talk from within his Titan, but Carla wasn't used to this ability. Nevertheless, she spoke to her son.

"Not without you!" Carla insisted, despite the fact she felt strange talking to a Titan. "Now's our chance! Let's go!"

Before she could move a muscle, Carla felt an arm wrap around her neck and a voice in her ear.

"No, you don't!"

Marcus couldn't use his Aura when Carla attacked him, but he was able to use it to recover. Once he did, once the pain in his head disappeared, Marcus made a new plan as he wrapped Carla in his grasp.

Carla was Marcus' new insurance policy.

"Alright, enough with the giant monsters!" Marcus called out to Eren and Cinder. "Or I'll break this bitch's neck!"

Both Eren and Cinder were surprised and worried for Carla's safety when they saw Marcus grabbed her. Cinder was the first to retaliate, as she prepared more fire with a low growl.

"No!"

Everyone turned to Eren's Titan, who had his hand stretched towards Cinder. "Do what... he says," he ordered. He hated the idea, but he wasn't going to risk losing his mother by making Marcus mad.

Cinder looked back to Marcus, who tightened his grip on Carla's neck. Once she saw that Eren was right, she lowered her hand and ceased thinking about fire.

"Come on, then," Marcus ordered as he tightened his arm. "Let's talk man-to-man."

"..."

Eren kneeled down to the ground, very slowly. Once he did, Eren reluctantly exited his Titan and stepped off the large body. Cinder mimicked the motions with her own Titan and joined Eren on the ground.

"Well... you don't see that everyday," Marcus said. He then tightened his arm again when he saw Eren and Cinder move towards him. "Hold it, kids. One more step and she dies. Got it?"

"We did what you wanted!" Eren protested. "Let her go!"

"Oh, no way." Marcus began to grin. "Not until we make ourselves a deal."

"Deal?" Cinder asked. She and Eren shared a confused glance at each other before they looked back to Marcus. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you think?" Marcus pointed to the Titans with his free arm. "Tell me how you did that? I know it's not a Semblance." Before either of the children could reply, Marcus had an idea. "Well, let's cut to the chase. Tell me how I can get one of my own, and I'll give you your mommy back."

Eren knew that he couldn't make a deal like this, that he couldn't let Marcus have a Titan of his own. "I have a better idea," he said in retaliation. "Let my mom go and we let you and your son walk away."

"Heh."

Marcus looked at Carla and tightened the grip even more. Carla was starting to lose oxygen now, which she desperately needed to live.

"No, I don't think so," Marcus said as he looked back to Eren. "You're gonna tell me how I can do what you just did. And then maybe I'll let her go."

Eren was growing angrier by the second. That one change of mind told the boy that Marcus had no intention of letting Carla go, whether he had a Titan or not. He desperately tried to think of a plan while remaining still, but nothing came to mind.

However, Cinder was able to see something that could potentially help her and Eren. In order to use it, she would have to talk first.

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.

"A little of this, little of that," Marcus casually answered. "Steal whatever, kill whoever. I'll tell you what, things are looking brighter for me." Marcus didn't believe he would be getting paid now, since two out of his three prisoners were gone now. But he wasn't planning on leaving empty handed.

If he couldn't get money, Marcus could walk away with power.

"What about your son?" Cinder asked.

Marcus became even more sure of himself, which made him reply even more casually. "...What about him?" he asked.

"You've kept him around this long. Don't you think he'll want it too?"

"He ain't getting shit until he learns how to be a man."

"And what is he now?"

"Someone who can't even keep three bitches in line. Weak."

Eren was wondering why Cinder was going on about a child she hardly knew. He was about to ask what was going on, but then he saw exactly what Cinder was trying to do.

And it was working.

"I don't know," Eren said next. "He was putting up a good fight against Cinder. He might be stronger than you think."

"So he can push a girl off his back," Marcus replied. "So what? Do you have a point?"

"I'm only saying I don't think he's as weak as you think." Eren turned to his friend. "Right, Cinder?"

"Yeah," Cinder agreed. "He's pretty strong. He shouldn't have to go through what you did to him."

Marcus believed the conversation was more than pathetic. "What, are you trying to make me see something in him?" he asked. "I've known what he is since the day he was born. And the day he gets strong as you twerps is the day I get a TV the size of a billboard. And I don't see any TV here. So let's get back to-"

*SHICK*

A sharp pain in his side caused Marcus to stop talking and finally let go of Carla. Looking down, Marcus not only saw Carla gasping for breath and holding her neck, but he also saw his broken and beaten son holding a sharp piece of broken glass in his hand.

Glass that could work like a knife.

"AH, SHIT!" Marcus yelled at the top of his lungs as Mercury pulled out the glass. Blood sprayed on the ground before Marcus could clutch his wound, and Carla finally had the opportunity to run.

"What's the matter, Dad?!" Mercury yelled as he prepared to thrust the glass again. "I thought you wanted me to be strong?!"

*SWISH*

The glass didn't stab into Marcus' flesh, but it cut his side. "Isn't this what you wanted?!" the boy yelled. "You wanted me to be a killer! Someone who can take on anyone!"

Carla had rejoined Eren and Cinder, who were doing nothing but letting the boy unleash his rage at his tormentor.

"Well, guess what, Dad?!" Mercury said as he raised the glass. "Anyone includes you!" The boy quickly lunged with the glass in hand and aimed it at Marcus' heart.

But this time, Marcus caught the boy's hand and twisted it.

*CRACK*

"Aaaaugh!"

Carla and Cinder gasped at the sight of Marcus hurting his son once more. Eren didn't make a sound, but he was shocked to see what was happening.

When the boy dropped his weapon, Marcus kicked Mercury in the gut and watched him roll on the ground. When he stopped, Marcus took the attack a step further and struck his foot at Mercury's leg.

*CRACK*

"AAAAAAUUUUHHH!"

Marcus repeated the motion several times, and he even transitioned to Mercury's other leg. Everyone who was witnessing this knew that they had to stop the assassin, or he might end up killing his son.

Eren was about to turn into a Titan once more, but then he heard something that made him change his mind.

*GROWL*

*GROWL*

Eren looked to his left and right to see multiple Beowolves at his sides. They soon moved close to Carla and Cinder as well, but they didn't attack. They didn't even attack Eren, who was wondering where the Grimm had come from.

But when he noticed that he had been bleeding, and that blood had fallen onto the ground to make large puddles, Eren knew what to do.

"Cinder, take my mom and go," he said as he gestured towards the broken tree. "Go now!"

Cinder didn't protest, but Carla did. "Eren, wait!" she said as she grabbed her son's shoulder. "I can't leave you here!"

"I'll catch up!" Eren promised after he shook his mother's grasp. "Just get the hell out of here! Now!" He immediately took off running towards Marcus with the Grimm in tow.

And Marcus was too busy breaking Mercury's legs in various places to notice.

"You know... if you had stabbed that nagging brat... I bet I would have been proud," Marcus said as he stepped on Mercury's leg once more.

*CRACK*

*SNAP*

"AAAAHHH!"

Mercury screamed as the pain in his legs intensified as his father stepped on them over and over again. "But now... I'm gonna do... what I should have done nine fucking years ago!" Marcus said before he turned around. "And then it's your turn, you fucking-!"

The scowl on Marcus' face disappeared when he saw multiple Beowolves crawling towards him. Two more crawled out of the ground behind Eren, and they all locked their eyes on the assassin.

And not only was Eren safe from harm, but he was also wondering if he could do more than just create Grimm. If he could control them as well, just like how the Founding Titan could control other Titans... that would be a great threat against Salem.

But there was only one way to know for sure.

"...Sic him," he ordered maliciously.

*ROAR*

Just as Eren hoped, all of the Grimm united against Marcus Black. He was able to stop one of them by grabbing its paws, but the others all tackled Marcus to the ground after they pushed him back. Mercury witnessed this, but he passed out from the shock of his injuries.

Eren stopped in front of Mercury, but only to pick up the glass Mercury had used to attack his father. He was inspired by this boy's actions, and now Eren was ready to finish what Mercury started.

*BAM*

*SNAP*

*CRACK*

*ROAR*

*BAM*

With each step Eren took, Marcus fought long and hard against each of the Grimm. His Aura had finally shattered, but not before he used more stolen Semblances to kill most of the Beowolves. But once his Aura had broken, the Grimm began to scratch, bite, and claw at Marcus' body.

With one final burst of energy, Marcus pushed the Grimm away from him rather than kill them. When he did, the assassin came face-to-face with Eren. He was broken, bloodied, and having a hard time breathing and seeing.

But he was mad as Hell.

"You'll pay for this!" Marcus promised as he tried to attack Eren. But his leg was hurt to the point of only being able to limp instead of run.

Which gave Eren a chance to slash at Marcus' face with the glass. The glass had finally broken, but Eren had created a new scar on the man's disgusting face.

"No," Eren replied. "Not this time!"

*ROAR*

Another Grimm had tackled Marcus, but it didn't bite him this time. Instead, it held the man down as Eren approached closer.

"Hey, stop!" Marcus yelled as struggled in the Grimm's grasp.

"..."

When he saw Eren moving closer, with an angry and intimidating look on his face, Marcus could see that victory wasn't assured anymore.

"Hey, hey, wait!" the man pleaded. "Don't! I-I give up! Come on, I give up! Take your mom and get the hell out of here!"

"..."

"Did you fucking hear me?! I give up! You can go! You'll never see me again, just fucking go!"

Eren was standing by Marcus' head now. He was a little surprised to hear that Marcus had finally given up, but in Eren's mind, it was too late for apologies or surrender. There was no way he was going to let someone who thought he could kidnap his mother and his friends without consequences.

And Eren intended to deliver these consequences... personally.

*BAM*

Eren kicked Marcus' face as the Grimm held him down. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he angrily screamed. "You think you can just walk into my house, kidnap and beat my mom, and get away with it?!"

*BAM*

*CRACK*

"This is what you deserve, you animal! This is what happens when you-!"

Eren stopped screaming when he felt something pull on both of his shoulders. He turned around and looked up fast when he saw that it was his mother pulling on him, moving him from Marcus.

But Eren wasn't done yet.

"Mom, let go!" Eren insisted as he fought against the grip. "He'll come back, I have to finish this!"

"..."

Carla said nothing as she tried to pull Eren away, but Eren continued to talk as he tried to move towards Marcus.

"Mom, stop it!" he said. "I have to finish this!" He turned around once more to look at Carla. "Dammit, are you listening to-?!"

*SMACK*

Eren lost his voice when he felt Carla's hand against his cheek. She wasn't trying to hurt him, the action was meant to calm him down. And when he recovered from the minor attack, Eren looked directly at Carla's face when she took her turn to speak.

"...Thank you," she said sincerely. "Thank you for coming for me, Eren. For a time... I didn't think I was ever going to see you again. That's all I wanted to do back there. Just see you one more time. But not like this." Carla briefly looked to Marcus as she said this.

"..."

Eren took a look at Marcus as well, who was broken and beaten at his feet, before he turned back to Carla.

"Eren, I don't want to lose you again," she said. "You may still be here, but it wouldn't be the same. I don't know what it was that drove you to destroy the entire world, to keep moving forward when you did... but I don't want you to do it again."

"..."

Carla pointed at both Marcus and the Grimm. "He's the monster, Eren. The Grimm are the monsters here. So please... don't be the monster everyone believed you were back home." She began to cry. "Don't... Don't leave me alone again."

"..."

Eren took another look at Marcus and the Grimm, who were growling at him as they did nothing but look at him. However, Eren couldn't feel the same anger he did moments ago. When he looked at Marcus again, he couldn't see the same man who threatened his mother and then him. He couldn't see a powerful enemy anymore.

The only one who had power was Eren. Just like he did on Paradis, Eren had the power to make this all end. He had the power to kill, to conquer, and to command both Titan and Grimm alike.

But now, all Eren could do was see the event and the people involved in it through his mother's eyes. He could see nothing but monsters in the entire field.

And one of those monsters... was him.

Eren began to cry as well when he realized what he had done. He didn't regret hurting Marcus and beating him close to death. But he did regret that he was losing his mother in the process. Just like everyone he killed did, she was starting to hate him.

And just like before... Eren deserved it.

"...I'm sorry, Mom," Eren said as he looked to the ground. But he wasn't apologizing for hurting Marcus. "I let you down."

"..."

"..."

The Grimm suddenly got off of Marcus and moved a few feet back from him, leaving the man relatively safe from harm. Carla saw this for herself, and saw that Eren listened to her. Not in the sense of a mother telling her child what to do, but in a different manner.

This manner caused Carla to hug Eren once more.

"No, you didn't," she insisted. "You came back to me. Just like you did before. Just like you will again when you stop Salem."

"..."

Eren couldn't help but smile as he returned the hug. In that moment, he felt like he was right where he belonged. And now, he wasn't going to leave ever again.

"Heh, heh, heh."

Eren and Carla turned to see that Marcus was standing back up. He realized that while he was badly hurt, he had enough strength to pick himself off the ground and walk away.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," he said. "What's the matter, boy? You think you still need your mommy to tell you what to do?"

Eren glared at the man with anger, but he didn't move away from Carla. Marcus easily saw this and chuckled once more.

"That's what I thought," Marcus said as he began to limp away. "But don't forget... I know where you live. This isn't over, kid. Not by a-"

*GROWL*

Marcus' path was immediately blocked by a Beowolf, one that threw its hand towards the man and scratched him. Marcus fell back against a tree, where he found himself being surrounded by more Grimm.

Specifically, the Grimm that arose from Eren's blood.

"Hey," Marcus said as he looked back to the mother and son. "Hey! Hey, what the hell is this?!"

Carla shook her head and began to walk away. "Come on, Eren," she said. "Let's go." Eren silently obeyed and followed his mother's lead.

"Hey!" Marcus yelled back. "You can't just leave me here! You stopped him from killing me, didn't you?!"

Carla mustered enough willpower to turn around. "You're right," she said. "I'm not going to let my son kill you."

"Then why are these Grimm crawling around?!"

Carla had a good feeling that Eren could control these Grimm, since she saw them arise from pools of his blood.

And while she couldn't let Eren kill someone, good or bad... that didn't necessarily mean Carla had to help Marcus survive.

Carla felt these feelings, but it was Cinder who had brought them to light. She too hadn't left Eren, and now she was about to tell Marcus what was going on.

"You're supposed to be a Huntsman, right?" the child asked. "Hunt."

"..."

*GROWL*

*GROWL*

Marcus turned back to the growling Grimm just in time to see and feel one bite his leg.

*CRUNCH*

"AAAAHH!"

Marcus' screams did nothing to help him. The rest of the pack all pounced on the man as Carla led the children away.

"NOOO! AAAAHH!"

*CRUNCH*

*SNAP*

*GROWL*

"AHHHH! AAHHH!"

Carla had to cover her ears as she walked. Though she felt no obligation to help the man who had kidnapped and hurt her, she couldn't bear to listen to the sounds of screams.

But eventually, the screams fell silent. And nothing more of Marcus Black could be heard.

---

When everyone reunited past the broken cabin, they received a welcome sight. Li and his search party had heard the commotion and Grimm, and it finally led them in the right direction of Carla, Dina, and Nora.

Li was very relieved to see that Nora was alive and well, but he was surprised to see that his son was outside when he was told to stay. Eren and Cinder quickly came to Ren's defense while he was being scolded, and Eren insisted that Ren help him look in a different path of the hunting party.

Carla said that such behavior was typical of Eren, only to help the boy defend his friend.

When Li saw that no real harm had been done, that his son and adoptive daughter were safe, the hunter put aside his mixed feelings and welcomed Ren and Nora back.

Dina was the one who hid the secret of the Titans. She said that after they had been rescued, a pack of Beowolves ambushed Marcus Black and gave everyone a chance to escape. Li took this as a sign that they should be going home now.

Everyone couldn't agree more.

When they returned to Kuroyuri, the town was happy to see that not only had the search party returned with the kidnapped victims, but that nobody else had disappeared as well. It was truly a successful mission.

Mayor Fa sincerely apologized to Carla and Dina, taking full responsibility for Marcus' actions. Neither of the women held any animosity towards the leader, since Marcus had fooled everyone into believing that he was a Huntsman. Not only did he have a license, but he also knew how to kill Grimm better than anyone. A Huntsman was the perfect disguise for him.

Nevertheless, Mayor Fa promised that any more ideas about hiring a full-time Huntsman were out of the window. And while everyone silently agreed with this declaration, Cinder was the only one who voiced her support.

After the reunion, everyone led Carla, Dina, and Nora to the town's doctor. They didn't have much of a hospital, but Dr. McCoy took his role very seriously. The deer Faunus eagerly led his new patients inside his office to examine them, but everyone was concerned about one patient they had brought back.

Mercury.

Before they completely abandoned Marcus Black and the ruined cabin, Carla looked back to see that Mercury was seriously hurt. Eren and Cinder shared Carla's concern, since neither of them saw an enemy in Mercury. He had tried to kill his father, after all.

And Cinder couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the boy's condition. She had used him, he was only a means to an end at the time. And while her plan had worked, Cinder saw that there were serious consequences. If she knew what was going to happen, she would have done things differently.

Eren also felt responsible, since he followed Cinder's lead. But he decided to make things right by helping the boy and taking him home. Cinder eagerly agreed, and she helped Eren carry him back to Kuroyuri.

And so, Dr. McCoy spent much of his time examining Mercury before he moved on to Marcus' other victims. On the surface, he didn't see any major injuries with Carla, Dina, or Nora. And after Dina insisted that Mercury be examined first, Mercury had captured the doctor's full attention.

And so, Carla, Dina, and Nora were taken to separate rooms. Eren went with Carla, Cinder went with Dina, and Ren went with Nora. Li had left to retrieve his wife, to let her know that Nora and the other children were safe.

However, Ren had left the room to find Eren and Cinder. Something was very wrong with Nora, and she needed help.

Eren and Cinder came into Nora's room to find her crying on her bed. At first, they believed that she was crying from an injury. However, Nora's real affliction was sadness.

Sadness that she believed was for a good reason.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" she asked herself. "What's wrong with me?!" She suddenly slammed her fist on the mattress and cried some more.

"Nora, it's okay!" Ren insisted as he moved closer to Nora. "We're going home soon, we'll be-"

"I can't!" Nora yelled as she turned around and cried even more. "I can't keep doing this anymore! I can't pretend that everything's okay while I wait for things to get worse!"

Eren was surprised and confused to see his friend in such a state. Cinder, however, felt her heart begin to break as she stared at Nora. She hadn't know the girl for very long, but Cinder saw Nora as a symbol of true happiness and joy. She was always wearing a smile each and every day they met, and that was something Cinder liked the most about Nora. However, that symbol was transforming into nothing but despair and depression.

And more than anything, Cinder wanted to find out why that was.

"Ren, what's wrong with Nora?" Cinder asked. Normally, she would assume that being kidnapped would upset anyone. But Nora's last sentiment had Cinder believing that there was something else that made her so depressed. "What is she talking about?"

Ren sighed deeply as he looked at Nora. "It's... something she's told me before," he confessed. "Before we met, Nora's mother ran from the Grimm and left her behind."

Cinder gasped as she looked back to Nora. "Oh, Nora," she said with enormous sympathy.

But Ren wasn't done there.

"And she used to think the Grimm attacking the town was her fault, that bad things happen to her and everyone she's around," the boy explained. "I think... she might blame herself for being kidnapped too."

"What?" Eren asked. "Nora, that's not true! That bastard broke into my house and took everyone he could see!"

"Right!" Cinder insisted. "I mean, did he take anything else too, Eren?"

"I didn't really check if anything was stolen, but that's true. Nora, that Huntsman, or whatever he was, wasn't here because of you."

"But it makes sense!" Nora insisted. "I was a complete stranger when I came here! When I came, the Grimm came after that! And now it was that Huntsman! What's next?!" Nora buried her face in her hands. "I shouldn't be here. I should just go."

"..."

It was obvious that Eren and Cinder were telling the truth, but Nora wasn't listening. Unfortunately, Ren was hoping that Nora having friends around would help.

Cinder believed that as well, and she had an idea.

"Can I try something?" she asked. "I think it'll help."

"Sure," Ren said calmly.

Cinder moved closer to Nora and shared her idea. "Nora, remember that idea you had about me singing?" she asked. "Without you, I never would have tried something like that."

"..."

Nora's silence didn't make Cinder stop. "In fact, I actually tried writing a song that makes me think about why your idea won't work," she said. "I mean, I was going to show Eren first, but do you want to hear it?"

Nora looked up from her hands and became slightly curious about Cinder singing again. The last time she heard Cinder sing, it was the most beautiful thing she ever heard. And if she was going to leave, it would be nice to hear Cinder sing one more time. So Nora nodded, and Cinder began to sing again.

"You're not alone.

There's no doubt.

Your gift isn't futile

To be."

Once again, Cinder's singing was beautiful. Ren and Eren were baffled by Cinder's performance, and it had only just begun. Nora had told Ren that Cinder could sing, and Eren was lucky to hear it before. He knew her voice was special, but it was even more special to hear that Cinder wrote this song herself.

"If we'll be united,

We're stronger together.

We always have the high hope.

Not all for one but one for all."

The words Nora listened to were not only beautiful, but surprisingly meaningful. Cinder was telling Nora that she didn't need to be alone, she didn't need to think like she was. Cinder wanted Nora to be stronger, and the only way to do that was if she stayed with them in Kuroyuri.

"Don't worry 'bout a thing.

We'll reach out to you.

Even if it's a harder way,

It's plain to see the reason why.

Oh, that's all because of the mighty heart.

Remember it's just natural that we'll be there if you need help.

Far across the distance, rest assured that our faith just won't die."

Cinder stopped singing once she felt Nora hug her. Relaxing into the hug, Cinder believed that Nora had gotten the message she wanted to share. It was a strong message indeed, something that Cinder had been feeling for a while.

It was true that Cinder had intended for Eren to listen to it first. In fact, Cinder actually wrote the song because of him. The month she had spent with him made Cinder see that her feelings regarding Eren were much stronger than she originally believed. It wasn't until she spent time around other people, until she became sociable and open to others, that she felt that could understand these feelings better.

Expressing them, however, was more daunting. Cinder had memorized the song by heart, but she never had the courage to share it with him. But when she felt Nora hugging her, Cinder believed that it was better she sang it for Nora instead. Looking back, it seemed like a "Nora song" instead of an "Eren song."

And Nora agreed.

"You're right," Nora said gratefully. "Thank you."

Cinder and Ren both hugged Nora and stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. But nobody seemed to mind. They were just glad the nightmare was over.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Everyone turned to the door when they heard three knocks. After Nora dried her eyes, she decided to stop shutting herself in from others.

"Come in," she said politely.

The door opened to reveal Dr. McCoy, who was followed by Li and An Ren. An rushed over to her son and adoptive daughter and hugged them both, as she was relieved to see that her nightmare was over as well.

With that, Eren and Cinder decided to take their leave.

"Oh, Eren," the doctor said as the children walked by him. "I just finished with your mother."

"Is she okay?" Eren asked as he looked up at the man.

"She has a bad cut and bruise on the back of her head. I cleaned it up and put some bandages on it. I don't think she has a concussion, but she'll be staying overnight so I can keep an eye on her."

"Can I see her?"

"Of course." The doctor looked down at Cinder. "Would you like to see Ms. Fritz? She's been asking about you."

"Okay," Cinder agreed before she turned to Eren. "I'll come find you later."

"Okay," Eren said as he walked out of the room. "Oh, and Cinder?"

"..."

Cinder turned to Eren and waited before she followed the doctor to Dina's room. "I really liked your song," Eren said with a smile.

"..."

Cinder didn't reply, but she smiled gratefully before she turned around just in time to hide the redness on her cheeks.

Eren was alone very briefly after Cinder left him. He immediately returned to the room he had left his mother in, where he found Carla resting in her own bed with a bandage wrapped around her forehead. She was looking out into the night sky from her window before she turned to Eren with a soft smile.

"There you are," she said calmly.

"I was just checking in on Nora," Eren explained. "Cinder came too."

"How's Dina?"

"Cinder went to see her. I think she's fine, though. How are you?"

"Okay." Carla rubbed the back of her head. "Just a bad headache. How are you?"

"I'm fine. My, uh..." Eren opened the door to make sure he was alone with his mother. Once he closed it again, he explained himself. "My powers healed me."

"Good."

"..."

Eren was slightly surprised to see Carla speak so passively about the Titans, but he didn't question it. Instead, he watched his mother lift a finger and gesture towards herself.

"Come here for a minute," she calmly requested. Eren obeyed and found himself right by his mother's side. Once he was there, Carla lifted a hand and caressed Eren's cheek. "Thank you for saving me, Eren. I know it's supposed to be my job to look after you, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. So thank you."

"..."

Eren believed that Carla was grateful, but the reminder of the incident, namely how she snapped him out of his anger in the woods, made Eren feel sad.

"You're welcome," he said. "I'm... I'm sorry about what you saw. What I was about to do. I-"

"I wanted to talk to you about that," Carla replied. "About Marley, the Rumbling, all of it. I'm ready now. And I just want to say... I think I understand."

"..."

Eren didn't believe what he just heard. "You... You do? Really?"

Carla nodded. "I think I understand how Marley pushed you to that point," she replied. "It took me a while, and it took Dina's own experiences with Marley, but I think I understand that Marley didn't give you any option for peace."

Eren knew this too be true, and he knew the perfect way to verify his mother's belief. "They declared war on us. At the festival in Liberio. If I wasn't there, nobody would have any idea."

"I remember you mentioned that. Between that, sending their Titans, and invading the entire island... they left you with no choice but to use the Rumbling, didn't they?"

Eren nodded, and began to feel grateful that he was finally having this conversation. There wouldn't be any more awkward feelings around the farmhouse, no more small-talk to keep things normal. Now, finally, Eren felt that he and his mother could finally understand one another. After all, he felt that he understood her when she told him to stop in the woods.

Carla felt the same way, but there was one final thing she had to know. One more thing to lay down the finishing piece in her new relationship with Eren.

"I just need to understand one more thing, Eren," she said. "I need to ask you something important."

Eren nodded. "Yeah, anything," he replied. "I'll be honest, just ask me."

Carla was grateful for the promise, but she wasn't sure if Eren would keep it after she asked her question. "Eren... I understand the Rumbling was necessary to destroy an army," she began. "But no matter how hard I try, I can't understand something about the Rumbling. About you."

Eren moved a little closer. "What is it?"

Carla took a deep breath before she replied. "...Why did you keep going? Why did... Why did you use the Rumbling to kill people other than the Alliance's army?"

"..."

Eren immediately realized how difficult it would be to answer that question. It was so hard that he found himself having trouble looking at his mother.

"Eren," Carla said firmly. "Eren, look at me."

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Eren looked to his mother. And to make things easier for him, Carla explained herself.

"I'm not mad," she said. "I'm not trying to think any differently of you, I just want to understand."

"..."

"My mind keeps telling me that peace could have been possible, when the army was destroyed. The world wouldn't have a way to defend themselves, they'd have to make peace. I just have to know... why you didn't give them that option."

"..."

Eren looked down again as he thought about his answer. He wasn't a fool, he remembered his reasoning for letting the Rumbling continue. He knew why he did what he did, he knew that his plan would follow through.

He just didn't know if Carla would believe him. After he killed so many people... how could anyone understand.

"Just tell me, Eren," Carla implored. "Please."

"..."

Eren finally nodded as he looked back up. After he mentally prepared himself, he delivered what he promised to deliver.

The truth.

"Mom... you're right," he began. "The world didn't have their army, their ships, they had nothing against us. When the fighting was over... what came next was up to us."

"..."

Carla remained silent as she patiently listened to Eren.

"We could have made the world do anything we wanted. We could have told them to release the Eldians in the internment zones, we could have told them to stop the Warrior program, we could have told them to stop fighting."

"..."

Carla was somewhat pleased to see that her line of thinking was right, that peace could have been achieved if the Rumbling only took out the world's army. But she wasn't sure where Eren was going with this.

Eren answered that question quickly.

"But... the truth is... there was one thing we couldn't make them do," Eren said. "It's the same thing they've been doing for thousands of years. Trying to make that stop would be impossible. And they would keep doing it if we achieved peace."

"What?" Carla asked. "What is it?"

"...Hate, Mom. They would keep on hating us."

"..."

Carla took a minute to think about this idea, but she didn't understand it right away. Eren could believe that, since Carla had no personal experiences with Marley or the outside world.

Once again, Eren explained himself.

"The world hated Eldia for thousands of years," he continued. "They hated us for the empire, for being able to turn into Titans, for everything. Even in times of peace, they hated us. They wouldn't stop hating until every last Subject of Ymir died. There was nothing that could change that."

"..."

"Except one thing."

Carla was about to ask what that was, what Eren's idea of changing hate meant. However, she was able to answer her own question. It was the same thing she mentioned moments ago.

The answer was in her first question.

"The Rumbling?" Carla assumed, even though she was sure of her answer.

Eren nodded before he spoke again. "The world believed that all Eldians were evil, that they deserved to die. The propaganda even reached the Eldians living in Marley. There was probably enough hate to inspire another attack, if I had just destroyed the army. But the Rumbling changed that. It changed that because I kept moving forward."

Carla listened to what Eren was saying, but she was still unable to understand.

"But... how?" she asked. "How could that change anything?"

Eren was about to answer the question, but then he had an idea. Instead of answering with his words, Eren decided to let someone else answer that question.

"Can I... show you something?" Eren asked as he extended his hand. "From before I died?"

"..."

Carla remembered what happened the last time she took Eren's hand in a moment like this. She remembered the fear, the God of Darkness, and her entire world caving in around her when the truth came to light.

But Carla knew Eren wouldn't be asking this without a reason. She knew that he believed this action would help in a way that she didn't understand, just like last time.

And so, Carla took Eren's hand once again.

"These are my last memories, Mom," Eren explained. "Watch them closely."

*WHOOSH*

Instead of a dark and barren wasteland, Carla found herself in the sky. She could see the blue sky and multiple clouds, and she even saw some of the airships Eren had mentioned before. The ground was miles below her, and there was a mountain in the distance.

And in the distance, Carla could hear a voice over a loudspeaker.

"We exploited hatred. We kept feeding our resentment. We even thought our hate would save us... We dumped every problem caused by our shortcomings onto an 'island of devils.' And the result... was the birth of that monster... which has now come to return our hatred upon our own heads. ...If it's possible... for us to have a future again... I will not make the same mistakes... I swear it. If we see... another tomorrow..."

The next things Carla saw next was an epic battle. Not just any battle, but one that was fought on a large Titan and mere humans. Carla recognized two of them as Mikasa and Armin, and they were fighting for their lives.

Not just that, but they were fighting to stop the Rumbling. To stop Eren.

And they did.

When they did, Carla found herself back into the present. Not just educated, but somehow... reborn. After all this time, after trying so hard to understand her son, to understand what he had become... Carla gained everything she wanted.

She saw that her son had indeed become a monster, the monster that the world made him out to be. He became worthy of hate, of fear, and of death.

Just as Carla believed, Eren had done all of this for a reason. He took on the world's hate, after killing millions, for a very specific reason.

He died... so Mikasa and everyone else could live.

"They saw Eldians kill a monster," Eren explained. "They saw that not all Eldians deserved to be hated. That some of them wanted the same thing."

"..."

"I said goodbye to them. To Mikasa, to Armin... everyone. I think you saw my goodbye to Mikasa. If you want to see Armin's... I can do that."

"..."

The silence made Eren uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. Nevertheless, he had a good idea how to end the conversation.

"I can... I can give you time," he said. "If you need to think, or do anything else. I can-"

"Stop."

Carla took Eren's arm to prevent him from leaving and spoke again to prevent him from saying anything else.

"You're not getting away that easily," she said. "And you're not leaving yet. You're not leaving until I say my piece."

"..."

Eren knew he should have expected a reaction like this. He knew he should have expected anger and resentment, just like everyone else gave him. But just like before, Eren wasn't ready to hear it from his mother.

But more than anything, he wasn't ready to hear what Carla was going to say next.

"And you're especially not leaving... without a hug."

"What?"

Eren was suddenly wrapped in a hug by his mother, which was certainly not what he was expecting.

He especially wasn't expecting to hear Carla say words of comfort and understanding.

"Eren... you're right that I need time," she said. "I need to think about this some more... but you protected Mikasa. In your own way... you protected her." Carla let go of Eren. "You protected the island too, didn't you?"

Eren nodded after he recovered from his surprise. "When I died, the power of the Titans died with me," he said.

Carla understood. "Eren... I need to think about what you've done. It must have been hard to do what you did... but you still did it. I don't know if I can accept that just yet."

"..."

"But thank you for being honest with me. I love you, Eren."

Eren smiled. "I... I love you too, Mom."

---

"How bad is it, doctor?"

"Not bad at all. You're going to do just fine."

Dina and Cinder were sitting in a small room with a Faunus with deer antlers. At the moment, the Faunus had just finished looking over Dina's bruises and rope burns. And he had just pulled out two small bottles of aloe for his patient. "If the rope burns hurt again, just put a little bit of this on," he advised.

"Thank you," said Dina.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Dina opened her mouth to answer the doctor, but Cinder's voice filled the room. "What about the boy?" the young girl asked. "Mercury? Is he okay?"

Dina didn't say anything, but she decided that asking about Mercury was the best thing to do.

The doctor sighed before he replied. "Well, it's him that I'm worried about," he confessed. "The bruises on his chest and face I could work with." He walked down the hall towards another door, with Dina and Cinder in tow. "But his legs... they were worse than I could have ever imagined. His kneecaps are shattered, his tendons are practically hanging by a thread, his femur and tibia in both legs have multiple cracks. I'm surprised he was able to stand when I first saw him."

Dina didn't know all of the medical terms the doctor was speaking in, so she decided to see what all of it meant. "Can you do anything for him?"

"...I'm afraid we don't have the equipment for something like this. What the boy needs is surgery. After that, well... it'll take him years before he can walk properly again. I can arrange a flight to Mistral, but I'm afraid that's all I can do."

"I see. Thank you, doctor."

Doctor McCoy entered the room where Mercury was resting, and Dina was about to join him. However, she became distracted by the sight of Cinder rubbing tears in her eyes.

"Cinder?" Dina asked after the door closed. She immediately kneeled down to the child as instinct took over. "Cinder, what's wrong?"

"That... That was my fault," Cinder insisted. "I made a crazy plan to help Eren's mom, and look what happened! I mean, it worked, but Mercury's hurt because of me!" Cinder dried her eyes again, but more tears came in place. In her mind, nothing was going to convince her that Mercury was hurt because of her.

But Dina was going to try.

"Cinder, listen to me," Dina said calmly. "You didn't hurt Mercury. You didn't attack him, you didn't do anything wrong. That man, that... monster, he was the one who did those terrible things tonight." Dina took Cinder's hands in hers. "You did the opposite, Cinder. You helped Eren, and Carla, and me." Dina smiled. "You saved me, Cinder. Thank you."

"..."

In a moment, Cinder felt much better. It was nice to hear the opposite of what she was thinking, especially when it came from Dina. There was something about the things she said to her, ever since she helped her recover from her nightmare.

Cinder was really grateful to have Dina to talk to, along with Eren.

To show her gratitude, Cinder gave Dina a hug. And Dina was more than willing to reciprocate it. "Thank you, Ms. Fritz," she said. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome," Dina insisted. "And thank you, too." Dina gave Cinder a little squeeze as she continued to talk. "I don't know where I'd be right now if it weren't for you and Eren."

"..."

The duo remained silent for a minute before Dina let go of Cinder. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cinder said as she dried her eyes. "I am, really."

"Well, if you need to talk some more, let me know." Dina let out a chuckle. "I think I'm gonna need someone to talk to myself."

Cinder laughed too. "Well, whoever they are, I hope they're just as nice as you. I feel like I can talk to you like how Eren talks to his mom. You're like Carla, too."

"Really?" Dina stopped smiling, but she was more than happy to talk to Cinder. "In what way?"

Cinder laughed again. "You're kind of like a mom, too. Well, to me, at least."

"..."

Dina knew she couldn't make anything official just yet. She knew that she hadn't given everything much thought, on account of what happened with Marcus and what happened with Zeke years ago. And yet, what Cinder just said awoke something in her.

She knew what she wanted to do.

One way or another, she was going to be Cinder's mother. And this time... she wasn't going to make any mistakes.

Cinder deserved the best. And Dina believed... she knew... that she could do that.

---

"-with temperatures rising in the nineties, its seems that summer has come early for Mistral this year. Back to you, Tony."

"Thanks, Linda. And in other news, the Grimm activity in the city of Argus has continued to rise, with numbers reaching into the fifties. I've... never heard anything like this before. What appears to have started as a minor pack has grown into a swarm of all kinds of Grimm outside the city. Atlas soldiers have been able to hold them off, but they just keep coming. Nobody seems to know why or how, but something about the hybrid city has drawn more Grimm there each day. Local Huntsmen and Huntresses are due to arrive at the end of the day, hoping to figure out-"

"Arthur."

The television behind Arthur Watts abruptly turned off, leaving the disgraced scientist to continue his conversation with his new master through the jellyfish-like Grimm. "My apologies, ma'am," he said with honesty. "As I was saying, my studies here have come up with nothing. I've run every search pattern, every type of analysis. But there's no conclusive evidence that the Grimm you're looking for ever came to Argus."

"You are sure of this?" Salem asked calmly.

"Beyond any doubt. The mess it left behind at Atlas gave me a hint on what to look for, and I've found nothing like it here. Are the other Grimm having any luck?"

"None. When they're not avoiding the military presence, they've been trying to track my creation. Like you, they seem to have found nothing."

"And brining one of them into Argus, while possible, would result in a death faster than the one they're finding outside the wall."

"So it would seem." Salem put a hand to her chin. "Would it be possible for you to return to Atlas? It may have left something behind."

"Studying in Mantle wouldn't be a problem, but Atlas? Too much of a risk. Perhaps you could send that Faunus of yours... Tyrian, I think."

"Perhaps. Carry on, I will contact you shortly."

The image of Arthur Watts disappeared, leaving Salem with time to think. After his arrival to her abode, Salem had done nothing but obsess over her creation. She was still feeling over the fact it had escaped her grasp and that she could do nothing to find it.

Her efforts to pry information from the Silver-Eyed Warrior had done nothing but try the witch's patience. No matter how hard she tried, how much pain she put the woman through, Salem was unable to find any link between her prisoner's power and her creation's rebellion. So she put aside further interrogations until after she found the Grimm she created.

But each and every attempt to do so had resulted in failure. The Grimm in Atlas were able to follow its tracks to the ocean, where the trace disappeared. But the worst part was that the creation hadn't captured just her attention.

According to Watts, the people of Argus had heard that General Ironwood had recently begun his own search for the monster. His army had just been ordered across the globe to find any trace of the beast. And Salem wouldn't have that.

For the first time in a long time... Salem had no idea what to do.

All that she knew was that she wouldn't rest until her creation was either back in her grasp or it was destroyed. Once that challenge had been completed, the witch would begin to conquer her next obsession; Ozma.

---

Update: hey everyone, hope you're doing good. So, this is the last major rewrite we planned. Sorry it took a long time, we wanted everything to be perfect. And now, we can start working on then next part of the story. We'll be making a few changes to the other chapters, but nothing major like the first 10 chapters. Our big rewrites are all done. Let us know what you think. Hope you enjoyed them!

Author's notes: really sorry for the wait, been super busy. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it wasn't easy to write. Please leave your thoughts in the comments, hearings from you is always a pleasure. See you next time!